Furthermore, holie Scripture dooth vse to speake of things, rather according to the opinion and iudgement of men, than according to the substaunce and true béeing which they haue indéede. So Iesus is called the Sonne of Ioseph, and Iosephe named his father, whereas notwithstanding, our Sauiour Christ Iesus, was borne of a chaste and vnspotted Virgine, without any helpe of man. And yet neuerthelesse many of the Iewes, imagined, that 1. Cor. 1. he was the Sonne of Ioseph. In the 1. Cor. 1. the Gospel it selfe is named foolishnesse, because that men did account the great wisedome of God but as méere foolishnesse. So in the 1. Cor. 10. first Epistle to the Corinthians, and tenth chapter, the scripture tearmeth them gods, which be nothing lesse than so Iere. 10. Psal. 96. indéed. And that for this cause onely, for that the Heathen tooke them for gods, and so did worship them. Euen so the scripture doeth tearme the Diuell Samuel, because Saule thought him to be Samuel in very déed.
VVhether the diuel forknow of thinges to come.
An other reason they vse, that Samuel foreshewed vnto Saule suche thinges as afterwardes should come to passe: as that the Philistians should in battayle ouerthrowe his Armie, and he and his sonnes togither be slaine. And all these thinges came to passe according to his Prophesie. And say they, the Diuel knoweth not, neither can he foretell of things to come, sith it is onely in Gods power so to Iohn 8. doo: But as Christ in the eight of Iohn saith, he is a lyar, and the father of lies. Hereunto a man may easily answere: The Diuell knewe howe things stoode with the Iewes, and the Philistines, he vnderstood euen the very secret consultations, priuie practises, and warlike preparation on both sides. He sawe that the Israelites were slenderly addressed vnto battaile, and vtterly daunted of courage. Besides this, Samuel had a little before threatned Saule with Gods heauie wrath and vengeance, and that Dauid should be aduaunced to the kingly throne, whereby he might easily gather what would ensue, and that Saule must néedes giue place to Dauid. And if the euent had bene otherwise, yet he knew that Saule with this prophesie would be quite dismaied, and driuen to dispaire: which thing must néedes well content and please Sathan, who laieth his baites day and night to intrappe men.
Which being doubtfully spoken, may be vnderstood either of subuerting other kingdomes, or loosing his owne.
The Diuell dooth not presently vnderstand things to come, and therefore he giueth doubtfull answeres to such as séeke oracles of him: As when he said,
Crœsus perdet Halin transgressus plurima regna.
That is, Cresus passing ouer the riuer, Halis shall ouerturne many kingdomes. And yet oftentimes he gathereth one thing no otherwise than by an other. Hereof writeth Augustine in the 26. 27. 28. Chapters of his Booke De Anima. The Diuel is one which hath bene long beaten in experience, the which thing in all affaires and matters is of very great force. For olde and practised souldiours doo by and by foresée to what issue things will come, but yoong men, and such as want experience, doo not forthwith espie out the euent of each enterprise. Moreouer, the Diuels are very actiue, and can soone dispatch their matters. The Marriners knowe when windes and stormes will arise. Husbandmen also are not destitute of their prognostications. The skilfull Astronomer can many yeares before exactly foretell when there will happen an Eclipse of the Sunne and Moone. The Phisitian by the criticall dayes, pulse, and vrine, can lightly iudge whether his patient shall liue or no: builders sée before hand when an house will fall, and a practised souldioure can straightwayes iudge who shall winne the victorie. And what maruaile then may it be, if the Diuell an olde trained souldiour, can sometimes foreshew some certain thing? Shall we be of this minde, that so many yeares experience hath broughte them no knowledge at all? Otherwhiles he telleth things which be true indéed, and yet to no other end, but that he may thereby purchase a certaine credite vnto his lying, to seduce the ignorant.
For euen that counterfeit Samuell, made wise, as if he had taken it in very ill part, that Saule did so molest and disquiet him, and that he should be forced to talke with him: he vseth farther the words as it were of Samuel himselfe. And hereof it commeth, that many gather, he was the true Samuel indéede. But what doth not Sathan deuise, to deceiue men, and to force them vnto desperation? Here I could alleage examples of suche as haue bin perswaded, that they sawe and heard this and that man, and moreouer knewe them perfectly by their speeche: whereas they haue afterwards had euident intelligence, that they were at that time many miles distant from them. So craftie is the Diuell, and knoweth how to worke these and many other feates.
There are farther, diuers places alleaged out of the auncient Fathers, that séeme to make for them, whiche affirme that true Samuell appeared vnto Saule. But these places wée haue before for the moste parte aunsweared. For albeit Augustine in some places mooue a doubte, whether it were the true Samuel or no, yet in certaine other places hee lyketh and beste alloweth their opinion, who denie Samuel to haue appeared at all, taking rather that kinde of spéech, for tropicall and figuratiue.
Iustinus.