An abridgement of Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the world in five books ... : wherein the particular chapters and paragraphs are succinctly abrig'd according to his own method in the larger volume : to which is added his Premonition to princes.

CHAP. XII. Of Saul, the First King of Israel.

§. 1. THE deliberation to change the Govern∣ment into a Kingdom, arose upon Sa∣muel's being grown unable to sustain the Burthen of so careful a Government, which he put over his Sons; who failing of their Father's Care and Uprightness, and relishing nothing but Gain, sold Law and Ju∣stice to the best Chap-men. The Elders observing this, and that the Old Man, though a Prophet, yet as a natural Father, discerned not his Sons Errors; and remembring the lamentable success of Eli's Sons Rule, saw no other way to put them off, than by desiring a King. This Motion displeased Sa∣muel, who seeking Counsel from God, as in a Cause of so great consequence; he was order'd to hear the Voice of the People; yet so as God ac∣counted it a Wrong to himself, rather than to Sa∣muel, and therefore commanded him to declare un∣to them, the Inconveniencies and Miseries which shall befall them under that Government. All which are not intolerable, but as have been, and are still born by Subjects free Consent. But the Op∣pressions threatned, verse 14, &c. give an occasion ••o the Question, Whether a King fearing God, or

one which will Rule by his own discretion, and playeth the Tyrant, be here set out, as some judge; or that the Text only teacheth, what they ought, with pa∣tience, to bear at their Sovereigns hand, as others judge. The first ground themselves upon Deut. 17.14. &c. and on the words of the Text, which do not say, he may, but he will do so and so, shewing, what Power, severed from Piety, will do, as in A∣chab's Example, contrary to the Law, Deut. 16.18. The Arguments on the other side are largely handled in that Discourse of free Monarchies, which I shall not take upon me here to Insert.

This change of Government God fore-told, Gen. 15. and 17. and 49. and provided for the direction of it by Laws, Deut. 17. But whether the Reasons which move most Nations, moved them to choose a Monarch, or thereby to be cleared from the Sons of Samuel, doth not so plainly appear; for nei∣ther Perswasions nor Threats could draw them from their desire of a King.

§. 2. Saul's Election. §. Samuel by God's directi∣on, having yielded to the People, returned to his City Rama, expecting the Lord's direction, touch∣ing the King to be chosen, which the Lord accord∣inly performed, giving him warning the day before▪ Samuel hereupon, prepared to entertain whom God should send; and Saul intending nothing less than a Kingdom, found it, and was Anointed, and Con∣firmed by signs given him by Samuel, and returned home. Thus God oft by meanest occasions, order∣eth the greatest things, and in Moses and David's Calling from feeding Sheep, Iames and Iohn from Fishing, &c. Among the Signs given to Saul, one was of the Company of the Prophets; not such as by divine Revelation fore-told things to come, as Moses, Ioshua, Samuel, &c. but such as were exer∣cised in Expounding Scriptures, as were those,

1 Cor. 14. at which time God changed his Heart from a Vulgar condition to a Kingly. After this, another Assembly at Mispezh, Saul was Published, and designed King by God, and accepted of the People, and saluted King.

§. 3. Saul's Establishment after his Victory against the Ammonites, 1 Sam. 11. The Ammonites attend∣ing the Advantage of Times, for recovery of their Territories taken from them by the Amorites, having in vain attempted it in Iephtha's days, finding Isra∣els weakness by long oppression of the Philistins, who had disarmed them, had also slain 34000 of them, and that 50000 perished about Bethshemes, and their King was not yet so acceptable to all his Subjects, who were encouraged to begin with Iabesh Gilead, so near unto them. Saul to shew himself King, being pro∣probably descended of one of the Four Hundred Vir∣gins taken from the Gileadits, undertook the relief of Iabesh, assembling 330000 Men, and Defeated the Am∣monites. Hence Samuel drew them all to Gilgal, where Saul was again Confirmed King; where also Samu∣el exhorted them to fear the Lord, and rehearsed his own Justice. After a Years Reign, Saul chose him a strong Guard of Three Thousand, 1 Sam. 13.2.

§. 4. Saul's Disobedience and Rejection. §. Iona∣than with his Regiment of 1000, surprised a Garri∣son of the Philistins, which some judge was in Ca∣reatjearim, where was the Ark; but Iunius taketh it to be Gebah in Benjamin, near Gibha, where Iona∣than stayed with his Thousand; so that though the Philistins were much broken under Samuel, yet they held some strong places in Israel, of which this was one, whose Surprise so enraged them, that they gathered together the greatest Forces, mention'd 1 Sam. 12. while Saul was at Gilgal, expecting Sa∣muel, as he had been required, 1 Sam. 10.8. But because Samuel came not so soon as Saul expected,

he haste••ed to Sacrifice, taking the Office of a Priest on him, as some think; or, as others judge, he in diffidence, and distraction upon the Philistins Power, and his Peoples deserting him, attended not the Prophet's coming to direct him, and pray for him. For Samuel had sharply reproved and threat∣ned him with great Indecency, had he not had extra∣ordinary warrant from the Lord. So they departed each from other. Saul being come to Gibeah, his own City, being of strength; his Forces were but 600 between him and Ionathan, and of these not one had Sword or Spear, of which the Reason is rendred in the Text. The like Policy Nebuchado∣nozer us'd in the Conquest of Iudaea, and Dyonisius in Sicily. It may be, the other Israelits had some, though these Six hundred had not, for they might gain some at the overthrow of the Philistins, and Am∣monites. As for the Weapons the Israelites used in these Wars, they were Clubs, Bows, and Slings, wherein they were expert, 1 Chr. 12.2. and their Victories were rather extraordinary, as by Thunder or Astonishments sent from God, as in this next Overthrow by the hand of Ionathan and his Armour∣bearer, wherein God set them at dissention, cap. 14.10. So that the Israelites needed no Swords, when every Philistin's Sword supplyed the want. After this Victory, Saul undertook by turns, all the bor∣dering Enemies, and by special Commandment, the Amalekites in Arabia Petraea and the Desart, ra∣vaging from Havila to Shur. But for presuming contrary to God's express Charge, to spare Agag, &c. he was utterly rejected of the Lord, for all his pretence of Sacrifice; and Samuel never after visited Saul.

