155 



and thou, shait anoint him, to be captain over my people, 

 Israel, that he may save ray people, out of the hand of the 

 Philistines, for I have looked upon my people, because their 

 cry is come up to me." This, evidently alludes to the subse- 

 quent deliverance of that part of the tribes which were still 

 subjected to them, and whom Samuel had not been permitted 

 to deliver from their perseverance in idolatry and guilt, (chap. 

 10.5. c. 13.3. 14.1.) 



6tli. But the reasoning of chronologists, in favour of the 

 interregnum of twenty years between the death of Eli, and 

 the commencement of the jurisdiction of Samuel, will be found 

 equally inconclusive, and unsupported by the authority of 

 Scripture. There is, indeed, a single text to Avhich we have be- 

 fore alhuled, that speaks of the ark of the covenant after its 

 return, remaining " for 20 years inKirjathjearim," (chap. 7- 2.); 

 and this is the single ground of argument for the insertion of 

 this anarchy or interregnum : because, say its advocates, it 

 is placed " historically before the jurisdiction of Samuel." 

 (Vignoles, 82) And the historical precedence attributed to 

 the supposed interregnum is merely because that it literally 

 antecedes, since the commencement of the administration of 

 Samuel is related only in the next verse. Such are the argu- 

 ments arising from a spirit of system I I have had occasion, 

 before to remark on the evidence and force of these verbal, 

 gi'ammatical, and positional reasonings, derived from, the 

 particular place or situation of a verse, including- an epoch 

 or an interval, and I shall now produce a very remarkable 



instance 



