granted they acquaint him that it was their Fathers Command before he died that they should humbly beg his pardon and forgiveness of them and accordingly they did earnestly beg it at his hands and they hoped he would not deny it them seeing they were his Brethren and served the same God that He did namely the God of his Father and were truly penitent for their former hainous Transgression against Him Then falling down at his Feet they told him They were his Servants Joseph could not forbear weeping at this their behaviour towards him and pittying their Perplexity and being grieved that they should in the least doubt of his kindness towards them He told them It was true He was in great Power there yet he was under God (g) Masius sic reddit v. 19. Annon sub Deo sum under His All-seeing-Eye and bound to give an account of his actions unto Him who had forbiden him all Revenge and had wonderfully raised him up not only that he might do good to the Egyptians but especially to them that were his own Flesh and Blood And he had no cause to be offended at what they had For whatever their intent was God meant it for good both to him and them And therefore bad them be of good courage and not at all to fear any hurt from him For he would be so far from hurting them that he would nourish them and their Children And accordingly He did so for 54 years after his Fathers death All which time even unto his own death he continued his kindness to them and continued in his Authority and Government and saw his Son Ephraim's Children to the third Generation (h) To wit Shutelah and Tachon the Sons of his Son Ephraim and Haden the Son of Shutelah Numb 26.36 And Machir the Son of Manasseh and Gilead Manasseh's Grandchild From whence it is that the Greek Expositors speaking of the Families of Jacob and Joseph which were said to consist of 70 Souls Gen. 46.27 Deut. 10.22 have added thereunto these five that were born to Joseph in Egypt 1 Chron. 7.14 which reckoning Luke follows Acts 7.14 reckoning them in all 75 Persons and the Children of Machir the Son of Manasseh his other Son were also brought up upon his Knees that is he took pleasure in their Infancy to let them sit upon his Knees and to dandle them see Ch. 30.3 Joseph having now arrived at the age of an 110 and having Governed Egypt under several Kings 80 years and finding his death approaching he told his Brethren That God would surely visit them in mercy and would bring them out of that Land into Canaan which he had promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob that He would give it them And therefore to testifie his Own and confirm their Faith concerning the Promises of Canaan which was a Type of Heaven he commanded that his body should be kept and carried into Canaan when God brought them out of Egypt and carried them thither see Heb. 11.20 He took also an Oath of them to perform it which Oath as 't is like was Recorded and transmitted to succeeding Generations that they in whose time that Deliverance should be brought to pass should perform it And accordingly his Body was embalmed and kept in a Chest until the time it might be carried into the Land of Canaan and was afterwards carried thither and buried at Shechem see Josh 24.32 Jacob's Purchase and Joseph's Inheritance And there also as 't is probable the Bodies of the other Patriarchs Jacob's Sons and Joseph's Brethren were buried see Acts 7.16 their Bodies being carried up into Canaan with His. Thus died Joseph in (i) Eusebius in his Chronicle hath this passage concerning Joseph Joseph says he was made Governour of Egypt in the 30th year of his age when his Father Jacob was 122 years old which Government he held 80 years After whose decease the Hebrews were held in Bondage by the Egyptians 144 years So that the whole time which the Hebrews spent in Egypt was 215 years reckoned from the time that Jacob and his Sons went down into Egypt the 2369th Year of the World 16 years before the Death of Levi 60 years before the Birth of Moses 140 years before the Israelites coming out of Egypt As may be gathered from Gen. 15.13 Exod. 12.41 Ch. 50. whole Chapter SECT XLIX WIth the Life of Joseph endeth the First Book of Moses's History called Genesis which containeth a space of Two thousand three hundred sixty nine years from the Creation of the World The next to it in order of time is the Book of Job as Learned Men conceive 'T is likely that Job lived when the Israelites were in Egypt and that he lived in the Land of Vz in Idumea or Arabia bordering upon it See Lam. 4.21 Where he had such bad Neighbours the Chaldeans on the one side and Sabeans on the other The Book of Job is undoubtedly a true History and accompanied fully with all the Circumstances requisite to a true History from first to last