Samuels Encounter with Saul, Doctrine 20
Doct. 20. Gods meſſage muſt be done to the great and ſmall.
VERSE 24.
And Saul ſayd vntounto Samuel, I hauehave ſinned: for I hauehave tranſgreſſed the commandement of the LORD, and thy words; becauſe I fedred the people, and obeyed their voyce.
BVr now it is time to returne to Saul, hauing heard how Samuel hath laboured to bring him to repentance. It is ſayd here, that Saul, as bold denials as he made of his ſinne, and for all his iuſtefying of his doings, that he had obeyed the will of God, in this warre againſt Amaleck, yet contrary to all likelyhood, hee now bewrayeth, to his owne great ſhame, that hee had lyed in ſo ſpeaking, and ſo had not vttered the truth; for ſo it is ſayd here of him, I hauehave ſinned, in that I did not obey the commandement of the Lord.
But while Samuel doth thus narrowly and neerely follow hard vponupon him, mee thinkes I heare ſome Fauourites and Pittyers of Saul, thus ſcornfully braying out. Oh ſeuere Samuel! and oh wofull times, and vnhappy ſtate to liue in, when great men muſt be purſued of ſuch baſe fellowes, when Miniſters and Prophets muſt bee ſo bold with their betters: yet welfare the good high Preiſt Azariah, who (ſay they) with held ſuch open mouthed and vnciuill perſons, from the Kings Court. And againe, is it meet that a mean Miniſter ſhould preſſe, and bee ſo bold with great perſonages? I hauehave heard little leſſe with mine owne eares, of prophane and irreligious Gentle-men (as they are called) but to anſwer them, they ſee it was meet then, and the commandement of the higheſt King, that the Prophets of God (who were reuerend men of God, and by Sauls owne confeſſion, Gods Choſen, and not baſe and of meane account) ſhould do his meſſage vntounto them, that are great in place and authority, both publiquely and priuatly, and as they gaue cauſe, and according to the manner and quality of their offence, ſhould reproue them in the name of God, and yet gaue them their due honour, as became them, for their owne parts, being their inferiours; yea, and when they thus did their meſſage, they were receiued of ſuch, as were wiſe and religious, as became the Amhaſſadours of the high God: yea, and ſo did Saul himſelfe honor and receiue Samuel. I ſay thus it was then, and thought meet it ſhould be ſo: but ſo are men degenerate now from that practice, that meaner perſons then Nobles would, with reproch and contempt, thruſt ſuch an one as Samuel from them, and ſcorne any reproofe that hee ſhould bring to them, how iuſt ſoeuer, and in beſt manner it ſhould bee done vntounto them. And yet I ſpeake not, as though I thought that all of that eſtate and degree were ſuch; but know and am perſwaded that there are ſundry of them; yea, and of the Noble themſelues, who receiue the Miniſters of God as his Meſſengers, to whom (as vntounto meaner perſons) I wiſh no worſe then this, that both they may enioy ſuch, plentifully among them, and receiue them with that reuerence and credit giuen vntounto them, that they may both make the ſcorning Atheiſt, and prophane ſort, more odions and ſhamefull, who cannot abide their ſtinking dung-hill to bee ſtirred, and may themſelues reape the bleſſed fruit of their Miniſtry, I meane that that receiuing a Prophet in the name of a Prophet,Matth.10. they may hauehave a Prophets reward.
Now followeth (after Samuels long trauerſing the matter with Saul) his confeſſion of his ſinne: and ſithence he is brought after ſo many ſhamefull and fearfull denials, of that which Samuel had charged him with, at length, to confeſſe; and for that here are other things of weight, to be conſidered of, I will ſtay a while, and refer that, which I hauehave to ſay about this matter of Sauls confeſſion, to theſe foure poynts. Firſt, I will ſhew the odiouſneſſe of this ſin, in that he had ſo oft and boldly denyed his being in fault, yet did now confeſſe it. Secondly, I will declare how, aud by what meanes, he was brought to confeſſe it. Thirdly, ſeeing hee did ſo (which hee was very vnlike to come to) whether in confeſſing hee repented alſo. And fourthly, becauſe it ſhall appeare, that hee did not, therefore euen his very confeſſion ſhall bee ſeene to be another note of hypocriſie in him.