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 A N ■ /^ '^^^^ 
 
 Hiftorical Account 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 L I F E ^;;^ R E I G N 
 
 D Ak I D 
 
 King o{ ISRAEL. 
 
 Interfperfed with Various 
 
 CONJECTURES, DIGRESSIONS, 
 «W DISQJJISITIONS. 
 
 In which (among other Things) 
 
 Mr. BAYLE'sCriticifms, upon the Condu^ and Chara5fer 
 of That Prince, are fully confidered 
 
 ^nd he /hall be like a tree planted by the ri^vers pf nvater^ tlxat lA 
 
 bringeth forth his fruit in his feafon. His leaf alfo fjall not ^ 
 
 'wither. P s a l. I. ^ 
 
 By the Author of Revelation exajnincd zvith Condor. 
 
 In Two VOLUMES. ^ ' AW^I^ 
 
 r- 
 
 VOL. IL 
 
 To whkh are prefixed. 
 
 Reflections upon the prefeiit Negle£t of the P u c li c 
 Worship ot GO D. 
 
 The FOURTH EDITION. 
 
"dV^ ,- 
 
 To his Grace the moft Reverend 
 
 HUGH BOULTER, 
 
 Lord Primate 9^ ^// IR E L A N D. 
 
 May it pleafe your Grace, 
 
 I TAKE this occafion, as I fliall 
 every other, of pubJicly avowing the 
 honour I bear you : although with little 
 advantage to you, or diflindion to my- 
 felf; unlefs merely in the manner of 
 profeffing that veneration and efteem 
 which is borne you, alike, by every man 
 of this nation J where you are juftly 
 confidered as a public parent, equally 
 loved and honoured. How well you 
 are entitled to this appellation, will fuf- 
 ficiently appear, when it is remembred, 
 that to you, under God, this nation 
 
 A 2 owes 
 
[i. ] 
 
 owes the main fupport of her Poor, ia 
 the late general calamity. The famine 
 was far extended, and the mortality 
 begun ; when your unexampled and 
 unbounded charity, like the facred cen- 
 fer in the hand of Aaron^ interpofed 
 between the living g;nd the dead, and 
 the plague was Jiayed. 
 
 The prefent age fufEciently acknow- 
 lege this, and pofterity will know it, 
 without the aid of this anonymous and 
 fhort-lived letter ; and perhaps may 
 learn from thip, and other coeval (tho' 
 lefs eminent) inftances, that wealth is 
 fometimes more ufeful in the hands of 
 the clergy, than fome of their lay- bre- 
 thren have always been willing to allow. 
 It may prove an occafion of letting their 
 own equal inquiries inform them, in 
 what hands it is more virtuoufly or ho- 
 nourably imployed, in the profpcrous 
 days of the community j or with morQ 
 
 pubhq 
 
[v] 
 
 public fpirit, and Chriftlaii beneficenGC, 
 in thofe of its diftrefs. Yours, my Lord 
 was then confeffedly a public Fund^ a 
 pure and falutary fountain, from whence 
 all that thirfted might draw and drink ; 
 and did fo, by many thoufands a day ; 
 to the faving of fuch a multitude of 
 lives, as will be utterly incredible with 
 pofterity. 
 
 May the Providence of God, (clearly 
 feen in your advancement to this high 
 ftation) that Providence, which hath 
 remarkably bleffed you with very un- 
 common vigour, both of body and mind, 
 to this advanced age, long continue bQth 
 to you, and you to us ! And may you 
 conclude your blefied life, as you have 
 led it, after the example of your Lord 
 and Saviour, dmng good ! 
 
 This end, and this example, we all 
 fhould have in view, in all our purpofes, 
 
 As" , as, 
 
[vl] 
 
 as, I truft in God, the author of this 
 book had, both in pubUfhing it to the 
 world, and infcribing it to you ; for, in 
 truth, he expefts no addition, either of 
 honour or intereft, to him, from this un- 
 authentic proof of his being, with the 
 trueft veneration and efteem. 
 
 Tour G R A c e'j 
 
 Moft dutiful, and mojl ohedienty 
 
 humble Servant. 
 
R E l^|l;''C'.!f>^o N s 
 
 UPON THE 
 PRESENT NEGLECT 
 
 O F t H 6 
 
 Public Worfhip of GOD. 
 
 David's exceeding foliclrude, and amazc- 
 ing expcnce, to eftablifh the public 
 worfhip of God in his capita], in a way 
 worthy of it, together with the raptures ex- 
 preffcd in his attendance upon it, naturally fug- 
 ged this reflexion to the thinking reader : If 
 the eftablifhment of the divine worfhip, and 
 attendance upon it, were then of fuch inedi- 
 mable value, and incredible delight, amidft the 
 height of all worldly glory and grandeur 5 
 What can have funk both fo low, in the efti- 
 mation of the prefcnt age, that few men, of high 
 condition, are found to have any regard for 
 cither? And our wonder increafcs, when wc 
 find, upon inquiry, that the fctcing apart one day 
 in fevcn, as a day of reft from the labours of 
 life, and a day of attendance upon the public 
 worfhip of God, is a pradlicc of fuch great anti- 
 quity;, and univerfal extent throughout the an- 
 tient world; that learned men have juftly con- 
 
 A 4 eluded 
 
via On the Present Neglect" 
 
 eluded the inftitution to have been as old as the 
 creation t and therefore injoined by Mofes^ not 
 as a new command, but as a duty of careful 
 attendance to one already well known, Re- 
 member the Sabbath-day to keep it holy *. And 
 they are confirmed in this judgment, by finding 
 it, upon refledion, an inftitution every way 
 worthy of infinite wifdom and goodnefsj and 
 abfolutely neceflary to the well-being of the 
 world. And indeed, there is good reafon to 
 doubt, whether^ without the benefit of this in- 
 ftitution, the growing race of mankind would 
 ever have attained to the ftrength and perfection 
 even of their animal nature 5 and all the reafon 
 in the world to believe, that the labouring part 
 of mankind (which are at lead ninety-nine in 
 an hundred) would not otherwife live out half 
 their days j their ftrength would then be lite- 
 rally labour ayid forrcju \ they could live but a 
 very little time, and they would fpend even the 
 little they did live, in added mifery j and at the 
 laft have abundant reafon to take up Jacob's 
 complaint (before Tharaoh) in the ftrifteft fenfe^ 
 Few and evil have been the days of the years of 
 Tny pilgrimage. And, as for the higher orders 
 of men, if any fuch could fubfift in fuch a ftate 
 things, (as I am well fatisfied they could not) 
 they would, however, fubfift to no higher or 
 nobler purpofes than the wild Jjss colt in the 
 wildernefs. 
 
 f Exod, chap. XX. ver. 8. 
 
 For, 
 
(t/* Public Worship. ix 
 
 Forasmuch, then, as this command is Co 
 evidently of divine inftitution^ and infinite im- 
 portance to mankind 5 Can there be matter of 
 more aftonifhment to a thinlcing man, than to 
 fee this inftirution fo openly, fo avowedly pro- 
 faned, in fo ferioLis and wife a nation as this, 
 by almoft all orders and degrees of men amongft 
 us? Bat efpecially thofe of higher condition; 
 by thofe who afFed to be thought, at leaft to be 
 called^ The better fort ; and by them as openly 
 and avowedly defpifed, and trampled under- foot ; 
 as if the command were reverfed to them, and 
 they were bound in confcience to remember the 
 Sabbath-day, only in order to profane it 5 to 
 facrifice it to every vice, and every vanity, that 
 comes into their hearts ! infomuch that every 
 good Chriftian may now take up Jeremiah's 
 lamentation, with very little change : The 
 ways of Sion do mourn^ becatife none come to the 
 Jolemn feajls : all her gates are de folate i her 
 
 priejls fgh her adverfaries are the chief 
 
 her enemies profper -, for the Lord hath affli^ed 
 her — the adverfaries faw her^ and did mock 
 at her Sabbaths. And therefore I hope it may 
 be deemed matter of no fmall moment, to in- 
 quire ferioufly into the caufes and confequences 
 of this calamity. 
 
 Now one main fource of this evil is Pride. 
 
 In an humble heart, gratitude naturally keeps 
 pace with the bleffings bcftowcd upon it 5 and^ 
 of confequence, the piety of a good man rifes 
 and expands, in proportion to hisinlargement 
 and exahation : vv^hcreas, in an haughty heart, 
 
 the 
 
X On t/je Fkesei^t Neglect 
 
 the effcft is the direft contrary. Every fuccefs^ 
 to a man of that make, is the effeci: of his own 
 wifdom; and every advantage, the reward of his 
 own merit : confcquently, there can be no room 
 for piety, or gratitude to God, where every 
 thing but felf is excuided. And therefore, fo 
 far are fuch men from being thankful to their 
 Maker, for the bleffings and advantages they 
 enjoy above all men ; that they live fo in the 
 world, as if they verily believed God did not 
 
 govern it. Thefe are literally, and ftriftly, 
 
 r^e ungodly of this world! And the Pfalrmji 
 hath, long fince, IcU us their true charader: The 
 ungodly ts fo proud ^ that he careth not for God^ 
 neither is God in all his thoughts. By a long 
 difufe of devotion, and open neglccl of divine 
 worfhip, he gradually forgets every duty he owes 
 his Maker,- and, when he hath for fome time 
 habituated himfelf to live without God in the 
 world, he then begins to doubt his very exiftence^ 
 he then begins to forget^ that in him we live^ 
 and move^ and have our being. And thus the 
 negled of God's public worfhip naturally leads 
 from one degree of iireligion to another, until 
 ir z\\(i in atheifm. 
 
 But pride is not the only origin of this 
 evil; its fources are various: the neccflary avo- 
 cation of bufinefs is pleaded by fome men of 
 learned profeflions, whom I am very unwilling 
 to ccnfure; and the care of health, by fome of 
 the other fex : of whom it is remarkable, that 
 they can attend all other afleir/Dlics of mankind, 
 at all hours of the day and nighr^ where the 
 
 danger 
 
(p/* Public WoRSHi?. xi 
 
 danger is manifeftly greater. And as fome o^ 
 thefe afiemblies fall on the eve of the Sabbath* 
 the late hours kept in them confound all order 
 of time 5 and fo the next day's hour of public 
 worlliip is flept away, and the duty they owe to 
 tjOD facrificed to vanity and the world. 
 
 But one fure and principal fource of this 
 fpirit of irreligion^ and negled: of the public 
 worfhip of God, is Travelling. 
 
 It is the common infirmity of people of for- 
 tune, to imagine that the education of their 
 children is never complete, until they have fceii 
 the world, as they call it > nor is the opinioa 
 altogether ungrounded : their error is, that they 
 think they cannot too foon hurry them into it 5 
 and they fucceed .accordingly. For, being thus 
 fct out, early, youngs unexperienced^ unprin- 
 cipled, and uninformed, into the midft of fo- 
 reign fafhions^ vanities, and vices of every kind, 
 they arc early imbued with them all. Nor is it 
 poffible it fnould be otherwifc, when they are 
 only fitted to converfe with the giddy, the light, 
 the libertine part of the world, from whom they 
 can learn nothing cife : the confequence of 
 which is, that fenfual plcafures, foreign fop- 
 peries, amufements., and luxuries, become the 
 bufmefs of their lives for ever after j whereas, 
 would parents wait until their fons were of riper 
 years, until their nihids were properly inlarged, 
 and enlightened with liberal knowlege; and 
 their principles of virtue, and true religion, fixt 
 upon the fame foundation 5 they would then be 
 fitted to converfe with the ferious and thinking; 
 
 fi part 
 
Xii 0;^ 2fi6^ Pr E S E N T N E G L E CT 
 
 part of the world they vifitcd 5 to obferve their 
 manners 5 and to be improved by their virtue 
 and wifdom, if they had any s and, if they had 
 none, to be amended even by tlieir vices, and 
 informed by their folly and ignorance. 
 
 Nor is this all for, being early fent out 
 
 into countries where a religion different from 
 their own is profeffed, confequently where they 
 cannot attend upon the public worfliip of God, 
 they acquire early habits of neglecting his public 
 worfhip : and, if they are not attended witli 
 fome ferious men of a religious character (which 
 is very rarely the cafe), they acquire early habits 
 of neglecting all the divine ordinances, until 
 religion becomes no part of their bufinefs, nei- 
 ther is God in all their thouzhts. And thus it 
 comes to pafs, that, returning home, in this con- 
 dition, as their travelling airs, and foreign fop- 
 peries intitle them to lead the fafhion in other 
 vanities; fo alfo, in this vi'efl: of all abomina- 
 tions, the for faking the ajjemblies of the faints 5 
 utterly negleding the public worfhip, and de- 
 fpifing the Chtirch of God : the confequences of 
 which are lamentable every way. For, whereas 
 the Scriptures are, under God, the true and 
 only fure fource of virtue, the fountain head of 
 every thing that is exalted and excellent in our 
 nature, for want of having thefc great ideas per- 
 petually excited and revived in their m.inds, by 
 attending to the public Prayers, and hearing the 
 Scriptures conftantly read in the Church, they 
 gradually and daily ianguifn in their fouls, until 
 at length they are utterly effaced and loft. They 
 
 arc 
 
of Public Worship. xiii 
 
 are in the condition of thofe artifls, who, being 
 long abfent from Rcme^ have complained, that 
 their ideas, both of painting and ftaruary, gradu- 
 ally decayed, and degenerated in them, for 
 want of having them perpetually renewed there^ 
 by thofe noblcll originals of their arts. If thefe 
 our travelling gentry had the fame ingenuity, I 
 am fare they might, with equal juftice, com- 
 plain, that they gradually funk into fenfe, and 
 mean, groveling felfilh fentiments : that their 
 ideas of every thing refined, and amiable, and 
 excellent, gradually decayed and died within 
 them^ in proportion to their abfence from the 
 public worlhip of God; in proportion to their 
 abfence from thofe moft edifying, moil amending, 
 and moft enobling ledures of heavenly wiidom, 
 weekly, and daily publilhed in the Churcii, in the 
 Hymns and Pfalms, the Liturgy and Litany, in 
 the Epiftlcs and Golpels, and Leilbns of the day. 
 
 It is ftrange and fhocking, to fee how thefe 
 men delude themfelvcs to their utter ruin. 
 They have heard, that charity is the great and 
 governing principle of the Chriftian Religion 5 
 and they imagine, that, if they have that, they 
 have every thing: and they delude themfelvcs 
 to think they have that, when they can talk 
 plaufibiy of what they think equivalent to it, 
 humanity and fecial fentiments. They arc men 
 fond of the praifes of virtue, but Grangers to the 
 power of it (as one ot its late greatcft enemies 
 is well known to have v/ritten Rhapfodies and 
 Panegyrics upon it). They have the terms 
 liumane and Bcnevoknr, perpetually in their 
 
 iBQUthSi 
 
XIV Of the Present Neglect 
 
 mouths 5 but they rarely reach their hearts. The 
 terms are indeed fufficiently fpecious; but, in 
 reality, mere founding brajs, and tinkling cym- 
 bals, fubftituted into die place of Chriftian cha- 
 rity : a principle from which no other could 
 reftrain us from believing their hearts utterly 
 cftranged. Can they think themfelves hunPiane, 
 who never add one fingle mite to the weekly 
 and monthly colkaions of the Church, (in all 
 other Chriftian regions of the earth but this, and) 
 from the btglnnaig of Chriftianity in the world, 
 the furcfr, the bcfc-jud^cd, and befr-conduded 
 fund, by which all the wants and diftreffts of 
 humanity are ordinarily relieved and fupplied 
 in the focicty 5 and many of them fo relieved, 
 and only fo relieved, even here*? Can they 
 think themfeives friends to virtue, who delibe- 
 rately decline the nobleft aids and incirements to 
 it; the public and united fupplications of the 
 faithful to the throne of God, for grace and 
 cuidance to enlighten their fouls, and incline 
 their hearts to every focial and Chriftian virtue; 
 to every office of humanity, to every impulfe of 
 charity, and every praile and pradice of piety ^ 
 Can they feriouQy think themfeives friends to 
 virtue, who decline theie aids and incitements to 
 it, and difcouragc the hopes of ineftimable 
 rewards in heaven ? Can they think themfeives 
 "benevolent, who, by fteadily abfcnting them- 
 feives from the public worfliip of God, do all 
 that in them licth, to banifh all awe and reve- 
 
 * All wants and diilrefies relieved by briefs^ 
 
 rcncQ 
 
of Public Worship. xvr 
 
 irencc of Him from the earth! to efface and to 
 t>lot out true Religion from the hearts of men! 
 true Religion, the only fure cement of focietyi 
 the true, and, let me add, the only fure fountain 
 of glory to God on high, and on earth peace^ 
 good will towards men^ 
 
 But, fuppofe thefe men had charity, they 
 little know the nature of Religion, who take 
 that to be the whole of it : for charity refpetls 
 only our duty to our neighbour; and the duties 
 we owe to God, and to ourfelves, are as truly 
 cflentials of Religion, as charity 5 and thofe we 
 owe to God, are the bafis of the v/hole 
 
 They know little of Religion who do not 
 know, that the fetting apart ftated times for the 
 public wordiip of God, and attending conftantly 
 upon it;, is effential to the very being of Religion 
 in the world -, and therefore, when God declares 
 to his people by rhe mouth of his prophet, [Eziek. 
 XX. 19, 20.) I am the Lord thy Godj he imme- 
 diately adds; as the necellary confequence of 
 their acknowleging him in that charader, walk 
 inmy JtatuteSy keep my judgments^ and hallow 
 my Sabbaths, Every Chriftian knows, that no love 
 God, with all the hearty and all the foul ^ h the 
 jirjl and great commandment s and to love our 
 neighbour as ourfelves, the fscond: but there is 
 this plain diftindion in the point; we are to 
 love Gody the fountain of all goodnefs^ and of 
 all good to us, for his own fake, and man for 
 his Maker's fake ; for reafons drawn from his 
 authority and appointments. So that the love 
 of God is the fundamental and ruling principle 
 
 of 
 
xvi On the Present Neglect 
 
 of all Religion ; and the Gofpel hath added to 
 this^ the great elfential of the Chriftian Religion, 
 faitpj in Jejus Chrift, Upon thefe t^i^o, thus con- 
 fidercd, hang all the law^ the prophets^ the 
 cvangclifts, and the apollks : and therefore Sr. 
 Paul fums up the whole of his preaching, both 
 to the Je^'^ifi and Gentile worlds under thcfc 
 two <yreat heads, repentance towards Gody and 
 faith"^ to-juards our Lord Jejus Chrift, Re- 
 pentance towards God, which implieth a detefta- 
 tion and confeilion of fm, a fincere love of 
 God, and forrow for offending him, and a fixt 
 purpofe of amendment and obedience for ever 
 
 ^fter and faith in Chrift^ which implieth an 
 
 humble and thankful acceptance of this bleffed 
 Son of God, as our great Saviour, and Sacrifice 
 to the divine juftice for our fins ; our great Re- 
 deemer, Rccx)nciler^ and Mediator with God. 
 And whofoever wants thefe, wants the great 
 fundamentals of true Religion ; and whofoever 
 negleds the public worfliip of God, deliberately 
 neglefts both thcfc, deliberately negleQs the 
 public confefllon of his fins, and the great duties 
 confequent to his redemption 5 and, by negled- 
 in^, naturally unlearns them all. And whofo- 
 ever wants thefe fundamentals of Chrift ianity;, 
 is an infidel ; and, as fuch, fliall, at the laft day, 
 be cut off by his Lord;, and have his portion 
 appointed him with the unbelievers, Si. Luke 
 xiifh chap. 46ih vcr. 
 
 Having thus fliewn you feveral fources or 
 
 this cryini^ guilt, the neglect of God's public 
 
 wornii'\ together with the great evils immedi-. 
 
 ' atclv 
 
^ Public Worship. xvii 
 
 atcly ai'ife from it 5 I cannot however quit this 
 fubjed, without laying fome of its many other 
 fad confequences more fully before you, toge- 
 ther with the bieillngs and advantages of the 
 contrary behavioul*. 
 
 And, firft, one dreadful confequence from 
 this fhameful negled of God's public worfhip, 
 iSy that it unfits us for every other office of reli- 
 gion : it unqualifies us for calling down the 
 fureft aids, and higheft of all confolations^ to 
 our country, in the day of its calamity ; inaf- 
 much as it alienates us from God, and makes 
 every office of religion, makes even our prayers, 
 an abomination in his fights for fo Solomon 
 fadly affures us {Trov, xxviii. v. c).), He that 
 turneth away his ear from hearing the uiw^ 
 even his prayer Jhall be an abommatiojL 
 
 From hence alfo, my brethren, from this 
 fhameful neglect of the public worfhip of Go d, 
 as from its fountain head, arifes that utter dil^ 
 regard of the facred writings, and avowed, or 
 perhaps rather affcded, contempt of the clergy, 
 among the higher orders of men amongft us; 
 togetiier with their unbounded jnd (God be 
 praifed !) ungrounded rcvilingsof the whole order 
 of the reformed Chriftian priedhood > imputing 
 to them, without fhame, or colour of truth, 
 every vice, every delufion, every evil art, that 
 ever reigned in any order of priells, either in the 
 times or fcenes of papal tyranny, or heathen cor- 
 ruption : and all this, with as little fenfibility 
 cither to decency, or juftice, as if they branded^ 
 every modcrt matron they met, with every abo- 
 \ minatiOA 
 
xviii On the Present Neglect 
 
 mination in the lives of a Julia, a Meffalina^ or 
 a Ctytemnejira ; proclaiming, at once^ their owri 
 infamy, and either (hameful infults upon truths 
 or grofs afFefted ignorance ! If thefe men of 
 fuperior talents (as they would be deemed) had 
 talents to think freely and largely, they could 
 not but fee, that the law of the Sabbath is a law 
 which demonftrates itfclf of divine original : a 
 law fo calculated for the exigencies of the whole 
 Creation^ the prefervation of true religion, and 
 the relief of the labouring world, as clearly 
 evinces it the work of infinite wifdom, benig- 
 nity, and bounty ! A law to which every civility 
 and virtue in life owes its origin and eftablifh- 
 mentj and which, if it ceafed but one century 
 from amongft us (for the feminaries of learning 
 and religion would ceafe with it, or could not 
 long furvive it), would reduce the race of our 
 vained vaunters of wifdom into more than Hot^ 
 tentct barbarity! forafmuch as they would then 
 have Hotteittot ignorance fuperadded to native 
 vice. And dare they pretend to any degree of 
 humanity, who turn their backs upon the Sab- 
 bath, and do all that in them licth, to banifii 
 this heavenly, this divine ordinance from the 
 earth? to banifli the bleffcd Sabbath, and with 
 that the great bleffings and civilities of life 5 the 
 inilruclion of mankind in all the noblefl: ways of 
 wifdom and virtue : the weekly and monthly 
 relief of the poor, the only relief of many 
 fecial diiircilcs even here, and in ail other regions 
 of the earth the moft extenfive and only con- 
 ilant fund of Chriftian charity-- — Dare they pre- 
 tend 
 
^Public Worship. xlx 
 
 tend to any degree of humanity, who would at 
 once baniih from the earth the light of true 
 religion, the relief of want, and the reft from 
 labour ? 
 
 If thefe vain refiners would allow them- 
 felves to attend the public worfnip of Goo 
 with any degree of humility, they would fooii 
 come to fee, and to feel^, the divinity of the 
 facred writings 5 they would fee the infinite 
 goodnefs, wiiciom, and mercy of the Creator, 
 beaming through every page of them; they 
 would then fee and adore r>6<? beauty of ho.'inefs, 
 the amiablenefs, and the excellency, of virtue : 
 they would then turn away their foot from do- 
 t72g their own plea fttre ; from purfuing their own 
 idle vanities, upon GodV hcdy-day : they would 
 then call the Sabbath a delight ; and the Holy 
 one of the Lord^ honourable 5 and would honour 
 him (Ifa. Iviii. 13.) : they would then fee, that; 
 wtfdom was not born with them alone y nor 
 would die with them ! they would then learn, 
 that the prieji's lips iiiW retam knowlege ; and 
 that it would, fomctimes, be no difgrace nor 
 difadvantage to the wifdom of their lay-brethren, 
 
 to feek the law at his mouth in a word, 
 
 they would then fee the Chrillian priefthood, in 
 their true character; minijlers of Chrijl, and 
 Jiewards of the myjleries of Goal they would 
 then fee them, to be, at once, the light, and 
 the falty of the fociery ; the true fources and 
 guardians of true virtue, civiliry, and wifdom; 
 and feeing them in this light, would be fo far 
 from defaming their charaders, vilifying their 
 
 a % office^ 
 
XX 0;^ //5^ P R E S E N T N E G L E C T 
 
 office, envying them the portion afligned bj- 
 Almighty God for their maintenance, or op- 
 preffirig them in the perception of ir, that they 
 would do every thing in their power, to make 
 their lives eafy, and their office honourable 5 at 
 leaft, they would do fo, if they had any remains 
 of humanity, or public fpirit; inafmuch as, by 
 fo doing, they would greatly (and perhaps more 
 efFedually, than by any other poffible means 
 whatfoever) promote^, and provide for. the hap- 
 pinefs and welfare of the whole community 5 
 which is infeparably linked and interwoven with 
 
 that of the reformed Chriftian priefthood ■ 
 
 An order of men, who neither have, nor can 
 have, any views, interefts, or dependances, fepa- 
 rate from thofc of their lay- brethren 5 but mud 
 perpetually rife, and fall, in every thing valuable 
 to man, in one, even, uniform proportion, to 
 the profperity or calamity of their country. — -- 
 And hence it is, that as the "Je^diijh-priefihood (nh- 
 fifted, in the main, upon the fame foot with 
 ours, the prophets have always confidered their 
 interefts, as one and the fame with thofe of 
 their people — 1 fay, the prophets who were not 
 prieds, nor partial to the priefthood, but the 
 cenfors and checks of God upon them^ have 
 always confidered the calamity of the people, 
 as the calamity of the pried j and the profperity 
 of the people, as the profperity of the pried. 
 Thus, when Joel tells us, in the fird chapter of 
 his Prophecy, at the pth va'ky that the prie/is, 
 the Lord's min'tjiers, mourn, he immediately 
 adds, the field is wajtedj the land mourneth--^ 
 
 4 And 
 
of Public Worship. xxi 
 
 And when "Jeremiah pronounceth, in the name 
 of Go D, / will fat iate the foul of the priejh 
 with fatnefSy he immediately adds. And tny 
 my people pall be fatisfied with my goodnefSy 
 
 faith the Lord And much more to the fame 
 
 purpofe. 
 
 I HAVE been the longer upon this head, to 
 remove thofe jealoufies of the prieflhood, which ^ 
 have artfully been fown, and malignantly fpread 
 and propagated, through the lairy 5 to the great 
 otFence of truth, prejudice of chriftian chaiity, 
 increafe of irreligion, and infinite difadvantagc 
 of the public worfhip of Go 05 which hath fo 
 long, and fo fhamefully, been negleded aaipngft 
 us! a negled which involves great guilt in it, 
 and draws much greater, indeed draws every 
 other guilt after it 5 ^nd of which, therefoix, 
 wc fhould now fincerely and earneftly repent, 
 with weeping, ayid fafling^ and prayer ^ to make 
 every other office of religion acceptable in the 
 light of God. 
 
 Let me not be underftood, as if, by any 
 thing I have faid, I would exempt the priefthood 
 from their fhare in this national guilt. I am 
 afraid we may but too juftly apply to many of 
 them that denunciation of divine vengeance, 
 pronounced by the prophet upon the priefts of 
 his age j ^f y^ "^ill not lay it to hearty to give 
 glory to my name, faith the Lord of hofls, I 
 will even fend a cur/'e upon you, and I will 
 atrfeyour bleffngs. That too many of the clergy 
 (for, how few foever they may be, in reality 
 they are ft ill too many) are too oiten abfcnt from 
 
 a ^ the 
 
xxii 0;^ /^^ Present NEGLEct 
 
 the public worfhip of God, that too many of 
 them are cold^, and carelefs, in celebrating the 
 facred offices ot reUgion;, .in preaching the word 
 of GoDy and prcffing it upon the hearts and 
 confcienccs of their hearers j are fad truths ! 
 And is it to be expeded, that any thinking man 
 will venerate them, who do not themfelves ve- 
 nerate their Maker, as they ought, who do not 
 lay it to heart, to make his woriliip honourable, 
 and his word powerful 5 efficacious, to all the 
 purpofes of piety ; to make his word powerful, 
 and i}is praifes glorious upon the earth?— This, 
 however, muft be allowed, by their greateft 
 enemies, that their charity failed not in the 
 
 late day of diftrefs that they dealt their 
 
 bread to the hungry 5 vijited and relieved the 
 fatherkfs and the widow in their affli^ions 5 
 and that Vv'ith a fpirit fo truly Chriftian, that 
 no order of men amoagft us had then reafon 
 to wlQi their incomes diminifhed, or their cha- 
 rity increafed. They then clearly faw, that to 
 wifh the revenues of their reformed clergy di- 
 n-iinilhed, v/ere, in effed, to wiih the miferies 
 of mankind multiplied and unrelieved: which 
 ever was, and ever will be, the caie, to the end 
 of the world. 
 
 However, as the clergy have their fhare 
 in this national guilt, it is but juft they (hould 
 have their full fhare in the national humiliatioa 
 
 due to it Therefore, Let the priejls, the 
 
 minijlers of God, weep between the porch and 
 the altar, and let them fay^ Spare thy people, 
 O Lordj, and give not thme heritage to re- 
 proach : 
 
of Public WoRSHipi xxili 
 
 proach : let all orders and degrees, amongft us, 
 rend their heart s^ and not their garments^ and 
 turn unto the Lord our God, with fincere re- 
 pentance, and true contrition of heart 5 for he 
 is gracious and mercifuly Jlow to anger ^ and of 
 great kindnefs, and repent eth him of the evil — 
 This we certainly do know, and he himfelf hath 
 cxprefly pronounced the fentence, by his pro- 
 phet Ezekiely Ezek. chap. xx. ver. 21. That 
 if we do not, both prieft and people, walk in 
 hisftatutes, and keep his judgments^ and hallow 
 his Sabbaths^ I will pour out my fury upon themy 
 faith the Lord, and accomplifo mine anger againji 
 them. 
 
 Let us then, in the name of Jefus Chrift, 
 this moment, lay afide every weighty and this 
 fin that doth fo eajily be ft us 5 and let us draw 
 near to God, with a contrite and true heart, 
 and in full aflurance of faith 5 not forfaking the 
 ajfa/wling of our f elves together^ as the manner 
 of fomeiS'y but earneftly pouring out our united 
 fupplications to Almighty God, for his mercy 
 to this church and nation 5 and for deliverance 
 from the crying guilt of defpifing and infuiting 
 his Sabbaths, and the juft and dreadful venge- 
 ance due to it^ From this guilt, and this 
 
 vengeance, God, of his infinite mercy, deliver 
 us all, through the merits and mediation of 
 Jefus Chritf. 
 
T H B 
 
 CO N T E N T S 
 
 O f 
 
 VOLUME 11. 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 T^EfleBions upon the prefent NegleB of the 
 
 ■'^ Public Worjlnp of Got> Page vii 
 
 Chap. I. David dejigns to build a Temple, but 
 is forbidden. G o \>s Promifes to his P^- 
 Jlerity, DavidV Thankfgivings I 
 
 Chap. II. David invades Philiftia, and takes Gath, 
 
 (^c. He then invades and fubdues Moab 
 
 J4 
 
 Chap. III. David conquers /^^ Syrians and'Edom- 
 ites. Hadadezer proved to be the Hadad of 
 Kicolaus Damafcenus. Some Difficulties tn 
 the facred Text cleared 24 
 
 Chap. IV. A fhort Account ^/DavidV Minifters. 
 « His Cherethites and Pelethitcs 42 
 
 Chap. V. David inquires after Saul'j- Pojlerity^ 
 and finds Mephibolheth, a furviving Son of 
 Jonathan^, whom he treats as his own 49 
 
 Chap. VI. DavidV Embajfadors abufed by the 
 Ammonites. — A fVar enfues f/ 
 
 Chap. VII. The Syrian War finiped. David'i" 
 
 Felicities during this Tenodfummed up. 
 
 This Book ends. 68 
 
 BOOK 
 
The Contents. xkv 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 Chap. I. David, beholding Bathfheba bathing 
 herfelfi falls under the Temptation, and hath 
 criminal Commerce with her: UriahV "Death 
 the inevitable Confequence of this Commerce 
 
 Page 7(> 
 
 Chap. II. David takes BathHieba to his Houfey 
 and makes her his Wife. God fends Nathaa 
 the Prophet to rebuke him, and denounce the 
 Divine Vengeance upon his Guilt 90 
 
 Chap. III. Some Account o^^\\)\^i\ the Trophet. 
 The Child horn of Barhfh^ba fickens, David 
 fajls, and humbles himfelf before God in his 
 behalf'^ but to no purpofe. The Child dies. 
 David'j remarkable Refignation to the Will of 
 God. Solomon is born and blefftd 10 1 
 
 Ch^^p, IV. The FooUjhmfs of wicked Policy^ 
 David, upon Joabj Exhortation^ goes to the 
 Siege of Rabbah, and takes it: depofes Ha- 
 nun: and puts the remaining Ammonites to 
 Death. His Conduii in . this Point piflified 
 
 no 
 
 Chap. V. Tamar is ravifhed^ and inhumanly 
 
 treated^ by her own Brother, That Rape is 
 
 revenged by his Death. Abfalom, who few 
 
 himy flies to Gefhur. KathanV Prophecies 
 
 further fulfilled 122 
 
 Chap. VI. JoabV Device to get Abfalom re- 
 called by means of the wife (Voman (^/Tekoah, 
 fucceeds. Being brought back to Jcrufalem, 
 he is not admitted to the Kind's Prejence % 
 
 but 
 
:^xvi The Contents. 
 
 but remanded to his own Houfe. What fol- 
 lowed t her eupo7i Page 135 
 
 Chap. VII. T>2iV\(i falls Jick about this Time. A 
 DigreffoJiy pewing that his T)iflemper was^ 
 prohablVy ^i*^ Small pox 145 
 
 Chap. Vill. Abfalom takes the Advantage of 
 his Father s Sicknefs, to form a Con [piracy 
 againfl him. The Methods he made ufe of to 
 delude the Teople in his Favour 156" 
 
 Chap. IX. Abfalom breaks out into open Re- 
 bellion, and Ahithophel joins him. Dzvidfies 
 from Jerufalem, puts up his Vrayers to God, 
 and is fupported in his Dijlrefs 163 
 
 Chap. X. Z'\hd!s Treachery to Mephibodieth^ 
 and DavidV too hafty Grant of his fuppofed 
 Forfeiture. Shimei curfes David, who will 
 not fuffer h'lm to be chajlifed. The Curfes in 
 the Pialms accounted for^ from this Pajfage. 
 Hufhai irifiniiates himfelf into Abfalom'j' Fd^ 
 *vour^ andy by defeating AhithophelV Advice j 
 faves David 174 
 
 Ciiap. XI. l-i\Ji[\\d\fends David hitelligence of all 
 that pa [fed in Abfalom'j Council^ earneflly 
 intr eating hi?n to pafs over Jordan that "very 
 Night y which was done accordingly. Ahi- 
 tho^hzYs fudden and fad End. Air. BaylcV 
 important T)eci[ton upon HufhaiV Deception 
 of Abfalom confidered, with all the 'Defer- 
 ence due to it 187 
 
 Chap. XII. David goes to Mahanaim, and ga- 
 thers an Army. Abfalom paf[es the Jordan, 
 and pitches m the Land of Gilead. David 
 
 fends 
 
TheCoMTENTS, XXV 
 
 finds out his Forces againji him^ under the 
 Comtnand of ]o2b, Abifhai, andhuil, Pa.:e 15)4, 
 
 Chap. Xill. David, grievmg to Excefs^ is re- 
 proved by Joab, ar:d brought to appear in 
 public, Meafures are concerted with Zadoc 
 and Abiarhar^/i^r his Rejioraiion, The King 
 returns to his Capital 207 
 
 Chap. XIV. A Conteft arifes b£tween the Tribes 
 about rejioring the King. A Rebellion en- 
 JU3S: Amafa is commanded by David to quell 
 it, but murdered by ]odby Sheba, the Leader 
 of the Rebellion, takes Refuge in Abel Ma- 
 acha, where he is befieged by Joab : A wife 
 Matron intercedes for the City 213 
 
 Chap. XV. Judea is vifited with a Famine^ 
 The Catffe of the Divine JVrath. The 
 Means and Method appointed to appeafe tt. 
 Mr. Chubb'j Charge againft David, upon this 
 Heady confidered and refuted 230 
 
 Chap. XVI. David enters ifito new Wars with 
 Philiftia. A Conje^^ure concerning the Caufe 
 of them. The firfl and lafi Edition of the 
 eighteenth Pfalm (publif^ed upon this Occa- 
 fion) biiefly compared. A T)igreffion upon 
 the Ufefulnefs of Mufic to form the Man- 
 ners, DavidV laft prophetic B^ords, A 
 foort Conjecture concerning his Worthies 2 47 
 
 Chap. XVII. David'j Numbering of the FeO" 
 pie : and the Flague which enfued 2 5-7 
 
 fi:hap. XVili. Davids Treparations to build the 
 Temple i his private Exhortations to Solo- 
 raon, and tha Fiinces^ to carry on the Work 
 
 268 
 Chap. 
 
xxviii The Contents. 
 
 Chap. XIX. A "DiJJertation upon the immenfe 
 Treafnres left by David, for building the 
 Temple Page 273 
 
 Chap. XX. Adonijahy^/j" up as Heh apparent 
 to the Throne^ and ajferts his Claim to it. 
 Upon hearing of isohicky David caitfes Solo- 
 mon to be anointed Kifig 286 
 
 Chap. XXI. A fiort Digreffion, being an Effay 
 upon the Chara5ier of Bathfheba 292 
 
 Chap. XXII. David calls an Ajfembly of his 
 
 people ^ in which Solomon j Ekcizon to the 
 
 Throne is confirmed. His Speech and Thankf- 
 
 g/'vi?g tc God, upon that Oaafion, His lajl 
 
 InfiniEjions to hts Son Solomon 301 
 
 Chap. XXIII. Some Account of the Temple fer- 
 vice. David V Death 309 
 
 Chap. XXIV. DavidV CharuEier difcuffed, with 
 regard to Lis Polygamy^ and ihe Murder of 
 Uriah 316 
 
 Chap. XXV. DavidV CharaEler confidered in 
 hriendjlip, and in Enmity 324 
 
 Chap. XXVi. A port Comparifon of David with 
 Alexander, Casfar, and Scipio. His Cha- 
 ra^tr concludes this ffork 334. 
 
 AN 
 
AN 
 
 Hiftorical A g c o ti n t 
 
 Of the LIFE and REIGN of 
 
 King D A VI D. 
 
 BOOK III. ~ 
 
 ■ III ' I ■ >. i I "i — <——■—— ^ga;|B^- 
 
 C H A p. I. 
 
 JDavid deftgns to build a Temple^ hut is 
 Jorbidden, God's Promifes to his Pojie^ 
 rity, David^'j Thankfgivi7igs. 
 
 NO W was T^avid at rejly as the facred 
 writer informs us, from all his enemies 
 round abontthim: and now dou briefs he 
 recolleded that command ot God to 
 his people, in the xii^^ chap, of Dettteronomy^ by 
 his prophet ^/^^i", that. When God fiould give 
 tiiem reft from all their enemies round about y (o 
 that they fhould dwell infafety, then (faith Mo- 
 fes) there flmll be a place ^ "uuhich the Lord your 
 God fhall choofe, to caufe his name to dwell 
 there : thither pall ye bring all that I command 
 Vol. II. B youh 
 
2 An Hijlorical Account of B. 3, 
 
 you^ your burnt-offerings, and your facrificesy 
 your tithes^ &c. that is, that it fhould be the refi- 
 dence of the ark of God, and the feat of his fer- 
 vicej confequently there fhould be his temple. 
 yerufalem was that chofen place. God had now 
 given his people reft from all their enemies round 
 about them: and therefore David reafonably 
 concluded, that now was the time for ereding 
 the temple, and eftablifhing the fervice of God 
 in all its perfedion. And now, as is generally- 
 believed, he penned the \c\\^^Tfalm as an hymn 
 of thankfgiving to God, for that blelling of peace 
 and reft beftowed upon his people. But whoever 
 attends carefully to the ftyle of that pfalm, will, 
 I imagine, be more inclined to believe it written 
 in the interval between the firft Thilijiine defeat, 
 related in the ix^^^ chapter of the laft book, and 
 their fecond invafion ; upon their confederating 
 aneW;, and gathering together to a fecond attempt 
 againft him. 
 
 To this, I apprehend, refer thofe words in the 
 ^thyerfe of this Pfalm: fVhen the\)icked fpring 
 up as grajs. He had juft mowed down his ene- 
 mies, and they were now fpringing up again, 
 like a new crop of grafs from a rich field : but 
 how flourifhing foever thefe workers of iniquity 
 were, TDavid fully confided, that they fhould 
 foon be dejiroyedfor ever. The glory of finners 
 is, at beft, but the flower of a withering grafs: 
 but the righteous "^ fiall f.otirijh like a palm-tree *, 
 Jjepallgro'i^ like a cedar in Lebanon^ which, at 
 
 f Ver. 12. 
 
 % the 
 
fe. 3. the Life King ofDkyin. 3 
 
 the fame time that it inlarges upon earth, rifcs 
 towards heaven. 
 
 The Pfalm which I take to be the peculiar 
 compofition of this interval of reft, which fuo 
 ceeded this fettlement of theXark in its place, is 
 the Ixxxivth * • for the facrcd hiftorian informs 
 us, that this fettlement was no fooner over, than 
 David fet his heart upon building a temple to 
 God; an edifice in fome meafure worthy of his 
 majefty ! at leaft, as far as earthly magnificence 
 can attain or exprefs. He could not bear, that 
 his own fovereignty (hould be fet off by a palace 
 of cedar, whilft the ark of God, the emblem and 
 
 * The author of this Pfalm fpeaks of the altars of God in a 
 manner that (hews them to be then comparatively defolated.— — 
 There were at this time two altars ereded in the kingdom oijudea. 
 to the true God, but neither of them ih the place of his own ap- 
 pointment ; that at Hebron not attended by any appointed number 
 of priejis, that we know of, as that at Gibeon was, altbo* but 
 flenderly, and by a few ; fo little crowded, that the biids of the air 
 
 might build unmolefted in them. We hear only of one altar 
 
 after the building of the temple ; therefore this Pfalm was written 
 before that period. The author of this Pfeim fpeaks of the taber- 
 nacles of God } there were two tabernacles now extant : we hear 
 of no tabernacle after the building of the temple ; therefore this 
 Pfalm was written before that period. 
 
 The author of this Pfalm wi(hes eagerly for the courts of the 
 Lord: the tabernacle had but one court j therefore his wifhes mud 
 be for the courts of the tempie, which were many j and as the 
 lemple was not yet extant, thefe Wifhes could only mean the author's 
 eager defire to fee that temple eredfed. 
 
 N. B. Since this note nvas nxjrittBVy another interpretation of tie 
 fajfage referred to in the \-A\y\\th Pfalm hath been fuggejied 
 to me^ by a per/on nxhofe judgment hath great ^weight <with me. 
 In his opinion ^ thepaffage relating to the fparrow and the fwal"" 
 \Q^Jhould be thiis underjhod', as ?/ David had /aid, Theiv/dX- 
 Jew hath an houfe^ and the fparrow a nej}^ &c. but my houfe 
 and my rejl are nvitb th(c\ evCfl thy altars, O Lord ofhofts, 
 jny King and my God. 
 
 B a pledge 
 
4 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 3* 
 
 pledge of his prefence, and throne of his earthly 
 refidence^ dwelt under curtains. David's foul 
 was far exalted above thofe groveling and abjed 
 fpirits, which imagine the meaneft manfions fui- 
 ficient for the ferviceof Godj and for that rea- 
 fon are little folicitous to have their churches bet- 
 ter than barns, unatpcious of adding any advan* 
 tages or diftindions, that tended to inlarge, to 
 ennoble^ to exalt their fouls. Had ^avid been 
 in this way of thinking, it is certain, the law of 
 Mofes then extant, and in the bands of every If 
 raelitej the priefls, the Levites^ the prophets 
 and their fchools, the altars at Hebron and Gi- 
 heoriy and the tabernacles at Gibeon and Jerufa- 
 km, their fcrvice, and their attendants, might 
 fufRciently have anfwered the purpofes of reli- 
 gion, to his own people. But this was but a 
 fmall part of jD^'U/^^'s defign. His aim was, to 
 give the worfhip of God all the dignity due to 
 it 5 to difFufe the glory of God throughout the 
 ends of the earth 5. that the light of true religion 
 fhould rife up from Jerufalem, like \\\z fun from 
 his tabernacle 'y that, like that, ks go tng forth 
 Jhould be from the uttermofi fans of the hea- 
 'ven, and its circuit unto the ends ofit\ and that 
 nothingjhotild be hid from its vital and heavenly 
 influence. This (as* I elfewhere obferved) ap- 
 pears evidently from the 1^^ Pfalm (v. i, 2.) : 
 The migk ty God, even the Lord, hath ffoken^ 
 and called the earth, from the rifing of the funy 
 unto the going do'uvn thereof Out of Sionthe 
 f erfe£f ton of beauty , God hath Jhined, 
 
 "^ Let 
 
B. 3» the Life of King D\v in. ^ 
 
 Let us then form to ourfelves the ideaof a 
 man, greatly delighted with what he had already 
 done towards the eflabiifhment of the divine wor- 
 fliip, and the propagation of true religion ; but 
 at the fame time, under a deep (ci^ik, of the defi- 
 ciency of his beft endeavours, and an ardent de- 
 fire of doing morcj filled with the image of a 
 glorious and magnificent temple, imprefled upon 
 him by the immediate iniiuence of the fpirit of 
 God* 5 confcious of the immenfe funis requifitc 
 to the undertaking, and his own inability to fup- 
 ply them; but at the fame time, well experienced, 
 and fully confiding, in the bounty and beneficence 
 of the Almighty to him. That God who had 
 rai fed him from the fold to a throne, could as 
 cafily enable him to build a houfe for his worlhip^ 
 as far tranfcending his palace, as that did his ori- 
 ginal cottage. It is true, his country was at pre- 
 fent poor 5 but ic was as eafy for God to make a 
 poor country rich, as to fill a barren and dry val- 
 ley with fountains of living water. It was a fixed 
 principle with David, that he whofc (trengrh 
 was in God, muft be blelled (vcr. f.) 5 and that 
 if he had his ways at heart, he mult go on from 
 Jirength toftrength^ and find no dirficuity inliipc- 
 rable in the profecution of his upright purpoies. 
 
 Let the reader then conuder Davidihu^ cir- 
 cumltanced (as undoubtedly he was at this riiiie} 5 
 and if he be convinced from tiie note refci red to 
 
 * I Chron. xxviii. 1 1, 12, Here we are told, that David gave 
 Solomon the pattern of the porch, i^c. and of all that he h:id bj the 
 ^firit, of the houfe, ^kz. 
 
 B3 . in 
 
An Hifiorical Account of B. 3, 
 
 ;n p. 3. that this Pfalm could not be written 
 after the building of the temple, he will beft j^icige 
 for himfelf, whether it was moft probably writ- 
 ten in this fituation of David's mind and cir- 
 cumftances. 
 
 That David was highly delighted with the 
 eftablifhment of the tabernacle, and its fervice, 
 and at the fame time had his heart fet upon build- 
 ing the temple, is not to be denied. The reader 
 then will beft judge for himfelf^ who clfe but 
 jP^i^/V could c'7 out in that tranfport of delight, 
 fervent piety, ardent dcfire, and earneft longing 
 for the temple of Gop, 7fal. Ixxxiv. i. How 
 amiable are thy tabernacle s, O Tordofhojls!-—^ 
 2. My foul longeth-^^yea even faintith^ for the 
 courts of the L ord : my heart and m y flejh crieth 
 
 otit for the living God, O Lord God of ho/is ^ 
 
 hear my prayer. O Lord, our fiidd, lookuion 
 
 the face of thine anointed, For the Lord 
 
 God is a fun and a pie Id: theLrd will give 
 grace and glory i no good thing will he with- hold 
 from them that walk uprightly. 
 
 Let us fuppofe then, (what is not at all unna- 
 tural) that %)avid, upon conceiving this great 
 defign of building the temple, nad poured out his 
 purpofe in fervent prayers to God, imploring his 
 aid and proteftion, and confiding in his fupporr, 
 to the accomplifhment of it; could any words 
 more aptly or emphatically exprefs the fulnefs of 
 his heart upon this head, than thofe of this 
 Pfalm > 
 
 ♦ If the humble tabernacles of God were fo delightful, how much 
 ir.ore the courr^ of the temple in all their grandeur and glory ! 
 
 Let 
 
B, 3. the Life of King David. 7 
 
 Let us fuppofe him to have communicated 
 any pfalm he compofed upon this occafion, to 
 Nathan, his prophet, and his friend; what other 
 anfwer could the prophet make to him, onfup- 
 pofition that this was the very Pfalm fo commu- 
 nicated, than that which we find recorded of 
 him 2 Sam, vii. 3 \ Let the candid reader examine 
 and compare. 
 
 Psalmist. 
 
 My foul longethy yea even fainteth, for the 
 courts of the Lord: my heart arid my fiefs 
 crieth out for the living God, 
 
 Blejfed is the man whofe ftrength is in thee.-^-^ 
 No good thing ivill he with- ho Id from them 
 
 that walk uprightly. O Lord of hofis^ 
 
 blejfed is the man that trufieth in thee. 
 
 Prophet. 
 
 Go, do all that is in thine heart : for the Lord 
 is with thee. 
 
 Nathan found that thepurpofe of building 
 the temple was deep '<^t "David's heart; lie per* 
 ccived that God had hitherto remarkably bleflTed 
 and protedtcd him, and that David intircly 
 relied upon his protection ; and therefore, when 
 he told him of his defign to build the temple, 
 he bids him go and do all that was in his heart 5 
 for the Lord was with him. 
 
 This was the decifion of a prophet, in favour 
 oi David's purpofe ; but we learn from this 
 hiftory, that even the decifions of prophets, in 
 favour of the beft purpofes, without the imme* 
 
 B 4 diacc 
 
8 An Htjlorkal Account of B. 3. 
 
 diatc authority of God, are not always to be 
 depended upon (Lines of unerring guidance are 
 too narrow for the devious fpirit of man *) : for 
 the facred \vrirers inform us, that the ward of 
 the Lord came that fame night to Nathan-, in- 
 forming him to this purpole^ and commanding 
 him to go and tell TDavid his fcrvaut, that he 
 approved of his intention to build him an houfe, 
 but had referved the execution of that great de- 
 fign for one of his fons : that, as his people had 
 hitherto been in a fluctuating unfettlcd (late, he 
 had chofen to have, the ark of his covenant de- 
 pofited in a tabernacle, capable of being carried 
 from place to place, as their occafions required: 
 that he had now appointed a place for them, and 
 would eftablifli them, in a more fettled and un- 
 difturbed condition, than had hitherto been 
 indulged them; unmoiefted and unopprciled by 
 the wicked world around them, as he then was: 
 that as for D^^/^himfelf, God^ who had raifed 
 him from an humble fhepherd to a monarch of 
 no mean figure and efteem in the earth, who had 
 llgnally bleffed him in all his-undertakingSj had 
 yet a great deal of other work for him to do: 
 that as he had hitherto fubdued all his enemies 
 before him, he would ftill continue to do fo, 
 (for many more yet remained to be conquered f) 
 
 till they were all deftroyed. There is another 
 
 reafon clfewhere^^affigned for God's refufing to 
 
 * "Nimis angufta res ejl nufpiam errare. 
 
 -^ This is plainly implied in that promife, i Chron,%s\\. lo. 
 Moreo'ver 1 rwill fubdue all thine enemies, 
 t I Chron. xxii. i Kings v. 
 
 l«c 
 
B. 3« the Life of King X) kv I J^. 9 
 
 let David build hirri an houfe 5 but as it is pro- 
 bable that was given at another tune, it will be 
 more properly confidcred in the fubfequent part 
 of this hirtory. 
 
 This refufal was followed by a promife full 
 of confolation, that God would aflliredly make 
 him an houfci and when his days were falfilkd, 
 and he fhould fleep with his fathers^ he would 
 fet up his iced nftcr him, isuhich jhouid be of pis 
 Jb72s, and eflablifh his kingdom ; adding^ He 
 Jhalt huild an houfe for my Name, and I will 
 ejiab'ifh the throne of his kingdom for ever. I 
 will be his father, and he JImU be my fan : if 
 he comrmt iniquity, I will c haft en him with 
 the rod of men *, and with the [tripes of the 
 children of men 5 but my mercy fiall not depart 
 away from him, as I took it away from Sauly 
 whom I put away befre thee ; and thine houfe 
 and thy kingdom fiall be eflabltjhed for ever be- 
 fore thee'\. 
 
 These promifes plainly rcfpecl Solomon^ 
 and his poftcrity according to the fic(h^ the kings 
 of Judah : but there is a fupplement to this 
 account^ recorded in the xvii^^^ chap, of tiie iirft 
 
 * It is rematkable, that the original text is, old men \ that is, 
 with the gentlenefs of men to the children of their old age. 
 
 f This is a plain indication of the immortality of the foul, and 
 a fure promife to Da^viJ^ that he himfelf lliould lee that ellablilh- 
 ment, and continuance of it ; which makes that paiTage in the 
 xxift Pfalm compofed by Danjid (and, as I am fully fatisfied, refer- 
 ring to this paffage) clear and intelligible, which hath hitherto 
 been utterly unintelligible to me. He ajked life of thee, and thou 
 ^a^fji him length of days for e<ve.r and ever. His glory is great in 
 thy fahation : honour and majefly haji thou laid upon him j for thou 
 ^aft made him mcfi blejfedfor ever." ■ 
 
 , book 
 
lo An Hijlorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 'book of Chronicles, at the 14^^ verfe; which 
 contains a promife that can only refpeft that Ton 
 of Davidy who was at the fame time ftridly 
 
 and immediately the fon of God 1 will fettle 
 
 htm in my hoife^^ and in my kingdom, for ever i 
 and his throne Jhall be eflablijl^ed for evermore. 
 And this is accordingly applied to our blefled 
 Saviour by an angel from heaven, in the firft 
 cf\apter of St. Lake's gofpel at the 32^^ and 33d 
 vcrles: And he fhdl be great, and fj all be called 
 the Son of the Highefi : and the Lord God pall 
 give unto him the throne of his father T)avid. 
 And he fall reign over the houfe of 'Jacob for 
 ever. And of Us kingdom there pall be no end'\. 
 
 The goodnefs or God to his fervant T>avid 
 is eminently confpicuous in this meflage. He 
 refufed him the requeft which he had fet his heart 
 upon, above all others the granting of which, I 
 am fati.sfied, would have given him more folid 
 joy, than the fovereignity of the whole earth : 
 but he foftened the refufal, by the kindcft pro- 
 mifes and affurances ; by promifes of fignal and 
 long continuing favours to his poderityj long 
 continuing in earthly fplendor and authority, and 
 concluding in an eternal dominion over the 
 church and people of God. 
 
 As foon as Nathan h^d delivered this divine 
 KiefTage to the king, 'David^ overwhelmed at 
 
 * That by the houfe of G o d is meant his chprch, St. Paul 
 fully informs us, i fim. iii. 15. That thou mayji kntmj how thou 
 oughteji to beha<ve thy/elf in the houfe of God, nxjhicb is the church 
 cf the living God, the pillar and ground of truth. 
 
 f The like application is alfo made by St. Paul, Heb. i. 5. And 
 izgain, I ivill he to him a Father, and htfhall he to me a Son, 
 
 once 
 
B. 3* the Life of King 'Dkyijy, n 
 
 once with gratitude and aftonifhmcnt at the iit^ 
 finite bounty of God to him, Iiaftens to the 
 tabernacle, to indulge the overflowings of his 
 heart, and pour out his acknowledgments to his 
 Divine Benefador. Accordingly, he fat dowa 
 before the throne of God, unqueftionably 
 crouching, and fitting upon his feet, the pofture 
 of molt fubmiflive humiliation in the eaftern 
 worlds and there, in broken accents of throbbing 
 and panting gratitude, he'labours out his prayers 
 of prailes and thankfgivings to his Maker, for 
 his unbounded, unmerited, and unfpeakable 
 mercies. 
 
 WHO am 7, O Lord God — and what is my 
 
 houfe that thou haft brought me hitherto? — 
 
 And this was ytt a fmall thing in thy fight y O 
 
 Lord God but thou haft fpoken a^fh of thy 
 
 fervdnfs houfe for a great while to come *, 
 
 and haft regarded me according to the eft ate of 
 
 a man of high degree. O Lord God and 
 
 what can 'David fay more unto thee? — For 
 thou. Lord God, knowefi thy fervant. 
 
 Her E he ceafed, and paufed the ftyle and 
 
 fentence fhew it And after a while refumes 
 
 his acknowledgments, in a ftrain, that demon- 
 ftrates the broken, opprefled, unconne61:ed con- 
 dition of his thoughts, bewildered with gratitude, 
 and an overflowing fcnfe of tfae divine good- 
 nefs to him. 
 
 * It is obfervable, that what Nathan exprefles by for e'ver^ 
 paoiid explains by a great while to come ; which plainly proves, 
 thzt/or e'ver does not always mean a perpetual duration according 
 tp the Hebrew idiom. 
 
 FOR 
 
1 2 An Hiflorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 FOR thy works fake y and according to thine 
 own kearty haft thou done all thefe great 
 
 things to make thy fervant know Where' 
 
 fore thou art great, O Lord God I for there is 
 none like thee^ neither any God befide thee^ ac- 
 cording to all that we have heard with our 
 ears. 
 
 And here his contemplation upon the gran- 
 deur and immenfity of the Divine Beings and 
 peculiar goodnefs to himfelf^ carries him to con- 
 fider his infinite mercies to his peculiar people : 
 And what one nation in the earth is like thy 
 feople Ifraely whom God went to redeem^ to be 
 his own people, to make thee a name of great- 
 nefs and terriblenefs^ by driving out nations 
 from before thy people, whom thou haft redeemed 
 
 out of Egypt ^ the nations^ and their gods? 
 
 For thy people Ifrael didft thou make thtne own 
 people for ever s andthou^ Lord^ becameji their 
 God, 
 
 And now, recollecting that it was princi- 
 pally for their fakes he was exalted and eftablifhed 
 in the throne, he proceeds with m^ore confidence 
 and earneftnefs to implore of G o d the compicr 
 tion of his promife to himfclf, and liis houfe.-- 
 
 THEREFORE now. Lord, let the thing 
 that thou haft fpoken concerning thy fervant], 
 and concerning his houfe, be eftablifhed for ever\ 
 and do as thou haft faid"^, 
 
 f FO R thou haft confirmed to thyfelf thy 
 people Ifrael to be a people unto thee for ever: 
 
 ♦ I Chron. xvii. 23. 
 
 f 2 Sam. vii. 24. to the end, 
 
 mi 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 13 
 
 and thou, Lord^ art become their God, And 
 now^ O Lord God, the word that thou haft 
 jpoken concerning thy fervant^ and concerning 
 his houf€y eftablijlo it for ever^ and do as thou 
 haft [aid. And let thy Name be magnified for 
 ever, faying. The Lord of hojls is the God over 
 Ifrael: and let the houfe of thy fervant '^David 
 he eftablified before thee. For thou, O Lord of 
 hojis, God of Ifrael, haft revealed to thy fervant^ 
 faying, I will build thee an houfe : therefore 
 hath thy fervant found in his heart to pray this 
 prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord God, thou 
 art that God, and thy words be true, and thou 
 haft promifed this goodnefs unto thy frvant. 
 Therefore now let it plea fe thee to blefs the houfe 
 of thy fervant, that it may continue for ever 
 before thee. For thou, O Lord God, haft fpoken 
 ity and with thy bleftmg let the houfe of thy 
 fervant be bleffed for ever. To my eye, the 
 workings of a brcaft oppreflcd and overflowing 
 with gratitude, are painted ftronger in this prayer, 
 than I ever obferved them in any other inftance. 
 It is eafy to fee, that his heart was wholly pofleft 
 with a fubjed which he did not know how to 
 quit, becaufe he did not know how to do juftice to 
 his own fenfe of the ineftimable bleilings poured 
 down upon himfelf, and promifed to his pofte- 
 rity i and much lefs to the infinite bounty of his 
 Bcnefador. In the earneftnefs and contention 
 of his prayer, I behold him in the light of Jacob 
 wr eft ling with God, and crying out, 1 will 
 not let thee go, except thou blefs me\ and in the 
 falncfs of his gratitude to that God, who loaded 
 
 him 
 
14 An Hi/lorical Account of B. ;|, 
 
 him with his benefits, I imagine I behold him iit 
 the conclufion, bowing down and fubmitting in 
 the words of the iii^i T?falm, ver. 8. Salvation be- 
 longeth unto the Lord : thy blejfing is upon thy 
 people. 
 
 Then, in the rapture of fuch tranfcendent, 
 fuch aftonifliing bleflings from God, was com- 
 pofed the xxi^t Pfalm-, and indeed well might 
 ^avidcT'j out upon that glorious occafion, The 
 king Jhall joy in thy ftrengthy O Lord, and in thy 
 fahation how greatly pall he rejoice I Thou haji 
 given him his heart's defire, and haji not with- 
 holden the requeji vf his lips. For thou prevent eft 
 him with the blejjmgs ofgoodnefs : thoufttteji a 
 crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life 
 of thee, and thou gov eft him length of days ^ for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 CHAP. IL 
 
 David invades Philiftia, and takes Gith^ 
 
 &^c. He then invades and fubdues 
 
 Moab. 
 
 D 
 
 AVIT>, having learnt from Nathans an- 
 fwer, related in the laft chapter^ thataltho" 
 he was not to build a temple to God^ yet he was 
 appointed to fubdue his enemies, and cftablifh 
 his people in peace and fecurity, was naturally 
 led to refleft, that fince they were not yet in 
 full polTeffion of the promifed land, it was his 
 peculiar bufinefs to drive out the enemy, and 
 
 fettle 
 
B. 3- the Life of King T>kY ID. 15 
 
 fettle his people in it. Befides this, his fon was 
 to build a temple, which required immenfe fums 
 to ered and to adorn it. The wealth of the van- 
 quifhed of courfe becomes the vidor's; and much 
 of that in the hands of his devoted enemies, was 
 employ'd (under the colour of religion) to the 
 vileft purpofes that can debafe or deprave the 
 human nature. What nobler relblution could 
 be taken, than to refcue that treafure from the 
 vileft of all ufes, and apply it to the nobleft? To 
 employ the fpoiis of the moft deteftable idolatry 
 to the eftablifhment and inlargement of the pure 
 and pcrfed worihip of the only God? 
 
 The Philiflines had lately invaded Ifrael 
 twice, and were fuccefsfully repulfed 5 and ho- 
 ftiiities had now ceafed on both fides, apparently 
 by tacit confent j but, as no treaty of peace had 
 intervened, (for no trace or hint of any fuch 
 treaty is found in the facred writers) T)avid was 
 at full liberty to renew them whenever he pleafed 9 
 and therefore Mr. Bayle is, with great fubmif- 
 fion, very idle in his cenfures upon this part of 
 ^avid\ conduft : and^ when he is found fo very 
 uncafuiftical in fo many decifions, the impartial 
 reader hath an unqueftionable right to fufpcd 
 him in all > 
 
 While wits and Templars ev*ry fentence raife^ 
 And wonder with afoolijhfa^e of praife. 
 
 But to proceed: 
 
 David, finding now a fit occafion of renewing 
 hoftilities againft the Thilijiines, did fo accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 It 
 
i6 An Hiftorkal Account of B. 3, 
 
 It is obvious to obferve upon this occafion, 
 that T>avid, from the conftitution of his militia^ 
 had more advantages for invading his enemies, 
 fudden and unfufpeded, than any prince we read 
 of in hiftory : inafmuch as at the going out of 
 one courfe, and the coming in of another, 
 (month by month) forty- eight thoafand men, 
 well armed and appointed, were on foot ,• and 
 came together once every month, on one day. 
 A number (even luppofing their officers in- 
 cluded) fufficient to undertake ahnoft any expe- 
 dition : at leaft, if we may rely either upon the 
 judgment of one of the greateft captains of the 
 laft age, who thought a fmallcr number fuffi- 
 cient for the command of any one man*, or 
 the example of the greateft captains, and moft 
 fuccefsful armies of all antiquity. And, as this 
 interchange of courfes caufed an inceffant march-^ 
 ing of the forces to and fro, on the day of the 
 change, it was eafy, under that cover, to af- 
 femWc the army in one day, and in any number, 
 and at what part of the kingdom the king 
 pleafed; and confequently, to invade and fur- 
 prife his enemies on whatever quarter he thought 
 fit j as I believe he furprized the PhH'iflines at 
 this time. It is true, the text only tells us, that 
 ^avid [mote and fubdued them. But, if we 
 elHmated the fuccefs of this expedition by the 
 concifenefs of the relator's ftylc, we fhould be 
 obliged to conclude, that he accomplifhed it, 
 at leaft, with one degree of greater difpatch, 
 
 ♦ rurmne thought an army of thirty thoufand men as much as 
 one man could command. rl an 
 
B. 3* the Life of King David, 17 
 
 than C^far did that conqueft, which he relates 
 only by thofe celebrated three words^/^;^/, vtdt^ 
 'vki'^. The truth is, the facred hiftori'ans re- 
 count expeditions in three words, which, in the 
 hands of heathen writers, would fill volumes % 
 but it fhould be obferved, that they do this, from 
 a thorough contempt of that vanity which con-^ 
 traded Cafar's (lyle. 
 
 Their bufinefs is, to illuftrate the difpen^ 
 fationsof Divine Providence, in the feveral in- 
 ftances of God's infinite wifdom, goodnefs, and 
 mercy, to the fons of men; and above all, his 
 fteady rewards of righteoufnefSj and chaftifementS 
 of guilt 5 and to attain that end, they haften to 
 the events of aftions and counfcls, and the pur- 
 pofes of Providence accomplifhed by themi de* 
 fpifing, for the moft part, all that difplayofthe 
 human prudence and prowefs in the condud of 
 them, too^cther with the minuter circumftances 
 of time, place, and accidents, which inUrge and 
 imbellifh the works of common writers. Hence 
 it is that we are left utterly in the dark, with 
 regard to the time, manner, and occafion, of 
 David's commencing this wars and are only 
 informed, that, after he had defeated the enemy^ 
 he next aflaulted and took (whether by fiege ot 
 ftorm, is not faid) Gath and ker towns out of 
 the hand of the Philijlmes (i Chron, xviii. i,)5 
 in the original it is, Gath and her daughters : 
 the taking of which places is, in the xin"^^ chap, 
 of the 2ti book of Samnely expreffcd by tii^ 
 
 * I came, I faw^ I con<juered. 
 
 Vol. IL C taking 
 
1 8 Alt Hlfiorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 taking o{ Metheg Ammah 5 which fome learned 
 men think fhould be tranflated, Metheg and her 
 mother i that is, the daughter and the mother 
 city, Metheg^ and Gath, her metropolis : altho' 
 others chule rather to tranflate thelc words Me- 
 theg Ammah, The bridle of the angle ; appre- 
 hending x\\\\.Gath was fo called, on account of 
 its being a garifon, which kept all the contiguous 
 country of 5^f/^<?^ in awe j and was now in the 
 hands of 2)^?i;/V, 2.ZM\\>w^owx\\zThtlifttnes^ as 
 it was before upon the yews. This is certain, it 
 was the metropolis of one of the five T hi lift ine 
 principaliticsi the feat of their kingS;, and the 
 mother of giants. This alfo is certain^ that upon 
 the taking of it Goliah's family was not de- 
 ftroyed : for we afterwards hear of them more 
 than once, in the courfe of this hiftory. As they 
 were a gigantic family, I imagine they might 
 have |:)een fpared by ^avid, from an uncom- 
 mon drain of generofity ; or as monuments of 
 the truth andgreatnefs of hisvidory over Goliah. 
 1 am far from pronouncing, that vanity was the 
 motive of his mercy to that race ; but this muft 
 be owned, that, if human frailty had any fh^re in 
 it, David fuffered a fuflicient chaftifement for 
 it 5 as will be feen in the fcquel of this hiftory. 
 
 David next invaded and fubdued Moaby 
 after Amaleky the mod antient, inveterate, and 
 hereditary enemy of the Jewijh race 5 altho' de- 
 fcended from Lot their kinfman. And altho* 
 the Moabites earncftly invited Balaam to curfe 
 Ifraely and confederated with Midian to deftroy 
 them 5 yet could not the IJraelites be provoked 
 
 CO 
 
B. 3. the Life Kmg of t) ay id, ig 
 
 to do them any evil: but paffed them by, un- 
 molefted; and fetched a compafs round theil: 
 border, rather than give them any urhbrage, ot 
 diquiet, by marching thro' their country. The 
 reafon of this condud is explained by Mofes, ia 
 the iid chap, of 'Dent. ver. 9. where he tells us, 
 that he received an exprefs prohibition from 
 God, either to diftrefs them, or contend with 
 them in battle, or ftrip them of their territories *. 
 But at the fame time that they were commanded 
 not to moleft them, or make war againft them^ 
 or take away any of their territories ; they were 
 as exprefly commanded never to make peace, or 
 enter into an alliance with them, or promote their 
 well-being, by any means whatfoever $ or fo much 
 as to admit any man of that nation into the con- 
 gregation o( Ifrael to the tenth generation f. 
 Now, thefe arc parts of the facred hillory, which, 
 in my humble opinion, deanonftrate at once 
 their own truth, and divine origin. It never 
 yet made any part of human policy, never to 
 have cither peace or war with a neighbour 
 nation 5 and much left, neither to invade or con- 
 quer a weaker hodilc nation (notwithftanding 
 the moil grievous provocations) already more 
 than half fubducd by their ovv'n fears 4^, whca 
 
 * And the Lord /aid unto me, Di/irefs not the Moahites, neither 
 contend nx:tth them in battle : for 1 ixnll rot gi^ve thee of their land 
 for a pofftffion, becaufe I ha<ve gi'Vin Ar unto the children of Lot 
 for a pcjfej/ion. 
 
 f Deut. xxiii. 3, <}., 5, 6. 
 
 X Numb. xxii. 3. And Moah 'vjas fore afraid of the people, he^ 
 caufe th:y ivere many : and Moab ^as fore dijirejfed becaufe of 
 the children of Ifrael, 
 
 C2 is 
 
20 An Hijlorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 it could be done with great eafe, and to great 
 advantage. Now, it is demonftrable from the 
 facrcd hidory, that the j^z^i" were commanded 
 to hold this condudl with regard to the Moab- 
 itesx and aftually did fo, where their obedience 
 was put to the hardeft trial. Nor is there any 
 other im.aginable reafon, why they fpared Moaby 
 a weaker nation, after they had utterly defeated 
 Amalek^ a much ftronger ; and even after they 
 had deftroyed Sthon theopprefTor oi Moaby and 
 made themfclvesabfolute mafters of his country. 
 But the candid reader will pleafe to obferve^ that 
 this prohibition from Almighty Go d could never 
 be intended either to hinder Ifrael from repel- 
 ling a Moahite invafion, or retorting the injury, 
 and chadifing the authors. 
 
 We have feen in the ix^^ chap, of the former 
 book, that the Moabites were confederate with 
 the Pkiiiftifies, and other nations, in their late 
 mvz^ions oijudaa: and it feems to have been 
 Davids policy at this time, after he had defeated 
 and difperfed the confederate army, to invade 
 eachofthofe nations apart, which made it up. 
 Accordingly, we find, that, after he had invaded 
 and humbled Thiliftia^ he Jmote and fubdued 
 Moab. Then was fulfilled that remarkable pro- 
 ., phccy of Balaam^ Numb, xxiv. 17, 18. ^fce- 
 ptre fiall rije out of Ifrael ^ and fiall jmite the 
 c'cnie/s of Moab^ and deflroy ail the children of 
 Sheth : and Edcm fiall be afGJfpf[ion, Seir aljb 
 fiall be apojfefjionjcr his enemies, andlfraelfimil 
 do vaHa?JlJ. Agreeably to the firft part of this 
 prediflion, the text tells us, that 'Davtdfmote 
 
 Moab, 
 
B. 3« the Life of KmgD hvivi. 21 
 
 Moab, and meaftired them with a line, cafling 
 them down to the ground: even with two lines 
 meafured he to put to death, and wit hone full 
 line to keep alive-, and fo the Moabites became 
 David's fervants, and brought gifts. 
 
 Few texts have more perplexed the learned 
 than this. Some think, the exprcffion of caji- 
 ing them down to the ground, alludes to aa 
 Haftern pradice of making thofe who were 
 condemned to die, lie upon their faces^ till they 
 received the executioner's llrcke: And, if this 
 was the cafe^ then may we reafonably conclude, 
 (inafmuch as this was no Jewifi punifhment) 
 that T)avid ex;;cuted tliat moll wife and righteous 
 law of retaliation upon the Moabites, xy^ treat- 
 ing them in the fame manner they were wont 
 to treat thofe whom they conquered. Others 
 imagine, with more rcafon, that the expreffion 
 of cafling down, refers to the demolition of 
 thofe forts and ftrong-holds which made obfti- 
 nate rcfiftancej upon the taking of which, they 
 difcriminated between thofe who were hardy 
 and determined in rcfufing all offers of mercy, 
 upon their fubmiffion, and thofe who were 
 unwillingly with-held by their rulers and com- 
 manders from accepting the mercy oifercd them; 
 favingthe one, and putting the other to death. 
 And agreeably to this fenfe, the H.hrew text 
 may, and I think ought to be underftood thus : 
 With two lines meafured he, viz, one '^ to put 
 
 • Such ellipfes are common in the Sacred ftyle, and muft, in 
 many inilances, neceffarily be underflood and fupplied in the fame 
 I2^ner that I fuppofe this fhould. 
 
 ,C3 ta 
 
2 2 An Hijiorical Account of B, 3 , 
 
 to death (thofe obftinate few who rejcded all 
 offers of mercy); and with one full line (in the 
 original a line of plenitude) to keep alive;, 
 thai is, to fave all thofe who would have fub- 
 niiited, and accepted proffered mercy, had they 
 been fuffered. 
 
 And rhis interpretation is, I think, ftrengthened 
 by the expreflions made ufe of i3y the facred 
 writer on this occafioo. Now, in the original^ 
 the word which we render the corners of Moaby 
 niight better be tranflated vaz princes oi Moab^ 
 as the word which we render deftroy (defcroy ail 
 the children of Sheth) fignifies in the original to 
 nnwall: and then the plain fenfe of the text 
 Nvili (iand thusj that this fccptre, which fnould 
 arife out oi ijrael^ (hould fniite xhc princes^ that 
 is, the ruling commanding part ot Moab, and 
 mwall, that is, demolifn their fenced cities, or 
 rather their fortification?. And agreeably to this 
 interpretation, I apprehend that ""David put the 
 commanding officers, in every city that rcfiiled, 
 to death, and fpared the people: and it appears 
 fufficicotiy from the fubftquent part of the text, 
 that they who fubmirted were received into 
 mercy, and became triiiutary. 
 
 Let it be obicivcd upon this occafion, that 
 ^avid was a prophet, and throughly verfed in 
 the Scriptures; and when he had there learnt, 
 that a king was to arife out oi "Jacob, v/ho O-iouId 
 one day fmire and fubdue Moab^ it was not hard 
 for him to diicern in the fpirit of prophecy, that 
 he himfelf was that king^ efpecially after the 
 4peflage delivered to him by Nathan, from ihe 
 
 wor4 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 25 
 
 word of the Lord. And there is no doubt bat 
 he executed the fentence denounced againft 
 Moab m the prophecy of Balaam, in that kvSz 
 in which the Ipirit of God denounced it *^ 
 which I apprehend to be that now explained. 
 
