a new man,' to qualify him for the government of his people; but when he had rendered himself, by his rebellions against his Divine Sovereign, unworthy of the office, that spirit was withdrawn from him, and conferred on David, who was anointed to succeed him. In like manner, when Solomon succeeded to the kingdom, God bestowed on him "a wise and understanding heart, to enable him to govern and judge the people,' who are expressly styled, not Solomon's, but God's people."

It will be seen that Bishop Warburton argues for the necessity of a continuance of the theocracy, on the ground that without the protection of an extraordinary Providence, the Hebrews could not have maintained themselves against the numerous and exasperated enemies by whom they were surrounded. This is strictly true; yet it is of still greater importance to consider the equal and extraordinary Providence as necessary at that period, and long afterward, in order to check the propensities of a wayward race to idolatry, and to prepare them gradually for the reception of the Messiah, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. A long succession of prophets was accordingly sent, at the head of whom stands Samuel, to pave the way for that dispensation which Moses had taught them to expect; and to remove, by little and little, the shadows of the law, as the people became more and more able to bear the light. The full splendour of that light, however, the nation at large was never able to bear: and hence the extraordinary Providence was never withdrawn from them till some time after their return from the Babylonish captivity, by which they appear to have been completely cured of their disposition to idolatry, and led to turn their attention more steadily to the investigation of revealed truth.

To the very last, however, the theocracy may be said, in a certain sense, to have existed. While captives of the kings of Babylon, the Jews still lived in obedience to those laws which, as they emanated from God, could not, except by God, be repealed. After their establishment of their independence, too, the same code was rigidly obeyed; nor was it until our Saviour Christ set up a new and spiritual kingdom, to be governed by a new and spiritual law, that the law originally delivered from Mount Sinai ceased to be binding.

Having noticed this, which is by far the most important point involved in the preceding details, we deem it unnecessary to distract the reader's attention, by bringing into view lesser difficulties, merely that they may be overthrown. That many matters stand on record which deserve credit only in consequence of their place in Holy Writ, is indisputable; and that various actions are recorded, even of the most upright characters introduced, to which our more correct notions of right and wrong are not easily reconciled, no one will deny. But if it be borne in mind that the portion of history before us treats of barbarous times, and of a people which lived under circumstances in every respect without parallel, these will not be likely to affect the ingenuous reader with the smallest uneasiness. One fact alone may seem to demand a little more notice than has been already bestowed upon it; we allude to the appearance of Samuel's ghost before Saul at the bidding of the witch of En-dor.

There is nothing which we profess ourselves less willing to admit, than that there ever existed such necromancers or magicians, as those of which the fables of the dark ages make mention. That the spirits of darkness were permitted, in early times, to exercise greater power over the bodies and minds of men than they exercise now, cannot, we think, be denied by any unprejudiced inquirer; while the Bible unquestionably makes mention of more than one occurrence in which an evil spirit has been an agent. But of the power of particular persons to summon such spirits to their aid, and by means of them to perform miracles, we can discover no evidence in any history, sacred or profane. With respect to the witch of En-dor, again, we have already given it as our opinion, that she belonged to the same class of impostors in which the magicians who strove against Moses deserve to be numbered; in other words, that she was an artful woman, who, by the application of ventriloquism and phantasmagoria, deceived the unwary, and led them into idolatry. The whole story, indeed, of Samuel's reappearance distinctly proves, that the witch, while performing her mummeries, anticipated no such conclusion to them; for, had she really possessed the power of calling the dead from their graves, it is incon ceivable that she should have manifested the excessive ter

ror into which the vision of Samuel threw her. It appears, therefore, to us, that God, for a wise purpose, permitted the ghost of Samuel to revisit the earth; but that, in effecting that extraordinary end, the woman's incantations had no share. If it be farther urged that the tale is altogether so wonderful as to be beyond belief, we are compelled to admit that we ourselves believe it only because it is narrated in the Bible.

CHAPTER XV.

David's Wanderings-He mounts the Throne-His Errors-His Family Disasters-Rebellion of Absalom-Is suppressed-David Restored-Objections answered.

