The Project Gutenberg eBook, A few remarks on the Scripture History of Saul and the witch of Endor, by John Church This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: A few remarks on the Scripture History of Saul and the witch of Endor Author: John Church Release Date: October 3, 2018 [eBook #58017] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A FEW REMARKS ON THE SCRIPTURE HISTORY OF SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR***
Transcribed from the 1816 R. Thomas edition by David Price, email [email protected]
BY J. CHURCH,
SURRY TABERNACLE.
TRY THE SPIRITS WHETHER THEY BE OF GOD.—John.
FOR SATAN TRANSFORMETH HIMSELF INTO AN ANGEL OF LIGHT.—Paul.
WHAT WILL YE
DO IN THE DAY OF YOUR VISITATION, WHERE WILL YE
FLEE FOR HELP.—Isaiah.
Sold in the Vestry.
SOUTHWARK;
Printed by R. Thomas, Red Lion Street,
Borough.
1816.
“Woe also to them when I depart from them.” Hosea ix, 12.
“God is departed From me, and answereth me not.”
1 Sam. xxviii. 15.
To all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity.
BELOVED,
It is your mercy the divine Spirit is the glorifier of Jesus; that he has set him forth in his word as the Christ of God; what he is, what he has done, and what he has graciously said to his people. This is the work of our faith, to receive as we need, these things, all the way to heaven.
The person of Jesus is the delight of the Father, the glory of heaven, and the foundation of the Church, considered as God-man Mediator.—The glories of his person is revealed in the word, but we must die to see them in full perfection, and no doubt that will be an heaven worth dying for: but blessed be God we are not wholly in the dark about these excellencies, so runs the promise, They p. 4shall all know me, from the least to the greatest.—His person is truly blessed; his love is immutable; his work is honorable and glorious, exactly suited to all the necessities, of his people. His covenant engagements, his precious offices, his sweet titles and characters, the Father’s gracious acceptance of the work he accomplished, and to which he had called and appointed him. These, and a thousand more interesting points, are set forth as matters of our faith, and the food of our souls. His everlasting righteousness is our justification, his precious blood-shedding is our atonement, and his prevalent intercession at the Father’s right-hand, is the basis of our hope, and the ground of our acceptance.—I say again, my dear friends in Jesus, what a mercy! This is our refuge, our remedy, our joy, our triumph, our present and eternal all: and that we have the most important evidence of interest in these capital blessings, by being led from every other refuge; and under a sense, a daily view of our need, we are enabled to fly for a refuge, to lay hold on this hope; nor can we have a pain, a sorrow, a cross, a misery of any kind, from sin, Satan or the world, but the holy Spirit designs thereby really to endear the Lord Jesus to us, as he is revealed in the word. There is another most blessed consideration for our faith, viz. What Jesus has graciously said to his people, in all the precious declarations of the Father’s love; the evidence he has given of this in the gift of the dear Son, to p. 5obey, suffer, and die—the declarative evidence of his own love, in his willingness to accomplish the work of redemption; and blessing his people with the gift of the holy Spirit, as the principal evidence of interest in his love and work. His precious invitations to poor, needy, helpless, lost, wandering, undone sinners, who being in the least imaginable degree convinced of their state, they are invited to him, with the most comfortable assurance of salvation; which assurance of, and to faith, will, in due time, produce the comfortable assurance of sense. His promises are exceeding glorious—hence the Church declared, after a beautiful, tho’ enigmatical description of her Beloved, His mouth is most sweet. The promises are very precious, yea, the Apostle calls them exceeding precious—they are exactly adapted to our cases, let them be what they may: if thirsting for the consolations of the Spirit, Jesus says, I will pour water on him, and floods on the dry ground. If ready to give up all, having waited long to little purpose, he says, The vision is for an appointed time, at the end it will speak. If a soul is groaning under guilt, he says, I will he merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and iniquities I will remember no more. If we feel our sins too strong for us, he promises he will subdue them. If we are made sensible of our backsliding, he says, I will heal your backslidings. If in great difficulties, and we know not which way to get out of them, he says, I will bring the blind by a way they p. 6know not: I will guide thee with mine eye. If harrassed by the Devil, he promises to bruise him under our feet shortly. If complaining of hardness of heart, he says, I will give you a new one—and if full of fears, he declares he will be an hiding place in every storm; and if we feel as if we were forsaken of God; and are actually forsaken of friends, relatives, acquaintance, and both professor and possessor shun us; and suppose every ray of sensible comfort gone, yet, he cannot, will not leave or forsake you; for he hath said, I will never, never, leave you: I will never, no, never, no never, forsake you! for so the learned say it is in the original, not less than five times mentioned. How sweet the thought!—so that we may confidently sing—
The soul that on Jesus bath lean’d for repose,
He can not, he will not forsake to his foes;
That soul though all Hell should endeavor to shake,
He’ll never, no never, no never, forsake!
