other small points which seem to bring the story of
Christ and of the Apostles into very close touch with modern psychic
research, and greatly support the close accuracy of some of the New
Testament narrative. One which appeals to me greatly is the action of
Christ when He was asked a question which called for a sudden decision,
namely the fate of the woman who had been taken in sin. What did He
do? The very last thing that one would have expected or invented. He
stooped down before answering and wrote with his finger in the sand.
This he did a second time upon a second catch-question being addressed
to Him. Can any theologian give a reason for such an action? I hazard
the opinion that among the many forms of mediumship which were
possessed in the highest form by Christ, was the power of automatic
writing, by which He summoned those great forces which were under His
control to supply Him with the answer. Granting, as I freely do, that
Christ was preternatural, in the sense that He was above and beyond
ordinary humanity in His attributes, one may still inquire how far
these powers were contained always within His human body, or how far He
referred back to spiritual reserves beyond it. When He spoke merely
from His human body He was certainly open to error, like the rest of
us, for it is recorded how He questioned the woman of Samaria about her
husband, to which she replied that she had no husband. In the case of
the woman taken in sin, one can only explain His action by the
supposition that He opened a channel instantly for the knowledge and
wisdom which was preter-human, and which at once gave a decision in
favor of large-minded charity.

It is interesting to observe the effect which these phenomena, or the
report of them, produced upon the orthodox Jews of those days. The
greater part obviously discredited them, otherwise they could not have
failed to become followers, or at the least to have regarded such a
wonder-worker with respect and admiration. One can well imagine how
they shook their bearded heads, declared that such occurrences were
outside their own experience, and possibly pointed to the local
conjuror who earned a few not over-clean denarii by imitating the
phenomena. There were others, however, who could not possibly deny,
because they either saw or met with witnesses who had seen. These
declared roundly that the whole thing was of the devil, drawing from
Christ one of those pithy, common-sens