B. 2. a righteous man, or a lawful king, is out of all doubt: for he could be neither, when he feized the throne, knowing the lawful heir to be then living. And can it be doubted whether he knew, that Mephibofheth, the son of Jonathan his eldest brother, was then alive? THE text tells us on this occafion, that Jonathan, Saul's fon, had a fon, that was lame of his feet, and was five years old, when tidings came to Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurfe took him up, and fled and it came to pass as she made hafte to flee, that he fell, and became lame. MEPHIBOSHETH was lame, but his lameness no way affected his title to the crown. I know of no law of GOD which prohibited a lame man to reign in Judea, as the pretended oracle did at Sparta. COMMENTATORS think this circumftance was inferted in the relation of Ishbofbeth's murder, to fhew the encouragement Rechab and Baanah might have to commit it, from the youth and infirmity of Mephibofheth, who was the avenger of blood. I have no controverfy with them upon that point: I only beg leave to add, that his history is equally pertinent to my purpofe, to fhew in what fenfe, and in what fenfe only, David could call Ifhbofheth a righteous man: for it is highly probable, that he was not fo with regard to David; and most certain, that he was not fo with regard to Mephibofbeth. СНАР. CHAP. V. DAVID is crowned by all Ifrael. UPON the death of Ishbofheth, David's right to the throne was recognized by all the tribes. Then (fays the text) came all the tribes of Ifracl to David unto Hebron, and spake, Jaying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flefb: alfo in time paft, when Saul was king over us, thou waft he that leddeft out and brought eft in Ifrael and the Lord jaid to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Ifrael, and thou shalt be a captain over Ifrael. DAVID's right and merit now triumphed over all oppofition that could be made againft him. When Abner and Ifhbofheth were dead, whofe authority fwayed the Ifraelites against their duty, they then acknowleged David's divine right to the crown; they then remembered, that he had every qualification requifite to a rightful king of Ifrael, according to God's own limitations, in the xviith chapter of Deuteronomy; that he was one of their brethren; and that he was chofen of GOD. They then remembered his valour, and various merits to his people; and the many deliverances he had wrought for them. In one word, they then remembered not only the election, but alfo the exprefs declaration of GOD himself in his favour; that he would make him the fhepherd and captain of his favourite people: and when Y 3 they they had thus recollected his undoubted title and merits, and their own duty, they immediately convened to crown him. AND here the learned Dr. Patrick very juftly obferves, that this is the first time we meet with any ruler or governor of a people characterized under the idea of a fhepherd; and I cannot but think it remarkable, that the first man fo characterized was at firft in fact a fhepherd; and when we find him, after his advancement to the throne, fill characterized by GoD himself under the fame idea, what can be a clearer inference, than that God's raifing him to be a king, was but exalting him to a nobler office, of the fame nature with his firft? How fine a document is this to princes, that they are not, in the intention of Providence, the tyrants, but the guardians of their people! that their business is the prefervation and wellbeing of the flock, from the duty they owe to the great LORD and Owner of both! And how fully is this document confirmed to us, when we find bad princes fet forth, in the prophetic flyle, under the characters of roaring lions, kungry bears, and devouring wolves! HAD Caligula rightly confidered this, it would have mortified his idle vanity, in imagining himself to be (as an emperor) a being of a better nature than thofe he ruled, as fhepherds are of a fpecies fuperior to theep *. He would indeed have found himfelf, in the character of a good emperor, and thepherd of his Philonis legatio ad Calume people people, fuperior, and more dignified; but of a different fpecies from them only in his character of a tyrant; not fo much raised to a god by his right to rule, as debased to a brute by his abuse of it; whether to one of Ezekiel's bears, Zephaniah's wolves, Jeremiah's leopards, or the Pfalmift's crocodiles, or all thefe, or more than all in one, his own brutality fhould beft determine. How much more had he enobled his nature, and raifed at once his own character, and his people's felicity, had he adopted that truly noble and princely maxim of Cyrus, that every man that afpired to the government of others, fhould take care to be a better man than thofe he ruled! BUT to return: AMONG the thoufands of Ifraelites which crouded to David on this occafion, there is particular mention made of two hundred of the children of Iffachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Ifrael ought to do. Thefe were the heads of that tribe, and all their brethren were at their commandment. Thefe were men well skilled in all the parts of politi cal prudence; who underflood the true intereft of their country; and what to advife in every exigency, as the occafion and circumftances of the times required. Their fuperior wifdom was acknowledged by their brethren, who commit-. ted themselves to their direction: and their declaration in David's favour was, in effect, the Chron. xii. 32. ¥ 4 decifion decifion of the whole tribe. And who knows but those last prophetic words of Mofes concerning Ifachar, in the xxxiiid chapter of Deuteronomy, might have a special reference to this great occafion? They shall call the people unto the mountain: there they shall offer Jacrifices of righteousness. IF this be understood of the mountain of GOD's houfe, it is certain it was not their bufinefs either to call the people thither, or to offer facrifices; nor is there any known inftance where they ever did fo: But, on the other hand, it is as certain, that they now called the people to the mountain of Hebron, to make David king; where facrifices were offered by all the people, previous to his coronation. And facrifices offered in ratification of a covenant then entered into, with upright intentions on both fides, might very probably be ftyled facrifices of righteoufnefs. And this interpretation feems to be ftrengthened, by reafon of this authority in Iffachar here annexed by Mofes; for they fball fuck of the abundance of the feas, and of treasures hid in the fand. This is a plain prediction of commercial skill and wealth in that tribe. Commerce naturally affords those advantages, on which Homer founds the fuperiority of Ulyffes's wildom; that he had feen the manners and cities of many men. And these advantages, added to fuperior wealth, in Iffachar, gave that tribe a natural fuperiority to call the people to the mountain to submit to David, |