And he is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Let our faith plead these things, and may we rejoice in him who is the faithful God—he never can leave or forsake his dear Children, his Bride, his jewels, his crown, his honour, his glory, his own flesh and blood. This is our security and our triumph. His love cannot change; his nature is immutable; his purposes cannot be broken; the bond of union cannot p. 7be dissolved; he is one with them, he is in them, and they are engraven on his heart, on his arms, and on the palms of his hands; and he has sworn, Because, or As I live you shall live also. Yet there may be some apparent forsakings, these are chiefly imaginary; yet they have caused these sad complaints—Why hidest thou thy face, O Lord? Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me—my God hath forgotten me! The Lord may depart from his people, in the suspensions of his keeping hand; and the light of his countenance, the sense of his favour, and the divine comforts of his spirit—this may be seen in the sad tale of the fall, of the children of God, especially in the history of Sampson, of whom it is written, that he went out to shake himself, as at other times, and he wist not that the Lord was departed from him: the Lord may seem as if he had forsaken his people when he delays answering prayer; when the soul is shut up for a season; when sin prevails; when no power is felt under the word; when providences are dark; when temptations are strong; when the Church is under long persecution; and when distress abound. Thus we may be partially forsaken; but faith can still triumph in this—What shall separate us from the love of Christ? David still loved his Absalom, though he refused him the sight of his face. The loss of the light of God’s countenance, loudly proclaims the direful effects of the believer’s sin, sloth, and unbelief—O! for grace p. 8to fly from sin as from the face of a Serpent—O! for grace to cleave to Jesus continually. But the Lord may be said to leave a man, when he withdraws his sustaining, creative, providential hand, as in the case of some who are lunatic; of others who push into dreadful crimes, and suffer for them; and of others, who are left to their own pride and despair, and who rush headlong, by their own hands, into an awful eternity. It is a mercy for a natural man to be kept by the almighty power of God, even as the God of nature. The Lord may be said to leave a people, when they have slighted the Gospel, rejected his servants, despised his ordinances, and wholly cast out his messages of love to his people. This we all know was the case with the Jews, which is to be seen to this day: God has given them up to their own blindness, pride, prejudice, and enmity; and no doubt they will remain so till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Hence he has said, I will drive them out of my house. Yea, woe is to them when I depart from them. Your sin remaineth. Behold your house is left unto you desolate, until ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. But finally; the Lord has left some individuals to themselves, who have come into a profession, and who have, uncalled, claimed the Lord as theirs; who have been awfully proud, arrogant, lovers of themselves, heady, high minded, and cruelly envious of others; whose hearts were never truly humbled; p. 9whose enmity was never slain; whose secret prejudice was never subdued; nor were such taught out of either the Law, the Gospel, or affliction: such may have wonderful talents, but no love of God, of Christ, or the Spirit; no real love to the word of God, the house of God, the people of God, or the operations of the grace of God. Such may make a fair shew in the flesh, for a season; may be useful in some external things to others, as the scaffolding to a building, which will be taken away when the building is compleat; and if not immediately by death, yet will, sooner or later, take offence and stumble at the word, leave their profession, find their gifts wither; hide that talent in a napkin; mount the scorner’s chair; go from bad to worse; stab religion in its vitals, and are by and by, given up to a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation. Such awful characters there have been, and it would be well if the world did not groan with many at the present time. Such cannot be said to fall from grace received, alas, they had none—but only from a presumptuous confidence, a feigned faith, a false zeal, and an hypocritical hope; and surely nobody in their right mind, can call these things Grace, however God makes use of them for a season, and then leaves them to their own heart’s pride and cruelty; and the awful source of such things is, in general, black despair. This was partly the sad case of