History of the Old Testament Volume 5, Title page 1 – Part 1
Contemplations, THE FIFTH VOLVME. By IOS. HALL D. of D.
LONDON, Printed by E. G. for Nathaniel Butter. 1620.
Contemplations VPONUPON THE OLD TESTAMENT.
The 14th. Booke.
Saul in Dauids Caue.
Nabal and Abigail.
Dauid and Achiſh.
Saul and the Witch of Endor.
Ziklag ſpoyled and reuenged.
The Death of Saul.
Abner and Ioab.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, AND MY SINGVLAR good Lord, PHILIP Earle of MONGOMERY, one of the Gentlemen of his Maieſties Bed-chamber, and Knight of the moſt honourable Order of the Garter.
Right Honourable:
AFter ſome vnpleaſing intermiſsions, I returne to that taske of Contemplation, wherein onelyonly my ſoule findeth rest. If in other imployments I hauehave indeauoured to ſerue God and his Church, yet in none (I muſt confeſſe) with equall contentment. Me thinkes Controuerſie is not right in my way to Heauen; how euer the importunity of an aduerſarie may force me to fetch it in: Jf Truth oppreſſed by an erroneous teacher cry (like a rauiſht virgin) for my ayd, I betray it, if J releeue it not; when I hauehave done, I returne gladly to theſe paths of peace. The fauour which my late Polemicall labour hath found (beyond merit) from the learned, cannot diuert my louelove to thoſe wrangling ſtudies. How earneſtly doth my hart rather wiſh an vniuerſall ceſſation of theſe armes; that all the Profeſſors of the deare name of Christ might bee taken vp with nothing, but holy and peaceable thoughts of deuotion; the ſweetneſſe wherof hath ſo farre affected mee, that (if J might doe it without danger of miſ-conſtruction) I could beg euen of an enemy this leaue to be happy. I hauehave already giuen account to the world, of ſome expences of my houres this way, & here J bring more; which if ſome reader may cenſure as poore, none can cenſure as vnprofitable. J am bold to write them vnderunder your Honourable Name, whereto I deeply obliged; that J may leaue behind me this meane, but faithfull Teſtimony, of mine humble thankefulneſſe to your Lo: and your moſt honored and vertuous Lady. The noble reſpects I hauehave had from you both, deſerue my prayers, & beſt ſeruices, which ſhall neuer bee wanting to you and yours,
From your Honors ſincerely deuoted in all true duty. IOS. HALL.
Contemplations.
SAVL in DAVIDS Caue.
IT was the ſtrange lot of Dauid, that thoſe whom hee purſued, preſerued him from thoſe whom hee had preſerued; The Philiſtims, whom Dauid had newly ſmitten in Keilah, call off Saul from ſmiting Dauid in the wilderneſſe, when there was but an hillock betwixt him and death: Wicked purpoſes are eaſily checked, not eaſily broken off. Sauls ſword is ſcarce dry from the bloud of the Philiſtims, when it thirſts anew for the bloud of Dauid; and now in a renued chaſe, hunts him dry-foot thorow eueryevery wilderneſſe: The very deſert is too faire a refuge for innocence; The hils and rocks are ſearched in an angry iealouſie; the very wilde goats of the mountaines were not allowed to bee companions for him, which had no fault but his vertue. Oh the ſeemingly-vnequall diſtribution of theſe earthly things; Cruelty and oppreſſion raignes in a palace, whiles goodneſſe lurkes among the rockes and caues, and thinkes it happineſſe enough to ſteale a life.
Like a dead man, Dauid is faine to be hid vnderunder the earth, and ſeekes the comfort of protection in darkneſſe: and now the wiſe prouidence of God leads Saul to his enemy without bloud; He, which before broght them within an hils diſtance without interview, brings them now both within one roofe; ſo as that whiles Saul ſeekes Dauid and findes him not, hee is found of Dauid vnſought. If Saul had knowne his owne opportunities, how Dauid and his men had interred themſelues, he had ſaued a treble labour, of chaſe, of execution, and buriall, for had he but ſtopt the mouth of that caue, his enemies had layd themſelues downe in their owne graues: The wiſdome of God thinkes fit to hide from euill men, & ſpirits, thoſe means and ſeaſons, which might be (if they had been taken) moſt preiudiciall to his owne: Wee had been oft foyled; if Satan could but hauehave knowne our hearts: ſomtimes wee lye open to euils, and happy it is for vsus that hee onelyonly knowes it, which pitties in ſteed of tempting vsus.
