Spiritually, the case is ours. Every man's breast is as a city inclosed. Every sin is a traitor, that lurks within those walls. God calls to us for Sheba's head; neither hath he any quarrel to our person, but for our sin. If we love the head of our traitor, above the life of our soul, we shall justly perish in the vengeance. We cannot be more willing to part with our sin, than our merciful God is to withdraw his judgments.

Now is Joab returned with success; and hopes by Sheba's head, to pay the price of Amasa's blood. David hates the murder, entertains the man, defers the revenge. Joab had made himself so great, so necessary, that David may neither miss or punish him. Policy led the king, to connive at that which his heart abhorred. I dare not commend that wisdom, which holds the hands of princes from doing justice. Great men have ever held it a point of worldly state, not always to pay, where they have been conscious to a debt, of either favor or punishment; but to make time their servant for both. Solomon shall once defray the arrearages of his father. In the mean time, Joab commands and prospers; and David is fain to smile on that face, whereon he hath in his secret destination written the characters of death.-2 Sam. xx.

THE GIBEONITES REVENGED.

THE reign of David was most troublesome towards the shutting up; wherein, both war and famine conspire to afflict him. Almost forty years, had he sat in the throne of Israel, with competency, if not abundance, of all things; now at last, are his people visited with a long dearth.

We are not at first sensible of common evils. Three years' drought and scarcity are gone over, ere David consults with God, concerning the occasion of the judgment: now he found it high time, to seek the face of the Lord. The continuance of an affliction sends us to God, and calls on us to ask for a reckoning; whereas, like men stricken in their sleep, a sudden blow cannot make us to find ourselves, but rather astonisheth than teacheth us.

David was himself a prophet of God; yet had not the Lord all this while acquainted him with the grounds of his proceedings against Israel. This secret was hid from

him, till he consulted with the Urim: ordinary means shall reveal that to him, which no vision had descried. And if God will have prophets to have recourse unto the priests for the notice of his will, how much more must the people! Even those that are inwardest with God

must have use of the ephod.

Justly it is presupposed by David, that there was never judgment from God, where hath not been a provocation from men; therefore, when he sees the plague, he inquires for the sin. Never man smarted causelessly from the hand of divine justice. Oh that when we suffer, we could ask what we have done, and could guide our repentance to the root of our evils!

That God, whose counsels are secret, even where his actions are open, will not be close to his prophet, to his priest. Without inquiry, we shall know nothing; on inquiry, nothing shall be concealed from us, that is fit for us to know.

Who can choose but wonder, at once, both at David's slackness in consulting with God, and God's speed in answering so slow a demand? He, that so well knew the way to God's oracle, suffers Israel to be three years pinched with famine, ere he asks why they suffer. Even the best hearts may be overtaken with dulness in holy duties; but oh, the marvellous mercy of God, that takes not the advantage of our weaknesses!

David's question is not more slow, than his answer is speedy; It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.' Israel was full of sins, besides those of Saul's house. Saul's house was full of sins, besides those of blood: much blood was shed by them, besides that of the Gibeonites; yet the justice of God singles out this one sin of violence offered to the Gibeonites, contrary to the league made by Joshua some four hundred years before, for the occasion of this late vengeance. Where the causes of offence are infinite, it is just with God, to pitch on some; it is merciful, not to punish for all.

Well near forty years are past, betwixt the commission of the sin, and the reckoning for it. It is a vain hope, that is raised from the delay of judgment. No time can

be any prejudice to the Ancient of Days: when we have forgotten our sins, when the world hath forgotten us, he sues us afresh for our arrearages.

The slaughter of the Gibeonites was the sin, not of the present, but rather the former generation; and now posterity pays for their forefathers. Even we men hold it not unjust, to sue the heirs and executors of our debtors. Eternal payments, God uses only to require of the person; temporary, ofttimes of succession.

As Saul was higher by the head and shoulders than the rest of Israel, both in stature and dignity, so were his sins more conspicuous than those of the vulgar. The eminence of the person makes the offence more remarkable, to the eyes both of God and men.

Neither Saul nor Israel were faultless in other kinds; yet God fixes the eye of his revenge on the massacre of the Gibeonites. Every sin hath a tongue; but that of blood over-cries and drowns the rest. He, who is mercy itself, abhors cruelty in his creature, above all other inordinateness. That holy soul, which was heavy pressed with the weight of a heinous adultery, yet cries out, Deliver me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation; and my tongue shall joyfully sing of thy righteousness."