and attested so to be by the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 14.14 Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own Souls by their Righteousness saith the LORD And by the Apostle James Ch. 5.11 Behold we count them happy which endure Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy This Book is written in the judgment of the Learned in Prose to vers 3. of Chap. 3. And in Verse from thence to Chap. 42. vers 6. and then it concludes in Prose The Penman of it seemeth to be Elihu one of the Speakers in it as may be gathered from Chap. 32. vers 15. They were amazed they answered no more they left off speaking Vers 16. When I had waited for they spake not but stood still and answered no more Vers 17. I said I will answer also my part I also will shew mine Opinion So that he seemeth here to speak of himself as the Writer of this History Job was the Son of Nahor Abraham's Brother descended from him by his Son Huz Gen. 22.21 Huz his First-born and Buz his Brother c. Three of his Friends most likely were of the Posterity of Abraham viz. Eliphaz and Zophar of the Posterity of Esau Gen. 36.10 These are the Names of Esau's Sons Eliphaz the Son Adah the wife of Esau Bildad of Abraham's Race by Keturah And Elihu the fourth of the Race of Nahor Abraham's Brother The Book consists of these general Parts 1. A Description of Job's Vprightness He was an upright man fearing God and eschewing evil Vers 3. Orientalium i. e. in genere neglecto Judaeae situ ad quam erat haec austrina Regio 2. Of his Prosperity 1. He had a numerous Issue seven Sons and three Daughters 2. For Estate He was the greatest man in the East having 7000 Sheep 3000
deprived of all hope of Marriage and living there in that manner without the society of any but themselves it seemed all one to them as if there were not a man upon the Earth besides their Father Hereupon being blinded with fear and passion and desirous to have Children of their own Kin and not of the faithless and cursed Nations they resolve upon a very wicked and detestable course viz. to make their Father drink Wine more than was fit of that they had brought with them from Zoar which possibly they perswaded him the rather unto to drive away his sad thoughts that so being drunk he might lie with them which else they knew he would never do And here observe the just Judgment of God Lot had at Sodom rashly offered to prostitute his two Daughters Chastity to the Rabble there to prevent the violation of his Guests and now here in the Cave His own Chastity is violated by the contrivance of His two Daughters This was just as from God but 't was very wickedly done of these two young women thus to draw their Father to commit Incest with them However from this incestuous Copulation came Moab and Ammon Fathers of the Moabites (f) The Moabites were afterwards Idolaters and Enemies to the Israelites yet from Ruth a Moabitess our Saviour Sprang and Ammonites two great and populous Nations Gen. 19. whole Chapter SECT X. ABraham now his Wife Sarah having as it seems newly conceived removed from the Plains of Mamre towards the South and sojourned in Gerar the Metropolis of the Philistins that dwelt in that Countrey Here He began to be afraid of himself again because of Sarah his Wife who though now near 90 years old yet was still very beautiful He therefore now as before in Egypt see Ch. 12. 13. apprehended that these people would kill him if he were known to be her Husband that so He being taken away she might be free to be married to one of them Hereupon Sarah by his appointment going again under the name of his Sister Abimelech King of that Place hearing of her took a liking to her and took her from her Husband intending shortly after to make her his Wife though he had a Wife before see vers 17. thinking as it seems Polygamy to be no sin Upon this God immediately smote him with a dangerous Sickness and plagued his Court with a strange Disease And in his Sickness God informed him by a dream (g) Dreams are sometimes supernatural and sent of God and bring their own evidence and assurance with them God thereby signifying what he will do or have men to do And thus God sends dreams upon extraordinary occasions to wicked men as here to Abimelech and afterwards to Laban Pharaoh and his Bulter and Baker and to the Midianite Judg. 7.13 To Nebuchadnezzar to Pilat's Wife And all these for the good of his own Servants and People but Principally God sends them to his choice Servants as to Jacob to Solomon to Daniel to Joseph the Son of Jacob and to Joseph the Husband of Mary and this was one of the ordinary ways wherein God revealed his Will to his Prophets Numb 12.6 Joel 2.28 Under which colour Saul complains of the want of them 1 Sam. 28.15 of the Cause why He