osed on the rest of
mankind, may have been as honestly and as deep in the delusion
themselves as any of their dupes.

The answers of the oracles were generally vague and indefinite, and
susceptible of almost any interpretation, according to the result.
Whenever the event corresponded with the prediction, or could be made
to correspond with it by the ingenuity of the commentators, the story
of the coincidence would, of course, be every where spread abroad,
becoming more striking and more exact at each repetition. Where there
was a failure, it would not be direct and absolute, on account of
the vagueness and indefiniteness of the response, and there would
therefore be no interest felt in hearing or in circulating the story.
The cases, thus, which would tend to establish the truth of the
oracle, would be universally known and remembered, while those of a
contrary bearing would be speedily forgotten.

There is no doubt, however, that in many cases the responses were
given in collusion with the one who consulted the oracle, for the
purpose of deceiving others. For example, let us suppose that
Croesus wished to establish strongly the credibility of the Delphic
oracle in the minds of his countrymen, in order to encourage them to
enlist in his armies, and to engage in the enterprise which he was
contemplating against Cyrus with resolution and confidence; it would
have been easy for him to have let the priestess at Delphi know what
he was doing on the day when he sent to inquire, and thus himself to
have directed her answer. Then, when his messengers returned, he would
appeal to the answer as proof of the reality of the inspiration which
seemed to furnish it. Alexander the Great certainly did, in this way,
act in collusion with the priests at the temple of Jupiter Ammon.

* * * * *

The fact that there have been so many and such successful cases of
falsehood and imposture among mankind in respect to revelations from
Heaven, is no indication, as some superficially suppose, that no
revelation is true, but is, on the other hand, strong evidence to
the contrary. The Author of human existence has given no instincts
in vain; and the universal tendency of mankind to believe in the
supernatural, to look into an unseen world, to seek, and to imagine
that they find, revelations from Heaven, and to expect a continuance
of existence after this earthly life is over, is the strongest
possible natural eviden