him, is clear from the whole tenour of it *. And who, and what, is there in the whole hiftory of David, to whom, and to which, it can refer, but to Mephibofheth, calumniated, and villainously wronged, by Ziba ?

BUT here it may be asked, Why David, if he believed Mephibofbeth innocent, did not bring the matter to a fair trial? I answer, That a man of Ziba's fubtilty, who had laid fo heavy an accufation against Mephibofheth, had undoubtedly laid his trains and schemes to make it good: and therefore David, in all probability, was afraid to bring the matter to a public trial, left his friend's innocence fhould be oppreffed by falfe accufations ; and in the event, whether he were acquitted or condemned, the bare bringing him to trial, could not fail to be matter of fufficient calumny against David; and therefore nothing could better become David, in this fituation, than to waive the trial, and exhort. Mephibofbeth to refer the matter wholly to the arbitration of unerring wisdom and juftice which would not fail finally to

* Delight thou in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy heart's defire --- He fhall make thy righteousness as clear as the light, and thy juft dealing as the noon-day. vindicate

vindicate innocence, and avenge falfhood and villainy. And this is, evidently, the main scope and purpose of this Pfalm. And that every part of it may very naturally relate to Mephibofheth, will appear from two or three eafy and natural fuppofitions (to which no thinking man can refuse a ready and a rational affent); which, I hope, will clear this matter to the reader's fatisfaction.

2

LET us then fuppofe, that so wicked a man as Ziba, who had the intire manage ment of his master's affairs, made no scruple to enrich himself by his spoils: and let us fuppofe, that upon this discovery of his villainy, Mephibofheth, who before confided in him, (as an old faithful fervant to the family) and left every thing to his management, looked now more narrowly into his own affairs, and found himself not only calumniated by his steward, but spoiled likewife, and impoverished; his fteward rich, and flourishing in a numerous family; himfelf poor, and but with one fon.

Now nothing is more natural, than to suppose the generous and upright heart of Mephibofbeth, diftreffed, funk, and uneafy to the last degree, in this fituation; and VOL. III.

taking

taking rash and repining refolutions, to banish himself from a country where he had found fuch treatment; and fo put himself out of the power of calumny for the future. And what could be more natural, and more confoling, under these circumstances, than for David to beg of him to forego those rafh refolutions; to admonish him, that if he bore his present low estate with patience, and refignation to the divine will, he should foon fee it bettered; to mind him, that the profperity of the wicked was fhort and tranfient; that he himself had obferved them flourishing like a green bay-tree, with a thousand rich fuckers rifing from its roots; yet their duration was short, and their end destruction; that on the contrary, the righteous are the immediate care of Divine Providence, which would not fail to fupport and deliver them from their enemies; to affure him, at the fame time, of his own intire fatisfaction in his innocence, and fteady continuance of his friendship to him, in every exigency? And in what words could all this be conveyed more strongly, than in the feveral following paffages of this Pfalm? Fret not thyself because of the ungodly; for they shall foon be

cut

tut down like the grass. Delight thou in the Lord, and he fhall give thee thy heart's defire. He fhall make thy righteousness as clear as the light, and thy juft dealing as the noon-day. A Small thing that the righteous bath, is better than great riches of the ungodly. Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall promote thee, that thou shalt possess the land: when the ungodly fhall perish, thou shalt fee it. The meek-fpirited shall poffefs the earth, and fhall be refreshed in the multitude of peace. Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good. Dwell in the land, and verily thou fhalt be fed -Leave off wrath, and let go difpleasure: fret not thyself, elfe fhalt thou be moved to do evil The Lord knoweth the days of the godly, and their inberitance fhall endure for ever * They fball not be confounded in the perilous time, and in the days of dearth they shall have enough.

SUPPOSE thefe David's confolations to Mephibofbeth, under the circumftances now

*Accordingly we find the defcendants of MephiboTheth remarkably numerous, 1 Chron. viii.

This paffage feems to fix the æra of this Pfalm, that it was written in the days of the public famine.

laid down, and fuppofe the laft-cited verse his own declaration in favour of him (and imagination can apply them to none other, that we know of); what can they mean lefs, than an exhortation to faith, trust, and confidence in GOD, ftrengthened with the king's own declaration, that he was determined to support Mephibofheth in every danger; and to share with him, to his last morfel of bread.

THE facred historian next informs us, That when David came to his house at erufalem, he took the ten women, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them: fo they were shut up, to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

THIS done, his first care was to look after Sheba, and crush this rebellion in its infancy: to which purpose, finding this a fit occafion to rid himself of Joab's infupportable infolence, he commanded Amafa (whofe credit with the foldiery could only counterbalance that of Joab) to affemble an army with all poffible dispatch, and pursue him.

THAT David now depofed Joab from the fupreme command of the army, and

put