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solemn inauguration of the new monarch completed, until God by a miracle had convinced the people of his displeasure at the criminal motives in which their demand of a king had originated; and thus filled them with terror, humbled them to repentance, and led them to confess their crime, and implore pardon and a continuance of the divine protection. "Now therefore

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"stand and see," says the Prophet, "this

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great thing which the Lord will do beIs it not wheat harvest

"fore your eyes.

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to-day? I will call upon the Lord, and "he shall send thunder and rain; that ye

may perceive and see that your wicked"ness is great, which ye have done in the

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sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. "So Samuel called unto the Lord, and the "Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and "all the people greatly feared the Lord and "Samuel. And all the

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people said unto Sa

servants unto the

"Lord thy God, that we die not; for we "have added unto all our sins this evil, to

"ask us a king.

a king. And Samuel said unto

* 1 Sam. xii, 16.

"the

"the people, fear not; ye have done all "this wickedness, yet turn not aside from

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following the Lord; but serve the Lord "with all your hearts, and turn ye not "aside; for then should ye go after vain "things, which cannot profit, for they are "vain. For the Lord will not forsake his 'people, for his great name's sake, for it "hath pleased the Lord to make you his

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people. Moreover as for me, God forbid "that I should sin against the Lord, in "ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach

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you the good and the right way. Only "fear the Lord, and serve him in truth, "with all your heart, for consider how

great things he hath done for you; but "if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be "consumed, both ye and your king."

How clearly does this transaction, in all its circumstances, illustrate the nature of that government which God exercised over his chosen people, and prove how admirably it was adapted to their situation and character! It exhibits, not the overwhelming violence of resistless power, but the steady yet mild controul of parental authority, correcting

recting the transgressions of this wayward race with a necessary strictness, and enforcing their submission with immoveable firmness; yet attentive to their feelings, indulgent even to their weaknesses, ever ready to hear their supplications, and accept their penitence; and incessantly directing every circumstance, so as most effectually to provide for their improvement and their happiness. While in the people we perceive a puerile turn of mind, easily caught by outward shew, and breaking forth into tumultuous applause, at beholding the stature and beauty of their new sovereign; anxious to imitate their neighbours in the splendor of a court, and placing their dependence more on the warlike character of their leader, than the experienced protection of their God; yet rather weak and inconstant in their moral and religious character, than obstinately impious and depraved: in the ordinary course of things, inattentive to the guardian hand of Providence, but never questioning the divine original of their religion. and government, or deliberately rejecting the

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the authority of their heavenly King. the contrary, when their reflection is roused, and their seriousness awakened, by a sensible* proof of the divine displeasure, they, as it should seem, humbly confess and deeply lament their transgressions; acknowledge gratefully the past mercies of their God, deprecate his wrath with heartfelt terror, and engage for their own future obedience, with evident sincerity. Such appears the real character of the Jewish people; such the nature of that discipline, and the degree of that controul, which the wisdom of God exercised over them, as sufficient for securing the great objects of the divine dispen

sations.

Now it seems undeniable, that the various idolatries and transgressions of the Jews, not only naturally resulted from this their national character; but that they are perfectly consistent with the reality of such a divine government, and therefore in no degree diminish the credibility of those miracles, by which the existence of that government is attested; or the divine original

* 1 Sam. xi. 15, with xii, 4 and 19.

of

of that Law, which was by its authority promulgated and upheld.

It has been already remarked, that the authenticity of the Pentateuch, and, by consequence, the certainty of the Mosaic miracles, and the divine original of the Mosaic Law, derives considerable evidence from the late introduction of the regal form of government in Judæa. In truth, had this` been established by their legislator from the first, it would have been difficult to remove the suspicion, that temporal motives and' political arts might have contributed to give a fictitious divine authority to a code of Laws, which an able legislator had contrived, and a series of powerful kings had maintained, as the support of the regal government; while in the present case all such suspicion is precluded, as the Law must have been universally recognized, before the establishment of that regal authority; which, though it in a certain degree provides for, it yet disapproves of and restrains. It was not, therefore, unproductive of advantage to the permanent interests of religion, that

VOL. II.

M

Supra, Vol. I. p. 32 to 37.

this

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