History of the Old Testament Volume 5, Part 7 – Dedication 2
Abner and Joab.
HOw mercifull and ſeaſonable are the prouiſions of God? Ziglag was now nothing but ruines and aſhes: Dauid might returne to the ſoyle where it ſtood, to the roofes and walls he could not: No ſooner is he diſapointed of that harbour, then God prouides him Cities of Hebron: Saul ſhall dye to giuegive him elbow-roome: Now doth Dauid finde the comfort that his extremity ſought in the Lord his God: Now are his clowdes for a time paſſed ouer: and the Sun breaks gloriouſly forth: Dauid ſhall raigne after his ſufferings. So ſhall we, if we indure to the end, finde a Crowne of righteouſnes, which the Lord the righteous Iudge, ſhall giuegive vsus at that day: But though Dauid well knew that his head was long before anoynted, and had heard Saul himſelfe confidently auouching his ſucceſſion: yet he will not ſtirre from the heapes of Ziglag, till hee hauehave conſulted with the Lord: It did not content him, that he had Gods warrant for the kingdome, but hee muſt hauehave his inſtructions for the taking poſſeſſion of it: How ſafe and happie is the man that is reſolued to do nothing without God? Neither will generalities of direction be ſufficient; euen particular circumſtances muſt looke for a word: ſtill is God a piller of fire, and cloude to the eye of eueryevery Iſraelite: neither may there be any motion or ſtay but from him; That action cannot but ſucceed, which proceeds vponupon ſo ſure a warrant:
God ſends him to Hebron a city of Iudah: Neither will Dauid goe vp thither alone, but he takes with him all his men with their whole houſholds: they ſhall take ſuch part as himſelfe: As they had ſhared with him in his miſery, ſo they ſhall now in his proſperity: Neither doth he take aduantage of their late mutinye (which was yet freſh and greene) to caſhier thoſe vnthankefull, and vngracious followers, but pardoning their ſecret rebellions, he makes them partakers of his good ſucceſſe. Thus doth our heauenly leader (whom Dauid prefigured) take vsus to raigne with him who hauehave ſuffered with him: paſſing by our manyfold infirmities, as if they had not beene, he remoueth vsus from the land of our baniſhment, and the aſhes of our forlorne Ziklag, to the Hebron of our peace, and glory: The expectation of this day muſt (as it did with Dauids ſoldiers) digeſt all our ſorrows.
Neuer any calling of God was ſo conſpicuous, as not to finde ſome oppoſites: What Iſraelite did not know Dauid, appointed by God to the ſucceſſion of the kingdome? Euen the Amalekite, could carry the Crowne to him as the true owner: yet there wants not an Abner to reſiſt him, and the title of an Iſhboſheth to colour his reſiſtance: If any of Sauls houſe could hauehave made challenge to the Crowne, it ſhould hauehave beene Mephiboſheth the Sonne of Ionathan: Who, it ſeemes had too much of his Fathers blood to be a competitor with Dauid: the queſtion is not who may claime the moſt right, but who may beſt ſerue the faction; Neither was Iſhboſheth any other then Abners ſtale: Saul could not hauehave a fitter Courtier: whether in imitation of his maſters enuy, or the ambition of ruling vnderunder a borrowed name, hee ſtrongly oppoſeth Dauid: there are thoſe who ſtriue againſt their owne hearts, to make a ſide, with whom conſcience is oppreſſed by affection: An ill quarrell once vndertaken ſhall be maintained, although with blood: Now, not ſo much the blood of Saul, as the ingagement of Abner makes the warre. The Sonnes of Zeruiah ſtand faſt to Dauid: It is much, how a man placeth his firſt intereſt: If Abner had beene in Ioabs roome, when Sauls diſpleaſure droue Dauid from the Court, or Ioab in Abners, theſe actions, theſe euents had beene changed with the perſons: It was the only happines of Ioab that he fell on the better ſide:
Both the Commaunders vnderunder Dauid and Iſhboſheth were equally cruell: both are ſo inured to blood, that they make but a ſport of killing▪ Cuſtome makes ſinne ſo familiar, that the horror of it, is to ſome turned into pleaſure. (Come let the young men play before vsus.) Abner is duplicate page duplicate page the Challenger, and ſpeeds therafter: for though in the matches of duell both ſides miſcaried, yet in the following conflict, Abner and his men are beaten: By the ſucceſſe of thoſe ſingle combats no man knows the better of the cauſe: Both ſides periſh, to ſhow, how little God liked either the offer, or the acceptation of ſuch a triall, but when both did their beſt, God puniſheth the wrong part with diſcomfiture.