 But, fuppofmg T>avid deilroyed two thirds 
 of the Moahites on this occaiTon, and faved only 
 one third, (for fo foiie undcrftand the text) the 
 feverity of this challifemcnt was no greater thaa 
 that which God himfelf denounces again his 
 own people for their fins, Zech, xiii. 8. jlnd 
 it pall come to pafSy that in all the land, faith 
 the Lord, two parts then^injhall be cut ojf, and 
 die J but th e third jh a II he left therein . A n d w h y 
 might not the fins of the Moabites deterve this 
 chaftifemcnt now, as thofe of ihcjews d\^ at 
 the time referred to in this prophecy? The 
 greateft fais the Jews ever committed againft 
 God, were thofe corruptions which they copied 
 from their neighbour- nacions; the moil: abo- 
 minable of all which were pradifcd by the very 
 nation v/e are now fpeaking of t> and therefore 
 there is good reafon to beii'cve, that they nowr 
 deferved the fame feverity of vengeance from 
 the juRice of God, which he afterwards inflicted 
 upon his own people, 
 
 * That he carefully atwaded to the fenfe of the prophecy on 
 this occaficn, may, I thirik, be fairly inferred both from the na- 
 ture of the thing, and from the ftrid attention he paid to every 
 part of the divine commands in relation to that people ; for he 
 neither diilrelled nor contended with them in battle, unadaulted ; 
 nor, when he conquered them in battle, did he feek their peace or 
 *j)rofperity, or to itrip them of their lands : he contented himfelf 
 with fubduing and making them tributary. 
 
 f Numb. XXV. Judges x. 6. i Kin^s xi. 7. 2 &gs iii, :;7. 
 ^^Qs\x» 2. ^^ra ix. I. 
 
 C4 CHAPj 
 
§4 ^^^ Htjlorkal Accouitt of B. 3. 
 
 CHAR III. . 
 
 David conquei^s the Syrians and Edom- 
 ites. Yhi^^idi^x^x proved to be the Hadad 
 ^Nicolaus Damafcenus. So?ne 'Bif- 
 fculties m the Sacred "Text cleared, 
 
 TH E next of the confederate nations in- 
 vaded by David, after the conqueft of 
 Moaby were the Syrians of Zobah, or^ as Tto- 
 lorny calls it, Zaba^ (whofe ealkrn border was 
 the Euphrates) then under the dominion of 
 Hadadezer fbn of Reiob^ who feems now to 
 have united the feveral ieflcr principalities^ which 
 fuhfifted there about the beginning of SaiU% 
 reign, into one monarchy *: and that he was 
 fuch a monarch, is clearly collecled from 2 Sam. 
 X. 19. where we learn, that he had feveral kings 
 in fnbjcclion to him. 
 
 As Syria was a part of the earth early peopled 
 ?ifter the flood, this nation harh wirhouc doabt 
 a fair claim to the honour of great antiquity ; 
 although we cannot, with certainty, cariy \t 
 altogether fohigh as \\\t Arabs do^ who pretend 
 that Adam was there formed, and fhcw the 
 place of his formation, x\z^iT)amafcus, together 
 with that of Abel's murder. 
 
 It is^ I think, agreed, that in the earlier ages 
 of the world men were governed by the heads 
 
 * Hadadezer is here called king o^ Zohah; whereas Saul's con* 
 ileil wfts with the kings Q^Zohah, i Sam. xiv, z}.;, 
 
 of 
 
B. 3'. the Life of Khig David. 25 
 
 of families, undci the name of kings ,• and as 
 one ofthefe prevailed over the reft, many prin- 
 cipalities united made a monarchy; and monar- 
 chies have generally been eflabliflicd, earlier or 
 Jater^ in proportion to the antiquity of the na- 
 tion ; and the veneration paid to the founder 
 of the monarchy frequently carried his name 
 from father to fon, and continued it down to 
 his late pofterity. This I take to have been the 
 cafe of Hadiidazers inafmuch as NtcoLms of 
 ^amafcus tells us of one Hadadj king of T)a- 
 wafcwiy who warred with Davidy and was 
 defeated by him near the Euphrates, whofe 
 poderity were called by his name for t<:n gene- 
 rations*. Now if tVAs Hadado^ NtcolausT)a' 
 mafcenus be the Hadadezer of the Scriptures, 
 as the circumftance of his being defeated by 
 ^avid at the Euphrates, dcmonilrates him to 
 be, it is a fair prcfumption, that he was the 
 founder of the monarchy ; inafmuch as it was 
 his name not his father's (for his father's name 
 was Rehob) which was conveyed down to his 
 poftcrity. And forafmuch as tiie founders of 
 monarchies, if they were men of great eminence, 
 generally became the idols of the people, under 
 their pofierity 5 what if this Hadad was origin- 
 ally that idol of the Syrians, whofe ftatue. Ma- 
 
 * Jofephus tells us, that this Hadad aided Hadadezer againft 
 Va^idi but forafmuch as the Scripture makes mention of no fuch 
 Iran, &nd Nko/aus of Dama/aa fays nothing of his aiding Hadad- 
 €zer, I take this to be a miflake of that hiftorian, which might 
 cafily be occafioned by his great diftance from the times of which. 
 Jje wrote. 
 
 ^robins 
 
26 An Hijlorical Accotmt of B. 3. 
 
 CTobius tells f us, was adorned with rays in- 
 clining towards the earth, to exprefs his benefi- 
 cence? Efpecially ixncc Nicolaus of T)amajctis 
 tells us, he was the mod excellent of all the 
 Syrian kings: and, forafmuch as ezer in the 
 Hebrew fignifies help or aid, I fubrnit it to the 
 skilful in that language, whether this might not 
 have been an epithet added to the name of that 
 prince to fignify his readinefs to aid and fupport 
 every one that needed his afTiflance ; as if we 
 fhouid call him in our tongue, Hadad the helper. 
 Now Hadiid'm i\\z Syrian language is the name 
 of the fun^ and lignificsin its literal conftrudion, 
 me (as the fame Macrobitis informs us) : and 
 what could be a more natural or fignificant em- 
 blem of a bcncticcnc moiiarch, than a ftatue of 
 the fun^ with his rays inclining to the earth ? 
 And if the fon oi Rehob was ilich a prince, Vvhat 
 name could he more naturally aflume, upon his 
 afpiring to the monarchy, than that of Hadad:, 
 or the f-in, a moll bcnciicent being, which fees 
 no equal or rival in the fphere of his activity ,^ 
 How godlike were the charadtcr, and how glo- 
 rious the condition, of kings, did ambition only 
 incite them to fapcrior fway, from the divine 
 impulfe to fuperior and more extenfive benefi- 
 cence! If any thing could make idolatry pardon- 
 able, fuch pinces would 5 inafmuch as they are 
 beyond all quclUon the noblcft emblems of the 
 Divinity, 
 
 Whether Haaadezer invaded David, or 
 was invaded by him, is uot clear from the text, 
 
 f Lib. I cap. 23. 
 
B. 3. the Life &/ King David. 27 
 
 which only fays^ that David [mote him as he 
 went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. 
 Now feme underftand this, as \i Hadadezer had 
 gone to recover his border upon the confines of 
 xho, Euphrates-^ in order to which^ he paiTed, 
 without leave given him^ through the country of 
 Judaea ':> which David not enduring, they came 
 to blov/s. Others (and as I think more truly) 
 underftand by the text, that T>avid went to re- 
 cover his border at the river Euphrates ^ that is, 
 to extend his dominions as far as the grant givea 
 by God to Abraham, and his pofterity *, {Gen. 
 XV. 18.) in thefe words, Unto thy feed hanje I 
 givcfi this Land from the river of Egypt ^ unto 
 the great river, the river Euphrates. 
 
 The particular circumftances and confequenccs 
 of this engagement are no further related thaa 
 this 5 that David took from him (Hadadezer) 
 a tkoiij and chariots, and/even thoufand horfemeny 
 and twenty tkoufand footmen j and David hottgh- 
 ed all the chariot-horjls, but refervedofthemfor 
 an hundred chariots. That number probably was 
 no more than was neceffary for the fervice of 
 his ftate and houfhold. Hehamftrung thehorfes, 
 in obedience to the command given by God to 
 Jofitta^ J op. xi. 6f . and there is no doubt but 
 he burnt their chariots alfo, in obedience to the 
 fame command 3 and that he did fo, may, I 
 
 * And at feveral times very particularly confirmed to Mofes, 
 Exod. xxiii. 31. Numlf.xxxiv. Deut. i. 7, ^c. and repeated to 
 Joj7:ua, Jojh. \. 4. 
 
 t ^hon Jkait hQugh thm hor/es and burn their chariots 'with 
 
 think 
 
28 An Htjlorlcal Account of. B. 3. 
 
 think, be clearly inferred from the 9th verfc 6f 
 the xlvi^h Pfalm, compofed in thankfgiving to 
 God upon the conclufion of this war : He breaketh 
 the bovVy and cutteth the fpear in Jundt^r 5 he 
 burneth the chariot in the fire f. Now thefe 
 are in the number of thofe parts of the facred 
 writings, which, to my apprehenilon, demon- 
 ftrate their divine origin. It is utterly abiiorrent 
 from all the principles of human polky, to make 
 cither creatures or utenfils (when once become 
 our own fecure property) either wholly ufclcfs, 
 or Icfs ufeful to all the purpofes, for which 
 either human contrivance hath firtcj, or Provi- 
 dence appointed them. And therefore "D<ivid's 
 burning lo many chariots, and maiming lo many 
 hortes, taken from the enemy in battle, could 
 only arife from a principle of obedience to the 
 commands of Almighty God, exprefly enjoining 
 fuch a conduct to his people. Why it feemed 
 good to infinite V/ifdom to injoin it^ is an in- 
 quiry foreign to my prefent purpofe. 
 
 Whem Hadadezer was defeated, the Syrians 
 of T^amajcus came to his aid, and Ihared his fate^ 
 fpr 'David flew of them tisoo and twenty tkou- 
 /and men. 
 
 -j- I have obferved before, that it is familiar with David to 
 confider a vail hoilile hoU under the idea of a flood of waters ; a 
 noble inftance of which is to be found in this pfalm, v. 3. though 
 the ^waters thereof roar and he troubled y though the mountains Jhake 
 
 rwilh the fuelling thereof. -And I fnall only beg leave to add 
 
 Danjid's own comment upon it, as one of the nobleft inllances of 
 the fablime the imagination can conceive, I had almoft faid, that 
 
 heaven itfelf could infpirel ^ he heathen raged the kingdoms 
 
 yjsre mQved'--' hi uttered hii <VQice the earth melted, 
 
 3 Thait 
 
B. 3* the Life of King David. sg 
 
 That the Hadadezer of the Scriptures Is the 
 Hadadoi Nicolaus T>amafcemts, is, I think_, clear 
 from comparing the accounts left of both. Ni- 
 colatis Damafcenus tells us *, that Hadad, who 
 reigned over T>amafcuSy and the other parts of 
 SyrUy except Tkvenicia, made war againft T>avid 
 the king of Jud£a, and tried his fortune ia 
 many battles, and particularly the laft battle at 
 the Euphrates y wherein he was beaten, ^c. Now 
 we learn from the Scriptures, that Hadadezer 
 reigned at this Time over Syria^ both on this 
 and the other Side of the Euphrates', and we hear 
 of no king in Syria^ except thofe who were 
 lubjcft to him : confcquetitly Jofephus tnuft be 
 midakcn, v/ho fuppoies, contrary to the autho- 
 rity both o^ Nicolaus Damafcenus y'^W(i\hcScn]^^ 
 tures, that two powerful princes, Hadad zxid 
 Hadadezer, iiibfitted in Syria at this time. Be- 
 fides, we hear of no battle which jD^w^ fought 
 at the Euphrates, except that fought, as Nico- 
 laus ^Damafcenus ^'\\'i\\. with Hadad, and, as the 
 Scriptures fay, with Hadadezer \ therefore the 
 Hadadezer of the Bible is the Hadad of Nico- 
 laus 'Damafcenus. 
 
 And here it is very remarkable, that the au- 
 thority which Jofephus quotes upon this point, 
 fully confirms the account left us of this matter 
 by the facred writers, (or rather is confirmed 
 by it) and at i\\c fame time confutes his own. 
 
 That Hadad zir^ Hadadezer were the fame 
 perfon, may, I think, be further manifeded 
 
 * Jofephus^ antiq. I. vii. c» 5. 
 
 froiw^ 
 
30 An Hiflorkal Account tif B. 3. 
 
 from the xi^^ chap, of the firft book of Kmgs $ 
 from whence we learn that Rezon the fun of 
 Efiadah rebelled againft his lord Hadadezer khig 
 o^ Zobah at this time, and feized Damafcus'^ 
 which plainly proves, that there was no fuch 
 Hadad as Jofepbtis fuppofcs then reigning in 
 ^ama/hts ; and grounds a fair prcfumption, that 
 Damafciis was then under the dominion o^ Ha- 
 dadezer : and if fo^ then Hadadezer'is that Hadad 
 of Nkolatis T^amafienus, 
 
 Now^ thefe two paflages of the facred ftory 
 throw light upon one another; one of which 
 tells us, that the Syrians oiT^amafms came to the 
 fnccoxxT o{ Hadadezer 5 and the other, that Rezon 
 fled from his mafter Hadadezer, feized 'Damafciis, 
 
 and fet up for himfelf. The Syrians of Damaf- 
 
 cus^ there being no king mentioned in the Scrip- 
 tures to have reigned over them at that time, 
 the learned authors of TheUniverJal Hifiory ap- 
 prehended to have been a commonwealth 5 but I 
 rather apprehend, from the paffage before us, 
 that they cunc to the aid of Hadadezer ^ be-* 
 caufe they were under his dominion 5 and when 
 they were defeated, Rezon^ taking the advan- 
 tage of the reduced condition of his king Hadad- 
 ezer^ gathered up the fcattered remains of the 
 Syria7is oiT>amafcus, feized the city, and fct up 
 for himfelf, and reigned there, till David drove 
 him thence; Rezon the Jon of EUadah^ (faith 
 the text) ^juhich fed from his lord Hadadezer king 
 of Zobah. And he gathered men unto him, and 
 became captain over a band, when T) avid flew 
 them : and they went to '\DamaJcuSy and dwelt 
 
 therein. 
 
B. 3* the Life of King T> Av I'D,, 31 
 
 therein J and reigned in T^amafcus^ i Kings xi, 
 23, 24. 
 
 The confequence of this defeat of the T>ama' 
 fcene Syrians was, that Syria of T)amafcus was 
 after fome time brought under T)avid's domi- 
 nion; which being within the bounds of the 
 promifcd land*, '©^i;/^ had aright to r.ike into 
 his own poffeffionj altho' for the prcfent he 
 only made them tributaries: for the text informs 
 us, that he put garifons in Snia of ^Damafcus\ 
 and then adds, that the Syrians^ by which, I 
 apprehend, is meant the Syrians o^TDamafcuSy 
 (the Syrians I aft- mentioned) became fervatits to 
 ""David, and br ought gifts. 
 
 How great a \x\0'cv:iiz\\H.idadez,er was, and 
 how immenfe the fpoiis which "David took ia 
 this war, may, I think, be fairly inferred from 
 what the facred hiitorian adds, that David took 
 thefiields ofgoldjhat were on the ferv ants ofHa- 
 dadezevy and brought them to yerujalem. How 
 many thefe were is no-where faid: nor can, in 
 my apprehenfion, be clearly colleded from any 
 palTage in the facred writings; altho' the 4^^» ver. 
 of the iv^'^^ chap, of Solomons Song feems to 
 ground a probability of their being a thoufand : 
 Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded 
 for an armoury, whereon there hang a thoufand 
 bucklers, all jhields of mighty men. 
 
 The cxpreffion of Ihields hanging on a 
 tower as Grotius very ingenioufly imagines, 
 alludes to the ear-rings, pendants and oihet 
 
 * Deut. i. 7. xi. 24. 
 
 enfigns 
 
32 An Htfiorkal Account of . B* 3, 
 
 enfigns of gold, then worn by women of high 
 rank in 'Jiidd^a^ as ornaments of the necki and 
 it is certain, the allafion would hold but ill, if 
 thofc (liields were not of gold '^. 
 
 A s Alexander the Great had his ftlver fhielded 
 foldiersf ; Hadadezer, it fcems, had his golden. 
 
 It hath been the prrdice of many princes to 
 make the arms of their Ibldieis ornamental and 
 precious; partly from the love of fplendor and 
 magniticence,and partly to influence the courage 
 of thofe that carried them; fince nothing elfe 
 could fccure them from becoming a property 
 and a prey to the enemy. At lead there is good 
 reafon to believe, that it was upon this princi- 
 ple, that great Roman emperor, ALxander Se- 
 'i;^n.'.f, inftituted his chryfafptdes, orfoidiers with 
 golden fhieids (altho' hiltorians give it another 
 turn)j fince it cannot be imagined how a prince 
 of fo much wifdom, and fuch feverity ot virtue, 
 whofe whole life was fo abhorrent from every 
 fufpicion of vanity^ could be aded in this point 
 by any other priuciple. 
 
 But however that may be, no imputation 
 of that kind (as I apprehend) lies againd Davids 
 upon this head. Indeed, as he was not permit- 
 ted to fee histreafurcs expended upon the temple, 
 it is not im. probable, but that he fuffered taefe 
 
 * It may be objefled, that Da'vid could fcarce be imagined to 
 liave had a thouland fliields of gold, when So/omon^ who was much 
 richer, had but five hunared m all; two nanJred targets, and three 
 hundred (bields. 1 anlwer, I'iiat Du^jzd might have had more, 
 alu)o' he made none. Bcfides, Solomons fhieids were ornaments, 
 not of his citadel, but ol his houieof tne forcil of Lebanon. 
 
 + Arpyra/picles^ 
 
 n-iields 
 
R 3. ti)e Life of King David. 33 
 
 fhields to retain their form as long as he lived ; 
 but I think it pretty demondrable at the fame 
 time, that he devoted them to the adorning of 
 the temple, whenever it fhould be ereded ; in- 
 afmuch as they are not expeded out of the fpoils 
 faid to be fpoiis dedicated by him : and we hear 
 nothing of them among the fpoils of Jerufalem, 
 upon the taking of the city. 
 
 Iv Hadadezer had fuperfluous gold enough to 
 fhape into fhields, it is highly probable the red 
 of his treafure mufl: have been immcnfc : as the 
 quantity of brafs^ now taken, undoubtedly was; 
 it being exprefly faid, i\\:itfrora Bet ah andBero- 
 thaiy cities ofHadadezer^ king "David took ex- 
 ceeding much brafSy 2 Sam. viii. 8. A relation, whe- 
 ther of the fame tranfadion, or fome other like 
 it, istranfmitted to us in the iirftbookof C/&r^;?. 
 chap, xviii. with this variation; Likeivife from 
 Ttbhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarez^er^ 
 brought "David very much brafs : iv herewith So- 
 lomon made the Brazen-feay andthe pillars^ and 
 the vejfels of brafu 
 
 The facred hiilorian next proceeds to tell us, 
 that when 7W, king of Hamath.hzuii that Da- 
 vid had fmitten ail the hoft of Hadadezey , • hat 
 is, both his hrft army at the 'Euphrates^ and that 
 which came to his aid from Damafcu • , (for the 
 word ^//comprehends both, and plamly implies 
 both to have been his forces) thtw Toi fent Jo- 
 ram his fon unto king Davidy to faluce him 5 or, 
 as the text might be otherwifc ua-jerdood^ to 
 make peace with him, and to congratulare nim 
 upon his victories over Hadadezer ^ which very 
 
 Vol. II. D feafon- 
 
34 ^^ Hijiorical Account df B. 3. 
 
 feafonably diverted his army from Toi^ with 
 whom Hddadezer was then at war: and partly 
 as an acknowledgment of rhe deliverance wrought 
 foi him^ and partly to purchafe his friendfhip^ 
 Toi lent prcfeiris of a confiderable value to 2)^- 
 ^vidj by nis Ion ; ^veffels of Jilver, and vejjels of 
 cold, uvdveJTrls of brafs. All which, with alt 
 the fpoiis won from all the neighbouring nations, 
 all around him^ the Syrians^ the Moabites^ the 
 Jmmomtes, the Philifiints^ the Amalekites, T>a' 
 vidj with a bounty and a piery unprecedented, 
 and (I am forry to fay) but rarely and poorly 
 imitated: dedicated to God 5 that God, whofe 
 aid overthrew his enemies j and whofc Provi- 
 dence prefii'ved klm, wkitherfoever he went 5 
 as the facrcd hiflorian twice obferves, in the 
 compafs of a few verfes. 
 
 How many battles T)avid ion^hx as:ainft the 
 Syrians, the lacrcd hiftorians have been no way 
 folicitous to inform us. N/co/aus of T>a?nafcus 
 tells us, that Hadad tried his fortune with "David 
 in many battles before that at the Euphrates^ 
 where he was beaten; and the facred writers- 
 give us to under (land J that there was one fought, 
 as it fhould fccin, a coniiderable time after this; 
 which, altho* not \o fatal to xhcAjJyrians, in the 
 event, as fome of the preceding^ yet more re- 
 dounded to the honoui* of "David as a captain, 
 than any of them. This is fiifnciently iniplied 
 (I wiHi it were more fully ilkiilrated) in thcfe. 
 words of the facred writer (1 Sam, viii- i -:;.)• 
 And David gat him a name, when he returned 
 fromftniting of the Syrians, in the Yalln of Salt, 
 
 , eighteen 
 
B. 3- thehife of Kt7igV> kvivi, 3^ 
 
 eighteen thoufand. Now the word which we 
 xcndcv fmking^ is in the original, his finiting ^ 
 which plainly fhews this to have btcw the proper 
 and perfonal adion of T>avid, an lead To far as 
 to imply his being prefenc at the battle, and 
 commanding in it 5 which Tome -^ critics not 
 carefully enough attending to, hav-. confounded 
 this atchievnient with another of the fame na- 
 ture related of Abifiai in the firfr book of 
 Chron. xviii. 12. where it is faid, that AbtfiMt 
 the f on of Zeruiah fiew of the Edomites in the 
 Valley of Salty eighteen thoufand. Now the 
 number {lain in both adions being the fame, the 
 war the fame, and the place of adtion apparently 
 the fame, critics have inidgined, that Aram 
 (the Hebrew name of Syria) hath been tran- 
 fcribed by miftake for Edam ; a midakc, which 
 mi^ht more eafily be occafioned by the likencfs 
 of the letters 1 and 1 in the Hebrew tongue. And 
 indeed, if there were no more variety in the 
 names or the relations of the facts, than what 
 might be occafioned by the midake of one Icttct 
 for another like it, the criticifm had been well 
 founded. Bur, in fad, there is a great deal ; and 
 fuch, as it is impoflible Ihould be the effed of 
 any miftakef, as any man, that compares them, 
 will quickly be convinced. 
 
 * Or, to fpeak more freely, all of them that ever I met with. 
 
 f Inthc iirll place (befides the diftindlionlall-mentioned grounded 
 upon the letter of the text, 2 Sa^n. viii. 13.) Et/om hath one letter 
 in it (1) more than Jram : in the next place> the text 2 Sa;j2. viii. 
 h2Li\ifro?n Arom- and the Jpoil of HcJadc^er, S:c. that of i Chro?/. 
 xviii. II. hath, from Edom, without any mention of Hadade^er^ 
 And in the laft place, the t»st 2 Sa7n. hath mdach ; that of i Chron. 
 ^malach^ 
 
 D 2 But 
 
30 An Hijiorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 But ftill the qucftion returns. How the war, 
 place of action, and numbers flain, could be 
 the fame, and yet the aftions different? I an- 
 fwcr. That two different actions of the fame 
 kind might eafily be atchJeyed in the fame war$ 
 and the numbers (lain in each be nearly the 
 fame (for in fuch cafes men count only by round 
 numbers) s and two very remote and different 
 places may be called by the fame name, which 
 might occafion all the difficulty. And this is 
 undoubtedly the cafe here, it being well known, 
 that there were \wSynai^o Valleys of Salt', one 
 in Syria properly fo called, to the north-weft, 
 within four horns o^ Aleppo ':, and another, at a 
 great diftance, in Cc^hjyria^ to the fouth-eaft, 
 near 'Palmyras, in that courfe, which the Edo- 
 mites iliould naturally be fuppofed to take m 
 their march to the aid of Hadadezer , as that, 
 wherein "David is faid to have flain the Syrian^ 
 is in that region, where the Syrians of Damafcus 
 might naturally be fappofed to have affembied, 
 to the fame end: a circumftancc which no cri- 
 tic took under his confidcriiion faltho* there 
 be a plain foundation for it in the Hebrew xzy^M^ 
 one being there called a valley^ and the other 
 the"^ Valley of Salt) ^-^ and which if it had been 
 considered, ( with other circumftaaccs before- 
 mentioned) might eafily have removed all the 
 diticaity upon this point. 
 
 In conlcquence of this viciory we are told, 
 that David put garifons in Edom: 'Jhronghotit 
 
 * Doubtkfs implying fome diftinCiion then well known. 
 
 all 
 
B. 3* the Life of KmgT>kviT>, 37 
 
 all Edom put he gariJonSy and all they of Edom 
 became David's fervants: and there is rea- 
 {qw to believe, from the xxii'^ chap, of the firft 
 book of Kings ver. 47. that they were ruled 
 by a viceroy under him. Then began to be 
 fulfiiied that extraordinary prcdidioii to Re- 
 bekahy^ when the infants ftruggled within her, in 
 the time of her travail — Two 7iations are m thy 
 rjuomb — and the elder fioallferve the younger ; a 
 predidion, which^ altho' related by Mofes, Gen, 
 XXV. 23. was delivered to Rebekah, (and con- 
 firmed by IJaaC^) long before he was bom 5 ^a^ 
 not begun to be fuiiilied till many centuries 
 after his death. 
 
 Then aifo was faifillcd that prophecy of 
 Bahama, Num. xxiv. Edom floall be a pojfejjion^ 
 Seir a'fo floall be a poffcjjionfor his enemies 3 and 
 JJrael fioalldo valiantly. 
 
 Before I conclude this chapter, Imuft take 
 notice, that there is owz dilikulty of moment 
 yet remaining i which fiands thus:— It is faid, 
 in the viii^^^ chap, of x\\^ (econd book of Sa?n^ 
 ver. 14. That all thty oj Edom became David's 
 fervants-^ and yet in the iirii book. oiKi/igs, xi. 
 16. it is exprefly faid, that "Joab cut off every 
 male in Edom. 
 
 I ANSWER that the expreilion of cutting off 
 every male, mull neceflarily be underilood, agree- 
 ably to the practice of the Jevus^ and the com- 
 mands of God to them, m relation to their 
 enemies, which flood thus i^eut. xx. 10, &c.) : 
 
 * Gsn, xxyii. 
 
 D 3 J WiKii 
 
38 A7t Hijlorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 When they came up to aa hoftilc city, they 
 were: to offer thcni peace, on condition that they 
 fubniitted ; and fo to receive them as tributa- 
 ries: but if they rcfufcd to lubmit^ they were, 
 u^pon taking the city, to cttt off all the males. 
 And fo the exprefilon relating to Joah, : Kings 
 xi. muft be undcrftood; njtz. he cur off ell the 
 males of thofe cities that refiikd, throughout all 
 Edcm : for that he did not deftroy all the males 
 throughout the whole country^ is evident enough 
 from the whole tenour of the iacrcd hiftory. 
 Moreover, they who airaign Da'iid^ mercy, in 
 fuppofing him to have flain fuch numbers of un- 
 offending and unrcfifting men, without any 
 {authority from God, have not, perhaps^, fuffi- 
 ciently conlidered, how inconfiftent it was with 
 any degree of good policy;, to leffen annecef- 
 Inrily the number of his own fubjedsj fince that 
 were, in effcd, to leffen his own tribute. 
 
 pjESiDHsthis, ^av:d {zsl lately obferved, on 
 a like occafion) was a prophet: and there is no 
 quefiion, but he well underllood the prophecy 
 of Balaam, in relation to his conqueft over 
 Edom ; and executed it, according to the true 
 meaning and intention of it. Now the pro- 
 phet^ after he had faid, Edom jhall be a poffeJJiGfiy 
 &c. Z'ACi^j Out of Jacob fiali come he that Jhall 
 haz'C dominion 5 and flail deflroy him that re^ 
 fnaineth of the city h that is, ihall execute the 
 commands of God, and cut off all thofe miales of 
 every rciiiling city in Edom, that furvive the take- 
 ing of it. And therefore they who think the exe- 
 cution upon the Edomites extended further, in- 
 
 rerprcf 
 
B. 3* the Life of King David. 39 
 
 terprct the text neither agreeably to mercy, 
 policy, prophecy, or hiftorical tnuh. 
 
 If it be ftill thought, that this was making 
 war with great feverity ,- efpecially, if renouncing 
 their religion was (as it is generally believed) 
 one condition exafted by the Jews, upon the 
 fubmifiion of the idolatrous nations, with whom 
 they warred i I anfwer^ that fuch conditions 
 were no way hard upon the aggrelTors, as the 
 Edomites now were : and as to the condition of 
 renouncing the abominations of their idolatry, 
 (fince they did not oblige them to become 
 Jeiivs) that, in reality, is little more than Geh 
 exaded of the Qarthagin'tans^ when he conquered 
 them; "Vtz, that they fliould no more facrifice 
 their children to Saturn'^. 
 
 Let me be indulged to clofe this chapter, 
 with a fhort conjeclure in relation to Abip^ais 
 defeat of the Edomites, in the Valley of Salt, <Scc. 
 
 W F, are told in the xi^^i chap, of the fiul: book 
 of Kings J Thar Hadad ftole away into Egyit at 
 the time that Joab went up to bury his dead. 
 In the abfence of "Joaby the comjuand of the 
 army naturally devolved upon AlnjiMi his bro- 
 ther. That Joab took with him foDie forces to 
 bury his dead, is not to be doubted , and that 
 fome part of the country was thereby left un- 
 guarded, is evident enough from Hadad's elcape 
 
 * Efau having married two wives out of one of the accurfed 
 nations, (the Hittiies) his pollerity the Edomites fell early into all 
 their corruptions ; of whom Mo/e s hkh, {Dent. xii. 31.) E^ery 
 abomination to the Lordy nvLich he hateth, hnve they done unto 
 their gods. For e'vtn their fans and their daughters they ha^ve 
 burnt in the fire to their gods. 
 
 D 4 la 
 
40 An Hijforical Account of D. 3, 
 
 in that interval. What then can be more na- 
 tural, than to fuppofe, that the EdomiteSy take- 
 ing advantage oijoab's ablence with a part of 
 the zx\\^y, attempted upon Abijhat in that in- 
 terval; and were defeated by him in the Valley 
 Of Sah ? 
 
 Ov. fuppofe AbiPm 10 have commanded a 
 feparatc armv from that ofjoai/'sy or to have 
 been upOi» his march tovv'ards him, with new 
 laoplics (which I rather imagine to have been 
 tn^ cafe); nofhjn^^ was more natural than for 
 the Edo7vttcs to make the fame attempt upon 
 him, in the abfcncc of his brother, to intercept 
 the reinto-'cement; as M L/Wif/J' intercepted that 
 wh;cn /ifdruinl was bringnig to the aid of his 
 
 brother HannWal {Ltv. 1. xxvii.) 
 
 And now did T)autd, as I am well fatisfied 
 from the genius ot the compofition, fing out 
 triumpharuiy, and with a new introduction, 
 fuited to the occafion, Pfalm cviii. what, in the 
 beginning of his reign, he fang only in a fpirit 
 cfp'ophecy; Gcd has Jpolien in his holinefs^ &c.. 
 
 • 1 iiciU divide S>kecheni, &c. Moab is my 'ucajh^ 
 
 fof^ ever Edom will I cajl out my Jhoe'^' -, upon 
 Philiftia ivill I triiwifh. 
 
 It evidently appea s from the beginning of 
 this PfUm, that '\David was then in triumph 
 over the hoftilc nations: My heart is ready ^ O 
 
 * Calling \.\itpoe upon a piece of ground, I take to be the an-, 
 tient ionn'ot taking poffeffion amorg the ^twi, perhaps with 
 fome allufion to that promife of God to Mofes, and oi Mofes to 
 IfracI, Deut. xi. 24. Everyplace, 'wkercon tk^foUs of your feet Jh all 
 irsadj Jhall be yours, &:c. 
 
 God 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 41 
 
 Qq^. / cu^ill Ji?7g, a72d celebrate even my own 
 
 glory. Awake ^ lute^ and lyre ; I will early awake 
 myfelf. Iwillconfefs thee among the people^ O 
 Gody andftng thee among the nations (for great 
 ahonje the heavens is thy mercy 5 and to the Jkies 
 thy truth). Be exalted above the heavens, Lord-, 
 and over the whole earth thy glory ! l^hat thy be- 
 loved may be delivered^ fave with thy right-hand^ 
 and hear me. God hath [poke n in his holinefs, &c. 
 I will rejoice, I wi^l divide Shechem, and mete 
 Gilt the valley of Succoih. &c. Moabis my wajh- 
 
 pot, This is an inrrodudion, very different 
 
 from that diftrefsful complaint, in which the 
 fame words are prefaced in the Ix'^^ Tfalm : 
 which plainly ilicws T>avid\ fituation to be now 
 
 very different from what it was at that time. 
 
 How finely is the nobleft fpirit of piety^ and 
 of poetry, united in this hymn ! How delicate 
 this add refs to his lyre, to be ready at his call! 
 to be early awake and prepared for it 5 for he 
 was lefolved to be ftirring betimes. The great- 
 nefs of the occafion required it ; which was no 
 lefs, than to fingout the praifes of the Almighty, 
 and celebrate his glory to the whole world around 
 him ! Filled Vv^th this glorious defign, which had 
 taken intirepoifeffion of his heart, he immediately 
 declares he wdll execute it \—Iwtll confefs thee 
 araong the people, O God^ andfing thee among the 
 nations ! And, forgetting his addrefs to his lyre, 
 inftantly breaks out into raptures upon the truth 
 
 and mercy of his God Great above the heavens 
 
 is thy mercy y and to the £ther * thy truth I al- 
 
 "'^ So I think the word C^'pH?^ i^ould be rendered ; which, in 
 ;he root, fjgnifies io hrsak in thefnejl parti, 
 
 7 ludlng 
 
42 j4n Htjlorlcal Accotmt of B. 3. 
 
 lading doubtlefs to the purity and tranfparcncy 
 of that heavenly fubftance, which render it the 
 apteft and fineft emblem of truth. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 A(]oo7''t Account ofDhYiTy's Minifiers — 
 His Cherethites. a?2d Pelethitcs. 
 
 'T^'HE facrcd hiftorian, having crouded To 
 ^ many great events (recounted at large in 
 the two laft chapters of this hiiiory) into the 
 compafs of a few lineS;, reds a little, to rcfleft 
 upon the llate of 'David's kingdom, at this time. 
 He had now fubdued his enemies all around 
 him, and (Irctched his dominion nearly to the 
 bounds ailigncd to it by Almighty God; and 
 was throughly cftablifhed in it, David (faith 
 the ficrcd writer) reigned over all Ifrael-^ and 
 David executed judgment andjujfice unto all his 
 people. 
 
 Isow it was ^n '^^- probability, that the di- 
 vine wifdom and goodncfs vouchfafe to admo- 
 nifh him, in that noble leilbn to princes, re- 
 counted in his laft w^ords (2 Sam. xxiii. 3.) : The 
 GodofJjraelfaidy the Rock oflfraelfpake to me^ 
 Me that mletk over 7nen mufl he jujt, ruling in 
 the fear oj God, The facred writer, infpired by 
 the fame Spirit, no fooner tells us of David's 
 reigning over all Ifrael^ but he immediately 
 adds his fitting in judgment, and diftributing 
 jufiice to his people $ well implying, that this 
 
 was 
 
B. 3« the Life of King David. 43 
 
 was truly to be a king, to protcd his people 
 from their enemies abroad, and to adminifter the 
 civil government with juftice at iiome. Then 
 did he {yci2. in the xcix^^^ 'Pfalm^ ver. 4. The king's 
 jirength alfo loveth judgment : thou dofl ejlablijh 
 equity 5 thou executeji judgment and right e on fnejs 
 in Jacob^ 
 
 Whoever perufes this Pfahn, will find, that 
 ^avid here, as every- where elfe, conflders God 
 as the King of Ipraely and himlelf only as his 
 deputy. To this purpofe are thofe expreflions 
 in the beginning of this Pfalm; The Lord 
 reigneth — -the Lrrd is great in Sion. 
 
 It is true, David delighted to exert all the 
 power that God had given him, to its true pur- 
 pofes : The king's Jirength alfo loveth judgment : 
 but it w^as in reality God that executed them all— 
 Thou dojl ejlablijh equity -y thou executeji judg- 
 ment andrighteoufnefs in "Jacob. Then follows 
 the one inference always drawn from every po- 
 fition of "Davids : — That God is ever to be wor- 
 fliipped and glorified : Exalt ye the Lord our 
 God^ and worjfjip at his foot- jlool: for he is holy. 
 
 But to proceed : 
 
 The facred writers no fooner give us an ac- 
 count of David's executing judgment and jullice, 
 but they immediately add a X\^ of the great offi- 
 cers then employed by him. For, as a principal 
 part of the king's v/itdom, as v/ell as his felicity, 
 confifts ui the choice of able minifters, to dif- 
 charge the great offices of the ftate 5 the facred 
 hiftorians feem to have thought it a kind of ju- 
 ftice due to Davids minifters, to record their 
 
 names 
 
44 A^ Hiftorlcal Account of B. 3. 
 
 names to all future generations. And therefore 
 they inform us, that ^oab the Son of Zentiah "^ 
 (the kings near kinfman) 'was over the hojii that 
 is, was, in the phrafe of our times, captain ge- 
 neral, 2indiJehopaphat, the fan of Ahiud, recor^ 
 der'\'-> that is, as it is generally believed, remem- 
 brancer, or writer of chronicles 5 an employment 
 of no mean eftimation in the eaflern world, 
 where it was cuilomary with kings to keep 
 daily regifters of all the tranladions of their 
 reigns. A truPc, w^hich whoever difcharged to 
 purpofc, mull: be let into the true fprings and 
 iecrets of aftion, and confequcntly, muil be re- 
 ceived into the inmoft confidence. 
 
 The perfons next recounted as of eminence 
 in the court of David, at this time, arc two 
 priefts 5 Zudoc the [on ofylhitub. and Abimelech^ 
 the fon of Abiathar, It feems, it made no part 
 of "Davids politics, to exclude the priefthood 
 from any lliare in the adminiilration of civil af- 
 fairs 5 and much lefs from advifing even in things 
 ecclcfiailical. He thought it no part of true po- 
 litical wifdom to preclude himfclf from the ad- 
 vice and afliftance of an order of men, who, 
 from the nature of their office, education, and 
 intlitutionS;, muft, in the ordinary courfe of 
 things, be fome of the wifeft and mod virtuous 
 (not to fay the moft religious) men in the realm. 
 
 * Zerulah was the king's filler. 
 
 ^ They who imagine that this was an office like that of lord 
 chancellor with us, feem to forget the conftitution of the Jenvijh 
 commonwealth, where there was no room for fuch sa employ- 
 ment. 
 
 I 
 
B. jk the Life of KingJ^ kvi-b. 4^ 
 
 I am far from infinuating, that this order of men 
 fhould prefide in the affairs of all wife and well- 
 ordered ftates. That extreme fhould, I think, 
 be avoided, as much as this: but certainly there 
 is a temperament of true wifdom between both; 
 at lead in all focieties, where true religion is 
 deemed an effential of true policy. 
 
 Wh^ Abiathar the high-prieft, who had for- 
 merly fo well deferved oi 'David, was not now 
 in the fir ft degree of favour with him, is not 
 cafy to fay. Poflibly D^i;/^ had, by this time, 
 difcerned in him fomething of that bufy, fac- 
 tious, turbulent fpirit^ which difcovered itfelf 
 fo openly in the clofe of his reign : a fpirit, the 
 moft alien from the true character of God's ml- 
 niftersj the moft unbecoming, and moft invi- 
 dious, that can be imagined 5 and fuch, as from 
 the infinuations of dcngning men, and the errors 
 of the undilccrning, (who always charge the 
 vices of men upon their profeffions) hath more 
 injured that facred order, than all the other ma- 
 chinations of their enemies. 
 
 The next officer in this honourable lift of 
 David's minifters, is Seraiah the fcribe ; fup- 
 pofed to be the king's fccretary of ftate, or prime 
 counfcllor in the law*; and the next, the cap- 
 tain of his life guard 5 Benaiah the Jon of J e hoi a- 
 da, a valiant man of KabzeeL Benaiah was one 
 
 * Dr. Patrick faith, that as the Hebrew word fopher, which 
 we tranflate/m^^, imports fomething of learning, (as the word 
 
 fcribe in the new teftament doth) he takes him to have been the^ 
 king's prime counfellor in the law : and others think, there were 
 
 ' Iwo of this chara^er j an ecclefiaflical, and a civil, 
 
 of 
 
a6 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 3, 
 
 of ^David's three worthies of the fecond order ; 
 eminent for many great exploits;, of which three 
 only are particularly recounted by the facred hi- 
 ftorians. He (lew two lion-like "^ men of Moab : 
 he flew a lion, in that feafon when lions are 
 fieiceft, moft hungry, and, of confequence, moft 
 eager for prey, in tke fnow f 5 and he flew a 
 large and well-made Egyptian, armed with a 
 fpear, tho' he himfelf had nothing in his hand 
 but a ftafFs he alTaulted, difarmed him^, and flew 
 him with his own weapon. There feems to 
 have been fomethino; in the fortitude of Benaiah 
 fimilarand congenial to that of David: and pof- 
 fibly that was the reafon why he made him 
 commander of the Ckerethites and TelethiteSy 
 the king's life-guard. 
 
 I NO w imairine I hear the curious reader cal- 
 ling upon me, to give fome account of thefe 
 praetorian guards :j: of David's, his Ckerethites 
 and Telet kites, before I proceed further : and I 
 fhall gratify it^ the beft I can, in a few words. 
 And as none of the conjeftures of the critics 
 upon this point have given me farisfaftion, the 
 reader will nor, I hope, be difpleafed to have one 
 or two of anorhci kind, laid briefly before him. 
 
 * The Hehre-tv word figrifies a lion of God; that is, a vtry 
 great lion; To probably the Mvabites called a very valiant man 
 then, as the Aruh^ do now. 
 
 -j- The texc tells as. lie flew him hi the mi'^Jl of a fit ; or, as 
 the original word rnay olherwjle be rendered, a cwve^ to which 
 he probably traced him in the inow, and v/here he mull fight hin^ 
 to gre.ac difadvap.tage. 
 
 X Jojephus calls thea cc-:y..<l70(piJhtlLKi^t he^trs of the bocijy 
 
 That 
 
B. 3. the Life of King D a v i d. 47 
 
 That Cher et bite is another word for Thili^ 
 ffine^ appears clearly from Zepkaniah ii. f. Woe 
 unto the inhabitants of the fea-coafts^ the nation of 
 the Cher et hit es ! the word of the Lord is againjl 
 yoUy O Ca?iaan^ the land of the PhiUftines^,"-^ 
 That T>avid*s guards were native Philifines-f^ 
 of his mortal enemies, is not to be imagined 5 
 even altho' we fhoald fuppofe them profelytes. 
 For how could their being profelyted more ef- 
 fedually recommend the fidelity of any men to 
 him^ than being natives of his own country, and 
 known and tried fubjcds ? The only queftioii 
 then is, why any of his own fubjeds fhouid be 
 called Cheretkites :]: 5 and the anfwcr to that \^ 
 obvious. They were called {o^ from their hav- 
 ing gone wirh him into 'Thilifita, and continued 
 there with him, all the time that he was under 
 the proteftion of AchiJJh Thefe were they, who 
 reforted to him from the beginning, inhisutmoft 
 diftrefs 5 and clave to him in all his calamities : 
 
 * Alfo from Ezek. xxv. i6. 
 
 t Some imagine that he chofe his guards from amongft the 
 Philijiincsy as fome Europea?: princes do theirs from the iSivifs ; 
 bat they forget, that the S'wifs are Chriftians, and either Popilhor 
 Proteilarit princes 'may chufe from amongfl them, troops of their 
 own religion ; which was not the cafe oT Da'uid with the Phili- 
 Jlines. In the next place, foreign troops have, I believe, generall)^ 
 been deemed the proper guards of tyrants, who did not dare to 
 trull their lives to their own fubjeds. 
 
 4: The Fhilifiines are confidered by Jeremiah as flrano-ers, from 
 the iileof CapJnor : and the feptaagint always tranflate the word 
 PhilijUne^ by that of ilranger, o.k^/c^vk€>^. And the ifle of 
 Caphtor is believed by learned men, and I think proved hy Calmety 
 to be the ifle of Crete, So that Cerethim or Crethint, allowing 
 for the Hdf£iv idiom, is literally Cretans, or Fkilif,i:iss frorn 
 Crete^ 
 
 and 
 
9 
 
 48 J^n Htfioricul Account of B. 3; 
 
 and it is no wonder, if men of fuch approved 
 fidelity were in a more intimate degree of favour 
 and confidence with the king; and enjoyed, 
 among other privileges, an exemption from the 
 authority ( f the captain general, and were placed 
 under peculiar commanders. And I believe it 
 will be no uncommon thing in the hiftory of 
 any country, to find legions, and bands of fol- 
 diers, denominated, not from the place of their 
 
 nativity, but that of their refidence as general 
 
 Monks troopS;, whofojourned with him in Scot- 
 land^ were called Coldfireamers, (and fome of 
 the fame corps, I believe^ are ftill called by the 
 fame name) from a place in Scotland^ v^here they 
 had refided tor feme time's notwithdandlng that 
 they w^ere native Englifl). 
 
 i^ Qs>i z^ the Ckerethttes were, as I apprehend, 
 that buNJy of troops which clave to David irom 
 the beginning^ and went with him into Pkiltfiia--, 
 the Pelet bites T apprehend to have been the body 
 of troops, iXMiiic npofthofe valiant men, who 
 refortcd to hni when he was there (I mean^ 
 when he refided at Ziklag^ but dill under the 
 protection oi Ach'ijh)'^ among whom I find one 
 Telet^ the low or Jzniaveth, (1 Chroit, xii. 3.) 
 who, as I apprehend, became their captain $ and 
 from whom tiiey were called ^elethites--^ as the 
 foldiers difcipiinca by Fabms and iphtcrates^ 
 were called Falvans^^nd Iphuratians *5 and as, 
 under the later en.perors, the ibldiers were com- 
 monly denominated from their commanders^ 
 
 >icrat€» 
 
 unlcfi 
 
fe. 3. the Life of KingV>kvivi. 49 
 
 unlefs we fuppofe them rather denominated from 
 Telethy the fon oi Jonathan"^ ^ who was of the 
 king's own tribe. 
 
 N o w as the Cher et hit es adhered to David, and 
 followed his fortune from the beginning, they 
 juftly held the firft degree of favour with him : 
 and therefore they are always placed before the 
 ^elethites^ who only reforted to him when he 
 was in Ziklag 5 and for that reafon were only 
 intitled to the fecond degree of favour. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 David inquires after SaulV Pofterity^ and 
 finds Mephibollieth, a furviving Son 
 of Jonathan V, whom he treats as his 
 ownir 
 
 T\AVnby riowj once more, enjoyed a fhort 
 J-^ interval of peace, like a gleam of lun-lhine 
 in the intermittings of a Itorm 5 and he employed 
 it as became him. His profperity had hitherto 
 in no degree overfet him 5 on the contrary, the 
 bleflings of God upon him, made him every 
 day better. His gratitude to his Divine Bene- 
 fador had lately exerted itfelf in a refolution of 
 building a moft magnificent temple to his ho- 
 nour, from a noble purpofe of giving fuch a 
 difplay of glory to the woHhip of the true Go d^, 
 as the world \\^^ hitherto (as far as I can find) 
 
 * I Chron. ii. 33, 
 
 Vol. II. E con- 
 
50 An Hijiorical Account of B. 3, 
 
 conceived no notion of: and he had thus far 
 made a noble provifion for the work. Religion 
 was his firft care 5 and friendlhip now became 
 his fecond. He recollected the ftrong and fo- 
 lemn ties of friendfliip between him and "Jona- 
 than, confirmed by the moft facred oaths and 
 engagements; and his prefcnt retirement from 
 the hurry and dui of war left him at leifure to 
 refleft upon them, and take proper mcafures to 
 fulfill them. 
 
 It is not, I think, to be imagined, but that he 
 well knew there yet furvived one of that dear 
 friend's fons : and I believe the humane and 
 religious reader will own, that he hath often 
 felt pangs at his heart, for David's fo long. 
 feeming negled of that moft valuable and amiable 
 friend's only fon. But I believe it will appear 
 to him^ upon better inquiry, that fince he knew 
 him to be under the protedion of a very confix 
 derable family, where he wanted no neceflary or 
 convenience of life, looking out for a rival to- 
 his throne, before it was throughly cftablifhed 
 to him^ was not altogether fo confiftcnt with 
 the principles of political prudence. And per- 
 haps this is one reafon, why the facred writer 
 lets us know^ that his throne was now throughly 
 eftablifhed;, before he made any inquiry after 
 Said's pofterity. For when he hath informed 
 the reader upon this head, and recounted the 
 train of Davias officers and minifters^ he im- 
 mediately fubjoins an account of this inquiry 5 
 telling us, that David faidy Is there yet any that 
 is left of the houfe of Saul, that 1 way fomo him 
 
 kind?ieji 
 
B. 3. the Life of King Xik^iia. ^t, 
 kindnefs for Jonathan* 5 fake? And, hearing of a 
 fervanr, that had belonged to Saul^ vvhofe name 
 was Ziba^ he fent for him, and inquired whe-. 
 ther any yet remained of his muftcr's family, 
 that he might do them good ofSces. The ex- 
 prcilion in the original is very remarkable; /jf 
 there not yet any of the hoife of Saul^ that I may 
 fjew the kindnef of God unto him? That is, that 
 he might treat him with a benignity reiembling 
 that of Ahii'ghty Godj who continues his kind- 
 nefs even to the defcendants of thofe that iovo. 
 him. And Ziha informed him, that Jonathan 
 had yet a fon, lame on his feet, whofe name 
 Was Mephibofietk ; and the king, inquiring 
 where he was fent, and brought him from the 
 houfe of Machir^ the fon of Ammiely a very 
 Gonfiderable and wealthy man* in Lodebar^ a 
 remote corner of the country^ beyond Jordan -, 
 where Mepbibojljeth judged he might be con- 
 cealed with more fecrecy and fecurity ; but 
 David's friendfhip found him out ia his retire- 
 ment, and called him to court* 
 
 Poor Mephibofieth had conrr^idlied a lamenefs, 
 from the fall he got, when his nurfe was run- 
 ning away with him, after the defeat of mount 
 Gtlboa 5 and fo was in the condition oi Palermo- 
 nius^ in Orpheus % Argonautics, v. 209* 
 
 'XlviTo ^s a-(pupx J'lojcc-) ^ugS^cis S'' ix. rlev dpy)pcis* 
 Lame of both legs^ and fitted ill with feet, 
 
 * That he was fo, appears from 2 Sam. xvH. 27, z2. wherew@ 
 find him and Barzu'iai Tupplying the king with great plenty of all 
 neccfiarie*. 
 
 E 2 When 
 
5 2 An Hijiorical Account of B. j^ 
 
 When he appeared before 'Davidj he fell upon^ 
 his face, and did him reverence. Our account 
 of this interview is very fiiorr; but I imagine, 
 from the nature of the thing, that it mult have 
 been very tender and affedting on the part of 
 ^avid'^ as it was apparently not without terror, 
 on the part oi Mephibofieth : however we are 
 only told, that the king called him by his name, 
 and fpoke kindly to him, bidding him fear no- 
 things and alluring him of liis favour, and de- 
 claring that he would treat him as one of his own 
 children. Mephibojhethy (faith ho.') fear not ^ for 
 I will Jure ly Jhew thee kindnefs for Jonathan 
 thy father s fake -, and will rejiore thee all the 
 land of Said thy father 5 and thou fhalt eat bread 
 at my table continually. In return to which, 
 Mephibofleth bowed himfelf before the king, 
 with expredions of the utmofl: gratitude and hu- 
 mility : fVhat is thy fervanty that thoujloouldft 
 look upon fuch a dead dog (that is fo abjcd and 
 fo infignihcant a creature) as I am ? 
 
 The king then fent for Ziba, and told him he 
 had given Mephihofieth all that belonged to SatiU. 
 and to all his hoalci appointing him at the fame 
 time to the tillage and culture of the land, and 
 ordering him to bring in a proper portion of 
 the fruits of the earth to his mafter, by way of 
 rent 5 that is, as Grotius and iJ)r. Trapp obferve, 
 he made Ztba Mephtbofheth'h coiomis partiarim^ 
 his farmer, upon the terms of bringing in to 
 his mafter, yearly, half the annual produce of 
 grain and fruits. And from the charafter and 
 condition of that man, at this time, Davidy m 
 
 all 
 
B.J. the Life of King T> AY iiy. 53 
 
 all appearance, could not have chofen a fitter 
 perfon, on whom to devolve that trufl-. He 
 was an old fervant of the family, and then 
 deemed a faithful one : he was in the fccret of 
 Mephibofhetb's concealment, and confequently 
 confided in by him: and befides this^ the text 
 tells us, that he had fifteen fons, and twenty ler- 
 vants, by whofe aid he could occupy the ground 
 to more advantage ; which feems to be a prin- 
 cipal reafon why David employed him. Thou 
 therefore^ (faith the king) and thy fons^ and thy 
 Jervants.pall till the land for him ; and thoujhatt 
 bring in the fruits, that thy mafters jhn may bavs 
 food to eat^ viz. both for himfelf ajid his houfe- 
 hold (for Mephibojheth had now a fon, whofe 
 name was Mtcah, and doubtlefs a family alfo); 
 but MephibojJoeth thy mafters fon Jhall always 
 fat bread at my table. 
 
 To this command of the king, Ztba profcfled 
 a ready obedience: According to all that my lord 
 the king hath commanded his fervant ^fo pall thy 
 fervant do. And whilft he was faying this, the 
 king's heart overflowing with joy at the thoughts 
 of having it in his power to do honour to any of 
 Jonathans pofterity, interrupts him with a fe- 
 cond declaration in his favour: As for Mephibo- 
 jheth, he fiall eat at my table like one of tie 
 kings fons. 
 
 The text then adds an ^iccoum oi Mephiho- 
 
 fheth's having a young fon at this time^ and of 
 
 all Ziba\ family immediately becoming his fcr- 
 
 vantSj and concludes with theie words: So Me- 
 
 phibofl:eth dwelt in Jerufilejn ',for h^ did eat con- 
 
 E 3 tinnally 
 
54 -^^ Hiftorkal Account of B. 3, 
 
 tinually at the king's table^ although he was lame 
 (for fo I think it (hould be tranflated) on both 
 his feet ; that is, altho' his figure was not fuch 
 as might grace a king s table. 
 
 The cbfervation is obvious^ and few of the 
 critics have failed to make it, that, from the 
 number of fervants employed to occupy Mcphi- 
 bojheth's eftate, it fhould fcem to have been very 
 confiderable; but how confiderabie^ I cannot 
 take upon me fo much as to conjecture. 
 
 There is another obfervation feemingly as 
 obvious, and that is, that nothing could be a 
 better-judged beneficence, or a furer or more 
 refined proof of eternal friendfhip to Jonathaiiy 
 than David's tying down his Ion to that wa> of 
 living with him, and with his children, which 
 would give him a thoufand daily opportunities 
 of teftifying his gratitude, his tendernefs, his af- 
 feftion for the beft of friends 5 and was at the 
 fame time the mod natural means to perpetuate 
 this friendfhip, and to propagate it to both their 
 pofterities. 
 
 If any man doubt, whether this condud 
 (hould be placed to the fcore of a moli refined 
 and exalted virtue in David, let it at laft be 
 numbered among that prince's peculiar felicities. 
 
 It is not, I think, to be doubted, that moft of 
 David's Pi'alms were written as occafions re- 
 quired. The i'acred hiftorian informs us, that 
 David bad employed this interval of peace, in 
 judgment and juftice to his people : he very well 
 knew, that mercy was often an effential of ju- 
 ftice, and at ail times its moft heavenly office j 
 
 and 
 
B. 3- the Life of King l^ hw I'D. 55 
 
 and that he owed this duty to himfelf^ as much 
 as to any of his fubjcfts ; for mercy and truth 
 uphold the throne. He well knew his folemn 
 engagements to Jonathan: Should he not do 
 juftice to them? His meaneft fubjcds fhared the 
 bleflings of his mercy : Should the fon of Jona- 
 than be precluded from it \ 
 
 Let it then be prefumcd, that David ^ in this 
 way of thinking, publiilied his refolution of 
 (hewing kindnefs to the feed of Saul: Could any- 
 thing be more natural, than for the enemies of 
 that houfe, and all the court-favourites, to be 
 immediately alarmed, as one man? Could any 
 of them hope to be the king's favourite, upoa 
 the fame foot wuh the fon of Jonathan ? Who 
 would be fo favourably and fo partially liftened 
 to ? Was he to eat and to drink with the king 
 every day of his life, to have every day an op- 
 portunity of insinuating himfelf into his good 
 graces, to lie in his bofom, and to have his car 
 in his moft open and unguarded hours \ What a 
 load ot envy and obloquy mutl this draw upon 
 poor Mephibojhethl And how naturally would 
 calumny entail all Saul's vices upon him on this 
 occafion? pride, inconftancy, treachery. 
 
 On the other hand, it may eafily be ima- 
 gined, what the partizans of the houfe of Saul, 
 and enemies to David, would lay upon this oc- 
 
 caiion that all thefe fair pretences and pro- 
 
 mifes in favour of Saul's family, were but a ipc- 
 cious artifice to get the true heirs to the crown 
 into his hands 5 and that when he once had 
 them in his power, he would foon find means 
 
 E 4 to 
 
56 An Hifiorkal Account of B. 2> 
 
 to rid himfelf of them. Suppofe this to be the 
 true ftate of the cafe, when the king publiQied 
 his refolution of taking Mephibofhethmtoiz.vo\xTy 
 as I think, from the nature of the thing, it 
 niuft be 5 could any thing be more natural than 
 {01^ avid to publifh fuch a declaration on that 
 occafion, as fhould vindicate his own integrity, 
 terrify treachery, and difcountenance calumny? 
 
 Now fuppofe we find an authentic declara^ 
 tion of T^av'td to this purpofe, prefaced with 
 an appeal to God, for his love of mercy, juftice, 
 and integrity, and publifhingto the whole world 
 his abhorrence of villainy, treachery, calumny, 
 and pride; and profeffing that he would to the 
 urmoft of his power, difcountenance and dcftroy 
 all men of that charader 5 as he would, on the 
 contrary, favour and protcd all thofe that were 
 truly religious and faithful : I fay, fuppofe fuch a 
 declaration as that were now extant; to what 
 ^era or event of David's life could we fo natur- 
 ally refer it, as to this of receiving Mephibopeth 
 into favour? 
 
 N ow it is beyond all doubr, that fuch a de- 
 
 elaiationisftill extant, and fet forth at large in 
 
 the ci^ Pfalm y as the reader will find from a 
 
 fnort peruftl of thefe feveral parts of it: My 
 
 fongO:>allhe cj mercy and judgment i unto thee y O 
 
 Lord, ''doi'd IJing — I hate the fins ofunfatthful- 
 
 nefs ; there fi all no fitch cleave unto me — PVhofa 
 
 privily Jlandereth bis neighbour^ him will I de- 
 
 jiroy^-^Whofo hath aljo a proud look, and high. 
 
 jlomach, I'UDillnot juffer htm. Mine eyes look upon 
 
 fuch as are faithful in the land, that they may 
 
 dwell 
 
]B. 3 . the Life of King David, 57 
 
 dwell with me. Whofo leadeth a godly life^ he 
 Jhall be my fervant. There fhall no deceitful per- 
 fon dwellin my houfe : he that telleth lyesjhallnot 
 tarry in my fight. I jhall fo on deflroy all the un- 
 godly^ that are in the land; that I may root out 
 all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. 
 
 How noble a declaration was this in a great 
 king! and how worthy the imitation of all the 
 princes of the earth! and how noble a manner 
 was this of publifhing declarations to his people, 
 in folemn and fublime hymns to almighty G o d 5 
 fet to fuited raufic, and fung with joy and 
 tranfport through the land ! at once vindicating 
 innocence, and propagating piety ! Let this again 
 be numbered among the felicities peculiar to 
 David. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Pavid'^ Embaffadors ahufed by the Am- 
 monites A War enfues. 
 
 SOme time alter the event lad related, a 
 neiuhbour prince, Nahafh king of the Am- 
 mo'^aes, died, and Hanim his fon fucceedcdhim 
 in rae throne. 
 
 David^ it feems^ had received fome favours 
 from Nahafh; but when, or of what kind, is 
 not known: fomc imagine he had kindly enter- 
 tained fome of T>avids family, when others of 
 them were cruelly treated by the king oi Moab^ 
 under whofe proteftion they were placed : and 
 
 fome 
 
58 An Hijler teal Account of B. 3, 
 
 fome imagine, that he had kindly intreated 
 Z)^i;/J hinfifelf, when the firft Achijh had driven 
 him away from his court. 
 
 As Nahajh was at mortal enmity with SauU 
 it is very probable, that he took any occafion of 
 treating David z.s well as he could, out of refent- 
 ment to Saul their common enemy. But, wliat- 
 ever the motives of this kindncfs might be, 
 (which are not always to be too nicely fcanncd) 
 David thought himielf bound to make the beft 
 return he could to it; and accordingly fent em- 
 baffadors, to make his compliments of condo- 
 lence to HanuUy and to congratulate him upon 
 his acceflion to the crown. 
 
 When they arrived, the princes of Ammon 
 (from what motive is not mentioned) perfuaded 
 the khig, that thefe men, apparently fent to do 
 him honour, were not fo properly embaffadors 
 as fpies, and that their bufinefs was to inquire 
 and to fearch out the true ftate of his capital 5 that 
 fo, when a proper occafion offered, they might 
 more eafily and effedually aflault and deftroy it. 
 
 The king, too eafily yielding to this infinua- 
 tion, refented this fuppofed dcfign of David's^ 
 much more than he fiiouJd have done, had he 
 known ic to be real : and accordingly rcfolved 
 to do his embafladors the grcateft indignities he 
 could devife. And what thcfe were, we are 
 thus informed : Hanun ((aith the text) took Da- 
 vid' sjcrvants^ andjhaved off the one half of their 
 beardij and cut off their garments in the middle. 
 And we are given to undcrfland, that they did 
 this in fuch a manner, as to expofe their naked- 
 ncfs^ The. 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 59 
 
 The wearing of long beards, and long gar- 
 ments, was then, as it ftill is, the fafhion of the 
 Eaft, where they were deemed badges of ho- 
 nour; and confequently the cutting off and cur- 
 tailing of either, regarded as the greateft indig- 
 nity ; nay, in fome places, the cutting off the 
 beard was not only looked upon as matter of 
 the higheft reproach, but alfo of the fevered pu- 
 nifhment. So it was antientl^ among the hidi^ 
 ans^ and is at this day among the Perfians"^. 
 And it was one of the moft infamous puniih- 
 ments of cowardice in Sparta^ that they who 
 turned their backs in the day of battle, were 
 obliged to appear abroad, with one half of their 
 beards fhaved, and the other unfhavedf. And 
 as the Spartans are faid by Jofephiis to bedefcended 
 from the yezvs, poilibiy this punifhment might 
 have been originally derived from them : and 
 if fo, tqen this indignity to David's embaira- 
 dors, who reprefented his pcrfon, might have 
 been intended as a brand of cowardice upoa 
 him. Thib only is certain, that iiifult and con- 
 tumely were added to the indignity : half the 
 beard was cut off, to make them look ridicu- 
 lous; and half the robe, to make their figures 
 at once more contemptible and indecent ; for 
 as breeches made then no part of the Eaftcni 
 drefs, thofe parts were of necellity expofed, 
 which decency dilates to conceal. 
 
 But thefe indignities were not only infults 
 upon the perfon of David, in thofe of his cn> 
 
 + See Dr. Patrick*% comment upon this palTage, vol. II. p. 302^. 
 * Flut' in J^ejila(ii 
 
 5 bafladors. 
 
6o An Hijlorkal Account of ^*'}^. 
 
 baffadors, but alfo upon his religion *, which 
 *prohibired the cutting off any part of the beard f : 
 and if this prohibition refpeded the pradice of 
 the heathen, who were wont to make an of- 
 fering of their hair, or beard, to the demons, in 
 .behalf of their deceafed friends, this infultupon 
 the embaffadors probably meant, that thefe men, 
 who came to bewail Nahap'Sy death, fhould 
 make an offering of their beards in his behalf. 
 
 Some t\\mk David wrong in this condud, 
 and apprehend that he (bould have had no com- 
 merce with this Ammonite king \, (Nahafb) who, 
 it muft be allowed, was a monfter of cruelty §. 
 But however that may be, this we learn from 
 it, that no demerit or vilenefs in the author of 
 a benefadion did, in T)avid'% cftimation, cancel 
 the gratitude due for it. 
 
 When ©^^v^ heard of the treatment his em- 
 baffadors had received, who did not know how 
 to return, and were afhamed to fhew their faces. 
 Under the confufion of the indignity done thenij 
 he fent to meet them, and direded them to 
 tarry at Jericho^ till their beards were grown, 
 and then return. 
 
 Ks Jericho had not been rebuilt fince the day 
 it was miraculoufly overthrown, (Jojl. vi.) the 
 
 * They probably expofed their nakednefs, to Ihew their cir* 
 cumcifion. 
 
 •\ So Dr. Patrick underftands by the text, Lenjit. xix. 27. Nei- 
 ther Jha It thou mar the corners of thy beard. 
 
 J Being prohibited, as they apprehend, by that precept in rela-: 
 tion to the Ammonites and MoabiteSy Deut. xxiii. 6. Thoujhalt not 
 Jeek their peace ^ nor their profperifjf all thy days for ever, 
 
 § I Satnx xi. 
 
 king 
 
6.3. the Lifeof KingTykvi-o. ^i 
 
 king rightly and humanely judged, that his em- 
 baffadors would be glad to hide their fhame, and 
 conceal themfelves to more advantage, in the 
 defolations of that city, till their beards were 
 grown*; nor could any thing be better judged, 
 than this anxiety of David's to prevent their 
 being expofed. He well knew, that the dignity 
 of the moft excellent things and perfons greatly 
 fufFers by being once feen in a ludicrous light, 
 that is^ in their moft oppofite extreme ; becaufe 
 ideas arc then affociated in the minds of the fpec- 
 tarors, which perhaps can never after be wholly- 
 parted f. 
 
 How 'David refcnted the treatment his em- 
 baffadors had received, the facred hiftorians have 
 not thought fit exprefly to inform us : but if we 
 
 * It {hould feem from the text, that the embafradors had taken 
 refuge there, before Danuld Tent to them, to tarry there. Poffibly 
 Jericho might have been then pretty much in the fame condition 
 in which Mr. Baumgarten found it in the beginning of the fifteenth 
 century. He tells us, Zaccheus\ houfe was the only houfe thea 
 ftanding there, and even that without a roof. He then adds, 
 
 • There a^s round about, about a dozen of fmall cottages, if I may 
 » properly call them fo, for nothing of building is to be feen in 
 
 * them, being only fenced m with tail hedges of thorns, having 
 
 * within a large place for cattle to Hand and be fliut up in; but in 
 
 • the middle they have huts or tents, where men ufed to fhelter 
 < themfelves and goods from the inclemency of the fun and rain.' 
 
 Churchill's Travels, vol. I. p. 420. 
 f And therefore I am alloniihed how any man of humanity 
 (to throw reafon and virtue out of the qucftion) could ijiake that 
 ridicule the teft of true excellence, which murdered the beil man 
 of the Heathen world ; which firft debafed the dignity q{ Socrates 
 in the eyes of the vulgar, and then brought him to the bar, and 
 to the hemlock ! for xi Arijiophanes had not been fufFered to ape 
 liis perfon and drefs, and ridicule him, in the Clouds, Anytus and 
 Mditiis would never have dared to have called him to the bar as a 
 xnalefador. 
 
 may 
 
62 An Hijiorical Account of B. 3* 
 
 may be allowed to reafon from his condud, in 
 all appearance, he confidered it as an effed of 
 youthful vanity and ra(hnefs in Hanun 5 and fo 
 waited to fee whether he would take any mea- 
 furcs to repair and expiate the injury : for we 
 hear of no warlike preparations made by him, 
 till the Ammonites had tirft hired their confede- 
 rates^ and taken the field. For they, well know- 
 ing what they deferved from David, fet them- 
 felves inftantly to fupport what they had done, 
 by dint of arms 5 and accordingly, not finding 
 themfelves finely fuificient for the forces of Da- 
 'uidy the facred hiftorian informs us, (2 Sam, x.) 
 that they fent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehoh^ 
 and the Syrians of Zoba^ twenty thouf and footmen ; 
 and of king Maacah^ a tboufand men ; and of 
 Ifjtob^ twelve tboufand men : and wc learn from 
 the firft book of Chronicles xix. 6, 7. that Hanun 
 and the children of Ammon fent a tboufand ta- 
 lents of fiver to hire them chariots and horfemen 
 out of Mefopotamia^ and out of Syria-Maacah, 
 and out of Zoba. So they hired thirty and two 
 tboufand chariots^ ^ and the king of Maacah^ and 
 his people y who came and pitched before Medeba ; 
 
 a 
 
 • Some have thought this number of chariots too great : but I 
 own I cannot think fo; confidering the fum expended, the coun- 
 try and the age in which they were hired, which knew no other 
 ufe of horfes in battle, but exercifmg them in their chariots; and 
 therefore the fame word (M^, receh) in the HebreiVy fignifies 
 horfeman, and charioteer : and we find a greater number of horfe- 
 men flain in a fubfequent battle. They that argue againft this 
 great number of chariots, ground themfelves upon the practice of 
 
 the fubfequent ages, when chariots were much lefs in ufe. But 
 
 after all, the fame word, recsb, (I mean the fame radicals diffe- 
 rently 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 63 
 
 a city fuppofcd by moft critics to be upon the 
 borders of Ammon^ but in reality in the tribe of 
 Reuberiy Jof. xiii. 16, contiguous to which was a 
 large plain, very convenient for the enemy to 
 draw up their chariots upon it in battle-array. 
 
 Thither the Ammonites, alfo gathering 
 together from their fcveral cities, refortcd. Ani 
 when David heard of it (the text tells us) he 
 fent out joab^ and all the mighty men, againft 
 them. It is, I think, evident from hence, tiiat 
 David waited to fee how Hanun would coadudt 
 himfelf on this occafion, before he {^ax out an 
 army againft him. Nay, I am, for my own part, 
 fatisfied, from the xciv^^^ Pjalm, (which I ap- 
 prehend to have been written upon this occafion) 
 that he waited till their extravagance had carried 
 them to fuch lengths of outrage, as were no 
 longer to be endured; till they wafted his coun- 
 try, and murdered his fubjeds. And to this, I 
 apprehend, refer thefe words (ver. f, (5. of this 
 pfalm) ; l!hey break in pieces thy people, Lord, 
 andaffiidt thine heritage : they Jlay the widow and 
 the fir anger, and murder the father lefs"^. 
 
 It 
 
 rently pointed) fignifies alfo chariot and charioteer : and therefore 
 I fee no reafon why the text (hould not as well be underftood of 
 thirty thoufand charioteers, and perhaps better than of fo many 
 chariots : and then the number of chariots cannot be fuppofed to 
 be more than fifteen thoufand at moft, fuppcfing but two men in a 
 chariot; and if you fuppofe more, the number of chariots muft be 
 fo much the lefs. And befides all this, it fhould be confidered, 
 that this is that land, from whence Ifaiah tells us the houfc of 
 Jacob was repleniftied ; and therefore what he there fays of the 
 7^ac/ {Tfa. ii. 7.) was more ftriaiy true of the Synaits ; Their land 
 is alfo full of horfes, neither is there any end of their chariots. 
 
 • Whoever confiders the length af way the Syrians were ta 
 march to the a'd of the Ammonites, wpon the confines of Jud&a^ 
 
 will 
 
64 An Hijiorical Account of B. 3^? 
 
 It appears from many paffages in the Pfalmsi 
 (and fome in this hiftory) that it was Davids 
 fixed principle never to indulge his revenge; 
 but refer himfelf wholly to God upon all fuch 
 occafions. And it appears from this part of the 
 facred hiftory, that he took no ftep againft Ha- 
 nUTiy till two great armies were formed, and in 
 the field, againft him, He then ordered out his 
 forces againft them, rather to repel an invafion, 
 
 than revenge an injury. And I am fatisfied, 
 
 the reafon why he fent out thefc forces under 
 the command of Joab^ rather than condudl: them 
 himfelf, was, becaufe that injury was in a great 
 meafure perfonal to himfelf 5 and therefore it 
 better became him to decline all appearance of 
 perfonal refentment, and commit his caufe to 
 the righteous Arbiter of the earth ; as he doth 
 in thofe memorable words, wherewith he be- 
 gins the xciv^^^ Pfalmi O Lord God, to whom 
 vengeance belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance 
 belongeth^jhew thyfelf — that is, Let thy inter- 
 pofition in this caufe be made evident to the 
 world, by the rightcoufnefs of the decifion. Lift 
 up thy f elf, thou Judge of the earth $ render a re- 
 ward to the proud. 
 
 And as he began, fo he ended this Vfalm^ 
 (ver. 16,) in the fame way of thinking, by call- 
 ing to his people, to know who would rife up, 
 not with him, bur/^r him, againft his enemy : 
 
 will eafily apprehend, that this could fcarce be done without many 
 hoflile incurfions and depredations ; and much lefs were they likely 
 to abftain, when two great holtile armies were aflembled in the 
 heart of a Jc'vjijh tribe. 
 
 Who 
 
B. 3; the Life of King David. 65 
 
 Who will rife up for me againft the evil-doers ? 
 Who will fl and up for me againji the workers of 
 iniquity ? For here I apprehend the T?falm ended, 
 at its firfl: publication. The reft was apparently- 
 added, after the enfuing battle. For, when 
 Joab took the field, he found himfelf, I know 
 not how, entrapped and embaraffed in the midft: 
 of two great armies 5 the Ammonites before him, 
 drawn up under the wall of the city ; and the 
 Syrians behind him, extended upon the plains of 
 Medeba. Military men will beft judge, whe- 
 ther this was not the efFeft of fome overfight, or 
 mifconduft, in that captain. However, 'Joab 
 was blefted with that diftinguiOiing talent of a 
 great captain, a pretence and readincfs of mind 
 upon all exigencies: he immediately divided his 
 army into two bodies, one of which he led him- 
 felf againft the Syrians^ and the other he fent 
 againft the Ammonites, under the command of 
 his brother Abifmi-, afluring him at the fame 
 time, that if he were overpowered by the Am-^ 
 monites^ he would fend him immediately aid > 
 and commanding Abijloai to do the fame by him, 
 if he found him overpowered by the Syrians: 
 concluding with that nobleft of all martial 
 fpeeches, (2 Sam. x. 1 2.) Be of good courage^ and 
 let MS play the men for our people^ and for the 
 cities of our God: and the Lord do that which 
 feemeth him good *. 
 
 The Syrians^ it feems, were the better fol- 
 diersj and one reafon of their being fo, might 
 
 * We may learn from hence how naturally great dangers ici- 
 fpire fenliments of true religion. 
 
 Vol.il F ' be 
 
66 An Hi ft or teal Account of B. 2. 
 
 be^ that they had of late, as appears from the 
 courfe ot this hiilo y, been more exercifed in 
 arms; and therefore y^^^ led the choice of the 
 Ifraelite army againft them, and began the at- 
 tack; which was well judged upon many ac- 
 counts: firft, becaufe it was a proof both to his 
 own army, and the enemy, that he was not in- 
 timidated; which was of vaft confequcnce in his 
 prefent fituation. 2dly, Becaufe they were mer- 
 cenaries, who never think themfelves under the 
 fame engagements to make an obftinate refift- 
 ance> as they do that fight for their country *. 
 And, ^dlyj Becaufe if they were once routed, 
 who were the better foldiers, the Ammonites^ 
 intimidated by their defeat, would become an 
 cafier conqueii to his brother. 
 
 The event anfwered 5 the Syrians were put to 
 flight; ^xi^^\i^w\\\z Ammonite si^issi them turn 
 their backs, the text tells us, they fled aljby and 
 
 entered into the city. And Joab, not being in 
 
 a condition either to purfue the chariots, (for he 
 had no horfe) or to affauit or befiege the city, 
 returned tojertifalim*:, but (it is to be prefumed) 
 not till he faw the country freed from the Sy- 
 rian army. 
 