had laid his hand upon Him telling him he was a dead man if he restored not unto Abraham his Wife And further He tells Him that Abraham was a Prophet one in especial favour with Himself to whom he did often reveal his Will and by whom he did teach and instruct others see Psal 105.15 and He should pray for him if he did restore his Wife to Him again Abimelech being thus restrain'd and prevented by Gods immediate hand from touching of Sarah he pleads his own Innocence before the Lord that in this matter his heart was clear from any adulterous purpose and his body from any unchast action And seeing this sickness on his Family and fearing possibly it to be on the rest of his Subjects who sometimes smart for their Princes sin see Gen. 34.26 c. 2 Sam. 24.17 and here vers 18. he intreats the Lord not to proceed to punish his people that were innocent and guiltless as to this matter Then Abimelech expostulates with Abraham that he should by dissembling his Wife expose Him to so great a sin as Adultery was and consequently bring upon him and his people the dreadful punishment due thereunto (h) See Dutch Annotat. in loc So that we see this Heathen King by the light of Nature even in those days before the Law was given did hold Adultery in a King such an abominable sin as might justly bring a Plague or great Judgment on a whole Nation Abraham excuses himself as well as he could He confesses he was afraid of himself there because he thought the fear of God was not among them and so they would not care what they did And besides it was not altogether false what he had said For Sarah was his Sister in one sense being the Daughter that is the Grand-Child of his Father though not the Daughter or Grand-Child of his Mother Terah having Haran her Father by another Wife than he had Him And he confesses ever since God called him to leave his Fathers House and wander in several Countries thinking he should find little of the fear of God in the places where he was to travel and apprehending danger to himself in respect of the great beauty of Sarah he had desired Her that in all Places where they came and apprehended any such danger she should always say She was his Sister Abimelech then not only return'd Sarah to him again untouch'd but presented him with large and great Gifts and offered him to live in any part of his Country where he pleas'd to so much Civility and Kindness did the Lord dispose the heart of this Heathen King Moreover Abimelech tells Sarah That he had given her Brother as she called him a 1000 pieces of Silver amounting to about 56 l. 5 s. of our money but intimates to her that she ought always to own her Husband in all Companies and he ought to be as a Veil to her to cover her from the Eyes and Desires of all others and a Guardian of her Chastity whereas by denying him she as it were unveiled her self and laid her self open to the unlawful Desires of others Thus was Sarah reprov'd by an Heathen King and taught and instructed to carry her self better for the future Then Abraham prayed for Abimelech and the Lord was graciously pleas'd to take off his hand from him and his Family and so that disability (i) Some think this was more than meer barrenness which was a thing that could not in so short a time either be perceived as a Judgment or discerned as a Cure upon Abraham's prayer therefore they think it was some unusual closing of the Womb for that time Existimo plagam fuisse talem ut
ordinarios ut probabile est Tyrannus Sabin è medio sustulerat Deborah a Prophetess judged Israel not Governing chiefly and properly as a Judge whose Office was to hear and determine Causes and in those times especially to make War against their Enemies but as a Prophetess counselling and directing the people that came to her in hard and difficult Cases and revealing to them the Will of God by the Spirit of Prophesie which God had given her 'T is like the Tyrant Jabin would not have suffered any man to have been Judge or Governour among them but as for Deborah a Woman possibly he took no notice of her Deborah as it seems used to give forth her Directions and Counsel sitting under a Palm-Tree that was between Rama and Bethel in Mount Ephraim Deborah now by the special Direction from God sends for Barak Son of Abinoam who dwelt at Kedesh-Naphtali and imparts to him what God had revealed to her either by the secret Inspiration of his Spirit or perhaps by the Ministry of an Angel †That some Angel did appear to her either before or after the battel sought with Sisera may appear from Ch. 5.26 She tells him God had commanded him to go and draw together to Mount Tabor an Army of the Israelites and to take ten thousand of the Children of Naphtali and of the Children of Zebulun because they were nearest at hand and those of