A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE end. their propensities to polytheism, and led to turn their Witch of Endor's. attention more steadily to the prospect of that future CHAP. III.-Of Samuel's appearing to Saul at the state, which had been presented to them by some of their later prophets. During the captivity Bishop Warburton supposes that the administration of the theocracy lay, as it were, in abeyance, but it appears that the Jews were there permitted to live as far as possible, that is, to regulate their own private concerns, by their own laws; and we are sure that they were protected by a miraculous interposition of providence, from the tyranny of those who attempted to compel them to worship idols or to neglect the worship of their own God. On their return to their own country, however, the theocratic government was again administered, as is evident from the declaration of the Almighty, by the prophet Haggai: yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech the high priest; and be strong all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth amongst you fear ye not. "What was that covenant?" asks the Bishop. "That Israel should be his people, and he their God and King. It cannot barely mean, that he would be their God, and they should be his people; for this was but part of the covenant. Nor can it mean that they should be conducted by an extraordinary providence, as at their coming out of Egypt, and during the first periods of the theocracy, for this was but the effect of the covenant, which soon ceased after their re-establishment in their own country." 12 Then indeed the extraordinary providence was wholly withdrawn from the Jews, among whom, as among other nations, there was thenceforth, one event in this world, to the righteous and to the wicked,' whose prosperity or adversity appeared no longer to be the result, as formerly, of their righteousness or their sins. Still, however, their government continued to be a theocracy; for they were governed by laws which, as they were given by God, none but God could repeal or change. If then, as all writers on political philosophy agree, every government receives its denomination from the supreme or sovereign power of the state; and if no power can be supreme, but that in which resides the power of legislation, it is obvious that the government or constitution of the Jewish state continued to be a theocracy till the coming of that prophet, who was to be a lawgiver like unto Moses; none else had, or could have authority to repeal, or in any way change those laws which they had received from God, by his ministry. Jesus the promised Messiah erected, indeed, a new and spiritual kingdom, to be governed by a new and spiritual law; and proved the divine origin of that kingdom, by miracles equally numerous and stupendous with those by which the theocracy had been originally established; whilst he completely abolished the Mosaic dispensation, by rendering it impossible to administer even the form of the theocratic government. for How long the profession of necromancy, or the art of raising up the dead, in order to pry into future events, or to be informed of the fate of the living, has obtained in the world, we have no indications from history. We perceive no footsteps of it in the ages before the flood; and yet it is strange, that a people, abandoned to all kinds of wickedness in a manner, could keep themselves clear of this: but our account of these times is very short. The first express mention that we meet with of magicians and sorcerers, is almost in the beginning of the book of Exodus, where Moses is soliciting the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt; and therefore Egypt, which affected to be the mother of most occult sciences, is supposed to have been the inventress of this. From Egypt it spread itself into the neighbouring countries, and soon infected all the east: for as it undertook to gratify man's inquisitiveness, and superstitious curiosity, it could not long want abettors. From Egypt it is certain that the Israelites brought along with them no small inclination to these detestable practices; and were but too much addicted to them; notwithstanding all the care that the state had taken to suppress them, and the provision which God had made, by establishing a method of consulting him, to prevent their hankering after them. 4. When The injunction of the law is very express. thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a a con Deut. xviii. 9, &c. a What our English translation makes a familiar spirit, the Septuagint and Vulgate render the spirit of Python, but the Hebrew calls it the spirit of Ob. The word Ob, or Oboth, in its primary signification, is a bottle or vessel of leather, wherein liquors were put; and it is not unlikely that this name was given to witches and wizards, because, when they were in their fits of enthusiasm, they swelled in their bellies like a bottle. The occasion of this swelling is said by some to proceed from a demon's entering into the sorceress per partes genitales, and so ascending to the bottom of her stomach, from whence at that time, she uttered her predictions; and for this reason the Latins call who speak out of their bellies.' That there have been such people such persons 'ventriloqui,' and the Greeks iyyazrgiuvoi, 'people as these, might be shown