 And new it was, as I apprehend, that 'David^ " 
 refledin: upon the danger his army had cfcapcd^ 
 and partly, perhaps, thro' hii own fault, in de- 
 clinmg to lead them out in perfon, added ^c\ca 
 more veiYes to the xctv^^ 'Ffalmy the firft of , 
 which begins with acknowledging the danger, 
 
 * Vt quibus temer" collects , neque in <vi Gloria deem ej}t, nt:qug 
 infugafagitium* Tacit, z Hili 
 
 7 and 
 
B. 3. the Life of King DAVibi 67 
 
 and afcribing the deliverance to God — Unlefs 
 the Lord had been my help^ my foul had almoji 
 dwelt in filence, &cc. iVnd not coatenr with this,; 
 ^avid, again revolving thegrearncls of the deii* 
 verance^ (which, perhaps is nor to be paralleled 
 in hiftory) compofed, or at leaft iixn^j, a fecond 
 time, another hymn of thanklgivuig to God, 
 upon this oGcafion, Tfa!mcxxiv * : which is evi- 
 dently the thankfgiving of a man whole people 
 were thought a fure prey to their enemies, and 
 yet efcapcd by the providential mterpofition of 
 God in their favour. Which was evidently the 
 condition of the IfraelUes, when they were pent 
 in between two great hoftile armies; from whence 
 there was no poilibility of efcaping, but by 
 breaking through them by main force: a condi- 
 tion, and a deliverance, which could never be 
 jteprefented by an apter image, than that wiiich 
 Davzd m^kcs ufe of in the cloie of this Pfahiij a 
 bird caught in a fnare, who had no chance for 
 his life, but by breaking it : Our foul is cfcaped 
 even as a bird out of the fnare of the fowlers : the 
 fnare is broken^ and we are delivered. 
 
 * If it had iiot been the Lord that nA:as on our Jids^ mnx) may 
 Ifraelfay i if it had not been the Lord nAjho nvas o?2 our fid^ n.vhen 
 men rofe tip agairiji us : then they had fivalloujed us up quick, ^-jheri 
 their fwrath nvas kindled agai/iji us : then the ivaters had onjer- 
 <whelmedtis^ the Jf ream had gone on; er our foul : then the proud iva-' 
 
 ters had gene o<ver our foul. Blejfed be the Lord, n.vho hath not 
 
 gi'ven us a prey to their teeth. Our foul is efcaped as a bird out 
 
 of the fnare of the fodders ; the fnare is broken, and 'we are 
 efcaped. 
 
 Our help is in ihe name of the Lord^ ^jjho mide hea<vsn and 
 
 Y% CHAP, 
 
68 An Hijlorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 T!he Syrian fFar fini/Jjed. — David's Feli- 
 cities duriiig this Period fummed up. — 
 ^rhis Book ends. 
 
 WHETHER the feafon of the year was 
 too far advanced to keep the field any 
 longer, or whatever other reafon made 'Joab re- 
 turn to Jerufalem, with the Ifraelite army ; the 
 Syrians^ who knew how far they had injured 
 and provoked tD^^'/^, had good reafon toexped 
 they would vifit them again, upon the return of 
 the fpring : and they made their preparations 
 accordingly. 
 
 Hadarezer (for fo he is now called, by an 
 eafy change of the Hebrcji; letters <^and r, [Tl] 
 whofe fimiiitude is obvious to every eye) affem- 
 blcd his forces, and not findingthem of (irength 
 fufficient to be coniided in, the text tells us, he 
 fent and brought ottt the Syrians that were beyond 
 the river Euphrates -^ and they came to Helam, un- 
 der the condud of Shobach, captain of Hadar- 
 ezer s hod. Which when David iearnr^^ and 
 was fufficiently informed concerning them, he 
 gathered the choice troops of his whole realm 
 together, and led them out in perfon again ft the 
 enemy ; paQcd the "Jordan, and arrived at He- 
 lam, v/liere they found the Syrians prepared to 
 receive them 5 and drawn up in battle-array. A 
 buttle enilicd, and with that^ a carnage the 
 
 grcatelt 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 69 
 
 greateft of any recorded in Davids wars. Tke 
 Syrians^ faith the facred writer^, j?^^/ before Ifrael, 
 and "David flew the men offeven hundred cha- 
 riots of the Syrians, and forty thoufayid horftmen 
 (2 Sam, X. 18.); a relation, which we find a 
 good deal diverfified in the firfl: book of Chro- 
 nicles^ the xixt^i chapter, and the 1 8^^ verfe ; 
 where it is faid in the Englijlo verfion, (which I 
 think very juftifiable from the original) that he 
 few [even thou [and men which fought in chariots y 
 and forty thoufand footmen. Now critics are of 
 opinion, that thefe feven tiioufand men which 
 fought in chariots, are the men of feven hun- 
 dred chariots mentioned in the fecond book of 
 Sam, ten to a chariot; which I think could not 
 be, becaufe then the failiion of their military 
 chariots muft have been intirely changed in the 
 compafs of one year. 
 
 There is more to be * faid for the article of 
 footmen h becaufe the Chronicles being a fupple- 
 menttothe books of J^^^/^^/^Z and the Kings , and 
 in the fecond book o^ Samuel the hiftorian hav- 
 ing made no mention of any footmen flain in 
 this battle, this addition might be made here, 
 to fupply that defed. But however that may 
 be, they both agree, that T>avid flew Shobach^ 
 captain of the hoftile hod, with his own hands 
 (tor his death is perfonally afcribed to 'David \\\ 
 both t) 5 which the Romans made account of^ 
 
 * The number of chariots brought into the field the preceding 
 campaign (thirty thoufand) on fuppofitioii that the texc is there 
 xightly tranflated, muft fatisfy every reafonabJe man, ihac there 
 could not be more than two men in a chariot. 
 
 f One fays, he (mote him ; and the other fays^ he flew him. 
 
 F3 as 
 
70 An Hijlorical Account of B. 2. 
 
 as the higheft point of military glory 5 and fuch 
 ^s no more than three of their heroes had ever 
 atra'ned, from the fou; dation of the common- 
 wealth. Nor was the renown arifing from fuch 
 a conqucft without a foundation of true mili- 
 tary glory, m thofe ages, where perfonalprowefs, 
 and great bodily ftrength, were always eflcntial 
 ingredients in the character of a great comman- 
 der s whofe perfonal bravery was the fheet- 
 anckor^ and only refource of his troops, whea 
 hard pufhed by their enemy, or othcrwife re- 
 duced to didrefs of any kind. For, in that cafe, 
 to vanquiih the captain, by dint of fuperior 
 valour, and dexterity in arms, was, in effect, to 
 difmayand to defeat his forces. 
 
 Where this city o^ Heiam^ mentioned in the 
 text, wasfituated, none of the critics have been 
 able to inform us. Bat inafmuch as this is evi- 
 dently the laO: battle fought by Hadad againft 
 Davidy (a5 Nicolaus Dafnafcemis witnefles) upon 
 the banks of the Euphrates 5 there can, I think, 
 t>e but little doubt that Helam was built upon 
 the banks of that river i which probably was one 
 (:aufe of the great flaughter made of the enemy 
 in this battle, inafmuch as, having the Ifraelites 
 before, and the Euphrates behind them, they 
 found lefsroom for flight. 
 
 T?^E gaining of this battle, under thefe ad- 
 vantageous circumftanccs effedually finifhed the 
 Syrian wzx'y and cftablifhed T^avid's dominion 
 pn that fide, to the utmoft extent of God's pro- 
 mife to Abraham: From the river of Egypt y to 
 the great river ^ the river Euphrates, JFor the 
 
 facred 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 71 
 
 facred hiftorians inform us, That rsjhen all the 
 kings that "ujerejervants to Hadarezer.faw that 
 they were fmtt ten before Ifrael^ they made peace 
 withlfrael^ andjervedthem: Jo the Syrians fear- 
 ed to help the children of Ammon any more. 
 
 And now was "David, as I conecive^ ad- 
 vanced to the highcft pitch of earthly glory, 
 fortune, and felicity! 
 
 And here, perhaps the reader may not think 
 it amifs to reft a while 5 and revolve the fevpral 
 gradations, and fignal felicities, by which he 
 arrived to this eminence. 
 
 And firft, it is remarkable, that the natural 
 foundation of all this grandeur was laid in the 
 very beginning of a civil war, ofiive years con- 
 tinuance 5 which^ in all appearance, was wafte- 
 ful, and would be ruiaous, both to him and 
 his people. But whiift his enemies, for that 
 reafon, left him unmolefted, he employed chat 
 whole time, partly in gaining over the tribes ro 
 him, and partly ia training up all thofe who 
 fided with him, to arms; his own tribe firft, 
 and all the reft gradually as they joined him: 
 and all this, under a fpecious and unlufpeded 
 colour of keeping up a proper force againft Ijl- 
 bofl^eth his rival. And as his army at no time 
 exceeded the number of twenty-four thoufand 
 men^ fo linall a number created i\o fufpicion^ 
 nor gave any jealoufy to his neighbours; who 
 never refleded, that thcfc troops were changed 
 every month j ai^d an equal number of new 
 men brought into military dilciplinc : or, if they 
 obferved, that it was io^ after fomc time, pof- 
 
 F 4 fiblv. 
 
72 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 3. 
 
 fibly, this gave them ftill lefs fufpicion 5 as ap- 
 prehending that there was lefs to be feared from 
 a body of raw, undifciplined men, little conli- 
 dering, that by this monthly and regular rota- 
 tion, every man in his dominions mutt in a little 
 time be trained up to arms 5 and, in the courfe 
 of a few circulations, thoroughly difciplined : as 
 in fad it came to pafs. For we find him, in 
 little more than eight or nine years, able to 
 withdand the united force of all his neighbour 
 nations, invading him at once 5 which perhaps 
 never was the cafe of any other prince, from the 
 foundation of the world. 
 
 It is true, other princes, Alexander the Great, 
 (for example) and Charles the Xllth oi Swederiy 
 have been combined againft, and invaded by 
 Ibme of their neighbours, in the beginning, 
 and^ as they deemed it, infancy of their reigns 5 
 but I cannot recoiled, that ever I heard or read 
 of any general combination, unanimoufly en- 
 tered into, againft any prince of any nation, 
 and yet totally defeated, except "David. For 
 what other prince, from the foundation of the 
 
 world, could cry out with him. All nations 
 
 compared me about, but in the Name of the Lord 
 J have dejlrojed them ? 
 
 It is obvious to obferve, that the advantages 
 derived to David from this combination thus 
 defeated, were very great. For^, as all thefe 
 princes, by thus manifefting their hoftlle inten- 
 tions againft him, gave him, by the law of na- 
 ture, an unlimited right of exercifing hodilities 
 againft them, be favv himfeif at full liberty to 
 
 invade 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David. 73 
 
 invade each of them apart, as he found it moll: 
 convenient, and accordingly did fo 5 till he gra- 
 dually added all their dominions to his own; 
 and ftretched his kingdom to the bounds origin- 
 ally affign'd to it by Almighty God: and in fo 
 doing, fignally, and beyond all pofllbility of 
 evafion, fulfilled the moft remarkable prophe- 
 cies, that ever were delivered from the founda- 
 tion of the world. 
 
 And as thcfe wars were often interrupted, it 
 is remarkable, that "David filled all his intervals 
 of peace with the beft arts of peace, and with 
 the noblefl: offices and purpofes of religion 
 and virtue; eftablilliing true piety, diftributing 
 juftice, and fulfilling the facred engagements 
 of friendfhip. He built a magnificent city; 
 ftrengthened it with walls, and with a citadel of 
 uncommon magnificence; adorned it with pa- 
 laces; and crowned it with the tabernacle of 
 God: completed the public worfhip of God, in 
 all its parts, with a fpirit of piety, that never 
 was equalled; and in an order, and with an at- 
 tendance, worthy of it. 
 
 Let me add that when "David feemed weary 
 of war, and his mind was wholly employed iri 
 the noblefl: offices of peace; when he would 
 gladly have (topped fhort, and left much of the 
 work aiTigned him by Almighty God, undone; 
 
 a new war was forced upon him, in confe- 
 
 qucnce of one of the kindefl: and moft generous 
 acts of friendChip; which ended in extending his 
 dominions to the utmoft limits affigned to them 
 
 (on 
 
74 An Hiftorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 (on that fide) by the great Ruler and Arbiter o^ 
 the univerfe. 
 
 This period comprehends a fpace of about 
 twenty years: during which time, Z^^^^vV waged 
 eight ^ feveral wars 5 and finifhed feven of 
 them : all righteoufly begun, and fuccefsfully 
 ended. And, which is more extraordinary^ he 
 fought no battle, during that whole period, 
 which he did not win , and affauitcd no city, 
 which he did not take. 
 
 In a civil war, of five years continuance, he 
 never once lifted up his fword againft a fubjed j 
 and at the end of it, he punifhed no rebel^ he 
 remembered no offence, he revenged no injury, 
 bur the murder of his rival. 
 
 When he had fubdued his enemies, and 
 eftablifhed his throne, he remembered his friend- 
 fhip to Jonathan 5 rcftored Meph'tbojheth to his 
 eftate; took him to his bolbm, and treated him 
 as his ovv^n fon, and did every thing in his 
 powcr^ to perpetuate to his pofterity^ the friend- 
 fhip he owed his father. 
 
 ,To crown all — -with all thefe rare and true 
 felicities^ their only fure fource and lecurity, 
 his religion and his innocence ftill remained with 
 him : and, had his innocence ftill remained, his 
 felicities had ftill continued. 
 
 * Firll, The civil war with Ijhhpsth. Secondly, The Jehujlte 
 war. Thirdly, The confederate PhiliJ}ine war. Fourthly, the 
 feparate Philijiine war. Fifthly, The war with Moab. Sixthly, 
 The firft war with Hadadezer. Seventhly, The war with Ed'^m. 
 Eightly, The confederate war with Ammon and the Syrians. 
 
 And 
 
B. 3. the Life of King David, 75 
 
 And here I end this book; not glad, nor ftu- 
 dious to begin another; which muft open a new 
 fcene^ very different from all the paft, and fach 
 as, I own, I cannot think of, without united 
 horror and affliftion,. 
 
 AN 
 
[76] 
 
 A N 
 
 Hiftorical Account 
 
 Of the LIFE and REIGN of 
 
 King D AVID. 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 David, beholding Bathilieba batheiitg 
 herfelfy falls under the Te?nptation ; 
 and hath criminal Commerce with her : 
 Uriah'j" Death the inevitable Confe- 
 quence of this Commerce, 
 
 IN theclofe of the laft book, we left David 
 in the height of honour and happineis; 
 his country flourifhing^ his armies fuccefs- 
 ful, and his enemies at his feet. But the 
 heights of fortune and felicity are not here the 
 fecureft and the fteadieft ftations: tcmpefts and 
 temptations encompafs them 5 which fuffer no- 
 thing 
 
B. 4* An Htftorlcal Accoufit^ &c. 77 
 
 thing ferene and permanent, in this frail, uu- 
 ftable ftate. 
 
 The fcafon of warfare returned 5 the Ammo- 
 nites were the enemies; and indignities^ per- 
 fonal to T>avidj were to be vindicated 5 decency 
 and dignity more naturally referred them to the 
 chaftifement of others. Joab therefore^ and all 
 Ifrael with him^ were fent into the field, and 
 J5^i;/<^ continued at home. 
 
 Joab, altho' he came ofFviftorious in the laft 
 expedition, had however been reduced to great 
 ftreightSj feemingly from fome defed in his 
 own condud. And therefore "David feems to 
 have been now more than ordinarily careful, 
 to fend him out well attended: inafmuch as 
 he fent out not only all the flower of the Ifraelite 
 forces, but likewifc his own life-guard (his 
 worthies as I apprehend included) along with 
 him *. And the efFefts were anfwerable : for 
 the text tells us, that they dejlroyed the children 
 of Ammon\ and befieged Rabbah, (their capital) 
 but David tarried Jiill at Jerufalem, 
 
 And it came to pafs, that whilft he was there, 
 rifiag one evening from his afternoon's reft, and 
 walking upon the roof of his houfe, to enjoy 
 the refrefliment of the evening air, the ufuaL 
 relief of warmer climates 5 he happened un- 
 fortunately to caft his eye upon a moft beautiful 
 woman, who was batheing herfelf for health 
 and refrefhment, in that cool and feafonable 
 
 * So I think we are well warranted to underlland thofe words, 
 2 Sam. xi. I, David fent Joab, arid hii fervuHts with him, and 
 allJfraiL 
 
 hour; 
 
yS An Hijiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 hour 5 but whether in her garden, or court- 
 yard, overlooked by the palace, or in fomc 
 apartment of her houfe, whofe windows opened 
 that way, is not certain. Tradition points out 
 the place of a fountain, ftill called after her 
 name : which fhould make it probable, that llie 
 bathed in a garden, did not Jofephus exprefly 
 declare, that it was in her own houfe. And 
 indeed the natural modefty and decency of the 
 fex^ and circumftance of the time, (the evening) 
 make his account much more credible. And it 
 is certain, that the declining rays of the fun, 
 lliooting into the inmoft recelfes of her chamber^ 
 at that time of the day, and throwing a great 
 luftre around her might difcover her very 
 clearly, to very diftant eyes, without the leaft 
 fafpicion on her part, of any poflibility of her 
 being feenj and, of confcquence, confiftently 
 with all the referve of modelty. However, this 
 only is undoubted? that David, ftruck with her 
 perfon and beauty, which, fuppofing it under 
 the conduft or tne moft gardcd modefty, might 
 yet, in the adion of batheing, be, to him, a 
 iight new, exrraodinary, and farpnfing, (and 
 fuch perhaps, as few moded men have evck: 
 beheld bur by accident) lufFered himself to be 
 too much tranfpoftcd with it, and tell at once 
 under the tcaipcation. For, inquiring in the 
 inftant, and Icii'nJng who flie was, he fent, 
 and had her b Odgnt into his apartment : where 
 he had criminal commerce with her; and foon 
 after iutfered hci to return to her houfe. 
 
 All 
 
B. 4* the Life of King 1l> AV I'D. 79 
 
 All this was a fudden, and;, as it fnould 
 feem from Nathans parable, a fecret tranf- 
 adion. 
 
 I SHALL not take upon me to account for 
 this quick impetuous pafiion (the ftarts of , 
 paffion are perhaps the ftrangeft pha^nomena 
 in our frame); and much Icfs will I prefume 
 either to excufe or infult it: one thing only 
 we know, that whatever in any degree impairs 
 the power of reafon, a.ids fo much to the power 
 of paflion 5 and poffibly that numbnels of rea- 
 fon, that ftupidity which never fails to attend 
 an afternoon's fleep, upon a full meal, might 
 have been one ingredient, or fome way or other 
 an addition to the extravagance of this; at lead, 
 the humane reader will pardon me the weaknefs 
 of wilhing to alleviate it. 
 
 The woman was BathpehUy the wife of 
 Uriah, one of the king's worthies, and then 
 with Joab in the field. And it was eafy for 
 the king to fend for her, under the pretext of con* 
 veying fome difpatches to her husband, thro* her 
 hands. 
 
 What the date oi David's mind was, when 
 the tumult of paffion was laia, Bathjheba de- 
 parted, and reafon returned, I il^iall not take 
 upon me to paint. The calm reflexions of a 
 fpirit truly religious will beft imagine the hor- 
 rors of fo complicated a guilt, upon the recoil 
 of confcience, when all thofc paiiions, w4iofc 
 blnndilhments, but a few moments before, de- 
 ludcd, feducedj and overfet his rcaion, now 
 
 relumed 
 
8o J?i HiJIorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 refumed their full deformity, or rufhed into 
 their contrary extremes; defire, into diftradion 5 
 the fweets of pleafure, into bittcrncfs of foul 5 
 love, into felf detcllation ; and hope, almoft 
 into the horrors of defpair! The wife of one of 
 his own worthies, apparently an innocent and 
 a valuable woman, abufed and tainted, and 
 brought to the very brink of ruin and infamy ! 
 A brave man bafciy difhonoured ! and a faith- 
 ful fubjed irreparably injured ! The laws of God 
 
 trampled under foot of that God, who had 
 
 fo eminently diftinguiftied, exalted^ and ho- 
 noured him! Well might he cry out in the 
 anguifh of this diflradcd condition j Fearfulnefs 
 and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath 
 over'isuhehned me. In one word, his condition 
 was now fo dreadful, that it was not eafy for 
 him to bring himfelf to the prcfumption of 
 even petitioning for mercy! And this I take 
 to be the true reafon, why we find no Pfalm 
 of David's penned upon this occafion. Not 
 that he continued any time, and much lefs a 
 long time, (as fome have weakly imagined) in 
 a ftate of impenitence : that is the ftupidity, not 
 of an initiating finner, but a feared confcience. 
 
 Besides, had that been his caie, the in- 
 tercourfe had been continued, and the guilt 
 repeated, which there is not the leaft colour 
 of reafon to believe, or even fufpect. Quite 
 the contrary : I am fatisfied^ nothing fucceeded 
 this firft ad of guilt, but fincere repentance, the 
 rack of confciencc, and a religious habit of abfti- 
 
 nence 
 
B.4. the Life of King T) Ay I'D. 8l 
 
 nence from the repetition of it. The indul- 
 gence in guilt was an impetuous, unruly ad of 
 paflion : the abftinence from repeating it^acalm 
 continued habit of religion. 
 
 Holy and blcffed abftinence! fure teft of vir- 
 tue, and proof of penitence I Could any merit 
 in mortals atone for guilt, in the fight of God, 
 I own, I fliould feek no other fatisfaftion for 
 this, than the facrifice of fuch an abftinence. 
 But, alas! mortal guilt is not fo expiated; nor 
 its dreadful confequenccs to be evaded^ or 
 cfcapcd ! 
 
 Bathsheba was with child ; the proof of her 
 adultery inconteftable; and the punifhment due 
 to it, inevitable, otherwife than from the cover 
 of a fubfequcnt commerce with her husband. 
 Accordingly Uriah is fent for, and Joah fecretly 
 directed to difpatch him to the king, as from 
 himfelf 5 probably, as a fit perfon to inform his 
 majefty of the condition of the army; and to 
 receive his further commands in relation to the 
 fiege. And it is certain, that if Uriah were 
 yoab's armour-bearer, as Jofephus aflurcs us he 
 was, a fitter perfon could not have been 
 chofen. 
 
 When he arrived, the king received him kind- 
 ly 5 inquired how Joab and the people with him 
 did, and how the war profpefd: and when he 
 had examined him as he thought fir, diredcd him 
 to go home, and refrefli himfelf, after the fa- 
 tigue of his journey i and when he was departed 
 from the palace, ordered (as a fingular mark of 
 his favour) that a mefs of meat from the king's 
 
 Vol. II. G table 
 
82 An Hiftorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 table [hoiild follow him to his houfe. It follow- 
 ed accordingly^ but found him not there. For 
 the text tells us, Uriah Jle ft at the door of the 
 king's houfe y "with all the ferv ants of his lord, 
 and went not down to his houfe. 
 
 When DavidhcSixA, that Uriah had not gone 
 home to his houfe, but flayed all night in the 
 p4iace with thole of his fellow- foldiers, who 
 then kept the ward of the king's houfe, he fent 
 for him the next morning, and rebuked him in 
 a kind manner^ for not having taken proper care 
 of himfcif after the v:i\ of his journey. Uriah y 
 in return, gave the king to underfland, that eafe 
 and indulgence wouid ill become him, in the 
 prcfent fituation of his majefty's affairs, and hard 
 ieivice of his troops — The anfwer, in the origi- 
 nal, is truly heroic : — And Ur. ah f aid unto Da- 
 vtdy 'The arky and Ifrael^ and "Judah^ abide in 
 tents 'y and my lord Joaby and the f errant s of my 
 lordy are encamt^'d in the open fields. Shall 1 
 then go into ?7V7ie houfe ^ to eat and to drink ^ and to 
 lie 'with my wife ? As thou livejty and as thy foul 
 itveth^ I will not do this thing. 
 
 The reader, I believe, can have no doubt, that 
 this dilappomtmcnt threw the king into great 
 pctplexity : he was evidently at a lofs what to 
 do, or hov/ to condnd himielf : and in that 
 doubt, commanded Uriah to continue at feru- 
 falem or^e day more: Tarry here, laid the king, 
 to-day alfo^ and to morrow I will let thee depart. 
 Accordingly, we learn from the text, that he 
 abode there that day, and the next alfo. David 
 was doubtiefb itiil at a iois wuat to do j and pro- 
 bably 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 83 
 
 bably not without hopes, that Ur':ak*s being {q 
 Jong in the fame city, with lb amiable a woman 
 as Bathjheba, might foften the feventy of hib re- 
 folution, and induce him to make her a vifit — - 
 But in vain : Uriah was determined, and in- 
 flexible. 
 
 David had but one thing Mt to gain his 
 point : and that was^ to try what effedi wme and 
 good cheat might have upon tho foldiei's fpirit. 
 Men of that profeflion do not think themiefves 
 bound (out of their feafons of difcipline) to be 
 ftridlly upon their guard, againll liica occafional 
 refrefhments^ and reliefs or toiJ, whicti fome- 
 times make the wifeft men forget their fcvereft 
 refolutions, and might naturally be hoped to 
 have the fameefFed upon Uriah -^ especially with 
 regard to a refolution againft nature, and too 
 ftriftly fevere. 
 
 David tried the experiment 5 but to no pur- 
 pofe. We are given to underftand from the 
 text, that he made Uriah drink to fome excefs, 
 enough to difturb his reafon, but not to fhake 
 his refolution : for when he left the palace in 
 the evening, he again reforted to the king's 
 guards and paffcd his night with them ; {^ut 
 went not down to his houfe. 
 
 What horrors feized.the foul of David, upon 
 hearing this news, the next morning, is much 
 cafier to be imagined, than exprelTcd. He hzd 
 injured a brave man : to undo, or to repair the 
 evil, was impoflible, all that he couid hope, 
 was, to hide the injury, and not to aggravate by 
 cxpofing it. He had done all in his power, to 
 
 G z cfFca: 
 
84 -An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 effeftthat; but to no purpofc- If the infamy- 
 were expofcd, it were in all appearance impodi- 
 ble to 'f'CQXQdi Batkjheba : it is not clear, tiiat he 
 could protect himlclf. An affair of that confe- 
 quence would doubtlefs be brought before the 
 iliprcme council of the Seventy, eflabliihed by 
 Mofes * ; from its nature, the moft folemn and 
 powerful affcmbly^ that ever fat in judgment in 
 any ftatc! made up of the princes and rulers of 
 every tribe ; among whom, a man of Uriah's 
 alliance f and confequence muft have many 
 friends i altho' jurtice ihould other wife fail to 
 have its due weiglit. 
 
 The Talmudijh extend the jurifdiction of this 
 council, even over kings. I know they are ge- 
 jierally disbelieved in this point 5 but I (incereiy 
 own, 1 know not for what reafon, efpecially 
 
 * Some people infer, from the filence of the Scripture?, that 
 the Sanhedrim had ceafed under their kings: but they forget how 
 abfurd it is to fuppofe, that a council lo folemnly inftituted hj 
 God, and in the continuance of which every tribe was fo nearly 
 inieiclled, fluould ever ceafe, tho' perhaps its power might, at 
 certain periods, have been confiderably leliened, and poiiibly was 
 fo now. 
 
 Eefides, there is, I think, a plain proof of its fabfifting, dedu- 
 ciblefrom ch/^p. viii. o{ Ez^kiel, where we find feventy ancients of 
 the people with Paazatiiah the fon of Shaphan (a famous fcribe 
 in the days oijofiah) in the niidll of them, offering incenfe to 
 idols : who could ihefe fevenry antients be, but the Sanhtdnm? 
 
 What their power was in the days of Danjzd, we cannot fay ; 
 but what it was after the captivity, will beil: be learned from Jo- 
 fephu5\ Jntiq^ lib. xiv. cap. 17. where we fi»nd them caiimg 
 i/^yW before them, for putting a notorious robber to death, with- 
 out their fentence ; when he was tetrarch o\ Galilee, and his father 
 pyocurator oVJudiea. And it was as much as Ym^Uyrcanus could 
 CO, to fave his life, 
 
 \ He was married to the daug^hter 0^ Am?mel ihz fon of JJji- 
 tspbe/. 
 
 7 whea 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 85 
 
 when it appears from chap, xxxviii. ver, f. of 
 yeremiaky that the prin'ces had a power which 
 the king could not controul. 
 
 Nay, altho' it (houid be imagined, that the 
 Sanhedrim did not then fubfift, i think there is 
 fome reafon to believe, that the very priefthood 
 could bring both Davu/ zvA Batlojlcba to public 
 juftice upon this occafion. This we know, that 
 they wetc able to put the law of leprofy in exe- 
 cution upon Uzziahj one of the greateft princes 
 of his dcfcent, in the very height and pride of 
 his glory {zCkron. xxvi. 20, ii.)s for, altho' 
 he had then an army of four hundred thoufand 
 valiant men under his command, they thruft 
 him out of the temple, and (hut him up in a 
 feveral-hoiife, to the day of his death. 
 
 This then I take to be, beyond all doubt, the 
 truth of "Davids c^fc. He had committed one 
 great crime 5 and he was under a kind of ne- 
 ceflity * of proteding that, by committing a 
 greater. He could not bear to fee the innocent 
 woman he had injured, brought to public infa- 
 my j and he could not fcreen her from it, but 
 by the death of her innocent husband. And 
 thus adultery begat murder. Ur/ah was fent for 
 the next mornings and charged with difpatches 
 to the general, which contained his own death- 
 warrant f. 
 
 * In the general the rule of duty is obvious. A man fhould 
 die, rather than commit lin; nor will I prefume to fay, there is 
 any exception to this rule : yet I cannot pronounce it impoflible^ 
 that one fin rnay draw men into dilemmas of greater, 
 
 f Some have imagined, that Uriah forbore going to his own 
 houfe, from a fufpicion of the king's commerce with his wife. 
 Had this been the cafe, he had ceitainly examined the difpatches 
 fent by him to Joai^. 
 
 G 3 It 
 
86 A7i Hifiorkal Account of B. ^jl 
 
 It is melancholy to obfcrve, that whilft we 
 are toffcd upon tnc waves of this world, the bo- 
 ftcroiis waves ot paflion and appetite, the very- 
 belt Dien arc but too much in the condition of 
 St. Teter m rh. fea- rhey walk one ftep upright, 
 and fink the next. And, fiaking one ftep, if the 
 hand of mercy be not reached out to rcfcue them^ 
 they muft fink deeper. David but this momxnt 
 fadiy repented of one great guilt, and is now 
 upon the verge of perpetrating a greater. 
 
 The reader will, I believe, be better fatisfied, 
 to take the account of this matter from the 
 facrcd hiftorian's own words, 2 Sam. xi. 14, 15, 
 16, and 17 verfes, I can throw no light upon 
 the text by varying them, and God forbid I 
 fhouid wifti to oblcure it. He tells us, that in 
 the morning it came to pajsy that David wrote a 
 letter to Joab^ and fent it by the hand of Uriah, 
 jind he %vrcte in the letter, fay i?tg. Set ye Uriah in 
 fht forefront of the hot t eft battle, and retire ye 
 
 from him^ that he may be /mitten, and die, 
 
 ^nd it came to pafs, when Joab obferved the city^ 
 that he afjjgned Uriah unto a place where he knew 
 that valiant men were. And the men of the city 
 went out, and fought with 'Joab : aftd there fell 
 fome dj the people of the fervants of David, and 
 Uriah the Hit tit e died al/o. 
 
 Uriah's known bravery made it eafily appre- 
 hended, that he would be foiemoft in danger: 
 and of confcquence, being deferred Iw it, he 
 muft die- 
 
 Thus fell this brave man ; a facrifice to his 
 own heroic virtue, and his prince's guilt. He 
 fell, but not aloppj fome of his brave compa- 
 
 nicns 
 
B. 4, the Life of King D a v id. 8 7 
 
 nions in arms * flood by him to the laft, nor de- 
 ferted him in death. 
 
 When this black and horrid deed was perpe- 
 trated, a meffenger was immediately dilpatched, 
 to carry the news to David-, altho' under colour 
 of informing him of the ftate of the war in ge- 
 neral^ and the ill fuccefs of the lad attack. 
 
 And the meflenger was particularly inftrucled, 
 that if he found the king's wrath nfc to a high 
 degree, on account of the rafhnefs of rtieir at- 
 tempt^ and»too near approach to the city w'alls, 
 he fhould then add, that Uriah the Hittite was 
 dead alfo^. 
 
 Joab's meflenger feems to have been a man 
 of uncommon addrefs: who, judging it more 
 advifeable to prevent the king's anger, than to 
 take upon him how to appcafe it, when he had 
 given his majefty a general account of the army^ 
 added a relation of the late unlucky Ikirmilh, in 
 the following manner 5 Thar, as they were car- 
 rying on their approaches to the city, the enemy 
 fallied upon them, and repulfed them to a con- 
 fiderable diflance : but were foon beaten back^ 
 and purfued to the gates of the city : That in 
 the ardour of the purfuit, fome of the Ifraelite 
 forces, approaching too near the walls, fuffcred 
 by the fhot of thofe who defended them : That 
 fome of his majefty 's fervants were unhappiiy 
 
 * Jnd there fell [{2iit.\\ the text) of the people of the fer^oants of 
 Da<vid: by which I underftand fome of his worthies, tiie compa- 
 nions of Uriah. 
 
 f In the text it is, T^hyfern}ant Uriah, 6vC. This exprelfion is, 
 I think, a plain proof, that Danjid\ won hies wsiC particularly 
 diftinguifhed by the name of David's fervunts. 
 
 G 4 ' flam 
 
88 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 flain upon that occafion, and among the reft 
 Uriah the Hittite* 
 
 The king^ having all he wanted in the ac- 
 count of f/ri^/^'s death, bore the reft of his lofs 
 with fafEcient patience, and direded the mef- 
 fenger to confole his L'enerai upon this occafion, 
 by 'crting him know, that this misfortune muft 
 be numbered among the common accidents of 
 war: that the fword made no diftindion be- 
 tween the hero and the coward ; bat devoured 
 all alike : that he muft make his battle ftronger; 
 and perfevcre in aflaulting the city, till he took 
 it. And io the matter ended. 
 
 Whoever reads the account of this affair 
 in the original relation^ will eafily be led to make 
 this plain obfervation upon it; that T>avid was 
 wont to conduft himfelf in his wars, by the ex- 
 amples of the good or ill fuccefs of the captains 
 of his own nation, (in former ages) according 
 to their good or ill condud. And therefore it 
 was, that Joab apprehended, he (hould be up- 
 braided for fuffering his men to come within 
 the reach of the enemies arrows from the wall, 
 with the example oi AbmelecPj\ fate, who fell, 
 as Fyrrhiis did, (and, whai is pretty extraordi- 
 nary, in a city of the iamc name) by a like in- 
 
 ftance of rafhnefs ? dam.\\. ig, 20,21, And 
 
 therefore Joab charged the mejjenger, faying, 
 Wbt}: thou hajl made an end of telling the matters 
 of the icar imio the kiyig, and if Jo he that the 
 kings i!crath arife^ and he fay unto thee^ Where- 
 fore approached ye fo nigh unto the city, ichen ye 
 d^dfgkt ? Knew ye noty that they woiddft:ootfrom 
 
 the 
 
B.4* the Life of King Day ir>. 89 
 
 the wall? Who p720te Abimelech the fon of^jeruh- 
 befheth ? Did not a Woman caft a piece of a mil- 
 jlone upon him from the wall^ that he died in The- 
 bez? Why went ye nigh the wall? then fay thou^ 
 Thy fervant Uriah the Hit tit e is dead alfo. 
 
 As I have long been of opinion^ that the 
 Greeks borrowed mod, if not all their mytho- 
 logy from the facred hiilory^ the fcheme of this 
 work will, I hope, bear me out, in adding, that 
 the fable of Bt llerophon is, I think, founded upon 
 the nory of Uriah, 
 
 Bellerophon, who, as fome fcholiafts think, 
 fliould be read Boulepherofi (a counfel- carrier) 
 was a ftrangcr at the court oi Prcettis^ as Uriah 
 (being an Hittite) was at the court o{'\banjtd. He 
 declined the embraces oi Sthenobceay as Uriah did 
 the bed of Bathpeba ; and was for that reafon 
 (^nitojobatesy general of Pr^////s army, with 
 letters, which contained a direction to put him 
 to death i as Uriah was fcnt to Joab^ David's 
 general : and was fent by Jobates, with a fmall 
 guards upon an attack, in which it was intended 
 he fhould be flain j as Uriah was by Joaby to that 
 in which he fell. The main of the hiftory is the. 
 fame in both : and the variations fuch, as might 
 naturally be expected in fabulous imbellifhments. 
 Hence it is that the mythologift, not being tied 
 to truth, thought himfeif bound^ in point of 
 poetic juftice, to deliver the virtue oi Bellero- 
 phon from the evil intended him : and fo his 
 hiftory ends happily in this world j as^ I doubt 
 pot, Uriah'% does in the next, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
90 jin Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 David tahes Bathfheba to his Houfe^ and 
 makes her his Wife. Gov> fends Na- 
 than the Prophet to rebuke him^ and 
 denounce the divine Vengeance upon his 
 Guilt. 
 
 WHEN Bathjheba heard, that Uriah her 
 husband was dead, fhe mourned for him, 
 according to the cuftom of her country : which 
 is generally liippoied to be, by the keeping of a 
 fail for fcven days fucceiiively ; eating nothing 
 each day, till the fun was itx.. And, when her 
 mourning was over, T>avid fent and took her to 
 his home i and fhe became his wife, and bare 
 him a fon, the iffue of his criminal commerce 
 with her. 
 
 I T cannot be denied, that there was a mani- 
 feft indecency in ''iJavUfi, taking Batkfieba to be 
 his wife, fo foon after her husband's death. And 
 fome think her compliance a proof of her indif- 
 ference and difregard for her husband. 
 
 THisconduft will, however, bear this excufe, 
 that they were anxious to hide the infamy of 
 their commerce i and, to effed that, no time was 
 to be loft, li Bathjheba mifcarried, their guilt 
 was concealed ; at leaft, could not be proved. 
 And, if fhe came to her full time, it was eafy to 
 pretend fhe came before it 5 at leaft fo far as to 
 fcrcen her from any criminal procefs: which 
 
 could 
 
B.4» the Life of King T) AVI VI. gi 
 
 could not be done^ had the marriage been de- 
 layed. And, in this cafe, Batbjheba may be par- 
 doned the facrificing not only decency, but even 
 a real efteem and afFedion for her husband, to 
 the neceflary care of her own fame and life. 
 Prefumptions indeed lay againft them 5 and, ia 
 all appearance, this whole affair could now be 
 no longer a real fecret. It pafTed through too 
 many hands, and is but too probable, that Da^ 
 'vid's^ Bathpebas^ and 'Joab'% meflengers, were, 
 in effed, privy to it. And the birrh of a child 
 begotten in the time of Uriah's abfence, the no- 
 toriety of that abfence, and his fibiequent abfti- 
 nence from Bathfiebds bed, ftrongly pabliChed 
 both the guilt, and the infamy, to the thinking 
 part of the world, however it might be difguifed 
 to others. T)avid was too knowing, not to be 
 fufRciently confcious of all this 5 and too honour- 
 able, and too confcientious, not to feel the in- 
 herent and fubfcquent ttings of guilt, and in- 
 famy, deep at his heart. But what fhould he do J 
 Could he publifh his own (hame? Could he pro- 
 claim his own infamy ? Private penitence was all 
 that was in his power 5 and that could make no 
 reparation for the public fcandal, which he had 
 brought upon the religion and people of God; 
 which yet would be more public, and much 
 more notorious, if he himfelf proclaimed it: 
 and, after all, poffibly the fecret was yet but in 
 a few hands. 
 
 In this rack of confcience, and diftradion of 
 diftrefs, the Providence of God feafonably and 
 mercifully interpofed: and the Lord fent Na- 
 than 
 
92 An Hijiorical Accouiit of B. 4. 
 
 than the prophet to David, to admonifh him of 
 his guilt, and to bring him to a public confcflion 
 of it. And indeed a fitter perfon could not, in 
 all human appearance, have been chofen for fuch 
 a commiflion. He waited upon the king, with 
 tlie air of a complainant,, who brought a cafe of 
 great commiferation before his majcfty, and 
 fubmitted it to his arbitration. He told him, in 
 the words of the facred writer, (for no other cm 
 do him juftice) That there were two men in one 
 city ; the one richy a?id the other poor. The rich 
 man had exceeding many floch and herds : but the 
 -poor man had nothing J'ave one little ewe-lamb^ 
 which he had bought, and 7ioiiriJhed up : and it 
 <rrew up together with him, ajidwith his children -y 
 it did eat of his own meat, and drank oj his owji 
 ciip^ and lay in his own bofom, a?id was unto him 
 as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto 
 the rich man, and he [pared to take of bis own 
 flock, and of his own herd, to drefs for the way- 
 faring man, that "was come unto htm -, but took the 
 por mans lamb^ and drejed it for the man that 
 was come to him. 
 
 , And David's anger was greatly kindled againfl 
 the man^ and he faid to 'Nathan, As the Lord 
 hveth, the man that hath done this things flmll 
 furely die. And he fhall reftore the lamb fourfold, 
 becaife he did this things and becaufe he had no 
 pity. 
 
 And Nathan faid to David, Thou art the 
 man. 
 
 It is eafy to imagine, how deep thefe words 
 of Nathan^ pronounced in all the dignity and 
 
 autho- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 93 
 
 authority of his charader, funk into T)avid^ 
 foul! efpccially when the prophet proceeded to 
 a farther explication of them, in the following 
 manner, ver. 7. Thus j ait b the Lord God of Ifrael 
 
 • / anointed thee kiJig of Ifrael^ and delivered 
 
 thee out of the hand of Said: and 1 gave thee thy 
 maflers wives into thy bofom^ and gave thee the 
 hoiife of Ifrael, (^^d of Jicdah, and, if that had 
 been to little, I wotdd moreover have given unto 
 thee fuch and fuch thitigs. Wherefore hafi thou 
 defpifed the commandment of the Lord, to do evil 
 in his fight ? 77?^^^ hafl killed Uriah the Hittite 
 with the /word, and hafl taken his wife to be thy 
 wift\ and haft flain him with the fword of the 
 children of Amnion. Now therefore the fword 
 fh>all never depart from thine houfe, Becaufe thou 
 haft defpifed me, and baft taken the wife of Uriah 
 to be thy wife^ thus faith the Lord, Behold y I will 
 raife up evil againft thee out of thine own hoiife^ 
 and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and 
 give them unto thy neighbour, and he fhall lie with 
 thy wives in the fight of this f mi : for thou did ft it 
 fecretly-, but I will do this thing before all Ifrael^ 
 and before the fun *. 
 
 * Here is a long train of temporal calamities and chaftifements 
 to be infii^led upon Danjid^ on the fcore of his guilt ; but the can- 
 did reader will pleafe to obferve, that they are all to be infli6ted 
 upon hlin in this world : that there is not the leaft hint of any part 
 of his punifhment's being deferred to the next: even morta I gxxilt 
 (the eternal vengeance due to it being remitted) had all its re- 
 maining puniOiment in this world : and Ihall whatfome call 'venial 
 guilt be chaftifed in the next ? The inference is obvious : Nathan. 
 knew nothing of purgatory ! or, if he did, he flipt the fairelt oc- 
 cafion of revealing it to the world, that ever ofl-ej-ed itfelf. 
 
 Here 
 
94 -^^ Hiflorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 Here he paufed — And T>avidy overwhelmed 
 with fhame, (rung with remorfe, and oppreffed 
 with a dreadful fenfe of the divine vengeance, 
 impending., and ready to fall down upon him- 
 felf, and his family, could only give utterance to 
 this ihort fenrence — -/ have finned againji the 
 Lord— To which Nathan immediately fubjoin- 
 
 ed The Lord aljh hath put away thy fin ^ ; 
 
 tboufi:alt 720t die, Howbeit, becaufe by this deed 
 thou hall given great occafion to the e?2emies of the 
 Lord to blajphemey the child aljo \^ that is born 
 unto thepy /hall furely die. 
 
 There is ibmething unfpeakably gracious in 
 this {\xdiA(iXi fentcnce of pardon pronounced by 
 the prophet, in the inftant of Davids confeifion 
 of guilt, and humiliation before God. But I 
 think we may fairly infer from it, that this par- 
 don was not purchafed by that inftantaneous 
 fubmiilion 5 bur that in truth it was now only 
 declared, but purchafed at the price of a long 
 preceding penitence. Nor is it otherwife to be 
 accounted for, coniiflentiy with God's innate 
 abhorrence of guilt, ^i\(\ eflablilhcd exiraordinary 
 methods of reconcilianoi and forgivcncfs: which 
 they would do well ferioufly to revolve, who 
 imagine that "Daiid was in a ftate of impeni- 
 tence, from the day of nis firft commerce with 
 Bathpeba^ till this inftant. A fuppofition (in 
 
 * That is, the mortal guilt, anc5 eternal punifhment ; together 
 with tiie temporal puuiihrnent of death due to that offence by the 
 Mofaic law, 
 
 t The chailifenicnt of this guilt fliall be feen alfo in the child 
 V/ho was the offspring of it. 
 
 my 
 
B. 4- the Life of KingT>A\i-Q. 95 
 
 my apprehenfion) as injurious to "Davidy as it is 
 dangerous to true religion. 
 
 That he liad in fad forrowed for thefe fins, 
 confeflcd to Almighty God, and earneftly im- 
 plored forgivenefs, before the pardon pronoun- 
 ced by Nathan, is to me evident from Tfalm 
 xxxii. in which, now reinftated in the favour of 
 God, and happy beyond exprefiion upon that 
 account^ he mod beautifully and feelingly de- 
 fcribcs the diftrefiTed condition he was in, before 
 that pardon was pronounced i his body diftem- 
 pered, and wafted with grief, and his mind upon 
 the rack. 
 
 JVben I kept (ilcnce^^ my hones waxed old ^ thro* 
 my i^oaringy ail the day long. For day a?id night 
 thy hand was heavy upon me — I ackno'juledged my 
 Jin unto thee ; a?2d mine iniquity have I not hid : 
 IJdidlwill confefs my tranfgrejjtons unto thee Lord. 
 And thouforgavejl the iniquity ofmy/m. Selah^-^ 
 
 And what was the confequence? His ynoijime 
 
 was turned into the drynefs f offummer The 
 
 change was^ as if he had been removed at once 
 from the depth of winter, into midfummerj as 
 if all the (torms, and rains, and clouds, of that 
 gloomy feafon (the fineft emblems of grief) 
 were changed, at once, into ferenity and fun- 
 
 * Some have inferred from thefe words that Da^id continued 
 fome time impenitent ; but, for my own part, I can only infer 
 from them, that he was for fome time under fuch a fenfe of guilt, 
 as would not let him prelume to pray ; and fuch a filence is th<i beft 
 proof of true compunftion of confcience. Had he been long impe- 
 nitent, it were impoflible or him to fay j Mine iniquity hanje I not 
 hid. 
 
 f So the word (hould be tranflated. 
 
 fhinc: 
 
96 An Htjlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 fhine; all heaven clear, unclouded, and fmiling 
 upon him. 
 
 The fame thing is 'dlfo evident, as I appre- 
 hend, from Pfalm cxxx. plainly written in the 
 fpirit of a penitent, who trufted in the infinite 
 mercy of GoD^ and hoped for forgivenefs, but 
 had not yet obtained it *. 
 
 But to proceed • 
 
 David, being now fully fatisfied that his 
 guilt was too well known to the w^orld, and 
 that God would purfue it with public vengeance, 
 found it high time to do every thing that in him 
 lay, to wipe off the reproach he had brought 
 upon his holy religion^ and make all poflible 
 reparation for the offence he had given to God 
 and man? and (1 doubt, not) rejoiced in the oc- 
 cafion ot taking public (hanie to himfelf, for fuch 
 complicated and aggravated guilt; and making 
 a public confcflion of it before the whole world. 
 
 And, to this purpofe, he thcncompoied and 
 
 publidied the fifty-firft Tfalm, direding it To 
 the chief mufician 5 and, without doubt, com- 
 manding it to be publicly fung in the tabernacle^ 
 in the prefence of all his people i himfe.f attend- 
 ing, and proflrate before the throne of mercy. 
 
 * 'i If thou^ Lord, nxilt he extreme to mark nvhat is done am'ifs : 
 O Lord, ivho may abide it P 
 
 4. For there is mercywith thee therefore Jh alt thou he feared, 
 
 5. / look for the Lord: my foul doth nv ait for him : in his nvord is 
 my trufi. 
 
 6. My foul fleeth unto the Lord -, before the morning nvatch, I 
 fay, before the morning-swatch. 
 
 7. O Ifrael, trujt in the Lord; for nvith the Lord there is 
 mercy : and n^ith him is plenteous redemption. 
 
 8. And he fh all redeem Ifraelfram all his fins. 
 
 It 
 
E 4. the Life of King Davit>. 97 
 
 It is furely matter of uncommon curiofity to 
 contemplate upon David^ in this condition. 
 Behold the greateft monarch of the earth, thus 
 humbled for his fins before God! confeffing his 
 fhamc, with contrition, and confufion of face! 
 calling out for mercy, and imploring pardon, 
 in the prefence of his meaneft fubjefls! There is 
 fomething in fuch an image of penitence, more 
 fitted to llrike the foul with a dread and abhor- 
 rence ot guilt, than it is pollible to exprefs : 
 fomething more edifying, more adapted to the 
 human infirmities, and more powerful to reform 
 them, than the moft perfed example of unfin- 
 ning obedience^ efpecially, if the fupplications 
 and petitions he pours out to God, be throughly 
 fuited to the folemnity of the occafion, and con- 
 dition of the penitent 5 as they undoubtedly are 
 in this fit1:y-firft Tfalm. Here the penitent hum- 
 bly and earneftly begs for mercy He acknow- 
 ledges his fin, and his innate depravity, the fource 
 
 of it He begs to be renewed in the grace of 
 
 God — and in that health which the horror of 
 
 his wicked nefs had impaired Above all, he 
 
 earneftly befceches God, not to caft him off, 
 
 nor deliver him up to a reprobate fenfe: ' 
 
 Caft we ?iot away from thy prefence^ and take not 
 
 thy Holy Spirit from ?ne Ogive me the comfort 
 
 of thy help again deliver me from blood-guil- 
 
 tinefs, O God^ thou God of my filvatton In 
 
 one word, the foul of fiiame, of forrow, of 
 remorfc, of fmcere repentance, and bitter an- 
 guifh under the agonies of guilt, breathes ftrong 
 and fervent, through every line of this hallowed 
 
 Vol. IL H compo- 
 
98 An Uijlorkal Account of B, 4. 
 
 compofition. And it is (I doubt not) David's 
 greateft confolation at this moment, when he 
 bleffes God for the providential effects of his 
 fall, that thofe crimes^ which wrought his 
 fhame, and forrow, and infamy, have, in the hu- 
 mility, the piety, the contrition of confefling 
 them, (in this and feveral other Pfalms com- 
 pofed upon the fame occafion) refcucd, and 
 reformed, millions. 
 
 Give me leave to add, that there were two 
 circumftances of diftrefs, which attended upon 
 David's fall 5 and have not (as I apprehend) 
 been fufficiently confidered by any of the com- 
 mentators: and yet^ they are, beyond all que- 
 ftion, the greateft, and the fevereft, that human 
 nature can fuffcr. 
 
 The firft isj The diftrefs he endured, on ac- 
 count of the obloquy and reproach brought 
 upon the true religion, and the truly religious^ 
 by his guilt : and the fecond 5 The reproach, 
 and endlefs infults, brought upon himfelf, even 
 by his repentance, and humiliation before God 
 and the world. 
 
 Both thefe are fully fet forth in the fixty- 
 ninth Tfalm. 
 
 Ver. 3. I am weary of my crying^ my throat 
 is dried: mine eyes fail^ while I wait for my 
 God. 
 
 5. O God! thou knoweft myfoolipnefs -, and 
 my fins are not hid from thee. 
 
 6. Let not them that wait on thee^ O Lord 
 
 God of hofts, be afiamedfor my fake : let not thofe 
 
 that feek thee^ be confounded for my fake ^ O God 
 
 of Ifraell 7. Be^ 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 99 
 
 7. Becanfe for thy fake I have borne reproach z- 
 fjame hath covered my face, 
 
 8. / am become a fir anger unto my brethren^ 
 and an alien tinto my mother s children, 
 
 9. For the zeal of thine houfe hath eaten me 
 up ; and the reproached of them that reproached 
 thee are fallen upon me. 
 
 10. When I wept y and chaflened my foul with 
 fajiing, that was turned to my reproach, 
 
 11.7 made fack-cloth alfo my garfitent : and I 
 became a proverb untor them, 
 
 1 2 . T^hey that fit in the gate, [peak againji me^ 
 and I was the fong of the drunkards, 
 
 1 3 . But as for^ me, my prayer is unto thee^ O 
 Lord^ in an acceptable time : O Gody in the mul-- 
 titude of thy mercy har me^ in the truth of thy 
 
 fa hat ion, 
 
 14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not 
 fmk : let me be delivered from them that hate me, 
 
 and out of the deep waters, 
 
 I f. Let not the water-- food overflow me, neither 
 let the deep /wallow me up, and let not the pit font 
 her mouth upon me, 
 
 16. Hear me^ O Lord-, for thy loving kindnefs 
 is good : turn unto me according to the multitude 
 of thy tender mercies, 
 
 17. And hide not thy face from thy fervanti 
 for I am in trouble : hear me fpeedily. 
 
 18. Draw nigh unto my foul ^ and redeem it : 
 deliver me becau/e of mine enemies, 
 
 19. Thou haft kjiown my reproach, and my 
 fldame, and my dijhonour : nmie adverfaries are all 
 before me. 
 
 H 2 20, Re" 
 
lOO An Htjlortcal Account of B. 4 
 
 10. Reproach hath broken my hearty and la7n 
 fullof heavinefs. And Hooked for fome to take 
 pity, but there 'was none 3 and J or comforters^ 
 but I found none. 
 
 Let any ingenuous man who feels for virtue, 
 and is not feared to rhame^, put the queftion to 
 himfelf: I appeal to his own heart, whether he 
 would not infinitely rather die than endure 
 the ftate now defcribed^ in one day forfaken by 
 his friends, fcorned by his enemies, infulted by 
 his inferiors; the fcofF of Ubertines, and the 
 ibng of fots! What then muft we think of the 
 fortitude and magnanimity of that man, who 
 could endure all this, for a feries of years? Or 
 rather how fhall we adore that unfailing mercy, 
 and all-fufficient goodnefs, which could fupport 
 him thus, under the quickeft fenfe of fhame and 
 infamy, and deepeft compundions of confci- 
 €nce5 which could enable him to bear up 
 fteadily againft guilt, infamy, and the evil 
 world united 5 from a principle of true religion ! 
 And in the end, even rejoice in his fad eftate j 
 as he plainly perceived, it muft finally tend to 
 promote the true intereft of virtue, and glory 
 •of God 5 that is, muft finally tend to promote 
 that intereft which was the great governing 
 principle, and main purpofe, of his life ! 
 
 CHAP. 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. lOi 
 
 CHAP. IV, 
 
 Some y?ccount of Nathaa the Prophet. 
 The Child born of BathOieba Jickens. 
 David fafis^ and humbles himf elf before 
 God in his behalf \ but to no purpofe, 
 "The Child dies. David'j' remarkable 
 Reftgnation to the Will of God. So- 
 lomon is born a?id blejjed. 
 
 THAT very cuuious and cxquifite parable 
 oi Nathans^ recounted in the laft chapter, 
 wnich placed ^'David's guilt in fo clear a light, 
 and at the fame time lb hid it from himfelf, as 
 to extort his own fentence of condemnation, 
 from his own mouth; at once fo well con- 
 cealed the criminal, and inflamed the crime, 
 as to irritate the king's rcfentment beyond all 
 the bounds of juftice*. The author of To ma- 
 llcrly a parable naturally awakens the readers 
 curiofity, to learn fomething of fo extraordi- 
 nary a perfon. But before 1 proceed to that 
 head, it will be proper toobfervc to the reader, 
 that there is one difficulty in Nathans charge 
 again T>avid, which none of the commenta- 
 tors have cleared. It is this : It feems to be 
 
 * By the law of God, the (heep-thief fhould, at mofl:, but re^- 
 ftore four-fold, ^^o^. xxii. I. If a man Jhall Jleal an ox, or a 
 Jheep, and kill it^ or fell it ; he Jhall rejfore fi^je oxen for an ox, 
 fn4 four J/:>eep for a Jheep, 
 
 H 5 made 
 
102 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 made a part of David's accufation, That he 
 
 married Bathfieba Thou haft killed Uriah the 
 
 Hittite with the/word^ and hast taken his 
 WIFE TO BE THY WIFE. Now, I own, 1 Can 
 fee no guilt in this, other than that ot multi- 
 plying wives, which the kings of Ifrael were 
 cxprefly forbidden to do, ^etu> xvii. 17. inaf- 
 much as no law of God, or nature, prohibit 
 fuch a marriage, any otherwifc than as they 
 prohibit polygamy. Unlefs the prophet means, 
 that he murdered Uriahs in order to make Bath- 
 fieba his wife j which mud: be owned to be a 
 very crying guilt. 
 
 There is therefore, I prefume, no room for 
 any other cenfure upon this part of David's 
 condud. He had injured (as I apprehend) an 
 innocent, and a very valuable woman : and the 
 only reparation in his power, and proof of his 
 eftecm, was, to make her his wife. But, alas ! 
 this reparation to her, was none, either to Uriah 
 or his family, or the righteous Arbiter of the 
 earth 5 or the reproach brought upon the true 
 religion, by this infamous behaviour, in a 
 prince who was the great example, teacher, and 
 guardian of it, 
 
 B u T to return to Nathan : 
 
 We learn little more of this great man, in 
 the facred writings, than that he was 'David's 
 prophet, intimate counfellor, and hiftoriogra- 
 pher : and the knowledge of him in this laft: cha- 
 rafter, mud raife the reader's efteem of his mo- 
 defty to the higheft degree: inafmuch as he 
 hath been very careful not to make himfelf his 
 
 5 theme 5 
 
B.4* the Life of King T)kv\\y. 103 
 
 theme; nor fo much as to mention his own 
 name, where it could be avoided with juftice tQ 
 his hiftory. Jofephtis fays of him, that he was 
 a polite and prudent man : one who knew how 
 to temper the fevcrity of wifdom with fweet- 
 nefs of manners. And Grotius compares him 
 to Manius Lepidus , of whom Tacitus fays. That 
 he found him to be a grave and wife man, in 
 thofe times > who had a talent of turning away 
 the emperor's mind from thofe cruel purpofes, 
 to which the vile flattery of others inclined him 5 
 and was, at the fame time, in equal favour and 
 authority with Tiberius. 
 
 H E next finds fome refemblance in him, to 
 P//J, the Roman high-prieft under Tiberius ; of 
 whom the fame Tacitus fays, That he w^as not 
 author of any fervile fentence j and could upon 
 occasion moderate with wifdom. But it mud 
 be owned, that the negative part of this lad 
 charader is very far from doing juftice to the 
 genius of Nathan ; who fufficiently appears, in 
 the facrcd writings, to be rather an infpirer of 
 noble purpofes, than a mere non-advifer of 
 
 fuch as were bafe and fervile -Witnefs his 
 
 ftrong encouragement to Davidy to put his noble 
 defign of building the temple of G o d, into im- 
 mediate execution. And it were but juftice to 
 add. That he could do more, than moderate 
 wifely j for it is evident, that he knew alfo how 
 to reprove princes with authority, and yet with- 
 out offences which muft be allowed to require 
 very uncommon talents, with a dexterity of 
 ^ddrefs perhaps yet rarer. And this Nathan 
 
 H 4 did. 
 
104 ^^ Hijiorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 did, without being impaired in any degree, 
 either of favour or affedion, with T>avid : quite 
 otherwife ; he feems to have increafed in both, 
 his whole life long. But it mud be owned_, 
 that his known character of being infpired by 
 God, bore him out in this condud beyond the 
 lot of other mortals, and fo juftly endeared him 
 to^avidj that tradition tells us^ he named one 
 fon after him, and committed another to his 
 tuition. And it muft be owned, that Solomon^ 
 in all probability^ could not have been placed 
 under a better preceptor, nor one whofe in- 
 ftrudions would better intitie him to that bleffed 
 appellation oijedidjah, or the beloved of God. 
 
 Whoever confiders the prediftions of divine 
 vengeance now denounced againfl: David^ on 
 the fcore of his guilt, in the matter of Uriahy 
 muft furely find them to be in their nature very 
 
 extraordinary His family to continue beyond 
 
 any other regal race in the known world j and 
 yet the fword to continue a long- — never to 
 depart from it ! 
 
 A KING — the greateft of his time! his do- 
 minion throughly eftabliilied, and his enemies 
 under his feet, highly honoured and beloved at 
 home, and as highly awful to all the neigh- 
 bouring nations! Such a king threatened to 
 
 have his wives publicly proftituted before the 
 face of all his people! And, what is yet much 
 ftrangcr, more Ihocking, and more incredible, 
 by one of his own race ! and as a fure proof of 
 this, the darling offspring of his guilt to perifh 
 ^uickiy; before his eyes! Hp alone, who fills 
 ' futu-- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 105 
 
 futurity, could forefee this ; he only, who fways 
 the world, and knows what evil appetites and 
 difpofitions^ unreftrained, will attempt and per- 
 petrate, could pronounce it: and to put it 
 beyond all doubt, that he did forefee it, he im- 
 mediately fmote the child which Bathfleba bare 
 to 'David., with a mortal difeafe. 
 
 David had, upon his humiliation and repen- 
 tance, jufl: experienced one fignal mercy from 
 God: he could not tell how far the continuance 
 of thofe holy offices might prevail yet further, 
 npon a Being of infinite benignity. It is true, 
 the denunciation of vengeance was pofuive; but 
 many fuch denunciations in fcripture, feemingly 
 pofuive, are yet really conditional. Or, fappo- 
 fing it pofitive, like the fentence of death upon 
 Adam, yet might it not be immediate; but re- 
 fpitcd, as his was. At worft, he could neither 
 err nor offend^ in that extreme. And for thefe 
 r^ifoas it was, as he himfelf gives us to under- 
 itand that David (as the text tells us) befought 
 God for the child-, and 'David f a/led, and went 
 iUy and lay all night upon the earth. 
 
 And the elders of his houfe arofe^ and went" 
 to him, to raife him tip from the earth \ but he 
 woiddnoty neither did he eat bread with them. 
 
 Thus he continued fafting, mourning, and 
 imploring God, for feven days fucceffively. 
 And it came to pafs (fays the facred hiftorian, 
 a Sam. -ni.ii.) on the [event h day that the child 
 died: and the ferv ants of David feared to tell 
 iiim^ that the child was dead', for they f aid ^ Be- 
 hold^ 
 
io6 An Htjiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 hold^ while the child was yet alive ^ we /pake unto 
 him, and he would not hearken uijto our 'voice : 
 How will he then vex him/elf, if we tell hiniy that 
 the child is dead! But when David f aw, that 
 his fervants whijpered, David perceived, that the 
 child was dead: therefore T) avid J aid uJito his 
 fervants^ Is the child dead? And they J aid. He 
 is dead. Then 'David (with a refignation, and 
 a refolution, never to be enough admired and 
 imitated) arofe from the earthy and wafied and 
 anointed hirnfelf and changed his apparel, and 
 came into the houfe of the Lord, and worjhipped: 
 then he came unto his own houfe ^ and when he re^ 
 quired, they fat bread before him, and he did eat. 
 
 T^hen faid his Jervants imto him, PVhat thing is 
 this that thou haft done? Thou didft faji and weep 
 for the child^ while it was alive ^ but when the 
 child was dead, thou didft rife, and eat bread. 
 
 To thisqueftion "David made the mod truly 
 heroic, philofophic, and religious aniVer, re- 
 corded in hiftory : And he f aid, While the child 
 was yet alive, I fafted^ and wept : for I faid. 
 Who can tell^ whether God will be gracious to 
 me^ that the child may live? But now he is deady 
 wherefore ftmdd I fctfl ? Can I bring him back 
 again? I fall go to htm, but he Jh all not return 
 to me. This, 1 will venture to fay, is the nobleft 
 leffon upon all that is reafonable and religious 
 in grief, that ever was penned. 
 
 I CANNOT but obferve upon this occafion, 
 that the thinking reader muft find it very fur- 
 prifmg, to fee fo wife a man as Davids fading 
 
 and 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 107 
 
 and mourning in fo extraordinary a manner, for 
 a child, who, being yet an infant, could not 
 poffibly have been endeared to him by any of 
 thofe blandilliments, which fo ftrongly engage 
 the parental afFedions to their offspring 5 and 
 who, as he was a dreadful monument of guilt, 
 one would imagine, fhould be, to fo good a 
 man, more an objed of deicftation than defire^ 
 and mud moreover, if he lived, be a perpetual 
 brand of infamy upon his parents. 
 
 The true way of accounting for it is, by 
 afcribing it^ as Le Clerc does, to T>a'vid's excefs 
 of paflion for Bathjhebay which fo itrongly at- 
 tached him to every offspring of hers, and made 
 him forget ^very thing in this child, but that 
 motive of indearment. Befides this, there is 
 fomething in human nature, which prompts us 
 to rate things after a manner Iccmingly unac- 
 countable j and to eftimate them, not accord- 
 ing to their real worth, but according to the 
 cxpence, or trouble, or even the dillrefs they 
 have cofl us. However^ all this availed nothing 
 at prelent : dear as this child had coil T>avidy 
 he now was deprived of him 
 
 Thus was the firfl inftance of the divine ven- 
 geance upon T)avid's guilt, fpeedily and r\g\(\\y 
 executed : other inftances of it were fulfilled in 
 their order, before his own eyesj as will abun- 
 dantly appear in the fequel of this hiftory ^ and 
 the dreadfulleft of all the reft. The Jword fiall 
 never depart from tbtne houje, fadly and fuccef- 
 fively fulfilled in his pofterity $ fro;ii the death 
 
 of 
 
io8 An Htfiorkal Accou7it of B. 4. 
 
 of AmmoTiy by the order of his own brother, to 
 the flaughter of the Cons o^ Zedekiah, before his 
 own eyes, by the king oi Babylon. 
 
 Give me leave to add, (and let the reader 
 make his own inferences) that David's guilt 
 was more fignally and dreadfully punifhed in 
 his own perfon^ and in his pofterity, than any 
 guilt I ever heard, or read of, in any other 
 perfon, fmce Adam *. 
 
 The y^^^/J' are of opinion, that his own de- 
 cree, of repaying the robbery fourfold, was 
 ftridly executed upon him. And as he was 
 profefledly punifhed by the death of one of his 
 fons for the murder of Unah^ they imagine, 
 that the other three alfo, who died violent 
 deaths, fell fo many facrificcs to the divine ju- 
 ftice, upon the fame account. 
 
 When David had fufficiently humbled him- 
 felf, under this firft chaftiicmcnt of God upon 
 him for his fins; and fupportcd himfeif under 
 the lofs of his child^ by the profped of finding 
 him one day again in a better world i his next 
 care was^ to comfort Bathpieba the beft he could, 
 under their common calamity : and as fhe ap- 
 pears to have been a meek and reafonable woman, 
 
 * The deflowering of Tamar by her own brother ; the death of 
 four fons, three of them before his own eyes, and one by the hand 
 of his own brother ; the unnatural rebellion of one fon, which 
 brought him almoft to the brink of ruin ; the proftitutionof ten 
 wives in the fight of all his fubjefts ; and the fucceffive and fignal 
 maffacre of his pofterity ; befides the diilrefs of his own public 
 ihameand infamy, added to, at leaft, one cruel difeafe. 
 
 his 
 
B. 4* the Life cf King'D kviTy. 109 
 
 his task (we may well prefume) was fo much 
 the eafier. She alfo, without doubt, refigned 
 and fubmitted, and her refignation was rewarded 
 accordingly ; for fhe foon after conceived by 
 Davids and bare him afon5 znADavid^ as he 
 was now in peace with God^ and forefaw in the 
 fpirit of prophecy, that this fon would be a 
 pacific prince^ he called his name Solomon^ or 
 Peaceable. 
 
 And as this fon was conceived in innocence, 
 in the happy feafon of God's reconcilement to 
 his parents^ and their eftablifhment in true reli- 
 gion, by fincere repentance and humiliation 
 before him 5 it pleafed God to accept him, in a 
 lingular manner : which is fignified to us in the 
 text, by that remarkable expreflion, And the 
 Lord loved him. And to manifeft his favour 
 to him^ for the confolation oiDavidy he con- 
 veyed his benediftion to the fon, by the fame 
 hand which had before conveyed his chaftife- 
 ments to the father : he fent Nathan to David 
 to beftow upon his fon, in his name, the moft 
 bleffcd of all earthly, the moft blelTed, but one, 
 of all heavenly appellations^ Jedidjah, or^ 27* 
 beloved of God. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
w 
 
 t lO An Hijioricai Account of B. 4. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 "The Foolip7ufs of wicked Policy. David, 
 upon Joab^j Rxhortation^ goes to the 
 Siege of Rabbah, and takes it. De- 
 pofes Hanun : and puts the remaining 
 Ammonites to Death. His ConduEl 
 in this Point juflified. 
 
 HILST things flood thus with "David zx. 
 Jemfalem, the fiege of Rabbah ft ill con- 
 tinued, being now far lengthened out into a 
 fecond year. T^avtd had hitherto gone on with 
 uninterrupted fuccefs, till his fins arrefted his 
 profperity, and flopped him fhort. The truth is, 
 all wickednefs, befides thofe curfcs and judg- 
 ments it draws down from heaven, hath a natu- 
 ral tendency to defeat the wifeft: fchemes^ and 
 check the progrefs of the beft purpofcs j as in the 
 cafe before us : the Ifraelites were to make an 
 attack, to fly, and to be defeated, that Uriah 
 might fall : Could any thing more naturally 
 raife the courage of Ammo?i^ or deprefs that of 
 Jfrael, than fuch aprojed? Doubtlefs, there were 
 many men in the army, accuftomed to be led out 
 to battle by Uriahs and thofe brave companions 
 of his who fell with him, and brought back 
 with viftory, and glory : Would thefe men be 
 eafily brought to follow other, inferior, or un- 
 tried leaders, with equal ardour ? Or would 
 thofe Ammonites have any terror upon them, to 
 meet thefe leaders, who had defeated and cut 
 
 off 
 
B. 4- the Life of King X^k-^ I'D. ill 
 
 off Uriah, and his brave companions > And did 
 not all this naturally tend to iqz€i Ifrael, and 
 infpirit their enemies ? Such is the accurfed po- 
 licy of guilt: felfifh, andfhort'fighted! And iuch 
 the truth and wifdom of that noble maxim in the 
 fchools, That evil is not ordinable to good 
 
 The dejeded fpirit oithz IJraelite army natu- 
 rally tended to make their meafures flower, and 
 more cautious ; and of confequence . to draw zhQ 
 jiege into greater length. However, the lower 
 city, otherwife called the Royal City, or the City 
 of Waters, was at length taken ; and the upper 
 city, altho' in all probability much ftronger, 
 from the advantage of its fituation, on the top 
 of an hill, could not hold out long, when its fup- 
 ply of water was wholly cut off. Of this, '^oaby 
 in all the generofity of a brave foldier, and all 
 the afFedion of a faithful fubjcd, immediately 
 informed his king 5 exhorting him. That he 
 would come in perfon, and put the {inilTiing 
 hand to the fiege : Left I take the city, faith 
 he, and it be called after my name. 
 
 There is a gallantry, and a magnificence in 
 this propofal, capable of creating admiration in 
 the meaneft minds. The man that could transfer 
 the glory of his own conquefts upon his prince, 
 needs no higher an elogy. And it is but juftice 
 to the charader of Joab, to declare, that he is, 
 as far as 1 am informed, fupreme, if not unri- 
 valled*, in this lingular inftance of heroifm. 
 
 David 
 
 * It is true, C»r//aj mentions a like conduft in Crateruf, in 
 relation to the fiege gf Artaaana (lib, vi. cap. 6.) \ but this cojndua 
 
 Qi 
 
112 An Hiftorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 David readily complied with his general's 
 monition; and, immediately allembling ^/j/^^- 
 fle^ probably thofe troops of his militia, then on 
 the duty of their monthly eourfe, he marched 
 them to Rahbah, 
 
 And here I beg leave toobferve, that David 
 had, from the inftitution of his militia, greater 
 advantages for continuing fieges, and being fuc- 
 cefsful in them than any other monarch we 
 read of in hiftory : inafmuch as he could fend a 
 monthly recruit of twenty-four thoufand men 
 to his army, without departing from the efta- 
 blillied order of his militia, or putting his people 
 to any new trouble or expence; which could not 
 but be a vaft relief to the weary and wounded of 
 the army, and raife the courage of the reft 5 and, 
 at the fame time, a vaft difcouragement to the 
 enemy, to have fo many frcfti men to encounter 
 with every month, whilft they themfelves were 
 every day in a more weary and wafting way. 
 And thefe I take to have been the people which 
 David took with him to Rabbahs and with 
 which he now, as the text informs us, f ought 
 againjl it^ and took it. For if it were not to re- 
 lieve the loldiers who were on that fervicc, there 
 feems to have been noneceffity of carrying nev/ 
 men thither, when the dificulty of the fiege was 
 over. 
 
 of Craterus was evidently the efFed of fear, not generofity. He 
 well knew that his mailer, Alexander^ was the vaineft and mofl 
 ambitious of all mortals ; and, at that time, tyrannical to an high 
 degree : and therefore he did not dare to take the city before his 
 arrival. Alexander now fet up for a God ; and fo far aped that 
 charafter, as not to give his glory to another. 
 
 Thb^ 
 
B. 4« the Life of King Dav lit. 113 
 
 The reader will naturally obferve, that this 
 was an expedition, and a conqued, which came 
 very feafonably to remove S^'U/Ws melancholy, 
 to relieve his diftrcfs, to blot out the memory of 
 his guilt in relation to Uriah^ and to revive his 
 glory in arms. And, if Joab confidered it in this 
 light, (as in all probability he did^ the praife of 
 his generofity is ftill more ennobled in this 
 view. 
 
 Rabbah was a royal;, a hrge^ and a populous 
 city, the metropolis of ^r*^^/^ /<?//> 5 watered, 
 and, in fome mcafurc, encompafied, by the river 
 Jabbok, It had its name from its grandeur, be- 
 ing derived from an Hebrew word, which figni- 
 fies to increafe, and grow great 5 and was now iii 
 the height of its glory. 
 
 PoLYBius dcfcribcs this city*, as built upon 
 feveral little eminences, on the top of an hilh 
 it was a confiderable city when Aniiochns toolc 
 it: yet it then only covered the top of the hill 5 
 whereas it now not only covered, but cncom- 
 paflcd it. And therefore it is natural to think, 
 that the taking of this royal city brought David 
 a great accellion of glory, as the text aflures us 
 it did of wealth : for we are told, that he not 
 only took a crown of gold (adorned with pre- 
 cious ftoncs) of a great value f from the king's 
 head, but likewife^ that he brought forth thefpo'd 
 of the city in great abundayice. 
 
 The king 'David formerly dcpofcd ; and 
 Dr. Trapp thinks, that the form of his depofal 
 
 * Hift. lib. V. f A talenr. 
 
 Vol. 1L 1 wbs. 
 
J 1 4 An Hiftorkal Account of B. 4* 
 
 >vas, by arraying him in his royal robes, (and 
 probably placing him on his throne) with his 
 crown upon his head, and then formally diveft- 
 ing him of all his enfigns of royalty, fomewhat 
 in the fame manner, that the duke of Lancajier 
 depofed Richardll. concerning whom Dr. Trapp 
 adds this obfervation from his hiftorian. Never 
 ijvas prince fo gorgeous with lejs glory ^ or more 
 grief. 
 
 And it muft be owned, that the text feems to 
 countenance this opinion of Dr. Trapfs^ in that 
 cxpreflion 5 And he took the kin/s crown from 
 off his head — and it was fet on T^anjid's head. 
 
 The king now depofed was Hanun, the fon 
 of Nahap : and inafmuch as we find SMi of 
 Rabbah^ another fon of N^hafl, fomc time after 
 this, in friendfhip with David, and fliewing 
 him fignal kindnefs, at a feafon when nothing 
 but friendfhip could exad it from him 5 there is 
 all the reafon in the world to believe, that David^ 
 upon depofing Hanun, made Shobi his viceroy at 
 Rabbah'y and treated him with fignal kindnefs 
 upon that occafion. 
 
 W E now come to that part of T>avid's con- 
 dud, fecmingly the moft exceptionable, after 
 the affair of Uriah 5 and moft bitterly objefted to, 
 pf all others : and that is, the tortures, which, 
 the text gives us to underftand, he inflifted on 
 the people taken in Rabbahj fawing fome of 
 them afundcr, tearing others to pieces by har- 
 rows of iron, and burning others in brick-kilns. 
 Commentators alfo have been, in fome meafure^ 
 tortured upon this point j fome interpreting the 
 
 test. 
 
