Works of Joseph Hall, Part 33
ACHITOPHEL.
SO ſoone as Dauid heard of Achitophels hand in that conſpiracy, hee fals to his prayers, O Lord, I pray thee turne the counſell of Achitophel into fooliſhneſſe; The knowne wiſedome of his reuolted counſellor made him a dangerous and dreadfull aduerſary: Great parts miſ-imployed cannot but proue moſt miſchieuous: when wickedneſſe is armed with wit, and power, none but a God can defeat it; when we are matched with a ſtrong and ſubtile enmity, it is high time (if euer) to bee deuout; If the bounty of God hauehave thought good to furniſh his creatures with powers to warre againſt himſelfe, his wiſedome knowes how to turne the abuſe of thoſe powers to the ſhame of the owners, and the glory of the giuer.
Oh the policy of this Machiauell of Iſrael, no leſſe deepe then hell it ſelfe: Goe in to thy fathers concubines, which he hath left to keepe the houſe; and when all Iſrael ſhall heare that thou art abhorred of thy father, the hands of all that are with thee ſhall be ſtrong. The firſt care muſt be to ſecure the faction: There can be no ſafety in ſiding with a doubtfull rebell: if Abſalom be a traytor, yet he is a Sonne; Nature may returne to it ſelfe; Abſalom may relent, Dauid may remit; where then are we that hauehave helpt to promote the conſpiracy? the danger is ours, whiles this breach may bee peeced; There is no way but to ingage Abſalom in ſome further act, vncapable of forgiueneſſe; Beſides the throne, let him violate the bed of his Father; vntounto his treaſon let him adde an inceſt, no leſſe vnnaturall; now ſhall the world ſee that Abſalom neither hopes nor cares for the reconciliation of a father; Our quarrell can neuer hauehave any ſafe end but victory; the hope whereof depends vponupon the reſolution of our followers; they cannot bee reſolute, but vponupon the vnpardonable wickedneſſe of their Leader: Neither can this villany be ſhamefull enough, if it be ſecret. The cloſeneſſe of euill argues feare, or modeſty; neither of which can beſeeme him that would be a ſucceſſefull traytor: Set vp a Tent on the top of the houſe, and let all Iſrael be witneſſes of thy ſinne, and thy Fathers ſhame: Ordinary crimes are for vulgar offenders; Let Abſalom ſinne eminently; and doe that which may make the world at once to bluſh, and wonder.
Who would euer hauehave thought that Achitophel had liued at Court, at the Councell-table of a Dauid? Who would thinke that mouth had euer ſpoken well? Yet had hee been no other then as the Oracle of God to the religious Court of Iſrael; euen whiles he was not wiſe enough to be good: Policy and grace are not alwayes lodged vnderunder one roofe: This man whiles he was one of Dauids deepe Counſellors, was one of Dauids fooles that ſaid in their hearts, There is no God; elſe hee could not hauehave hoped to make good an euill with worſe, to build the ſucceſſe of treaſon vponupon inceſt.
Prophane hearts doe ſo contriue the plots of their wickedneſſe, as if there were no ouer-ruling power to croſſe their deſignes, or to reuenge them: He that ſits in heauen laughs them to ſcorne, and ſo farre giues way to their ſinnes, as their ſinnes may proue plagues vntounto themſelues.
Theſe two Sonnes of Dauid met with peſtilent counſell; Amnon is aduiſed to inceſt with his ſiſter; Abſalom is aduiſed to inceſt with his fathers Concubines: That by Ionadab, this by Achitophel: Both preuaile: It is as eaſie at leaſt to take ill counſell, as to giuegive it: Proneneſſe to villany in the great, cannot want either proiectors to deuiſe, or paraſites to execute the moſt odious and vnreaſonable ſinnes.
The Tent is ſpred (leſt it ſhould not bee conſpicuous enough) on the top of the houſe. The act is done; in the fight of all Iſrael: The filthineſſe of the ſinne was not ſo great, as the impudency of the manner: When the Prophet Nathan came with that heauy meſſage of reproofe, and menace to Dauid, after his ſinne with Bathſheba, hee could ſay from God, Behold I will raiſe vp euill againſt thee, out of thine owne houſe, and will take thy wiues before thine eyes, and giuegive them vntounto thy neighbour, and he ſhall lie with thy wiues, in the ſight of this Sunne: For thou didſt it ſecretly, but I will doe this thing before all Iſrael, and before this Sunne. The counſell of Achitophel, and the luſt of Abſalom, hauehave fulfilled the iudgement of God. Oh the wiſedome of the Almighty, that can vſe the worſt of euils, well; and moſt iuſtly make the ſins of men his executioners!
It was the ſinne of Reuben that he defiled his fathers bed; yet not in the ſame height of lewdnes: what Reuben did in a youthfull wantonneſſe, Abſalom did in a malicious deſpight: Reuben ſinned with one, Abſalom with ten; Reuben ſecretly, Abſalom in the open eyes of heauen and earth; yet old Iacob could ſay of Reuben, Thou ſhalt not excell; thy dignitie is gone; whiles Achitophel ſayes to Abſalom, Thy dignitie ſhall ariſe from inceſt; Climbe vp to thy fathers bed, if thou wilt ſit in his throne; If Achitophel were a politician, Iacob was a Prophet; if the one ſpake from carnall ſenſe, the other from diuine reuelation. Certainly, to ſin is not the way to proſper; what euer vaine fooles promiſe to themſelues, there is no wiſdome, nor vnderſtanding, nor counſell againſt the Lord.
After the rebellion is ſecured for continuance, the next care is that it may end in victory; this alſo hath the working head of Achitophel proiected. Wit & experience told him, that in theſe caſes of aſſault, celeritie vſes to bring forth the happieſt diſpatch: whereas protraction is no ſmall aduantage to the defendant. Let me (ſaith he) chooſe out now twelue thouſand men, and I will vp, and follow after Dauid this night; and I will come vponupon him while he is weary and weak-handed. No aduice could be more pernicious: For▪ beſides the wearineſſe and vnreadineſſe of Dauid and his army, the ſpirits of that worthy leader were daunted, and deiected with ſorrow, and offered way to the violence of a ſudden aſſault. The field had beene halfe won ere any blow ſtricken. Achitophel could not hauehave beene reputed ſo wiſe, if he had not learned the due proportion betwixt actions and times: He that obſerueth eueryevery winde ſhall neuer ſow; but he that obſerues no winde at all, ſhall neuer reape.
The likelieſt deuices doe not alwayes ſucceed; The God that had appointed to eſtabliſh Dauids throne, and determined Salomon to his ſucceſſion, findes meanes to croſſe the plot of Achitophel by a leſſe-probable aduice: Huſhai was not ſent backe for nothing: where God hath in his ſecret will decreed any euent, hee inclines the wills of men to approue that which may promote his owne purpoſes: Neither had Huſhai ſo deepe an head; neither was his counſell ſo ſure, as that of Achitophel, yet his tongue ſhall refell Achitophel, and diuert Abſalom: The pretences were fairer, though the grounds were vnfound; Firſt, to ſweeten his oppoſition, hee yeelds the praiſe of wiſdome to his aduerſary in all other counſels, that hee may hauehave leaue to deny it in this; His very contradiction in the preſent inſinuates a generall allowance. Then, he ſuggeſts certaine apparent truths concerning Dauids valour, and skill, to giuegive countenance to the inferēces of his improbabilities. Laſtly, he cunningly feeds the proud humor of Abſaloza, in magnifying the power and extent of his commands, and ends in the glorious boaſts of his fore-promiſed victory; As it is with faces, ſo with counſell, that is faire that pleaſeth. He that giues the vttrance to words, giues alſo their ſpeed: Fauour both of ſpeech and men is not euer according to deſert, but according to fore-ordination: The tongue of Huſhai, & the heart of Abſalom is guided by a power aboue their owne; Huſhai ſhall therefore preuaile with Abſalom, that the treaſon of Abſalom may not preuaile; Hee that worketh all in all things, ſo diſpoſeth of wicked men and ſpirits, that whiles they doe moſt oppoſe his reuealed will, they execute his ſecret, and whiles they thinke moſt to pleaſe, they ouerthrow themſelues.
