Samuels Encounter with Saul, Doctrine 28 – Doctrine 29
Doct. 28. Nothing ſhould hurt vsus, if wee caſt not off Gods yoke.
The next and laſt thing, that I obſerue in this verſe, is that which concerneth Saul: that Samuel ſayd to Saul, ſeeing thou haſt caſt away the Word of the Lord, he hath caſt away thee, that thou ſhalt not be King ouer Iſrael, ſo that if he had not done ſo, neither ſhould hee hauehave beene caſt out of his Kingdom. Where it is manifeſt, that if men did not as Saul, reiect the Word, ſo that it cannot gouerne them,Mat. 11. 29 and if they did not caſt off Gods yoke,Pſal. 50. 16 hating to be reformed, they ſhould hauehave no cauſe to cry out, as they doe, of the heauy puniſhments which they meet with, and take hold of them, but reioyce and praiſe God, for his many and great bleſſings. So faith the Pſalmiſt:Pſal. 81. 13. Oh that my people would hauehave harkned vntounto me, and that Iſrael would hauehave walked in my wayes! I would ſoone hauehave brought low their enemies, and would hauehave turned my hand againſt them. But this, euen this, that men will lye ſtill in their ſinne, and hold it faſt, as the childe doth the ſweet ſugar in the mouth,Iob 20. is the cauſe of all their complaints of ſore afflictions,Note. and loſſe of their beſt commodities; and heauy dayes, which though wee ſhall neuer bee free from altogether, no not the beſt, while we carry fleſh about vsus; yet wee might remedy it in great part, if God had any authority, & might preuaile with vsus. And if his owne children will rebell, and breake out of compaſſe to prouoke him, he will chaſtize euen them with his ſmarcy rods and corrections. Euen as the Lord ſpake by the Prophet Obadiah, 2 Chron. 15. 1.to Aſa King of Iudah, ſaying: O Aſa, and all Iudah, and Beniamin, heare yee mee: The Lord is with you, while yee bee with him; if yee ſeeke him, he will be found of you: but if ye forſake him, hee will forſake you. 1 Pet. 4. 18If God then will execute puniſhment vponupon his owne people, prouoking him: what maruell is it, though they bee loden with iudgements, who are none of his,2 Chron. 19. 2. but his enemies? And further then both the one and the other, doe humble themſelues, to walk with the Lord, they ſhall euer be in danger (as they may here ſee in Saul) of loſing their beſt iewels. Of which I ſpeake the leſſe here, hauing handled it before in another doctrine.
VERSE 27, 28.
And as Samuel turned about to goe away, hee layd hold vponupon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
And Samuel ſayd vntounto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdome of Iſrael from thee this day, and hath giuen it to a neighbor of thine, that is better then thou.
IN this diſtreſſe and perplexity of Saul, The text opened.that hee feared the loſſe of his kingdome, and yet could not hold the Prophet with him, when he turned to goe from him, Saul caught hold of his garment, and it rent; this he did not in wrath againſt him, for then he would hauehave vſed great cruelty toward him; as Ieroboam in the like action,1 Kin. 13. 3. intended againſt the man of God: neither did hee it, as teſtifying his earneſt deſire, to bee counſelled and directed by him, which hee refuſed all the time the Prophet was with him (neither did he afterwards any otherwiſe) but he did it, onelyonly to keepe him in preſence with him; which, if hee might hauehave done, hee thought all ſhould hauehave beene ſafe and well with him. For, he imagined there was no cauſe of feare, while Samuel was in place and company with him, and by that meanes, he thought to quiet himſelfe, and to put away all ſuch thoughts, as through the meſſage which hee receiued from God, might hauehave held him in great vnquietneſſe, whereby hee ſhewed how loth and vnwilling hee was, to hauehave him depart from him. Which affection of his had deſerued high commendation, if he had deſired Samuels ſtaying with him, for the right end, to wit, that he might hauehave been to vprightneſſe, and true repentance.
Doct. 28. Hypocrites may aſcribe much to the means.
But it is cleere, that hee was farre from it: but yet ſeeing he went about to ſtay him, what may we learne of that, yee will (perhaps) aske, and what vſe ſhall we make of it? I ſay, we learne thereby this, that though hypocrites hauehave not a ſound and vpright heart, yet they will aſcribe ſomewhat to outward meanes, as to hearing, and to the prayer of the lips, and to this among the reſt, that they may bee well thought of among the godly, and therefore they will hauehave them ſometime in their company.
And why doe they ſo?Note. verily not to bee reformed; no, nor to be ſoundly informed by them: but they thinke, that for their ſo doing, they are the better, and that God will ſo account of them: and they flatter themſelues in this, that they are herein before others: thus meaſuring themſelues, by thoſe which are worſe then themſelues, which is a falſe rule to goe by: wheras they ſhould propound to themſelues, the beſt examples to follow, as they follow Chriſt,Mat. 11. 29 yea and Chriſt himſelfe and his doctrine.
But they imagine, that as God will heare them, for their much babbling; ſo he will ſaue them, for their accompanying ſomtime, with better men then themſelues. And thus wee may gather, not onelyonly by Saul, and many among vsus; but by the thoughts of them in the laſt day; who looking to be receiued of Chriſt, for ſuch duties doing, alledged this [Lord] we did eat and drink in thy company: but Chriſt anſwering them, Depart from mee, declared that they ſhould alſo hauehave ſauoured of his company, and hauehave ſhewed, that they were therby reclaimed from their euil wayes, or elſe it was to ſmall purpoſe to ſay, they were in his company. So the Lord, by S. Iohn, Reuel. 2 5.threatning to remoue the Candle-ſticke out of the place, except they amended, did not only quicken vp the godly thereby, but alſo awake and admoniſh the wicked, that the Goſpell ſhould bee taken from them, which they could not abide to heare of.