citadel remained yet to be taken, lib. vii. cap. 3. The two chapters having agreed in this circumstance of David's making himself master of the town or city, they now vary as before; and here also the history in Chronicles is regular, though it takes no notice of some further circumstances relating to the blind and the lame: and indeed the latter circumstances were to be omitted of course, as the historian chose, for brevity, to omit the former. But as to Samuel, there is in that book a deficiency of several words, which are necessary to complete the sense; which words are preserved in the text of Chronicles. And as the difficulty here also lies entirely in the text of Samuel, let us see whether it may not be cleared up to satisfaction. David having now possessed himself of the strong town of the Jebusites, situate upon the hill of Sion, proceeds, the same day, to attack the citadel or fortress; which was considered by the Jebusites as impregnable. And probably the Israelites would have thought so too, and David had retired from before it, like his forefathers, if he had not possessed himself by stratagem, when he found he could not storm or take it by open force. For this seems in fact to have been the case; and the history of this success may be properly introduced by a similar case or two. And first, Dr. Prideaux (in his Connexion, part i. book 2) tells us of the city of Babylon, that when it was besieged by Cyrus, the inhabitants, thinking themselves secure in their walls and their stores, looked on the taking of the city by a siege as an impracticable thing; and therefore from the top of their walls scoffed at Cyrus, and derided him or every thing he did towards it. (A circumstance most exactly parallel to that of the history before us.) But yet, that Cyrus broke down the great bank or dam of the river, both where it ran into the city, and where it came out; and as soon as the channel of the river was drained, in the middle of the night, while Belshazzar was carousing at the conclusion of an annual festival, "the troops of Cyrus entered through these passages in two parties, and took the city by surprise." And there is a second remarkable case related by Polybius, which will further illustrate the present history; and was communicated to me by a learned friend. "Rabatamana," says Polybius," a city of Arabia, could not be taken, till one of the prisoners showed the besiegers a subterraneous passage, through which the besieged came down for water." Now this fortress of the Jebusites seems to have been circumstanced like Rabatamana; in having also a subterraneous passage which is called in the originals (tzenur,) a word which occurs but once more in the Bible, and does not seem commonly understood in this place. The English version calls it the gutter-the Vulgate, fistulas-Vatablus, canales-Jun. and Trem. emissarium-Poole, tubus aquæand Bochart, alveus, &c. But not to multiply quotations, most interpreters agree in making the word signify something hollow, and applying it to water: just the case of the subterraneous passage, or great hollow, of Rabatamana, through which men could pass and repass for water. That this (tzenur) in the text was such an underground passage might be strongly presumed from the_text itself; but it is proved to have been so by Josephus. For, speaking of this very transaction, he calls them subterraneous cavities, putting this interpretation upon a very solid footing. That the preposition, rendered in, prefixed to (tzenur,) sometimes signifies by, is evident from Noldius; and that it signifies so in this place is certain from the nature of the context, and the testimony of Josephus, who expresses it thus: the verb wo (iamru,) rendered, they said, in this sentence is very properly future; as Hebrew verbs in that tense are known to be frequentative, or to express the continuance of doing any thing; and therefore that tense is with great propriety used here to express the frequent repetition of the insolent speech used by the blind and the lame upon the walls of the fortress. It only remains here to make an observation or two on the reward proposed by David, and the person who obtained it. The text of Chronicles tells us, "David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first, shall be chief and captain, or head and prince." We are to recollect, that Joab the son of Zeruiah (David's sister) had been general of his army, during the civil war, between the men of Judah under David, and the Israelites commanded by Abner, in favour of Ishbosheth the son of Saul: but that the Israelites, having now submitted to David, he was king over the whole twelve tribes. David, we know, frequently endeavoured to remove Joab from

