Let the Reader observe when King _Saul_ asked the Witch of _Endor_,
_What Form the Gods was of, she had seen ascend out of the Earth_; The
Woman answered and said, _An old Man with a Mantle, &c._ But _Saul_ saw
nothing but as the Woman told him, and _Saul_ believed her Words, and
bowed himself to the Ground.----Now mind the 15th Verse, Samuel _said
to_ Saul, _why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up_; the Meaning is
this, now the Witch had full Power over _Saul_, so that he did really
believe the Witch, that she had indeed raised up _Samuel_, though he saw
nothing----yet the Fear of being destroyed by the _Philistines_, and the
Belief of the Woman's Words, _Samuel_ began to speak in _Saul_'s
Conscience; there came into _Saul_'s Mind the Words which _Samuel_ had
told him in his Life-time.----So that these was no speaking to _Saul_ by
_Samuel_, but the Reasonings of _Saul_'s own Heart; and these Voices
that _Samuel_ spake to _Saul_, they were motional Voices that did arise
in _Saul_'s own Heart.----For an accusing Conscience will speak dreadful
Voices in the Conscience; as the Blood of _Abel_ cried for Vengeance in
_Cain_'s Conscience, and the Saints that were slain under the Altar;
cried for Vengeance upon those that shed their Blood; so that a sinful
Conscience will have Voices enough to torment him, though God himself,
nor Prophet without him, doth never speak unto him. A guilty Conscience
will speak with a motional Voice their great Terror and Torment, which
is greater than can be born, as it was with _Cain_, _Saul_, and _Judas_.
Yea, it was Fear, and the Remembrance of _Saul_'s Disobedience to
_Samuel_'s Words in his Life-time, this did arise afresh in _Saul_'s
Mind, and spake with motional Voices in _Saul_'s Conscience, accusing
him for his Disobedience to _Samuel_'s Words.
For the Remembrance of _Samuel_'s Words, may be said to disquiet
_Samuel_; for _Samuel_'s Words were buried in _Saul_'s Conscience.
But now, by his going to enquire of a Witch, _Samuel_ is revived again
in _Saul_'s Mind, and there _Samuel_ speaks Fear, Wrath, and Terror; for
_Samuel_'s Words spake in _Saul_'s Conscience one motional Voice, and
the Guilt of _Saul_'s Disobedience spake Fear and Horror in _Saul_'s
Conscience, this was a motional Voice in _Saul_'s Conscience also; for
the Voice of Truth will speak, or the Voice of Obedience, and the Voice
of Sin and Disobedience will speak in Man's Conscience, as if they were
two distinct Spirits.
This many guilty Consciences can witness, as we may read by _Cain_ that
killed his Brother, and _Judas_ that betrayed his Lord, and many others
who hath been guilty of the like Crimes.
So that the Witch did raise no _Samuel_, nor Spirit, but a meer Shadow
it was the Witch saw, which she could raise by her Art; neither was
there any _Samuel_ or Spirit not at all that did speak to _Saul_, but
that motional Voice in _Saul_'s Conscience as aforesaid.
And in this Sense _Samuel_ may be said to be disquieted; for if _Saul_
had never gone to the Witch to enquire of her, _Samuel_'s Words had been
quiet in _Saul_; neither would _Saul_ have had such Reasonings in
himself, nor have been so sensible of the Worm of his Conscience.
So that there was no Voice of _Samuel_ spoke unto _Saul_, but a motional
Voice in _Saul_'s own Mind or Conscience; his Fear and his Disobedience,
and what _Samuel_ had told him before, these all speaking with Voices in
his wounded Conscience. _Samuel_'s Words spake one Voice, and his own
Disobedience spake another; so that the Witch of _Endor_ did neither
raise _Samuel_, but only made the King believe she did, neither did
_Samuel_ speak to the King but as aforesaid.
For the Kingdom being rent out of his Hands, his Sons being destroyed,
and all other Threatnings of _Samuel_, they came into _Saul_'s Mind
afresh with strong Motions, so that they became as Voices in _Saul_'s
Heart, as if _Samuel_ had spake to the hearing of the Ear: For there was
no _Samuel_ raised, nor no _Samuel_ spake, but what was motional in the
Mind of _Saul_, and what did visionally appear unto the Witch, which was
a meer Shadow which she could produce by her Witchcraft-Art, to all
those that were more ignorant than her self, or had Faith in her Power.