The Phantom World
ersuaded of the excessive power possessed by the devil, attribute to him a thousand things which are purely natural, but the physical reasons fo
c, or sorcery, unless they are convicted also of some other crimes. As, in short, the more they punish and seek out magicians and sorcerers, the more they abound in a country; and, o
d destroy himself, and overthrow his own empire, if he were thus to decry magic, of which he is himself the author and support. If the magicians really, and of their own good will, independently of the demon, make this declaration, they betray themselves most ligh
ason. We can neither rest on a sure foundation, nor derive any certain argument for or against the reality of magic, either from the opinion of pretended esprits forts, who deny because they think proper to do so, and because the proofs of the contrary do not appear to them sufficiently clear or demonstrative; nor from the declaration of the demon, of magicians and sorcerers, who maintain that magic and sorcery are only the effects of a disturbed imag
urch, and by the testimony of the most grave and sensible writers; and, lastly, show that
he Romans rendered to their household gods, Penates and Lares, and whom they consulted on future events. Joshua[117] says very distinctly that Terah, the father of Abraham, adored strange gods in Mesopotamia. An
ees as to their being superstitious figures (or idols) which were consu
e land there is not a man who equals me in the art of divining and predicting things to come?" And the officer of the same Joseph, having found in Benj
ses; but not being able like him to produce gnats (English version lice), they were c
ids his people to practice any sort of magic or divination.[123]
ion, God put blessings into his mouth instead of curses;[124] and this bad prophet, amongst the bles
ideon made, in his house and his city, an Ephod, accompanied by a superstitious image,
ch of Endor[128] is well known. I am aware that some difficulties are raised concerning this history. I shall deduce nothing from it here, except that this woman passed for
, and particularly for having allowed there diviners, aruspices, and those who predicte
nations, to diviners and magicians; but they ought to reject these pernicious counsels, and leave those abominations to the Gentiles, who knew not the Lord.
b would work miracles to destroy his own power or kingdom.[133] St. Luke speaks of Simon the sorcerer, who had for a long time bewitched the inhabitants of Samaria with his sorceries; and also of a certain Bar-Jesus of Paphos, who professed sorcery, and
rit of evil? Or was it the Spirit of God which put these words into the mouth of this young girl, as he put into the mouth of Balaam prophecies concerning the Messiah? There is reason to believe that she spoke through the inspiration of the evil spirit, since St. Paul imposed silence on her, and expelled the spirit of Python, by which she had been possessed, and which had inspired the predictions she uttered, and the knowledge of hidden thi
f dreams, auguries, oracles, and the magical figures which announced things to come, are very real, since they
tno
de Bodin
Gen. x
osh. xx
ii. 4, &c.
. x. 2. Ez
Gen. x
Gen. x
ii. 10-12. Ex
xod. xx
mb. xxii
udg. xv
udg. vi
Kings
m. xxviii.
Kings
Kings
Dan. i
. x. 25; x
ke xi. 1
s viii. 1
Acts x
Psal
cclus.
cts xvi