The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-14
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON,
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: A Religion Of Ghosts-Spirit-
nalisfn Denounced az Necromancy aud
DelusioH-Its Disciples Are Doomed
1t Causes Insanity Among Its Victims.
[Co2yright l!'DO.I

Delusior-Its Disciples Are Doomed-
1t Causes Insanity Among Its Victims
[Co2yr;ght 1901
WASHINGTON, D. C-In this discourse
DR.. Tnlmage discusses theme never more
under exploration than Mt this time and
warns peolIe against what he calls re-
liSion Of ghcsts; text, I Samuel xviii, ::
Behold, there is a woman that hath Il
familiar spirit at En-dor. And Saul dis
guised himself and put on other raiment,
and he went, aud two men with him, and
they came to the woman by night"
Trouble to the right of him and trouble
to the left OF him, Saul knew not what to
do. As a last resort he concluded to 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. 1t was very diff
all the witches or compelled them to stop
business. A servant one day said to King
Saul, II know OF spiritual medium down
at the village OF En-dor." "Do you" said
the king. Night falls. Saul, putting off
his klngly robes and putting on the dress
OF aplain citizen, with two servants, goes
ont to hunt up this medium.
Saul and his servants after awhile
reached the village, and they say, 81
wonder II this is the house, land 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 dlviaing rods and poisonous
hd16s and bottles and vases. They say.
"Yes, this must be the place." One loud
rap brings tile woman to the door, and as
she stands there, holding the candle or
lamp above her bead and peerlng out into
70 do "a Ia
The tall king informs her that he has ccme
to lave his fortune told. When she hears
that, she trembles and almost drops the
light, for she knows there Is no chance FOR
q fortune teller or spiritual medium In nll
the land. But Saul having sworn that no
harm shall come>to her, she says, swell,
who shall bring up from the dead?" Saul
says, Bring up Samuel" That vas the
prophet who had died little while before.
I see her waving wand, or stirring up
some, poisonous herbs In caldron, or
hear her mutterilg over some incanta-
tions, or stamping with her foot as she
cries out to the realm OF the dead:
Samuel, Samuel" Lo, the freezing hor-
ror! The floor fthe tenement opens, and
the gray hairs hoat up aud the forehead,
the eyes, the lips, the shoulders, the arms,
the feet-the entire body OF the dead
Samnel-wrapped In sepuIchral robe, ap-
penrlng to the astonlshed group, who
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 cries
out: "What did you bring me up for?
What do you mean, King Saul3" Saul,
trying to compose and control himself,
makes this stammerfng and Gffrlghted
uttsrance as he says to tue 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
King Saul and said: "Die tomorrow!
Come with me into the sepulcher. + ain
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. Oh, that was IN awful seanoe!
TO unlatch the door between the present
state and the future stete all the fingers Of
superstition have been busy. We have
books entitled "Footfalls on the Boun-
darlcs OF Other Worlds" "rhe Debatable
Land Between This World and the Next"
Researches Into the Phenomeia Of Splr-
itualism" and whole Libraries OF hocus
pocus, enough to deceive the very elect.
shall not take time to rehearse the his
tory OF dlvinatica, Delphio oracle, sbyl or
pulmistry or the whole centuries Of im-
posture. "
Modern spiritualism proposes to open
the door between this world and the next
and put US into Communication with the
dead. It-has never yet offered dyone reason
able credentlal. i.a
When Ind Saul In my text consulting q
familiar spirit, learn that spirltuall5m is
q very old religion. t
SpirItualism In American was born In the
year 1S47, in Hydesville, Wayne County,
n. Y, when one night there was loud
rap heard against the door OF Michael
Weekmau; 4 rap n second time, rap o.
third time, and all three times. When tho
door was opened. there was nothing found
there. tho knocking having been made
seemingly by Invisible knuokles.
After awhile Mr.. Fox with his family
moved into that house, and then they had
night Mr.. Fox cried out, care you spirit?"
you IN injured spirit2" Two raps-answsr
ir the affirmative. Then they knew right
at it WIS the spirit OF a peddler
IA Deen murdered In that house
yea1- siore and who had been robbed OF
his $500. Whether thesptrit Of the peddler
came back to collect hista50O Or his bones
I do not know.
The excitement spread. There was uni
vcrsul rumpus. The Hon. Judge Edmonds
declared IN book that he had actually
seen bell start from the top shelf OF Il
closet, heard 1t ring over the people that
were standing In the closet: then, swing by
invisible hands, it rang over the people In
the back parlor and floated through the
folding doors to the front parlor, rang over
the people there and then dropped on the
floor. A Senator OF the United States. af-
terward Governor. OF Wisconsin, had his
head quite turned with splrituallstic dem on
strations. Timetables tipped, And the stools
tilted, and the bedsteads raised, and the
chairs upset, and 1t seemed US II the spirits
everywhere had gone into the furniture
business! well, the people said, Eve have
new religion!" Oh, no, my friend, thou
sands OF years ago. We ind In our text, u
Spiritualistic se9nce! :,
d Nothing in the spiritualistlc circles OF
our day has been more strange, mysterious
md wonderful than things which have
been seen In past centuries OF tho world.
In all ages there have been necromRncars,
those who consult with the spirits OF the
departed; chnrmers, those who put their
subjects IL O mesmerlc state; sorcerers,
those who by taking poisonous drugs 500
everything and hear everything and tell
everything; ,dreamers, people who In thelr
sleeping moments Gun see the future world
and hold consultation. with spirits. Yes,
before the time OF Christ, the Brahmans
went through alfthe;table moving, all the
furniture excitement, which tho spirits
have exploited in our day, precisely the
ca a Jpr n t1nHar
manipulation Of the Brahmnns. Now, do
you say that spIritualsm Is different from
thsse2 answer, al these delusions have
mentioned belong to the Same family.
They are exhumations from the unseen
world.
What does God think OF all these deu-
iions? He thinks so severely VI them that
He never speaks OF them but with livld
thunders Of indignation. He says, ~ will
be Il swift witness against the sorcorer."
He snys, "Tlou shalt not suffer witch to