Commentary on the Holy Bible

amo vM Abner waa dead in Hebron, "his imr^m. ^Q^Q feeble, and all the Israelites were ' troubled.

2 H And Saul's soo had two men that leere captains of bonds: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Beojaroio: (for ■ Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin;

3 And the Beerothilea Bed to ' Oittaim, and were eoiournera there until this day.)

4 Ana ( Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son thai was lame of his feet. He waa ftve years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan ^ out of JezreeC and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his aameATot i MepbiboBbeth.

5. And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the hoat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

6 And they came thither into the midat of the house, as though ther would have fetched wheat: and thev smote aim * under the fifUi rib: and Rechab ana Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber.and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took bis head, and gat tbem away through the plain ell night.

6 And they hnragrfat the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the k^, Bahold the he;ul of Ish-bosheth, the son ofSau], thine enemy, < which sovght thr life: and the Lord hath avenged my lord theldii( tnisdayor Saul, and of bis seed.

9 H' And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rinunon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the Loap liveth, who hatb redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 When 'one told me, sayinff, Behold, Saul is dead, * thinking to have brou;efht ffood tiding, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, p woo thought that I would have given him a reward ibr his tidings:

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his dwn house upon his bed 7 aball I not therefore now i require his Uoed of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

13 And David commanded his young men. and they slew them, and cut off their hands ana their feet, and hanged them up over the pool io Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-hosfaath, and buried in the ■■epolcbre of Abner in Hebron.

Jtnt, having only one uibe under my government; and, steondl]/, the son* of Zendab, Joab and nw brediren, having uaurped all the power, andiedoced tse to die diadov olrovalty.

7m Loss Aall reward Ou doer nf ettQ TbatiM, Jttb, vhora ha appears afraid to name.

We talk much of ancient manners, their timpHetiy and ingaaifmsneaM; and aay, that the former daj/» wreoetttr 0ian tlieae. Sut who aayt thia who ia a judge gf the tiitiea? la tfaoaedajraor celebrated aimptieili/, sc. there were not aosumyenmeiBsatpreaeQL I giant: but what they wanted in numoBT, they made up in aegree; deceit, cruelty, rapint, murdfr. and itrmg of aimoet every kind, then flourish - «d. iFs are r^^tnea in our vices; they were ^ros*, and barbaroue in theirs; they had neither ao many ways, nor so manv m«afts, of sinning; but the turn of their mora] turpituae was greater than ours. We have a sort of dt' enKy and gooa breeding, which lay a certain reatiaint on our paasicma; din' were eoorish and beastly, and their bad pasnons ever in full play. Civilization prevents barbarity and atrocity; mental cultivation induces decency of manners: those primitive times were generally without these. Who that kiiowi them would wish such ageetoretamf

Terae I, AUths Itraiiitf vert IroubUd.] Abner was Arir great support % and on him ihey depended; for, it appears diat Ish-oosheth was a feeble prince, and had few of tbo^H^ qoaliiics requisite for a sovereign.

Varae 2. Captattu hajtdt\ Prtneipet taironum, aqinains of banditti, saya the Vulgate i the Sj/riae is the nma. Whether I^-boaheth kept bands of maraudtrB, vhoae fausinets U was to make sudden ineuratona into the floimtiy i^aoei^ Mid carry off giain, proviaionii^ cattle, Ac we know iwt; but such perstMU would ba well qualifled for the bloody work in which those two men were afterward employed.

Verse 1 Tfu BeerothUes Jted to QUiaim] Probably dte «me as Qaih; as RamaAaim. is dia same as Aanto.

Terse 4. Be fM. and became tome.] Dislocated his ameU,ki%ee,o'cOiighs which waanevarafteriedueed: and ttna be became lame. Lovely Josathtui I unfortiuiale in tfn life, and in thy progeny.

Vane 6. Lay an a Bed at noon] It I's a custom in all hot eountries, to travel or work very earhi, and very late / sad rest at nocn-iiay, iniriueh Ibe &«a/ ohiefly prevails.

THEN*came all the tribes oflsrad a>iM m to David unto Hebron, and spake, ^5^. saying. Behold, * w« are thy bone and dieae men were aecnstomed logo thilhar for provisitmB for diemaelves, their cattle, and ihsir men. This auppoaition, which is natural, renders unaeceasary all the emandatioiw of HoubigaiU and others.

As these men were accustomed to bring wheat from these stores, from which it appears there waa an easy poaange to the king's chamber, especially if we consider this a stimmer-hotue, as it moel probably woe; no man would suspect their present errand, as thej were in the habit of going frequently to that place.

thought, as did the poor, lying Amalekite, to ingntiata themselves with David, by this abominable act.

Verse 9. Who hath redeemed my etml out <if atl advertUy] Thia was, in David's case, a veiT proper view of - the goodness and watehlUl providence of God toward him. HtBii/e was fremiendy in danger: mtnrderers hod often laid wait for it i out Gud, the tinjw God, had always redeemed that l\fe from aU advernn t and colled on him now to punish such evil-minded and blood-tfatrsty men.

Verse 19. A rewvrdfor hie tidinge] 'a ttet S«mrat tiKiyrcXia, Sepluagint. Here ia a pnxrf that nsj^ytXior, evangelium, or GoepeL signifiea die rmBord wmat the bringer of good tidings la entitled to raenve.. 8eenypr*> face to St. Matthew^ Gospel.

Verse 11. How much more} Here are several ihmgs which aggravated the guilt of those wicked men. 1, Isnboaheih waa an innocent man, and therefore none oould have any ground of quarrel against him. 2. He was in hit own hotue, which was his sanctuary, and none but the worst of men would disturb him there. 3. He was upon kie bed, resting in the heat of the day, and so free from suspicion thathe wosnotevenattsnded byUsguardst nor had he his doora secured. To takeaway the life of soeh a man, in such dreumatanceiL whom also they professed to hold as their sovereign, was the most abandoned treachery.

Verse 12. And t/uy etea them} None ever more rich^ deserved deadi: and, by this aet of justice, David showed to all Israel that be was a decided enemy to the destruction g€ Saul's fiunily; and that none coukl lift up their hands against any of uiem vidMot meeting with condign punish* nenL In oil dtfse oaaea I know not that ft was posstUe for David to show more rinoeri^, or a atrteter r^ard Cor

Tana 1. Then came all the tribe* ^ /sme/l Ish-boriiedi the king, and Abner the geneml, being dead, they had no hope of maintaining^ separate kngthm, and

2 Aim in time past, when Saul was king over HI, * thou waat he that leddest out and brouchtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, ^ Thou shalt Feed my people Israel, and thou shall be a euDtainover Israel.

3 ■ So all the dders of In-ael came to the kioff to Hebron; 'and King David made a league with them in Hebron * before the Lobd: and they anointed David king over

years and six months; and in Jerasalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel end Judah.

6 IF And the king and his men went ^ to Jerasalem unto 1 the Jebusites^be inhabitants of the land } which epake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou sbalt not come m hither: "* thinking, David cannot come in hither.

7 Nevertheless, David took the strong-hold of Zion: " the same ia the city of David.

8 And David said on that day, Whosoever

f etteth up to the gutter, and smiteth, the ebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are haX&i of David's aoul, "he thcUl be chi^ and captain. PWb»efore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the dterefore thought it better to Mibmit to D&vid's authority. And they founded dteir rewhitioa on three good argumenU: — 1. I>avidwu iheirownoountiTmaa; more my bm*, and titj/ JUA. 2. Ev«n in Saul'e time David had been their general; and had always led them to victory c 7%ou wist fte Oiat Uddeat out ana brougKtett in Itrad. 3. God had appointed him to the kingdom, to govern and imtect the people — The Lord aaid to Oite, Ttum ehalt feed myptm^ and 6a a captain over larad.

Verse 3. 7%ey anointed Uamd ldng\ Thie vaa the diird time that David wai anointed, having now taken poueasion erf' the wfto/e kingdom.

Ver« 6. 77te Hug and hit men vaent to JerasaXem\ Thta ei^ was now in Uie hands of the Jebueites: but how tb^ got poueuion of it is not known; probably diey took it during the wars between Ish-bosheth and David. After Joshua's deadly what is called the ^oioer cUy was taken b7 the IsneUiM: and it is evident that tha whole ci^ was ui dmr ponession in Ih^ time of Saul; for David brought the hMtd of GoUath thither, 1 Sam. xviL M. It appear* to have been a verystrotig fortress; and, from what follows, deemed impregnable by the Jebusitea It was right Aat dia Israelites should repossess it: and David very properly be^an his reign over the whole country by the siege of this ci^.

BscoptOumtaktawayihthlindandSulamt[ Scarcely a passage in the Sacred Oracles has puzzled commentators more than this. For my own part I do not think that it is worth die labour spent upon it; nor shall I encumber 'these pages with the discordant opinions of learned men. li^om the general fkca of the tez^ it u>pears that the Jebusites) vainly confiding in the stiength of their fortress, placed Ime and blind men upon the walls, and thus endeavoured to turn into ridicule David's attempt to take die in hiOur, except thou take aieay the bHnd and the lame; nothing oould be more cutting to a warrior.,

Dr. Kmnieotl has taken greo^jMins to correct this paasage; as may be seen in nis f^rat Dietertation on the &brew Text, pag. 27 to 47. I shall insert our present version with his amended text, line for line; his Iranslatioo bnng distinguished by italien and, for farther information, reier to l>r> C'l work.

Verse 6. And the king and his men vent to Jsnualem, K.—And the king ana hit men wenf to Jeruealem^ unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; who K. unto th^ Jebueitee, the inhabitants of the land t who spake unto David, saymg, Ezmit ihon take away the K. epake vnta David, saying: Thau AaU not come in luiad and the lam& thou shalt not come in hilhert K. hiAsri^OubHnd^dthtlamtAaUdrlttthMawaj/

9 So David dwelt m the fort, and called it 'tiie city of Davul. And David built round about from Milo and inward.

10 And David ■ went on, and grew great, and the LoRn God of hosts -was with him.

11 IT And I Hiram king of Tyre tJF-JS: sent messengerH to DavicT and cedar sb^«li>. trees, and carpenters, and "masons: ju^m and they built David a house. toir^ m_

12 And David |>erceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kim^m for his people Israel's sake.

13 If And * David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there flrere yet sons and daushters born to David.

li And * these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: ' Shammnah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon.

16 And Klishama, and ■ Eliada, and EliphaleL

17 IT 'But when the PhUistines beard ^cS" that they had anointed Davkl king fc. over Israel, all the Philistines came up

18 The Philistines also came end spread themselves in ' the valley of Rephaim.

19 And David inquired of the Lonn, saying.

And l>avtd said — ^Whosoever getteth up to the goticf, E. And David said — Whotoeeer smiteA the Jebusites, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, K. and, Aroughlhe subterraneous passage, rtadutk Ikt that are hated of David's soul, wherefore they said, K.. lame and the blind, vho hate the life iif David, {b^ l^e blind and the lame shall not come into (be E. cause the bUnd and the lame saidf " He shall not

Verse 11. Hiram king TVf'l He was a vwr friendly man; and no aaub^ a believer in the tioe Goo. He was not only the friend « David, bat also of his an Solomon t to mom, in bidldiag (he temple, be afforded the most important asustanee.

Verse 13. David took him more concufrjnes] He hetd, in all conscience, enough before: he had, in dte whole, eight wives, and ten concubines, thsx dispensatieo permitted polygamy; but firom the beginning it was not ap: and tM, upon an average, there are about fourteen males bom to thirteen femaleai ^lygamy is unnatural, and could never have eolered into the wiginal deaign ef '

Verse 14. T^ese be the namul Eleven rhiUreo arv here enumerated iu the Hebrew text; but (he SqiluagisU has no less thftn Iwenty-four. I shall insert their namca; and die reader, if he please, may collate them wirfa ibe text — Sammias, Sobab, N'othanj Solomon^ Ebtar, BHsssL Naphsk, JoAies, EHsama, EUdai, EUvMath, Sawta^ Jessibidh, ivothan, OtUimaan, Jebaar, TTuestts, EKpkalat, Nartd. Naphek, Jonathan, uuuamus, Bmm»- man, ana EHjAaaA. ITiere is, no doubt, some corroption m these names: there an two of the name of Nathan, two of Eli^idaOi, and two of Najitek; and probably Sammus and Samat are the same.

