was a brother who had done it. But hold

now thy peace, my fifter; he is thy brotherregard not this thing. But as all he could fay could not remedy the evil, neither could it relieve it; which feems fufficiently implied, in what the facred historian adds So Tamar continued difconfolate in her brother Abfalom's houfe. And, in all probability, fhe continued fo her whole life long; unmarried, and undone. And Amnon had the horror of reflecting, that for one moment's base and brutal indulgence, he had made his nearest kinswoman, an amiable and an innocent fifter, miferable to the last moment of her life.

How David refented this rape, we learn from the text; which informs us, that he was very wroth; but how he punished it, we 'know not. The truth is, it was to no purpofe for him to punish it legally, and hardly poffible to punish it equitably; inasmuch as that could not be done without at once expofing the infamy of his house, and cutting off the next heir of his crown. And how hard was it for a father to do this? especially a father who was partly acceffary to the guilt, by a very unguarded compliance with

his fon's irrational request. The legal punishment of a rape, upon a virgin unbetrothed, was a fine of fifty shekels of filver, to be paid to the father of the damfel, and an obligation upon the ravisher to take her to wife, without a power of divorce, Deut. xxii. 28, 29. The first of these penalties was infignificant in the cafe before us, and the second impracticable; because the marriage must be incestuous.

THIS cafe is also attended with another difficulty: The rape was committed in a city, and the damfel did not cry out; and in that cafe, I apprehend, the law of Deut. xxii. 23, 24. must be executed upon her. It is true, fhe was not a damfel betrothed, and therefore the letter of that law does not extend to her cafe; but the equity of it does, because the crime committed, and Tamar's offence against that law, was equally great, and Amnon's injury equally irreparable: consequently, had he been sentenced to death*, she must have fuffered with him; and therefore David could not punish him, as he ought, without involving her in his fate ;

* As he certainly must have been by the law of Levit. xx. 17. for uncovering his fifter's nakedness.

and

and I apprehend it to be a rule of equity, rather to let the guilty escape, than destroy the innocent and the injured.

BUT it may be asked, What becomes of the power of the Sanhedrim in that cafe? If that court was now in being, and David could protect Amnon from it, could he not as well have protected both himself and Bathsheba? Confequently, how did he lie under any neceffity of destroying Uriah, to fcreen either himself, or Bathsheba, from an infamous punishment?

I ANSWER, That fuppofing that court in being, and that Amnon could be punished by it as he deserved, and Tamar at the fame time acquitted, (which could not be, unless they could take upon them to dispense with a law of GoD) yet, what court takes cognifance of causes not brought before it? And how could this caufe come before it, when all the persons interested in the prosecution of it, were at leaft equally interested to conceal it; which was by no means the case in the affair of Bathsheba; whofe husband was a very confiderable man, (greatly provoked) and greatly allied, as will be feen hereafter. And therefore the two cafes are, in my

opinion,

opinion, very different: great, and, as I apprehend, infuperable difficulties, obftructed the course of justice, in Amnon's affair

HOWEVER, that guilt, which either human justice, or human infirmity, could not chastize as it deferved, the divine vengeance did.

ABSALOM, altho' grieved to the foul, for the injury done to his fifter, and refenting it to death, yet fo well diffembled his refentment, as not to take the leaft notice of it to Amnon. He carefully concealed his refentment, at once to hide his intention of revenge, and to make it fure; and hid it thus, for two whole years together; at the end of which he invited his father, and all his brethren, to the customary feftivity of a fheep-fheering: which David declined, on account of the unneceffary expence to which it muft put his fon. Then Abfalom begged, and preffed him again: Howbeit he would not go, faith the text; yet, to soften the refusal, he gave him his bleffing. Then Abfalom begged again, that Amnon (his elder brother, and heir apparent of the crown) might honour him with his prefence. This too David declined, for fome time; but being much preffed

preffed by Abfalom, (to whom he could not eafily refuse any thing) that he and the rest of his brethren might have leave to go with him, David at length confented; and they went accordingly.

ABSALOM, now determined to make fure of his revenge, directed fome fervants, in whom he could confide, to attend Amnon at the feaft, till the wine had raised his fpirits, and taken him off his guard; and then to be ready, as foon as he gave the word, to fmite and to flay him. They did as they were directed, and Amnon fell.

Thus did Abfalom, at one blow, revenge himfelf upon his fifter's ravisher, and rid himself of his rival in his father's favour, and only obstacle (as he apprehended) to his crown.

WHEN the fatal blow was given to Amnon, the rest of the king's fons, terrified at what they saw, started up from the table, seized every man his mule, and fled home as fast as they could. But faft as they fled, fame reached the palace before them, and told David, that Abfalom had deftroyed all

his fons.

THIS news, we may well imagine, threw the king into the utmost confternation: drove

him