prophesying of the messengers and of Saul as a consequence of the conviction that this mysterious power really is in mankind, and that under mystical conditions it renders some capable to prophesy. Though Saul, like Balaam, may have fallen to the ground in a state of trance, his eyes were not opened, and he received no revelations.

After the death of Samuel, Saul is said to have appeared in disguise before the woman at Endor, who had the gift of conjuring up the dead. Saul had cut off out of the land the conjurors and the wizards. Having asked the woman to bring up Samuel, we are told that the defunct prophet appeared before them, when Saul "bowed with his face to the ground and did obeisance." Samuel asked him, "Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?" Saul having stated the danger of his position, Samuel explained why God had departed from him, and answered him no more by prophets nor by Urim nor by dreams. It was because Saul obeyed not "the voice of the Lord," who had spoken by the prophet. With Saul also Israel would be delivered in the hands of the Philistines, "and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." Neither is it said nor is it indicated that Samuel had been called up from a sleep of death; he did not wish to return to the earth from the place where he was, but the woman had the power to bring him back for a limited time, probably only for a very few minutes, or still less. He had the appearance of having been transformed into the same body and the same capacity which he had possessed

on earth, and the gift of prophecy had not left him.

It is impossible to assert in how far the transmitted narrative may have been historical. Assuming its reality, it would contain a Scriptural proof that, at least in the case here related, death is merely a change of form, that it does not put an end to individual consciousness, that death is not the closing but the opening of a door leading to further developments of the individual. On the assumption that the narrative is not, in any of its parts, a mere invention, it would also prove that a temporary reincarnation of departed human beings, the so-called and never explained materialization, was a possibility about three thousand years ago. But were the incident invented, the narrative would prove the popular belief in similar inexplicable phenomena. Of such belief the Scripture furnishes us with many proofs. Thus David is recorded to have said, "All this the Lord made me understand in writing, by his hand upon me." He could look into the past "by the Spirit." Also "a writing came" by the departed Elijah.'

By these Biblical passages it is proved that Israelites believed in a spiritual Power dwelling, at least exceptionally, in man, which can lead to communion

1 1 Chron. xxviii. 19, 12; 2 Chron. xxi. 19. The "hand" of God means " the Spirit," which is here clearly designated as a medium between God and man, an organ of revelation. The indwelling Spirit is a Force which can be "guided by an intelligence outside of a human brain." See Preface to second edition of "Psychography," by M.A. (Oxon.), the editor of "Light."

with the departed, even with God, thus to the gift of prophecy, of healing, and of discerning among communicating spirits. With this mysterious Force the conjuring up of the dead, capable to move and speak, was undoubtedly connected, and it was rightly conceived as originating with evil spirits, like the demoniacal possessions, which could only be cast out by the Spirit of God. The initiated may have known, what now can be asserted as a fact, that it is impossible to separate from this same indwelling Spiritpower the manner in which Joseph carried out divination, or David wrote what by "his hand upon him" God had made him understand, or the high priests enunciated oracles. Every kind of magic was connected, in fact, with man's Spirit-power. No regard was paid to the prohibition of magic; it was practised at all times by high and low, which fact is the best proof of the reality of Spirit-power. In the Psalms there is not a single prayer against the dangers which may undoubtedly arise from the use of Spirit-power for body, soul, and spirit. Hereby it is implied that a connection between the visible and the invisible world, by a probably cosmical medium akin to electricity, was held to be a greater good than the possible evils arising from being influenced by evil spirits, through the medium of Spiritpower. The Israelite whose private judgment was not swayed by authority must have believed that through prayer, by his aim after purity in thought

1 The high priest's assumiable Spiritual power became intensified by gazing on these lights. 2 Deut. xviii. 10-13.

word, and deed, he would be preserved from such evils by the angels who do God's commandments.

As "the Word of God" had come to Samuel, to Shemaiah, and to Nathan, so it came to John the Baptist; yet he performed no miracles. This fact confirms the interpretation that the preacher of the future baptism with the Holy Spirit denied, as Moses and the prophets had done before him, the presence of the Spirit in mankind, for which reason Jesus declared him to be less than the least in the kingdom of heaven. Thus also is confirmed the direct connection of miracles with man's consciousness of an indwelling Spirit-power. Of Jesus, the first revealer of the kingdom of heaven as already come, the Scriptures say that he "waxed strong in the Spirit," he was "full of the Holy Spirit," was "by the Spirit" led about in the wilderness; he applied to himself the words recorded in the Book of Isaiah on the anointing Spirit of the Lord; he moved about in "the power of the Spirit," he "rejoiced in the Spirit," and taught the worship of God "in Spirit and in truth." He declared that miracles which he did "by the Spirit of God" were also performed by such who did not follow him, and that those who did not believe in his words ought to believe in his works. To Nathanael, the woman of Samaria, and others he proved that he could see as well into the past as into the future. He knew what is in men, and read their thoughts.

At the time of Jesus the belief in inexplicable manifestations of Spirit-power seems to have been very general. Also non-Israelites showed marvel

lous healing powers, as this is testified by the life of the elder contemporary of Jesus, the NewPythagorean Apollonius of Tyana, and also by Josephus and Tacitus. Josephus writes: "I have seen a certain man of my own country, whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacal, in the presence of Vespasian and his sons and his captains and the whole multitude of his soldiers." Also to Solomon God had given the power to cast out spirits. Tacitus states that Vespasian renewed a man's power of sight by removing a swelling of the eye by his spittle, and that he restored an impotent hand.'

We accept as historical the "signs" or so-called miracles attributed to Jesus in the first three gospels, without regarding as impossible a certain degree of exaggeration in the records. Accepting the Gospel-tradition, it had become generally known, at the commencement of his public teaching, that Jesus had recalled to life persons apparently dead, that he had cured a man born blind, many who were demoniacally possessed, blind, lame, deaf, or dumb, or afflicted with diseases. The message which Jesus sent to John, where even the raising of the dead is referred to, but without mentioning the never recorded" mighty works" which were done at Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, does not exclude such miracles as his appearing to walk on the sea. We hear that his disciples, whom he knew to be in danger, believed him to be a "spirit" or phantom of their living master, whom they had left on the shore.

1 Jos. "Ant.," viii. 2, 5; Tac. "Hist.," iv. 81.