and this was the order of the prophets, a race of men trained up by a long course of study, difcipline, ftrict temperance, and utter contempt of worldly grandeur, to be teachers of righteoufnefs; and fitted, by the best habits of piety and virtue, to receive, upon extraordinary occafions, the inspirations of the Spirit of God.

THESE were to the Jews the great teachers of virtue and wisdom, as the philofophers were infome measure to the Heathens; but with 'great difadvantage, from their deficiency in the two laft characters: whereas thefe advantages impowered and inspired the prophets to preach true righteousness to the people; and to deprefs the value of all the rituals of religion, compared with it; to preach and to prepare them for the kingdom of the Meffiah; and to manifest their miflion by miracles, and predictions of future events: which enabled them, on many occafions, to reprove and to repress alike the enormities of princes, priefis, and people; nay, fometimes, to awe even neighbouring nations into repentance and amendment.

Now tho' GOD, to fhew that the operations of his Spirit are not tied to human inftitutions, fometimes chofe uneducated men, and even women, to receive and to publifh his inspirations; yet at the fame time, to manifeft the value of wife difcipline, and good inftitutions, and to fhew their fitness to prepare men for the influence of the Spirit of GOD, he generally chofe his prophets out of fuch as were educated in the fchools of the prophets; of which take this

fhort

fhort account, from a work of great learning, and (I think) equal candour *:

"ON the other hand, they were no lefs care"ful to cultivate the knowledge of them, (the

Scriptures) among themselves. We cannot, "indeed, be fure that they had any fynagogues "before the captivity; tho' it be far from im

probable, confidering the great distance at "which fome of them lived from the temple ; "and that, at the beft, they were obliged to re"fort thither but thrice in a year: but other

places they had for prayer and instruction, "namely, the schools of the prophets; to which "they might repair on the fabbaths, new moons, "and other feftivals. By prophets, we mean

not those strictly fo called, men endowed with "the fpirit of prophecy; but their difciples, or, 66 as the Hebrew idiom words it, the fons of the prophets. The former were generally con"fulted by the kings, priests, and elders of their

people, upon all extraordinary occafions, whe"ther about religion, or state affairs; and the "latter were brought up under them, and fitted "for inftructing the people in the way of virtue, and the worship of God.

"THESE had their habitations chiefly in the country; they lived in a kind of fociety among themselves, and had generally one or more of "the prophets to be heads over them, and to "whom they gave the title of father; their " houses were but mean, and of their own build"ing; their food was chiefly pottage made of

* Univerfal Hift. p. 730, 731.

" herbs,

" herbs, unless when the people sent fome better "fare to them, fuch as bread, parched corn, ho"ney, dried fruits, and the like; their drefs was

plain and coarse, and tied about with a lea"thern girdle: their wants being fo few, were "eafily fupplied by their own hands; and as their views reached no further, fo they limit"ed their labour to that, that they might beftow "the more time in prayer, study, and retirement. "Riches were no temptation to them in such a "ftate; and therefore Elijah not only refused "Naaman's prefents, but punished Gebafi in a "fevere manner, for having clandeftinely ob"tained a small portion of them. This laborious, "reclufe, and abftemious course of life, joined "to the meannefs of drefs, gave them fuch a

ct

ftrange air, especially among the courtiers, that "they looked upon them as no better than mad"men. Their extraordinary freedom in reprove"ing even princes for their wicked deeds, did "likewife expose them frequently to perfecu"tions, imprisonments, and sometimes to death, "efpecially in the reigns of fome wicked princes, "fuch as were Ahab and Manaffeh; but in the "main, they were always refpected by the bet"ter and wifer fort even of the highest rank, " and ufed with the utmost reverence and re<< gard both in language and behaviour."

MANY learned men have thought, that in these schools they have studied arithmetic and aftro. nomy; and doctor Patrick thinks, that the Greek word Sophos, which was originally the title of aftronomers, might be derived from Zoph, which

in Hebrew fignifies a Prophet. Nor is this an irrational conjecture; efpecially when we confider that the prophets generally fixed their refidence upon the tops of hills, where, if they studied not aftronomy, yet were they always at hand. to preach a better knowledge of heaven to the people that delighted to facrifice on high places.

ONE thing we certainly know, that in these schools they studied and practifed mufic in great perfection; and as the praises of GOD made a confiderable part of their business, it is not to be imagined that their mufic was without fong.

To conclude: "Here (fays the learned Dr. Trapp) was profeffed the true philosophy; "which, according to Aristotle, is a divine and heavenly doctrine indeed *; far different from that vain and deceitful philofophy which the apoftle, inveigheth againft, (Col. ii. 8.) and " which is in truth nothing but fophiftry; which "Ariftotle calls a feeming, but not a fubftantial "wisdom t."

Of this order of men was Samuel, an eminent prophet and patriot! a prophet, and the fon and father of prophets! the child of piety and prayers,

and the man of GOD!

Θεον καὶ δαιμόνιον ὄντως χρῆμα.

* Φαινομένη σοφία, ὅσα δὲ μή.

VOL. I.

C

CHAP.

CHA P. III.

What ensued upon DAVID's being anointed to the Succeffion of the Throne, together with the Occafion of his being called to SAUL'S Court.

AVID, elected and anointed to the

D throne, in the manner already men

tioned, became, from that day, eminent for fortitude, prudence, and piety, beyond any man of his own, or perhaps of any fucceeding age. It is true, they that credit the fcripture-history in this affair, will eafily account for all these extraordinary accomplishments and improvements; for that affures us, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forwardt. And I fhould be glad to learn from thofe who do not credit this circumftance of the hiftory, in the strict sense of the text, how otherwise they

*It is hardly to be fuppofed, (fay the authors of the Univerfal Hiftory, p. 763, note E) that Samuel did then explain the whole mystery of his anointing of David; which might have had fome fatal confequence, had it come to Saul's ears; but as it was usual to anoint men to the office of prophet, as well as to the regal dignity, it is more likely, that he left them to fuppofe the former.

Tho' his outward circumftances were not changed in the mean time, (for he continued keeping his father's flock) yet the anointing was not an empty ceremony: a divine power went along with the inftituted fign, and he found himself inwardly advanced in wifdom, courage, concern for the public, and all qualifications proper for a prince; to fatisfy him that his election was of God. Millar's Hift. of the Church, &c. p. 146.

can