Sharp County record., 1888-05-17
re business! Well, the people

1--WE nave SOJ SOluCIlIlAS N0'
country: it is a new religion"
Oh. no, my friends. Thousands OF
years ago we find in our text spiritual
tstic seRnCe.
Nothing in the spiritualistie circles OF
cur day has been more strange, n!s'
terious and wonderful than things whlca
have been seen in the past centuries Oh Oh
the world. In all the ages there have Oeeh
necromancers, those who consult with the
snirits of the departed charmers; those
who put their subjects in mesmerlc
state: sorcerers, those who, by taxing
noisonOus drugs, see every thing and hear
every thing and tell every thing idreamers,
ueople who in their sleeping moments can
see the future world and hold consultation
with spirits: astrologers, who could read
a new dispensation in the stars; experts
in palmistry, who can tell by the lines IN
the palm of your hand your origin ana
history, From a cave on Mount Palnas-
sus, we are told, there was an exhalatlon
that intoxicated the sheep and the goats
that came anywhere near it, and shep-
herd approaching it was thrown oy thaI
evhalatiOn into an excitement in which ne
could foretell future events and hold con-
sultation with the spiritual world Yea
before the time of Christ the Brahmlns
went through all the table-moving, all the
furniture excitement, which the spirits
have exploited in our day; precisely the
same thing over and over again, under
the manipulations of the Brahmins. Now
do YOU saw that Spiritualism is different
from these? answer, all these deluslons
have mentioned belong to the same FAM
ilv. They are exhumations from the un-
seen world.
What does God think of all these delu'
sions? He thinks so severely of them that
he never speaks of them but with llVld
thunders of indignation. He says:
I will be a swift witness against the sorcerer.
He says:
Thou shalt not suffer witch to live.
And lest you might make some impor-
tant distinction between Spirituallsm and
witchcraft, God says, in so many words:
There shall not be among you consulter OF
familiar spirits, or wizard, or necromancer; TOT
thew that do these things are an abominatlon
unto he Lord
The Lord Almighty in a score of pas
sages. which have not now time to quote,
utters his indignation against all this
great family of delusions. After that be
a Spiritualist if you dare!
But Spiritualism says:
"We will open the future world, and
vour loved one can come back and talk to
YOU"
Though we may not hear his voice, we
may hear the rap of his hands on the ta'
Bile. SO, clear the table. Sit down Put
vour hands on the table. Be very quiet
Five minutes gone. Ten minutes gone
No motion of the table. No response from
the future world. Twenty minutes. Ihir'
tv minutes. Nervous excitement all the
time increasing. Forty minutes. The table
shivers. Two raps from the future world
The letters of the alphabet are called
over. The departed friends name is John
At the pronunciation of the letter ID
two raps. At the pronunciation of the let
ter 90" two raps. At the pronunciation
of the letter "H," two raps. At the pro-
nunciation of the letter "N," two raps
There you have the whole name spelled
out john, John. Now, the spirit be-
ing present, you say:
"John, are you happy"
Two raps give an affirmative answer
! Pretty soon the hand of the medium be-
| gins to twitch and toss and begins to write
out, after paper and ink are furnished,
message from the eternal world. What is
remarkable, the departed spirit, although
| il has been amid the illuminations OF
Heaven, can not spell as well as it used to-
1t has lost all grammatical accuracy and
can not write as distinctly. received
letter through a medium once. l sent Il
| back. | said:
"Just please to tell those ghosts they
had better go to school and get improved
in their photography"
Now, Just think of spirits, that the Bible
represents as enthrOned in glory, coming
down to crawl under the table, and break
crockery, and ring tea bells before supper
| is ready, and rap the window shutter on
gusty night. Is there any consolation IN
such poor, miserable work compared
with the thought that our departed Chris
tian friends, got rid of pain and langulsh-
ing, are in the radiant society of Heaven
and that we shall Join them there, not il
a stifed and mysterious half utterance
| which makes the hair stand on end anC
the cold chills creep the back, but IN an
unhindered and illimitable delight?
And none shall murmur or misdoubt,
When Gods great sunrise finds US out.
Yes, my friends, Spiritualism comes tc
those who are in trouble and sweeps them
into its delusions. Saul, in the midst of
his disaster, went to the Witch of EndOr.
The vast majority Of those who have gone
to spiritual mediums have been sent there
through their misfortunes.
learn still farther from this subject
that Spiritualism and necromancy are af-
fairs Of the darkness. Why did not Saul
90 in the day? He was ashamed to go.
Besides that, he knew that this spiritual
medium, like all her successors, per-
formed her exploits in the night. The
Davenports, the Fowlers, the Foxes, the
spiritual mediums of all ages, have chosen
the night or a darkened room. Why?
The majority of their wonders have been
swindles, and deception prospers best in
the night.
You have all seen strange and unac-
countable things in the night. Almost
every man has at some time had touch
of hallucinatiou. Some time ago, after
had been over tempted to eat something
indigestible before retiring at night, after