speakest thou so to me? Samuel, however, gives him the chief place, and the principal mess at table, anointed him with oil, kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed 1 Sam. x. 1. thee to be captain over his inheritance? What must the man be, who doth not see the importance of the asses in this history, and that talks with contempt of a prophet and judge being applied to for intelligence concerning lost cattle, when the intended application gave Saul intelligence of a crown, and even the strayed asses led him to the possession of a kingdom? How doth this detract from the dignity of the prophet and judge, to give this intelligence concerning them, unasked, and without fee or reward, when it was to be one proof of what Samuel assured him, that the Lord had chosen him to be captain over his inheritance? Small as this circumstance may appear to be, it shows that Providence can make the smallest accidents subservient to bring about the most considerable and important purposes: and in the whole account there is such a mixture of the natural and marvellous, as that no man of taste can read it without pleasure and admiration. Saul being thus established in the kingdom, by the appointment of God, and the free choice of the people, immediately exerted himself, and gave a remarkable proof of his courage and zeal for the safety of his people, by summoning them, under a severe penalty, to assist him in his resolution to deliver the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead from the invasion of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, who would not admit of their surrendering themselves to him, but on condition of their consenting to have all their right eyes put out, that he might lay it for a 1 Sam. xi. 2. reproach upon all Israel. When Saul heard this, it is said, the spirit of the Lord came upon him, viz. by exciting him to Ver. 6. exert his kingly authority, and inspiring him, though a raw soldier, and wholly unaccustomed to war, with a resolution and bravery worthy the new honour and dignity that was conferred on him. He commanded his forces, attacked the invader, beat his army, and delivered the city from the danger that threatened it, and Israel from the reproach he intended to fix on them; and on this account was solemnly confirmed in the kingdom at Gilgal, at Samuel's desire, by the unanimous con- 1 Sam. xiii. sent of the people. When Samuel had thus confirmed Saul in the kingdom, 1-14. 2 Sam. xii. 2. solemnly before the Lord in Gilgal, he said to them, And now, behold the king walketh before you. You have a king for your governor and captain. But I am grown old and gray headed. You have thought me unfit for the government, and I now resign it. And, behold, my sons are with you, divested of all authority, and subject to your power. As I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day as a prophet of 1 Sam.xii.3. the Lord, and as a judge over you, behold here am I. Witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox or whose ass have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed, or of whose hands have I received any bribe, that I should seal up my eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. The whole congregation immediately testified his innocency, and joined with him in the appeal to God and the king for the truth of it. He then reasons with them concerning this great change in their constitution and government; puts them in mind how the Lord brought them out of Egypt, and how frequently he had raised them up judges to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies; and yet, that when they were invaded by Nahash, king of the Ammonites, instead of imploring the assistance of the Lord, as their forefathers had done, they said, A king shall reign over us, when Jehovah their God was their king. He then tells them, that God would immediately give them a very awful proof of his displeasure, upon account of this their great wickedness, in thus asking them a king. And immediately upon the prophet's prayer there arose such a storm of thunder and rain as astonished the people, brought them to their senses, and made them humbly beseech the prophet that he would pray for them to Jehovah their God that they should not die for adding to their former sins this evil of asking for themselves a king. Intonuit .... Omnipotens, regemque dedit. VAL. FLAC. Argon. I, 591. The prophet immediately comforts and assures them, that if they would continue to follow and serve the Lord with all their hearts, God would forgive their sin, and never forsake them. That as for himself, he would not cease to pray for them, and teach them the good and the right way, which was, that they should fear and serve the Lord in truth, and with all their heart, because of the great things he had done for them; but faithfully warning them at the same time, that if they did wickedly, they should be consumed, both themselves and their king. How noble a testimony this to the integrity, honour, and justice of this judge of Israel! how authentic an evidence of his being a real prophet of God! How kind and faithful the advice he gave them; and how strong the affection and love he discovered to them, in that, though in his old age, and after all the important services he had done them from his youth upward, they had thrown contempt on him, and ungratefully divested him of all civil power and authority, he forgives them their ingratitude, assures them of his prayers for their prosperity and peace, and