The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 212 – Section 213
SECT. CCXII.
NOW the days of David's departure out of this life drew nigh, therefore calling for his Son Solomon, he ſaid to him, I am going the way that all men living upon the earth muſt go: Be thou therefore couragious, and though thou be young in years, yet ſhew thy ſelf a man in underſtanding, and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to wit, the commandments which he hath given in charge to be kept, and walk in his ways, and keep his ſtatutes, his judgments and teſtimonies (whereby he teſtifies what he would have done and obſerved) according as they are written and preſcribed in the Laws given by Moſes, that ſo thou maiſt proſper in all that thou doſt, and in all buſineſſes thou ſetteſt thy ſelf unto. And ſo the Lord may be pleaſed to confirm his word which he ſpake unto me ſaying, If thy children take heed to their way to walk before me in truth and ſincerity, with all their heart, and all their ſoul, there ſhall not fail thee a man on the Throne of Iſrael; that is, there ſhall not fail a man of thy poſterity to ſit upon thy Throne(a)Notandum duo fuiſſe Davidi promiſſa. Primum abſolutè nempe Meſſiam ex ipſo oriturum licet filii ejus mali fuerint. Secundum conditionale ſcil. regnum in ejus familia conſervandum ſi poſteri ſe ſancte gerant. P. Martyr.. I have now only three things more to give thee in charge before I die: The firſt is concerning Joab, thou knoweſt how inſolently he carried himſelf towards me, and how treacherouſly he ſlew thoſe two great Capteins Abner and Amaſa, after I had engaged my faith to them both that they ſhould be ſafe; which wicked practice of his was enough to make the people think that I had ſecretly an hand in it, though I can truly ſay, my ſoul abhorred it. Nay he ſhed the blood of war in peace, that is, when there was peace made with theſe two great men; he ſlew them as if they had been in open hoſtility againſt me. And he put the blood of war upon his girdle, that is, He put up his ſword all bloody into its ſcabbard (that hung at his girdle), and the very ſhoos on his feet were ſtained with their blood; ſo impudently he carried out thoſe baſe murders; therefore I charge thee wiſely to obſerve him. He is of a turbulent ſpirit, and in all likelihood thou wilt have at one time or other juſt occaſion againſt him. And though he hath been General of my Army almoſt all my reign, yet let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace, but when thou findeſt juſt occaſion againſt him, cut him off by the ſword of juſtice, and ſo let the blood of Abner and Amaſa be revenged upon him.
2ly, I would have thee to ſhew kindneſs to the Sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, for they came and brought proviſions for me and my followers when I was forced to fly from thy brother Abſalom, and therefore let them be of the number of thoſe that eat at thy Table, 2 Sam. 17.28, 29.
3ly, Thou haſt with thee Shimei the Benjamite, who reviled me, and curſed me with a bitter curſe when I was in great diſtreſs flying towards Mahanaim, and called me a bloody man, and did in effect ſay I had been the cauſe of the death of Saul and all his Sons, and charged me with crimes I never was guilty of; yet afterwards he met me at Jordan and humbled himſelf, and acknowledged his fault, and I ſware to him by the Lord that I would not put him to death. But though I (for my time) pardoned him, yet if he ſhall attempt any thing againſt thee after my deceaſe, hold him not guiltleſs. Thou art a wiſe man and knoweſt what thou oughteſt to do unto him, and if he treſpaſs again and thou findeſt any other juſt occaſion againſt him, bring down his hoary head to the grave with blood, and cut him off by the ſword of juſtice *See 2 Sam. 19.23..
