Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-05-09
DR.. TALMAeE's SERMON, SUNDAY, APR. 80.

DIR. TALMAGE's SERMON, SUNDAY, APR. ~,
DRooKLYN, April 29.-After the Rev. 7.
- Dewitt Talmage, DID,, had in 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 pSciOus earth around,
While all the armies of the sky
Conspire to raise the sound.
DR.. Talmage announced his subject
'Modern Spiritualism." He took for his
text 'Behold, there is woman that hath
familiar spirit at En-dor. 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. IL Samuel xviii,
T,8. Following is the sermon in full:
have recently become Spiritualist. 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 communica-
tion between this world and the next, leads
me to preach this sermon.
Trouble to the right of him, and trouble
to the left of him, Saul knew not what to
do. AS last resort, he concluded to seek
out spiritual medium, or watch, or any
thing that you please to call her-at any
rate, a woman who had communication with
the spirits of the eternal world. 1t was a
very difficult thing to do, for Saul had eth
er slain all the witches, or compelled them
TO stop business. A servant, one day, said
to King Saul: ~ know of spiritual medi-
um down at the village of En-dor." "Do
you?" said the king. Night falls, Saul,
putting off his kingly robes, and putting on
the dress of plain citizen, with two SER
wants, goes out to hunt up this spiritual
medium. 1t was no easy thing for Saul to
disguise himself, for the tallest people in
the country only came up to his shoulder,
and l think from the strength of the man
and the way he bore himself, he must have
been well porportioned 1t must have been
frightful to see a man walking along in
the night eight or nine feet high. I sup
posed, as the people saw him pass, they said {:
"Who is that? He is as tall as the King"
having no idea that in such plain dress
there really was passing the King. Saul
and his servants after awhile reach the vii
lage, and they say: "wonder if this is the
house," and they look in and they see the
haggard, weird and shrivelled mp spiritual
medium sitting by the light, and on the ta-
BILE sculptured images, and divining rods,
and poisonous herbs, and bottles, and vases,
They say: "Yes, this must be the place."
One loud rap brings the woman to the door,
and as she stands, holding the candle or
lamp above her head and peering ont into
the darkness, 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 aud almost drops the
light, for she knows there is no chance for
a 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 dead p Saul
says: "Bring up Samuel" That was the
prophet who had died little while before.
| see her waving a wand, or stirring up
some poisonous herbs in cauldron, or hear
muttering over some incantations or
stamping with her foot, as she cries out to
the realm of the dead, "Samuel Samuelp
Lo, 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, the feet, the entire
body of dead Samuel, wrapped in sepul chral
robe, appearing 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 he glares
upon King saul and cried 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 con-
troll himself, makes this stammering and
affrighted utterance, as he says to the dead
prophet: ''The Lord is against me, and
have come to you for help. What shall l
do?" The dead prophet stretched forth his
finger to King Saul and said: "Die to- NOR
row Come with me into the sepulchre. l
am going now. Come, come with me !"
And 10 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 is left in the room
but Saul and the two servants, and the spir-
itual medium, and the sculptured images,
and the divining rods, and the bottles, and
the vases, and the poisonous herbs. o, that
was an awful seance!
I learn FIRST from this xubject that spr-
itualism is a very old religion. 1t is natural
that people should want to know the origin
and the history of doctrine which is SO
widespread in all the villages, towns, and
cities of the civilized world, getting new
converts every day-a doctrine with which
many of you are already tiDged.
Spiritualism in America was born in
1s47, in Hydesville, Wayne county, New
York, when one night there was loud
rap heard against the door of Michael
Weekman; a rap 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 a young woman who
had a cold hand passed over her face, and
there being seemingly no arm attached to
it, ghostly suspicious were excited. After
awhile Mr.. Fox and his family moved into
that house, and then every night there was
banging at the door; and one night Mr..
Fox said: Are you spirit?' Two raps, an.
swering in the affirmative. care you an
injured spirit?" Two raps, answering in
the affirmative. And so they found out, as
they say, that it was the ghost or spirit of
pedlar who had been murdered in that
house, many years before, for his five hun
dred dollars. Whether the ghost of the
dead pedlar had come there to collect his
five hundred dollars, or his bones, / cannot
say, not being Spiritualist; but there was
great racket at the door, so Mr.. Week
man declared, and Mrs. Weekman, and Mr..
Fox, and Mrs. Fox, and all the little Foxes,
The excitement spread. There was a uni