Works of Joseph Hall, Part 35
SHEBAES Rebellion.
IT was the doome which God paſſed vponupon the man after his owne heart by the mouth of Nathan, that the ſword ſhould neuer depart from his houſe, for the blood of Vriah; After that wound healed by remiſſion, yet this ſcarre remaines; Abſalom is no ſooner caſt down into the pit, then Sheba the ſon of Bichri is vp in armes; If Dauid be not plagued, yet he ſhal bee corrected; Firſt by the rod of a ſon, then of a ſubiect: He had lift vp his hand againſt a faithfull ſubiect; now a faithleſſe dares to lift vp his hand againſt him. Malice like ſome hereditarie ſickneſſe runs in a blood; Saul and Shimei, and Sheba were all of an houſe; That ancient grudge was not yet dead; The fire of the houſe of Iemini was but raked vp, neuer throughly out; and now, that which did but ſmoke in Shemei, flames in Sheba; Although euen through this chaſtiſement it is not hard to diſcerne a Type, of that perpetuall ſucceſſion of enmity, which ſhould be raiſed againſt the true King of Iſrael. O Son of Dauid, when didſt thou euer want enemies? How wert thou deſigned by thine eternall Father, for a ſigne that ſhould be ſpoken againſt? How did the Gentiles rage, and the people imagine vaine things? The Kings of the earth aſſembled, and the Rulers came together againſt thee? Yea, how doe the ſubiects of thine owne kingdome daily conſpire againſt thee? Euen now whiles thou enioyeſt peace, and glory at thy Fathers right hand, as ſoone ſhalt thou want friends, as enemies vponupon earth.
No eye of any traitor could eſpie a iuſt quarrell in the gouernment of Dauid, yet Sheba blowes the trumpet of rebellion; and whiles Iſrael and Iudah are ſtriuing who ſhould hauehave the greateſt part in their re-eſtabliſhed Soueraigne, hee ſtickes not to ſay, We hauehave no part in Dauid, neither hauehave wee inheritance in the ſon of Iſhai; and whiles he ſayes, EueryEvery man to his tents O Iſrael, hee calls eueryevery man to his owne; So in proclaiming a liberty from a iuſt and loyall ſubiection, he inuites Iſrael to the bondage of an vſu…per.
That a lewde Conſpirator ſhould breathe Treaſon, it is no wonder; but is it not wonder and ſhame, that vponupon eueryevery mutinous blaſt, Iſrael ſhould turne Traitor to Gods anointed? It was their late expoſtulation with Dauid, why their brethren the men of Iudah ſhould hauehave ſtolne him from them; now might Dauid m…re iuſtly expoſtulate, why a rebell of their brethren ſhould hauehave ſtolne them from him: As nothing is more vnſtable then the multitude, ſo nothing is more ſubie… diſtaſtes, then Soueraignty; for as weake minds ſeeke pleaſure in change; ſo eueryevery light conceit of irritation ſeemes ſufficient colour of change; Such as the falſe diſpoſitions of the vulgar are, louelove cannot bee ſecurity enough for Princes, without the awfulneſſe of power, What hold can there bee of popularity, when the ſame hands that euen now fought for Dauid to be all theirs, now fight againſt him, vnderunder the ſon of Bichri, as none of theirs? As Bees when they are once vp in a ſwarm, are ready to light vponupon eueryevery bow, ſo the Iſraelites, being ſtirred by the late commotion of Abſalom, are apt to follow eueryevery Sheba. It is vnſafe for any State, that the multitude ſhould once know the way to an inſurrection; the leaſt track in this kind is eaſily made a path, Yet, if Iſrael rebell, Iudah continues faithfull; neither ſhall the ſon of Dauid euer be left deſtitute of ſome true ſubiects in the worſt of Apoſtaſies: Hee that could command all hearts, will euer bee followed by ſome; God had rather glorifie himſelfe by a remnant.
Great Commanders muſt hauehave actiue thoughts; Dauid is not ſo taken vp with the embroiled affaires of his ſtate, as not to intend domeſticke iuſtice; His ten concubines, which were ſhameleſly defiled by his inceſtuous ſon, are condemned to ward, and widowhood. Had not that conſtupration been partly violent, their puniſhment had not been ſo eaſie; had it not alſo beene partly voluntary, they had not been ſo much puniſhed; But how much ſo euer the act did partake of either force, or will, iuſtly are they ſequeſtred from Dauids bed; Abſalom was not more vnnaturall in his rebellion, then in his luſt; If now Dauid ſhould hauehave returned to his owne bed, hee had ſeconded the inceſt: How much more worthy of ſeparation are they, who hauehave ſtained the mariage-bed with their wilfull ſinne?
