St. Jerome spoke of it in the fourth century as being "the most noble and beautiful city in Phoenicia." And this was more than a thousand years after Ezekiel's maledictions were pronounced against it, which declared it should be destroyed, and never be rebuilt. True, it has been partially destroyed several times,--and what ancient city has not?--but it has been rebuilt as often. We have, then, before us two illustrative cases of the failures of Jewish prophecies pronounced against neighboring cities and kingdoms, probably prompted by a spirit of envy and animosity because they had either overruled the Jewish nation, and subjected it to their power, or outstripped it in temporal prosperity. The Jewish prophets were continually fulminating their thunders and curses upon those powers and principalities which had overpowered them, and held them in subjection. This was very natural; and occasionally an unpropitious prediction may have been realized. But it is a remarkable fact, that more than forty disastrous events, which the Jewish prophets declared the Lord would inflict upon Egypt (the nation they so much contemned and envied because it held them in slavery for four hundred years), have never been realized in the history or experience of that nation. Some of these cases are noticed in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors," as also the prophecies and failures in regard to Damascus and other cities, to which the reader is referred for a further elucidation this subject. CHAPTER XX.--MIRACLES, ERRONEOUS BELIEF IN. Having treated the subject of miracles at some length in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors," we shall give it but a brief notice in this work, and will comprehend the whole thing in a few points. 1. The history of miraculous achievements by Gods and men form a very large chapter in the "inspired writings" of nearly all the ancient religious systems which have flourished in the world; and to notice all these cases would require volumes enough to make a library. 2. Almost the only evidence we have in any case of the actual performance of a miracle is the report of the writer who relates it. 3. St. Chrysostom declares that "miracles are not designed for men of sense, but only for sluggish minds." It will be understood, therefore, that what we write here on the subject will not be designed for persons of sense, but only for the ignorant and superstitious. 4. Many things in the past which were set down as miracles are now known to be the result of natural causes; such as the rainbow, most cases of sickness, and, in fact, nearly every phenomenon of nature. And, as every age develops new light on natural causes, it has made the list of miracles not already explained so small, that we may reasonably conclude that they will all yet be explained and understood in this light, excepting those fabricated without any basis of truth.