Works of Joseph Hall, Part 10
IONATHANS LoueLove, and SAVLS Enuy.
BEſides the diſcomſiture of the Philiſtims, Dauids victory had a double iſſue; Ionathans LoueLove, and Sauls Enuy, which God ſo mixed, that the one was a remedy of the other: A good ſonne makes amends for a way-ward father: How precious was that ſtone that killed ſuch an enemy as Goliah, and purchaſed ſuch a friend as Ionathan? All Sauls Courtiers lookt vponupon Dauid, none ſo affected him, none did match him but Ionathan: That true correſpondence, that was both in their faith and valour, hath knit their hearts: If Dauid did ſet vponupon a Beare, a Lyon, a Gyant; Ionathan had ſet vponupon a whole Hoſt, and preuailed: The ſame Spirit animated both, the ſame Faith incited both, the ſame Hand proſpered both: All Iſrael was not worth this paire of friends, ſo zealouſly confident, ſo happily victorious: Similitude of diſpoſitions and eſtates tyes the faſteſt knots of affection: A wiſe ſoule hath piercing eyes, and hath quickly diſcerned the likeneſſe of it ſelfe in another; as we doe no ſooner looke into the Glaſſe or Water, but face anſwers to face; and where it ſees a perfect reſemblance of it ſelfe, cannot chooſe but louelove it with the ſame affection, that it reflects vponupon it ſelfe.
No man ſaw Dauid that day, which had ſo much cauſe to diſ-affect him; none in all Iſrael ſhould be a loſer by Dauids ſucceſſe, but Ionathan: Saul was ſure enough ſetled for his time, onelyonly his Succeſſor ſhould forgoe all that, which Dauid ſhould gaine; ſo as none but Dauid ſtands in Ionathans light, and yet all this cannot abate one ior, or dram of his louelove: Where God vniteth hearts, carnall reſpects are too weake to diſſeuer them, ſince that, which breakes off affection, muſt needs be ſtronger, then that which conioyneth it.
Ionathan doth not deſire to ſmother his louelove by concealment, but profeſſes it in his cariage & actions: He puts off the Robe, that was vponupon him, and all his garments euen to his Sword, and Bow, and Girdle, & giues them vntounto his new friend: It was perhaps not without a myſtery, that Sauls cloths fitted not Dauid, but Ionathans fitted him, and theſe he is as glad to weare, as he was to be disburthened of the other: that there might be a perfect reſemblance, their bodies are ſuted, as well as their hearts: Now the beholders can ſay, there goes Ionathans other ſelfe; If there bee another body vnderunder thoſe clothes, there is the ſame ſoule. Now Dauid hath caſt off his ruſſet coate, and his ſcrip, and is a Shepheard no more; he is ſuddenly become both a Courtier, and a Captaine, and a Companion to the Prince; yet himſelfe is not changed with his habit, with his condition: yea rather (as if his wiſedome had reſerued it ſelfe for his exaltation) he ſo manageth a ſudden Greatneſſe, as that he winneth all hearts: Honour ſhewes the man, and if there be any blemiſhes of imperfection, they will bee ſeene in the man, that is inexpectedly lifted aboue his fellowes: He is out of the danger of folly; whom a ſpeedy aduancement leaueth wiſe.
