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was not until after the choice of Samuel as a prophet, that 

 (Saml.iii 21.) "the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. ihe 

 Scriptures expressly declare, that " Samuel judged Israel all 

 the davs of his life;" (Saml. 7- 15.) and, that " all Israel 

 from Dan even to Beersheba, knew Samuel was established 

 to be a prophet to the Lord," even before the death c.t 

 Eli. (Saml. 4. 20.) This is repeated again, m terms yet 

 more precise, " And the word of Samuel came to all Isiael," 

 before the destruction of the host and the loss ot the ark. 

 (Saml 4 1): unless we chuse to adopt the marginal readmg, 

 -" came to pass," to all Israel, and then it will refer to 

 the consummation of his prophecy against the house ot Eh 

 which the historian is proceeding to relate. And Samuel 

 himself, in his address to the people, at the renewal of the 

 kingdom, in which he resigns all authority to Saul, declares 

 to them " I have walked before you from my childhood, even 

 to this day," (xii.2.); which evidently refers to the contmuance 

 of his power from a very early age, or from the death of Eh ; 

 as he had said before, " behold the king walketh before you, 

 rxii 2.) is your chief, leader, and ruler, as 1 have been. How 

 can these texts, so express, unequivocal, and determmate, 

 become compatible or consistent with an anarchy, or inter- 

 regnum of twenty years? They confer and receive reciprocal 

 illustration and evidence: and, if Vignoles remarks, as singular 

 authority for his reasoning in the case of Samson, " that his 

 iurisdiction is twice mentioned in Scripture," 1 may, in this, 

 J - borrow 



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