Works of Joseph Hall, Part 12 – Dedication 43
DAVID and AHIMELECH.
WHO can euer iudge of the Children by the Parents, that knowes Ionathan was the ſon of Saul? There was neuer a falſer heart then Sauls; there was neuer a truer friend then Ionathan; Neither the hope of a Kingdome, nor the frownes of a Father, not the feare of death can remoue him from his vowed amity: No Sonne could be more officious, and dutifull to a good father; yet he layes down nature at the foot of grace; and for the preſeruation of his innocent Riuall for the Kingdome, croſſes the bloody deſignes of his owne Parent: Dauid needs no other Counſellor, no other Aduocate, no other Intelligencer then hee: It is not in the power of Sauls vnnaturall reproches, or of his Speare, to make Ionathan any other then a friend, and patron of innocence: Euen after all theſe difficulties, doth Ionathan ſhoot beyond Dauid, that Saul may ſhoot ſhort of him: In vaine are thoſe profeſſions of louelove, which are not anſwered with action; He is no true friend that (beſides talke) is not ready both to doe and ſuffer.
Saul is no whit the better for his propecying; he no ſooner riſes vp from before Samuel, then he purſues Dauid. Wicked men are rather the worſe for thoſe tranſitorie good motions they hauehave receiued. If the Swine be neuer ſo cleane waſhed, ſhee will wallow againe: That we hauehave good thoughts, it is no thanke to vsus; that wee anſwer them not, it is both our ſinne and iudgement.
Dauid hath learned not to truſt theſe fits of deuotion, but flyes from Samuel to Ionathan, from Ionathan to Ahimelech; when he was hunted from the Prophet, he flyes to the Prieſt, as one that knew iuſtice and compaſſion ſhould dwell in thoſe breſts which are conſecrated vntounto God.
The Arke and the Tabernacle were then ſeparated; The Arke was at Kiriathiealim, the Tabernacle at Nob; God was preſent with both: Whither ſhould Dauid flye for ſuccour but to the Houſe of that God, which had anointed him?
Ahimelech was wont to ſee Dauid attended with the troupes of Iſrael, or with the Gallants of the Court; it ſeemes ſtrange therefore to him, to ſee ſo great a Peere and Champion of Iſrael come alone; Theſe are the alterations to which earthly Greatneſſe is ſubiect; Not many dayes are paſt, ſince no man was honoured at Court but Ionathan and Dauid; now they are both for the time in diſgrace; Now dare not the Kings Sonne in law, Brother to the Prince both in LoueLove and Mariage, ſhew his head at the Court; nor any of thoſe that bowed to him, dare ſtirre a foot with him; Princes are as the Sunne, and great Subiects are like to Dials, if the Sun ſhine not on the Diall, no man will looke at it.
Euen hee that ouercame the Beare, the Lyon, the Gyant, is ouercome with feare: He that had cut off two hundred fore-skins of the Philiſtims, had not circumciſed his owne heart of the weake paſſions that follow Diſtruſt; Now that hee is hard driuen, he practiſes to helpe himſelfe with an vnwarrantable ſhift: Who can looke to paſſe this Pilgrimage without infirmities, when Dauid diſſembleth to Ahimelech? A weake mans rules may be better then the beſt mans actions; God lets vsus ſee ſome blemiſhes in his holieſt Seruants, that wee may neither bee too highly conceited of fleſh and blood, nor too much deiected when wee hauehave beene miſcaried into ſinne. Hitherto hath Dauid gone vpright, now hee begins to halt with the Prieſt of God; and vnderunder pretence of Sauls imployment, drawes that fauour from Ahimelech, which ſhall afterwards coſt him his head.
What could Ahimelech hauehave thought too deare for Gods Anointed, for Gods Champion? It is not like but that if Dauid had ſincerely opened himſelfe to the Prieſt as hee hath done to the Prophet, Ahimelech would hauehave ſeconded Samuel in ſome ſecret and ſafe ſuccour of ſo vniuſt a diſtreſſe, whereas he is now by a falſe color led to that kindneſſe which ſhall be preiudiciall to his life: Extremities of euill are commonly inconſiderate; either for that wee hauehave not leiſure to our thoughts, or perhaps (ſo as we may be perplexed) not thoughts to our leiſure: What would Dauid hauehave giuen afterwards to hauehave redeemed this ouer fight?