by several examples both in ancient and modern history; but at present, we shall content ourselves with one taken from Cælius Rhodiginus, (Lecti. Antiq. b. 8. c. While I am writing," says 10.) his words are to this effect. he, “concerning ventriloquous persons, there is, in my own country, a woman of a mean extract, who has an unclean spirit in her belly, from whence may be heard a voice, not very strong indeed, but very articulate and intelligible. Multitudes of people have heard this voice, as well as myself, and all imaginable precaution has been used in examining into the truth of this fact. Quando futuri avida portentus mens, sæpe accersitam ventriloquam, ac exutam amictu nequid fraudis occultaret, inspectare et audire concupivit. This demon," as our author adds, "is called Cincinnatulus, and when the woman calls upon him by his name, he immediately answers her." In like manner several ancient writers have informed us, that in the times of paganism, evil spirits had communion with these ventriloqui per partes secretiores; but at present, we shall only take notice of a remarkable passage in St Chrysostom, which we choose to give the reader in Latin. "Traditur Pythia fæmina fuisse, quae in Tripodes sedens 3 A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. I SAM. i. TO THE END. sulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer; for all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord;' and therefore their punishment was this. A man, or a woman, that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones, their blood shall be upon them.' Nor was it only the practisers of such vile arts, but those likewise that resorted to them upon any occasion, were liable to the same punishment; for the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards to go a-whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people,' saith the Lord. Such was the severity of the Jewish laws against those who either practised, or encouraged, any manner of magical arts; and it must be said in Saul's commendation, that he put the laws in execution against such vile people; he had destroyed and driven away 3 those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards out of the land;' and yet, observe the weakness as well as the wickedness of the man! when himself fell into distress, and had abundant reason to believe that God had forsaken him, he flies to one of these creatures for relief, and requests of her to raise up his old friend Samuel, as expecting, very probably, some advice from him. But whether this was really done or no, or if done, in what manner it was effected, are points that have so much exercised the heads and pens, both of ancient and modern, both of Jewish and Christian, writers, that little or nothing new can be said upon them; and therefore all that I shall endeavour to do, will be to reduce their several sentiments into as narrow a compass, and to state them in as fair a light, as I can, by inquiring into these three particulars: 1. Whether there was a real apparition. 6 the ghost of so great a prophet, she might think he was no common man; and when he sware unto her by the Lord,' that he would defend her from all danger, he gave her intimation enough that he was the king. The crafty woman, therefore, having picked up the knowledge of this, might retire into her closet or cell, and there. having her familiar, that is, some cunning artful man, to make proper responses, in a different voice, might easily impose upon one who was distracted with anxious thoughts, and had already shown sufficient credulity, in thinking there was an efficacy in magical operations to evocate the dead. "The controversy between Saul and David every one knew; nor was it now become a secret, that the crown was to devolve upon the latter: and therefore that part of the discourse which passed between Saul and Samuel, any man of a common genius might have hit off, without much difficulty. Endor was not so far distant | from Gilboa or Shunem, but that the condition of the two armies might easily be known, and that the Philistines were superior both in courage and numbers; and therefore his respondent, without all peradventure, might prognosticate Saul's defeat; and though there were some hazard in the last conjecture, viz. that he and his sons would die in battle; yet there was this advantage on the side of the guess, that they were all men of known and experienced valour, who would rather sacrifice their lives, than turn their backs upon their enemies." Upon the whole, therefore, the maintainers of this hypothesis con 5 1 Sam. xxviii. 10. "See Le Clerc's Commentary on 1 Sam. xxviii. passim. This said; she runs the mangled carcass o'er, 3. By what means, and for what purposes, it was effected. 1. It cannot be denied indeed but that those who explode the reality of the apparition, and make it to be all nothing but a cheat and juggle of the sorceress, have found out some arguments, that at first sight make a tolerable appearance. They tell us, that the sacred history never once makes mention of Saul's seeing Samuel with his own eyes. It informs us, indeed, that Saul knew him by the description which the woman gave, and that he held, for some considerable time, a conversation with him; but since it is nowhere said that he really saw him, "Why might not the woman counterfeit a voice, and pretend it was Samuel's? When Saul asked her to a raise him up Samuel, that is, to disturb Having thus prepared the body, she makes her invocation in 1 Lev. xx. 27. Lev. xx. 6. 