O king, come down according to all the defire of thy foul to come down ; and our part shall be, to deliver him to the king's hand. THEY knew the eagerness of the king's defire to get David into his hands, and therefore they prefs him to make expedition agreeably to that eagernefs. To this he answers, with all the kindness of a man greatly obliged, and all the smoothness of a glozing hypocrite; Bleed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compaffion on me: Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know, and fee his place, where his haunt is, and who hath feen him there; for it is told me, that be dealeth very fubtilly *. See bic fugit omnes Infidias, nullique malo latus obdit apertum ? Sat. 3. 1. 1. One fhuns the fnares that fubtil malice laid, therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself; and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall come to pass, if be be in the land, that I will fearch him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. SAUL was now refolved to make fure work; and therefore he would not beat up this poor partridge upon the mountains, (as David calls himself) 'till he had spread his nets all around him; 'till he had difpofed his fpies throughout all the thousands of Judah, and taken his measures fo, that it was impoffible that he should escape him. WHAT intelligence he received after this from the Ziphites, is not told us: but from the eagerness, with which they entered into all his impotence of revenge, there is little doubt of their having foon fent him the beft they could get; for we find, that he foon after came out against David with his forces, and well knew where to find him. David was then in the plain of the wilderness of Magn; whither Saul, according to his intelligence, purfued him: which when David learnt, (for he alfo wanted no proper intelligence) he forfook the plain ....་ and and took to the mountains; whither Saul alfo pursued him with all diligence. DAVID was on one fide of the mountain, making all poffible speed to get away; and Saul on the other, pursuing, and extending both wings of his army to incompafs him, when news was brought him in all hafte, that the Philistines had invaded (in the original it is, poured themselves out upon) the land, and were putting all to fire and fword! This stopt him fhort, and turned him from an enemy who did no mischief to his country, to repel one that wafted it. THUS was David delivered, by the timely interpofition of Providence, from one of the most imminent dangers of his whole life. To this refer that prayer, and praise, and thanksgiving, which make up the livth pfalm. All the parts of which the very learned Dr. Patrick applies, with great judgment, to the prefent occafion. THE three first verses of it are a petition of deliverance from his enemies, then in full pursuit of him * ; and spoken in the style of a man, * Save me, O Lord, for thy name's fake: avenge me in thy strength, &c.— for ftrangers are risen up against me; a man, who, in full reliance upon the pro tection of GOD, was refolved to fell his life as dear as he could. And to fhew that he thought himself juftified in doing fo, he calls these men, who thus wickedly attempted to take it away, ftrangers; that is, heathens, and aliens from the covenant of GOD; and determines to treat them as fuch. THE 4th verfe begins upon feeing his enemies ftop fhort; in full affurance, that GOD had heard his prayer, and interpofed on his behalf: Behold, -- God is my helper * ! Concluding, in the 7th verfe (not well understood in the English translation) to this purpose, that GOD had delivered him out of all his ftreights, (for, doubtlefs, it was a di ftrefsful dilemma to be forced either to die tamely, or fight his fovereign, and his own people) and that he could now calmly and confidently furvey thofe enemies, whom before he did not dare to look in the face +. me; and tyrants, which have not God before their eyes, feek after my foul. *Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with them that uphold my foul, &c. + God hath fnatched me out of every ftreight; — and on mine enemies bath mine eye feen; that is, as the Arabick explains it, refted. THE THE prayers of great men in distress, and their thanksgivings after great deliverances, have always been matter of uncommon delight to curiofity, and men of serious and religious fpirits! Nor does the glory of any great man ever fhine out to their eyes in half the luftre, as when they behold him upon his knees, lifting up his eyes, or stretching out his hands to heaven, or, what is yet greater, proftrating himself before it, in humiliation and acknowledgment, then is the hero seen in all his dignity! And in this light, it must be owned, that Henry the Fourth of France, before the battle of Yury, and Henry the Fifth of England, after that of Agincourt +, and David after * this *Davila relates, that the king, standing still at the head of the main battalion, joining his hands, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, faid fo loud, that he was heard by many; O Lord, thou knoweft the intentions of my heart, and with the eye of thy providence thou pierceft into the fecreteft of my thoughts: If it be bet for this people that I fhould attain the crown, which belongs to me by right, do thou favour and protect the juftice of my arms: but if thy will bath determined the contrary, if thou takeft away my kingdom, take away my life alfo at the fame time, that I may shed my blood fighting at the head of thefe who put themselves in danger for my fake. + Before the battle, he told his army, among other things, That though thefe (the lance, the ax, the fword, and the bow) were the brave inftruments to reap honour, yet he rely'd upon Omnipotence for the victory; and it was a a re |