ephod for the priest to wear in his devotions; and consecrated one of his sons, though of the tribe of Ephraim, to be his priest.

XVII. 13. Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

I know I did amiss, in consecrating one to be my priest, who is not of the tribe of Levi; but now I have made amends for that error; and now, I hope God will be favourable to me, seeing I have chosen a priest out of the due tribe.

XVIII. 6. Before the LORD is your way wherein you go.
God hath taken special notice of your journey, to prosper it.
XVIII. 30. Until the day of the captivity of the land.
Until the time that the Philistines prevailed against the land.

XIX. 18. But I am now going to the house of the LORD.

I am travelling to Shiloh, where the tabernacle of the Lord, and my employment is.

XIX. 22. Sons of Belial.

Lewd and debauched men.

XIX. 22. That we may know him.

That we may abuse him to our lust.

XIX. 24. Humble ye them.

If ye will needs be so outrageous, take your pleasure on them rather; and bring this shame upon them.

XX. 16. Seven hundred chosen men, left-handed; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

Seven hundred men, so skilful, that they could even with their left hand also wield their weapons; and so expert in the art of slinging, that they would not miss of the smallest mark.

XX. 23. And the LORD said, Go up against him.

Ye are over confident, as of your cause, so of your strength; and, therefore, for your further humiliation, I give way unto you to go up against Benjamin; but I do not encourage you with promise of success.

XXI. 22. For ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

Ye have sufficiently kept your oath, in that ye did not voluntarily give your daughters to them, so as now if you shall connive at this violence, they are furnished with wives, and ye are guiltless.

RUTH.

I. 11. Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

You know I am past the possibility of having any other sons, that might raise a seed to their dead brethren.

I. 20. Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, &c.

My case is now altered, and so let my name be. I had a name when I was before with you, that sounded of pleasure, but now my present condition calls for a name of bitterness.

II. 3. And her hap was to light on a part of the field, belonging unto Boaz.

God so disposed of her choice, that she lighted upon a part of the field belonging to Boaz.

II. 20. Who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.

Who so lovingly continueth a kind remembrance of his dead kinsman, my late husband Elimelech, and, for his sake, of me.

III. 9. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Take thou me into thy protection, as my husband; for thou art the man, who, by the Law of God, as being one of the nearest kinsmen to my husband, hast right, both to redeem his inheritance, and to marry me his widow.

IV. 6. I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own in

heritance.

I cannot redeem it for myself, lest, if I should have one only son by Ruth, my inheritance should be utterly extinguished; since that son must be accounted as my deceased kinsman's, and not mine.

I. SAMUEL.

I. 5. The LORD had shut up her womb.
But the Lord afflicted her with barrenness.

I. 20. When the time was come about.

When the full number of months were come about after her conception.

I. 28. I have also lent him to the LORD.

I have, upon my vow, returned him to the Lord, as consecrated unto him by me formerly.

II. 3. Talk no more so exceeding proudly, &c.

Now let not Peninnah, or any other adversaries, that were wont to insult over me, open their mouths against me.

II. 5. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased; so that the barren hath borne

seven.

Those, that were wealthy, are now so brought down, that they

are fain to hire out themselves to get bread for their mouths; and those, that were poor and hungry, are so filled, that they take their ease; the barren is now the mother of many children &c.

II 8. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.

The Lord hath founded the earth strongly, and immoveably; and hath made it the center, or foundation, whereon he hath framed and stablished the world.

II. 12. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

The sons of Eli were lewd and wicked men, and did not acknowledge and regard the Lord; but in their works denied him.

II. 14. All that the fleshhook brought up, the priest took for himself.

The priests were not content with those parts of the sacrifice which God had allotted unto them, but took whatsoever the flesh hook brought first up.

II. 15. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, &c. Whereas, by the ordinance of God, the fat was first to be offered and burnt to the Lord, they would not stay the leisure of this due ceremony, but snatched away the flesh before the time.

II. 20. For the loan which, &c. See chapter i. 28.

II. 29. Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice?

Why do ye contemn my sacrifices; and make a scorn of them before the people?