1 Sam. xxviii. 3. Scot and Webster upon Witchcraft. expansa malignum spiritum per interna immissum, et per genitales partes subeuntem excipiens, furore repleretur, ipsaque resolutis crinibus baccharetur, ex ore spumam emittens, et sic furoris verba loquebatur," &c.-Saurin, vol. 4. Dissertation 36. a What forms of enchantment were anciently used in the practice of necromancy, we are at a loss to know; because we read of none that the Pythoness of Endor employed; but this might probably happen, because the ghost of Samuel came upon her sooner than she expected, and before she had begun her incantations. That however there were several rites, spells, and invocations used upon these occasions, we may learn from almost every ancient author; but from none more particularly than from Lucan, who brings in Erichtho animating a dead body, in order to tell young Pompey the fate of the civil war. The ceremonies A thousand poisons never known to fame; these words : Ye furies! and thou black, accursed hell! Ye woes, in which the damn'd for ever dwell! Pharsalia, & A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE END. clude that as there is no reason, so there was no neces- | world: for Saul saw his spirit then no more than he sity for any miraculous interposition in this affair, since did now, and his spirit was every whit as able to bear a this is no more than what any common gypsy, with body as it was then. another in confederacy to assist her, might do to any credulous person who came to consult her. They who undertake to oppose this opinion, lay it down for a good rule in the interpretation of Scripture, that we should, as far as we can, adhere to the primary sense of the words, and never have recourse to any foreign or singular explication, but where the literal is inconsistent either with the dictates of right reason, or the analogy of faith. Let any indifferent person then, say they, take into his hand the account of Saul's consulting this sorceress, and upon the first reading it, he must confess, that the notion which it conveys to his mind, is that of a real apparition; and since the passages that both precede and follow it, are confessedly to be taken in their most obvious meaning, why should a strange and forced construction be put upon this? 'Have we not as much reason to entertain a good opinion of the author of this history, his ability, his integrity, his knowledge of what he wrote about, and his undesigning to deceive us, as we can have of any critic or commentator upon it? And therefore when he gives us to understand that the woman saw Samuel, upon what presumption are we led to disbelieve it? Saul and his companions might possibly be deceived by an impostor in Samuel's guise; but was the sacred historian therefore deceived, or did he mean to deceive us, when he gives us this plain account of an apparition? Saul was a bold man, and too sagacious to become a dupe to a silly woman. He and his two attendants came upon her by night, and before she was prepared to act any juggle or imposture. They were too well acquainted with the voice, and stature, and figure of Samuel, for any other to personate him, without being detected. But admitting the cheat passed upon them, how can we think but that the author of this account, who pretends to relate the transaction as it really happened, and is supposed to have written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, would in some measure, have let us into the secret of this imposture? His business doubtless was to expose such practices, as far as truth would allow; and therefore it is unaccountable (unless he meant to delude us with a false persuasion) that he should admit every thing that tended to discover the fraud, and in his narration, insert every thing that tended to confirm the reality of the prophet's appearance. 3 That spirits of another world may assume such vehicles as may admit them to a sensible commerce with us, in like manner as our spirits are clothed with these bodies of ours, the best philosophy will admit; and that they have done so upon extraordinary occasions, the appearance of Moses and Elias, and their conversing with our Saviour on the mount, do abundantly testify. And therefore if God, for wise reasons of his providence, thought fit either to appoint, or permit Samuel to appear to Saul upon this occasion, there seems to be no more difficulty in the thing, than his appearing to him at any other time, while he was alive, and subsisting in the The History of the Life of King David. The History of the Life of King David, vol. 1. 