Amaſa was one of the witneſſes, and abettors of Abſaloms filthineſſe, yet is he (out of policie) receiued to fauour and imployment, whiles the concubine ſuffer; Great men yeeld many times to thoſe things, out of reaſons of ſtate, which if they were priuate perſons could not bee eaſily put ouer; It is no ſmall wiſdome to engage a new reconciled friend, that he may be confirmed by his owne act: Therefore is Amaſa commanded to leauie the forces of Iudah: Ioab after many great merits and atchieuements lies ruſting in neglect: he that was ſo intire with Dauid as to bee of his counſell for Vriahs blood; and ſo firme to Dauid, as to lead all his battels againſt the houſe of Saul, the Ammonites, the Aramites, Abſalom, is now caſhiered, & muſt yeeld his place to a ſtranger, late an enemy: Who knows not that this ſonne of Zeruiah had ſhed the blood of war in peace? But if the blood of Abſalom had not bin louder then the blood of Abner, I feare this change had not been; Now Ioab ſmarteth for a loyall diſobedience; How ſlippery are the ſtations of earthly honors, and ſubiect to continuall …ueability? Happy are they who are in fauour with him, in whom there is no ſhadow of change.
Where men are commonly moſt ambitious to pleaſe with their firſt imployments, Amaſa ſlackens his pace; The leaſt delay in matters of rebellion is perilous, may be inrecouerable; The ſons of Zeruiah are not ſullen, Abiſhai is ſent, Ioab goes vnſent to the purſuit of Sheba. Amaſa was in their way; whom no quarrell but their en…y had made of a brother an enemy, Had the heart of Amaſa beene priuy to any cauſe of grudge, he had ſuſpected the Kiſſe of Ioab; now his innocent eyes looke to the lips, not to the hand of his ſecret enemy; The lips were ſmooth, Art thou in health, my brother? the hand was bloody, which ſmote him vnderunder the fift ribbe; That vnhappy hand knew well this way vntounto death; which with one wound hath let out the Soules of two great Captaines, Abaer and Amaſa; both they were ſmitten by Ioab, both vnderunder the fift ribbe, both vnderunder a pretence of friendſhip. There is no enmity ſo dangerous as that which comes masked with louelove; Open hoſtility cals vsus to our guard; but there is no fence againſt a truſted trecherie: We need not bee bidden to auoyde an enemy, but who would run away from a friend? Thus ſpiritually duplicate page duplicate page deales the world with our ſoules; it kiſſes vsus, and ſtabs vsus at once; If it did not embrace vsus with one hand, it could not murther vsus with the other; OnelyOnly God deliuer vsus from the danger of … truſt, and we ſhall be ſafe.
Ioab is gone, and leaues Amaſa wallowing in blood; That ſpectacle cannot but ſtay all paſſengers; The death of great perſons drawes euer many eyes; Each man ſayes, Is not this my Lord Amaſa? Wherefore doe we goe to fight, whiles our Generall lyes in the duſt? What a ſad preſage is this of our owne miſcariage; The wit of Ioabs followers hath therefore ſoone both remoued Amaſa out of the way, and couered him, not regarding ſo much the loſſe, as the eye-ſore of Iſrael. Thus wicked Politicks care not ſo much for the commiſſion of villany, as for the notice; Smothered euils are as not done; If oppreſſions, if murders, if treaſons may be hid from view, the obdured heart of the offender complaines not of remorſe.
Bloody Ioab, with what face, with what heart canſt thou purſue a Traitor to thy King, whiles thy ſelfe art ſo foule a Traitor to thy friend, to thy cozen-german, and (in ſo vnſeaſonable a ſlaughter) to thy Soueraigne, whoſe cauſe thou profeſſeſt to reuenge? If Amaſa were now in an act of loyalty, iuſtly (on Gods part) payd for the arerages of his late rebellion, yet that it ſhould bee done by thy hand, then and thus, it was flagitiouſly cruell; Yet, behold Ioab runs away ſecurely with the fact, ha…ing to plague that in another, whereof himſelfe was no leſſe guilty; So vaſt are the gorges of ſome conſciences, that they can ſwallow the greateſt crimes, and find no ſtraine in the paſſage.
