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and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed."-Note. This is the first time that we meet with the name Messiah, or his anointed, to whose kingdom it is very probable that the preceding prediction had a reference.

To return to Samuel. We find it recorded 1 Sam. ii. 18, that "Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. The LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD." In those days Israel had again returned to their idolatry; and being oppressed by the Philistines, Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD." This he did, and offered a burnt-offering. "And the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up, calling it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. And Samuel went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all these places; this he did with great honour to himself and justice to the people, for many years. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel, who walked not in the ways of their father, but turned aside after lucre, and perverted judgment, took bribes, oppressed, and abused the people."-1 Sam. vii. 15-17, and viii. 1-4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, and he advised them against it, because God was their king; but they still persisted, then he prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice, and make them a king. Being thus instructed by God, he complied with their request, and afterwards, at the command of the LORD, he anointed Saul, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, to be king over them, of whose character and reign we have yet to take notice.

Before that Samuel resigned the government into the hands of Saul, he made an appeal to all Israel as to the integrity of his conduct as a judge, and what is more, as an honest man, saying, "Now I am old and gray-headed; and I have walked

After all

before you from my childhood unto this day. Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand." this, Samuel, AS A PROPHET, had much to do both with Saul and David AS KINGS, as may yet be noticed. But, for the present, we draw our sketch of his character as a judge to a close, by observing, First, That Samuel was a child of prayer. His mother prayed, and received him in answer to her petitions. Second, A child

of prayer is in a special manner bound to be a good child. Lemuel's mother minds him that he was the son of her vows.--Prov. xxxi. 2. Third, Samuel, when young, worshipped God; little children should learn to worship God; God will accept them, and teach them to do better. Fourth, Samuel was a man of prayer. He prays for deliverance to Israel. God thunders from heaven, and scatters and destroys their enemies. Again, at his earnest request, the Hearer and Answerer of prayer sends thunder and rain in the time of wheat harvest, to convince Israel that they had done wrong in asking a king; whereupon "all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask a king. And he said, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king."

The latter end of this great and good man, and last judge of Israel, is given us in these few words:" And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah."-1 Sam. xxv. 1.

EXERCISES.

Who judged Israel after the death of Samson? What was the character of Eli's sons? Did their father know of their bad conduct? Did he rebuke them as sharply as he ought to haye done? How did God shew his displeasure against the house of Eli? When, and how, did Eli die? What became of his sons? Who succeeded Eli as judge in Israel? What were some of the circumstances attending his birth? How, and where, was he employed when a boy? What messages had he to deliver concerning the house of Eli? How did Eli receive them? Was Samuel willing that Israel should have a king? What was his character as a boy, a judge, and a man? Who lamented him when he died?

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CHAPTER XI.

FROM THE BEGINNING OF SAUL'S REIGN TO THE ACCESSION OF DAVID, A.M. 2909-2949.

Saul Chosen First King of Israel-In the Beginning of his Reign Rules Well-Disobeys God, and is Rejected from being King— David Anointed by Samuel-Battle of Gilboa-Saul and his Three Sons Slain-David's Lamentation.

1 Sam. ix. 1, 2.- "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." Saul being sent by his father to seek some asses which had gone astray, and asking Samuel concerning them, he, being instructed by the LORD, took him aside, poured a vial of oil upon his head, kissed him, and said, "Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart. And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh ;" and there, by the casting of lots among the tribes and families of Israel, Saul's public election, and solemn inauguration to be the first king of Israel, took place. "And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

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In the beginning of his reign he governed well, but afterwards he disobeyed the word of the LORD in several instances. Hence we find Samuel saying unto him,—1 Sam. xiii. 13, "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 upon Israel 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." In 1 Sam. xiv. 47, 48, we have a summary account of Saul's exploits, and his family: "So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. Now the sons of Saul were

Jonathan, Ishui, and Melchi-shua; and his two daughters were Merab, and Michal." After this the word of the LORD was sent by Samuel to Saul, saying, Now, go smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; because they laid wait for Israel in the way, when he came up from Egypt. For which see Exod. xvii. 8. Amalek then basely smote the hindmost of Israel. God then swore that in process of time he would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek: this is now the work that Saul is sent to do. Though Divine justice strikes slow, it strikes sure. "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and did not utterly destroy them but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. And they took of the things that should have been destroyed to sacrifice unto the LORD God in Gilgal. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Hath the Lord as great delight in burntofferings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And as Samuel turned about to leave Saul, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And Samuel came no more to see Saul, until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul.

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have provided me a king among his sons." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel; and Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. Then David, who was the youngest, and kept his father's sheep, was sent for, and at the command of the LORD Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit troubled him. When this evil spirit troubled Saul, he hearing of David's skill in music, sent for him to play on the harp to refresh him. He afterwards became his armour-bearer, and when that Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, challenged and defied the armies of Israel, David, though then only a stripling, undertook the combat, and slew him with a sling and a stone.-1 Sam. xvii. 19–54. For this deed of heroism the women of Israel sung to their instruments of music, as they played, "and said, Saul hath

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