proper effect on the manners of the people, they must have produced upon the whole a constant and habitual (though, perhaps, from the very nature of their fituation, a confined). benevolence, much fuperior, not only to that of their rude cotemporaries, but to the boasted lenity of much later and more polished nations.

It will be readily understood, that every thing which has been here faid to vindicate the Jewish nation' in general from the charge of diftinguished cruelty, is applicable to King David in particular. But he may also lay, claim to fome peculiar indulgence from the fingularity of his own circumftances, which were frequently very unfavourable to humanity. It was his fortune to pass through almost every scene of life, and to meet with almost every incident in his way, that could be injurious to his temper, or give an edge to his refentments. Extremes of happiness or misery, fudden tranfitions from the one to the other, the perfecutions of enemies, and the unkind

as the morals of a state, and the character of a whole people taken collectively. Dr. Taylor's Elements of Civil Law, zd edit. p. 160.

nefs

nefs of friends, are circumftances which feldom fail of hurting the mind, and vitiating the moft benevolent difpofition. All these did David experience in quick fucceffion, and in their fullest extent,

He was originally nothing more than a fhep herd; and at a time when his youth and inexperience feemed to difqualify him for any more important business than that of feeding a flock, he broke out at once the champion and preferver of his country. Tranfplanted on a fudden from a cottage to a court, he experienced alternately the fmiles and the frowns of a capricious monarch; was fometimes flattered with the hope of being united to him by the closeft bonds of affinity, and sometimes in danger of being struck by him with a javelin to the wall. Driven at length from his prefence, and torn from the arms of those he loved,

his foul was hunted from city to city;" and after suffering the laft diftreffes of human nature, he was not only restored to the honours he had loft, but feated on the throne of Ifrael. And here, though furrounded with all the pleasures and magnificence of an Eaftern monarch; yet was he at the fame time

not

not only harraffed with the common uncafineffes of life, and the cares infeparable from royalty, but experienced a fucceffion of the bittereft fufferings and the heaviest domeftic calamities; was once more driven from Jerufalem, deferted by his friends, cursed by his enemies, and perfecuted by his darling fon; whofe death did indeed put a period to his public calamities, but plunged him in the deepest affliction, and was very near bringing down his grey hairs with forrow to the

grave. When to these private confiderations we add thofe more general ones abovementioned, we can hardly be furprized at any exceffes of severity that King David occafionally gave way to. We shall rather be furprized to find, in fo tumultuous and military a kind of life, many. ftriking inftances of humanity, many amiable tenderneffes, many uncommon and heroical exertions of generosity, which plainly indicated a temper conftitutionally good and right, but labouring under the weight of numberless difadvantages, which fometimes dragged it from. its true bias, and forced it to take a turn directly oppofite to its natural bent. His circumstances expofed him to a variety of inju

ties and infults; the liveliness of his fenfations made him feel them, the impetuofity of his paffions made him refent them, too ftrongly. And yet, though every thing thus concurred to ftimulate his revenge, though the guilt of indulging it was not then fo apparent and fo acknowledged as it now is; yet did he, on one memorable occafion, refift the strongest impulfes of this importunate and ungovernable paffion, though tempted to gratify it by the most inviting opportunity on his inveterate enemy, whose paft conduct would almost have justified any extremity; and whose removal would not only have put an immediate end to his diftreffes, but, in all appearance, opened his way to the attainment of his utmoft withes, and raised him at once from an exile to a king *,

It is but juftice alfo to add, that this prince had a fenfibility of foul, which, though it gave too keen an edge both to his relish of pleasure and his refentment of injury, yet gave at the fame time an uncommon fervour to his repentance, a peculiar vigour and vivacity to all his virtues; rendered him most feelingly alive to the nobleft and the tendereft fentiments;

1 Sam. xxiv. Vide Peters on Job, p. 352.

and

and infpired him with every liberal and focial affection that can warm the human breast. "O Abfalom, my fon, my fon," are words that will go to every parent's heart that has experienced the fame misfortune, and speak to it with a force and cloquence that has never yet been equalled. He had, moreover, as his inimitable writings abundantly teftify, a most ardent fpirit of devotion, and a boundless zeal for the honour of God and the interefts of his Religion; and the general tenour of his conduct, when left to its own natural course, very clearly evinced, that he was, upon the whole, a confcientious obferver and a ftrenuous afferter of the Divine laws, a moft difinterefted and active patriot, the tendereft of parents, and the moft affectionate of friends.

At the fame time, however, that we do juftice to the virtues of King David, we must acknowledge and lament his faults, which were undoubtedly great, and in one flagrant inftance more especially, juftly fubject him to the feverest reproach. But while we cenfure him on this account, as he deferves, it will be our wifdom to look well alfo to ourfelves. To the Infidel

it is matter of unfpeakable triumph, that the

man