The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-02
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE srIHs NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; 4 Religion of Ghost--Sp!tit-
usiisn Denounced a. Necronancy aud
Deiusion-Its Disciples Are Doomed
1t Causes Insanity Among lite Victims.


Or. ralmage discusses a theme aever more
under exploration than at this time anl
warns people against what he calls A re-
ligion % ghosts; text, | Samuel xviii. ::
Behold. there IL woman that hath a
familiar spirit at Eu-dor. Aud saul dis.
gGised himself and put on other raiment
and he went, aud two men with him, and
they came 10 the woman nv night"
Trouble 20 the right OF him aud trouble
20 the left OF him, saul knew not what TO
10, As a last resort he concluded 10 seek
out spiritual medium or witch or any
thing that you please 10 call her-a woman
who had communication with the spirits
OF the eternal world. IL was very DIM.
cult thing 20 do. for Saul had either slain
all the witches or compelled them TO stop
business. A servant one day said 10 King
saul. Il know OF n spiritual medium down
at the village OF En-dor.' do you, said
the king. Night falls. saul, putting or
his kinIly robes and puttinS on the dress
OF plain citizen, with two servants, goes
out 10 hunt up this medium.
saul and his servants after awhile
reached the village, and they say "J
wonder u this IL the house. and they look
in and they see the -haggard, weird aud
shriyeled up spiritual medium sitting by
the light and on the table sculptured
images and divining rods aud poisonous
herbs and bottles aud vases. They say,
Yes this must he the place" One loud
rap brings the woman 10 the door, aud as
she stands there. holding the candle or
lamp above her head ana peerlng out into
the darkness, she says. WHO H. here2"
The tall king informs her that he has &C mo
10 have his fortune told When she hears
that She trembles aud 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, "Weu
who shall bring up from the dead2" Saul
says, Bring up samuel That was the
prophet who had died "A littlo while before.
l see her waving wand, or stirring up
some poisonous herbs ia a cnldron or
hear her mutterlng over some incanta-
tions, or stamping with hes foot as she
cries out 20 the realm OF ths dead
Samuel, samuel Lo, the freezing hot-
ror! The noor Ofthe tenement opens. and
the gray hairs float up aud the forehead
the eyes, the lips, the shoulders, tho arms
the feet--the entire body OF the dead
Samnel-wrapped la sepulchral robe, ap.
peartug TO the nstonished group, who
stugger bnck and hold fast and catch
their breath and shiyer with terror.
The dead prophet. white and awful from
the tomb, begins to move his ashen lips
aud he glares upon King saul aud cries
out: What did you bring mo up for2
what do you mean, King saul2" Saul
trying to compose and control himself
makes this stammering and afrrighted
uttersnce as he says to tho dead prophet:
the Lord il against me. and have come
10 you for help. What shall fdo'" The
dead prophet stretched forth his finger to
King Saul and said Die tomorrow
Como with me into tho sopulcher. am
going now. Come, come with mel" And
To- the iloor again opens. and the feet OF
the dead prophet disappear and the arms
aud the shoulders aud the forehead The
Hngr N "A nj
To unlntch the door between tho present
state and the future state all the fingers OF
superstition have been busy We have
books entitled "Footfnlls on the Boun.
daries OF Other Worlds, " "rhe Debatnble
Land Between This World and the Next" II"
"Rescarches Into the Phenomena OF Spur
itunlism" and whole libraries OF hocus
pocus, enough 20 deceive the very elect.
i shall not take time TO rehearse the his.
tory ot diyinntica, Delphic oracle, sibyl or
palmistry or the whole centuries OF im-
posture.
Modern spIritunlsm proposes 90 open
the door between this world aud tha next
and put ~ into communication with tho
| dead. II has never yet offered ono reason.
able credential.
When / nnd Saul In my text consulting n
familiar spirit. learn that splrltuali,m is
very Old religion.
Spiritualism In American wns born In the
YER lSi7, In HydesvIllc. Wayne County.
| Y. T., when one night there was "a loud
rap heard against tho door OF Michael
Wcekman; "A rap n second time, n rap "a
third time. aud all three times. When the
door was opened. there was nothing found
there, the knocking having been mads
seemingly by invisible knuckles.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family
moved into that house, and then they had
langings Mt the door every night. ono
ntfrlat MF Nf..I L., G.l.l ~
Two raps--ansSer In the Affirmative. Are
you an injured spritY" Two raps-answer
IN tho Affirmative. Then they know right
away that II was the spirit OF n ped1ler
who had been murdered In that house
year. before and who had been robbed OF
his $500. Whether tho spirit OF the pcddler
came back TO collect his $500 or his bones
do not know.
The excitement spread. There was n uni.
yersnl rumpus. The Hon. Judge Edmonds
declared Ia "A book that he had actually
seen bell start from the top shelf OF a
closet, heard IL ring over - - people that
were standing In the closet: then, swung by
invisible hands, it rang over the people In
the back parlOr and hoated through the
folding doors TO the front parlor, rang over
the people there and then dropped on the
moor. senator % the United States, af-
terwnrd Governor Of Wisconsin, bnd his
bend quite turned with splrltualistic dem on
stratiOns. the tables tipped ani the stools
tilted, aud the bedsleads raised and the
chairs upset, and # seemed as II the spirits
everywhere had gone into the furniture
business! We'll, !" the people said. I'VE have
got something new In this cOuotry. II IL "A
new religloD" Oh no. my friend. thou
sands OF yenrs ago we Ind Ia our text, "a
spirituallstic sesnce!
Nothing In the spirltunllstic circles Oi
our day has been more strange mysterious
la % I4v
been seen In past centuries of the world.
In all ages there have been BecromHnc-rs
those who consult with the spirits % tho
departed; charmers. those who put their
subjects IT, mesnerlc state; sOrcsrer-,
those who by taking poisonous drugs see
everything and hear everything and toll
everything: drsamcrs. psOple who In thsit
sleeping moments can see the future world
and hold consultation with spirits. Yes.
before the time 81 Christ. the Brahmans
went through all the table moving, all the
furniture excitement. which tho spirits
have exploited in our day, precisely the
same thing over and over again, under the
manipulation Of the Brahmans. Now, DO
you say that spiritualism IL dlIersnt from
thcse1 answer, al these decisions have
mentioned belong 90 the same family
They arc ezhumall0ns from the anseeI
world.
What does God think % all these deiu.
1lonsf He thinks 80 severely 81 tnsm that
He never speaks % them bat With liyld
thunder oi Indignation. He snys, Il Will
b" a swiit witness against tho sOrcsrer
He snys, Thou shalt not suffer n wltch to
1--we" And test yoz might make sOms i'm
pOftant distinction hetw"eL splriiunlism
ntd witchcralt God says In % many words.
There shall not BE- tn,one yCu . cODsultst
81 familiar spiri;s, Or wizard. or nerrO.
mahrer. Tor they that 10 these things are
-. .U..f H.. f
God Almighty in -c0fe o. passages which
/ bnNc not now tinr 90 quote Gttcr- Hts 10.