Naphtali were likely to be forwarder in this Work because Barak was of that Tribe and they also were most oppressed by Jabin and Sisera Hazor and Harosheth being both in their Tribe She tells him When he had gathered this Army together the Lord would incline the heart of Sisera Jabin's General to come with his Multitudes and Iron-Chariots to fight him at the River Kishon that runs near to Mount Tabor and would deliver him into his hands Barak it seems believed what Deborah told him viz. that Sisera should be vanquished by him and therefore his Faith is commended Heb. 11.32 33. but yet his Faith was assaulted with some doubts and fears for he tells her If she would go with him He would go else not 'T is like he was desirous to have her at hand being a Prophetess to give them Counsel and Advise upon every Emergency she readily yields to go with him but withall shews him that because of his fear the Lord would deprive him of a great part of that glory he should otherwise have had And because he would not undertake this Enterprize without the presence and encouragement of a Woman therefore a Woman should carry away a part of the Honour of the Victory to wit Jael the Wife of Heber into whose hands Sisera should fall and by whom he should be slain Deborah therefore accompanying Barak he went to Kadesh in Naphtali the place of his Birth and here gathering together an Army mostly consisting of the Tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali though some of the other Tribes did voluntarily joyn with them as appears Ch. 5. he marched with ten thousand men following him towards Mount Tabor whither he was commanded to go Near unto this City of Kedesh-Heber the Kenite had his Tent (r) The Kenites lived in Tents and not in Houses who for some Reasons not here mention'd had severed himself from the rest of the Kenites who were seated among the Children of Judah see Ch. 1.16 and now lived in the Tribe of Naphtali Sisera hearing that Barak had got together an Army about Tabor He gathers together speedily all the Forces he could make which were very many and with them and his 900 Chariots he marches to Kishon to encounter him Deboral hearing of his approach encourages Barak to go out and fight him telling him That the Lord was gone out before him as General of his Army to fight for him and would certainly give him Victory over Sisera So Barak marched down from the hill with ten thousand men following of him They joyning battel Sisera was totally discomfited insomuch that he himself lighting out of his Chariot he was forced to run away on foot His whole Army was routed slaughtered or scattered not a man left in the Field to make resistance Those that fled fled towards Harosheth whom Barak vigorously pursued but Sisera himself fled to Hebers Tent the Kenite who though joyning with God's people in the profession and practise of the true Religion yet paying possibly to Jabin some kind of Tribute he had taken him under his Protection and the rather because he lived only as a Sojourner among the Israelites and laid no Claim to the Land and lived a Peaceable and Pastoral kind of life and so was not like to rise up in Rebellion again Jael the wife of Heber meeting Sisera desired him to turn into her Tent and bids him fear * V. 20. Timere quidem probibet nil tamen spondet nothing He accordingly does so and she gave him Water to drink and Milk and Butter to eat and covered him with a Mantle that he might repose himself being very weary He desires her to stand in her Tent door and if any came to enquire after him she should not acknowledge he was there Jael seeing he was fallen asleep by a special and extraordinary Instinct of the Spirit of God took a long Nail such as they us'd to fasten their Tents with and drove it on a sudden into his Temples and so fastned his head to the ground Barak pursuing Sisera Jael went out to meet him and told him She would shew him the man whom he sought after Barak coming into the Tent found Sisera dead and the Nail driven through his Temples So God subdued Jabin that day and his Host before the Children of Israel And the Israelites prevailed so far against him that they brought him and his people to an utter and final destruction But however the Lord made use of Barak and his Army as Instruments in obtaining this great Victory yet He himself was the Principal Agent in it partly by taking away the Courage of the Enemy and possessing them with fear and partly by fighting against the Canaanites from Heaven and sending into their very faces an impetuous storm of Hail unto which Deborah alludeth Ch. 5.20 Judg. Ch. 4. whole Chapter SECT CXXXVII AFter this Victory Deborah being a Prophetess composed as 't is thought a Triumphant Song and She and Barak and the Commanders of the Army and the Elders of the people Sang it together to the Glory of God who subdued their Foes before them They begin thus Praise ye the Lord for avenging of Israel when the people offered themselves willingly principally hereby intending Zebulun and Naphtali who first appeared and came in as Voluntiers at the sound of the Trumpet Barak having no Authority to press them to this Service But with them also some others joyn'd in the day of Battel viz. Ephraim Manasseh Issachar vers 14 15. Then in a Poetical strain she calls upon Kings
