ever that be, there are still to be seen on the top of the mountain three contiguous grottos, or little chapels, with vaulted roofs, intended to represent the three tabernacles, which St. Peter, astonished at the splendid miracle, proposed to erect.* This mountain is also memorable for being the rendezvous of Barak's forces, to the number of ten thousand men, with whom he gained a complete victory over Sisera.t

The prospect from the top of Tabor is beautiful and delightful as ever eyes beheld, or can possibly be imagined, and makes us ample amends for the pains we take in the ascent. All round us we have the spacious and fertile plains of Esdraelon and Galilee, which present us with a view of so many places that were honored and blessed with the presence and miracles of the Saviour of the world. A few leagues to the South East, we see Mount Hermon, at the foot of which stands Nain, or Naim, famous for our Lord's raising the widow's son to life; and Endor, the place where the witch dwelt, whom Saul consulted.

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The conclusion may possibly be true, but the argument used to prove it seems incompetent; because the term or apart, most likely relates to the withdrawing and retirement of the persons there spoken of, and not the situation of the mountain." Reland thinks it a sort of rashness to dispute a point that has been so generally received for so many ages, but acknowledges that he is in some doubt about the matter, for many geographical and other reasons; especially because there is no mention made of this hill, as there is of the mount of Olives, mount Carmel, and others; though the sacred writers have been so very particular in naming the places where any thing memorable was wrought by our Saviour.

There is hardly a passage in the Old Testament that has been more canvassed and tortured by the authors of all ages, than that in 1 Sam. xxviii. relating to Samuel's apparition, when Saul consulted the witch of Endor. Some explode the reality of the appearance, and make the whole to be done by legerdemain and ventriloquism on the woman's part, and by the strength of fancy and fear on Saul's; others think that the devil assumed the form and acted the part of Samuel; and others, that Samuel himself did really appear upon that occasion:

ing a little more to the South, we have before us the high mountains of Gilboa. Looking full East we discovered the sea of Tiberius, about a day's journey distant from us; and close by that sea they show us a steep mountain, down which the herd of swine ran, and perished in the waters. Two or three points to the North we are shown the mount of the Beatitudes, a little hill

which last sense (though not without its difficulties) is much the most natural and obvious to any one who impartially reads the whole story, and it is to be preferred to the two former for the following reasons: First, as to the notion of its being performed by ventriloquism, juggle, or confederacy, besides that it does too great violence to the text, and would be a kind of burlesque upon its author; it is not likely that a woman, cunning enough to carry on a trade of this nature, would be so impolitic as to give Saul such a dreadful answer, even though we should grant she was so well acquainted with the bad circumstances of that prince, as to see that his destruction was probably approaching. Menacing predictions, how proper soever for a messenger sent from God to utter, were highly imprudent either in the mouth of this women or her accomplice, who could not but know that the temper of most kings is to hate to hear shocking truths, and could expect no reward, but rather punishment of their ill tidings. It is, therefore, more reasonable to believe, that at such a juncture as this, they would rather have flattered and cajoled the king, have given him comfort, and pronised him good success, than have thundered out such threatenings against him, as were very likely to disoblige and incense him, but could do themselves no service. Add to this, that such a terrible denunciation would, in no probability, prove the most effectual means of showing the falsehood of their prediction, by putting Saul upon any expedient to avoid it, whether by flight, or any other way, rather than by engaging the enemy. This last argument is equally strong against those who think that the devil took the shape and acted the part of Samuel; unless we could suppose him so well acquainted with futurity, that he was sure Saul would rush into his own destruction, notwithstanding he was forewarned of it in so signal a manner. Again, if we grant the devil night foresee that the enemy would be too strong for Saul and his army, yet he could not be sure that he would engage them, especially after such a dreadful dissuasive; nor, if he did, that he and his three sons would certainly be killed. The Israelites had won many a victory when there was less probability of gaining it; and, at the worst, they might have escaped by flight. We may observe farther, how unnatural and absurd it is to suppose, that the inspired writer would have expressed himself as he doth, and have introduced the deceased prophet as raised from the dead, and speaking to Saul, if

where our Saviour delivered his excellent sermon recorded in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of St. Matthew. Not far from hence is the city Saphet, which stands upon a mountain, as is supposed to be the ancient Bethulia. We have likewise a view of a place which they tell us was Dothan, where Joseph was sold by his brethren; and also of the field where our Lord fed five