A. M. 4341 TO 4375.-B. c. 1070 To 1036.

WHILE Saul was thus fulfilling the destiny which God had appointed him, David, at the head of a bold and daily increasing band, carried on a desultory and successful war against the heathen nations around him. It happened, that, during his sojourn in king Achish's camp, the Amalekites, in revenge for numerous inroads on his part, made an expedition against Ziklag, and coming upon it when deserted by its garrison, made themselves masters of the place. No lives appear to have been lost on that occasion, for the invaders were more eager to secure plunder than revenge; but they burned the town to the ground, carried off the women and children, cattle and goods, and began a disorderly, because a triumphant, march back into their own country. Their triumph, however, was of short continuance. David, informed of what had happened, commenced a rapid pursuit, and overtook the marauders in the desert. There he attacked them, when in a state of absolute confusion, put them totally to the rout, and not only recovered all the property which had originally belonged to his followers, but obtained an immense spoil, which they had collected from different points in the land of the Philistines.

David had returned from this successful expedition but

two days, when an Amalekite arrived in Ziklag with intelligence of the defeat of the Israelite army, and the death of Saul and his sons. The man communicated the above information with great apparent satisfaction, under the idea that it would be received with a similar feeling; indeed, he went so far as to arrogate to himself the honour of having slain Saul with his own hand; and produced the monarch's crown and bracelet, in testimony of the truth of his story. But he was deceived in the character of the individual to whom he addressed himself. Instead of rewarding, David upbraided him with his treachery, and ordering his guards to fall upon him, he put him to death on the spot.

The throne was now empty, and David, remembering the purpose for which he had been solemnly set aside by Samuel, considered that the moment had at length arrived when it behooved him to accomplish it. He accordingly consulted Jehovah as to the propriety of the measure, and obtaining a favourable answer, set out with his family and followers for Hebron. Here he was well received by the heads of the tribe of Judah, who immediately acknowledged him as king; but the example was not followed on the instant by the rest of Israel; on the contrary, Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, had already mounted the throne, chiefly through the influence of Abner, the late king's uncle; and that prince fixing his residence at Mahanaim, Israel became divided, for a time, into two sovereignties.

It was not to be supposed, that between persons so circumstanced, peace would long be preserved. For a year or two, indeed, a sort of armed truce continued, each party regarding the other with suspicious jealousy; but matters came gradually to a crisis, which was hastened by the following occurrence: Abner, the general of Ish-bosheth's army, and Joab, the leader of David's, had drawn their forces to a head near the pool of Gibeon; when the former proposed that twelve champions from each side should engage in the warlike pastime of fencing. The challenge was accepted by Joab; and the young men, converting a sport into a serious reality, fell by one another's hands. This brought on a battle, which ended in the defeat of Abner, with some loss; but Asahel, Joab's brother, falling in the pursuit, the fugitives were enabled to make good their retreat in order.

The war, thus begun, raged during several years with great violence, David's party gaining strength every day, as that of Ish-bosheth declined; till at last, the son of Saul, by an imprudent quarrel with Abner, deprived himself of his only chance of success. Abner, it appears, on the death of Saul, had taken one of his master's concubines to wife; and Ish-bosheth, more mindful of the empty dignity of the crown than of the important services of his general, reproved the latter in no measured terms for his presumption. This was more than the pride of a man, conscious of his own merits, and of his master's weakness, could endure. Abner instantly renounced his allegiance to Ish-bosheth, opened a communication with David, and easily persuaded the heads of Israel to follow his example. But he was poorly requited for such services. Joab, alarmed lest he might come between himself and the favour of his sovereign, enticed him into his power; and though covered by the sanctity of a safe conduct from David, treacherously slew him.

Nor

David was highly indignant at the bloody deed; but so great was Joab's influence with the army, and so insecure his own condition, that he felt himself precluded from taking the notice of it which it deserved. He contented himself, therefore, with openly expressing his abhorrence of the murder; and, causing a public funeral to be bestowed upon Abner, he himself attended as chief mourner. were his apprehensions of the consequences likely to arise either trifling or ill-founded. Had Ish-bosheth possessed the talents of his father, there cannot be a doubt that he might have turned the affair to good account; for the chiefs of Israel were naturally inflamed into fury, not less than apprehensive, each on his own account; but Ish bosheth was a weak prince, incapable of availing himself of the opportunity, or indeed of supporting the dignity of his situation, now that Abner was taken away from him. The result was, that a conspiracy was entered into against his life, which two of his attendants, Rechab and Basnah, carried into execution. They attacked him while asleep in the heat of the day, cut off his head, and carried it to David; who bestowed upon them the same reward which he had previously bestowed upon the lying Amalekite.