giving up ourselves to him. Let us remember that we have opened our mouth, and cannot go back with honour and a good conscience. Let us be faithful to all our engagements. So Solomon exhorts, Eccles. v. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed.

5. The submission of Jephthah's daughter to her father's rash vow, is very amiable, and worthy of imitation. She showed much obedience to her father, great love to her country, and joy for its success, in cheerfully consenting to be treated according to it. This is a beautiful example for children, who should be subject to their parents, as far as it is agreeable to the will of God, and what they require is lawful in itself; else there is no obligation. Let them especially submit to all their good resolutions for the honour of God, and the support of religion in their families. This example reads us all a lesson of submission to God, our heavenly Father, whose injunctions are always wise and kind; and of a cheerful resignation to him, to do with us as his infinite wisdom directs: Here am I, should each of us say, let the Lord do with me as seemeth good in his sight.

6. The last reflection shall be on the different opinions of learned and pious men, concerning this dark affair of Jephthah's vow. Since their sentiments are so different and opposite, we should learn candour and humility, and bear with one another amidst different sentiments about disputed points. When I mention the names of POOL, Henry, Hallet, and almost all the old commentators, on the one side; and PERKINS, CRADOCK, the Assembly's Annotations, the Universal History, and most modern writers on the other; we may be sure it is a difficult point, and may also be sure that it is not a very important one; and in such a case, nothing can be more unreasonable, absurd, and unbecoming, than confidence, and a contempt, of those who are otherwise minded. Let this teach us to be thankful that every thing which is fundamental in religion is plain and clear. May we think most of, and delight most in, the indisputable parts of religion; and remember and practise what God requires of us, namely, that we do justly, love mercy, and walk kumbly with God.

CHAP. XII.

In this chapter we have an account of a quarrel between the Ephraimites and the Gileadites; of Jephthah's death; and of three other judges that God raised up for Israel.

ND the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together,

the other side Jordan, where Jephthah lived, and said unto Jephthah, in an insolent manner, in order to quarrel with him, as they had done with Gideon, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.* 2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands; which shows that he did not undertake the war without a just cause, and that he did 3 call them, but they refused to come. And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, I put my life in my hands, exposed myself and people to great danger ; like a man that carries a precious jewel in his hand, which might easily be snatched from him; and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand, he approved what I did, and gave me success: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? it is the highest baseness and ingratitude. But the answer had no effect. Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites [are] fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, [and] among the Manassites; Ye are the ref use and scum of these two tribes, and therefore should not have undertaken a matter of such importance without our knowledge, 5 who are so much your betters, And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was [so,] that when those Ephraimites which were escaped, and who now themselves were fugitives indeed, said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, [Art] thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, în order to see whether he was of any other tribe, Say now Shibboleth : and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce [it] right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand, in the fight, in the pursuit, and at the

This shows that they were disposed to censure and quarrel with him. Had he sacrificed his daughter, that would have been another matter of accusation.

+ These Ephraimites spoke a different dialect, and could not pronounce the sh, as the French cannot pronounce our th, nor we pronounce the Welch ch; by this means they were easily discovered

7

river; though the Gileadites were cruel to revenge their angry words so severely, yet God was just in punishing this proud, passionate, and ungrateful people, who despised and threatened Jephthah, who had done so worthily in Israel, and abused their brethren, who had shown such a laudable zeal.

And Jephthah judged Israel six years: then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead.

89 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, [whom] he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. 10 And he judged Israel seven years. Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

11

And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he 12 judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. In him the tribe of Ephraim began to recover its 14 dignity again. And he had forty sons and thirty nephews,

or grandsons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and 15, he judged Israel eight years. And Abdon the son of Hillel, the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. All these judges lived in peaceable times, maintained the purity of God's worship, died and were buried in peace, the last of them in the mount of the Amalekites, probably so called from a signal victory gained over them in that place.

1.

SE

REFLECTIONS.