the devil had been the sole actor in his shape; neither is it at all probable, that the devil, if it had been he that spoke to Saul, would have played the saint so far, as to reprove him for those very crimes which he himself had tempted him to commit, and especially for making use of an art to raise him up, which he must have been too fond of to discountenance in so severe a manner. Here, indeed, it is urged, that there were two falsities in this pretended prophecy, which must, therefore, be attributed either to the father of lies, or the juggling old sorceress. The first is, that the apparition says to Saul, "Thou and thy sons shall be with me:" Whereas, say they, Saul died like a leprobate, by his own hands, and could not be where Samuel was, in the mansions of the blessed. But no more is meant by this, than thou shalt be dead, or in the other world, as I am already." The other is, that the spectre says to-morrow; whereas the battle was not fought on the next day, but a day or two after. But though this be granted, it does not follow that the word here translated to-morrow does positively imply the next day following; for it often signifies shortly, and sometimes hereafter, and is so rendered in other places of the scripture. Upon the whole then, it seems reasonable to conclude, with the far greater number of authors, ancient and modern, that it was really Samuel who appeared to the woman, and foretold Saul's death, and the defeat of Israel. This, as has been already observed, is the obvious and natural sense of the text; and it is confirmed by the testimony of the wise son of Sirach, an excellent interpreter of the canonical scriptures, who tells us expressly, (Eccles, xlvi. 20) that " Samuel prophecied after his death, and showed the king his end and liftup his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people." I know of only two objections of any weight, that are made against this opinion, which yet are not unanswerable, or at least may be so far lessened as to appear inconsiderable, in comparison of those that have been urged against the other two.-The first objection is, that it were absurd to suppose that the devil has so much power over the souls of the deceased, especially of the saints, as to make them appear visible at the desire of a sorceress. To which it. may be answered, that there is no necessity for supposing any such extraordinary power in the devil, but rather that God caused Samuel to appear to Saul, to reprove him for his former sins, and for this last

ed

thousand people with five loaves and two fishes, and twelve baskets were filled with the fragments. On the West and North West, our prospect is bounded by Mount Carmel and the Medi

terranean.

man.

in particular, of seeking advice from wizards, contrary to his express commands; and to bring him thereby, if possible, to such a sense of his faults, as might prevent his making such a desperate exit. That all this happened contrary to the woman's expectation, who could not be ignorant that it was above the power of her art to evocate the souls of the blessed, is evident from the surprise she discovered at Samuel's sudden appearing; and consequently that her magic was not concerned therein, but that it was the effect of some superior cause. Her necromancy had ordinarily power over demons only, or such wretched spirits as were submitted to the devil's tyranny; but on this occasion, she saw an object so terrible, so venerable, so majestic, so different from any thing she had ever raised before, and that coming on her before she had began her incantations, that she could not help being frightened, and "crying out with a loud voice," (according to the text) as being fully satisfied that the apparition came from God.-The other objection is, that it is very improbable that God, who had refused to answer Saul, either by Úrim, or by dreams, or by prophets, should now do it, at least seemingly, by the ministry of a wicked woWhy God dealt with Saul after this manner, is perhaps beyond our power to determine; but as we have sufficient proof that he did so, we are sure that he did it for wise reasons. Though he had refused to answer him in the ordinary ways, might he not do it in an extraordinary one, in order to make the greater impression upon him, who had always been too regardless of God's commands, when communicated to him by the prophet? Saul might likewise be suffered to seek for counsel from a witch, to make him sensible what degree of impiety he had brought himself into; and God's sending Samuel to reprove him for it, was a signal method of discountenancing such a wicked and forbidden practice. However, though the interpretation which supposes the reality of Samuel's apparition may be clogged with some difficulties, yet they are manifestly fewer and less than those wherewith the other opinions are attended; for they must necessarily lose themselves in a dark and intricate labyrinth, who suppose that two such remarkable events, as the death of Saul and his three sons, and the total defeat of the Israelitish army, could be foretold so positively and exactly, either by a juggling woman, or by the devil, or indeed by any but an omniscient power. See Universal History, vol. I. p. 771, and Stackhouse's History of the Bible, p. 661,. who has an express dissertation upon this subject.

Being very well satisfied and delighted with our view of Mount Tabor, we returned to Nazareth the same way we came, and arrived at the convent about twelve o'clock. In the afternoon we walked abroad to see several of the holy places in the neighborhood, as they are deemed by the Christians in these parts. About five hundred yards from the convent, upon a littie eminence, they showed us a great stone called our Lord's table, from a tradition they have, that it was frequently used as such by our Saviour and his apostles. Half a mile from Nazareth we saw the ruins of a nunnery, where formerly stood a church, dedicated to Our Lady of Fear, because they say that the Virgin followed our Lord when the Jews were leading him to the precipice, and being afraid they would put him to death, fell down in this place; and they pretend to show the impression made by her knee in the solid rock. About a mile farther, entering a narrower cleft between two rocky mountains, and clambering up a troublesome way, we came to the brink of a precipice, which is said to be the very place where our Lord's countrymen, enraged at his preaching, would have thrown him down headlong, had he not eluded their fury by a miraculous escape.* Here they likewise show us a great stone, with several little holes in it, which, if you believe the friars, were made by Christ's fingers, who laid hold of it to save himself from the violence offered him by his enemies. At this place are the ruins of a church, or some religious building, founded by the pious empress Helena above mentioned; and several cisterns for saving

water.

Having taken another night's lodging in the convent, and satisfied the guardian for our entertainment, we returned to Acre on the 27th, all in good health, and unmolested by the Arabs. On the 28th, in the morning, we continued our journey towards Jerusalem, in company with the consul, and travelling by the side of the bay of Acre till we came to the bottom of it, we then turned Southward, and passed a little river called Kardanah, supposed to be the ancient Belus, famous for its sand, which is * See Luke iv. 16, 30.