"How is it that the talismans of Apollonius have power in certain members of creation? for they prevent, _as we see_, the fury of the waves, and the violence of the winds, and the attacks of wild beasts, and whilst _our_ Lord's miracles _are preserved by tradition alone, those of Apollonius are most numerous, and actually manifested in present facts, so as to lead astray all beholders_."[264:3] So much for Apollonius. We will now speak of another miracle performer, _Simon Magus_. Simon the Samaritan, generally called Simon _Magus_, produced marked effects on the times succeeding him; being the progenitor of a large class of sects, which long troubled the Christian churches. In the time of Jesus and Simon Magus it was almost universally believed that men could foretell events, cure diseases, and obtain control over the forces of nature, by the aid of spirits, if they knew how to invoke them. It was Simon's proficiency in this occult science which gained him the surname of _Magus_, or _Magician_. The writer of the eighth chapter of "_The Acts of the Apostles_" informs us that when Philip went into Samaria, "to preach Christ unto them," he found there "a certain man called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying: This man is the great power of God."[264:4] Simon traveled about preaching, and made many proselytes. He professed to be "_The Wisdom of God_," "_The Word of God_," "_The Paraclete_, or _Comforter_," "_The Image of the Eternal Father, Manifested in the Flesh_," and his followers claimed that he was "_The First Born of the Supreme_."[265:1] All of these are titles, which, in after years, were applied to Christ Jesus. His followers had a gospel called "_The Four Corners of the World_," which reminds us of the reason given by Irenæus, for there being _four_ Gospels among the Christians. He says: "It is impossible that there could be more or less than _four_. For there are _four_ climates, and _four_ cardinal winds; but the _Gospel_ is the pillar and foundation of the Church, and its breath of life. The Church, therefore, was to have _four pillars_, blowing immortality from every quarter, and giving life to men."[265:2] Simon also composed some works, of which but slight fragments remain, Christian authority having evidently destroyed them. That he made a lively impression on his contemporaries is indicated by the subsequent extension of his doctrines, under varied forms, by the wonderful stories which the Christian Fathers relate of him, and by the strong dislike they manifested toward him. Eusebius, the ecclesiastical historian, says of him: