Works of Joseph Hall, Part 11
MICHALS wyle.
THis aduantage can Saul yet make of Dauids promotion, that as his Aduerſarie is raiſed higher, ſo hee is drawne nearer to the opportunity of death: Now hath his enuy caſt off all ſhame, and ſince thoſe craftie plots ſucceed not, hee directly ſubornes Murtherers of his riuall: There is none in all the Court that is not ſet on to bee an Executioner: Ionathan himſelfe is ſollicited to imbrue his hand in the blood of his friend, of his Brother. Saul could not but ſee Ionathans cloathes on Dauids backe; he could not but know the league of their louelove, yet becauſe he knew withall, how much the proſperitie of Dauid would preiudice Ionathan, he hoped to hauehave found him his ſonne in malice: Thoſe that hauehave the Iaundis ſee all things yellow; thoſe which are ouergrowne with malicious paſſions, thinke all men like themſelues.
I doe not heare of any reply that Ionathan made to his father when he gaue him that bloody charge; but he waits for a fit time to diſſwade him from ſo cruell an iniuſtice: Wiſdome had taught him to giuegive way to rage, and in ſo hard an aduenture to craue aide of opportunitie: If we be not carefull to obſerue good moodes when wee deale with the paſſionate, we may exaſperate in ſtead of reforming: Thus did Ionathan, who knowing how much better it is to be a good friend, then an ill ſonne, had not onelyonly diſcloſed that ill counſell, but when be found his father in the fields, in a calmes temper, laboured to diuert it: And ſo farre doth the ſeaſonable and pithy Oratory of Ionathan preuaile, that Saul is conuinced of his wrong, and ſweares, As God liues, Dauid ſhall not die; Indeed, how could it be otherwiſe, vponupon the plea of Dauids innocence, and well-deſeruings? How could Saul ſay he ſhould dye, whom hee could accuſe of nothing but faithfulneſſe? Why ſhould he deſigne him to death, which had giuen life to all Iſrael? Oft-times wicked mens iudgements are forced to yeeld vntounto that truth, againſt which their affections maintaine a rebellion: Euen the fouleſt hearts doe ſometimes entertaine good motions; like as on the contrary, the holieſt ſoules giuegive way ſometimes to the ſuggeſtions of euill: The flaſhes of lightning may be diſcerned in the darkeſt Priſons. But if good thoughts looke into a wicked heart, they ſtay not there; as thoſe that like not their lodging, they are ſoone gone; Hardly any thing diſtinguiſhes betwixt good and euill, but continuance: The light that ſhines into an holy heart is conſtant, like that of the Sunne, which keepes due times, and varies not his courſe for any of theſe ſublunary occaſions.
The Philiſtim Warres renue Dauids victories, and Dauids victory renues Sauls enuy, and Sauls enuy renues the plots of Dauids death: Vowes and Oaths are forgotten: That euill ſpirit which vexes Saul hath found ſo much fauour with him, as to winne him to theſe bloody machinations againſt an innocent; His owne hands ſhall firſt bee imployed in this execution; The ſpeare, which hath twice before threatned death to Dauid, ſhall now once againe goe vponupon that meſſage: Wiſe Dauid that knew the danger of an hollow friend, and reconciled enemy, and that found more cauſe to mind Sauls earneſt, then his owne play, giues way by his nimbleneſſe, to that deadly weapon, and reſigning that ſtroke vntounto the wall, flies for his life. No man knowes how to be ſure of an vnconſcionable man; If either goodneſſe, or merit, or affinitie, or reaſons, or oaths could ſecure a man, Dauid had been ſafe; now if his heeles doe not more befriend him then all theſe, hee is a dead man. No ſooner is hee gone then meſſengers are ſped after him: It hath been ſeldome ſeene that wickedneſſe wanted Executioners; Dauids houſe is beſet with Murderers, which watch at all his doores, for the opportunitie of blood: Who can but wonder to ſee how God hath fetch from the loines of Saul a remedy for the malice of Sauls heart? His owne children are the onelyonly meanes to croſſe him in the ſinne, and to preſerue his guiltleſſe Aduerſarie; Michal hath more then notice of the plot, and with her ſubtill with countermines her father, for the reſcue of an Husband: Shee taking the benefit of the night lets Dauid downe through a window; Hee is gone, and diſappoints the ambuſhes of Saul. The meſſengers begin to be impatient of this delay, and now thinke it time to inquire after their Priſoner; She whiles them off, with the excuſe of Dauids ſicknes, (ſo as now her Husband had good leiſure for his eſcape) and layes a Statue in his bed; Saul likes the newes of any euill befalne to Dauid, but fearing he is not ſicke enough, ſends to aide his diſeaſe: The meſſengers returne, and ruſhing into the houſe with their Swords drawne, after ſome harſh words to their imagined charge, ſurprize a ſicke Statue lying with a Pillow vnderunder his head; and now bluſh to ſee they hauehave ſpent all their threats vponupon a ſenſeleſſe ſtocke; and made themſelues ridiculous, whiles they would be ſeruiceable.
