He complained not of God's withdrawings till he fell into trouble, till the "plilistines made war with him," and then he begins to lament God's departure. He doth not, like a penitent, own the righteousness of God in this, but, like a man enraged, flies out against God as unkind, and flies off from him; "therefore I have called thee;" as if Samuel, a servant of God, would favour those whom God frowned upon; or as if a dead prophet could do bim more good than a living one. One would think, by this, that he really desired to meet with the devil, and expected no other, though under the covert of Samuel's name; for he desires advice otherwise than from God, therefore from the devil; "therefore I come to thee."

CHAPTER XXIX.

How Saul, who was forsaken by God, when he was in a strait, was more and more perplexed and embarrassed with his own counsels, we read in the foregoing chapter: in this chapter we find how David, who kept close to God, when he was in a strait, was extricated and brought off by the providence of God, without any contrivance of his own. We have him (1.) Marching with the philistines, ver. 1, 2. (2.) Excepted against by the lords of the philistines, ver. 3-5. (3.) Happily dismissed by Achish from that service, which did so ill become him, and which he knew not how to decline, ver. 6--11.

VER. 9. "He shall not go up with us to the battle."] -Which God in his providence ordered very wisely and graciously for David; for besides that the snare was broken, and he was delivered out of the dilemma to which he was reduced, it proved a happy hastening of him to the relief of his own city, which sorely wanted him, though he did not know it. Thus the disgrace, which the lords of the philistines put upon him, proved more ways than one an advantage to him. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way." What he doth with us we know not now, but we shall know hereafter, and shall see it was all for good.

CHAPTER XXX.

When David was dismissed from the army of the philistines, he did not go over to the camp of Israel, but being expelled by Saul, observed an exact neutrality, and silently retired to his own city Ziglak, leaving the armies ready to engage. Now here we are told, (1.) What a melancholy posture he found the city in, all laid waste by the Amalekites, and what distress he and his men were in upon it, ver. 1—6. (3.) What course he took to recover what he had lost. He enquired of God, and took a commission from him, ver. 7, 8. pursued the enemy, ver. 9, 10. gained intelligence from a straggler, ver. 11-15. attacked and routed the rapparees, ver. 16, 17. and recovered all that they had carried off, ver. 18-20. (3.) What method he observed in the distribution of the spoil, ver. 21—31.

VER. 6. "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."-Observe David's humble dependence on divine providence, and the Lord's promise and grace in this distress: "But David encourageth himself in the Lord his God." First, his men fretted at their loss; "the soul of the people was bitter;" so the word is; their own discontent and impatience added wormwood and gall to the affliction and misery, and made it doubly grievous: but David bore it better, though he had more reason than any of them to lament, for they gave liberty to their passions, but he encouraged himself in God, while they discouraged themselves. He believed and considered, with application to his present case, the power and providence of God, his justice and goodness, the method he commonly takes of bringing low, and then raising up, his care of his people that serve him and trust in him, and the particular promises he had made to him, of bringing him safe to the throne, and with these considerations encouraged himself, not doubting but the present trouble would end well. Those who have the Lord for their God, may take encouragement from their relation to him in the worst of times. It is the duty and interest of all God's people, whatever happens, to encourage themselves in God as the Lord, and their God, assuring themselves that he can and will bring light out of darkness, peace out of trouble, and good out of evil, to all that love him, and are "the called according to his purpose," Psalm xxvii. 13, 14. It was David's practice, and he bad the comfort of it; "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee." When he was at his wit's end, he was not at his faith's end.

CHAPTER XXXI.

