p Seing God hath fo ordered this buſineſs by his wiſe and won- derful Providence, that I ſhould accidentally, and unexpe&edly come to the knowledge of my Husband's vile and ſordid Carriage ; and that I ſhould come to meet theezand find thee ſo gracious, as tO gLve a favourable Audience ; and all this, that hereby he might with- hoid thee from the Sin of Blood-guiltinefs. q Let them be as con- remptivle and hateful as Nabal is, and will be for this odious AQion; Jet them be as unable to do thee any hurt as he is;let them be forced to yield to thee, and implore thy Pardon and Favour, as Nabal now doth by my mouth : Jer the Vengeance thou didft deſign upon Natal and his Family, fall upon their heads, who, by their conſtant and inveterate Malice againſt thee, do more deſerve it than this fil- 1y. Fool for this one miſcarriage; and much more than all the reſt of our Family, who, as they are none of thine Enenues, nor ſuch as ſeek thee evil, ſo they were no way guilty of this wicked Attion- And therefore ſpare theſe, and execute tay Vengeance upon more proper Objects. j : :
27 And now this || blefling r which thine hand-maid harch brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto
the young men that 7 follow my lord 5.
r So 2 Gift or Preſent is called here, and Ger. 33. 11. and elſe- where ; not enly b<cauſe the matter of it comes from God's bleſſing; but alſo becauſe it is given with a Bleſſing,or with a good Will. 5 As being unworthy of thune acceptance Or ule.
28 I pray thee, forgive the treſpaſs of thine hand-
maid r: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a ſure houſe «, becauſe my lord fighteth che bactels of
the LOKD x, and evil hath not been found in thee, af thy gays ).- TE : 7. e WhichT have taken upon my ſelf, v. 24. and which, if it be nor Pardoned, bur Puniſhed, che Puniſhment will reach to me. % i.e. Will give the Kingdom to thee, and to thy Houſe for ever, as he hath promiſed thee. And therefore let God's great kindneſs to thee, make thee gentle and mercitul to others; do not ſully thy approaching Glory with the ſtain of Innocent Blood; but conſider, that it 1s the Glory of a King ( which thou art by God's appoint- menr, and ſal e're long aQually be) to paſs by Offences; aad that it will be thy loſs to cut off ſuch as will ſhortly be thy Subje&ts. x 5. e. For the Lord, and for the People of the Lord againſt their Enemies; eſpecially, the Philiſtines, And as that this is thy proper Work, and therein thou mayeſt expeQt God's blefling and help; toir is not thy work to draw thy Sword in thy own private quarrel a- gainſt any of the people of the Lord ; and God will not bleſs thee in it. y Though thou haſt been ofc aſperſed, and charged with ma- ny Crimes, by Seu! and others ; yet thy Innocency hath been, and 5s evident to all Men: Do not therefore now by this cruel a& of Vengeance juſtific thine Enemies Reproaches, nor blemiſh thy great + and juſt Reputarion. ' | : | ' 29 Yeta man &is riſen to purſue thee, and to ſeek thy ſoul a: but the ſoul of my lord ſhall be boundin the bundle of life þ with the LORD thy God c, and the ſoulsof thine enemies, them ſhall he ſling out, + 5s our
of the middle of a ling 4, | z To wit, Saul, though no way injured nor juſtly provoked by thee. « i.e. To take away thy Life. 6 Or, zn the bundle; i.e. In the Society, or Congregation of zhe living; out of which, men are taken, and cut off by Death. The Phraſe is taken from the com. - mon uſage of Men, who bind thoſe things in bundles, which they are afraid to loſe, becauſe things that are ſolitary and unbound, are ſoon loſt. The meaning of the place is, God will preſerve thy Life ; and therefore it becomes not thee, unjuſtly and unneceſſarily to take away the Lives of any ; eſpecially of the People of thy God and Saviour Cc 5.e. In the hand and cuſtody of God, who, by his watchful Providence, - preſerves this Bundle, and all that are in it; and thee in a particular and ſingular manner, as being thy God in a peculiar way, and ſpecial Covenant. God himſelf will hide, and | 0m theein the ſecret of his Preſence. Pſal. 31. 20. where no hand of violence can reach thee. And therefore all the Attempts of Sul, 'or others againſt thee, are vain and ridiculous. For who can de- froy whom God will keep? &« God himſelf will cut them off Fuddenly, violently, and irreſiſtibly ; and caſt them far away ; both from his Preſence, and from thy Neighbourhood, and from all capacity of doing thee any hurt.
20 And it ſhall come to paſs, when the LORD ſhal have done to my lord, according to all the good that he hath ſpoken concerning thee, and ſhall haye ap- pointed thee ruler over Urasl;
| | 1
ard.
et * deep Malice,
© Nl Or, pre- | uy pre + Heb.
walk at the
feer of, &c.
+ Heb. in the mid of the bought
of a ſling«
|
TM O
E
en_d I
L.
31 That this ſhall be { no gricf unto thee, nor of. + Bag " fence of heart.unto my lord e, either that thou hajt ſhed /22gwring blood cauſcleſs f, or that my lerd + hath avenged him- 2. Sum.
« « S9lins {elf g : but when the LORD ſhall have dealt well with + ; my lord, then remember thine hand-maid 5, faved Lin
e Thy Mind and Conſcience will be free from all the Torment /./f, v. 1G,
which the guilt and ſhame of ſuch an Afion would cauſe in thee. | By which, ſhe cunning]ly infinuates, what a blemiſh this would be to his Glory, what a diſturbance to his Peace anc Felicity, if he Pro- ceedcd to execute his Purpoſe : and withal implics, hov ſweer and comfortable it would be to him ro remember, that he had for con« ſcience to God denied himſelf, and reftrained his Pafſtions. 7 Which ſhe ſignifies would be done if he ſhould go on. For though Nabs? had been guilty of abominable Rudeneſs, Uncharitablencis, and Ingratitude ; yet he had done nothing worthy of Deaths by the Laws of GOD or of Man. And whatſoever he had done,the rcſt oF his Family were Innocent. g Which is dire&ly contrary to GOD'S Law, Levit. 19. 18, Deut. 32. 35. Compare with Rom. 12. 19. h When GOD ſhal make thee King, and I ſhal have oc- caſion to apply my ſclIf to thee for Juſtice, or Relief, let me find Grace in thy ſighr, and ſo let me do at this time. Or, ond the Lord will bleſs my lord, and recompenſe thee for this Mortification of thy Paſſion, and thou nilt remember thine handmaid : 5. e. Thou wileſt rewember my Counſel-with ſatisfaCtion to thy ſelf, and thank. fulneſs to me.