ALL clofing-instruments founding, chorus finging, people shouting,

He is the king of glory,

How others may think upon the point, I cannot fay (nor pretend to prescribe); but for my own part, I have no notion of hearing, or of any man's ever having seen or heard, any thing fo great, fo folemn, fo celestial, on this fide the gates of heaven *.

CHA P. XI.

The conclufion of the Proceffion of the Ark. Mr. Bayle's Genfure of DAVID'S Dancing and Dress, confidered.

BEING now come to the clofe of this proceflion, give me leave to add, before I proceed further, that this procession was not (as fome commentators have ftrangely mistaken it) in any wife military, but intirely and fecurely pacific, and is indeed a fine comment upon David's intire reliance and implicit confidence in the protection of Almighty GoD, grounded upon that repeated command to his

* Need I caution the reader, that I fay this neither of the Jewish ritual, nor any ceremonial of the law, but merely of this particular proceffion, and form of devotion, celebrated in the circumftances now related?

people, that all their males fhould appear thrice every year before the LORD, in the place that he fhould chufe; and that amazing promise annexed, that no man should invade their land, or affault their cities, when they were so deserted of their defenders: Neither fhall any man defire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year (Exod. xxxiv. 24.).

If it be objected, that David had just subdued his enemies, and therefore might now be fecure of not being affaulted by them;

I ANSWER, that the refolution of making this proceffion was taken in a general assembly of his people, before he had fubdued, or even warred with them, (1 Chron. xiii.) and very foon after he had provoked them, by taking the ftrong fort of Sion; fo that if they had waited but a few weeks, they might have invaded him in the very time of this proceffion, when it was eafy for them, with their multitudes, to have ftormed an hundred of his cities in one day, or rather poffeffed themselves of them without refiftance: but God's unconquerable promise stood in the way; nor is there one inftance of any attempt made upon the people of GOD, by any one of their enemies, in this annual defertion of their cities, from the earlieft æra of their hiftory. And doubtlefs this was one reason why the facred hiftorians are so very express and particular in relating all the circumstances of this proceffion, which demonftrated it to be wholly

pacific, and which, for that reason, fills up more space in the facred page, than the defcriptions of many battles, and the defeats of mighty ene

mies.

I REMEMBER but two religious proceffions, of note in the accounts of the heathen world; neither of which, however, in my humble opinion, deferves to be once mentioned with this. The first is, that of Alcibiades*, in which he conducted and protected the priests, in the celebration of the great myfteries in honour of Minerva; but by no means in the manner that David conducted his proceffion, but quite otherwise, in a moft magnificent military apparatus; which gained him as much reputation, and more esteem, than any of his military atchievements. And the next is, a proceffion of Antiochus Epiphanes, in honour of Bacchus, particularly defcribed by Athenaus, (1. 5.) in which Satyrs and Sileni, that is, lewdnefs and drunkenness, and other abominable emblems, richly and pompously arrayed, and crowned in the fplendor and magnificence of monarchs, made up the principal and most distinguished part of the pomp. In one word, it were hard to determine, which was moft predominant in that proceffion, the folly, the extravagance, the vain vaunt of wealth, or the oftentatious and im pious embellishments and triumph of vice.

* See Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades.

Cc4

BUT

BUT to return:

WHEN the ark of God was deposited in its place, David and his people offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before GOD; but of what kind, and in what numbers, is no-where faid; but if we may guess from the fubfequent practice of Solomon, upon the removal of the ark into the temple, in which, as I apprehend, he tranfcribed pretty nearly the example of his father, the facrifices muft have been very numerous, and of the most valuable kinds.

AFTER the facrifices followed the pfalm, recited at length 1 Chron. xvi. exprefly faid to be on that day, first delivered to Asaph, and his brethren, to thank the Lord; and that it was fung also upon that occafion, appears evidently from these concluding words, And all the people faid, Amen; and praised the Lord.

IN this pfalm, after David hath exhorted the people to praise and to give thanks to GOD, for his peculiar mercies to them there recited, he then breaks out into a rapture of gratitude, in contemplation of the infinite bounty and benignity of the Creator; and calls upon the whole creation, to fill up the chorus of his praise Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name. -Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him, all the earth.-The world alfo fhall be stable, that it be not moved. -Let the heaven be glad, and the earth rejoice ; and let men fay among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the fea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the Falds rejoice, and all that

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is therein: then fhall the trees of the wood fing out in the prefence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth,

He then returns to his own people-O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever:-and concludes with those words, which I humbly apprchend to be the form in which he bleffed, that is, prayed for his people (first calling upon them to join with him in the prayer); And Say ye-Save us, O Lord our Salvation, and gather us together*. and deliver us from the Heathen; that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and glary in thy praife. Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael for ever and ever. And all the people faid, Amen; and praised the Lord.

WHEN David had bleffed the people, he dealt (faith the text) to every one of Ifrael, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine (1 Chron. xvi. 3.); not to the princes, elders, and principal perfons concerned in the proceffion only, but to every one of Ifrael. And to put it out of all doubt, that the whole of the people is here meant by every one, we are told, 2 Sam. vi. 19. that he dealt among all the people, among the whole multitude of Ifrael, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, &c.

IT was now, as I humbly apprehend, the feast of tabernacles. That it was at fome of the three

*For fome of them were yet mixed, and dwelt in the fame cities with the Heathen,

feafts,