his command of the army, on account of his haughtiness, and for several murders; but complained, that this son of Zeruiah was too hard for him. One of these attempts of David seems to have been made at the time Israel came in to David, by the persuasion of Abner; when it is probable the condition on Abner's side was to have been made David's captain-general: and perhaps Joab suspected so much, and therefore murdered him. The next attempt seems to have been made at the taking this strong citadel of the Jebusites. For David proposes the reward absolutely to every officer of his army, "Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first;" i. e. whosoever will ascend first, put himself at the head of a detachment, and march up through the subterraneous passage into the citadel, shall be head and captain. This proposal, we may observe, was general; and yet, how much soever David might wish Joab safely removed, it is reasonable to think that he made Joab the first offer. And, we find, that however dangerous and dreadful this enterprise appeared, yet Joab had prudence enough to undertake it, and courage enough to execute it: and Joab went up first, or at the head of a party, and was accordingly declared head, or chief captain, or (in the modern style) captain-general of the united armies of Israel and Judah. It is not unlikely that the men of Israel expected, that though Abner their general had been basely murdered by Joab, yet David's chief captain should be chosen from among them; or at least that they should have a chance for that first post of honour, as well as the men of Judah. And if they had declared any expectation of this kind, David seems to have taken the wisest step for determining so important a point—by declaring, that neither relation, nor fortune, nor friendship should recommend upon the occasion; but, as the bravest man and the best soldier ought to be commander-in-chief, so this honour should be the reward of the greatest merit; that there was now a fair opportunity of signalizing themselves in the taking this important fortress; and therefore his resolution wasthat Whosoever would head a detachment up this subterraneous passage, and should first make himself master of the citadel, by that passage, or by scaling the walls, or by any other method, should be head and captain, i. e. captaingeneral. It is remarkable, that the text in Samuel is very incomplete in this place: David's proposal to the army is just begun, and a circumstance or two mentioned; but the reward proposed, and the person rewarded, are totally omitted. We may presume the text could not have been thus imperfect originally, since no ellipsis can supply what is here wanting; and therefore the words in the coinciding chapter in Chronicles, which regularly fill up this omission, were doubtless at first also in Samuel, and are therefore to be restored: the necessity of thus restoring the words not found in the present copies of Samuel is apparent.

And the English version of these texts in Samuel is"And they spoke unto David, saying, Thou shalt not come hither; for the blind and the lame shall keep thee off, by saying, David shall not come hither. But David took the strong hold of Sion, which is the city of David. And David said on that day, Whosoever (first) smiteth the Jebusites, and by the subterraneous passage reacheth the blind and the lame, which are hated of David's soul, (because the blind and the lame continued to say, He shall not come into this house) shall be head and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was head-or captain-general.” The English version, then, of these texts in Chronicles is"And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. But David took the strong hold of Sion, which is the city of David. And David said, Whosoever first smiteth the Jebusites, shall be head and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was chief captain." (Kennicott.)-CRITICA BIBLICA.

Ver. 9. So David dwelt in the fort, and called it, The city of David: and David built round about, from Milo and inward.

The old city founded by the Jebusites before Abraham arrived in Canaan, is styled by some writers the city of Melchizedek, not because he was the founder, but because it was the seat of his government. This ancient city was so strongly fortified both by nature and art, that the people of Israel could not drive out the Jebusites, its original inhabit

ants, but were reduced to live with them at Jerusalem. The armies of Israel indeed seized the city; but the Jebusites kept possession of the strong fort which defended the town, till the reign of David, who took it by storm, and changed its name to the city of David, to signify the importance of the conquest, and to perpetuate the memory of the event. Having chosen Jerusalem for the place of his residence and the capital of his kingdom, he adorned the fortress with a royal palace for his own accommodation, and a variety of other buildings; which, from the continual additions made to them in succeeding reigns, increased to the size of a considerable city, and covered nearly the whole of mount Sion. The largeness of the city of David may be inferred from the expression of the sacred historian; "David built round about from Millo and inward." This passage, and particularly the word Millo, has greatly exercised the genius and divided the sentiments of commentators; and is therefore entitled to more particular notice. That Millo was situated in the city of David, the inspired historian expressly asserts: and by consequence, it must either have been upon mount Sion or in its immediate vicinity. It is worthy of notice, that the inspired writer of David's history could not allude to Millo itself, which was not then in existence, but to the place where it afterward stood; for Millo was not built till the succeeding reign. It seems to have been a public building, where the king and his princes met in council about affairs of state; for in the passage already quoted from the first book of Kings, it is connected with the house of the Lord and the royal palace. The words of the historian are; "And this is the reason of the levy (or tax) which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer." But every ground of hesitation is removed by the sacred writer of the second book of Kings, who calls it expressly "the house of Millo." That it was a public building, in one of whose apartments the council of state met to deliberate upon public affairs, is rendered extremely probable by one of the kings of Judah losing his life there by the hands of his princes; for we are told, that "the servants of king Joash arose and made a conspiracy, and slew him in the house of Millo," whither he had probably come to consult with his princes and other principal persons upon some affairs of state. This interpretation is greatly strengthened by a passage in the book of Judges, which informs us, that "all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king." The city of Shechem then had also its house of Millo, and a great number of persons connected with it, whom the sacred writer distinguishes from the men of the city. Now since both were concerned in making Abimelech king, it is natural to conclude, that the men of the city were the inferior inhabitants, and the house of Millo the governors of the place: both of whom on this occasion met in the senate-house, to set the crown upon the head of their favourite.