It is not long, ſince Saul ſayd of Dauid (lodged them in Keilah) God hath deliuered him into mine hands, for he is ſhut in, ſeeing hee is come into a City that hath gates and bars; but now contrarily God deliuers Saul (ere he was aware) into the hands of Dauid, and without the helpe of gates and bars, hath incloſed him within the valley of the ſhadow of death: How iuſt it is with God, that thoſe who ſeeke miſcheefe to others, finde it to them ſelues; and euen whiles they are ſpredding nets, are inſnared; Their deliberate plotting of euill, is ſurprized with a ſudden judgement.
How amazedly muſt Dauid needes looke, when he ſaw Saul enter into the caue, where himſelfe was? what is this (thinkes hee) which God hath done? Is this preſence purpoſed, or caſuall; is Saul here to purſue, or to tempt me? Where ſuddenly the action bewrayes the intent, and tels Dauid that Saul ſought ſecrecy and not him. The ſuperfluity of his maliciouſneſſe brought him into the wilderneſſe, the neceſſity of nature led him into the caue: Euen thoſe actions wherin we place ſhame, are not exempted from a prouidence. The fingers of Dauids followers itched to ceaſe on their Maſters enemy; and that they might not ſeeme led ſo much by faction, as by faith, they vrge Dauid with a promiſe from God; The day is come whereof the Lord ſaid vntounto thee, Behold I will deliuer thine enemie into thine hand, and thou ſhalt do to him, as it ſhall ſeeme good to thee. This argument ſeemed to carry ſuch command with it, as that Dauid not onelyonly may, but muſt embrue his hands in blood, vnleſſe he will bee found wanting to God and himſelfe, thoſe temptations are moſt powerfull, which fetch their force from the pretence of a religious obedience: Whereas thoſe which are rayſed from arbitrary and priuate reſpects, admit of an eaſie diſpenſation.
If there were ſuch a prediction, one clauſe of it was ambiguous; and they take it at the worſt: Thou ſhalt doe to him as ſhall ſeeme good to thee: that might not ſeeme good to him, which ſeemed euill vntounto God. There is nothing more dangerous then to make conſtruction of Gods purpoſes out of euentuall appearances, If carnall probabilities might be the rule of our iudgement, what could God ſeeme to intend other then Sauls death in offering him naked into the hands of thoſe whom he vniuſtly perſecuted? how could Dauids ſoldiers thinke that God had ſent Saul thither on any other errand, then to fetch his bane, and if Saul could hauehave ſeene his owne danger, hee had giuen himſelfe for dead, for his hart guilty to his owne bloody deſires could not but hauehave expected the ſame meaſure which is meant: But wiſe and holy Dauid not tranſported either with miſconcert of the euent, or fury of paſſion, or ſollicitation of his followers dares make no other vſe of this accident then the triall of his loyalty, and the inducement of his peace; It had beene as eaſie for him to cut the throate of Saul as his garment; but now his coate only ſhall be the worſe, not his perſon; neither doth he in the moyming of a cloake ſeeke his own reuenge, but a monument of his innocence. Before Saul rent Samuels garment, now Dauid cutteth Sauls; both were ſignificant; The rending of the one, ſignified the Kingdome torne out of thoſe vnworthy hands; the cutting of the other, that the life of Saul might hauehave beene as eaſily cut off.
Saul needs no other monitor of his owne danger, then what he weares. The vpper garment of Saul was laid aſide, whiles he went to couer his feete; ſo as the cut of the garment, did not threaten any touch of the body, yet euen this violence offered to a remote garment ſtrikes the hart of Dauid, which findes a preſent remorſe for harmefully touching, that which did once touch the perſon of his maiſter, Tender conſciences are moued to regret at thoſe actions, which ſtrong harts paſſe ouer with a careleſſe eaſe. It troubled not Saul to ſeeke after the blood of a righteons ſeruant; there is no leſſe difference of conſciences then ſtomackes; Some ſtomacks will digeſt the hardeſt meates, and turne ouer ſubſtances, not in their nature edible, whiles others ſurret of the lighteſt food, and complaine euen of dainties: EueryEvery gratious hart is in ſome meaſure ſcrupulous, and findes more ſafetie in feare, then in preſumption: And if it be ſo ſtrait as to curbe it ſelfe in from the libertie which it might take in things which are not vnlawfull, how much leſſe will it dare to take ſcope vntounto euill: By how much that ſtate is better, where nothing is allowed, then where all things; by ſo much is the ſtrict and timorous conſcience better then the lawleſſe. There is good likelyhood of that man which is any way ſcrupulous of his wayes; but he which makes no bones of his actions, is apparently hopeleſſe.