But how ſhall Michal anſwer this mockage vntounto her furious father? Hitherto ſhot hath done like Dauid wife; now ſhe begins to be Sauls Daughter; (He ſaid to me, Let me goe, or elſe I will kill thee.) Shee whoſe wit had deliuered her Husband from the Sword of her Father, now turnes the edge of her Fathers wrath from her ſelfe to her Husband. His abſence made her preſume of his ſafety: If Michal had not bin of Sauls plot, he had neuer expoſtulated with her in thoſe termes, Why haſt thou let mine enemy eſcape… neither had ſhe framed that anſwer, He ſaid, Let me goe; I doe not find any great ſtore of religion in Michal, for both ſhe had an Image in the houſe, & afterward mocked Dauid for his deuotion: yet Nature hath taught her to prefer an Husband to a Father; to chide a Father from whom ſhe could not fly, to ſaue an Husband, which durſt not …ot fly from her: The bonds of matrimoniall louelove are; and ſhould bee ſtronger then thoſe of nature; Thoſe reſpects are mutuall which God appointed in the firſt inſtitution of Wedlocke; That Husband and Wife ſhould leaue Father and Mother for each others ſake. Treaſon is euer odious; but ſo much more in the Mariage-bed by how much the obligations are deeper.
As ſhe loued her husband better then her Father, ſo ſhee loued her ſelfe better then her husband; ſhe ſaued her husband by a wyle, and now ſhee ſaues her ſelfe by a lye; and loſes halfe the thanke of her deliuerance, by an officious ſlander: Her act was good, but ſhe wants courage to maintaine it; and therefore ſeekes to the weake ſhelter of vntruth: Thoſe that doe good offices, not out of conſcience, but good nature or ciuility; if they meet an effront of danger, ſeldome come off cleanly, but are ready to catch at all excuſes, though baſe, though iniurious; becauſe their grounds are not ſtrong enough to beare them out in ſuffering for that, which they hauehave well done.
Whither doth Dauid fly but to the Sanctuary of Samuel? He doth not (though he knew himſelfe gracious with the Souldiers) raiſe forces, or take ſome ſtrong Fort, and there ſtand vponupon his owne defence, and at defiance with his King: but he gets him to the Colledge of the Prophets; as a man that would ſeeke the peaceable protection of the King of Heauen againſt the vniuſt fury of a King on earth: OnelyOnly the wing of God ſhall hide him from that violence.
God intended to make Dauid not a Warriour, and a King onelyonly, but a Prophet too; As the field fitted him for the firſt, and the Court for the ſecond, ſo Naioth ſhall fit him for the third. Doubtleſſe (ſuch was Dauids delight in holy meditations) he neuer ſpent his time ſo contentedly, as when he was retired to that diuine Academie, and ſo full freedome to enioy God, and to ſatiate himſelfe with heauenly exerciſes: The only doubt is how Samuel can giuegive harbour to a man fled from the anger of his Prince; wherein, the very perſons of both giuegive abundant ſatisfaction: for both Samuel knew the councell of God, and durſt doe nothing without it; and Dauid was by Samuel anointed from God: This Vnction was a mutuall Bond: Good reaſon had Dauid to ſue to him, which had powred the Oile on his head, for the hiding of that head which he had anointed; and good reaſon had Samuel to hide him, whom God by his meanes had choſen; from him whom God had by his ſentence reiected: beſides, that the cauſe deſerued commiſeration: Here was not a Malefactor running away from Iuſtice, but an innocent auoiding Murder: not a Traitor countenanced againſt his Soueraigne, but the Deliuerer of Iſrael harboured in a Sanctuary of Prophets till his peace might bee made.
Euen thither doth Saul ſend to apprehend Dauid: All his rage did not incenſe him againſt Samuel as the Abettor of his Aduerſarie; Such an impreſſion of reuerence had the perſon, and calling of the Prophet left in the minde of Saul, that hee cannot thinke of lifting vp his hand againſt him: The ſame God which did at the firſt put an awe of man in the fierceſt creatures, hath ſtamped in the cruelleſt hearts a reuerent reſpect to his owne image in his Miniſters; ſo as euen they that hate them, doe yet honour them.
Sauls meſſengers came to lay hold on Dauid, God layes hold on them: No ſooner doe they ſee a company of Prophets buſie in theſe diuine Exerciſes, vnderunder the moderation of Samuel, then they are turned from Executioners to Prophets. It is good going vp to Naioth, into the holy Aſſemblies; who knows how we may be changed beſide our intention? Many a one hath come into Gods Houſe to carpe, or ſcoffe, or ſleepe, or gaze, that hath returned a Conuert.
The ſame heart that was thus diſquieted with Dauids happy ſucceſſe, is now vexed with the holineſſe of his other Seruants. Irangdrs him that Gods Spirit could finde no other time to ſeize vponupon his Agents, then when he had ſent them to kill: And now out of an indignation at this diſappointment, himſelfe will goe and be his owne Seruant; His guilty ſoule finds it ſelfe out of the danger of being thus ſurpriſed; And behold Saul is no ſooner come within the ſmell of the ſmoke of Naioth, then hee alſo propheſies, The ſame Spirit that, when hee went firſt from Samuel, inabled him to propheſie, returnes in the ſame effect now that he was going (his laſt) vntounto Samuel: This was ſuch a grace as might well ſtand with reiection; an extraordinarie gift of the ſpirit, but nor ſanctifying: Many men hauehave had their mouthes opened to propheſie vntounto others, whoſe hearts hauehave beene deafe to God; But this (ſuch as it was) was farre from Sauls purpoſe, who in ſtead of expoſtulating with Samuel, fals downe before him; and laying aſide his weapons, and his Robes, of a Tyrant proues (for the time) a Diſciple: All hearts are in the hand of their maker; how eaſie is it for him that gaue them their being, to frame them to his owne bent? Who can be afraid of malice, that knowes what hookes God hath in the noſthrils of men and Deuils? What charmes he hath for the moſt Serpentine hearts?