they anointed David king over the house of Judah; 2 Sam. ii. 4. Whether they did this with more dispatch, to influence the determinations of the other tribes in his favour; or whether it was delayed, until their difpofitions were founded upon the point, is no-where faid. This is certain, that one tribe's acting feparate, and independent of the reft, was of dangerous example; nor could any thing but the divine authority justify it; and therefore it is not probable, that this ftep was taken, until all other expedients for an unanimous election failed. And here began the divifion of the kingdom, fo lately predicted by Samuel.

WHILST David continued at Hebron, there was a continual refort of people to him from all the tribes, who gradually fell off from the house of Saul, and owned him for their fovereign; amounting in the whole (but we may prefume not until after the death of Ishbofheth, his competitor) to three hundred forty-eight thoufand eight hundred armed men. At that time (faith the text, 1 Chron. xii. 22, &c.) day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great boft, like the hoft of God. And as the or

der in which they came is fet down, we find those of Judah, as it was natural, first; thofe of Simeon next (for their inheritance, we are told, was within the inheritance of the children of Judah *); the Levites and Aaronites after them; then came a detachment from the house of Benjamin, (which bordered immediately upon Judah) but in a fmaller number (three thousand only); for as yet the multitude of them, faith the text, (that is, the greatest number) kept the ward of the house of Saul. However, fo confiderable a defertion from that tribe feems to have greatly encouraged all the reft; for thofe that followed, came in in vastly greater numbers.

THE first account we hear of David after the election of his tribe, is his kind meffage to the men of Jabefh Gilead, for their heroic humanity, in rescuing and burying the bodies of Saul and his fons, which the Philistines had faftened to the walls of Bethfhan. The men of Jabesh could not forget the great deliverance which Saul had wrought for them, in the beginning of

* Fib. xix.

his

his reign, when he refcued them from the cruelty of Nahash the Ammonite (1 Sam. ii.); and therefore they now thought themselves bound in gratitude to rescue him and his fons, as far as in them lay, from the indignities they endured from the hands of the Philistines. The valiant men arose (faith the text, 1 Sam. xxxi. 12, 13.) and went all night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his fons, from the wall of Bethskan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt* them there; and they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fafted feven days. They travelled at least ten miles

night, through a rough country, in the posfeffion of their enemies, paffed the Jordan, and took these bodies from the walls (from within the town †) of a powerful and hostile city; and returned the fame night, burnt and buried their remains, and mourned seven days for them, fafting every day until night.

THIS heroic inftance of gratitude and humanity, David thought himself obliged to recognize in a distinguished manner; and

* As the custom was in case of a plague, Amos vi. 10. probably because they were now in an infectious ftate. + 2 Sam. xxi. 12, from the street of Bethsban.

therefore, as foon as he heard it, he fent meflengers to congratulate them upon it, with prayers for the divine bleffing in requital of their gratitude and affection to their fovereign; and an affurance that he alfo would requite them: notifying at the fame time his advancement to the throne, by Judah; and exhorting them to fhew themfelves fons of valour, although their master SAUL was dead; intimating that he being now invested with the regal office, was ready to protect them, as Saul had done; perhaps too infinuating, that true fortitude required them to affert the caufe of justice, and leaving them to judge whofe that was.

WHAT effect this meffage had upon them, we know not; yet I think we may fairly conjecture it had a good deal; fince we find that upon this half tribe's joining with Reuben and Gad to come over to David, they made up together a body of an hundred and twenty thousand men.

Abner afferts Ifhbofheth's Claim to the Crown. The Battle of Gibeon.

Ο

NE of Saul's Sons yet furvived, whofe name was Iskbofheth, who being in all probability lefs martial than the reft, went not to the war; though now advanced to the age of ambition, and not pafs'd the ardour of youth, having reached his fortieth year, at the time of his father's death *, A man of this character would in all probability have easily refigned his claim to the crown, and submitted to David, had he not been afferted and supported by the power of Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's general, and near kinfman; whofe interest and ambition (and it may be, his envy alfo) ftrongly fwayed him against his duty. For it appears fufficiently from the fequel of his history, that he was well acquainted with David's divine defignation to the throne ; but, fhould he now fubmit to it, he must

*This fhews him to have been born in the first year of Saul's reign, who reigned forty years. Acts xiii. 21.

no