Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Moreover it was required at the hands of the Nazarite, that he should not defile himself with the contagious company of wicked & naughty persons. Whereunto also belongeth the commandment, which charged the Nazarite not to be present at the death or burial of his parents, or children, or wife, or brethren or sisters. For he ought to settle the eyes of his mind upon God alone, and in comparison of him to set light by, and loathe the things which were most deer & precious unto him.

Moreouer it was required at ye hands of the Nazarite, that he should not defile himself with the contagious companie of wicked & naughtie persons. Whereunto also belongeth the commaundement, which charged the Nazarite not to be presēt at the death or buriall of his parentes, or children, or wife, or brethrene or sisters. For he ought to settle the eyes of his minde vppon God alone, and in comparison of him to set lighte by, and loathe the things which were most déere & precious vnto him.

But if it so fell out that at unawares he were defiled by seeing of a dead body, he was not therefore acquitted of his vow, as one whose former life had been sufficient for the performance of the same. For he was commanded to sanctify himself the seventh day, & then to undertake the keeping of his vow again. By ¹all this we may plainly perceive what and how great the sin of Samson was, who was a Nazarite to the Lord. For because he did not only lurk in the brothel house with the harlot, but did also bewray the secrete of GOD unto her, and cast behind him the covenant made with ⟨p. 382⟩God whereof his hair was a sure testimony, therefore did the Lord forsake him, and that wonderful strength, which he had from heaven was clean taken from him. For the strength of Samson lay not in his hair, so that by the cutting of his hair his strength was cut away also, but it lay in the spirit of the Lord which was given him from God above. And therefore do we find this sentence so often in the scripture, And the spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. Therefore when the spirit of God departed, his strength departed also: but it departed from him, when he being wholly joined unto the harlot was made one soul with her, and did prefer her before God & his commandment, so that he suffered his hair to be polled, and utterly revolted from the ordinance of the Lord. For by that means did the spirit of God forsake him. Whereupon immediately after he was brought into the hands of his enemies the Philistines: where when he was miserably vexed, and when he heard the name of God evil spoken of and blasphemed because of his captivity, he repented heartily, and called upon the name of the Lord, whereby it came to pass that when his hair grew forth again, his strength returned, that is, the spirit of the Lord came upon him again, being brought unto him, not by the growing of his hairs, but by his repentance & earnest calling upon the Lord. Neither did Samson desire to revenge his own private injury so much, as to suppress the blasphemous mouths, and to deliver the people of God from fear and slavery.