SAUL, which I now present to my friends, that p. 10the affecting story may excite fear, and self-examination; gratitude and praise for distinguishing grace and mercy. Doubtless much has been and may be said, in commendation of some actions in Saul’s life, but the review of his religious character is truly sad, nor can any one suppose, for a single moment, he ever possessed the grace of God in truth; for surely that grace saves a soul from the curse of the Law, the guilt of sin, the damnation of hell, and the power of Satan: converting grace saves us from the world, self, and a form of godliness; the grace of faith saves from damning unbelief; the grace of hope from wretched despair; and the grace of love from the carnal enmity of the heart; leads us to love God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit; teaches us to love his word and ways, and to love all that love Jesus, who bear his image, and serve him in godly sincerity. But none of these marks of the elect were found in Saul: not faith, because he daily manifested his intention to destroy the promised Messiah, who was David’s offspring, as well as David’s Lord; nor hope, for he died in awful despair: nor love, for his soul was filled with carnal entity against the love of God; nor access to God; nor a spirit of supplication; nor the grace of patience; nor humility; nor resignation to the will of God; and being destitute of those things, his end was according to his works. He was a slave to his sin, but God’s children are set at liberty from these things, that they should not serve sin; p. 11and can there be greater sin in the sight of God than envy, hatred, and malice in the heart against the children of God? impossible!
This poor unhappy man was the son of Kish, a Benjamite. The children of Israel, to be like the nations around them, loudly called out for a King, which God gave in his anger and took away in his wrath. Samuel was appointed to anoint Saul; he then assembled the Hebrews to receive their new king; the people shouted, and wished him joy. A spirit of prophecy fell on him at times, which astonished many, but it does not appear to have been in a covenant way, so that no one appears to have reaped any benefit from his talent. Coming to the kingdom, God furnished him with natural abilities for the government of the people. Hence it is said, God gave him another heart—not the new heart and the right spirit he has promised his people, but a mind capable of managing the affairs of a kingdom. Soon after this advancement, Saul distinguished himself in some very great exploits, but fell an awful victim to his pride, which was manifested in his envying David, whose fame began to spread among his people. Who can stand before envy? After God had so particularly honoured David, Saul’s sun set at noon day, while light was rising on David, never to go dawn. The enmity of Saul was great indeed, which set him upon the awful act of murder; this infernal intention p. 12he prosecuted till the last stage of his life, and finding David had taken shelter among the Philistines, he gave over thoughts of getting him destroyed. About the year of the world three thousand and forty nine, the Philistines invaded his kingdom, and encamped in the very heart of it, perhaps at the very time he was troubling the afflicted David. Saul now fell into the deepest distress of mind; his measure was now, nearly filled up, and a righteous God was now about to take vengeance on him for his disobedience in the matter of the Amalekites; his horrid cruelty in the murder of the priests and their families; and his enmity to David, of course to David’s God. Despair seizing his soul and preying on his spirits, he first calls on God, but most probably not in the appointed way; nor did he wait God’s answer, but fled from him in the pride of his heart, and applied to the devil and his daughter, the Witch of Endor, for relief to his mind. Sad refuge, miserable comforters indeed! He wanted to see and speak with Samuel the Prophet, whom he had neglected and disobeyed in his life time, and therefore as God was departed from him, nor would answer him, he was determined, in defiance of Jehovah, to seek redress, from the Devil. The Witch, no doubt, retiring to another apartment than that in which Saul was, used her spells and enchantments, to bring up the pretended Samuel, who first told her who her client was, which made her cry out, Thou art Saul, come to me in disguise. p. 13After Saul had assured her no harm should come to her, of course she had nothing to fear from man, and no doubt much conversation took place, which is not recorded, between the Witch and Saul. But he being in haste, asked her what she saw when she had used her spells. She answered and said, I saw gods ascending out of the