David having thus inſtructed his Son in a ſhort time after departed this life and ſlept with his fathers, that is, died as his fathers and predeceſſors had done before him, having reigned in Hebron ſeven years and ſix months, and thirty three years in Jeruſalem over all Iſrael (forty years in all) and having made his Son Solomon King in his ſtead about half a year before his death. He died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honour; he died in the ſeventieth year of his age, no King in Iſrael or Judah after him attaining to his age†Only Uzziah and Manaſſeh came very nigh it.. He was buried in his own City of Zion, viz. in that part of Jeruſalem where he had built a Palace for himſelf, 2 Sam. 1.2. and kept his Court, and which he had taken out of the hands of the Jebuſites, and had built and enlarged, and from thence was called after his name the city of David. His Sepulcher it ſeems was made of ſuch durable materials, and ſo well kept and repair'd time after time by his poſterity, that it was ſtrangely preſerved notwithſtanding Jeruſalem was ſo often ſackt and burnt; for it continued unto the Apoſtles times as the Apoſtle Peter tells us, Act. 2.24. Men and Brethren let me freely ſpeak to you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his Sepulcher is with us unto this day; and this was above a thouſand years after David was buried. Now as to the Acts of David firſt and laſt, behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, and in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Book of Gad the Seer, that is, the Acts of David were related in the Hiſtory or Books of Samuel which were written by Nathan the Prophet, and Gad the Seer, who ſet down all the paſſages of his reign, and his valiant acts, and the victories obtained by him or his commanders, and the proſperities and adverſities of his time and reign either in his own Kingdom, or the Kingdoms adjoining to him which he ſubdued and conquered *David was a glorious type of Chriſt in his birth at Bethlem, in his victory over Goliah, in his power over Sauls divel, in his perſecutions, in his Royalty and victoriouſneſs over his enemies..
2 King. Ch. 2. from v. 1. to 12.
1 Chron. Ch. 29. from v. 26, to the end.
SECT. CCXIII.
DAvid was ſtiled the ſweet Pſalmiſt of Iſrael, 2 Sam. 23.1. for he compoſed many Divine Hymns and Pſalmes for the benefit of the Church which we have in the great Volum of the Pſalmes, but he was not the Author of them all. The Jews anciently divided this great Volum or Book of the Pſalmes into five leſſer. According to which diviſion the firſt Book of the Pſalmes reached from Pſalm the firſt to the end of Pſalm the 41, and concludes thus, Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael from everlaſting to everlaſting, Amen and Amen. All theſe by their Titles are declared to be Davids, excepting 1, 2, 10, 33. and as for the 2d, that is declared to be Davids in Act. 4.25, 26. Hereupon its probably conceived that the other three were his alſo, and that this firſt Book was all written by him, and by him diſpoſed into this order in which now it is.
The ſecond Book begins at Pſalm 42, and reaches to the end of Pſalm 72, (containing 31 Pſalmes) and cloſes thus, Bleſſed be his glorious name for ever, and let all the earth be filled with his glory, Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the Son of Jeſſe are ended. Nineteen of theſe were compoſed by David, as the Titles of them do evince. Probably David collected and diſpoſed in order this Book alſo.
The third Book begins at Pſal. 73, and reaches to the end of Pſalm 89, (comprehending 17 Pſalmes) and concludes thus, Bleſſed be Jehovah for ever, Amen and Amen.
Of theſe ſeventeen only one is aſcribed to David; one to Heman; one to Ethan; three are directed to the Sons of Corah, no Penman being named; eleven are aſcribed to Aſaph *Poſſibly Aſaph might collect and diſpoſe in order this Book..
The fourth Book begins at Pſalm 90, and reaches to the end of Pſal. 106, (comprehending alſo 17 Pſalms) and concludes thus, Bleſſed be the God of Iſrael from everlaſting to everlaſting, and let all the people ſay, Amen. Hallelujah.
Of theſe one is aſcribed to Moſes; two to David; fourteen have no author mentioned in their Titles.
The fifth Book begins at Pſalm 107, and reaches to the end of Pſalm 150, comprehending 44 Pſalmes, and concludes thus, Let every thing that hath breath praiſe the Lord. Hallelujah.
Of theſe fifteen are in their Titles aſcribed to David, and not one of all the reſt aſcribed to any particular Author. So that of all the Pſalmes we reckon to David only ſeventy eight. Many of theſe Pſalmes, viz. 125 have Titles, and 25 of them have none.
One of theſe Pſalmes (viz. the 90th) was compoſed before David was born, and ſome of them long after he was dead, as Pſalm 45.74.83.126.137. Some think this Book of Pſalmes was put into this form and order it now has by Ezra; others think it was thus diſpos'd after the return of the Jews from Babylon. But of theſe things (ſeeing we have no certain foundation to build upon) we ſhall not peremptorily determine.