Bibliomancy, or sortes biblicae, is the term used to describe a superstitious use of the Bible, which consists in opening it haphazard, and considering the first verse the eye rests upon, or entering a church, and marking the first words of Scripture read, as a divine indication of duty, or prophecy of future good or ill. Many are the stories told of wonderful answers to prayers, and warnings and encouragements thus given. Some eminent Christians, such as John Bunyan and John Wesley, have fallen victims to this delusion. It cannot be denied that it may please God to make use of his own Word to comfort saints or startle sinners, by such chance readings; but it can be denied most emphatically that he intended his book to be so used. He would have us free from all reliance upon the printed or written letters, but, instead, to trust to the Spirit, who will direct us just as carefully as he did the writers of the Bible.
Bibliomancy, it is to be feared, is not dead. Too much respect is paid to the mere ipsissima verba of the authorized version, which is quoted as settling every thing, even when it is notoriously inaccurate. It seems such an easy and natural thing that God should direct us by causing us to read one of the many precious promises of his Word, that it is no wonder simple-minded folk, and many deeply pious, nay, and sinful persons, should go to the Bible for supernatural guidance. The immortal story of Augustine’s conversion, and the familiar story of the remarkable conversion of William Cowper, not to speak of other religions anecdotes, contain mention of such a use of the Bible as probably has encouraged bibliomancy, far as it was from the practice or commendation of these persons. The inveteracy of the folly is shown by its continuance in the Church, both East and West, notwithstanding the decrees of councils. It came direct from Paganism; for in like manner had the Pagans used Homer and Virgil. In the middle ages a new use was found for it in the detection of heretics: the opened Bible would, they thought, give an answer either for or against the accused. A similar mode was at one time employed in Great Britain to root out witchcraft. The suspected old woman was taken to the village church, and weighed against the big church Bible. If she weighed more than it, she was declared innocent; but alas for her whom the Bible outweighed!
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