earth: the learned say it is not a plural, but ought to be rendered a god—Angels, and Magistrates used to be so called. This idea of the singular number is supported by the question, What form is he of? And the Witch said, An old man with a mantle. She did not say she saw Samuel, nor did the Ghost say it was; and it is queried whether Saul saw the spectre at all; but he bowed himself to the ground; perhaps to hear what the spectre had to say, as their speech was called muttering; or if Saul saw the figure, then the conversation that passed is recorded, at least part of it. The spectre pretends he was Samuel in a glorified state; and that Saul had disquieted him. He told him that Saul and his sons should be with him the next day. He then brought up some of his sins, and charged them home to his conscience, in order to drive him into desperation: this made Saul faint in the house of the Witch, and he could scarcely be prevailed on to take any refreshment. He then travelled all night to his troops. When the battle was fought, the Hebrews were routed, but they maintained a running fight till they came to Gilboa, p. 14where the enemy overpowered them; three of Saul’s sons were slain; Saul being pressed by the enemy be begged his Armour-Bearer to run him through with his sword, which he refusing, Saul took his owe sword and fell upon it, and went to his place. The subject of enquiry is the Circumstance of his application to a Witch to raise up Samuel. Many have been, and still are of opinion, that it was really Samuel the Prophet, the man of God; the principal reason why even some good men are of this opinion is, simply, on account of the prophecy. The question with them is, how could Satan foretel what would happen to Saul? I shall therefore shew the very important reasons why I think the appearance was not the true Samuel. 2ndly, shew the possibility of Satan knowing what would shortly befal Saul. 3rdly, produce the testimony of some of the best writers on this subject.
The whole circumstance we find recorded in the first book of Samuel, 28th chap. which I humbly conceive, if attentively read, and well weighed in the mind, it will appear evident that the spectre which appeared to Saul, could not be the true Samuel. I state my reason to those friends of mine who are not clear in their judgments on this subject, and request their attention to the following observations:
First, that it is believed that the woman at p. 15Endor was really a Witch; this is not doubted by any; and surely every person who is conversant with their Bible, must remember that Jehovah forbid, on pain of Death, the practice of Witchcraft, Divination, Necromancy, or consulting the dead. Hence the command, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live. As they rejected the Most High, and sought to devils, the sworn foes of God and his Saints; therefore it is absurd to suppose that God would countenance such a practice in Saul’s case.—Second, It is evident God has absolutely refused to answer Saul, and if he got any answer from the other world at all, God did not send it; then Satan must either send it, or come himself.—Third, It is declared God would not answer him by Prophets; and we all know Samuel was a Prophet; then it could be no true prophet of God.—Fourth, The scriptures declare that Saul died for his transgressions, which he committed against the Lord; and also for asking counsel of one that hath a familiar spirit, to enquire of it, and enquired not of the Lord, therefore he slew him.—1st Chron. 10th chapter. Let this divine testimony suffice that he did not enquire of the Lord—then he must have enquired of the Devil.—Fifth, We have no authority to believe that it ever was in the power of the Devil, or his Daughter, a Witch, to disturb a Saint in heaven; or to raise up a body from the grave.—Sixth, To take them out of the hands of Christ, or the bosom of his felicity.—Seventh, p. 16Had it been the true Samuel, he would not have said he came up from the earth, but rather that he came from above.—Eighth, No Believer can for a single moment, admit that a glorified saint could be subject to hellish enchantment.—Ninth, Nor is it reasonable to suppose that God would answer Saul by a dead prophet, when he refused to answer him by a living one; or that God would send a Prophet from heaven upon such an errand as this at the motion of a Witch.—Tenth, Nor would Samuel, the true Prophet, have admitted such worship and homage to be paid to him as the Devil did.—Eleventh, If it had been the true Prophet, he would have reproved him for the sin of asking counsel of a Witch, as well as other sins he accused him of.—Twelfth, Had it been the true Samuel he would have advised him to go by humble confession to the Lord, and wait on him for pardoning mercy.
