amongst them, as must have retarded their defigned establishment. But it will be faid, "if there wanted fo able a Chief at the first fetting up of a THEOCRACY, there would still be the fame want, though not in an equal degree, during the whole continuance of that divine form of government." It is likely there would, because I find, God did make a proper provifion for it; firft in the erection of the SCHOOLS OF THE PROPHETS: and afterwards, in the establishment of the GREAT SANHEDRIM, which fucceeded them. But facred history mentioning these Schools of the prophets, and the affembly of the Seventy elders, only occafionally, the accounts we have of both are very fhort and imperfect. Which is the reason why interpreters, who have not well weighed the causes of that occafional mention, have fuffered themselves to be greatly misled by the Rabbins. I. The moft particular account we have of the Schools of the prophets is in the first book of Samuel, and on this occafion: David, in his escape from the rage of Saul, fled to his protector, Samuel, who then prefided over a School of the prophets, at Naioth in Ramah. When this was told to Saul, he fent meffengers in pursuit of him". And, on the ill fuccefs of their errand, went afterwards himfelf. But as it was the intent of the hiftorian, in this mention of the Schools of the Prophets, only to acquaint us with the effect they had on Saul and his meffengers, when the fpirit of GOD came upon them, we have only a partial view of these Collegiate bodies, that is, a view of them while at * Ver. 23. their DEVOTIONS only, and not at their STUDIES. For Saul and his meffengers coming when the Society was prophefying, or at divine worship, the fpirit of God fell upon them, and they prophefied alfo. And thus the Chal. Par. understands prophefying, as did the apoftolic writers, who use the word in the fame sense, of adoring God, and finging praises unto him. For we may well fuppofe thefe Societies began and ended all their daily ftudies with this holy exercise. But from hence, writers of contrary parties have fallen into the fame ftrange and abfurd opinion; while they imagined that, because these Schools were indeed nurseries of the Prophets, that therefore they were places of inftruction for I don't know what kind of art of PROPHESY. Spinoza borrowed this fenfeless fancy from the Rabbins, and hath delivered it down to his followers; from whence they conclude that PROPHESY was amongst the mechanic arts of the Hebrews. But an inquirer of either common fenfe or common honesty would have seen it was a College for the study of the Jewish Law only; and, as fuch, naturally and properly, a feminary of Prophets. For those who were moft knowing as well as zealous in the Law, were furely the most fit to convey GoD's commands to his People. y Ver. 20. 2 The author of the Grounds and Reafons of the Chriftian Religion fays" They [the Pagans] learnt the art [divination] in fchools, or under difcipline, as the Jews did prophefying in "the Schools and Colleges of the Prophets [For which Wheatly's "Schools of the Prophets is quoted] where the learned Dodwell fays, the candidates for prophecy were taught the rules of divination practifed by the Pagans, who were skilled therein, and in poffeffion of the art long before them." P. 28. This account of the nature of the Schools of the prophets helps to fhew us how it became a proverb in Ifrael, Is SAUL ALSO AMONGST THE PROPHETS? which, I apprehend, has been commonly mistaken.. The proverb was used to express a thing unlooked for and unlikely. But furely the Spirit of God falling occafionally on their fupreme Magiftrate, at a time when it was fo plentifully: bestowed on private men, could be no fuch unexpected matter to the people; who knew too, that even Idolaters and Gentiles had partaken of it, while concerned in matters which related to their Oeconomy. But more than this, They could not be ignorant that the spirit of God had ufually made its abode with Saul; as appears from the following words of the facred hiftorian, But the fpirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. From all this I conclude that the people's furprise, which occafioned this proverb, was not because they heard the Spirit of God had fallen upon him; but for a very different reason, which I fhall now endeavour to ex, plain. SAUL, with many great qualities, both of a public man and á private, and in no refpect an unable Chief, was yet fo poorly prejudiced in favour of the human Policies of the neighbouring