and in every instance on record, has been engaged in hostility to the word and power of God. Now as everything both in nature and grace has had its corresponding opposite, SO the power of enchantment for the purpose of judgment has been permitted to be exercised, after that miracles had been first performed, which ought, as an evidence, to have confirmed the mission of those who wrought them; therefore as miracles in both respects were always connected, it necessarily limits that of enchantment to the age of miracles. Hence the enchantments of Jannes and Jambres, were opposed to the miracles of Moses in Egypt; and in that of Balaam, to the miraculous progress of Israel through the wilderness; and also that of the witch of Endor, in aiding Saul to avert the judgment of Samuel's former testimony; and in her antitype in anti-christ, as the subject of spiritual wickedness, in opposing the apostolic testimony which had miraculously been confirmed, and which powerful impostors, our Lord declared, should be manifested before the destruction of the Jewish state; therefore he saith, Mat. xxiv. 24, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the veryelect. Now to show, that this extraordinary power was limited to the miraculous age of apostolic power, John saith, little children it is the last time; and as ye have heard anti-christ shall come: even so now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time. And Paul saith, The mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way; and then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved; and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all may be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unright eousness. Therefore we find, that after miracles had been first performed to confirm the testimony of God, and failed to obtain that conviction which they ought to have produced, that both the magicians in Egypt, and anti-christ under the gospel age, were permitted to perform miracles, to complete the destruction of the disobedient. In further noticing this feature of power, in the character of anti-christ, and which as the mystery of iniquity, was partly in operation when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. John saith, Rev. xiii. 11, And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon, and he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him; and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; and he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by the sword, and did live. Now as our Lord in Mat. xxiv., has limited the signs and power of anti-christ to the gospel age; and as fulfilled when John wrote, he saith it was then existing, as being characteristic of the last time; and as Paul saith, when he wrote, That the mystery of iniquity was already working; and also that the age of miracles necessarily limits its analogy to apostolic times. I would then ask, in what respect can men apply this character to the church of Rome? And although it is obvious, that this masked and persecuting hierarchy, has been a corrupt imitation of persecuting Judaism, in attempting like many other corrupt establishments, to subject mankind to the weak and beggårly elements of an external worship; yet to apply this character to a system, which had not a semblance of existence for nearly 600 years after Christ, is an absurdity, and a contradiction to the plain testimony of truth, Finally, we notice a striking correspondence both in circumstance and time, between this woman of a familiar spirit, and that of the miraculous power ascribed to antichrist; because it was but a little period after she exercised this great power in raising Samuel, before the destruction of Saul took place; and it was only while the witnesses lay dead, that the power of anti-christ fully triumphed, when in judgment the heavens and earth of Judaism fled away. It is probable, that such opposing power was what the apostle referred to, when he saith, I Cor.iv.5, Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. Therefore whatever was meant by the hidden things of darkness, it was soon to be made manifest; and proved a useless opposition to the triumph of the gospel, by the coming of the Lord. We also observe, that when Saul heard the resurrection testimony of Samuel, that he fell straightway along on the earth, and was sore afraid because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him, (figuratively, lay dead) but by a timely and suited refreshment from this familiar spirit, was reanimated to go on his way. Now we find in correspondence, that the beast which was the Jewish state, had also been wounded unto death by the resurrection testimony of the apostles; but by the support of anti-christ, was reanimated, or did live again, to goon his way; but which, like Saul, was but for a short period, before his destruction was completed by a foreign power; and which fulfilled what Samuel said to Saul, both in type and antitype. The strengh of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man that he should repent. We find then from scripture testimony, that all miraculous power, either applied for a good or a bad purpose, was limited to the progressive dispensations of God; and as such, extended no farther than the removal of the first kingdom state, and the exaltation of that spiritual kingdom whose king was pronounced to be higher than Agag. Hence we find by this third prophecy of Balaam, as referring to a perfect dominion, that he no longer sought for enchantments, as at other times, to curse Israel; and which showed that miraculous power, either to oppose or confirm eousness. Therefore we find, that after miracles had been first performed to confirm the testimony of God, and failed to obtain that conviction which they ought to have produced, that both the magicians in Egypt, and anti-christ under the gospel age, were permitted to perform miracles, to complete the destruction of the disobedient. In further noticing this feature of power, in the character of anti-christ, and which as the mystery of iniquity, was partly in operation when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. John saith, Rev. xiii. 11, And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon, and he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him; and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; and he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by the sword, and did live. Now as our Lord in Mat. xxiv., has limited the signs and power of anti-christ to the gospel age; and as fulfilled when John wrote, he saith it was then existing, as being characteristic of the last time; and as Paul saith, when he wrote, That the mystery of iniquity was already working; and also that the age of miracles necessarily limits its analogy to apostolic times. I would then ask, in what respect can men apply this character to the church of Rome ? And although it is obvious, that this masked and persecuting hierarchy, has been a corrupt imitation of persecuting Judaism, in attempting like many other corrupt establishments, to subject mankind to the weak and beggårly elements of an external worship; yet to apply this character to a system, which had not a semblance of existence for nearly 600 years after Christ, is an absurdity, and a contradiction to the plain testimony of truth, Finally, we notice a striking correspondence both in circumstance and time, between this woman of a familiar spirit, and th this great pow apostle referela light the hid the counsels praise of God den things f and proved as by the coming Saul heard fell straight before and w and and Jous po limites kingu whe Hease ring to a enclentment showe |