Oh, the miſery of ciuill diſſention: Iſrael and Iudah were brethren: One carryed the name of the Father, the other of the Sonne: Iudah was but a branch of Iſrael, Iſrael was the root of Iudah: yet Iudah and Iſrael muſt fight, and kill each other; only vponupon the quarrell of an ill leaders ambition. The ſpeed of Aſahel was not greater then his courage: It was a minde fit for one of Dauids worthies, to ſtrike at the head, to match himſelfe with the beſt: He was both ſwift and ſtrong: but the race is not to the ſwift, nor the battle to the ſtrong: If he had gone neuer ſo ſlowly, he might hauehave ouertaken death: now he runnes to fetch it. So little luſt had Abner to ſhed the blood of a Son of Zeruiah, that he twice aduiſes him to retreat from purſuing his owne perill: Aſahels cauſe was ſo much better as Abners ſucceſſe: Many a one miſ-carries in the raſh proſecution of a good quarrell, when the Abettors of the worſt part goe away with victory. Heat of zeale, ſometimes in the vndiſcreet purſuit of a juſt aduerſary, prooues mortall to the agent, preiudiciall to the ſeruice.
Abner, whiles he kils, yet hee flyes, and runs away from his owne death, whiles hee inflicts it vponupon another: Dauids followers had the better of the field and day; The Sun, as vnwilling to ſee any more Iſraelitiſh bloud ſhed by brethren, hath withdrawne himſelfe: and now both parts hauing got the aduantage of an hil vnderunder them, hauehave ſafe conuenience of parley: Abner beginnes, and perſwades Ioab to ſurceaſe the fight (Shall the ſword deuoure for euer? Knoweſt thou not, that it will bee bitterneſſe in the end? How long ſhall it bee, ere thou bid the people returne from following their brethren?) It was his fault, that the ſword deuoured at all: and why was not the beginning of a ciuill war bitterneſſe? why did he call forth the people to skirmiſh, and inuite them to death? Had Abner been on the winning hand, this motion had beene thank-worthy: It is a noble diſpoſition in a Victor, to call for a ceſſatum of armes: wheras neceſſity wrings this ſuit from the ouer-maſtered. There cannot bee a greater praiſe, to a valiant and wiſe Commander, then a propenſion to all juſt termes of peace: For warre, as it is ſometimes neceſſary, ſo it is alwayes euill; and if fighting hauehave any other end propoſed beſides peace, it proues murder. Abner ſhall find himſelfe no leſſe ouercome, by Ioab in clemency, then power; He ſayes not, I will not ſo eaſily leaue the aduantage of my victory: ſince the dice of war run on my ſide, I will follow the chace of my good ſucceſſe: Thou ſhouldeſt hauehave conſidered of this before thy prouocation: It is now too late, to moue vntounto forbearance: but, as a man that meant to approue himſelfe equally free from cowardiſe, in the beginning of the conflict, and from cruelty in the end; he profeſſeth his forwardneſſe, to entertaine any pretence of ſheathing vp the ſwords of Iſrael; and ſweares to Abner, that if it had not beene for his proud irritation, the people had in the morning before ceaſed from that bloudy purſuit of their brethren: As it becomes publique perſons to bee louers of peace, ſo they muſt ſhew it vponupon all good occaſions: letting paſſe no opportunity of making ſpare of bloud.
Iſhboſheth was (it ſeemes) a man of no great ſpirits, for being no leſſe then forty yeeres old, when his father went into his laſt field againſt the Philiſtims, he was content to ſtay at home; Abner hath put ambition vntounto him; and hath eaſily raiſed him to the head of a faction, againſt the anoynted Prince of Gods people. If this vſurped Crowne of Sauls ſon, had any worth or glory in it, hee cannot but acknowledge, to owe it all vntounto Abner, yet how forward is vnthankfull Iſhboſheth to receiue a falſe ſuggeſtion againſt his cheefe Abettor: (Wherfore haſt thou gone in, to my fathers Concubine?) He that made no conſcience of an vniuſt claime of the Crowne, and a maintenance of it with bloud, yet ſeemes ſcrupulous of a leſſe ſinne, that carried in it the color of a diſgrace; The touch of her, who had beene honoured by his fathers bed, ſeemed an intolerable preſumption, and ſuch as could not be ſeuered from his owne diſhonour: Selfe-louelove ſometimes borrowes the face of honeſt zeale. Thoſe, who out of true grounds, diſlike ſins, doe hate them all indifferently, according to their haynouſneſſe; hypocrites are partiall in their deteſtation; bewraying euer moſt bitterneſſe, againſt thoſe offences, which may moſt preiudice their perſons and reputations.