SINCE Dauids followers pleaded Gods teſtimony to him as a motiue to blood. Dauid appeales the ſame God for his preſeruation from blood. The Lord keepe me from doing that thing to my maiſter the Lords anoynted; and now the good man hath worke enough to defend both himſelfe and his perſecuter, himſelfe, from the importunate neceſſitie of doing violence, and his maiſter from ſuffering it. It was not more eaſie to rule his owne hands, then difficult to rule a multitude: Dauids troupe conſiſted of male-contents, all, that were in diſtreſſe, in debt, in bitterneſſe of ſoule were gathered to him: Many if neuer ſo well ordered, are hard to command, a few if diſorderly, more hard; many and diſorderly muſt needes be ſo much the hardeſt of all, that Dauid neuer atchiued any victorie like vntounto this, wherein the firſt ouercame himſelfe, then his ſoldiers.
AND what was the charme, wherewith Dauid allayed thoſe raging ſpirits of his followers? No other but this; He is the Anoynted of the Lord. That holy oyle was the Antidote for his blood; Saul did not lend Dauid ſo impearceable an Armour, when he ſhould incounter Goliah, as Dauid now lent him in this plea of his vnction. Which of all the diſconted outlawes that lurked in that caue, durſt put forth his hand againſt Saul, when they once heard, He is the Lords anoynted: Such an impreſſion of awe hath the diuine prouidence cauſed his Image to make in the harts of men, as that it makes traytors cowards; So as inſteed of ſtriking they tremble; How much more lawleſſe, then the outlawes of Iſrael are thoſe profeſſed Ring-leaders of Chriſtianity; which teach and practiſe, and incourage, and reward, and canonize the violation of maieſtie. It is not enough for thoſe who are commanders of others to refraine their owne hands from euill, but they muſt carefully preuent the iniquitie of their heeles, elſe they ſhall bee iuſtly reputed to doe that by others, which in their owne perſon they auoyded; the lawes both of God and man, preſuppoſe vsus in ſome ſort anſwerable for our charge: as taking it for granted, that wee ſhould not vndertake thoſe raynes, which we cannot mannage.
There was no reaſon Dauid ſhould looſe the thankes of ſo noble a demonſtration of his loyalty; Whereto he truſts ſo much, that hee dares call backe the man by whom he was purſued; and make him iudge whether that fact had not deſerued a life. As his act, ſo his word and geſture imported nothing but humble obedience, neither was there more meekeneſſe then force in that ſeaſonable perſwaſion; Wherein hee lets Saul ſee the error of his credulity, the vniuſt ſlaunders of maliciouſneſſe, the oportunity of his reuenge, the proofe of his forbearance, the vndeniable euidence of his innocence; and after a lowly diſparagement of himſelfe, appeales to God for iudgement, for protection.
So liuely and feeling oratory did Saul finde in the lap of his garment, and the lips of Dauid, that it is not in the power of his enuy, or ill nature to hold out any longer. Is this thy voyce my ſonne Dauid, and Saul lift vp his voyce and wept, and ſaid: Thou art more righteous then I; Hee, whoſe harpe had wont to quiet the frenzy of Saul, hath now by his words calmed his fury; ſo as now hee ſheds teares in ſteed of blood: and confeſſes his owne wrong, and Dauids integrity; And (as if he were new againe entered into the bounds of Naioth in Ramath) he prayes, and propheſies good to him, whom he maliced for good; The Lord render thee good for that thou haſt done to mee this day; for now behold I know that thou ſhalt be king. There is no hart made of fleſh, that ſome time or other relents not, euen flint and marble, will in ſome wether ſtand on dropes. I cannot think theſe teares and proteſtations fayned. Doubtleſſe Saul meant as he ſaid, and paſſed through ſenſible fits of good and euill: Let no man like himſelfe the better for good motions; the prayſe and benefit of thoſe gueſts is not in the receit, but the retention.
Who, that had ſeene this meeting, could but hauehave thought all had beene ſure on Dauids ſide? What can ſecure vsus if not teares, and prayers and oathes? Doubtleſſe Dauids men which knew themſelues obnoxious to lawes and creditors, began to thinke of ſome new refuge, as making account this new peeced league would be euerlaſting; they looked when Saul would take Dauid home to the court, and diſſolue his army, and recompence that vniuſt perſecution with iuſt honor; when behold in the looſe, Saul goes home, but Dauid and his men goe vp vntounto the hold. Wiſe Dauid knowes Saul not to be more kinde, then vntruſty; and therefore had rather ſeeke ſafely in his hold, then in the hold of an hollow and vnſteedy friendſhip. Heere are good words but no ſecurity, which therefore an experienced man giues the hearing, but ſtands the while vponupon his own guard. No charity bindes vsus to a truſt of thoſe, whom we hauehave found faithleſſe; Credulity vponupon weake grounds after palpable diſapointments, is the daughter of folly: A man that is weatherwiſe, though he finde an abatement of the ſtorme, yet will not ſtirre from vnderunder his ſhelter whiles hee ſees it thicke in the winde, diſtruſt is the iuſt gaine of vnfaithfulneſſe.