openly declare, that they will not acknowledge him for their God.

I hope, I have now fufficiently vindicated the Character of David, with refpect to his Behaviour to Saul and his Family, which was the firft Head I propofed confidering. In doing of which, I think, I have clearly fhewn, that David is in this particular Part of his Conduct truly deferving of that diftinguished Title of being the Man after God's own Heart, and that it can reflect no Dishonour upon the Almighty, as our modern Biographer would have People think, to affert that he was honoured with this Title by Him himself. I now then proceed, 2dly, To confider hist Behaviour in the many Wars he was engaged in with the Enemies of Ifrael, which, through the Divine Affiftance, I hope to prove to be as void of that Cruelty, that Injuftice, that horrible Wickedness, that have been imputed to it by our modern Hiftorian, as that Part, which has been already under Confideration.

PART THE SECOND.

SECTION THE EIGHTH.

TH

HE Promife that God made to Abrabam, that when the Canaanites and the Nations about them should have filled up the Cup of their Iniquity, he would then extirpate them from the Face of the Earth, and give their Poffeffions to his Pofterity, he afterwards most faithfully fulfilled. Át firft he intended to have left none of them remaining to have molested them; but finding the Ifraelites to be an ungrateful, stiffnecked People, who, if they should enjoy an uninterrupted Profperity, would most certainly rebel against him by revolting again to that grofs Idolatry from which he had been fo graciously pleased to rescue them, he declared by his Servant Joshua, that he would not utterly deftroy the Remnant of the Nations that remained amongst them, but would leave them standing, in order to prove, whether they would be obedient to

his

his Law or not. If they continued to obey him, they should have no Power at all given them to moleft them, but he would be their Bulwark and Shield against every Danger that threatened them. But if they fhould prove refractory and his Laws difobey, then thofe Nations which were left remaining, fhould be as Scourges in their Sides, and Thorns in their Eyes, until they perished from off that good Land which the Lord their God had given them. This, as I have before fhewed, they experienced; therefore whenever that Nation was engaged in War, it was either by the Permiffion, or at the Command of the Almighty. In the former Cafe, God permitted their Enemies to overcome them, in order to bring them to a Senfe of themselves and their Duty; and when they turned to the Lord their God, and acknowledged their Sin, and repented them of it, he then ordered them to revenge themselves of their Enemies, and deftroy them, who had been Lords over them. Therefore whatever their Generals did, (who were commonly Perfons chofen by God to act on that Occafion) was, we fhould confider, by the Appointment of God, who has an undoubted Right to difpofe of his Creatures how and in what Manner he pleases, and may appoint whomfoever he shall think fit to be the Inftruments either of his Mercy

or Vengeance, according as the Cafe fhall require.

Some now perhaps may be of Opinion, that by what we have here afferted, we reprefent the Almighty as taking Delight in Acts of Cruelty and Oppreffion, and impute to him, whofe Mercy is over all his Works, the Actions which Men of fanguinary Tempers performed only to fatiate their own Revenge, as David did to the unfortunate Inhabitants of Rabbah, which City he had taken, whom it is faid, he put under Saws, and under Harrows of Iron, and under Axes of Iron, and made them pass through the Brick-Kiln, Can we imagine, fay they, that God would ever commiffion one Part of his Creatures thus to torment the other? No; the very thought is impious, and the Affertion blafphemous. Far, very far am I from imputing the Cruelties of Men to the Almighty; the very Thought of it makes me fhudder, and I hope that upon Examination we shall find that David never was guilty of fuch Cruelty. But to entertain a just and proper Notion of the Divine Procedure towards thefe Nations, as far as our Capacities will enable us to comprehend it, or our Duty will permit us to fcrutinize it, let us examine how far they were Objects of Divine Mercy, and like

wife

wife how far they were Veffels of Wrath fitted to Deftruction.

By perusing the facred Hiftory, we shall find that thefe Nations were not only grofs Idolaters, but were likewife guilty of every kind of Impurity that can poffibly be imagined. When the Almighty feparated the Ifraelites from them, in order to purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works, they not only opposed their Creator's Defign by open Force, but, when they found that proved ineffectual, by their Wiles endeavoured to entangle that People in their former Idolatries. Many Inftances of this their impious Procedure Mofes and the other facred Writers have left us an Account of. Therefore had there been no other Reason, this would have been fufficient for having the feverest Punishment inflicted on them. Befides, their Extirpation became neceffary, nay in Fact was a real Act of Mercy towards the Ifraelites, in order to preferve them innocent and unpolluted. Some of thefe Nations God in his infinite Wisdom was pleafed to fpare; but these rendered themselves by their Impenitency Objects ftill lefs worthy of Mercy; becaufe as they had been Witneffes of the Execution of the Divine Wrath against their Neighbours, which they knew was inflicted on them for their incorrigible Impiety, yet turned not themG 4 felves