In the foregoing chapter we had David conquering, yea, more than a conqueror: in this chapter we have Saul conquered, and worse than a captive: providence ordered it, that both these things should be doing just at the same time: the very same day, perhaps, that David was triumphing over the Amalekites, were the philistines triumphing over Saul: one is set over-against the other, that men may see what comes of forsaking him. We left Saul ready to engage the philistines, with a shaking hand, and an aching heart, having had his doom read him from hell, which he would not regard when it was read him from heaven; let us now see what comes of him. Here is, 1. His army routed, ver. 1. 2. His three sons slain, ver. 2. 3. Himself wounded, ver. 3. Slain by his own hand, ver. 4. His armour-bearer, ver. 5. and all his men, ver. 6. 4. His country possessed by the philistines, ver. 7. His camp plundered, his dead body deserted, ver. 8. His fall triumphed in, ver. 9. His body publicly exposed, ver. 10. And with difficulty rescued by the men of Jabesh-gilead, ver. 11---13. Thus fell the man that was rejected of God.

VER. 6. "So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together."] -This shews God's righteous judgments, that the day of recompence was come, in which Saul must suffer for the blood of the Amalekites, which he had sinfully spared, and that of the priests, which he had more sinfully spilt, and that of David, which he would have spilt, must come into the account. Now his day is come to fall, as David foresaw, when he should descend into battle and perish, chap. xxvi. 10. Come and see the "righteous judgments of God."

A

Spiritual Exposition

OF THE

SECOND BOOK

SAMUEL;

OTHERWISE CALLED,

THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS.

SCRIPTURE KEY.

THIS book contains the history of the church and commonwealth of Israel from the death of Saul, to the end of David's reign. We have an evidence of the truth of God's promises concerning the kingdom, which had been made and afterwards accomplished to David, who for a long time went through great difficulties and dangers, yet at last after many storms of trouble and affliction arriveth at the long-expected haven, and quietly enjoyeth the kingdom: yet not all at once, but by degrees; for David by God's direction going up to Hebron, is made king of Judah, but Abner maketh Ishbosheth, Saul's son, king of Israel. David was king of Judah for seven years, but Ishbosheth, and Abner, his general, being slain, the tribes come to Hebron, and David is anointed king of Israel.

David was a "man according to God's own heart," and of singular piety towards God, meditating on his law

day and night, and composing and singing of psalms, which breathe great love, holiness, and zeal. He thought the tabernacle too mean a place for God's glorious presence, and he is earnestly desirous of building him a temple, but God forbid him, and it is left to his son Solomon. David was endued with many gifts and graces, that fitted him for a general and great commander, whereby he was enabled to fight the Lord's battles against his and the church's enemies, as the philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, and Syrians, whom he overcame, and either destroyed or brought them under tribute; whereby the kingdom of Israel was extended the utmost limits which God had promised.

Though David was endued with great excellencies, be had also great failings and strong corruptions, which discovered themselves in the matter of Uriah; and the Holy Ghost hath recorded them as warnings to avoid those rocks against which so choice a person dashed, and had utterly perished had not the grace and Spirit of God preserved him from final apostacy, and given him repentance and forgiveness of his sins; and though his sins were pardoned, yet to shew the malignant and dreadful nature of sin, and how odious and displeasing it is to God; and that the enemies of the church might not take occasion to blaspheme by his impunity, God severely corrected him for his sins, so as that he might plainly read them in his punishment; for his daughter Tamar was ravished by his son Amnon, and his concubines were defiled by his son Absalom; and the prophet Nathan said to David, "Thou hast killed Uriah, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon;" and therefore war did not depart from his house, 2 Sam. xii. 9.

Besides the many wars David had, his curiosity and confidence in numbering the people was punished with a great plague, that consumed threescore and ten thousand of the people in the space of three days: but the Lord did not utterly forsake him, as his sins deserved; for by these fatherly, though severe chastisements, he humbles him, raises him up, forgiveth his sins, reneweth his covenant with him, and ratifieth to him his gracious promises, especially that of the kingdom being continued to him and his poste rity for many ages and generations, as the type of the perpetuity of Christ's kingdom, who came according to the flesh out of his loins, of which David and his kingdom were a type and figure.