The Ancient Church: Its History, Doctrine, Worship, and ConstitutionKillen, W. D. (William Dool)
Religion
The Ancient Church: Its History, Doctrine, Worship, and Constitution
Killen, W. D. (William Dool)
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
Another female acts a conspicuous part in connexion with this apostolic
visit. "It came to pass," says Luke, "as we went to prayer, a certain
damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her
masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and
cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, which
shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days." [92:1]
It is quite possible that even daemons have the power of discerning
certain classes of future events with the quickness of intuition; [92:2]
and if, as the Scriptures testify, they have sometimes entered into
human bodies, we can well understand how the individuals thus possessed
have obtained credit for divination. In this way the damsel mentioned by
the evangelist may have acquired her celebrity. We cannot explain how
disembodied spirits maintain intercourse; but it is certain that they
possess means of mutual recognition, and that they can be impressed by
the presence of higher and holier intelligences. And as the approach of
a mighty conqueror spreads dismay throughout the territory he invades,
so when the Son of God appeared on earth, the devils were troubled at
His presence, and, in the agony of their terror, proclaimed His dignity.
[92:3] It would appear that some influence of an analogous character
operated on this Pythoness. The arrival of the missionaries in Philippi
alarmed the powers of darkness, and the damsel, under the pressure of an
impulse which she found it impossible to resist, told their commission.
But neither the apostles, nor our Lord, cared for credentials of such
equivocal value. As this female followed the strangers through the
streets, and in a loud voice announced their errand to the city, "Paul,
being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee, in the
name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her, and he came out the same
hour." [93:1]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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