that worshiped his image," the identical work of the two-horned
beast. We can now ascertain by what means the miracles in question are
wrought; for Rev. 16:13, 14, speaks of spirits of devils working
miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole
world to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, and
these miracle-working spirits go forth out of the mouths of certain
powers, one of which is this very false prophet, or two-horned beast.

Miracles are of two kinds, true and false, just as we have a true
Christ and false Christs, true and false prophets, and true and false
apostles. By a false miracle, we mean not a pretended miracle, which is
no miracle at all, but a real miracle, a supernatural performance,
wrought for the purpose of deceiving, or of proving a lie. The miracles
of this power are real miracles, but are wrought for the purpose of
deception. The prophecy does not read that he deceived the people by
means of the miracles which he claimed that he was able to perform, or
which he pretended to do; but which he _had power_ to do. They,
therefore, fall far short of the prophecy who suppose that the great
wonders wrought by this power were fulfilled by Napoleon when he told
the Mussulmans that he could command a fiery chariot to come down from
heaven, but never did it, or by the pretended miracles of the Romish
church, which are only shams, mere tricks played off by ungodly and
designing priests upon their ignorant and superstitious dupes.

Miracles, or wonders, such as are to be wrought by the two-horned beast,
and withal, as we think, the very ones referred to in the prophecy, are
mentioned by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:9, 10. Speaking of the second coming of
Christ, he says, "Whose coming is after ([Greek: kata], at the time
of) the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because
they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
These are no slight-of-hand performances, but such a working of Satan as
the world has never before seen. To work with all power and signs and
lying wonders, is certainly to do a real and an astounding work, but one
which is designed to prove a lie.

Again, the Saviour, predicting events to occur just before his second
coming, says, "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets,
and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it