t, the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?" It was her business to
bring up any of the dead that might be called for. Her question was precisely that
of a spirit medium of the present day, except, indeed, that in these days the dead
are brought down from the third Heaven, or from the higher spheres; whereas in
those days, they were called up from a region below.
Saul said to the woman, "Bring me up Samuel." And thus we have the very
words used in seeking unto those who had familiar spirits. The diviner, sorcerer,
enchanter, necromancer, wizard, or witch, for these names are all given to those
who in some form do this work, asks of the one
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who seeks knowledge from the dead, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And the
inquirer names the dead person with whom he would converse. This shows the
exactness of Isaiah's language when he represents the consulting with familiar
spirits as seeking "for the living to the dead." Modern spiritualism has furnished
the counterpart of this very conversation in innumerable instances.
"Divine unto me by the familiar spirit," said Saul, and "bring me up Samuel."
And now the familiar spirit at the bidding of this wicked woman must show what
his powers are capable of accomplishing. He must produce Samuel in truth and
verity; or if this is beyond his power he must imitate him so perfectly that Saul
should be made to believe that it was Samuel himself.
The woman invokes her familiar spirit, and the divination proves eminently
successful. "And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and
the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art
Saul." It is evident that the woman herself was surprised at something; for she
cried out in her terror. And from this fact many have concluded that, contrary to
the expectation of the woman, Samuel actually came. But it should be observed
that if Samuel were indeed present on that occasion, it must have been, 1.
Because the familiar spirit had power to bring him up; or, 2. Because the
