DEMONOLOGY, &C.

PAUL, the great "Apostle of the Gentiles," in one of his letters to his "son Timothy," written, as "all Scripture" was, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,3 tells us, that "in the last days perilous times shall come," èvorýσovтaι, "shall set in: "4 while in a former ἐνστήσονται, letter to him, he had said, that "the Spirit speaketh expressly," pηTŵs, distinctly and emphatically, as if to impress it the more upon the hearts of believers-just as our blessed Lord, in the Book of "the Revelation," (which relates more particularly to these last days,) no less than seven times (the perfect number,) solemnly utters the warning words, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches "5_ 'that in the latter times some shall depart from," ἀποστήσονται, "shall apostatize from," "the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of

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1 Rom. xi. 13.

2 1 Tim. i. 2. 3 2 Tim. iii. 16. 4 2 Tim. iii. 1. 5 Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29; iii. 6, 13, 22.

demons 1 or, in other words, not only invoking demons, and consulting them upon their conduct and affairs; but giving themselves up to them, and following out and obeying (for this is the full import of the Greek verb, pрoσéxw, when used, as here, with a dative), the doctrines, teachings and instructions imparted to them by them.

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Some apply this last mentioned passage exclusively to the so-called Church of Rome: and it no doubt does apply to Rome, but not exclusively. Others again think that it applies only to what is called the Spiritualism" of the last days; which they suppose to be of modern origin: but this is a great mistake: as Spiritualism," so-called, is nothing more nor less than witchcraft, which the Holy Ghost associates with idolatry; declaring both of them to be "works of the flesh ";2 and therefore, as the Scriptures elsewhere assert, of the devil. What this Scripture, therefore, teaches us is, not that this so-called " Spiritualism is a new thing, to appear only at the close of this Dispensation; but that, in consequence of a general apostacy from the truth, it would again largely prevail over those, who had formerly professed the truth; and that, through these apostates, the demons would, on being invoked, inculcate a code of "doctrines," for the guidance of those deluded persons, who would thus give themselves up to their influence; and that when this took place, (as it has now done,) we were to look upon

it, as one of the many signs, that the close of the Dispensation itself was at hand.

In treating, therefore, upon this subject, I shall (1) shew what the Scriptures themselves say about Demonology and witchcraft; (2) note that these "works of the flesh have prevailed, more or less, throughout all ages; (3) enter into some details respecting the more modern manifestations of "Spiritualism socalled; (4) set forth some of the "doctrines," or teachings, "of" the "demons" themselves; (5) shew the identity of many of such doctrines with what is called. "modern thought": proving that they both emanate from the same source; (6) point out from the Prophetic Word, that the final result will be, the utter rejection of Jehovah and His Christ, by all the nations inhabiting the platform of the Roman earth; and the reception, and subsequent worship, of the Antichrist of the last days: who will be indwelt of Satan himself: just as spiritualistic mediums in these days are indwelt of the demons, whom they invoke; and who now speak and act through them; and (7) lastly, conclude with some admonitions and exhortations, which naturally arise out of the subject itself.

I. Let me then in the first place shew, what the Scriptures themselves say upon the subject of Demonology and witchcraft: and with this object in view, I shall first open out the meaning of several Hebrew and Greek words, relating to the subject; and then examine some of the more prominent passages, wherein these words

occur.

Hebrew words occurring in the Old Testament.

1.is, Ohv, singular, nizis, Ohvoth, plural. According to Gesenius, this word is (1) "used of wine bottles," i.e., skins filled with new wine, ready to burst: and he refers to Job xxxii. 19, where Elihu says, "Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent," or, as the margin has it," which is not opened"; "it is ready to burst like new bottles,” Ohvoth. (2) νεκρόμαντις, οι νεκρυόμαντις, i.e., a soothsayer, who evokes the manes of the dead by the power of incantations and magical songs, in order to give answers as to future or doubtful things. And then he indicates several texts as examples in proof.. (3)" Specially, it denotes a python, or a soothsaying demon, of which these men," he says, "were believed to be possessed"; but of which the Scriptures say, and which facts indubitably prove, that they were possessed. "A man or woman when a python is in them". "whence a sorceress is called 'a woman in whom is a soothsaying demon""; for which he refers to texts in proof. The passages of Scripture, where the word occurs, are Lev. xix. 31, xx. 6, 27; Deut. xviii. 11; 1 Sam. xxviii. 3, 7, 8, 9; 2 Kings xxi. 6; xxiii. 24; 1 Chron. x. 13; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6; Job xxxii. 19; Isa. viii. 19; xix. 3; xxix. 4. The LXX. translate the word in Job xxxii. 19, by the word aσròs, a skin; in 2 Kings xxi. 6; xxiii. 24, by yvwoтas-voorηs literally meaning one who knows, or foretells the future, i.e., a prognosticator, or fortune teller; and in all other places by the word eyyaoтpiμúlos, literally a ventriloquist-the

word being applied chiefly to the Priestesses of the idol temples, who delivered the oracles of the demons there worshipped, by these means. In the A. V. the word is invariably translated familiar spirit, except in the text in Job xxxii. 19, before cited.

2. “T, Yid-d”gōh-nee, singular, 7, yid-d"gohneem, plural. According to Gesenius, (1) "properly 'knowing, wise, hence a prophet, a wizard, always used in a bad sense of false prophets." (2) "A spirit of divination, a spirit of python." The word occurs in the following passages, Lev. xix. 31; xx. 6, 27; Deut. xviii. 11; 1 Sam. xxviii. 3, 9; 2 Kings xxi. 6; xxiii. 24; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6; Isa. viii. 19; xix. 3. The LXX. chiefly translate the word by ἐγγαστριμύθος, once by yvoτas words which I have before noticed, and once by ἐπαοιδούς, for ἐπῳδούς—ἐπῳδός meaning an enchanter, who uses songs and charms to heal the sick; the word literally meaning singing over. In the A. V. the word is invariably translated wizard.

3. 127, "gah-nan'. According to Gesenius, to act covertly; hence to use hidden arts, i.e., magic, to practise sorcery: and he says many of the ancients understood by it a particular kind of divination—referring to the Syriac, fascinating with the eyes; or, in other words, to the mesmeric trance of the medium, which is produced through the fascination of the eye of the mesmerizer, acting upon him or her, through the influence of the unseen demon, who is thus invoked. The