The house of Millo upon mount Sion, appears to have been a place of great strength, and essentially connected with the defence of Jerusalem; for when Hezekiah discovered that Sennacherib meditated the reduction of his capital," he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance." From the intimate connexion between the repairing of Millo and the making of darts and other implements of war, it has been conjectured by some writers, that one part of that public building was occupied as an armory; in which there is nothing improbable. It is necessary, however, before leaving this part of the subject, to state another opinion that has been advanced concerning Millo, by several men of genius and learning. They suppose that Solomon filled up a deep valley or hollow, that separated the hill of Sion and the site of the ancient city from mount Moriah, upon whose summit he built the temple of Jehovah, and made a plain level road from the one to the other. The execution of this stupendous work, they contend, may be inferred from the root of the word Millo, which signifies "to fill up ;" and from a passage in 2d Chronicles, where it is said, the king made terraces to the house of the Lord, and to the king's palace. The word which is here rendered terraces, may be translated as in the margin, stays or supports. But nei

ther of these senses amounts to a sufficient proof, that the terraces were made by filling up the hollow between mount Sion and mount Moriah. That Solomon planned and executed a noble and magnificent way from the royal palace on mount Sion, to the temple on mount Moriah, which excited the admiration of all that saw it, is attested in plain terms by the sacred writer; "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house which he had built,... and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." This passage also proves, that although the declivity on each side was easy, the road was not perfectly level, for Solomon went up an ascent to the house of the Lord. The same circumstance is mentioned in another book, where the sacred writer speaks of "the causey of the going up." And we read, that Joash was slain in the house of Millo, which goes down to Silla. The term Silla, is thought by some learned commentators, to have the same meaning as Messilah, which signifies a causey or cast up way; and consequently, that between the two mounts Sion and Moriah, were two declivities, one towards the temple or mount Moriah, the other towards the palace or mount Sion. The last is supposed to be the descent of Silla, near which stood the house of Millo. From this statement it is clear, that the house of Millo stood on the east side of mount Sion, at the upper end of the causey which goes down to Silla, and the royal palace on the opposite side. When, therefore, the sacred historian says, David built round about from Millo and inward, or as the original word may be rendered, "to the house," he seems to intimate, that David built round about from the place where Millo was afterward erected by Solomon, or where more probably the senate-house, or Millo of the Jebusites, had stood, which was pulled down to make room for the more sumptuous edifice of Solomon, to his own house; so that David built from one part of mount Sion, quite round to the opposite point. Hence, the residence of David, even in the reign of that renowned monarch, began to assume the size and splendour of a city, and to be justly entitled to the appellation which it receives from the sacred historian.-PAXTON.

Ver. 19. And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up; for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

