Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites". Of these people he made a total massacre, at those places where he made his inroads! saying, very prudently, "Lest they should tell of us, saying-so did David, and so will be his manner, all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines t." After thus carefully endeavouring to avoid detection, he brings his booty home, which consisted of all which those miserable victims possessed. He made presents of this to his benefactor king Achish, who, demanding where he had made his incursion, was answered, Against the south of Judea, &c.; intending, by this falsity, to insinuate to the king his aversion to his own countrymen, and attachment to him. "And Achish believed David, saying, he hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever ¶."

The Philistines at this time collected their forces together to attack the Israelites, to which service Achish summoned David**, and met with a cheerful compliance; "surely," says David, "thou shalt know what thy servant can dott." He accordingly marched his adherents, with the troops of king Achish; but when the princes of the Philistines saw a company of Hebrews in their army, they were much surprised, and questioned Achish concerning them. The account which Achish gave of them did not satisfy the princes, who justly feared their captain might prove a dangerous auxiliary. "Make this fellow return," said they, "that he may go again to the place

which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go "down with us to the battle, lest in the battle he be an "adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile "himself to his master? should it not be with the heads "of these ment?" David was accordingly dismissed, very much mortified at their distrust of him§§.

Here, now, was a signal evidence of David's righteousness! The Hebrews, according to their own testimony, + Ver. 9, 11.

1 Sam. xxvii. 8. Query, Whether David might not compose a psalm upon this occasion? Josephus. 1 Sam. xxvii. 10. Ver. 12. ** Sam. xxviii. 1. ++ Ver. 2. * Chap. xxix. 4. §§ Ver. 8. 11.

understood themselves to be the favourite people of God, and David is delivered down to us as a distinguished character for piety among this peculiarly esteemed people. Yet could this very man, without any hesitation, freely join himself and company to au army of uncircumcised idolators, marching with hostile intentions against his countrymen! Ilis advocates indeed pretend, that had his offers been accepted, he would nevertheless hare gone over to the Israelites at the commencement of the battle: this is taking off the charge of one crime, by imputing to him another equally bad-a most base act of treachery! As, however, the Israelitez, on the foundation of their own intimacy with the Deity, thought they had no more obligations to a moral conduct toward the Heathens, than the Roman Catholics now imagine they have to keep faith with heretics, these advocates endeavour to preserve the piety of David's character, at the expense of what David, according to this micthod of arguing, did extremely well without, on all occasions, namely-honesty.

Upon his return to Ziklag, he found that, during his absence, the Amalekites had made reprisals upon him-had burnt Ziklag, and had carried off all the women captives. But in the relation, there is one remark well worth noting, which is, that "they slew not any, either great or "smail:"+-so much more moderation had these poor Heathens in their just revenge, than the enlightened David in his unprovoked insult. If they came to avenge so savage an insult, it shewed great consideration in them to spare the innocent, the guilty being absent: if they only came on the common principle of plunder, the bare comparison of the different treatment of the sufferers, in each instance, speaks forcibly without amplification.Upon this misfortune, his band began to mutiny, and were on the point of stoning‡ him; when he, who knew how to soothe them, enquired of the Lord what he should do; and evaded their rage, by inspiring them with a resolution to pursue the Amalekites, and with the hopes of recovering all their losses. He, therefore, with four hundred Ver. 6.

• | Sam. xxx. 1.

+ Ver. 3.

picked men, set out on the pursuit, and by the way found a straggler who had fainted; after recovering him, they gained, by his means, intelligence of their rout. David came upon them unexpectedly, at a place where they were, without apprehension, regaling themselves after their success; and though David's men recovered all they had lost, together with other booty, and found their wives and children unhurt, yet could not their captain. resist so inviting an opportunity of gratifying his delight in bloodshedding: the pursuit and slaughter continued from the twilight (we know not whether of the morning or evening) of one day, until the evening of the next. None escaped but a party which rode upon camelst.

Of the spoil taken from these people David sent prescuts to the elders of his own tribe of Judah, "and to "all the places where David himself and his men were "wont to haunt," by which means he kept them at tached to his interest.

The dispute between the Philistine and Hebrew armies, did not terminate but by the defeat of the latter, the death of Saul, and of three of his sons §.

Such was the catastrophe of king Saul! a man advanced from the humble state of a shepherd, by the prophet Samuel, to be his deputy in the government of the Hebrew nation, under the spacious name of king: a man, who, allowing for the peculiar complexion of the people over whom he was placed, does not, on the whole, seem to suffer by comparison with any other king in the same history; or whose character appears to be stained with any conspicuous fault, except that he was one degree less cruel than his patron: and was disobedient enough to endeavour to be in effect, what he was only intended to be in name. On the whole, he appears to have been strangely irresolute and inconsistent with himself, and is perhaps represented more so than he might really have been. But the undertaking to render himself independent was an arduous task for one in his situation; therefore his ac

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tions and professions might sometimes disagree. Ilowever, it is impossible to argue from every expression that may be produced; we must form our judgment from leading events, and corresponding expressions, and determine as they tally with probability. If Saul himself, however he is represented as subscribing to it, was really assured of David's destination to supersede him by divine decree, there was nothing left for him but resignation: can man fight against God? Since, therefore, his continual aim was to destroy David, it argues against this assurance: and if Saul himself was mad, surely his soldiers were not: how came he to find an army as mad as himself, to persecute the Lord's anointed?

We shall now have an opportunity to observe the conduct of our hero in a regal capacity. The death of Saul facilitated his advancement to a sovereignty to which he had no pretension, either by the right of inheritance, which was claimed by Ish-bosheth, a remaining son of Saul, nor by popular election, which Saul himself had the show of: but by the clandestine appointment of an old prophet, which inspired him with hopes, of which, by arms and intrigue, he at length enjoyed the fruition.

David had returned to Ziklag but two days, when, on the third, there came to him an Amalekite, who officiously informed him of the event of the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines. He owned himself to be the person who killed Saul after his defeat, at his own request, he being already wounded. He hoped to be well rewarded for his news by David, whose intentions were so well known, that he presented him with Saul's crown and bracelet. But, alas! he knew not David, and perished in the experiment, David ordering him to be killed, for daring to slay the Lord's anointedt. David's treatment of this Amalekite is agreeable to the customary rules of politics; and has nothing therefore remarkable in it, farther than it is rendered so by peculiar circumstances. Saul was declared to be rejected by God, and David was the pretender to his throne; it may therefore be imagined by some, that this man might have had some claim to his