It is poſſible for a man to be faithfull to ſome one perſon, and perfidious to all others; I do not find Ioab other then firme and loyall to Dauid, in the midſt of all his priuate falſhoods, whoſe iuſt quarrell he purſues againſt Sheba, through all the Tribes of Iſrael. None of all the ſtrong Forts of reuolted Iſrael can hide the Rebell from the zeale of his reuenge; The Citty of Abel lends harbor to that conſpirator; whom all Iſrael would, and cannot protect; Ioab caſts vp a Mount againſt it, and hauing inuironed it with a ſiege, begins to worke vponupon the wall; and now, after long chaſe, is in hand to dig out that Vermin, which hath earthed himſelfe in this borough of Bethmaachah. Had not the City been ſtrong and populous, Sheba had not caſt himſelfe for ſuccor within thoſe wals, yet of all the inhabitants, I ſee not any one man moue for the preſeruation of their whole body: OnelyOnly a woman vndertakes to treat with Ioab, for their ſafety: Thoſe men whoſe ſpirits were great enough to maintaine a Traitor againſt a mighty King, ſcorne not to giuegive way to the wiſdome of a matron; There is no reaſon that ſexe ſhould diſparage, where the vertue and merit is no leſſe then maſculine: Surely the ſoule acknowledgeth no sex, neither is varied according to the outward frame; How oft hauehave we knowne female hearts in the breſts of Men, and contrarily manly powers in the weaker veſſels? It is iniurious to meaſure the act by the perſon, and not rather to eſteeme the perſon for the act.
She, with no leſſe prudence then courage challengeth Ioab for the violence of his aſſault; and layes to him that law which he could not bee an Iſraelite, and diſauow; the Law of the God of peace, whoſe charge it was, that when they ſhould come neere to a City to fight againſt it, they ſhould offer it peace; and if this tender muſt be made to forainers, how much more to brethren? So as they muſt inquire of Abel, ere they batter'd it; War is the extreme act of vindicatiue iuſtice; neither doth God euer approue it for any other then a deſperate remedy, and if it hauehave any other end then peace, it turnes into publike murder. It is therefore an inhumane cruelty to ſhed blood, where we hauehave not profered faire conditions of peace: the refuſall whereof is iuſtly puniſhed with the ſword of reuenge.
Ioab was a man of blood, yet when the wiſe woman of Abel charged him with going about to deſtroy a mother in Iſrael; and ſwallowing vp the inheritance of the Lord, with what vehemency doth hee deprecate that challenge, God forbid, God forbid it me, that I ſhould deuoure, or deſtroy it; Although that city with the reſt had ingaged it ſelfe in Shebaes ſedition, yet how …ealouſly doth Ioab remoue from himſelfe the ſuſpition of an intended vaſtation? How fearfull ſhall their anſwer be, who vponupon the quarrell of their owne ambition hauehave not ſpared to waſte whole Tribes of the Iſrael of God? It was not the faſhion of Dauids Captaines to aſſault any City ere they ſummond it; here they did; There bee ſome things that in the very …act carie their owne conuiction. So did Abel in the entertaining, and abetting a knowne conſpirator; Ioab challenges them for the offence, and requires no other ſatisfaction then the head of Sheba, This Matron had not deſerued the name of Wiſe, and faithfull in Iſrael, if ſhe had not both apprehended the iuſtice of the condition, and commended it to her Citizens; whom ſhe hath eaſily perſwaded to ſpare their owne heads, in not ſparing a Traitors; It had been pitie thoſe wals ſhould hauehave ſtood if they had beene to hye to throw a Traitors head ouer.
Spiritually, the caſe is ours: EueryEvery mans breſt is as a City incloſed; EueryEvery ſinne is a Traitor, that lurkes within thoſe wals; God cals to vsus for Shebaes head; neither hath he any quarrell to our perſon, but for our ſinne: If wee louelove the head of our Traitor, aboue the life of our ſoule, wee ſhall iuſtly periſh in the vengeance we cannot be more willing to part with our ſinne, then our mercifull God is to withdraw his iudgements.
Now is Ioab returned with ſucceſſe, and hopes by Shebaes head to pay the price of Amaſaes blood; Dauid hates the murder, entertaines the man, defers the reuenge; Ioab had made himſelfe ſo great, ſo neceſſary, that Dauid may neither miſſe, nor puniſh him: Policy led the King to conniue at that which his heart abhorred; I dare not commend that wiſedome which holds the hands of Princes from doing iuſtice; Great men hauehave euer held it a point of worldly ſtate, not alwayes to pay vvhere they hauehave been conſcious to a debt of either fauour, or puniſhment; but to make Time their ſeruant for both; Salomon ſhall once defray the arerages of his father; In the meane time Ioab commands and proſpers; and Dauid is faine to ſmile on that face, whereon he hath in his ſecret deſtination written the characters of Death.