VnderUnder this pretence he craues a double fauour of Ahimelech; The one of bread for his ſuſtenance, the other of a Sword for his defence: There was no bread vnderunder the hands of the Prieſt but that which was conſecrated to God; and whereof none might taſte, but the deuoted Seruants of the Altar; Euen that which was with ſolemne dedication ſet vponupon the holy Table before the face of God; a Sacramentall Bread preſented to God with Incenſe, figuring that true Bread that came downe from Heauen; Yet euen this Bread might in caſe of neceſſitie become common, and be giuen by Ahimelech, and receiued by Dauid and his followers: Our Sauiour himſelfe iuſtifies the act of both; Ceremonies muſt giuegive place to ſubſtance; God will hauehave Mercy and not Sacrifice; Charitie is the ſumme and the end of the Law; That muſt be aymed at in all our actions; wherein it may fall out, that the way to keepe the Law may bee to breake it; the intention may be kept, and the Letter violated; and it may bee a dangerous tranſgreſſion of the Law to obſerue the words, and neglect the ſcope of God; That which would hauehave diſpenſed with Dauid for the ſubſtance of the act, would hauehave much more diſpenſed with him for the circumſtance; The touch of their lawfull Wiues had contracted a legall impurity, not a morall; That could hauehave beene no ſufficient reaſon why in an vrgent neceſſitie they might not hauehave partaked of the holy Bread: Ahimelech was no perfect Caſuiſt; theſe men might not famiſh, if they were ceremonially impure. But this queſtion bewrayed the care of Ahimelech in diſtributing the holy Bread; There might be in theſe men a double incapacity, the one, as they were Seculars, the other, as vncleane; he ſaw the one muſt be, he feared leſt the other ſhould be; as one that wiſhed as little indiſpoſition (as poſſibly might bee) in thoſe which ſhould be fed from Gods Table.
It is ſtrange that Dauid ſhould come to the Prieſt of God for a Sword; Who in all Iſrael was ſo vnlikely to furniſh him with weapons, as a man of Peace, whoſe armour was onelyonly ſpirituall? Doubtleſſe Dauid knew well where Goliahs Sword lay; as the noble relique of Gods victorious deliuerance, dedicated to the ſame God, which won it; at this did that ſuit ayme? None could be ſo fit for Dauid, none could be ſo fit for it as Dauid: Who could hauehave ſo much right to that Sword as he againſt whom it was drawne, and by whom it was taken? There was more in that Sword, then Mettall, and forme; Dauid could neuer caſt his eye vponupon it, but hee ſaw an vndoubted monument of the mercifull protection of the Almighty; there was therefore more ſtrength in that Sword, then ſharpeneſſe; neither was Dauids arme ſo much ſtrengthened by it as his faith; nothing can ouercome him, whiles he caries with him that aſſured ſigne of victorie: It is good to take all occaſions of renuing the remembrance of Gods mercies to vsus, and our obligations to him.
Doeg the Maſter of Sauls Herdmen (for he that went to ſeeke his Fathers Aſſes before he was King, hath herdes and droues now that he is a King) was now in the Court of the Tabernacle, vponupon ſome occaſion of deuotion; Though an Iſraelite in profeſſion, he was an Edomite no leſſe in heart then in blood; yet hee hath ſome vow vponupon him, and not onelyonly comes vp to Gods Houſe, but abides before the Lord: Hypocrites hauehave equall acceſſe to the publike places, and meanes of Gods Seruice: Euen hee that knowes the heart, yet ſhuts his doores vponupon none, how much leſſe ſhould wee dare to exclude any, which can onelyonly iudge of the heart by the face?
Doeg may ſet his foot as far within the Tabernacle, as Dauid; hee ſees the paſſages betwixt him, and Ahimelech, and layes them vp for an aduantage; Whiles he ſhould hauehave edified himſelfe by thoſe holy ſeruices, he carpes at the Prieſt of God, and (after a lewd miſ-interpretation of his actions) of an attendant, proues an accuſer; To incurre fauour with an vniuſt Maſter, he informes againſt innocent Ahimelech; and makes that his act, which was drawne from him by a cunning circumuention: When we ſee our Auditors before vsus, little doe we know with what hearts they are there nor, what vſe they will make of their pretended deuotion: If many come in ſimplicity of heart to ſerue their God, ſome others may perhaps come to obſerue their Teachers, and to picke quarrels where none are; OnelyOnly God and the iſſue can diſtinguiſh betwixt a Dauid, and a Doeg, when they are both in the Tabernacle. Honeſt Ahimelech could little ſuſpect that he now offered a Sacrifice for his Executioner; yea, for the Murtherer of all his Family: Oh the wiſe and deepe iudgements of the Almighty! God owed a reuenge to the Houſe of Eli, and now by the delation of Doeg, he takes occaſion to pay it; It was iuſt in God, which in Doeg was moſt vniuſt; Sauls cruelty, and the trecherie of Doeg doe not loſe one dram of their guilt by the Counſell of God; neither doth the holy Counſell of God gather any blemiſh by their wickedneſſe; If it had pleaſed God to inflict death vponupon them ſooner without any pretence of occaſion, his Iuſtice had beene cleere from all imputations; now, if Saul and Doeg be in ſtead of a peſtilence or feuer, who can cauill? The iudgements of God are not open, but are alwaies iuſt; He knowes how by one mans ſinne, to puniſh the ſinne of another, and by both their ſinnes and puniſhments to glorifie himſelfe. If his word ſleepe, it ſhall not dye; but after long intermiſſions breakes forth in thoſe effects which wee had forgotten to looke for, and ceaſed to feare. O Lord, thou art ſure when thou threatneſt, and iuſt when thou iudgeſt; Keepe thou vsus from the ſentence of death, elſe in vaine ſhall we labour to keepe our ſelues from the execution.
Contemplations.
THE FOVRTEENTH BOOKE.
Containing
SAVL in DAVIDS Caue.
NABAL and ABIGAIL.
DAVID and ACHISH.
SAVL and the Witch of Endor.
ZIKLAG ſpoyled and reuenged.
The death of SAVL.
ABNER and IOAB.
By IOS. HALL, D. of Diuinitie, and Deane of WORCESTER.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MY SINGVLAR GOOD LORD, PHILIP EARLE OF MONGOMERY, ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN OF HIS MAIESTIES Bed-chamber, and Knight of the moſt Honourable Order of the GARTER.
RIGHT HONOVRABLE,
AFter ſome vnpleaſing intermiſsions, Ireturne to that taske of Contemplation, wherin onelyonly my ſoule findeth reſt. Jf in other imployments I hauehave indeuoured to ſerue God and his Church, yet in none (I muſt confeſſe) with equall contentment. Me thinkes Controuerſie is not right in my way to Heauen; how euer the importunitie of an Aduerſary may force me to fetch it in: If Truth oppreſſed by an erroneous Teacher cry (like a rauiſht Ʋirgin) for my aid, J betray it, if J releeue it not; when J hauehave done, J returne gladly to theſe paths of Peace. The fauour which my late Polemicall labour hath found (beyond merit) from the Learned, cannot diuert my louelove to thoſe wrangling Studies. How earneſtly doth my heart rather wiſh an vniuerſall ceſſation of theſe Armes; that all the Profeſſors of the deare Name of Chriſt might bee taken vp with nothing but holy and peaceable thoughts of Deuotion; the ſweetneſſe whereof hath ſo farre affected mee, that (if I might doe it without danger of miſ-conſtruction) I could beg euen of an Enemie this leaue to bee happy. I hauehave already giuen account to the World, of ſome expences of my houres this way, and heere I bring more; which if ſome Reader may cenſure as poore, none can cenſure as vnprofitable. J am bold to write them vnderunder your Honorable Name, whereto I am deeply obliged; that I may leaue behinde me this meane, but faithfull Teſtimony, of mine humble thankfulneſſe to your Lordſhip, and your moſt honoured and vertuous Ladie. The noble reſpects J hauehave had from you both, deſerue my Prayers, and beſt ſeruices, which ſhall neuer be wanting to you and yours,
From your Honours ſincerely deuoted in all true duty, IOS. HALL.