view, he never would have fojourned there with fuch a mark of diftinction as Goliah's fword. Besides, there is no doubt but that his name and perfon were now become as dreadful to the Philiftines, as ever that of Scanderbeg was after to the Turks. Nay, it should seem, that they had by this time been acquainted even with his designation to / the crown; for fo the fervants of Achish plainly intimate, in their informations to their master: Is not this (fay they) David the king of the land? Did they not fing one to another of him in dances, faying, Saul bath flain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

I HAVE no doubt but that David frankly and openly owned from the beginning who he was, and threw himself upon the king's mercy for protection. But when they acquainted their master that he was king-elect of the realm of Ifrael, they infinuated this as a reason why he should not be trusted: or, poffibly, they alluded to the condition ftipulated in the combat with Goliah, that the people of the conquered champion should serve those of the conqueror: so that if David was king of Judea, he would confider himself as king of Palestine alfo.

THIS Conduct of the courtiers startled David; he then faw into what streights he had brought himself, and had no way of efcaping but by changing his behaviour, and counterfeiting madness. The text tells us, David was fore afraid of Achish, and he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands; well knowing, that madmen are rather objects of pity than of puuifhment; and played his part fo well, that he effectually deceived them. The king, it seems, was not of a humour either to be entertained with men of that character, or even to endure them, and fo ordered him to be turned out of his court.

In memory of which great deliverance, he is faid to have compofed the lvith pfalm; which is an earnest application to GOD, and a thankful recognition of his infinite goodness, in faving and protecting him from his enemies.

IT is, befides this, a key that lets us into the true fecret of David's conduct upon this occafion.

FROM this pfalm it plainly appears, that the courtiers of Gath were bent upon David's deftruction, and daily caballed against

him they foon perceived him to be a great genius; a character always dreaded, if not hated, in an enemy, and they refolved his ruin; and to be fure to effect it, they mifConftrued and gave wrong turns to every thing he faid or did: ver. 5. Every day (fays he) they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil: they gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they lay wait for my Soul.

WHAT fhould he do? He had dealt with them in the integrity and fimplicity of his heart; but his honefty was interpreted into guile. To labour to fet himself right with them were vain, for they defignedly misinterpreted every thing; and to enter into any debate with them upon it, would be but to discover his diftruft, and insure his deftruction. Fair open dealing would not do. What if he tried to deceive? To deceive the deceiver, is, in many inftances, meritorious, in none criminal. And what fo likely to deceive, as the very reverse of that character which they had so misconftrued? He was undone, as a wifeman; he had a chance to escape, as a I 4 mad

mad-man; he tried, and the experiment fucceeded.

SOME criticks have indulged themselves in vilifying and traducing David upon this account: but others, with more reason, confider this conduct as a ftrong fpecimen of fagacity and penetration, and as a welljudged, an honeft, and an honourable fraud ! and can no more cenfure David for faving his life by this guile, than they can Solon for ferving his country.

If any man object to this way of reafoning from the Pfalms, I befeech him to reflect how unreasonable it would be to fuppofe, that a hymn written upon a particular occafion, thould yet contain nothing in it any way relating to that occafion: And, on the other hand, if thofe hymns contain particularities not arifing from the general nature of prayer, or thanksgiving, whether we must not, by all the rules of rational interpretation, refer thofe particularities to the occafion upon which the hymn was compofed? And if we have a right to do this, furely we have a right to reafon from. them.

CHAP.

CHAP. XII.

David flies to the Cave of Adullam. Some Account of the Perfons who reforted to him there.

D4

AVID's next refuge was the cave of Adullam, in the tribe of Judah, and to the East of Eleutheropolis *, a place fortified by nature, and fo fitted for the fecurity of persons in distress, that we are told it hath frequently given a refuge from the Turks to the Chriftians, who fled thither with their families, flocks, and herds.

HITHER his friends, those especially of his own family, who had reason to apprehend that they fhould be involved in the imputation of his guilt, reforted to him. Hither alfo, as it is generally understood, çame those valiant men, and great captains of the tribe of Gad, who were faid, in I Chron. ch. xii. to have separated themelves unto David into the bold in the wilder

* Eufebius gives this fituation to a town of that name extant in his time. This was, probably, the country of Hirah, Judah's affociate, Gen. xxii.

ness,