THOSE Valiant men of Manaffeh, who fell in with David, upon his return from Achifh, being excellent foldiers and leaders, and less fatigued than the rest of his forces, were of great fervice to him on this occafion.

WHAT crowned the fuccefs, was, that David and all his men recovered every man their wives and children, and every thing they had loft, together with all the plunder the enemy had taken elsewhere, vaft flocks and herds of cattle, which they now separated from their own; and, in honour of their leader, (now repenting of their late infolence) diftinguished by the name of David's Spoil.

THIS fuccefs will, upon enquiry, appear fo extraordinary, and so astonishing, that it is not easy to account for it, otherwise than from the peculiar fuperintendence of Providence over David, and his concerns; and David himself was fully perfuaded it was fo it is in this perfuafion he cries out, at the xviiith pfalm, It is God that girdeth me with ftrength of war: --He maketh my feet

1

like bart's feet; He teacheth mine hands to fight, and mine arm shall break even a

bow

bow of fteel:

Thou haft made mine enemies

to turn their backs upon me.

THE peculiar interpofition of providence is seen in every circumftance of this adventure; the number, the perfeverance,

the iffue.

THAT they might not think their number did the work, GoD reduced them to four hundred, as he did Gideon's company to three (Judges, ch. vii.): and therefore, when he commanded David to pursue, he in effect said to him, what he said before to Gideon; Arife, get thee down unto the hoft; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

MANY others have been as fortunate in furprizing, and as fuccessful in flaughtering their enemies but to have strength both for the carnage and pursuit for fo many hours together, is altogether extraordinary. But what is yet more extraordinary, is, that he should recover all the captives unhurt, out of the hands of a people so abandoned and fo execrable as the Amalekites !

SOME imagine, that thefe mifcreant Amalekites, being poor, fpared their captives from a profpect of profiting greatly by the fale of them but others, with more reason,

:

think they only refpited their cruelty, to execute it to more advantage at their leisure. For my own part, I fhall pronounce nothing upon the matter: I have no distinct and particular idea of their avarice, but I think I have a very clear one of their cruelty; and I am perfuaded, they fpared their captives, from inveterate malice.

How beautiful a contemplation is it, to obferve the fignal goodness of GOD, and malignity of man, co-operating to the fame end !

I SHALL add only this fhort obfervation, that two points are clear'd from this relation: The firft is, that the Cherethites were Philistines * ; the second, that the Amalekites were enemies to the Philistines, And therefore, however David might have acted befide the intentions of his benefactor, yet he certainly did not act against his interest in destroying them.

As David returned, thofe of his forces who were too faint to follow him, being now recovered, went out to meet him; and he faluted them as became the common father of his people, and enquired kindly of

1 Sam. xxx. 14, 16.

their health. Which fome ill men of his attendants interpreting as an indication of kindness, immediately cried out, That they fhould have no part of the enemy's spoil, but be content with the recovery of what they had loft. This inhuman and iniquitous declaration David quickly controlled with a proper authority, tempered with fingular piety, and well-judged calmnefs; Ye shall not do fo, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hands. He then pronounced, That they who went down to battle, and they who ftaid behind to guard the goods and provifions of the army, fhould share alike in the enemy's spoil: well knowing, that there was as much merit in contributing to fave a citizen, as to deftroy an enemy; and that those who now ftaid behind, had no other demerit, than that of a weaker conftitution.

CHALCOCONDYLAS tells us (lib. 5.), that the Pifidians went further, and gave part of the spoil to those who ftaid at home, and guarded the houses: And God himfelf appointed half to those who staid at

home

home in the war with Midian (Numb. cb. xxxi.).

THIS determination of David's became a law among the Ifraelites, from that day, to the time that this history was written : and we have reason to believe, that it lasted, after this, as long as the Jewish polity did, and was restored with it, and is generally understood to have been practised by the Maccabees (2 Maccab. ch. 8.).

I HAVE already obferved, that as David returned from the Amalekite carnage, the foldiers feparated the hoftile flocks and herds, and called them David's Spoil: and we find by the fequel, that they made-good their words. For when David returned to Ziklag, he fent prefents to all his friends that had protected and entertained him in his exile, whether in Judea, or out of it. And from the account of this matter left us in the facred text, it appears, that David had, in his exile, fojourned in many places, whither the facred hiftorians did not think fit to trace him.

I SHOULD be glad to learn, from any candid reader, in what light this conduct of David's appears to him. I freely own, that,