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related to the number of fore-skins required of David, they were, in effect, but fo many witneffes to fee Saul's purposes faithfully fulfilled.

DAVID knew all this very well ; yet did all this no way deter him from chearfully accepting the condition. Difficulty (faith a learned commentator * upon the text) doth but whet heroick fpirits: he now rejoiced, like Alexander, to find a danger equal to his spirit †; and at once, to prevent all poffibility of cavil, and do ampler honour to his fpouse, he doubled her dower ||. Nor will his doing fo, even under these circumstances, appear incredible, when we confider the account left us of Aurelian, by Flavius Vopiscus ** ; or the account of fome of David's worthies, in Scripture ; or the accounts tranfmitted to us by travellers of fome parts

* Dr. Trapp.

+ Periculum par animo.

That the cuftom of paying dowries for wives, obtained among the Jews, appears from Gen. xxxiv. 12. and Exod. xxii. 16, 17.

**He tells us, that the emperor Aurelian flew a thou fand Sarmatians, in one fingle war, with his own hands.

tt 1 Chron. xi. 11. 20. 11. Jabobeam an Hachmonite be lift up his fpear against three hundred, flain by him at one time. Ver.20. Abilhai he was chief of the three; for lifting up his fpear against three hundred, he flew them.

of Africa, where no man is allowed to give quarter to an enemy, until he hath an hundred of fuch trophies to produce in teftimony of his valour * ; which their wives wear, and make account of, as of their most valuable ornaments.

THIS reasoning feems alfo confirmed by the letter of the text, which tells us, that David arofe and went, he and his men, and few of the Philistines two hundred men, &c. Where it is obfervable, that the word flew is of the fingular number; which seems to imply, that this flaughter was his own act.

THE fame conclufion is alfo to be fairly collected from the subsequent verfe ; for when we are told, that Saul now gave him Michal his daughter to wife, it is immediately added, that Saul faw and knew that the Lord was with David. This he had reafon to conclude, from the extraordinary deliverance wrought in his favour, in the fucceffive conqueft of two hundred enemies by his own hand whereas, had this been effected by the affiftance of a thousand affociates, there had surely been nothing extraordinary in it.

* Mandelfo, p. 213.

AND

AND here I cannot but reflect, with united grief and horror, upon the loft condition of Saul's mind at this time. He faw and knew the band of God in the extraordinary preservation of David, and yet he perfifted to pursue his ruin.

To all this may be added, that Saul's fear and hatred of David, which, the text tells us, were increased on this occafion, are a further and full confirmation of the fame truth; inasmuch as the flaughter of two hundred men by the hands of a thoufand, within the limits of a proper space of time, had neither been matter of envy or enmity to Saul, who had himself atchieved far greater exploits.

NOTWITHSTANDING the imminent danger David now ran, there is no question but Saul would still have been glad of fome pretence for not performing his promise: but the stipulation being fo publick, and repeated, it was impoffible to elude it.

HOWEVER, David's danger ended not here Saul eafily forefaw, that this dowry of David's would naturally excite the enmity of the whole Philiftine nation against him, as it quickly did; for the Philistine force;

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now affembled and warred against Ifrael.

And I believe it will be matter of no doubt with the thinking reader, at whom their vengeance was chiefly aimed. Had Saul gone out against them in perfon on this occafion, there is no doubt but he had been a joint object of their refentment. But there is no reason from the text, to believe that he did; and I think it probable, that he chose rather to let David stand the fingle mark of their fury but to no purpofe; for David's fuccefs and reputation always increased with his danger: David (fays the text) behaved himfelf more wifely than all the fervants of Saul, So that his name was much fet by.

If it be asked why Saul required a dower of fore-skins, rather than of heads, the anfwer is obvious; heads would have made no diftinction between Jews and Philistines: and Saul, whofe fufpicions were all awake, furmifed to himself, that David, in that cafe, might flay an hundred of his fubjects, and bring theirs, inftead of Philiftines heads; and therefore he required fo many fore-skins, which the Ifraelites had not, that he might be fure he killed fo many enemies. And therefore Jofephus, who

changes

changes the condition from fore-skins to heads, hath, with great fubmiffion, very injudiciously departed from the facred text.

THERE is one obvious inference from this account, and that is, that the Philiftine nation had not yet practifed the rite of circumcifion.

CHAP. VIII.

Saul's Perfecutions continued. David's fignal Deliverances.

A

ND now Saul's deteftation of David

could no longer be kept within the bounds of fecret machinations, but broke out into outrage, infomuch that he communes both with his fon and fervants to destroy him; or, to speak in the style of Tacitus, he difclofed his wicked purpose; and, for that reafon, could not execute it *.

SURELY nothing could be more providential for David, than that Jonathan was let into the fecret: this faithful friend

* Detexit facinus, fatuus, & non implevit. F 4

foon

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