B. 4- the Life of KingD AViv>. 115 
 text io as to clear David's charaftcr of the cruel- 
 ty feemingly charged upon him, in this account; 
 others allowing the fad^ but poorly vindicating 
 his condud in that point ; and others charging it 
 upon the hardnefs of his heart, in that ftate of 
 ^ impenitence, in which they fuppofc him to have 
 ftill continued, from his criminal commerce 
 with Bathjheba, 
 
 Before I prefume to pafs any judgment upon 
 thefe opinions, give me leave to prcmife, that, 
 when T>avid left Shobi in the government of 
 Rabbahy it muft be prefumcd, that he left fome, 
 befides female fubjeds, under his dominion: 
 and therefore it is no way unreafonable to fup- 
 pofe, that when Joab took the royal city, or 
 City of Heaters, it was furrendered to him by the 
 bulk of the people, who fubmitted, and were 
 received into mercy : inafmuch as we find not 
 the lead mention or hint of any one human 
 creature s being cither chaftifed, or put to death, 
 on that occalion. May we not then naturally 
 infer, from, this filence of the facred writers, 
 that the king, who was taken in the upper city, 
 retired thither upon the furrender of the royal 
 city, with the accomplices and inftruments of 
 his tyranny $ and that they only fuffercd the 
 chaftifcments due to their guilt, from the hand 
 of T>avid? 
 
 I NOW proceed to examine the opinions of 
 commentators upon this point. 
 
 And firft, That David's fuppofed cruelty to 
 the Atnmomtes vv^as the confequence of his hav- 
 ing ftill continued in a ftate of impenitence, is 
 
 I 2 an 
 
1 1 6 An Hiftorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 an opinion, wiiich, I think, I have already fhewn 
 to be wholly without foundation : and altho' the 
 other opinion, that he infliftcd no capital pu- 
 nilhment upon them, is, I think, juftifiable* 
 from the text, and hath been fliewn to be fo j 
 yet that he did chaftife them with the fevered 
 kinds of death, generally undcrftood by the text, 
 I take to be the true opinion 5 not only, becaufe 
 the text has always been undcrllood in that 
 fenfc by all Jeiz'ijlo writers; but becaufe I ap- 
 prehend that condud in David to be more agree- 
 able to the command of God; the command of 
 extirpating all the males of every city that refift- 
 ed; and the command of retaliating, upon every 
 offender, the evils he was guilty of. 
 
 That the punifhments now inflided upon 
 Jmmoriy were Ifraelite punifhments, is not pre- 
 tended : that they were punifhments known in 
 fome other countries of the Eaft, {\wTerfia^ and 
 in T>amafms) is undoubted ; that the Ammonites 
 were monrtroufly cruel, cannot be denied. The 
 IfiaeliteSy it is confefled, received all people to 
 mercy, that fubmitted to them. The Ammon- 
 ites refufed the fubmiillon of the people of J^- 
 beJJo Gilead (who offered to become their fer- 
 
 * The exprefllon in i Chron. xx. 3. is, in our tranflation, Ana 
 he cut t\itTa.Rvith faixjs. Now the v/ord ihem is not in the ori- 
 ginal ; and the exprefllon might, in my apprehenfion, be as properly 
 tranflated, ^W t/jey (i. e. the people whom David brought out of 
 
 the city) cut nxiith fanvsy &c. In the fecond book ot Sam. xii. 
 
 31. the text is. And fut thetn under [aivs, &c. Now fubjeding 
 men to labour, may, as I apprehend, be as properly expreiled by 
 putting them under it, as fubjeding them to tribute is ; and is the 
 known idiom of the Irijh lajiguage, and perhaps of others 
 
 vants) 
 
B. 4* the Life of Ki?tgT>Av\T). 117 
 
 vants) upon any lefs cruel condition than that of 
 thrujiing out every one of their right eyes *. If 
 thefe were the gentlcft terms, on which they 
 would receive Ifraelites into protedion, what 
 treatment might they expert, if the Ammonites 
 had obtained an unconditional dominion over 
 them? In fhort: this one inftance (to fay no- 
 thing of their brutal behaviour to David's em- 
 baffadors) is in the place of ten thoufand proofs, 
 to demonftrate that people very monftcrs of cru- 
 elty! What then can we fo naturally infer from 
 thiscondud oiT)avid's towards them, as that 
 he now retaliated, upon them, every inftance of 
 their own cruelty to others? Nor can we have 
 the lead doubt of this, when we confider, that 
 this was the eftablifhed pradice of the people of 
 God, towards all thofe of their enemies whom 
 they conquered. Let me mention two inftancesj 
 When Samuel hewed ^gag to pieces before the 
 Lord, (facrificcd him to juftice) his reafon was, 
 that he retorted his own murders upon him : As 
 thy [word hath made women child lefs, fopall thy 
 mother be childlefs amongwomen. When Judah 
 and Simeon cut oSy^donibezeks thumbs and great- 
 toes, he himfelf acknowledged the divine juftice, 
 in that righteous retribution of his own cruelty 
 upon himfelf, crying out, (Judg. i. 7.) Threefcore 
 and ten kings, having their thumbs andgreat-toes 
 cue off, gathtrt d their meat under my table. As 
 1 have done, jo God hath recruited me. 
 
 * t Sam. xi. i, 2. The very expreflion carries the idea of the 
 greatell (jruelty in it. 
 
 I 3 I A M 
 
1 1 8 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 I A M fenfible, that fome fhort-fightcd, fuper- 
 ficial people have looked upon the Jews as the 
 cruelleft of ail conquerors 5 little confidering that 
 they were raifed by God, on purpofc to be a 
 fcourge upon every vice and villainy all around 
 them. And perhaps no imaginable metiiod 
 could be found out, more effeftual to reprefs 
 the enormities of a people every way profligate, 
 and utterly abandoned, as the Canaafiites then 
 were, than to raife up a people eminently diftin- 
 guifl-ied by the divine favour and protedion, to 
 whom it fhould be an inviolable law, and a fixed 
 point of duty to G o d, to chaftife, in every man 
 that came into their power, every enormity 
 which they themfeives had committed ; and to 
 retort in a particular manner, their cruelties 
 upon their own heads : for this was, in efFed, 
 little lefs, than if God himfelf had bared his 
 arm, to take fignal vengeance on their monftrous 
 enormities. 
 
 Now, it is beyond all doubt, that this was 
 the cafe of the Ifraelites in the midft of the aban- 
 doned world about them; and it is alfo beyond 
 all doubt, from Tfalm xxi. unqueftionably writ* 
 ten upon this occafion, that this was the very 
 reafon of David's condud in the cafe before us: 
 Thine hand flail find oat all thine enemies y thy 
 right-hand flail find out thofe that hate thee, 
 Thoufi^alt make them as afiry oven^ in the time of 
 thine anger : the Lord flail fw allow them up in 
 his wrath y and t he fire flail devour them. Their 
 fruit flalt thou deftroy from the earthy and their 
 jeedfrom among the children of men, for they 
 
 INTENDEQ 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. i r 9 
 
 INTENDED EVIL AGAINST THEE: THEY IMAGIN- 
 ED A MISCHIEVOUS DEVICE, WHICH THEY ARE 
 NOT ABLE TO PERFORM. --^ — ^THEREFORE Jhult 
 
 thou fet them as a butty &c. 
 
 And now what was 'Davids cruelty > It was 
 evidently this : He inflided thofe evils upon the 
 Ammonites y which they were wont to inflid upon 
 others; and which they, at this very time, in- 
 tended to have inflifted upon IfraeL He pu- 
 nifhed the iniquity of their own cruel praftices 
 and purpofes. He executed that mofl: equitable 
 law of G o D upon them. And it is certain, that 
 this alone were a fufficient juftiffcation of his 
 condudl, that he made them fufFer the evil they* 
 meant to do*. A law, which it were the moft' 
 valuable intereft of mankind, to have equitably 
 executed, in every lociety under heaven! and 
 would at once prevent more evil, and punifh it 
 in a more rational and juftifiable manner, than 
 all the penal laws that ever were devifed ! 
 
 To confirm this reafoning yet further, wc 
 fhould remember, that the Ammonites were early 
 initiated into all the Canaanite cruelties : and 
 therefore, when I find ©^-z;/^ retorting their own 
 cruelties upon them, I dare no more cenfure or 
 revile him upon this head, than his enemies dare 
 revile the people of Agrigentumy for burning 
 Thalaris in his own buUj or The feus the hero, 
 for ftretching Procrujies beyond the dimenfions 
 
 *- Deut. xix. 19. The law is here limited to the evil intentions 
 ©f falfe witnejfTes, but the equity of it extends to all evil intentions 
 whatfoever : life muji gofar life, eye for eye^ &c. 
 
 I 4 of 
 
120 An Htjlorical Account of B, 4. 
 
 of his own bed. Even heat' ^a cafuifts have 
 determined, that no 4a\v could be more jufl:, 
 than that which decreed the artifts of cruelty to 
 perifh by their own arts. What death then 
 could be cruelty, to a people wiio could thruft 
 out the eyes of a fubmitting, unconquercd ene- 
 my? who ripped up the women with child of 
 Gilead"^} a people who could bear the butchery 
 cihumzn Vi^Xin-xs to Baalpeor? What fa w, what 
 harrow, or what brick- i<:iln, could be punilhment 
 enough to a people who could make their own 
 children pafs thro'thefire to Moloch? And there- 
 fore, whilfl: others, cither from an a ffe elation of 
 more gentlenefs and compailion in their nature, 
 or the influence of falfe and fantaftic notions of 
 mercy, confider 'David in the character of a 
 tyrant, exercifing his cruelty in his conquefts, I, 
 for my own parr, confider him as the man after 
 Cods own heart y infliding the righteous venge- 
 ance of heaven upon a mifcreant race 5 executing 
 that vengeance upon guilt (upon thefe enemies 
 of Gqd and goodnefsf) which Saul was de-^ 
 throned for not executing: employed in an 
 office, the moft abhorrent from his nature, when 
 viewed in tlie light of affli<3;ion toothers, and 
 pleafing only, in the light of executing the righ- 
 taous lentence of G d upon guilt. 
 
 So when an angel, by divine command, 
 "With rifing tempeft Ihakes a guilty land ^ 
 
 * Amos i. 13. 
 
 -f rfal. xxi. 8. Thine hand Jh all find out all thine enemies: thy 
 
 fi^bt-havdjkalljind out ^11 tkofe thcit bate thee. 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 121 
 
 Such as, of Jate, o'er pale Britannia paft. 
 Calm and ferene, he drives the furious blaft ; 
 And, pleas'd th' Almighty's orders to perform. 
 Rides in the whirlwind, and diredts the itorm. 
 
 If I may be indulged a conje£lure, another 
 reafon (or rather, circumftancc) of this particular 
 punifhaient of making xh^ Ammonites pafs thro' 
 the brick-kiln^ I take to be this: It was well 
 known, that the J-ews were flaves in Egypt -■, and 
 particularly enflaved in brick-making and clay, 
 Exod- i. 14. It is natural with all people at en- 
 mity, to reproach one another with the mean- 
 nefs and bafcnefs of their original. The Am- 
 monites were a cruel and infolent enemy, and 
 nothing could be more natural to fuch fpirits, 
 when they had got any JeiL's in their power, 
 than to cry out, Send the Jlaves to their brick- 
 kihiSh and fo torture them to death. And if fo, 
 nothing could be mo e natural than for the 
 'Jews to return them the fame treatment. And 
 very probably it was in allufion to this reproach 
 of their enemies, and to fupport his people under 
 ir^ that "David tells them, Tfalm Ixviii, ver. 13. 
 Tho'jehave lien among the pots, yet jhallye he as 
 
 the wings of a dove covered withjilver That 
 
 is, tho' ye were formerly obfcure and oppreffed 
 flaves, tied down to the drudgery of brick- 
 making and pottery in Egypt ^ you fhall now be 
 as glorious, as youthen were contemptible. Tko' 
 ye have lien among the pots, yet jl all ye be as the 
 wings of a dove covered witbfiiver^ and her fea- 
 thers with yellow ^old. 
 
 And 
 
i2i An HiJIorical Accotmt of B. 4. 
 
 And now ir was, beyond all doubt, (as L 
 humbly apprehend) that 'David^ recollcfting the 
 late train of God's fignal mercies and deliver- 
 ances to him, fung out the twenty-firft ^falm 
 in a tranfportof joy and thankfgiving : The king 
 Jhalljoy intbyjirength, O Lord ^ and in thy fat- 
 ^ at ton how greatly Jhall he rejoice ! Thou haft 
 given him his hearfs dejirey and haft not with- 
 holden the requeft of his lips. Selah. For thou 
 prevent eft him with the blejftngs of goodnefs : 
 thou fetteft a crown of pure gold upon his 
 heady &c. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Tamar is raviffjed^ a?2d inhumanly treated^ 
 by her own Brother. That Rape is re^ 
 venged by his Death. Abfalom, who 
 flew him^ flies to Gefliur. NathanV 
 Prophecies further fulfilled. 
 
 WHEN David had taken Rabbahy and all 
 the other cities of Amfnon, and punifhed 
 all the unfubmitting mifcrcants which he found 
 in them, as they deiervcdj he returned, with all 
 his people, to Jerufalems but had not been 
 long there, before another part of Nathan's pro- 
 phecy, Iwillraife up evil againft thee out ofthnie 
 awn houfe^ began to be fadly fulfilled upon him. 
 
 Absalom, the Ton of T)avid by Maacah 
 the daughter of Talmaiy king of Gefiur, had a 
 (ifter by the fame mother, of fuchfingular beauty, 
 
 that 
 
^4* the Life cf King T>kv IT). 123 
 
 that Jmnon, another fon of David^s (the firft- 
 bprn of his family) by Ahinoam the JezreelitefSy 
 feildeeply in love with her; and^ being confcious 
 that his paffion was very criminal, he concealed 
 it for fome time^ but at the expence of his health 
 and happlnefs 5 racked by the violence of a ftrong 
 defire^ and the terror of indulging it. Amnoriy 
 faith the facrcd writer, (2 Sam. xiii. 2.) was fo 
 njexed:, that hefelljickfor his Jtjier Tamary for 
 Jhe was a virgin y and Amnon thought it hard for 
 him to do any thing to her. It is natural to think, 
 that this paffion is no-where fo wafting and vex- 
 atious, as where it is unlawful. A quick fenfe 
 of guilt (efpccially where it is enormous, as in 
 the inftance before us) ftrikes the foul with hor- 
 ror j and the impoffibility of an innocent gratifi- 
 cation loads that horror with defperation. A 
 conflid too cruel, and too dreadful, for humaa 
 bearing : Witnefs the two moft remarkable in- 
 ftances of it, found in hiftory j that of Antio- 
 chusy for Stratonice his mother-in-law ; and this 
 of Arnnon, for Tamar his fifter. Indeed that of 
 Antiochtis appears the lefs criminal of the twoj 
 inafmuch as he feemed determined to conceal his, 
 to death * 5 and at the fame time to haften that 
 death, to prevent its publication^ had not the 
 fagacity of Erafijlratus, his phyfician, difcovered 
 it i altho' pofiibly Amnon had done the fame, 
 had not the importunity of his falfe and fubtile 
 friend, Jonadab the fon of Shimea^ "Davids bro- 
 ther, drawn the fecret from him. He plainly 
 
 * Plutarch^ in the life of Demetrius^ 
 
I 24 An Hijlcrical Account of B. 4. 
 
 perceived, that Amnoris difeafe was fome Hrong 
 defire ungratified; and infinuated to him, that 
 he, who was a king's fon, might give a ioofe to 
 his defireSj and defpife the rcllrainrs of ordinary 
 men. How vile was this advice! and how la- 
 mentable is ir, that the heirs of royalty, whofe 
 virtue is of infinitely more confcquence than that 
 of meaner men, fhould yet be under more tempt- 
 ation to taint it, from the poifon of infeftious 
 flatterers! How much happier was Antigonus in 
 the advice and friendlliip of Meyiedemus the phi- 
 lofopher; when, being invited to a feaft, where 
 a very beautiful courtefan was to make a part of 
 the entertainment, and asking Menedemtts^\\[\\^t 
 he fhould do ? he anfwered, Remember thou art a 
 kings fon, and (hoiddji do nothing unworthy of 
 thyj'eljl Jonadab was of a character di redly con- 
 trary to that oi Mene demits : he was of th it fpe* 
 cies of courtiers mentioned by Tacitus *, who 
 can applaud all the actions of princes, whether 
 good or evil. And Amnon feems not far re- 
 moved fl'om that charadcr of 'Domitian, men- 
 tioned by the fame Tacitus h that he plaj'ed the 
 princes Jon in whoredoms and adulteries. And 
 therefore it is no wonder, lijonadab's detcftable 
 flattery •} had its efFcd upon fach a fpirit. 
 
 Amnon opened his whole heart to him, 
 and told him his pallion for Tamar- — / love 
 Tamar my brother Ahfalonis fifter (he was 
 
 • Annal. lib. iii. 
 
 -|- More criminal even than that of the Perfians to Ca?nhyfes in 
 the like cafe, tho' not altogether fo monilrous as that of Julia to 
 Car£i(alia, 
 
 arhamed 
 
B. 4« the Life of King T) hvivi. 125 
 
 afhamed to fay his own) : the fubtile and fapple 
 courtier^ whofc confciencc was his Icaft concern, 
 immediately furniflied him with an expedient to 
 gratify his pallion He advifed him to take to his 
 bed, and feign himfelffickj and when his father 
 fhould come to fee him, to beg his pcrmillion, 
 that Tamar his filler might attend him in his fick- 
 nefs, and prepare him fome fuftenancci which 
 he believed he could take, if he faw it prepared 
 by her own hands. The defires of fick people 
 are often fantaitical, and unaccountable j yet 
 niuft often be indulged. The train took: 'Da- 
 "uid's paternal afFcdion did not fufFer him to be 
 long abfent from a fick fon, his favourite^, and 
 his firrt-born^ nor allow him to hefitate upon 
 granting his petition. Tamar was immediately 
 ordered to attend him, and did fo accordingly; 
 and^ when fhe had learned what food was mod 
 agreeable to him, fet herfelf infiantly to prepare 
 it for him, with ell the houfewifely skill of thofe 
 fimple ages 5 where an utter infignificancy to all 
 the purpofes of domeftic life made no part even 
 of a princefs's praife. For the text tells us, that 
 fie took flour ^ and kneaded it^ and made cakes in 
 his fight y and did bake the cakes '^ and added ano- 
 ther preparation of them in a pan, and then ferved * 
 them up to him ; but he reftifed to eat. The in- 
 finuation was. That he was grown worfe. And, 
 to cover the deceit the better, he ordered every 
 body to go out of his room, as if he could bear 
 
 ♦ In the text it is, And Jhe took a pan, and poured them out 
 ifforf him : which makes it probable that ihe fried them in oil. 
 
 neither 
 
126 An Htjlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 neither the fight, nor the noife, of company. 
 And when they were gone, he defired his fifter 
 to bring the viduals into an inner chamber, 
 where he might eat unmolefred. She, fufpeft- 
 ing no evil, did as he defired. And when he 
 found himfelf fhut up with her, and fufficiently 
 retired from his attendants, he then threw off 
 the difguife, difcovered his wicked intentions, 
 and quickly began to ufe violence with her 5 
 from which, fhe, ftruck with abhorrence of the 
 guilt, earneftly laboured to difluade him, as from 
 
 a crime unheard of in Ifrael Would he expofe 
 
 a fifter to infamy? — Would he expofe himfelf 
 
 to indelible reproach ? The plea for herfelf is 
 
 inexpreffibly beautiful And 7, whither Jhall I 
 
 cmije my p^ame to go! How fhall I drive it away 
 from me, and where fhall I hide it > And, find- 
 ing that had no weight with him, fhe preffes 
 him, from the motives of his own fhame and 
 infamy : And as for thee^ thoujhalt be as one of 
 the fools in Ifrael You will, from this mo- 
 ment, be treated as a brute, and a fool ; loft to 
 all fenfe of humanity, as well as virtue j will be 
 degraded from the honour of heir apparent to the 
 crown, into the lowefc degree of derifion and 
 
 reproach 
 
 I T is remarkable, that the Greeks called every 
 thing that was foolifh, by the name of Venus'^: 
 and therefore they denominated folly, by a word 
 derived from her namef. And it fhould feem 
 
 Hecuba in Troad. Euripidifl* 
 •J- *A^jo«"uV», or rather, from the radix of it, dffoi. 
 
 from 
 
B. 4, the Life of King David. 127 
 
 from this paffage, as if the Hebrews had fallea 
 into the fame way of thinking. But the trutli 
 is, tiiey were in a wifer way of thinkiiigj and 
 denominated all fin, folly: which is its foftefc 
 name. And pofTibly Tamar now called this 
 guilt fo, for fear of too much irritating her bro^ 
 then 
 
 When this would not do, (he changed her 
 tone, and tried to flatter him into forbearance* 
 He was her father's darling, who could deny 
 him nothing : he had only to fpeak to the king 
 for her, and his requclt would certainly be com- 
 plied with. — But he, deaf to all intreaty, as 
 well as to reafon, iiftened to nothing but the 
 impetuofity of his own brutal paffion ^ and^ be- 
 ing ft ronger than flpCy forced her. 
 
 And here the fluK and reflux of pafllion in a 
 brutal breaft are finely painted in the text. His 
 brutality was no fooner gratified in this inftancc, 
 but it broke out in another as extraordinary. 
 The tide of his blood was turned, and it now 
 ran back with as much violence, as it had prefled 
 forward before. Then Amnon hated her exceed- 
 ingly ^ faith the text, fo that the hatred where^ 
 With he hated her, was greater than the lov0 
 wherewith he had loved her. 
 
 Commentators are at a lofs to account 
 for this fudden and excefllve hatred 5 and indeed 
 there feems to be fomething extraordinary in it. 
 Tamar % rape had an effeft upon her ravifher, 
 diredly contrary ro that of Dinah's upon hers : 
 but their circumftances were different 5 hope 
 feconded and fupported Shechen%% paflion, not 
 
 8 in 
 
128 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 in itfelf criminal 5 bat defpair drove Amnonbinto 
 itsoppofite extreme. This is often obierved to 
 be the cafe with paffions too tumultuous and un- 
 ruly : Amnon\ mind was firft agitated by luft, and 
 then by remorfe, which drove to different ex- 
 tremes, like the vibrations of a pendulum. The 
 horror of his guilt ftruck him with a fudden de- 
 teftation of her, whom he deemed the caufe of 
 it : he hated his fitkr, when he Ihould have hated 
 himfelf. God abandoned him thus to the tumult 
 of his own intemperate mind, to make this other 
 punilhment of 2)^wi's adultery, more flagrant 5 
 and the prophet's prediftion of God's raijing up 
 evil to htm out of his own hoiife, more confpicuous. 
 For Amnon^ barbarous behaviour now precluded 
 all poflibility of concealing his guilt. The mo- 
 ment his brutality was indulged, he commanded 
 his fifter out of his fight : Arife, faith he j be 
 gQYiQ — Xo which fhe anfwercd^That this fecond 
 evil treatment was worle than the firft. The 
 firft had paflion to plead, and might be conceal- 
 ed, and repented of- — The fecond was a de- 
 figned, deliberate indignity, that muft draw 
 eternal infamy after it. Therefore fhe had reafon 
 to add, that there was no caufe for it. She 
 had given him no caufe for aggravating his firft 
 offence, by loading it with an immediate and 
 public fcandal, and indelible reproach, upon her, 
 himfelf, and his houfe 5 upon the religion and 
 people of God. But he, as deaf now to decency 
 and humanity, as he had been before to allfenfe 
 of fhame and confcience, called to his fervant 
 that attended him, and bid him turn out that 
 
 iz'oman 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 129 
 
 woman from him, and bolt the door after her — . 
 The fervant obeyed, brought her out, and bolted 
 the door after her. 
 
 Tamar, thus treated; not parted with as an 
 innocent woman, cruelly injured; but thruft 
 out as a proltitute, that had feduced to fin; is 
 the (Irongcft image of innocence^ barbarouily 
 abufed, and infufFerably infulted, that hiftory 
 affords us. The greateft injury, loaded with the 
 greateft indignities; contumely added to cruelty! 
 Opprefled with forrow and overwhelmed with 
 fhame, Jhe put ajhes upon her head, and rent her 
 garment of divers colours^ and laid her hand on 
 herhead^ and went on crying ; at once hiding her 
 fhame, and defpairing to conceal it. 
 
 In this condition The pafled on to her brother 
 Ahfalorn^ houfe, who, feeing her confufion and 
 dillrefs, eafily apprehended the caufes of it; and 
 put the queftion to her. Whether her brother 
 Amnon had been with her? covering the grois 
 injury he fufpedcd, under the veil of the moft 
 decent and dillant phrafe that could hint hisfufpi- 
 cion to her. And as if all that had not been 
 enough, to fave her blulhes, and let her fee, that 
 he underftood her diftrcfs, he (lopped her fhorr, 
 from attempting any anfwer, by begging her. 
 That (he would fay nothing of the matter ; but 
 endeavour to forget the injury, fince it was 
 a brother who had done it. But hold now thy 
 
 peace ^ my fijler ; he is thy brother regard not 
 
 this thing. But as all he could fay could not 
 remedy the evil, neither could it relieve it 5 
 which feems fufficiently implied, in what the 
 
 Vol. il. K facred 
 
130 Jn Hijlorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 the facred hiftorian adds So Tamar continued 
 
 difcon folate in her brother Abfaloms honfe. And, 
 in all probability, (he continued fo her whole 
 life long 5 unmarried, and undone. Kndi Jm- 
 non had the horror of refleding, that, for one 
 moment's bafe and brutal indulgence, he had 
 made his neareft kinfwoman, an amiable and 
 an innocent filler, miferable to the laft moment 
 of her life. 
 
 How D^vvWrefentcd this rape, we learn from 
 the texti which informs us, that he was very 
 wroth s but how he puni'lied it, we know not. 
 The truth is, it was to no purpofe for him to 
 punilli it legally, and hardly pollible to punifh it 
 equitably 5 inafmuch as that could not be done 
 without at once cxpofing the infamy of his houfe, 
 and cutting off the next heir of his crown. And 
 how hard w^as it for a father to do this? efpccially 
 a father who was partly accelfary to the guilt, by 
 a very unguarded compliance with his fon's irra- 
 tional requeft. The legal punilliment of a rape, 
 upon a virgin unbetrorhed, was a fine of fifty 
 fhekels of filver^ to be paid to the father of the 
 damfel, and an obligation upon the ravifher to 
 take her to wife, without a power of divorce, 
 Deut, xxii. 28, 25). The firft of thefe penalties 
 was infignificant in the cafe before us^ and the 
 fecond impradicable^ becaule the marriage muft 
 be inceftuous. 
 
 This cafe is alfo attended with another dif- 
 ficulty : The rape was committed in a city, and 
 the damfel did not cry out 5 and in that cafe, I 
 apprehend^ the law of ^etit. xxii. 23, 24, muft 
 
 & be 
 
B. 4« the Life of KingD AVID. 131 
 
 be executed upon her. It is true, (he was not ^ 
 damfel betrothed;, and therefore the letter of that 
 Jaw does not extend to heir^afe; but the equity 
 of it does, becaufe the crime committed^ and 
 Tamar's offence againft that law, was equally 
 great, and Ajnnons injury equally irreparable: 
 confequently had he been fentenced to death ''^j 
 fhe muft have fuffered with him 5 and therefore 
 ^avid coald not punifh him^ as he ought, with- 
 out involving her in his fate; and I apprehend it 
 to be a rule of equity, rather to let the guilty 
 efcape, than to deftroy the innocent and the in- 
 jured. 
 
 But it may be asked. What becomes of the 
 power of the Sanhedrim in that cafe ? If that 
 court was now in being, and David could pro- 
 ted Amnon from it, could he not as well have 
 proteded both himfcli and Bathfieba ? Confe- 
 quently, hov/ did he lie under any neceffiiy of 
 deftroy ing Uriah ^ to fcreen either himfelf, or 
 Bathjhebdy from an infamous punifhment ? 
 
 I ANSWER 3 That, fuppofing that court in be- 
 ing, and that Amnon could be punifhed by it as 
 he dcferved^ and Tamar at the fame time ac- 
 quitted, (which could not be, unlefs they could 
 take upon them to dilpcnfe with a law of God) 
 yet, what court takes cognifance of caufes not 
 brought before it I And how could this caufe ' 
 come before it^ when ail the perfons interefted 
 in the piofccution of it, were at lead equally in- 
 
 * As he certainly muft have been bv the law of Lcvif. xx. ij, 
 for uncQniirlng his fjhrs nakednefs, 
 
 K a terefted 
 
132 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 terefted to conceal it ; which was by no means 
 the cafe in the -sS^noi Balkjlnbah whofe huf- 
 band was a very confiderablc man, (greatly pro- 
 voked) and greatly allied^ as will be feen here- 
 after. And therefore the two cafes are, in my 
 opinion, very different: great, and, as I appre- 
 hend, infuperable difficulties,obfl:ruded the courfe 
 of juftice in Amnon's affair — • 
 
 However, that guilt, which either human 
 juftice, or human infirmity, could not chaftize 
 as it deferved, the divine vengeance did. 
 
 Absalom, altho' grieved to the foul, for 
 the injury done to his fifter, and refenting it to 
 death, yet fo well diffembled his refentment, as 
 not to take the leaft notice of it to Amnon, He 
 carefully concealed his refentment, at once to 
 hide his intention of revenge, and to make it 
 fure 5 and hid it thus, for two whole years toge- 
 ther, at the end of which he invited his father, 
 and all his bretheren, to thecuftomary feftivity of 
 a fheep'fheering : which David declined, on ac- 
 count of the unneceffary expence to which it 
 muft put his fon. Then Abfalom begged, and 
 preffed him again : Howbeit he would not go y faith 
 the text; yet, to foften the refufal, he gave him 
 his bleffing. Then Abfalom begged again, that 
 Amnon (his elder brother, and heir apparent of 
 the crown) might honour him with hisprefence. 
 This too "^David declined, for fome time; but, 
 being much preffed by Abfalom^ (to whom he 
 could noteafily refufe any thing) that he and the 
 xefl: of his brethren might have leave to go with 
 him, David at length confentedj and they went 
 accordingly. Absa- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 133 
 
 Absalom, now determined to make fare 
 of his revenge, direded fome fervants, in whom 
 he could confide, to attend Amnon at the feaft, 
 till the wine had raifed his fpirits, and taken him 
 off his guard 5 and then to be ready, as foon as 
 he gave the word, to fmire and to flay him. 
 They did as they were directed, and Amnon fell. 
 
 ' Thus did Abfaloniy at one blow, revenge 
 
 himfclf upon his fider's ravifl:ier, and rid himfeif 
 of his rival in his father's favour, and only obfta- 
 cle (as he apprehended) to his crown. 
 
 When the fatal blow was given to Amnon^ 
 the reft of the king's fons, terrified at what they 
 law, ftartcd up from the table, feized every man 
 his mule, and fled home as faft as they could. 
 But, faft as they fled, fame reached the palace 
 before them j and told David, that Abfalom had 
 deftroyed all his fons. 
 
 This news, we may well imagine, threw the 
 king into the utmoft confternation : drove him 
 fecmingly even to defpair. He tore his cloaths 
 and laid himfclf upon the earth, as one aban- 
 doned todiftrefs: and his fervants flood difcon- 
 folate around him, with their garments torn alfoj 
 till Jonadab, recolleding himfclf, in his fubtiity, 
 and running over the train of his own thoughts, 
 cafily concluded, \\i2X Amnon only was killed $ 
 and immediately took upon him, to aflurc the 
 king, that it muft be fo : Let not the king, faith 
 ht^fupj^ofc that tkey havejiain all the young men^ 
 the kings fons: for Amnon only is dead: for, by 
 the appointment of Abfalom, this kath been de- 
 termincdjfrom the day that he forced hts fifter 
 
 K 5 Tamar^ 
 
134 ^^ Hijlortcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 Tamar *. Now, therefore^ let not my lord the king 
 take the thing to his hearty to think that all the 
 kings funs are dead--, for Amnon only is dead. 
 Immediately the young men, who were upon the 
 watch, gave notice that they Taw a croud of peo- 
 ple coming by the way of the hill fide. And 
 inftantly, Jonadah cried out to the king, That his 
 fons were come — And it came to paj's, faith the 
 text,- as foon as he had made an end of Jpeaking^ 
 that^ behold^ the kings fons ca?ne, and lift tip 
 their voice, and weft 5 and the king alfo, and all 
 hisfervants^ wept very fore. And Abfalomfltd, 
 and went to Tahnai thefon of Ammihud, king of 
 Geflur: and "David mourned for his fon every 
 day. 
 
 And thus did God, by withdrawing his re- 
 ftraining grace from Amnon, and leaving him a 
 prey to his own paflions, raife up evil to David 
 out of his own houfe: a daughter raviflied by her 
 own brother; that brother, murdered by another 
 brother; and that other, in exile upon that ac- 
 count ; and foon to perifh, by a fate yet more 
 deplorable^ had it not been more defervedl 
 
 And now began another, and more dread- 
 ful^ prophecy of Nathans to be fulfilled upon 
 David, before his own eyes : the fword was 
 now fiift brought in upon his houfe, attended 
 with this dreadful aflurancc^ of never departing 
 from it, 
 
 * What unparallelled impudence and effrontery was this, to 
 fpeak with fuch calmnefs and unconcern, of an horrid villainy, 
 which he himfelf had contrived, and of which he now faw the 
 dreadful confequences ! What a mifcreant minifter was this, and 
 how much fitter to be admitted ijito the couniels of hell, than into 
 pf thpfe Da%'i(iJ 
 
 CHAP, 
 
B. 4. the Life of Kt77g David. 135 
 
 CHAP. VL 
 
 Joab'^ Device to get Abfalom recalled 
 by means of the wife Woman of Te- 
 koah, fiicceeds. Being brought back 
 to yenifalem, he is 7Wt admitted to 
 the King s Prefence^ but remanded to his 
 own Houfe. What followed thereupon. 
 
 ABSALOM'S fhcep fliccring was at Bad- 
 hazory near Ephrair/ii about eight miles 
 froQi ^erufalem. He fled, the moment his 
 brother was killed ; and one may well believe, 
 his accomplices fled with him; who probably 
 were Gejliiritesy fome of his mother's friends; 
 and ^o were fare of the proredion of Talmniy 
 for revenging the violence done to his grand- 
 daaghter. And there is no doubt but they 
 took their meafures fo well, that no purfuit 
 from Jenijalem, had any been attempted, could 
 overtake them. But 'David, who muft be al- 
 lowed to have been criminally indulgent to his 
 children, was not of a difpofition to revenge 
 the death of one favourite ion, by that of an- 
 other 5 e pecially when his guilt was no more, 
 than that of revenging an adion in itfeif worthy 
 of death. 
 
 The Vulgate and Septuagint inform u*^, that, 
 when David heard of Amnons crime, he was 
 much enraged, but would not grieve his fon's 
 fpirit, becaufe he loved him, being his eldeft 
 ion. It is true, this addition is not found in 
 
 K 4 ti-c 
 
136 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 the Hebrew text; yet it is confeffedly very^ an- 
 tient, and probably but too true. And if fo, 
 he could bur ill puniih, in^/^2/<9?^, the chaftife- 
 ment of that guilt, which his own feafonable 
 chaftifement of Amiions earlier enormities 
 might have prevented. And, in that cafe, his 
 refentment mull recoil upon himfclf, and acquit 
 Abfalom. And polTibly this may be the true 
 reafon, why we hear nothing of any meafures 
 he took to bring Abfalom to juftice, and why 
 he mourned fo much, and fo long, for Amnon, 
 For we learn from 2 Sam. xiii. '^j. that he 
 mourned long and daily for him. However, at 
 the end of three years, his affect ion for Abfalom 
 got the better of a fruitlefs grief, for a lofs 
 which could not be recalled; and he was com- 
 forted (faith the text) concerning Amnon^ feeing 
 he was dead. 
 
 And now, his concern was, to be fo long 
 robbed of the fatisfadion of feeing another 
 child, who was fo dear to him : as if he had 
 taken up Rebekah^s complaint *, Why Jhotdd I be 
 4ef rived alfo /9/them both in one day ? 
 
 In this condition he pined and languifhed 
 for his fon : And the foul of king "David, faith 
 the text, longed to go forth unto Abfalom ; as if 
 liis foul would have rejoiced even to h^ve quit- 
 ted his body, to go out and meet him. 
 
 JoAB quickly perceived the king's condi- 
 tion; and thought he fhould pay his court to 
 advantage, if he could contrive to deceive and 
 furprife him into a refolution of recalling his foi^ 
 
 • Qen, xxvii, 4^, 
 
 from 
 
B. 4. th^ Life of King David. 137 
 
 from exile. To this purpofe, he inftrudcd a 
 \7oman of good fenfe, and great addrefs, (from 
 Tekoah, a diftant city of Judah) who waited 
 upon the king, in the air and habit of a difcoa- 
 folate widow, in mourning, and deep diftrefs, 
 on account of her fon, whom his own family 
 were purfaing to death, for having (lain his 
 brother, in an accidental contention^ in the 
 field — The moment fhe appeared betore the 
 king, fhe fell upon her face, and implored his 
 
 aid. Help, O king! She then told him her 
 
 cafe, and added all the alleviating and diftrefsful 
 circumftanccs, that could move the king's com- 
 paflion : The brothers were alone in the field, 
 and none to part them , poflibly he might flay 
 his brother, either undefignedly, or ia his own 
 defence. He was her only child, the only hope 
 and (lay of her family ; and, if they cut him off*, 
 they would leave her husband neither namey nor 
 remainder^ tip07i the earth. 
 
 The king foon felt her diftrefs: the cafe 
 was too like his own, to fufFcr him to be un- 
 moved. He told her, (he might return to her 
 houfe, and leave the care of her bufinefs to him 5 
 he would give proper diredions about it. But 
 fhe, not having yet what Ihe wanted, took oc- 
 cafion, from her feeming folicitude for her fon, 
 to continue the converiation. S'ciz added, 
 
 * The expreflion in the original is fingularly beautiful and ex- 
 prefiive ; Andfo they jhall q^uench my coal that is left. And Heathen 
 authors feem to have copied it from hence. So thoie few men 
 who furvived the deluge are called by Plato and Lucian ^Vc/fct, 
 time coals, who were to rekindle the vital flame, and continue the 
 Jipinan rac^. 
 
 Thac 
 
138 An Hijlorical Account of B, 4. 
 
 That if fhe had preffcd his inajefty to any thing 
 in itielf unjuft-, or any way mifinformed him, 
 or miireprefentcd the flate of the cafe, llie 
 wifhed all the guilt of that iniquity or tiiif- 
 rcprefcntation might fall upon her own head, 
 and upon her family ; My lord, O kmg ! the 
 iniquity be on me^ and on my father s houfe : 
 and the king and his throne be guilt lefs. The king 
 then bid her, if any body moiefted her any 
 morC:, to bring them before him, and he would 
 take care to flop any further proceedings againtt 
 her. She then begged, that in making that pro- 
 mifc, to flay the avenger of blood from caufing 
 any further deftruciion in her family, he would 
 remember the Lord his Gcd: that is, remem- 
 ber he made that proniife in the prcfence of 
 GoDj drawing him thus, diflantly, and infen- 
 iibly, into the obligation of an oath. Her ad- 
 drefs had its efted : and the king, to convince 
 her of the integrity of his intentions, imme- 
 diately anfwercd. As the Lord li've;h^ there Jhall 
 not one hair of thy f on fall to the earth. 
 
 Having gained this point, fhe then begged 
 leave to fay one word. And, having obtained 
 permillion, fhe immediately proceeded to ex- 
 poflulate with the king, upon his own condud, 
 and unkindnefs to the people of God, in not 
 pardonmg his own fon, and bringing him back 
 from exile. His mercy to her fon, made him 
 felf'Condemned in relation to his own 5 whofe 
 killing his brother was, in many refpcds, more 
 cxcufable. She then added a very natural and 
 
 feafonable reflection That death was the 
 
 common 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 139 
 
 common lot of all men 5 fome by one means, 
 and fome by another: That, in that ftate, we 
 are like water fpilt upon the ground ^ which can- 
 not be gathered: That God^ if he pleafed, could 
 ftrike the offender dead ; but inafmuch as he 
 did not, it was, becaufe he would leave room 
 for mercy : That he had devifed means in his 
 own law, to arreft the avenger of blood j and, 
 in his appointed time, to recal the man-flayer 
 from his exile, in the city of refuge *. 
 
 But here, apprehending fhe might have 
 gone too far, and made too free with majefty, 
 in expodulating fo plainly upon a point of fuch 
 importance, flic excufed this prefumption, from 
 the force put upon her by her people 5 who had 
 fo fcverely threatened her, that, in this extre- 
 mity, fhe plainly faw fhe had no rcfource^ or 
 hope of relief^ but in laying her fon's cafe before 
 the king : which flie, confiding in his majefty's 
 mercy, and afluring herfclf, that he would hear 
 her with his wonted patience and clemency, at 
 length adventured to do; hoping that it might 
 be a means of faving both herfclf, and her ion, 
 from being deftroyed out of the inheritance of 
 God 5 infiuuating^ that her own life was wrapt 
 up in his. 
 
 The king, obfcrving the uncommon art and 
 dexterity of her addrefs, in the management of 
 this affair, immediately began to fufped, that 
 it was a thing concerted between her and Joab, 
 And previoufly charging her not to hide it from 
 
 * Where he was to continue to the death of the high-prieft, 
 t^Hml. XXXV. 35. 
 
 him, 
 
I40 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 him, he put the queftion diredly to her; Is not 
 iheh and ofjoab with thee in all this ? And the 
 woman, not daring to difguife the matter any 
 further, anfjueredy and J aid , as thy foul livethy 
 my lord the king^ none can turn to the right hand ^ 
 or to the left, from aught that wy lord the king 
 hathjpcken : for thyfervant Joab he bad me, and 
 he put all the fe words in the mouth of thy hand- 
 maid: to fetch about this form ofjpeech, hath thy 
 fervantjoabdone this thing : and my lord is wife, 
 according to the wfdom of an angel of Gody to 
 know all things that are in the earth. 
 
 The n the king, turning to "Joab^ {who was 
 all this while in the prefencc) ordered him to 
 go for his ion, and bring him home. And the 
 king jaid unto Joab^ Behold, now I have done 
 this thing : go thereforCj bring the young man 
 A bf a lorn again. 
 
 1 AM fenfibic, that the Jews are generally 
 confidered as an illiterate, barbarous people; 
 and the charge is ^o far juil, that they defpifcd 
 the learning of other nations: but this by no 
 means infers them either ignorant or barbarous. 
 I own they appear to m.e in a very different 
 light : and although I lliall not now infift, that 
 the Bible is the fountain-head of all true polite- 
 nefs, and what is properly called good breeding 
 among mankind^ (as 1 am well fatisfied it is) 
 yet I will venture to declare, that the fingle de- 
 fii^n and addrefs of this device, now recounted, 
 are fufficient proofs (if there were no other) to 
 evince this people neither unpoiite, nor unin- 
 formed. 
 
 But 
 
B. 4- the Life (f KingX) kYiD. 141 
 
 But to proceed 
 
 When David confented to recal Abfaloiriy 
 and appointed "Joab to condud him iiome, 'Joab 
 bowed himfelf down to the earth 5 and thanked 
 him, as for the greateft obligation his majcfty 
 could confer upon him : To-day thy fervant know- 
 ethy that I kave found grace in thy fight ^ my lordy 
 king, in that the kingh at h fulfilled tke reqtieji 
 of hts fervant ^ placing that obligation intirely to 
 his own fcore, which, he knew, was the greateft 
 he could lay upon hismaftcr. A refinement of 
 flattery, and addrefs, not eafily equalled! 
 
 When this was done, y(?^/', iaith the text, 
 arofe^ and went to Gefmr^ and brought ^^hfalom 
 to Jenfalemh wcllpieafed, we may be allured, 
 to be at once the meiTengcr of his princes 
 mercy to the heir apparent of his crown, and 
 the inftrument of their reconciliation : which 
 could not fail to lecure him a prcfent fund of 
 favour with the father, and an equal fund, in 
 reverfion, with the fon. But however, altho' 
 the king fo far forgave Abfalom, as to recal him 
 from exiles yet, when he returned, he ordered 
 him to be taken diredly to his own houfe; and 
 forbad^ him to fee his face. K^^ Abfalom con- 
 tinued thus for two whole years in Jertifalem, 
 without being once admitted into his father's 
 prefence. A difcountenancc, and a rebuke, at 
 leaft, little enough, to fignify the king's abhor- 
 rence of his late cruel revenge upon his brother; 
 and, in all appearance, nor more than was ne- 
 cellary, to mortify his pride, and reprefs his 
 popularity 5 which now, in all probability, be- 
 
 gan 
 
142 An Hiftorkai AccGWit of B. 4^ 
 
 gan to blaze out, upon the news of his recon- 
 ciliation to his father. And this I apprehend to 
 be the realbn, why the facred hiftorian fubjoins 
 to this account of the king's difcountenance, a 
 particular defcription of Abfaloms beauty 5 
 which is a natural and common foundation of 
 popularity : and then adds an account of his 
 having three fons, and one fair daughter, (whom 
 he named after his unhuppy fiiier Tamar) which 
 was alfo another fountain of pride, popularity, 
 and prefumption. 
 
 His beauty is thus celebrated; That, in all 
 Ifraely there was none to be fo much praifed^ 
 upon that fcore : and that it was without alloy, 
 or abatement, from any impcrfedion : xh2itfrom 
 thefole of his foot ^ to the crown of his head, there 
 was no blemijh in him. There is no particular 
 mentioned, befidcs his hair : and the beauty of 
 that is only implied in its quantity ; v/hich was 
 indeed prodigious ! weighing^ upon the ioweft 
 computation, atleaft three pounds: which might 
 be eafily eftimated, by weighing what was cut 
 off, in his annual polling, (for we are told he 
 polled it annually on account of its exceilive 
 weight) and examining, what proportion that 
 bore, to what remained. And although a good 
 deal of this may be accounted for, both from 
 the ufage of long hair, and the great quantity 
 of oyl, then in ufe, which added both to the 
 growth and weight ; yet it is evident from the 
 text, that there mud have been fomething in it, 
 accounted very Angular, even at that time. 
 
 Absa- 
 
B. 4. the Life of Ki?ig David. 143 
 
 Absalom had, it muft: be owned, a very 
 fihgular excellence of form ; but with that, no- 
 thing truly eftimable, that we know of. His 
 charader lo.z'Xi^ nearly allied to that of Aurelia 
 Oreftilla, mentioned by Salluft^ who had nothing 
 praifeworthy about her, befides her beauty. 
 
 This vain young man^ weary with being fo 
 long detained in that confinement and obfcu- 
 riry, fo mortifying to his pride, and fo un- 
 friendly to his popularity^ fent a meffenger to 
 "Joah^ to^defire to fpeak with him 5 in order to 
 prevail upon him, to folicit his interceffioii 
 with the king^ to be admitted to his prefence. 
 And, on i\is nor coming upon \^i\z firfl: meflage, 
 he fent a fecond. And when he found no bet- 
 ter fuccefs from his fecond medagc, he ordered 
 his fervants to fet a field of barley, which Joab 
 had contiguous to his own, on lire, and they 
 did accordingly : which Joab refenting, wenc 
 immediately to expoilulatc with him, upon the 
 injury done him^^ — Abfalom anfwered, Thar, 
 finding the meflages he had fent him, ineffec- 
 tual, he took that method to bring him to him ; 
 and gain an opportunity of fending him to the 
 king, to intercede for permiffion to be admitted 
 to his prefence. For if that could not be ob- 
 tained. To what purpofe was it for him to 
 return from Gefiur? He might as well have 
 continued there in exile ftiil. In fhort, he in- 
 fifted with Joab, that he muft fee the king, ac 
 any rate : Now therefore, faith he, let me jee the 
 kings face '^ and if there be any iniquity in me^ 
 let him kill me. His impetuofity prevailed ; foab 
 
 was 
 
1 44 An Hi/Iorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 was once more fent to intercede with the king 
 for him: his interceflion fucceeded, and Abfa- 
 lorn was admitted to the royal prefence, where 
 he did obeifance, humbling himf^lf before the 
 king, with his face to the ground. And the 
 king was reconciled, and kiffed him. 
 
 The reader, little verfed in courts, is apt to 
 be furprifed, (as at firft fight I own I was) to fee 
 "^oab fo zealous to get Abfalom recalled from 
 exile, and to obfcrve him afterwards fo cold and 
 indifferent, to have him re-eftablifhed in his fa- 
 ther's favour- 
 
 The truth is, when /^^<^ had greatly grati- 
 fied the king, and gained credit with him, by 
 bringing back Abfalom to Jerufalem, he had 
 little reafon, as a minifter, to be folicitous to 
 bring him about the king's perfon, and reftore 
 him to full favour; becaufe, in that cafe, he 
 might naturally apprehend, that Abfalom^ in- 
 tereft with his father might impair his own. 
 This the young man's ambition could but ill 
 endure; and therefore he took this extraordi- 
 nary ftep, to be fet right with his father, A ftep, 
 which file wed him determined to go any 
 lengths, rather than fall fhort of his ambitious 
 aims. He that could fet his friend's field on fire, 
 barely to be admitted to court, would little fcru- 
 ple to fet his country in a flame, (if 1 may be 
 allowed the cxprcilion) to be raifed to a crown ; 
 altho', poflibly, this injury to "Joab might have 
 been, in fome meafure, an artifice, to prevent the 
 king's fufpicion of their combination, and Joab'^ 
 too great attachment to the intercft of his fon. 
 
 1 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David, 145 
 
 As to Abfalom% rcfolution of being brought 
 to the kingj, even at the hazard of his life; it 
 Icems to be much lefs the cfFcd of fortirude, 
 than prefumption upon his father's fondnefs, 
 Amnons moft heinous injury to T^^^^/^r, being 
 irreparable, well dcferved death. And Abfalom 
 well knew, his father would not be extreme, 
 for punifning it^, as it defcrved, oat of form. 
 The provocarion was too grievou.s not to excufe 
 great irregularity in revenging it 5 efpecially not 
 to excufe ir, in a fon, fo exceedingly beloved. 
 And therefore Abfalom might fafely offer him- 
 felfas a viQim to his father's vengeance, fecure 
 not to be facrificcd to it. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 David fal/s fick about this time. A 
 Digre£io?7^ foewingy that his Diftem- 
 per was^ probably ^ the Small-pox. 
 
 THAT 'David, atfome part of his life, was 
 afflided with a grievous diilemper, which 
 he confidered as the chaftifement of God upon 
 him for his fins, feems fufficiently evident from 
 many parages in his Tfalms^ particularly xxxviii '*^. 
 xxxix. xi. and xli f. That this calamity fell upon 
 
 * O Lord^ rehuke me not in thy 'wrath, neither chajlen me in thy 
 hot difpleafure. 
 
 Ver. 2. For thine arro'vjs jiick fajl in me, and thy hand prejjlth 
 tne fore. 
 
 -j- Ver. 4. 1 /aid. Lord, be merciful to ms : heal my foul; for I 
 ha<ve fnned againji thee. 
 
 Vol. II. L him 
 
146 An Htjlortcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 him about the time that a dangerous and rebel- 
 lious confpiracy was formed againft him, appears 
 from the fame Tfalms, And forafmuch as we 
 hear of no more than one confpiracy of that kind 
 formed againft him, it follows, that his ficknefs 
 fell upon him about this time. And that his 
 diftemper was that which is now knov/n to us, 
 under the name of ihcfmall-pox^ is (as I con- 
 ceive) very probable, from the fame Tfalms, 
 PsAL. xxxviii. 3. There is no foundnefs in my 
 
 PA &c. 
 
 5, My wotmds ft ink, and are corrupt. 
 
 7. My loins are filled "with a fore dijeafe (He 
 was afflided with violent pains in his back, or 
 perhaps the weight of the diftemper fell upoii 
 thofe parts) : and there is no foundnefs in my flejh. 
 
 8. / am feeble and fore broken. 
 
 10. As for the light of mine eyes, it alfo is 
 gone from me. 
 
 11. My lovers and friends ftand aloof from 
 wy fore, and my kinfmen ftand afar off. 
 
 PsAL. xxxix. 1 1. PFhen thou ^jvith rebukes doft 
 CorreEi man for iniquity , thou makeft his beauty 
 toconfumeaway^ likeamoth, fretting a garment. 
 
 Now, I apprehend, that there is no other 
 diftemper, in which ail thefc charafters^ univerfal 
 forenefs, and unfoundnefs of the flefti, corrup- 
 tion, ftench, temporary blindncfs, (for fuch Da- 
 "vid's was) and lofs of beauty, are at once united, 
 except xhcfmallpox: particularly that lofs of 
 beauty which is caufed by reducing the skin into 
 the condition of a garment fretted by moths. 
 And furely^ never was diftemper chgrailcrized 
 
 5 by 
 
B, 4. the Life of King David. 14.7 
 
 h'^ a clearer or more beautiful allufion and image, 
 than this. 
 
 This will alfo be confirmed, by confidcring 
 that this was Job'^ diftemper 5 and that David 
 found himfelf in the fame condition with Job, 
 
 That this was ^ob's diftemper, (fuppofing 
 it of the number of thofc known to us) is appa- 
 rently clear, from that fingle charadlcr of it 5 that 
 he ^^2^% [mitten with boils y from thefole of his foot 
 unto his crown *. The fame thing is alfo appa» 
 rentiy clear, from another paffage, Job xix. 20. 
 / am efcaped with the skin of my teeth. His dif- 
 ^2i{z had ih-ipped off all the reft of his skin, evea 
 that on the infide of his mouth 5 which fuffici- 
 cntly confirms it to have been the fmall-pox, 
 
 I N this diftemper ^ob complains t> that God 
 had made him to be forfaken of his companions 
 and friends; that he compafled him with his 
 archers ; tore his reins, and blinded his eyes— 
 My skin is broken, and become loathfome^ i he^ 
 (that is, man) as a rotten things confumeth^ as a 
 garment that is moth-eaten. Thou haft made de^ 
 folate all my company \, My friends from me ||. 
 His archers compafs me round about. He cleaveth 
 my reins afunder — My reins be confumed within 
 me : he breaketh me with breach upon breach. On 
 my eye-lids is the Jhadow of death **. There are 
 
 * Job ii. 7. f Ihid. xvi. 7, ^c. S ^^i^- vii. 5^ 
 
 J Ibid. xvi. 7. II Ibid. ver. 20. 
 
 ** Now, befides the poetic beauty of this expreflion, there is 
 alfo a propriety in it, every way expreffive of his condition in the 
 fmall-pox ; which deferves carefully to be attended to. The blind- 
 nefs was not from any defed or diftemper in his e^^s, but from th© 
 ^Jpfing of his eye-lids; 
 
 L z other 
 
148 An Hijlorieal Account of B. 4, 
 
 other clrcumftances(bcfidesthere laft mentioned) 
 to prove this to have been ^ob\ diftemper^ but 
 as my purpole in recounting thefe, was only to 
 fnew, that ^JDavid's diftemper was the fame with 
 his, 1 therefore recounted thofe only in wliich 
 they both agreed. 
 
 Novv the reader will find everyone of thefe 
 complaints from the mouth o^ David, in the 
 paflages now quoted^ and referred to: and there- 
 fore I think it clear, that his difeafe was the 
 fame with j^<^^'s; that is, that it was (probably) 
 t\\z ff/iallpx \ confequently not that diftemper 
 which the libertine world would infinuate. 
 
 The fame thing appears alfo, as I apprehend^, 
 from fome of thofe Pfalms which T^avid wrote 
 upon his recovery*. Thus, in Tfalm ciii. he 
 bieffes God, who healed all his difeafes, that his 
 youth was renewed like the eagles. Now it is ge- 
 nerally underftood of the eagle, that when his 
 feathers molt, and fall off gradually, and new 
 ones fucccedj his youth is renewed wirh his plu- 
 mage f. Which carries no unapt or unnatural 
 
 * Thefe, as I apprehend, are four in all: Pfahn, xxx. clii. cxvi. 
 
 and cxlvi. 
 
 -j- Now I am well affured, that thefe feathers fall by pairs, one 
 in each wing; and that thofe \vh;ch fall at once, are the two fea- 
 thers exadly correfponding to each other, in each wing ; and that 
 this pair is renewed by a new growth, before the next pair falls. A 
 plain appointment of providental v/ifdom and good nefs! for by 
 thus preferving the exaft balance of the wings which a very little 
 inequality (the difference of lefs than half a feather) in either 
 would dellroy, the eagle is never utterly difabled from purfuing 
 his prey; tho' it be evident he cannot pnrfue it with full vigour, 
 till all his feathers be renewed; and therefore hit ycuth is then faid 
 ro be reilorcd. 
 
 allufion 
 
B. 4i tJje Life of King David. 149 
 
 allufion to a man, whofe old skin, rough and 
 fcaled "^nihtli^fmall-pox, falls off piecemeal, and 
 is fucceeded by another, fnlooth and youthful: 
 altho' I am inclined to believe from the text, 
 that it may alfo carry another allufion* 
 
 Commentators^ in their comments upon 
 this text, quote Si. Auguflin, and Sz.Epipha7iius, 
 as afferting, that when the eagle grows old, and 
 that crooked, incrulled fubftance of his bill in- 
 crcafes to fuch a degree, that he cannot eat, he 
 ftrikes his billagainft a rock, till he beats off his 
 cxcefs of beak, and is again in a condition to 
 take food; by which his ftrcngth is renewed, 
 and with that, apparently, his youth. Now (if I 
 am rightly informed) it is no uncommon cafe, in 
 thcfmall'poXy for men to have their mouths fo 
 included wirh it, that they are utterly incapable 
 of taking any food, or any fuftenance, but from 
 liquids 5 and that with great difficulty : bur, when 
 that incruliation falls off, they are then in a con- 
 dition to take proper nourifhmentj by Which 
 their ftrengrh is reftored. And if that was ^a^ 
 *vid's cafe, then is the beauty and propriety of the 
 allufion in the text, fafficicntly evident: For 
 then might he truly fay of his God, iz'ho fatisjicd 
 thy mouth with good things^ jo that thy youth is 
 renewed like the eagles. 
 
 That David's diftemper was xhc fmaU-pox^ 
 is, 1 think, again coniirmed from another 'tjalm'i 
 written alfo in thankfgiving for his recovery : I 
 mean the cxlvi^b. 
 
 Let it then be previoufly obferved, that a 
 man, confined to his bed by ficknefs, may very 
 
 L 3 properly 
 
15^ -^^ Hijlorical Account of B.4. 
 
 properly be confidered as a prifoner; and, confe- 
 quently his recovery may be confidered as a 
 reftoration to freedom. Now fuppofe a man 
 recovered from th^cfmallpoXy in which he was 
 blind and hungry, under an incapacity of eating, 
 for fomc time ; in what words could that man 
 more naturally celebrate the goodnefs of God 
 to him, than in thofe of T)avidy in this Pfalm? 
 Ver. I. Praife the Lord, O my fouL Ver. 2, 
 While I live, will I fraife the Lord, &c. Ver. 7. 
 Which executeth judgment for the opprejfed^ 
 which giveth food to the hungry: the Lordloofeth 
 theprifoners. Ver. 8. The Lord openeth the eyes 
 of the blind : the Lord raifeth them that are 
 bowed down. 
 
 The reader will pleafe to obferve, that the 
 cxpreflion oi opening the eyes of the blind '^, very 
 naturally points out the condition of a man re» 
 covered from the fmall-pox j whofe blindnefs 
 arofe, like Job's, not from any defeft or diftem- 
 per in his eyes 5 but from their being fhut up, by 
 the clofing of his eye-lids f. 
 
 The fame thing is, I think, yet further con- 
 firmed, from the accounts which David himfelf 
 hath left us, of the confpiracy formed againft him 
 in his ficknefs, in the thirty-eighth and forty-firft 
 Tfalms. Now I will venture to fay, that there 
 is no ficknefs incident to man, in which a con- 
 
 * This fingle circumftance fufficlently evinces Da'via's diflemper 
 not to have been that other infeftion, whofe blindnefs is not tempo- 
 rary. 
 
 f I know the expreffion is ufed in the gofpel, in relation to our 
 Saviour's miraculous cure of blindnefs : but there is no reafon to 
 believe, that any fuch cure was wrought in the days of Dai/U. 
 
 fpiracy 
 
JS. 4* the Life of King t) kY It. i^i 
 
 fpiracy could be more naturally encouraged, and 
 yet, at the fame time, fo efFedually difcovered to 
 the perfon concerned, as the fmallpox^ of the 
 confluent kind, in which the patient is often ob- 
 ferved to lie, for fome days, feemingly fpeechlefs, 
 and utterly infenfiblej and yet^ in reality, is 
 fometimes fenfible and intelligent. 
 
 I H A V E often heard a man of known veracity 
 (yet living) affirm, that he very well remembers 
 himfelf in that Very condition, under that evil 
 difeafe, in which he frequently heard himfelf 
 pronounced fpeechlefs, infenJible, and paft all 
 hopes of recovery 5 undet this very fingular and 
 happy circumftance, that he had a thorough con- 
 tempt of the ignorance and ftupidity of all wha 
 pronounced him in that ftate. 
 
 Now David ivj% of himfelf, in his diftenlper^' 
 TfaL xli. ver. 5. Mine enemies /peak evil of me: 
 py hen pall he die^ and his name per ijh ? 
 
 6. And if he come to fee me^ he fpeaketh 
 ^canity : and his heart conceiveth faljhood within 
 himfelf and when he comet h forth ^ he telleth it. 
 
 7. All mine enemies whifpef together againjl 
 me : even againjl me do they imagine this evil. 
 
 8 . An evil difeafe, fay they, cleavethfaft tmtd 
 him i and now that he lieth^ he pall rife up no 
 more *. 
 
 Here we fee, they whifpered, and pfo- 
 nounced the fentence of death upon him ; ima- 
 
 * Some have imagined, that Da'vld's diilemper was the /eprcjyi 
 but they forget, that, in that cafe, he mull have been depofed, as 
 Uzziah the greateft of his fuqceffors was, and (hut up in a/ewral^ 
 houfe^ where he remained for many years, to the day of his death. 
 
 L 4 ginin 
 
 07 
 
J 5 2 An Hijlorkal Account of B.. 4. 
 
 gining, that he neither obferved nor heard them j 
 though in reality he did both. But the fame 
 thing is yet more clearly aad.inconteftably fct 
 forth in Pfalm xxxviii. ver. 12. 
 
 Tkey alfo that fought after my life^ laidfnares 
 for me: and they that went about to dome evil, 
 talkedofwickednefs, and imagined deceit, all the 
 day long, 
 
 13. As for me, I was like a deaf man ^ and 
 heard not--, and as one that is dumb, who doth 
 not open his mouth, 
 
 14. 1 became even as a manthat heareth not, 
 andinwkofe mouth are no reproofs. 
 
 From all thefe fymptoms and circumftances 
 now recounted, all which unite and combine in 
 the fmall-pox, and. in no other diftempcr, that 
 we know of, I think we may fairly conclude, 
 that this was the evil diftemper under which 
 *David laboured, when a dangerous domeftic 
 eonfpiracy was formed againft him*. What 
 
 that 
 
 * I am well aware of a flrong objedllon, that lies againft this 
 account ; ^i%. That \\it Jmall fox was not known in the world till 
 about eleven hundred years ago. 1 anrwer, That neither was th? 
 ether infeclion, charged upon him, known in the world till much 
 later ; and therefore, if this objeClion be flrong againft i\iQfmall- 
 foXi it is much flronger againft the other. 
 
 I fhall only add. That the hiftory of this diftemper, in the ac- 
 counts left us of Job and Dai:idy might have been a very proper 
 trial of faith, in thofe ages, where no fuch diftemper was known ; 
 us it is now a juu confirmation of our faith, and a rational ground 
 for believing the truth of thefe hiftories, which relate events, now 
 ordinary and indifputable ; which yef, for many ages, were credi- 
 ble only to X.\\2il faith, which zV the enjidejice cf things not feen^ 
 becaufe altogether extraordinary and inexplicable. But it is ob- 
 jeilcd, that Da^jid\ diftemper is chara^flerizcd by many fymptoms 
 and circumftances, which cannot be referred to the Jmali-fox ; {.ar- 
 
 ticularly 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 153 
 
 that conrpiracy was, (for we hear only of one) 
 and how it was carried on^ will be feen in the 
 next chapter. ^ 
 
 When I had proceeded thus far, I judged it 
 proper to fubmit this diflerration to the perufal 
 of a very learned and judicious phyfician 5 whofe 
 candour I relied upon, to be informed, whether 
 any objedion lay againft this account oi Job's 
 and©ji7^'s diftemper^ befides thofe mentioned 
 in the laft notes. His anfwcr was, That he ap- 
 prehended, \i Job's diftemper was not altogcrher 
 fupernatural, that it might be the elephant iafis-^ 
 and refercd me, for further information, to 
 Areteuss account of that diftemper: which ac- 
 cordingly I have confidered with all the care I 
 could 5 and find, there are many fymptoms in 
 
 ticularly, pains in the bones, and ulcers in the loins. I anfwer. 
 That dillempers are often complicated, perhaps beyond any thing 
 that can well be computed, either from the principles of phyfic, 
 or tl;e obfervations of phyficians. Da'vid had undergone great 
 hardfhips in his youth; had lain long and often in camps and caves ; 
 and it is no uncommon things with men of that chara^ler, to feel 
 pains and aches in their bones, in their advanced years j and it is 
 pofiible that thefe pains and aches might have been attended with 
 ulcers in his kidneys. The fame effeds might pofTibly arife from 
 many other caufes, which I cannot pretend to determine or pro- 
 Rouuce upon. 
 
 Bat it isobjefted, That i^^-xvV fpeaks of his ficknefs in the pre- 
 fent tenfe, as if he wrote his P/alms when he was adually under 
 it; which was impoffible to be done in l\iQ fmall-fox . 
 
 I aiuVer, That no licence is more familiar to poets, than fpeak- 
 ing of things pail, in the prefent tenfe; efpecially when the de- 
 ■fcription is enlivened, as it very often is, by fo doing. And I 
 think, there is a particular beauty in defcribing diflempers in that 
 
 manner; becaufe it makes the didrels prefent to the reader. 
 
 Befidcs that feveral paffages in the thirty-eighth Pjalm plainly refer 
 tj a time paft : particularly the i ith, 12th, and 13th vcrfes. 
 
 which 
 
1^4 ^^ Hifiorical Account of B. 3* 
 
 which thefe difeafcs agree 5 and yet they are^ 
 upon the whole^ very different. 
 
 The elephantiafiSy znAfmall-pox, are both in-* 
 fedious diftempersi and men often fly from 
 theirneareft friends, when infeded by them : the 
 body is fwelled, and the skin is broken, in both, 
 and the breath tainted j and both are attended, 
 at certain periods, with intenfe itchings, and 
 both are vexed with difl:urbed and frightful 
 dreams (as all feverifli diforders are) : and the 
 fmalUpox is fometimes attended with a difficulty 
 of breathing, as the elepkantiajis always is with 
 a kind of ftrangling : fo far they agree. But 
 here they differ : the elephantiafis never breaks 
 out thro' all the skin at once, as the fmall-pox 
 does 5 it begins with a burning in the boweb, 
 and next appears in the face, which it fwells, 
 burnifhes, and brightens i and from the moment 
 it appears there, it is abfolutely mortal j nor did 
 any human creature ever furvive it. In the ele- 
 phantiafis, the eyes are cloudy, and become of 
 a brafly colour 5 and the brows fwelled, and let 
 down over the eyes, like thofe of an angry lion. 
 In the fmall-pox y the eye-lids are clofed and con- 
 glutinated, and the eyes not clouded, but abfo- ' 
 lutely darkened, as Job's were. 
 
 In the elephantiafis^ the foles of the feet are 
 cracked, but no boils either there, or on the 
 crown of the head, as Job had, and as is com- 
 mon in x\\c fmall-pox. In the elephiantiajis^ the 
 patients are flothful and fleepy, from the begin- - 
 ning to the end : Job's diftemper was fleeplefs 
 sind reftlefs, as xh^fmallpox often is. 
 
 Job's 
 
B.4- the Life of King V>hv IT). 155 
 
 Job's diftemper was attended with vomiting, 
 with pains in his back, with loathing of food, 
 and lofs of skin : all thefe are attendants upoa 
 t\icfmallp0Xy but unknown to the elephant iajis. 
 
 Job indeed complains of wrinkles^ and it is 
 certain, th2iit\\celephantiajis wrinkles the skinj 
 but he complains^ in the fame breath, of being 
 lean and withered *i whereas, in the elephant ia- 
 JiSy there is an univerfal fwelling : and therefore 
 it is reafonable to conclude, that this leannefs, 
 and thefe wrinkles of Job's^ were the efFeds of 
 his forrows, antecedent to that ficknefs, with 
 which Satan fmote him. 
 
 It were eafy to add more proofs to the fame 
 purpofe 5 but, I hope, thofe 1 have already urged, 
 will be thought fufficient to evince^ that Job's 
 diftemper was not the elephant iafis. 
 
 To conclude : 
 
 As rational conjeftures are oftentimes ufcful 
 inlets to knowledge, the candid reader will, I 
 hope, be indulgent to this, in relation to T>a- 
 *vias diftemper j which I am far from obtruding 
 as a truth : for, after all, poffibly all his Tfalms 
 upon this head may be no more tiian figurative 
 defcriptions of the ftate of his mind, fick with 
 fin : nor is this luppofition ill grounded upon the 
 4th verfe of the forty-firft Pfalm, before referred 
 to : Heal my foul':, for I have filmed aga'mfl thee. 
 And, agreeably to this way of thinking, we find 
 fin figured out to us, in the prophetic ftyle, under 
 the ideas of bruifes and wounds^ and putrefying 
 fores^ Ifa. i. 6. 
 
 * Job xvh 8, 
 
 CHAP, 
 
156 Jl^ Hijiorkal Account of B. 4, 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Abfalotn takes the Advantage of his Fa^ 
 thers Sicknefs^ to form a Co?ifpiracy 
 againfl htm. The Methods he made 
 ufe of to delude the People in his Fa-- 
 vour. 
 
 ABSALOM had not been long rcftored 
 to his father's favour, before his pride 
 and popularity broke out in an extraordinary 
 manner. 
 
 It is fufficiently evident, from fome paffages 
 in this hiftory, that T>avid^ as his fons grew up, 
 gave each of them fome patrimony, which he 
 left to their own management (it was not then 
 deemed beneath the dignity of princes, to be 
 early initiated in all the patriarchal arts of rural 
 induftry). Particularly Abfalom, we know^ had 
 flocks and fields of corn 5 and it is probable, that 
 his wealth increafed in his exile and confinement: 
 not only as his expences might be leflened on 
 thefe accounts; but alfo^ as his circumftances 
 might be confiderably bettered, by prelcnts from 
 his grandfather and the royal family at Gefmry 
 who, doubtlefs^ confidered him as the heir ap- 
 parent to the crown oi Ifrael, and accordingly 
 encouraged and enabled him to fupport his pre- 
 tenfions, and to keep up a port luitable to his 
 dignity. And hence it was, in all probability, 
 that when he was received into favour, he fet up 
 
 a mag' 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 157 
 
 a magnificent equipage, prepared him chariots 
 and horfes, and a retinue of no lefs xh^n fifty 
 meriy to run before him: poffibly, attendants, ia 
 appearance; but^ in cffedi:, guards. 
 
 About this time, I apprehend it was, that 
 T)avidi<L^ fick : and Abfalom^ taking the advan- 
 tage ot that infirm and diftrclTed condition, to 
 which he faw him reduced, laid the foundation 
 of his confpiracy, or rather purfued the plan of 
 his ambition, concerted at Gepur, Which pro- 
 bably, at firft, meant no more than to fecure to 
 himfelf the fucceffion of the crown, in prefer- 
 ence to Solomon y for whom T)avid d^ix^azd it. 
 And, feeing the king reduced io low by his dif- 
 temper, that his life was defpaired of $ wicked 
 as he was, he might think it better to wait the 
 ifllie of it, than to embrue his hands in his fa- 
 ther's blood. And there is no doubt but the 
 king, who (as we have fcen in the laft chapter) 
 difcovcred the confpiracy in his ficknefs, took 
 immediately meafurcs to defeat it, as foon as he 
 found himfelf recovering. Nor is it impro- 
 bable, that he difiembled his recovery as long 
 as he could, to prevent the cfFeds of his fon's 
 ambition and impetuofity, who fufficiently ap- 
 pears, from the iony-?ii{!i Pfalm, to have been 
 determined upon his father's deflruftion, and 
 fully refolved to outdo the malignity of his 
 difeafe, and cut him off, if that fhould fpare 
 him. For thofe, I am fatisfied, are Abfalom's 
 own words, recorded by T>avid 2ii the 8th verfe 
 of that Pfalm j and now that he liethy he fiall 
 rife tip no more, 
 
 Ix 
 
158 An Htjlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 It muft doubtkfs have been matter of great 
 furprize, and inexpreflible afflidion, to T>avidy 
 to find the two men in the world^ whom he 
 feems to have loved and moft confided in, com- 
 bining againft him, and compafling his death 5 
 jibfalom, and Ahithopkel^ his fon, and his coun. 
 fellor. And both of thefe are, as I apprehend, 
 fufficiently and clearly characterized in this laft- 
 cited Pjalm: the vanity and lying fpirit of 
 Abfalom in thefe words, (ver. 6.) And if he come 
 to fa me-, he fpeaketh vanity : his heart gather- 
 eth falfkood within himfelf: "m-hen he goeth 
 abroad he telleth it: and the treachery of Ahitho- 
 phel in thefe, (ver, 9 J Tea mine own familiar 
 friendy in whom I trufiedy which did eat of my 
 bready hath lifted tip his heel "^ againfi me. 
 
 Here we fee a complaint, not only of truft 
 betrayed, but the rights of hofpitality violated : 
 the man that did this, had eaten of his bread f- 
 
 In this exigency David\a^ recourfe, as ufual, 
 to the divine mercy and protection ; crying out^ 
 (ver, lo.j Thoiiy O Lord, be merciful to me^ and 
 raife me up^ that I may reopcite them. And, find- 
 ing their devices fo far defeated, as not to ter- 
 minate in his immediate deftruclion, he gra- 
 dually gathered hope and confidence from that 
 delay j which he quickly perceived not to have 
 arifen from any abatement in their malignity, 
 
 * ^ery. Whether this expreffion might not have given the 
 iirft hint of the fable of the Jfs and the fick Lion ? 
 
 f This fhews the facred regard to the rights of hofpitality 
 among the Je<vjs, prior to any thing w€ hear upon that head in the 
 accounts of the Heathen world. 
 
 but 
 
B.4« the Life of King TiAV I'D. 159 
 
 but from the interpofition of Providence in his 
 behalf (ver, 1 1 .) ; By this I know, thai thou 
 favoureji me^ becaufe mine enemy doth not trir 
 umph over me-y and as for me^ thou tipholdefl me 
 in mine integrity ^ andfetteji me before thy face 
 for ever. 
 
 If it be urged, That all this is only a com- 
 ment upon a Pfalm^ not grounded upon any 
 hiftorical relation i I anfwcr^ That this Tfalm 
 is plainly hiftorical 5 is confefledly written by 
 David^ and perfonally applied to himfelf ; and 
 ponfequently muft refer to fome circumftances 
 of his life; and can refer to no other but this; 
 and, when applied to this, gives, as I apprehend, 
 new light to the facred hitlorian's account of 
 Abfalom^^ rebellion. 
 
 Now the facred hiftorian informs us, (2 Sam. 
 XV.) That when the people reforted to the king 
 for juftice, on occafion of any controverfy which 
 had arifen between them, Abfalom was early up, 
 and intercepted them as they cam.e to the gate 
 where the king's tribunal was held 5 and, as they 
 approached, inquired of each of them, What 
 tribe, city, and family they were of, that he 
 might proportion his compliments and civilities 
 according to their quality, and confequence : 
 carefied, and deluded them with glofing lyes : 
 pretended to inquire into the merit of theic 
 caufe 5 and always found it good and juft: fadly 
 lamenting, at the fame time, that no man was 
 deputed of the king to hear them 5 and earneftly 
 wilhing, that he were authorized, and in capa- 
 city of doing them juftice:- — O that I were 
 made judge in the land, that ^very man which 
 
 hatb 
 
i6o An Hijl or ical Account of B. 4, 
 
 hath any fiiit or caitfe^ might come unto me ; and 
 I would do him jttjlice! And what was this^ in 
 efFeft, but faying, O that I were in my fathers 
 
 place, I would do juftice ! Plainly infmuating, 
 
 that he would do what others did not. 
 
