Sharp County record., 1888-05-17
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Homily on the Widespread Curse
of Modern Spiritualism.
The Birth and Progress of the Hcresy Ii
America and the Baneful Influence ls
Has Exerted in Many Homes
A Christian Seance'

"Modern Spiritualism" was the subject
chosen by Rev. T. Dewitt Tt mage LOT
recent sermon at the Brooklyn lap
ernacle. His text was:
DR., Telmage announced his su1-seE
"Modern Spiritualism." He took for MS
text:
Rehold. there is a woman that hath a familiar
splrit at Endor And Saul disguised hlmselI
and put on other raiment, and he went, anu
two men with him, and they came 10 the
woman by night; and he said, pray tnee' III
vine unto me by the familiar spirit, ana orlnS
me him up, whom I shall name unto Inee'-
|. Samuel, xviii, I,o.
Ihave recently become Spirituallst.
At least so some of the Journals Oh tnaU
belief declare. This, together Win the
fact that mediums" are now being trled
in the criminal courts, setting millions
of people to make inquiry in regard 10
communications between this world anu
the next, leads me to preach this sermon
Trouble to the right of him and troub1e
10 the left of him, Saul knew not Wnat 10
do. As last resort, he concluded 70
seek out a spiritual medium, or witch,
or anv thing that you please to call lt-at
anv rate, a woman who had cOmmunlca-
ton with the spirits of the eternal world:
1t was q very difficult thing to do, for saul
had either slain all the witches or COM
peled them to stop business. A servant
one day said to King Saul:
81 know of a spiritual medium down at
the village Of Endor."
"Do you?" said the King. Night falls
Saul, putting off his kinglyrobes and put
ting on the dress of plain citizen, with
two servants, goes out to hunt up this
spiritual medium. 1t was no easy thing
for Saul to disguise himself, for the tall
est people in the country only came up TO
his shoulder, and think from the strength
of the man and the way he bore h1mself,
he must have been well proportiOned. 1t
must have been frightful thing to see
man walking along in the night eight or
nine feet high. suppose, as the people
saw him pass. they said: "Whols tnat!
He is as tall as the King"-having no idea
that in such a plain dress there really was
passing the King
Saul and his servants after awhile reach
the village, and they say; II wonder If
this is the house," and they look IN ana
they see the haggard, weird and shrlveled
spiritlal medium sitting by the light, and
on the table scuIptured images, and dlvln-
ing rods, and poisonous herbs, and bot
ties, and vases. They say: Eyes, this
must be the place" One loud rap brings
the woman to the door, and as she STANDS
there, holding the candle or lamp above
her head. and peering out into the dark
ness, she says: ''Who is here" The tall
King informs her that he has come to
have his fortune told When she hears
that she trembes and almost drops the
light, for she knows there is no chance for
fortune teller or spiritual medium IN all
the land. But Saul having sworn that no
harm shall come to her, she says:
"Well, who shall bring up from the
deadW
Saul saws: "Bring up Samuel" -
rnaJ was the prophet who had died 8
! little while before. l see her waving q
wand, or stirring up some poisonous
herbs in a cauldron, or hear her mutter-
ing over some incantations, or stamping
with her foot, as she cries out to the realm
| of the dead: Samuel! SamuelW Lo, the
freezing horror! The floor of the tene-
ment opens, and the gray hairs float up,
and the forehead, the eyes, the lips, the
shoulders, the arms, the feet the entire
body of dead Samuel, wrapped in sepul-
chral robe, appear to the astonished group,
who stagger back and hold fast, and catch
their breath, and shiver with terror. The
dead prophet, white and awful from the
tomb. begins to move his ashen lips, and
be glares upon King Saul and cries out:
"What did you bring me up for? Why
did you break my long sleep? What do
you mean, King Saul?"
Saul, trying to compose and control
himself, makes this stammering and af-
frightened utterance, as he says to the
dead prophet:
1.-THE Lord is against me, and l have
come to you for help. What shall do"'
The dead prophet stretched forth his
finger to King Saul and said:
"Die tomorrow! Come with me into
the sepulchre. l am going now. Come,
| come with me"
Spiritualism in America was born in
1S47 in Hydesville, Wayne County, N. T.,
when one night there was loud rap
heard against the door of Michael Week
man; rap a second time, rap third
time; and all three times, when the door
was opened, there was nothing found
there, the knocking having been made
seemingly by invisible knuckles. In that
same house there was young woman
who had cold hand passed over her face,
and, there being seemingly no arm at
tached to it, ghostly suspicious were ex-
cited. After awhile Mr.. Fox and his
family moved into that house, and then
every night there was a banging at the
door, and one night Mr.. Fox said:
"Are you a spirit?" Two raps, answer
ing in the affirmative.
"Are you an injured spirit?" Tworaps,
answering in the affirmative. And so they
found out as they say, that it was the
ghost or spirit of peddler who had been
murdered in that house, many years
before, for his five hundred dollars.
Whether the ghost of the dead peddler
had come there to collect his five hundred
dollars or his bones l can not say, not
being Spiritualist, but there was a great
racket at the door, so Mr.. Weekman de-
clared, and Mrs. Weekman and Mr.. Fox
and Mrs. Fox, and all the little Foxes.
The excitement spread. There was an
universal lumpus. The Hon. Judge Ed