Vene 17. Ths PhiHstiweo earns up to seek Dmidl Ever since die debat of the Israelites^ ud the &11 of &d and hia aons^ the nulistines seem to have been ia wmI»- turbed possession of the principal place* in the land of Israel; now, finding that David was cfaoeeo king by As ■uhoU nation, they thought beat to attack him before Us army got too numerous^ and the affairs of the hiiigili» properly settled.

Verse 19. Dafidinmirod^ lh»Lonl\B»i himself only the oaptam of the Lord's bostt and,

Shall I go up to the Philistinea? wilt thou deliver them into mlae hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up; for I witi doubtless deliver the PhiliBtines into thine hand.

20 And David came to * Baal-perazim, and David Btnote them there, and said, the Lord hath broken Tortli upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he calfed the name of that place ' Baal-perazim.

21 And there they left their unaeea, and David and his men < burned them.

22 IT < And the Philistines came up yet a^Eiin, and spread themselves in the valley of Kep^im.

23 And when * David inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt ndt go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry treea.

2i And let it be, when thou i hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, th&t^ then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then <" shall the Lord go out before tnee, to smite the host of the Phiustines.

25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded htm: and smote the PhilistiiieB from ■<xeba until uiou come to ' Gazer.

Veree 20. T%e Lobd koA broktn forth\ He very properlvaltributea the victoiy k> Jehovah; without whose strengtn and counsel he could have done nothing.

Aoat^wavtm] The plain, or cAie/" of breathes, beeaoH of the br»aA which Ood made in the Philistine MTK^; and thai be eonmemoraled ibe intsHamwe at the of most nations to carry their goAn with them to battle; in imitation of this custom the Israelites once took the ark, and lost it in the field. See 1 Sam. iv.

Terse 23. FtUh a compasa bditrui Bum] When they may be had, God will not work without amng human •uom. By this be taught iDavid caution, praoenc^ and dependeoce on the divine strength.

Verse 24. When Aou hearett the sound of a going] If there had not been an evident supem^itural inUt^erenee, David might have thought that the sleighi, or Tute dc gturre, which be had ubm, was the cause of his victory — By Ibe going in the to}w ^ the mulberry freec, probably only a rtutUng anumf me Uobcm is intended. The Targum layi^ a MMB / the Aiabio hae i^ nout ^ horte^

"Terse 26, And DaM jo] He panetually ob^ed the directions of the Lord, and then every dung succeeded to his wish.

. How it it that indi supernatural directions and aesistasces are not communicated now? Because they are not asked for; and theyaie not asked for, because they arc not expected; and they are not expected, because men bave not faith; and they have not faith, because they are tinder a refined spirit of Atheism; and have no spiritual intercourse with their Maker. Who believes that Glod sees oil thingiL and is every where 1 Who supposes that he concerns himself with the affairs of his creatures 1 Who acknowledges hlminall his waysl Who puts no( his own ■wisdom, prudence, and strength, in the place of God Almightyl Reader, hast fAou »iih in Ood 1 TTien exercise it, cultivate it, and thou mayest remove mountains.

It is worthy of remark, that David was, W the appointment of Ood, to feed the people; as he had formerly the care of a flock of sheep, which he was to watch over, defend, lead in and out, and for which he was to find pasture; MW he ie to watch over, defend, lead in and out, ned, and protect the Isnehles. He ie to be tAe A^aturd tif the paopUt not the tyriuit or oppressor.

In ancient times^ among the Greeks, kings were denominated *Mfur(t Xoos, Aepherda qf the people; and all good kings were really auch; but, m process of time, this pleannguUe was ehanged for ffaoi^t and rvftwfos, toveridgn ara tyrant; in neither of which names does any thing M the original title exist. And. such are the different j><>' litical constitutions of the kingdoms of the earth, that it is impossible that in any of them, the BrttUh excepted, the ^ogcma^m^A^Aerdaxid/ttlhertifMafetgite. All tbe odisr regal eoiMlitmiMis under the sun, pemut the foveieign M imdmpoKei and, eonieqtiently, oppreasiive and fjrrm-' tOjtamt >nl paurnlblBii, uij dokUBous lii ihe puplt. —, ««d womw,» «lu^UT>l,>«axl piKeof M.ud ftjkrn iirsCMmh^ mSo, ocHBinc la OBR huD, uhI ■dMhim itonw emaTMiwir bttott ilieMt, naraaiSw UiB lir lia oMiluati b* itmOaUm tiaHa, mvow hK, ud din iSlMf.

AGAIN David gathered together all *" the chosen men of Israel, tMrty A.no thousand. i.o'^m.

2 And I* David arose, and went with all the people that trere with him from iBaale of Judah, to bring up from thence tbe ark of God, 'whose name ia called by the name of the Lord of hosts, * that dwelleth between the cherubim.

3 And they < set the ark of God ■ upon a new' cart, and brought it out uf the house of Abinor dab that wax in ' Gibeah; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadah, drave the new cart.

4 And \hey brought it out of * the house of Abinadab which too* at Gibeah, ' accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before tbe ark.

5 And David, and all the house of Israel,

nieal, tf he please. "Rie British alone gives no power of this kind to the prince; by the constitution he is a patriotic king; and, by the influence of those maxims of state which are continually presented to his view, and according to which all acts of goyermnent are fornaea, be becomea haintwUhf ^father of his people t andin this Uj^alona do Ibe Bntiah people bebola the British king.

David, fay htt own authori^, xoiiAout any form Ime^ could slay die Amalekite who said he had killed Saul| and could cut off the heads of R«chab and Boanah, who murdered lah-bosheth: but, in tlie government of Britain, the culprit is to be heard in his vindication, witnesses are to be examined, the iaots viewed by an upright judge in the light of the law; and then the alleged criminality is left to the decision of twelve hcnest men, the equals of the accused, who are bound, by a solemn nth, to decide oeearding to the evidence brought before them. The Israeliiish constitution was radically good; but die British constitution is much belter. In the former, while the king ruled according to the spirit of ihe constitution, he could do no wron^, because he was only the vicegerent of the Almighty; in the latter, the king can do no wrong, because he is Mund, both the upirU and UUer of the law, to do nothing but what is according to the rules of eternal ju^ tice and equity, laid down in that law: nodiing is left lo mere rtgu power or authoritv j and nothing trusted to human fickleness or caprice. In all his acts he ia directed by his nobles and commons; who, being die representatives of all classes of the people, are alwm supposed to spetA their mind. Well may it be said, Bleaaed are die people who ore in such a case I

NOTES ON CHAPTER VL Terse I. Thirty thoiuand.] This is supposed to bave been a new levy; and thus ne augmented his army by 30,000 fresh troops. The Septuagint has 70,000.

Verse 2. From Baale qf Jttdak] Tliis is supposed to be the same citv which, in Josh. xv. 60. is called KirjaS^ baaL or KtrUUkrjearim: see 1 Chron. xiii. fi.: or Baalah. JoS. rv. 9. '

Whose name ft called by the name of the Lord] That is, the ark is called tAe ar& o/'fAe Ti^ro^Ao*/*. But this is not a lUeral version; the word op sAem, namb, ocoira twice together; Mobablv one of (hem should be read or aham, Tuxaa. iTure the name of the Lord of hosts was invoked, Ac

Verse 3. A n«e cart] Eveiy thing used in the worship of God was hallowed, or set apart for that purpose: a new cart was used through respect, as that had never been applied to any profone or common purpose. But this was not sufficient, for the ark should have oeen carried on the shoulders of the priests; and the neglect of this ceremony wtts the cause ot the death of Uzzan.

Verse B. On all manner qf instruments made of wnd] This place should be corrected from the parallel place, 1 Chron. xiii 6.— "All Israel played before Ood, with all their might, and with sinmng, and with harp% and with paalteriM, Ao. Instead <h Tnr beeot efosK "with ill woodsi" or "treesr the partUel place is n played before the Loid on all manMr otin§trumtnts made q/" fir-wood, even on harps, and on psalterieg. and on timbrelB, and on cornets, and

6 J And when they came to ' Nachon*B thraehiof -floor, Uzzah ■ put forth his hand to the ark oTOod, and took hold of it; for the oxen * shook U.

7 And the an^er of the Loan was kindled affainct Uazah; and ''God smote him there for hi» * error: and there he died by the ark of

8 Aod David was diflpleased, because the Lord had ' made a breach upon Vzzah.; and he called the name of the place ■ Perez-uzzah to

9 And ' David was afraid of the Lobd that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lobd come to me?

10 So David would not remove the ark of the Lobd imto him into the city of David; but David oarried it aside into the bouse of Obed-edom c the Gittite.

11 ^ And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three monthB; and the Lobd ' Messed Obed-edom, and all his household.

12 1] And it was told King David, saying, The LoBo hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineih unto him, because of the ark of God. ^ So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into Che ckr of David with gtadoess.

13 And it was so, that when ' they that bare the ark of the Lobd had gone six paces, he sacrificed "> oxen and fatlings.

14 And David ■ danced before the Loan with aU hi* might; and David wtu girded * with a linen ephml.

15 ' So David and all the house of Israel

baadaxt "with all their itrengdi;" thii mskea k good ■ease, the first makes none. The Septuagint, in this place, hu the same reading: uf iox«r, with might.

Verse 6. Vzxahpuijarth his hand] la Numb, iv, 16 — 20. the Leviies ere forbidden to touch ttie ark, on pain dtaih; this penaltj was inflicted upon Uzzoh, for the first time.

Verse 7. Smote him there for his error} Uzzah sinned thnraxh ignorance and precipitancy: he nod not time to r^ted I iKe oxen suddonly stumbled; and, fearing lest the •TK should fall, he suddenly stretched out his hand to prevent it. Had he touched the ark with impunity, the popuhoe might have lost their respect for U, and its sacred serviee; the example of Uzzah must have filled them with fear and sacred reverence: and, as to Uzzah, no man con doiriit of his eternal safe^. He committed a sin unto death; but, doubtles^the mercy of Qod was extended to his souL verse 10. But David carried ii aside] l^e house of Obed-edom i^pears to have been very near the ci^: they were about to enter it, but were prevailed by ihta accident, aod lodged the aric widi the nsorast friend.

Verse II. The Loan bteooad Ob^-edtm) And why 7 Because he had the ark of the Lord in his house. Whoever entertains Ood's messengers, or consecrai«s his house to the service of God, will inbulibly receive Qod's blessing.

Verse 12. So David— brouM up the ark] Tht Vutgale adds to this verse; And David had oeven choir*, atid a eaif, ^ a oacr\fiiee. The S^tw^inl make a grnter addition i "And he had seven choirs carrying die orl^ a aaerifiee, a ea]( and lambs. And David playeaon harmonious oigans before the Lord; and David was clothed with a costly tunic; and David, and all the house of Israel, brou^t the ark of the Lord with rejoicinf^ and the soimd ofatrumpsL" Nothing of this is found in any MS. i nor in the Ckaidee, the Syriac, nor tha Arabic! nor in the psralM plAc&i 1 Chron. xv. 25.

Verse 16. Site dupittd him in her htaHA She did not blaoM him outwardly t ihe (bought he had disgrooed hun- Belt but she kept her mind to herself.

Verse 18. He bleooed the people in the name qf th* Lobd] David acted here ai priest. Eh- it was the graerol pvaragativs ct dw prieMs to bless the paoplet but itap- brought up the ai^ of the Loan with shontittc, and with the sound of the trunipet.

