the shell in it, and then the disastrous work will be done." The reply was made, "All of your guns and powder and shell are absolutely powerless to make any impression in themselves. There is one thing lacking." "Yes," he said, "but a spark of fire would hurl forth the missile of death and bring about the great destruction." We may have big guns in the pulpit, and in the pew, we may have the finest machinery and external equipment; but unless we have the fire of the Spirit we can never shatter the strongholds of Satan and bring in the reign of our spiritual King.—H. Allen Tupper.
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SPIRIT, WINDS OF THE
Many a pilgrim has been lost in the world's deserts. A wanderer who had lost his bearing in a wilderness, altho he had in his hand a compass, knew not whether its needle pointed toward a place of rest and refreshment, or only to a spot where he might lie down in despair.
He sank down on the arid sand. But
presently a green leaf was wafted close to
his feet. On seeing that it was perfectly
green and fresh, he reasoned that it must have
come from some not distant place where
water, shade, and food could be found, and
of course the breeze indicated the right direction.
Facing the wind he soon discovered
an oasis where he quenched his thirst at a
spring.
So the promises from the word of
God, fresh with the dew of the Spirit
of life, flutter to us on what seems to
be the chance currents of life. Often
thus when our hearts are weary, and
joy has faded, and hope is weak, we are
encouraged with revived strength and
are made to understand which way to
turn.
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Spirit's Permanence—See Record, Living.
Spirit's Presence, The—See Presence of
God.
SPIRITS, WATCHING
The influence exerted by belief in invisible presences is illustrated by Mr. Lafcadio Hearn, who says that it is extremely difficult for a Western mind to apprehend the full meaning of ancestor-worship as a family religion, and cites as the nearest parallel the nature of the old Greek piety:
Each member of the family supposes himself
or herself under perpetual ghostly surveillance.
Spirit eyes are watching every act; spirit
ears are listening to every word. Thoughts,
too, not less than deeds, are visible to the
gaze of the dead; the heart must be pure,
the mind must be under control, within the
presence of the spirits. Probably the influence
of such beliefs, uninterruptedly exerted
upon conduct during thousands of
years, did much to form the charming side of
Japanese character. (Text.)
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SPIRITISTIC PHENOMENA
In an article on apparitions written by Andrew Lang, in the second volume of the "Encyclopedia Britannica," ninth edition, he says:
"The writer once met, as he believed, a
well-known and learned member of an English
university who was really dying at a
place more than a hundred miles distant
from that in which he was seen."
To determine whether or not it was a case of mistaken identity is very important, but no opportunity is given in the passage quoted. If it was a subjective impression, the coincidence would be curious and nothing else; and not more so than many coincidences in trifles, and many other circumstances absolutely disconnected, and many subjective impressions without any coincidences. Mr. Lang refers to the superstitious horror shown by a dog at the moment of a supposed apparition to his master. That the dog exhibited horror when his owner thought he saw an apparition may be readily believed. Any one familiar with dogs knows that nothing will terrify them more than a great appearance of alarm on the part of their masters without any visible cause. Of the same nature is the remark concerning the mysterious disturbances at the house of the Wesleys. "The mastiff was more afraid than any of the children." The volatile imagination of children have never shown any great horror of the mysteries; they were sustained, too, by confidence in their parents. But the dog heard mysterious noises, which naturally greatly agitated him. Many persons fancy that mysterious noises that will appear to respond to questions, to
