Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-03-07
SERMON
Rev. Or. Caln1aQe

Subject: A Religion OF Ghosts-s,,irit-
uaiism Denouuced as Necromancy and
Delusisn-lts Disciples Arc Doo,ned-
1t Causes Insanity Among Its vietims.
lcopynRht lsool
WASHINGTON. D. C.-In this dlscours.
DR.. Talmage discusses a theme never mort
under exploration than at this time AND
warns people against what he calls q r.
lfRion Of ghosts; text, l Samuel xviii, Z.
Behold, there Is woman that hath u
familiar spirit at En-dor. Aud Saul dis
gutsed himself and put on other raiment,
and he went. and two men with him, and
they came to the woman bv night"
Trouble to the right OF him and trouble
to the left Of him, Saul knew not what to
do. As Il last resort he concluded to seek
out u spiritual medium or u witch or any,
thing that you please to call her-a woman
who had Communication with the spirits
OF the eternal world. 1t was q very difii-
cult thing to do, for Saul had either slain
all the witches or compelled them to stop
business. A servant one day said to King
at the village OF En-dor." DO YOU" said
the king. Night falls. Saul. putting OF
his kingiy robes and quitting on the dress
OF plain citizen, with two servants, goes
out to hunt up this medium.
Saul and his servants after awhile
EodCucu tuo Nhlhkc, uuu tu6y say,
wonder II this is the house." and they look
In, and they see the haggard, weird and
shriveled up spiritual medium sitting by
the light and on the table 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, aud as
she stands there. holding the candle or
lamp above her head nnd peering out into
the darkness, she says, who Is here?'
The tall king informs her that he has ccms
to have his fortune told. When she hears
that, she trembies and almost drops the
light, for she knows there Is no chance for
q fortune teller or spiritual medium in all
the land. But Saul having sworn that no
harm shall come TO her, she says, "WelI,
who shall l bring up from the deRd?" Saul
says, "Bring up Samuel" That vas the
prophet who had died little while before.
/ see her waving wand, or stirring up
some poisonous herbs in a caidron. or
hear her muttering over some incanta.
tions, or stamping with her foot a. she
cries out to the realm Of the dead:
Samuel, Samuel!' Lo, the freezing hor-
rorl The noor OF the tenement opens, aud
the gray hairs float up aud the forehead,
the eyes, the lips, the shoulders, the arms
the feet--the entire body OF the dead
Samuel-wrapped IN sepulchral robe, ap
pearing to the nstonished group. who
stagger back and hold fast and cutcL
their breath and shiver with terror.
The dead prophet, white and awful from
the tomb, begins to move his nshen lips,
and he glares upon King Saul and cries
out: what did you bring me up for9
What do you mean, King Saul?" Saul,
trying 10 compose and control himself,
makes this stammering and afYrighted
utterance as he says to the dead prophet:
1.-THE Lord Is against me, and have come
to You for help. What shall do?'' The
dead prophet stretched forth his finger to
-
Come with me into the sepulcher. am
going now. Come, come with me!'' Aud.
10, the floor again opens. and the feet OF
the dead prophet disappear and the arms
and the shoulders and the foreheadi Thr
floor closes. Oh, that was an awful seancel
To unlatch the door between the present
state and the future state all the fingers OF
superstition have been busy. We have
books entitled Footballs on the Boun-
dsries OF Other Worlds" 'The Debatable
Land Between This World and the Next"
Researches Into the Phenomena of Spir-
itualism" and whole libraries OF hocus
pocus. enough to deceive the very elect.
I shall not take time to rehearse the his
tory OF divination, Delphic oracle, sibyl or
palmistry or the whole centuries OF i'm
posture.
Modern spiritunllsm proposes to open
the door between this world and the next
and put US into communication with the
dead. 1t has never yet offered one reason
able credential.
When find Saul in my text consulting IA
familiar spirit, learn that spiritual IN is
q very old religion.
Sptritualism In American was born In the
year ls47, in Hydesville. Wayne County,
N. u, when one night there was u loud
rap heard against the door OF Michael
Weekman; rap second time. rap IA
third time. and all three times. When the
door was opened. there was nothing found
EnnnkfnD I,nt VIM hnA, L.,
seemingly by invisible knuckles.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family
moved into that house, and then they hal
bangings at the door every night. One
night Mr.. Fox cried out, Are you a spiri?"
Two raps-ans Ser In the Affirmative. "Are
in the affirmative. Then they knew right
away that 1t was the spirit OF pediler
who had been murdered in that house
years before and who had been robbed OF
his $780, Whether the spirit OF the ped,iler
came back to collect his $500 or his bones
I do not know.
The excitement spread. There was n nni-
versal rumpus. The Hon. Judge Edmonds
declared In a book that he had actually
seen q bell start from the top shelf OF n
closet, heard It ring over the people that
were standing In the closet: then, swung by
invisible hands, 1t rang over the people In
the back parlor and noated through the
folding doors to the front parlor rang over
the people there and then dropped on the
moor. Senator Of the United States. ar.
terward Governor of Wisconsin, had his
head quite turned with spirit ualistic demon.
strations. The tables tipped. and the stools
tilted, and the bedsteads raised and the
chairs upset, and 1t seemed as u the spirits
everywhere had gone into the furniture
business! "Weli ;" the people said, 1--WE have
got something new in this country. 1t is u
new religion" Oh, no, my friend, thou
sands OF years ago, we find in our text, "a
spiritualistic seancel
Nothing In the spirit ualistic circles OF
our dny has been more strange, mysterious
and wonderful than things which have
been seen In past centuries OF the world
In all ages there have been necromanc rs
those who consult with the spiri s OF the
departed; chafmers, those who put their
subjects In a mesmeric state; sorcersrs,
those who by taking poisonous drug. SEQ
everything and hear everything and tell
everything; dreamers, people who In their
sleeping moments can see the future world
and hold consultation with spirits. Yes,
before the time OF Christ, the Drahmnns
went through all the table moving, aii 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 Is different from
these? 1answer, al these delusions have
mentioned belong to the same family.
world.
What does God think OF all these deIu-
sions2 He thinks SO severely of them that
He never speaks Of them but with ivid
thunders Of indignation. He says, II wall
be swift witness against the sorcerer."
He says. "Thou shalt not suffer u witch to
live" And lest You might make some i'm
portant distinction between spiritualism
and witchcrait God says 10 40 many words,
"There shall not be among you n consultef
OF familiar spirits, or wizard, or necro-
mancer, for they that do these things are
an abomination unto the Lord" The Lord
God Almighty In n score of passages which
I have not now TIM . to quote utters His In
dignation against all this great family OF
delusions. After that be q spiritualist II
you dare!
You lose a friend; you want the spir-
itual world opened. so that you NAV
have Communication with him. In =
highly wrought. nervous and diseased
state OF mind you 20 and put yourself
In that Communication. That IL why