hand, thereby hides his left eye,
and looks at the enemy with his right eye: he therefore that plucks out
that eye, makes men useless in war."

[10] Mr. Reland observes here, and proves elsewhere in his note on
Antiq. B. III. ch. 1. sect. 6, that although thunder and lightning with
us usually happen in summer, yet in Palestine and Syria they are chiefly
confined to winter. Josephus takes notice of the same thing again, War,
B. IV. ch. 4. sect. 5.

[11] Saul seems to have staid till near the time of the evening
sacrifice, on the seventh day, which Samuel the prophet of God had
appointed him, but not till the end of that day, as he ought to have
done; and Samuel appears, by delaying to come to the full time of the
evening sacrifice on that seventh day, to have tried him [who seems to
have been already for some time declining from his strict and bounden
subordination to God and his prophet; to have taken life-guards for
himself and his son, which was entirely a new thing in Israel, and
savored of a distrust of God's providence; and to have affected more
than he ought that independent authority which the pagan kings took to
themselves]; Samuel, I say, seems to have here tried Saul whether he
would stay till the priest came, who alone could lawfully offer the
sacrifices, nor would boldly and profanely usurp the priest's office,
which he venturing upon, was justly rejected for his profaneness. See
Apost. Constit. B. II. ch. 27. And, indeed, since Saul had accepted
kingly power, which naturally becomes ungovernable and tyrannical,
as God foretold, and the experience of all ages has shown, the Divine
settlement by Moses had soon been laid aside under the kings, had
not God, by keeping strictly to his laws, and severely executing the
threatenings therein contained, restrained Saul and other kings in some
degree of obedience to himself; nor was even this severity sufficient to
restrain most of the future kings of Israel and Judah from the grossest
idolatry and impiety. Of the advantage of which strictness, in the
observing Divine laws, and inflicting their threatened penalties, see
Antiq. B. VI. ch. 12. sect. 7; and Against Apion, B. II. sect. 30, where
Josephus speaks of that matter; though it must be noted that it seems,
at least in three instances, that good men did not always immediately
approve of such Divine severity. There seems to be one instance, 1
Samuel 6:19, 20; another, 1 Samuel 15:11; and a third, 2 Samuel 6:8, 9;