Charge brought against him, viz, his being guilty of Rebellion against his lawful Sovereign, they who talk in that Manner are intirely ignorant of the Nature of the Jewish Government. It was in Fact a Theocracy, as I have already obferved; and tho God, in Compliance with the Request of his People, appointed them a King, as his Vicegerent, yet that Grant did by no Means fuperfede that Authority which he originally had over them. Befides, when he appointed Saul to be King over Ifrael, he fixed him too his Time of Probation, and according as he acted in that Time, fo was the Kingdom to be established in his Hands. And that Saul took it with this Provifo, plainly appears from his making no Reply to Samuel, when he told him upon the first Tranfgreffion he had been guilty of, that he had done foolishly in not keeping the Com mandment of the Lord his God, for now, fays he, would the Lord have established thy Kingdom upon Ifrael for ever, but now thy Kingdom fhall not continue; the Lord hath fought 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, As Saul therefore did not observe the Conditions by which he was to have established himfelf upon the Throne of Ifrael, he was justly and lawfully rejected by God; and

17

Samuel,

Samuel, in anointing another to fupply his Place, as God had commanded him, can not, by any Arguments that I know of, be declared guilty of Rebellion; no more than if Deputies appointed by our Sovereign to that Purpose, fhould, by virtue of fuch a Commiffion, depofe the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for Rebellion or any other flagrant Crime. But to proceed.

:

-Samuel being come to Bethlehem, cons dacted himself agreeably to the Directions he had received from God; but his unexpected Arrival there, at firft greatly alarm ed the Inhabitants of that City, being apa prehenfive that he was come, either to de nounce some terrible Calamity against them from God, or elfe was fled from the Face of Saul; which, if they should receive him, might involve them in the like Fate with himfelf. Samuel, however, foon relieved them from their Fears, by alluring them, that he came in a peaceable Manner, and to offer Sacrifice unto the Lord. This Affurance of the Prophet's immediately cafed them of their Apprehenfions; and ther gladly received a Man, whom they could not help honouring and refpecting, not only as he was a Prophet of the Lord, but likewife as they knew him to be remarka❤ ble for his fingular Piety and Goodness.

Samuel then exhorted the Elders to pu rify themfelves, that they might enjoy Come

munion

4

munion with God, by partaking in the Saerifice that was now to be offered. No Pufity is fo acceptable to God, as that which flows from the Heart; which they would do well to confider, who feem to place the whole of Religion in external Rites and Ceremonies only, and who think that coming to Church, and receiving the Sacrament, will atone for an immoral Life, but I must inform them, that where the Life of Rel gion is wanting, viz. true ward Piety, our religious Ceremonies will no more inpart Holiness to us, than the theer washing of Garments among the Jews could impart the leaft Purification to them. This men tal Purity, however, may require the Concomitancy of fome external Rites: In order therefore to avoid the Imputation of Hypocrify, because fome are wont to make a bad Ufe of them, we are by no means to neglect our religious Ordinances; nor be caufe we are too often unworthy to be Pars takers at the Lord's Table, are we intirely to refrain from coming there. Our Duty is rather to render ourselves fit by reform ing our Lives'; for otherwife, in order to avoid being guilty of one Sin, we fhall ren der ourselves obnoxious to the Guilt of an other.

To this Sacrifice, which the Prophet held, were feffe and his Sons invited; and they all came, except the youngest. It appears

by

by the 10th and 11th Verfes of the 16th Chapter of the firft Book of Samuel, that Jeffe had eight Sons. But the Author of the firft of Chronicles mentions but feven. In order to render thefe Writers confiftent with one another, fome Commentators have imagined, that one of the eight Sons men tioned in Samuel, was only an adopted Son, and therefore is not ranked by the Author of the Book of Chronicles amongft his Chil dren. The Name of this adopted Son, they fay, was Jonathan. But here I think they are mistaken; for that Jonathan was David's Nephew by his Brother Shammah. The cleareft Solution therefore, of this Difficulty now under Confideration, is, that one of Jeffe's Sons was dead, before David came to the Kingdom.

After the Sacrifice was over, Samuel ordered all the Sons of Jefe to pafs before him, that he might know which of them it was, that the Lord had chofen to be Captain over his People. Eliab therefore, his eldeft Son, was prefented before the rest of his Brethren to the Prophet; who beheld him with Admiration, and concluded that fo amiable and majestic a Youth must certainly be the Perfon whom God had felected to sway the Sceptre of Ifrael. But the Prophet, by a divine Suggeftion, was foon made fenfible, that the divine Majefty did not pay so much Regard to the outward

Perfon,

Perfon, as he did to the inward Motions of the Heart. For, fays he, the Lord feeth not as Man feeth; for Man looketh on the outward Appearance, but the Lord looketh on the Heart. And here I beg leave to remark how differently the Almighty proceeded in the Manner he chofe the fecond Monarch of Ifrael, to what he had done when he elected Saul. One evident Reason for which fufficiently juftifies the divine Procedure therein, viz. That he appointed Saul over them as a Punishment for their Crime in rejecting him; but, in Pity and Compaffion to the Calamities which Saul had involved them in, he was now determined to fet over them a Monarch, who fhould perform all his Will, and deliver them out of the Hands of all their Enemies. In which Senfe he likewife intended him as a Type of the bleffed Redeemer of Mankind; who, by his precious Death upon the Cross, fubdued all our Enemies, and made us triumphant over Death. But to proceed.

Eliab therefore being withdrawn, elle caufed fix of his other Sons to pass before Samuel; but the Prophet received fresh Intimations from Heaven, that he had not yet feen the Perfon intended for the Throne of Ifrael. He then enquired of Jeffe, if those were all his Sons, and was anfwered, that the youngest of all was then keeping C

of