the New Testament, are more than sufficient to prove that the manifestation of spirits to the senses of men has been one among the appointed means in God's special government of His people. And here we are led unavoidably to refer to that most remarkable appearance of Samuel to Saul recorded in 1 Sam. xxviii., which has given occasion to so much ingenious speculation, and to such diversity of opinion. If, however, the account there given be read without any prepossession, I do not see how it is possible to doubt that the spirit of the prophet actually appeared to the witch in a shadowy form, and spoke to the apostate king. Without entering into the question whether the unblest woman, in common with other professors of the forbidden art, really possessed the power of compelling spirits to appear; or whether the whole system of witchery was a mere juggle to deceive the ignorant and unwary,

it seems clear that she was confounded and terrified at the unexpected result of her conjuration1; she exclaimed that she saw "gods" (by which is meant no more than a supernatural appearance) "ascending out of the earth;" she concluded that such a manifestation could only be vouchsafed to the seeking of "the Lord's anointed;" and having thus discovered Saul, she described the apparition to him so distinctly, that the guilty monarch was at no loss to recognize the person of the well-known prophet: "Saul perceived that it was Samuel; and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself." Nor is it easy to conceive that the most sublime and beautiful description in the book of Job, does not

'Tertullian de Animâ. e. 56, 57.

2 "Justin quotes the fact, that the witch of Endor called up Samuel's soul, to prove the existence of the soul, after its separation from the body."-Bishop Kay's Justin Martyr, p. 101.

authorise a belief in the occasional visitations of supernatural beings to warn and instruct mankind.

"A spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up."

"It stood still; but I could not discern the form thereof;" "an image was before mine eyes;" "there was silence, and I heard a voice. ""

I think, therefore, that, without discrediting the declarations of Holy Scripture, we have no room to doubt that spirits are present with us, and exert powerful influences over us; and that they have, on certain special occasions, become apparent to our bodily senses.

3. But the question which really admits of discussion is, whether, independently of the instances recorded in the Bible, spirits have ever appeared to man; and, in favour of the supposition, we have the universal belief and tradition of

1 Job iv. 15, 16.

all ages; for I doubt whether there ever existed a nation in the highest state of civilization, or a horde in the lowest degradation of brutal barbarity, where a belief, or at least an apprehension of such appearances, did not very generally prevail.

But although the general consent of all mankind, in all circumstances, is undoubtedly a very forcible argument, it is, in the present case, somewhat weakened, when we reflect how readily a few authentic and important facts, occurring in the earliest ages, before mankind were widely scattered over the globe, and referring to a most awful and interesting subject, might be converted into numberless and widely-spreading traditions, which, as we all must have felt, are of all others most calculated to excite the imagination, and to impress the memory. In this manner, we know, the leading features of all the mythologies in the world are easily traceable to the true religion of the early

patriarchs; and the adventures of Noah (with many strange perversions, and unaccountable additions,) are recorded in the pseudo-sacred histories of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, of China, the Druids, and Peru.

4. But if, on this account, we attach a more doubtful credit to the almost universal belief of mankind, we shall have more difficulty in setting aside the testimony of persons of unimpeached character, of sound mind, and of competent understanding, who, in our own times, and in times still accessible to full enquiry, have positively and constantly declared that they have seen and conversed with spirits; and have corroborated their assertions by such evidence, as would be considered amply sufficient to prove the most important fact before the highest tribunal on earth. It would be out of place to adduce instances; but there are so many on record, and they are, in themselves, so captivating, that many,