AN Hiftorical ACCOUNT Of the LIFE and REIGN of King DAVID. BOOK I. CHAP I. An Account of Saul's Rejection, and David's Defignation to the Throne. W HEN the decree of divine rejection and deposition was paffed upon Saul, for his deliberate and obftinate difobedience in relation to Amalek, David was, by a very exprefs and particular defignation of Almighty GoD, (fuch a defignation as plainly fhews its divine original) appointed to fucceed him. IT will not be amifs to explain this matter a little more fully. THE Amalekites we a people long fince devoted to deftruction by nighty God, for one of the most notorious inftances of cruelty, inhumanity, and impiety, that ever was heard of; viz. the invading and deftroying, as far as in them lay, by treachery and furprize, an innocent peo ple uninjured, and unprovoked. WHOEVER is any way converfant in the Bible, will foon perceive, that by this people, I mean the Ifraelites, VOL. I. B Ifraelites, when they were going out of Egypt, and were manifeftly under the immediate and miraculous protection of Almighty God. THIS was a fin at once fo inhuman and fo atheistical, as perhaps cannot be parallel'd in any one inftance from the foundation of the world: and therefore it is no wonder, if this flagrant act of villainy and impiety (plainly indicating the last degree of previous depravity *) produced that dreadful decree against them, recorded in Deut. xvii. 14. I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heavent. And, foon *Levit. xx. ver. 1 to 23. inclufive. after, + Mr. Chubb tells us, in his Pamphlet relating to Doctor Rundle's Election, &c. that this is not true in fact; feeing they remained long after, even till Saul's time, a diftin&t People. Let us try the weight of this objection. The Amalekites remained a distinct people till Saul's time; therefore God's decree of extirpation was not executed upon them. This is just such reasoning as if he had faid, that Adam lived above 900 years after the fentence of death denounced against him; and therefore he never died. I allow, that a remnant of the Amalekites outlafted both Saul and David, and reached even to the reign of Hezekiah, 1 Chron. iv. 41. But at the fame time, we learn from the laft verfes of that. chapter, that the fons of Simeon fmote the reft of them that efcaped, (i. e. that escaped all the preceding attempts against them) and delt there unto this day. But if we are to reft upon Mr. Chubb's peremptory affertion, they not only were not extirpated, but they continued unmolefted, till the days of Saul. But this furely is a rafh and ungrounded affertion; for they joined the Moabites and Midianites against Ifrael, Num. xxiv. 20. about 40 years after their first attempt. And I think there is no doubt but they were defeated with the Midianites (Num. xxxi.). There is alfo, I think, good reason to believe, that these inveterate enemies of Ifrael were included in the general confederacy against Joshua, and shared in their common defeat, Joh. xi. This is certain, that more than 40 years after this, they again joined the Moabites against Ifrael (Judg. iii.) And when the Moabites were defeated by Ehud, can it be made a doubt, after, the reafon and manner of effecting this are added in a subsequent declaration: the ftrict fenfe of which, in its most literal tranflation, stands thus; Becaufe the hand against the throne of God, the war of God against Amalek from generation to generation; i. e. because Amalek hath lifted up his hand against the throne of GoD, hath fet himself to defeat the divine determinations in favour of Ifrael; therefore God will have war with them from generation to generation, until they are utterly extirpated. doubt whether they shared in that defeat? Or if there could, Deborah and Barak's Song puts the point out of all doubt (v. 14.). It is alfo certain, that about 150 years after this, they again joined the Midianites against Ifrael, Judg, vi. & vii.) and were involved in their common deftruction: and forafmuch as the Pfalmift mentions them as the confederates of Gebal and Ammon against Ifrael, it is not improbable, that they shared in the defeat of Ammon by Jephthah, about 88 years after this. And from this period to the command given to Saul to extirpate them, paffed about 80 years. The learned authors of the Univerfal Hiflory obferve, (p. 361. note P) that this was only a particular application of the general commands before given, (and which the Jews had bound themfelves, and their pofterity, by a folemn oath, to observe) to deftroy all thofe nations that would not accept of proffered peace, and forfake their idolatry; and to eliminate all that belonged to them. And the exhortation of Mofes to them, as far as it is applicable to this head, they thus paraphrafe: "Remember "therefore, that there is no redemption for them; and that if "you fuffer yourselves, either thro' pity, or covetousness, to fpare any of them, you will not only incur the punishment of perjury and rebellion, but be enfnared into greater guilt, by conforming to their ways. Had Saul been mindful of this, he "had not faved the king of Amalek, and the choiceft of the cat-' "tle and plunder (1 Sam, xv. 9, &c.). When therefore he "made that weak and puerile excufe, that he defigned the latter as an offering to God, Samuel did juftly reprove him, by fhew"ing him how vain it was to pretend to atone for one open "violation of GoD's command by another.". 66 દર |