thus to defie the armies of the Living God And possibly he inquired after the reward promised only to let the standers-by perceive that he himself had some thoughts of undertaking the combate but not so much for the sake of the reward as to vindicate the honour of God and his people The people told him the King would enrich that man with great riches that should undertake it and would give him his daughter to wife and make his Fathers house free in Israel that is free from Taxes and other impositions and so innoble his family Eliab David's eldest brother perceiving by the manner of his talking with the people that he had some inclination to undertake this Giant his anger was kindled against him and very sternly he askt him for what purpose he came thither and with whom had he left sheep he was appointed to keep intimating that he was fitter to keep sheep and play on his harp than to be a Souldier and then upbraiding him with arrogance and ambition I know says he thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart for thou art come hither that thou maist see the battel and try if thou canst by some desperate action get thy self a name David meekly answers What have I done to deserve so sharp a reproof from thee Is there not sufficient cause that I should come when my Father hath sent me and being come have I not cause to be concern'd with other Israelites and to speak as I have done when I hear God thus dishonoured and his own peculiar people thus scorn'd and reproach'd by a blasphemous wretch an uncircumcised Infidel Then David finding such harsh usage from his brother turned from him to others to whom he spake after the same manner he had done before and intimated his willingness to fight with this Giant if no body else would undertake him and 't is like he spake the more freely that so what he said might come to the Kings ears Saul hearing of it sent for him to whom humbly addressing himself he said My Lord let no mans heart fail him because of this hideous monster for I my self though the weakest of many trusting in Gods power and assistance will encounter him if no body else will do it Saul said alas thou art not able to go against him for thou art but a youth and not bred in war and he a man of full age and vast stature and trained up in war from his youth David humbly replies that he had had experience of Gods extraordinary assistance vouchsafed to him for keeping his Fathers sheep there came a Lion and a Bear one at one time and the other at another and seising each of them a Lamb out of the flock he pursued after them and when the Lion turned upon him he took him by the beard or hair of his nether chap and slew him and took the prey from him and so served the Bear also and he doubted not but this blasphemous miscreant who defyed the armies of the Living God should through the Divine assistance be as easily conquered as one of them for that God says he who delivered me out of the paw of the Lion and the paw of the Bear will I trust deliver me also out of the hands of this uncircumcised Philistine Saul hearing him express so great courage and confidence in God and that grounded upon the former experience he had had of his extraordinary assistance he gave him leave to enter the lists with this Giant and wished him good success and prayed that God would be with him in it But he thought fit first to arm David well with armour taken out of his own armoury and so he put on his head an helmet of brass and armed him with a coat of mail and David girded his sword upon his armour and assayed to go with his armour on but he quickly found himself uneasie and therefore said I cannot go * V. 39. Non sum assuâ—factus talia ferre Vatab. with these having not been used to wear such arms they are a burden to me So he put them off and took his staff in his hand and his sling and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them into his shepherds bag and so went out to meet the Philistine When Saul saw him thus going forth he askt Abner whose Son he was for it seems having been distempered with frantick fits he had forgotten him though he had formerly known him and greatly loved him and Abner being General of the Army and so much absent from Court had