From these observations, I think, it cannot be reasonably supposed to be Samuel, the true Prophet of God. That there have been appearances of spectres I doubt not, but I cannot suppose for a moment, that they are the real souls of the departed, but either their guardian angels or infernal spirits, sent on errands we know nothing of in this lower world; but this I leave, and only remark that in this case of the wretched, despairing Saul, that Satan, with whom the Witch of Endor was very familiar, could easily transform himself into a grave p. 17old man, with a mantle, when the scriptures declare he can transform himself into an Angel of Light, which must be a greater work. It is evident he is now, and has been for many years, worshipped by Heathens, in many forms, witness the idols which are made and adored abroad, in which form, no doubt, Satan has often appeared to his familiars. As to his being called Samuel, many who have been possessed of the devil are called prophets, as well as many who are destitute of grace have been called christians; but what appears to stagger some of my friends the most is, how Satan could know future events, and predict them to Saul. But surely there was no such a great mystery in this, when it was well known the evil spirits, in the oracles of the heathen, and in others, have told future events. Besides, Satan well knew the numbers and strength of the enemies that came up against Saul’s army. No doubt Satan has much to do in a field of Battle. Likewise Satan well knew that God had left Saul, and could then easily tell that it must go bad with him and his armies. There wanted no conjurer to tell that, nor need Samuel come from heaven to predict it. Balaam, the wizard, who went several times to consult the devil about cursing the children of Israel, was obliged to turn Prophet, and foretold the coming of Christ, and the glories of his kingdom; the destruction of the enemies of the Church, and his own awful end, I shall see him, but not now—p. 18(that is, when he comes to judgment.) I shall behold him, but not nigh—(when he lifted up his eyes in hell). Besides, God often permits Satan, as the Prince of the Power of the Air, to foresee the ruin of men, as in the case of Ahab. See 1st. Kings, 22nd Chap. xx, xxii verses; and Satan, in a man, may predict his own ruin, or the ruin of others. This may be seen in the case of Haman, in the book of Esther, 6th Chap. xiii, xiv verses. But what was the prediction of the Devil in Samuel’s appearance? Thou and thy sons shall be with me to-morrow. If this was the Soul of the true Samuel, he never could have said this, for Saul could not associate with the Lord’s children in heaven, seeing he lived and died a murderer; nor could his son, Jonathan have been with him in heaven, seeing he was a lover of the truth, and a servant of the Lord; and though they both died in the same field, they could not go to the same place. So that this spectre’s prediction was wrong; and if it was supposed to be Samuel’s body brought up from the grave, and the Prophecy was, he should be in the grave to-morrow; neither was this true, for the battle was not fought for some days after, and it was a considerable time before Saul was buried in the grave, as you will find in the close of the 31st Chap. Besides, Samuel was buried at Ramah, and Saul was buried at Jabesh. Thus the prediction of the Devil was not true; nor did all Saul’s sons die together, for some lived along time after his death.
p. 19I shall now produce the testimony of some learned and pious men, whose opinions appear to be truly scriptural.
Bishop Hall remarks on this subject: “Why should God answer that man by dreams, who had resisted him waking? Why should he answer him by Urim, that had slain his Priests? Why should he answer him by Prophets, who hated the Father of Prophets? Unto what mad spirit are men driven by despair!—if you will not answer Satan shall. Could Saul be so ignorant as to think that magic had power over God’s deceased saints, either to raise them up, or call them down from their rest?”
Dr. Smith, who published his comment on the Bible in 1735, observes, “Many controversies have been about Samuel’s apparition, but I am entirely of opinion that it was neither in the Devil’s, or the Witch’s power to raise up the true Samuel, to make him appear there; it was nothing but mere deceit and collusion of the Devil, whom God sometimes permits to do strange actions, for the ruin and destruction of those who give credit thereto.”
The truly learned Mr. Poole, in his works remarks on the 13th verse of the chapter—“And the king said unto her, Be not afraid, for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw p. 20gods ascending out of the earth—or a god, a divine person, glorious, and full of majesty, exceeding not only mortal men, but common ghosts. She useth the plural number, either after the manner of the Hebrew language, which commonly useth that word of one person, or after the language and custom of the heathens; but the whole coherence shews that it was but one, for Saul desired but one; and he enquires for, and the woman answers only of one, as if it came from the place of the dead. The woman pretended, and Saul, upon her suggestion believed indeed, that it was Samuel, and so many Popish and other writers conceived; but that it was not Samuel, is sufficiently evident.” The argument of this good man I have interspersed in a foregoing page.