Nations, as to become impiously cold and neg a I SAM. XIX. 24, b I SAM. xvi. 14. - Dr. Mead, in his Medica Sacra, cap. iii. p. 25. obferves that what is faid of the Spirit of the Lord is not to be understood literally. He did not reflect that the Vicegerent of the Theocracy is here spoken of. Otherwife furely, he could not but acknowledge that if there was any fuch thing as the SPIRIT OF THE LORD exifting in that administration, it muft needs refide in the fupreme Magiftrate. ligent ligent in the support and advancement of the LAW OF GOD; tho' raised to regal power from a low and obfcure condition, for this very purpose. He was, in a word, a mere Politician, without the leaft zeal or love for the divine Conftitution of his Country. This was his great, and no wonder it fhould prove, his unpardonable crime. For his folly had reduced things to that extremity, that either He muft fall, or the Law. Now, this pagan turn of mind was no fecret to the People. When, therefore, they were told that he had fent frequent meffengers to the fupreme School of the prophets, where zeal for the Law was fo eminently profeffed; and had afterwards gone himself thither, and entered with divine raptures and extafy, into their devotions; they received this extraordinary news with all the wonder and amazement it deferved. And, in the height of their furprife, they cried out, Is Saul alfo amongst the prophets? i.e. Is Saul, who, throughout his, whole reign, hath fo much flighted and contemned the Law, and would conduct all his actions by the mere rules of human Policy, is he, at length become ftudious of and zealous for the Law of God? And the miracle, of fuch a change in a Politician, brought it into a proverb before the miftake was found out. This matter will receive farther light from what we are told, in the fame ftory, concerning DAVID. A man of fo opposite a character, with regard to his fentiments of the Law, that it appears to have been for this difference only that he was decreed by GOD to fucceed the other, in his kingdom. Now David, the story tells us, fojourned for fome time in this School. So David fled and efcaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that - Saul Saul had done to him, and HE AND SAMUEL WENT AND DWELT IN NAIOTH. And here it was, as we may reasonably conclude, that he fo greatly cultivated and improved his natural difpofition of love and zeal for the Law, as to merit that moft glorious of all titles, THE MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART; for, till now, his way of life had been very diftant from accomplishments of this nature; his childhood and youth were spent in the country; and his early manhood in camps and courts. But it is of importance to the cause of truth c 1 SAM. xvi. 18. There is a difficulty in the hiftory of David, in which SPINOZA much exults, as it fupports him in his impious undertaking on Sacred Scripture. It is this, In the xvith chap. of the first book of Samuel, we find David fent for to Court, to footh Saul's melancholy with his harp. On his arrival, he gave fo much fatisfaction, that the diftempered Monarch fent to his father to defire he might fand before him, ver. 22. that is, remain in his fervice. David hath leave; and becomes Saul's Armour-bearer, [ver. 21.] Yet in the very next chapter, viz. the xviith (which relates an incurfion of the Philistines, and the defiance of Goliah) when David goes to Saul for leave to accept the challenge, neither the king, nor the captain of his hoft know any thing of their champion or of his lineage. This is the difficulty, and a great one it is. But it would foon become none, in the ufual way Critics have of removing difficulties, which is by fuppofing, that whatever occafions them, is an interpolation; and fome blind manufcript is always at hand to fupport the blinder Criticism. But had more time been employed in the ftudy of the nature of Scripture Hif tory, and fomewhat lefs in collations of manufcripts, those would have found a nearer way to the wood, who now, cannot fee wood for trees. In a word, the true folution feems to be this: David's adventure with Goliah was prior in time to his folacing Saul with his mufic. Which latter ftory is given by way of anticipation in chap. xvi. but very properly and naturally. For there, the hiftorian having related at large, how God had rejected Saul, and anointed David, goes on, as it was a matter of highest moment in a RELIGIOUS HISTORY, to inform us of the effects both of one and the other; though we are not to fup |