14 If ye will fear the LORD, and ſerve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel againſt the F command- t Heb. ment of the LORD, then ſhall both ye, and alſo the king that reigneth over you, | continue following the þ je;
LORD a your God, be afie d Heb. Then ſhall Je=-m—=bes ( 1» & Walk, or go) after the Lord ; i, e, God ſhall ſhll go before you, 2s he hath hitherto done, as your Leader or Governour, to Dire&, Prote&, and Deliver you ; and he will not forſake you, as you have given him juſt cauſe ro do, Sometimes this phraſe of going after the Lord, ſignifies a Man's Obedience to God ; but here it is otherwiſe ro be underſtood ( as it 1s no new thing, for the ſame phraſe in ſeveral places, to be underſtood in quite different Senſes ;) and it notes not a Duty to be performed, bur a promiſe of a priviledge to be received.upon the performance of their Duty ; becauſe it is oppoſed to a threatning denounced in caſe of diſobedience, in the nexr Verſe. I5 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel againſt the commandment of the LORD,
thea
* Juig, G: 14, 32; * Juds, 11: 1:
* Chap, 7: 13:
PIP "RATIO — hn a. 1 ——__ —_—_—
UL, | Chap. XII. L
hap. 196
Jeb. ith,
Jeb afi
EEE. ER PEIPIRTT _—_
.
then ſhall the hand of the LORD be apainſt you, as it
was againſt your fathers e.
e Who lived. under the Judges; and. you ſhall have no advantage ;n that point by the chang: of Government, 'nor ſhall your kings be able to prote& you againſt Gods diſpleaſure. ;
16 © Now therefore ſtand f, and ſee this great thing
which the LORD will do before your eyes. |
# He intends nor the poſture of their Bodies, Bur the Conſiſtency of cheir minds, by ſerious ana fixed Conlideration- |
17 I it not weat-harvelt to dayg? I will call unto the LORD, and he ſhall ſend + thunder, and rain #,: thar ye may perceive and fee that your wickedneſs is great, which ye have done in the fight ofthe LORD, in asking you a king.
s Ar which time it was a rare thing in thoſe parts to have Thun- der or Rain, as the Scripture oft implies; and Ste erome affirms, who was an Eye-witneſs of it ; the Weather bemg more conſtant and certain in i's Seaſons there. and 1n divers other parts, than it is with us wholive in Iflands, as all Travellers inform us. h That by this unſcaſonable and pernicious Srorm you may underſtand that God is diſpleaſed with you ; and alſo how fooltſhly and wicked-
+ Feb.
05:6»
Iy you havedonein rejeting the Government cf that God, at whoſe
Command are all things both in Heaven and in earth.
18 So Samuelcalled unto the LORD, and the LORD {ent thunder and rain that day : and all the peopie greatly feared the LORD, and Samuel z.
3 Who had ſuch great power and favour with God.
19 And all the people ſaid unto Samuel, Pray for thy ſervants k unto the LORD thy God }, that wedie not m: tor we have added unto all our fins, #zs evil,
to ask us a king ».
k For ſo we ſhall ſtill own our ſelves to be, though we have got another Maſter. 1 Whom thou haſt ſo great an Intereſt 1n, and canſt ſo eaſily prevail with for any Mercy, whiiſt we are aſhamed and afraid to call him our God, becauſe we have ſo highly offended him. »» That this terrible Storm may be taken . away, Jeſt our perſons and the Fruirs of the Earth be all deſtroyed. » So horribly were they biaſſed with their prejudices and p-fſionss that nothing bur a Miracle could convince them of this particular Sin.
20 © And Samuel ſaid unto the people, Fear not »: ( ye have done all this wickedneſs, yet turn not aſide from following the LORD, but ſerve the LORD with all your heart : :
o To wit, with a ſervile and deſponding Fear, as if there were Ro Hope left for you. |
2s And turn ye not aſide p, for then ſhould ye go q
for they are vain- )
p To wit, after Idols ; as they had often done before ; and not- withſtanding rhis warning, did afterwards, q Or, fbould ye turn aſide ; which words are eaſily ro be underſtood our of the foregoing Branch, ſuch E!lipſes being moſt frequent in Scripture, as Deur. 1. 4+ 1 King. 14. 14+ 2 Kings 9, 27. r So Idol: are called, Deut. 32, 21. Jer. 2. 5+ and fo they are, being meer Nothings, 4 Cer. 8. 4- having no Divinity nor power inthem; no Influence upcn us, nor uſe or benefit to us. ſ 1. e. Which will not only be unprefitable, bur highly pernicious ro you ; the contrary Affffirmative being un» derſtood under the Negative, as Exod. 20. 7. Numb. 21. 23. Deut* 2. 30»
E7 *Plal. 22 * For the LORD will not forſake his people for 94+ 14+ his great Names ſake s : becauſe it hath pleaſed the LORD to make you his people ?z. 5 i: e. For his own Honour, which would ſeem to ſuffer much among Men,if he ſhould nor preſerve & deliver his people in eminent Dangers; as if he were grown feeble, or forgetful, or inconſtant, or unfaithful, or regardleſs of Humane ff1irs, or unkind :o thoſe who own and worſhip bim, »hen all. the reſt of the Wor'd forſake him Hence this Argument hath been oft pleaded with Gcd. not withour good ſucceſs. as Exod 32. 12. Numb. 14+ +3, &c. And this reaſon God here alledgeth to rake them off from all conceir of their own merit; and to afſure them, thar if rhey {id truly repent of all rheir ſins, and ſerved God withall their heart, which is here {up- poſed; yet even in that caſe their Saivation would not be due ro their Merits; but only the effe&t of Gods free mercy. out of his own free Grace, without anv deſert of yours, as he faith, Deut. 7: 7: and 9: 5: and therefore he will not eaſily forſake you, except youthruſt him away.
| 23 Moreover, as for me, God forbid that T ſhould fin againſt the LORD, Þ in ceaſing to pray for you «: but I will teach you x the good and the right way.
, Think not, that becauſe you have ſo highly diſobliged and re- je&ed me, that I will revenge my ſelf, by negleQing to pray for you, or by praying againſt you, as I have now done for your Con- victior. and Humiliarion, andſo for your Preſervar'on ; I am ſenſible It is my Duty,. as I am a Man, an J/-aelite, a M'n'iſter, a Prophet, fo pray for yon. x Heb. and I will, &c. i, e. I wil! not only pray for you, which is ene Branch of my Duty; but will alſo Teach and Inſtru& you, which i5 the other Branch of it. And though you have caſt me cff from being your Judge and Ru'er, yet I will not ceaſe ro be your Inſtruor and Monitor, to ke: p you irom Sin
and deſtruQtion. 24 Only fear the Lot, and ſerve him y in truth