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 ccx074@pglaf.org
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
***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A FEW REMARKS ON THE SCRIPTURE HISTORY OF SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR***
***** This file should be named 58017-h.htm or 58017-h.zip******
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/8/0/1/58017
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country outside the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
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.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
provided that
* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation."
* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
works.
* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
www.gutenberg.org
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
gbnewby@pglaf.org
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.