3. Religion ought to be the matter of our serious and deliberate choice. It has reason on its side; it approves itself to our unbiassed judgments; and though there may be prejudices against it, and some objections, yet they will all appear ground less on due examination.

4. Singularity in real religion is highly commendable in itself, and may have a happy tendency to promote it in others: as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The greatest men should not be above doing this; they should be distinguished by it. We must not forsake Christ, though all should; it will be the more for our honour to adhere to him; our steadiness and resolution may strike the minds of others and may have the happy effect to conquer their prejudices and alter their pursuits.

5. Heads of families should resolve to do all they can to engage their houses to serve the Lord. They are committed to their care; they are accountable to God for what they do for them; and should therefore give all diligence to promote serious religion in their hearts, by their instructions, prayers, example, and authority.

6. It is a matter of great importance to bind ourselves by some solemn engagements to be the Lord's. After serious deliberation, we should promise and vow: every such act strengthens our resolution. Thus we shall all be witnesses against ourselves. Our baptismal engagements, the Lord's supper, even the walls and the seats in which we have worshipped, as well as the bible and our fellow christians, are witnesses against us if we forsake God. We shall be condemned by them all; condemned out of our own mouths, if we prove false to his covenant. It is a perpetual covenant, never to be forgotten: and as we should dread the thought of God's forgetting his part, let us remember ours, and be ever mindful of his covenant.

7. Jesus Christ our ruler and high priest lives for ever, and this ought to be a great cause of rejoicing. Joshua the prince, and Eleazar the priest, both died; and we shall find Israel soon revolting from God. But Christ lives for ever, and has an unchangeable priesthood. He is always with his church, to enliven, to guard, and direct it. Let us follow his guidance and submit to his direction; let us rely on his atonement and strength, for he is able to save unto the uttermost all them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

The Book of JUDGES.

INTRODUCTION.

THIS Book contains the history of the Israelites church and commonwealth from Joshua's death to Eli: during which time, for the most part, it was governed by Judges; who were persons raised up by God in an extraordinary manner to execute his judgments, both in subduing, punishing, and destroying the wicked enemies of his church, and in administering justice to his people according to his laws: wherein they were but God's deputies or lieutenants, employed by him in times of extremity; and were to lay down their authority when their work was done, as we see in Gideon's example. It is generally thought that Samuel was the author, as it was certainly written before the two books of Samuel; for 2 Sam. xi. 21. refers to some passages in the ninth sh. of this book; and probably before David's time, for Psalm lxviii. 7, 8. seems an allusion to Judges v. 4. It is divided into two parts; the first contains the history of the succession of judges from Joshua's death to Samson's, chap. i. xvi. The rest contains an account of some remarkable events which happened about that time, but were not inserted in the history, lest the thread of it should be broken.

CHAP. I.

In this chapter we have the acts of Judah and Simeon ; Adonibezek justly requited; and of Jerusalem and Hebron being taken.

1

TOW some considerable time after the death of Joshua,

of country, it came to pass, that the children of Israel, that is, the elders of Israel, asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? Joshua used to direct them, but now each tribe was a distinct government; and to prevent disputes or confusion they asked counsel from God at Shiloh; they did not inquire whether they should go, because God had commanded that, but who should go 2 first. And the LORD said, Judah shall go up; not as the captain and leader of the rest, but because it was a numerous, valiant tribe, and the Canaanites were very powerful: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand, that part of it which he 3 now contends for. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother,

Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. Each tribe was to fight for himself, but in difficult cases they engaged the help of their neighbours. 4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in and about Bezek ten thousand men.

5

And they found Adonibezek, that is, the lord or king of Bezek, in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they 6 slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes, probably to disable him from 7 war; upon which he made a remarkable confession: And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, petty princes, or kings of cities or small territories, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their meat] under my table; perhaps he used to send for them at some of his festivals, and make sport with them; and as I have done, so God hath requited me; I acknowledge his justice and my own guilt. And they brought him to Jerusalem, to strike terror into the inhabitants; and there he died.

8

Now the children of Judah had in Joshua's time (sce Joshua xv. 63.) fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire, that is, all the upper city or fort of Zion, which the Jebusites still held 9 against them. And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.

10

And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before [was] Kirjatharba ;) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, under the con11 duct of Joshua and Caleb. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjathsepher, that is, the city of books, where there was a large library, and ancient records of all these nations; or, as some 12 think, a university: And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife; thus giving some of his company an opportunity of signal13 izing themselves. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife; in this the hand of Providence appeared, as he was Caleb's nephew, and was afterward to be a judge in Israel : 14 And it came to pass, when she left her father's house, and came [to him,] that she moved him to ask of her father a field and she lighted from off [her] ass; and Caleb per

Because the author of this history was here to relate the memorable exploits of the men of Judah, therefore, together with those done after the death of Joshua, he repeats what were done by them in his life time.

ceiving what her design was, said unto her, What wilt thou? 15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing for thou hast given me a south land, which is dry and parched; give me also springs of water, some land where there are springs, and which will be more fruitful. And Caleb gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs, some lands with springs on both sides her former inheritance; but, as Caleb had sons, she could only enjoy these till the jubilee.

16

17

And the children of the Kenite, that is, Jethro, Moses' father in law, whom he invited into Canaan, Numb. x. 29. saying, Come with us, and we will do thee good, these went up out of the city of palm trees, the territories, hamlets, and villages belonging to Jericho, with the children of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, a mountainous country adjoining to the tribe of Judah, which [lieth] in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people, it being a proper place for pasturage, and under the protection of Judah; and we read of them long after under the name of Rhecabites, in the book of Jeremiah.

And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and thus requited his kindness; (see v. 3.) and they slew the Canaanites that 18 inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. It was here the Philistines 19 dwelt. And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out [the inhabitants of] the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron, with great scythes fixed on each side of them; and, being discouraged by these chariots, and distrusting God, he suffered 20 their enemies to prevail against them. And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak, (Numb. xiii. 22.)

21

22

And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.*

And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: 23 and the LORD [was] with them. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before 24 [was] Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, where we may most easily surprise it, and 25 we will show thee mercy. And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of 26 the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, that is, the country

This city lay in two tribes; Judah drave them out from his part, but Benjamin diễ not, but suffered the Jebusites to hold the castle and fort till David's time.