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feekeft to deftroy a city, and a mother in Ifrael -Why wilt thou fwallow up the inheritance of the Lord? Upon which Joab, ftruck with the horror of fuch imputed cruelty, eagerly cries out Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up, or destroy He then added, that all he proposed was, to chastife a rebel, Sheba the fon of Bichri, who had taken fanctuary in that city; and that, if he were delivered up, the fiege fhould immediately ceafe, and the city be left unmolested. Upon the receipt of this anfwer, the matron went, in her wif dom, (fays the text) and laid the matter fo effectually before her people, that, to clear themselves from the imputation of rebellion, they did more even than Joab defired: they immediately ordered Sheba's head to be cut off, and thrown over the wall, to Joab; who, upon feeing it, commanded a retreat to be founded that inftant, quitted the city, difmiffed his people to their several homes, and returned to Jerufalem, to the king; and returned with the weight of fo much merit and popularity, as effectually covered his murder of Amafa, from all attempts of inquiry or chastisement. The crime (as Florus

and not

expreffes it) was within the glory only fo, but reinftated him, likewife, in the fupreme command over the army.

THUS did it feem good to the Divine Wif dom, to permit Joab's unruly ambition, and impetuous cruelty, at one time, separate from all fenfe of duty, and, at another, joined to it, to punish the guilt of four notorious rebels, in fucceffion, with dreadful deaths! two of them, indeed, treacherous and sudden; but all, in the retributions of Providence, judicial, and just.

HERE ended Abfalom's rebellion, and Sheba's, which rofe from the ruins of it: but the contest between the tribes, which occafioned it, was not, we may well imagine, yet intirely laid: and therefore David, as I apprehend, wrote and published the hundred and thirty-third Pfalm, about this time, to compofe it. It is one of the shortest of all his works, and confifts but of four verses +: yet, fhort

* Abner, Abfalom, Amafa, and Sheba.

+ Behold how good and joyful a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

2. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down unto the beard, even unto Aaron's beard, and went down to the skirts of his cloathing.

3. Like

fhort as it is, it contains an exhortation to unity, beginning in the prince, and diffused through the people, illuftrated by two images, the most apt and beautiful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are confidered as badies politic, of which the king is the head, and the people, in their feveral ranks and orders, the parts and members. A spirit of union beginning upon the prince, whose person is facred, is like oil poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends, and spreads itself over all the parts of the body, and diffuses beauty and fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the skirts of the garment. Oil is, without queftion, the finest emblem of union that ever was conceived! It is a fubstance confisting of very small parts, which yet, by their mutual adhesion, constitute one uniform, well united, and useful body. The facred oil carries the idea, and the advantage, of union yet further; which being extracted from various fpices, yet made up one well cohering and more valuable compound. The next image carries the exhorta

3. Like as the dew of Hermon, which fell upon the bill of Sion.

4. For there the Lord promifed his bleffing, and life for evermore.

tion to union, and the advantages of it, yet higher.

HERMON was the general name of one mountain, comprehending many leffer and lower hills, under the furround of a greater. Union, in any nation, is the gift of God; and therefore unity among brethren, beginning from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which, falling firft upon the higher fummit of Hermon, (refreshing and enriching, where-ever it falls) naturally defcends to Sion, a lower; and thence, even to the humble valleys.

SION was the centre of union to all the tribes; there GOD himself had promised his people reft, and peace from their enemies; which, however, were of little value without union and harmony among themfelves.

CHA P.

CHA P. XV.

Judea is vifited with a Famine. The Caufe of the Divine Wrath. The Means and Method appointed to appeafe it. Mr. Chubb's Charge against DAVID, upon this Head, confidered and refuted.

A

BOUT this time there arofe a famine in Judea, which continued three years. It is very poffible, that, for the first year, David might have afcribed this calamity to Abfalom's rebellion; which, by diverting the people from their wonted induftry, and cutting off many of their la bouring hands, left the country, for fome time, uncultivated: the natural confequence of which was, a fcarcity of corn. But as this rebellion was of fhort continuance, and the famine long outlafted all the natural effects of it, David could not long hesitate, to afcribe it to fome other caufe. But however, as he had, in the true spirit of a provident ruler, erected granaries and ftorehouses,

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