That the true Samuell did not appeare to the Witch in
Endor.

N Ow touching y? examples by them commonly alleaged, which do think that the souls of y? dead do return again vnto the liuing vpo the earth: I wil first intreat of Samuels apparition, of which matter now adaies there is great contentio and reasoning. And (as I trust) I shall proue by strong arguments, that very Samuell himself did not appeare in soule and bodie, neither that his bodie was raised vp by the sorcerers, which perchance then was rotten & consumed vnto dust in the earth, neither y? his soule was called vp, but rather some diuellish spirit. First the author of the two bookes of Samuel, saith: that Saule did aske counsell of the Lord, and that he would not answere him, neither by Visions, nor by Vrim, nor by his Prophets. Wherefore if God disdained by his Prophets yet liuing, and other ordinary wayes to giue answer vnto him, whom he had alreadie reiected, we may easily coniecture, that he would much lesse haue raised a dead Prophet to make him answere. And the rather, for that as we haue a little before said, the lawe of God hath seuerely by a great threatening, forbidden to learne ought of the dead, and would not haue vs to searche for the trueth of them, nor that any man vse diuination by Spirites, and suche other diuellishe Artes. Secondly, if verie Samuell indÉede appeared, that muste of necessitie haue come to passe, either by the will of God, or by the worke of arte Magike. But Gods will was not that Samuel should retourne. For he hath condemned Necromancie, and would not haue vs to aske counsel at the dead: and that the spirit of God did that which was contrary herevnto, or did permit the Saints to do it, or was present with them that did ought contrary thereto, it may not be graunted. And that those things were done by the force and operation of Art Magike, wÉe can not affirme. For the wicked spirit hath no rule or power ouer the soules of the faithfull to bring them out of their places when he lust, sith they be in the hand of God, and the bosome of Abraham, nay (which is lesse) he hath no power ouer filthy and vncleane swine, for he was driuen (as we Matth.8. reade in the viii. chapter of Mathew) to beg leaue, before he could enter into the heard of swine: and how then should he haue any power ouer the soule of man? yet can it not be denied, that God somtimes for certain causes doth giue the Diuell and his seruants, Magitians & Necromancers, power to do many things, as to hurt and lame man and beast, and to worke other straunge things. But that God dooth giue the Diuell leaue to raise dead bodies, or to call, bring foorth, or driue away soules especially out of Heauen, it hath no grounde at all in Scripture, neither can there be any reasonable cause alledged, wherefore God would or should giue the Diuell licence to doo these things contrary to the vsuall and common order, yea and againe his owne expresse commaundement. For vayne and childishe is the cause heereof that is giuen of some men, that Samuell shoulde appeare to terrifie and astonishe Saule: as if God coulde not haue feared him by other waies and meanes. Was he not before vtterly abashed and dismayed? Thirdly, if Samuell were brought backe, the same was done either by his will and consent, or without the same, but that he did frÉely and of his owne accord obey the sorcerers, no man I thinke is so blinde to imagine.

For that were vtterly repugnant to the Lawe of God, that hee shoulde confirme Witchcraft and Sorcerie by his example. If the Witch had called for Samuell, whilest he liued, doubtlesse he would haue not approached vnto hir. And how then can we belÉeue that he came to hir after his death? We may not so say, that the Witch compelled him to resort to hir against his will: for the Diuel hath no power ouer the soules of the godly, and Magike of it selfe Wordes of theselues haue no force. is of no force. Heathenish superstition no doubt it is, that wordes vttered by Magitians, after their peculiar manner, or figures drawne, should haue suche a secret and hidden operation. For the Heathens belÉeued that they could with a certain set stile & number of words, bring and draw downe Iupiter out of Heauen. Iupiter Elicius. Wherfore they termed him Iupiter Elicius. There are also certaine superstitious persons in these our daies, which go about to cure diseases by certaine rites of blessings, and by coniurings. Some hang aboute their neckes certaine scrolles of Paper, in which ther are written diuers strange words, but whether Plinie. wordes of themselues haue any force at all, reade Plinie in his 28. booke, and 2. chapter, and CÆlius Rhodiginus in his 16. booke and 16. chapter of Antiquities.

Fourthely, if very Samuel himselfe had appeared, hÉe would not haue bene worshipped of Saule. For we reade in the 19. and 22. chapter of the Reuelation, that Iohn would haue worshipped the angell, whiche had opened vnto him great misteries, but the Angell of God forbad him so to do. Some hÉere aunswere, that Saule ment not to giue vnto the Prophet, the honor that was due vnto God, but onely a certeine outward and euill worship, such as we are wont to yÉelde vnto honest men, and suche as haue well deserued of the Churche and common weale. For they say, that the Hebrue word Schachah there vsed, doth signifie to bend the knÉe, and to fall downe at a mans feete: which kinde of worship we reade, that Abigael and Nathan the Prophet gaue vnto King Dauid. And Paule Rom.12. also in the 12. Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes teacheth, that we should honour one another. Thomas of Aquine intreating of those two places that I euen nowe recited out of the Reuelation, saieth, that Iohn ment not to worship the Angell, with the worship properly called Latria, but with an other kind of worship termed Dulia, that is to say, that Iohns will was not to withdrawe from God, the honor due vnto him, but to worship the Angell that was sent from God, only with a ciuill and outward homage: and yet the Angell would not so far condiscend vnto Actes.12. him. In the new Testament the 10. chap. of the Acts of the Apostles, we read that Cornelius met with Peter, fell downe at his fÉet and worshipped him, yet, so as he had bene an embassadour from God and not God himselfe, and yet Peter lifted him vp & said, Arise for I my selfe am a man also. He said not to Cornelius thou doest well herein: nor as his worthie Vicare (with a mischiefe) is wont to do, proffered his foote vnto him to kisse. We may read also that Elias disciples worshipped Elizeus that succÉeded into his office, to which place the word to bowe the knÉe, or fall downe, is vsed. But whether the Prophet did except and allowe this kind of reuerence or no, there is no expresse mention. BrÉefly, it is not likely that the Prophet would haue suffered the King to fall downe at his fÉete.