§. 5. Samuel fearing to Anoint another King, as God willed him, is directed how to do it safely. So that by cautious care to avoid danger, he did no way derogate from God's Providence; seeing the Lord

himself, tho' All-sufficient, instructed, Samuel to a∣void Saul's Fury, by the accustomed cautions ways of the World; and therefore Men neglecting of Pray∣er to God, and exercise of that Wisdom he hath in∣dued the Mind of Man with, for his preservation, are stupified with the Opinion of Fate, &c. Iesse having presented all his Sons, but David, to Samuel, he only whom the Father neglected, is chosen of God, and anointed by Samuel. The Philistins in the mean time considering how Saul's Power increa∣sed, while they sat still, and doubting least Israel might become able to revenge themselves, if they were suffer'd thus to encrease, thought it good to offer a new Check, presuming of their own Abili∣ties and former Successes; as for late Disasters, they might suppose the one was by a casual Tem∣pest, and the last by a mistaken Alarum, which wrought needless fear, and put the Army to Rout. Having therefore taken the Field, Encamping near Saul's Army, and both keeping their ground of ad∣vantage, they maintained some Skirmishes, not join∣ing in gross; which the Philistins had cause to fear, considering their late Success, and thereupon per∣haps, provoked to single Combat with their Giant, upon Condition of a general subjection of the van∣quished Nation, in their Champion. This gave oc∣casion to David, now to make a famous entrance in∣to the publick notice of the People, with the suc∣cess Recorded in Scripture. By this Victory, David fell under the heavy displeasure of Saul, by reason of his great Merits; whereupon he became a Convert Tyrant, faithless to Men, and irreligious to God, as the History sheweth, which brought him to the end we read of.

§. 6. Of such as lived with Samuel and Saul. §. Ae∣neas Sylvius began to Reign over the Latins in Alba, about the 11th year of Samuel, and Reigned Thirty one years. The same year Dorcillus began in Assyria,

being the Thirty first King, and Reigned Forty years. The Dores which came with Heraclides, ob∣tained Peloponnesus in this Age. Here follows the Account of the First Planters of Greece, from Iopetus, Father of Prometheus, Father of Deucalion and Pyr∣rha, King and Queen of Thessaly, of whom came Helen. Father of Xuthus, Dorus, and Aeolus. Xuthus fled to Erictheus of Athens, of whose Daughter came Achaeus and Ion. Achaeus for a slaughter, fled to La∣conia in Peloponnesus, and gave it his Name, and after, recovered Thessaly. Ion was made Governour of Attica, which he brought into a civil Course, and Planted Syciona, then called Aegiolio, and Mar∣ried Helice the Kings Daughter, of whom also the Land took Name. Dorus second Son of Helen, Planted about Parnassus and Lacedemon; but when the Heraclides, Nephews of Hercules, Invaded Pelo∣ponnesus, the Dores assisting, they expelled the Achaeans in Laconia, who seeking Habitation, drove out the Ionians, who failed into Asia, on whose West Coast they Built Twelve Cities. Hercules, Ancestor of the Heraclides, and his Twelve Labours of Fabulous Poets rehearsed. Sure it is Greece, was oblig'd to him for freeing it from many Tyrants and Thieves, which oppressed the Land in the Reign of Euristhe∣us, who employed him therein, being Jealous of him for his Virtue and Descent from Perseus. His Children after his Death, fled to the Athenians, who assisted them against Euristheus, whom they slew; but upon the death of Hillus, Son of Hercules, slain in Combat by Echenus King of Tegeates in Arcadia, who assisted Atreus, Successor of Euristheus, they were to leave the Country for one Hundred years, now expired, when they returned under Aristodemus, when Tisamenus was King of Achaea.

§. 7. Homer the Poet seemed to live about this time; but the diversity of Mens Opinions, and cu∣riosity about this Age is so Ridiculous, that I would

not offend the Reader therewith: But to shew the uncertainty of Historians, as well in this, as other Questions of Time, &c. Eusebius in his Evan. prae∣par. out of Tatian, nameth many Greek Writers more Antient than Homer. Hesiodus's Age is also questi∣oned; some hold him Elder, some Younger than he: But Varro leaves it uncertain, finding that both the Fathers lived some Years together. Senyes, or Senemyres seemed to have Ruled Egypt at this time: For Tenefersobris, his Successor, preceded Vaphres Father-in-Law to Solomon. About the end of Saul, the Amazons and Cymmerians Invaded Asia. After the Fall of Troy, Six Kingdoms grew up, as the La∣tins in Italy; Lacedemon, Corint••, and Achaia in Greece; Syria, Soba, and Damascus, under the Adads in Arabia, of which were Ten Kings, which be∣gan and ended, in effect, with the Kings of Is∣rael, which now changed their form of Govern∣ment into a Monarchy.