If God would take account of blood, he might have entered the action on the blood of Uriah spilt by David; or, if he would rather insist in Saul's house, on the blood of Abimelech the priest, and fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod; but it pleased the wisdom and justice of the Almighty, rather to call for the blood of the Gibeonites, though drudges of Israel, and a remnant of Amorites. Why this? There was a perjury attending on this slaughter. It was an ancient oath, wherein the princes of the congregation had bound themselves, on Joshua's league, to the Gibeonites, that they would suffer them to live; an oath, extorted by fraud, but solemn by no less name than the Lord God of Israel. Saul will now thus late, either not acknowledge it, or not keep it : out of his zeal therefore to the children of Israel and Judah, he roots out some of the Gibeonites; whether in a zeal of revenge of their first imposture, or in a zeal of enlarging the possessions of Israel, or in a zeal of executing

God's charge on the brood of Canaanites. He, that spared Agag whom he should have smitten, smites the Gibeonites whom he should have spared. Zeal and good intention is no excuse, much less a warrant, for evil. God holds it a high indignity, that his name should be sworn by, and violated. Length of time cannot dispense with our oaths, with our vows: the vows and oaths of others may bind us, how much more our own!

There was a famine in Israel. A natural man would have ascribed it unto the drought; and that drought perhaps to some constellations. David knows to look higher; and sees a divine hand scourging Israel for some great offence, and overruling those second causes to his most just executions. Even the most quick-sighted worldling is purblind to spiritual objects, and the weakest eyes of the regenerate pierce the heavens, and espy God in all earthly occurrences.

So well was David acquainted with God's proceedings, that he knew the removal of the judgment must begin at the satisfaction of the wronged. At once therefore, doth he pray unto God, and treat with the Gibeonites; 'What shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?' In vain should David, though a prophet, bless Israel, if the Gibeonites did not bless them injuries done us on earth give us power in heaven: the oppressor is in no man's mercy, but his whom he hath trampled on.

Little did the Gibeonites think, that God had so taken to heart their wrongs, that for their sakes all Israel should suffer. Even when we think not of it, is the righteous Judge avenging our unrighteous vexations. Our hard measures cannot be hid from him; his returns are hid from It is sufficient for us, that God can be no more neglective, than ignorant, of our sufferings.

us.

It is now in the power of these despised Hivites, to make their own terms with Israel: neither silver nor gold will savor with them, toward their satisfaction: nothing can expiate the blood of their fathers, but the blood of seven sons of their deceased persecutor: here was no other than a just retaliation: Saul had punished in them the offence of their predecessors; they will now revenge Saul's sin in his children: the measure we mete unto

others, is, with much equity, remeasured unto ourselves: every death would not content them of Saul's sons, but a cursed and ignominious; hanging on the tree: neither would that death content them, unless their own hands might be the executioners: neither would any place serve for the execution, but Gibeah, the court of Saul: neither would they do any of this, for the wreaking of their own fury, but for the appeasing of God's wrath; We will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul.'

David might not refuse the condition: he must deliver; they must execute. He chooses out seven of the sons and grand-children of Saul. That house had raised long an unjust persecution against David: now God pays it on another score.

David's love and oath to Jonathan preserves lame Mephibosheth how much more shall the Father of all mercies do good unto the children of the faithful, for the covenant made with their parents!

The five sons of Adriel, the Meholathite, David's ancient rival in his first love, which were borne to him by Merab, Saul's daughter, and brought up by her barren sister Michal, the wife of David, are yielded up to death. Merab was, after a promise of marriage to David, unjustly given away by Saul to Adriel. Michal seems to abet the match, in breeding the children: now, in one act, not of David's seeking, the wrong is thus late avenged on Saul, Adriel, Merab, Michal, the children. It is a dangerous matter to offer injury to any of God's faithful ones. If their meekness have easily remitted it, their God will not pass it over without a severe retribution.

These five, together with two sons of Rizpah, Saul's concubine, are hanged up at once before the Lord, yea and before the eyes of the world. No place but a hill will serve for this execution. The acts of justice, as they are intended for example, so they should be done in that eminent fashion, that may make them both most instructive and most terrifying. Unwarrantable courses of private revenge seek to hide their heads in secresy: the beautiful face of justice both affects the light and becomes it.

It was the general charge of God's law, that no corpse should remain all night on the gibbet. The Almighty hath power to dispense with his own command; so,