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allowed the expreffion) to be raised to a crown: although, poffibly, this injury to Joab might have been, in fome measure, an artifice, to prevent the king's suspicion of their combination, and Joab's too great attachment to the intereft of his fon.

As to Abfalom's refolution of being brought 'to the king, even at the hazard of his life; it seems to be much less the effect of fortitude, than prefumption upon his father's fondness. Amnon's most heinous injury to Tamar, being irreparable, well deserved death. And Abfalom well knew, his father would not be extreme, for punishing it, as it deferved, out of form. The provocation was too grievous, not to excufe great irregularity in revenging it; especially not to exexceedingly beloved.

cuse it, in a son, so

And therefore Abfalom might fafely offer himself as a victim to his father's vengeance, fecure not to be facrificed to it.

СНАР.

CHA P. VII.

DAVID falls fick about this time. A Digreffion, fhewing, that his Diftemper was, probably, the Small-pox.

HAT David, at fome part of his

TH

life, was afflicted with a grievous diftemper, which he confidered as the chastisement of GOD upon him for his fins, feems fufficiently evident, from many paffages in his Pfalms, particularly, xxxviii *, xxxix. xl. and xli. That this calamity fell upon him about the time that a dangerous and rebellious confpiracy was formed against him, appears from the fame Pfalms. And forafmuch as we hear of no more than one confpiracy of that kind formed against him, it follows, that his fickness fell upon him about this time. And that his diftemper was that which is now known to us, under

* O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chaften me in thy hot difpleafure.

Ver. 2. For thine arrows stick faft in me, and thy band prefeth me fore.

+ Ver. 4. Ifaid, Lord, be merciful to me heal my foul; for I have finned against thee.

the

the name of the Small-pox, is (as I conceive) very probable, from the fame Pfalms.

PSAL. xxxviii. 3. There is no foundness in my flesh, &c.

5. My wounds ftink, and are corrupt.

7. My loins are filled with a fore disease (He was afflicted with violent pains in his back, or perhaps the weight of the distemper fell upon those parts) and there is no foundness in my flesh.

8. I am feeble and fore broken.

10. As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

11. My lovers and friends ftand aloof from my fore, and my kinsmen ftand afar off.

PSAL. XXXIX. 11. When thou with rebukes doft correct man for iniquity, thou makeft his beauty to confume away, like a moth, fretting a garment.

Now, I apprehend, that there is no other distemper, in which all these characters, univerfal foreness, and unfoundness of the flesh, corruption, ftench, temporary blindness, (for fuch David's was) and loss of beauty, are at once united, except the Small-pox particularly that lofs of beauty which is caused by reducing the skin into the

con

condition of a garment fretted by moths. And furely, never was distemper characterized by a clearer or more beautiful allufion and image, than this.

THIS will also be confirmed, by confidering that this was Job's diftemper; and that David found himself in the fame condition with Job.

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THAT this was Job's diftemper, (fuppofing it of the number of those known to us) is apparently clear, from that fingle character of it; that he was fmitten with boils, from the fole of his foot unto his crown*. The fame thing is also apparently clear, from another paffage, Job xix. 20. I am efcaped with the fkin of my teeth. His disease had stripped off all the rest of his skin, even that on the infide of his mouth; which fufficiently confirms it to have been the fmall-pox.

IN this distemper Job complains †, that GOD had made him to be forfaken of his companions and friends; that he compassed him with his archers; tore his reins, and blinded his eyes My skin is broken, and

Job ii. 7.

+ Job xvi. 7, &c.

become

:

become loathfome*; be, (that is, man) as a rotten thing, confumeth, as a garment that is moth-eaten. Thou haft made defolate all my company. My friends fcorn me . His archers compass me round about. He cleaveth my reins afunder My reins be confumed within me he breaketh me with breach upon breach. On my eye-lids is the fhadow of death. There are other circumstances (befides these last-mentioned) to prove this to have been Job's diftemper; but as my purpofe in recounting these, was only to fhew, that David's diftemper was the fame with his, I therefore recounted thofe only in which they both agreed.

Now the reader will find every one of these complaints, from the mouth of David, in the paffages now quoted, and referred to: and therefore I think it clear, that his difease was the fame with Job's'; that is, that it was (probably) the Small-pox; confe

*Job vii. 5.

+ Ibid. xvi. 7. || Ibid. ver. 20.

Now, befides the poetic beauty of this expreffion, there is also a propriety in it, every way expreffive of his condition in the mall-pox; which deferves carefully to be attended to. The blindnefs was not from any defect or diftemper in his eyes, but from the closing of his eye-lids.

quently,

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