I cannot here help observing, in honour of the Hebrew oracle, that its answers were such, as became the character of the true God, who hath all events at his disposal, and cannot be mistaken as to those which he expressly foretels. Let any one compare it with the heathen oracles, and he will be forced to acknowledge, that they were shuffling, ambiguous, and vague; and the answers they gave of so uncertain a nature, so equivocal and deceitful, as that they might be interpreted in two direct contrary senses, might be equally true of two contrary events, and evidently demonstrated, that they who gave them out knew no more of those events on which they were consulted, than they who inquired about them, who were often deceived in the application of them to their own destruction. Thus Crosus was foretold by Apollo, that if he made war with the Persians, he should overturn a great empire; which Cræsus interpreting in his own favour, made war upon Cyrus, and thereby put an end to his own empire; after which, he severely reproached Apollo for deceiving him. And thus Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who is said, upon the credit of an ambiguous oracle of the same Apollo, to have engaged in war with the Romans, was entirely defeated by them, and forced at last to retire with great disgrace and loss into his own dominions. Whereas, the answers of the Hebrew oracle had one plain obvious certain meaning, that needed no interpretation, that no one could possibly mistake the meaning of, and that was never found, in one single instance, to deceive or disappoint those who depended on, and directed themselves by the order of it. Do this, or, Do not this, was the peremptory form, in which they, who consulted it, were answered; which, in the judgment of Cicero, was the manner in which the oracles of God ought to be delivered.-CHANDLER.

CHAPTER VI. Ver. 2. And David arose, and went with all the

people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of The LORD of Hosts, that dwelleth between the cherubims.

David being now at rest, in peace at home, and free from all foreign wars, applied himself to make some necessary regulations in religion, and a proper provision for the more stated performance of the solemnities of divine worship. The ark, which was the emblem of the divine presence, where God dwelt between the cherubim, was now at Kirjath-jearim, in the house of Abinidab on the hill; where it was placed, when the Philistines had sent it back, after they had taken it in the battle, in which Hophni and Phineas, the sons of Eli, perished, and great part of the Hebrew army were cut off. The time of its continuance here was about forty-six years, except when, on some particular occasions, it was removed, as once in Saul's time, when he fought his first battle against the Philistines. As David had now fixed his own residence at Jerusalem, and intended it for the capital of his whole kingdom, he was resolved to do every thing in his power, that could contribute to the splendour, dignity, and safety of it. His first care was to secure it the presence and protection of the God of Israel; and accordingly, he provided a proper habitation and residence for his ark, and pitched for it a tent, where it might continually remain throughout all future ages. The ark was a small chest, made of shittim-wood, two cubits and a half, or a yard and a half and one inch long, a cubit and a half, or two feet nine inches broad, and overlaid within and without, with pure gold. On the top of the ark was placed a seat, or cover, called , arpov, the mercy-seal, as we render the word, or, the propitiatory cover, because the blood of the propitiatory sacrifice was sprinkled on, and before it. In this ark were placed the two tables of stone, on which the ten commandments were engraven, called the testimony; because God testified and declared, these ten commandments were essential and unalterable laws of his kingdom. On this account the ark is called, The ark of the testimony. In the order to make it, God says: "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Here, God tells Moses: "I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee, from above the mercyseat, from between the two cherubims, of all things, which I will give thee in commandment, unto the children of Israel; and I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat." Hence the ark was considered as the house, the sanctuary, and temple of God, where he resided; and God is described as dwelling between, or rather above the cherubim; not because the Hebrews were so stupid as to imagine any personal residence of God in the ark, or that he could be confined to any particular place, whom they well knew the heaven, even the heaven of heavens, could not contain; much less any house that could be erected for him by human hands; but because the cloud and glory, which appeared there, were the visible emblems of his gracious presence with them, and of his peculiar inspection and care over them; or, as Joshua tells them, whereby they should know, that the living God was among them, even the Lord of the whole earth; viz. to protect and prosper them. That the majesty of this ark or portable temple of God, might be preserved inviolable, God ordered a tabernacle to be prepared for its reception, and a veil to be placed before the ark, to separate the holy place, where the ark was fixed, from the other part of the tabernacle, where Aaron and his sons were to minister continually before God. Besides this, there was a spacious court prepared round about the tabernacle and the altar, where the congregation were allowed to enter, and present their offerings at the door of the tabernacle, before the Lord. At the door of the tabernacle of the congregation the daily burnt-offering was to be offered, where God promised to meet with the children of Israel, to sanctify it by his glory, and to dwell among the children of Israel, and be their God, i. e. their almighty guardian, and protector. Here also were to be brought all their various kinds of sacrifices, in reference to which the charge was so strict, as that God commanded, that whoever

