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fellowfervant, had he belonged to another fpecies,

or class of fervants.

THE term prophet, carries, in our apprehenfion, the fame thing in it-speaks the heavenly messen. ger to have been one of our race. By prophets, we understand infpired men. We believe this to be every where its meaning in the fcriptures. And the term brethren-of thy brethren the prophets, confirms our fenfe of the text-I am thy fellowfervant, and of thy brethren the prophets. Strange language, if this was one of the angels who kept their firft eftate; one who never dwelt in flesh, nor inhabited a human body! But if this was one of the old prophets, Samuel, Nathan, Daniel, or any other of those who had tabernacled in flefh, and been fent to warn his brethren, and foretell things to come, the language is easy and natural.*

If we fearch the fcriptures, we shall see that the faints whose bodies were in the grave, have been fometimes thus used of God.

WHEN Saul went to confult the powers of darknefs, because the Lord did not answer him in the time of his diftrefs, Samuel, who had died fome

* Συνδούλος σου γαρ είμι, καὶ των αδελφων σου των προφήτων.

Dot. Doddridge in his notes on this paffage obferves, that it may be rendered I am thy fellow fervant, and the fellow fervant, of thy brethren the prophets.

But the translation in the bible is perfectly literal. The fentence is eliptical. The elipfis may as well be filled by ris, as by ovvdouλos. If filled by the former, it reads thus, I am thy fellow fervant, and one of thy brethren the prophets. This, for the reafons given above, we conceive to be the fenle of the paffage. The learned reader will judge for himself.

time before, was fent of God to reprove that rebel. lious prince, and denounce his doom.

SOME indeed fuppofe that the apparition was not Samuel, but an infernal! But the facred hif torian represents it as being Samuel, and why should we reject his teftimony?

THE forceress had not power by her charms, to call back the prophet from the world of spirits. But God had power to fend him on his business; to enable him to make himself visible, and foretel the evils which then hung over Saul and Ifrael And from several confiderations we think it evident that he did do it.

THE woman appears to have been furprized when the faw Samuel. To her, he was an unexpected vifitor. By his means fhe found out Saul, whom before she did not know in his disguise. -Apoftate spirits if they ever gave responses to those who confulted them, commonly flattered them in their crimes, or gave ambiguous answers to their inquiries; but not fo the ghost which appeared on this occafion. Moft pointedly did it reprove the abandoned prince, who was adding iniquity to tranfgreffion, and hardening himself in the time of trouble! And moft expreffly did it foretel the evils which were coming on the offending inquirer, his family and people! Could an apoftate fpirit have done these things? Or would he if he could? God hath sometimes used wicked men to foretel future events, and compelled them to denounce his judgments; but have we any account of his making this ufe of

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fallen angels? Of his making known his purposes to them, and enabling them to give the genuine proof of true prophets? It is further obfervable, that part of the meffage related to taking the kingdom from Saul, and giving it to David-" The Lord hath done to him as he spake by me," is his language. God had foretold this by Samuel; not by Satan, or a meffenger of Satan.

THERE is every reason to believe that Samuel really appeared on this occafion-that God fent him to deliver the fad meffage to the impious reb. el, who instead of humbling himself in the time of his trouble, finned yet more against the Lord.

If we attribute these divine communications to infernal agency, why not others? If once we turn afide from the literal sense of scripture, where fhall we ftop? But fhould we doubt whether in this inftance, a departed faint was fent down to vifit earth, and tranfact the business of HIM who is Lord of all, other inftances may certainly be adduced-if not in the Old Testament, yet beyond a doubt in the New. But this will be the fubje&

of another discourse.

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I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets. THAT the faints do 'not remain infenfible, while their bodies are in the duft, but become angels,* fee and ferve God and bear his meffages, and minifter to the heirs of falvation, hath been argued from feveral confiderations, in the preceding discourse; but we chiefly depend on revelation. The text and feveral other fcriptures, we

THE term angel, fignifies a meffenger. If glorified faints are used to bear God's meffages, or fent to do his bufinefs, they are made angels, in the proper fenfe of the word. Such appear to have been the angelic band, who united in praifing God, when the Lamb prevailed to open the book of his decrees and reveal them to the apoftle-" And they fung a new fong, faying, Thou art worthy-for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and haft made us unto our God, kings and priests: And we fhall reign on the earth."* Surely these must have been of our race.

*REVELATION V. 9, 10.

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conceive to be to our purpose, and fufficient to eftablish our theory, and that the fame is illuftrated and confirmed by facred hiftory, both of the Old and New Testament. One inftance of a departed faint, fent as a meffenger from heaven to earth, hath been adduced from the Old Teftament: We now advert to the New.

HERE Our proof is explicit. We can conceive of no evasion. Two of our race who had long before been removed from earth to heaven, were certainly fent to vifit the Savior, juft before his fufferings-Mofes and Elias, who attended him on the mount, whither he retired with three of his disciples, and conversed with him in their presence, St. Luke hath described their appearance, and told the subject of their conversation—“ Who appeared, in glory and fpake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerufalem."*

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MOSES had then been dead more than fourteen centuries. Elias had not tafted death, but he had been changed. That change had passed upon him which will pafs on the faints who fhall be alive at Christ's coming. The change must have been great, or he could not have afcended to heav en in a chariot of fire, or lived above the region of air which furrounds this globe.

THESE two faints, feem, on this occafion, to have been affimilated to each other-" They both appeared in glory"-were company for each other, and fent together to teftify for Chrift, before chosen witneffes. Our Savior's refurrection was

*Luke ix. 29.

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