phal character of the story. Jesus approaches, and touches the bier, or bed as it is in the original. It was set down, doubtless, when the bearers stood still. The Master of life speaks; and the hue of health flushes the pale countenance, the eyes open, the lips move; he speaks! Would there be any chance for Jesus to "deliver him to his mother"? That mother had been watching the stranger, heard the commanding voice that sent the blood with energy through her veins, saw the first sign of life, and with a scream of joy clasped her only son to her bosom, before Jesus. could touch him. The man who manufactured the story had a poor idea of a mother's love, or he would never have related it in this unnatural manner.

The reality of spiritual phenomena to-day has led to the belief of many wonderful things that never took place, though frequently stated on very good authority; and the reality of many wonderful deeds performed by Jesus led, doubtless, in that less critical age, to the manufacture and acceptance of still more marvellous deeds that he never did perform. To this class, probably, belong the turning of water into wine, as related in the fourth Gospel, and the money found in the mouth of the fish. The death of the cursed fig-tree is probably an exaggeration of a natural occurrence. That a calm followed after he rebuked the winds and the sea is probable enough; but it would be difficult to show that the calm was produced by the rebuke.

The resurrection of Lazarus, after lying in the tomb for four days, is a still more remarkable miracle. If it could be proved that Lazarus was really

dead, and that Jesus raised him to life, we should then be compelled to confess that Jesus did possess a power greater than that of any mortal now living, and that our estimate of him is much lower than the facts warrant. The first thing that strikes us in an investigation of this, the most remarkable miracle. that Jesus is said to have performed, is that no other evangelist refers to it. Luke tells Theophilus, in the preface to his Gospel, that he had perfect understanding of all things from the very first (Luke i. 1-4), and that he writes to him that he might know the certainty of those things in which he had been instructed. Could it be possible that the man who wrote this Gospel, and who says he had accurately traced for this is what his language signifies - all things from the first, had not heard that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? He records the cure of Peter's wife's mother, though she was only sick of a fever; he is quite familiar with the case of the man sick of the palsy; and has heard all about the centurion's servant, who was sick, and "ready to die." It is not possible that Jesus could have raised Lazarus after he had been dead four days, and Luke, who had read the writings of many who had set forth in order a declaration of those things which were most surely believed among Christians (Luke i. 1), could have remained ignorant of this his crowning work, which above all others bore evidence to the divinity of his mission. If he had not heard of it, it must have been because it did not take place; but if he heard of it, and did not give an account of it, it must have been because he did not believe it: it was not one of those things

in which Theophilus had been instructed. What is still more remarkable, Luke refers to a visit which Jesus paid to Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, and designates the place as "a certain village,” and Martha as "a certain woman." Would he not

have known the name Bethany if any such event had occurred there, and said, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, if he had believed any such thing? It is not Luke alone, however, who is silent regarding this astounding miracle; but we find no mention of it in Matthew and Mark, though Bethany is referred to, and an anointing that took place there, though the name of Mary the sister of Lazarus, who was the woman, according to John, that did the anointing, is unknown to both writers, as is the name and story of their resurrected brother Lazarus. According to John xi. 53, it was from the time of this miracle that the Jews plotted the death of Jesus. This miracle would have been better known and more talked about than any other, had it been performed. A story similar to this of Lazarus promulgated to-day, and resting upon no better evidence, would not be considered worthy of serious refutation. Jesus was doubtless a natural healer, as many persons now are, and probably cured hundreds of persons of whom the Gospels give us no information and this must have also strengthened his belief in his Messiahship, and convinced multitudes of the justice of his claim; for was not the Messiah to open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, make the lame to leap, and the tongue of the dumb to sing? When the Baptist sends to inquire

of Jesus whether he is the one that should come, or in other words the Messiah, the answer of Jesus is, and it shows his estimate of his healing power, -" Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up," &c. As much as to say, "You may know that I am the Messiah, when you see that I am able to perform these things, which it was prophesied the Messiah should do." It is not surprising that the people, finding Jesus do what seemed almost as miraculous as raising the dead, should have regarded him as their long-looked-for Messiah, and credited him with doing that also. Some of the. Mormon elders practised healing by the laying-on of hands, and were in many cases very successful; and I have heard Mormons declare that they had known the dead to be raised by their instrumentality.

CHAPTER VI.

JESUS A SPIRITUAL MEDIUM.

It is not uncommon to find persons to-day who are clairvoyants, possess healing power, and are mediums through whom the departed can manifest.

There are many indications in the Gospels that Jesus was a person through whom spirits could operate, so as to reveal their presence to him, and at times to those who were in company with him. When he was baptized by John in Jordan, we are informed that the heavens were opened unto him, and a voice was heard, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." It is not improbable that the clairvoyant vision of Jesus enabled him to see through the veil that ordinarily conceals the spiritland from mortals, whilst by him as a medium his actual father could utter the words that were heard, supposed by Jesus to be the words of God.

That spirits can so far materialize themselves under favorable circumstances as to make vocal sounds is a fact well known to many. Dr. Crowell relates the following experience which he had at. two séances with Dr. Slade. "No one but the medium and myself was present. The gas was turned down, and we sat at opposite sides of the table with our