AND it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord fmote Nabal, that he died. The baseness of his own heart made him believe David incapable of forgiving him, and therefore his terror became irremediable. THIS extremity of terror we commonly exprefs by the term of thunder-ftruck; which is finely and feelingly defcribed by Ovid (Trift. 1. 1. cl. 3.): Non aliter ftupui, quam qui Jovis ignibus ictus Vivit, & eft vita nefcius ipfe fua. So was I ftunn'd, as one that's thunder-ftruck! Who lives; but lives unconscious of his life. WE have many accounts of men dying through fear of death: but as nothing that we call accidents, or natural caufes, excludes the interpofition of Providence in any event; therefore the Scripture phrafe is highly to be justified and admired, which imputes Nabal's death to a ftroke from GOD. A way of thinking, which both Homer and Virgil have copied in two remarkable instances. WHEN David heard, that Nabal was dead, be again breaks out into bleffings and thankf givings to God, that had diverted him from the intended evil: Bleffed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the caufe of my reproach from the the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his fervant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. How fine a document is this to mankind to remit injuries, to refer themselves and their concerns to the Providence of God, to quell the spirit of revenge in the haughty heart, and to recede from rafh and wicked refolutions, tho' backed even by folemn oaths! WHEN a decent time had intervened, after the death of Nabal, David fent meffengers to Abigail with proposals of marriage; which fhe accepted with fingular humility, and undiffembled joy; ftranger alike to affected delay, and unvirtuous difguife. In all probability, no fuch forms obtained in thofe fimpler ages: or, if any did, fhe had too much good fenfe to be enslaved to them. AND she arose, (faith the text) and bowed herfelf on her face to the earth, and faid, Behold, let thine handmaid be, a fervant to wash the feet of the fervants of my Lord (Here, we fee, the bowed herfelf to the earth, even to the fervants of David, in honour of their mafter; as the houses of parliament uncover in honour of the king's meffage). And Abigail hafted and arofe, and rode upon an ass, with five damfels of hers that went after her; and the went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. DAVID had, in all probability, at this time, (I grieve to tell it) another wife, Ahinoam, of Jefreel, a city in the fouth of Judah, and neighbourhood bourhood of Carmel, to whom, it is believed, he was married before his affiance with Abigail* POLYGAMY was a practice prevalent in those ages, from a corrupt interpretation of Levit. xviii. 18. and David, probably hoped to strengthen his interest in his own tribe by this double alliance; especially when he apprehended it must be confiderably weakened in that of Benjamin, by Michal's being taken away from him, and beftowed upon Phaltiel, the fon of Laish, a Benjamite (which Saul did, to take away all his pretenfions to the crown from that alliance). Doubtless, this injury which Saul did him, would have been some, or, to speak more properly, a fufficient justification for David's taking another, if he had stopped there, inasmuch as his own wife lived in adultery, and therefore might be divorced; but, when once he married Abigail, he went on, and married more; for error knows no end. * Because, whenever they are mentioned, Ahinoam is always named first, 1 Sam. xxvii. 3. and xxx. 5. 2 Sam. ii. 2. and iii. 2. CHAP. СНАР. David goes into Saul's Camp in the dead of the Night with one Companion. What enfued thereupon. IT fhould feem, from the preceding accounts of David's fojourning among the Arabs, and marrying two wives, fince his last reconcilement with Saul, that there had now been a confiderable intermiffion of his perfecution. For he himself complains of his delay among the Arabs; and the multiplying of wives is a bufinefs of leifure, at least, if not of idleness: and therefore it is, feemingly, matter of fome wonder, to fee commentators and chronologers croud all these tranfactions, and more, into the compass of one year. But, for my own part, fince my late better acquaintance with thefe authors, I have learned to be less surprised at any inftance of their inaccuracy or incogitancy. They are men (a very few excepted) who transcribe with great accuracy and tread with great exactnefs in the tracks of their predeceffors: but as for clearing difficulties, throwing light upon obfcurities, or placing events in their natural order and diftance, from the force of genius and penetration, or intenfe thinking; he that expects to find much of that amongt them, will find himfelf much difappointed. SAUL was a young man when he came to the crown, (1. Sam. ix. 2) and his fourth fon VOL. 1. N was was forty years old when he died (2 Sam. ii. 10.). He died a king, and his reign was uninterrupted; and yet fome commentators gravely suppose him to have reigned only two years. And furely no man that confiders this, will be much furprised, to find David's long dwelling in the tents of Kedar, his marrying two wives in fucceffion, his return to Ziph, his fubfequent reconcilement to Saul, and flight to Gath, all crouded into the compass of one year. HOWEVER, taking it for granted, that these transactions took up more time than is allowed them, without prefuming to determine how much, I fhall proceed to confider the three laft of them in their order. THE next news we hear of David, after his marriage with Abigail, is, his being again at Ziph, and being again betrayed by the Ziphites*. THE * This account Mr. Bayle takes to be the fame with that of his being at Ziph (chap. xxiii.); but without prefuming, or (shall I fay ?) vouchfafing, to give any reafon for his opinion. In this he acted wifely; because, I am well fatisfied, he could affign no reafon for this affertion, that could stand the test of the flightest examination. When David was firft at Zipb, the Ziphites preffed Saul to go against him, with affurances, that they would deliver him into his hands; but, before Saul could reach him, David flipt into the wilderness of Maon, and there narrowly escaped in the manner before related. At this time the Ziphites barely inform Saul of David's being in their neighbourhood: they neither prefs him to go against him, nor do they give him any affurance of delivering David into his hands Not the firft; because they might apprehend, that Saul's refentment might now be fomewhat cooled (as, indeed, it seems to be; for he neither gives them the fame thanks, nor is he in the fame |