(4) Jewish Polity. The Jewish polity, then, was a sort of sacerdotal republic—we say sacer dotal, because of the great influence which, from the first, the priestly order enjoyed, having no human head, but being under the special super vision, protection, and guidance of the Almighty. The nature of the consequences, however, of that Divine influence avowedly depended on the de gree of obdience and the general faithfulness of the nation. The good, therefore, of such a super intendence in its immediate results was not neces sary, but contingent. The removal of Moses and of Joshua by death soon left the people to the natural results of t'heir own condition and character. Anarchy ensued. Noble minds, indeed, and stout hearts appeared in those who were termed Judges; but the state of the country was not so satisfactory as to prevent an unenlightened people, having low and gross affections, from pre ferring the glare of a crown and the apparent pro tection of a scepter, to the invisible and, there fore, mostly unrecognized arm of Omnipotence.
(5) Demand for a Ring. A king accordingly is requested. The misconduct of Samuel's sons, who had been made judges, was the immediate occasion of the demand being put forth. The request came with authority, for it emanated from all the elders of Israel, who, after holding a for mal conference, proceeded to Samuel, in order to make him acquainted with their wish.
Samuel was displeased; but, having sought in prayer to learn the Divine will, he is instructed to yield to the demand on a ground which we should not assuredly have found stated, had the book in which it appears have been tampered with or fabricated for any courtly purposes or any personal ends, whether by Sarnuel himself, or by David, or any of his successors—lor they. have not rejected thee (Samuel), but they have re jected me, that I should not reign over thetn' 0 Sant. viii :7, 8). Samuel is, moreover, directed to 'protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them' (verse 9). Faithfully docs the prophet depict the evils which a monarchy would Inflict on the peo ple. In vain. They said, 'Nay, but we will have a king over us.' (6) Saul the Son of Kish. Accordingly,Saul the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was, by Divine direction, selected, and privately anointed by Samuel 'to be captain over God's in heritance:' thus he was to hold only a delegated and subordinate authority. Under the guidance of Samuel, Saul is subsequently chosen by lot from among the assembled tribes; and though his personal appearance had no influence in the choice, yet when he was plainly pointed out t'o be the individual designed for the scepter, Samuel called attention to those qualities which in less civilized nations have a preponderating influence, and are never without effect, at least, in support ing 'the Divinity which doth hedge a king: 'Sce ye him whom the Lord bath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people' 0 Sam. x:
24), for he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward ; 'and all the peo ple shouted, God save the king.' (7) Limited Monarchy. Emanating as the royal power did from the demand of the people and the permission of a prophet, it was not likely to be unlimited in its extent or arbitrary in its exercise. The government of God, indeed, re mained, being rather concealed and complicated than disowned, much less superseded. The king ruled not in his own right, nor in virtue of the choice of the people, but by concession from on high, and partly as the servant and partly as the representative of the theocracy. How insecure, indeed, was the tenure of the kingly power, how restricted it was in its authority, appears clear from the comparative facility with which the crown was transferred from Saul to David; and the part which the prophet Samuel took in af fecting that transference points out the quarter where lay the power which limited, if it did not primarily, at least, control the royal authority. We must not, however, expect to find any definite and permanent distribution of power, any legal determination of the royal prerogatives as dis criminated from the Divine authority; circum stances, as they prompted certain deeds. restricted or enlarged the sphere of the monarch's action. Thus, in t Sam. xi:4, sq. we find Saul, in an emergency, assuming, without consultation or de liberation, the power of demanding something like a levy en masse, and of proclaiming instant war. With the king lay the administration of justice in the last resort (2 Sam. xv:2; Kings iii :16, sq.).
He also possessed the power of life and death (2 Sam. xiv.). To provide for and superintend the public worship was at once his duty and his highest honor (t Kings viii; 2 Kings xii:4; xviii: 4; One reason why the people re quested a king was that they might have a recog nized leader in war 0 Sam. viii:2o).
The Mosaic law offered a powerful hindrance to royal despotism (I Sam. x:25). The people also, by means of their elders, formed an express compact, by which they stipulated for their rights (t Kings xii;4), and were from time to time ap pealed to, generally in cases of 'great pith and moment' (1 Citron. xxix :1; 2 Kings xi:17; Jo seph., De Bell. Jud. ii. 1. 2). Nur did the people fail to interpose their will, where they thought it necessary, in opposition to that of the monarch (i Sam. xiv :45).