16 And t as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lobd; and she despiped him in her neart.

17 ' And thev brought in the ark of the Loan, and set it in * his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had * pitched for it: and David ■ offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.

18 And as soon as David had piade an end oT offering burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, 'he blesaed the people in the name of the Lobd of hosts.

19 * And he dealt among all the people, etm among the whole mulUtode of Israel, as well to

the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece o/JleM, and a flagoo qf wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

20 J ' Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David, and said, How glori- OUB was the king of Israel to-day, who ' uncovered himself tcwlay in the eyes of the,bandmaids of his servants, as one of the * vain fbllowB ■ shamelessly uncovereth himself!

21 And David said unto Michal, Awosbefbrs the Lord, which chose me before thy fother, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lobd.

23 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own eight: and ' of the maid-servwits which thou hast spt^en of, of them shall I be had in honour.

23 Therefore Michal, the daughter of SkoI, had no child unto the day of her death.

Verse 19. A cake qf bread] Such as those lAieh sn baked without leaven, and are made very thin.

A good piece of flesh, OTtd a fiagon of wine.] Its words qf jm«A, and qf wine, we odd; they ore not jn tbe Hebrew. The CAoUss translates one part, and on* portion; but all lbs other versionB imderataad ue H^sev as we do.

Verse 20. 7^ Mess Ai* hmuehold.] This was accordii^ to the custom of the patriarchs, who werejpriesu in their own fiunilies. It is worthy of remark, that David is colled patrtarA tiy Steidten, Aele ii. 29.; Uiou^ livinc npwarda of /our hundrea years after the termination of the paori' archal age.

Bine ^rious was the king qf Israd] "niis is a straw irony. From what Michal sajrs, it is pniboble that Darin used some viatait gestietilatioai^ by means of which some parts of his body becaaw unoovared. But it is very probabls that we cannot guess all that was implied m this reproach.

Verse IH. It was before tht Loos, vhiA Moss mc] David felt the reproach and was strongly irritaied; and seems to have spoxen to Hichol with Kimcient asperity.

Verse 22. 7 wilt yet be more viU] Tike plain meaning of these winrda appears to be this: I am not ashamed of humbling myself before diat God who rejected thy fodwr because oiF his ^stinaey and pride, and chose ne in his stead to rule bis people: and even thooe maid-suvanifc when they-come to know the motive of my cond«iet| Amn acknowledge its proprielv, and treat me with sdditianal respect; and as for tnee, ihou shall find that ihjr coodoct is as little pleasing to Ood as it is to me.' Then it is ml, Mitkal had ne AOd tm the day qf lur death; pnbsUy David never nwre to6k her to his bed; or Ood, in his nrovidence, might have aubjeded her to ftorrennea^ wnidh in Paleotine was oonsidered both a misfoftune and a r»- proaA, Michal fbrmed her judgment without noson t and meddled widi that which she did not nndersland. We should be careful bow we attribute actions, the i of which we cannot comprehend, to motives vhidi maj appear to us uqjastifiNUs or abmra. Bash ^rfgnwws an teUMLto. * ND it «une to pass, ' when the w«M* XX king sat ie his house, and the LoBD — had given him rest round about from nil his enemies:

3 That the king said unto Nathan the wopbet. See now, I dwell in 'a house of cedar, ' but the ark of God dweUeth within curtains.

3 And Nathan said to the kio^. Go, do all that ia ' is thine heart; for the Lord is with

4 If And it came to pass that oiglU, that the word of the Lobd eame unto Nathan, saying,

5 Go and tell ^ my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, J Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in 1

9 Whereas I have not dwelt in any hoUbe since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day: but)mve walked in " a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 In'aU the places wherein I have 'walked with all the children of Israel, spaka I a word with c any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded < to feed my people Israel, saying'. Why build ye not me a house of cedar 1

8 Now therefore m shalt thou say unto my ■errant David, Thua saith the Lobd of hosts, ' I took thee from the sheepoote, 'from following the i^eept to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

9 And 1 1 was with Aee whithersoever thou wentest, " and have cnt off all thine enemiea • out of thy siirht, and have made thee * agreat

NOTES ON CHAPTEE VIL Terw 1. fKuH. Ou icing Mtim kU A««m1 Urn is, whea bs became i««ident in the palasswhidtHinuiii king of Tjn, bad boiU Car him.

Aid OiLosDAatl givm htm rmil Tliis was after he had detsatad ibe Philistiseiu and cast them oat ef all the atmnr places in Ivael which they had poaaeaKd after the overannr of Saul; but before he hea carried hie arms bsyond the land of Israel, a^unat the Moabitea, Syrian^ «M Idmnasna. See chap, viii

Tarae 2. IdiMll in a aowm ixdar] That is, a houae lAaaaBriaotpal bettns, eeilinK, and vainseot, were oedar.

DmUdktriUdn ntrfotiu] Having no other readeaoe bat the tabeniAole, which was a place covered with the Mau of beasts, Ezod. zzvi.

Verae 3. NaUum amd to t/u idng] la thia eaae be gave bis jwtoment, as a pioua and prudoit bmo^ not as a projbati tor the propbeii were not always under a divhie ailatusi Uwaamuy at select times they warednubnw OHrad.

fbr ttiA Loan is itUk thtt] lliou hast his blesaiiig in mil that thou doett and this pious design of thine will most certainly meat with bit anmbatioo.

Terse 6. Stall thott build nu a koute?] That ii^ Tboti shak not: this is ibe force of the interrogative in nch a r«ne 7. WWi mjftfeu tkwu] " Spake I a word to BBT of the junacs," is the reading in the parallel place, 1 Uhron. xvii. 6.; and this is prcnably the trtte readii^. Isdced, there is but ens iMUr of diSerenoe between tbem t •ad letters which esnly be mistaken for each other; w MbUfh tribmi is almost the same in appearance with var Aofhity, judgest ths a beA, and tba tplu. bMBf Ae ■ams IstMr, ths qwz uader dia upper stnks at ^spftsexoMted. If this were a littla eAosd in a KS. it would be mistaken for du other, and then wa ' abmld have M&m instead of.^H^es: This reading seems oeafirmed by ver. 11.

10 Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will ■ plant them, they may dwell in a place of their own, mnve M n^ce; neither shall the children of wickedneBs afflict them any more, as beforetime,, 11 And as ■ since the time th&t I conmianded judges to be over my people Israel, and have 'caused thee to rest from alt thine enemiea. Alao the Loan tdleth thee * th&t he will make thee a house.

12 IT And "when thy days be fulfiUed, and thou ' shalt sleep with thy fathers, * I will set up thy seed aAer thee^ which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I wiU establish his kioipdom..

13 '' He ahall build a houBe for toy name, and I will caataUiahthe throne of his kiagdom ibr

14 h I will be hi> fiaher, and he ahall be my BOD. i If he commit iniQuit^, I will chasten hini with the rod of men, and with the atripea of the children of men:

15 But my mercy shall net depart away from hhn, k aa I took it from Saul, whom I pot awaj before thee.

16 And 1 thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever beibre thee: thy throne shall he established for ever.

17 According to all these words, and accordr ing to all this vision, so did Nathan speak niUo

18 7 Then went Kmg David in, and sat before the LoHD, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord God? and what ts my house, that thou

19 And this ytoa yet a small thti^ in thy sight,

hastiathybeaittomakflDM ahouse: lhave itinnybeart to make Oiu a houae: thy fiunily aball be Iniilt uj^ and ■ball proaper in the- throne of urael; and ifay smntaal posterity sakII remain for ever. God is the author of all our holy purposes as well as of our good works. He first ezoitea them i and, if we be workers tosadier with bim, hs will crown and reward ibem as thou^ ibey were oar own, though he ia tbair sde author.

Verse 13. He ihaU fruiU] llat is, Solomon shall build my temple, not thou; because /Aon ha»t ahad blood abundanily, vnd Aoat madt grtat ipara. See 1 Cbroa. xziL S.; and see the observatioas at the end.

Tlia Arme of hia kingdom for aer,\ Una is a refeiv mce to the govemment of the MnrihiaJ! Ajn^dlna; iba kingdom of ihe Mtatiah^ agreeably to the pFedieiiooa of the prophet long after, and which this passage is illustrated; " Of the increase of hia government and peace, lA^re sWi fee no end } upon the dirooe of David and upon his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, from henceforth, even tob kvxh." Isa, ix. 7.

Verse 14. If ha (Solomon) commit ijUqulty^ Depart from Ibe boly commandment deliveriid to bim t / viU ehaalm htm wUk tka rod ^mm t he shall have afflietion, but bis govtmvunt shall not be utterly subverted. But this has ahigher meaning. See the observations at the end.

Verse 16. But my mercy AaU not dtpart awoffnna kim aa I took it from Sautl His bouse shall be a lasting house, and he shall die in the throne of Israel, bis ebildren succeeding him; and the spiriuul seed, Chris^ possessing and ruling in diat throne to the end of time.

Tbc finely of Saul became totaUy extinct; the fiunily of David remained till the incamaiioo. Jose^ and Uary were both of Chat fiunily t Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel: be did not choose to sit on the aeeular throne, be aacended the apirUxtal throne { and now be is exalted to the rif^t band at Qod, a Pancj and afiaviour, to give repeniaaca and remission of sins. See tba obser> vatioos at the end of the dtiapter.

Many have applied these verses and their paraUalt la support the doctrine of unconditional final paraeveranet: but with it the lazt has nothing to do j and were wa to ptess it, because of the antitype, Solomon, the doctiiaa waild most evidently be ruined; becauae mere is Mither pra^ OCT MidsRcsii Solomon's salvation.

O LoHD God, " but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for agreat white to come. * And if this ttie p manner of man, O Lord God t

20 And what can David say more unto thee? Xsr thou, LoHD God, i knowest thy servant.

21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.

22 Wherefore ' thou art great, O Lord God: for ■ there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

23 And I what one nation in the earth ia like thy people, even like Israel, whom Grod went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before " thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt,,/rom the nations and their gods 7

24 For * thou Gut confirmed to thjielf thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: * and thou, Lord, art become their God.

TetM 19. And ia thia Uu maiuur qf man] Literally; And Ou, O Lord Ood, is Hu laa of Adam. Dom be refer to UupromiM made to Adam, TMntd^Vu ahott hruitt Ou htad qf Aa warptnt 7 Fran my line iball dia Meninh spring, and be the qtiritual and tnumphinl king, for ever and ever 1 See the addilioas at the em).

Verae20. ITAa^ eon iTaptd more 7] How can I exfttm my eodleai obligation to tnee.