that he would be ever ready to show them the only effectual method by which they could obtain and perpetuate it. Let but this excellent man's conduct, in this whole affair, be judged of by the history itself, according to the rules of candour, without perverting the sense of words, and forming suppositions to supply the place of facts, and it will appear worthy a good man and a real patriot. From the beginning to the conclusion of this great event he never once reproaches them for their ill behaviour to himself; discovers no impatience or resentment for their reducing him to a private station; expresses no desire, nor takes a single step to be reinstated; behaves with the utmost placidity, moderation, and calmness; not to cloak over his desire of power, which was now never to be recovered, nor to disguise his inward chagrin, ambition, and pride, of which he never gave the least discovery, but with a mildness which could only proceed from a spirit of genuine piety to God, a tender concern for the people's welfare, and a generous view to prevent their ruin. In a word, he acted as an able statesman, a prudent dispassionate councillor, and as a firm and faithful friend to the religion and liberties of his country. CHAP. III. Saul's bad conduct upon the invasion of the Philistines. ABOUT two years after this, Jonathan, Saul's son, having cut off the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, a city of 22. 9. the tribe of Benjamin, the Philistines, in revenge, invaded the Hebrews with such a numerous and formidable army, as struck them with the utmost consternation, so that they hid themselves in caves, thickets, rocks, high places, and pits. And what added to their fear and distress was, that the Philistines had 1 Sam. xiii. totally disarmedi them, so that there was neither sword nor spear found in any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan, who were the two only persons that were in possession of them. Saulk immediately sent notice of this invasion to Samuel, to ask his advice and desire his assistance. Samuel ordered him to wait for him seven days, promising him, that after seven days he would be with him, so as to offer sacrifices on the seventh day. Saul accordingly waited till the seventh day, and upon Samuel's not coming so soon as he expected on it, and finding the people were continually deserting him, im1 Sam. xiii. patient of any further delay, he said, Bring hither a burntoffering to me, and peace-offerings. And he offered the burntoffering. At the conclusion of the solemnity Samuel came, 1 Sam. xiii. and said to Saul, as he went to meet and salute him, What hast thou done? Saul answered him, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves to Michmash; therefore I said, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made my supplication to the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offering. burnt-offering. Samuel replied, Thou hast done foolishly thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee; for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. 11-14. The reader will here observe, that Saul had received a positive order from the God of Israel to wait seven days, without engaging in any undertaking till the prophet's arrival, from whom he was to receive full instruction how he was to act in the difficult situation of affairs in which he then found him i Posthumius (Ligures) exarmavit, ut vix reliquerit ferrum, quo terra coleretur. L. A. Flor. 1. 2. c.3. §. ult. Joseph. Ant. VI. vi. 2. k 13, 14, &c. self. He had now scarce been two years, or but little more, king of Israel. When he was solemnly inaugurated at Gilgal, Samuel publicly declared to the new king and his people, met together at that solemnity, Behold the king whom ye have 1 Sam. xii. chosen, whom ye have desired! See now the Lord hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then ye shall be established, both you, and the king that reigneth over you, after the Lord your God. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers..... If ye do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. Nothing can be more evident from hence, than that the very condition of Saul's establishment upon the throne was, his fearing God, obeying his voice, and not rebelling against the commandment of the Lord; and if he did wickedly, in violating this condition, God expressly told him he should be consumed. Now the very first commandment he received from God, by the hand of the prophet, was this we are now considering that as the Philistines had invaded Israel with a very 1 Our version thus renders the latter part of the 14th verse: If ye will fear and serve the Lord then shall both you, and also the king that reigns over you, continue following the Lord your God. Thus also the Greek and Latin versions: kai re -dniow Kupiov ñopevóμevoi eritis sequentes Deum vestrum. But this seems to me a tautology. For then the sense will be, If ye continue to serve the Lord, ye shall continue to serve him; the serving God, mentioned in the beginning of the verse, certainly meaning their continuing to serve him, and not any particular act of obedience; and this would be to make the reward of their continued obedience that very continued obedience itself. But this difficulty will be quite avoided if we take the word in the sense in which it is often taken in the sacred writings, Ye shall be, i. e. ye shall continue to be, as the learned Cocceius observes, in his incomparable He brew lexicon, signifying, Talem esse, |