3 Mat. xvii. 3. It is owned, indeed, that according to the series of the narration, Saul did not see the apparition, be it what it will, so soon as the woman did, because probably the woman's body, or some other object, might interpose between him and the first appearance; or perhaps because the vehicle, which Samuel assumed upon this occasion, was not, as yet, condensed enough to be visible to Saul, though it was to the woman: but that he did actually see him is manifest, because when he perceived, which word in the original signifies seeing so as to be assured of our object, that it was Samuel, he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself;' which a man is not apt to do to bare ideas or imaginations. Persons of this woman's character, who are under the displeasure of the government, generally affect obscurity, live privately, and are little acquainted with affairs of state. But suppose her to have been ever so great a politician, and ever so intimate with what had passed between Saul and Samuel heretofore, ever so well assured that God had rejected him, and elected David in his stead; yet how could she come to the knowledge of this, namely, that the battle should be fought the next day, the Israelites be routed, Saul and his sons slain, and their spoils fall into the enemy's hands; since each of these events, even in the present situation of Saul's affairs, was highly casual and uncertain? For might not this prince lose a battle, without losing his life? Or, if he himself fell in the action, why must his three sons be all cut off in the same day? Whatever demonstrations of innate bravery he had given in times past, after such severe menaces as he now received from the apparition; prudence, one would think, would have put him upon providing for his safety, either by chicaning with the enemy, or retiring from the field of battle, without going to expose himself, his sons, and his whole army, to certain and inevitable death. These are things which no human penetration could reach, and which only he, who is the absolute and almighty Ruler of all causes and events, could either foresee or foretell. And how unlikely is it, that God Almighty should make use of this sorceress as a prophetess, and give her the honour of revealing his counsels, when, at the same time, he concurred with her in the imposition put upon Saul, by making him believe that Samuel appeared and talked, 4 when there was no Samuel there? Waterland's Sermons, vol. 2. a That Saul's stooping to the ground,' and 'bowing himself,' was a certain indication of his seeing Samuel, is apparent from Thus, when Jacob met Esau, the text tells us, that the handseveral expressions of the same nature in the sacred history. maids, and Leah, and Rachel, and their children bowed them. selves,' Gen. xxxiii. 6, 7. When David arose out of his hidingplace, upon the signal that Jonathan gave him, the text tells us, 1 Sam. xx. 41. And when the messenger from Saul's camp that he fell with his face to the ground, and bowed himself,' came to David at Ziklag, the text tells us, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance,' 2 Sam. i. 2. But the text takes nc notice, either of the messenger's seeing David, or David's seeing Jonathan, or Jacob's family seeing Esau This is sufficiently implied in their making their obeisance to them; because it is incongruous to suppose, that any would bow, and show other tokens of outward reverence and respect, to persons they did not see. The History of the Life of King David, vol. 1. A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE END. 1 How far the honour of God is concerned in this trans But the truth is, those menacing predictions, how | tom, or a real body, appeared in a mantle like Samuel, proper soever for a messenger sent from God to utter, spake articulately, and held this conversation with Saul; were highly imprudent, either in this witch's, or her ac- which, considering his knowledge and foresight of things, complice's mouth. For, since they knew nothing of he was well enough qualified to do, notwithstanding the futurity, and were, at the best, but put to conjecture, it sundry predictions relating to future contingencies, which is much more reasonable to believe, that at such a junc- are contained in it." ture as this, they would have bethought themselves of flattering the king, and giving him comfort, and pro-action, will more properly fall under our next inquiry. mising success, and not of thundering out such comminations against him, as might probably incense him, but could do themselves no good. They could not but know, that the temper of most kings is to hate to hear shocking truths, and to receive with the utmost despite those that bring them ill news. And therefore it is natural to suppose, that had these threatening replies been of the woman's or her confederate's forming, they would have given them quite another turn, and not run the hazard of disobliging the king to no purpose, by laying an additional load of trouble upon him. In short, the whole tenor of Samuel's speech to king Saul is too rough and ungrateful, too grave and solemn, I may also add, too full of truth and reality, ever to have proceeded from their contrivance and invention only. We In the mean time, I cannot but observe, that whatever incongruity may be supposed in the real appearance of Samuel, it is not near so much, as to find one of the apostate spirits of hell expressing so much zeal for the service of the God of heaven, and upbraiding Saul with those very crimes which he himself tempted him to commit; as to find this wicked and impure spirit making use of the name of God, that sacred and tremendous name whose very pronunciation was enough to make him quake and shiver, no less than seven times in this intercourse with Saul, without any manner of uneasiness or hesitation; as to find this angel of darkness and father of lies prying into the womb of futurity, and determining the most casual events positively and precisely. do not