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They are the effect of God's wrath, in David; they are the effects of the angry motion of Jupiter's right-hand, in Virgil.

Ir must also be owned, that Virgil's Jupiter, in a night of clouds, is very like David's Jehovah incompaffed with darkness in the waters of the clouds of heaven! In this, indeed, Jehovah has the advantage, that his glory cannot be wholly shrouded; fome gleams of it still flash out as he paffes, and dispel the

clouds.

I BEG to conclude with one short obfervation, and that is, that the painting in the 12th and 13th verses of this pfalm, is, to my imagination, by much the finest I ever faw in poetry: --- At the brightness. before him bis clouds paffed away, bail-ftones and coals of fire:

And the Lord thundered in the heavens, and the moft High gave his voice, bail-ftones and coals of fire. The poet was too transported to wait for auxiliary verbs, and connecting particles! The defcription is to me a noble picture, in which the gufts of hail and flashes of fire burst out from the clouds with as much spirit and force as in a real tempest,

It is now time to return and refume the thread of our history.

WHEN Saul found that David had entirely escaped the purfuers, he fummoned a council, (whether the Sanhedrim, or what is now understood by a Privy-Council, or a more General Council of the States, is hard to fay) that he might oppress him more fecurely under the fanction of their judgment they met accordingly, and made no fcruple to ratify the pleasure of their prince by their wicked decifions. This decifion, as Dr. Patrick thinks, and the title of the pfalm imports, is what David reproves in the 1st verse of the lviiith pfalm: Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do ye judge uprightly, O ye fons of men?

FROM David's calling them the congregation, it is probable, that this was a General Council of the people; and from this time all Saul's attempts and machinations against David had all the warrant and authority of publick national profecution.

CHAP.

CHAP. X.

David flies to Samuel to Ramah. Saul purfues him thither. What enfued thereupon. David returns to Jonathan at Gibeah, and is again obliged to fly. Their folemn Covenant and exquifite Diftrefs at parting.

DAV

AVID, once more delivered, flies to Ramah, to Samuel; by whom, in all probability, he hoped to be protected, or, at leaft, concealed for a season.

FLYING to the prophet, was flying to the more immediate protection of Almighty God: and GOD, in whom he confided, failed him not; for Samuel, to whom he related the whole train of Saul's treacheries, and the Divine deliverances, received and returned with him to his prophetick college at Naioth ; where he hoped to find a fanctuary for him, from the privileges anciently indulged to that facred retreat, and, indeed, to all men of facred character, (and all under their protection) where-ever civility prevailed over the face of the earth *. But Saul was now *See Grot. de Jure Belli & Pacis, 1. 3. c. 11.

too

too far

gone in his enmity to GoD and goodnefs, to be swayed by fuch confiderations; for no fooner did he learn that David was at Naioth, but he immediately fent messengers to take him. They went; and when they arrived, they found the facred affembly, under the immediate influence of the Spirit of GOD, prophefying, and Samuel prefiding over them: And to convince that infidel tribe, that these prophecyings were no fanatick delufions, or efforts of enthusiasm, they themselves were feized with the fame facred influence, and prophefied alfo. And when this was told Saul, he fent other meffengers again, and again; and they also were fubdued by the fame Spirit of GOD. At laft he went himfelf, enquiring as he went on where Samuel and David were. And being informed at the great well of Sechu, (where there was a great refort of perfons to draw water) that they were at Naioth in Ramah, he preffed forward in queft of them and as he : proceeded, GOD, to fhew that his power is neither confined to place nor persons, that the prophecyings at Naioth were owing to no influence of example, to no intoxicating vapours, or temperature of the air, (as was

fufpected

suspected of some of the oracles of old) seized him also with his facred influence, long before he reached Naioth, and conducted him under it to the affembly of the prophets; where, forgetting his bloody purpofe, he put off his robes of royalty, and military apparatus, and prophefied in the prefence of Samuel; and continued under a very distinguished influence of the Spirit of GOD that whole day and night: He lay down naked *, (fays the text) in the fame fenfe that Tacitus calls the Germans naked, Rejecta vefte fuperiore, when they had thrown off their upper garment; which now gave new occafion to the repetition of that proverbial taunt against him, Is Saul also among the prophets?

DOUBT.

We

* Mr. Howel 's comment upon this paffage (Hift. of the Bible, vol. 2. b. 5. p. 18, 19.) is well worth noticing: "The words of the original (fays he) which are ren«dered naked, fignify often nothing else but to have a " part of the body uncovered, as their verfions tranflate) «it, 2 Sam. vi. 20. or, to be without a gown, or uppergarment, fuch as the Eafterns and Romans wore. "need but confider the circumftances which Ifaiah "and St. John remark, when they fpake of nakedness, "to be perfuaded, that they did not mean a being alto"gether naked: for God commanded Ifaiah to put off "his fackcloth, and to go barefoot for three years; only "to denote, that the Egyptians and Arabians were to be "carried away captive in the fame manner by the Afsy«rians. But it was never the custom to ftrip captives ❝altogether naked, but only to strip them of their best "cloaths,

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