Mr. Matthew Henry’s opinion may be ascertained from the few remarks extracted from his notes on this chapter.—“Since Saul can discern no comfort, neither in heaven or earth, he resolves to knock at the gates of hell, and see if any there will befriend him and give him advice. Saul (who we may suppose was kept at a distance in the next room) bid her not to be afraid of him, but go on with the operation, and enquired, What she saw? O, saith the woman, I saw gods ascending out of the earth; i.e. a spirit—angels were called gods, because they were spiritual beings. Poor gods that ascend out of the earth. But she speaks the language of p. 21the Heathen, who had their infernal deities, and had them in veneration. Saul came in disguise to Satan, and Satan knew him well. Satan came in disguise to Saul, but Saul could not discern him.—It was cold comfort this evil spirit gave to Saul, and is manifestly intended to drive him to despair and self murder. He upbraided him with three things, tho’ he had been the seducer; and then he foretold his approaching ruin, which any body could have done as well as Satan.”
Bishop Patrick observes, “It is not in the power of witches, to disturb the rest of good men, or bring them back into the world when they please; nor would the true Samuel have acknowledged such a power in magical hearts, but to Saul this was a proper device of Satan, to draw veneration from him, to possess him with an opinion of the divination, and so to rivet him in the Devil’s interests.”
Dr. Haweis also remarks—“It is incredible that the Devil should have any power over the souls of the righteous; nor can we conceive God would, to countenance such an abomination, suffer the holy Prophet to appear: the soul which was in heaven could not come up out of the earth, nor the glorified spirit be troubled as this apparition pretended, much less could Samuel say, Saul should be with him to-morrow, whose impenitent end, gives no hope of his happiness.”
p. 22Mr. Mason, a very spiritual writer, expresses himself thus concerning Saul’s conduct; “See how a sin-hardened soul acts—not like David, who goes to the Lord with an humbled heart, a broken spirit, a sorrowful cry, O Lord pardon mine iniquity, for it is great!—But like Saul, who applied to the Devil for relief, for the Lord was departed from him.”
Mr. Brown, in his Self-interpreting Bible, says, “And when the woman saw Samuel, that is, the Devil in his likeness. Satan hath no power over the souls of glorified saints. God would never give him any to countenance consulting of Devils. Samuel’s soul had not to come out of the earth, nor would he have said that Saul should be with him to-morrow, for it is not probable the battle was fought on that day”.
The able and learned Dr. Gill observes, on the 15th verse, “And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up? This makes it a clear case that this was not the true Samuel—his soul was at rest in Abraham’s bosom, and it was not in the power of men or devils to disquiet it—nor would he have talked of his being brought up, but rather of his coming down, had it been really he, much less would he have acknowledged that he was brought up by Saul, by means of a Witch, and the help of the Devil.”
p. 23The late truly deep-taught scriptorian, Mr. W. Huntington, in his Epistles of Faith, acknowledges this history had once puzzled him, as many professors had told him it was really Samuel the Prophet, that the Witch of Endor raised; but adds, For my part I cannot believe it, for God has promised that his people shall be gathered in peace, and that their bodies shall rest in their beds; and I cannot think that it is in the power of the Devil to break the promise of God; for the wicked cease from troubling, and in that state, the weary are at rest. If Satan can bring a soul out of Paradise, who departed in the faith, and raise a body out of the grave, who was once a temple of the Holy Ghost, he is not only the God of this world, but a rifler of the next. However, Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, and he is too jealous of his honour to give it to an enemy. The woman cried out, I see gods ascending, when she saw the Devil come up, as an angel of light—and I do not wonder at it, for I dare say she had never seen her sweet-heart in the rays of an angel, or with the gravity of a Prophet before. Be not offended at the word sweet-heart, God says they sacrificed to devils, and went a whoring after devils. See 37th Deut. and 17th Levit.
One of our best and most evangelical preachers and writers, (I mean the excellent Dr. Hawker) in his notes on this chapter, remarks, “The great enemy of souls might be permitted to personate the p. 24departed Prophet, as such he appears to Saul’s view like Samuel. That it could not be Samuel himself, is I think, evident from other considerations. Neither Satan nor his instruments can have power over glorified saints; neither could the soul of Samuel be said to come up out of the earth, when we know that the spirits of just men made perfect, are with the Lord. Neither, had it been Samuel, would he have told him of the awful event about to take place, without following it up with advice to repent, instead of driving him to despair, and thereby forming a temptation to self-murder.”
FINIS.
Thomas, Printer, Red Lion Street, Boro
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