consulting the dead ought not to be practised till all other
means appointed by God had been made use of, yet, when
these failed, God would be so far from being displeased with
men's applying in cases of extremity to these dealers with the
dead, as that he might be persuaded, some how or another, if
for no other reasons, yet to prevent the use of these necro-
mantic arts, as is supposed in the case of Samuel's sudden
appearance without the witch's aid, even to raise a prophet for
their satisfaction in their inquiries into futurity, even when the
very attempt to obtain her assistance, and the least appear-
ance of encouraging the arts she made use of, might have been
prevented by giving the answer in the more ordinary way.
And indeed the reverend author saw and felt this difficulty,
but I think hath not extricated us out of it: for in answer to
the objection, "Is it likely that God should refuse to answer
Saul when he consulted him in ways appointed by himself, and
yet should answer him in a forbidden
?" he replies,
way
What
if it be not? i. e. what if my little understanding cannot reach
the reasons of this conduct, must it follow that there was no
such thing? Is not this the infatuation of arrogance?" Such
an answer may, for ought I know, silence unbelievers, but will
not be likely to convince them: for undoubtedly, if the thing
itself be not likely, it is not likely, without any charge of arro-
gance, that a considerate man should believe it.

In a word, if this method of consulting the dead was forbidden by God as a capital offence, as no witch can, in the nature of the thing, by any incantations she can use, bring up the soul of any dead person, much less force the soul of a departed saint to come at her call, it is impossible that the soul of Samuel could have any concern in this transaction, without God's immediately sending him; and that God did not send him, either to gratify Saul or please the old witch, seems as evident to me, as that he cannot contradict himself, encourage those impious practices he hath forbidden, or do honour to the criminal incantations of a wretched wicked old woman, who deserved death by God's own law for this very attempt to bring up Samuel from the dead, that Saul might thus know his destiny, which God had refused to inform him of any other way.

I do not think it worth while to enter into the consideration

of the other scheme that some have advanced to account for this transaction we have been considering-that it was an evil spirit who was employed in it, and who personated Samuel on this occasion; for I do not think that the witch of En-dor could conjure up a devil any more than she could the soul of Samuel, or that God would order or permit the devil to appear for this purpose, and make him his messenger to satisfy Saul's inquiry, and thereby seem to countenance such satanical delusions. Many absurdities might be pointed out, to show the weakness of such a supposition, and the almost impossibility that it should be true. I have delivered my own sentiments with freedom, but blame none for differing from me; and submit the whole of what I have advanced to the judgment and candour of the intelligent reader.

CHAP. XVII.

David's dismission from the camp of the Philistines. THE situation of Saul's mind after this adventure must have been very anxious and distressed, as he received no directions from Samuel how to behave in or extricate himself out of the difficulties in which he found himself involved. Nor were David's circumstances much easier, who had been pressed into the Philistine camp and service by Achish, whereby he was reduced to the greatest straits, and scarce knew how to behave himself consistent with the confidence which that prince placed in him, the duty he owed to his own country, and his own interest and views as an expectant of the crown and kingdom of Israel.

I

I, &c.

But happily for David, Providence extricated him from this 1 Sam. xxix. embarrassment; for as the troops of the Philistines were passing in review before their principal officers, David also with his corps marched in the rear, under the command of Achish king of Gath. This gave great uneasiness to the Philistine princes, who immediately expostulated with Achish, and said, "What business have these Hebrews in our army?" Achish answered, "Is not this the gallant David, formerly the servant and officer of Saul the king of Israel; who, to save himself from the persecution and cruelty of his ungrateful master, hath put himself under my protection, and of whose fidelity and attachment to my person and service I have had long expe

rience? for though he hath been with me now a considerable time, I have not had the least reason to suspect his integrity, or find fault with his conduct." But this was far from removing the jealousy of the Philistine officers, who, highly displeased with Achish for what they judged his ill-placed confidence in David, said in great anger to him, "Command this man immediately to retire from the army, and to go back to Ziglag, the place thou hast appointed for his residence. We will not suffer him to go with us to the battle, lest in the engagement he should turn his forces against us. For what more effectual method can he take to reconcile himself to his former master than by lending his assistance to defeat and destroy our army? Is not this that very David whose praises were publicly celebrated in songs and dances, and in honour of whom the Israelitish women cried out in triumph, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? Such a man is too dangerous to trust in our present critical situation."

