furprised at it, asked their father, whether thefe were all the fons he had? who answered, that he had one more, a ftripling, who was then keeping his fheep, and was the youngest of all. He was bid to fend for him; and, as foon as David came in, Samuel was ordered to anoint him in the presence of his brethren; and from that minute the Spirit of the LORD came upon him (D). Samuel then made a feaft to Jeffe's family, and to the elders of the city, and returned to Ramah, and David to his flocks.

NOT long after this, the Spirit of the LORD having forfaken Saul, he began to feel himself tormented by an evil one, or by a deep melancholy to difpel which, he was advised to get young David to play on the harp before him; who by this time had gained the reputation, not only of an expert mufician, but of a fober, difcreet, and valiant youth. He was fent for accordingly, and the ruddi- Relieves nefs of his complexion, and comeliness of his perfon, joined Saul's with the sweetness of his mufic, won Saul's heart fo far, melancholy that he made him his armour-bearer, and obtained of his father, that he might ftill continue near his perfon. Whenever, therefore, Saul's diftemper came upon him, David was ordered to divert him with his mufic; which never failed to give him eafe°: after which he returned home, and went about his ufual occupation (E).

O 1 Sam. xvi. ult.

(D) It is hardly to be fuppofed, that Samuel then explained the whole myftery of his anointing of David; which might have had some fatal confequence, had it come to Saul's ears: but, as it was ufual to anoint men to the office of prophet, as well as to the regal dignity, it is most likely, that he left them to fuppofe the former, as David was not much above fifteen years of age, and too neat in garb, and tender, to be taken for a promising warrior. Jofephus fays, that Samuel only whispered the fecret into David's and his father's (1) I Sam, xvii. 28.

SAUL

ears, and concealed it from the
reft. And, indeed, had his
brethren known, or even fu-
fpected, that he had been an-
ointed to the regal dignity, it
is not credible they would have
used him with such roughness
and ill-manners as they did,
when their father fent him to
them to Saul's camp (1).

(E) At leaft, it appears by
the fequel (2), that he ftaid
at Bethlehem during Saul's
lucid intervals, one of which
feems to have been fo long,
that, when he came back to
court, neither Saul, nor Ab-
ner his general, could tell whe

SAUL and his army were then encamped by the valley of Elah, in order to make head against the Philistines, who had, perhaps, taken fresh courage at the news of Saul's diftemper. They had pitched their camp at Ephes-dammim over against them, which place was between Shochob and Azekah, in the tribe of Judah. A valley parted the two armies, which had contented themselves with looking upon one another, without ftriking a blow, during the space of forty days, faving the daily challenges of the infulting Goliath. But that, which had chilled the hearts of all the Ifraelites, wrought a contrary effect upon young David, who was juft arrived in the camp, being fent thither by old effe, with provifions for his three eldest Defeats brothers, who were then in Saul's army. As foon as he Goliath. heard the news of this gigantic champion's having defied Year of the army of the GOD of Ifrael, he drew a fure omen the flood from it, that GOD would deliver him into his hands and 1285 though Saul's promifing his daughter, as a reward to the Bef. Chrift man that fhould flay him, had not been able to induce one Ifraelite to engage him during that whole time; yet was not this young fhepherd at all difcouraged from offering himself to the combat. At his first presenting himself to the king, all that beheld him judged him altogether

1063.

he was, as we read in the very
next chapter (2); which has
given interpreters fome diffi-
culty to reconcile: fome have
thought this interval to have
been fo long, that David was
quite altered, his beard grown,
features and fhape become more
manly; fo that he might not
be easily known again (3):
others have endeavoured to re-
move the difficulty, by other
fuppofitions equally improba-
ble (4) whereas his being
forgot at court may be easily
accounted for, if to the growth
of his fhape, beard, &c. men-
tioned under the first head, we
add, that, when he played be.
fore Saul, he appeared in a

(2) 1 Sam. xvii. 25, to the end.
bis vide Theodoret. Procop. in loc.
Clerc, Calmet, & al.

drefs fuitable; but was now in his plain fhepherd's habit, and juft come from a journey; fo that the king and his court, who had feen fuch variety of faces fince his departure, might not eafily call him to mind.

As for the wonderful effects, which his mufic had upon Saul, we need not have recourfe to miracles to account for it, as fome commentators have done (5), who think, that he joined fome pfalms or prayers with the melody of his harp. Every one may be fenfible of the power of good mufic upon a melancholy perfon,which we take to have been Saul's cafe.

(3) Tornel. Cajet. & al.
(4) De
(5) Vide Grot. Cajet. Genebrard. Le

unequal

unequal to fuch an exploit ; but fuch was his reliance on GOD, that, without any other weapon than a fling, and a few pebble-ftones in his fhepherd's pouch, he fallied forth against this mighty enemy; and, in a few minutes after, brought his head and fword, and laid it at the feet of Saul P.

WHAT effect this victory had over the amazed Phi- Jonaliftines, we need not repeat here 9. But David's beha- than's viour wrought fo much on the generous Jonathan, Saul's friendship eldest fon, that it gave birth to the most intimate friend- to David. ship between them, infomuch that the text fays, their fouls were knit together; and David elsewhere tells us, that it exceeded by far the love of womens. But it foon after made a much different impreffion upon Saul, though at first he seemed charmed with his conduct, and gave him a confiderable poft in his army. What infpired that prince with the first fentiments of jealoufy against him, was the indifcretion of a company of women, who came to meet them at their return from the battle, with vocal and inftrumental mufic, and in their fongs extolled David above him, and said, that Saul had killed his thoufands, but David his ten thousands; which made him complain, that they would give him the kingdom next. From that time he looked upon him as a dangerous enemy, and himself unsafe till he had cut him off. His disease now seemed to be wholly turned into jealoufy, and David David often narrowly escaped becoming the victim of it for hated by even on the very day after this noble exploit, whilft Saul. David was endeavouring to ease his prefent fit, he threw

a javelin at him with fuch force, that it ftuck against the His narwall. He attempted the fame a second time; but David efcaped them both.

