CHAPTER X.

SATANIC AND DEMONIAC MIRACLES,

They "shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."-MATH. Xxiv: 24

As sorcery had been for a long time discarded as a matter of mere pretence, or at most as another name for jugglery, most persons were unprepared to expect anything really wonderful from its revival. When such persons witness a spiritual sign they are inclined to impute it to "the great power of God." Hence they are the readiest dupes of the spirits and their mediums, and the greatest number of proselytes to modern sorcery have been from this class. It seems necessary, therefore, in order to be properly on our guard, to understand what signs may be expected from this source.

I shall be met at the outset with the oft-repeated assertion that "spiritualists pretend to work miracles which they never perform." This is undoubtedly true of sorcerers in every age. Thus we find in Taylor's Jamblichus, page 220, the following cụrious note "from a rare Greek manuscript of Psel

lus on demons, according to the dogmas of the Greeks," written in the tenth century.

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GOETIA, or witchcraft, is a certain art respecting material and terrestrial demons, whose images it causes to become visible to the spectators of this art. And some of these demons it leads up, as it were, from Hades, but others it draws down from on high and these, too, such as are of an evil species. This art, therefore, causes certain phantastic images to appear before the spectators. And before the eyes of some, indeed, it pours exuberant streams; but to others it promises freedom from bonds, delicacies and favors. They draw down, too, powers of this kind by songs and incantations.

But MAGIC, according to the Greeks, is a thing of a very powerful nature. For they say that this forms the last part of the sacerdotal science. MAGIC, indeed, investigates the nature, power and quality of everything sublunary; viz: of the elements and their parts, of animals, all various plants and their fruits, of stones and herbs; and in short, it explores the essence and power of everything. From hence, therefore, it produces its effects. And it forms statues which procure health, make all various figures and things, which become the instruments of disease. Often, too, celestial fire is made to appear through magic, and then statues laugh and lamps are spontaneously enkindled."

A more remarkable passage occurs in the First

Book of the Metamorphosis of Apuleius, written in the second century:

"By magical incantations rapid rivers may be made to run back to their fountains, the sea be congealed, winds become destitute of spirit, the sun be held back in its course, the moon be forced to scatter her foam, the stars be torn from their orbits, the day be taken away, and the night be detained.'

From the foregoing is it not obvious that the sorcerers on behalf of whom Psellus and Apuleius wrote, were guilty of a religious theft, in ascribing the most remarkable miracles of the Mosaic dispensation to "evil" spirits and their own sinful arts ?

It is clear that reference is here made to the miraculous darkness in Egypt, the dividing and "congealing" of the Red Sea, the flowing back of Jordan, the lengthening of the day in the time of Joshua, the descent of fire on Sinai and Carmel, the impotence of the Chaldean furnace, and the stilling of the tempest by the Redeemer. All of these with some others are imputed to magic!

It appears that the French infidels were not the first nor the last to teach that Moses and the Mes

siah were magicians ! A perverseness of this character can be traced throughout the entire history of sorcery, from its climax in Egypt, to the most puerile manifestations of modern spiritualism. It seems to have been natural for the entire family

* Taylor's Jamblichus, p. 222.

+ Exodus xv: 8.

of every age, either to ascribe the greatest of God's miracles to their "demons of an evil species" or to deny them altogether. Perhaps we have no reason to expect anything better as the natural consequence of the occupation of these pretenders to Divine power.

The magicians of Egypt ascribed the signs which were wrought by Jehovah to the same agencies as their own, till, as the result of a miracle which they were unable to counterfeit, they were constrained to confess their perverseness, exclaiming, "This is the finger of God!"

Simon Magus, the noted sorcerer of Samaria, taught the people that his wonders were effected by Divine power. Hence, "They all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying this man is the great power of God.”

The confessed successors of these ancient masters are emulating their example. They contend that their miracles and inspiration are the same in character, and effected by the same class of agencies as those of Christ, the Apostles and prophets, all must redound to the honor of departed spirits!

The spiritualists will do well to bear in mind what is observable in our first quotation-that the wonders of sorcery and magic according to the dogmas of the Greeks, are all to be imputed to "evil demons." They very well understood that sorcerers could obtain assistance from no other spirits than those of an "evil species."

But notwithstanding all the religious thefts, the false assumptions and extravagant pretences of sorcerers, they have really performed signs, though of a low order; and we are authorized by the Bible to expect this from their successors of our own times.

"And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. * * And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: ** And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their ** Aaron enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God." -Ex. vii: viii.

Says Dr. Cumming, of London: "Whatever God does in the world, satan always gets up something very like it, because his hope of progress is by deception. We may quote the miracles of the magicians of Egypt: satan got up his miracles too, perhaps real, at least supernatural ones. When