lOJl [ontemplationr. ------ ----------------~--- .. Olth were fo verified, asSamt~tls protefbtioo,it were a fhame for the State not to be A happy< The fins ofour TeJchers are the teachers of fin; the fins of Go·vernours doe both comm~md,and coumenJnce evill. This very acquitmg ofSarmu.! WJS rht accufation ofthcmfdves: For how could irbe but fJulty to caft offafaultleffe Governor~ Ifhe had oorrakenaw1yao Oxe,or an Affefrom them, why do t1~ey take away h1s authonty~ They could not have thus cleared Saul1t the end ofhi,; raigne; It was JUft w1th God,fince they were weary ofa JUft R.uler, to pumfl1 them wirh an unjuft. He that appealed to them for his own uprighrneffe, durft not appeale to them for theirownwickedneffe,but appeales to Heaven from them.Men are commonly flatterers oftheir own cafes : It muft be a llroog evidence that wlll make aGonerconvicted in himfelfe: Nature hathfo many 01iftsto cozen it felfin this fpirituall ver- Il did, that unleffe it be taken in the manner, it will hardly yeeld to a truth; either fl1e will deny the fad, or :he fault, or the meafure ; And now in.this cafe they might feeme to have fome fme pretences ; For though Sam11cl was nghteous, yet his fons were corrupt. To cur offall excufes therefore,Samutl appe_ales to God (the highell Judge) for Ius fentence ofthm fin, and dares truft to a mlraculous conviction. It was now theirWheat-Harvell;the hot andd1y aire ofthat climate did not wont ro afford in rim feafon fo much moill vapour,as mightrlife a cloudeither forraine, or thunder. He that knew God could,aod would doe both thefe, w1rhout the help of fecond caufes,puts the rriall upon rhis iffue. Had not SA»>t~e/ before confulted with his Maker,and received warrant for his ale, it had bin prefumprion and temptin" of God,which was now a nobleimprovement offairh: Rather then Ifraellhall goe c cleare awaywith a fin,God will accufe and arraigne them from heaven.No fooner hath Samuels voyce ceafed,then Gods voyce begins: Every crack ofthunder fpake judgement againft rhe rebellious Ifraelires,and every drolJ ofrain,was a wirneffe of their fin; and now they found they had difpleafed him, which rulerhin rhe Heaveo,by rejetling the man that ruled for him on Earth:The thundring voiceofGod that had lately in their fisht confounded the Philiftims, they now underftood t~ fpeak fearfull rhjngs agamft them. No marvell, Ifnow they fell upon their knees not toSatl/ whom they had chofeo;but to SunueJ, who being thus caft offby them: is thus countenanced in Heaven. SA u L s St~crifice. 0 D nevermeant the Kingdome lhould either flay long in theTribe of Bt11amin;or remove fuddenly from theperfon ofS•ui;Maoy yearesdid Sarll reigne over Ifrael;yet God computes himbut two yeares a King: That is'not accounted ofGodto be done, which is not lawfullydone; when God, which chofe Sat~l,rejelted him,hewas no morea King,but D a Tyrant: Ifrael obeyed him !\ill, but God makes no reckoning ofhim, as his Deputy, bur as an Ufurper. Saulwas ofgood yeares,wheli he was advanced to the Kingdome: His Son Iona- E than, the firft yeare ofhis Fathers Raigne, could lead a thoufand Ifraelites into the field,and give a foyle to the Philiftims: And now Ifrael could not think themfelves leffe happyin their Prince, then in their King ; Jonathan is the Heyre ofhis Fathers viltory,aswell as ofhis valour,and his ellate. The Philiftims were quierafterthofe firftthunder-claps,all the time of Sarmtols government,oow they begin to ftiruoder S111tl. Howutterly is Ifrad dif•ppointed in their hopes! That fecurity and protection, which they promifed rhemfelves in the nameofaKing,rhey found ina Prophet,f~iled ofin a Warrior; They weremore fafe under the mamle,rhen under arms: both enmity and fafeguard are from heaven, goodneffe hathbeen ever a llronger guard then valour: It is the furell policy alwaies to havepeace with God.
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