XV,

LET. my little man, fo it is, according to the Vulgate" Tibi jure debentur." But any modern fchoolboy would have informed thee better, and told thee, that the words, in very deed, denote neither more nor lefs than, "Thou wilt poffefs it."Are we to give up our Bible, and pin our faith upon the fleeve of fuch a man as this? After Balaam's Afs, the Canaanites, and Chemosh, one naturally expects -and lo, fhe is at hand

THE WITCH OF ENDOR.

It was not unusual among us here in England fome years ago, for an old woman, if fhe had the misfortune to live at the corner of a common, to be fufpected of witchcraft, and toffed into a horsepond, to fee whether the would fink, or swim. To put an end to fuch ridiculous barbarities, as well as fome

fome others of a more ferious and fo

lemn kind, the legislature of Great Britain very wifely ordained, by an A&t of 9 G. II. ch. 5. that no perfon should in future be vexed, or prosecuted, under that notion; and that whoever pretended to any thing of the kind, fhould, on conviction, be adjudged to the pillory.-Thefe gentlemen have their fears, upon this occafion, for the authority of the Bible. I cannot fay, for my part, that I feel any fuch apprehenfions.

P. 23. "The witch of Endor, and "the Jewish Law, both prove by di"vine argument (whatever that may be) the existence of fuch profeffors,

though, like miracles, they have "now ceased to appear."

But the non-existence of miracles at present is no proof that they never existed;

LET.

XV.

LET. exifted; for they moft certainly once XV. did exist, if evidence be evidence.

The argument therefore is full in their own teeth; and there might be witches, as well as poffeffed persons, formerly, though there may be none now. The Bible may yet be true, and (bleffed be God) the parliament not infidel. They " deplore the infide

lity of that parliament." Bold words thefe, indeed!-I would not have said fuch things of any parliament, for the world-They are apprehensive of perfecution-Let them take more care, another time.

It appears by the Jewish Law, that there were then men and women, who, in the language of our translation, are styled diviners, obfervers of "times, enchanters, witches, charm

ers, confulters with familiar fpi

rits,

"rits, wizards and necromancers."* Thefe practices are faid to be "the "abominations of the beathen"; † and we know they were continued, lower down, among the Greeks and Romans, whole philofophers were fometimes puzzled how to determine concerning them. With the idolatry of their neighbours, the Ifraelites frequently adopted these it's appendages. That there was in them much of juggling and impofture, may be true; but that all was fo, is more than many wife and learned men have thought proper, upon a due confideration of the matter, to affert; because, that there are no evil fpirits, or that mankind never had any communication with them, are negatives, not eafily proved. Refpecting the tranfaction at En

LET.

XV.

*Deut. XVIII. 10.

+ Ver. 9, 12.

dor

XV.

LET. dor, the cafe, in few words, ftands thus. Convinced by proper evidence of the authority of the book in which it is related, we of courfe believe (having, as we judge, good reason to believe) that the feveral incidents happened, as they are there faid to have happened. By what power or agency they were brought about, or how the bufinefs was conducted, is another question, which we must endeavour to folve, if we can do it; if not, it must remain as it is, being confeffedly to us, at this diftance, of an obfcure and difficult nature.

That God should permit evil fpirits, employed by a wretched woman, to fummon, at pleasure, his departed servants from the other world, is not to be imagined. It remains therefore, either that the whole affair of

Samuel's