By an Ancient Wonder-Worker.

"To another is given the working of miracles by the same spirit."

There can be no greater miracle than life itself; the per-petual, ever-moving, ever-changing, yet nnchangable currents of existence.

But that which is usual becomes commonplace, and man forgets in the treadmill of daily existence the miracle of the sun's rays, the wonderful glory of light, the splendor and potency of daily creation. For creation is not that which was, but that which, perpetuated, is the passing before your vision of the continual and ever flowing tides of being, that to-day and to-morrow will work their wonders in the visible universe, and continue the working of the miracle of existence forever.

But man forgets that that which is common is likewise wonderful. That the air that he breathes, the sun that shines upon him, the bodily structure that he inhabits is continually a miracle of existence.

It is customary for the scientific mind to suppose that somewhere or somehow, by some innate process in nature, the universe has been set in motion, and that that motion and order of existence innate, in the universe, continues to perpetuate itself according to certain laws, formulated by no one, created by no one, fashioned by no one, but notwithstanding, all potent, all powerful in their existence; manifesting intelligence without intelligence; doing that which is the potential power of actual understanding without understanding; doing blindly that which man seeks consciously to perform. This is the statement of the Materialist.

To us it is the blindest, feeblest, most imbecile production of human weakness. To us it is the stultification of that in man which continuously and forever protests against it; the conscious action of the human will, the conscious discovery through intelligence of laws that understandingly govern the universe.

Therefore again we repeat, the wonderful and perpetual miracle of the universe is life. But that class of miracles of which we are to treat in this discourse must belong to a different category.

The usual laws of nature, as they are termed - that is, the laws that once set in motion seem to govern the visible and invisible material universe - are, in their course, unless interrupted by other laws, undeviating.

The world of matter seems to have been set in motion and carries out its result or intention of generic life, of organic being, without seeming intervention. The emphasis is given to the word " seeming " from what will hereafter follow, but the world seems to move in its ordinary course without intervention from any source.

If one were to watch the constant working of a steam motor, and be unable to discover the whereabouts of the engineer, he might conclude that once having been set in motion the steam motor would be capable of carrying on its work alone. But all who are well informed are aware that, though hidden from sight, a guiding and skillful mind is employed to constantly watch and regulate and operate the motor, without which it could not perform any intelligent labor.

Still mankind, notwithstanding this observation, in watching the visible results of the universe, maintain that it is capable of moving itself, and, in the language of an eminent unbeliever of modern times, declares that there is "no necessity for a God anywhere." Certainly not, if the Infinite is to be measured by the finite comprehension; certainly not, if the necessity is to be found within the visible observation of man, especially when the universe already in existence and a God already there performs the work which the finite mind but feebly observes.

But miracle in the especial sense of our present discourse is that which, without seeming concord with the visible laws of the universe, actually sets them aside, controls them, works seemingly at variance with them, and intervenes between the visible mundane law of the universe and man; showing another set of laws in existence somewhere, another power that man has not discovered through his senses - a supermundane sphere, a supernatural existence. Miracles, therefore, are not only proper as an expression of the wonders of past ages, but the word in itself is the only one that can adequately express that which transpires in connection with the spiritual and occult spheres of the universe undenominated by natural law. There are many Spiritualists, we understand, who object to the word " miracle," as though it were something impossible; yet in its generic sense it has no other meaning than the working of wonders. Surely none will deny this even in the mighty processes of nature; much less that which partakes of the nature of the spiritual.

There are those who say, " But there can be nothing beyond nature."

I beg your pardon; nature is but the visible token and clothing of the invisible spirit of the universe; nature is but the outward expression of which the soul is supersensual and supernatural. Therefore we choose to use the term, not only of miracle, but supermundane and supernatural, as the only terms that will describe that which transpires in connection with the spirit of man and the spirit of God and His angels. Through all human history the working of wonders has been one of the accredited gifts of the prophets of God. Whether in the far Indias, under the power and dominion of the wonderful light of the sun, or the sacred symbolism of fire; whether it be the Fakir working his wonders or gifts of divinist Allah; whether the follower of Mohammed performing his gifts by consent of the Prophet; or whether it be under the Hebraic law the Infinite wrought wonders and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt; or under the dominion of Christ and by the bestowment of His gifts, still the miracles have been wrought and accredited, and belong to the sacred records of all nations.

That which the spirit does under the dominion of spiritual power is the working of miracle. That which intervenes and intercedes between man and the ordinary working of mundane or natural laws, whether it be to the arresting of disease; whether it be the arresting of decay or decomposition; whether it be the setting aside of the ordinary laws of gravitation or cohesion of matter; separating substances, or bringing them together; whether it be the appearance of forms out of the seeming empty air, with all visibility and tangibility, and their dispersing again, or whether it be in any instance the setting aside of any of the usual currents of natural law by intelligent, positive forces - this is miracle, and this has been the gift of many ages.