Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-01-29
Religious Department,
THE SOUL NOT XN4NORT4L
REVIEW OF MR. PHILLIPS LETTER BY
LEWIS A. B0WDEN.

FRIENp BENNETT - From the
case OF Saul, Samuel, and the Witch
of Endor, my friend, Mr.. Phillips,
has come to several grave conclu-
sions; smongthe rest, that it proves
his position. Well, let us see how
he does it. He thinks that it was
his spirit that came forth. From
whence, then, did it come? Let
the narrative answer-frQm the
earth. Whe Witch said she saw God
ascending out OF the earth, and
when asked by Saul what form he
was OF, she answered, that she saw
M old man come up covered with a
mantle. What spirit come out
of the ground covered with a man
tie 4. VIII he admit this Besides
we know that spirits are invisible to
natural eyes. How is this to be
recouciled with his supposition that
it was Samuel's spirit that the Witch
saw. But notice, my readers, that
neither Saul nor the Witch expected
lodliiuCi ~ 'oiIc uo"H, btil up. Up
from whence, | ask! ! wish him to
answer this question plainly. If he
cannot prove that paradise is down
in the earth, he is bound to admit
a resurrection of the spirit of Sam
uel, which will be fatal to his cause.
Samuel says himself that he was
disquieted and brought up, and the
Witch says it was from the earth.
Ny friend has also contended that
the spirits of dead men are in heav-
en-, but here he has found the spirit
of this good old prophet in the
earth, brought up at the bidding Of
witch. After making known to
Saul the result of the approaching
battle with the Philistines, Samuel
said to him chat the next day he
and his sons should be with him.
If Samuel was in paradise, of course
Saul and his sons went to the same
place! Here is another difficulty
IN the way of his Interpretation of
the paradise of the rich man and
Lazarus, who, it seems, where nei-
Their III the same place or state. He
says he had no corporal body, for
Saul could not see him. What (.
could not see an old man covered
with mantle? 1t is manifestly i'm
possible that his differences from
this case can be correct. There is
not an example on record, nor any
reliable evidence under the heavens
that the spirit of q dead man ever
returned without the body, and con-
yersod with the living. And this
case of Saul and Samuel, allowing
1T to be narration of real occur
renee, proves nothing favorable to
his position. If Samuel was brought
up at all, it was bodily, without
which he could not have been seen
and conVersed with the King of
lsreal. Our attention is called to
the Mount Of nsfguration, where
Moses and Elias appeared, and con-
versed with our Lord. Luke tells
us that two men appeared and talk
ed with him. You perceive that it
IS all assumption to say that it was
the spirits OF two men that appear
ed on this occasion. God told the
truth when he said to Joshua" Moses,
my servant, is dead" But theolo-
gians look around for some hun
dreds of years, and finally they find
Moses il company with our Lord
and Elias ON the Mount, and in the
very place, too, that God told him
he should not go, for the Mount Of
TrantiguratiOn is in the Promised
Land. Did God tell the truth? He
did, Tor Moses was not on the Mount
In person. IN Matt. II: 8, Christ
says it was ''vision," and the word
vision in this text is hOrama, which
means 81 ght, vision, appearance"
The same word is rendered vision
IN Acts 10: II. Hence, If my
friend contend that Peter saw a lit
eraI Moses on the Mount, in all hon
esty, he must contend that the beasts
We're literal that Peter saw in the
sheet, His argument from Rev. -
~, weighs nothing when rightly I'M
dcrstood-"And |, John, saw those
things, and heard them; and when
l had heard and seen, / fell down to
worship before the feet OF the angel
which showed these things. Then
said he unto me, see, thou do it not,
Tor | am thy fellow-servant, aud "a
teIlow-seryanD of thy brethren, the
prophets, and IA fellow-selvant) Of
them which keep the sayings Of