LIB. XIII. Saul rejef/ed and David chofin. A v.ritieuponSaul,though ir drew no bloud,yet flruck him in the frriking,and fetched rears from his eyes. Good Samuel mourned for him, that had not grace ro mourne forhimfelfe:No man in all Ifrad might feem to have fo much reafon to rejoycein Sauls ruine,as Samuel, lince that he knew him raifed up in defpight ofhis government ; yet he mourns more for him, then he did for his fons,for himfdfe : It !lrieved him rofeethe plant, which he had fer in the garden of Ifrael, rhus foon IV !thered : It is an unnaturall fenfelefne!fe not to be affdled with rhe dangers, wirh rhe fins ofour Governours:God did not blame rhis forrow,bur moderated it;How long wilttholl mourne (or Saul! It was not the affdlion he forbade, bur the meafure : In this is the ditfertnce betwixt good men andevill, th.tt evill men mouroe not for their owne fins,good men doe fo mourne for the fins ofothers,thar they will hardB ly betaken off. . , If Samutl mournebecaufe Sa11/ hath cafl away God by his fin, he mull ceafe ro mourne,becaufe God hathcafl away S•11l from raigning over Ifrael, in his jufl punifhmenr:Agood heart hath learned to refl it fdfupon the Jullice ofGods Decree, and forgets all earthly refpeCls, when ir looks up to heaven. So did God meanero fhew his difpleafure againfl the perfon of Saul, that he would fhew fuvour ro Ifrael, he will not thereforebereave them ofaKing,but change him for a berrer:EirherS4ul had llandred his people, or elfe they were partners with him in the difobedience: yet (becaufe it was their rulers faulr,rharrhey were not over.rukdJ we do not hear ofrheirfmarring,any otherwife,then in thefubjeClion ro fuch aKing,aswas not loyal! eo God:The lo!feof Sa11l istheir gain;the govnnment oftheir hrfl King was abC orrive,no marvel! ifitheld not. Noww3S the maturitieofthat Stare, and th<refore Godwill bring them forth a kindlyMonarchy feded where it ll10uld : Kings areof Gods providing,it is good reafon he fhould make choice of his own deputies: but wheregoodne!fe meets with foveraignty,both his right,and his gift are doubled: If l(ings were meerly from the earrh,whatneeds aProphet to be feen in the choice or inauguration (The hand of Samtul cloth noHlow be'fthe Scepter to rule Ifrael,but it bears the horn for che anointing ofhim,that mufl rule:saul w:1s fent to him,when the timewas,to be anointed,bui now,he is fent to anointDavid: Then Ifrad fought a King for themfelves, now God feeks a King for Ifrael :The Prophet is therefore .direCled to the houft of Ijbai the Bethkemite,the grand-child of Ruth; now is the faithfulllove ofthat goodMoabite!fe crowned with the honour ofa Kingdome,in D the !iiCcteding generation:God feccht her out ofMoab,to bringaKing unto Ifrael: Whiles orpahwants bread in herowne Coumrey, R11th is growne a great Lady in Bethleem,and is advanced to be great Grand-mother to theKing ofi!i·ael. The retribucions ofGod are bountiful! ; never any man forfook ought for his fake, and complained ofan hard bar~aine. Even the befr ofGods Saints want not rhtir infirmities: He that never replyed, when hewas fent to reprove the King, movcth doubts, when he is bidden ;o aoe, and anoint hisfuccdfor.( Ho,., can I goe? !fSaul hear it,he ,.t/1 kill ""-)Perhaps defire offulldireaion drew fro him thisquellion,but nor without a mixtureofdiffidence; Fonhe manner ofdoing it,doth not fomuch trouble him,as rhe fucce!fe:Ir is not to be expeCled, that the mo!Haithfull beans fl1ould he alwayes in an equal heightof -E refolution. God cloth not chide S.1mt1tl, but inHruCl him; He, which is Wifdomeit fdfe,teacheth him to hidehis counfds in an .hon•fl policy;(T•kean Hei{.:r ,.ith thee and fay I am comr to d"fdcrijicero the Lord.)This \Vas to fay true,not to (ay all:Truth may not be croffed by denials, or equivocations, it may be concealed in a difcreet filence: except in the cafe ofan oath, no Juan is bound ro fpeak all he knows; we are notonely allawed, but commanded to be innocently Serpentine. There were doubde!fe Heifars enow in Bethleem , Jjbai had both wealrh md devotion enough to havebeflowed a Sacrifice up9n God,and his Prophet: Butto give a more perfeCl colour to his intention, Sam11el mu it take an Heiflr with him: The aa it felfe was ferious and neceffary: There -v"asno place~ no time, wherein ir was not fir for a SAmud eo offer Peace-offerings uoto God ; but when a King ibouldbe anointed, the(e wasno le!fe then neceflitie inthis fervice. Thofe,which nw!t reprefent.Gcid to the T ttt , world, 1047
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