EE the mischief of pride and envy, and the effects of them, upbraiding and angry words. The pride of the Ephraimites because they had not the honour of the victory, led them to quarrel with Jephthah and their brethren; and to come with such multitudes, in such a riotous manner, with malice in their hearts, lies in their tongues, and violence in their hands, though it was quite unreasonable. The guilty persons began to accuse their brethren, as is generally the case; but how pitiful, how detestable do they appear! May we guard against thinking that every honour is our due, and envying those that are honoured and distinguished above us. Let us ever maintain an humble spirit; and take heed also to our tongues; guard against calling ill names, and using scurrilous language: grievous words stir up anger, and separate chief friends. Let us then learn to bridle our tongues; for the tongue when it uses ill language, sets on fire the course of nature, and is itself set on fire of hell.

2. See what fatal consequences flow from resenting injuries received, and being hasty to avenge ourselves. The Ephraimites formerly quarrelled with Gideon, as they now did with Jephthah; but he returned them a mild answer, turned off their reproach and censures with a compliment, and it ended well. But this rough hero, Jephthah, expostulated with them too warmly, and increased, rather than lessened, their anger; and the Gileadites fell upon them with the utmost fury; their anger was fierce, and their wrath was cruel. They contrived a bloody artifice to kill their brethren, and no doubt destroyed many innocent persons, who might naturally be terrified with the sight of bloodshed, so as not rightly to pronounce their Shibboleth. So madly and cruelly do men act when they give a loose to their passions, and take the work of vengeance into their own hands. Jephthah and the Gileadites lost all the honour of their victory over the Ammonites, when they showed in this instance that they were the slaves of passion and resentment. May we learn to govern our passions, and rule our own spirits. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

3. Let us not be cruel or severe to those of our brethren who cannot pronounce our Shibboleth; who cannot just think, or say, or worship, as we do. Let us do unto them as we wish they would do unto us. If they should be angry, revengeful, persecuting, and malicious, still let us love our enemies, bless them that curse us; and do good to them that despitefully use and persecute us; and thus show ourselves to be the children of our heavenly Father, who causeth his sun to shine, and his rain to descend, on the evil and the good, on the just and the unjust.

CHAP. XIII.

We are now entering on the history of Samson, who was a great scourge to the enemies of his country. In this chapter his birth is foretold by an angel, to his mother; he appears again to Manoah and his wife; they discover that he was an angel; and in due time Samson is born.

ND the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of

AND of Loup delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. This was the sixth and longest oppression of Israel; while the Ammonites distressed them in the cast, the Philistines did so in the west.

2

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name [was] Manoah; and his wife [was] 3 barren, and bare not. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou [art] barren and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. This address engaged her attention, as it plainly proved that he was a prophet who spoke to her, because he knew her 4 circumstances. Now therefore, beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean [thing,] nothing that is forbidden to the Nazarites, (Numb. vi. 2—5.) 5 much less any thing forbidden to others; For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, that is, separated to the service of God: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines; this deliverance was not to be completed till David's time.

Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, that is, a holy prophet sent of God, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible, that is, venerable and full of majesty, which struck such an awe into her that she could not ask his name, or make any particular inquiry: she accordingly adds, but I asked him not whence he [was,] neither told he me his 7 name: but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now, drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean [thing :] for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death, whereas, others might be for a certain time only.

Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my LORD, let the man of God which thou didst send, come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. He believed the message, and instead of sending to seek ・the messenger, applied to God by prayer, that the man of God might come again and teach him more fully what to do to the 9 child, and how to bring it up. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband [was] 10 not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me that came unto me the [other] day. She thought this was in answer to her husband's prayer, and therefore concluded that the angel would stay till she went and 11 fetched him. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, [Art] thou the man that 12 spakest unto the woman? And he said, I [am.] And Ma

• Dan lay next to the Philistines; it was proper therefore that a deliverer should rise from thence. Samson was the first hero of that tribe.