It is as dangerous as vniuſt for Princes, to giuegive both their eares and their heart to miſgrounded rumors of their innocent followers: This wrong hath ſtript Iſhboſheth of the Kingdome; Abner in the meane time cannot be excuſed from a trecherous inconſtancy; If Sauls ſon had no true title to the Crowne, why did he maintaine it; If hee had, why did hee forſake the cauſe and perſon? Had Abner out of remorſe, for furthering a falſe claime taken off his hand, I know not wherein hee could be blamed, except for not doing it ſooner; But now to withdraw his profeſſed allegegeance, vponupon a priuate reuenge, was to take a lewd leaue of an ill action: If Iſhboſheth were his lawfull Prince, no iniury could warrant a reuolt; Euen betwixt priuate perſons, a returne of wrongs is both vncharitable, and vniuſt, how euer this goe currant for the common juſtice of the world, how much more ſhould we learn from a ſupreme hand, to take hard meaſures with thankes? It had been Abuers duty, to hauehave giuen his King a peaceable and humble ſatisfaction, and not to fly out in a ſnuffe. If the ſpirit of the ruler riſe vp againſt thee, leaue not thy place, for yeelding, pacifieth great offences; now, his impatient falling, although to the right ſide, makes him no better then trayterouſly honeſt.
So ſoone as Abner hath entertained a reſolution of his rebellion; hee perſwades the Elders of Iſrael to accompany him in the change: & whence doth he fetch his main motiue, but from the Oracle of God? (The Lord hath ſpoken of Dauid, ſaying, By the hand of my ſeruant Dauid, will I ſaue my people Iſrael, out of the hand of the Philiſtims, and out of the hand of all their enemies;) Abner knew this full well before, yet then was well content to ſmother a knowne truth for his owne turne, and now the publication of it may ſerue for his aduantage, he wins the heart of Iſrael, by ſhewing Gods Charter for him, whom he had ſo long oppoſed: Hypocrites make vſe of God for their owne purpoſes; and care onelyonly to make diuine authority a colour for their owne deſignes; No man euer heard Abner godly till now; neither had hee beene ſo at this time, if hee had not intended a reuengefull departure from Iſhboſheth: Nothing is more odious, then to make religion a ſtalking horſe to policy.
Who can but glorifie God in his Iuſtice, when he ſees the bitter end of this trecherous diſſimulation: Dauid may vponupon conſiderations of ſtate, entertaine his new gueſt with a feaſt; and well might he ſeeme to deſerue a welcom, that vndertakes to bring all Iſrael to the league and homage of Dauid: but God neuer meant to vſe ſo vnworthy meanes, for ſo good a work. Ioab returnes from purſuing a troop, and finding Abner diſmiſſed in peace and expectation of a beneficiall returne followes him, and whether out of enuy, at a new riuall of honour, or out of the reuenge of Aſahel, he repayes him both diſſimulation and death; God doth moſt iuſtly by Ioab, that which Ioab did for himſelfe moſt vniuſtly, I know not (ſetting the quarrell aſide) whether we can worthily blame Abner for the death of Aſahel, who would needes after faire warnings, run himſelfe vponupon Abners ſpeare: yet this fact ſhall procure his payment for worſe. Now is Iſhboſheths wrong reuenged by an enemy; wee may not alwayes meaſure the Iuſtice of Gods procedings, by preſent occaſions; He needs not make vsus acquainted, or aske vsus leaue when hee will call for the arrerages of forgotten ſins.
Contemplations VPONUPON THE HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
THE FIFTEENTH BOOKE:
Vzzah and the Arke
Dauid with Mephiboſheth & Ziba.
Hanun and Dauids Ambaſſadors
Dauid with Baſhſheba and Vriah
Nathan and Dauid
Amon and Thamar
Abſaloms returne and Conſpiracy.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE MY VERY GOOD LORD, WILLIAM Lord Burleigh All grace and happines.
Right Honorable,
THere are but two Bookes wherein we can read God; The one is his word, his workes the other; This is the bigger volume, that the more exquiſite. The Characters of this are more large, but dimme; of that, ſmaller but clearer. Philoſophers hauehave turned ouer this, and erred; That, Diuines and ſtudious Chriſtians, not without full and certaine information. In the workes of God wee ſee the ſhadow, or foot-ſteps of the Creator, in his word we ſee the face of God in a glaſſe. Happines conſiſts in the viſion of that infinite Maieſtie: and if wee bee perfectly happy aboue in ſeeing him face to face, our happines is well forward below, in ſeeing the liuely repreſentation of his face in the glaſſe of the Scriptures. Wee cannot ſpend our eyes too much vponupon this obiect; For mee, the more I ſee, the more I am amazed, the more I am rauiſhed with this glorious beauty: With the honeſt lepers, I cannot bee content to inioy this happy ſight alone; there is but one way to eueryevery mans felicity; May it pleaſe your Lordſhip to take part with many your Peeres in theſe my weake; but not vnprofitable Contemplations; which ſhall hold themſelues not a little graced with your Honorable name; Whereto, together with your right noble and moſt worthy Lady, I hauehave gladly deuoted my ſelfe; to be
Your Lordſhips in all dutifull obſeruance IOS: HALL.