The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 130
SECT. CXXX.
THe Iſraelites tolerating this Idolatry of Micah and the Danites, and never ſtirring againſt it, this Toleration breedeth all Iniquity, in ſo much that Gibeah, a City in Benjamin, becometh as abominable as Sodom, as appears by the ſtory following. It happened in thoſe days, when there was no Supream Magiſtrate to curb and reſtrain the Diſorders and evil Manners of the people, that a certain Levite that ſojourned in Mount Ephraim had taken to himſelf a Concubine from Bethlehem-Judah. Some Concubines there were among the Hebrews that were eſteemed lawful Wives as to the right of the Bed, and their Children were accounted Legitimate, though they were not eſteemed in the rank of other Wives principally and moſt properly ſo called; For they had not the honour of being accounted the Mothers of the Family, neither had they the Rule in the Family, nor their Children any Inheritance, but only Gifts or Portions. The caſe of Jacob's Sons by Bilhah and Zilpah was extraordinary.See Sect. 15. of Ch. 3. Other Concubines there were that were plain Whores or Harlots; but this Levites Concubine was of the former ſort, viz. a ſecundary Wife, for the Levite is called her Husband, verſ. 3. and Ch. 20.4. This Concubine (as it ſeems) was falſe to the Levite her Husband, and play'd the Whore; whereupon a Quarrel ariſing between them, ſhe left him, and went home again to her Fathers houſe, who was too ready to entertain her. Though it was uſual for all ſorts, even the Levites themſelves at that time to take Concubines, yet the ſad effects that followed hereupon ſhewed that God was not pleaſed with it; From the beginning it was not ſo, ſays our Saviour, Matth. 19.8. The Levite follows after her, to ſee if he could by fair means bring her to repent and amend, and to return to him again, He being willing to be reconciled to her, rather than forſake her, if it were poſſible. When he came to her Fathers houſe, He received him, and entertained him very kindly, and he ſtayed with him three days: On the fourth day in the morning the breach being as it ſeems made up, and he ready to depart with his Wife, His Father-in-law deſired him to comfort his heart with a morſel of bread, and ſo they ſate down, and did eat and drink together, and upon his further importunity he ſtayed with him that night alſo. On the next day he entertained him again, and engaged him to ſtay till the Afternoon, and would have had him lodged there that night alſo, ſeeing the Sun was then declining; But he would not, but took his leave of him, and departed with his Wife and Servant. When they came over againſt Jebus or Jeruſalem (which was now in the poſſeſſion of the Jebuſites)(b)For though the Children of Judah had taken from the Jebuſites that part of the City which was in their Tribe, ſee Jud. 1.8. yet out of that part which belonged to Benjamin (on which ſide the Levite was now travelling) the Jebuſites were not expelled, ſee Judg. 1.21. his Man adviſed that they ſhould turn into that City, and lodge there that night; but the Levite ſaid, We will not turn into a City inhabited by the accurſed Canaanites, eſtranged from God and his Laws, we will go to Gibeah, *The beſt Counſel ſometimes may have the worſt ſucceſs to teach us that there is a ſecret hand of God that over-rules all Events.not far from hencc, and in our way to Mount Ephraim. It was Sun-ſet by the time they came thither. When they came into the Street of the City, they met with no man that had ſo much Humanity or Hoſpitality in him as to invite them to his houſe. At laſt an old man of Mount Ephraim, a Sojourner in that City, coming from his work out of the Fields, and ſeeing the Levite, asked him, Whence he came? and whither he was going? He told him he dwelt in Mount Ephraim, but he meant to go firſt to Shiloh (where the Tabernacle then was) to perform his Service there, and then to go on in his Journey home-ward. But (ſays he) here is no man (for ought I perceive) has ſo much kindneſs, as to receive us into his houſe, though we ſhould put him to little or no charge, for we have brought from whence we came a bundle of Straw and Provender for our Aſſes, and we have Bread and Wine ſufficient for our ſelves. The old man ſaid, Peace be unto thee, let all thy wants lie upon me; that is, take no further care either for Lodging or Proviſion; I will take the care of all upon my ſelf to provide all Neceſſaries for thee, and all that belong unto thee. Therefore turn in unto my houſe; which accordingly they preſently did, and there he took care of their Aſſes, and then waſhing their Feet (according to the Rites of Hoſpitality practiſed in that hot Country) he entertained them, and they ſat down to eat and drink with Him. Now as they were making their hearts merry, certain Sons of Belial (following the example of their good Brethren and Predeceſſors of Sodom, Gen. 19.4.) beſet the houſe round, requiring the old man to bring forth the Levite to them, that they might abuſe him by unnatural luſt. The old man came out to them, and entreated them not to do ſo abominable a thing; He tells them, He had in his houſe a Daughter a Maiden, and there was alſo the Levite's Concubine; He would bring them both out to them, and they might humble them, and do what they would to them; but he deſired them to ſpare his Gueſt the Levite, and not make him the Subject of their baſe Villany. But though the old man was to be commended for his deſire to obſerve the Laws of Hoſpitality, yet the means he uſed are to be condemned as very ſinful, ſeeing we may not do evil that good may come thereof, Rom. 3.8. Of the evils of puniſhment indeed we may chuſe the leſs, that we may avoid the greater, but of the evils of Sin we muſt chuſe neither, ſeeing the leaſt ſin is worſe than the greateſt puniſhment. But theſe Sons of Belial were nothing moved with what He ſaid, therefore the Levite, to prevent evil to his courteous Hoſt, brought forth his own Concubine (c)See Sect. 9. of Ch. 3. Suam Levita producit ut Hoſpiti Conſulat. Ita divinitus ordinatum ut ſcortando ſcortum intereat.to them, and they took her and abuſed her all night, until the morning, in a moſt inhumane and deteſtable manner. Thus the Providence of God reſcued the old mans Daughter (who was innocent) from the rage and luſt of theſe wicked Villains, and the ſtorm fell on the Levites Concubine, who though her Husband had pardoned, yet God now puniſhed. Ʋncleanneſs was her ſin, and uncleanneſs was now the cauſe of her death. Culpa libido fuit, poena libido fuit. In the morning ſhe came and fell down at the old mans door. The Levite ſeeing her lie all along with her hands on the Threſhold, he bad her ariſe that they might be gone. But ſhe not anſwering, He perceived ſhe was dead. Then carrying her upon his Aſſe, he went home; and when he was come thither, he took a Knife and cut her body into twelve pieces, and ſent to each Tribe a piece of her, that ſo horrible a Spectacle might incenſe their wrath, and ſtir up their ſpirits to take ſharper Revenge on the Actors of ſo deteſtable a Villany, and that they might not ſuffer thoſe Peſts to live, and poiſon the Air with their breath, and ſo pull down Gods fearful Judgments on the whole Land. The Meſſengers acquainting the Tribes with the cauſe why the Levite had done this, all that heard of it cried out, That there was never ſuch a horrid Villany done, or ſeen among them, ſince they came out of Egypt.*Hoſea 9.9. They have deeply co…rupted themſelves, as in the days of Gibeah. And therefore ſtirring up one another not to let it paſs unrevenged, they ſaid, Let us conſider of it, take advice, and ſpeak our minds, that we may take the beſt courſe we can to bring theſe deſperate Offendors to deſerved puniſhment.
Judg. Ch. 19. whole Chapter.