their fins, and to ferve the Lord alone. He was also a wife and vigilant magiftrate; he administered justice with great impartiality, and took a circuit yearly through the kingdom for that purpofe. But when he grew old, and incapable of discharging his public office, he made his fons judges over Ifrael; who degenerated from their father's virtue, perverted juftice for the fake of bribes, and oppreffed the people: upon which the eldersof Ifrael made a general complaint to Samuel, and earnestly requested him to alter their form of government, and to appoint a king to judge them like other

nations.

Samuel, by the particular direction of the Lord, fet before them the many inconveniences and grievances which would attend fuch a change; and alfo informed them, that, by thus infifting upon it, they rejected the Lord from being their king: vet when, notwithstanding the remontrance of the prophet, they perfifted obftinately in their demand, God ordered him to hearken to their voice, and was pleafed to nominate Saul to the regal dignity.

We know not what temporal advantages are most conducive to our real intereft; and frequently, with equal eagerness and ignorance, folicit thofe things which would

be pernicious to us. God alone knows what will help us, and what will hurt us; and all our prayers fhould be offered, as with entire dependence on his goodness, fo with entire fubmiffion to his wisdom. Give us, O Lord, the things which are most convenient for us, whether we defire them or not; and keep from us, we beseech thee, all evil things, even though we fhould earnestly wish and pray for them.

WHILE the Ifraelites were governed

by Judges, the land was afflicted with a grievous famine; during which, Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, retired for fafety, with his wife Naomi and his two fons, into the land of Moab; where his fons married Orpah and Ruth. But after fome time he and his fons died; upon which Naomi refolved to return into her own country, and defired her daughters-inlaw to remain in Moab, under the care and protection of their own relations.—Orpah, with great reluctance and many tears, took leave of her mother, and remained; but Ruth clave unto her, faying, Whither

thou goeft, I will go: thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God.

Upon their arrival at Bethlehem, Ruth went into the fields of Boaz to glean corn for their food. Boaz, though abounding in riches, was diligent, condefcending, and charitable. Obferve the behaviour of the mafter and the fervants: as he went into the field, he said to the reapers, The Lord be with you; and they answered him, The Lord bless thee.-Having inquired into the family and circumstances of Ruth, whom he faw gleaning, he commanded the men to let fall fome handfuls in her way; contriving at the fame time to give her a plentiful provifion without the appearance of giving, and to fave her that fhame and confufion, which modeft people feel upon receiving,

Boaz was fo charmed with the honeft induftry of Ruth, and her dutiful affection to Naomi, that after a fruitless application to her kinfmen for a husband, he himself married her; and they had a fon called Obed, who was the father of Jesse, and grandfather of David; from whom in a direct line the Saviour of the world defcended, and is therefore called the Son of

CHAP. XXIV.

THE REIGN OF SAUL.

Before SAUL, a young man, as he was Chrift looking for his father's affes, which 1095. had ftrayed from their pasture, was directed by the Lord to Samuel, and anointed to be King over Ifrael. He was no fooner feated upon his throne, than the men of Jabesh-gilead, being clofely befieged by the Ammonites, implored his affiftance; upon which he immediately collected fome forces, marched all night, attacked and defeated the enemy, and put them to flight with a very confiderable lofs.

After this Jonathan, the fon of Saul, took a garrifon from the Philistines; who were fo much enraged at it, that they marched against the Ifraelites with a very numerous army. The people were filled with confternation and defpair; and Saul, though he had been commanded by Samuel to wait for his coming, yet hoping to raise the drooping fpirits of his fubjects, offered the burnt-offering himfelf; for which act of prefumption the Prophet fharply rebuked him, and told him that his kingdom would not continue. The Lord was pleafed, how

ever, in compaffion to the people, to favour the arms of Jonathan, and grant a remarkable victory over the enemy.

Saul was afterwards fent to execute judg→ ment upon the Amalekites, with an exprefs command not to leave any creature alive. But he obeyed the command only in part; for he faved Agag their king, and the beft of the cattle: and when Samuel, upon hearing the bleating of the Sheep and the lowing of the oxen, charged him with the failure, he pretended that he had faved the cattle for a facrifice unto the Lord.

There can be no good excufe for the wilful violation of our duty. Can we be faid to do the will of God, while we do it only in fome particular inftances, and knowingly neglect it in others? Can a partial obedience be juftified in the fight of God, or to our own hearts?-Could thofe fpoils, which the Almighty had commanded to be destroyed, be a pleafing facrifice to him;-or an external ceremony make amends for the breach of an exprefs law? Certainly not.The Prophet therefore rejected the hypocritical defence, and faid, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and fucrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" Behold,