The History of the Bible, 1 Samuel – 2 Samuel
1. SAMVEL.
Q. What doe you call the next booke?
A. Samuel.
Q. How many things muſt we conſider in this booke?
Q. Two: the gouernment of the two laſt Iudges, and the two firſt Kings.
Q. Which are the Iudges whichare mentioned in this booke?
A. Eli and Samuel.
Q. How are the acts of Eli deuided?
A. Into his good and bad acts.
Q. What were his good acts?
A. His diligēce in his calling.
Q. What were his bad acts?
A. His negligence in not looking to his ſonnes, and not correcting them, chap. 2.
Q. How was hee puniſhed for his negligence?
A. The Arke of God was taken: his two ſonnes Hophni and Phineas were both ſlaine in one day: he hearing of it, fell downe backward and brake his necke. chap. 4.
Q. What became of his daughter in law?
A. Shee died in child-birth, for ſhee ſaid, the glorie is departedfrom Iſrael.
Q. What became of the Arkthen?
A. The Philiſtims brought it to Aſhdod, and ſet in the houſe of Dagon their god.
Q. How were they plagued?
A. Dagon fell downe before the arke of God, his head and the palmes of his hands were broken, and the inhabitants were ſmittē with emrods.
Q. What did they with the arke of God?
A. They carried it to Gath.
Q. Did it continue there?
chapter 6 A. No: for the Lord ſmote them with Emrods, and they caried it to Ekron, and the Ekronites were ſmitten with Emrods alſo.
Q. How long did the Philiſtems keepe the arke?
A. Seauen moneths.
Q. What did they then withthe arke?
A. They ſent it home with gifts.
Q. What were the gifts which they ſent with it?
A. Fiue golden Emrods, & fiue golden Mice.
Q. How did they ſend the arke home?
A. They laid it in a new cart, they tooke two milch kine and ſhut their calues at home, then they tyed the kine to the cart, and they went ſtraight to Bethſhemeſh, and kept one path till they came to the field of Ioſhua at Bethſhemeſh, where they ſtood ſtill.
Q. What did the inhabitants of Bethſhemeſh?
A. They reioyced, and the Leuites tooke downe the arke, and the cheſt wherein the iewels of gold were, and ſet them vponupon a great ſtone, and claue the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for a burnt offering vntounto the Lord.
Q What befell then?
A. The Lord ſlew fifty thouſand threeſcore and ten men of the inhabitants of Bethſhemeſh, becauſe they had looked in the arke of God.
Q What became of the arke then?
chapter 7 A. The men of Kiriathiearim came and tooke it.
Q. What did they with it?
A. They brought it into the houſe of Abinadab in the hill, and ſanctified Eleazar to keepe the arke.
Q. How long abode the arke in the houſe of Abinadab?
A. Twentie yeare.
Q. When Eli was dead, who ſucceeded him?
A. Samuel.
Q. How many things muſt be conſidered of him?
A. His birth, education, calling, and his acts.
Q. What doth the Holy Ghoſt ſet downe concerning his birth?
A. He was borne of a barren woman, who begged him of the Lord by prayer. chap. 1.
Q. Who was his father?
A. Elkanah?
Q. Who was his mother?
A. Hannah.
Q. Where was he brought vp?
A. In the tabernacle.
Q. Who called him.
A. God called him thrice in one night. chap. 3.4.
Q. How many offices hed he?
A. Three: for as he was called thrice, ſo he had three offices: a iudge, a prieſt, and a prophet.
Q. VVhat chiefe things arerecorded of him?
A. He annointed Saul, cap. 10. he cauſed him to ſlay Agag the King of Ameleck. c. 15. hee annointed Dauid, cap. 16. and theſe are his acts of peace.
Q. What were his acts of war?
A. He ouercame the Philiſtims. chap. 7.
Q. What gouernement had the children of Iſrael after Iudges?
chapter 8 A. Kings.
Q. How fell it out that they had kings?
chapter 10 A. Becauſe Samuels ſonnes, Ioel and Abiah walked not in their fathers waies, but peruerted iudgement, therefore they deſired a king.
Q. How many yeares did Samuel iudge Iſrael?
A. Twentie yeares.
Q. How many kings raignes are ſet downe in this booke?
A. Two: Sauls, and Dauids.
Q. Who was firſt King?
A. Saul.
Q. Who annointed him?
A. Samuel, for thither he wēt to ſeeke his fathers aſſes.
Q. How many ſignes had he to confirme his annointing?
A. Three: 1. at Rahels ſepulcher: 2. at the plaine of Tabor: 3. at the hill of God: where finding a company of Prophets he propheſied, cha. 9.10. & 19. chap.
Q. Where was he choſen?
A. At Miſpah by lot, chap. 10.
Q. How many principall things muſt we conſider in Sauls raigne?
A. Two: his good and his bad deedes.
Q. What were his good deeds?
chapter 11 A. He fought the Lords bartell: he deliuered the inhabitantsof Iabeſh frō the Ammonites: he ouerthrew the Amalekites and Philiſtims.
