woman," aye, a very angel, because without the carnal realism of miracles, John was quick to recognize the Lamb of God and, through the storms and disappointments of his brief and tragic life, clung to Him with unwavering fidelity. Lastly, for all who imitate John's constancy in faith no human vicissitudes can change, Christ declares the reward in those words aptly styled the ninth beatitude: " Blessed are they that shall not be scandalized in Me."
Brethren, no assertion proven by a miracle can possibly be false, provided it be a genuine and true miracle. I say genuine and true, for there are miracles that are not really such, but deserve rather to be called wonders. As Shakespeare says, there are many things in heaven and earth not dreamt of in our philosophy — many occult powers of Nature, which, when called into play by divine permission or by Satanic agency, popularly pass for miracles. By such-like prodigies mere men are frequently deceived, but angels and devils, with their keener insight into Nature, know them to be false. They are phenomena of Nature, that spring from hidden causes, and without divine consent could never be evoked. Such was the calling down from heaven, by Satan's power, of fire upon the flocks and shepherds of holy Job, and the changing of the rods into dragons by the Egyptian seers. Such, too, are the undeniable prodigies often wrought by modern magicians, and such will be the arts wherewith, at the end of time, Antichrist will try to deceive even the elect. God, for His own wise purposes, deigns to permit such