AT length Saul, obferving how well David behaved, and was beloved by all the people, though he dreaded him the more for it, faw himself under a neceffity of acting more closely against him, by raising him to an higher poft, and expofing him to frefh dangers, in hopes to see him fall by the hand of the enemy. He promifed him, at the fame time, his eldest daughter, as a reward of his next victory; but David had the mortification to fee her given to another presently after. The next trap Saul laid for him was, to get fome of his fervants to tell him, that the king, who defigned in earneft to give him his fecond daughter, would accept of 100 Philistines foreskins in¶ See before, vol. ii, p. 242, & feq. • Ibid. per tot.

PI Sam. xvii. per tot. r1 Sam. xviii. 1.

ftead

row e-.

fcape.

Flees to

ftead of a dowry. But here David came off again victo-
rious, and brought him double that number; fo that
Saul, having no pretence left to excufe himself from his
promife, gave him Michal in marriage, whofe fincere
affection, joined to that of her brother Jonathan, proved
afterwards very ferviceable to him, by defeating their fa-
ther's bloody attempts against his life, even at the hazard
of their own. David had again obtained a fignal victory
over the Philistines, and was fcarce returned to court,
before he was in danger of being ftuck to the wall with
another javelin. This made him retire to his own house,
whither Saul purfued him, caufing the houfe to be befet by
fome of his fervants, where he would have been infallibly
murdered by the next morning, had not his faithful wife
contrived his escape, by conveying him privily out at a
window, in the dead of night, refolving to give her huf-
band time to go far enough before he was purfued, and
at any rate to bear the brunt of her father's refentment,
rather than be wanting in conjugal affection: fo that
when the men came the next morning to kill him,
The easily difmiffed them, by affuring them, that he was
very ill, and confined to his bed; fhewing them at the
fame time the figure of a man, which he had conveyed
into it, and covered up with bed-cloaths, to prevent dif-
covery. They were foon fent back with orders to bring
him alive, in his bed; by which means her ftratagem
being discovered, fo exafperated her angry father, that
she was forced to make him believe, that it was to fave
her own life, that she had confented to it.

DAVID, having thus happily efcaped, withdrew to Samuel. Ramah, to acquaint Samuel with the unwelcome news; and thence both went down to Naioth, which was not far from Ramah, where was a fchool of prophets. It was not long before Saul fent meffengers to fetch him, who were no fooner come within fight of Samuel and the prophets, than they fell a prophefying likewife, and fo returned without him. He fent others a fecond and a third time, with the fame fuccefs, and at length refolved to go himself; and, when he came, he prophefied likewife, caft off his cloaths, and lay down uncovered (H) all that day and night; which

(H) The words in the original fay, that he lay naked; but it were abfurd to under

ftand it in a literal fenfe, GoD having ftrictly forbidden all fuch indecencies (8) in oppo

(8) Exod. xx. ver. ult. & alib.

which gave David an opportunity to get off, and to have a private interview with Jonathan, wherein they fwore to each other a perpetual friendship. That generous young prince expofed himself to his father's fury for his friendship to David, and was reproved for it in the bittereft terms; nay, having once ventured to plead for him, he narrowly efcaped being killed by the incenfed king. Finding at length, that his friend's death was refolved on, he went to the stone Ezel, a place appointed by them; and, at a fignal given, David came out to him; and, being fully informed how dangerous it was for him to ftay any longer within the reach of his implacable father, they took a melancholy farewel of each other u; and David haftened to the land of Nob, where Abimelech, the then high-priest, had his refidence.

DAVID was forced to difpel the furprize the high-priest David was in at his unexpected arrival, with a pretence of being flies to fent by the king upon fome private bufinefs of importance; Ahimebut, having obferved there one Doeg an Edomite, and one lech. of Saul's fhepherds, by whom he forefaw he should certainly be betrayed, if he made any ftay, he told Ahimelech, that his bufinefs was urgent; and begged, that he would give him fome refreshment for himself, and the young men that were with him. As foon as they had refreshed themselves, David afked him, whether he could not furnish him with fome fwords or fpears; and was answered, that the place afforded no other weapon, but the fword which he took from Goliath; which he defired might be brought to him, and, having girt it on, he took his leave of the high-prieft, and fled to Achish king of Gath. He made but a fhort stay with that prince, his courtiers having reminded him' of what had been fo lately fung by u Ibid. xx. paff.

t 1 Sam. xix. paff.

fition to the heathen priefts,
who were not ashamed to ap-
pear naked at fome of their
feafts (9).
It is more than
probable therefore, that the
words mean no more than the
cafting off that loose upper-
garment, which they used to

throw over them when they
went abroad, and having no-
thing upon him, but the tu-
nic that was next the fkin:
which manner of speaking

was also common to
Greeks and Latins (1).

the

(9) Vide Tit. Liv. & al. de Lupercal. &c. (1) Vide Gilbert. Cuper. obfervat. l. i. c. 7. Ant. Barreman. dialog. lit. de poet. & proph. Fuller. mifcel, theol. Heinf. Grot. Hammond, Le Clerc, Le Scene effay on a new version, part ii. c. 9. felt. 1.

the