“‘As it respects the working of miracles, I have no faith in those who pretend beforehand that they can work miracles. See Rev. 13:13, 14: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth 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.” Whenever God has seen fit to work miracles, the instruments have seemingly been unconscious of having the power, until the work was done. They have, in no instance that I recollect, proclaimed as with a trumpet that they could or would work a miracle. Moses and the apostles were more _modest_ than these modern pretenders to this power. You may depend upon it, whosoever claims the power has the spirit of Antichrist. Rev. 16:14: “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” “‘I know they pretend to prove that men are to have this power unto the end of the world, by Mark 16:17. But take the whole passage together, and what does it prove? Not that all believers can do these miracles, but that these miracles would follow those who believe; that is, those who believed in the record that God had given would, in the apostolic age, have a confirmation of the truth of that word by those miracles, which would follow them.[25] The word would be thus confirmed by miracles, performed by prophets and apostles, who were inspired to write the Old and New Testaments. I see no reason for the working of miracles in this age; “for if they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe though one should arise from the dead.” Since the apostles’ day, none have worked miracles but the anti-Christian beast. “‘The discerning of spirits is, I fear, another fanatical movement to draw off Adventists from the truth, and to lead men to depend on the feeling, exercise, and conceit of their own mind, more than on the word of God. It builds up a spirit of pride and self-righteousness, and thus loses sight of the humbling doctrine, to account others better than ourselves. If all Christians were to possess this gift, how should we live by faith? Each would stand upon the spiritual gifts of his brother, and, if possessed of the true Spirit of God, could never err. Surely the devil has great power over the minds of some at the present day. And how shall we know what manner of spirit they are of? The Bible answers: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Then it is not by the spirit.