When Abſalom firſt met Huſhai returned to Hieruſalem, hee vpbraided him pleaſantly with the ſcoffe of his profeſſed friendſhip to Dauid; Is this thy kindneſſe to thy friend? Sometimes there is more truth in the mouth then in the heart, more in ieſt then in earneſt; Huſhai was a friend, his ſtay was his kindnes; and now he hath done that for which he was left at Hieruſalem, diſappointed Achitophel, preſerued Dauid; Neither did his kindneſſe to his friend reſt here, but (as one that was iuſtly iealous of him, with whom he was allowed to temporize) he miſtruſts the approbation of Abſalom; and not daring to put the life of his maſter vponupon ſuch an hazard, he giues charge to Zadok and Abiathar, of this intelligence vntounto Dauid: we cannot be too ſuſpicious when we hauehave to doe with thoſe that are faithleſſe: We cannot be too curious of the ſafety of good Princes.
Huſhai feares not to deſcry the ſecrets of Abſaloms counſell; to betray a traytor is no other then a commendable worke: Zadok and Abiathar are faſt within the gates of Hieruſalem; their ſonnes lay purpoſely abroad in the fields; this meſſage that concerned no leſſe then the life of Dauid, and the whole kingdome of Iſrael, muſt bee truſted with a Maid: Sometimes it pleaſeth the wiſedome of God, who hath the variety of heauen and earth before him, to ſingle out weake inſtruments for great ſeruices: and they ſhall ſerue his turne, as well as the beſt: No councellor of State could hauehave made this diſpatch more effectually: Ionathan and Ahimaaz are ſent, deſcried, purſued, preſerued: The fidelity of a maid inſtructed them in their meſſage, the ſuttlety of a woman ſaued their liues. At the Well of Rogel they receiued their meſſage, in the Well of Bahurim was their life ſaued: The ſudden wit of a woman hath choked the mouth of her Well with dried corne, that it might not bewray the meſſengers: and now Dauid heares ſafely of his danger, and preuents it: and though weary with trauell, and laden with ſorrow, he muſt ſpend the night in his remoue. Gods promiſes of his deliuerance, and the confirmation of his kingdome may not make him neglect the means of his ſafety: If he be faithfull, we may not be careleſſe; ſince our diligence and care are appointed for the factors of that diuine prouidence; The acts of God muſt abate nothing of ours; rather muſt we labour, by doing that which he requireth, to further that which he decreeth.
There are thoſe that hauehave great wits for the publique, none for themſelues: Such was Achitophel, who whiles he had powers to gouerne a State, could not tell how to rule his owne paſſions: Neuer till now doe we find his counſell balked, neither was it now reiected as ill, onelyonly Huſhaies was allowed for better: he can liue no longer now that he is beaten at his owne weapon: this alone is cauſe enough to ſaddle his Aſſe, and to goe home, and put the halter about his owne necke. Pride cauſes men both to miſinterpret diſgraces, and to ouer-rate them: Now is Dauids prayer heard, Achitophels counſell is turned into fooliſhneſſe: Deſperate Achitophel, what if thou be not the wiſeſt man of all Iſrael? Euen thoſe that hauehave not attained to the hieſt pitch of wiſedome, hauehave found contentment in a mediocrity: what if thy counſell were deſpiſed? A wiſe man knowes to liue happily in ſpight of an vniuſt contempt: what madneſſe is this to reuenge another mans reputation vponupon thy ſelfe? And whiles thou ſtriueſt for the higheſt roome of wiſedome, to runne into the groſſeſt extremitie of folly? Worldly wiſedome is no protection from ſhame and ruine. How eaſily may a man, though naturally wiſe, be made weary of life? A little paine, a little ſhame, a little loſſe, a ſmall affront can ſoone rob a man of all comfort, and cauſe his owne hands to rob him of himſelfe: If there were not higher reſpects then the world can yeeld, to maintaine vsus in being; it ſhould be a miracle if indignation did not kill more then diſeaſe: now, that God, by whoſe appointment we liue here, for his moſt wiſe and holy purpoſes, hath found meanes to make life ſweet, and death terrible.
What a mixture doe we find here of wiſedome and madneſſe? Achitophel will needs hang himſelfe, there is madneſſe; He will yet ſet his houſe in order; there is an act of wiſedome: And could it be poſſible that hee, who was ſo wiſe as to ſet his houſe in order, ſhould be ſo mad as to hang himſelfe? That he ſhould bee carefull to order his houſe, who regarded not to order his impotent paſſions? That hee ſhould care for his houſe, who cared not for either body or ſoule? How vaine it is for a man to be wiſe, if he be not wiſe in God? How prepoſterous are the cares of idle worldlings, that preferre all other things to themſelues, and whiles they looke at what they hauehave in their cofers, forget what they hauehave in their breaſts?