bill: (probably the most eminent and distinguished situation in the city) which hill *, faith Beda, overlook'd and commanded the whole town, and was therefore a fit place for the ark, which was quafi arx totius Ifraelis, the beauty and bulwark of Ifrael; and is it to be imagined, that David, who was fo remarkably folicitous (as was before observ'd) to find out a fit place for it, would be lefs careful to honour it with an advantageous fituation, than the men of Kirjath-jearim? especially when it appears from many paffages in the Pfalms, that he confidered God as the fortress or citadel, upon which, both his own fafety, and that of his city, depended.

Is it poffible to imagine, that all this had no meaning! that the example of GOD himfelf, and the practice of his people for fo many ages, was matter of no inftruction and direction to fo wife and fo religious a prince, in a point, which he had fo intirely at heart? Is this to be imagined, in a nation, accustomed to be instructed by emblems from the beginning?

In the last place, it appears evidently from the text, that, when David set about *This is Dr, Trapp's note.

removing

removing the ark, he purposed to remove it to himself; that is, his own dwelling in Sion: and it appears, with great evidence, that he dwelt in the fort; that is, the citadel: and as the ark had the first place in his care, it is not in any degree to be doubted, that it had the first place in his city, and in his citadel. The tabernacle, in David's estimation, was the palace of GOD (Lift up your heads, ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory fhall come in): and it could be no doubt with David, whether the palace of God should have the pre-eminence. Nothing could be a more natural or obvious emblem of the power and fuperintendence of Almighty GoD over all his works, than an elevated fituation of his tabernacle, his palace, and throne, over every thing that encompaffed it.

THE inference from 'all this inquiry, is plain and short. Jerufalem was the centre of union to all the tribes; and to this plainly refers, that paffage in the 122d Pfalm, Jerufalem is built as a city that is at unity in itself. For thither the tribes go up to worship There is the feat of judgment, &c. For brethren and companions fakes (that is, fort VOL. II.

my

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the

the common interest of the nation) I will wish thee profperity.

JERUSALEM, the great feat and centre of religion, and juftice, was the centre of union to all the tribes; the palace, the centre of the city; and the tabernacle, of the palace.

BLESSED and happy is that nation, whose prince is the centre of union to his people ; and GOD (that is, true religion) the common centre and cement both of people and prince!

THE indulgent reader will, I hope, pardon this digreffion, merely as it contains matter of fome little curiofity. It is not very tedious, and it pretends not to be very important.

CHAP. XIII.

A Differtation upon Dancing, in which DAVID'S Dancing before the Ark is examined, and vindicated.

T is well known, that David's dancing

before the ark hath long been matter of loud laughter with the libertine world, and a kind of filent shame with commentators, and

chriftian

christian writers, of all kinds; who seem to hang down their heads, as this proceffion of the ark paffes, in confufion for the king of Ifrael; fome of them, now-and-then, dropping a fhort word in his excufe; not one daring to publish one page in his vindication; and but one or two, that I know of, daring to quote one paffage from any ancient writer of note in his favour.

In this fituation of things, it may be thought a rash and arduous attempt, to adventure any vindication of his conduct in this point; and I have myself long thought it so; till much meditation upon the subject, and a more thorough and inlarged examination of the opinions and practice of the wisest and beft men, in the wifeft and beft ages, added to the precepts of God himself upon the point, thoroughly reconciled me, not only to the reasonablenefs, but to the wisdom and virtue of the practice; and encouraged me to offer my thoughts upon it, to the candid reader, in the natural order and arrangement, in which I found them, after long meditation, difposed in my mind.

IN the first place then, I found dancing mixed with the religious ceremonies of the Jews,

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Jews, from Mofes to David; practifed, and injoined by David, not reproved by Moses; practised by the most religious king, and by the fifter of the best and most religious lawgiver; and commanded, as I apprehend, by God himself *. And therefore the only inquiry, that naturally fell in my way upon the point, was, to examine, whether this appointment was worthy of God. And the first question necessary to determine this, was, to inquire, whether the action was fufficiently grave and ferious, or capable of being fuited to the purposes of religion.

IN anfwer to this, I foon fatisfied myself, that chearfulness and gayety of heart were, in many circumstances, as well fuited to the purposes of religion, as the most folemn gravity; otherwise God would not fo exprefly and fo repeatedly have commanded his people, to rejoice in their religious folemnities, before him.

* Inasmuch as the precept relating to this feftival, the feaft of tabernacles, Deut. xvi. 14. which we tranflate, Thou shalt rejoice in thy feaft, is in the letter of the original, Thou shalt rejoice in thy dance. And David's practice is, I think, the best comment upon the text; and, at the fame time, no bad proof that it was in this folemnity David danced; which he did not in the former.

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