Terse 25. And do om ihoxi hoH mkH David veil knew thai all the promiMe made to himaelf and family were eondilional; and therefore he prayi that they may be fulfilled. Hie posterity did not walk with God; ana, [herefore, they were driven &om the throne. It waa taken from Asm by the aeiridxNiriog nattona; and it is now in the handi of the Monammertans; all ibepraraiaes have tuled to David and his tiofuro/ jtotttrityi and to Ohrist and his spiritual teed alone are they fulfilled. Had David's ^oeterity been fiuthfiil, they would, according to theae promiaea of dod, have been aitting on the laraelttid) throne at this

It is worthy of remark, how seldom God employs a soldier in any spiritual work; juat for the same reason as that ^ven to David; and yet there have been several eminently pious men in the army, who have laboured for the convwnon of sinners. I knew a remarkable instance of this: I was acquainted with Hr. John Haime, a well-known preacher among the people called MtOtoditU. He waa a Boldier in the queen's eighth r^ment of dragoons^ in Flandera, in the yeara 173$-~46. He had his horse shot under him at the battle of Fantenm, Hay 1 1, 1746; and wiM in the hottest fire of the enemy u>r above seven hours: he preached among his fellow-soldiers frequently, and under the immediate patronage of hia rc^ral ht^Iness the Mm Iff Cumberland, commander-in-chief; and waa the means.of reformtiu; and converting many bundreda of the ■oMios. He vis a man of amazmg courage aqd resohitioI^ and of inflexible loyalty. One having expressed a vroiider " how he could reconcile kiUing men with prtaehingthe Chapel qf Ou grace and peaxe^Otritt 7" Heansirered — I i>ev«r killed a man. — " How can you tell that? Were you not inaeveral battleal" — Yea; but! am confident I never killed nor wounded a man. — " How waa thisl Did you not do your duty?"— Yes, with all my might; but, when in battle, taiher my horae jumped asid& or waa wounded, or was killed; or my carbine missed fire, and 1 oould never draw the blood of the enemy.— "And would you have done it if you could T'— Yes, I would have alain the whole French army, had it been in my power: I fought in a good cause, for a good king, and for my country: and, though I Btruck in order to cut, and had^ and hew, on «very aide, I could kill no tnan.— Thia ia the aubatance of his anaw%a to the above queationa; and we aee from it a remarkable interfering providence: Ood bad appointed Ibis man to build a tvintual Aoutc in the Rritish utof, in Flanders; and would not permit him to shed the blood ttf his fellow-creaturea.

** Thia cb^ter ia one of die most important in flke Old Ttoamentj aodyetsomeof its most interesting verses are very improperly rendered in our transUtkm: it Aerefare demands out most careful consideration. And aa, in the

25 And now, O Lord God, the irord that thoa hast spoken concerning thy servant, and wacerning his house, establish -U ibr evfir, and do as thou hast said.

26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, laying, TheLoRoof hoetsi« theGod over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

27 For thou, O Lord of hosU, Ood «f Israd, hast ■ revealra to thy servant, aaying, 1 wfll build thee a house: therefore hath thy servaat found in hie heart to pray this prayer unto

29 And now, O Lord God. thou art that (Sod, and ' thy words b^ true, and thou hast proraiaed this goodness unto thy servant:

29 Therefore now ■ let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Loan God. hast spoken it: and with thy Ueesinc let the h<nue of thy aervant be Uessed ' for cvdr.

course of theae remaria, I propose to aoasiifar,«iid hope to explain, aomeof the prophecteo descriptrveef InMsanAB, which were AilfiUed m Jasrs Caawr t BBioag vitkh impheoie^ dMeontiioedin thiseh^ter ia woRby of pBz~ ticular attentioii, 1 diall introduee it, with m genoal atiM of this great argument.

"It having pleased Goo that, between the time of • Muaiah being promised, and tbe time of hia cratini^ tfaesa should be dehvered bjr the pro|dteta a varie^ <rf morfat by which the Mmiail waa to be known, and cuatinguiriMa m>m every other man, it waa impoasUile for any ona u> prove hiinaelf the Maeiak, whoae character did not ast- Bwer to theae marJa; and, of courae, it waa oecesaary, tlmt all theae criteria, thuadivinelv/oreMii, ahouMbe./k^CBerf in the character of Jeaua 0iritt. That these propfaetw deaeriptiou of the Messiah were niuiwrou^ aiipars fnsD Christ and hia apostle^ (Iipkexxiv. 27.44.t Acts x«iL 2. 3.} xxviii. 23, dte.) who referred dte Jews to die OU TW tament, aa containing abundant evidence of A£a being Tn MxasiAH, becauae heJvlfitUdaUOtejnvpheeieaigmaipbiin of that ainmJar character. Tb» chief of theae rr'jh nriw related to hia being ffltracu/Mufy bom <^ a wgvi t tfaa time and place <tt his birth; the tribe and family fivn v^chhewaatodeseeiMlt the wiractosbewasloperfaiint the manner of his prsaehing i his hvMiUty, and meosa ay» pearanoe; the perfect <mu>MiiM of bis life i the flinaiii— of hia wt^aringa; the treackery of bis betrayer \ the carcamslanoesofhisMai; the nature ofhiadaoM and bnrial; and to hb iRtrociJoics remrreetioB, Now amoog all dha circumstances which form thia chain of prophecy, the fine reference, made in the New Testament, rebuea to hia dbae«R/; for the New Testament b^ins titfa asaiiiiiiig Ami Jxaoa Chbist wot the aon of Difwd, the aon qf Mrnkaa^ Aa to the descent of Chriat from Abxaham; tmrj omm knows that Chriat was bom a Jew; and, eofMBqaemtly descended from Jacob, die grandaoa of Abrsbam. And we all know, that the promise given to Abraham coaooraiiig the Hessiah ia raeordtd in the Mstory of Abnhain^* li^ ia Gen. zxii. IB: Christ being also to descend fr«n DAvm, there can be no doubt diat thia promise, as atada to David, was recorded hkewise in the hiatory of David. It is remarkable, that David'a life ia given more at than that of any other peraon in the Old Teatameot can it be eupposed that die biatArian omitted to record tkot promiae, which was more htmounUe to David than aay other circumstanec t The record of this |»omiae, if -written at all, must have been written in this cfaaiHer; in dw message Jrom God by Nathan to David, which ia here inserted. Here (I am fiilly persuaded) the prootise waa, and still is, recorded: and the ehiet reason why our dkvines have so frequently misssd il^ Of been so tnaxb fm» plejced about it, ia owing to our ■wary improper ttaDdatsOB of the lOih and 14di veraes.

" Thia wrong tranalation, in a part of Scr^nure oo wr iotereating, haa been artfully laid hold oC and expaciaMid upon splendidly, by the Deistica] audior of TXe OrpaaeHm and Haaaona of the Ckriatian Religion; who pietemda to demonatraie, that the promise of a Hessiah etmld be here reoonbd; His mmoih QiidMrto I fadine oa swered) are tfirees— 1. Beeanse, m ver. 10. d» pr— speaks of OufkUw prospsritr tX the Jews, as to be i vvd./Ixsrf,and m mora qffittUi s wbfchr' - an MtaUr imgimt le the faia of the Jnn^ m oonaaeiad \rith thelnrth and daMh of Christ. 2. Bwuue du'Son, burs promiaed, «ru (ver. 13.) to 6uUd a Amuej which hoiue, it >■ pretended, must mean the tempU ^ Solomon; nd of couTM SWvmox moit be the mu here promiMd: Kod, 3. BecatiM, var. 14. ntppowa, that this wn ^ig^ tommii iniqwitf s which could not be auppoaed of 7n« MtMtiak. The fint of theae objectiona ia founded on our wrong tnuulotion of Ter. 10. where -die worda ahould be ej^nreaaad u rekuiog t» the time poaf or jtnttiU. For prophet ia there dedariog what great thingi God had alnath done tor Dwni bm hiapeopla; tbaitheAad niaed Dava A»n dia dwepfold to tba thranei hnd that be Awi phuued the laraelitea in a place of nf^, at real from all ihoae eoemiea who faoid ao often before afflicted them. Huu the verba v\ovi veaamti, and 'nyvn unatati may be tendered in the time ptut or preaenf, ia allowed fay our wn tranalatorat who here (ver. 11.) render wram vebanichti and hata emued Out to rut, and alao reader iwn Tohiggid and leUdh: which eooittuotion, madp neoeaaary here by the oootext, might be conflrmed hy other prooft almoat inoumenble. The tranalatiOD, therefore, riwoM run thua: Ito4At)uefiwnthe»keepeoltt and have madt thot a gnat noma; and I tu.wm apvoiktmd a ptact Jor my pe*ple Urael; and hatb puurm them, that mevmajf diDtU in a fAiee qf their otm, and move no mon. NaOur oo the ekUaren meJndneto <^iet Sum any more; a» b^oretime, and a* eince the Um* thai I commanaed Judges to be over Itraet: and J bati caiwU) Hoe to reet fiom ail thine memiet.

" Objection the aeeond ia founded on a miatake in die aeoaa. David indeed had propoaed to build a houae to QoD, whidi God did not admit Tet, utproving the pfe^ of Mvid'a intention^ God woa pleaaea to reward it m promiatoK that BCwoHJdniaAa a aoiMe./br David; viaai boDae, to M ihua erected by Chm, waa certainly not mato^ Hat, or made of atonea t bat a opirituai A«uae, or^nu/y, to be miaed up for the honour m God, and the nlvation of mankind. And thia houae, wfaidi God wtiuld make, waa to be boiH by DaoUfft sno g and thia aeed waa to be nda^ tip Jtrm Dteoid etept mth kioJoAero t wiiieh worda clearly exehide fiWdmon, \rtn waa aet op^ aad l^Beed npoo the throne, irfobb Doefrf waa dmd. TtoM Duilding-, promiaed by Ooi>, waa to be erected by one of David'a tfeaeendanta, who waa alao to be an evaiatting king 1 and indeed the house, and the kingdom^ were bom of them to be eatabU^udfor ever. Now that thia house, or apiritual building, waa to be aet up, together with a A{ii^dm,by the MMtialL ia clcaj from Zeduiriah; who TCTf enafAaticallv nva, (oh. vi. 13.) Bthald the man iBuaa name it na woncft; aa ihaix maa nu mtPLB of the lyorrL Even mb bhall bdils ths timplb <if the ijord J and he shall hear the glory, and ihaii tU and rule MpoR his TKaon, Ac Obaerve, also, the language of Ibe JVne l^atamenL In 1 Corinth, iii. 9—17. St Paul aaya. Ye are Gods ■uiLDraa — Knoa ye not that n are Ae temple nf God?— the temple ^ God i» holy, which tm^ TU are. And the autbor of die Epistle to the BoftretM aeemi to have hia eye upon diia very promiae in Annuel, coneeming a Son to David, and of the Aouae iriiich he idiould build: when he nya, (iii. 6.) CnaiBr, Aa A Sozf] evaa his owif noirai; whose noiTra aek wx.

Aa to the third and grealeat difficulty, Aat alao may be mnoved, by a more juat tranaladon of ver. 14.; fbr the Hebrew worda do not properly signify what they are now nade lo speak. It ia certain that the principal word vnyna beh^oto, is not the active infinitive of kal, which would twimita { but rt\jT\ from rmp is in JVipftoi. as rw^wi from rtii. Il ia alao certwi that a verb, which in the active VOioe aignlfiea to eommit iniquity, may in the poaaive aig^ ^tj to m^er for iniquity.- and hence it ia, that nouns from snich vene sometimes aignify inimtUy, sotnetimea ptmiAmerU. See Lowth's laa. page 187. with many odier authorities, which shall be produced hereafter. The way being thua made clear, we are now |vepared for idxiliihing our translation, if he commtf iniquity; and •lao for doming the true one— even in hi* eujferutg/or iniqidty. TMBlMBiah, who ia Ibus the person pon^ly hsra spoken oS, will be made still more manifeat from the whole versa thus traastatad. /wOI ftaUajUAsr, a«id he sAoil he my eon: svxif m BIS sorrsaoro roa iinqirrr^ I ahatl thasien him vith the rod of men, (widi the rod due to men,) and tvith the stripes (due to) Aa children qf AsAM. And diia eonstmetion ia well aupported Inr Isai. liiL 4, 6. He hath carried on somaows, (i. a. the aorfows due to OS, and which we must otherwifS have suffimd,) he was wounded Jbr our transgressionM, he me brmtiodjbrcurii^qidiiet: Am diaaltMnntiU of our pooee was vpon him; aad wUh his stripes we are healed. See Mto page 479. in Hallet, on Reb.-xi. 36. lYm^ rheiv

God declares himaelf the Faiber of the Son here meantt (See also Heb. L 5^ and promisee that, even amidat ibt •u^ariTi^a of thia Soo, (aa th^ would be for the aina of oilien^ not f6r hisown.) his mercy should still attend him i nor Afluld bis fttvoor w ever removed from Ais king, as it had been from SauL Aad thus (as it follows) mna house (O DavicL) and Av Hngdom Aall (in Heeaiah) be established for eeer, htfqre utt, (before Ooo:) Ay throne shall be estabUmed jbr ever. Thua the angel, delivering hia message to the virgin-mother, L^ike i. 32, 33. apeakA as if he was quoting from thia very prophecy — "The Lord Qod shall give unto Hm the throne qf his yUAsr David: andhe SMltretgnerorththmoet^jkeet POB SVKB; and ^ his kit^dom Aere ehaO bo no end. In ver. 16. y^ifj hpaneyea, la here rendered aa ^js^ /ipeni, On the authority of Aree Hebrew MSS., with (he Greek and Syriac versions; and, indeed, nothing could be es> tablished Jbr veer, in the presence of Paeui, but in tho presence of Gh>d only.

