[In former days Saul had exerted himself, agreeably to God's command*^, to banish witchcraft from the land ; and now could not prevail on this woman to use her enchantments, till he had profanely sworn that no punishment should be mflicted on her. At his earnest entreaty, she prevailed to bring up Samuel before liim. Many learned men have thought that Samuel himself did not appear, but that Satan assumed his shape and garb. But there is no intimation in the history that this was the case ; on the contrary, every expression has directly the opposite aspect : and it seems that even the witch herself was beyond measure astonished at the unexpected success of her incantation. It is urged on the other hand, that a witch could never prevail to bring Samuel from the grave, or his soul from the mansions of the blessed. True ; but God might see fit to send Samuel on this occasion, to confirm all the threaten- ings which he had denounced when living : nor is there any weight in the objection, that he speaks of being " disquieted," and " brought up,'' because this was only popular language suited to the prevailing notions of the day: and when he speaks of Saul and his sons being " ivith him on the morrow," he can only mean, that they should be removed into the invisible world by death It seems clear, that, as God after- wards sent a living prophet to reprove Amaziah's application to the heathen idol, so now he sent a departed prophet to reprove in Saul a similar offence ^.
But what availed this interview with Samuel? Samuel him- self put the question to Saul, " Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? " Vain indeed was that hope which sought in a broken cistern what the fountain alone could supply.]
And equally vain are those refuges to which sin- ners flee, when they are forsaken by their God —
[Men in a time of trouble will catch at any thing for comfort. Some will endeavour to drown reflection in the cares or pleasures of the world ; whilst others take refuge in infi- delity: but not even Saul's expedient was more vain than these : for what is there either in business or pleasure to satisfy a guilty conscience? or what can infidelity adduce to disprove the truths which it would set aside? " In uttering error against the Lord, we only make empty the soul of the hungry,
and cause the drink of the thirsty to faiF" Such are
the expedients, whatever they may be, whereby we labour to supply the place of an offended God ]
<! Lev. XX. 27.
^ Compare 2 Kings i. 1 — 6. where the cases, and the issue of them, are much alike. ^ Isai. xxxii. 6.