II. Ibid. And honourest thy sons above me.

Wherefore hast thou given more respect to thy sons, than unto me; in that thou hast suffered them to carve for themselves of my sacrifices, and to eat thereof before I am served?

II. 30. I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy fathers should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith; be it far from me.

I had indeed, at the first institution of the priesthood, truly, though conditionally, decreed, that thy house and the house of thy fathers should ever continue this sacred office before me; but now, since ye have violated that part of the condition which concerned yourselves, far be it from me to perpetuate the priesthood unto you.

II. 32. Thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation.

Thou shalt live to know, that an enemy (the Philistine) hath taken possession of my ark and tabernacle.

III. 1. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

It was a rare and unusual thing for the Lord to reveal his

will by visions, to any man, in those days; and if privately he did thus speak unto some one, yet the public use of prophecy was a long time laid down.

III. 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD.

Samuel was not yet acquainted with the voice of the Lord.

IV. 1. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

And these words of Samuel, which God had by him spoken concerning Eli, came to the notice of all Israel.

VI. 5. Ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice.

In acknowledgment that these judgments come from the hand of the Lord, ye shall make the fashions both of the emerods and of the mice, wherewith ye are annoyed, in gold; and offer them up to God, for an expiation of that offence, which we have done against him.

VI. 19. And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men.

He smote some of the men, that were priests and Levites, of Bethshemesh; because, contrary to the charge of the Lord, they looked into the ark: and of the common people, who resorted thither upon the report of the return of the ark, he smote fifty thousand and threescore and ten men, for the same presumption and curiosity.

VII. 2. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. All the house of Israel, being humbled by their servitude under the Philistines, made great moans and lamentations to God, for remission and favour.

VII. 6. And drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, &c. And drew water in great abundance, and washed, and purified themselves before the Lord from their long and general unclean

nesses.

X. 5. After this thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is a garrison of the Philistines.

After this, thou shalt come to the hill of Gibeah, which is consecrated to God, in that there is a college of the sons of the prophets on the one side, as there is a garrison of the chased Philistines on the other.

X. Ibid. Thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

Thou shalt meet with a company of prophets and their scholars coming down from Gibeah, with much variety of the cheerfullest music, which they shall use for the raising up of their

spirits, and composing of their thoughts in a preparation to their prophesying, which they shall take up before thee.

X. 6. And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

Thou shalt find thyself suddenly endued with the same spirit, wherewith they are moved; and enabled to prophesy as they do ; and shalt feel a sensible alteration in thyself, by reason of those extraordinary graces which shall be wrought in thee.

X. 9. God gave him another heart.

God wrought a sensible change in him, by these new abilities which he infused into his heart.

X. 12. One of the same place answered and said, But who is their father?

Look not unto the men themselves, but look unto the hand of that God, who hath inspired them: what need you to marvel that Saul prophesies? These other, whom ye see, have not this power from their parents, but it is the gift of God; which is equally free, wheresoever he pleaseth to bestow it.

XIII. 13. For now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

That kingdom, whereinto thou wert elected, should have been, all thy life, established unto thee; which now, by this sin, thou hast lost the right unto, ere thou be thoroughly settled in it. XIII. 19. Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel.

Such was the jealousy and tyranny of the Philistines over their tributaries, the Israelites, that as they had despoiled them of those weapons, which were taken from the Ammonites, so they would not suffer a smith amongst them, who might furnish them with new.

XIV. 10. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand.

I find a strong instinct from God, assuring me, that if the Philistines shall say to us, Come up to us, God would have us go up, and we shall speed accordingly: this shall be a watchword from God to us, presaging our certain victory.

XIV. 27. His eyes were enlightened.

He received new strength, whereby all his senses were cheered and revived.

XIV. 41. Give a perfect lot.

Do thou, O Lord, by this lot clearly and perfectly shew who is guilty this day.

XV. 23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.

Thou wilt grant that witchcraft is a most heinous and abominable sin; I tell thee, that this thy disobedience to God's com