I hope, find fome amusement; the ferious, fomething more than entertainment; and the truly religious, folid fatisfaction. Major rerum nunc nafcitur ordo. A series of greater scenes now opens to our view ; attended with greater objections to the character of DAVID, and more difficulty to remove them: all which naturally fend a thinking writer to the Father of lights, and Fountain of wisdom, for aid and direction in fo great an undertaking.

Thou therefore---O SPIRIT, that doft prefer, Before all temples, th' upright heart and pure, Inftruct me; for thou knowst.

--- What in me is dark,--

Illumin; what is low, raise and support: That, to the height of this great argument, I may affert eternal Providence,

And justify the ways of GOD with Men.

AN

DAVID goes to Hebron, and is electe l King by the Tribe of Judah.

W

HEN David had given a due time to his grief for Jonathan, and mourning for Saul, he then

applied himself to that GOD, who had appointed him to the kingdom, to know when and by what means he should best be put in poffeffion of it: And being directed by GoD to go up to Hebron, a city of Judah, he went thither, with his two wives, (Abi

VOL. II.

B

noam

noam and Abigail) and whole houshold; as did all his followers with theirs; and dwelt in that and the adjacent cities.

HEBRON was fituate in the midft of

the tribe of Judah, on the top of a ridge of high mountains, equally famed for fruits, herbage, and honey: Mr. Sandys feems to have furveyed the whole region round it, with uncommon rapture; and the very learned and accurate Dr. Shaw hath confidered it with fingular care and attention: He obferves of that region, that it is admirably fitted for olives, and vineyards, and, in many parts, for grain and pasture; and confequently, for the continuance of that blef fing upon Judah in his lot, his eye shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. may judge of the value of this mountain, when we reflect that it was given to Caleb as a peculiar favour and reward of his fidelity to GOD, (Jof. xiv. 13. and 14.) and of its fruitfulness, by the numbers it fupported; for it was a principal part of that mountainous region of Judah, which, in the reign of Jehoshaphat, mustered seven hundred and fourfcore thousand mighty men of valour, 2 Chron, chap. xvii. ver. 14, 15 and 16.

We

THIS

THIS then feems to be a region peculiarly fitted for the reception of David and his men, with lefs inconvenience to the country: for there they might then dwell (as Dr. Shaw tells us the inhabitants do now) in greater numbers, and with greater advantages for here (faith he, p. 368.) they themselves have bread to the full, whilst their Cattle browse upon a richer herbage, and both of them are refreshed by springs of excellent water, &c.

BESIDES this, Hebron had also other advantages; it was a levitical, priestly, and patriarchal city; venerable for the fepulchres of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; and, as tradition adds, of Adam alfo *; and upon all these accounts long reputed, as it is at this day, even by the Turks, holy †; and honoured with the title of the chofen, or beloved. GOD had before appointed it for the refi

*It was confeffedly one of the moft antient cities in the world. Mofes tells us, (doubtless with a view of refuting the fabulous antiquity of the Egyptians) that it was built feven years before Zoan in Egypt, (Numb. xiii. 22.) which was the capital of Pharaoh, at that time; for there Mofes wrought his miracles, Pfal. lxxviii, 12.

+ Helena, the mother of Conftantine the great, built here a goodly temple, over the cave of Macpelab, now converted to a mofque, and the cave continually lighted with lamps.

B 2

dence

dence of his favourite fervants; and it was now peculiarly fitted for the reception of David; as being the metropolis of his tribe, and the poffeffion of those priestly families who favoured his intereft, as their duty to GOD required they should. His anointment to the regal office by Samuel had long fince ceased to be a fecret; and GOD's late more immediate defignation of him to it, declared by the mouth of the fame prophet at Endor, was doubtless by this time fufficiently known; and the determination of the metropolis in his favour would naturally be of great weight to influence the whole tribe. Nor were other inducements wanting, to engage them to concur in the fame refolution. It was natural for them to prefer one of their own family; Jacob had long fince predicted the establishment of the fovereignty in the tribe of fudah; David was of that tribe, beyond all difpute, elected, and appointed to fucceed Saul; and what had they to do, but to concur with the predeterminations of Providence in his favour? And accordingly we find, that he was quickly elected to the fovereignty of that tribe: and the men of Judah (faith the text) came, and there

they