Classical Theology—Xli .

the spiritual organisations and governments of the human polity , without which ( as the world is ) there would be no comprehending the existence of a hidden knowledge of good and evil ; neither would there have been any reliable evidence of the immortality of the soul . A knowledge of the sacred mysteries ( as of the

Jews ) , and of the profane sciences ( as of the Pagans ) , has always existed among a favoured few , and more or less communicated throughout the inhabited globe . But up to the time of Christ there hacl never appeared any philosopher or sage whose intellect was sufficiently powerful to wrest the truth from the lies which

enfolded it , and expound and expose the sublime , the wonderful , the awful realities of these profound mysteries and sciences . Moses , the Archiercal Mason , it may be perhaps said , possessed this knowledge : like Christ , he could , by the same power , accomplish miracles ; but whereas Moses exercised the powerChrist

, 'had the power in His possession . Moses was the chosen "Man of God , " invested with His Spirit . Christ in the . 'Spirit of His manhood , ancl the manhood of His Spirit , was the only begotten "Son of God . " We will now return to our text , as we find it in confirmation and individual connection : —

" Yet a little while , and the ivorld seeth me no more ; but ye see me : because I live , ye shall live also . At that day ( namely , when the Comforter should come ) ye shall know that I am in my Father , and ye in me , and I in you . He that hath my commandments , and keepeth them , he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of Fatherand I will love himand will manifest myself to

my , , him . Judas saith unto him , not Iscariot , —Lord , how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto ns , and not unto tbe ivorld ? Jesus answered and said unto him , If a man love me , he will keep my words ; and my Father will love him , and ive will come unto him , and make our abode with him . He that loveth

me not keepeth not my sayings .- and the word which ye aher is not mine , but the Father ' s which sent me . These things have I spoken unto you , being yet present with you . But the Comforter , which is the Holy Ghost , whom the Father will send in my name , he will teach you all things , and bring all things to your remembrance , whatsoever I have said unto yon . Peace I leave with you , my peace I

give unto you . uot as the world givoth , give I unto you . Let not your heart be troubled , neither let it be afraid . Ye have heard how I said unto j * ou , I go away , and come again unto yon . 1 f ye love me , ye would rejoice , because I said , I go unto my Father .- for my Father is greater than I . And noiv I have told yon before it come to pass , that , when it is come to passye miht-believeHereafter I will not talk

, g . much with you ; for the prince of this world cometh , and hath nothing in me . But that the world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave mo commandment , even so I do . "

If a spirit of truth exists which can be given to assure us of the verity of the Scri p tures ( as it were , in place of the former angelic visitations ) , the failing of which would long since have destroyed all faith in Christian instruction , there must , doubtless , be , as ail indeed are early prone to know ( as it were , of the prince of this worldaucl a part of our nature "born in sin" ) a

, , spirit of untruth . It is , therefore , perhaps not unreasonable to conjecture that , as there are hol y spirits of light and truth , so also are there evil spirits of darkness and lies . Upon this belief , which widely exists , the impudent mountebanks oftlie present day who call themselves Spiritualists have reared their fabric of imposture and

swindling . To such of their dupes as may be capable of argument or rational examination we ivould say that we should esteem the Spiritualists more wise in their " discerning of spirits" did they profess more of thenpossession of the spirit of truth than of their co-operations and revelations from inferior spirits . There was , in the ancient times , a certain kind of spiritualism , mesmerism

Classical Theology—Xli .

and clairvoyance , professed amongst occult philosophers as a science of sorcery , enchantment , and magic . But though their practice was equally a fraud and a deception with that of the moderns , yet the ancient magicians took care never to fall into the ridiculous , which is not the case with the quacks of our day . The venerable humbugs of

those old times were feared and consequently respected ; their modern prototypes have only succeeded in exciting contempt at their absurdities and indignation at their impudence . As it is not possible with all the modern magicians to deal in adjurations , and have a familiar spirit at their beck and calloperae mysteriaor public

, , professors of those attainments , for the most part , have to rely entirely on their own resources of dexterity , and the manceuvrings of their ever ready confederates and pretended converts . Practical ingenuity in legerdemain often affords a harmless amusement to the

young , and no small astonishment sometimes to the old . Yet , somehow , as perhaps touching upon Christianity and heathenism , it is remarkable that in those manual exercises and concealed artifices , inclusive of " animal magnetism" ( the practice of which upon the tender sex it were shameful not to discountenance ) , the European displays no chance of superiority over the Asiatic . But

with especial reference to Spiritualism as it regards spiritrapping , table-tilting , ecstatic transport , magnetic extension , mesmetic stuprr . tion , empusaical endiction , or what is called spirit poetry , and spirit writing , and all such " aroma" and " aura" of the "Celestial Arcana , " we hold that any man of ordinary capacity will accept the

criteria for exactly what they are worth . Indeed , the question resolves itself in a purely commercial one ; for if the mediums received no fees , their spirits would most probably soon refuse to leave "the vasty deep , " to write ( or rather , spell out , like the learned pig ) ridiculous doggerel for the edification of gaping fools . With

regard to the " spirit effusions " that have found their way into print , the inquiry is whether they savour more of a madhouse literature or of an intentional burlesque . It is no fiction , however , that the great , learned , and wise pagans of old themselves self-evidently believed in a phiiosopheme of relig ion ancl magic comprehending three

orders of spirits , whom they called gods—the celestial , the terrestrial , and the subterranean or infernal . Examining , as we have done , the systems of this theorem , it is important to bear in mind how deeply they enter into the grave and general subject matters we are now psychologically as well as theologically investigating .

Some Observations In Egypt.

SOME OBSERVATIONS IN EGYPT .

( Continued from ' page 166 . ) SERAPEIOX 01 ' JIEMPI-IS . The Bedouin village of Saccara is , in a direct lino , about a mile or mile and-a-lialf to the west- from the site of Memphis . Up above tho village , on the Lybiau range of hills , are several pyramids with an immense quantity of tombs , proving that this must havo been the principal cemetery of

ancient Memphis . The pyramids arc crumbling away , still however retaining gigantic proportions : the numerous mounds by which they are surrounded indicate constructions beneath , or the excavations of Arabs or travellers in search of antiquities ; and for miles the surface of the sands , which have accumulated to the height of tens of feet above the rocky level , are strewed ivith fragments of mummies ,

blanched bones , and other worthless fruits of tho diggings of tho curious , inspiring feelings of horror and disgust at tho ruthless spoliations of these resting-places of the dead . Strabo mentions , as at Memphis , of which this plateau must have been considered to have formed a suburb or part , " a temple of Serapis in a spot , " he says , " so sandy that the winds fill it up ; " and in it ho saw sphinxes embeddedsome half way , others up to the head . It would , therefore , appear that , in ancient times , the same agencies existed ;