That departed saints have sometimes been sent down to our world, to make known God’s will, and deliver his messages, we believe to be taught in the scriptures—­I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the prophets.

Who not of our race could have made such a declaration? A fellowservant, is a servant of the same species, or rank.  Our fellows are our equals; those of the same class in creation.  Brutes are creatures; but we do not consider them as fellow creatures.  We might, however, with as much propriety as the angel could call himself John’s fellowservant, had he belonged to another species, or class or servants.

The term prophet, carries, in our apprehension, the same thing in it —­speaks the heavenly messenger to have been one of our race.  By prophets, we understand inspired men.  We believe this to be every where its meaning in the scriptures.  And the term brethren—­“of thy brethren the prophets”, confirms our sense of the text—­I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets.  Strange language, if this was one of the angels who kept their first estate; 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 flesh, and been sent to warn his brethren, and foretell things to come, the language is easy and natural. *

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* Sundulos sou gar eimi, xai ton adelphon sou ton prophaton.  Doct.  Doddridge in his notes on this passage observes, that it may be rendered I am thy fellow servant and the fellow servant of thy brethren the prophets.

But the translation in the Bible is perfectly literal.  The sentence is elliptical.  The elipsis may as well be filled by tis, as by sundoulos.  If filled by the former, it reads thus, I am a fellow servant, and one of the brethren the prophets.  This, for the reasons given above, we conceive to be the sense of the passage.  The learned reader wilt judge for himself.

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If we search the scriptures, we shall see that the saints whose bodies were in the grave, have been sometimes thus used of God.

When Saul went to consult the powers of darkness, because the Lord did not answer him in the time of his distress, Samuel, who had died some time before, was sent of God to reprove that rebellious prince, and denounce his doom.

Some indeed suppose that the apparition was not Samuel, but an infernal!  But the sacred historian represents it as being Samuel, and why should we reject his testimony?

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