The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-03-01
Rev. Or. TALMAGE.
THE EMINENT DIvNE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.


Subject. 4 Religion OF Ghosts-spirit.
ualism Denounced as Necroinnncy and
Delusion--Its Disciples Are Doomed
1t Causes Insanity Among Its Victims.
lcopyriRht 1901
WAsHINaroN, ID. C.--In this discourse
DR.. Tnlmngo discusses theme never more
under exploration than Mt this time and
warns people against what ho calls u re-
llgion OF ghosts; text, | Samuel xviii, a.
"Dehold, there is n woman that bnth
familiar spirit nt En-dor. Aud Saul dis.
guisod himself and put on other raiment,
and he went, and two men with him, aud
they camo to the woman by night"
Trouble TO the right OF him and trouble
10 the left OF him, Saul knew not what to
do. As lust resort he concluded to seek
out spiritual medium or Il witch or any.
thing that you please to call her-a woman
who had communication with the spirits
OF the eternal world. 1t was a very din.
cnlt thing to do, for Saul had either slain
all the witches or compelled them TO stop
business. servant one day said to King
Saul. II know OF n spiritual medium down
at the viliugo OF Bn-dor." "Do you," said
the king. Night falls. Saul, putting OF
his kingly robes and putting on the dress
OF Il plain citizen, with two servants, goes
ont to hunt up this medium.
Saul and Bic servants after awhile
reached the village. and they say. 81
wonder II this is the house." and they look
in, and thoy see the hHggard, weird and
shrlveled up apliltunl medium sittin by
the light and ON the table sculpturod
images and dlvlning rods and poisonous
herbs and bottles and vases They say.
Yes, this must be tho place" One loud
rnp brings the woman to the door, and as
she stands there, holding the candle OF
lamp above her head and peering ont into
the darkness, she says, who IL here2'
The tall king informs her that lie has ccmU
to have his fortune told. When she hears
that, she tremblos and almost drops the
light, for she knows there is no chance foi
"a fortune teller or spiritual medium In al
the land. But Saul having sworn that nc
harm shall come to her, she says, "Well
who shall bring up from the dead2" Saul
says, Bring up Samuel" That was the
prophet who had died little while before.
L see her waving wand, or stirring un
some poisonous herbs in n caldron, OF
hear her muttcring over some incanta
tons, or stamping with her foot us she
cries out to the realm of tho dead.
samuel, samuel" Lo, tho freezing hor.
ror The floor Ofthe tenemont opens, nnG
the gray hairs foat up aud tho forehead
the eyes, the lips, the shoulders, tho arms
the fect--the entiro body OF tho deaG
Samuel--wrapped in sepulchral robe, ap
| pearlng TO tho astonished group, who
stagger back and hold fast and catcL
their breath and shiyer with terror.
The dead prophet, white and awful from
| the tomb, begins to move his ashen lips
| and he gIares upon King Saul and erie,
| out: "Whnt did you bring mo up fori
| What do you mem, King Saul?" Saul
| trying TO compose and control himself
makes this stammering and afrrightod
utteranco as he says to the dead prophet
| ''Thc Lord is against mo, and have como
to you for help. What shall do2" The
| dead prophet stretched forth his finger &c
| King Snul and said: "Die tomorrow
| Como with me into the sepulcher. l an
| going now. Come, como with mel' And
| TO- the floor again opens. and the feet oi
, the dead prophet disappear and tho arms
and the shoulders and tho foreheadl The
floor closes. Oh, that was an awful soance
To unlntch the door between the present
| state and the future state all the fingers OF
superstition have been busy. We have
books entitled "Footfalls on the Boun
| daries of Other Worlds, 1" ''rhe u Debntable
Land Between This World and the Next
Researches Into the Phenomena OF Splr
| itualism" and whole libraries OF hocus
| pocus enough to deceive the very elect
/ shall not take time to rehoarse the his
tory OF divination, Dolphic oracle, slbyl oil
palmistry or the whole centuries OF im
| posture.
Modern spirtualism proposes TO ope1
the door between this world aud the nex
and put us into communication with tn,
dead. 1t has mover yet offered one reason
able credentlal.
When flnd Saul In my text consulting
familiar spirit, learn that splrituali'm Il
a very old religion.
Spiritualism In American was born in the
yerr 1847, In Hydesville, Wayne County
| N. Y, when ono night there was u loud
rap heard against the door OF Michae
Weekman; rap second time rap .
third time, aud NIL three times. When the
door was opened. thero was nothing found
there. tho knocking having been made
| seemingly by invisible knuckles.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family
moved into that house, and then they had
bnngings Mt the door every night Ono
night Mr.. Fox cried out, "Are you spirlt?'
Two raps--answor In the Affirmative. "Arc
you an injured spiritP" Two raps-answel
In the Affirmative. Then they knew right
away that 1t was the spirit OF n peddei
who had been murdered in that house
years before and who had been robbed oil
his $500. Whether the spirit OF tho peddlei
came back to collect his $500 or his bones
l do not know.
The excitement spread. There was uni.
versal rumpus. The Hon. Judge Edmonds
declared in u book that he had actually
seen bell start from the top shelf of II
closet, heard 1t ring over the people thnl
were standing in the closet: then, swung by
Invisible hands, Ii rang over tho people H.
the back parlor and tloated through the
folding doors to the front parlor, rang ovei
the people there and then dropped on the
floor. A Senator OF tho United States, af.
terwnrd Governor OF Wisconsin, had his
head quite turned with spiritualistic demon.
strations Tho tables tipped, and the stools
tilted, and the bedsteads raised and the
chairs upset, and 1t seemed MS IL tho spirits
everywhere had gone into the furniture
business! "Well, the people said. 1--WE have
got something now In this country. 1t is q
new religlonl" Oh, no, my friend, thou.
sands OF years ago, we find In our text, o
splrltuallstic soancel
Nothing In the spiritualistic circles OF
our day has been moro strange, mysterious
and wonderful than things which have
been seen In past centuries OF the world.
In all ages there have been necromancers
those who consult with the spirits OF the
departed; charmers, those who put theit
subjects in mesmerio state; sorcerers
those who by taking poisonous drugs sec
everything and hear everything and tell
everything; dreamers, people who in theiI
sleeping moments can see tho future worlt
and hold consultation with spirits. Yes
before the time OF Christ. tho Brahmani
went through all the table moving, all tbs
furniture excitement, which tho spirit;
have exploited in our day, precisely thu
same thing over and over again, under tn,
manipulation OF tho Brahmnns. Now, dc
you say that spiritunlism is different from
those? Ianswer, al these delusions hnv,
/ YnpnfiOnnI halnnU IN fha aamn Ia,