did not bring his sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle, there to offer it to the Lord, should be cut off from his people: the against idolatry, as it struck at the root of all idol worship; most effectual provision this, that could possibly be made and which, had they observed the command, must have prevented the introduction of any other god, in opposition to Jehovah, the true God, who dwelt in the ark, and on whose altar their sacrifices must have been offered by his priests, who resided in the tabernacle. Hither also, as to the temple of God, the religious Hebrews loved to resort, not only to present their sacrifices, but to join in the celebration of the divine praises, and the singing those sacred songs, that were composed in honour of the true God, to offer up their supplications to him, and to make and pay their vows before him; and their appearance at the tabernacle for these purposes, where the ark of the presence resided, was styled, appearing before God, coming before his presence, frequenting his courts, abiding in his house, and the like; because they saw there his power and glory, or the glorious manifestation of his power and majesty, which were frequently given, as the immediate token of God's accepting their sacrifices, thanksgivings, and prayers. From these observations it appears, that this ark of God was of the highest importance in the Hebrew republic, as it was a standing memorial for Jehovah, the one true God, the God of Israel, the centre of all the public solemnities of religion, the place where the whole nation was to pay their homage and adoration to him, where he appeared propitious and favourable to his people, where they were to inquire of him, and wait for his direction; and that the presence of it was essentially necessary, wherever the public solemnities of worship were to be performed; and that Jerusalem could never have been fixed on for these sacred services, nor the visible emblems of the divine Majesty and pres ence, in the cloud and glory, have ever been expected in it, unless this ark had been translated to, and settled there, as the place of its future and fixed residence. These were some of the considerations that induced David to remove it into the new city that he had built, but there were others also that the very law of Moses suggested to him. God had by him commanded the Hebrews, that "unto the place which the Lord their God had chosen out of all the tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation should they seek, and thither they should come, and thither should they bring their burnt offerings, their sacrifices, their tithes and heave offerings, their vows, their free-will offerings, and the firstlings of their herds and flocks, and that there they should eat before the Lord their God, and rejoice in all that they put their hand to, they and their household, wherein the Lord their God had blessed them." He further promised them, that after they had passed over Jordan, and dwelt in the land, which he had given them to inherit; then, "there should be a place, which the Lord their God would choose, to dwell there, and that there they should bring their burnt-offerings, and all their choice vows, and that there they should rejoice before the Lord their God, they, and their sons, and their daughters, and their menservants, and their maid-servants, and the Levite that was with them in their gates, and do all that he commanded them;" and that here, and nowhere else, they should eat the passover, and appear three times in it every year, before the Lord their God; at the feast of unleavened bread, the feasts of weeks, and the feast of tabernacles; and that here they were to apply for determining their principal causes and controversies: in a word, that this very place, which the Lord should choose, should be the capital of the whole kingdom, the principal seat of all their public solemnities, and the perpetual residence of the supreme courts of justice and equity.

During all the preceding periods of the Hebrew republic, no such place had been chosen and appointed by God; the ark itself had no settled and fixed habitation, but removed from place to place, as convenience or necessity required; and the several judges and supreme officers, that presided over and judged the people, had their particular cities, where they resided, and administered justice to those who applied to them. In this unsettled state of the republic, many and great inconveniences must have necessarily arisen, and the most significant and important solemnities of the national religion were absolutely incapable of being performed, according to the prescription of the law of God by Moses.