Q. What were his euill deeds?
chapter 15 A. He tooke on him the Pricſts office: he ſpared Agag and the beſt things: he perſecuted Dauid. 18. he ſlew the Lords prieſts. 21. and he conſnlted with witches, chap. 28.
Q. How was he plagued?
A. He was reiected and Dauid elected: he was vexed with an euill ſpirit: his two ſonnes were ſlaine by the Philiſtims, & he ſlew himſelfe, chap. 31.
Q. Who was high Prieſt?
A. Abimeleck the ſonne of Ahitub.
Q. Who ſucceeded Saul in the kingdome?
A. Dauid.
Q. What principall things are to be conſidered of him?
A. His calling and his acts.
Q. How many things muſt we conſider in his calling?
chapter 16 A. Three: 1. who called him? God: 2. by whom was hee called? by Samuel. 3. frō whence was he called? from keeping his fathers ſheepe.
Q. How are the acts of Dauid deuided?
A. Into his actes in Sauls time, and his acts after Sauls death.
Q. Whatwere his acts in Sauls time?
A. He ſlew a Lyon and a Beare: he mitigated Sauls furie with his harpe: he ſlew Gokah, chapter 17. he ſlewe 300. Philiſtims for 200. fore-skinnes, for which he was made the Kings ſonne in lawe. He was preferred before Saul of the Virgins: he was perſecuted by Saul, 18. chap. He fled to Nob and did eate the ſhewbread: 21. chapt. He fled to Gath and there hee did counterfeit himſelfe mad. 21. c. he cut off the lap of Sauls garment: he tooke away the ſpeare and a pot of water that ſtood at Sauls head. chap, 26. he deſtroed the Amalekites. chap. 30.
Libri primi Samuelis finis.
II. SAMVEL.
Q. What must we conſider of Dauid after Sauls death?
A. His acts after he was made king of Iſrael, and his acts when he ruled ouer Iudah onelyonly.
Q. What were his acts when he ruled ouer Iudah?
chapter 1 A. He ſlew the man that ſaid he had ſlaine Saul: he wagedwarre ſeauen yeares with Iſhboſheth. chap. 2.
Q. Who was captaine ouer Iſhboſheths armie?
A. Abner.
Q. What became of him?
A. He was ſlaine cowardly by loab, becauſe he ſlew Aſacl his brother, chap. 3.
Q. What did Dauid after the death of Abner?
A. He lamented for him.
Q. What befell to Iſhboſheth after the death of Abner?
chapter 4 A. Baanah and Rechab, two of his captaines, ſlew him as he ſlept on his bed, and cut off his head and brought it to Dauid in Hebron.
Q. Who then raigned ouer Iſrael?
A. Dauid. chap. 5.
Q. How many things muſt we obſerue in his gouernement beeingking ouer Iſraels
A. Two things: wherin he behaued himſelfe well; wherin ill.
Q. VVherein did he behaue himſelfe well?
chapters 6,7,8,9,10 A. He fought the Lords battels: he ſlew Baanah & Rechab: hee ouercame the Philiſtims twice: he tooke the fort of Sion: he reſtored the arke, he prepared for the building of the temple: he ouerthrewe the Philiſtims, the Ammorites, and all his enemies. chap. 8.
Q. Who was captam of his hoaſt?
A. Ioab the ſonne of Zeruiah.
Q. What were Dauids euill deeds?
chapter 11 A. He brought the the Arke in a new cart when it ſhould hauehave beene borne on the Leuites ſhoulders: he committed adulterie with Bethſheba, and cauſed Vriah her husband to bee ſlaine, and cauſed the peopleto be numbred, chap. 24.
Q. How was he plagued for carrying the arke in a cart?
A. The oxen ſtumbled, the arke ſhooke, Vzzah put vp his hand, and was ſtriken dead.
Q. How for his adulterie?
A. chapter 13 The child conceiued in adulterie died: chapter 15 Amnon defiled Tamar: chapter 17 Abſalon ſlue Amnon, and lay with his fathers concubines: laſtly, Sheba rebelled. chap. 20.
Q. What became of Abſolon?
A. He was hanged on an oake by the haire of the head, and ſlaine by Ioab, chap. 18.
Q. How did the Lord plague him for numbring the people?
A. God ſent a plague for 3. daies, whereof died feauentie thouſand men, chap. 44.
Q. How was the plague ceaſed?
A. Dauid repenting & praying,God bad the Augell hold his hand.
Q. What did Dauid then?
A. He builded an altar, and offered ſacrifice vntounto the Lord, chap. 24.
Q. What Prophets were in Dauids time?
A. Nathan and Gad.
Q. Who were high Prieſts?
A. A biathar and Zadock.
Q. Who was Scribe?
A. Shuah.
Q. Who was Recorder?
A. Iehoſhaphat.
Q. Who was ouer the tribute?
A. Adoram.
Q. Who was captaine ouer the Cherethites and Perezites?
A. Benaiah.
Q. How long raigned Dauid ouer Iſrael?
A. Seauen yeares in Hebron: 33. yeares ouer all Iſrael: in all 40. yeares.
Lib. 2. Sam finis.