A man, in the estimation of the world, the justeft of all the Trojans, but not fo in the fight of the gods.

THERE are, indeed, few characters among men, more lovely, or more extraordinary, than that of Jonathan; fortitude, fidelity, magnanimity! a foul fufceptible of the most refined friendship, and fuperior to all the temptations of ambition and vanity! and all these crowned with the most refigned fubmiffion to the will of GOD!

THESE are his diftinguishing lineaments: but there is no fuch thing as perfection in man. A finished character were, as one of our English poets well expresses it,

A faultless monster, which the world ne'er faw.

Two things I find, Jonathan justly chargeable with in the Sacred Hiftory. The firft is, A moft grievous violation of all the laws of juftice, nature, and nations, in fmiting the Philistine garrifon at Geba, in the midst of a profound peace: And the fecond, A great want of duty to his father, and a very indecent, disrespectful treatment of his character.

THE first of thefe will appear from the 13th and 14th verses of the viith chapter of the 1ft book of Samuel, compared with the 3d and 4th verfes of the xiiith chapter.

THE fecond is not obfcurely hinted in the xxth chapter of the 1ft book of Samuel, at the 30th verfe, where Saul calls him, the fon of perverfe rebellion; plainly intimating fome obli quity in his behaviour, and reftiveness to the dictates

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dictates of his duty in point of obedience. But as this is the charge of an enraged man, commanding fomething unreasonable, little ftrefs can be laid upon it.

But this point is, I think, fully cleared from the xivth chapter of this book.

FOR, fuppofe it allowable in Jonathan to fteal from the camp with his armour-bearer, and make an attempt upon the Philistines, without the leave of his father, and his general; which, I believe, the difcipline of war will not admit: however, fuppofe him excufeable in this, from fome heroic or divine impulfe; What can excufe his disrespectful treatment of his father's character, upon hearing that herem, or curse, under which he had adjured the people to touch no food on that occafion? His father had a right, as a commander, to lay any temporary restraint upon his foldiers, which he thought might be for the public good, and under what penalty he pleased; and, as a king of Ifrael, he had a right to adjure them; that is, to lay them under the obligation of an oath to obferve it. Did it then become his fon to call an action of this kind, a troubling the land; and to charge it as the reason why his enemies were not more fully defeated? Was not fuch a fpeech as this enough to excite a fedition and rebellion in the army? Allow him to have incurred the herem through ignorance; Was that ignorance invincible? Or rather, Was it not the effect of his own transgreffion of duty? His conduct in this respect is furely lefs juftifiable than that of Hippolytus:

and

and yet it is the fenfe of antiquity, that he died in confequence of his being devoted to deftruction by his father Thefeus. Indeed, we are taught better: We know, that the curfe caufelefs fhall not come. But furely it is not easy to pronounce this curfe on Jonathan caufelefs. At leaft, Did he not know himself included in the adjuration, and liable to the penalty that attended it? Did he humble himself under that knowledge? or make any apology or fubmiffion to his parents? And fhould he not have done fo, under all the fecurity of innocence? Or, if he thought invincible ignorance acquitted him of all guilt on that head; Did he think it could acquit him of the guilt of fetting light by his parent, or the curfe due to it? Curfed is he that fetteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people fhall fay, Amen (Deut. xxvii. 16.).

DIVINES Content themselves on this head, by obferving how providential it was, that Jonathan was taken off in this battle, to make way for David. But I could wish they had been more folicitous to acquit the Providence of GOD of that partiality, with which profane fpirits are too apt to charge it, upon fuch occafions.

THE fum of all is this: The guilt of maffacring the Philistine garrison is beyond all queftion. And though there were not oftentimes one inevitable event to the righteous and to the wicked; it is certain, that for this guilt Jonathan deferved to die. And, for my part, I cannot acquit him of the other. But though I S 3 could

could acquit him of mortal guilt on this account; yet is there (at least) an indecency in this behaviour of his, which greatly diftreffes

me.

THE reader will, perhaps, fee it in a clearer light, if he compares it with the demeanour of the great English hero, the Black Prince, after the battle of Creffi. It is certain, that the battle of Mickman was, in a great measure, won by the fortunate bravery of Jonathan, as that of Creffi was by the fteady and perfevering valour of the Black Prince. Jonathan had now like to have loft his life, by his father's rafh, but undefigning adjuration: The Black Prince was in little lefs danger of lofing his, by his father's peremptory and deliberate refufal to fend him any aid against his enemies*, when hard beset by them. When the battle was over, Jonathan fuffered himself to reprove the misconduct of his father and young Edward, far from upbraiding or refenting, fell upon his knees, with all the marks of humiliation and affection, to his.

The king kept off from the engagement with a strong body of men: He hovered (fays Echard) on the hill, like a tempeft in a cloud, ready to discharge its fury, but at prefent only watching and obferving this unequal conflict. Here a message was sent to him from the earl of Northampton, to defire him to come down and fuccour his fon, now very hardly befet. Upon which he demanded, Whether he was alive? The messenger told him, Yes; but was in danger of being overpowered by numbers. Then (replied the king, with his ufual courage) let them know, that while my jon is alive, they fend for no affiftance to me; for the honour of this glorious day fhall be bis.

Ir muft, however, be owned, that from David's celebrating the harmony and union of this father and fon, it is highly probable, that Jonathan fufficiently atoned for this one act of rashness, by a course of subsequent duty and piety to his parent. And fuch piety, to fuch a parent, will, I believe, be allowed to have had more than ordinary merit, in it.

ALL that I have faid, hath no other tendency, than to establish that noble queftion of the righteous and humble Job, Shall mortal man be more just than God?

Objections anfwered; and Reafons urged, to fhew, that the Battle of Mount Gilboa was fought on the next Day after Saul's confulting the Pythoness.

BUT

UT we have ftill one objection more to ftruggle with; and that is, That the prediction relating to the event of this battle, is not fo precife as we pretend; or, if it bẹ, it was not

true.

IT is not fo precife: for the word mahar, which we interpret, to-morrow, fometimes fignifies an indefinite diftant time; and if it be strictly understood of to-morrow, it was not true; for the battle with the Philistines was not fought on the next day: for Endor (say they) probably

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was