Samuels Encounter with Saul, Doctrine 31 – Conclusion
Doct. 30 The hypocrite may alvvay look to heare bad news.
VERSE. 28.
And Samuel ſaid vntounto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdome of Iſrael from thee this day, and hath giuen it to a neighbour of thine, that is better then thou.
IN the former verſe wee hauehave ſeene how Saul ſought to hold Samuel with him, but not for the end which ought chiefely to hauehave moued him: and in this 28. verſe, Samuel takes occaſion by the rending the lappe of his garment, to giuegive ſignification to him, that God would rend his kingdome from him, that ſo hee might make no doubt, but that it ſhould come ſo to paſſe: And this hee did that he might hauehave driuen him to ſome ſounder and hartyer diſlike and confeſſion of his ſinnes, (though wee ſee hee preuailed not with him) therefore hee thus ſpeaketh to him, as we ſee fearefully; and as well it teacheth al that liſt to learne, that while men remaine hollow and double, and deale not truly and plainely with God, they may look to heare no better then heauy tidings from him,Note. to ſound in their eares, and to checke their conſciences, whatſoeuer faire ſhew they make of any repentance, but to gather more ſignes then before of their damnacion, by how much more they reiected Gods offers in calling them:1 King. 13. And ſhould not this driue men from all their carnall ſhiftes,Vſe. and broken holdes, when they ſee that God hunts them out of their dennes, and pluckes their mufflers from their faces?Chap. 14. 34. 35. And yet as bad as Saul was, and as little as God ſet by all the outward ſhewes that he made either heere, or in the former chapter, verſe 34. to the 46. (which were many) yet it is cleere and moſt manifeſt,Many that make ſome ſhew, yet come farre ſhort of Saul. that he went farre before many that profeſſe the Goſpell at this day: among whome a man may be a long time, before hee ſhal heare ſo many holy and religious ſpeaches, as he vttred there (reade the place) beſides his vpholding the true worſhip of God, in the which he declared his zeale in ſeuere puniſhing ſuch as ſhould diſhonour him, yea, although it fell out to be his owne ſon. I ſay there be many found among vsus, (who hauehave cleerer knowledge of Gods will, then was reuealed to him) who yet neither may be matched with Saul in ſundry commendable points, neither in this one, to attribute ſo much to Samuel the Lords Prophet, as he did: who deſired his company, and held him with him. Which though it was not done in faithfulnes, with deſire to bee reformed, yet who doubteth but that it was a good ſteppe to take profit by him in time, when he could yeeld him ſuch reuerence as he did, and giuegive him leaue to ſpeake to him of the matters that were both harſh, toyliſh and vnpleaſant?Note well. And yet wee ſee for all this, God had no pleaſure in him, that all who ſhall heare or read this ſtory or the laying open of it, may feare and tremble, if their righteouſnes and ſynceritie exceed not his; for no ſuch ſhall enter into the Lords kingdome;Mat. 5. 16. which was one eſpeciall end why I lay out this ſtory before the eyes of men, as I ſaid in the beginning. Neither let any obiect and ſay,Obiect. that his eſtate was fearefull afterwards: but now when this was done, which is heere mentioned, he was not ſo deſperate and paſt hope: Anſw. for I ſay that for the acts heere and before mentioned, (take one with the other) he was caſt off, although it is to bee granted, that afterwards hee was much worſe. Let no man deceiue himſelfe, Samuel was forbidden to pray for him, at his departure from him, at the time heere mentioned, as appeareth in the next chapter, verſe 1. for at his departing from him after he had done the Lords meſſage to him, which I hauehave now ſpoken of, hee left him no better, then at his comming to him hee found him.1 King. 13. 34. But as it was ſaid of Ieroboam (when the man of God had reproued his Idolatrie threatning him ſore in the name of the Lord) that for all this he departed not from his euill way: So it is ſaid of Saul, that when Samuel went away from him, he was nothing bettred, nor reclaimed by him, ver. 34. after which going from him, it is ſayd he came no more to ſee him, vntounto the day of his death. And as for that it is ſaid of him in 30. verſe of this chap. that hee confeſſed his ſinne againe, as he had done before, leaſt any ſhould think his latter confeſſion to hauehave bene better then the former, it is branded by the holy ghoſt, with a manifeſt marke of hypocriſie, when he ſaid I hauehave ſinned, for this is added [but honour me before the people] ſignifying that he looked not ſo high as to God,Pſal. 51. who requireth truth in the inward parts, but only his feare was, leaſt men ſhould hauehave knowne that God reiected him, and ſo might thereby hauehave caſt him off, and hauehave refuſed him for their king. And of Saul thus much, for I hauehave ſaid the beſt of him, that the ſcripture ſets downe in this chap. or afterwards, and ſhewed that nothing ſpoken of him, ſauoured of true repentance. The further we proceede in this ſtory, the worſt we ſhall finde him. And firſt how he, by and by after Dauids victory ouer Goliah, beganne to recompence his good with euill, hating him without cauſe, and ſeeking to kill him ſecretly, as in the 18. chap. appeareth, and then openly, as in the 19. may bee ſeene, & that many times in both, and ſo continued to his end, worſe and worſe.
Concluſiō of the whole, with ſerious application.
And now I hauehave ſatisfied the deſire of ſuch as were earneſt to hauehave the chiefe points of this chapter opened, concerning Saul, that they may ſee his ſinne, both when he ſtood in the denyall of it, and when he confeſſed it: I hauehave ſhewed alſo in the proceſſe of the ſtorie, as occaſion hath beene offred, how fearefully many of the viſible Church, doe very nearely follow him, & liuely reſemble him, (if many of them go not beyond him in their euill actions and liues, and come ſhort of him in their good parts) to this end, that if they hauehave any care of their ſoules welfare, they may more ſeriouſly thinke of their eſtate while they hauehave time, and come to true repentance. Rather learning ſo to doe, by the good teaching, and the examples of godly Miniſters and Chriſtians, then to diſgrace them as much as in them lyeth and diſcourage them, as it is too common a thing for many to doe. Now I ſay it remayneth that wee pray earneſtly to God, that this and ſuch other ſcriptures, being written for our inſtruction and edifying, may by his gracious working in vsus, do vsus the good, for which wee enioy them: that as they be lights to our ſteps, and lanternes to our feete, ſo they may guide vsus into the way of peace, who hauehave beleeued, and already embraced the doctrine of them: and ſuch alſo, as yet ſit in darkenes, may ſee great light to their euerlaſting comfort.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Rogers, Samuels Encounter with Saul (1620)