First, that it is believed that the woman at Endor 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, Had 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 old 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—(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.
I 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 gods 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 the 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.”
Mr. 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.”