— ——— ———
,
Chap. % VI.
| father,
4
41s
I
in the procferce of his for 52 as T have ſerved in thy fa- thers preſence, fo will I bein thy preſence.
Thou art his Son, and Heir, and Succeſſor, and now in his place and ſtead : whereby my Friendſh:p which was due to him, 1s devolved upon thee by Right of Inh:ricance;and I reckon, that my Friendſhip is not wholly alienated from him, when it is transferred upon one that came out of his Bowels. :
26 Then faid Abſalom to Ahitophel, Give counſe] among you what we ſhall do.
21: And Ahitophel ſaid unto Abſalom, Go in unto thy fathers concubines c, which he hath leic to keep the houſe, and all Iſrael ſhall hear that thou Þ art ab- horredof thy father d, then ſhall the hands of all that are with thee be ſtrong e.
c This Counſel he gave, partly to Revenge the Injury done to
| Bathjbeba, who was the Daughter of Elam, 2 Sam, 11. 3. who was the ſon of Ahitophel, Chap. 23. 34s and principally for his own, and the People's ſafery,that the Breach berween David and Abſalom might be made wide, and irreparable by ſo Vile an Aion, which muſt necds provoke David in the higheſt Degree, both for the Sin, and ſhame of it: as the like Aion had done Jacob, Gew, 49. 3, 4. and cut off all hopes of Reconciliation, which otherwiſe mighr have been expected by ſome Treaty berween AbJalom and his tender- hearted Father; in which Cate his Followers, and eſpecially Ahito- phil himſelf, had been left to David's Mercy. d And therefore 0- bliged by thy own Intereſt to proſecute the War with all poſſible Vigour, and to abandon a'l thoughts of Peace: as knowing that his Father, though he might diſſemble,yer would never forgive ſo foul and ſcandalous a Crime. e They will fight with grzater Courage and Reſolution, when they are freed from the fear of thy Recon- ciliation, which other wiſe would make their Hearts faint,and Hands ſlack in thy Cauſe. Burt by this we may ſee the Charatter of Abſa- loms's Party, and how abominably wicked they were, whom ſucha loathſomeand ſcandalous Aion tied the faſter to him, whom for that very reaſon they ſhould have deſerted and abhorred. And we
a4 fa
+ Heb. finke(s with #1}
S 4 T6
may further learn, how corrupt and filthy the Body of the People |
was, and how ripe for that ſevere Judgment which is now haſtening
to them.
22 So they ſpread Abſalom a tent upon the top of the houſe f, and Abſalom * went in unto his fathers con- cubines g. in the fight of all Iſrael 5
f To wit, of the King's Palace, the very place from whence Da- wid had ſpied and gazed upon Bathſbeba, Chap. 11. 2. So that his Sin was legible in the very place of his Puniſhment. g 7- e. To one, or ſome of them. And by ſo doing did further make Claim
| to: the Kingdom as his own; and, as it were, take Poſſeſſion of ir.
* Chap,
J2, II,
OS - — n
It being uſual in the Eaſtern Countries to account the Wives and '
Concubines of the late King to belong ofright to the Succeſſor; See the note on Chap. i2. 8. þ Who ſaw him gointo the Tent;and thence concluded, Thar be lay with them, as he had deſigned to do.
23 And the counſei of Ahicophel which he counſel- ' ly ' teſt of our Men with dread, even 4þ:tepke! himſelf, if he ſhould go
led in thoſe days, was as if a man had enquired at the + oracle of God3: ſo as all the counſel of Ahitophe), both with David &. and with Abſalom.
; It was received by the People witt: equal Authority andVene- ration, and was uſually attended with as certain Succeſs. Which is mentioned as the reaſon why a Counſe! which had ſo ill a face, ſhould meet with ſuch general approbation. & To whoſe Pious Diſpoſition he accommodated himſclf, as Policy oblidged him;but being weary of it, he takes this firſt occaſion to diſcover him- ſelf, and execure that Wickedneſs which before Jay in 'his
Heart. CHAP. XVII | Huſhai, David's Friend, being, by David's Order, gone over to Abſalom, by God's appomntment, overthroweth Ahitophel”s Counſel, 1---=-==14. Hu ſhai certifieth David thereef, and adwviſeth him forthwith zo march on, 15=-=--21. David paſſeth over Fordan, 22. Achitophel hangeth h:mſelf, 23. David cometh to Mahanaim : Abſalom paſſeth over Jordan, making A.- maſa the Captain of his Hoft, 24----26 David i there furniſhed with Proviſions by his Friends, 27-----29 IY Oreover, Ahitophel ſaid unto Abſalom, Let me now chuſe out twelve thouſand men,and 1] will ariſe and purſue « after David this night : a lam ſo well aſſured of the goodneſs of this Counſel, that I
will venture my own Perſon and Life in the execution of it.
2 And1I will come upen him while he is weary and weak-handed 6b, and will make him afraid : and all the people that are with him ſhall flee, and I will ſmite the king only.
b Tired with a tedious March on Foot, and deſtitute of Men, and Military Proviſions; and diſheartned by his own ſmall Num- bers, and by the general defe&ion of his SubjeRts.
3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou ſeekeſt is as if all returned c: /o all the people ſhall be in peace.
c 71 6. The Death of that Man whom thou ſeekeſt to deſtroy, is no leis conſiderable to thee, than if all the Peop!e that follow him ſhould defert him,and return unto thee.
4 And the ſaying + pleaſed Abſalom well, and all the Elders ot Iſrael.
5 Then faid Abſalom, Call now Huſhai the Archite alſo, and let us hear likewiſe + what he ſaith d. . 4 A wonderful Effe& of Divine Providence, blinding his Mind, and influencing his Heart, that he could not reſt in Ahitophel's Coun- ſel, though ir was ſo evidently Wite, and Good, and approved by the general conſent of his whole Party ; and that he ſhould defire Hufba:'s Advice, though neither his Reputation for Wiſdom was - equal to Ahrrophel's, nor had he yer given any one proof of his Fi- delity ro Abſalom, as Ahitophel had done ; nor was he fo fixed by his Intereſt to him, as 4hirophel was ; and though there wanted not juſt
7 Heb,
ward,
f Heb. Was right in the eyes of , &c. t Heb, what is in his moughs
h - _ will propagare it, and ſtrike terror with it into thereſt of ; ThE
L, Chap. XV! cauſe to ſuſpe® him, and his Counſel too. But there 1s no conten- © | ding with that God who can Arm a Man againſt himſelf, and de- | ftroy him by his own Miſtakes and Faffions, without any other help. | 6 And when Hufbai was come to Abſalom, Abſalom | ſpake unto him, ſaying, Ahirophel hath ſpoken afcer | this manner : Shall we do after his + ſaying ? if not f Hebj| |
\ f } ' ) ; i | 1 | !
| . } -