Ionathan loued Dauid, the Souldiers honoured him, the Court fauoured him, the people applauded him, onelyonly Saul ſtomackt him, and therefore hated him, becauſe he was ſo happy in all beſides himſelfe: It had beene a ſhame for all Iſrael, if they had not magnified their Champion: Sauls owne heart could not but tell him, that they did owe the glory of that day, and the ſafety of himſelfe and Iſrael, vntounto the ſling of Dauid, who in one man ſlue all thoſe thouſands at a blow. It was enough for the puiſſant King of Iſrael to follow the chaſe, and to kill them, whom Dauid had put to flight; yet he, that could lend his clothes and his armour to this exploit, cannot abide to part with the honour of it to him, that hath earned it ſo dearly: The holy Songs of Dauid had not more quieted his ſpirits before, then now the thankfull Song of the Iſraelitiſh women vexed him: One little Dittie (of Saul hath ſlaine his thouſand, and Dauid his ten thouſand) ſung vntounto the Timbrels of Iſrael, fetcht againe that euill ſpirit, which Dauids Muſicke had expelled: Saul needed not the torment of a worſe ſpirit, then Enuie. Oh the vnreaſonableneſſe of this wicked paſſion! The women gaue Saul more, and Dauid leſſe, then he deſerued: For Saul alone could not kill a thouſand, and Dauid in that one act of killing Goliah, ſlue in effect, all the Philiſtims that were ſlaine that day; and yet becauſe they giuegive more to Dauid then to himſelfe, he that ſhould hauehave endited, & begun that Song of thankfulneſſe, repines and growes now as mad with enuy, as he was before with griefe: Truth and Iuſtice are no protection againſt Malice; Enuie is blind to all obiects, ſaue other mens happineſſe: If the eyes of men could bee contained within their owne bounds, and not roue forth into compariſons, there could be no place for this vicious affection; but when they hauehave once taken this lawleſſe ſcope to themſelues, they loſe the knowledge of home, and care onelyonly to be employed abroad in their owne torment.
Neuer was Sauls breſt ſo fit a lodging for the euill ſpirit, as now, that it is dreſt vp with enuy: It is as impoſſible, that Hell ſhould bee free from Deuils, as a malicious heart: Now doth the franticke King of Iſrael renew his old fits, and walkes, and talkes diſtractedly; He was mad with Dauid, and who but Dauid muſt be called to allay his madneſſe? Such as Dauids wiſedome was, he could not but know the termes, wherein he ſtood with Saul; yet in lieu of the harſh and diſcordous notes of his maſters enuy, he returnes pleaſing Muſicke vntounto him: He can neuer bee good Courtier, nor good man, that hath not learned to repay, if not iniuries with thankes, yet euill with good. Whiles there was a Harpe in Dauids hand, there was a Speare in Sauls, wherewith he threatens death, as the recompence of that ſweet melodie: He ſaid (I will ſmite Dauid through to the wall.) It is well for the innocent, that wicked men cannot keep their owne counſell: God fetcheth their thoughts out of their mouthes, or their countenance, for a ſeaſonable preuention, which elſe might proceed to ſecret execution: It was time for Dauid to withdraw himſelfe, his obedience did not tye him to bee the marke of a furious maſter; hee might eaſe Saul with his muſicke, with his blood hee might not: Twice therefore doth he auoid the Preſence, not the Court, not the Seruice of Saul.
One would hauehave thought rather, that Dauid ſhould hauehave beene affraid of Saul, becauſe the Deuill was ſo ſtrong with him, then that Saul ſhould be affraid of Dauid, becauſe the Lord was with him; yet we find all the feare in Saul of Dauid, none in Dauid of Saul: Hatred and feare are ordinary companions: Dauid had wiſedome and faith to diſpell his feares, Saul had nothing but infidelity, and deiected, ſelfe-condemned, diſtempred thoughts, which muſt needs nouriſh them; yet Saul could not feare any hurt from Dauid, whom he found ſo loyall, and ſeruiceable: Hee feares onelyonly too much good vntounto Dauid; and the enuious feare is much more then the diſtruſtfull: now Dauids preſence begins to be more diſpleaſing, then his Muſicke was ſweet; Deſpight it ſelfe had rather preferre him to a remote dignity, then endure him a neerer attendant: This promotion encreaſeth Dauids honour and louelove; and this louelove and honour aggrauates Sauls hatred and feare.