 Now we learn from the preceding part of 
 this hiftory, that 'David was wontjo adminifter 
 juftice to his people in perfon : Why then docs 
 ^hfalom lament, that no one was deputed of 
 him, to hear the grievances of his fubjeds*? 
 The reafon is plain from the forty-firft Pfalm, 
 The king was fick, and could not attend in 
 perfon 5 and the people knew it : otherwifc Ab^ 
 falom's c3i\nmnY would naturally have bcen^, that 
 the king was grown proud and haughty, and 
 above his bufinefs; or elfc, old and indolent, 
 and negligent of his fubjeds. 
 
 Now^ is it to be believed, that Abfalom could 
 carry on this train of delufion and lyes with the 
 people, for any time, without the king's being 
 informed of it \ That is not to be imagined : 
 the proceeding w^as too public to be concealed. 
 Let us then take it for granted, that the king 
 was quickly informed of it; and found, that a 
 fon^ who vifited him conltantly in his ficknefs, 
 and pretended great folicitude for his health, was 
 at the fame time plotting againfl him 5 deluding 
 his people with lyes, to his difadvantage ; and 
 wifhing to be in his place 5 which was, in ctFed, 
 
 * It mufl be owned, that this could only be meant of fome im- 
 portant caufes and appeals, referved for the king's hearing; for 
 there were ordinary judges enough, to hear the ordinary courfe of 
 caufes. 
 
 wifliing 
 
B. 4* the Life of King Ti AY ID. \6t 
 
 Wifiiing him dead. How could he more na- 
 turally exprefs himfclfupon that head^, on fap- 
 pofition that he knew all this, than he does in 
 thefe words of the forty-firtl: Pfalm-, (part of 
 which hath been already recited) ver, f. Mine 
 enemies'^ fpeak evil of me : IVhenfcallbe die^ and 
 his name perijh ? 
 
 Ver. 6. And if he come to fe me^ he Jpeaketh 
 vanity. His heart conceiveth faJfhood within 
 himfelf: when he goeth abroad he telleth it. Buc 
 fuppofe the king in health, and Abfahm's crime 
 no more than that of fhutting out complainants 
 from his prefence, and then lamenting his ne- 
 gled of adminiftring jufticej could there be a 
 greater villainy, than thus to abufe his father^ 
 and his prince, in his noblefl: charader, of doing 
 juftice and judgment 5 turning his mod valuable 
 talent, and highefl: merit, as a monarch, into 
 the moftci'ying guilt a governor could fall into? 
 How execrable is ambition, thus building itfelf 
 upon the bafeft ingratitude, and cruclLft ca- 
 lumny! O that I were. made judge in the land! 
 —-exclaims the abandoned mifcrcant. Rare 
 charader of a judge, compounded of faifhood 
 and flattery, infpiring rebellion, and meditating 
 parricide, and covering his ambition under the 
 ipecious guide oi an humble familiarity! He 
 Would not lufFer himlelf to be adored, as his 
 father did 5 but, when any one came to proftrate 
 
 -|- Here we fee D^^y/Vrpeaksj n)er. 5. indefinitely of his enemiea 
 in general, being loch to brand a favourite fonj but yet, in the 
 tiext verfe, he limits his refle^lion to a particular perfon, who could 
 be no other than Ahfeiiom^ . . 
 
 Vol. IL M him- 
 
i62 A7t Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 himfelf before him^ he prevented him f and, be- 
 fore he could reach the earthy caught him in his 
 arms^ and embraced him : JVkeii any one, fays 
 the text, came nigh to himy to do him obeifance^ 
 he put forth his ha7idy and took him^ and kijfed 
 him: rather paying court, than receiving it 5 as, 
 Tacitus tells us, Otho adored the people, (Iretched 
 out his hands, lavifhed his kifles^ and did every 
 thing in the moft fervile manner^ for the fake 
 of fway. And in this manner^ fays the facred 
 hiftorian, did Ahfalom to all Ijracl, that came to 
 the king for judgment. So Jbfalom Jtole the 
 hearts of the men of Ifrael. 
 
 Absalojvi robbed his father of the affec- 
 tions of his people, as Cyrus the younger did 
 his brother : but parents are more indulgent, 
 more eafily deluded, and induced to forgive, 
 than brethren j as will be fecn in the fequel of 
 this hiftory. 
 
 It muft be owned, that Ahfalom, befides his 
 arts of popularity, now recited, had two greac 
 natural advantages 5 which, if they are attended 
 with civility, never fail to win the afFedion and 
 veneration of the vulgar 5 a graceful perfon, and 
 an high birth $ being, at once, remarkably beau- 
 tiful, and royally defcended, both by his father 
 and mother. Befides this, Amnon, his elder 
 brother, was deadj and fo, in all probability, 
 was Chileab, inafmuch as we hear no more of 
 him 5 and Solomon^ his only competitor for the 
 crown, was yet very young. His father was 
 too indulgent to him : he faw him aflume all 
 tke ftate of heir apparent to the crown; yet 
 
 took 
 
B. 4* the Life of King t>kYiv>. i6j 
 
 took no mcafures, that we know of^ to corrc(3: 
 his folly^ or reprefs his pride. And therefore it 
 was not unnatural, that they who favoured Ab- 
 falom, fhduld prefdme, that his father fecretly 
 encouraged what he did not openly controul. 
 
 Thus did David's infirmities concur, in ex- 
 ecuting the divine decree, of railing up evil to 
 hhn out of his own houfe. 
 
 C H A P. IX. 
 
 Abfalom breaks out into open Rebellion^ 
 
 and Ahi thophel joins him. Y)z.vi6.flies 
 
 from Jerufalem, puts up his Prayers 
 
 to Go Vy and is fupported in his Di-* 
 
 flrefs. 
 
 WE have feen,' in the preceding chapters^' 
 j4b/a/om's intentions of rebelling againft 
 his father : whofe unexpeded recovery, (under 
 the influence of the divine favour and protedion) 
 in all probability, broke his meafjrcs for that 
 time 5 and made him poftpone his wicked 
 purpofe. Nor can it be imagined, but that 
 David, from that time, kept a ftricter eye 
 over him : fo that he could make no further 
 ptogrefs in his evil intentions. In the mead 
 time, his popularity had all the field he could 
 wifh : as all the people of Ifrael refortcd to ye- 
 ru/akm thrice in every year^ on the three 
 folemn feftivalsj he hadfo often an opportunity 
 
 M 31 ot 
 
i 64 An Hiflorkal Account of B- 4^ 
 
 of paying his court, and infinuating his poifon, 
 till the infeftion fpread through the whole body 
 of the realm ; and wanted nothing but a fair 
 oceafion to difplay itfelf in all its malignity: 
 nor was this wanrin^^ Ions;. 
 
 The facred hiftorian informs us, that Abfa" 
 loniy under the pretence of a vos^^, which he had 
 made at Gejhttr^ applied to his father, for 
 leave to go and offer fome facrifices at Hebron^ 
 that antient patriarchal city, and place of his na- 
 tivity. Jojephtis tells us, that this was done 
 four years after his father's reconciliation to him ; 
 which plainly fhews this to have been the reading 
 in the text, at that time: as it alfo was in 
 the time of Tbeodoret, and ftill is in the Syrian 
 and AtabiCy verfions, and many antient manu- 
 fcripts$ altho' the Hebrew text now faith, that 
 this came topafs after forty years i, without com- 
 puting from whence they began *. 
 
 - The nature of his vow is thus explained by 
 the facred hiftorian, (2 Sam. xv. 8.) who tells 
 us, that Jbfalom addreiled his father in the fol- 
 lowing manner: For thyfervant vowed a vow, 
 while I abode at Gefbtir in Syria, faying^ If the 
 Lordfhall bring me again indeed to Jertifalem, 
 then Iwillferve the Lord* This vow, we fee, 
 is exaftly conceived in the piety of the patriar- 
 chal ftylej and plainly implies, that however he 
 was tempted by his grandfather to ferve the 
 
 ♦ Some compute thefe forty years from Da'vid's firft anoint- 
 inent to the crown by Samuel, which they think might then have 
 been niadc ufe of, as the year of our Lord often is with us, without 
 being itH;ntioii€d< 
 
B. 4» the Life of King "DhYiVi. 165 
 
 gods of Ge/hur, yet he continued ftcady to the 
 true religion, and determined againfl: idolatry: 
 which 'David, we may afllire ourfelves was 
 highly delighted to hear, and accordingly gave 
 a ready confcnt to the performance of his vow. 
 But^ from this very circumftance of Abfaloms 
 asking and obtaining leave, we may clearly infer, 
 that "David held him, at this time, under fome 
 reftraintj which plainly implies, at leaft^ fome 
 fufpicion of him. The fame thing is alfo> as I 
 apprehend, fufficiently evident, from the com? 
 panions which Abfalom took with him to Hebron^ 
 whirii were two hundred men out of Jerufalem: 
 whom the facted hiftorian acquits of being any 
 way confcious to his confpiracy; confequentJy 
 they were fuch as David could no way fufpecS". 
 Tbey went in their Jimplicity, faith the facred 
 writer, and tkey kne'W not any thing. Now, there 
 can be no doubt^ but that Abfalom would mucU 
 rather have taken fome of thofe along with him, 
 who were more intimiately embarked in his in- 
 tercfi:; but that he knew that could not be 
 done, without awakening his father's jeaioufyj 
 and, perhaps, defeating his whole defign. 
 
 There is no doubt but David tX^o took 
 proper meafures to have him watched at He^ 
 bron: but Abfalom forefaw this^ and prevented 
 all the effeds of his father's precautions j for, 
 before he left Jerufalem, he took care to fend 
 him emiflaries throughout all the tribes 5 doubt- 
 lefs^ under colour of inviting perfons of diftin- 
 (ftion to the facrifice; but, in reality, to carry 
 the watch-word and fignal, before agreed oa 
 
 M 3 betweca 
 
1 66 An Htjlorkal Account of E. 4^ 
 
 between them : That, as foon as they fhould 
 hear the trumpet (bund, they fnould imme- 
 diately give out the word, at once^ That Abfa- 
 lo7n was crowned king at Hebron. By which 
 means the people rufhed in as a flood, and the 
 conrpiracy,'iike a contagious uleer, broke out, 
 and came to an head, almoft at once. 
 
 The only perfon mentioned by the facrcd 
 hiftorian, as invited to the facrifice from Hebron^ 
 is Ahtthophel the Gilonite, David's counfellor 5 
 whofe arrival, from his own city, from GHohy 
 whither Abfalom fent for him, ieems to have 
 given the finiftiing ftroke to the rebellion. For 
 
 Then the facred hiftorian immediately adds 
 
 And the confpiracy v;as Jirong ; for the people 
 increafed contintially with Abfalom. Ahtthophel 
 was too cunning to difcover himfelf, till he faw 
 all things favourable and profperous on the part 
 of Abfalom-. and they both very well Judged, 
 that his acceflion to the confpiracV;, in thofe cir- 
 cumftances, was the iikelieft means to enfure its 
 fuccefs. 
 
 \V E may well imagine, that things could not 
 continue long in this condition, before David 
 had a full account of all that paiTed : the danger 
 was inftant, and he took his meafures accord- 
 ingly. The city was not in a condition to 
 fuftain a fiege j and, if it were, he did not care 
 to expofe a favourite city, built by himfelf, and 
 the refidence of the tabernacle of God, to all 
 the evils incident to fieges, and aimoft infepa- 
 rable from them. Nor, perhaps, did he care to 
 truft the inhabitants of a place, fo long expofed 
 
 tQ 
 
B. 4^ the Life of King David. 167 
 
 to the taint of Abfalom's temptations*. How-* 
 ever, in appearance, he placed his rcfolution of 
 leaving the city, to the fcore of his tendernefs 
 and concern for it, and fecretly, I doubt not, 
 to his unwiilingnefs to fee tiic flame of civil wac 
 lighted up ill his country^ which could no 
 fooner be kindled, than it mqft of neceflity de- 
 vour fomc of his brethren, and perhaps his beft 
 fubje<^s. In this diftrefs he immediately fum- 
 iTioned all his fervants, that were in the cityjj 
 and faid unto them, ^rife, let us flee y for we 
 jlallnot elje efc ape from Abfalom: makefpeedto 
 depart^ left be overtake us fuddenly^ and bring 
 evil upon tisi andjmite the city with the edge of 
 the fword. He was well acquainted with the 
 
 * This, I think, appears from the fifty-fifth ?falm, which, I 
 apprehend to have been meditated, and poured out in prayer to 
 God, upon the firll difcovery of Ajfulom\ confpiracy. And 
 from thence it plainly appears, that he had difcerned the feeds 
 and workings of a conipiracy in the city, and that Ahithophel vizi^ 
 a: the bottom of it ; and not only fo, but that Davic^ {orda.w his 
 fudden and lad e;;id. 
 
 Ver. 9. Dejlroy, O Lord, and di'vide their tonguei : for I havi 
 feen 'violence and (it'ife in the city. 
 
 10. Day and mght they go about it upon the rj^alh thereof: mif 
 chief alfo and forronu are in the midjl of it. 
 
 1 1 . Wickednefi is in the midjl thereof: deceit and guile depart 
 not from her Jireets. 
 
 12. For it ivas ?iot an enemy that reproached me ; then I could 
 hanje borne it : neit>'cr n.vas it he that hated me, that did magnify 
 himfelf againjl me ; then Inuould hanje hid my f elf from him. 
 
 13. But it tvas thou, a nian^ mine equal, my guide, and mine 
 acquaifitance, 
 
 1 4. We took f-iveet counfel together, and ^walked unto the houfe 
 of Gcd in cofnpany. 
 
 15. Let death feize upon themy and let them go donvn quick int9, 
 hsll', for 'wickcdnef it in their d^Mcllings^ and amotig them, 
 
 M 4 young, 
 
1 68 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4^ 
 
 young man's fhipctuofiry, and the madnefs of 
 the people! and judged it better to give way to 
 the fury of the fiood^ than attempt to ftem it in 
 the fahiefs of its overflowing. 
 
 Accordingly, he inilantly quitted the 
 city, with all his fervants^ and all his houfhold 
 (except x.Q,'^ concubines, whom he left to take 
 care of the houfe) 5 and difpatched them all be- 
 fore him, over the brook Kidron^ direding their 
 way to the \vildernefs5 the Qhertthites and Te- 
 lethttes^ of whom we have ah'eady fpoken) and 
 with them fix hundred Gittites^ who very pro- 
 videntially came to him to Jeriijalem (being 
 baniflied from Gath) but the very day before, 
 with the brave Ittai at their head (with all his 
 family) j whom ©/^^7W, knowing him fatigued 
 with his journey, would, from a noble principle 
 of o-cnerofity, (which preferred his friend's relief 
 to his own fafety) fain would have him turn 
 back with his brethren 5 which he gallantly re- 
 fufed to do, vowing, that where-ever David 
 was, in death or life^ there would he his fervant 
 be aifo. All thefe palled on before, and David 
 himfelf, with his body of brave w^orthies about 
 him brought up the rear. 
 
 Among the red of thofe who attended the 
 king, when he left the city, and rcfolved to 
 follow his fate, were Zadok and Abiathar the 
 priefts5 Zadok attended by all the Levites, bear- 
 ing the ark of the covenant of the Lord: and 
 they fet down the ark of God before the king, 
 as he flood to fee the people pafs over the Kidron 
 {before him: And Abiathar faith the tej^t, went 
 
B, 4- th Life of King David. 169 
 
 iip, (probably to fome eminence, to review the 
 people as they paffed) until all the people had done 
 paffing out of the city, /Ind the king faid unto 
 ^adoky Carry hack the arkof God into the cityz 
 if I ftmll find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he 
 ^jDtllbrin^^ me again, and fhew me both it^ and his 
 habitation. But if be thus: fay., I have no delight 
 in thee ; behold here a?n /, let htm do to me as 
 Jeemeth good unto hi?n. He lent back the high- 
 prictts, as knowing their charader was too facred 
 to fuffer any violence from the ulurpcr, tho' he 
 knew their fideiiry to his father: and, for the 
 reft, he wholly fubmitted himfelf to the divine 
 difpofal. He befought God^ as, Alexander *SV- 
 verus * told his foldiers^ a generous and a wife 
 man (hould i praying for the bed things, and 
 bearin2 whatever (hould befal. 
 
 David faw plainly that God had raifed 
 this war againil him, in punifhment ot his guilt. 
 That God had r^AiJed up this evil to him out of his 
 ovun koufei, and 1 imagine I now hear him take- 
 ing up the fame lamentation, which Alphonfus 
 the Wife, king of Arragon, afterwards did, upon 
 a like occarton : I wonder not fo much at my peo- 
 ple s ingratitude to me, as at my own to God, 
 
 In this fpirit of humiliation, T> avid would 
 not prefume to have the ark, the fymbol of 
 the Divine Prefence, borne before him in that 
 war : that was an honour, of which he deemed 
 himfelf utterly unworthy. And therefore, re- 
 ferring himfelf, and his affairs, with in tire re%- 
 pation, to the dilpofal of the Divine Providence, 
 
 he 
 
170 An Hiflorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 he rcinanded Zadok and Abiathar back to the 
 city, with the ark. 
 
 When David had given the reafons relating 
 to himfelf, why he would not have the ark 
 earned before him into the field $ he then adds 
 a reafon perfonal to Zadok : Art not tkoit a 
 feer? Return in peace. It fbould feem from 
 hence, that Zadok was a prophet : however as 
 a prieft; he w^as a teacher 5 and, as fucH, bound 
 to ftay with his people in the greateft exigen- 
 cies, and inflrud them in their duty 5 befidcs 
 that, by flaying to do his duty to his people, 
 he might alfo do good offices to his prince. 
 And accordingly T)avid concerted a method, 
 both with Zadok and Abiathar ^ of correfpond- 
 ing with him, and fending him intelligence 
 of all the enemies meafures, by their fons, Aki- 
 maz, the fon of Zadok. and 'Jonathan the foa 
 of Abiathar, 
 
 This done, "David VDent tip the afcent of 
 Mount Olivet^ his feet bare-, and his head cover- 
 ed-, and wept as he went : and all the people that 
 was with him^ covered every man his headi and 
 they went up weeping. And all the country 
 wept with a loud voice.- — 
 
 How T)avid's thoughts were employed in this 
 fad revcrfe of his fortune., I think, lufficiently 
 appears from the forty-third Tfalm. And in- 
 deed it needs fo little fagacity to lee, or inge- 
 nuity to own, that the meditations there re- 
 corded are peculiarly fuitcd to this oecafion, that 
 commentators are agreed in the point : nor can 
 any thing be imagined more natural to a man 
 
 of 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. i y j 
 
 of his charader, and under thofe circumftances, 
 than that Ibicmn appeal to the divine juftice> 
 againft a vile fon, and a wicked people, with 
 which. this Tfalm begins*; or the earned fup- 
 plication for relief and reftoration, which fol- 
 lows itt 5 or that lively expreffion of hope, and 
 confidence in the divine proteftion, which con- 
 cludes itij:. 
 
 If any reader fhould find any difficulty in 
 concluding this Vfahn to have been meditated 
 upon this occafion 5 let him refleft, whether 
 there can be any thing extraordinary in fup- 
 pofing fome memorial to have been left to us 
 of T^avid's meditations, upon an occafion fo 
 very extraordinary i for furely a more memor- 
 able event was never recorded in hiftory 5 nor 
 a more moving fpe£lacle ever exhibited to mor- 
 tal eyes! A king, venerable for his years and 
 vidories ; facred in the characters both of his 
 piety and prophecy j renowned for prowefs, and 
 
 * JuJge me, O Gocf, and plead my caufe againji an ungodlj 
 nation : O deliver me from the deceitful and utijuji jnan. 
 
 Ver. 2. For thou art the God of tny frerrgth. Why dofi thou, 
 cafi me off? Why go I mourning becaufe of the opprefjion of the 
 
 enemy ^ 
 
 f Ver. 3. O fend out thy light and thy truth', let them 
 lead me, let. them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy taber- 
 fiacles. 
 
 4 Then nvill I go unto the altar of God, unto God my ex- 
 ceeding joy: yea, upon the harp w/// I praife thee, O God, my 
 God. 
 
 ' X Ver. 5. Why art thou cafi do^vn, O my foul? And <why 
 art thou difquieted 'within me? Hope in God; for I fh all yet 
 praife him, ^ho is thp health of my countenance, and my 
 
 ircvercd 
 
172 Aft Htjlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 revered for wifdom, reduced to the condition 
 of a fugitive! to a fudden and extreme neccffity 
 of flying for his life^ from the prefence of his 
 own fon, his darling and delight ! and a v/hole 
 country loudly lamenting his fate! 
 , In this condition T)av2d went up the Moitnt^ 
 and when he reached the fummit of it, fell 
 down proftrate * before God: and again put 
 up his prayers for protection and' deliverance, 
 to that mighty Being, who Jlilleth the raging 
 ofthejea^ and the madnefs of the people j chiefly 
 (as it is generally believed) in the words of the 
 xhxidi Pfalm : and was immediately infpired with 
 that confolation, and ftrong confidence of con- 
 quering his enemies, recorded in the clofe of 
 it, and, in all probability, poured out that mo- 
 ment, in the prefence of all his people : 
 
 Arife, O Lords fave msy O my Gcd-, for thou 
 haft fmitten all mine enemies upon cheek-bone. 
 Thou haji broken the teeth of the ungodly. Sal- 
 tation belongeth unto the Lord: thj bleffing is 
 upon thy people. 
 
 As David "^as going up the Mounts word 
 was brought him, that Ahithophel was among 
 the confpirators: and the moment he heard ir, 
 he put up his humble and carneft fupplication to 
 that God, who leadeth counfellors away [polled^ 
 
 * Jofephus tells us, that, when Danjid reached the top of 
 the mountain, he took a view of the city, and prayed to God, 
 with abundance of tears. The candid reader will perhaps think 
 it worth his notice, that Jofepkus {hould tell us. That Da- 
 njid wept, and viewed the city, in the fame fpot from which 
 the evangelift informs us that our bleffed Saviour wept over it. 
 
 and 
 
B. 4- the Life cf King V)kv I'D. 173 
 andmaketh the judges fools'^: O Lordjpray thee-, 
 turn the counfel of Ahithophel into foolijhnefs. 
 And, when he had finifhed his devotions upon the 
 Mount J it pleafedGoD to furnifh him, at that 
 moment, with the means of efFefting what he 
 prayed for: for, behold Hujhai the Archite^ 
 David's friend, came, that inftant, to meet him, 
 with his coat rent, and earth upon his head: 
 and Davids good genius fuggefted to him, the 
 fame inftant, the moft probable method of defeat- 
 ing the devices of Ahithofhel^ by the means of 
 his friend. 
 
 Hush A I was famous in the cabinet, but 
 unpradifed in the camp: 2^/^^'/^ therefore cold 
 him. That if he fliould go with him he would be a 
 burden to him (he would but add to the number 
 of his houfhold;. not his foldiers) ; faying, That 
 he himfelf had no fure refource, or means of fup- 
 port : but if he would return to rhe city, and fub- 
 mit no AbJ}dom^ he might be a means of defeat- 
 ing the counfcis of Ahithophel^ in his prince's 
 favour i and, at the fame time, have an oppor- 
 tunity of letting him into all the fecrets of the 
 enemy, by informing Zadok and Abiathar of 
 every thing that paiTed, who would tranfmit the 
 account by their foiis. ^Accordingly Hujhai re- 
 turned to Jertifilem, and reached the city fooa 
 after Abfalom had entered \i, 
 
 * Job -iin. 17. 2^XQ<ver. 20. He removeth anvay the fptecb of 
 the trujljy and takth u^ay the underjiaHding of the aged, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
174 -^^ litjlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 CHAR X. 
 
 ZibaV treachery to Mephibofheth, and 
 D A V I d'^ too hajly Grant of his fup- 
 pofed Forfeiture. Shimei curfes Da- 
 vid, who willmt fuffer him to bechaf 
 tifed. T^he Curfes ii^ the Pfalms ac^ 
 counted for from this Pajfage. Hu- 
 ftai infnuates himfelf into Abfalom'.^ 
 Favour-^ and^ by defeating AhithophelV 
 Advice^ faves David. 
 
 w 
 
 HEN ^avid knew with certainty, that 
 Ahithophel was among the confpirators, 
 he faw his danger in all its ftrength. An hot- 
 headed young man, high in vanity, extravagant 
 in hope, and eafily overfet with fuccefs, was 
 not an objed of much terror, to a man 
 of ^David's great experience, and confummate 
 wifdomj but the prowefs, popularity, and num- 
 bers of fuch a man, conduded by the calnri 
 skill and prudence of an Ahithophel, was fuffi- 
 cient matter of juft fear. "David, however, funk 
 not under it ; but had recourfe, as ufual, to the 
 protedion of that God, who only could deliver 
 him, and who had never failed him in diftrefs s 
 befeeching him to confound and infatuate th& 
 counfel of Ahithophel, Ahithophel was one of 
 thofe prime politicians, (as they are deemed) who' 
 are often accounted wifer th^n others, merely 
 
 becauft 
 
B.4« the Life of King I) AVI J). 175 
 
 becaufe they are more wicked ; for, having no 
 reftraint of confcience, or fear of God, they 
 can often advife, and fometimes efFed, what 
 others cannot, that is, dare not 5 and are there- 
 fore, by fuch as judge only of things by their 
 prefent advantage or expediency, admired as 
 fage and fagacious : but are, in the account of 
 all-feeing and unerring Wifdom, numbered 
 among thofe whofe wifdom is foolifhnefs, and 
 the end thereof are the ways of death. 
 
 David well knevv^ that the evil courfe, in 
 which Ahtthofhel was embarked, could only be 
 conduced by wicked meafuresj and therefore 
 it was a duty of true religion, to befeech God 
 ro confound his counfeis. And the mod pro- 
 bable human means of efFecling this, was, as 
 he judged, by oppofing the counfeis of Hiljhai 
 to them : and he proceeded accordingly. 
 
 W HEN 'David had given his inftrudions to 
 Httjhai and the priefts, he purfued his march to- 
 wards the wildcrncfs, andrefolved to get out of 
 the reach of the impending (lorrn as faft as he 
 could, and fnunits firil fury at any rate, well know- 
 ing, that to gain time, was to gain a thou- 
 fand means of difpcifing it. He had paffed but 
 a little way beyond the fummitof Meunt Olivet^ 
 before Ziba came up with him with two affes 
 faddled, and heavy laden with bread^ and fruits, 
 and wine*. Among the reft are mentioned, an 
 hundredbiinches of fummer fruits^ which are very 
 
 * 2. Sam. xvi. i. Two hundred ioa'ues cf bread ^ an hundred 
 hunches of raifins, and an hundred fummtr-frKiti, and a bottle 
 •f 'wine, 
 
 reafonabiy 
 
17' 6 ^^ Hi ft or leal Account of B. 4* 
 
 reafonably fuppofed to be the early fig: con- 
 fequently, this flight of T)avid's was about the 
 beginning of fummer:- at which time a prefent 
 of fruits muft have been very feafonable and re- 
 frefhing. The king asked Ziba, What he meant 
 by thefc things? probably imagining that they 
 were a prefent from Mephibojloetb. For when 
 Ztba anfwered^ that the aifes were for the 
 fervice of his majefty's houfhold 5 and the wine 
 and fruits, for the refrclhment of fuch of them 
 as might be weary and faint in the wildernefs; 
 the king immediately replied, Jnd where is thy 
 majiefs Jon? To which^ that artful, falfe villairi 
 immediately anfwered, That he (laid in the 
 city^ in hopes that this commotion might calm 
 after fome time, and end in a revolution in 
 his favour. David, too ralhly credulous, al- 
 though of an unfufpecied fervant, againft the 
 fon of a tried friend, and too hadly refenting 
 his imagined ingratitude, immediately conclud- 
 ed Mephibojloelh a traitor, who had forfeited 
 his whole fortune, and accordingly beftowed 
 the forfeiture upon his informer — Thine, fays he 
 to ZibUy are all that pertained to Mephibofheth 
 * — verifying that fine obfervation of Seneca^ 
 That kings give many things with covered eyes, 
 efpecially in time of war. To that fudden and 
 «^reat grant the gluttonous flatterer made no 
 other return^ than an humble and earned fup- 
 pUcation for the continuance of his majefty's 
 favour ro him: I htmbly befeech thee^ that I 
 may find grace in thy figkt, my lordy O king 
 ' — As if he icaicely fek that he was rewarded 
 
 iot 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 177 
 
 for his (Calumny, a calumny for which he well 
 defer ved to have been racked. 
 
 When the king reached Bahurim, the next 
 village in his way to the wildernefs, Shimeiy 
 the f on of G era, of the family of Saul^ came 
 out, and curfed him to his face^ with repeated 
 curfesi and, not contented with curfing, he cad 
 (tones at him, and at all his fervants that attend- 
 ed him 5 treating him with as much indignity 
 as he would a dog; bidding him^^^ oiity bloody 
 man as he was, and a man of Belial: adding, 
 That God had now brought vengeance upon 
 him for all the blood of the houfe of Saul^ 
 and had now delivered the throne, which he 
 had ufurped, into the hand of his fon Abfalom: 
 That he was caught in his own wiles, becaule 
 he was a bloody man. This^ furely, was ont 
 of the fevereft trials of patience, that ever hu^ 
 man magnanimity endured. The accufation 
 was notorioufly laife, and the king could, for 
 that reafon, bear it the better; but his ftr* 
 vants faw it not, in the light of their mafter s 
 equanimity, but his encmy*s infolence. Abi- 
 fiaij David's nephew, could not bear it; but 
 begged the king's permiflion to take off the trai- 
 tor's head that uttered it : which T)avid abfo- 
 lutcly retufed, and added a rebuke to his refufal 
 
 ^ i'P^bat have 1 to do "wtth you, ye fans of-'Ze- 
 
 ruiah ? So let him at '-/<?, btcatije the Lord hathfaid- 
 unto htm^ Curfe David. fVho then fiall fay ^ 
 Wherefore hajt thou do?ie fo ? Here wc have, in 
 three words, a clear comment upon all the 
 curfcs throughout David's Pfalms: they are all 
 
 Vol. 11. N propaccic 
 
1 78 An tlijlorkal Account of B. 4* 
 
 prophetic denunciations oi divine vengeance. 
 David curfed, becaufe God commanded him : 
 and how could he tell but Skimei had the fame 
 commiflion to curie him; although, perhaps, 
 in his rage he exceeded it? He knew himfelf 
 innocent of the blood of Said^ now charged 
 upon him, but, at the fame time^ he knew 
 himfelf guilty of the blood oi Uriah : and who 
 knew, whether this was not part of the venge- 
 ance due to it? 
 
 The king then \mx^V[\%\o Abifiai^ and the 
 reft of his fervants who were about him, asked 
 them, How it could be furprifing to fee a Benja- 
 mite revile him, when they beheld his own fon 
 in rebellion againft him, and feeking his lifei 
 This however, ftrange as it was, was evidently 
 the work of God i who had declared, he would 
 raife up evil to hiniy out of his own houfe (and 
 did fo, by permittmg the fon's guilt to chaftife 
 the father's); and therefore he concluded, the 
 other was fo too: and, in that perfuafion, he 
 peremptorily commanded his fervants; Let him 
 alone ^ let him curfe-j for the Lord hath bidden 
 
 him. He then immediately added It may 
 
 he^ that the Lord will look on mine affliCiion, and 
 that the Lord will requite me good ^ for his curfing^ 
 this day. Although this was a chaftifemcnt from 
 God upon him, yet, if he bore it as became 
 him, it might become a means of mercy to 
 him: his humble fubmiflion and refignation 
 might call down the divine commifcration upoa 
 his patience and penitence, Davids patience 
 but more inflamed Shimei*s infolcnce. And, 
 
 as 
 
E 4. the Life of King David. 1791 
 
 as David and his fervanrs marched along, Shi- 
 rnei kept pace with them lipon the fide of aa 
 adjacent hill 5 and ftill continued curfing, re- 
 viling, and throwing dufl: and ftones, unchaf- 
 tifed. David endured it all: when he was re- 
 viled, he reviled not again ; when he Jufftved, he 
 threatened not\ but committed h\s caule to Him 
 whojudgeth right eoufiy *. How far he was, la 
 this inftance^ an emblem of his fuffering Son, 
 is not, I hope, hard to difcern, or adventurous 
 to affert. But, as it is not part of my purpofc 
 to purfue this parallel, I forbear; and only beg 
 leave to add, that this palTage is a ftrong in- 
 ftance to fhew, how ftri£t and exemplary a dif- 
 cipline reigned throughout David's forces. I 
 own I have fome doubt, whether a body of 
 European officers, cncompaffing tlieir general, 
 fo treated, would wait his orders to difpatch 
 the reviler. 
 
 How far David marched before he, his fa- 
 mily, and his forces, took, any refrefhmentj is 
 no where mentioned by the facrcd writer: but 
 this defect is fupplicd by Jofepktis, v/lio gives 
 us to undcrfland, that he fuffered his people 
 to take no refrefnment, till they reached the 
 banks of Jordan. Here then let us leave him 
 for a while, and return 10 Ahfalom. 
 
 When *Z)^w^ quitted Jerufalem^it was upon 
 apcrfualion, xS^2X AhfalGm would make all the 
 haftc he could to poilefs himlclf of the ca- 
 pital, and, if poffible, to furprifc his father in it. 
 
 N 2, And 
 
i8o An Hijiorical Account of B» 4* 
 
 And as he judged, fo it came to pafs; for he, 
 and all his people, immediately marched to 
 Jenifalem^ and Abithophel with him. And it 
 {hould feem, from the facred hiftorian, that they 
 arrived there a confiderable time before T)avid 
 reached the banks of the Jordan. For, when 
 Hupai came to the city, he found Abfalom 
 in quiet pofleflion, and juft going to call a 
 council upon the prefent pofture of affairs: Hu- 
 JJmi, mindful of his inftruftions, loft no time 
 to pay his court, and profefs his allegiance: 
 but, immediately coming up to Jbfalom, ad- 
 dreiled him in the cuftomary form of falutation 
 to kings J or rather, with a feemingly peculiar 
 zeal for his fervice, he redoubled the falutation, 
 God favethek'wgl God fave the king] Abfalom', 
 amazed at what he heard, upbraided him with 
 
 his ingratitude, in deferting T>avid and asked 
 
 him i Is this thy kindnefs to thy friend? He did 
 not dare to fay. To my father (lor that queftioii 
 would have carried a heavier reproach, upon 
 himrclf)j and therefore he mentioned only the 
 relation which Hujlmi had to l^a^vidh and, dwell- 
 ing upon that, asked him. Why he went not 
 with his friend? In anfwer to which, HuJJmi 
 gave him to undcriland, that his allegiance was 
 governed by other principles than thofe of pri- 
 vate fricndlhipj that the appointment of God, 
 ^iv^ the elcdion of his people, determined him 
 in the objed of his duty : and what Ihould 
 hinder him from ferving the fon with as much 
 fidelity, as he had ferved the father? The at- 
 tentive reader will, I am periuadcd, &^d this 
 
 falutation J 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 181 
 
 falutation, and whole apology, as evidcnti}'' 
 evafive, and calculated to delude, as art could 
 contrive them i for he neither prays perfonally 
 for Ahfalorn^ nor profefles allegiance to him : 
 yet the bait took, and Abfaloms felf-fufficiency, 
 grofs as the delufion was, fwallowed it whole. 
 And Hitpoai [vjho was confidered as a ^^ood 
 courtier, that followed fortune) was immedi- 
 ately admitted of his council, though not of 
 his cabinet. The confuitation then began. 
 What was to be done next? Knd Ahithophel^ 
 the arch-counfellor, immediately advifed Ab fa- 
 lorn to go in to his father's concubines, which 
 he had left to keep the houfe, before the face 
 of all Ifrael'^ an aftion which would demon- 
 ftrate his enmity to his father irreconcilable; 
 and confequenriy, fuch as would firmly attach 
 all thofe to his intereft, who were difafFcded 
 to David^ when they once faw they were out 
 of ail danger of being facrificed to any future 
 poflible reconciliation between the father and 
 fon. An advice for the prefent, and in ap- 
 pearance, wife, but in reality pernicious. Could 
 not this long-headed, fagacious ftncfman fore- 
 fee, that this action, for which fome men would 
 now become more attached to Abjalom^ muft 
 one day make him deteftable in their eyes, 
 when they refle£ted upon the horror of it ? A 
 guilt made mortal by the law of God*, and 
 not named even among the Gentiles : a guilt 
 for which they muft one day judge him tiiore 
 
 * Levit. XX, II. 
 
 N 3 worthy 
 
1 8 2 j4n Hijhfkal Account of B. 4 . 
 
 worrhy to lofe his crown, than Reuben his 
 
 birth-right < However, this hcllifh advice was 
 immediately embraced j for Akithofkel'% advice 
 was then deemed as unerring, as if the oracl^ 
 of God had dictated itf. A tent was im- 
 mediately iprcad upon the houfe-top; and Ab- 
 falom ijvent in unto his father s concubineSy in 
 tie fight of all If ae I, An ad icri of fuch pro- 
 fligate impiety, and abandoned impudence, as 
 ir were to be wifhed no fun had feen, or 
 hidory related. Then was ^David's adultery 
 (planned^ and, it may be, perpetrated in tiic 
 fame place) judicially chaftifed, and God's venge- 
 ance, denounced upon it by his prophet^ 
 fignally executed; and his wives prollituted in 
 the jgkt of the fim^, 2 Sam. xii. 11. But, 
 before this was done, Ahithophel advifed, that 
 twelve thoufand choice men might be put 
 under his command, with whom he would 
 undertake to purfue and attack T)avid\ which 
 he muft do to great advantage, when he (bould 
 come upon him, weary and we a k- handed y as he 
 himfelf cxpreffed it, which could fcarcely fail 
 to ftrike a terror into the few forces which 
 attended him : and^ when they fled, the king 
 would become an eafy prey. He then added, 
 that he would fmitc the king only^ and proclaim 
 pardon to all the reft 5 by which means, he 
 
 * I Chron. v. i. f 2 Sam. xvi. 23. 
 
 ^ N. B The Hehretjo word, which is here rendered *vji<ves, 
 3s, in the fifteenth chapter of the fecond book oi Samuel, verfe 
 i6rh, tranflated 'uj'me?!: and therefore whoever attends to the 
 originail, will find Naihan'b prophecy upon this point literally ac- 
 complifhcd. 
 
 would 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 183 
 
 would eafily bring over their allegiance to Ah- 
 faloniy and Jead them all back in fubaiiilion 
 to him; or, if they were not immediately 
 brought back, yet the killing of the king would 
 efFeftuaily end the conteft : /, fays he, will fmite 
 the king only. And I will bring back all the 
 people unto thee. The man whom thou feekejly 
 is as if all returned: Jo all the people flail be in 
 peace. 
 
 The attentive reader will eafily perceive, 
 that this advice well juftifics the charadler given 
 of him in the Scripture: it was, in its feveral 
 parts, admirably fitted, both to the inclinations 
 and intcreft of his pupil: he configned him 
 to his pleafures, and took all the danger to 
 himfelf$ and at the fame time he relieved his 
 little remains of humanity^ (if he had any) 
 from the neceffity of embraing his hands in his 
 father's blood, His inced was, for the pre- 
 fent, perfonal guilt enough : that ad of outrage 
 would make Abfalom's reconciliation with his 
 father^ defperate: and, whilft he indulged his 
 evil appetite, Ahithophely with a chofen band, 
 would purfue and fiirprife "David. Nothing 
 could be more worldly wife, or more helliOily 
 wicked; it was indeed as the advice of aa 
 oracle, but very different from that diftatcd by 
 the Spirit of God. And yet, horrid as it 
 v^as, it pleafed that vile fon, and his aflbciates: 
 And the faying pleafed Abfalom welly (fays the 
 facred writer) and all the elders oflfrael. How- 
 ever, for greater fecuriry, Abfalom refolved to., 
 idvii<? with Hujhai alfo, whofe counfcl he knew 
 
 N 4 wai 
 
184 -^^ Hijlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 was of great weight with his father : and accord- 
 ingly fending for hirn, and telling him what 
 Ahithophel advifed, in relation to the attempt 
 upon his father, he dcfired to know his opinion 
 upon that point. To which Htifhai^ continu- 
 ing his train oF delujion^ anfwered with great 
 fubtilty and addrefs, The co^infel that Ahithofhel 
 hath ghefiy is not good at this time. 
 
 The apparent fcnfe of this equivocation was, 
 that, iiowever that great cognfellor excelled 
 in other inftances of wifdom, yet in this he 
 failed. Ke then fet himfelf to oppofe every 
 article oiAhtthopheh advice, fome openly, and 
 others covertly, with fignal dexterity, and plaii- 
 fibility of reafon. fie began with making a 
 lively and dreadful defcription of the enemies 
 Abfalom had to deal with : that T)avid and his 
 worthies, who attended him, were all mighty 
 men of war; at all times terrible to the braveft 
 foes j but much more fo at this time, when, being 
 driven from their families, they were as (b many 
 enraged bears robbed of their whelps 3 and when, 
 in the firft furious efforts of their rage, they 
 fhould flrike a terror into their invaders, which 
 they would not fail to do, the panic would 
 eafily be diffufcd through the reft of their 
 purfuers, and intimidate the braveft of his forces. 
 Befidci all this, the projed of furprifing ^David 
 was very little coniidercd -, he was a man too 
 guarded for fuch an attem.pt i and was, before 
 that time, well fecured in fome fecret and 
 kpanre retreat, (for all fuch were well known 
 ro him) out of the reach, of furprize. His ad- 
 
 4 vice 
 
B, 4* ^^^ ^^P ^f ^i^g David. 185 
 vice therefore was, that Abfalom fhould wait 
 till he had a complete army, made up of the 
 braveft men of all the tribes, to which every thing 
 muft yield; headed h"} Ahfalam\\\m{^\i in per- 
 fon (infinuating that the glory of the victory 
 belonged to him alone, and that nobody fhould 
 pretend to rob him of it). And whereas it 
 was urged by AhithopheU that he would fmire 
 the king only, as if all Akfaloms ends were to 
 be attained by his death, Hujhai infinuates, that 
 the death of competitors was as neccflTary as that 
 of the king, at leaft his death who was di- 
 vinely defigned for the throne. And therefore 
 he adds, that they fhould come upon T^avid^ 
 where he could not be concealed, and whence 
 be could not efcape*, nor any one of thofd that 
 were with him: and that, if he refuged him- 
 felf, for more fecurity, in any one of the cities 
 of IfraeU they would have numbers enough 
 to pull it down, ftone by (lone, about his ears. 
 The expreflion in the original is very remark- 
 able : Then Jhall all Ifrael bring ropes to that 
 city, and we will draw it into the river. The 
 meaning of which threat I apprehend to be this ; 
 
 * The original text is, in this place, very beautiful and ex- 
 preffive : Bo Jhall nve come upon him in fome place nvhere he Jhall 
 be found y and nve fwill light upon him as the denu falleth on the 
 ground: and of him ^ and of all the men that are nvith him^ there 
 Jhall not he left Jo much as one. The dew in Palefine (as in ieveral 
 Other climates) falls fafl: and fudden ; and is therefore no unapt 
 emblem of an adlive expeditious foldiery : and it was perhaps for 
 this reafon, that the Romans called their light-armed forces rorarii. 
 The dew falls upon every fpot of the earth ; not a blade o{ grafs 
 efcapes it. A numerous army refembles it in this refpedt ; ic is 
 able (0 fparch every-where. 
 
 That 
 
1 86 An Hi ft or teal Account of B. 4. 
 
 That they would come before that city with 
 thofe cranes*, or hooks, which the antients 
 were wont to throw upon the battlements of 
 walls; and with which, by the help of ropes 
 faftened to them, they were wont to pull them 
 down piece-meal mto the rivers or trenches 
 (filled with water) which encompaffcd them. 
 As Ahithophel'^x.o^oi^\2& imaginable advantage 
 to the evil caufe he was engaged in^ from ex- 
 pedirion^ upon that principle mentioned by Ta- 
 citus, That nothing determines civil dilcords 
 fo happily as difpatchs Hupai, on the contrary, 
 wholly laid himfelf out to protraft, and to de- 
 lay. For delay would not only ward oST)avids 
 prefenr danger, but would alfo, as the fame 
 Tacitus oh\cy\cSj give ill men time to repent, 
 and the good to unite. And it is certain, that, 
 in all contcfis of this kind, that remark of 
 Jy/i;/ Will always hold good^ That, when men 
 have time to think, there will never be want- 
 ing who will be glad to gain the favour of 
 the right Mc^ by adhering to the public good. 
 Thcfc were the principles of Hufiais advice 5 
 and his advice as much better fuitcd to Abfa- 
 lorns cruelty, as well as his vanity, and feem- 
 ingly to the intereO: of his ambition, as well 
 as the fafcty of his followers, (who cared tO' 
 put nothing to the hazard of a fmall party) 
 ^afily prevailed : for fo it fcemed good to Al- 
 mighty GoQ, to infatuate the counfels of Da- 
 vid's enemies, and defeat their devices, 
 
 "^ See Kollins Hiftory, Vol. xii. Plate the 25th explained. 
 
B. 4t the Life of King D a v i B. 187 
 
 CHAP XL 
 
 JiuOci^i fends David Intelligence of all that 
 pajfed in Abfalom'j" Council^ eai^neflly 
 intreating him to pafs over Jordan that 
 very Night ; which was done accord- 
 ingly, Ahithophel'j fudden and fad 
 End, Mr, Bayle'^ important Decifo?i 
 upon HufLaiV Deception of Abfalon> 
 confidered^ with all the Deference due 
 to it. 
 
 ABSALOM'S council had no foonec 
 broken up, than Hujhai haflcd to Zadok 
 and Abiathar^ to inform them of what paiTcd ;^ 
 and to ad life them to fend 7) <^i;/<i immediate 
 intelligence of it; adding this particaiar cautiori 
 and advice from himielf, to the king, That he 
 fhould by no means think of rerting all night in 
 the vvildernefs; but make all pollible difpatch 
 to pafs the Jordan with his houfhoid, and all 
 his torces, Left the king^ fayshe^^^ (wallowed 
 Upy and all the people tf at are with htm. 
 
 Now Jonathan and Ahimaazi, who were to 
 carry the intelligence, had not yet returned intq 
 the city 5 but found fome pretence for tarrying 
 without the walls, at a place called En-rogel, or 
 The Fuller s Fountain s and, probably^ upon fome 
 pretence of wafhing and cleanfing themfelves 
 from fome legal pollution. And their farhers 
 
 had 
 
1 8 8 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 had no way of communicating Htijhai's advice 
 to them, but by the means of a girl, whom, 
 doubtleff, they knew to be intelligent and faith- 
 ful ', and luch a perfon, being a (afe meffenger, 
 muft, in all probability, have been a very proper 
 one, bccaufe IcafI: liable to be fufpededi for 
 what could be lefs lo, than a girl going to a 
 well, where fuch perfons have calls at all times? 
 However, notwithft^nding all their caution, 
 they were obfcrved by a ladj^ (who informed 
 Ahjalom) and imaiediarely purfued. Jonatkan 
 and Jhimaaz made the bed of their way, with 
 all poflible dilpatch, towards ©^lv^^; but, find- 
 ing' thcmfelvcs hotly purfued. they fled to a 
 friend's houfe mBakurimy who having a well 
 in his court-yard, which probably was then dry, 
 or, at leaft, not very deep, they went down into 
 it 5 where a woman, covering the well, and 
 fpreadin?; fome ground corn over it, as it were 
 to be funned and dried, effedually concealed 
 them. Abfalom''^ meflengcrs were clofe at their 
 heels; and, inquiring of the woman where Jo- 
 nathan and /Ibimaaz, were, (which fufficiently 
 implies that they had feen them turn into the 
 houfc) fhe told them, as Jofephus and the Vul- 
 gate underOand the text, That they juft drank 
 a little water, and haded forward. Upon which 
 thcv continued their purfiiit; but, not being 
 able to find them, after all the fearch and in- 
 quiry rhcy could make, they returned iojeru- 
 jdlerii, And a$ foon as they were returned, "Jo- 
 natkayi aid Jhimaaz, came up from their con- 
 ceaimau, uad made the beft of theiv way to. 
 ' , Davtd\ 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 189 
 
 ^avid\ whom they informed of all that had 
 paflcd in Abfaloms council, and added Hufiai's 
 carneft advice and intreaty, that he would im-* 
 mediately pafs over the river, and place himfelf 
 and his people in fafety, from furprize, in cafe 
 things fhould take another turn> and Ahithophets 
 countcl prevail over Hujhai's. David inftantly 
 obeyed the friendly monition given him, with 
 fuch diligence and difpatch, that before the next 
 morning he and all his people were fafe on the 
 other fide of the Jordan : which, as it required 
 a confiderable number of boats, or floats of 
 fome icind^ to convey them over a river not 
 fordable, muft^ in all probability, have been at- 
 tended with fome circumftanccs of felicity, 
 favoured by Providence. And we need not 
 doubt, but he now took as much care to retard 
 the patfage of his enemies, in cafe they purfued 
 him, as he had before done, to dilpatch his 
 own. 
 
 I HAVE often thought, that an hiftory of 
 David's piety, in all the various events of his 
 life, could it be regularly purfued, and clearly 
 conncdcd, would^ under the condudb of a ma- 
 ikrly pen, make one of the moft curious and 
 entertaining (as well as ufcful) relations the 
 world ever beheld. 
 
 We have already feen him fending back the 
 ark of God, as from one unworthy the divine 
 prefcnce and proccdion: we have fccn him 
 alcending Mount Olivet, in ail the diftrefs of 
 humiliation and penitence; his head covered, 
 
 and his feet bare, and weeping as he went, ^ 
 
 Wc 
 
i 50 Ah Hijlorkal Actmmt of fe. 4. 
 
 We have fcen him prollratc on the fummit of 
 it, pouring out his fupplications, and proclaim- 
 . ing his confidence in GoOi 
 
 Let us now follow him to the wildernefs; 
 and there we Ihail fee him again (upon finding, 
 that his enemies took ccunfc I againji him^ and laid 
 wait for his fouljtci-itss/m^^ his f'upplieations in 
 the liiofi- affecting and pathetic ftrains, that ever 
 were penned *. Although his enemies had faid, 
 'uer, i I . God hath forfaken him : purfue him^ 
 and take him ; for there is none to deliver him ^ 
 yet was his hope Oill firong in that GoD, that 
 he would deliver hi?n out of the hand of the un- 
 righteous and cruel man. God, who had pro- 
 teded him in the, vigour of youth, he prayedj 
 and he confided, would not now fail him, in 
 the infirmities of age. What though his own 
 ftrength was decayed? he would go againft his 
 enemies, in thefrnngth of the Lord God] . Now 
 alfo, "izhen I am old and grey -headed ^ O God, 
 for fake me not, until I hansejhewed thy flrength 
 unto thisgeyieration, and thy power tmto all them 
 that are yet to come, 
 
 I T could neither be denied nor difTembled, 
 that he was now reduced to great diftrefsj but, 
 great as his diftreiles were, he had been re- 
 deemed from greater. His enemies looked 
 upon him as a dead man ; but they forgot, how 
 
 * Pfalm Ixxi. In thesy O Lord, hc.^oe I put mytrujf.-- Deli'Vir 
 
 ffts in thy right covfnefs^ avd caiife me to efcape Deli<ver vie, O 
 
 my God y out of the hand of the tvicked^ out of the hand of the un- 
 
 righteous and cruel man-. Caf me not ojf in the time if old agt : 
 
 forfake me noty 'whev my Jlrength faileih. 
 
 \ Ver. 16, 17, 18. 
 
 eafily 
 
B.4« the Lifeof KingT>Avir>. 191 
 
 eafily the hand of God could raife him up again, 
 as from the grave? and not only renew, but 
 augment his grandeur. Thou which haftjhewed 
 me great and /ore troubles, pall quicken me again % 
 andfhalt bring me up again from the depths of the 
 
 earth Thou jhalt increafe my great nefs / 
 
 will alfopraife thee upon thepfaltery , &c. For 
 
 they are confounded^ they are brought intoflamey 
 that feek my hurt. 
 
 So he confided, and fo it came to pafs,- and 
 y^^/^/6^j5?^^/, the enemy's arch- counfei lor, was the 
 firft inftance of God's vengeance upon that rebel 
 race. For finding his hellKh, but faiutary 
 advice to Ahfalom, defpifed, and forefeein^ from 
 thence, that David muft quickly prevail againft 
 his infatuated enemies, he immediately returned 
 to his own city, ptu his houfiold in order, and 
 (in defperation) banged himfelf fays the text^ 
 and died. 
 
 When he had contrived, infpircd, difFafed, 
 and propagated evil, through an innumerable 
 multitude, and loaded his foul with all the hor- 
 rors of complicated guik that hell could devife 5 
 treaciiery, rcbciiion, inceft, parricide! he hur- 
 ried it to all the vengeance due to it from eternal 
 jufiice: to prevent ail poilibility of reparation 
 and repentance, he died in the aft of felf mur- 
 der. So periihcd the great Machiavel of that 
 age; the very wife ft of the very wifemcn of this 
 world! wkofe God is their belly, who fe glory is 
 their pame, and whofe end is defiruEiion, 
 
 But it is time to return to David-—-- 
 
 David 
 
t^i Jn Hijlorical Accomti bf B. 4 ^ 
 
 David and his fon now let themfelves td 
 make the bcft preparations they could ; the one 
 to carry on his unnatural rebellion, and the 
 other to defeat it. 
 
 And here, perhaps, the reader may not 
 think it amifs to leave it awhile, and employ 
 a few moments in refledionSj not foreign from 
 the affair before us. 
 
 And firll : it is remarkable that this rebel- 
 lion was, in all appearance, the real, although 
 remote confequence oi David's adultery. For 
 Bathjheba was the daughter oi Eliam *, and we 
 find Eliam^ the fon of Ahithophel^ among T>a' 
 'Z/'i/s worthiest : confequentlyvthis £//^;;^ was, 
 in all probability^ the i2X\x^ioiBathfl^eba\ and 
 if fo, then may we fairly conclude, that Ahi- 
 thophcl zw^ipi'^zA in this confpiracy, in revenge for 
 the difhonour done to his family, in the perfon 
 of Bathpeba^ which no fubfequent marriage 
 could repair or efface 5 and I think, we may 
 plainly perceive, in the determined cruelty of 
 Ahithopheh advice and refolution to deftroy 
 *X)avid with his own hands, all the malice and 
 rancour of a particular and perional revenge. 
 And if this be the true ftate of the cafe, which I 
 am far from adventuring to pronounce, (for in- 
 deed there are ftrong probabilities on the other 
 fide) then was veriiicd that fine obiervation, in 
 the Wifdom of Solomon^ (recounted among the 
 appointments of Providence) That wherewithal 
 a man Jkmethj by the fame alj'o jhall he be pi- 
 ntfied. 
 
 * 2 Sam. xi. 3. f 2 Sam. xxiii. 34. 
 
 In 
 
B. 4. the Life, of King David, 193 
 
 In the next place I cannot but rcflcd with 
 aftonifhmcnt;, upon the applaufe which .Mr, 
 Bayle hath gained 5 and with horror, upon the 
 evil errors he hath fprcad by his cafuiftry! and 
 particularly in the article of i)^^7^. He is very 
 angry with Httfiat for deceiving Ahfalom\ but 
 much more with T>avid^ for advifing him to it. 
 A conduct which he loads with all the guilt of 
 feducing his friend into a damnable fin, which 
 he fhould rather have loft his crown, than have 
 fuffered him to commit. 
 
 If Mr. Bayle had been acquainted with the 
 firft principles and rudiments of the law of na- 
 ture, he could not but know that Abfalom, a 
 traitor, a murderer, a rebel, (and, as far as in 
 him iay^ a parricide) had, as fuch, forfeited all 
 the rights offociety, but more efpecially as a 
 rebel : for a rebel^ who fets himfelf to overturn 
 the eftablifhcd government, order, and peace of 
 any community, docs, by that hoflile attempt, 
 adually diveft himfelf of all ibciai rights in that 
 community. 'And confequently Hiijlmi could 
 no more be guilty of fin, in deceiving him^ ia 
 order to defeat the purpofes of his villainy, than 
 he could be guilty of a fin, in deceiving a mad 
 dog, and turning him away from murdering his 
 bell: friends. 
 
 It is fcarcely to be imagined, how any cafuift 
 could be fo filiily fcrupulous, as to make the 
 lead doubt, whether any man in his fenfcs had 
 a right to deceive a mad- man, (whofe only de- 
 merit is a dilturbed brain) and delude him fron> 
 
 Vol. II. O his 
 
J 94 J^ Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 his evil purpofcs : how much more then^ a deli- 
 berate, determined traitor^ who had forfeited all 
 the rights of humanity^ as well as fociety? a 
 black parricide, mad with pride> ambition, and 
 cruelty I the word cxceffes and outrages of a 
 corrupt heart ! To defeat the horrid purpofes of 
 this monfter's villainy, to rob him of the glory 
 of maflacrmg the bed friends of his family, of 
 imbruing his hands in the blood of all his bre- 
 thren, and crowning rebellion and murder with 
 parricide! to take meafures to reftore this 
 wretch, once more, to the mercy of a tender 
 forgiving father; and, in confequence, to repent- 
 ance, and a right fenfe of duty, to fave his foul 
 ^ll^e /• — how crying a guilt was it in T>avid^ 
 to form a defign of efFeding all this 5 and how 
 damnable a fm in Hupaiy to execute it ! 
 
 CHAP. XIL 
 
 David goes to Mahanaim, and gathers 
 an Army. Abfalom paffes the Jordan, 
 and pitches in the Land of GJlead. 
 David fends out his Forces again ft 
 him^ under the Co?nmand of ]o2ihy Abi- 
 fliai, and Ittai. 
 
 w 
 
 HEN T>avid had paflcd the Jordan^ he 
 went diredly to Mahanaim, lately the 
 refidenceof JJhbofieth, and antiently the refting- 
 
 place 
 
B. 4- the Life of Ki7tg\i \viy^. 195 
 
 place of Jacob y where God had placed him, 
 under the protedion of two hofts of Angels. 
 The king's diftrefs there, at this time, naturally 
 Jed him to rcfled upon the diftreG of his great 
 anceftor, in the fame place : where being en- 
 compaflcd with a weak and helplcfs family of 
 wives and children^ as 'David now was, news 
 was brought him, that his brother Efaii was 
 coming againft him with a ftiong jDand of men, 
 and, as he had too much reafon to apprehend, 
 with an hoftilc difpofition to deftroy him. Could 
 any thing be more natural, than for David to 
 cry out, upon that occafion, as he doth in the 
 thirty-fourth Pfalm? ver. 6, 7. This poor man 
 cried, and the Lord heard him, and faved him 
 out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord 
 encampeth round about them that fear him, and 
 deliver eth them. That God, who delivered 
 Jacob from his brother, could, with equal eafe, 
 deliver David from his cruel fon. The meek 
 and humble Jacob trufted in God, and was de- 
 livered 5 and why might not David hope for a 
 like deliverance, under the fame fpirit of hu- 
 miliation, and truft in the divine protcdion ? In 
 is fcarcely to be imagined, how David could 
 avoid falling into this train of thinking, in this 
 place, at this time 5 and, if he did fall into it, it 
 is lels to be imagined, how he could icfraia 
 from exprcfling it 5 at lead, fo far, as to leave 
 fome traces and memorials of it behind himj 
 And fuch memorials, (bcfide that now cited) I 
 apprehend, are plainly to be found in the twenty- 
 fccond and twenty-fifth ^falms^^ both of which 
 
 O 2 may 
 
196 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 may very naturally be prefumcd to have been 
 written on this occafion. Thus Vfalm xxii. ver. 
 1, 2, 3, 4, 6cc. My God, look upon me: Why 
 
 haft thou forfaken me? And thou continueji 
 
 holjy O thou 'worjhip of Ifrael Our fathers trufted 
 in thee, and thou didjl deliver them, 6cc. God 
 
 had made good his promifes to Jacob his 
 
 promifes made to him in this very place. The 
 worftotp of Ifrael ftill continued holy : Why then 
 fhould not David hope to have his promifes 
 made good to him alfo, although he was now, 
 in all appearance, upon the very brink of ruin ? 
 So alfo, PfaL xxv. ver. i, &c. My God, 1 have 
 put my tnft in thee ; let me not be confounded^ 
 neither let mine enemies triumph over me : for 
 all they that hope in thee fhall not he af earned -^ 
 but fuch as tranfgrefs without a caufe, fhall be 
 
 put to confufion Lead me forth into thy 
 
 truth Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy 
 
 tender mercies, which have been ever of old 
 
 He then proceeds to implore pardon for his 
 fins, the true caufe of all his calamities. And 
 rightly recollefting, that he himfelf was Jacob's 
 reprefentative^ and heir of the promifes made 
 to him, he concludes, with fupplicating, as in 
 his perfon, Deliver Ifrael, O God^ out of all his 
 troubles. Such fincere penitence, fuch fteady 
 faith, fuch perfcvering piety, could not fail to 
 prevail in the end. His prayers were heard > and, 
 to fhew they were, it pleafed God to infpire 
 (in this critical and decifive jundure) the hearts. 
 of many faithful fubjeds, and brave foldiers^ 
 with %nal zeal for his fervice, and they reforted 
 
 to 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 197 
 
 to him from all quarters, with fuch expedition, 
 and in fuch numbers, that in a few days he had 
 a complete army at his command, which he di- 
 vided into four bodies: one he referved with- 
 in the city, and over the other three he placed 
 three brave captains, Joaby Abifcau and Ittai^ 
 one at the li>ead of each. Provifions alfo of al] 
 kinds were poured in upon him, from perfons 
 of the greateft didindion throughout all the re- 
 gions round about : among whom, Shobi, the 
 fon of Nahajh, of Rabbah of the children of 
 Ammon, is placed firft. And as the provifions 
 fent were in great plenty, (with utenfils of 
 various kinds) Sufficient for David, and all his 
 forces, this fhews the power and wealth of thofe 
 that fupplied them, as well as their affedioa 
 to T>avid, And therefore the inference from 
 hence is natural, that when T)avid chaftifed 
 the agents and inftrumcnts of Hanuns tyranny, 
 he left Shobi in <;he regency of the country, 
 with fuch markb of kindnefs and friendfliip to 
 him, as now engaged Shobi, in his turn, to 
 give the king all pofllble demonftrations of 
 affedioQ and gratitude, in his didrefsj a feafoii 
 in which any other principles, than gratitude 
 and affedion, would have operated m a very 
 different manner. And Ibme of the utenfils 
 fent, the beds particularly, (hew a peculiar and 
 perfonal concern for the eafc and convenicncy 
 both of 'Z)/:2i;/«^and his family 5 and were indeed 
 (in thofe circumlbnces) the proper prcfents of 
 one prince to aaorher, perlbnaliy cilecmed and 
 honoured, 
 
 O5 The 
 
198 A71 Htftorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 The next man of confequence, who diftin- 
 guifhed himfelf in his affcdion and zeal for 
 Davidj on this occafion, was Machir^ the Ton 
 of Ammiel^ of Lodebar^ the friend and proteftor 
 of Mepkibojloethh who, from that very charader, 
 muft be prefumed to have been, at firfl:, in 
 fome dei^reC;, difafFeded to Davids but now, 
 not onlf reconciled, but zealoufly attached to 
 him 5 and probably, in a i^reat mcafure, from 
 the king's moft noble manner of treating Mephi- 
 bopeth. The laft of thofe who had now di- 
 fiinguifhed their zeal for T)avid^ is BarzHlai, 
 the Gileadite ':, a man of a very uncommon 
 charadler, very aged, very wealtny, and very 
 generous! A man, who, wuh all the bodily 
 infirmities of old age, was yet clear of all thofe 
 which dilTionour and deform rhc mind, in that 
 feafon^ equally fuperior to timorous caution, 
 fordid avarice, and unfaited luxury : as will 
 be further -een in the lequel of this hiftory. 
 
 The circumltances now related were all fo 
 many happy beginnings and omens of T>avid's 
 future fuccefs; and pledges of that juft and hum- 
 ble confidence, which he had placed in the 
 divine favour and protedion. Let us leave him 
 to all the confolation of thefe happy hopes, and 
 return to Abfaiom. 
 
 When Abfaiom had indulged his criminal 
 commerce with his father's concubines (as the 
 occafion and circumftances too ftrongly indicate) 
 to fatiety h a fatiety, even in the lowed degree 
 of guilt, confeffedly dreadful 5 he proceeded to 
 reward the merit, and hide the horrors, of his 
 
 inccft. 
 
B. 4« the Life of King V> AY I jy. X99 
 
 inceft, in the pomp and fplcndor of a public 
 coronation, and was accordingly folemnly an- 
 ointed * and crowned. And it is probable, that, 
 by the time this affair was over, he found 
 his forces ftrong enough to attempt upon his 
 father. He gave the chief command of bis 
 army to Amafa, another of David's nephews, 
 the fon of his fifter Abigail : and it is reafon- 
 able to believe, from the words of the text, 
 that his forces were very numerous; for when 
 the facred hiftorian informs us, that Ahfalom 
 pajfed over Jordan^ he adds, he and all the men 
 of Ifrael with him 5 and they pitched 171 the land 
 of Gilead. 
 
 When T^avid found himfelf fufficicntly 
 ftrong to go againft the enemy, he refolved 
 not to wait their coming, but give the aflault; 
 and accordingly marched his forces out of the 
 city, under the three captains before-mentioned, 
 declaring, that he himfelf alfo would go forth 
 with them, and Ihare their fate 5 which his 
 people earneftly difluadcd him from y infiding, 
 that he fhould (lay behind, and, if occafioa 
 were, faccour them from the city 5 for that 
 their defeat, if they fhould fly, was of little 
 confequcnce, wiiiift he was fafe, whofe fuigle 
 life was worth ten thoufand of theirs. 1 he 
 king yielded to their affectionate inrreaties 5 and 
 I am perfuaded, he did it with lefs reludancc:, 
 upon a reflcdion, that he muft orherwit'e go 
 againd his own fubjcds, and draw his fword 
 ^gainll a rebel fon, whom he could woi thinly 
 
 ♦ St^m. xix. 10. 
 
 O 4, of 
 
200 An Hijiorical Account cf B. 4. 
 
 of but with too much tendernefs, in fpire of 
 all his crimes. And, as a proof of this, he, 
 that moment, gave the kindcft charge con- 
 cerning him, to all his captains: "Deal gently^ 
 
 for myfakey with the young man with Abja- 
 
 lorn. He begs them to deal gently with that 
 young man^ as if all his faults were more thofe 
 of his youth, than his nature. But at the fame 
 time, that his people could nor but difcern, 
 in thefe words, the excefs of his weaknefs for 
 that profligate fon 5 they could not but obfcrve 
 alfo, in them, a calm prefage and ailuiancc of 
 their fuccefs againft their enemies. 
 
 A BATTLE quickly enfued, and, I think, 
 Joftphtiss account of it is the leaH: rational 
 and fatisfadory that can well be imagined. 
 He tells us, that Joab put his army in battle- 
 array, ovcr-againft the enemy, in a great plain, 
 with a wood behind him 5 and that the enemy 
 were routed, and driven with great flaughtcr, 
 through the forefts and valleys. 
 
 Now, in the facred writings, we hear but 
 of one wood, in which they tell us the bat- 
 tle was fought; as a!fo, that Davids army 
 niarched out of the city, and gave the aflaulr. 
 This accoiint is very fhorti but thus much I 
 think we may fairly conclude from it, that 
 *David carefully concealed the number of his 
 forces from the enemy 5 in all probability, to 
 make them imagine him much weaker than 
 in tri|th he was. And it is highly probable, 
 that it was to this end alfo, that he divided 
 his army intq three bodies^ under three fcveral 
 
 captains* 
 
B. 4. the Life of King D a v i d, 201 
 
 captains. Now, if wc fuppofc two of thefe bodies 
 carefully lodged and concealed in the fides of the 
 wood oi Epkraim, (where the battle was fought) 
 and the thiid let out from the centre of it, 
 (by "Jo.iby for inftancc) againft the enemy 5 and^ 
 upon the affaiilt, retiring, and, as it were, dri- 
 ven back again by the enemy into the heart 
 of the wood 5 and that then David's forces, 
 who had lined the wood, ftarred up from their 
 cover, upon a fignal given^ and affaulted Ab-- 
 faioms army in flank on either fide 5 nothing 
 can be imagined more likely to throw them 
 into the urn^oft confuuon and confternation 5 
 andjof confcq^ience, to gain '''David 2i complete 
 victory. Aiid^, without Ibme fuch fuppofition 
 as this, it is fcarcely to be imagined^ how an 
 univerfal battle fliould be fought in a wood 5 
 and how a lefs army could there dellroy a 
 greater; or how that greater could be driven 
 through a wood^ which, according to Jojephus's 
 account, lay at the back of their enemies. Nor 
 indeed, in my apprehenfion, is the text intelli^ 
 gible, but upon fome fuppofition of this kindi 
 which tells us, literally, that the people (that is, 
 "David's forces) went out into the field againft 
 Ijrael^ and the battle was in the wood of Ephra- 
 im, where the people of Ifrael were flain before 
 thefervants of David, Which plainly (hews, that 
 "Davids forces fought not to any efFedl, till 
 they retreated into the wood ; and there they 
 exerted themfelves with full vl2:our ai^ainft their 
 enemies 5 which is unimaginable, upon any other 
 fuppofition, than that they there had them to 
 
 more 
 
ao2 An Hijlortcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 niore advantage ; probably, from the ambufhes 
 there laid againft them. 
 
 In this general rout, Ahjalom fled amongft 
 the reft, and was rnet by fome of the fervants 
 of IDavid'y who revering the king's command, 
 let him pafs unhurt: yet he efcaped notj for 
 whom they would not arreft, the divine ven- 
 geance did: for, as he fled on his mule. The 
 fnuky fays the text^ v:ent undtr the thick boughs of 
 a great oak^ and his head caught hold of the oak^ 
 and he was taken up between the heaven and the 
 earthy and the mule that was under him went 
 away. 
 
 In this pofture, one of Joab*s foldiers faw 
 him, and informed his general of what he faw, 
 and was reproved by him for not difpatching 
 the traitor, when he had him in his power 5 
 which if he had done, he would have given 
 him ten fhekels of filvcr, and a military girdle. 
 To which the foldier replied, That, although 
 he fhould give him a thoufand fhekels of filver, 
 he would not difobey the king's command, 
 ifiucd, in his own hearing, to all his captains : 
 and that, if he had diiobc) cd it, he fhouid have 
 aded a lye againft his own life 5 for nothing 
 was concealed from the king, and perhaps Joab 
 himfeif would have been the firft to intorm 
 him. At this, Joab turned from him in a 
 chafe ; and, taking three darts in his hand, he 
 thruji them, fays the text, through the heart of 
 Abfaloniy while he ^ujas yet alive in the midjl of 
 the oak i and ten youvg men, that bare Joab's 
 armour, compaffed about ^ andfimte Akjalorn, and 
 Jlew him. This 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 203 
 
 This done, Joab founded a retreat, and 
 put an end to the carnage of the enemy. And 
 when the foldiers were all returned from the 
 purfuit, they took down Abfalom from the tree, 
 threw him into a great pit in the wood, and 
 laid a great heap of ftones upon him. Stone- 
 ing to death was the legal punifhment of re- 
 bellion againft parents 5 and therefore they, who 
 could not chaftife him living, for this fin, now 
 branded him dead, as he deferved *. It leems, 
 having no fon to continue his name, he had 
 eredled a monument to it, hewn out of the 
 living rock, which he meant to be of perpetual 
 duration, and may perhaps be fo, (for it is 
 ftill extant, and no defpicable remain of antient 
 architecture) if it be not buried in the ftones 
 thrown at it, in dcteftation of his memory, by 
 all that pafs by it. For now this work of 
 vanity is become a memorial of reproach. 
 Strange power of guilt, which can, in one mo- 
 ment, turn all the devices of vanity, all the 
 memorials of excellence, all the fecurities of 
 fame, into monuments of infamy. 
 
 Thus fell this cruel, this murderous, this 
 inceftuous parricide! and with him twenty 
 thoufand of his rebel adherents 5 fome by the 
 fword in battle, and in flight, (for they were 
 Icattered over the face of all the country) but 
 more in the wood, being probably wedged to 
 death betv/een trees, trampled upon ftump.% 
 
 * And this, I apprehend, gave rife to the cuflom amongft us of 
 throwing heaps of ftones upon the graves of maiefadors, altho' it 
 vyasof earlier ufe among the J^wj;, Jpfh. vii. 26. 
 
 and 
 
2C4 -^n Hifiorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 and tumbled into pit- falls, in the prefs and hurry 
 of their flight 5 and fome of them, perhaps, de- 
 voured by wild beads, where they hoped to be 
 concealed. 
 
 When the battle was over^ Ahimaaz begged 
 to be made the mefTenger of this good fuccefs 
 to the king: but 'Joab^ who loved him, and 
 knew how difagreeable the account of AbJalG?n% 
 fate would be to T>avid, refufed to let him be 
 the bearer of fuch unwelcome news. And, 
 calling to one of his attendants, whofe name 
 was Cufhi, bid him go and tell the king what be 
 had feen. j4nd Ctifii^ fays the text, bowed him- 
 p^lj-' and ran. However, Ahimaaz^ revolv- 
 ing Joab*s reafon for refufing to fend him on 
 that errandj and recoil efting that he could diftin- 
 guilh between what was agreeable, and what 
 was diftaftcful to the king, in the fuccefs of that 
 day, begged to be permitted to run after Ctifhi 5 and 
 Joab gave way to his importunity: and he, take- 
 ingthe advantage of an eafier road^ outran Cufii. 
 
 One of 2)^^'7W's watchmen efpied themfpeed- 
 ing forward, and immediately informed the 
 king; who hearing of one man coming alone, 
 concluded him a meiicnger fent by Joab, with 
 fome account of the battle : and the watchman 
 then calling out. That he faw another man run- 
 ning alone, the king concluded, that he alfo 
 was fent with further news; and, upon the 
 watchman's telling him, That he took the fore- 
 moft to be Ahmiaaz, the fon o( Zadok, the king 
 faidy He is a good fnan, andbringeth good tidings. 
 And when Abimaa^ came within hearing, he 
 
 cried 
 
B. 4.^ the Life of King David. 205 
 
 cried out. All is well: and coming up to the 
 king, fell proftrate before him, and blcffed 
 God for the deliverance wrought in his favour 
 againft his rebel fubjeds. The king then eagerly 
 inquiring^Whether Ahfalom were fafe ? Ahimaaz 
 anfwered, that when he came away, he faw a 
 great tumult; but could not tell what it meant. 
 
 The king, doubtlefs, apprehended theworft; 
 and Akimaazs diffimulation had this good ef- 
 fed, that it prepared him for it. 
 
 CusHi came up foon after, and repeated the 
 joyful tidings, that Ahmaaz» had brought. And, 
 being alfo asked, \i Abfalom were fafe? he an- 
 fwered with a wifh, That all the king's enemies 
 might be as that young man. The king could 
 notftand the account j but immediately ran up 
 to his chamber, to give vent to his diftrefs : yet 
 could not refrain from tears and lamentations, 
 even till he got thither 5 but was heard crying 
 outj as he went, O my fan Ahfalom! my foUy my 
 Jon Abfalom ! Would God 1 had died for theCy 
 
 Abfalom ! my fon^ my fon ! 
 
 The king's command to fpare Abfalom^ was 
 indeed an extraordinary inftance of meicy 
 (equalled only in him, who, dying, prayed for 
 his murderers) $ yet it is to be accounted for 
 from* his fatherly fondnei's, and the benignity of 
 his nature. But there is fomethu:jg aftoniQiing 
 in this excefs of grief for (lich a reprobate 5 and, 
 
 1 confefs, it is, to me, utterly unaccountable, 
 from any other principle, than the (ad and Hiock- 
 ing refledion, of his having died with all his 
 fins upon his heads and gone down quick to 
 perdition, 8 I can 
 
2o6 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 I c A N recolka but one man in all the ac- 
 counts of antiquity, whofe charader will bear 
 to be compared with Abfalom'%\ and that is, 
 Cyrus the younger. 
 
 Cyrus was allowed the completeft, mofl: 
 accomplifhed man among the VerfianSy as jibfa- 
 lorn among the Ifraelites. There is nothing par- 
 ticularly faid of his beauty (except, that he had a 
 great quantity of long hair) : but as he is allowed 
 the moft majeftic man among the PerJianSy after 
 the elder Cyr«J", who was remarkably beautiful, 
 and as perfonal advantages always entered into the 
 idea of a majeftic man, in the earlier ages; it is 
 
 probable, that Cyrus alfo excelled in thefe 
 
 They were both royally defcended ; both im- 
 moderately ambitious 5 both bent upon deftroy- 
 ing their brothers, who flood in their way to 
 the throne 5 and both laid trains to deftroy 
 them. Cyrus mifcarried in his attempt; but 
 Abfalom fucceeded in his. Both were pardoned 
 thefe crimes, for which they deferved to die : 
 and both no fooner pardoned, than they formed 
 a defign of rebellion againft the perfbns who 
 forgave them ; which they carried on by a long 
 train of pradifed popularity, calumny, and diffi- 
 mulation. And, to conclude, they both died 
 in rebellion, and in battle ; the one againft his 
 father, the other againft his brother : and both 
 died childlefs, at leaft without heirs to continue 
 their name. Here indeed rhey differed: jirta- 
 ocerxes infulted the remains of his rebellious bro- 
 ther. David lamented the death of his rebellious 
 
 fon. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
B.4« the Life of King 'Dp^ Yin. 26'f 
 
 CHAR XIIL 
 
 David, grieving to Excefsy is reproved 
 by Joab. and brought to appear in 
 public. Meafures are concerted with 
 Zadok and Abiathar, for his Refi ora- 
 tion. "The King returns to his Capital. 
 
 WHEN "David's army perceived his affli- 
 dion, they confidcred themfelvcs, as a 
 kind of criminals, who had contravened the 
 king's command, and were, upon that fcore, in 
 difgrace with him : and for that reafon they ftole 
 back to the city in filence ; as men, not lefs 
 afhamed of the battle they had won, than if they 
 had fled from their enemies : by which means 
 the viftory of that day was turned into mournings 
 unto all the people. 
 
 When ^oab returned from the field, and faw 
 the king abandoned to grief, and lamenting his 
 fon ia a moft diftrefsful manner, the people alfo 
 difconfolate, hanging down their heads, and 
 hiding themfelves; he broke in upon the king, 
 without any previous form or rcfcrve; and, 
 giving a full loofe to the impetuofity of his 
 nature, fiercely reproached him with a moft 
 unkind and unbecoming behaviour to a brave 
 army, who had juft faved him and his family 
 from deflrudion 5 and' yet were treated as fo 
 many cowards and traitors 5 and a rcbellio us, 
 reprobate fon, fo far preferred to all their united 
 
 merits,, 
 
20 8 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 merits, that he was well fatisficd, that if all they 
 had perilhed in tlieir duty, and that fingle fon 
 furvived, it had been matter of joy to their 
 fovereign. He then added a furious threat, and 
 confirmed it by a folemn oath, by the Jiving 
 God, that if he did not inftantly quit his apart- 
 ment, appear in public, and treat his people as 
 they deferved, they would that moment defert 
 him, as one man 5 which would be far worfe 
 than all the calamities that had hitherto befallen 
 him. 
 
 The king, however offended by this rough 
 treatment, and ofFenfive truth, neverthelefs, 
 thought fit to diffemble his refentment for the 
 prefent, and inimediately left his chamber, and 
 went to the gate, the feat of public jufticc, where 
 he gave audience to the people : who imme- 
 diately reforted thither in crouds to him 5 and 
 were received, and treated by him, as they de- 
 ferved 5 or rather, as well as his prefent diftrefs 
 would allow. 
 
 David, nowvidorious over a rebel army, 
 totally ruined and routed, had it fully in his 
 power to take ample revenge of all thofe, whole 
 treachery and infidelity (which had fo lately 
 brought him to the brink of ruin) well deferved 
 to be feverely chaftifed. And it is evident, that 
 if he had had any thing revengeful or fanguinary 
 in his nature, he couid now want no pretext, 
 either of jufticc or policy, to indulge it to the 
 full : but he was governed by very different prin- 
 ciples; and faw the whole affair of his fon's 
 rebellion^ and his own conqueft, in another 
 
 light. 
 
Bo4- the Life of King 1l)av 1^3. 20g 
 
 light. He knew the firft to be the eflpeft of his 
 guilty and the laft the fruit of his penitence and 
 humiliation before God; and therefore made 
 no other change in his condud, than from prayer 
 and penitence, to gratitude and thankfgiving^ 
 and a patient humble expcQation of his provi- 
 dential difpofal of the event. Nor did he fail 
 of his rewards for now it Teemed good to the 
 great Governor of the worlds who at his plea- 
 (wxcjlilleth the raging ofthefea, and the madnefs 
 of thepeopley to turn the hearts of 2)^^'i^'s fab- 
 jeds^as it were, in one inftant, in his favours 
 infomuch that they now returned to their duty^ 
 with as much eager zeal, as they had, but a few 
 days before, rufhcd into rebellion againd him. 
 And now their only contention was, which of 
 their tribes (hould moft fignalize their loyalty 
 and affection for their fovefeign. They now 
 recolleded the many deliverances from theic 
 enemies, wrought for them by his hand; and 
 could not but find it an ill return for thole bleiT- 
 ings, to drive him out of h-is kingdom. They 
 refleded, that the man, in whofe fjvour they 
 rebelled, was dead; and what could they now do 
 better than return to their duty, i^,n<i reinftate 
 their lawful fovereign on his throne? The only 
 quellion was, how they iliould goto work, and 
 where they (hould begin. Things do nor eaiily 
 fall into their antient and true order, after fo 
 much tumult and Gonfufion, as was now fpread 
 through the land \ and David rightiy judged^ 
 that it required the skill and addrcfs of fome 
 men of wifdom, and weight with the people. 
 Vox-. IK P ^ to- 
 
2 16 An Htjiorkal Account of B. ;J« 
 
 to fet things right, and condud them in tkeir 
 natural courfe : and accordingly he chofe Zadok 
 and Ablathar^ the priefts, to be his agents ia 
 the affair 5 and advifed them to apply them- 
 fclves, firft, to the tribe of Judah 5 and to re- 
 prove their delay and inadivity in taking proper 
 meafures for bringing the king back 5 efpecially 
 when they knew, that all the other tribes were 
 intent upon his reftoration^ and had given him 
 flrong aliurances to that purpofe. And, to in- 
 fluence them more cffeftually, the king added 
 this kind meflage to them, from his own mouth : 
 Te are my brethren^ ye are my bones ^ and myfefi : 
 Wherefore then are ye the lafl to bring back the 
 
 king? And forafmuch as Jocib's credit with 
 
 the army had for a long time been infnpporrable 
 to T^avidi had formerly protedled him under 
 the guilt of Abners murder, and lately under an 
 avowed contempt of his fovereiga's commands > 
 ©^w^ judged this a fit opportunity of humbling 
 his infolence, and reprelling his power, by 
 placing Amafa at the head of hi^ forces : and 
 accordingly he fent him a kind meflage, to 
 remind him of his near relation to his prince, 
 and to affure him of the fupremc command in 
 the army, if he returned to his duty. This kind 
 treatment of that rebel, captain of the hoftile 
 hofl:, and all his rebel adherents, had all the 
 €ffed that he could hope for ; it touched their 
 hearts, and melted them into loyalty and affec- 
 tion; and they immediately deputed the heads 
 of their tribe to wait upon the king, and invite 
 him t^ return $ and he immediately complied 
 
 5 with 
 
B. 4« th Life of Kif'^ty wii^. 211: 
 
 with their requeft, and began his progrefs to the 
 river Jordan 5 and had not gone far, before the 
 principal perlbns of his whole tribe met him^ ia 
 a body, to condudl him over the river. Shi7nei 
 alfo, the Benjamite^ who had lo lately reviled and 
 curfed the king, now waited upon him, attended 
 by a thoufand men of his tribe; and, falling 
 down at ^Va'vids feci:, Gonfefied his guilr, and 
 his pcrverfcnefs, and implored forgivenefs 5 add- 
 ing, with a very refined addrefs, Thy fervant 
 doth know^ that I have finned: therefore y behold 
 lamcomethefirji, this day ^ of all the hotife of 
 Jojeph^ to go down to meet my lord the king. 
 
 He very well knew, that a Bcnjamite-, ot the 
 family of Sauly Game but ill recommended to 
 T^avid^ under that charafter; and therefore he 
 would not denominate himfelf from Benjamin^ 
 but from Jofeph, his beloved brother. Abipmii 
 who had before fo highly refented his vile treat- 
 ment of T) avid J thought this a fit feafon for 
 wreaking his revenge; and accordingly reminded 
 the king of Shimei'^ infolence, in hopes of his 
 permiffion to chattife it; which 'Z)^i;/^ refufed 
 with indignation, and a reproof, becoming a 
 great king : tVhat have I to do with yoUy ye fons 
 ofZeniiahy that ye ^ould this day be advetfaries 
 to me? (Was this the duty of their relation, to 
 aft the part of liis worft enemies ?) Shall any ma^t 
 be put to death this day in Ifrael? Iknow that I 
 am this day king over Ifrael. Should the day of 
 his reconcilement to his people be blcmifhed 
 with blood? He knew himfelf a king, not of 
 one party, but of his whole people 5 and there- 
 
 P 3 fora 
 
212 An Hijlcrical Account of B. 4^- 
 
 fore wifely rciblved, that his fatherly afFcdioa 
 fhould extend to them all. He knew himfelf a 
 fovereig^n, and he knew, that mercy and for- 
 givencfs were the nobleft privileges of fove- 
 reignty. And^ when he had fignified this, he 
 turned to Sh'tmei^ pronounced his pardon, and 
 confirmed it with an oath, that he fhould not die. 
 
 With Shimei went Zil)a alfo, the llandercr 
 qI Mephibofieth^^im his fifteen fons, and twenty 
 fervants, to meet, and to do obcifance to the 
 king, and condud him over the river : to which 
 purpofe the people oijudah prepared a boat, 
 which firft carried over the king's houfnold, and 
 then returned to carry over the king: and with 
 him, bis aged and faithful (licnd Barzii/ai^ the 
 ^ GileaditC'^ who had fo generoufly, and fo amp]}', 
 provided for liis fuftenance^ while he lay at 
 Makanaim^ The king;, unwilling to be outdone 
 in generofity^ would fain have prevailed upon 
 him to go with him to jerufaUrn, znd. allow 
 him to take care of him there, for the reft of his 
 life, that he might have continual opportuni- 
 ties of expreffing his gratitude, and repaying 
 what he owed him : h'oxBarztilai^ in a fpirit of 
 true wifdom, and becoming moderation, de- 
 clined this generous offer. The plcafures of a 
 court had no charms for him, in that advanced 
 aG;e : he was then fourfcore years old ; his fcnfcs 
 and appetites were long fince palled, and both 
 niuficand banquets had loft all their rclifli. He 
 therefore begged the king to give him leave to 
 wait upon him over the river, and then return 
 ?Q his own city 3 there to die in ^Qzcc^andbe 
 
 laid 
 
B. 4» the Life of King T> kN\v>. 213 
 
 laid in the grave of his father and his mother. 
 But, if his majcfty pleafcd, he might take his foti 
 Chimham with him^ and deal wirh him as he 
 thought proper. The king readily confented 
 to take the young man with him, promifed to 
 provide for him, and aflured Barz^iilai, he would 
 do every thing elfe he dcfircd. And, when the 
 old man had conduded David as far as he pro- 
 pofed, the king took his laft leave of him ; kiffed 
 and blelTedhim, and futfcred him to return to 
 his own home, but took Chimham with him to 
 yertijalem-j whither lie was conduded by his 
 own forces, and the chiefs of the tribe o^Judab ^ 
 and was now rcftored to his capital, wirh as 
 much pomp, magnificence^ and general joy, as 
 he had lately been driven from it, with grief, 
 dejedion, and diflrefs. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 A Cojttcft arifes beiwee?t the Tribes about 
 reftlring the kiitg : A Rebellion enfues : 
 Amafa is co?nmanded 4)' David to 
 quell it ^ but murdered by Joab: Sheba 
 the Leader of the Rebellmt takes Re^ 
 fuge in Abel-Maacah, where he is be- 
 fieged by Joab. A "^ifi Matron inter-- 
 ceeds for the City. 
 
 ^ I ^ H E joy of David's reftoration was not 
 
 j^ however without its alloy: it feems, 
 
 the people of Judah had taken their refoiution 
 
 ■ P3 of 
 
2r4 ^n HiJIorkal Account of B,4^ 
 
 of reftoring the king, without taking advice? 
 or concerting any meafurcs, with the other tribes, 
 upon tliat head; r'^d accordingly having fixed 
 upon Gilgaly on this fide Jordan^ for the place 
 of their meeting, they aflembied thcmfelves 
 there^ on the day appointed 5 paflfed the river, 
 and waited in a body upon the king j and con« 
 dueled him back over the river, as far as Gilgaly 
 in conjundion uirh half the people oi Ijrael'^ 
 probably made up of thofe Ifraelites who firft 
 joined him at Mahanatniy and thofe who were 
 afterwards deputed by the tnbes to invite him 
 home. 
 
 At G%/<?/ they were met by the other half 
 of the IfraeiiteSy who alfo intended to have 
 crofied the river, and paid their duty to the 
 king 5 but, finding that the tribe of Judah were 
 beforehand with them, they reft-nted the flight 
 put upon them j and, being joined and fupported 
 in their refentments by the reft ot their bre- 
 thren, who had re-conduded th king, in con- 
 jundion with Judah^ they all, with one voice, 
 warmly cxpoftulated with the king upon it 5 
 demanded why their brethren, the men of Ju- 
 dahy had ftolen him away, and brought the 
 king and his houfhold over "Jordan, without 
 advice firft had with them ? To which the men 
 of Judab anfwcred, That as the king was of 
 their tribe, their brethren of Ifrael had no rea- 
 fon to refent their warmer zeal in his favour ,• 
 that, for the reft, they had aded from no felf- 
 ifh or mercenary views 5 that they had received 
 no gratuity from him^ nor fo much as eaten 
 
 of 
 
. B. 4. the hife of King David. 215 
 
 of his meat. The Ifraelites replied, that they 
 had ten parts in the king, and eonfequently 
 more right to be eonfulted, upon a point of 
 fo much confequencc. 
 
 This was a natural conteft between greater 
 power, and nearer relation ; both claim a pre- 
 ference, which both cannot havej and which 
 thofe of nearer relation fhould have yielded, 
 both in point of prudence, and afFeclion for 
 their friend, which the men of Judah did not. 
 In all difputes it is natural for the party injured, 
 to be more angry $ and therefore they who 
 are in the wrong often afllime that eharader, 
 by fupplying from paflion, whatever is want- 
 ing to them, in point of reafon and argument, 
 as the tribe of Judah did now ; for the text 
 informs us, that the "jvords of the men of Ju- 
 dah "uvere fiercer thayi the words of the men of 
 IfraeL This naturally inflamed the contention, 
 and it foon grew fo hot, that Sheba the fon 
 of Bichri, a Benjamite^ took the advantage of 
 it, to kindle a new flame in the nation, H$ 
 blew the trumpet, and cried out. We have no 
 part in T^avid^ neither have we any inheritance 
 
 in the fon of Jejfe Every man to his tenty O 
 
 IfraeL Upon this the men of Ifrael rati 
 again into rebellion, forfook their king and 
 followed Sheba--, but the tribe of "Judah clave 
 to him, and attended him from Jordan to Je- 
 rufalem. 
 
 When he entered the city, poor Mephi- 
 bojheth came to meet him, with all the enfigns 
 pf fprlorn diftrefs, both in his garb and per- 
 
 P 4 fon^ 
 
2 1 6 An Hijlorlcal Account of B. 4# 
 
 fotii ^or he had utterly neglefted both, from 
 the day tne king was driven from his ca- 
 pital. Far from ading the part of a plotter 
 againft his fovereign, his concern for him was 
 inanifefted by all the marj^s of afincere, undif- 
 femblcd afHidion, ei^ranged not only from joy, 
 but even from indulgence in the common con- 
 veniences of life : his beard was untrimmed, 
 his cloaths unwafhed, and his poor infirm feet 
 undreffed, that whole time. 'Z)^i;/<^ called to 
 him, and asked him. Why he had not attend- 
 ed him at his departure hovayertij'alem? To 
 which that upright, open-hearted fon of Jona- 
 than anfwered 5 My lord^ O king^ my jcrvant 
 4efeived me , for thy fervant faid^ I will faddle 
 tne an afs^ that I may ride thereon^ and go to 
 
 ti)e king^ becaufe thy fervant is lame Here 
 
 his grief (or rather a righteous indignation 
 to find himfelf traduced and fufpefted) choak- 
 cd his words, and broke the chain of his dif- 
 courfe. And it was with difficulty he fcem$ 
 
 %Q have added, a7id he hath fiandered thy.. 
 
 fer^oant unto my lord the Img* But my lord the 
 king is as an angel of God \ do therefore what is good 
 in thine eyes. For all my fathers houje were but 
 dead men before my lord the king ; yet didft thou 
 Jet thy ferva72t among them that did eat at thine 
 Gjwn table : JVhat right therefore have I yet to cry 
 any more unto the king ? 
 
 And the king [aid unto him, Why fpeakejl thou, 
 ^ny more of thy ^natters ? / hai:e faidy thou and 
 Ziba divide the land. 
 
 The 
 
p. 4. the Life of King David. 217 
 
 The reader will cafily perceive, from this 
 anfwer of David^ that he faw MephiboJ]oetPj% 
 innocence, (and found himfelf upbraided by it) 
 and the error of his own former credulity, and 
 therefore could not bear to hear of it: bathe 
 had now no time to difcufs the matter more 
 fully, and therefore all that he could do^ for 
 the prefenr, was, to redorc him to his eftate, 
 and leave both him, and his accufcr, in their 
 former condition, till he could inquire further. 
 However Ziba might have been faulty towards 
 Mepbibopoth^ he had been fignally faithful and 
 ufetal to David i and to condemn him unheard, 
 3S he had Mephibojheth^ were to run the rifque 
 of a fecond rafli dccifion ; a decifion that might 
 be now as unfeafonablc as ra(h, whillt another 
 rebellion fubfifted in his dominions. 
 
 The antient way of tenancy (nor is it yet 
 quite dilitfcd) vyas that of occupying the land, 
 aad giying tne proprietor a certain annual por- 
 tion o. rne fruits ot it. When the tenant paid 
 one halt ot the annual produce, he was called 
 Co onus part larius':, zuii fuch, in the judgment 
 of the belt critics*, \^^2iS Ziba to Aiephibopjeth^ 
 as he had been before to Saul. So that Ziba^ 
 having half the fruits for his labour, had, in effeft, 
 hait the land. Upon Zibds mifinformationj 
 the whole was given to him 5 fo that he was 
 then both proprietor and ufufruduary. 7)^- 
 vidnow revokes that grant, and reftores his firft 
 decree by thefc words, I have faidy thou and 
 
 f See Trapp, Grotius, Selden, 
 
2 1 8 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 Ziba divide the land^. To which Mephihojheth 
 anfwered, in all the generofity and fidelity of his 
 father's friendrtiip 5 Tea^ let him take all ^ inaf- 
 much as my lord the king is come again in peace 
 unto his own houfe. He had no folicitude for 
 the recovery of his eftate, of which calumny had 
 robbed him: his concern was, to recover his 
 credit with the king. Th:^t once eftablifhed, 
 he was contented and happy. The generous 
 Mephihofieth faid to himfeif, what Seneca faid 
 (and what it was much eafier for a cold unin- 
 terefted Stoic to fay) to a friend in afflidion^ 
 That he had no right to complain, as long 
 as his prince was in fafety. This upright and 
 generous condufl: of Mephibopeth could not, I 
 think, fail to reftore him intireiy to 'Davids 
 former friendfhip and afFcftion, a,nd, if polllble, 
 to more credit, and greater confidence. And 
 I have not the leaft doubt, but he continued 
 in it to the day of David's death. Kndy I think, 
 I am warranted to fay fo, from the text, 2 
 Sa?/i, ix. 13. for, had this conimerce ceafed for 
 a feries of years, I have fome doubt whethet 
 the facred hiftorian could be juftified, in aflure- 
 ing us, as he there does, without any fubfequent 
 hint to the contrary, that he did eat continually 
 at the kings table. 
 
 * Thefe words plainly refer to a former decree, now re-ella- 
 blilhed. That could not be the decree in favour of Ziba ; for there 
 the whole was given to him: they muft therefore refer to the firft 
 decree, whereby Saul^ elliate was divided between Mephihojheth as 
 proprietor, and Ziba as ufufrudluary. And therefore the Rabbin:, 
 ulk idly, who imagine that David'^ kingdom was divided under 
 his grandfon, on account of the unjuit diviiion of Saul'^ eflate 
 between Ziba and Mephihojheth, 
 
 T^AT 
 
B. 4. the Lefe of King David. 219 
 
 That he was pcrfedly reftored to David's 
 friendfhip, is nor, 1 flatter myfelf, irrational to 
 conclude, from thethirty-feventh Pjalm; which, 
 I am pcrTuadeci, was written for MephiboJ}:)eth*s 
 confolation under Zibaa calumny. 
 
 Th AT moft, if not all the Pjalms^ were writ- 
 ten upon particular occafions, is not, I think, 
 to be doubted 5 a though the precepts, praifes^ 
 exhortations, and monitions contained in them, 
 are, at the fame time, calculated for general 
 and perpetual ufe. 
 
 That this Tf^lm was particularly written 
 for the confolation of iome rigliteous man, 
 opprcffcd by calumny, againft whom fomc 
 wicked wretch bad laid fchemcs to deftroy iiim, 
 is clear from the whole renour of it*. And 
 who, and what, is there in the whole hiftory 
 of T>avid, to whom, and to which, it can refer, 
 but to Mephibojheth, calumniated, and villain- 
 oufly wronged, by Ziba ? 
 
 But here it may be asked. Why TDavid^ if 
 he believed Mephibofheth innocent^ did not bring 
 the matter to a fair trial? I anfwer, That a man 
 of Z bah iubtilty^ who had laid fo heavy an accu-^ 
 fation againll Mephibofiethy had undoubtedly 
 laid his trains and fchemcs to make it good : and 
 therefore ""David, in all probability, was afraid 
 to brmg the matter to a public trial^ left his 
 friend's innocence ftould be cppreifed by falfe 
 accufationss and in the event, whether he were 
 
 * Delight thou in the Lord, and he Jhall ginje thee thy heart''! 
 
 def/re He Jhall make thy righteoufnefs as clear as the light ^ 
 
 find thy juji dealing as tbg manday, 
 
 acquitted 
 
s 20 An Hlftorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 acquitted or condemned^ the bare bringing him 
 to tryal could not fail to be matter of fufficient 
 calumny againft David i and therefore nothing 
 could better become David^ in this firuation, 
 than to waive the trial, and exhort Mephibofieth 
 to refer the matter wholly to the arbitration of 
 unerring wifdom and jufticc: which would ncft 
 fail finally to vindicate innocence, and avenge 
 fallhood and villainy. And this is, evidently, 
 the main fcopc and purpofe of this Vfalm. And 
 that every part of it may very naturally to relate to 
 Mephibopetky will appear from two or three eafy 
 and natural fuppofitions (to which no thinking 
 man can refufe a ready and a rational affent)^ 
 which, I hope, will clear this matter to the rea- 
 der's fatisfaftion. 
 
 Let us then fuppofe, that {o wicked a man 
 as Ziba, who had the entire management of his 
 mafter's affairs, made no fcrupie to enrich him- 
 felf by his fpoils: and let us fuppofe, that, upon 
 this difcovery of his villainy, MephiboJJoeth, who 
 before confided in him, (as an old faithful fer- 
 vant to the family) and left every thing to his 
 management, looked now more narrowly into 
 his own affairs; and found himfelf not only 
 calumniated by his (leward, but fpoiled likewife, 
 andimpoverifhed 5 his fteward rich, andflouridi- 
 ing in a numerous family 5 himfelf poor, and 
 but with one fon. 
 
 Now nothing is more natural, than to fup- 
 pofe the generous and upright heart of Mephi- 
 bojheth di'ftreffcd, funk, and uneafy to the lad 
 degree, in this fituation, and taking rafh and 
 
 re« 
 
B. 4; th Life of King DaVid. 221 
 
 repining refolutions, to banifh himfelf from a 
 country where he had found fuch ^treatment j 
 and fo put himfelf out of the power of calumny 
 for thq future. And what could be more natu- 
 ral, and more confoling, . under thefe circum- 
 llances, than for 'David to beg of him to forego 
 thofe rafh refolutions 5 to admonifh him, that 
 if he bore his prefent low eftate with patience^ 
 and refignation to the divine will, he ihould 
 foon fee it bettered > to mind him, that the 
 profperity of the wicked was {liort and tranfienc j 
 that he himfelf had obferved them flouriOiing 
 like a green bay -tree, with a thouland rich 
 fuckers rifing from its roots; yet-their duration 
 was (hort, and their end deftrudion > that^ on the 
 contrary, the righteous are the immediate care 
 of Divine providence, which would hot fail to 
 fapport and deliver them from their enemies 1 
 to affure him at the fame time^ of his own 
 intire fatisfailion in his innocence, and ftcady 
 continuance of his friendfnip to him, in every 
 exigency ; and in what words could all this be 
 conveyed m.orc ilrongly;, than in the feveral fol- 
 lowing paffages of tliis Tfalm ? Fret not thyj'elf 
 hecauje cf the ungodly ; for they Jhall foon be cut 
 down like the grafs, Delight thou in the Lordy 
 and he jhall give thee thy heart's defire, Hefnall 
 make thy righteoujhej] as clear as the lights a?id 
 thy jujl dealing as the noon- day. A fmall thing 
 that the righteous hathy is better than great niches 
 of the ungodly. Hope thou in the Lord, a?2d keep 
 Us way^ and he flail promote thee^ that thou fh alt 
 fojfefsthe land: when the ungodly Jl:) all per ip, thou 
 
 \ Jhalt 
 
222 Jn Hijlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 Jhalt fee it. The meek-fpiritedpall pojfefs the 
 earthy andjhall be refrejhed in the multitude of 
 peace. Put thou thy truft in the Lordy and be 
 
 doing good T> well in the landy and ijerily thou 
 
 Jhalt be fed Leave off wrath, and let go dif 
 
 fleafure : fret not thyfelf elfefalt thou be moved 
 
 to do evil The Lord knoweth the days of the 
 
 godly y and their inheritance fall endure for 
 ever"^, — They fall not be confounded in the 
 perilous timCy and in the days of dearth f they 
 fhall have enough. 
 
 Suppose thefe David's confolations to Me- 
 phibojhethy under the circumftances now Jaid 
 down, and fuppofe the iaft-cited verfe his own 
 declaration in favour of him (and imagination 
 can apply them to none other^ that we know 
 of) 5 what can they mean lefs, than an exhorta- 
 tion to faith, truft, and confidence in God, 
 ftrengthened with the king's own declaration, 
 that he was determined to fupport Mephibofheth 
 in every danger 5 and to fhare with him, to his 
 laft morfel of bread \ 
 
 The facred hiftorian next informs us, That^ 
 when David came to his houfe at ferufalem, he 
 took the ten women y "whom he had left to keep the 
 houfe y and put them in ward, and fed them, but 
 went not in unto them : fo they were fiut upy to 
 the day of their deaths living in widowhood. 
 
 • Accordingly we find the defcendants of Mefhihojheth remark- 
 ably numerou?, i Chron. vili. 
 
 f This pailage feems to fix the aera of this Pfalfn, that it was 
 written in the day? of the public famine. 
 
 This 
 
B. 4- the Lifeof I§ingT)hViT>. 22^ 
 
 This done, his firft care was to look after 
 Sheba^ and crufh this rebellion in its infancy: 
 to which purpofe^ finding this a fit occafion to 
 rid himfelf of Joab's infupportable infolence, he 
 commanded Amafa (whofe credit with the fol- 
 diery could only counterbalance that of Joah) 
 to aflemble an army with all poffible difpatch, 
 and purfue him. 
 
 That David no^ depofed ^oab from the 
 fupremc command of the army, and put Amafa, 
 according to promife, in his place, appears evi- 
 dently, from this command, which he gave 
 Amafa upon his return to Jenifakm, to aflemble 
 the whole tribe of ^udah there, within the 
 fpace of three days, in order to crufh the rebel- 
 lion. Amafa went immediately about it, but 
 made not fuch difpatch as "David direded, but 
 outftayed the time appointed. This gave the 
 king great difquiet, and filled him with appre- 
 henfions, that this delay might fufFcr Shebus 
 rebellion to grow up into fomcthing worfe than 
 Abfalam's. To prevent which, he ordered Abi- 
 jhai to take his own life-guard^ and fuch other 
 forces as were at hand^ and inftantly purfue that 
 rebel. Accordingly, Ahijhai immediately af- 
 fembled the Cherethites and Telethites^ and an- 
 other body of forces, called Joab's men, and all 
 the mighty men of war, (whom I take to be 
 *Davids worthies of their feveral orders) and 
 went in purfuit of Sheba : and by the time he 
 had reached the great ftone.at Gibeon, about tw(f 
 leagues northward from Jemfalem^ Amafa met 
 them with fuch forces as he h-ad gathered, and 
 
 put 
 
2 24 jfif^ Hiftorlcal Account -of B. 4* 
 
 put himfelf at the head of the army, "joab, fee- 
 ing him there, was filled with rage and indig- 
 nation 5 yet dilTembled it fo well, that he went 
 up, as others did, to pay his refpeds to him j 
 and, as he walked up to him, his fword (whe- 
 ther by chance or defign) hung from his belt ia 
 fuch a manner, that it dropped out of the 
 (heath: Joab took it up, and^apprcfachingy^;;^^y^ 
 (who perceived not what was in his hand) in ail 
 the civility of a friendly falutation, took him by 
 the beard, and at tlie fame time ftabbed him 
 under the fifth rib, with fuch a furious thruft, 
 that his bowels guQied out^ and he fell to the 
 ground. This done, Joab, without taking the 
 ieaft notice of what had paffcd, put himfelf im- 
 mediately in ^;^^/s place; and, with his bro- 
 ther ^^.^:?^/, purfued after 4y/&<?^^ 5 whilft oneof 
 his foldiers flood by Amafas corpfc, and called 
 out to the forces, as they came up. That all thofe 
 that favoured Jo^^b, and were for T>avid, fliould 
 follow Joab. 
 
 The men, as they came up, feeing Amafa 
 wallowing in his blood, were ftruck with horror 
 at the fight, and flood ftill, gazing at it 5 which 
 he who was dkefted to attend it obfcrving, 
 removed the corpfe from the high road, into an 
 adjacent field 5 and, cafting a cloth over ir, hid 
 the fad fpedacle from the eyes of the foldiers. 
 Which done, the people, without any further 
 delay, followed Joab in pm'fuit of Sheba-y who 
 itiad pafled through ail the tribes with all the 
 difpatch he could, exciting them to rebellion 
 where-ever he went j but at length, finding him- 
 felf 
 
B. 4. the Life of Ki?ig David. 225 
 
 fc!f hotly purfued, he rook fhclrcr in Ahcl-ma^ 
 achahy a ciry bccween Lihamis and Antilibanus^ 
 north of l amafcus. There all the Berites (pro- 
 bably the inhabitants of ^^^r^/'/.>^ v/ho were Ben- 
 ja?nites) joined and lupported him. ^joab im- 
 mediately laid ficge to the city 5 and from the 
 accounts we have of his digging a trench around 
 it, and battering the walls, critics have, I think, 
 fairly concluded, that the fcience of bcfieging 
 cities with lines of circumvallation and contra- 
 vallation, (as they call them) and battering-en- 
 gines^ was much older than any account left us 
 of this pradice, in the hiftory of the heathen 
 world i although HercdotuSj lib. i. gives Har- 
 faguSy Cyrus's general^ the credit of having in- 
 vented the lines now mentioned, and taken the 
 city Q'tThoccedy in loiiidy (the firftcity fo taken) 
 by that invention 5 \vhereas the facred writer 
 fpeaks of one of thofe lines, on occafion of the 
 fiege oi Abel^ as of a thing familiar, and well 
 known to his readers. 
 
 As 'Joub ptelfcd the fiege with all carnednels 
 and dilpatch, a wife woman, from within, called 
 out^ over the walls, and defucd to fpcak with 
 him, in all the modclly and decency of language 
 then in uie. And, prefacing what fhe had ta 
 fay, with a ihort account of the reputation of 
 wifdom, in which that ciry anticntly ftood, f]:ie 
 covertly (as the text is generally undtrltood) 
 expofiulated v^^ith him, upon ciie iniquity of 
 going about to dcftroy an antient and venerable 
 city of his nation^ without hrrt propoli g terms 
 of fubmiflion to it 5 and offering; peace upon 
 
 Vol. II.. (^ ^ ■ ac^ 
 
2 26 An Hiftorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 acceptance of thofe terms, as the law of God 
 exprcfly diredcd to be done, even to an hoftile 
 and heathen city {T>eut, xx.). She urges, that 
 her city was faithful and peaceable in Ifrael : 
 Upon what pretence then could he engage in 
 dcHroying a city of that character? Was not this 
 to dciiroy a mother city in Ifrael, and to fwal- 
 low up the inheritance of the Lord? Her 
 fpcech feems marked with all the characters of 
 wildom 5 clofe, and clear, and cogent ; fingu- 
 Jarly emphatical, and moving 5 and iuch as well 
 fupported the reputation of her city. 
 
 It is fcarcely to be fuppofcd, that fhe under- 
 took this parley othcrwife than in'concert with 
 t\\^ rulers of this city. And if fo, nothing furely 
 could be managed with niore addrefs, than their 
 chufing out a wife and venerable matron to plead 
 dieir caufe. In the iirft place, her fex and cha- 
 rader intitled her to attention and refped, which, 
 pollibly^ could not fo well be fecured to any 
 rebel of the other fex, with a man of joab's 
 rough and haughty fpirit. In the next place, 
 they knew, that antient and honourable cities 
 were wont to be confidered under the cliaraders 
 of matrons, revered for virtue, and a numerous 
 -wtiB-cducated offspring (and this way of fpeak- 
 ing is r^iliar to all languages) : Who then could 
 be fo proper a reprefentativc of a city in dillrefs, 
 as a complaining matron"^? This our venerable 
 fem.aic advocate Vv'eil undcrftoods and therefore 
 
 * Both cities and countries, in diiiref?, are frequently repre- 
 fented under the character of complaining matrons; both in the 
 ^litines and medals of the antieuts, 
 
 ad- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 227 
 
 addrefles all (he had to fay, in the perfon and 
 ftyle of her city : /, peactcible and faithful in 
 Ifrael Thou ferkeft to dejiroy a ctty^ and a mo- 
 ther in Ifrael — Why wilt thou Jwallow up the 
 inheritance of the Lord? Upon which ^Joaby 
 ftruck with the horror of fuch imputed cruelty, 
 
 eagerly cries out Far be it, far be it from me^ 
 
 that Ifhoidd feu allow up., or deflroy He then. 
 
 added, that all he propofcd was, to chaftife a 
 rebel, Sheba the fon of Bichri^ who had taken 
 fanduary in that city j and that, if he were deli- 
 vered up, the fiege fhould immediately ccafe, 
 and the city be left unmolcfted. Upon the 
 receipt of this anfvver, the matron went^ in her 
 wifdoMy (fays the text) and laid the matter fo 
 cffe6tually before her people, that, to clear them- 
 felves from the imputation of rebellion, they 
 did more even than Joab defued : they imme- 
 diately ordered Shebas head to be cut off, and 
 thrown over the wall, to Joab':, Vv4io, upon fee- 
 ing it, commanded a retreat to be founded that 
 inftant, quitted the city, difmifled his people to 
 thcii feveral homes^, and returned to Jerufalem^ 
 to the king 5 and returned with the we:ght of 
 fo much merit and popularity, as effcdually 
 covered his murder of Amafa from all attempts 
 of inquiry or chaftife menr. The crime (as Florus 
 expreflcs it) was within the glory : and not only 
 fo, but reinftated him, iikcwife, in the fupreme 
 command over the army. 
 
 Thus did it fcem' good to the Divine Wif- 
 dom^ to permit Joab's unruly ambition, and 
 impetuous cruelty, at one time, fcparate from all 
 
 Q^ a icufc 
 
2 28 An Hijlerical Account of B. 4. 
 
 /enfe of duty, and, at another joined to it, to 
 punifh the guilt of four notorious rebels'*^, in 
 fucccffion, with dreadful deaths! two of them, 
 indeed, treacherous and fuddcn; but all, in the 
 retributions of Providence, judicial, and juft. 
 
 Here ended Abfaloms rebellion, and She- 
 has^ which rofe from the ruins of it : but the 
 conted between the tribes, which occafioncd it, 
 was not, we may well imagine, yet intirely 
 laid : and therefore David, as I apprehend, 
 wrote and publiilicd the hundred and thirty- 
 third Pfalm about this time, to compofc it. It 
 is one of the fhortcft of all his works, and con- 
 iifis but of four veriest : yet, Ihort as it is, con- 
 rains an exhortation to unity, beginning in the 
 prince, and diffufed through the people, illu- 
 (Irated by two images^ the moft apt and beauti- 
 ful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are 
 confidered as bodies politic, of which the king 
 is the head, and the people, in their leveral ranks 
 and orders, the parts and members. A fpirit 
 of union beginning upon the prince, whofe 
 perfon is facred, is like oil poured upon the head 
 of AaroUy which naturally dcfcends, and fpreads 
 itfclf over all the parts of the body, and diffufes 
 
 * Abner, Abfalom, Amafa, and Sheba. 
 
 •j- Behold hoiv good and joyful a thing it is for hrethre?i to d'vjellto' 
 gctber in unity. 
 
 2. It is like the precious ointment u-pon the h'ead^ that raji dcixm 
 unto the heardy e^Jtn unto Aaron s beardy and "went do^vn to the skirts 
 of his c loathing. 
 
 3. Like as the deiv of Hermony ^nch fell upon the hill of Sion. 
 
 4. For there the Lord prcmijcd his blcjfngy and life for e'ver. 
 more. 
 
 beaurv 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 229 
 
 beiiLiry and frai;rancc over the whole, reachhig 
 even to the skirts of the garmcnr. Oil is, with- 
 out queftion, the tinell emblem of union that 
 ever was conceived! It is a fubdance confillins^ 
 of very fmall parts, which yet by their mutual 
 adhefion, conditute one unitbnn, well united, 
 and ufcful body. The facred oil carries the idea, 
 and the advantage of union, yet further $ which, 
 being extracted from various fpices, yet made up 
 one well cohering and more valuable compound. 
 The next image carries the exhortation to union, 
 and the advantages of it, yet higher. 
 
 Hermon was the general name of one 
 mountain, comprehending many Idler and 
 lower hills^ under the Turround of a greater. 
 Union, in any nation, is the gift of God,* 
 and therefore unity among brethren, beginning 
 from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which, 
 falling firft upon the higher fummic of Hermon, 
 (icfrelhing, and enriching, where-ever it falls) 
 naturally defcends to Sion, a lower; and thence, 
 even to the humble valleys. 
 
 SioN was the centre of union to all the 
 tribes: there God himfclf had promifed his 
 people reft, and peace from their enemies; 
 which, however, were of little value without 
 union and harmony among thcmfelves. 
 
 0.3 CHAP. 
 
230 A71 Hijiof^ical Account of B. 4. 
 
 C H A P. XV. 
 
 Judea h vifited with a Famine, iJoe 
 Catife of the Divine Wrath. The 
 Means a?id Method appointed to ap- 
 peafe it. Mr, ChubbV Charge againfl 
 David, upon this Head^ confidered 
 and refuted, 
 
 ABOUT this time there arofc a famine ia 
 ■ Jtidea^ which continued three fears. It 
 is very poilible, that, for the firft year, David 
 iiii?;ht have afcribcd this calamity to Abfaloms 
 rebellion; which, by diverting the people from 
 their wonted indufrry, and cutting off many of 
 their labouring hands, left the country for fome 
 time uncultivated : the natural confequence of 
 which was, a fcarcity of corn. Bat as this rc- 
 bcllioa was of iliorr continuance, and the famine 
 far ouriaftcd all ihQ natural ciFecls of it, T)avid 
 could not long hefitate, to afcribe it to fome 
 other caufe. But however, as he had, in the 
 true fpirit of a provident ruler, ercded granaries 
 and (lore houfes, for provifions of all kinds^ in 
 all parts of his dominions'*' j, and, by that means 
 made ample provifion for rhe (ufrenance of his 
 rcople, in any exigence that ihou'd arile i he 
 
 * This ^.ppears clearly from i C^^r^;;. xxvjj. 25. And over the 
 ficn- houfes in tbf. fields, in ike cities ^ and in the ■vilhges, arid in 
 the cuJlliSt at-.;; Jchsncthan, &c. 
 
 ■ ' ■ was 
 
B. 4^ the Life of King David. 231 
 
 was the better enabled to bear this misfortune 
 with equanimity, and intire refii^nation to the 
 All-ruling Will. And accordingly, whatever 
 remedies or reliefs he might have fought for 
 from natural caufcs, and private and public 
 prayers ro Almighty God, he made no applica- 
 tion for the extraordinary aid and intcrpoficion 
 of Providence, till the third year : but in the 
 third year, being well convinced, , that the vifi- 
 tation was judicial, he applied himfeif to the fa- 
 cred oracle of God, to learn the caufe of this 
 extraordinary and continued calamity ; and was 
 anfw,ered. That it was/ir Saul, and his bloody 
 houfe, becaufe he (lew the Gibeonites. 
 
 The hiftory of the Gthednites is well known : 
 they were a remnant of the Amorites (chat aban- 
 doned race, whom God, for their infufferable 
 abominations, had devoted to deftrudion); who, 
 though they obtained a league for their lives and 
 properties fiom the children of Ifrael by fraud i 
 yet, forafmuch as Jojhua and the ciders had 
 confirmed it by oath, they thought themfelves 
 bound to keep it ; only tying them down to the 
 fervitude of fupplying the tabernacle with wood 
 and water for the public facrificcs, and fervicc 
 of thofe who attended upon them. 
 
 This unhappy people, notwichdanding it is 
 agreed, on all hands, (from the tradition of the 
 Jews) that they had renounced their idolatry, 
 and performed the other conditions of their co- 
 venant. Said fought all occafions to deliroy : 
 and did fo, to fuch a degree of guilt, as drew 
 down the divine judgment upon the land. 
 
 0,4 When 
 
232 A?i Hijlorlcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 When Da'vid had learned the true caufe of 
 the public calatiViry, under which the land la- 
 boured, and had been dircded {zsjojephus'm- 
 forms us) to refer hinifelf to the Gibeonites-, for 
 the meafures that fliould be taken to expiate 
 the guilt i he immediately fent for that afflided 
 
 people, and asked them fVhat fiall 1 do 
 
 for you ? And uitirezjvith pall I make the at., ne- 
 ment, that je ?nay blefs the inheritance of the 
 Lord? 
 
 To this they anfwered, that they defired no 
 reparation of private damages, or revenge of in- 
 juries j all they required was, that a public fa- 
 crificc fhould be made to juftice, and the divine 
 vengeance inflidcd upon the land, ©^^v*^ then, 
 purfuant to the inllriidions which he had re- 
 ceived from God, defired to be informed by 
 them, what they would have done ui^on that 
 occafion. To which they replied, The man 
 that conftimed iis^ and that devifed againfi us^ 
 that ^i.vc fuGuld be drjlrosed from remaining m 
 any of the coafls of IJraeL let f even men of his fons 
 he delivered iir:to ///, dhd we will havg them tip 
 tmto the Lord, in Gibe ah f Saul, whom the Lord 
 did choofe. And the king /aid, I will gii e them. 
 But the ktvg (pared Mtphibofeth, the fan of 'Jo- 
 nathan , the f on of Saul ^ bicanfeofthe Load's oath 
 that was between them-, betweenU avid and Jo- 
 nathan the [on ofSatiL But the ling took the two 
 fons ofRifpah. the daughter of Aiah, whom foe 
 care unto Satti^ ArmoriiandM:phibofeth, and the 
 f vefons of Michael the dang hter of Saul y whom foe 
 
 brought 
 
B. 4* the Life of King Day iv>. ^ 233 
 
 brought up"^ for AJrieU the fan of Bar 'filial the 
 Me lot kite. And he delivered them into the hands 
 of the Gibeonttes and they hanged them m the hill 
 befi.re the Lord: and they fell all feven together^ 
 and isuere put to death in the days of harvejl. 
 There is noqneftion but rhcychofe to have this 
 execution in Gibeah of Saul, tor the rcaloos af- 
 figned by Dr. Patrick^ to make the pui-i!ljment 
 the more remarkable and fhameful 5 tiiis bcini^ 
 the city wherein he lived, both before and af- 
 ter he was king. Bat why thefe icv^i^ were 
 marked out, as vidims to the divine vengeance, 
 is not fo ea(y to fay. 
 
 The text immediately adds, that this was the 
 beginning of i he barley harvc/l, viz> about March 5 
 fo that the facrifice was made in the be2.innin2: 
 of the third year, and the facred hiftorian in- 
 forms us^ that they continued hanging in that 
 condition, (a public monument of terror to guilt 
 in the higheft rank of men) until water dropped 
 upon them from heaven: that is, until God gave 
 manifeft tokens of his reconcilement, by fend- 
 ing gracious fhowers to refrefli the land : which, 
 in the opinion of the Hebrevu dodors^ was not 
 until the enfuing October: an opinion well war- 
 ranted by the textj which gives us to under- 
 
 * In the original it js hore: Thus Jgamemnon and Mmelaus, 
 though the children of Tlijlheries, are ;as Eufiathha obferves) 
 called the fons oi Atreus, who educated them; and iv^<///s child 
 is called a. fun bom to Naomi, who nurfed it (Ruth iv ) : as if edu- 
 cation and nurture gave a right of parentage in the eftimation of 
 the antients. 
 
 (land. 
 
23 
 
 4 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 (land, that the bodies hung there till the flefh 
 fell from the bones*. 
 
 Commentators have juftly obferved from 
 hence, that the hanging of thcfe carcafes, for fo 
 long a time, in the open air, could not be la 
 confcqucncc of any command from 'David--, be- 
 caufe it was an open violation of the law of 
 God, 'Detit. xxi. 22, 23. Vv'hich commanded, 
 that the carcafes of all thoic who were hanged, 
 fhould not remain even one night upon the 
 tree > but fhould by all means be buried on the 
 very day of execution. And the reafon of tlic 
 law^ viz^. Lefi the land be defiled^ held (Irong in 
 the pvefent cafe ; inafmuch as the (Icnch of fo 
 many carcafes, for fo long a time, in a malig- 
 nant drought, and in the very hottcft feafon of 
 the year, might have added a pcflilence to the 
 famine : a danger^ which it is impoilib!e to ima- 
 *^ine "David would deliberately dcvife, both 
 a^aind his people and himfclf 5 and confequent- 
 )y demonrnatcs itfelf impofed upon him by a 
 fuperior power: confuting all the little cavils 
 of mean men, againft the conduct of Davidy 
 upon th's occafion 5 cavils, v/hich are further 
 confuted by the account left us of Rizfalfs fln- 
 <mlau aifcdlion for thcfe unhappy vicfims. She 
 ipread a tent upon the rock on which rhcy were 
 executed, and kept a continual watch over their 
 remains, night and day yandfuffered neither the 
 birds of the ah to rejt en them by day, nor the 
 beajis of the field by night . Whci when 'David 
 
 * 2 Sam. xxi. 13. ^^k^ ihcy gathircd the hones of thcvi that 
 
 heard. 
 
B. 4* "^^^ Life of King David. 235 
 
 heard^ did he refent this condu6l, which might 
 have been a natural means of propagating a pefti- 
 Jence? Quite otherwife : it fufficientiy appeals 
 from his fubfcquent behaviour, that he rather 
 emulated it 5 for he immediately went to Ja^ 
 hep Gtleady and caufed the bones of Saul and 
 Jonathan to be removed from thence, and de- 
 pofited, together with the bones of Sanh feveii 
 Ions, now executed, in the fepulchre of Ktflo 5 
 himfclf attending them in pcrfon to the grave: as 
 if Rtz>pah\ kindncfs to the remains of thefe un- 
 happy vidims reproached his own long nenkft 
 of doing due honour to thofe of fo excellent a 
 man, and fo valuable a friend, as yonathan. 
 
 The facred hiftorian adds And they per^ 
 
 formed all that the king commanded'-, and after 
 that God was intreatedfor the land. This piaia- 
 ]y implies, that God gave no figns of beins; ap- 
 peafed, until after the performance of thefe fu- 
 neral rites: which grounds a rational belief, that 
 thefe ofiices of humanity to the remains of the 
 dead are highly acceptable in the fight of God. 
 And perhaps this very inftance gave rife to the 
 religion of this duty in the heathen world. 
 
 Another inference is alfo obvious from 
 this account of G o d s being intreated for the 
 land, after the difcharge of thofe offices to the 
 dead 5 ^i^- that public devotions had been ap- 
 pointed before this, to appeafe the wrath of 
 GoD, but proved ineffcdual. The fame thing 
 is alio evident from Tfalm Ixv. agreed on afl 
 hands 10 have been compofcd upon the ceafing 
 of this calamity, ^er, 1 . Fraife wait eth for thee^ 
 
 Gody 
 
236 An Hiflorical Accowtt of B. 4^ 
 
 G God, in Sion, and unto thee pall the vow be 
 performed 
 
 A COMPLETE commcat upon this ilicred 
 hymn is not the work: either of my provir.ceor 
 genius; and therefore I (hall only obfcrve, that 
 the five lail verfes of it are the mofl rapturous, 
 truly poetic, and natural image of joy^that ima- 
 gination can form, or comprehend. 
 
 The reader cf tafte will fee this, in the fim- 
 plefl: tranflation^ ver, 9, O'C. Thou haft vrflted 
 the earth, thou made ft it to covet, andhaji en- 
 riched it. The river of God is full ofvDater. 
 Tkoupalt provide them cor 72, becaufe thou haft 
 prepared for it. Saturate * the furrows thereof ^ 
 make them fink with powers ; melt it — blefs its 
 fpringing btids — Thoti haft crowned the year with 
 thygocdnefs, aid thy orbs fljall drop down fatnefs*^ 
 thepaftures of the vuildernefs fo ill drop : the hills 
 
 Jhall exult, and be girded with pftadnef^ The 
 
 fields have doathed the mf elves with cattle , the 
 valle\ s have covered thtfnfelves with corn. They 
 ftdallfnout^ yea, they fto all fing. 
 
 Th" reader will eafiiy obferve, that when the 
 "divine poet had {c^k\ the (howers failing from 
 heaven, and the Jordan overflowing his banks, 
 all the coiiiequent blellings were that moment 
 prefcnt to his quick poetic iighr, and he paints 
 them accordingly. 
 
 But wc mult quit this pIcaGng fcenc, and 
 divert to fomething as throughiy dii'aileful and 
 difanrceablc, as this isdeliiditful : lor 1 am now 
 
 In Hihreuj, 7\'ake them di'dv.k, 
 
 calfcd 
 
B.4« the Life of KmgD hYiT>. 237 
 
 called upon, in juftice to my fubjcd, to inform 
 the reader, that 2)i^i;/^'s character, not only as an 
 hero, but as a man of honour, and coiaQ~;on 
 honcdy, is violently aflaultcd by one * Th.vnas 
 Ckitbh t, who imputes the death oiSaui's doiiozad.- 
 ants, procured by the Gibconites^ net toany com- 
 mand of God, but to z plattjihle pretext of D2i- 
 vidV, pretending fuch command, to get rid of 
 Satil'^ pofterity, his rivals in empire s blafting 
 David, at once, with the complicated imputa- 
 tion of the bafeft oflyars, hypocrites, and mur- 
 derers! Murder of thi fami'v which he had 
 twice ^ folemnly fworn not to deftroy, and this, 
 at the very time^ when the hand of God was 
 heavy upon him and his people! Mu'dcr of 
 that family^ whofc murderers he detcfted and 
 deftroyed ! 
 
 THfc:fam of Mr. Chti':}o^ reafoning upon the 
 point (lands thus: 
 
 It is inconfitknt with equity, and with God's 
 own declarations, to puniQi one man^ and much 
 more a whole nation, for the faults of another; 
 therefore the hiftory, which tells us, that God 
 punilhed th.e childi-'i of T/hzt/ witii famine, for 
 the crime of Saul in ilaying the Giheomtes, is 
 
 * See ChuhL's pamphlet, on cccafion of the opporuion to Dr. 
 Riindle, kc. p. 27, Sec. 
 
 f Of whom I know no more than that the bufinefs of his 
 whole life feems to be, to invalidate, to the utmoil of his power, 
 the credibiity of the facred hiftorians. 
 
 X I Sam. XX. 15. xxiv. 21, 22. Si'.'ear no^: therefore unto 
 
 me, by the Lord, that thou ^wilt not cut off my feed after tre; and 
 that thouivilt not defray my name, out of 7ny father's houfe. 
 
 And David fiMare unto Saul. 
 
 in- 
 
238 An Hiflorlcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 incredible : confequently God's fuppofed anfwer, 
 upon David's inquiry concerning the caule of 
 the fanfiine, was a forgery ot '\David*s, 
 
 In anfwer to this charge, I own it incohMcnt 
 with equity, and with the divine declarations, 
 to punifh one man for the crimes of another, in 
 
 which he had no fharc But was this the cafe 
 
 of the IfraeliteSy in the point before us? A can- 
 did and good man would, methinks, be apt to 
 doubt^ and to hope, (and, it may be, Mr. Chubb 
 did fo) that it was not. The reader will judge 
 for liimfelf. 
 
 It is evident from the ixth chapter of the 
 book oVJoJhua. that, when Jojlma and the princes ■ 
 made a league with the Gibtonites, the people 
 were greatly offended with them *. Whatever 
 the pretences of this refcntment might be, (nor 
 did they want fuch as were plaufibie enough) the 
 true reafon feems fufficicntly apparent ; they 
 were, by this league, deprived of the lands and 
 fpoiis of the Gibeonitcs, Did thefe reafons ceafe 
 in the days of SatiV^ Or rather did they not ftill 
 fubfill:, and with more force, in proportion as 
 the people of Ijrael^ and their wants, increased, 
 in a narrow land? But however this may be, why 
 did Saiti flay them now? The text plainly faith, 
 that he did it in his z>ealfor the children oflfraei 
 and Judah (2 Sam. xxi. 2,). But the queition 
 flill returns. How could the detlroying thefe 
 
 * Whoever will take the trouble to read this chapter, will 
 plainly iee, that the people would have had this league broken ; 
 which 'Jofhua2A\di the princes oppofed ; pleading the inviolable obli- 
 gation of the fokmn oath Vrith vvhicli it was ratified. 
 
 poor 
 
B. 4. th Life of Kmg David. 2 39 
 
 poor people manifeft kis zeal for Ifael and Jw 
 dab ? There is, to me, but one imaginable way 
 how this couid be done. The Gibeonites had 
 one city in the tribe oijtidah^ and three in Ben- 
 jamin : and when they were dedroycd ©ut of 
 thzi^ cities, w4io could pretend any right to 
 them, but Ifrael {thzt is, Benjamin) and ^tidah? 
 So that Satil deftroyed the Gibeomtes^ as the 
 kindeft and moft obliging thing iie could do for 
 his people. And arc we to believe, that they 
 deemed that delkudion a kindnefs to them, if 
 they were no way benefited by it \ Or are wc 
 to doubt whether they themielves were the in- 
 ftruments of this deflrudion ? Was this kindnefs 
 done them againft their will > Or is there the 
 leart colour to believe, that they^ in any deiTce 
 remonftrarcd againft, or oppofed, this proceed- 
 ing of their prince ? as they had a right, nay, 
 were nearly intereftcd and obliged to "do, as 'a 
 nation bound to make good the public faith 
 they had given, and fvvorn to prefervcj the vio- 
 lation of which might juftly draw a curfe oa 
 them, and their land. And were the people 
 innocent, either in this agency ;, or thisomiffion? 
 And it they fuffered a famine for \.\\z ilaughter 
 of the Gibeonites, did they fufFer only for the fla 
 of Saul? Or rather, were they not confentinix, 
 aiding and abetting, were they not fharers in his 
 guilt? And is it unequitable, that they fhouid 
 aifo be futrcrers.^ Or did they fuffer beyond their 
 demerit.' The divine pimijlment of perjury is de- 
 Jirti&ion^ fay the Twelve Tables'^. 1 am ui 
 
 * Perjurii pesna di'vha exitium* 
 
 good 
 
240 An Hijlorkal Accotmt of B. 4. 
 
 good hopes, that this candid author will, at 
 kaft, reverence tke'ir decifion; and if he doth, 
 I have ibme hopes, that we (liall no more lee the 
 oracles of God and his holy prophet reproached, 
 and their veracity exploded, upon fuch ralh and 
 unicarching furmifes. 
 
 But however ibme great philofophers may 
 allow themfcivcs in this triumph of their rcafon, 
 and infult upon facred truths 5 good Chriliians 
 will (i trull in God) continue nevctthelefs in 
 the humility of believing the truth of the facred 
 hiftoryj wdl continue to believe the truly pious 
 and noble fpirit of 2)^'L7/^ incapable ofioathe- 
 iftical, fo murderous, fo perjurious an hypocrify : 
 and 1 will yet hope, bad as the world is, that 
 there are few fpirits in it fo unbridled, and un- 
 checked in their cenfures and llifpicions^ as to 
 believe tins great man capable of fo black, fo 
 deliberate, fo Machia^cilian a villainy. 
 
 Besides, if he were that hellifli villain, which 
 this calm and uncrcdulousphilofopher takes him 
 to be, vvhy did he ftop here ? why tlay only iz'^ZKY 
 of ^y^/z/sdefccndants? why did he not cut them 
 all off from the face of the earth \ Bat, above all, 
 why did he cut off only collateral branches, and 
 fpare all tiiole in the dired line of fuccellion to 
 the throne? Why fpared he the heir apparent to 
 the crown, even when an accufation of high 
 treafon was laid againO: him? Why fpared he 
 MephibojJ^eth the fon of Joiiatkan, and Micah 
 his fon, and his four fons (v/hom in all probabi- 
 lity helived to fee)r And why did he not pre- 
 vent; perhaps, the moi\ numerous defccnt from 
 
 any 
 
B. 4i the Life of King David. i^t 
 
 any one perfon of the age he lived in? (See 
 I Chron, viii. 33. and following verfes.) 
 
 But why fhould Satih defcendants fufFer fot: 
 the fins of their fatiiers? Is not this contrary to 
 God's own declaration? £';s^^. xviii. 20. The [out 
 thatfinneth itfhall die, the fon jhall not bear the 
 iniquity of the father , &c. 
 
 But what if SauH family were Pharefs in his 
 guilt, inftruments of his cruelty, aqd receivers 
 of his robberies? Should they then go unpu- 
 nifhed ? 
 
 Commentators, who have confidered 
 this paflage, are mightily puzzled ^o know why 
 Saul'% pofterity were not rather punifhcd for his 
 cruelty to the priefts of God, than to the Gibe- 
 onites. But the anfwer to this is obvious i his 
 family refufed to be the inftruments of his cru- 
 elty in that maflacre. This appears from i Sam. 
 xxii. 17, 18. compared with ver, 7. of the fame 
 chapter. From the 17th and iS ver, we icarn^ 
 that Saul's fervants tefufed to obey him in the 
 flaughter of the priefts 5 and that T>oeg the 
 Edcmite (chief of his herdfmen) was the execu- 
 tioner. And from the 7th verfe we iearn^ that 
 thefe fervants were of his own ftock *, and f ach 
 of it too as he feemed moft felicitous to prefer, 
 and to provide for. Then Saul faid unto his fer^ 
 'vants, that food about him^ Hear now, ye Benja^ 
 ?nites : Will the fon ofjejlegive every one ofjoU 
 
 * tn the EtigUfh tranflation they are called Benjamites, but irf 
 the Hebrew they are called the fons oijemim, who feems^ ffonS 
 I Sam. ix. I. to be a more immediate founder of Saul\ family ; fo 
 that thefe fervants were not only of his tribe-, but of his kindred. 
 
 Vol. II. R Jiddi 
 
242 An Hijlorlcal Accou7it of B.4. . 
 
 fields and vineyards^ and make you captains of 
 thoufandsy and captains of hundreds ? That is. 
 Will he do tor you as I have, and mean to do? 
 
 His captains, we here fee^, were of his own 
 kindred , and whom c>an we prefume him fo fo- 
 licitous to exalt to thefe (Nations, as his own Tons 
 and grandfons? or whom elfe can we prefume 
 him fo folicitous to fupply with fields and vine- 
 yards ? 
 
 Now I defire to know how Saul could do 
 this ? He could not fo much as purchafe the 
 pofleflions of one tribe, and transfer them to 
 another : much lefs could he transfer their lands 
 by force. We know of no territories wrefted 
 from his enemies, to accommodate his Benja- 
 fnttes. It is true he fmote the Amalekites from 
 Havilah to Shur (i Sam. xv. 7.) 5 but it is no- 
 where faid, that he took pofTeffion of their 
 country^ or that he took fo much as one city 
 from them $ or, if he did, the country or city 
 fo taken mutl immediately become the pro- 
 perty of that tribe, in whofe lot that part of 
 the Amalekite land lay; which moft certainly 
 was not Benjamin, But although it fliould be 
 allowed, that he took fome cities from the Ama- 
 lekitesy there is good reafon to believe, that he 
 . loll more to the Philiftines'^, and poflibly fome 
 -of them belonging to Benjamin. 
 
 * 1 Sam. XX'AI. 7. ^^^ nvhen the men of IfrneJj that ivers ok 
 . the other fide of the tiallsyy £ind they that nvere on the other fide 
 . tf Jordan^ fanv that the men of Ifraelfedy and that Saul and his 
 Jens nxjere dead^ thiy forfook the cities ^ and fed', and the Phih- 
 Jiinei cams and dxvelt in thim. 
 
 Upon 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 2^^ 
 
 Upon the whole^ it it evident to a demon- 
 ftration, that Saul had no poffible way cHf en- 
 riching his BenjamiteSy with fields and vine- 
 yards, but by deftroying and difpofTefling the 
 Gibeonites. When therefore we arc told from 
 the month of God, that the plague fent upda 
 the people was/^r Saul and his bloody houfe^ be* 
 caufe he pw the Gibeonites^y is it not evident, 
 that it was fent for their guilt, as well as his? 
 And can we imagine, that this guilt of theirs 
 could be any thing Icfs, than that of being the 
 inftruments of his executions? It is plain, that 
 they were his captains of hundreds, and captains 
 of thoufandsj and it is as plain, that, as fuch, 
 they muft be the inftruments of his crueltf"; and 
 if they were not, why are they called bloody ? 
 They refufed, indeed, to {laughter the priefts, 
 at his command $ bad as the Benjamites were, 
 they had not yet forgotten to fear Gody and to 
 reverence hispriejis. But is there the leaft colour 
 of reafon to believe, that they were fo fcrupu- 
 ious with regard to the Gibeonites? And if they 
 were nor, is there lefs equity in Gods deftroy- 
 ing their Tons, for the fins of their fschcrs, whicti 
 they adopted and fhared in, than there was ia 
 his deftroying Jehoram^ the fon of Ahab, for 
 that vineyard, which the father had cruelly and 
 unjuftly acquired, and the fon as unjuftly de- 
 tained? And indeed there feems to be no ima- 
 ginable reafon, why Sau!^ when he had deftroyed 
 the pricfts of Nob, ihould, after that, deftroy the 
 
 * The words v/hicli we render, he flew, might as properly be 
 rendered. //-">• flew. 
 
 K % inha- 
 
i44 ^^ Htjiorical Account of B. 4. 
 inhabitants of that whole city, but becaufe they 
 were moft, if not all of them, GibeoniteSy (v/ho 
 were obliged to attend there upon the altar) 
 whofe fpoils might become a prey. 
 
 To this may be added, that three of the Gi- 
 ^^^;2//^ cities lay (as I now obferved) within the 
 lot oi Benjamin'^ h and how could Saul io con- 
 veniently enrich his tribe, and his family, as by 
 dividing thefepoflellions amongft them ? 
 
 And now, as I humbly apprehend, was ful- 
 filled, more clearly, more naturally, and more 
 circumftantially, than in any or all other events, 
 throughout the whole hiftory of the Scriptures, 
 that prophecy of -their father Jacob concerning 
 them, Gen. xlix. ij. Benjamin [loall raven as a 
 VJolf : in the morning he Jld all devour the prey ^ 
 and in the evening he pall divide the ff oil. And 
 indeed what can be a ftronger or a clearer em- 
 blem of a wolf tearing and ravaging an innocent 
 flock of fhecp^ than JW/Zdeftroying a quiet, fub- 
 mitting, unoffending race of GtbeoniteSy and^ 
 when he had done fo, dividing their fpoils among 
 his partners in the prey? It muft be owned, that 
 the pretext for doing io was not unplaufible, in- 
 afmuch as thefe men were ipared, contrary to 
 the exprefs command of God. And for whom 
 do we think 6"^/// was more folicitous to pro* 
 vide, out of thefe fpoils, than his own fons by 
 
 * See y^. ix. 17. compared with chap, xviii. fver. 25, 26; 
 chap. ix. njer. l 7. Jind the children of Jfraei journeyedy and came 
 unto their cities on the third day : korkj tl. eir cities ^ivere Gibcon, 
 And Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearimy Chap, xviii. 
 vcr. 25. Gibeony and Ramah, and Beerotb. Ver. 26. And Mi^- 
 pehf and Cbepbiraht and HiS-ozab. 
 
 Rizpah 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 245 
 
 Rizpah his concubine, and the children of his 
 daughter ? And this reafoning is ftrengthened by 
 refleding, that Nob was in the tribe oi Benjamin % 
 and, when both the priefts and Gibeonites were 
 deftroyed out of this city, who then could take 
 pofleflion of it hwt Benjamin? 
 
 When the Gibeonites were taken into league, 
 they were Jeft in pofleilion of their cities : this 
 fufficiently appears troni their fending to "Jofhua 
 (Jojh, X.) to deliver them from the Amorite 
 kings, who befieged their capital, and had com- 
 bined to deftroy them : and he did as they 
 defircd. Their complaint againft Saul now is, 
 that he devifedto deftroy them from remainingirp 
 any of the coajts of Ijrael{2 Sam. xxi. f.) Caa 
 this complaint mean Jefs, than that Saul had 
 taken meafures to ftrip them of all their polibf- 
 fions? That he ftrippcd them of one city, hath 
 fully been fhcwn in the preceding part of tnis 
 hiftory : and their complaint now is, that he 
 devifed to ftrip them of all: and why he did ^o, 
 is, I believe, no longer a queftion. 
 
 How juft are the judgments of God! li Saul 
 deftroyed an innocent people to make provifion 
 for the offspring of a concubine, and the ofF- 
 fpring of a daughter, which fhe bare in confe- 
 quence of his own faith to David violated '-^^ 
 could any thing be more equal, than that this 
 
 * Merahy the mother of five of thefe vidlims, was promifed to 
 Danjid, upon a folemn and public compatJl ; the conditions of 
 which were fully performed on his fide, to the great glory and 
 fecurity of the liate; and then, in violation of ihat loicmn and 
 Repeated engagement, given to another, i Sam, ch, xyii. c^.. xviii. 
 
 R 3 very 
 
24^ -^^ Hijorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 very iffue, chief agents of his cruelty, fhould 
 now be called for, to make atonement for that 
 guilt! 
 
 Let others find their account, and found 
 their fame^ in reviling the divine difpenfations 
 recorded in the Scriptures, be it ever my glory 
 to reverence them ! to reverence them in the 
 filence of my clofct, and to publifli that reve- 
 rence to the world, (when the revilings of others 
 provoke me to it) without any view to the 
 wages either of vanity or wealth! 
 
 G I VE me leave to add, that when I fee fome 
 determined philofophers, of the laft and prefent 
 3ge, purfuing the reputation of David, with as 
 murderous an intent as Saul(^\A. his life, I cannot 
 help imagining, that I hear this hero crying out 
 to them, as he did to Saul^ (i Sam. xxiv. 12, 
 13.) The Lord judge between me and tkee, and 
 the Lord avenge me of thee' As faith the pro- 
 verb of the ant tent Sy Wickednefs poceedeth from 
 If he wicked, 
 
 CHAP: 
 
B. 4, the Life of Kmg David. 247 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 David enters into new Wars with Phi~ 
 iiftia. A ConjeEiure concerniitg the 
 Caufe of them. T/jefrf} and laft Edi- 
 tion of the Eight ee?2th Pfalm (publifhed 
 upon this Occafon) briefly compared. 
 A Digreffon^ upon the Ufefulnefs of 
 Mufic to form the Ma?mers. D a v i d'^ 
 laft prophetic Words. A fjort Con- 
 jeEiure concerning his Worthies. 
 
 THE hidory of the famine^ under the reiga 
 of Davidy is fucceedcd by a very Ihorc 
 account of a war with the ^Philijlines'^ or rather 
 of four fuccellive wars : which feem to have 
 lafted a confidcrable time, inafmuch as they 
 were not ended till after four pitched battles i 
 each of which concluded in David' % favour. 
 Nor are any other particulars related of them, 
 but that a man of gigantic Itature and (irength 
 fell on the fide of the PhilifhieSj in each of 
 them i the laft of whom had fix fingers on each 
 hand, and fix toes on each foot * j and that; in 
 
 * Inflances of gigantic men are familiar enough in the col- 
 leftions of the commentators, on this, and other paffages of the 
 fame nature : and Dr. Patrick quotes Ta'vemier''s relation of the 
 grand ftgnior'^ feraglio, page 95. wherein he tells us, That the 
 tXdit'iL fen of the emperor oija^a^ vvho reigned in the year 1648, 
 when he was in that ifland, had f.x fingers on each hand, and as 
 jmany toes on each foot, all of equal length. 
 
 R 4. the 
 
248 An Hijiorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 thefirfl: of thefe battles T>avid was in danger of 
 being flain by IJlobi-benob^ the fon of a giant, 
 (whether of Goliahy or fome other, is not 
 known) had he not been timely fuccoured by 
 Ahijhai^ the fon oi Zeruiahy who fmore and 
 flew him. The account left us of this matter 
 by "Jofephus is to this purpofe : That T>avid, 
 having put the enemy to flight, and being fore- 
 moft, and carried too far in the ardour of the 
 purfuit, after fome time, grew weary and faint 
 with the fatigue: which IJhbi-henob perceiv- 
 ing, and being armed with an huge fpear, (as 
 yofephus relates) and girded with a new fvvord, 
 (as the text is undcrftood) found that a fit occa- 
 iion to aifault the king 5 and had fucceeded in his 
 purpofe, had not Abifhai come fe^fonably to 
 '^Davids aid, and deflroyed his advcrfary. 
 
 The apprehenfion of the king's danger 
 ftruck his people with great concern and con- 
 flernation ^ and they immediately bound thcm- 
 felves by a folernn oath, never more to fufFcj: 
 him to hazard his pcrfon in battle, adding a 
 reafon, which fufficiently indicates their high 
 opinion and efteem of him 5 That thou quench 
 Tiot the light -^ oflfrael, left they fhould be de- 
 prived of a prince v/ho was at once their guide^ 
 and their glory: 
 
 The caufe or occafion of thefe wars is no- 
 where mentioned in the facred hiftory 5 but there 
 is a paflage, 2 Sa?n. xv. 18, 19, &c, on which to 
 ground a rational con j cdure concerning the origin 
 
 of 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 249 
 
 of them : And all his fervants pajjed on befide 
 hiniy and all the Chereth'ttes^ and all thePele- 
 thites, and all the Gitt ties, fix hundred men which 
 came after him from Gath^ pajfied on before the 
 king. Then /aid the king to Ittai the Gittite^ 
 Wherefore goefl thou alfo with us? Return to thy 
 place ^ and abide with the king : for thou art a 
 
 Jl r anger y and aljo an exile whereas thou came, ji 
 
 but yejterday, &c. And Ittai the Gittite pajfed 
 over, and all his men. From whence it appears, 
 that Ittai, an exile from Gath, arrived at Jerufa- 
 lem, with all his mcn^the very eve of D/si'i/V^'s flight 
 before his fon Abfalom, From whence I conjec- 
 ture, that the Phili/iines, hearing oi Abf atom's iz- 
 bellion, took that opportunity to Ihake off the 
 Ifraelite yoke ; and to that purpofe drove out all 
 the friends and favourers of David's government 
 over them j and, among the reft, Ittai ^nd his 
 followers; who arrived very providentially at 
 Jerufalem, to fupport ID avid in the extremity of 
 his diftrefs. And, as this revolt of Thilifiia was 
 fucceeded by a long famine in "David's domi- 
 nions, we could not reafonably expeft to hear 
 of any meafures taken by that prince to chaftife 
 that revolt, till after the ceafing of this calamity % 
 and then we immediately hear of the wars now 
 recounted. 
 
 When thefe wars were happily ended, and 
 David was in perfctl peace, both at home and. 
 abroad, and in a fair profpcdl of continuing fo 
 for the reft of his life, he then revifed and pub- 
 lifhed the laft edition of the eighteenth Tfalm^ 
 >yhich contains a fummary of Gop's fignal nier- 
 
 cie^ 
 
250 An Htjiortcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 cies and deliverances wrought for him; with 
 fuch an overflowing of gratitude for the divine 
 goodnefs to him, as infinitely furpafles all other 
 compofitions of all other men, upon this head. 
 And, what is very fingular, and I hope not un- 
 worthy the reader's notice, he hath found the 
 fecret of moft efFcftually perpetuating his own 
 praife, by perpetuating that of his Maker; whilft 
 he labours to make the praifes of God glorious, 
 he makes his own eminent, above all other 
 mortals! A finglc inftance will evince this: 
 We never fhould have known, that "David was' 
 the fwifteft and the ftrongeft of all mankind, if 
 his own thankfgivings had not told us fo ; if he 
 had not blelTed God for giving him the fwift- 
 nefs of the hart, and the ftrength to break a bow 
 of ftcel. 
 
 The critical reader will, I hope, not deem 
 it beneath his curiofity, to fee a few paffages 
 in this Tfalm, publifhed in D^x;//s youth, com- 
 pared with the correftions of his more advanced 
 years: the firft, as they are found in the book 
 of Vjalms 5 and the laft, as they are publifhed in 
 the twenty-fecond chapter of the iecond book 
 of SamueL 
 
 Ver. I. / "d^'ill 
 love theCy O Lord, my 
 Strength, i. The Lord 
 is my Rocky and my 
 FortrefSy an dmy ®^- 
 Uvereth my Gody my 
 Strength^ 
 
 Samuel. 
 Ver. 2. The Lord 
 is my Rocky and my 
 FortrefSy and my Deli- 
 verer 5 3 .The God of 
 my rock, in him will I 
 trujl 5 he is my Shieldy 
 and 
 
B. 4, the Life of Ki?ig David, 
 
 Strength^ in whom I 
 will tnifl 5 my Buckler , 
 and the Horn of my fal- 
 vat ion ; my high Tow- 
 er. 5. The fbrrows of 
 death compaffcd me^ 
 and the floods of the un- 
 godly men made me 
 afraid. 
 
 and the Horn ofmyfaU 
 vation^ my high Tower ^ 
 and my Refuge ^ my Sa- 
 viour"^. Thou fav eft me 
 fromviolence. ^JVhen 
 the waives of death 
 compajfedme, the floods 
 of the' tmgodly men 
 made me afraid. 
 
 Every eye will difcern to what infinite ad- 
 vantage this exprcflion, The forrows of death ^ is 
 changed into The waves of death. Nothing caa 
 be a finer emblem of an hod of men, in their 
 feveral ranks, than the waves of the fea, fuc- 
 ceeding one another in their natural order. 
 And, when we confider them prefling forward 
 to the deftruftion of their adverfaries, they may 
 very properly be termed waves of death. 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 Ver. 7. Then the 
 earth Jhook and trem- 
 bled, the foundations 
 alfo of the hills moved, 
 and were paken-i becaufe 
 he was wroth. 
 
 Samuel. 
 Ver. 8. Then the 
 earth fiook and trem- 
 bled, the foundations of 
 heaven moved and 
 fhooky becaufe he was 
 wroth. 
 
 The hills, fhaking from the foundation at 
 the wrath of God, is a noble idea: but the 
 
 * As his deliverances were now multiplied, his gratitude feems , 
 as it were, exaggerated, and makes new efforts to exert itfelf, 
 when every idea, that would ^xprefs it, feems exhauiled. 
 
 form 
 
2 52 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 foundations of heaven, fhaking at it, is a much 
 nobler! The thought too is ftriftlyjuft; for as 
 the eye of the fpedator is toffed to and- fro, in 
 an earthquake, the heavens muft alfo appear to 
 him to be agitated in the fame manner. 
 
 Although 'David's main purpofe in pub- 
 lifliing thefe divine hymns, fetting them to 
 fuited miific, and finging them in the public 
 wor^liip of God, was, to publifh to the whole 
 world his endlefs gratitude, for the various and 
 wonderful mercies of G o d, beftowed upon 
 him 5 yet had he a further^ and, if poffible, a 
 nobler purpofe, in this conduftj 1 mean, to 
 difpcrfe true religion throughout every part of 
 his dominions 5 to infpire the hearts of his people 
 with a true and lively fenfe of gratitude to God, 
 their Benefador, Protcftor^ and Saviour, as well 
 as his. ©^x'/W well knew, that true gratitude 
 to God is the fureft fource of true religion, and 
 every duty injoined by it 5 and when it is 
 poured out for public bleffings, in which all 
 partake, naturally mixes with every focial affec- 
 tion, and blends them, as it were, into its own 
 being i and by this means becomes the very 
 beft bond of fociety. And therefore T>avtdy by 
 perpetually pouring out the praifes of God, in 
 the' moft exalted and heavenly compofitions, and 
 taking all occafions to recount his endlefs mer- 
 cies and deliverances wrought for his people 
 from the beginning, took the moft effedual 
 means to fill their hearts with gratitude to their 
 great Benefador; and^ in confequence of that, 
 to render them religioufly obfervant of his laws j 
 
 to 
 
B.4' ^^^ Life of King David. 253 
 to render them humane, friendly, and affedi- 
 onate to one another, and confcientioufly faith- 
 ful and dutiful to their fovcreign. 
 
 The wifeft and mod eminent of the antients 
 have left many encomiums, both upon the fe- 
 parate and joint power of mufic and poetry, to- 
 wards foftening, civilizing, and mending the 
 manners of mankind 5 and the candid reader 
 will, I am fure, pardon, if not thank, me for 
 tranfcribing a paffage to this purpofe from Mr. 
 Rolliny one of the moft polite and truly valuable 
 authors of this or any age$ the greateft lover of 
 truth, and of mankind ! ^voL iv. of his Anttent 
 Hifiory, p. 3 2 3^ 3 24. Mufic was cultivated with 
 no lefs application andfucccfs. The antients af- 
 cribed wonderful effects to it. They believed it 
 very proper to calm the pajjions^foften the man- 
 nersj and even humanize people naturally favage 
 and barbarous. Polybius, agraveandfcrious hif- 
 torian, and who is certainly worthy of beliefs at^ 
 tributes the extreme difference between two pea- 
 pie (?/*Arcadia, the one infinitely beloved anaef 
 teemed for the elegance of their manners^ their be* 
 nevolent inclinations y humanity to fir angers^ and 
 piety to thegods'-i the other ^on the contrar\\general^ 
 ly reproached andhated for their malignity^ bruta- 
 lity y and irreligioni Polybius, Ifiy^ afcribes this 
 difference to thejhtdy ofmufic (I w\^z\xfays he, the 
 true and noble m\x{\c)cultivated with care by the 
 one, andabfolutely negle^ed by the other people. 
 
 If fuch have been the effeds of the fole and 
 fcparate power of noble mufic, what might not 
 
 be hoped from ix.^ whea it is built upon, and 
 
 fup' 
 
254 •^'^^ Htjloricdl Account of B. 4* 
 
 fupported by, the nobleft, the fublimeft, the 
 liioft heavenly (trains of divine poetry, by which 
 the world was ever delighted, informed, or 
 amended ! And fuch, beyond all controverfy, or 
 pretence of a rational doubt, are the facred 
 hymns and pfalms of T)avid. 
 
 Pindar places this elogium in the front 
 of Hierd% character : That he took a noble de- 
 light in the mod exquifite ftrokes and perform- 
 ances of poetry and mufic. Could he have 
 added to this, that he had a maftery over all 
 mortals, in the compofition of both 5 and crowned 
 all, by the application of both to their noblefl: 
 ends and ufesj the infpiring of true piety and Vir- 
 tue into the hearts of men, and celebrating the 
 praifes of God; recounting the works and 
 wonders of his providence, and infinite mercies 
 to mankind 5 how nobly had his charadter been 
 completed! how had it been, at once, exalted 
 and unrivalled! The thinking reader will cafily 
 fatisfy himfelf, that this glory, which Pindar 
 could not confer upon Hiero, T>avid hath, moft 
 unfelfilbly, and without the leaft taint or view 
 of vanity, fecurcd to himfelf. 
 
 After T>avid's laft revifal and edition of the 
 eighteenth TJalm^ now recounted, the facred 
 hiftorian gives us to underftand, that the laft 
 words which he fpake, and committed to write- 
 ing, as a prophet, are thofe which immediately 
 follow this Pfaim, in the fecond book of Saynuely 
 chap, xxiii. And indeed it is of vafl: importance 
 to the faithful, that they are committed to write- 
 rs ^ 
 
 inp- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 255 
 
 ing; becaufe he there exprefly declares, That 
 the Spirit of Godfpake by him. 
 
 The laft words of great men, folemnly de- 
 livered, and upon points of great importance, 
 have always been thought worthy of peculiar 
 regard; and have accordingly been carefully 
 recorded : and therefore thefe of fo great a prince 
 and prophet as "David, will not, I prefume, be 
 deemed unworthy the regard of the raoft incu- 
 rious reader ; efpecially as they will not take up 
 much more than one minute of his time. 
 
 Now thefe be the lafi words of "David: Da- 
 vid the Con of J^ffefaid^ and the man who was 
 raifed tip on high, the anointed of the God of Ja^ 
 coby andthefweetpfalmifioflfraelyfaid'^ The 
 Spirit of the Lor df pake by me, and his word was 
 m my tongue. The God ofjfraelfaid, the Rock 
 of Ifraelfpake unto me, lie that nilet hover men 
 7mift bejufl, ruling in the fear of God: and he 
 fhall be as the light of the tnorning, ivhen the fun 
 rifeth, even a morning without clouds i as the 
 tender grafs fpringing out of the earth, by clear 
 fhiyiing after rain. Although my houfe be not fa 
 with God'y yet he hath made with me an ever- 
 lafling covenant, ordered in all things, and fur e: 
 for this is all my falvation, and all my defirCy 
 although he make it not to grow. 
 
 But the fins of Belial fijall be all of them as 
 thorns thrufi away, becaufe they cannot be taken 
 with hands 5 but the man that fo all touch them^ 
 mujl be fenced with iron^ and the ftaff of a 
 fpcar : and they fhall be tttterly burnt with fire 
 in the fame place. 
 
 How 
 
t^6 Aft Ilijiorical Account of 6. 4^ 
 
 How glorious a conclufion of fo noble aa 
 office is this! to recoliea God's fignal mercies 
 and bleflings beftowed upon him! His exalta- 
 tion to royalty, from a low cftate ! and his gifts 
 of prophecy, poetry, and harmony i his fpeciai 
 command to him as a king, and his eternal 
 covenant with him and his feed ! The continu- 
 ance of his temporal kingdom, but with, no 
 increafe of grandeur, in his pofterity ! Theit 
 fure falvation and protedlion, whilft they con- 
 tinued in the covenant made with their father! 
 and the final reprobation, and deftruftion of the 
 wicked! and, above all, that blefled and per- 
 manent afTurance to the faithful, That the Sprit 
 of the Lord fpake by him, and his word was in 
 his tongue ! Thus fealing the truth and certainty 
 ofhis divine infpiration, and in confcquence of 
 that, the facred authority of his writings, to end- 
 lefs generations. 
 
 Then follows the noble catalogue oiT>a^ 
 acid's worthies i the nobleft and mod truly re- 
 nowned of all antiquity 5 inafmuch as there is 
 realbn to believe, that any ad of notorious guilt 
 excluded from it: for why, otherwife, fo great 
 a captain, and fo brave a man, as Joab, fhould 
 be left out of that lift, when his two brothers^* 
 and even his armour bearer, are included in it, I 
 own I cannot comprehend. And this con- 
 jedure is, I think, ftrengthcned by obferving 
 feveral names in the lift of thefe worthies, 
 2 Sam. xxiii. left out in the fubfequent lift, 
 I Chrcn, xi.and a good many other names added 
 in this later lift. From whence 1 conclude, that 
 
 J fomg 
 
B. 4. th Life of King David. 257 
 
 fome of the worthies in the firft lift, had theii' 
 names rafed out, on acccounr ot fome fubfequent 
 demerit, after the authors of the fecond book of 
 Samuel were dead. 
 
 C H A P. XVIL 
 
 X^K^iYi' s Numbering of the People: and 
 the Flague which ej^ued. 
 
 THE people of //J-i^^/ were fcarcely reco^ 
 vered from the calamity of that fa- 
 mine, which infefted them for three years^ 
 when they Y/ere vifired by anotlicr chaiHfement, 
 apparently more fatal, although of a very fhorc 
 continuance: a pefttlencc or three days; occa- 
 fioned by the king's numbering of the people. 
 
 The moft rational account of the matter is 
 this: God had given them a command, by Mo- 
 fes^ Exod, XXX. that when they took the fum of 
 the people, after their number, every man fo 
 numbered, from twenty years old and upwards, 
 fhould pay half a fhekei to the fan£luary, as a 
 ranfom for his foul to God 5 under the penair.y 
 of a plague? to enfue the neglect of fuch pay- 
 ment: and accordingly that payment was made, 
 when they were numbered, Exod, xxxviii. 24 *. 
 
 And 
 
 ■* if it be ob]e£led, that there are two other numberings men- 
 tioned in the Bible, Numb. i. and Numb. xxvi. without the men- 
 tion of any payment to the fanduary ; I anfwer. That there is in- 
 deed no exprefs mention made of any fuch payment ; buc I think i fi 
 
 Vot.II. S faf. 
 
258 An Hiflorical Account of B. 4 • 
 
 And furely a moft rational and religious capi- 
 tation rliis was, indicating, that their lives were 
 the forfeit of their fins, to God : who, in mercy, 
 accepted a fmall ranfom for them 5 but an equal 
 one for the lives of the higheft and the loweft 
 amongd them, inafmuch as they were all of 
 equal vaiue in his fight, with whom there is no 
 acceptance of perfons. 
 
 David, now (probably from an impulfe of 
 vanity) defirous to know the ftrength of his 
 kingdom, which he rightly judged to confift 
 more in the numbers of valiant men, than in 
 the extent of empire, ordered the fum of the 
 people to be taken, from twenty years old and 
 npward'y Vv'ithout ordering the Mofaic ranfom to 
 be paid : for which reafon a plague immediately 
 enfued, which dcftroyed feventy thoufand of 
 them, within the time determined by the pro- 
 phet. And indeed, as the people were now 
 riiore fignally bleffed by God than at any time, 
 the neglcft of paying this tribute to their great 
 Sovereign, under whofe protedion they were 
 fo wonderfully raifcd to wealth, and dominion 
 over their enemies, became more odioufly in- 
 famous and ungrateful. And it is to me un- 
 accountably aftoniihing, how David could be 
 brought to futFcr it : but in truth he did more > 
 
 • 
 
 fufficlently implied in both places; for, Numh.'i. 54. it is faid, 
 j4nd the children of Ij'rael did according to all that the Lord com- 
 fnmided Mofes. And in Numb. xxvi. 4. they are commanded to 
 take the fum of the people, as the Lord commanded MofeSy and the 
 children of Ifrael, ^hich njoent forth out of the Land of Egypt. 
 And we know, that the payment of the half-lhekel made a part of 
 that command. 
 
 3 fe« 
 
B. 4* the Life of King Day IT). ^59 
 
 he not only fufFcred, but injoined and urged ir. 
 And, to increafe our wonder, "David injoined, 
 and Joah remonllrated againft it j remonftrared 
 againft it, not only with fine addrcfs^ but with 
 a fpirit of true religion. His addrcfs is fecit 
 2 Sam. xxiv. 3. for, when "^^w^ gave him his 
 command, to^^ through all the tribes of Ijrael^ 
 and number the people— "j oab jaid unto the king^ 
 Now the Lord thy God addtmto the people (ho-ju 
 many foever they be) an hundredfold^ and that 
 the eyes of my lord the king may fee it : but why 
 doth my lord the king delight in this thing ? And 
 the religion of this condud is ^CQ.ii from what is 
 added, i Chron. xxi. 3. IVhy doth my lord require 
 this thing ? Why will he be a caufe of irefpafs to 
 Ifrael? But David was To bent upon the pur- 
 pofe, tnat nothing could difluade him from it. 
 And Joab^ and the captains of the hoft, were 
 immediately difpatched to execute it, and re^ 
 turned not to Jertfalem till the end of nine 
 months and twenty days 5 and even then returned 
 without accomplifhing their purpofc, for Levi 
 and Benjamin were not taken into the compu- 
 tation : For (fays the text) the kings word was 
 abominable unto Joab. Bcfidcs, as God had pro- 
 mifed to multiply them as the flats of heaven, 
 and the fands of the fea, they thought it impious, 
 fo much as to attempt an exaft computation of 
 all orders and ages amongft them. 
 
 There are two returns left us of this num- 
 bering (one 2 Sam, xxiv: and the other i. Chron. 
 xxi ) 5 which diifer confiderably from one an- 
 other, efpecially in relation to the men of lfrael\ 
 
 S z which, 
 
260 An Hiftorkal Account of B.4. 
 
 which, in the firft, arc returned but eight hun- 
 dred thoufand \ hut^ in the lafl-^ eleven hundred 
 thoufand. But I think a careful attendance to 
 both the tcxtS;, and to the nature of the thing, 
 will eafiiy reconcile them. The matter appears 
 to me thus: 'Joab^ who refolved, from the be- 
 ginning, not to number the whole of the people, 
 but who, at the fame time, wifhed to fhew his 
 own tribe in the beft light, and make their num- 
 ber as confiderable as he could, numbered every 
 man amongft them, from twenty years old and 
 upwards, and fo returned them to be five hun- 
 dred thoufand: but in Ijraelht only made a 
 return of fuch men as were exercifed and proved 
 inarms; and therefore the number of perfons 
 above twenty years old is lefs in his return 
 (2 Sam. xxiv.). 
 
 The reader will bed judge, whether the 
 letter of the texts doth not juftify this conjedure : 
 that of 2 Sam, xxiv. ftands thus ; And there were in 
 Ifraele'tght kandred thoufand valiant men^ that 
 dre'w thejword — and the ?nen ofjudah (not 
 the men of tried valour only, but the whole) were 
 five hundred thoufand men: whereas the account 
 we have of this matter in 1 Chron, xxi. ftands 
 thus : And all they oflfraelwere a thoufand thou- 
 fand, and an hundred thotfand mefi, that drew 
 fword: and Judah four hundred threefcore and 
 ten thoufand men that drew fword. In a word, 
 in 2 Sam, xxiv. 5). the whole of 'Judah is re- 
 turned, and only the men of proved valour ia 
 IfraeL In i Chron, xxi. f. the whole of i/r<^^/ 
 is cxprefly returned i but the particle all is not 
 
 ex.- 
 
B. 4* the Life of King X) AY I a. 261 
 
 exprefly prefixed to thofe oijudah^ and there- 
 fore polTIbiy the men of tried valour in that 
 tribe are only included in that return: and, if 
 ib, the returns mufl of neceility be very dif- 
 ferent. Indeed it feems to me as if all the facred 
 writers were upon their guard againft giving an 
 exad return. 
 
 How unliable are all human purpofes and 
 purfuits! Davidy whofe heart was fo lately kt 
 upon numbering the people, i^ts his guilt, and 
 repents his purpofe, the moment it was finilhed: 
 that heart which was fo lately dilated with 
 vanity *, now fhrinks into contrition and peni- 
 tence. 
 
 It is fomewhere faid of Epaminondas^ that, 
 the next day after the battle of Leu5ira^ he was 
 feen remarkably fad and dejecled; and being 
 asked the reafon, anfwered, I yefterday fufFered 
 myfelf to be too much elated with vanity, and 
 I am mortifying for it to-day. This feems to 
 have been pretty much the cafe of 'Davidy 
 whofe vain heart now recoils, with dreadful 
 pangs, upon his breaft. And David's heart 
 fmote him, (fays the text) after that he had mini' 
 bered the people : andTDavid faid unto the Lord, 
 I have finned greatly in that I have done : and now. 
 I befeech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of 
 thy fervant i for I have done very foolijJjly, 
 
 * And perhaps this may be the reafon, why this aftion is im- 
 puted to the ioltig^tion of Satan, the father of pride. 
 
 S3 m 
 
262 An Hifiorkal Account of B. 4^ 
 
 In thisfituationof mind, Gad, David's (ecu 
 found him the next morning*, when he came 
 to denounce the divine vengeance upon his 
 guilt : and to (liew him^, and the world, that 
 the vengeance he came now to denounce, could 
 be no cafual calamity, nor the cfrcft of m^y 
 natural caufe, he gave him his choice of three 
 evils ; one of which mul^ immediately be in- 
 flicted upon him? Shall /even years of famine 
 ^corne unto thee in thy landl Or wilt thou flee 
 three moyiths before thine enemies., while they 
 furfue thet ? Or that there be three days pejl Hence 
 in ^tly land? Now, advife, and fee what anfwev 
 Ifiall return to Him thatfent me. To thefe 
 dreadful anddiftrafting alternatives, DavidmdiAc 
 this truly heroic and religious reply : AndT)avid 
 faidimto Cad, I am in a great freight: let ms 
 fall now into the hand of the Lord, (for his mer- 
 cies are great) and let me not fall into the hand of 
 man. Had he chofen either war or famine, his 
 wealth and his power had eafily fecured himfelf 
 and family front any imminent danger of either: 
 but in this confifted his hcroifm, that he chofe 
 that evil, which he himfelf rifqued, in common 
 with his m.eaneft fubje^. 
 
 The event was immediately anfwerable to 
 the choice 5 a plague inflantly enfued, and con- 
 
 * I mufl here obferye an egregious error in our Englijh tranf- 
 lation : which gives us to apprehend, that Da^iid's penitence was 
 the elFeft of Gad^s threat: For, (fays the text) 'when Da^vid^as 
 tip in the morning, the nxord of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad^ 
 ia'uid's Jeer, faying. Go, and fay unto Danjid, ^'c. Whereasthe 
 >vord which is tranflated For, fhould be tranflated Jnd j and it is 
 fipt a caufal, but a connedlive particle. 
 
 . tinued 
 
B. 4. . the Life of King Da vi d. 263 
 
 tinued to the time appointed, which deftroyed^ 
 in that very fhort fpacc, fevcnty thoufand men, 
 from Dan to Beerjjotba : a calamity which hath 
 no parallel, in the whole compafs of hiftory. 
 
 David, deeply affiided arid penitent under 
 this heavy chartifement, aQcmbled the elders of 
 Ifrael'-i and all of them, cloathcd in fackcloth, 
 humbled themfelvcs in a mod folema and public 
 manner before God 5 imploring his mercy and 
 deprecating his vengeance. And, whiill they 
 were in this conditioii, "David^ lifting up his 
 eyes to GoD.fa'juthe angid of the Lord flandmg 
 between the earth and the heaven-^ having a 
 drawn fword in his hand^ fir etched out vcr Je- 
 rufalem. Upon thefi^ht ot waicli, David, and 
 all his attending elders^, fejl upon their taces, to 
 the earth ; and 'David cried out to Go d, Is it 
 not I that commanded the pejple to be yimnber-^d? 
 Even I it is that have finned^ and done evil in- 
 deed. But for thefe ,'heep, what have th y done ? 
 Let thine handy I pra> thee. O Lord my God, be 
 on me, and on my father s hoiif ; hut not on thy 
 people y that they pould be flagaed. 
 
 This fupplication and humiha ion of David, 
 and the elders, foftened the divme wratn, and 
 ar reded the vengeance. And the Lord [aid to the 
 angel, that dejlroyed the people, Lt is enough i 
 Jtay now thine hand. And the place where the 
 avenging angel was ftaid, was over the threfh- 
 ing-fioor of Araimah the Jebtifite, 
 
 Then the angel of the Lord commanded 
 Gad, inftantly to order T)avid to go and fet 
 up an altar to God in the tlirefhing-floor of 
 
 S 4 Araui 
 
264 An Hijiorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 ^raunah the "Jebujtte. David immediately 
 obeyed, and treated with Araunah for the threfh- 
 ing floor. Signifying to him, at the fame time, 
 the reafon why he defired to purchafe it : the 
 truth of which Araunah himfelf muft eafily be 
 fatisficd of, inafmuch as he alfo^ with his four 
 fons, had i^za the deftroying angel, and hid 
 themleives in terror of the fight. And there- 
 fore ^David had no fooner made the propofal, 
 but the generous Araimah replied, with a ready 
 offer of every thing he wanted 5 land, oxen for 
 facrifice, and threfhing inftruments for fuel, and 
 the wheat for the meat offering, without any 
 price or purchace. But this David abfolutely 
 refufed, declaring, that he would buy every 
 thing at the full price 5 and that he would not 
 facrifice to Go d of that which coft him nothing : 
 and accordingly he bought the place for fix hun- 
 dred fhekels of gold ; and the oxen for fifty ihekels 
 of fi'ver*. And David built there an altar 
 unto the Lord^ and offered burnt-offerings and 
 fe^ce-offtrings^ and called upon the Lord^ and 
 
 * Much difficulty hath been raifed upon the articles of this 
 fale, in a cafe, to me, fufficiently plain. The authors of 2 Sam. 
 Xxiv. tell us, that Da'vid bought the threflnn^-fioor, but do not fay 
 for what; and then immediately add, and the oxe^i for fifty pekeis 
 pffiher Now, it is but fuppofing fuch a Hop placed after the 
 yfordfl.nr, as Ihews it to be a lentence diftinft from what follows, 
 or fuppofing the following claufe to be included in a parenthefis (a 
 conftruction which muft be fuppofed in all other writings, in a 
 thoufand inftancc) ; and the matter is clear of all difficulty. And 
 that one or both of thefe muft be the cafe, is fufficiently evident 
 to mi from i Chron xx\. 25. where the price paid for the place is 
 exprefiy fet down to be fix hundred Ihekels of gold, without men- 
 tioning any price paid for ihe pxpn. 
 
 h 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 265 
 
 he an/were d him from heaven by fire upon the al- 
 tar of burnt-offering, and the plague was Jiayed 
 from Ifrael. 
 
 However criminal this numbering was ia 
 ^avid^ yet there are three points of importance 
 clear from it. 
 
 The firft is, the fignai completion of Gods 
 promife to Abraham^ of multiplying his izz^^ as 
 the fands of the feaj inafmuch as the multitudes 
 of men, comprehended within the narrow limits 
 of Jud^a^ even at this time, appears from this 
 numeration to be great beyond all comparifon, 
 although confefledly lefs confiderable than under 
 fome fucceeding reigns. 
 
 The fecond is, that it appears from the ac- 
 counts left us of this matter, that all the cities 
 of the Canaanite coaft, and particularly Zidon^ 
 and the ftrong hold of Tyre, were under the 
 dominion of 'David. But this I apprehend 
 could only be the antient Tyre^ or ^aUtyrus^ 
 inafmuch as Htram, who lived in fricndlliip 
 both with David and Solomon, was king of the 
 cthQvTyre: which^ from a letter of his zo So- 
 lemon, quoted by Jofephus, appears to have beea 
 iicuate in an ifland ( Antiq. 1. viii. c. 2). But 
 this, however, no way infers the king of that 
 Tyre not to have been tributary both to T>avid 
 and Solomon ; as I apprehend he was, from his 
 calling both David and Solomon his lord, and 
 himleif and people Solomons fcrvanrs, 2 Chron, 
 ii. 14, 15. Or, if he were not^ David's domi- 
 nion over Zidon alone will go a great way to- 
 wards accounting for thofe immenfe treafures,' 
 ' which 
 
266 An Hi^orical Account of B. 4, 
 
 which he amafled for building the temple ; in- 
 afmuch as Zidon is allowed to have been, from 
 the remoteft antiquity, one of the greateft marts 
 of the world, which engroded a great (hare of 
 its wealth ; and into which, and into Tyre^ the 
 veins of all its richeft mines, then in their vigour, 
 were naturally drained. And that Zidon was 
 early renowned for wealth and magnificence, fuf- 
 ficiently appears from its being ftyled, even as 
 early as the days of Jofiuay Zidon the greaty 
 JoOi. xi. 8. 
 
 The third is, that David was not the cruel 
 conqueror, which feme men lb eagerly infer 
 him, from fbme parts of his hidory, ill confi- 
 dercd, and of confequence little undcrftoodj 
 inafmuch as we learn from this tranfaclion, that, 
 in the height of his refentment againft the Je- 
 bufiteSy he fpared Araunah^ a king ; in all pro- 
 bability, prince and proprietor of the place ; and 
 fufFcred him to live in peace and plenty. 
 
 If it be asked^ why the people were punifhed 
 for this guilt of their prince ? I anfwer, (befides 
 the common obfervation, ^icqtiiddelirantreges^ 
 &c.) in the fentimcnts ot xMr. Whijlon's com- 
 ment on this part of Jofepkus*s hiftory; That 
 neither "Davtd^ nor the Sanhedrim's negled of 
 cxading this tribute could cxcufe the people 
 from paying it, when an exprefs law of God 
 injoined it. 
 
 To fpeak freely upon the point, I can con- 
 ceive but one reaibn, why "David noiv negleded 
 to in join the payment of this tribute : he was 
 the great patron of religion, and protcftor of 
 
 the 
 
B. 4. ihe Life of King D a v i p. 267 
 
 the church of G o d 5 and (if fuch a fpirit thea 
 reigned in his nation, as now reigneth in ours) 
 fuch a fum of money, as this tax would have 
 brought into the fancluaiy, could not fail to have 
 raifed an high outcry of bigotry, and prieftcraft 
 againft him : and lo he fufFered the people to 
 be plagued, rather than let the priefthood be 
 enriched. 
 
 1 SHALL only add, that the ninety-firft Pfalm 
 feems evidently to have been written by Davidj^ 
 jn commemoration of his deliverance from this 
 public calamity. That fignal proteftion of Di- 
 vine Provide nee, which he had now experienced, 
 naturally prompted him to break out into thofe 
 exprcffions of hope and truft in God, of which 
 it is hard to fay whether the piety or the poetry 
 be more exalted : He that dwelleth in thefecret 
 place of the Moft High, Jhall abide under the 
 Jhadow of the Almighty. Surely he Jhall deliver 
 thee from thefnare of the fowler s and from the 
 noifome pe ft Hence. 
 
 Thou flalt not be afraid for the terror by 
 night ; nor for the arrow that fit eth by day. 
 
 Nor for the peftilence that walketh in dark- 
 nefs i nor for the deJlru6iion that wafieth at 
 noon-day. 
 
 A thoufand fhall fall at thy Jidcj and ten 
 thoufand at thy right- hand ^ but it Jhall not 
 come nigh thee. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
268 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 CHAR XVIIL 
 
 David^^ Preparations to build the Tern-- 
 pie : his private Exhortations to Solo- 
 mon, and the ^ri^tces^ to ca?^ry on the 
 Work 
 
 WHEN "David faw, that his facrifice was 
 miraculoufly accepted of Almighty God, 
 by the defcent of fire from heaven, which con- 
 fumed it upon the altar, he immediately con- 
 cluded, that this was the place which God had 
 chofen, to eftablifhhis worlhip there 5 and there- 
 fore he continued to offer up facrifices upon this 
 altar, and accordingly told his people, that this 
 was the houfe of the LordGody and this the al- 
 tar Oj the burnt-offering for Ifrael. 
 
 It is true, the tabernacle of the Lord, which 
 Mofes made in the wildernefs, and the altar for 
 the burnt-offering, were, at that feafon, in the 
 high place of Gtbeon , and thither he fhould or- 
 dinarily have refortcdjto facrifice his burnt-offer- 
 ings : but inafmuch as the angel of the Lord 
 hadexprefly commanded him to ercfl: an altar in 
 the threlhing-floor of Araunah-, and on that 
 very fpot, over which the avenging angel was 
 arrefled, and God appeafed, he naturally con- 
 cluded, that this was the appointed place of 
 atonement, fo folemniy fet apart for facrifice: 
 and therefore he feared to reiort to Gibeon any 
 
 more. 
 
B.4' the Life of King T> AviT>. 269 
 
 more, for any purpofe of religion *. And there 
 is no doubt but he was coRfirmed in his realoa- 
 ing upon this point, by refieding, that this was 
 the place appointed by God himfelf for the 
 facrificing of Ifaac i and where the faith of his 
 father Abrakam was fo amazin'^ly tried, fo gio- 
 rioufly accepted, and fo nobjy rewarded. 
 
 All thefe concurring circumftances and 
 confiderations futnciently pointed out this, as 
 the place of that temple, which was to be the 
 glory of the whole earth. And accordingly Da- 
 vid let himfelf, from that moment, to prepare 
 materials of all forts for it, with all imaginable 
 application and zeal 5 as indeed he had done for 
 many years before. 
 
 And indeed there is no doubt but it was at 
 this time, that God infpired him with the plan 
 of the whole work j with all its parts, dimen- 
 fions, and utenfilsj all which, he himfelf exprefly 
 allures us f, the Lord made him underjtand in 
 writt72g by kis hand upon him. 
 
 That the architecture of this temple was of 
 divine original, 1, for my part, am fully fatif- 
 fied, from this paflage i and i am confirmed ia 
 this perfuafion by finding from Vilalpandus, that 
 the Roman^ at leatl the Greeks architedure is 
 derived from this, as from its fountain : and, in 
 my humble opinion, even an infidel may eafily 
 believe thefe to be of divine original 5 inafmuch 
 
 * But Dan^id could not go he/ore it (that is, the altar at Giheon) ; 
 for he Hxias afraid becaufe of the f^ord of the angel of the Lord, 
 I Chron. xxi. 30. 
 -j- 1 Chron, xxviii. 19. 
 
 as 
 
S70 An Hifiorical Account of B. 4^ 
 
 as they are (at lead the latter is) found perfefi: 
 in the earlieft models : nor hath the utmdft 
 reach of human wifdom, invention^ and in- 
 duftry, been ever able (although often endea- 
 vouring it) to improve or alter it, but to dif- 
 advantage^ throughout the courfe of fo many 
 ages. 
 
 Th A T T>avid underftood what he was about^ 
 IS evident from the nature of the thing; for^ if he 
 had not been complete matter of the whole de- 
 fign, he could not have direded the hewing of 
 the flones, nor adjufted the exact weight of all 
 the utenfils^ as he certainly did, with great carCj 
 I Chron, xxviii. 12, &c. 
 
 In the firft of thefe works he employed all the 
 ftr angers^ that is, profeiytes of the landh who^ 
 probably, were more skilled in works of that 
 nature : or, poffibly, he chofe not to take his 
 own people from the culture of the ground, and 
 the fevcral purfuits of rural induftry. 
 "He prepared iron and brafs in abundance, and 
 without weight, for the joinings (fays the text) 
 probably both of the ftones and timber, which 
 was all cedar > and fupplied him, in vaft plenty, 
 by the Zidonians and Tyrians, He considered, 
 that the work was to be great and magnificent, 
 bevond any thing yet known to the world 5 and 
 therefore the preparations were to be propor- 
 tionable. Tills the facred hiftorian fully informs 
 us of in I Chron. xxii. 5. ^nd David faid, So- 
 lomon my [on is young and tender \ and the hotife 
 that IS to be builded to the Lord^ muji be excetd- 
 ing magwfical, of fame:, and of glory ^ throughout 
 
 all 
 
B. 4* the Life of King "Dhv I'D. 271 
 
 all countries : 1 will therefore now make prepa^ 
 rations for it. So ^ avid prepared abundantly 
 before bis death : taking care, at the fame time, to 
 inform his fon Solomon fully of his whole pur- 
 pofc5 and exhorting him, who was appointed by 
 ■God to execute it, to purfue and accompUfh it 
 with diligence and vigour 5 adding, that he himfelf 
 once had it fully in his intentions to build an 
 houfe tmto the Name of the Lord his God-, but 
 was exprefly forbidden to purfue his purpofe, be- 
 caufe he had been a man of war ^ and had [bed 
 much blood upon the earth 5 but that God had af- 
 fured him, at the fame time, that he would give 
 him a fon, who fhould be a man of peace, and 
 his name Solomon i and that he fliould build him 
 an houfe. And, upon this ground, he exhorts him 
 to go on with the work : NoWy my fon ^ the Lord 
 he with thee^ and prof per thee i and build the houfe ^ 
 of the Lord thy God, as he hath faid of thee. He 
 then adds a moft carnefl: exhortation to him, to 
 ferve and to fear God, as he hoped for his blelT- 
 ing upon his houfe and nation i and concludes- 
 with an earned fuppUcation to God, to infpire 
 his heart with wifdom, and a fteady fenle of 
 duty to him, and to his people. 
 
 This done, T>avid next proceeds to tell his 
 fon, what preparations he himfelf had made for 
 the work : Now, behold, in my trouble^ I have 
 prepared for the houfe of the Lord an hundred 
 thoiifand talents of gold, and a thou f and thoufand 
 talents of fiver -, and of brafs, andiron, without 
 weight (for it is in abundance) ; timber alfo^ and 
 Jlone^ have Ipreparedi and thou mayfl add there- 
 to. 
 
2J2 An Hijlorical Account of B. 4* 
 
 to. Moreover^ there are workmen with thee 
 in abundance i hewers andworkersof Jtone and 
 timber J and all marmer of cunning men^ for 
 every manner of work. Of the gold, the filver^ 
 and the brafs, and the iron^ there is no number. 
 Arife therefore^ and be doing'-, and the Lord 
 be with thee. 
 
 David's next care was, to engage all the 
 great men of the realm to be aiding and allifting 
 to his fon, in the carrying on of this great worki 
 And to this purpofe he laid his particular com-^ 
 mands (as I apprehend) fingly, and apart*, up- 
 on each of them. And after this, convening 
 them in one body, he publickly exhorted them 
 all to the fame purpofe, in an oration, wiiich 
 (to me) is by far the nobleft of the kind extant 
 in the world. But, before I proceed to confidet 
 that performance, I muft beg the reader*s atten- 
 tion to fome points of great importance ante- 
 cedent to it. 
 
 * Is not the Lord your God njoith yoU ? And hath he not giifen yotl 
 reft on enjeryjide ? For he hath gi<ven the inhabitants oj the land into 
 mine handy and the land is fuhdued before the Lord, and before his 
 "people. Nonju fet your hearty and your fouly to feek the Lord your 
 God : arife therefore y and build ye the fanBuary of the Lord God, 
 to bring the ark of the conjenant of the Lardy and the holy fjeffels of 
 Gody into the houfe that it to be built to the name of the Lord. 
 
 This, I apprehend, is recorded by the facred writer, as the fub- 
 ftance of Da<vid'^ private exhortations to each of the princes, upon 
 this head. 
 
 chap; 
 
B»4» the Life of King DkViT>. ^73 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 A Dijfertation upon the immenfe T^rea- 
 fures left by David, fo?^ building the 
 Temple. 
 
 THERE is no one point relating to the 
 facred writings, in which I find learned 
 men, and critics of all kinds, fo greatly and 
 diftantly divided, as this of the meafures left by 
 T>avid, for building the temple 5 fome thinking 
 them incredibly immenfe, and others doubling 
 chemj fome fufpeding fome numeral errors in 
 the text, and others finking the talent almoft to 
 nothing, in order to guard againft the fuppofi- 
 tion of any fuch errors; whiift others feem to 
 Value themfelves upon having difcovered new 
 veins of wealth, from whence much greater 
 treafures might have been derived. 
 
 In the midft of this uncertainty, there are 
 ibmc points, I think, clear and inconteflable. 
 
 The firfl: is, that there is not the leaft ground 
 to believe, that the Hebrews ever varied their 
 weights and meafures, at lead before the capti- 
 vity. And therefore Davids talent was the 
 fame wich that of Mofes, 
 
 The next plain point is, that the Hebrew 
 talent was of a confidcrabic weight. 
 
 What Mofess talent was, is known to a de-* 
 monftration, from the account left us of the firft 
 capitation in the wildcrnefsy£^<?</. xxxviii, 2 j', 26, 
 
 Vol. II. T iu 
 
274 ^^^ Hijlorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 in which iix hundred and three thoufand five 
 hundred and fifty men, being taxed at half a 
 Ihekelan head^ raifed a fum of an hundred talents 
 of filver, and a thoufand feven hundred and 
 threefcore and fifteen fhekels. From whence it 
 follows;, that one talent contained three thou- 
 fand fhekels, and that it could not contain lefs, 
 in the days of Amaziah^ is pretty evident, from 
 the account left us in 2 Chron, xxv. 6. of his 
 having hired an hundred thoufand mighty men 
 of valour out of Ifrael, for an hundred talents 
 of filver. If the talent had then contained lefs 
 than three thoufand fhekels, what had been the 
 
 hire of each of thefe foldiers? And the hiftory 
 
 of Gehazi^ Hezekiah, and many other paflages 
 of the Old Teftamenty plainly prove the talent 
 ^ to have been of a conftderable weight. 
 
 Another plain point is, that David mufl 
 have left immenfe tteafures for building the 
 temple, from the vaft number of workmen em- 
 ployed and maintained for that fcrvicc;, for 
 eleven years : four years in preparing the mate- 
 xials, and feven in putting them together. 
 
 Hiram s fervants, hired at the rate of twenty 
 thoufand meafures of wheat, and twenty thou- 
 fand meafures of barley, and twenty thoufand 
 baths of wine, and twenty thoufand baths of 
 oil, year by year 5 thirty thoufand hewers of 
 wood, in Lebanon (ten thoufand of them in 
 Gonftant employment) ; feventy thoufand bearers 
 of burdens, and fourfcore thoufand hewers of 
 large and coftly ftones in the mountains 5 ftones 
 of t;tn cubitS; and ftones of eight cubits^ fawed 
 
 withr 
 
S. 4, the Life of King David 275^ 
 
 with faws, and joined with unparallelled exad- 
 nefsj and three thoufand fix hundred overfeers 
 of the work 5 that is, overfeers of thofe who 
 prepared materials' for it; bzM^s five hundred 
 and fifty ^ which bare rule over the people that 
 wrought in the work (fays the text, i. Kings Ix. 
 23.) 5 that is, which overfaw the execution of its 
 and twenty-four thoufand Z/^^'ir^J■, appointed to 
 fet it forv/ard;, i Chron, xxiii. 4, And to ail thefe 
 the workers of precious (tones, of gold, and fil- 
 ver, and metals of all kinds. What vaft fums of 
 money muft have circulated through JentfaleWy 
 from the wages of fo many men every yearl 
 And how prodigious muft the quantity of gold 
 and filver, left by 'David, be, when this treafure 
 (for this only can account for it) enabled Solomon^ 
 to give gold and filver in 'Jerufalem, as Hones 5^ 
 as the facred text informs us he did {2]Chron\ u 
 15.)! Add to this, the immcnfe quantity of 
 folid gold, which covered the intir.e infide of the 
 porch, thzholy, and holy cf holies^ and the upper 
 chambers'^ 5 the ark, the mercy- fear, the che- 
 rub! ms, the altar of incenfe, and ten tables of 
 fhevvbread 5 the ten candlefticks, and utenfils of 
 ail kinds, for the fervicc of the temple, fuch as 
 dilhes, caps, &c. which yofephus computes to 
 have been no iefs than four hundred and forty 
 thoufand, of that metal; befidcs many urenfils 
 cxprefly faid in the Scriptures to be of gold, fuch 
 
 * Jofephui tells us, (^ntiq. lib. viii. cap. 3.) that the temple: 
 had another building over it, equal to ic in its meafures. And 
 therefore we may fairly conclude, that the upper ehamben here! 
 fpoken of. were the chambers of that building, 
 
 T 2 a^ 
 
276 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 3. 
 
 as fnufFers, lamps, tongs, and fpoons, which ^o- 
 fephus takes no notice of ^ and befides all thofc 
 of filver, which were thirteen hundred and forty 
 thoufand. 
 
 Another plain point is, that the facred 
 writers were very careful and exad, in the ac- 
 counts left us, of the quantities of money con- 
 tributed towards this work 5 when they defcend 
 even to the number of drachms contributed 
 above the number of talents. Nor is there the 
 leaft ground for fufpeding any error to have 
 crept into the text, or alteration to have ever 
 been made in the numeral words, denoting 
 thefe quantities. 
 
 Another plain point is, that the accounts 
 left us of the earlier ages of the world, fuffici- 
 cntly evince them to have abounded with gold. 
 And hence, as fome learned men think, was 
 derived the fable of the golden age. Hence the 
 accounts left us of Midas y and Cr£fus *, whofc 
 treafurcs of gold (to fay nothing of filver) were 
 infinite; of Saluces and EfuboJes\y kings of 
 Colchis, who had intire chambers of gold, beams, 
 and pofts, and pillars of filver. Hence the an- 
 tient Arabs^ thofe of Arabia Felix particularly, 
 whofe gold was purcft, and in the greatcft quan- 
 tities, (as "Diodorus ^iculus informs us, lib, iii.) 
 bartered gold for iron. And the Macrobii, a 
 people of Ethiopia^ bound their fiaves in chains 
 
 • Of whom Vllny fays. That they polTeffed an infinite quantity 
 of it: in infinitum poj/iderunt, lib. xxiii. cap. 3. 
 t FJiny, ibid. 
 
 of 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 277 
 
 of gold, Herodotus, lib, iii. And, above all, 
 hence thofe treafures of Sardanapalus *, which, 
 from Q^fyfo/s account of them, are ahiiofl incre- 
 dible. The mines of the earth were then virgin, 
 (as Tliny obfervcs) and many rivers gloried ia 
 golden fands, whofe wealth hath long fince been 
 cxhauftcd; and therefore we are not to judge 
 of the wealth of thofe ages by our own prefent 
 poverty. 
 
 Another point, which muft be confeffed, 
 is this : that after 'David had finifhed his palace, 
 and other buildings in Jerujalem, which was 
 early in his reign^ he made no confiderable ex- 
 pence, that we know of, to the end of it 5 for, 
 as to the maintenance of armies, which makes 
 the great expence of other princes, I think it 
 Icems agreed among the learned, that his coft 
 him, in the ordinary courfe of things, nothing: 
 each of the tribes fupplying and fupporting their 
 own monthly courfesj and in all cafes of extra- 
 ordinary levies, each man s portion of the great 
 fpoils taken from the enemy, did more than 
 compenfate for their pay : fo that, if David 
 had any fure fources or funds of wealth, he had 
 great opportunities of amaffing, and treafuring 
 it up. 
 
 The next point, then, to be inquired into, 
 is. What thofe fources were, from whence it 
 was poffible for David 10 drain fo much wealth? 
 And thefe are confeffedly four : husbandry, war, 
 trade;, and tribute. 
 
 * Who is fuppofed, by fome learned men, to have been king of 
 fifneveb, at the time of 'Jonah\ preaching. 
 
 T 3 Ir 
 
278 An Htfiorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 It is well known, that the wealth of the 
 earlier ages originally confifted in the plenty and 
 goodnefs of the creatures and fruits of the 
 earth $ frona the falc of which arofe, in after- 
 ages, their artificial wealth. Nor can it be 
 denied, that Danjtd might have abounded in this 
 natural wealth, from the advantage of a country 
 remarkably fruitful, and biefled, beyond all 
 others, in a rich foil, and happy climate: and 
 that lie neglcdcd no means to improve thefe 
 advantages, may fairly, I think, be colle£lcd 
 from the account left us, (i Chron. xxvii. 2f, 
 ^c) of the proper and diftind officers appointed 
 by him, over his trcafures and ftore-houfes, of 
 ail iorts; in cities, fields, villages, and caftles^ 
 over the tillage of the earth, over the culture of 
 the vineyards, and over their incrcafe for the 
 wine cellars, over the olive-trees, and fycamore- 
 trees*, in the low plains; and over the cellars 
 of oil 5 over the herds that fed in Sharon^ and 
 over the herds in the valleys 5 over the camels, 
 over the affes, and over the flocks. 
 
 From hence it is natural and obvious to 
 infer, that 'David had a proper attention to ail 
 the parts and branches of husbandry. And it is 
 cafy to imagine, what an immenfe flow of 
 wealth might be derived from this fingle fource, 
 in the courfe of thirty or forty years 5 in a rich 
 country^ part bordering, and part extended, up- 
 on a fea-coaft, [where the trade and wealth of 
 the whole world then centred. 
 
 * Or, as the iT^z/^c^ interprets the original "wordj f<eta, fig- 
 yards. 
 
 ' - The 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. .279 
 
 The next fource of David's wealth, was war 5 
 which ibme learned men have imagined to be 
 fo rich a one, as were fingly fufficient to account 
 for all the wealth David \ck behind him. 
 
 A s the eadern nations abounded in gold, it 
 is fufficientiy evident, from rhe earlieft accounts 
 Jeft us of thofc nations, that they abounded in 
 ornaments at leaft of that metal, when they 
 went to battle. This is apparent from the 
 eighth chapter of Judges j from whence we 
 learn, that the Midianites not only wore ear- 
 rings of gold themfelves, but likewifc adorned, 
 with chains of gold, the necks of their camels. 
 We learn alfo, from Numbers xxxi. that, when 
 Ijraeltiiiik conquered the Midianites^ the captains 
 of thoufands^ and captains of hundreds, brought 
 an oblation to God, of the fpoil taken from the 
 enemy, and fuch as every man amongft them 
 had gotten, {njer. fO. and x,^,) jewels of gold, 
 chains and bracelets, rings, ear-rings, and tablets j 
 making in the whole fixteen thoufand iz\cn 
 hundred and fifty Hiekels. It is true, that as 
 they took the fpoil of the whole country, cities, 
 caftles, men and women, but a fmnll part of this 
 treafure can be placed to the fcore of the men 
 flain in battle. But it is as true, that if the 
 IJraelite men of war, who then went to battle, 
 offered only the five hundredth part of their 
 fhare of the gold taken from Midian^ as they 
 offered only the five hundredth part of the 
 beeves^ aiTes, and flieep; the treafure of gold 
 then taken in that country amounted, in the 
 whole, to a very great fum > for but half of the 
 
 T 4 whole 
 
2 8o An Hifiorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 whole fell to their fliare. And if this one 
 Vii^ory brought in fo great a treafurc, we may 
 cafily inaagine, what immenfe wealth muft be 
 raifed from David's many victories over nations 
 much richer. 
 
 But, befides the perfonal ornaments worn by 
 thofe who went to battle, it is beyond all doubt, 
 that the e^ftern nations always adorned their 
 weapons, and utenfils of war, with the richeft 
 metals. Arid in thofe nations where gold 
 abounded, and iron was little known, there is 
 no qucftion but the weapons themfelves were 
 of gold : as Tliny gives us to nnderftand^ that 
 thofe of the antient Gauls were. And when 
 we learn from the hiftory of T>avid, that the 
 Syrians^ whom he fubdued, and flew in fuch 
 vail: multitudes, wore fnields of gold^ can we 
 doubt, whether their quivers, handles of their 
 fwords, (ire. were not of the fame metal? He 
 was vidorious-^ in about twenty battles, over 
 the richeft enemies in the world, from the Red- 
 feuj to beyond Mount Lib anas 5 and from the 
 Euphrates^ to the Mediterranean fe a. To what 
 an incredible fum muft the perfonal fpoils, the 
 rich arms, the military chefts, and the gods of 
 gold and filver *, (always carried to battle with 
 them) of fuch infinite multitudes, amount ! 
 And, in all probability, the fpoils of their cities 
 
 * Ffalm cxv. 4. Their idoh are Jiher and gold. And P/al. 
 cxxxv. 15. j^i for the imaged of the heathen^ they are hut Jiinjer 
 and geld. And we learn from the eighth and ieventeenth chapters 
 of the book of fudges, that, when the Ifraelites fell into the hea- 
 then idolatry, tliey alfo 2nf^ue them inflates of gold and filven 
 
B. 4. the hefe of King David. 281 
 
 and countries, to a much greater. To fay no- 
 thing of the fpoils taken from the Thiltftines^ 
 j^malekiteSy and others, even before he came to 
 the crown. 
 
 The next fource of David's wealth, was 
 trade. 
 
 Solomon^ we know, made no conqucfts : 
 yet had he two ports upon the Red-fea 5 Eloth^ 
 and Ezton-geber, in the land of Edom. David 
 conquered Edom^ about the time that he fubdued 
 the Syrians, 2 Sam, viii. 14. Confequently, 
 thofe ports, and perhaps others, were in his 
 hands. And therefore we may eafily credit Eu- 
 polemus"^, when he tells' us, that T>avid fcnt 
 fhips with miners to Urphe^ an ifland in the Red- 
 fea^ which had mines of gold : a relation, w\hich 
 is fufficientiy confirmed by the account left us, 
 of ®^z;//s giving three thoufand talents of gold, 
 his own private property, pure gold of OphiVy 
 (which doubtlefs is the Urphe of Eupolemus) to 
 the buiidmg of the temple. Nor is it any way 
 probable, that he had no fhare in the trade of 
 the Medzterranean, when fuch a length of its 
 richeft trading coaft was in his own hands. 
 What profits he derived from thefe branches of 
 trade, is impoffible to fay i but I think it highly 
 probable, from the nature of the thing, that they 
 were very confiderable, and, poilibly^ immenfe. 
 But whether his trade were fo, or no, it is un- 
 doubted, that his tribute was. 
 
 f Eufeb. Pfspar. lih. ix, 
 
 iS 07 
 
282 An Htjlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 So L o M o N had no wars, made no conquefts, 
 or acquifitions of territory * j except that of the 
 fingle city of Gezer, conquered for him, and 
 beftowed upon him, by Pharaoh. And therefore 
 !D^wi's tributary revenues will bed beeftimated 
 by thofe of Solomon. And what thofe were, may 
 be eftimated two ways : firft. From the accounts 
 left us of the expences he made : and^ fecondly. 
 From the particular mention made of the re- 
 venues paid in to him annually. 
 
 As to the firft of thefe: If we fuppofe the 
 expences of David's and Solomons tables to have 
 been exadly the fame, (which mod certainly 
 they were not) and eftimate only the furplus 
 expences of Solomon^, in his buildings, his cities, 
 his houfes, and their furniture, his womeU;, his 
 horfes, and chariots, (which would require vo- 
 lumes to explain) we fhall foon be fatisfied^ to 
 what an immenfe fum they muft amount ; and 
 confequently, what an incredible fum David 
 muft have favcd and amaffed, by his oeconqmy, 
 in the couife of fo many years. 
 
 In the next place: his tributes may be efti- 
 mated from the richnefs and extent of the domi- 
 nions fubjed to him; Edom, all the ArabiaSy 
 and Syrias, both on this, and the other fide of 
 Etiphrates-\^ and the Palejline coaft. 
 
 The mines of Punoft or Phtnon, m Edom, as 
 thofe of Tatejline, hinted at by Mofcs, T>etit. 
 
 * It is indeed faid, 2 Chron. viii. 3. That he n<:ent to Uamath- 
 %ohahy end prevailed againji it ; but this I take to be rather the 
 recovery of a revolted city, than a new conc^uell, 
 
 •\ 2 Sam, X. 16, 19. 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
B. 4» the Life of King Day iTi. 283 
 
 sxxiii. were famed even to the days of the 
 chriftian martyrs^ condemned to them. The 
 Arahias, Pltny calls the richeft nations*. And 
 we have ah*eady feen, from ^iodorus StcitluSy 
 that Arabia Felix yielded the pureft gold, and 
 in the grcateft quantity. And, as to the Syrians^ 
 their riches will beft be eftimated by the goldca 
 ihields of Hadadezefs army. Here then arc 
 funds enough of wealth, fafficient for any de- 
 mand. And yet David certainly had others, as 
 appears from the accounts of Solomons annual 
 income, found in 1 Kings x. 14, 15. viz. Six 
 hundred threefcore and fix talents of goid^ be- 
 fides that he had of the nier chant-men^ and of 
 the traffick of the fpice merchants^ and of all 
 the kings of Arabia^ and of the governors of 
 the country. 
 
 That T^avid, then, had fources enough for 
 all the treafure he left behind him, is, I rhink, 
 out of all doubt. 
 
 If it be objeded, That this expence is dilpro- 
 portioned to the work) I anfwer, firft. That no 
 man I ever met with, except Vilalpandus^ (and 
 fuch as think after him) hath ever computed the 
 vaftnefs of the work : nor Vv'ill any man, I be- 
 lieve, ever conceive a right idea of it, who doth 
 not carefully confider whar he (and Lami after 
 him) had faid upon that fubjed. In the mean 
 time, let any man but think of the treafures cff 
 fruit, wood, incenfe, corn, wine and oil, (to 
 omit a thoufand other things) annually depoHted 
 
 f GenUs d'ttiffima, lib, Vi. cap. 2S, 
 
284- An Uijiorkal Account of B. 4 
 
 in the temple; and the vaft number of prieftsy 
 Levites^ guards, porters, attendants, and officers 
 
 of all kinds, lodged in it and I am fure he 
 
 will not think all Vtlalpanduss cellarages more 
 than fufficient for the one j nor all his apartments 
 more than neceflary for the other. 
 
 In the next place : We are not to imagine, 
 that ail the ftone and wood, hewn for that fer- 
 vice, were expended upon it , for we are cx- 
 prefly told, that Solomon made cedars to be in 
 Jerufalem as the fycamores, that are in the 
 ^alesfor abundance. And we may be well affur- 
 ed, that none but the very choice of both kinds, 
 were ufed in the temple. And thefe, perhaps, 
 were not more than one half of the whole. 
 
 But there are two points of the iaft impor- 
 tance, towards reconciling and determining this 
 controverfy, which none bf the critics, that I 
 have met with, have ever confidered. 
 
 The firft is, that, in all their computations of 
 expence, no allowance hath been made for the 
 precious ftones, with which the infide of the 
 temple was adorned (fuch as diamonds, rubies, 
 (^c.)':, and which, if they .then bore any pro- 
 portion to the price they bear now, will fuffici- 
 ently account for any expence that can well be 
 imagined. And therefore, if we (hould agree 
 with the learned Brereixood, that David left 
 trcafure enough to build the v/alls of the body 
 of the temple of folid filver, and roof it with 
 gold, yet when we conildcr what great por- 
 tions of the one, and immenfe mallcs of the 
 other; might go to the purchafc of one finglc 
 
 precious 
 
B. 4- the Life of King Dav I'D. 385 
 
 precious ftone, we cannot take upon us to pro- 
 nounce any fum more than fufficient for fucU an 
 cxpence. 
 
 The next point of great importance to re- 
 concile this controverfy^ is^, That, in faft^ all 
 the treafure, left by David, was not expended 
 upon the building of the temple. This appears 
 clearly, from the feventh chapter of the'firfl: 
 book oi Kings ^ verfe fi. where it^is exprefly 
 faid, So was ended all the work that king Solomon . 
 made for the houfe of the Lord: and Solomon 
 brought in the things which T>avid his father 
 had dedicated'^ e^ven the filver and the goldj 
 and the vejfelsy did he put among the treafures 
 of the houfe of the Lord. 
 
 I TH IN K it plain, that when T^avid is faid 
 to have prepared for the houfe of the Lor d an 
 hundred thoufand talents of gold, and a thou- 
 fand thoufand talents of filver, &c, the whole 
 of his treafure, whether in coin, or otherwifc, 
 is there recounted : and that there remained a 
 furplufage of that provifion, to be depofited in 
 the treafures of the temple, after the work was 
 finifhed, is evident from the paflage laft quoted. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
286 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4 
 
 <» 
 
 C H A R XX. 
 
 Adonljahy^/^ up as Heir apparent to the 
 Throne^ and ajferts his Claim to it. 
 Upon hearing of which ^ David caufes 
 Solomon to be anointed Ki?2g. 
 
 DAVID was now far advanced in years, 
 and the infirmities of age were fallen 
 heavy upon him. Xhe ftrength of nature was 
 fo far abated in him, that cloaths could not 
 keep him warm in his bed. His phyficians 
 therefore advifed. That a fair and youthful 
 virgin fhould be fought for, who might lie in 
 his bofom, and cherifn his vital heat ; the natural 
 warmth of a young, healthful, human body, 
 being (as phyficians obferve) beft fitted for that 
 end, both in kind and degree. 
 
 If it be asked, How the beauty of the perfon 
 to be employed to this purpofe^ was concerned 
 in T>avids health? I anfwer. That the beauty 
 here required is, evidently, beauty of complexion : 
 which, as it indicates the health and tempera- 
 ment of the body, might be of importance in 
 this cafe. Poffibly too, as David was very 
 beautiful himfelf, they fought for fome perfon 
 of complexion and conftitution likeft to his 
 own; and of confequence bed fuited, and moft 
 congenial to it. And therefore the cavillers at 
 this part of David's condu^ are as far from being 
 able naturalifts in this refped, as they are cafuifts 
 in many others. And 1 will be bound to fay, 
 
 that 
 
B. 4- the Life of King Dkvijy. 287 
 
 that if T)avid had taken any other method of 
 recovering^ and keeping up, the vital flame; by- 
 wine, for inftance, high diets, and cordials, or 
 any other imaginable way; they would have 
 found all thofe methods at lead as exceptionable, 
 as this. AbiJIoag the Shtinamite was found, and 
 thought proper for this purpofe; and was, ac- 
 cordingly, admitted into the number of 2)^'i;/<^s 
 wiveSj but not known by him. 
 
 Concubinage was not then deemed crimi^ 
 nal : and it will, I hope, be thought no very 
 wild paradox, to venture to furmifc, that a 
 modeft man can, with lefs reluftance^ fufFer his 
 infirmities to be relieved by a wife, than by any 
 other mortal. And therefore I greatly fear, 
 that thofe gentlemen who quarrel with T)avid 
 upon this fcorc, are little refined, either in that 
 virtue, or the more elegant decencies of life. 
 
 A D o N I J A H, David's eldeft fon after Abfa- 
 lorn, (but by another wife) beautiful too, and 
 popular like him, took advantage of his father's 
 infirm ftate 5 aflumed the airs, and fzt up the 
 equipage, of heir apparent to the throne : He 
 prepared chariots and horfenten^ and fifty men to 
 nm before him \ and gave out openly, that he 
 would be king : although he could not but 
 know, that Solomon was defigned for that dig- 
 nity, both by David, and God himfelf. 
 
 David had nobody to blame but himfelf, 
 for this mifcondudt in his fon: it was his own 
 excellive indulgence, which infpircd this extra- 
 vagance: for the text tells us, that his father had 
 not difpleafedhim at any time:) in Jaying, fVhy 
 
 hafi 
 
2 88 An Hiflorkal Account of B. 4^ 
 
 hafi thou done fo ? Strange weaknefs in parents, 
 and cruelty to their children, to fuffer them to 
 become incorrigible in error, or inveterate in 
 vice, rather than reftrain and check them^ whilfl: 
 corredion is kindnefs ! 
 
 Adonijah had gained two very confiderable 
 men to his party 5 Joaby the captain of the hoft, 
 and Abiathar the prieft : and, when things were 
 fufficiently prepared, fummoned his partizans to 
 a great entertainment, (poflibly under the pre- 
 tence of a facrifice) near the ftone Zoheleth^ by 
 the famed fountain of En-rogel^ not far from 
 Jerufalem: where, in the midtl of their feftivity 
 and mirth, they fcrupled not to treat him as 
 their king. But Nathan the prophet was fteady 
 to the appointments of Providence, pronounced 
 by his own mouth ; and accordingly informed 
 Bathjheba of the defign carried on againft her 
 fonj advifing her to lofe no time in acquainting 
 the king of it, in order to prevent it; and let- 
 ting her know, that he himfelf would quickly 
 fecond and fupport her upon that head. Bath- 
 jheba obeyed the kind monition, waited upon 
 the king in the inftant, and put him in mind of 
 his promife to her, confirmed by a folemn oath, 
 that Solomon, her fon, fhould reign after him : 
 whereas in reality Adonijah then reigned, al- 
 though his majefty knew nothing of it, and 
 was^ at that moment, openly entertaining his 
 adherents at a great feaft, with "Joab and Abia- 
 thar at their head adding, that the eyes of 
 
 all Ifrael were then upon his majefty, to know 
 whom he would appoint to fuccecd him in his 
 
 throne. 
 
B. 4. 'the Life of King David, 289 
 
 throne. Which if he fliould fail to do, Itj}:all 
 come to pafs^ ((ays (he) "ijohen my lord the king 
 floall fleep with his fathers, that /, and my fan 
 Solomon, (InUl be counted off^'ndc'vs. Whilft fhc 
 fpake, Nathan came in to the king ; and, doing 
 obeifance, asked^ If he had appointed ./^<^^;/^//'^^ 
 his fucceflbr, wirhout acquainting him with his 
 purpofe ? And then proceeded to inform him of 
 the meafures taken by Adonijahy to raife himfelf 
 to the throne. 
 
 When Nathan came into the king's pre- 
 fence, Bathpeba retired : as, Tliny tcils us, Cce- 
 films Rufus's wit^ did, upon the ad million of 
 any intimate friend to her husband; although 
 well fitted to lliare in all his fccrets. 
 
 A s foon as Nathan had done fpeaking, "D.t- 
 njidi without making him any anlwer, imme- 
 diately ordered Bathjleba to be called in to him 
 again. He was impatient to remove her dii- 
 quiet, and give her iatire farisfaclion in her com- 
 plaint j and therefore, as foon as ever (he ap- 
 peared, inftantty renewed his oadi to her, that 
 as he had folemnly fworn, that Solomon fnould 
 iir upon his throne, he would perform his pro- 
 mife to her that very day. Upon the hearing of 
 which, Balhfheba (iaith the facrcd writer) bowed 
 with her face to the earth, and did reverence to 
 the kmgy and faid, Let my Lord king Uavid 
 live for ever. 
 
 Nathan had now retired from the king's 
 prefence, upon Bathji^ebas approach, as the had 
 done before, upon his, but was quickly called 
 back again, witn Zadok the prieft, and Benaiah 
 
 Vol.11. U the 
 
290 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 the fon of Jekoida, captain of the Ckerethites 
 and PelethiteSj whom David commanded to 
 take Solomon his fon, and fct him upon his own 
 mule, and attend him with his own life-guard, 
 and conduci him to Giho?! ; wliere Zadok the 
 puiefl-, and Nathan the prophet, fhould anoint 
 him king over Ifrael^ and then proclaim him 
 king by found of trumpet : after which they 
 were to return to Jerufalemy and place him 
 upon the throne. 
 
 To this command Benaiah anfwered. Amen':, 
 and added a prayer, That God would ratify his 
 choice, fupport Solomon as he did T)avid, and 
 exalt his throne above the throne of "David. 
 
 Accordingly Solomon was immediately 
 mounted upon David's mule, and attended by 
 Zadok and Nathan, the Cherethites and Pile- 
 thiteSy and other officers of the king, to Gikon y 
 and there anointed king, with the facred oil de- 
 pofired in the tabernacie. And they blew the 
 trumpet, and all the people fhouted out, God 
 fave king Solomon ! And all the people (fays the 
 text) came up after him, and the people piped 
 'with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy y fo that 
 the earth rent with the pound of them. 
 
 The noife of this rejoicing reached Ado- 
 nijahy and hisguefts, towards the clofe of their 
 entertainment : and Joab, upon hearing the 
 found of the trumpet, cried out. Wherefore is 
 this noife of the city being in an uproar ? And, as 
 he asked the quettion, Jonathan the fon of 
 Abiathar the pried came, in the inftant^ with 
 the unwelcome new$ of David's having made 
 
 Solomon 
 
B. 4» tie Life of King David 291 
 
 Solomon king^ with the circumftances already res 
 lated 5 and added, that he was then aftually upon 
 the throne, receiving the compliments and con- 
 gratulations of Ifrael: moreover, that Davids 
 fervants had alfo congratulated him upon that 
 occafion ; befceching God, that he would make 
 the name of Solomon better than his name, and 
 the throne of Solomon greater than his throne : 
 upon the hearing of which, Z)^-^;/^ bowed him- 
 fclf upon the bed, in prayer and thankfgiving to 
 God, who had given him a fon, to fit upon his 
 throne, under the fingular fatisfaclion of being 
 himfelf witnefs to the honour and bounty be- 
 flowed upon him. 
 
 Upon hearing this furprlfing relation, \/^</<7- 
 nijahj and his guefts, ftruck with terror, (for 
 nothing is more cowardly or confufed, than an 
 anticipated rebel) quickly difpcrfed. Adonijah^ 
 confcious of his crime, fled to the altar, and the 
 reil to their feveral hou fes. 
 
 News was quickly brought to Solomon^ That 
 Adomjah had laid hold on the horns of the altar, 
 and would not ftir thence, till Solomon fliould 
 fwear to fpare his life: upon hearing of which, 
 Solomon immediately declared, Thar if he be- 
 haved himfelf, for the future, as a worthy man, 
 an hair of his head Ihould not be touched 5 but, i£ 
 Wickednefs were found in him, he lliould die. 
 
 Upon this affurance, Adomjah waited upon 
 the king, and fabmitted himfelf to him; and 
 Solomon fent him to his own houfe in peace. 
 
 V ^ CHAP. 
 
292 A7^ Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 A JJjort cligreJfto?7^ being ait EJfay upG?4 
 the CharaBe?^ of Bathflieba. 
 
 UPON perufing the hiftory of ©^i;/i's fall, 
 I found almoft every commentator I met 
 with^ fevere upon the charader of Bathflieba : 
 Ibme treathig her (at leafl: in their infinuations) 
 as a light and lewd woman 5 others, as fwayed 
 by ambition in her commerce with ''Davi^^ and 
 all, as an hypocrite, in mourning for her huf- 
 band. 
 
 On the other hand, I found her, after this, 
 the wife ot a great and wife king ; the mother 
 of a great and wife king; and remotely the 
 mother even of the M e ss i a h. Upon further 
 inquiry, I found her honoured by that great and 
 wile king, her husband, with the fureft marks 
 of true fricndfliip and cflcem, in the decline of 
 life, when paffion could make no part of their 
 conjimercc. I found her honoured, in a very 
 diftinguifhcd manner^ by that great and wile 
 icing her fon *, when he was in full pollellion 
 of the fuprcme power ; and confequenrly when 
 no lufpicion of intereft could abate the merit of 
 his duty f. I found that father commanding his 
 
 fon 
 
 * I Kings ii, 19. Jnd the king r of e up to meet her, and hfinved 
 himfelf unto her^ uud fat doi>jn on his throne ajid caiftd a feat to 
 hi- fet for the king s mother ; a'r.d fhc fat on his right-handy 
 
 ■\ If it be urged, that Soiomon''^ fubfeqiient behaviour to his 
 mother, in relation to her peciuc-n in favour of Adonijah^ is not 
 
 refped- 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 293 
 
 Ton to liften to the wife and falutary monitions 
 of his mother : and I found precepts, faid to be 
 of that mother, and recorded by that fon^ per- 
 fedly tallying with thofe monitions. And from 
 thence I concluded, as all antient critics, and 
 mod moderns have done^ that the mother of 
 Lemuel was Bathfheba, Is it poilible, I then 
 medifated with myfelf, that fuch a father^ and 
 fuch a fon, could be deceived in the charafter of 
 that woman, for a courfe of years ? Or, if they 
 were^ could the eye of Providence miftake her? 
 
 I THEN revolved her hiftory from the begin- 
 ning, with the utmoft care and exadnefs 1 was 
 capable of 3 and ferioufly acknowledge, (it may 
 be^ to the fliame of my fagacity) that I never 
 could find any thing in it, on which to ground 
 the lead cenfure or fufpicion of levity or lewd- 
 nefs, of hypocrify or ambition. 
 
 It was not her fault, that fhe was fair, it 
 was no crime, in an hot clime, and in the clofe 
 of the day, to bathe hcrfelf, for coolnefs and 
 cleanlinefs, if not for legal pollutions. Suppofe 
 line did this in her garden, (which I verily be- 
 lieve fhe did not) the hiflory of Sufanna, a lady 
 no way blemifhcd in her character of chaftity, 
 fhews this pradliee not uncuftomary in that 
 country^ nor any way accounted criminal. Doth 
 it appear, that fne was feduced by inordinate 
 
 refpeclful; I anfvver, by owning, that he there breaks out into 
 a palTion, which neither became him as a king, or as a fon: but 
 it mull at the fame time be admitted, that this paffion was fubfe- 
 quent to a treatment of his mother full of diilinguifhed refped and 
 eileem. 
 
 U 3 appe- 
 
294 ^^ Hiftorical Account of B. 4 
 
 appetite, or by any views of ambition, to violate 
 her duty to God, and her husband \ Not in the 
 Jeaft. Had thefc been her incitements, quite 
 other meafures had been taken $ the intercourfc 
 had then been tranfaded in fecrecy, and by a 
 /tngle meiTcngcr. The truth is, T>dvid's paf- 
 fions were too unruly to brook delay : the text 
 tells us, he fent mejfengers^ and took "^ her (there 
 was no time allowed either for temptations or 
 terms) $ and had criminal commerce with her. 
 More than this, we know not; bat x\\2it pe fan- 
 nified her [elf from her pollution, and returned to 
 
 her houfe In the original it is, AndJhefanBi' 
 
 fylng herfelfy 6cc. And it is remarkable^ that 
 this adion is expreffcd in a form of conjugation, 
 which implies diligence and folicitude. Now, 
 fuppofe this word to fignify no more than her 
 care and anxiety to be purified from the legal 
 pollution of her commerce with David, is there 
 no prefumption of religious imprefiions, of a 
 fenfe and abhorrence of guilt, in that folicitude? 
 Confidering it merely as a ceremonial, ^Diivid 
 was bound to it, as well as fhe : Why then are 
 the Scriptures filent upon this head, with regard 
 to him ? Certainly they would not, if he had 
 expreffcd the fame folicitude. The reader will 
 make his own inferences. 
 
 It is evident enough, that Da-vid's paffion 
 was not indulged to fatiety, nor followed with 
 avcrfion ; he forced her not from him, as y^m- 
 inon did Tarnar. Had pleafure or ambition been 
 
 * A word that fometimes i m plies /^^rrf, in the Scriptures, and 
 alwavs an incapacity of reuftance in liie "thing taken. 
 
 her 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 295 
 
 her purpofc, fne could not have wanted pre- 
 tences, fufficiently plaufible, for continuing it 
 Jonger ; perhaps for going no more to her owa 
 houfe. 
 
 What followed next ? Batkpoeba found hcr- 
 felf pregnant: Did Ihe take that occafion to 
 tempt 'T)avid anew to continue or repeat the 
 crioiinal commerce \ (Did ever a fairer occalion 
 offer r) Quite otherwife ,• fhe feems carefully to 
 have kept out of his fight j and only fent to let 
 him know her condition: Could modefty do 
 more? For my own part, I fee not the leaft traces 
 of levity or lewdncfs in this conduft ; I imagine 
 I fee in it the fure marks of injured and diftreffed 
 innocence. 
 
 And here let me be allowed to obferve, that 
 this condufl: in T>avid and BathPoeba is perhaps 
 as ftrong an inilance of refined virtue as ever 
 was known : A man feduced by too ftrong a 
 temptation to one ad of guilt, and from that 
 moment religioufly abftaining from one repeti- 
 tion of it (the liking and the defire ftill conti- 
 nuing) i nay, when he knew it could not be 
 aggravated, with regard to Uriah \ when he 
 knew, that Bathpeba was with child! Would 
 to God, that all or any of thofe, who infult 
 ^David's fall, could glory in any thing like this 
 abdinence^and Iclf-dcnial! For my own parr, I 
 own, I have no idea of any thing more refined 
 in religion, or more heroic in virtue. To be 
 above the reach of temptation, is to be more 
 than the fons of Adam \ but religiouily -xvA 
 
 U 4 lleadily 
 
296 A7t Htfiorical Account of B. 3. 
 
 ftcadily to abftain from every occafion of it, is 
 the farell: charafter of the fons of God. 
 
 It muft be owned, there is fomething very 
 farprifing in Uriah's never once feeing his wife, 
 when ^David fent for him to court. Bat, as the 
 facred writers fhew this only in the light of an 
 heroic refolution in him, I Ihall not take upon 
 me to contemplate upon it in any other but this. 
 That the hand of God was evidently in it^ in 
 order to bring David's fecret guilt to public in* 
 famy, for reafons bed: known to infinite Wifdom. 
 Ail that I have more to add, is only to obferve, 
 that, if Batkpoeha was innocent, (as I verily be- 
 lieve fhe was) the providence of God was Angu- 
 larly gracious to her, in guarding her from the 
 ditirefs of fuch an interview. 
 
 It is, I think, agreed on ail hands, that Bath- 
 Jloeba had no fhare in her husband's murder, nor 
 was in any degree privy to it i fhe probably 
 thought he fell by the common fate of war : 
 and therefore, when the Scriptures inform me, 
 that fhe mourned for him upon the news of his 
 dcath^ I cannot refine fo far, as to pronounce 
 {he did not do fo, ferioufly and fincerely. 
 Uriah was a brave man 5 and if he behaved him- 
 fcif with the fame honour and fidelity to his 
 wife, as he did to his prince, his country, and 
 his religion, (and furely the prefumption, that 
 he did, is ftrong in his favour) he was well in- 
 titled to her higheft efteem. To injure, or do 
 . indignity to, fuch a man, even by force, were 
 matter of ilifficient concern ro a generous and 
 an upright fpirit j and to reflect upon having 
 
 done 
 
B. 4* the Life of King Da V IT). 297 
 
 done it, unforgiven, the greateft aggravation 
 of diiirefs. 
 
 When the time of her mourning was over, 
 ^avtd took her to his houfe, and fie became his 
 *u:ife : had he deemed her a light, or a libertine 
 woman^ he would, In all probability, not have 
 placed her in the palace 5 or placed her there 
 under a lower charader. Nor can I imagine 
 why he (hould diftinguifh her in this manner, 
 iinlefs from a principle of repairing, to the ut- 
 moft of his power, the injury he had done her. 
 And it is remarkable, that there is no m.eniion 
 made of any other wife taken by T)av/d after 
 this (except jibifhagy who was not taken to an;/ 
 of the purpofes of marriage) ; nor does ic at all 
 appear from the Scriptures, that he had any other 
 child, by any other woman^ after this*. 
 
 To all this may be added, That, when God 
 fent Nathan to rebuke Tiavid for his guilt, there 
 was no (hare of the guilt charged upon Bathjhtba, 
 Now we learn from the hiftory of Ahab and 
 Jezebely that when two perfons iliared in the 
 fame guilt, and God fent his prophets to rebuke 
 it;, it was not the way of thofc prophets to re- 
 prove one criminal, and leave the other uncen- 
 furcd. Jezebel^ who contrived the murder of 
 Naboth, had indeed the moft fignal fhare in the 
 judgments of God denounced againft it 5 but 
 
 * It is indeed faid, i Chron. iii. 5. Thefe four by Bath-Jhua, the 
 daughter of Ammiel. Then immediately follows, Ibbar alfo^ Sec. 
 without mention of any other mother. Why then might not thefe 
 be by the fume ? 
 
 Ahab 
 
298 An Hijlorkal Account oj B. 4. 
 
 jitahy who concurred ''^' in it, had alfo bis fhare 
 to the full. Now Nathan was fo far from ceii- 
 furing Bathpeha^ that he places her rather in a 
 light of innocence: and indeed what can be an 
 apter emblem of innocence, than a little lamb? 
 And, for my own part, I fhall not pretend to fee 
 more clear] y into this affair than Nathan did. 
 
 But what completes the charader of Bath- 
 Jkebdy is her own advice to her fon, and his en- 
 comium upon her {Vrov. xxxi.): the firft fhews 
 her a wife woman 5 and the fccond, an excellent 
 wife, in every circunidance of that charafterf. 
 Solomon tells us, in the fourth chapter of his 
 Proverbs^ at the third verfe, that he was tender 
 and only beloved in the fight of his mother : and 
 the begining of the ledture to Lemuel, in this 
 chapter, [Prcv, xxxi. 2.) where his mother breaks 
 
 * I Kings XX i. 
 
 f I know fome modern critics have, contrary to the unanimous 
 j;:dgment and tradition of all antiquity, raifed fome fcruples upon 
 this head ; as if Lemuel were not Solomon, bat fome other king, 
 they know not who. I have examined them, with all the care 
 and cindour I am capable of; and conclude upon the whole, that 
 their objections were fuch, as my readers of bed underftanding 
 woiiiJ be little obliged to me, either for retailing or refutin(y — X 
 faali barely menuon that of grcateil weight : it is thus ; That his 
 mother, thrice in this chapter, when fhe calls him her fon, makes ufe 
 ti the word bar^ to exprefs it hy ; a word no-where ufed thi-ougb.. 
 cut the whole Old Telhment, except in the fecond Pfalm at the 
 twelfth verfe. This then is the ilrength of the objedlion — That 
 Solomon cannot be Lemuel^ becaufe Lemuels mother calls him fon, 
 by a word which no facred writer ever made ufe of before, except 
 Sc'omons father, upon a like occafion. Eefides, the very name 
 f-fhciently fhews Lemuel to be SJoMon^ for Lemuel fignines be- 
 longing to G:d: And to whom can this pofTibly be applied fo pro- 
 perly as to SolomcTi, to whom God exprefly declared he would be 
 a father ? z Sajn. vii. 14. 
 
