was now reftored to his capital, with as much pomp, magnificence, and general joy, as he had lately been driven from it, with grief, dejection, and distress.

CHA P. XIV.

A Contest arifes between the Tribes about reftoring the King: A Rebellion enfues: Amafa is commanded by DAVID to quell it, but murdered by Joab: Sheba the Leader of the Rebellion takes Refuge in Abel Maacah, where he is befieged by Joab. A wife Matron intercedes for the City.

TH

HE joy of David's restoration was not however without its alloy it feems, the people of Judah had taken their refolution of restoring the king, without taking advice, or concerting any measures, with the other tribes, upon that head; and accordingly having fixed upon Gilgal, on

this fide Jordan, for the place of their meeting, they affembled themselves there, on the day appointed; paffed the river, and waited in a body upon the king; and conducted him back over the river, as far as Gilgal, in conjunction with half the people of Ifrael; probably made up of those If raelites who first joined him at Mahanaim, and those who were afterwards deputed by the tribes to invite him home.

Ar Gilgal they were met by the other half of the Ifraelites, who also intended to have croffed the river, and paid their duty to the king; but finding that the tribe of Judah were beforehand with them, they resented the flight put upon them; and being joined and supported in their resentments, by the rest of their brethren, who had re-conducted the king, in conjunction with Judah, they all, with one voice, warmly expoftulated with the king upon it; demanded why their brethren, the men of Judah, had ftolen him away, and brought the king and his houfhold over Jordan, without advice first had with them? To which the men of Judah answered, That as the king was of their tribe, their brethren of

Ifrael had no reason to resent their warmer zeal in his favour; that, for the rest, they had acted from no felfish or mercenary views, that they had received no gratuity from him, nor fo much as eaten of his meat. The Ifraelites replied, that they had ten parts in the king, and consequently more right to be confulted, upon a point of fo much consequence.

THIS was a natural conteft, between greater power, and nearer relation; both claim a preference, which both cannot have; and which thofe of nearer relation fhould have yielded, both in point of prudence, and affection for their friend, which the men of Judah did not. In all difputes it is natural for the party injured, to be more angry ; and therefore they who are in the wrong often affume that character, by fupplying from paffion, whatever is wanting to them, in point of reason and argument, as the tribe of Judah did now; for the text informs us, that the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Ifrael. This naturally inflamed the contention, and it foon grew fo hot, that Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, took the advantage of

it,

it, to kindle a new flame in the nation. He blew the trumpet, and cried out, We have no part in David, neither have we any inberitance in the fon of Jeffe-Every man to bis tent, O Ifrael. Upon this the men of Ifrael ran again into rebellion, forfook their king, and followed Sheba ; but the tribe of Judah clave to him, and attended him from Jordan to Jerufalem.

WHEN he entered the city, poor Mephibofheth came to meet him, with all the enfigns of forlorn distress, both in his garb and perfon; for he had utterly neglected both, from the day the king was driven from his capital. Far from acting the part of a plotter against his fovereign, his concern for him was manifefted by all the marks of a fincere, undiffembled affliction; eftranged not only from joy, but even from indulgence in the common conveniences of life: his beard was untrimmed, his cloaths unwashed, and his poor infirm feet undreffed, that whole time. David called to him, and asked him, Why he had not attended him at his departure from Jerufalem? To which that upright, open-hearted fon of Jonathan anfwered; My lord, O king, my

fervant deceived me; for thy fervant said, I will faddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king, because thy fervant is lame--- Here his grief (or rather, a righteous indignation to find himself traduced and fufpected) choaked his words, and broke the chain of his discourse. And it was with difficulty he seems to have added,

and he hath flandered thy fervant unto my lord the king. But my lord the king is as an angel of God; do therefore what is good in thine eyes. For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet didft thou fet thy fervant among them that did eat at thine own table : What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

And the king faid unto him, Why Speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have. faid, thou and Ziba divide the land.

THE reader will eafily perceive, from this answer of David, that he faw Mephibofbeth's innocence, (and found himself upbraided by it) and the error of his own former credulity; and therefore could not bear to hear of it: but he had now no time to difcufs the matter more fully, and there

fore