"Having tliua ahown that the words fairly admit hero the promise made lo David, that from Ait teed should arise Messiah, Ae everlaetlng king; it may be Beeesaary to add thai, if the Meeeiah be the peraon here meant, as auSerii^ innocently for tlic sina of others, Solomon cannot be; nor can ihta be a prophe^ admitting auch doiMe aense, or be ^lied properly to two audi opposite charBOteiB. Of whom opeakeA the prophet Ais 7 of nixstLr, or qf SOMX oth^b man? Thia was a <^ueatiQn properly put oy the Ethiopian treasurer, (Acta viii. 34.) who never dreamt that su^ a deacription aa he waa rmding could relate to different persons; and Philip shows him that the person was Jeaus only. So h«e tt may be asked, Cff whom speaketh die f«ophet thisi of Sblomon, or of ChristJ it must be answered, of Christ: one reason is, beeaiuS the deacriptioo does not agree to Solomon; and therefore Solomon, being neeeaaaniy excluded in a aingle aenae, muat alao be excluded in & double. Lastly, if it would be universally held absurd to consider the promise of Messiah made to Abbaram aa relating to any other person besides Messiah i why is there not an equal absurdity in pving a double sense to the promiae of Heaaiah thus made to David?

"Next to our ptesent very improper translation, ths cause of die common eonfiision here haa been — not diatinguishing the promiae here made, aa to Messiah idone, from another nrnde as to Solomon alone; tlaejtrst Ivou^t by Nathan, the tecomi by Oad; Hitjlret near (he beginni'nf of David'a reign, the second near the end of ilj the Jtrst, relating to MMsiah's oplrUual kingdom, eterlasting without eonditionoi the aaconi^ relatii^ to the fate of the temporal kingdom of Solomon, and his heirs, depending entirely on their obedience or rebellion. 1 Chron. xxii. 8 — 13. xxviii. 7. Let the first message be cimipared with this second, in 1 Chroik xxii. 6 — 13. which the Syriao version (at ver. 8.) tells us, was delivered bya pn^het, and die Arabian says, bv Ae prophet Oad. T^is aecontf meaaage was after David'a many twra, when he had shed mtick Mood; and it waa this aaeond meataoe ikmt, out of «U ' David'a sooa. appointed Sbbmon to be nis sneeessor. At (he time of the Jlrst message Solomon was not homj it being delivered soon after David beoame king at Jerusalem: but Solomon was bom at the lime of this second message. For though our translation veiy wrongly sam (1 chron. xxii. 9.) a son shall bx bom to Aee and Ms natnesftottfra iSUonum; yet the Hebrew text ex|M«SBly speaks of him as then bom — Beh»ld,^ a son (-fm naius est) la SOBW to thee: and, dierefore, die words folloenng muat be reodwed, £blsmon is Ais name, amd IwUt git^ peace in hit dapii AsaHUI build a hauoofbrmynawu^

" Prom David'a address to Chm, after receiving the mas* aa^ by Nathan, it is plain that Diavid understood the Son eromtsed to be Thb Mcssiah } in whom his houte wms to i estabUshedfor ever. But the words, whidi seem most expreaaive of this, are io thia verse now rendered veij umoielligibly: And is Aie themanner tf nan? Whereas the words Bum r^^m mtn vneoih toruth haAdam, literally signify, and Ais is (or must be) the law qf the man, ov of the Adam, i. e. dtis promise most relate to the law, or ordicianoe, made bv Ooo to Adam, eoMerniog the Seed of the voman; tke man, or the second Asax { as Ibe Messiah is expressly oalled by St Panl, 1 Cor. w. 4B, 47. lliis meaning will be yet more evident from the parulel ptoee, 1 C*ron. xvii. 17. where the worda of David are now miserably, rendered thus: and thou hast regarded me according lo Ae estate ^ a man iff h^gk degree! whereas, the wordrrft>pon o-nn -wo ■WHm ureitaid kalor ha Adam haramaliah, litwally signify, a»d Ihmt katt regarded me, aeeordhtg l9 As order ^ the Amm Twrii rtmrBi, 01 Tin mas that is ram abovc (for the word yam mmam in miuBunv, Aon inc Lnvnu, & jtw lad the Bfifnu tai fntnd. 9~S. Tci, kJ«| of HuhA, b

A^nu -A David smote the Philistines', and L (Mnnp-aw. anbdued them: and David took *Metheg-anuoah out of the hand of the Philistines.

Jt And ' he smote Moab, and measured them mth a line, castiof? them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he tojput to death, and witb one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites <* became David's servants, and

3 IT David smote also ' Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of ' Zobah, as he went to recover

4 And David took • from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David ■ houghed all the

rfmon hainma^lnh, very remarkably aignifiea hereaJUr u to time, and from abate as to place:) and thus Sl Paul, including both senses — the ucojn> man w tkb Lord raoH nKAVEM— and Adam U &e figurt ^ Aim that loaa to come, or Qie future, Ilom. t. 14. See the jrrefitce of the lale learned Mr. Peter*, on Job i. referred to, and confirmed as to this interesting poin^ in a note ■abjoined to my aermoa on A viKcuf buall cOKCwvt Sk. page 49 — 52. 8vo. 1765. A part of that note here follows 'Hie qteech of David (2 Sam. vii. 18 — 29.) is such as one might naturally expect frora a person overwhelmed with the greoiness tn the promiied tuessing: for it is abrupt, full of wonder, and fraught with repetitiona. And now, vAat can David »ay wito thee? What, indeed] Por Iftou, LoBo God, knoiMt thy tervanl.* thou knowest the hearts of all men, and eeest how full my own heart is. Fbr thy wortTt take, for the sake of former prophecies; and according to thine own heart, from the mere motive of thy wisdom and goodness; hati thou done all these gnat things, to make thy aerwmi know tkem. 1 now perceive the reason of ihoie miraculous providences which have attended me from my youth up i taken from JoUowiing the Aeep, and ctmducted ihrou^ all difficuliies to be nuer iff Ihy peopU: and shall I distrust the promise now made mel Tny words be true. If the preceding remarks on this whole passage be just, and well grounded; then may we see clearly the chief foundation or what Sl Peter tells us (Acts iL 30.) concerning David: tlutt, being ^jtrmlutf ana Kvowuni that Oodhad neom icilh an oath to htm, that qf the JruU Ut loint, according to Oujteak, he vmdd raioe up Cnusr, to oU on kit throne; i*,MffngAttbtfort,ipoketfAeremirreclionqf OirUt,

NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. Verse 1. David took Metheg-ammah] This ii variously translated. The Vulgate nas, tulit David Jreemtm frifttitft DwMrmamtda* botuiage oTeu tribute vhkh Ihe laraelilea paid to tlie Philistines. Some think it means ft JMreee, dty, or strong town t but no such place as Mothig'aminah is known. ProbakK the Vulgate is nearest the truth. The versions are alt dioerent. See the following comparison of the prinoipal passages here oolUted with the parulel place in 1 Chron.

YiBrse And meoMured than teiih a t'ne — even lotlh ttce nnaj |t has been ocneralty conjectured, that Oavid,

5 " And when the Syrians of Daraaseos eaniB to succour Hadadezer king of Zobafa, David slew of the Syrians twv and twenty taoosanj

6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians "became servants to David, and brought gills. * And the Lobd preserved David whithersoever he went.

7 And David took ^the sfaidds <^eold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, ana Iffousfat them to Jerusalem.

8 And from 'Eetah, end from •BentfaaC. cities of Hadadezer, Rii^ David took exceedSr^ mnch brass.

9 ]l When ' Toi king of Hamath hearf that David had smitten all the host ofHadadezer,

10 Then Toi sent " Joram his son unto Kine David, to ' salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer * had wars with Toi And

after he bad coiii}uered Ifoab^ conauiMil Itpo-AM* of dis infaabilants to the oword: but I think the text will bear • meaning mufih more respectable to that king, llw first clause of the verse seems to determine the aense; k* measured them with a Une, catling then down to ti*

S-ound I to put to death, ana with one line to keep alive. tath seems here to be refonred'to the cities bj w^ of metaphor t and^ from this view of the sufajecL we maiy conclude, that two-tbinb of the eiliei^ that is, tne s^rsiv piacee of Moab, were erased ^ axid not having stm^ ^aces to trust, to, the text adds, so the Maabittv bsenu PaiWs urvanto, and broug^ g^ftst i- «• 'Vtxt oUigiBd to pay tribute. The word line nay mean the same here as our rod; i. e. the instrument by whieb land ia neesured. There are various opinions on diia vctscl with wfaick I ^1 not trouble (be reader. Much nay m aeen inrCUvut and Dodd.

Vene 3. David vmole — jStdadexer] He is su|yej to have been king of all Syria, except PhiBDieiai ani^ wishing to extend his dominions to the Euphnies, invaded a pan of David's dominions which lay contiguous to it; but being attacked 1^ David, he was totallT rouML Verse 4. A aumtand chariots] It is strange Uiat there were a thousand chariots, and cnly seven hundred horse men taken, and twenty thousand rooL But as thediacoasfiture appears complete, we may suppose that the tMm I'sfs being less manageable, mi^t be more easily taken, while the horsemen mi^t, in general, make their escape. Hm infantry also seem to have been surrounded, when twenty thousand of them were taken priswers.

David houghed aU the c&artol-horaeBl If he did so, it was both unreasonable and inhuman; for, as he had so complete a victory, there was no danger of these horses foiling into the enemy's hands: and if ne did Jiot choose to keep them, Which, indeed, the law would not pennit, he should bave killed litem outrigfat; and then the poor inaoceot creatures would have been put out of muo. BittAM* the text speak of hou^iingAorMB at alll ItdoeenoL Ld us hear, 3jin <>3 rut tii -tpyn Tayaaker David eth col barecab: And David disjointed oB the cAoriots, except a. hundred chariou which he reserved for himaen. Now* this destruction of the diarioto was a matter of sound policy, wu] strict jAUy. God had censured those wbe tiuMsd in chariots: piety, dierefore, forbade David the use of them: and lest they should lall into the eMnn's faaad^ and be again used against him, policy induced b^ lo destroy them. The Septuagint render the wtuds neeity a* I have done, «ai naptXvae Aavi^ warra ra oMara.

Verne 6, Brought gifts] Paid tribute. Verse?. David took the fields qfgoidl Weknownot what these were. Some translate arma, others ^uiMrs^ others brae^ttv, others coliars, and others ihittds. were probably costly ornaments, by which the Sjnaa soldiers were decked and distinguished.

Verse 9. king Bdta^] Hamath is sopposed M be the famous city of JSmasa, situated on the Orsnle*^ is Syria. Hiis was contiguous to Hadadezer; and led him to wage war with Toi, that be mi^t get posse»iap of his tenitoriea. For s comporiscqi at the tmh ~~ 1 Chron. xviH. 9.

Joram ' brouKht with him vemds or silver, and vesBeis of etna, and vessels of brsaa;

11 WliitMi also King David ^ did dedicate unto the Lord, with the aUver and gold that he had dedicated of* all nations which he subdued:

12 Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Animon, and of the Philistinea, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, wan of Rehob, king of Zoibah.