The honour of making the necessary settlement in these things, and perfecting the civil polity, and the ceremonial of the Hebrew worship, was reserved for David; who when he had retaken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, had considered the strength and convenience of its situation, had enlarged it with new buildings, adorned it with palaces, erected a magnificent one for himself, had well fortified it with walls and bulwarks, and chosen it for his own residence; was in hope that this was the place God had now chosen to dwell in, and immediately formed the great design of translating the ark of God into it, and providing a suitable habitation for its future rest; that this emblem of God's immediate presence might be perpetually near him, where he himself might constantly worship in the courts of his tabernacle, where all the solemn sacrifices might be statedly offered, and the affairs in general of the whole kingdom, relating to religion and justice, for the future, be transacted with regularity, order, and dignity. In pursuance of this great design, he first gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand men, consisting of the captains of thousands, and hundreds, and all the princes; and said to them, thus assembled at Jerusalem: "If it seem good unto you, and it be approved of by the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves together unto us, and let us bring up to us the ark of God; at which we but seldom inquired in the days of Saul." To this proposal the congregation unanimously agreed. David accordingly sent messengers to Israel, throughout all his dominions, from Sichor, or the Egyptian Nile, the most southern boundary of his kingdom, to the entrance of Hemath, northward, near the rise of Jordan. When the assembly were met, David led them to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim, and which belonged to the tribe of Judah; and from thence they conveyed the ark of God, "where his name was invocated, even the name Jehovah Zebaoth, or Lord of hosts, who sits upon the cherubim, that were over the ark." They had prepared a new carriage, drawn by oxen, for the conveyance of it, which Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinidab drove to Abinidab's house; and then placing the ark upon it, they attended on it; Ahio marching before the ark, and Uzzah on one side of it. When the procession began, David, with all the house of Israel, gave the highest demonstrations of satisfaction and pleasure, playing before the Lord on all manner of instruments, made of fir-wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. But the joy of David and his people on this solemn occasion was soon interrupted. For when the procession was advanced as far as Nachon's thrashing-floor, the oxen stumbled, and thereby shook the ark; on which Uzzah, fearing probably it might be thrown off the carriage, very rashly laid hold of the ark of God with his hand, in order to support it; not considering, that as he was but a Levite, he was forbidden to touch it under penalty of death, and that, as it was the dwelling of God, and immediately under his protection, he could and would have preserved it from falling, without Uzzah's officious care to prevent it. For this violation of the law, Uzzah was immediately struck by the hand of God, and fell down dead by the ark.

God smote him, as the text says, for his error, or as we have it in the margin, for his rashness; and as this is the first instance that we have of the violation of this prohibition of the Levites, from touching any thing sacred under the penalty of death, the punishment of it shows that the prohibition was really divine, and that as the penalty of death was incurred, it was justly inflicted, as an example to others, and to preserve a due reverence for the divine institutions. Besides, God had particularly appointed the manner in which the ark should be removed from place to place; not upon a carriage drawn by oxen, but by ordering that the sons of Kohath should carry it on their shoulders, by the staves, that were put into the rings, on the sides of the ark; and their neglecting to do it on this solemn occasion, and consulting their ease more than their duty, by placing it on a carriage drawn by oxen, was an offence of no small aggravation, as it was an innovation contrary to the express order of the law. This David himself afterward acknowledges, and assigns it as the reason of the punishment inflicted upon Uzzah, and as he himself and the whole house of Israel were present at this solem

nity, and it was impossible that the nature and cause of Uzzah's death could have been concealed. The history expressly says, that God smote him for his rashness, in laying hold of what he ought not to have touched; or for his error in thinking God was not able to protect and secure it; and David affirms, that the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah, and in commemoration of it called the name of the place, Perez-uzzah, i. e. the breach of Uzzah; a plain evidence, that he knew his death to be extraordinary, and inflicted by the immediate hand of God; this is further evident from the terror David was in upon account of this extraordinary accident, and his desisting for this reason from the resolution he had formed of introducing the ark into Jerusalem. David "was afraid of the Lord that day, and said: How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" I am at a loss what method to take to bring the ark, with safety to myself and people, into Jerusalem. Every circumstance in this transaction shows that Uzzah's death was a divine punishment, and had he died by any other hand, it must have been known to many that were present, as he died in open day light, and in the view of thousands who attended in this solemn procession.

