Mr. _Matthew Henry’s_ opinion may be ascertained from the few remarks extracted from his notes on this chapter.—“Since Saul can discern no comfort, neither in heaven or earth, he resolves to knock at the gates of hell, and see if any there will befriend him and give him advice. Saul (who we may suppose was kept at a distance in the next room) bid her not to be afraid of him, but go on with the operation, and enquired, What she saw? O, saith the woman, _I saw gods ascending out of the earth_; _i.e._ a spirit—angels were called gods, because they were spiritual beings. Poor gods that ascend out of the earth. But she speaks the language of the Heathen, who had their infernal deities, and had them in veneration. Saul came in disguise to Satan, and Satan knew him well. Satan came in disguise to Saul, but Saul could not discern him.—It was cold comfort this evil spirit gave to Saul, and is manifestly intended to drive him to despair and self murder. He upbraided him with three things, tho’ he had been the seducer; and then he foretold his approaching ruin, which any body could have done as well as Satan.” Bishop _Patrick_ observes, “It is not in the power of witches, to disturb the rest of good men, or bring them back into the world when they please; nor would the true Samuel have acknowledged such a power in magical hearts, but to Saul this was a proper device of Satan, to draw veneration from him, to possess him with an opinion of the divination, and so to rivet him in the Devil’s interests.” Dr. _Haweis_ also remarks—“It is incredible that the Devil should have any power over the souls of the righteous; nor can we conceive God would, to countenance such an abomination, suffer the holy Prophet to appear: the soul which was in heaven could not come up out of the earth, nor the glorified spirit be troubled as this apparition pretended, much less could Samuel say, Saul should be with him to-morrow, whose impenitent end, gives no hope of his happiness.” Mr. _Mason_, a very spiritual writer, expresses himself thus concerning Saul’s conduct; “See how a sin-hardened soul acts—not like David, who goes to the Lord with an humbled heart, a broken spirit, a sorrowful cry, _O Lord pardon mine iniquity_, _for it is great_!—But like Saul, who applied to the Devil for relief, for the Lord was departed from him.” Mr. _Brown_, in his Self-interpreting Bible, says, “And when the woman saw Samuel, that is, the Devil in his likeness. Satan hath no power over the souls of glorified saints. God would never give him any to countenance consulting of Devils. Samuel’s soul had not to come out of the earth, nor would he have said that Saul should be with him to-morrow, for it is not probable the battle was fought on that day”.