Sauls madneſſe hath not bereaued him of his craft: For perceiuing how great Dauid was growne in the reputation of Iſrael, he dares not offer any perſonall, or direct violence to him, but hires him into the iawes of a ſuppoſed death, by no leſſe price, then his eldeſt Daughter, (Behold mine eldeſt daughter Merab: her will I giuegive thee to wife, onelyonly be a valiant Sonne to me, and fight the Lords Battels.) Could euer man ſpeak more graciouſly, more holily? What could bee more graciouſly offered by a King, then his eldeſt Daughter? What care could be more holy, then of the Lords battels? yet neuer did Saul intend ſo much miſchiefe to Dauid, or ſo much vnfaithfulneſſe to God, as when he ſpake thus: There is neuer ſo much danger of the falſe-hearted, as when they make the faireſt weather: Sauls Speare bad Dauid be gone, but his plauſible words inuite him to danger: This honour was due to Dauid before, vponupon the compact of his victory: yet he, that twice inquired into the reward of that enterprize, before he vndertooke it, neuer demanded it after that atchieuement; neither had Saul the iuſtice to offer it, as a recompence of ſo noble an exploit, but as a ſnare to an enuied victory. Charitie ſuſpects not: Dauid conſtrues that, as an effect and argument of his Maſters louelove, which was no other but a child of Enuy, but a plot of miſchiefe; and though he knew his owne deſert, and the Iuſtice of his claime to Merab; yet hee in a ſincere humilitie diſparageth himſelfe, and his Parentage with a who am I?
As it was not the purpoſe of this modeſtie in Dauid to reiect, but to ſollicit the proffered fauour of Saul; ſo was it not in the power of this baſhfull humiliation to turne backe the edge of ſo keene an enuy: It helpes not that Dauid makes himſelfe meane, whiles others magnifie his worth: Whatſoeuer the colour was, Saul meant nothing to Dauid but danger and death; and ſince all thoſe Battels will not effect that which he deſired, himſelfe will not effect that which hee promiſed: If hee cannot kill Dauid, he will diſgrace him; Dauids honour was Sauls diſeaſe: It was not likely therefore, that Saul would adde vntounto that honour, whereof he was ſo ſicke already: Merab is giuen vntounto another; neither doe I heare Dauid complaine of ſo manifeſt an iniuſtice: He knew, that the God, whoſe battels he fought, had prouided a due reward of his patience: If Merab faile, God hath a Michal in ſtore for him, ſhe is in louelove with Dauid; his comelineſſe and valour hauehave ſo wonne her heart, that ſhe now emulates the affection of her Brother Ionathan: If ſhe be the yonger Siſter, yet ſhe is more affectionate: Saul is glad of the newes, his Daughter could neuer liue to doe him better ſeruice, then to be a new ſnare to his Aduerſarie: Shee ſhall bee therefore ſacrificed to his enuie, and her honeſt and ſincere louelove ſhall bee made a bait for her worthy and innocent Husband. (I will giuegive him her, that ſhee may be a ſnare vntounto him, that the hand of the Philiſtims may be againſt him:) The purpoſe of any fauour is more then the value of it: Euen the greateſt honours may be giuen with an intent of deſtruction: Many a man is raiſed vp for a fall. So forward is Saul in the match, that hee ſends ſpokes men to ſollicit Dauid vntounto that honour, which he hopes will proue the highway to death: The dowry is ſet; An hundred fore-skins of the Philiſtims; not their heads, but their fore-skins, that this victory might bee more ignominious; ſtill thinking, why may not one Dauid miſcary, as well as an hundred Philiſtims? And what doth Sauls enuy all this while, but enhance Dauids zeale, and valour, and glorie? That good Captaine little imagining, that himſelfe was the Philiſtim, whom Saul maligned, ſupererogates of his Maſter, and brings two hundred for one, and returnes home ſafe, and renowned: neither can Saul now fly for ſhame: There is no remedy but Dauid muſt be a ſonne, where he was a riuall, and Saul muſt feed vponupon his owne heart, ſince he cannot ſee Dauids: Gods bleſſing graces equally together with mans malice, neither can they deuiſe, which way to make vsus more happy, then by wiſhing vsus euill.