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the coward; but devoured all alike: that he must make his battle stronger; and persevere in affaulting the city, till he took it. And fo the matter ended.

WHOEVER reads the account of this affair in the original relation, will eafily be led to make this plain obfervation upon it; That David was wont to conduct himself in his wars, by the examples of the good or ill fuccefs of the captains of his own nation, (in former ages) according to their good or ill conduct. And therefore it was, that Joab apprehended, he should be upbraided, for suffering his men to come within the reach of the enemies arrows from the wall, with the example of Abimelech's fate, who fell, as Pyrrhus did, (and, what is pretty extraordinary, in a city of the fame name) by a like inftance of rashness -2 Sam. xi. 19, 20, 21. And therefore Joab charged the messenger, faying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king, and if fo be that the king's wrath arife, and he fay unto thee, Wherefore approached ye fo nigh unto the city, when ye did fight? Knew ye not, that they would shoot from the wall? Who fmote Abimelech the fon VOL. III.

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of ferubbefbeth? Did not a woman caft a piece of a milftone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? Why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy fervant Uriah the Hittite is dead alfo.

As I have long been of opinion, that the Greeks borrowed most, if not all their mythology from the facred hiftory, the scheme of this work will, I hope, bear me out, in adding, that the fable of Bellerophon is, I think, founded upon the story of Uriah.

BELLEROPHON, who, as fome scholiafts think, fhould be read Boulepheron (a councilcarrier) was a stranger at the court of Pretus, as Uriah (being a Hittite) was at the court of David. He declined the embraces of Sthenobaea, as Uriah did the bed of Bathfheba; and was for that reafon sent to Jobates, general of Prætus's army, with letters, which contained a direction to put him to death as Uriah was fent to Joab, David's general. And was fent by Jobates, with a small guard, upon an attack, in which it was intended he should be flain; as Uriah was by Joab, to that in which he fell. The main of the history is the fame in both and the variations, fuch, as might naturally be

expected in fabulous imbellishments. Hence it is that the mythologift, not being tied to truth, thought himself bound, in point of poetic justice, to deliver the virtue of Bellerophon from the evil intended him and fo his history ends happily in this world; as, I doubt not, Uriah's does in the next.

CHA P. II.

DAVID takes Bathsheba to his house, and makes her his wife. GOD fends Nathan the prophet to rebuke him, and denounce the divine vengeance upon his guilt.

HEN Bathsheba heard, that Uriah

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her husband was dead, the mourned for him, according to the custom of her country which is generally supposed to be, by the keeping of a faft for feven days fucceffively; eating nothing each day, till the fun was fet. And when her mourning was over, David fent and took her to his house; and she became his wife, and bare him a fon,

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fon, the iffue of his criminal commerce with her.

IT cannot be denied, that there was a manifeft indecency in David's taking BathSheba to be his wife, fo foon after her husband's death. And fome think her compliance a proof of her indifference and difregard for her husband.

THIS Conduct will, however, bear this excufe, that they were anxious to hide the infamy of their commerce; and to effect that, no time was to be loft.

If Bathsheba concealed; at And if she

miscarried, their guilt was least, could not be proved. came to her full time, it was easy to pretend fhe came before it; at least so far as to screen her from any criminal procefs which could not be done, had the marriage been delayed. And in this cafe, Bathsheba may be pardoned the facrificing not only decency, but even a real esteem and affection for her husband, to the neceffary care of her own fame and life. Prefumptions indeed lay against them; and, in all appearance, this whole affair could now be no longer a real fecret. It paffed through too many hands; and is but too probable, that

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David's, Bathsheba's, and Joab's meffengers, were in effect privy to it. And the birth of a child begotten in the time of Uriah's abfence, the notoriety of that abfence, and his subsequent abstinence from Bathsheba's bed, ftrongly published both the guilt, and the infamy, to the thinking part of the world, however it might be disguised to others. David was too knowing, not to be fufficiently conscious of all this; and too honourable, and too confcientious, not to feel the inherent, and fubfequent ftings of guilt, and infamy, deep at his heart. But what should he do? Could he publish his own shame? Could he proclaim his own infamy? Private penitence was all that was in his power; and that could make no reparation for the public fcandal, which he had brought upon the religion and people of God; which yet would be more public, and much more notorious, if he himself proclaimed it: and after all, poffibly the fecret was yet but in a few hands.

In this rack of conscience, and distraction of distress, the Providence of GOD feafonably and mercifully interpofed and the LORD fent Nathan the prophet to David, to admonish him of his guilt, and to bring

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