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.

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, a' he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself;' which a man is not apt to do to bare ideas or imaginations.

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 Persons of this woman's character, who are under the taken in their most obvious meaning, why should a displeasure of the government, generally affect obscustrange and forced construction be put upon this? rity, live privately, and are little acquainted with affairs Have we not as much reason to entertain a good of state. But suppose her to have been ever so great opinion of the author of this history, his ability, his inte- a politician, and ever so intimate with what had passed grity, his knowledge of what he wrote about, and his between Saul and Samuel heretofore, ever so well asundesigning to deceive us, as we can have of any critic or sured that God had rejected him, and elected David in commentator upon it? And therefore when he gives us his stead; yet how could she come to the knowledge of to understand that the woman saw Samuel, upon what this, namely, that the battle should be fought the next presumption are we led to disbelieve it? Saul and his day, the Israelites be routed, Saul and his sons slain, companions might possibly be deceived by an impostor and their spoils fall into the enemy's hands; since each in Samuel's guise; but was the sacred historian there- of these events, even in the present situation of Saul's fore deceived, or did he mean to deceive us, when he affairs, was highly casual and uncertain? For might gives us this plain account of an apparition? Saul was not this prince lose a battle, without losing his life? Or, a bold man, and too sagacious to become a dupe to a if he himself fell in the action, why must his three sons silly woman. He and his two attendants came upon her be all cut off in the same day? Whatever demonstraby night, and before she was prepared to act any juggle tions of innate bravery he had given in times past, after or imposture. They were too well acquainted with the such severe menaces as he now received from the appavoice, and stature, and figure of Samuel, for any other rition; prudence, one would think, would have put him to personate him, without being detected. But admitting upon providing for his safety, either by chicaning with the cheat passed upon them, how can we think but that the the enemy, or retiring from the field of battle, without author of this account, who pretends to relate the trans- going to expose himself, his sons, and his whole army, action as it really happened, and is supposed to have to certain and inevitable death. These are things which written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, would in no human penetration could reach, and which only he, some measure, have let us into the secret of this impos- who is the absolute and almighty Ruler of all causes and ture? His business doubtless was to expose such prac-events, could either foresee or foretell. And how untices, as far as truth would allow; and therefore it is likely is it, that God Almighty should make use of this unaccountable (unless he meant to delude us with a false as a prophetess, and give her the honour of persuasion) that he should admit every thing that tended revealing his counsels, when, at the same time, he conto discover the fraud, and in his narration, insert every curred with her in the imposition put upon Saul, by thing that tended to confirm the reality of the prophet's making him believe that Samuel appeared and talked,

appearance.

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, 3 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.

2 The History of the Life of King David, vol. 1.
3 Mat. xvii. 3.

sorceress

4

when there was no Samuel there?

4 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 several expressions of the same nature in the sacred history. Thus, when Jacob met Esau, the text tells us, that the handmaids, and Leah, and Rachel, and their children bowed themselves,' Gen. xxxiii. 6, 7. When David arose out of his hidingthat he fell with his face to the ground, and bowed himself,' place, upon the signal that Jonathan gave him, the text tells us, 1 Sam. xx. 41. And when the messenger from Saul's camp 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 no 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 sce.-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

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 promising 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.

2

How far the honour of God is concerned in this transaction, will more properly fall under our next inquiry. 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. We 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; ever so often, we shall not so much as once find the and upon the supposition of a juggle, the witch and her devil mentioned in it. And therefore it is somewhat confederate would have certainly acted clean contrarywonderful, that he should be brought upon the stage by 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, 2 Waterland, ibid.

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 3 Saul

4

3 Saurin, vol. 4. Dissertation 36,
4 Ecclus. xlvi. 20.
1 Chron. x. 13.

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. 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 3 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 erroneously, 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," 5 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."

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: 6 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,

|

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."

8 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 disobeying 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 likelihood, that God would continue to communicate himself 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 ir. 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 obedi

Justin Martyr, in Dial, cum Tryph, and Origen on 1 Sam. c. 28. ence to God. Upon these considerations, we may ima

gine, that the soul of Samuel might have such a kindness

8 Saurin, vol. 4. Dissertation 36. 9 Ps. cxxxix. 12. 10 See Glanville's Sadducismus Triumphatus. 11 1 Sam. xvi. 1.

A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4391. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE END.

self, in his capacity of king, forsaken by God, he had recourse in his extremity to one of those wretched beings who had escaped from the effects of his righteous zeal. But even Saul himself, conscious as he was of being for

for him, as to be ready to appear to him in the depth of his distress, in order to settle his mind by telling him the upshot of the whole matter, namely, that he should lose the battle and he and his sons be slain; that so he might give a specimen, as the Jews love to speak in commen-saken of God, could not expect from her the information dation of him, of the bravest valour that was ever achieved, by any commander; fight boldly when he was sure to die; and sell his life at as dear a price as possible; that so in his death, he might be commemorated with honour, and deserve the Threnodia which his son-inlaw made on him: The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places. How are the mighty fallen! From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!'