Achish finding the princes peremptorily fixed in their resolution not to permit David and his forces to go with them to the engagement, immediately sent for him, and said, "By the life of Jehovah, I acknowledge thy integrity in the whole of thy conduct towards me, and there is nothing that I more entirely approve, or more sincerely wish, than thy continuance in the army, and joining with us in the engagement; for I have nothing to reproach thee with from the time thou first puttest thyself under my protection to the present day. But the lords of the Philistines have not that opinion of thy attachment to our interest and cause that I have, so that I am forced to dismiss thee from thy attendance. You must therefore return peaceably, and are allowed by them to do it in safety, to the town I have given you, because your longer continuance with us is disagreeable to them, and may be attended with very dangerous consequences." David, with seeming displeasure, replied, "What have I done to incur their displeasure, or what hast thou found in thy servant, ever since I have been with thee, to forfeit thy confidence and favour? However, since it is their pleasure, I must submit, and will not, in obedience to their orderk, fight against the enemies of my lord the king."

k The original words will bear this interpretation that I have given

them, without any wresting of or violence offered to them: What have

Achish told him, that "he was so far from entertaining any suspicion of him, that he esteemed him for his integrity and worth, and regarded him as an angel or messenger from God immediately sent to his assistance; but that as the princes of the Philistines had resolved that he should not go with them to the battle, he could not but order him to march away by day-break with his master's servants to the place he had appointed for him and his followers." David accordingly returned with his troops into the territories of the Philistines, whilst their army penetrated further into the dominions of Saul, and encamped at Jezreel.

It appears from the answer given by David to Achish, as I have rendered the words, that David was not in the least displeased at his being dismissed, but gladly took Achish at his word, and laid hold of the first opportunity of disengaging himself from the service in which that prince expected his assistance. However, if we take David's answer in that sense which is given it in our version, What have I done. . . . that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? it will appear to be a very prudent one, and such as became the circumstances in which he then found himself, by which he promised nothing, and laid himself under no manner of engagement. It was a general, ambiguous, and cautious one, in which he neither denies what the Philistines suspected, that he would fall off to Saul in the battle, nor makes the least mention of his readiness to fight with the Philistines against Saul and the Hebrew army. He only asks why he should be refused to fight against the enemies of the king? If he had some obligations to him, to the Philistines he had none. Against the enemies of Achish he would have fought, where he could have done it with honour; where he could not, as a man of honour, he must have refused it. Against the enemies

I done, and what hast thou found in thy servant unto this day? viz. that I should be thus dishonourably treated., however, see Nold. §. 27, since I am thus distrusted and dismissed, I will obey your orders, withdraw my forces, and not engage with your enemies, but remove the jealousies you and they have harboured concerning me. In this view

of the words, he vindicates his fidelity to Achish by an appeal to him for the truth of it, and then shows his ready submission to his orders. Achish accordingly replies to both parts of David's answer: to the first, I know that thou art good in my sight; to the latter, the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go with us to the battle.

of the Philistines neither his inclination or duty or interest would have permitted him to fight; and the Philistines themselves did not think his personal obligations to Achish a sufficient security for his assisting them; and even Achish himself seems to have been at last in some doubt whether or no he 1 Sam.xxix. could depend on him, when he says to him, Rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee; hereby more than intimating that he could not but consider Saul as David's king and master, and all David's forces as servants to Saul, and actually urging this as a reason for their immediate departure from him.

10.

Had David made such a speech to Achish previous to his dismission, or to the Philistine princes to prevent their dismissing him, it would have looked as though he had been uneasy at his not being suffered to assist them in the engagement. But as they had determined he should not go with them to battle, and Achish had peremptorily ordered him to march off, David, who could not but be highly pleased that he was now wholly extricated from the difficulties he was involved in, artfully chose to express himself to Achish in such terms, which, though they implied a real truth, yet might lead Achish to put a further meaning on them than David intended, in order to give Achish the highest opinion of his zeal for his service, by a general assurance1 that he was always ready to assist him against his enemies, though he was now dismissed by the lords of the Philistines in a very reproachful and dishonourable

manner.

I would further observe, that if there is any thing wrong in

1 Mr. Bayle's censure of David's conduct in this instance seems to me to be void of all candour, and incapable of proof, when he asserts, "that David had resolved to contribute with all his might to the victory of the uncircumcised Philistines over his own brethren, the people of God, and the professors of the true religion." Had it been for David's interest, or necessary to his gaining the crown, this charge, highly aggravated as it is, might have appeared more probable. But it was inconsistent both with his interest and duty, and he could not join with

the uncircumcised Philistines against his own brethren without making them his implacable enemies, and destroying his own hopes of succeeding to the kingdom by their affection and assistance; and therefore this charge against David is groundless, and hath nothing in the nature of the thing, the views of good policy, or David's conversation with Achish, to support it; and the question Mr. B. asks, "Were these sentiments worthy of a true Israelite?" answers itself-they were unworthy of such a one, and not the sentiments of David.