13 An3 David ^t him a name Triien he retorned from' ■ smiting of the Syrians in ■ the valley of Salt, * being ' eighteen thousand men.

14 IT And he put earrisoni in Edom, throughout all Edom put he ^armons, ahd all they of Edom became David's servants. * And the LoBDjtreserved David whithersoever be went.

16 1 And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and jiutice unto all his people.

16 f And Joab the son of Zeruiah via» over the host: and i Jeboshaphat, the son of Ahilud, weu ^ recorder J

17 And i Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahim- «Ieeh the sen of Abiatbar, -were the priests; and Seraiah was the ^ scribe;

AND David said. Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that 1 may "show him kindness for Jonathan's soke 7

2 And there isa» of the house of Saul a servant whose name -was p Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the Idnfr said unto him. Art thou Ziba? And he said. Thy servant £$he.

Teml3. Ihvid gat him a nam^ Became b venr eelebratod and eminent man. The Tnrgura hu ii, Vavid eoBeeUd troops; namely, (o recruit hii army, vbea he returned from smiting the Syrian*. Hie muy bnttles had, BO doabt, ereatly thinned hia army.

The vtaUy SnU] Supposed to be a lom pUin. abounding in ihii mineral, about a league from ne City oi Pdtmyra, or Todmor in the wildemeae. ' Venc 14. He put garriwtu in Edom] He repaired the atroag cities which he had taken, and put garriaou in (hem, to keep the country ia awe.

Veree 16. Joab — was over the kok] General and oommander in ehief over all tlie army.

Ahibid — recorder] -Yiam miuakir, renmftroneer; one who kept t strict jonmal of all the proceedings of the king, and operations ofhie army; a chronicler.

Verse 19. BcTiaiah] The chief of the Bccond clasa of David'a worthies. We shall meet with him wain.

TTte ClurtthUes, and the Pefctti/w] The former supnoacd to be thone who accompanied David when he fled from Saul; the latter those who come to him at Ziklaf. But tlie IVrgum translates these two names thus: tiU archers, and Ike stingers; and this is by for the most likely. It Is not at all probable that David was without a company both of archers and stingers. The bow is celebrated in the funeral lamentation over Saul and Jonathan; and the sling ww renowned as the weapon of the Israelites and how expert David was in the use of it, w« learn from the death of Goliodi. I take fbr granted that the Chaldee paraphraat is correct No weapons, then known, were equally powerful with iheac: the Miears, swords, and

Clins of other nations were as stubble Wore tbem. The was the grand weapon of our Boftliah anceaton: and, even a&er the invention of fire-anil% Ibey were with difficulty persuaded to prefer them.

VariQ 1. b there yet am that is Uft] David, recollecting the eovenant made with his friend Jonathan, now inqmres after hbfiunily. It ia supposed tbatprfwicalcon-

3 And the king said, /« there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show <i the undness of Ood unto him? And Ziba said unto the kine, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is ' lame on Axs feet

4 And the king said unto him. Where is he? And Ziba said unto, the king, Behold, he i* In the house of ■ Machir, the son of Ammtel, in

5 T[ Then King David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

6 Now when < Meptubosheth, the eon of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he feil on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thj servant!

7 IT And David said unto him, Fear not: ■ for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy iather*B s^e, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat Ivead at my table continually.

8 And he bowed himself, and said, What t* thy servant, that thou ehouldest look upon such * a dead dog as I am?

9 If Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, * I have given note ti^ master's son all that pertained to Saul, and to all his house.

10 Thou, therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, sh^l till the land for him, and thoa shalt bring in the fndte, that thy master's bob may have food to eat: oat MephiboBheth thy master's son ' diall eat bread always at my talrfe. Now Ziba had ' fifteen boob and twenty servants.

11 Then said Ziba imto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, mid the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.

aidemtions prevented biia from dning fliis aooner. jResastis ^ aAite often destroy all the dianttes ol life.

Verse 3. Thai Ivuty thmo the kindness qf Ood unto him\ lliat is, the vimost, the highest degrees qf kindness; Mthehailqf God ia very great hail { tbemounteln* ^ Ood exceeding high mountains; besde^ this kiitdnsM was according to the eotenant qf Ood made between higa and the &mily of Jonathan.

Verse 4. iMHtebar.} Supposed to have been sitiiattd b^ood Jordan: but there is nothing certain known concerning it.

Verse 7. WiU reOore thee alt the land\ I believe (his means the mere family estate of the house of Kistk which David, as Hng, might have retained}' but whirit, moat certainly, belonged, aooording to the leraelitiA law, to the deacMXMuits of die fiunily.

And Ikou^alt eat bread at niy table] This was Knrfnesst the giving up the land was j'usfice; and it was the bluest honour that any subject could enjoy, as we may see from tlw reference made to it W our Lora, Luke xx'n. 10. That ye may eat and drink at my lablein my kingdom. For auch a person David could do no more. His lameafcas rendered him unfit for any public empl^nent

Verse 9- / have given unto thy master's mm] Unless Ziba had been servant of Jonadian, this seems to refer h> Micah, son of Mephibosheth; and so some understand i*.: but it ia more likely that Mi^phibosheth is meant, who is colled son Saul, instead of grandson. Yet it is evident enourii that the produce of the land went to the support of Hicu, see ver. 10 1 br the father was providnl for at (he table of Ehtvid: but all the patrimony belonged to Mephibosheth.

Verse 10. Hum therefore, and thy sons— shall tUl the land] It seems that Ziba and his family had the care of the whole estate, and cultivated it at ineir own expen^ yeilding the half of the produce to die family of HephibosheU). Ziba was properly die hind^ whose duty and interest it was to take proper care of ihe ground; for the better itwaseultivaied, Ine more il produced; and hia haffvaoM, consequently, be the greater.

13 And MephaKMheth had a ronnr aon, ■ whme name wot Mic^ And all uiat dwelt in the hooM of Ziba were wermOm unto Mephiboabeth.

13 So Mephiboeheth dwelt in Jenualem: ■ for he did eat continually at the king's table; and waa lame on both his feet.

i: cSffi' A ND it came to pass after this^ that AB.Eiod.hr. I\. tbe'kincr of the children of Am-

2 Then said David, I will show Itindness unto Hanun the son orNahasb, as his father showed Icindoees unto me..And David sent to comfort him br the hand of hia servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

3 And the princes of thn children of Ammon aaid unto Hanun their lord, <' Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent bis servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it.

4 Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one<half of their beards, and cut oif their garments in the middle, * even to their bnttoeks, and sent them away.

5 When thef told U unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were n-eatly ashamed: and the king said. Tarry at Jericho untilrour beards be grown, and tken retarn.

6 If And when the dulwen of Ammon saw that they 'stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired < the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of Kitv Maacah a thousand men, and of ^ Ish-tob twelve thousand men.

7 And wh«i David heard of if, he seat Joab,

8 And the children of Amman came oat. and put the battle in array sX the entering m of the gate: and * the Syrians of Zoba, and or Rehob, and Ish-tt^, and Mecacah, vere by UienuelTea in the field.

9 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, be chose of all the choice mm of Isra^, and. put them m array against the Syrians:

10 And the rest of the people he detivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the childrea of Ammon.

11 And he said, If the Syrians be too stronr for me, then thou shalt help me: bat if the tiifltdren of Ammon be too strong for tiwe, tiwo I

13 1 Be of good conrage, nnd let us play the men for our peo^e, and forthe cities of oar Ood: and ' the Lord do that which seemeth him good.

13 And-Joab drew ni?h, and the pecmle that ■were with him, unto the oattle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. ■ 14 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered mto the city. So Joab returned from the childrea of Aaunon, and came to Jerusalem.

15 TF And when the Syrianii saw b:&S that they were smitten before Israel, a» they e[athered themselves together. 4J7m!»

Ziba wen fair and ipedou*; but he was a traitor in fail heart, as we riisU aoe in lbs rebellion of AbnJom; and David's indulgsnce to tliia man, ia a Mot in hie character; at ihii time, however, he euapeoMd no evil; circumBtancec alone con develope the human chamcwr. IIm inimital villain can be known only when circumstanoea occur wiiich can call his propenMties into action: till dten he may be reputed an honeat man.

VttmlZ. DidtmeonHnuaUyatOukiK^tlahU] He ««■ fit for no pulilio office, hut waa treusd by ihs kU^ with tbs utmost respect and amction.

Verae 2. IwiU thow MndneM tmto Hanun 0u ton iff SahaA} We do not know exactly the natuie oreztentof lbs obligation whioh David waa inder to the king of the AmiODmies; but it is likely that ibeNahasb hare mentioDed was Aa mim iriio had attacked Jabedi GMea<L and whom Saul defeated I asDavidbadlakcDreftigewimtfaeMoabites, 1 Sam. xxii. 3. and ihia wm bobmiious to tba king of me Ammonites, his hatred to Saal nught tedoes Mm to ■how particular kindness to David.

yeise 3. nitnkt»t tiuM that Daoid doti hmtmr Iky /other] It has been a matter of just complamt ihroum all the history of mankind, that utore Is little sinearinr m courts: courtiers, especially, ore suspioioos at each ouer } and often miilead their lovereigos.

Verae 4. Shtwed of Ou ono-half Hietr frearcl*] Tbe htard ia held in high reapect in the East: the posaesaor owisidera it his rraatsat omsntenti often swssrs by it] and, in matters of great importaoe& ptoses iL Nottniw «an be more secure than a |>ledge of this Kind} iu owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life. The bnrd was never cut off but in iRournw^, or aa a sign of sloverv. CUlticw off half of die beard and the clothes, rendered t&e men ridiculous, sndmade them looklUw slaves: iritatwsa done to these men was an aocumulatiai of iiMulL

Terse 5. TVirry of /eriefto] This city had not been rehiilt ainoe the time of Jodiaa: but (hsc* wsra, no doubt, easny cottaeea Mill remaining, and larger dwdlings also t but uie wolu had not been repaired. As it must have been eompantively « prltaia P^pv for dwse

out the Syrians that -were beyona • the river and they came to Helam; and ' Shobach, the captain of the host of Hadarezer. wettf before

17 And when it was told David, he rathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themseWes in array against David, and fought with him.

TerseG. TTie Aildrm <if Ammm taw thai Ihtf Mamk\ That is, dial their conduct rendered them abominaMB. This is the Hebrew mode of expressing sudi a feeliiig. See Oen. xzxiv. 30.

Sjfrian* of Bdh-rOtob] This place was sitiaMl at the extremity of the valley between Libanns and AUklibanus. Tbt Syrians of Zoba were sobjeei to Hadusw. Maaoah was in. the vicini^ of moimt Hermon, bsyosi Jordan, in the Tradionitit.

hhrlob] This was prob^ily the MAWlridi To&^toidMh Jephthah fled from the oruelty of his brathren> It was situated In the land of Glilead.

Veree 8. At the entering in ((f ffle giU^ This w«s As eift' of Medtbti, as we learn from 1 Chron. xiz. 7.

Verse 9. B^ore and bihind] It ia probable thu one of the armies waa in ihoJUld, and the outer in the cU% whn Joab arrived. When ne fronted this army, the oUkt appeara to have issued from the cHy, and to nave taksa hia u the rear: he wa% therel(>re,-oUiged to divide bk ansy as here mentioned; one part to fiu« the Syrians, eommanded by himself; and the other to face the AsraoaitM^ commanded by his brother Abiahai,

Verse 12. Be of good courage} This ia a very fine milttaryaddresa; anuia equal toaoy (hinf in ancient or modon times. Ye fight pro arie eiJoeU; lor every good, aaerad and civil; for Qoo, for your nmitiea, and (br your country.

Tersel4. TTie Syriana vtrt Jlatl Tlwy betook tbemselvea to dieir own confinea, while the Ammonites erapad into their own ct^.

