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ments, and Saul heard him; —and judgments he denounced were demonftrably fuch, as none but GoD could denounce. And some men, that call themfelves critics, without attending to the text, the nature of the prophet's threats, or the reafon of his appearance, fay, it was not Samuel that did all this, but fome impoftor, or fome evil fpirit; and they fay this upon the idleft reasons that ever were urged; reafons, that have already been abundantly confuted and expofed. And can it yet be made a queftion, which we fhall believe?

I HAVE but two obfervations to annex: The firft is; That the fon of Sirach, who feems to have had as much wisdom, penetration, and piety, as any critic that came after him, is clearly of opinion with the facred hiftorian, that it was Samuel himself, who foretold the fate of Saul and his houfe in this interview. And it is no ill prefumption, that his judgment was alfo that of the Jewish church upon this head.

THE next is; That whereas it hath been made a question, Whether the Jews had any belief of the immortality of the foul? this history is a full decifion upon that point: and, perhaps, the establishment of that truth upon the foot of fenfible evidence, was not the lowest end of Samuel's appearance upon this occasion,

CHAP,

CHA P. XXIV.

David goes with Achish to the Rendef vous of the Philiftine Army at Aphek. The Philiftine Lords would fuffer him to go no farther. What enfued thereupon.

T is now time to return to DAVID.

IT

WE may easily apprehend, to what streights. he was reduced, upon Achifh's infifting, that he must go with him against Saul; he was now under a neceflity either of warring against his country, or betraying his benefactor. The alternative was, indeed, distressful: but it is easy to see how a man of honour must determine himself under it. His prince had banished and outlawed him, innocent; and his people had joined in the fentence. Nevertheless, he continued, as long as he could, not only not to injure either, but even to be beneficent to both. To be merciful and long-fuffering, to repay cruelty with tenderness, and bafenefs with beneficence, he well knew was the nobleft character and resemblance of the Divinity; but it is His only to be unwearied in well doing!

DAVID Would have ftill been beneficent, if he could; but the times would not let him: and therefore when things were brought to that extremity, that either he must fight against a

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people who had made him their enemy, or betray a prince that had protected him in distress, he had no choice left. He owed Achifh allegiance, (for protection exacts allegiance) but he owed Saul none; and there is no doubt but he was determined to pay his debt. And therefore I cannot help thus far crediting the account JoSephus gives us of this matter, that he promised Achifh his aid; and affured him, he would take this occafion to requite his kindness the beft he could. He promised him, fays Grotius, as Themiftocles did the Perfons, εκών, αέκοντί γε θυμῷ.

-That he promised him unwillingly, I have no doubt; and I can have none, that he promifed him faithfully. The author of the viith pfalm could not act in another manner, and at the fame time make fo folemn an appeal to God for his integrity. (And what if this pfalm were written in vindication of himself from fome calumny raised of him upon this head?) O Lord my God, if I have done any fuch thing, or if there be any fuch wickedness in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that dealt friendly with me: yea, I have delivered him, that without any cause is mine enemy. The man that could fave Saul, could not betray Achish.

AND here I must once more obferve, upon Mr. Bayle's fingular candour: He is very angry with David for deceiving Achish, where the deceit was no way injurious; and, in the next breath, falls foul upon him, for refolving to be faith

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faithful where infidelity had, in all probability, been fatal to his benefactor.

THIS We know, the person of the king was committed to David's truft and care; for, when he marched, we find it was in the rear, attending upon the king's perfon.

ACHISH Could be no ftranger to the inviolable reverence which David had paid to the regal character; and therefore, probably, thought he thould be fafer in his keeping, than if he committed himself to his own people, who do not seem to have had altogether fo great a veneration for him. And David, doubtless, would gladly content himself with discharging that truft; avoiding, as much as he could, to engage in the carnage of his countrymen; or, perhaps, as he now perfectly understood the interefts of both countries, he had some scheme of accommodation to propose, which might, for the present, adjuft and determine their dif pute. Befides all this, Jonathan was in the adverfe army: let the generous reader ask his own heart, whether David might not have a fecret pleasure, in the prospect, in the possibility, of faving his friend's life in the day of battle.

BUT, whatever his purposes were, it pleased God to deliver him out of all his difficulties, by infpiring the Philiftine lords with fuch a jealoufy of him, as made them abfolutely refufe to go to battle with him; in reality, perhaps, from fecret envy and indignation, to fee him thus honourably diftinguifhed by their prince; bút profcffedly,

profeffedly, upon a fufpicion, that he might purchafe his reconciliation with Saul, at the price of betraying them to him, or joining against them in a critical juncture. Nor was their apprehenfion without appearance of reafon : for fo their Hebrew affociates (whether flaves or fubjects, I cannot fay) ferved them, in the battle fo happily (if not miraculously) begun by Jonathan and his armour-bearer (1 Sam. xiv.). And, doubtless, it was in memory of this, that, feeing David and his men marching with Achifh, they asked the king, What do thefe Hebrews here? At which Achish, furprised, and wondering they fhould not know this man, and his importance, cried out, That it was David, the fervant of Saul. Could they be strangers to David, and his merits, who had been fo long with him, and behaved himself fo well?

THEY knew very well who he was, and gave their king to understand as much they knew that he was king-elect of the land, and more fet by than even Saul himself; and therefore it was fo much the more dangerous to trust him. This was right reafoning.

IT is truc, David had too much honour to betray his benefactor; and knew Saul too well to think of any fcheme of reconciliation with him, or to trust to the influence any benefaction could have upon him; and therefore neither policy nor honour could allow him to go into any schemes prejudicial to the intereft of Achish. But the Philiftine lords might fee all this in another light very probably, they heard of Da

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