CHAP. IV.-On the Witch of Endor.

SUPPLEMENTAL BY THE EDITOR.

I AGREE with the author in the opinion, that it was the spirit of Samuel himself, wearing, as Dr Hales observes, the same mantle in appearance, which was rent at the final rejection of Saul from the kingdom, which appeared on this occasion. Many authors of reputation maintain that this was a mere imposition practised upon Saul by the witch; but it is evident, that the witch herself expected not to see such a spectre as presented itself before her; and that the spectre made its appearance before it was called.

which he wanted, but through some means forbidden by that law which it was his duty to enforce; and if she was not aided by a familiar spirit, she must have practised arts calculated to persuade the people that she was. These arts were of heathen invention, and led to that idolatry which Saul was bound to root entirely out of the land; and no method can be conceived better calculated to confound the impious monarch, and to prevent the wretched woman from practising her impious arts for the future, than that which the supreme Disposer of events adopted on this occasion. Before she commenced her incantations, the real Samuel appeared before her, and gave to the infatuated king such an answer as there is no reason to suppose he would have received from any pretended Samuel exhibited by her.

It has been maintained by some respectable writers that the apparition was an evil angel, who appeared in the mantle and in the shape of Samuel. As the ground of this opinion, they mention the abhorrence which God had shown against those who practised the arts of necromancy and witchcraft, and its being inconsistent with this declared hatred, so far to countenance these arts as to send a messenger from the invisible state, at the moment when this woman was engaged in them. To this it may be answered, that if the appearance of Samuel on the present occasion be deemed inconsistent with the divine procedure, there is much greater difficulty in believing that the apparition was an evil spirit, since the whole strain of his address to Saul is at variance with the character of an angel of darkness.

"I have myself," says Bishop Gleig, " conversed with a ] ventriloquist, who performed the most extraordinary feats in his art, who was extremely communicative on the subject It may indeed seem strange, that God, who had rejected of his art, and ready to answer every question which I Saul, and who answered him not when he consulted him, put to him; but he was unfortunately so very illiterate should now send a departed prophet, to tell him his fate, as to speak a language which was hardly intelligible. I But the reason is plain. To have answered his inquiry found no difficulty whatever in tracing his art to the when he consulted him, not in a private capacity, but as principles on which it was founded, but he would not the king of Israel, not with the view of obtaining recontell me in language which I could understand, by what ciliation, but of ascertaining his fate, would have been means he produced his acoustic deceptions. That he an acknowledgment of him in this character; whereas was a great master of his art, however, he gave me, and he had been for many years rejected and disowned of thousands besides me, the most complete proofs, making God as his deputy: when, however, he applied not to his voice appear to come sometimes from the roof of the him, but to another, for the purpose of learning his furoom, sometimes from without the door, sometimes from ture destiny, and had, for the time, ceased to be king, below the floor, and once from the pocket of a gentle-God gave him through his servant such an answer as he man who was sitting close by me. Had this man com- had not expected.

bined with his ventriloquism that phantasmagoric art, by which some of our modern jugglers frighten the vulgar in a darkened room, he easily could have exhibited such a ghost as I have no doubt the witch of Endor meant and expected to exhibit to Saul."

The ghost, however, which really came was sent by a different and a higher power, and sent for the same purpose that the dumb ass was, for the ass was made to reprove the madness of Balaam, and that enchanter himself made to bless Israel. Necromancy was among the arts forbidden by the law of Moses. Saul had in obedience to that law, lately exterminated, as he thought, all such impious diviners from Israel; and yet, finding him

12 Sam. i. 19.

SECT. IV.

CHAP. I.-From the Death of Saul, to that of
Absalom. In all thirty-three years.

THE HISTORY.

DAVID was at Ziklag when news was brought him of the defeat of the Israelitish army, and of the death of Saul. The messenger was an Amalekite, who pretended that

a By the account which we have of king Saul's death, in the conclusion of the foregoing book, namely, that he fell upon his own sword, and expired,' (1 Sam. xxxi. 4.) it seems very evident,

A. M. 2949. A. C. 1055; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4341. A. C. 1070. 2 SAM. i-xix.

he was the person who despatched the king after he found himself mortally wounded; and, however he came by them, produced Saul's crown and bracelet to verify what he said. He expected, no doubt, an ample compensation for this message and present; but instead of that, David ordered his guards to fall upon him, because, according to his own declaration, he had been accessory to the king's death.