New Testament, magician, sorcerer, diviner. It is the word employed by the LXX. in Dan. i. 20; ii. 2, 10, 27; iv. 4; v. 7, 11 and 15; and is found in the following passages in the New Testament, Mat. ii. 1, 7, 16where the word is translated "wise men"-and Acts xiii. 6, 8; where it is rendered "sorcerer." 5. μayeía, mageia, magic, magical art, sorcery. This word is not used by the LXX.; and is only to be found in Acts viii. 11: where it is translated "sorceries." 6. payévw, mageuō, to practise magic, or sorcery. This word is not found in the LXX.; and is only used once in the New Testament in Acts viii. 9; where it is translated "used sorcery." 7. μavтevoμaι, manteuomai, to utter responses as from an oracle, to divine, to foretell-occurring only in Acts xvi. 16, where it is translated "sooth-saying." The verb is evidently derived from μávris, a soothsayer which Eustathius deduced from paívoμai, to be mad: such persons being possessed by a demon. The LXX. employ the verb chiefly as their translation of the Hebrew words, Kah-sam' and Keh-sem,1 in the following passages in the Old Testament-Deut. xviii. 10; 1. Sam. xxviii. 8; 2 Kings xvii. 17; Jer. xxxiv. 7; Ezek. xii. 24; xiii. 6, 23; xxi. 21, 23, 29; xxii. 28; Micah iii. 11. 1 See page 7. II. And now I come, in the second place, to shew that these "works of the flesh" have prevailed, more or less, throughout all ages. 1 1. Let us first notice the Scripture testimony to the fact. When the Spirit tells us that "witchcraft" is a "work of the flesh," and allies it essentially with "idolatry," He does in effect assure us that these enter into the very constitution of natural men, and are the direct result of the fall; and that consequently they must of necessity prevail, more or less, in every man in whom there is no knowledge of the true God. And since man was lost by the belief of a lie-the devil's lie, he is of course always more prone to believe a lie than the truth; and inasmuch as "the whole world" outside the true Church of God, "lieth in," or, under the dominion of "the wicked one ";2 and "the flesh" is utterly Satanic, "the children of disobedience" necessarily mistake Satan's operations in them for the spontaneous movements of their own will. They "walk," as the Scripture says, "according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now energizeth in" them; and they are not conscious of the fact; because there is such a resemblance between the devil's character and their own, that they do not perceive any difference. Hence they become an easy prey to the adversary; and where God interposes not, and man is not outwardly enlightened by the truth of God, there, 1 Gal. v. 20. 21 John v. 19. 3 Eph. ii. 2. as all history testifies, "idolatry," in association with its twin-sister, "witchcraft," has invariably prevailed. Even Abraham, "the father of the faithful," seems to have been an idolater, before Jehovah revealed Himself to him, and "took" him "from the other side of the flood" where "idolatry" and "witchcraft " reigned supreme. Rachel also had evidently been in the habit of consulting the teraphim, which she took away with her from her father Laban's house, when Jacob fled from his service;2 and there were strange gods in Jacob's "household" long after this, which he urged them to "put away."3 When Joseph likewise, at a later period, after the discovery of his "silver cup" in his brother Benjamin's sack, thus addressed his brethren, "What deed is this that ye have done? Wot yet not that such a man as I can certainly divine? -he evidently alludes to a practice well known to his brethren, of divining by the cup, for the discovery of a thief of which I shall afterwards give an instance in modern times. This does not of course prove that Joseph himself divined by the cup: although for a time, in order to conceal himself from his brethren, he might wish them to think so: and his meaning seems to be, "If I am a diviner by the cup for the discovery, amongst other things, of theft: how could you suppose that I should be unable to find out the thief, who had stolen the very cup by which I divine!" 994 1 Josh. xxiv. 2, 3. 2 Gen. xxxi. 19, 30-37. 3 Gen. xxxv. 1-3. That the whole heathen world, and especially the inhabitants of Canaan, were steeped in "idolatry' and "witchcraft," the passages I have already quoted from Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, abundantly prove. And that the Israelites themselves were naturally prone to these "works of the flesh"; and were constantly being seduced into them by the surrounding nations, their history likewise abundantly testifies. When "Balaam, the soothsayer," or diviner, Kāhsam',' was applied to, by Balak, the King of Moab, to curse Israel, "the elders of Midian" came to him "with the rewards of divination" Keh'-sem,2" in their hands" but Jehovah forced the false prophet to declare, that "surely there is no enchantment,” nāli ghash, i.e., any evil resulting from any omen, or augury, "against Jacob, neither is there any divination," Keh'-sem, " 'against Israel," i.e., as a nation before God: because, although the Lord says, He will make a full end of all nations, whither" He has "scattered" Israel: yet He "will not make a full end of" them: although He will "correct" them "in measure" and will not "leave them wholly unpunished. " 4 3 See page 7. 4 See page 7. 1 See page 7. 2 See page 7. 5 Num. xxii. 4-7; xxiii. 23. Archbishop Leighton, in his Theological Lectures, No. X., “On the Decrees of God," speaks of the "saying of the Hebrews, non esse planetam Israeli "—"There is no planet to Israel" by which I doubt not they meant that Astrologers may employ their horoscopes, and cast their nativities, against Israel in vain! 6 Jer. xxx. 11. That the Israelites themselves, however, were from time to time seduced into these practices, their history plainly proves. Nay, very shortly after this very prophecy of Balaam they were, through his devilish counsel,1 seduced into the worship of the idols of Moab; for we are told that when "Israel abode in Shittim, the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor, and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel "-an event, which is thus referred to by the Psalmist, "They joined themselves unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead: "3 for "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice," says the Holy Ghost," they sacrifice to demons, and not to God."4 So when Saul "put away those that had familiar spirits," Ohvoth,5" and the wizards," yid-d'"gōh-neem," "out of the land," it is clear that there must at that time have been many such in Israel; and that he did not succeed in exterminating them all is shewn likewise from the fact, that when, in his despair of an answer from Jehovah, he asked his servants to "seek him out a woman that was "mistress of an Ohv," (i.e., who was possessed by a demon, whom she invoked); that he might " enquire of her," they could find him such an one at once. Saul's object was, as the |