The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-30
SPIRITUALISM.
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Sunday Sermon.
He Treats Of the Scriptural Woman
Of Endor.
How Spiritualism Has Grown in the
United States.
He Declares 1t To Be a Social and
Mortal Curse.
"The Majority Of These Wonders Have
Been Swindles, and Deception
Prospers Best in
the Night"

BROOKLYN, N. Y, April 29.-Aiter the
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, ID, had in
a his well known manner expounded the
Scriptures, the multitude of people who
throng the tabernacle and all the entrances,
packing every available space Of standing
and sitting room, united in singing:
salvation let the echo fly
The spacious earth around,
while all the armies OF the sky
Conspre to raise the sound"
DIR. Talmage announced his subject
"Modern Spiritualism." He took for his
text, "Behold, there is woman that hath
familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul dis
guised himself, and put on other raiment
and he went, and two men with him, and
they came to the woman by night: and
he said, pray thee, divine unto me by
the familiar spirit, and bring me him up,
whom shall name unto thee."-1 Sam
uel, xviii, rs. Following is the sermon
in full:
have recently become q spirituaist.
AT least, so some of the journals OF that
belief declare. This, together with the
fact that mediums" are now being tried
in the criminal courts setting millions Of
people TO make inquiry in regard TO COM
munication between this world and the
next, leads me 10 preach this sermon.
Trouble TO the right Of him, and trouble
TO the left Of him, Saul knew not what to
DO As a last resort, he concluded TO seek
out a spiritual medium, or witch, orany-
thing that you please to call her-at any
rate, woman who had communication
with the spirits Of the eternal world. 1t
was very difficult thing to do, for Saul
had either slain all the witches or compell-
ed them to stop business. A servant one
day said TO King Saul: 81 know OF n
spiritual medium down at the village of
Endor." ''Do your" said the king Night
falls. Saul, putting off his Nngly robes,
and putting on the dress OF plain citizen,
with two servants, goes ont 20 hunt up this
spiritual medium. IL was no easy thing
for Saul TO disguise himself, for the talcst
people in the country only came up to his
shoulder, and think from the strength Of
the man and the way he bore himself, he
must have been well proportioned. Ii
must have been frightful thing TO see a
man walking along in the night eight or
nine feet high. suppose as the people
saw him pass they said "Who is that2
lie is as tall as the king'-haying no idea
that in such plain dress there really was
passing the king Saul and his servants
after awhile reach the village, and they
say: al wonder II this Is the house," and
they look in and they sec the haggard,
weird and shriveled up spiritual medium
sitting by the light, and on the table sculp-
tured images and diyining rods, and pois-
onous herbs, and bottles and vases. They
saw eyes, this must be the place" One
loud wrap brings the woman TO the door,
and rs she stands there holding the candle
or lamp above her head and peering out
into the darkness, she says; "Who Is
here?" The tall king informs her that he
has come 10 have his fortune told. When
she hears that she trcmbles and almost
drops the light, for she. knows there is no
chance for n fortune-teller or spiritual me-
dium in all the land. But Saul having
sworn that no harm shall come 20 her, she
saws "Well, who shall | bring up
from the dcad2' Saul sayE Bring
M Samuel" That was the prophet
who had died little while before. see
her waving n wand or stirring up some
poisonous herbs in cauldron, or hear
her muttering over some incantations, or
stamping with her foot, rs she cries out 20
the realm OF the dead: Samuel Sam.
uell" 10, the freezing horror The floor
Of the tenement opens, and the gray hairs
float up, and the forehead, the eyes, the
lips, the shoulders, the arms, tho feet the
entire body Of dead Samuel, wrapped In
scpulchral robe, appearing TO the aston.
ished group, who staggcr back and hold
fast, and catch their breath and shiyer
~ a.. .l.aI t.fut.laUN uktNs
4 and awful from the tomb, begins 20 move
his ashen lips, and he glares upon King
Saul and cries out: "What did You bring
me up for? Why did you break my long
sleeps What do you mean, King saulg'
Saul, trying 10 compose and control him.
self, makes this stammcring and aiirighted
uttcTancc, as he says 10 the dead prophet
1.-THE Lord Is against me, and j have
come 10 you for help. What shall dot.
Tho dead prophet stretched forth hi,
finger 10 King Saul and said: "Dio TO
morrowl Come with mo into the scpul
chrc. / am going now. Come, come
with mel" And, lol the floor again
opens, and the feet Of the dead prophet
disappear, and the arms and the shoulders
and the forehead. The floor closes
Nothing II left In the room but Saul ant
the two servants, and the spiritual me
dunn, and the sculptured images, and the
divining rods, and the bottles, and th'
vases, and the poisonous herbs. y, tina
was an awful seancel
1 learn hrst from this subject tina
spiritualiHn Il a very old religion. II I
natural that people should want 10 know
The origin and the history OF doctrine
which Il 20 widespread In oil the villages
towns and cities OF the civilized world
getting new converts every day-a doc
irine with which many Of you arc alrcad.
tingcd.
Spiritualism In America was born Il
Is47, In Hydesyillc, Wayne county, n
Y, when one night there was a lou
rap heard against the door Of Michae
Wcckman; a rap q second time, arap
third time; and all three times, when tn
loor WIS opened there was nothing ioun.,
lhcrc, the knocking having been mad
4 epemingly by invisible knuckles. In tina
Hfne house there was a young woma
uho had cold hand passed over her face
nd there being seemingly no arm nj
nrhed TO H. Rhoetly suspicious were er
.ied. After awhile Mr.. Fox and his fam
III moved into that house and then ever