bone and of my flef? God do fo to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the hoft before me continually, in the room of Joab. Amafa enjoy'd the Post but a very little Time, if at all.

ordering him (as

Indeed we find the King

in that Capacity) to af- ---xx. 41 Semble the men of Judah within three days.

But whilft he was out upon that Bufinefs,
Joab, coming to him with a Shew of 9!

Friendship, ftabbed him, in the fame treach

erous Manner as he had done Abner before. Yet, after these Villainies he had Intereft, or rather Power enough to continue Captain of the Hoft, all the Days of David. But, toward the latter End of them, joining with that Party which would have fet up Adonijah, he brought upon himself the Fate which he had long before deferv'd.

3

ii. 28%

When Solomon fucceeded to the Throne, we read that Joab fled unto the tabernacle Kings of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar; where he thought to have found Protection; but, upon refufing to come forth was flain there by Benaiah, at the Command of Solomon. The king faid unto him, Fall upon him and bury him; that thou mayft take away the innocent blood which

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which Joab fhed, from me and from the houfe of my father. And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head; who fell upon two men more righteous and better than be, and flew them with the fword, my father David not knowing thereof; to wit, Abner the fon of Ner, captain of the host of Ifrael, and Amafa the fon of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

From thefe Accounts, it appears that the Captain of the Hoft poffefs'd a great Share of Power; in a manner equal to that of the King himself. David feems to have been afraid of Joab; otherwife he would never have fuffer'd him to live, after thofe bloody Affaffinations. And we may observe that, when Elisha the Prophet, upon being hofpitably entertain'd by the Shunamite, was defirous to make her fome Acknowledgment for it, he bids Gebazi his 2 Kings Servant fay to her, in these Words, Behold thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldft thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the hoft?

iv. 13.

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SECT. III.

CAPTAINS of Thousands, &c.

The rest of the Officers that govern'd the Army we find call'd by the Titles of Captains of Thousands, Captains of Hundreds, Captains of Fifties, and Captains of Tens. Who probably were of the fame Rank with thofe whom Mofes conftituted in the Wilderness, Rulers of Thousands, &c. and, at first, acted in a double Capacity, being at the fame time civil Magiftrates, and military Officers.

The Captains of Thousands feem to have been much the fame, as Colonels of Regiments with us; and the Captains of Hundreds might probably answer to those who, in our Army, have the Command of Troops and Companies; the Captains of Fifties and Tens, to our Subalterns, Serjeants and Corporals.

xii. I. 14

Among the Lift of David's Adherents while he fled from Saul, and kept himself 1 Chron, close at Ziklag; after feveral Names mention'd, it is faid; Thefe were of the fons of Gad, captains of the host: One of the leaft was over an hundred, and the greatest over thousand. Again, we read of others faid

113
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xii. 1.

to be Captains of the thousands that were of Manaffeh. And when David had Thoughts

of bringing the Ark of God from Kirjath1 Chron. jearim we are told, he confulted with the captains of thoufands, and hundreds, and with every leader. And again, when he declar'd his Intentions about building the ---xxviii. Temple, it is faid that he affembled all the princes of Ifrael, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that minifter'd to the king by courfe, and the captains over the thousands, and the captains over the bundreds.

xi. 4.

So when Jehoiada the High-Prieft had a Mind to bring on the Reftoration, by de2 Kings claring Joash to be King, he fent for the rulers over hundreds, with the captains, and the guard, and fhewed them the king's fon; and gave them proper Inftructions what they were to do. And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the Priest commanded. And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David's fpears and fields, that were in the temple of the LORD. And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land, and they brought down the king from the boufe

boufe of the LORD, and he fate on the throne of the kings. And we read of three cap- 2 Kings tains of fifties, who, with their Fifties, 1.9.11.13. were fent fucceffively by Ahaziah King of Ifrael, to bring the Prophet Elijah to him. The Apocryphal Writings tells us, that Ju- 1 Macc das ordained captains over the people, even captains over thoufands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

iii. 55:

Vill. I 2.

These Officers, from the Captain of the Hoft down to the lowest Subaltern, appear, after the Monarchy took place, to have receiv'd their Commiffions, from the King. When Samuel declares to the People the manner of the King that was to reign over them, this is part of it; He will appoint 1 Sam, him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, &c. Accordingly when Saul began to grow jealous of David's rifing Glory, he removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand. So we read that David number'd the people that 2 Sam. were with him, and fet captains of thousands, xviii, 1. and captains of hundreds over them. And that Amaziah gather'd Judah together, and 2 Chron. made them captains over thousands, and XXV. 5: cap

13.

xviii.

tains over hundreds.

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