 OUt^ 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 299 
 
 our, at once, into fuch exccfs of tendernefs, 
 IVbdty my Jon ? — the fon of my womb? — the fan 
 of my "Vows .<?— :-is, to me, a fine comment upon 
 that pailage. 
 
 David had ndmonifhed his fon (Trov. vi. 
 20, &c, *) to keep the commandment of his father^ 
 and r^ot for fake the law of his mother, dec. For 
 (ver. 23.) the commandment (fays he) is a lamp^ 
 and the law is light ^ and reproofs of infru&ion 
 are the ways of life, to keep thee from the evil 
 
 woman And can there be a greater uniformity 
 
 than betwixt that monition, and this; Give not 
 thy flrength unto women, nor thy ways to that 
 which deiiroyeth kings? And may not the re- 
 proofs, that follow, juftly be intitled reproofs of 
 inftrudlion ? 
 
 When thefe reproofs of inJlruBion are recited, 
 then follows a poem in praife of an accomplifhed 
 woman : and furely nothing can be more natural 
 than the judgments of the bed critics upon it; 
 that Lemuel here charafterizes his mother, in a 
 poem written in honour of her: and if, this mo- 
 ther be Bathjhtba, as I think there is little doubt 
 but it is, then is her condufl: to Uriah fully jufti- 
 fied, in thefe words : The heart of her husband 
 doth fafely trujt in her, fo that he foallhave no 
 need of fpoil. This feems to me, peculiarly to 
 charaderize the prudent and faithful wife of a 
 
 • As critics have confidered the firft nine chapters of the Pro- 
 fuerbsy only as a preface to what is properly called the book of Pro* 
 njsrhsy the attentive reader will find all the precepts, from the be- 
 ginning of the fourth chapter to the end of the ninth, to be only 
 recitals of Da-vufs inllrudions to his fon Solomon, 
 
30 o Art HiJIorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 generous foldicr: the husband of fuch a wife 
 was under no neceflity of enriching himfeif by- 
 toe vices of his profeffiouj her frugal and pru- 
 dent management of his affairs would undoubt- 
 edly do it : and who knows but this rcfledion 
 might hvive been added to wipe off fome afper- 
 fions caft upon Bathjheba ? efpeciaily when we 
 confider the words that immediately follow, 
 which acquit her of any fhare in the guilt of his 
 death: She will do him goody and not evily all 
 the days of his life. 
 
 If diefe reafonings be right^ (and I am greatly 
 deceived^ if they be not) then I think, far from 
 vilifying the charafter of Bathjheba^ her fon may 
 hz fairly juftificd, in concluding of her, as he 
 ^^zi^ ver. 29, &c. Alany daughters have done 
 i.inmu(lu l^ut thou excclleft them all. Favour 
 is deceitful, and beauty vain 5 but a woman that 
 fearetb the Lord, pe fuall be praifed: give her 
 of the fruit of her hands .^ and let her own 
 works praife her in the gates. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 301 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 
 David calk a7t Affembly cf his People j 
 in "which Solomon'j" EleElion to the 
 'Throne is confirmed. His Speech^ a?id 
 Thanhf giving /^ God, upon that Occa- 
 fon. His laft hiflruSiions to his Son 
 Solomon. 
 
 H E TH E R T>avid's rcfentmcnt at Ado- 
 nijah's late attempt upon the crown, or 
 the joy cojnceived by him at feeing his Ton Solo- 
 man feated upon the throne, and God's proaiifcs 
 to him, and his own to Batkjleha, fo happily 
 fulfiiled, roufed him from his languor, and gave 
 a new fpring to his blood ; or wlietlier his dif- 
 order was one of thofe loads, under which lan- 
 guid nature fometimes labours^ until, aided by 
 exterior vital warmth, it is enabled to throw it 
 off (inftances of which are well known in the 
 world, and famed in hiftoryj^ we cannot fay: 
 we are only informed thus far 3 That he recover- 
 ed his ftrength and fpiritsto fuch a degree, before 
 he died, as to be able to call an aflembiy of his 
 people, and get his cledion of Solomon to the' 
 throne confirmed in it. 
 
 This aflembiy was compofcd of all orders 
 and degrees of men of eminence in the nation, 
 both civil and military: 'D^^^7V (faith the tcxc) 
 ajjembkd ail the princes of IJraet, the princes of 
 
 the 
 
302 Afi Hijlortcal AccGUnt of B.4. 
 
 the tribes^ and the captai?is of the companies 
 that mintfteredto the king by courfcy and the cap- 
 tains over the thoiijands-, and the captains over 
 the hundreds^ and the Jiewards over all the fub- 
 fiance and poJfc^JJion of the king ^ and of his Jons ^ 
 with the officers, and with the mighty men, and 
 with all the valiant men, into Jertfalem. 
 
 When they were convened, i/^-i^/^addrcfled 
 himfclf to them in a fpecch, the moll natural 
 and unlaboured of any I have ever met with -, 
 but at the fame time, as every fentence in it 
 flows clearly from the tulnefs of his heart, every 
 thing he fays affcds and interefts the hearer, and 
 carries hirii dircdly into all the fpeaker's views. 
 
 To do juftice to this oration, I fhould tran- 
 fcribe it intire; but I chofe rather to fclecl fome 
 few padages from it, that fo, by rainng the un- 
 fcriptural reader's curiofity, I may fend him with 
 more cagernefs to the original. 
 
 It is probable, that the king had a throne 
 erected in the allcmbly, and that he and his fon 
 fat together upon it: although the facred hifto- 
 rian informs us no further, than that David the 
 
 king flood up upon his feet ^ and [aid Hear mCy 
 
 my brethren, and my people. 
 
 When he had thus engaged their attention, 
 by thcfe kind compcilationsi he proceeds to tell 
 them, That he had it in his heart to build an 
 houfe of reft for the Ark of the covenant of the 
 Lord, and for a foot-dool for his and their 
 God i and had made preparations accordingly 5 
 but was cxprefly prohibited by God to proceed 
 in the work, (becaufc he had been a man 
 
 of 
 
B.4- i^^ Life of King David. 30?, 
 
 of war, and had fhed blood) who had chofea 
 his fon Solomon to carry it on^ and complete ii-^ 
 with folemn afliirances of cftabiiihing his throne, 
 if he continued in his duty and obedience. And, 
 forafmuch as the happinefs of his people was 
 nearly intercfled in his eftablirhmcnr, he pro- 
 ceeds to apply himfelf to them in the following 
 manner: 
 
 Now therefore, in the fight of all Ifrael, the 
 congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of 
 our God^ keep, and feek for, all the comrnand- 
 ments of the Lord your God-, that ye may pojjefs 
 this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to 
 your children after you, for ever. 
 
 Then turning to his fon, with a noble apo- 
 ftrophe — Andthou^ Solomon my fony know thou 
 the God of thy father, andferve him with aper- 
 fe^ hearty and with a willing mind: for the 
 Lordfearcheth all hearts, and imderfiandeth all 
 the imaginations of the thoughts : if thou feek 
 him, he will be found of thee \ hut iftkou for fake 
 him, he will caft thee off for ever. Take heed 
 now : for the Lord hath chofen thee to build an 
 houfe for the fan^uary : be Jiro?ig, and do it. 
 
 How ftrongly does he urge the obligations 
 that lay upon him, to profecute the work with 
 all polfible attention and application, from the 
 difUnguifhed honour done him by Almighty 
 Cod, by his fpeciai defignation of him to diac 
 noble office ! 
 
 Then David gave Solomon the plan of the 
 whole work, with all its courts, trcafuries, and 
 apai'tments, aU which he had by the Spirit 5 
 
 wiih 
 
304 An Hifiorical Accou7tt of B. 4, 
 
 with a complete fchemc of the whole temple' 
 fervice 5 courfes of the priclh^ Levites^ officers, 
 and attendants of all kinds 5 with cxaft patterns 
 of all inftruments, veffels, and utcnfihs for every 
 kind of fervice; together with fufficienr quan- 
 tities of the fevcral metals, of which they were 
 to be formed ; gold by weight, for things of 
 gold ; and filver, for things of filver. 
 
 This done, T^avid again exhorts his fon to 
 refolution and vigour, in carrying on the work 5 
 and aQures him of the ailillance both of the 
 people and princes towards it. 
 
 Then turning to his people, he tells them. 
 That Solomon his fon, whom alone God had 
 chofen for this mighty undertaking, was young 
 and tender, and the work great ; for the palace 
 was not for man, but the L o r d God: That, as 
 for himfelf, he had made the bcft preparations 
 he could for it 5 gold and filver, brafs and iron, 
 and wood, and precious ftones of all kinds and 
 colours : moreover becaufe he had fet his affec- 
 tions upon the houfe of his God, he had, over 
 and above all his other preparations, provided, 
 of his ov/n proper goods, three thoiifand talents 
 of pttre gold of Opkir^ and fe^ven ihoiifand ta- 
 lents of refined Jilver, to overlay the walls of the 
 hotifes. And when he had faid this, he put the 
 quefiion diredly to them, and askcd^ ^F/6tf amongft 
 them was willing to confecrate bisjervice that day 
 unto the Lord? Upon which, the chief men of 
 the alTembly contributed chearfully to the work 5 
 and made up, amongd thcm^ five thoufand 
 talents of gold, and ten thoufand drachms $ and 
 
 2 of 
 
B. 4* the Life of King V>kv\^. 305 
 
 of filvcr, ten thoufand talents 5 and of brafs, 
 eighteen thoufand talents 5 and one hundred 
 thoufand talents of iron ; to which were added 
 precious flones of various kinds, by all fuch as 
 had them. Then (faith the facred hiftorian) the 
 people rejoiced 5 for they offered willingly to the 
 Lord: and T> avid the king alfo rejoiced with 
 great joy. Wherefore T>avid bleffed the Lord 
 before all the congregation : and "David faid^ 
 Bleffed be thoUy Lord God of Ifrael our father^ 
 for ever and ever. 
 
 Thine ^ O Lord^ is thegreatnefs, and the power y 
 and the glory y and the viEiory^ and the nmjef- 
 ty ! For all that is in the heaven^ and in the 
 earth, is thine. Thine is the kingdom^ O Lord, 
 and thou art exalted as Head above all. 
 
 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou 
 
 reignejl over all And in thine hand it is^ to 
 
 make great, and to give jlrength unto all. 
 
 Now therefore^ our God, we thank thee^ and 
 praije thy glorious Name. 
 
 But who am 7, and what is my people, that we 
 f:ould be able to offer fo willingly after this fort? 
 for all things come of thee, and of thine own have 
 we given thee. For we are fir angers before thee^ 
 andjojourners, as were all our fathers : our days 
 en the earth are as ajhadow^ and there is none 
 abiding, 
 
 O Lord our God, all this ft ore, that we have 
 prepared to build thee an houfe for thine holy 
 Name, cometb of thme own hand^ and is all 
 thine own. 
 
 Vol. II. X / kno^^ 
 
3o6 Afi Hijiorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 / know alfOy my God, that tkou trieji the 
 heart, and hajt pleajkre in uprightnefs. 
 
 As for me^ in the uprightnejs of mine hearty 
 I have willingly offered all thefe things : and 
 now have 1 feen with joy thy people, which are 
 prefent here^ to offer willingly unto thee, 
 
 Lord God of Abraham, Jfaac, and Ifrael^ 
 our fat hers y keep this for ever in the imagination 
 of the thoughts of the heart of thy people^ and 
 prepare their heart unto thee. 
 
 And give unto Solomon myfon aperftEi heart 
 to keep thy commandments, thy tefiimonies, and 
 thy ftatutes*^ and to do all thefe things y and to 
 build the palace, for the which I have made 
 provifion. 
 
 And \David faid to all the congregationy 
 Now, blefs the Lord your God, 
 
 And all the congregation bleffedthe Lord God 
 of their fathers^ and bowed their heads, and 
 worjhipped the Lord and the king. 
 
 Arid they facrifced facrifices unto the Lord^ 
 and offered burnt- offerings unto the Lord, on the 
 morrow after that day i even a thoufand bul- 
 locks ^ a thoufand rarns^ and a thoufand lambs ^ 
 with their drink-offerings-, and facrificesin abun- 
 dance for all Ifrael : 
 
 And did eat and drink before the Lord, on 
 that day, with great gladnefs. And they made 
 Solomon, the fin of David^ king, the fee and 
 time i and anointed him unto the Lord-, to be 
 the chief governor^ and Zadok to be priefl-, 
 
 1 CANNOT help adding, that when 1 lift up 
 my eyes to heaven, the true fountain of all ex- 
 cellent 
 
B.4. the Life of King T> AY iT>. 307 
 
 cellent endowments and difpofitions; and con- 
 template the grcatnefs of David's foul^ the 
 noblenefs of his fentiments^ and the humility 
 of his heart, all calculated^ confpiring, and bent 
 upon the one great purpofe of promoting the 
 glory of God, and, in confcquence of that^ 
 perpetuating the felicity of his people ; I can- 
 not help looking down upon all the other princes 
 of the earth with pity ^. 
 
 David feems to have furvived but a very 
 little while, after this great and fignal tranfadiQii 
 of his reign: but, before he expired, he fent for 
 Solomon 5 told him his condition. That he was 
 going the way of all the earth ,- and exhorted 
 him to fortitude, and manly refolution, m the 
 condud of his life ,• and, well knowings that 
 true religion was the only folid fapport of true 
 fortitude^ folemnly charged him, with his dying 
 breath, to pay a ftrid obedience to the com- 
 mands of God, and continue ftedfaft in his duty 
 to him ; as he hoped for his protedion and 
 favour, and the continuance of his poflerity 
 upon the throne,- as God had promifed they 
 Ihould, if they took heed to their way, to walk 
 before him in truth:, with all their hearty and 
 with all their foul. 
 
 He next reminded him of Joab's difobe- 
 dicnce to his own commands, in relation to 
 Ahfalom^ together with his repeated murders: 
 
 * Particularly a late profligate prince of our own ; who, inftead 
 of contributing to make St. Paul's churcii what the architect had 
 defigned it, the glory of his nation and capital, pinched forty thou-, 
 fand pounds from the fund ailigned for it, to ysvy Siame/Ul pur- 
 pofes. 
 
 X 2 aad 
 
30 8 An Hijlorkal Account of B.4. 
 and charged him not to let them go unpunifhed; 
 a charge as wife, as it was juft! Nor did he 
 forget, even in the article of death, the gratitude 
 he owed to BarzHlaiiho, Gikadites but intreated 
 his fon to renew it in his pofterity, with the 
 diflinguifhed honour of letting them be of thofe 
 who cat at his own table : and concluded with 
 advifing him, in relation to Shimet\ whom al- 
 though he himfelf had pardoned, his fon fhould 
 jnor hold him guiltlefs, but (as the text is gene- 
 rally underftood)^r/^?^ his hoar head to the grave 
 *iz!ith blood. An advice, greatly, but, as I think, 
 unjuftly, cenfured as revengeful and cruel 5 as 
 fhall be fhewn hereafter. 
 
 . «f 
 
 CHAP. XXIIL 
 
 Some Account of the Temple- Service. 
 Davxd'j Death. 
 
 HAVING, in the laft chapter, mentioned 
 the fcherae of the temple-fervice, deli- 
 vered by David to Solomon, together with the 
 plans of the buildings, and pattern of the uten- 
 fiis 5 I hope 1 fhall be indulged, in endeavouring 
 to give the common reader fome idea of that 
 fervice, as far as 1 can colled it from the facred 
 writings J referring my readers, of more curio- 
 iiry, to fuch as have written profeffedly upon 
 that fubjeft. 
 
 David had, in the preceding part of his 
 reign, fettled the fervice of the tabernacle, both 
 at Qibeon ajtd ^jerufalcm-^ bur as thofe fcenes 
 
 were 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 309 
 
 were fmall, and the neceflary attendants few, 
 another regulation was now neceflary for the 
 fcrvice of the temple, which was incomparably 
 more magnificent. Accordingly this regulation 
 was made, and edablifhed by God himfelf^ as 
 we leatn from 2 Chron. xxix. 25. where we are 
 informed, that when Hezekiah redored the fcr- 
 vice of the temple, he fit the Levites in the 
 houfe cf the Lord, with cymbals, with pfal- 
 terieSy and with harps, according to the com- 
 mandment of "David, and of Gad the king's Jeer ^ 
 and Nathan the prophet : for fo was the com- 
 mandment of the Lord by his prophets. 
 
 Bu T we muft take this matter higher, in order 
 to form a clearer conception of it. 
 
 Levi had three fons, Gerfion, Kohath, and 
 Merari, From the fecond of thefe were de- 
 fcended Mofes and Aaron. Aaron, and his de- 
 fcendants, were fet apart and confecrated for 
 the pricfthood, by the fpecial appointment of 
 Almighty God*. And the reft of their bre- 
 thren, the other defcendants of Levi, were ap- 
 pointed to attend them, and minifler unto them^ 
 in things facred. And, among thefe, were the 
 fons of Mojess without any diftindion or pre- 
 eminence above their brethren^ the other de- 
 fcendants of Levi: which, moft certainly, was 
 not the work either of human ambition, pride, 
 or policy. Nay more ; we hear of no honour 
 or office of dignity, borne by any one of them, 
 for about five hundred years 5 until David made 
 
 * Exod. xxviii. 
 
 X 3 She- 
 
3 T o An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 Shebuelx-ho, fon of Gerfwm, the fon of Mofes, 
 ruler cf the treafures ; and fet his brethren, by 
 Eliezer^ over the treafures of the dedicated 
 things (1 Chron, xxvi. 24, i^, 26.). 
 
 The peculiar office of Aaroriy and his defcen- 
 dants, is thus explained (i Chron. xxiii. 13.)- 
 yind Aaron ^was feparated, that hefiould faniiify 
 the moji holy things, he and his Jons pr ever 5 
 to burn incenfe before the Lord, to minifier unto 
 him. and to blefs in his name for ever. And we 
 learn from many parts 01 the Scripture, that a 
 principal part of this miniftration was the offer- 
 ing up of lacrifices, and blowing with trumpets 
 over them, on the days of their gladnefs, and 
 new moons {Numb. x. 10.). 
 
 The fcverai parts and branches of the Levi- 
 tical ofhcc arc fummcd up, i Chrofi. xxiii. at the 
 aSth and following vcrfes. From whence we 
 Jearn, that it was their bufinefs to wait upon the 
 fons of Aaron, for the fervice of the houfe of 
 the Lord, in all its parts. To them belonged 
 the care, and the cleanfing, of all its courts, 
 chambers, and vcffds of all kinds j the keeping 
 of all its treafures, and the ftandards of all mea- 
 fure and fize, and all things necelTary for the 
 burnt offerings and meat-offerings , the pro- 
 vifion of the fhew-bread, fine flour, unleavened 
 bread, incenfe, &e. It was their bufinefs to 
 attend upon the morning and evening lervice of 
 the temple, to celebrate the praifes of God, and 
 give him thanks : fome with voices, and fome 
 with mufical inftruments, of various kinds. In 
 one word, they were the guards, treafurers, 
 
 fte wards. 
 
 J 
 
B.4* the Life of King T) AY lid. 311 
 
 flewards^ choir, band of mufic, and chamber- 
 lains, of this great palace. And the Nethinims 
 miniftered under them, as menial fervants, in 
 all the meaner offices. 
 
 B Y the appointment of Mofes, the Levites 
 were numbered from thirty years* old, and up- 
 wards, for the fervice of the tabernacle. And, 
 according to that regulation, their numbers and 
 appointments flood thus, in the days of "David: 
 Their whole number was thirty-eight thoufand; 
 of which twenty-four thoufand were to fet for- 
 ward the work of the houfe of the Lor d > fix 
 thoufand were officers and judges ; four thou- 
 fand were to be the guardsf of the temple; 
 and four thoufand were to praife the Lord, 
 with the mufical inftruments, which David \\2i(i 
 invented for that purpofe : but as the fervice of 
 the temple required a vafl: many more hands, 
 than the fervice of the tabernacle, by David's 
 laft regulation, (doubtlefs authorized by divine 
 appointment) the Levites were feparated for the 
 fervice of God, from twenty years old, and up- 
 wards 5 which added confiderably to the nunv 
 
 * There is ^ difficulty in this point, which fhould be reconciled : 
 By the appoirttment in the fourth chapter of Nitmbers^ verfe the 
 third, the Le^jites were to enter into the lervice of the tabernacle 
 from thirty years and upwards ; whereas, Numb. viii. 24. they are 
 ordered to wait j>pon the fervice of the tabernacle, from twenty- 
 five years old and upward. Bat this is reconciled by Maimor.ides, 
 who fays they were obliged to fpend five years in learning the 
 duties of their miniftry, before they were admitted to miniiler ia 
 the court of the priefts. 
 
 f So the word fhould betranflated, which in our EngUJh verfion 
 is interpreted porters^ 
 
 X 4 bers 
 
312 An Hijiorical Account of B. 4. 
 
 bers now mentioned^ in their feveral appoint- 
 ments and provinces. 
 
 ^avidy not long before iiis death, gathered 
 together all the princes of Ifrael^ with the 
 priefts and the Levites 5 and, in their prefence, 
 divided the priefts into twenty-four coarfes, 
 by lot, under the principal men of Aaron% 
 defcendants, to be governors of the fanduary, 
 and governors of the houfe of Godj and 
 had them regiflered according to the order 
 in which their lot fell, by Shemaiah the fcribe, 
 in the prefence of the king and princes, and 
 Zadok the pricfl, and Ahimelech the fon of Abia- 
 thar'^^ each courfc to pay a weekly attendance 
 at the temple, in their turn. The other Levites 
 he divided in the fame manner, under the fe- 
 veral heads of their families, and according to 
 their feveral offices. And then, fetting courfe 
 againft courfc, he made them caft lots for the 
 order in which they were to officiate, without 
 any regard to feniority or dignity 5 and alfo to 
 determine what courfe of guards, fingers, &c, 
 Ihould attend with the correfpondent courfe of 
 priefts. 
 
 This inftitution carried one great national 
 advantage with it (and poffibly many more, not 
 now to be recounted or conceived) 5 inafmuch 
 as this weekly circulation of priefts and Levites^ 
 as well as the monthly one of the mihtary men, 
 inlarged acquaintance, difFufcd friendfhip, and 
 circulated the civility and politencfs of the court, 
 and arts and elegance of the capital, together 
 with religion, throughout the realm. 
 
 * 1 Chron. xxiv. 6. T H E 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 313 
 
 The men skilled in fong were found to be 
 two hundred eighty-eight : and therefore, by 
 this regulation, twelve of thefe were to (land 
 with cymbals, pfalteries, and harps, on commoa 
 days, (and the whole number upon the great 
 feftivals) every morning to thank and prat fe the 
 Lordy and likewife at even"^: and were joined 
 by at leafl: one hundred and fixty-fix of their 
 brethren, who praifed the Lord upon inftru- 
 ments of various forts, on common days^ and 
 by at leaft four thoufand, upon the great feftivals. 
 
 We learn from the firlt chapter of St. Lukey 
 that, when the pried went into the temple to 
 oifer the incenfe, the whole multitude of the 
 people were at their prayers without. And we 
 Jearn from this regulation of T>avid*s^ that when 
 the anthem began, it was performed by twelve 
 voices, accompanied at leaft by one hundred and 
 fixty-fix inftruments. 
 
 It is agreed, on all hands, that the number 
 of fingers in the temple mufi: not be Icfs than 
 twelve, but might be increafed as much as was 
 thought proper, and muft, in the ordinary 
 courfe of things, have been increafed 5 becaufe 
 the children ot thefe fingers, being bred to the 
 profeflion of their parents, were admitted into 
 the temple with them, to make the chorus more 
 complete. 
 
 The number of the particular kinds of mufi- 
 cal inftruments employed in the temple-fervice, 
 is no where determined 5 but the jeijvs are of 
 
 • I Ch-on.xxiii« 30. 
 
 opinion^ 
 
314 ^^^^ Hijl or iced Account of B. 4. 
 
 opinion*, that the trumpets could not be lefs 
 than two, nor more than one hundred and 
 tv^cnty : not lefs, becaufe of God's command, 
 Numb, X. 2. to make two trumpets 5 nor more 
 than one hundred and twenty, becaufe no more 
 \f ere made ufe of at the dedication of the tem> 
 pie, 2 Chron. v. 12. 
 
 This is a fhort, imperfeft sketch of the di- 
 vine worfhip inftituted by T>avids as it was 
 celebrated in its ordinary magnificence : a mag- 
 nificence, which, even in this imperfeft account 
 of it, the greateft princes of our world are not 
 now able to equal upon the greateft occafions ! 
 And as to that of the great fefrivals, not all the 
 prirces of Europe:, combined, were able to come 
 up to it. 
 
 Dav • D well knew of what vaft confequence 
 the eftablifhment of the public worfhip of God, 
 in true piety and purity, was, to the virtue and 
 felicity of a people i inafmuch as all religion de- 
 pends upon it, and would, without it, abfo- 
 lately tail, and ceafe from amongft men, in the 
 compafs of a few years : and therefore wifely 
 judged it advifeable to allure men to ir, by ^1\ 
 the advantages of a graceful, folemn^ and de- 
 lightful magnificence. And to this end^ there 
 is good ground to believe from the text, that 
 the inlargmcnt of the number of men, afiigned 
 to the fevcrai offices of religion, was the laft 
 public a<S of 'David's life^ i Chron. xxiii. 27. f. 
 
 * See Lighife&t de Mhiflerie? fcrnplh 
 
 -f- For by the L<Jl v:ords of Daniid, the Leijites nvere n-umhind^ 
 frsm /xvT /;/r years eld and ahi's* 
 
 Bicffcd 
 
B.4. the Life of King T) kv IT). 315 
 
 Blefled conclufion of a life glorioufly employed, 
 and ended] employed in chaftifing iniquity^ in 
 extirpating inveterate and incorrigible corrup- 
 tion, in inlarging his dominions to the bounds 
 alligned them by Almighty God, in eitabiiiliing 
 his people in peace and happinefs, and doing 
 juftice and judgment, but chiefly employed in 
 propagating the glory of God, with ardent and 
 inceflant zeal! and ended in inlarging the dig- 
 nity and magnificence of his worlhip with his 
 laft breath ! 
 
 Thus, in the ftyle of the facred writer, i Chron. 
 xxix. 26, 27, 28. David,t hefon of Jejfe, reigned 
 over all IfraeL And the time that he reigned 
 over Ifraely was forty years y [even years reigned 
 he in Hebron^ and thirty and three years reigned 
 he in ferufalem. 
 
 And he died in a good old age^ full of days, 
 riches y and honour : and Solomon his f on reigned 
 in his fie ad. 
 
 He died with the fatisfaftion of feeing his 
 own fon his fucceflbr, the wifcft and the iiope- 
 fuUeft prince of the whole earth 5 and with the 
 aifurance of Gods peculiar favour to his poile- 
 rity 5 from whence he had already (in the cleared 
 light of prophetic vifion) feen * the Messiah, 
 the Lord of life, to arife^ of whofe dominion^ 
 and the increafe of his government and glory, he 
 well knew (by the Spirit of God upon him) 
 
 * This appears manifeftly, from many parts of the Pfalms^ 
 panicularly the I'eventy-fccond. 
 
 there 
 
3 1 6 An Hijlortcal Account of B. 4. 
 
 there JJjall be no end. To Him, with the Father, 
 and the Holy GhoO, be all honour^ and power, 
 and praife, for evermore. 
 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 David' J CharaEler dif cuffed^ with re- j 
 gar^d to hi$ Polygamy^ and the Mur- ^ 
 der of Uriah. 
 
 TT is, I hope, by this time, fufficiently evident 
 "■- to the candid and confidering reader, that 
 David was a very extraordinary, and even a 
 wonderful man. 
 
 But ftill it may be objefted, That however 
 Davids charafter may be otherwife advanta- 
 geoufly diftinguilhed, he is not howevfit acquit- 
 ted of polygamy, murder, and adultery. 
 
 I OWN it; but what will his ingenious ca- 
 lumniators gain by the conceifion? 1 know no 
 man exempt from error, fuperior to furprize, or 
 out of the reach of temptation to fin. \David 
 is himfeif a fignal inftance to the contrary. But 
 ftill 1 cannot think him capable of a deliberate, 
 determined, repeated violation of the will of 
 Goo, for a feries of years. There is nothing fo 
 laturnine, io black, fo hcUifh, in his complexion. 
 For this rcafon^ I can by no means bring myfclf 
 to beli'wvc, that he would have continued in the 
 fia of polygamy^ (as he did) knowing it to be 
 
 a trani- 
 
B. 4- the Life of King T> AY I'D. 317 
 
 a tranfgreflion of the law of God. Polygamy, 
 I humbly apprehend, was more the vice of the 
 age, thaa of David h and therefore all the in- 
 ference that I fhall make from his condud in 
 that point, is this 5 That, felf-evidcnt as the law 
 of nature may now feem, it was then too dark, 
 even for the guidance of a prophet, left in that 
 inllance uninlpired. 
 
 And yet, if we were to define and cdimatc 
 this prad^ice by the rules of reafon, the natural 
 evils, and ill confequences, which do and ever 
 muft await it, in the ordinary train of things_, 
 fufficiently demonftrate it to be dcftruclive of 
 the human felicity 5 and confequcntly, vicious 
 and unlawful: nay, one would think, that 
 David himfelf could not fail of being fully 
 convinced of this truth from his own experience. 
 For what was the efFedt of his polygamy in his 
 own houfe, and to himfelf 5 Inceft^ murder*, 
 rebellion ! The inceft of two fons, the rebellion 
 and death of two fons, and the murder of one 
 bx the hand of his brother! And yet, fo utterly 
 uninforming is this evidence from the nature of 
 things^ unenlightened and unaided by revela 
 tionj that rebellion, murder^ and inceft united, 
 nay, repeated rebellion, repeated inceft, created 
 x\o conviction in the heart of a 'David^ or a So- 
 lomon. 
 
 As to Davids guilt in relation to Uriahs I 
 know no one that ever yet fet him up for more 
 than mortal : and is there fuch a thing, was 
 
 f 7anar, AmitQn^ Ahfahmf Admjcih. 
 
 i '■ there 
 
3 1 8 Jjt Hijlorical Accou?it of B. 4. 
 
 there ever fuch a thing, in this world, as an un- 
 iinning mortal? our bleffed Saviour Christ 
 Jesus only excepted. And is "Davids cha- 
 rader to be meanly efteemed of^ upon this ac- 
 count? Shew us thofe unfinning heroes, that 
 are to be preferred to him. They are not, I am 
 fure, C£fay, nor Alexander^ nor Pompejy nor 
 Anto7iy, nor Sylla, nor Lyfander^ nor even 
 Scipio, however illuftrious and celebrated for 
 one inftance of chaftity '^, 
 
 These are indeed founding and glorious 
 names, which take early poffcffion of our highcft 
 admiration and edecm : thefe heroes of the 
 Heathen world were aftors in greater and more 
 fhining fcenes. Pomp and prejudice delude 
 our judgments in their favour, and we are apt 
 to think a little king of J-ttdea contemptible, 
 upon the comparifbn ; but we forget, that David 
 did, by his piety, his prowefs, and his wifdom, 
 (aided by the fpirit of God) ered himfelf, from 
 a private man^ into the greateft monarch of the 
 Eaji, or of his age^ I had almoft faid, of any 
 age : a monarchy, fmall indeed in extent, but 
 great in all that conftirutes the true grandeur 
 and ftrength of ftates$ men, virtue, valour^ and 
 wealth ! 
 
 Herodotus obferves of Xerxes y that there 
 were in his army, 'ziroAAo) jj^lv av^pooiroij oKlyoi 
 -S2 avS'^e^^ much people^ but few mem a great 
 croud, but few foldicrs ; whereas all Davids 
 army confided of chofen warriors 5 infomuch 
 
 * A virtue for which he was, other wife, no way diflinugiihed. 
 
 % ^ that 
 
B. 4- the Life of Ki?igDAviv>. 319 
 
 that the comparatively little dominion of Judea^ 
 and its appendages, could, upon any exigency, 
 fend more cffedive forces into the field, in two 
 days, under David, than the whole empire of 
 the Eafl- could, in fo many years, under T>arms 
 or Xerxes *. 
 
 This important leffbn hath ^ avid led to 
 princes, in his own example 5 as his fon hath 
 done in his precepts, {Trov, xiv. q.%.) In the 
 multitude of people is the king's honour. The 
 true grandeur of princes confifls, not in extending 
 their dominions, but in multiplying and bkf- 
 fing their people; and above all, in living and 
 ading in iuch a manner, as to difFufe and fix 
 this one precept in their hearts , Fear God^ and 
 honour the king. 
 
 In one word, we forget that David is, in 
 his perfonal charader^ vailly fuperior to any one 
 hero of all antiquity: It is indeed a mix'd cha- 
 rader; and where is the charader, at lead, where 
 IS the great charader, that is nor ? You may as 
 well exped to find ^fuyi without fpots, as a great 
 
 * When. DrtwW ordered the people to be numbered, Joah made 
 a return of thirteen hundred thoufand valiant men that drew the 
 fword in Ifrael and Judak : that is, there were fo many men of 
 pro^'ed experienced courage ; but the whole number of trained 
 difciplined men in -that little ftate (no mention made of garifons, 
 snd thofe two whole tribes excluded) were more than a million 
 and an half. 
 
 This account of the matter reconciles, and is the natural inter- 
 pretation of, thofe two paffages, 2 Sam. xxiv. and i Chron. xxi. 
 In the firft of which it is faid. That there were, in Ifrael, eight 
 hundred thoufand valiant men, that drew the fword : and in the 
 fecond it is faid, That all they of Ijfrad were a thoufand thoufand 
 ir.sn^ that drew fword, 
 
 genius 
 
320 An Htjiofical Account of B. 4. 
 
 genius. The utmoft that can be expefted is, that 
 the glory fhould be greatly predominant; and 
 in David it unquedionably is fo ; is fo to fudi 
 a degree, that Cafar^ or Alexander^ in point of 
 pcrfonal accomplifbrncnts^ and true fublimity of 
 foul, are not once to be named with him. And 
 however this may at firft fight appear a paradox, 
 I (hould be lorry to Ice even an enemy hardy or 
 ignorant enough to give them the pre-eminence, 
 upon due deliberation. ^ 
 
 It is true, this great man had great blemiflics: 
 let the greatcft of them be calmly and candidly 
 confidered. 
 
 David's commerce with the wife of Uriah 
 was, at worft, a fudden and tumultuous ad of 
 guilt : his guilt was not, even in the impeach- 
 ment of the prophet, an inmate, whom he was 
 wont to entertain 5 but a ftranger, a traveller, 
 
 that furprifed him He was alhamed of it ► 
 
 He would have concealed ir He endeavoured 
 
 He could not hide it He could not beaf 
 
 to have it expofcd It muft be hid Nothing 
 
 but m.urder could hide it Uriah muft die, or 
 
 Bathjheba muft: — Uriah by the hands of Am- 
 tnoriy or Bathfieba by the hands of juftice— ^ 
 Diftrefsful and diftrading alternative !-~Ho- 
 nour would attend the fate of Uriah 5 infamy 
 muft attend that of Rathfieba, Uriah w^as a 
 brave man, and a faithful loldier: Could T^avid 
 ever bear to behold the brave man he had abufcd, 
 made privy to that abufc? Could that brave man 
 
 bear to furvive that abulc? Would not mur- 
 
 det; in this cafe, be a kind mercy? Whereas, 
 
IB. 4. the Life of King David. 321 
 
 on the other hand, to defert Bathjheba^ were 
 
 the height of cruelty To abandon the womaa 
 
 he had undone to abandon to infamy, whom 
 
 he had feduced (I had almoft faid, forced) to 
 guilt — Could the lowed degree of honour 
 allow this > Could any degree of humanity en- 
 dure it \ Such are the accurfcd entanglements of 
 fin, fuch the workings and gradations of it in 
 the diftraded, bewildered bread that admits it: 
 millions have been loft I'd thefe labyrinths of 
 guilt; but none, fure^ in any more intricate and 
 perplexing than this! Are all fuch to be given 
 up as abandoned ? Is there no room for repent- 
 ance, for amendment, for reconciliation, in fuch 
 a cafe,> God forbid ! Is it fair, then, to confider 
 David only in the light of guilt? Or fhouid he, 
 in common judice, be edimatcd, as all other 
 men are, by the main of his life ? 
 
 One thing I will venture to advance 5 That 
 the man who reads David's works, confiders 
 his exploits, and weighs his character, (with all 
 its defers) and doth not, at the fame time, iind 
 himfeif little and contemptible upon the corn- 
 par ifon, needs no heavier imputation of vanity, 
 ignorance, and arrogance. 
 
 It is but too eafy to fall into temptation; 
 and v/hat is yet worfe, from a Icfs guilt to a 
 greater : All vice fiands upon aprecipicc^ fay the 
 poersi the defcenc is but too eafy "^^ 5 the diffi- 
 
 * This is finely illuftrated in that emblematical defcription, 'vifn,, 
 
 — - Fact Us defcenfus A'Vt.rni : 
 
 Sed re'vocare gradum, fupgrafquc S'-cadc^'e ad auras^ 
 
 Hie labor y hoc opus ^^— 
 
 Vol. ii. Y culry 
 
32 2 An Htftorical Account of B. 4, 
 
 culty is to reafcend: millions have fallen, have 
 finned, as "David did j but who ever repented 
 and recovered like him? Revolve his v/hole life 
 before this evil accident; it is almoft one train 
 of a wife, a generous, a pious, and a valiant 
 conducl;! Revolve his whole life, from the hour 
 of this guilt, and you will find it little elfe than 
 one train of humiliation, and repentance before 
 God ; and this too, even after alTurance of 
 pardon from the mouth of God himfelf, by his 
 prophet : which is in the place of ten thoufand 
 proofs of a refined piety, and exalted virtue. 
 Or, if he varied his conduft, it was only from 
 penance to praifc 5 to turn all his thoughts and 
 attention, to employ his whole heart and foul, 
 to the glory, and in the fcrvice, of G o d i of 
 that God, ^j-ko pardoned all bis Jim, and cro'-jvned 
 him with mercy and loving- kindnefs. And if, 
 after all this, the Scriptures arc to be reviled, 
 for ftyling this man, in this charader, A man 
 after Gods own heart. What is to be reverenced ? 
 
 And after all, What if this great man's fall 
 fiiould be found, upon a fair inquiry, matter of 
 infinite confoiaticn to thofe very men that in- 
 lult it moil? It is not to be prcfumed, that their 
 xeproaches upon ©^^'/iarife from their folicitude 
 for the interefts of virtue 5 and what if this in- 
 fiance of David's fall fliould be found the trueft 
 fupport of that intcreft ? Pvcv/ards and punifii- 
 ments are allowed to be the great engines, by 
 which it hath pleafcd God to govern the moral 
 world. And therefore there is nothing in which 
 the intercft and felicity of that world is fo nearljr 
 
 concerned. 
 
B* 4» the Life of King Day ij> 323 
 
 concerned, as in the rewards of virtue^ . and 
 chaftifements of .vice. And if fo, I challenge all 
 mankind to produce any one inftance, from the 
 foundation of the world, wherein virtue was fo 
 fignally rev/arded, and guilt fo fignaily cha- 
 ftifed*, as in that of Davids confequentiy, ivi 
 which true religion, and true virtue, are fo 
 nearly and intimately interefted, as in the hi- 
 flory of his rife, and fall, and recovery 5 his ad- 
 vancement to the divine favour, and every 
 earthly honour, by virtue 5 his fall from both, 
 by fmj and his recovery, by repentance. It 
 will not, I believe, be denied, that if the higheft 
 offence againft God made a reftoration to his 
 favour defperate, the caufe of virtue were un^ 
 done, and no man would attach himfelf to ir, 
 upon fuch terms 5 upon alfurance of being finally 
 reprobated and rejeded by God, upon the firft 
 fall* Could it be once imagined^ that mercy 
 made no part of the charader of the Almighty, 
 he might indeed, from that moment, be dreaded 
 and detefted, as a tyrant 5 but he could no more 
 be loved and revered^, as a father. And there* 
 fore ^Davidy v/ith as much penetration as piety, 
 begs to be pardoned, and redored to the favour 
 of God, from this motive, that if he were {o 
 treated, he fhould teach tranfgreffors the zvays of 
 God^ and (inner s fiould be converted unto him--^ 
 Pfalm li. n;er. 13. Again, ^fal. cxxx. If thoUy 
 Lordy wilt be extreme to mark what is done 
 amifs^ O Lord, who fball fiand? But forgi-ve- 
 nefs is with thee, that thou may ft be feared, 
 
 '^ S«e chap, iii. of this book, 
 
 Y % HAPPf 
 
3 24 ^n Hiflorkal Account of B. 4^ 
 
 Happy for mankind, that there is luch an 
 inftance (an authentic inftance) of falling virtue, 
 and recovering guilt ! An inftance fo fitted to 
 mortify the vanity of virtue^ and the merit of 
 exalted piety ; and to raife the power and price 
 of humble penitences to abate the pride of felf- 
 fufBciency, and fupport the hope of frailty ! 
 Who can confide in his own ftrength, when he 
 icts a David fallen \ And Who can defpair of 
 divine mercy, when he i^^^ him forgiven ? Sad 
 triumph of fin, over all that is great and excel- 
 lent in man ! Glorious triumph of repentance, 
 over all that is fhameful and dreadful in fin! 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 D A V id'5 CharaBer conjidered in Friend- 
 Jhipj and in Enmity. 
 
 A 
 
 S "David's is a very diftinguifhed charafter, 
 and no onc^ that I know, hath ever taken 
 the pains to place it in a true light; the reader 
 will, I hope, not think me tedious, if I attempt 
 to inlarge a little upon fome parts of it 5 which 
 have, in my humble opinion, been much icfs 
 confidcred than they dekrve. 
 
 T o begin then : T>avtd's is, perhaps, the no- 
 bleft inftance of friendlhip yet known to the 
 world (one only excepted) : A fricndfliip which 
 could infpirc him with the generous confidence 
 of trufting the fccret of his divine dcfignation to 
 
 the 
 
B. 4* the Lifo of KingT) kviT>. 325 
 
 the kingdom, to that very man, who was im- 
 mediately to be afFeded by it ! Such a friendfliip 
 implies every thing, that generofity and magna- 
 nimity can infpire. And that Jonathan was 
 fully in this fecret, appears clearly from i Sam, 
 XX. A friendfhip^ fuperipr to the rivalfhip of 
 empire, needs no higher praife, and fears no 
 rival. It is true, Jonathans unparalleled gene- 
 rofity gave him a noble claim to this confi- 
 dence ; and, on the other hand, the unparal- 
 leled generofity of this confidence exacted a 
 fuitable return, and found it 5 and was^ in truth, 
 almoft fufficient to infpire it into a foul lefs noble 
 and inlarged, than that of Jonathan, But at the 
 fame time, it muft be obferved, that nothing 
 lefs than a full convidion of "David's divine 
 defign^tion to the throne, could make his rival 
 in empire become the guardian of his life : what 
 was, at once, the perfedion of piety and friend- 
 fhip upon that fuppofition, had been the height 
 of folly and infatuation upon any other (and 
 Jonathan's is too great a charaderto be debafed 
 by fuch vile furmifes). I will not take upon 
 me to pronounce which ought to be preferred 
 upon the comparifon : "David's was, perhaps, 
 the nobler friendftip; and Jonathans the more 
 amiable : not that David's was dLfeftive, cvea 
 in what may be called th^ foftnefs and infirmity 
 of fricndlhip; inalmuch as we are afflired, that, 
 in the diftrefs of parting, he exceeded (1 Sam, 
 XX. 41.)* But however that may be contcfted, 
 this^ I believe, will eafily be allowed^ that no 
 pther inftance of friendfhip (except that of 
 
 Y 3 Jesus 
 
326 An Hiftcrical Account of B. 4. 
 
 Jesus Christ to his difcipks) ever yet ex- 
 ceeded (I firmly believe, none ever equalled) 
 cither. 
 
 What is fmgular in David's chara£!:er is> 
 that he knew fo well how to reconcile friend- 
 fhip and royalty. Other princes have had con- 
 fidants, but "David hz^ a friend: other princes 
 have had partners in their pleafures, and fharers 
 in the fecrets of their gailt; but David's was a 
 friendflnp cf a very different complexion, a 
 commerce^ and a communication^ of a very dif- 
 ferent kind. The principles upon which his 
 fricndfhip was founded, and the refined and de- 
 licate lenfe he had of that noble intcrcourfc, are 
 bcf^ fcen in that tender complaint, at the fifty- 
 fifth Tfalm- — But it was thcu^ my companion, 
 my guide y and mine own familiar friend, fVe 
 took Jweet coimjel together^ and walked in tijc 
 hotife of God as friends. The beauty and energy 
 of the original is inexprcflible : M V, wko fweete- 
 ned cotinfelj and walked in the koufe of God to- 
 getker. 
 
 The man that hath an heart truly turned to 
 fricndfhip, will feel fomething in thofe words, 
 which no other, upon the fubied, ever yet came 
 up to 5 the throbbings of his own breaft will be 
 their befl comment. 
 
 And that David was nor wanting to his iox\j 
 upon this fubieft, may very rcaionahly be con- 
 cluded from the many excellent precepts, and 
 fine rcfledicns upon fricndfhip, fcattered through 
 his Troverbs *. 
 
 * Eefides the aiTurance ',v»e hav*, that he alfo had ;i frieiir], 
 I Kin^s iv. 5. In 
 
B. 4* the Life of King 1l> KYI !>. 327 
 
 In that iafiiiire number of idle objedlions, 
 ignorantly urged againft the Scriptures, this alio 
 hath been oncj That they no- where recommend 
 friendfhip, or the love of our country. To this 
 I fhall only anfwer at prefent, That if the faireft 
 and lovelied examples of any excellence are the 
 bcft recommendations of it; this, I hope, will 
 no longer be made an objedion. 
 
 But \Davufs generofity was not confined to 
 friendfhip, it was no iefs eminent in enmity. 
 There is not perhaps one inftance of fo unjuft. 
 To ungrateful, and fo inveterate a perfecution as 
 he fuifered from Saul: this I am fure of, there 
 is no example (but one) of fuch a fuperiority 
 over revenge, and fo noble a remiffion of in- 
 juries, throughout the whole compafs of hidory ! 
 To have his mortal enemy twice abfolutely in 
 his power, and not fo much as fufFer him to be 
 flain ! Nay, not only his mortal enemy, but his 
 only obllacle to empire, and yet not lufFer that 
 obftacle to be removed*! 
 
 There is an united grandeur and goodnefs 
 in this conduft, which innobleth the charadler 
 of T>avid, far beyond the ordinary idea of hu- 
 man excellence. And if, in this condud, at 
 leaft, David was not the man after Gad's own 
 hearty who ever was ? A common man would, 
 nay, a great man might, have thought, that the 
 providence of God had put his enemy in his 
 power i and therefore the occafion was not to 
 
 * 'N. B. Jonathan^ the heir apparent to the tlirone,. defired 
 ^fily to be fecond to Da'vidf i Sam. xxxiii. ij. 
 
 Y 4 be 
 
328 An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 be loft. Thcfc, it is evident, were the fcnti- 
 ments of his followers $ when Saul was found 
 fingie, defencelefs, and, in all probability, afleep 
 in the cave (i Sayn. xxiv. 4.) : And the men of 
 *David fatdnntG him^ Behold the day^ of which 
 the Lord faid unto thee^ Behold^ I will deliver 
 thine enemy into thy hand: that thou may ft do 
 to him as it ftall feem good unto thee. Yet the 
 highcO: injury all this could tempt him to, was, 
 the cutting off Sauh skirt of his robe : and we 
 find, that his heart fmote him, even for that. 
 
 Not content with this, he foon after ran 
 the greatcft hazard of his life, to fhew another 
 inllance of generofity, yet greater^ if poffible! 
 He dole into SazU's camp, in the dead of the 
 nighty with only one companion (i Sam. xxvi.)$ 
 found Saul 2ig2^\n afleep, and unarmed: his com- 
 panion begg'd only for leave to fmite him^ and 
 was refufeds rcfufed upon fuch principles as no 
 heathen hero had an idea of: As the Lord liv- 
 eth^ the Lord fiall Jmite him--, or his day fo all 
 come to die : or he fiall defcend into battle ^ and 
 perifij I Sam. xxvi. 10. 
 
 Compare this, ye boafters of heathen virtue, 
 with the fabled prowefs of Ulyjfes and T>iomede^ 
 or Alexander'^ rant * of fcorning to fteal a vic- 
 tory 5 or what elfc, or whom elfe ye pleafej 
 and then ^v\\i in your comparifon. 
 
 * I call this a rant, becaufe it was not his true reafon for de- 
 clining to invade Darius\ camp by night: his true reafon, if I 
 rightly remember Arriati'i account of it, was, becaufe in the night 
 chance and tumult reign ; whereas Alexander's depcndance for 
 vi^orv was uron the fortitude and military fkill of his army. 
 
 As 
 
Bo 4« the Life of King TiXYiiy. 329 
 
 As I have nothing in view but the mani- 
 feftation of truth, 1 will not diiremble, that 
 "David's charader, as a generous enemy, hath 
 been greatly impeached^ i)y his laft dying 
 charge to his fon, in relation to Joab and 
 Shimei 5 on both whom he defired vengeance 
 fhould be taken for thofe crimes, which he 
 feemed to have forgiven in the one, by fuf- 
 fering them to go fo long unpunifhed 5 and 
 which he exprefly forgave in the other, and 
 confirmed that forgivenefs by an oath> that he 
 fhould not die. 
 
 To the firft of tliefe I anfwer, That Joab's 
 murders were crimes, which David never did 
 forgive ; and very probably thought he could 
 not, in contradidion to the exprefs commands 
 of God : and therefore that guilt, which he 
 himfelf wanted power to punifh *, and which 
 he only forbore to punifh, becaufe he wanted 
 power; he wifely and religioufly recommended 
 to his fon to expiate, by the blood of the of- 
 fender, that his family, and his kingdom^ might 
 be clear ot it. 
 
 * 2 Sam. iii, 28, 29, 39. 
 
 28, And aftemvardt ivhen David heard it, he /aid, land mjf 
 kingdom are guilt lefs before the Lord for enjery from the blood of 
 Jbner the fan of Ner. 
 
 29. Let it refi on the head of Joah, and on all his father^ i 
 houje ; and let there not fail from the houfe of Joab one that hath 
 an iffue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a faff, or that fal- 
 leth on the fnjoord, or that lackcth breads 
 
 39. And I am this day nxjeaky though anointed king; and- • 
 
 the fons of Xeruiah be too hard for me. The Lord Jh all r toward the 
 4oer of evil accordivg to his ^wickednefs. 
 
 The 
 
330 An Htftorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 The jadicious author of the Apologue de 
 T)avid (Journal de Tre<veti^y Tome ^-J hath a 
 conjedure upon this pointy which is at once 
 very ingenious, and very probable : he imagines, 
 that "David propofed the prize of the captain- 
 gencralfhip to the firll that fhould fcale the 
 walls of Sion, upon a profped, that fomebody 
 elfe might gain that prize, and Joah's authority 
 be dimrnifhed by that means : but his felicity 
 defeated the dcfign. 
 
 H E^ after this, took meafures to depofe him, 
 in favour of Amafa-, but was defeated alfo in 
 that defign. 
 
 JoAB was his near kinfman, he was valiant, 
 and in other refpeds faithful to him 5 and 
 David h^d no perfonal pique to him before the 
 death of Abfalom (and he would have put him 
 to death before that, had he been able) : What 
 then but duty could fway him, in this condud, 
 againil fo many prejudices ? 
 
 As to the nexc objedion, it is evident, that 
 li David had been aded, in this affair, by a 
 fpirit of revenge, he would not have fpared 
 Skimei, in the very inftant of paflion and pro- 
 vocation 5 and when he was fo earneftly impor- 
 tuned for leave to punifh hini. Tlutarcb 
 reports of Per ides ^ that when one of the jithe- 
 nians had railed at him all day, and purfued 
 him to his houlc, reviling him, Pericles only 
 turned about at the door, and calling to one 
 of his fervants, ordered him to lead that citizen 
 home to his houfe. This is allowed an extra-. 
 
 ordinary 
 
B.4- the Life of Kingly p^v\Y>. 331 
 
 ordinary inftance of temper in Tericles y but it 
 jnuft be obferved, that his reviler was a fellow- 
 citizen, ^avich a fubjed, and a rebel: Teri-- 
 cles% conda£t but aflertcd his fuperiority over an 
 idk in/ignificant man ^ David's proclaimed his 
 humiliaticrl to God, 
 
 St, Ambrose tells us of Theodojius^ (de 
 obit* Theodof.) That he looked upon it as a 
 favour done him, when he was defired to for- 
 give. Theodo flits forgave, when he was peti- 
 tioned to pardon ; David^ when he was im- 
 portuned to punilli 5 herein imitating the mercy 
 of God, who, as Ifaiah exprefles it, "waiteth 
 that he may be gracious. Had T)a,vid copied 
 after any lower pattern, he had not fpared 
 Shimet^ in the very indant of pa (lion and pro- 
 vocation : nor would he afterwards have for- 
 given him^ in the fulnefs of profperity and 
 power. That fulnefs of power, which is wont 
 to fwcU other breads with rancour, at the re- 
 membrance of injuries and inlblence in aveng- 
 ing them^ did but foften and fweeten his, 
 David's patience under Sbtynei^ reproaches is, 
 at once, a ftrong inftance of heroic magnani- 
 mity, and fignal refignation to the will of 
 God. He had before conquered great nations^ 
 by his fortitude and condud, as a captain 5 and 
 heroes and leaders by his perfonal provvefs : 
 but he was now yet greater, upon Solomons 
 principles, in ruling his own fpirit, and fub- 
 duing his refentments to the humiliation which 
 he ov/ed to God, He very vvcll icnevv how 
 
 much 
 
33^ ^^ Hifiorkal Account 'of B. 4. 
 
 iiiuch the remiflion of pcrfonal injuries be- 
 came the kingly charafter^ and therefore he 
 gave Shimei his life, and confirmed the grant 
 by an oath. But then it muft be remembered 
 that the obligation of this oath was purely per- 
 fonal 5 for fohe himfelf explains it, i Kings ii. 8. 
 And 1 fware unto htm by the Lordy faying, I 
 will not put thee to death with the [word. And 
 therefore, although David was bound, Solomon 
 was at full liberty to vindicate the majelly of 
 kings, in chaftiRng this high infult upon his 
 father after fuch a manner as he thought fit: 
 nor was there any danger of doing this to cx- 
 cefs, wlien the chaftifcment was deferred to 
 the calm and cool feafon of difpaffionare ju- 
 ftice 5 when neither pallion, nor perfonal refent- 
 ment, could inflame the vengeance. T^avid 
 well knew how much it became the piety of 
 his charader, to ranit himfif, and his con- 
 cerns, to the divine difp ofai, throughout the 
 whole courfe of his life; but could he, for this 
 reafon, wholly renounce the interell of juftice? 
 Or if he could, he very well knew how dan- 
 gerous an example it might be to his fucceflbrs, 
 to fufFcr fuch injuries and infults upon majefty 
 to pafs unpunilhed : and therefore, when he 
 had adted up to the piety and dignity of his 
 own charaftcr, he very wifely admonifhed his 
 fon, to ad up to the wifdom of his. 
 
 And here I muft beg leave to obferve, that 
 this reafoning futficicntly juftilies David in this 
 point, even upon fuppofition that the the. text is 
 
 rightly 
 
B.4- the Life of King ID AY i-D. 33^ 
 
 rightly tranflated, which I am, in my private 
 judgment, fully convinced it is not : for furely 
 the particle Vau ( 1 ) ought to be rendered here, 
 as in all fimilar cafcs^ not connedively, but diP- 
 jundively. I fhall inftance only in one cafe, I 
 might mention many. 
 
 Agur* befeeches God to keep him from 
 the extremes both of poverty and wealth. If 
 the particle Vdu were to be interpreted here 
 
 connedlively, the petition would run thus 
 
 Give me not poverty and riches Every one 
 
 fees the abfurdity of this petition 5 and there- 
 fore the tranflators rightly rendered it^ Give 
 me neither poverty nor riches. In the fame ana- 
 logy the paffage in queftion, rightly tranflated, 
 will ftand thus : No'zv therefore neither hold him 
 guilt lefSy (for thou art a wife many and knoweji 
 what thou ought eft to do unto him) nor his hoar 
 head bring thou down to the grave with blood. 
 This advice, in this fenfe, is full of humanity, 
 as well as wifdom 5 and Solomon (we fee) un- 
 derftood and obferved it in this fcnfe, and in 
 no other. 
 
 C H AP^ 
 
'334 -^^ Hiftorkal Accomtt of B. 4, 
 
 CHAR XXVI. 
 
 A jhort Comparifon of David, ^ith 
 Alexander, Csefar, and Scipio. His 
 CharaSier cortdudes this Work. 
 
 David compared witb^ Alexander. 
 
 MY purpofe, in this fhort eflay, is not to 
 debafe the facred charafter of David by 
 a minute comparifon with men, who (with all 
 their vaunts of valour, and military exploits) 
 had little truly heroic or excellent in their com- 
 pofition ; and that little^ confined to the fingle 
 charafter of Scipio. The other two were, at 
 bed, but fuccefsful and accomplifhed robbers 
 and murderers : riot, and vanity^ ambition, irre- 
 ligion;> and fenfuality, diftinguifli and fum up 
 the reft of their character. The only honour^ 
 then^ that I mean to Da-vid in this comparifon, 
 is barely to fhcw^ how far he excelled them, 
 where they excelled themfelves. 
 
 T o begin then, Alexander is celebrated for a 
 noble inftance of abftinence recorded of him 
 by Curtius"^ 5 and perhaps the nobleft ad of his 
 whole life. 
 
 The king, diftreffed with thirft, meets a fol- 
 dier carrying fome v/ater to the relief of his fons, 
 in like diftrefs. The generous foldier offers his 
 
 ^ * See Qirfhts, lib. vii. cap. 5. 
 
 prince 
 
B» 4. the Life of King David. 335 
 
 prince a part of his treafure; he received ir.^ and 
 upon learning for wliom it was intended^ re- 
 turned it untouched : It is too little for all {^2.^$ 
 he) and I cannot bear to be relieved alone. 
 
 The king had juft before been in feme de- 
 fpondency, on account of the diftrefs his army 
 fuffered in a defolate country for want of watery 
 and his friends befought him to remember, that 
 his fortitude was the only (lay of his fainting 
 forces: and now a noble occafion offered of 
 animating them to patience by his own example, 
 and he employed it with becoming magnani- 
 mity. 
 
 The reader will recoiled a like inftance of 
 Davids abftinence, from the tvvcntyrhird 
 chapter of the fecond book of Samuel: And three 
 of the thirty chiefs ''juent down>^ and came to 
 ^avid in the harvejl-time unto the cave of 
 Adidlam, And the troop of the ThiUftines 
 pitched in the valley of Rephaim : and T>avid 
 was then in an hold^ and the garrifon of the 
 Philiftines then in Bethlehem -, and TDavid 
 longed, and faid. Oh! that one would give me 
 to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem^ 
 which is by the gate ! And the three mighty men 
 brake through the hofi of the Tkilijlines, a^nd 
 drew water out of the well at Bethlehem^, and 
 took and brought it to David: never thelefs he 
 would not drink thereof, hut poured it out unto 
 the Lord. And he faid. Be it far from ine^ O 
 Lord, that I fiwuld do this I Is not this the 
 blood of the men, that went in jeopardy of their 
 lives ? Therefore he would not drink //. 
 
 Alex- 
 
336 An liijlorkal Account of B. 4, 
 
 Alexander abftained in a country where 
 he was matter, and under the fecurity of being 
 relieved in a few hours. He abftained for the 
 fupport of an army, which in all probability 
 had defponded upon his indulging : nor could 
 he have indulged, without fome degree of in- 
 humanity to a faithful foldier, an afflided father, 
 and his fainting children. T^avid abftained 
 when he was in hold, and hemmed in by a 
 mighty army, in the fcorching heat of autumn % 
 and when his relief would, in all probability, 
 have given new life to his companions ! A much 
 higher and nobler inftance of abftinence, founded 
 upon nobler principles, upon the motives of a 
 moft generous humanity, and moft exalted piety ! 
 What was purchafed at the hazard of fuch lives, 
 was too precious to be facrificed at private grati- 
 fication 5 and therefore was poured out in a 
 thank offering to God, for their deliverance. 
 
 If we confider David in the light of his per- 
 fonal courage, will any hero of antiquity exceed 
 him? Will any equal him? 
 
 Alexander hath indeed the faircft claim 
 of competition with him; and yet, I think, 
 Alexanders own flattering hiftorian would be 
 forced to give David the preference upon the 
 comparifon. If Alexander flew a lion, he flew 
 him, by CurtivSs own account, armed *, and 
 at advantage 5 and we know, that Lyjimachtis 
 claimed the honour, of being his afliftant in the 
 combat : not to infift, that Alexanders combat 
 
 ♦ CurtiuSi lib. viii. cap. i . 
 
 was 
 
B. 4« the Life of King 'Day iT>. 337 
 
 was wanton, and out of charadcr, and wdlde- 
 fcrved the taunt which the Spartan cmbafTador 
 threw upon him, on that occafion. JDavid fub- 
 dued his lion (to fay nothing of the bear) fingle, 
 and unarmed, and in the duty of his charadter 5 
 and, when he had done fo, he took no pride 
 from the merit of his prowefb ? but gave God 
 the glory of his deliverance. 
 
 Had Alexander engaged and conquered Forus^ 
 (which, by the way, he manifeftly declined, till 
 he found him in flight and wounded) as 'David 
 did Goliah 5 how had the world been Ounned 
 with the vaunts of his own vanity, and the 
 echoes of his flatterers! T)avid\s the fame filent 
 unafluming man afcer his conqueft, that he was 
 before, and rather declines than claims the 
 reward of his prowefs*; judging of his real 
 merit, and the efleem conceived of it by others, 
 by that humble opinion which he himfelf enter- 
 tained of it. And, to fnew how intirely he 
 afcribed the fuccefs of his combat to the good 
 providence and protection of the Almighty, he 
 hung up the fvvord of GoUah, the trophy of his 
 conqueft, in the tabernacle of his God. 
 
 In one word, David is perhaps the fingle 
 inftance of great talents untainted by pride ! or, 
 to fpeak more properly, of great talents, fignally 
 adorned and illuftrated by a moft confpicuous 
 and exemplary humility I 
 
 I HAVE already mentioned fome inftances of 
 David's magnanimity 5 give me Ic^ve to add 
 
 * I Sam. xviii. 18, &r. 
 
 Vol. II. Z an^ 
 
33^ An Hijlorkal Account of B. 4. 
 
 another, not fo intercfting and illuflriouS at firft 
 fight J and yet fuch as peihaps will be found, 
 upon inquiry, no way inferior to the great^lV 
 indanccs of heroifm, recorded by antiquity. 
 
 David, profccuted by Satdj throws himfelf 
 under the proredion of his mortal enemy, the 
 protection of Achijh king of Gath ; that king, 
 whofe hero he had flain, and whofe armies he 
 had routed. This was a refolution above the 
 conception of a common heart! A refolution 
 which none but a con fum mate hero was capable 
 of forming! The generofity of his own heart 
 luggefled to him, what reception j^ckzpj was 
 bound to give him, in the character of a king. 
 He well knew, that the protedion of a brave 
 enemy in diftrcfs was the nobleft enfign of 
 royalry 5 the charadcr and teft of true glory ! 
 Achijh, \i is true, had it not (kings are not 
 always what they fliould be): 'D^i;/^ found his 
 error^ and changed his condudj and immedi- 
 ately put on that character^, to which it was na- 
 tural his prcfent condition fliould reduce him*: 
 he appeareth mad; and it was natural to believe, 
 that the diflrcfies he endured, miighr have turned 
 his brain. \Da'vids charader v,^as well known 
 at Gath s and perhaps it was an obfcrvarion older 
 than Solomon J that OppreJJwn rnakcth a njutfe ?nan 
 mad. The event was anfwerable: Achijh was 
 deluded^ and 2)^X7/^^ delivered. 
 
 A THINKING reader will, I am pcrfuaded, 
 find, in this condud of T)aTtd, all the magnani- 
 mity of Ccriolay.us^ (freed from the Icven which 
 debafcd it) and all the dexterity of Brmtis. 
 
 D.V 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 339 
 
 David compared with Caefar. 
 
 The facred hiftorian obfervcs of T^avid, thac 
 
 iie was thirty years old when he began to reign, 
 
 and he reigned forty years 5 fcven years and fix 
 
 months in Hebron^ and thirty-three in Jem- 
 
 falem. 
 
 It is obvious to obferve from hence, thac 
 David was not raifcd to the throne till the levity 
 of youth was over; and, with that, the pride 
 and felf-fufficiency which is fo apt to overfet it. 
 He was early anointed to the regal office, to 
 infpire him with noble purpofes, and a condud 
 fuitable to the dignity for which he was de- 
 signed; but he was long exercifed in toils and 
 calamities of various kinds, bsfore he was pur 
 in poiTefllon of it; that he might difcharge it 
 under the united advantages of more experience, 
 and more moderation. And the beft hidorians 
 have obferved, that this hath frequently been the 
 condition and charader of the bell princes. An 
 obfervacion fufficiently juftified by xXiz princes 
 of our own, as well as thofe of orher nations. 
 
 My lord Bacon obfervcs of C^far, that he 
 firft encountered a rugged fortune, which turned 
 to his advantage: for this (faith that noble 
 writer) curbed his pride ^ and f purred his induftry. 
 
 As ^avid hzd more native and acquired hu- 
 mility than any mere mortal, the prevention of 
 pride in him, who was to be a perpetual re- 
 former of the world, and infpirer of virtue, was 
 of vailly more confcquencc, than the i*eprefling 
 
 Z 2 of 
 
34^ ^^^ Hijlorical Account of B. 4* 
 
 of it in Ca:fari who was only a temporary con-^ 
 queror. 
 
 C^SAR, bred up in luxury and eafe, was na- 
 turally flothful, (as lions, tigers, and other beads 
 of prey, are, from a noble appointment of Pro- 
 vidence, found to be) though, occafionally, aftive 
 beyond moft others. David's condition of life 
 inured him to early vigilance : infomuch that 
 adivity quickly became in him a natural habit. 
 And the fcqucl of his life fufficiently (hews, of 
 how much confequence it was to have that 
 habit early infpired and imprcfTed upon him ; 
 and long cultivated and continued. Cajars 
 natural indolence needed all the incitements of 
 ambition, to roufe him to the ruin of his coun- 
 try: ^a'Vid's aftivity called only for thofe of 
 duty to infpire him, to redeem his. 
 
 CyESAR is celebrated by all hiftorians, for 
 his clemency 5 becaufe, when pofleflTcd of the 
 fupreme power, he employed it not in the grati- 
 fication of his revenge, but received moft of 
 thofe to mercy, that fued to him for ic : that is, 
 Cafar is celebrated, upon this account, that 
 when he had dcftroyed the conftitution of his 
 country, and ufurped upon the liberties of his 
 fellow citizens, he did not, with their liberties, 
 ftrip all that oppofed him of their lives alfo -, 
 though many he did. T^avid^ when he had 
 quelled the moft unnatural and moft unjuft re- 
 bellion that ever was raifed againft a rightful, a 
 lawful, a juft, a wife, and a good Idng; received 
 the whole number of his rebellious fubjeds into 
 mercy at once, without making one fingle facri- 
 
 fice, 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 341 
 
 fice, either to vengeance, or the terror of rebel' 
 lion. Here then is the difference : Cicfar \^ 
 celebrated for not copying the cruelty of Marim 
 znd Sylla, David is illuftrious for imitating the 
 mercy of God. 
 
 David compared with Scipro. 
 
 The early fccnes of Scipio the eider's life 
 cannot fail to render him an objeft of the higheft 
 admiration and efteem to all that honour true 
 fortitude, and true patriotifm : that particularly 
 (after the field of Canna) in which, with a moft 
 glorious refoiution, and heroic ardour of foul, 
 he arrefted the defperate counfels of fome of the 
 young Roman nobility^ who were deliberating 
 about defcrting their country; and^ with his 
 drawn fword at their breads, forced them into a 
 folcmn oath to abide by it, and fupporc it. 
 
 Let me but briefly obferve, that the perfons 
 thus influenced by Scipio were youngs noble, 
 and fufficiently interelkd in the well-being of 
 their country. And now let the candid reader 
 indulge me in recoileding a fhort tranfaftion, 
 already noticed in the life of Tiavid^ wholly 
 referring it to his own judgment and ingenuity, 
 to infer and apply, as he thinks proper. 
 
 David, driven into exile by the joint in- 
 gratitude and injudice of his country and his 
 prince, became the common refuge of " the 
 diftrefied, the indebted, the difconrcnted : And 
 how did he employ all thefe ? Was it in the 
 common way of gratifying their vices, and his 
 
 own 
 
342 An Htjl or ical Account of B.4, 
 
 own revenge? Quite otherwife : his firfl: care 
 was, to place his parents, and his brethren, fafe, 
 under the protection of the king of Moabi and 
 that was fcarce over, when the diftreffes of his 
 country called for his aid. Keihh was befieged 
 by the Philiftines^ the country was ravaged, and 
 the threfhing-floors robbed: and Saul, intent 
 upon vengeance*, negleded every thing but 
 the purfuit of 'David y whilft David, carelefs of 
 his own fafety, employed his power no other- 
 wife than in influencing all thofe four and exaf- 
 perated fpirirs, who had now no property, and, 
 of confequencc, no intcreft, in the well-being 
 of their country, into one common care and 
 concern for its fafety 5 to the double danger of 
 their own lives from the Philijlines before them, 
 and SatilhMmd. And therefore, when David 
 urged them to this glorious enterprizc, their 
 anfwer was very natural: Behold, we be afraid 
 here in Judah: how much more theUj if we come 
 to Keilah, againft the armies of the Thilijtines ? 
 They were in fufiicient danger from one encm)% 
 where they were 5 and could it be lefs than 
 defperate rafhnefs, to thruft themfelves between 
 two? And yet, notwithftanding this remon- 
 flrance, David's influence prevailed. And cer- 
 tainly nothing but the higheft veneration of the 
 fuperior prowefs, wifdom, and magnanimity, of 
 
 * This eagernefs of Saul for vengeance upon Danjid is beau- 
 tifully exprefled in that attitude, in which he and his army ars 
 painted in the text, i Sam. xxii. 6. AW' Saul abode in Gibeah^ 
 under a tree in Ramahy ha'ving his ffcar in his hand, and all his 
 ftriiants fianding about him. 
 
 their 
 
B; 4. the Life of King David. 343 
 
 their leader, could fvvay them to fo noble a refo- 
 lution, againft fuch juft fears: nor was their 
 confidence mifplaced; they fought, they defeated 
 the Thiliflines with a great flaughtcr 5 they 
 fpoilcd their enemies, and they faved their 
 country. 
 
 Had T>avtd been an heathen hero, with what 
 cndlefs praifes had this unparaileied inftance of 
 patriotifm been pealed in our ears ! 
 
 Few men have ever won more glory, by 
 any a6t of heroifm, than Sc'ipio by one inftance 
 cf temperance, in abftaining (in the prime of 
 youth) from a fair captive of great quality, 
 whom the chance of war had put into his powers 
 and reftoring her, untouched and unranfomed, 
 to a prince, to whom fhe was affianced. It 
 hath hitherto made no part of T)avid's praife, 
 that he treated Abigail with an abftinence of at 
 icaft equal Virtue. Scipios policy was concerned 
 in his abftinence ; he gained an alliance of great 
 confcquence by it : T)avid confulted no intcreft 
 in his abftinence, but that of virtue. 
 
 SciPio abftained, where gratitude muft make 
 him a friend : "Davidj where ingratitude had 
 made him an enemy. Scipio fpared the fpoufe 
 of a young prince, that loved her to diftradion : 
 in "David's cafe, it might be infiftcd, that a brute, 
 and a fool, was incapable of love. The fame 
 compailion and humanity that pleaded for re- 
 ftoring his fpoufe to AlliiciG, might be pleaded 
 for not reftoring jikigail to NabaL 
 
 In the laft place, Alhcios fpoufe might be 
 fair^ yet not defirabie in the eyes of Scipio: the 
 
 5- event 
 
3^14- -^^ Hijlorical Account of B. 4, 
 event fufficiently fhews, that Abigail was very 
 aaiiable in the eyes of David, 
 
 In one word, policy, humanity, compaflion, 
 and, it may be, indifference, pleaded for the 
 abftinence oiSctpio\\ duty only for that oiT>avid^ 
 
 But, after all, it muft be owned, that there 
 is one objedion to T>avids character, both in 
 point of humility and patriotifmj I mean, the 
 calamity derived upon his country, by his vain 
 numbering of the people. 
 
 Admit this the effcd of a criminal vanity, 
 (tho* it might as well have been the effeci: of true 
 piety and gratitude to God*) yet mufc it be 
 allowed, that no vanity could be more natural 
 to the human heart > no delufion could be more 
 tempting to a man raifed from obfcurity, than a 
 defire of knowing the extent of that royal 
 power, to which he was exalted. And fhall 
 one tranfgreffion of this kind impeach a cha- 
 radler efrablifned by the tenor of life ? God for- 
 bid! But, however this may be deemed, by 
 fuperficial and libertine fpirits, to affcd: him in 
 point of humility, the praife of his patriotifm is 
 undoubtedly raifed by itj inafmuch as he evi- 
 dently intended no evil to his people, in that 
 account he ordered to be taken of them. And, 
 when he found it came upon them, he, with a 
 
 * This criminal conduft of Da'vid will, however, in my 
 humble opinion, receive Ibme alleviation from that declaration of 
 his being moved to it, though G o d's anger kindled againll that 
 people, z'Sam. xxiv. i. and as their antecedent fms hsd drawn 
 this judgment upon them, their fubfequent negledl of the atone- 
 ment, in thatcaie required, was, in all probability, a great aggra- 
 vaticii of it. See Exod. xxxo 12. and fubfequent verfes. 
 
B. 4. the Life of King David. 345 
 
 generofity far tranfcending that either of a T>e- 
 ciuSy ot zCodrus^ offered not only him felf, but 
 his whole family alfo, to be devoted to deflru- 
 dion in their (lead (2 Sam, xxiv. 17.) : And Da- 
 md [pake unto the Lord, when he Jaw the angel 
 that [mote the people ; andfaid^ Lo, I have finned^ 
 and I have done wickedly ; but thefefieepy what 
 have they done ? Let thine hand^ I pray thee^ he 
 againji me^ and againft my father s houfe. 
 
 Upon the whole, l^avid's is a charader 
 which Hands fingle, in the accounts of the worlds 
 equally eminent, and unrivalled. 
 
 For, not to infill upon his great pcrfonal ac- 
 complilhments, fuch as beauty, ftature, ftrength, 
 fwiftnefs, and eloquence, his charatter is fuffici- 
 ently diftinguifl-ied by the noblcft qualities, en- 
 dowments, and events. 
 
 Exalted from an humble fhcpherd to a 
 mighty monarch, Vv'ithout the Icaft tindure of 
 pride,difdain, orenvy ! Qiiiteothcrvvifei remark- 
 ably humble in ex;altarion5 or rather, humbled 
 by it! Exalted unenvied! Exalted himfelf, and 
 equally exalting the (late he ruled 5 railing it 
 from contempt, poverty, and oppreflion," to 
 wealth, dignity, and fvvay ! A m^an experienced 
 in ?vcry viciffitudeof fortune and life, and equal 
 -to them all! Throughly tried in adverfity, and 
 tempted by fuccefs! yet ftill fuperior! GrucHy 
 and unjuftly perlccuted ! yet not ro be provoked 
 even to juft revenge! In the faddeft and fud- 
 deneft reverie of fortune, deprciled by nothing 
 lj),ut ihe remembrance of guilt, and, in. confe- 
 YoL.II. A a q,uenc_e 
 
346 An Hiftorical Account^ &c. B, 4. 
 
 quence of that, unhumbkd to any thing but 
 God! 
 
 To fam up all, A true believer^ and zealous 
 adorer, of God; teacher of his Jaw and wor- 
 ihip, and infpirer of his praife ! A glorious ex- 
 ampie, a perpetual and inexhauftible fountain, 
 of true piety ! A coniumniate and unequalled 
 hero, a si^ilful and a fortunate captain ! A rfeady 
 patriot, a wife ruler, a faithful, a generous^ and a 
 magnanimous friend 1 And^ what is yet rarer, a 
 no lefs generous and magnanimous enemy ! A 
 true penitent^ a divine mufician, a fublime poet, 
 and an infpiied prophet! By birth a peafant, 
 by merit a prince! In youth^ a hero 5 in man- 
 hood, a monarch $ in age, a faint ! 
 
 This is David. What his revilers are, 
 their own reviiings tell. 
 
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