indeed deny, but that the devil's knowledge is vastly superior to that of the most accomplished human understanding; that his natural penetration, joined with his long experience, is such, that the greatest philosophers, the subtlest critics, and the most refined politicians are mere novices in comparison of him: yet what genius, however exalted and improved, without a divine revelation, could, as we said before, be able to foretell things that were lodged in God's own breast, namely, the precise time of the two armies engaging, the success and consequence of the victory, and the very names of the persons that were to fall in battle? This is what the apparition plainly revealed to Saul: and yet this, we dare maintain, is more than any finite understanding, by its own mere capacity, could ever have been able to find out,¦ From these reasons, then, we may infer, that the woBut without this multitude of arguments, if we are man in this transaction did not impose upon Saul, since to take the Scripture in its plain and literal sense, he had a plain sight of the apparition. What the ap-read we over the story of Saul and the witch of Endor parition foretold him was above human penetration; and upon the supposition of a juggle, the witch and her confederate would have certainly acted clean contrary to what they did. And so the next The woman, by her courteous entertainment of Saul, seems to be a person of no bad nature; and therefore, if she had any accomplice, who understood to make the most of his profession, his business at this time must have been to soothe and cajole the king, which would have both put money in his pocket, and saved the credit of his predictions. For, had he foretold him of success and victory, and a happy issue out of all his troubles, he and the woman had been sure of reputation, as well as farther rewards, in case it had happened to prove so; and if it had not, since no one was privy to their communion, the falsehood of the prediction, upon Saul's defeat and death, must, in course, have been buried with him. 2. Inquiry meets us, namely, what this apparition was? Some of the ancient doctors, both of the Jewish and Christian church, have made an evil angel the subject of this apparition, in pure regard to the honour of God. "God," say they, "had sufficiently declared his hatred against necromancy, and all kinds of witchcraft, in the severe laws which he enacted against them; but it is certainly denying himself, and cancelling his own work, to seem in the least to countenance or abet them, as he necessarily must do, if, on the evocation of an old hag, any messenger is permitted to go from him. Far be it from us, therefore, to have such conceptions of God. He is holy, and just, and uniform in all his ways; and therefore this coming at a call, and doing the witch's drudgery, must only appertain to some infernal spirit, who might possibly find his account in it at last. It was one of this wicked crew, that either assumed a phan 'Calmet's Dissertation on the Apparition of Samuel. Waterland, ibid. ever so often, we shall not so much as once find the devil mentioned in it. And therefore it is somewhat wonderful, that he should be brought upon the stage by many learned men, merely to solve a difficulty, which, upon examination, appears to be none at all. But now on the other hand, it appears, that, through the whole narration, Samuel is the only thing that is mentioned. It is Samuel, whom Saul desires to be called up; Samuel, who appeared to the woman; Samuel, whom the woman describes; Samuel, whom Saul perceives, and bows himself to, with whom he converses so long, and because of whose words he was afterwards so sore afraid. The Scripture indeed speaks sometimes according to the appearance of things, and may call that by the name of Samuel, which was only the semblance or phantom of him: but, that this cannot be the sense of the matter here, we have the testimony of the wise son of Sirach, an excellent interpreter of canonical scriptures, who tells us expressly, that Samuel, after his death, prophesied, and showed the king his end;' pursuant to what we read in the version of the Septuagint, namely, that Saul A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. I SAM. i. TO THE END. 'asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, and Samuel answered him.' So that, upon the whole, we may be allowed to conclude, that it was the real soul of Samuel, clothed in some visible form, which at this time appeared to the king of Israel: but by what means, or for what purposes it appeared, is the other question we are now to determine. 3 and that coming upon her before she had begun her enchantments, that she could not forbear being frightened, and crying out with a loud voice, as being fully satisfied that the apparition came from God. "But since the scripture assures us, that God had wholly withdrawn himself from Saul, and would answer him neither by prophets nor by dreams; how can we imagine that he should, all on a sudden, become so kind, as to send Samuel to him, or that Samuel should be in any disposition to come, when it was impossible for him to do any good by his coming." Now there seems to be some analogy between God's dealing with Saul in this particular, and his former treatment of the prophet Balaam. Balaam was for disobey ing the orders which God had given him to bless the Israelites; and was searching into magical secrets for what he could not obtain of God, namely, a power to change into curses the blessings which God had pronounced by his mouth. In this case there was but small 3. Several of the fathers of the Christian church were of opinion, that the devil had a certain limited power over the souls of the saints, before Jesus Christ descended into hell, and rescued them from the tyranny of that prince of darkness. 