Should it be said, that if the Lord would have saved the ark, because he could; it may be also urged, that he would have brought it to any place where he intended it to be, because he could have done it, and that therefore David was impertinently officious in removing it himself: the answer is; that as God had forbidden the ark to be touched, on any occasion, by the Levites, under penalty of death, it was an assurance, that in all its movements he would take it under his especial protection, and that as he was able to secure it against every hazard, without human assistance, so he certainly would do it. But God never promised to remove it himself from place to place, but expressly gave that service in charge to the Levites; and therefore it doth not follow, that because he himself could, therefore he would remove it, because he expressly ordered it to be done by others. But Uzzah's intention was certainly good, and therefore the alleged crime certainly pardonable; the seeming exigency precluding all reflection. But this seeming exigency was no real one, and his acting without reflection, an aggravation of his fault; especially as he committed this offence, in consequence of a former. Uzzah knew, or might have known, that the ark was never to be moved in any carriage, but on the shoulders of the Levites; and had it been thus removed, the accident would not have happened to the ark, and his rashness in touching, and the punishment he suffered for it, would have been both prevented. His good intention therefore here could be of no avail. It was no excuse for his ignorance, if he was really ignorant, because he might, and ought to have known better; nor for his presumption, and such it must have been, if he could not plead ignorance for his error, because this was in its nature a high aggravation of his fault. And light as this offence may seem, yet when it is considered in all its consequences, and what an encouragement it might have given for the introduction of other innovations, contrary to the institutions of the law of Moses, had this offence been passed by with impunity; it was no wonder that God should manifest his displeasure against it, by punishing with death, what he had forbidden under the penalty of it; thereby to prevent all future attempts to make any changes in that constitution which he had established. But "supposing that the ark had been overturned for want of this careful prevention, might not Uzzah, with greater plausibility, have been smote for his omission, than he was for his commission?" That is, might not God have more plausibly punished Uzzah for omitting what he had strictly forbidden him to do under pain of death, and what therefore it could never be his duty to do; than for committing what it was unlawful by God's own command for him to commit, and which he had made the commission of a capital crime? What some critics may think of this, I know not; I cannot for my life conceive, how Uzzah could have been more plausibly, or reasonably punished for omitting what it was his duty to omit, than for committing what he was obliged never to commit. The very contrary seems to me to be true, because he who doth not commit an illegal action can never deserve punishment on that account; whereas he, who actually doth such an illegal action, becomes thereby guilty, and liable to the punishment denounced against it."

During the march, David, in order to render it more solemnly religious, sacrificed, at proper intervals, oxen and fatlings; and though the ark, with its proper furniture, must have been of a considerable weight, and the service of the Levites, in carrying it such a length of way on their shoulders, as from Obed-Edom's house to mount Sion, could not but be very difficult; yet the history observes, that God helped the Levites, by enabling them to bring it to its appointed place, and preserving them from every unhappy accident, till they had safely deposited it; in grateful acknowledgment of which they presented an offering unto God of seven bullocks and seven rams. the procession was accompanied with vocal as well as instrumental music, David had prepared a proper psalm or ode (Ps. 68) to be sung by the chanters, the several parts of which were suited to the several divisions of the march, and the whole of it adapted to so sacred and joyful a solemnity; as will appear by a careful perusal and examination of it. I hope my reader will not be displeased, if I give him a short and easy paraphrase of this excellent composure.

As

When the Ark was taken up on the shoulders of the Levites. Ver. 1. Arise, O God of Israel, and in thy just displeasure execute thy vengeance upon the enemies of thy people, and let all who hate them be put to flight, and never prevail against them.

2. Drive them before thee, and scatter them, as smoke is dispersed by the violence of the wind, and let all their power and strength die away and dissolve, as wax melts away before the fire.

3. But let thy righteous people be glad, exult in the presence and under the protection of thee their God, and in the triumph of their joy cry out:

4. "Sing psalms of thanksgivings to God. Celebrate his name and glory with songs of Praise. Prepare ye his way, and let all opposition cease before him, who rode through the deserts, and guided his people with the cloud by day, and the flame of fire by night. His name is JAH, the tremendous being. And Ŏ exult with joy before him.

5. "He is the orphan's father, who will protect and provide for him. He is the judge and avenger of the widow, will vindicate her cause, and redress her injuries, even that God, who is present with us in his holy sanctuary.

6. "He it is who increases the solitary and desolate into numerous families, and restores to liberty, and blesses with an abundance, those who are bound in chains, but makes those who are his refractory implacable enemies, dwell as in a dry and desert land, by destroying their families and fortunes, and utterly blasting their prosperity."

When the Procession began.

7. How favourably didst thou appear, O God, for thy people in ancient times! How powerful was that protection, which thou didst graciously afford them! when thou didst march before them at their coming out of Egypt, and guidedst them through the wilderness!

8. The earth shook, the very heavens dissolved at thy presence, even Sinai itself seemed to melt, the smoke of it ascending as the smoke of a furnace, when thou the God of Israel didst in thine awful majesty descend upon it.