Badartxtrl iliis is the nme that was oveslhrowB \m David, dtap. viii. and there called Badadortr t vbieh n the rradiiur here of about Afrfy of Esanieotrs and Ds Rossi's MSS. But Ok 1 reA, and ^ dalctt,an«asityiiterchanged.

Terse 17. D&Hd—ga0urmt att hnut togOuri Bs dm^t dwt Boeh a war reqoiied hii own preseaoa.

18 And the SjnrianB fled before Iiirael; and David Blew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand 1 horsemen, and imote Shobach,' the captain of their host, who died there.

19 And when all the kinffs thai vere servants to Hadarezer ' saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made ptMie« with Israel, and ■ eerved them. So the Syriaiu feared to help the ehUdren of Ammon any more.

ftS'm A itcame to pass ' after the year Am.EMi.ur. was expired, at the time when

kings go forth to baUle, that " David Loiyp.jw. g^^i Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the Children of Ammon. and besieged Rabbah. But David Carried still at Jerusalem.

2 y And it came topasa in an evening-tide, that Davjd arose from on his bed, * and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he " raw a woman washing herself; uid the wonuin wot very beaatiful to look upon.

3 Aad David sent and inquired aner the woman. And one «aid, A not this ' Bath-sheba, the daughter of ' Eliam. the wife ■ of Uriah the Hittite 1

Tam 16. Smwms ■vmuc AarioU — and forty Qummmd aoHsmiil In the puollel pltet, 1 OhruL xiz. lEL it n Hud, Ditvta tUw ^ ths Sgriaiu uvsk niotnun) men, whieh fought in diarioU.

And forty titoamnd HCuuiiiEif] It h difficult to aaoertain the ri^t number in tfaii and limilar plaoea. It ii very probable tluu, in formar timet, dte Jews expraaed, aa tbey often do now, tfaetr numbera not by taonia ai JkM length, bat by nunuraliettara: and, aamaay of ibe Kttera bear a rit aimibrity to each other, miatalua might easily creep vhan the numeral lettera oame to be expreaaed by word* at full lenrA, This alone vill account for tlte many mialakea which we find in the numbera in these botriia; and render* a mistake here very probable. The letter i xain, with a delabore, atanda for term Uunuand; and the letter t nun, for teem hundred i the great aimi- Uri^ of iheee letters might easily oauae the oat to be mistakeo for the other, and so produce an error in ihia olace.

Verse 19. Made peace wiili Israel] They madie this peace aaparaialy; and were <Aliged to pay Irdmte to the laraeliles. Some eopiea of the Vulgatt add bare, after the word terael, SijMVenaU et fugeruni ^ptinmtaginta tl veto mttUa eoram brael; and tbey were pame-atiw))^ and fled f^y-^^ Uunuand at ihem before Israel. Thia nadin^ ii nowhere else to be fbund. "Thos," observes Dr. Dtlaney. " the arms of David were blessed t and God •eeompjished the promisea which he had msde to Abrabam, (Gen. XT. 18.) and renewed to Jo«hua, i. 2, 4. And thus, in the spaea of nineteen or tventy ware, David had the good Ibriune to ftniabKlorioi»Weigft? wars; a]l rigfateoualy untlertakecik aad all Itoaoarduy terminated, viz. 1. The ei^ war with M-AosA<tt— 2. lite war against tfae Jcii»- sUes — 3. The war against the PhUietinee and their aUiee — 4. The war againal the miietinee alone— 6. The war ■ninst the JMbobifas — 6. The war o^nst Hadadextr — 7. Tw war against the UtemeanM — S. The war against the AnmonUee and prions. Tliis hut victory was soon followod by the complete oompieat of the ku^om of the Ammcoits^ abandoned by tlieir alliea. What glory to the iBsaarefa of Israel, had not the ^leodoor of this illustrioua •poeh been obscnrad by a comphcation of erines, of which •Be eould never have even su^ieeled him capable I"

We have now done with the firat part of this Book, in whidiwefktd David great, glorioua, and pkNia i weeone M ttie second part, in wbk» we shall hm the nin to ob- ■srva him ialleo from Ood, and hii horn defiled in the dust, Iw crimes of the most flagiiioDs nature. Let him that moat MiMUy itudMfa, tib^beadlBstfaa CilL

4 And David sent mesMogers, and tooJt ker; and she came in imto him, and * he lay with her; ^ for she was ■ purified from her uticl«a&> neas: and she rebirned va^ her hoose.

5 IT And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 And David sent to Joab, saifing, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to

y And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him ^ how Joab did, and how the people did, and how tbe warprospered.

8 Aad David said to Uriah, Cto down to thy house, and ■ wash thy feet And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there * foUowed him a mess of meat from the long.

9 But Uriah slept at tiie dgor of the king's house with all the Mrvants of his lord, went not down to his house.

10 And when they had tc^d David, raiying. Uriah went not down unto hie honse, Davu said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from (Ay journey 1 why then didst thou not go downvuto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, * Tbe ark. and Israel, and Jud^, aMde in tents; and ^ my lord Joab, and the servants of mr lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then so into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to ue with my wife? ag thou livest, and at thy soul Uveth, I will not do this thine.

12 And David aaki ta Uriah, Tarry here today also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and tbe

NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. VeiM 1. VrhenUnj^siro/orU] This was about a year after the war with the Syrian^ spoken of before; and about the ipringot tbe year, as the most proper season for military operations. Calmet thinks they made Ivo earnpaignst one in autumn and the other in ^>r%ng; the iviater being, in many respects, inoonvenieot; and the ntmmer too hot.

Terse 2. Jn on evening-fide — David arose] He bad been reposing on the roof of his house, to enjoy the bren^ as the noon-my was too hot for the performance of business. This is a constant custom on tbe flat-roofed houses in Ibe East.

He eaw a teeman waehing herteif^ How eould any woman of delicacy expose herself where At Could be so fully and openly viewed I Did abe not know that she wa« at least in view of the king's terrace 1 Was there no dest^ in all this? EtfitgU adealictt, et tt aipU anti videri.

Verse 4, shows us that this waging was at tbe termination of a particular period.

Terse 4. Awi Me cams iit unto hiw\ We hear notbing of hw reluctance \ and there is no evideiKe that she WM taken per force.

Terse 6. And tte wMnon ooncci«ai2] A proctf of lbs obaemtion on verse 2; as that ia tbe time in vhkii women are moai apt to conceive.

Verse 8. Oo down to thy house and waA Ay /«if] Uriah bad come off a journey, and needed thia refreshment; but David's design was, that he should go and lie with his wife, that the child now conceived sltould pass for hi^ the honour of Baih-sbeba be screeiked, and his own crime concealed. At this lime he had no deoini nt the murder oif Urifth, nor of taking Baih-sbetaa to wife.

Verse 9. Slept at the door} That ul in one of the apartments, or niches, in the court of the king's house.

Verss 10. Canuet thoxt not from thy jmimty] It is MH Ay duty to keep wateh or guard; thou art come frara a journey, and neeaest rest and refreshment.

13 And when David bad called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him 1 drunk: and at even he went out to he on hiB bed >■ with the servanU of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 Tf And it came to pasB m the morninff, ttmt David I wrote a letter to Joab, and sent ttoy the hand of Uriah.... ■ «.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying. Set ve Uriah in Uie forefront of the " hottest battle, and retire ye " from him, that he may " be smitten, and die.,, ^ l j

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men -were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell gome of the people of the eervanta of Davki; and Uriah the Hittite died also.,,, ^., « ^

18 T Then Joab sent and told David all the thine s concerning the war;

19 And charged the messenger, saymR, When thoa hast made an end telling the matters ol the war unto the king,.....

20 And if BO be that the king's wrath arise, and he eay unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew re not that they would shoot from Uie wall 1

21 Who smote pAbimdech the son oi'iJe-

e«ted mnn. I will not induln mywlf whUe all my fenow-wldien are ezpoeed tolwdahipt; and even Oe ark of the Lord in danger.

Yetwt 13. He made Aim antrM Svpponng that, in this ■late, he would have been off hu guard, and hutened down to his house.

Vcrae 14. David wrote a Idler} Hiii waa the rom of treachery and villany. He made this most noble man the carrier of letters which prescribed the mode in which he was to be murdered. This case some have likened to that ot Belleroi^Kin, aon of Glaucus, king of Ephyra i who, being in the court of PrttOi^ king of the Arsives, his queen Antla, or as others Sthenttoa, fell violently in love with him: but he, refiising to gratify her criminal passion, was, in revenge, accused by her to Prffitus her nurtMud, as having attempted to corrupt her. Prcetus, not willing to violate the laws of hospiiality, by slaying him in his own house, wrote letters to Jobatea, king <n Lyeia, the father of Sthenobtea; and sent them b; the hand of Bellerophon, stating his crime, and desiring Jobates to put him to death. To meet the wishes of his son-in-law, mid keep his own hands innocent of blood, he sent him with a small force against a very warlike people ealled the Sotymi; but, contrary to lUI expectation, he not only escaped witli his life, but gained a complete victory over them. He was afterward senF upm several Nually dangerous and hopeless expeditions, Init still came off with success; and, to reward him, Jobates gave him one of hit daughters to wife, and a part of his kingdom. Stlicnotxee, hearing this, through rage and despair, killed herself.

I have given this history at large, because many have thought it not only to be ixuallel to that of UriBh,'but to be a fabulous formation from (he Seriptore foot: for my own part, I scarcely see is them any corresooodenCT', but in the shnple eircumstanee that both carried those letters which contained theirown condemnation. From the fable «F Bellerophon, came the proverb, BtUtmphmitit HUeraa portare, " to carry one's own condemnation."

Terse 17. Uriah the HiUUe died aUo.} He was led to the attack of a place defended by valiant men; and, in the bmt of the assault, Joab and his men retired from this brave soldier, who oheerfiilly gave up his life fiv his king and his country 1

Verse 20. ^— <A< tinf^' -wrath arite] It ii likely that Joab hod, by some indiscretion, suffered loss about this time t and he contrived to get rid of the odintn by connecting the transaction wilh the death of Uriah, wmcb he knew would be so pleasing to the king.

Terse 25. The tword devoureih one a» iteil a* another'] What abominable hypocrisv was here I He well knew that Uriah's dead) was no ataneC'nudley; he was, by his own order, thnist on the edge of the swoi^.

Terse She mmtmedfar her AusAoiui.] The whole of her conduct bidicates that die observed ibe/vrm, withmt feeling the 'pmter, t/l mrovs. She lost a captain,

rubbeshetli 7 did not-a woman east a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou. Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead

22 If So the meBBcnger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger Baid unto David, Surely the men prevail^] against ub, and came out unto us into the 6eld, and we were npon them even unto the entering of the gate.

34 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants: and 9ome of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messeiieer. Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let Jiot this thing ' displease thee, for the sword devoureth * one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it; and encourage thou him.

26 TT And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, aiid she * became his wife, and bare him a eon. But the thing that David had done " disjdeased the

and got a Mng for her apouse; dris mat have been deep afflioion indeed) and, therefore —

Sht became hu vi^fe] Thu hurried marriage wa^ no doubt, intended on both sides, to cover the pregnait^.

But the thing thai David had done ditpUaatd At Loan.] It was necessary to add Ihist lest the tfHtaim of David's fermer virtues should indnoa any to suppow his crimes were passed over, or looked on with an imdIgent eye, by the God of purity and iustiee. Sorely he siniwd, and sorely did be suffer for it: ne »oumI one min of wieeet, and reaped a long harvat of caluni^ and wa

On a review oi the whole, I hesitate not In say that the preceding chuiter is an illustrious proof of the truth ut the Sacred Writings. Who, that inleoded to deceive by trumping up a religion which be designed to fertber on die purity of Ood, would have inserted such an aooount of «ie of iu most zealous advocates, and once its br!g^it«si mentl God alone, whose ehamcter is impturtislitf, has done it to show that his religion, libratapondminu mia^ will ever stand independeuly of the rondnet of ita piofessors.