2 St Austin, in particular, thinks, that there is no absurdity in saying, that the devil was as able to call up Samuel's soul, as he was to present himself among the sons of God, or to set our Saviour on one of the pinnacles of the temple; and a learned Jewish doctor supposes, that devils have such a power over human souls, for the space of a year after their departure, as to make them assume what bodies they please; and thereupon he concludes, but very erro-likelihood, that God would continue to communicate himneously, that it was not a year from the time of Samuel's death to his appearance. But these are such wild and extravagant fancies, as to deserve no serious confutation. It is absurd to say that the souls of saints, such as we are now speaking of, were ever in hell, and more absurd to say, that if they are in heaven, it is in the power of any magical, nay, of any diabolical incantations to call them down from thence. Great, without all doubt, is the power of apostate angels; but miserable, we may say, would the state of the blessed be, if the other had any license to disturb their happiness, when, and as long as they pleased: for "God forbid," says Tertullian," that we should believe, that the soul of any holy man, much less of a prophet, should be so far under his disposal, as to be brought up at pleasure by the power of the devil." 4 Since the devil then has no power to disturb the happiness of souls departed, this apparition of Samuel could not proceed from any magical enchantments of the sorceress, but must have been effected by the sole power and appointment of God, who is the sovereign Lord both of the living and of the dead: and accordingly, we may observe, from the surprise which the woman discovered upon Samuel's sudden appearing, that the power of her magic was not concerned therein, but that it was the effect of some superior hand. The scripture relates the matter thus: When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spake unto Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me, for thou art Saul? And the king said unto her, be not afraid: what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.' Now, it is plain from this narration, that the woman saw something she was not accustomed to see. 7 Her necromancy had ordinarily power over demons only, or such wretched spirits as were submitted to the devil's tyranny; but on this occasion, she saw an object so august, so terrible, so majestic, so contrary indeed to any thing she had ever raised before, Justin Martyr, in Dial. cum Tryph, and Origen on 1 Sam. c. 28. self to a person so unworthy of any extraordinary revelation; and yet he did it: but then it was with a design to reveal to him those very miseries, from which his mercenary mind was so desirous to rescue the Midianites. The application is easy and it farther suggests this reason, why God appointed Samuel at this time to appear unto Saul, namely, that through him, he might give him a meeting where he least of all expected one; and might show him, that the fate which his own disobedience had brought upon him, was determined; that there was no reversing the decrees of Heaven, no procuring aid against the Almighty's power, no flying, though it were to hell, from his presence, no hiding himself in darkness from his inspection, with whom darkness is no darkness at all, but the night is as clear as the day, and the darkness and light are both alike.' 10 That the souls of men departed have a capacity, and, no doubt, an inclination, to be employed in the service of men alive, as having the same nature and affections, and being more sensible of our infirmities, than any pure and abstracted spirits are, can hardly be contested; that, in their absent state, they are imbodied with aerial or ethereal vehicles, which they can condense or rarefy at pleasure, and so appear or not appear to human sight, is what some of the greatest men, both of the heathen and Christian religion, have maintained; and that frequent apparitions of this kind have happened since the world began, cannot be denied by any one that is conversant in its history. If therefore the wisdom of God, for reasons already assigned, thought proper to despatch a messenger to Saul upon this occasion, there may be some account given, why the soul of Samuel, upon the supposition it was left to its option, should rather be desirous to be sent upon that errand: for whatever may be said in diminution of Saul's religious character, it is certain, that he was a brave prince and commander ; had lived in strict intimacy with Samuel; professed a great esteem for him, in all things; and "was by Samuel not a little lamented, when he had fallen from his obedience to God. Upon these considerations, we may imagine, that the soul of Samuel might have such a kindness Saurin, vol. 4. Dissertation 36. 9 Ps. cxxxix. 12. 10 See Glanville's Sadducismus Triumphatus. 111 Sam. xvi. 1. |