Fiftly, if he had bin the true Samuel, he would no doubt haue exhorted Saule to repentance, and willed him to wait for aide from God, to put his whole confidence in him, or at least way, to haue giuen him some comforte, or counselled him to fight againste his enimies with more courage. Testimonies out of the Fathers touching Samuels appearing. For though the Prophets do often chide and threaten men, yet do they againe reuiue and solace them. Now because this Samuel doth beate no other thing into his heade, but that God was displeased with him, and had alredy forsaken him, we may not belÉeue that he was the true, but a meere Samuels appearing. counterfeit Samuel. Sixtly, the auncient Fathers write, that the true Samuel was not sÉene.

Tertullian.

Tertullian in his booke De anima saith, that the Diuill did there represent Samuels soule, God forbid (saith he) that we should belÉeue that the diuel can drawe the soule of any Saint, much lesse a Prophet, out of his proper place, sith we are taught that Sathan dooth transfourme himselfe into an Angel of light, and much sooner into a man of light: who also will auouch himselfe to be God, and doo notable signes and wonders to seduce, if it were possible, Augustine. the very elect. S. Augustine is not alwaies of one iudgement touching this apparition: in his second booke to Simplician Bishop of Millaine, and the third question thereof, hÉe graunteth that by the dispensation of Gods will, it might so come to passe, that the spirite of some holy Prophet, should consent to present it selfe in the sight of the King, to come out of his owne place, and to speak with him, but not to doo this by constrainte, or by the vertue of Arte Magike, which might haue any power ouer it: but thereby to shew it selfe obedient to the secret dispensation of God: and yet he doth not dissemble, that a better answer may be giuen, to witte, that the spirite of Samuel was not truly and indÉed raised vp from his rest, but rather some vain vision and counterfeit illusion, that should be brought to passe by the diuels practise, which the Scripture therefore doth tearme by the name of Samuel, because the same is woont to call the images and similitudes of things, by the names of the things themselues. For who is he (saith Augustine) that will be afraid to call a man painted, a man, considering that without staggering, we are accustomed to giue eache thing his proper name, assoone as we behold the picture of the same: as when we take the viewe of a painted table, or wall, we say straightway, this is Tullie, this is Salust, hÉe Achilles, that other Hector, this is the floud called Symois, that place tearmed Rome, whereof these things be indÉede no other than painted Images, of those things whose names they beare. Sith this is so, he saith, it is not to be maruelled that scripture saith Samuel was seen, when perchance Samuels image sÉemed to appeare, through the craftie pollicie of him, that transformed himselfe into an Angell of light, and fashioneth his ministers like vnto the Ministers of righteousnesse.

In his booke De octo Dulcitij questionibus, the 6. question thereof, he vttereth all this in as many words, & in his booke De cura pro mortuis gerenda, he writeth that some are sent, from the deade to the liuing: as on the other side, Paule was rapt vp from the liuing vnto Paradice: hÉe addeth there the example of Samuel being dead, which did foreshewe to Saule, things, that afterwardes should come to passe. He saith further, that this place may otherwise be vnderstanded, and that certaine faithful men haue bene of this iudgement, that it was not Samuel, but that some spirit fit for such wicked practises, had taken vpon him his shape and similitude. And in other places, as we will shew hereafter, he affirmeth, that there is a figure conteined in those wordes, because the name of the thing is giuen vnto the Image that dooth but represent the same: and that it was not Samuel that appeared, but some diuellish spirit.

Other Fathers of the Churche haue written nothing particularly of this storie, so far as I know, but in certaine places of their workes, they teache generally that good spirites are not pulled backe into the earth by Magicall Art. Of Iustine and Gregorie I will speake anone. The Popes decrees. In the very Papall decrÉes, 26. question 5. chapter, Nec mirum, it is written that it was not Samuel, but rather some wicked spirite that appeared to Saule: And that it were a great offence that a man should belÉeue the plaine words of the storie without some farther meaning, for how saith he could it come to passe, that a man from his byrth holie and iust in conuersation of life, should by Art Magicke be pulled out of his place? And if he were not so drawne against his will, then he must nÉedes agrÉe thereto: both whiche are like absurde, to bee imagined of a iust man. This is the Diuels legerdimaine, to make shewe, as though he had power ouer good men, thereby the rather to deceiue many. He there farther addeth, that the Historiographers doo set foorth both Saules minde, and Samuels state, and also those things which were sayd and sÉene, omitting this, whether they were true or false. And other words followe, whiche who so list to sÉe more of that matter, may there reade.

But here Nicolas Lyras iudgement (which in his Commentaries on the bookes of the Kings, mainteineth the contrary opinion) should bee little weighed and regarded of vs. Where he noteth, that the place by vs euen now alleaged, is not written according to the censure of the Church, though it be found in the Popes lawe, for otherwise saith he, they which ensued in latter times, wold not haue written contrary to y? same, for many of those things concerning which men haue written otherwise in latter times, were neuerthelesse set foorth to the world, to be beleeued, as the very expresse and sound iudgement of the whole Christian Church, because they were put in the Popes booke of Decretalls.

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