9. Thou, O God, didst rain down, in the most liberal manner, during their passage through the desert, bread and flesh as from heaven, and didst thereby refresh, satisfy, and confirm thine inheritance, fatigued with their marches, and in the utmost distress for want of food.

10. Such was the abundance provided for them, that they dwelt in the midst of the manna and quails, in heaps surrounding them on every side. Thy poor and distressed people were thus liberally supplied by thy wonderful and never-failing goodness.

11. And not only were they thus miraculously fed by thy benevolent hand, but made to triumph over all their enemies, who molested and opposed them. For thou gavest forth the order to attack. Thou didst assure them of success, leddest them forth against their adversaries, and their victories were celebrated by large numbers of matrons and virgins, who shouted aloud, and sang these joyful tidings:

12. "The kings of armies fled away. They fled away uterly discomfited, and they who abode with their families in their tents, received their shares in the spoils of their conquered enemies.

13. "Though when you were slaves to the Egyptians,

employed in the servile drudgery of attending their pots and bricks, you appeared in the most sordid and reproachful habits, and took up your dwellings in the most wretched and miserable huts; yet now you are enriched with the gold and silver of your conquered enemies, possessed of their tents, and arrayed with garments shining and beautiful, you resemble the dove's feathers, in which the gold and silver colours mixed with each other, give a very pleasing and lovely appearance."

14. When the Lord thus scattered and overcame kings for the sake of his inheritance, how were thy people refreshed! How great was the joy thou gavest them in Salmon, where they obtained, beheld, and celebrated the victory!

When the Procession came in view of Mount Sion.

15. Is Bashan, that high hill Bashan, with its rough and craggy eminences, is this the hill of God, which he hath chosen for his residence, and where his sanctuary shall abide hereafter for ever?

16. Why look ye, O ye craggy hills, with an envious impatience? See, there is the hill, which God hath chosen and desired to dwell in. Assuredly the Lord will inherit it for ever.

17. The angels and chariots of God, who attend this solemnity, and encompass the ark of his presence, are not only, as at the giving of his law, ten thousand, but twice ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. God is in the midst of them, as formerly on thee, O Sinai, and will constantly reside in his sanctuary on mount Sion, and as the guardian of it, by his almighty power continue to defend it.

When the Ark ascended Sion, and was deposited in David's Tabernacle.

18. Thus hast thou now, O God, ascended the heights of Sion's hill, and taken possession of it, as thy future favourite dwelling, after having subdued our adversaries, and delivered our captive brethren from the power of their enslavers. Thou hast received gifts from men, even from our inveterate enemies, by enriching us with their spoil, subjecting them as tributaries to my crown, and enabling me by them to provide a habitation for our God, and in this joyful manner to attend thine entrance into it.

19. O blessed be Jehovah. From day to day he supports his people, and like a father bears them up, and protects them from all destructive evils.

20. He is that God to whom we owe all our past salvations, and from whom alone we can expect all we may hereafter need. For under his direction are all the outgoings of death, so that he is able to preserve his people from the approaches of it, when their inveterate enemies meditate and resolve their destruction.

21. But vain and impotent shall be their power and malice. God will avenge himself on their devoted heads, and their strength and craft shall not be able to protect them from his indignation, if they continue wickedly to disturb me in the possession of that kingdom, to which he hath advanced me.

22, 23. For this end, he raised me to the throne, and assured me that I should deliver his people from the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies. Let them therefore begin their hostilities when they please, God will appear for me, as he did in former times for our forefathers, and my victories over them shall be as signal and complete, as that over Pharaoh and his army, who were destroyed in the sea, through which he safely led his people; or as over Og the king of Bashan, the slaughter of whose army was so great, as that our victorious troops were forced to trample over their slaughtered and bloody bodies, and even our very dogs licked up their blood, and feasted on the carnage.

While the sacrifices were offering, which concluded the whole solemnity, they closed the anthem with the following verses.

24. Thy people have now, O God, seen thy marches, the triumphant marches of my God and king, present in his holy sanctuary, into the tabernacle prepared for it, amid the loudest acclamations of the whole assembly.

25. The procession was led by a chosen band of singers, the players on instruments came behind them, and in the midst of them a virgin train, who accompanied their timbrels with the harmony of their voices, and sung: