§. 1. I CHAP. VIII. Grecian customs confirmed. HAVE now, I think, considered all the customs referred to in the History of the Acts which are purely Jewish. There remains one which is common to the Jews with most other nations, and that is the practice of magic. We read of Bar Jesus a Jew, who was a sorcerera, and of Simon a sorcerer in Samariab, and "that many of the Christian converts at Ephesus, who had used curious arts, brought their books together, and burnt them before all men." Nothing is more certain than that the arts of sorcery or magic were expressly forbidden by the law of Moses. Notwithstanding, it is a very clear fact that they were practised by many among the Jews as well as among the heathen: if any credit may be given to the Talmud, twenty-four of the school of Rabbi Judah were killed by sorcery, eighty women sorceresses were hanged in one day by Simon Ben Shetah. And the gloss says, the women of Israel were generally fallen to the practice of sorceries. So greatly did the practice hereof abound among them, that a skill in this art was required as a necessary qualification for a person to be chosen into their councils, whether that of seventy-one or those of twenty a Acts xiii. 6. Acts xix. 19. Acts viii. 9. p. 228. et 1. 7. c. 3. p. 718, et 719. de Syned. 1. 2. c. 13. §. 5. d Exod. xxii. 18. Lev. xx. 27. Deut. xviii. 10, 11. I Sam. xxviii. 3. 9. Mishna Sanhed. c. 7. §. 4. Maim. in tract. Sanh. et Abodah Zara, c. 6. More Neboch. p. 3. c. 37. Seld. de Jur. Nat. 1. 2. c. 1. p. 172. et cap. 7. e Light. vol. 1. p. 371. vol. 2. p. 244. Hieros. Talm. fol. 18. col. 3. Hieros. Sanh. fol. 23. 3. Bab. Sanh. fol. 44. 2. See Light. vol. 2. p. 244. three, that he might be the better able to try and judge the accused, whether they were really guilty of this wicked art or nots. Nay, several of their elders, judges, or rabbies, arrived so at great a proficiency herein, that they outdid them who made it their profession. We read also in Josephus, of one Simon a Jew, born in Cyprus, a sorcerer, who was a great friend and companion of Felix the Roman governori, in the same manner as Bar Jesus, mentioned in the Acts, seems to have been of Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus. The same author tells us, that at that time were very many sorcerers and deceivers, who, pretending to shew wonders and prodigies, seduced great numbers of people after them into the wildernessk. That magic was practised among the heathen is a thing too well known to need any proof. Their philosophers, historians, and poets, agree to confirm this fact. Nay, several of the most renowned of the Greek philosophers were themselves at no small pains to attain a skill in this art, such as Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Platom. And it deserves remarking, that as Simon is said in the Acts of the Apostles "to have given out himself to have been some great one," that is, as the ancients interpret it to be, the Deity", so Pythagoras gave out that he was Apollo Hyperboreus". That there were many conversant in the art of magic in the Rabbi Jochanan in Gem. Bab. ad tit. Sanh. c. I. fol. 17. I. et ad tit. Menachoth, c. 6. fol. 65. 1. et Maim. Halach, Sanh. c. 2. §. 1. See Seld. de Syn. l. 2. c. 9. p. 1412, 1413. et Light. vol. 2. p. 244. hThus did Rabbi Meer Hier. Sotah, fol. 16, 2. et Rabbi Joshua Hierus. Sanh. fol. 25. 4. See Light. vol. 1. p. 371. et vol. 2. p. 244. i Antiq. 1. 20. c. 7. §. 2. Thus Thrasyllus the sorcerer was one of the most intimate friends of the emperor Tiberius. Tacit. Ann. 1. 6. c. 21, fin. Suet. in Aug. 99. 3. et in Tib. 14. 7. Dio, 1. 55. p. 555 Antiq. 1. 20. c. 8. §. 6. et de Bell. 1. 2. c. 13. §. 4. σTipos πоvnрov. Vid. Del Rio et Bulenger de Magia. Tibul. 1. 2. 45. Hor. Sat. 8. Silius Ital. 1. 13. Noris, vol. 3. p. 603. Ovid, &c. m Certe Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Plato, ad hanc discendam navigavere, exiliis verius quam peregrinationibus susceptis. Hanc reversi prædicavere; hanc in arcanis habuere. Plin. Nat. Hist. 1. 30. §. 2. Diog. Laert. 1. 8, 24, pr. et 59, pr. Philostratus would clear them of this. See De Vita Apoll. 1. 1. c. I. but it is too plain a fact to be denied. n Vid. Grot. in Act. viii. 10. This he did by shewing his golden or ivory thigh. Vid. Porph. Vit. Pyth. p. 192, 193. Jamb. de Vit. Pyth. c. 28. p. 127. 131. Orig. contr. Cels. 1. 6. p. 280. Ælian. 1. 2. c. 26. et l. 4. c. 17. et Diog. Laert. 1. 8. 11. How shall we reconcile this with his metempsychosis, and with his conversing with Apollo? Philostrat. ubi supra. city of Rome during the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and many succeeding emperors, is abundantly evident from the Roman history; and we read of their having been banished Italy more than once". Ephesus, which is the place where it is said the Christian converts brought together and burnt their books of sorcery, was so famous for this art, that some particular forms of enchantment derived their names from thence, either as having been originally invented by some magician of that city, or as being most in use among the Ephesians. I have sometimes thought, that the notions which prevailed concerning the power of magic were no small hinderance to the progress of Christianity. It is very certain that the enemies of the gospel, both Jews and heathens, ascribed the miraculous works wrought by our Saviour and his apostles to this power, and no doubt prevailed with many to be of the same opinion. But is it possible, that those who looked upon the works performed to proceed from no higher an original, could conceive them to be any proof of a mission from the one only living and true God, or of the truth and certainty of the doctrines taught by the performers? §. 2. It is said in the Acts, that "a certain damsel, possessed with a spirit of divination, brought her masters much gain by soothsaying;" and that Paul dispossessed her by commanding the spirit "in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of hers." The words, which are here properly enough translated “ a spirit of divination,” are πνεῦμα πύθωνος. There was a famous temple at Delphi erected to the honour of Apollo, who from killing one, who for his cruelty was surnamed Python, that is, serpent or dragon, had the name of Tacit. Ann. 1. 2. §. 27. Ut infernas umbras carminibus eliceret. §. 28. et 69. l. 16. §. 30. Quin et facto per magos sacro, evocare manes et exorare tentavit. Suet. Ner. c. 34. n. 11. Vid. et Plin. Nat. Hist. 1. 30. §. 5. They were expelled, an. U. Č. 614. Valer. 1. 1. c. 3. §. 2. Again, 721. Dio, 1. 49, fin. Were forbid all prophesying, 761. Dio, 1. 56. And were again banished Italy under Tiberius, 770. So that Tacitus says of them, Genus hominum, quod BISCOE. in civitate nostra et vetabitur semper et retinebitur. Ann. 1. 2. §. 32. Hist. 1. 1. §. 22. et. 1. 2. §. 62. Plut. Sympos. 1. 7. 9. 5, fin. Vid. verba Menandri, Athenæi, Clem. Alex. citata Grotio in Act. xix. 19. et Suid. in voc. 'Edeo. ypaμ. Matt. ix. 34. Talmud Bab. Schab. fol. 104. 2. Sanhed. fol. 107. 2. See Light. vol. 2. p. 189. Celsus Orig. 1. 1. p. 7. 22. 24. et 53. Vid. Not. Spenc. in Orig. p. 7. col. 1. Ch. xvi. 16. 18. in Pythius given himt. The person who gave forth oracles at this temple was a woman called Pythia, supposed to be inspired and possessed by Pythius or Apollo". When she uttered the oracle her mouth was shut, and the voice came as from her belly or breast, and it was understood to be Apollo who spoke in hery. There were many persons of both sexes in other places, who seemed to be inspired or possessed in the same manner, whose voices proceeded from the same parts of the body, and who were thought to divine or tell things future. These persons were called Pythons, and the spirit which spake within them was called the spirit of Python, probably because of the same kind which inspired the priestess of Python or Delphi; for Python was also another name for Delphi. A late writer, who seems unwilling to believe that there ever were any persons possessed by demons or evil spirits, says of the damsel who had a spirit of divination, that "when she was discovered, she was disabled from playing this trick any longer. By St. Paul's saying to her, "I command thee to come out of her, no more was or could be meant than to put a stop to the trick the woman usedd." Now, supposing this woman's speaking inwardly, as from her belly or breast, were a trick of her own acquiring, and noways owing to any demon or spirit that spake from within her, this author should have shewn how St. Paul's saying those words, "I command thee to come out of her," was a discovery of this trick. I believe all his readers, as well as myself, must be utterly at a loss to know how the pronouncing those words could Ma Strabo, 1. 9. p. 422, 423. u Strabo, 1. 9. p. 419, B. Thu ПIvoíav dexoμévηy тò пνeÛμа. Vid. et Orig. adv. Cels. p. 333. * Potter's Greek Antiq. b. 2. c. 9. p. 246. and ch. 12. p. 268, Galen in Glossis. Hippoc. cit. Grot. in Act. xvi. 16. Hammond. in loc. Orig. adv. Cels. 1. 2. p. 63. 1. 3. p. 125. Schol. in Aristoph. Plut. p. 6. col. 2. any ways reveal the secret, and convince the by-standers that she was a mere impostor, and had no spirit of divination within her would it not rather convince them, that in his opinion she had such a spirit within her? But let us again suppose, what is not so much as hinted in the text, that St. Paul spent much time in talking to the people, and shewing them, that this woman, by a particular formation of the organs of speech, and by long practice, had gained a habit of speaking so as that no one should see her lips move, and the voice should seem to come from her breast. I am yet at a loss to know how this could deprive her masters of their gain for surely this would go but a little way towards convincing the people that she could not really predict things future. Her reputation was established; there was a general belief that she did foretell things, and a great concourse of people after her to make inquiry into their future fortunes. It is expressly said that "she brought her masters much gain by soothsaying." The shewing that it was possible for her by long practice to attain the art of speaking inwardly, would noways dissuade persons from following her, so long as they retained a notion that she really prophesied. We will advance therefore one step further, and suppose that St. Paul spent time not only in discovering the trick of speaking inwardly, but that he also argued against her being a diviner or prophetess, and plainly laid before them, that she usually made her answers in ambiguous and general terms, that they much oftener proved false than true, and that it was owing to mere accident, if at any time there seemed to be truth in what she had said. If we judge from the experience we have of mankind, we cannot reasonably suppose that these arguments should immediately prevail with all the by-standers, or indeed any considerable part of them, to lay aside the opinion they had entertained of this woman's gift. However, we will suppose that all the bystanders were at once convinced of the truth and weight of the apostle's arguments: would they be able immediately to spread the same persuasion among all the inhabitants of Philippi? And if all Philippi had believed her an impostor, might not her masters have sent her to another city, where, |