a The Prophet, chap. 7. 2. 1 King. 1. 8. When the ordinary means did not awaken David to Repentance, God uſeth an extra- ordinary Courſe. Thus the Merciful God pities and prevents him who had ſo horribly forſaken and forgotten God. 6 He prudently uſhereth in his Reproof with a Parable, after the manner of the Eaſtern Nations, and ancient times, that ſo he might ſurprize Ds- wid, and cauſe him unawares to give Sentence againſt himſelf. He manageth his Relation as if it-had been a real thing ; and demands the King's JuſKce in the caſe. Though the application of this Pa- rable to David be eaſie and obvious, yer it matters not, if ſome Cir- cumſtances be not ſo applicable ; becauſe it was fit to put in ſome ſuch Clauſes, either for the decency of the Parable, or that David might not too early diſcover his Deſign.
2 The rich men had exceeding many flocks and
herds c.
c Noting David's many Wives and Concubanes.
But the poor mn had nothing ſave one little ew- lamb 4, which he had bought e and nouriſhed up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children, it did eat of his own F meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his boſom f, and was unto him as a
davghter.
_ d Deſigning Uriah, with his own and only Wife. e As Men then uſed to buy their Wives ; or, had procured. f which David might take for Hyperbolical Expreſſions of his tender care of, and At- fetion to it. Although there want not Inſtances of ſome who have treated ſuch Brute-Creatures in this manner. ;
4 And there came a traveller g unto the rich man,
and he ſpared to take of his own tlock, and of his own herd, to dreſs for the wayfaring Man that was come unto him, buttook the poor mans lamb, and dreiled it
for the man thar was come to him. | | £ This ſome make to be the Devil, whom David gratified by his Sin ; but it rather ſeems added for the decency of the Parable. | F And Davids anger was kindled greatly againſt the man, and he ſaid co Nathan, As the LORD liverh,
the man that hath done this thing, || | ſhall ſurely die þ.
hand of Saul : | # Thou haſt committed this Crime with great Aggravati@ns; and out of thine own Mouth thy Sentence hath proceeded, and thou art worthy of Death. 8 And 1 gave thee thy maſters houſe, and thy ma- ſters wives & into thy boſom, and gave thee the houſe of Iſrael and of Judah, and if thar bad been roo little, I- would moreover have given unto* thee ſuch and ſuch things /. k Or, Women, as that word is elſewhere uſcd ; as Numb. 31. 18. An41 though we read not a word of God's giving, or of David s ta- king any of Saul's Wives into his Boſom ; or, which is all one, into his Bed; yer ( which I think to be aimed at here ) ir might be according to the manner of that time, that the Wives and Concu- bines of the Precedent King, belonged to the Succeſlor, to be at leaſt at his diſpoſe. And to pretend to them, was interpreted little leſs than pretending to the Crown, Which made it fatal ro Adonijah to ask Abiſhag, 1 Kings 2. 23+ And to Abner to be ſuſpeRed for Riſpah, 2 Sam. 3. 8, And Abſalom, uſurping the Crown, uſurped the Con- cubines alſo; which is looked on as a Crime unpardonable, *2 8am. 16. 21. nor would this have been reckoned amongſt the Mercies and Bleſſings which God hereis ſaid to give him, and which are op- poſed to that which he ſinfully took : bur we do read, That Merab Saul's Daughter, was given to him for his Wife by Saz/'s promile, and conſequently by God's grant ; though afterwards Sau! perfidi- ,ouſly gave her to another Man; and that Michal, the other Daugh- ter, was attually given to him, 1 Sam. 18. And it 15 very poflible, that ſome other of David's Wives were nearly related to the houſe of Saul ; whereby David might deſign to enlarge and ſtrengthen his Intereſt in the Kingdom. Although there is no abſolute Ne- ceſlity of reſtraining this to Saul, ſeing the word is plural, Maſters ; and may belong to others alſo, who ſometimes were owned by David as his Maſters, Lords, or Superiors, ſuch as Naba! was, and ſome others not elſewhere named might be, whoſe Houſes and Wives, or, at leaſt, Women, God might give to David, I Such other things as thou hadſt wanted, or 1n reaſon deſired
Wherefore haſt thou diſpiſed the commandment ofthe LORD », to do evil in his ſight? thou haſt killed Uriah the Hittite », with the Sword, and haſt
taken his wife to be thy Wife o, and halt ſlain him with
7 KI Þ as
m i, e. Thoſe Laws of God which forbad thee to do this thing, by not giving them that reſpe& and obſervance whict they deſer-= ved. nu Thar Valiant, and Generous, and Noble Perſon. o [his he mentions amonglt his other Sins ; partly, becauſe he had rewarded her, who by God's Law ſhould have been ſeverely puniſhed : part- ly, becauſe he compaſled this Marriage by wicked PraQtices, even by Uriah's Murther, and for ſinful Ends, even for the gratification of his inordinate and ſenſual Luſts, and for the concealment of thar Sin which he was obliged to confeſs and lament. p Thoſe curſed Enemies of God, and of his People, whom thou haſt encouraged and hardned in their Idolatry, by giving up him, and others of God's People into their hands. And note here, That although Dawid did not kill Uriah himſelf, nor command any to doit; but only that he ſhould be pur upon dangerous Service, ( which a General of an Army oft doth to Soldiers under him, on juſtifiable accounts, with» out being therefore legally chargeable with Murther, though the Perſon ſo employed die in the Services ) yet in Gods account, who judged of David's Deſign therein, it is juſtly ſo reputed. And therefore, though the Ammonites ſlew Uriah, yet David is ſaid to have killed him with their Sword. 10 Now thetefore the {word ſhall never depart from thine houſe q, becauſe thou haſt deſpiſed me, and haſt caken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Ne 4 Du:ing the reſidue of thy Life ; as appears from the following iſtory. 11 Thus faith the LORD, behold, I will raiſe up
evil r againft thee out of thine own houſe s, and I will
the ſight ot the ſun y.