Dra. Delaney, Chandler, and oihen, have taken groM pains to excuse and varni^ this conduct of David; aaiL while I admire their ingenuity, I abhor dw tendency a their doctrine; being fully convinced that he who writes oa this subject, should write like the inspired jpemnsn, who tells the TBI7TH, the vhoU raitTB, ud nathimg but ifae

David may be pitied, because he bad bllcQ fron giou eminence—but who can Itelp daiorinr the fete oi the brave, the faithful, the.ineorniptiUe Vrlak! Badt-^ut* was probobly ^rot in the tmnsgresaion, bv « too puUte display of her charms; by which, accidentally, the beui of David was affected, wounded, and blinded. He committed one crime, which led him lo use many sUfla lo eoDssal: these all foiling, he is ted from step to stsp lo ibebiebeat degree of guilL Not only does be feel tMU fail ana her lumour, but even their liveM, are at stake; for dtalh, bj the law of Moses, was the punishment of adultery. He thought, therefore, that either Uriah must dic^ or he and Bath-fiheb& perish for their iniqui^: for that law had made no provision to save the life of even a tiw, who traa^ giessed its precepts. He must not erobnie his own faanda in the blood of tnis bmve man) but he employs htm on a service from which his bravery would not pemit bin to shrink; and in which, from die nature of his stoncea, he roust inevilidbW perish! Ttte awfiil trial is made, and it auoceedsl Tne criminal king^ and his csiat- IdbI paramour, are, far a momem, concealed; mnA one of the bravest irf men feOs waSbetionBte vkiim lor Ae mtuf

^M.va A the Lord sent Nathan unto £. E<>?to. Dsvid. And ■ he came unto him, Am tnf and ^ said unto him. There were two in,mp.we- men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herdB;

3 But the poor man had nothing save one little ewe^amb, which he had bought and nourished up; and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of hia own ' meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his boaom, and was unto him as a daughter.

4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spar^ to take of his own flock, and of hw own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come Co him.

5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord Uveth, the man that hath done thiB thing ** shall surely die:

6 And he shall restore the lamb * fourfold,

nnd support of him, by whom his ajiotlesii blood is ahed I But what ihall we ny of Joab, the wicked executor of the hue commands of his fidlen master t He was a rnjl^n, not a tMier: base and barbarous beyond example, in his eallmg: a pander to the vicn of his mooarch, while he was aware that he was outraging every law of religion, piety, honour, and arms I It is difficult to state the cnar* acters, sum up, and apportion the quantity of vice chargeable on each.

Let David, once the pioui^ noble, generoua, and benevoleni hera wht^ when almost perishing with thirst, would not t^aie me water vhidi bis brave men had acquired at the hazard of dieir lives; let diis David, I say, be considered an awful example of apoalasy from reli^on, justice, and virtue; Bath-^t^a, of lightness and conjugal infidelity; Joab, of base, unmanly, and eold-bloduM cruelty; UritA, of^uotarnished heroism, inflexible fidelity, and unspotled virtue; and then justice will be done to each character. For my own part, I must say I jHty David; I veneraU Uriah 1 1 ddeat Joab; and Ihit^ mtmtly of Bathahefao. Similar erimes have been repeatedly oommitted io similar circumstances. I shall take my leave <tf the whole with—

Vase 1. There iters ttoo men in one cUy] See a dueovTM m/abUt, at the end of Judges, chap, ix.; and a dttmme on parabolie vritbtg, at the end of the xiith diapter of Maxthew. l%ere is nothing in this parable that requires illustration: iu bent is evident; and it was wisely oonatructod to make David, unwittingly, pass sentence on himself It was in David's hand, what his own letters were in the hands of the brave but unfortunate Uriah.

Yerae 3. And lay in hi* botom] This can only mean thai this lamb was what we call a net, otfavouriU, in the bmily, else the circumstance would be very unnaiural, and most likely would have prevented Davia from making the application which he diti; as otherwis^ it would have appeared absurd. It is dteonly part of this parable which is at vBrianse with nature and.^icf.

Verse 6. TTu man—ekali tureJy die} Literally, ms p im maeeth, "he is ason of death," a very bad man, and ona who duerVM to die. But the law did not sentence a dieep-stealer to death: let us hear it: If amanetpalan ox •r a ehtep, he ebaU reetore nva oxcn Jbr an ox, and won SHBBP /or a sAsfp^ Ezod. xxii. 1. 1 and hence David iiniDediately mjn, lit ihall restore the lamb romrcLo.

7 1[ And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israd, I

-anointed thee kine over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah } and if thai had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

9 > Wherefore hast thou despised the comimandment ol' the Lord, to do evil in his sight? > thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the Eword, and hast taken his wife to be ttnr wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Aramon.

10 Now therefore ^ the sword shall never depart from thine bouse; because thou hast despised me, and bast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

11 Thus saitn the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will 1 take thy wives before thine eyes, and giv» them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12 For thou didfit it secretly: " but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the son.

^13 "And David said unto Nattmn, •! have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, f The Lord also hath ' put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

Verse 7. TTuni art the num.] What a terrible wortfl and by it David appears to have been transfixed; and brougftt into the dust before the messenger of God.

Thod abt thia son qf death; and ibou riudt restore dns lamb FOPBFOLD. Is it indulging foncy too much to say David was called, in the course of a just proiridene^ to

£y this fourfold debt: to lose fmtr tons by untimely ftlhs, viz. this son of Baih-shebah, on whom David had set his heart, was slain by the Lord: Amnan, murdered by his brother Absalom: Abaatom, slain in the oak by Joab; and Adcmijah, slain by the order of his brother SoU omon, even at the altar of the Lord. The sword and calamity did not depart from his house, from the murder of wretched Amnm by his brother, to die slaus^ter of the sons of ZedeJeiah, before their father's eyes,^ the king of Babylon. His daughter was dishonored her own brother; and his icivea cootaminnied, publicly, by his own son! How dreadfully, then, was Duvid punished for his sin I Who would repeat his tmnsgressioD to diore in its penalty I Can his conduct ever be an inducement to, or an encouragement in sin 1 Surely, No. It must ever fill the reader and the hearer vidi horror: behold (he goodness and severi^of Oodl Reader, lay all these aolenm things to heart.

Verse & Thy laattei'* vitta tn/o KAy iosom] Periuqn this meanB no more Hum that he had given him td^H^xOe power over every thing possessed by Saul; and as it was the custom for the new king to succeed even to the teiveo and amaibinea, the vAole haram of the deceased king, so it was in this case; and the pasaeflsion of the wives was a sure proof that he had got alt rc?al rights. But could David, as (be aon-in.'lavf m Saul, take the wives of \\w fEUktT' in-law? However, we find delicacy was seldom coosulted in these cases I and Absalom lay vith his own father's wives, in the most public manner, to show that he had seized on the kingdom, because the wives qf the preceding belonged to the sucece^ling kingjmd to none other.

Verse 9. Thou kaat killed Vrtah] Thou art the mubnzBEB, OS having planned his death: the sword of the ^nmonites was thv mttrument only.

Verse 1 1. / will taTee thy wive*] That is, in the course of my providence, I will permit ail this to be done. Had David Ven faithful, God, by his providence, would have turned all this aside; but now, W his sin, he has made that providence hia enemy, which before was his friend.

Verse 13. The hoKOr—haOi put away thy sin] Abny have suppowd that David's nD was now atiuaUy pnrdoned, but this is perfectly erroneous; David, as an adulterer, was condemned to datih by the law qf God; aiid he had, Bcoording to that law, passed sentence of death upon him* •elC God olope, vdwse law that wni^ could revoke that sentence or dispease with its execution} therefore, Na-

14 Utowbeitt because bf this deed thou hast riven great occasion to the enemies of the LoBB * lo blaephenie, the child bIw that iehoin nato thee shall surely die.

15 And Nathan departed unto hia house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very siclc

16 David therefore besouifht Ood for the i^ild; and David ' fasted, and went in, and <■ la.y ■11 mffht apon the earth.

17 And the elde?B of his house arose, tmd vent to hin, to raise him up from the earth; but he wotdd not, neither did he eat bread with

18 And H came to pass on the sereiidi d^, that the cldld died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet aiive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearicen nnto our voice: how will he then " vex himMlf, if we tell him that the child is dead 1

19 But Vfhea David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said upto his servants, Is the child dead? Aud they said, He is dead.

20 Then David arose from the earth, and mshed, aad * Mwtiited kimtelf, and cbanffed his annrel, and came into tha house of Uie

than, vbo bad di&rged the guift home apoa hit eonseieboe, is suiborized lo give him tEe unire&ce that be iliould not dies temrorol OMtft for it: the Ltrdhaaifut amaythif tbit «^ not ilU— tfaia is all d»t is oootsiiMd in ue swursnei fives Nstlwnt duM iluit sot di« that tempoml dentt; thou AmIi be prenrved alive, duu ibou navestbave time to repent, turn to Qwi, und &ad mercy. If we Mm pMlm, aa ia ^enienlly auppoaed, were written oa liua occauon, then it is evident (oa uie paalm must have been wriHen t^fitr this interview) that David had not recsived paidon for hia aio from Go^ at the time he composed it i fbr, in hs flonfosses the orime ia order to find saen^.

There it something very remarkable in the wordi of Nailian, Ttu Loan aUo bath wit awat % tin; Am thaU lud die: man i6 Tn»*»" "^^V" ""^ " B*"^ Yehovah hetUr chatMeeha,)o tamuth, AUo Jtliovah hath oAimD ma TO PASS OVBB, or Irat^ferrad ttty sin; thod ahall Mt df& Ood twu tran^trrta the legal puniehment of tlUB sin to the MiU / n disll dic^TBou riialt not die; and dlia is the very point <m which me prophet givea him the moat airMt information — 7%e dttld Ikat is bom, unio ihu Aatl svBSLT die; mo moth yamuth, dying he Aatt di« f he ihall be in a dying ttala seven dava, and then be shall die. So Ood immediately etnuk the ckitd, and it tooa very tick.

Tam 16. Danid-iemmghi Ood for Qu cftffaf] How eouU he do sou after lha edema aaswanoa that he had from God that die child aboold die 1 Hie justioe of God absolutely required that lbs pisial^ of the law diould be •raetedt etdnr the YoOer w die wn dull die. This eould not be reversed.

Tens 22. Who em leff] David, and indeed all odwra, onder the Ifosaie dispenaatiOD, were so satiafied that all God'i threateniagt utd pnmuwt were eondUional, that even in the moat positive sseortionB reladve to judgments, Ac they sought for a dumgc of purpose. Anid notwithstanding the positive declantioo of Nathan, relative to the death of the 4>ild, David aought for ita life, not knowing but that might depend on some unezpresaed condition; Mich aa earnest prayer. faMng, kumtliation, Ac and in these he continued while there was hope. VTben die child died, he ceased to pieve,.ss he now saw diat this must be fruitleas. This ^tpears lo be die sole reason of David's imnortuiuty.

Terse 23. / AaU go to hijiubut he ahall not return lo me.] It ii not clear whether David, by this, exprMsed his fldtn in the immortality of the mUs gtdnr ta him may only mean, 1 aUo thall die, and be gtm*nd to my ^aurt, aeheie. But whether Dsvid expressed this or not, we know that the diing ia true: and it ia one of the moat aolid gniunda of cmisolation to surviving frieiida, that they shall by and by be joined to ihem in a state <rf eonscioua existence. This doctrine has a-very powerful taodeney to alleviate the miseries (rf human life, and to re. gswde us u the dead) of most beloved friends. And vm ws to admit ttieeontnuy, grief in many coses would 7SZ