not it seems taken any notice of him when he was there and therefore told the King he knew not Saul bad him enquire whose Son that stripling was David now armed only with his staff and sling goes out to meet the Philistine who came up towards him with his armour-bearer carrying his great shield before him V. 43. Baculis Enallage numeri est ut Gen. 21.7 when this monstrous Giant saw David come towards him who was but a youth and his countenance rather amiable than terrible not like the countenance of a Souldier he disdained him and said What am I a dog that thou comest out to me with a staff then cursing him by his gods he said let Dagon and the other gods we worship confound thee Come to me and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and beasts of the field David reply'd Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts the God of the Armies of Israel whom thou hast defyed This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand I know it by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and I will smite thee and take off thine head and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the field that all the earth may know that there is a God who is Almighty and the only true God who watcheth over Israel and all this present assembly both of Israelites and Philistines shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear but he can save without these and is not tyed to such outward means for the battel is the Lords and he governeth it and giveth victory to whom he pleaseth and I know that he will this day give you Philistines into our hands Goliath now prepared himself for the Combat and came and drew night to meet David and David accordingly hasted to meet him and putting his hand into his Bag he took thence a stone and slung it with extraordinary force and smiting the Philistine in his forehead the stone sunk into his head God so guiding and directing it and he fell upon his face to the earth then David ran to him and trampled upon him and having no sword with him he drew out the Philistines sword out of its
my self worthy to be husband to a Kings daughter So far was he from aspiring to this honour though so justly due to him But though David sufficiently approved his valour in fighting the Lords battels and contrary to Saul's expectation escaped many dangers and won much honour yet Saul perfidiously broke his promise with him and at the very time when he should have married his daughter he gave her to Adriel the Son of Barzillai the Ephraimite born at Meholah see Judg. 7.22 David bears this great indignity patiently without expressing any unbeseeming resentment of it But God to whom vengeance belongeth would not suffer the malice and wickedness of Saul exprest herein to go unpunished for all the five Sons (d) They were certainly Adriels Sons by Merab though they were brought up by Michal of which see the note on 2 Sam. 21. that Adriel had by this daughter of Saul were hanged up to satisfie the Gibeonites for the cruelties which Saul had exercised upon them as we may see 2 Sam. 21.8 17 18 19. 4ly David being thus treacherously defeated of Merab Michal Saul's youngest daughter falls in love with him This being made known to Saul he seemed to like it very well hoping by that means to bring his purpose about of destroying David So pleasing to a malicious mind is the very hope of doing mischief to a person whom he hates Saul therefore resolves to give this daughter to David to wife that she might be a snare to him and a means one way or other to run him into danger and he hoped that she being his daughter would be brought to complot and join with him in effecting his ruin but it pleased the Lord to cross his design in this also for he made Michal an instrument of preserving him from the snare which her Father had laid for him Chap. 19.11 12. But to proceed Saul carrying on this treacherous design against David in his mind he tells him that though he failed him before yet now he would make him amends he had but two daughters and one of them he resolv'd he should have and if he became his Son-in-law by marrying either of them he supposed it would be no great wrong to him though he had not the elder David was not very forward to believe Saul in this proposal nor greedy to embrace this motion having been before deceived by him Saul perceiving this set his Courtiers to perswade him as of themselves that the King very much delighted in him and that all his servants loved and highly valued him and therefore why should he not readily accept of this honour that was offered him to be the Kings Son-in-law David answers them Seemeth it to you a light and small thing to be Son-in-law to a King and do you think me worthy of it who am a poor man and not able to give a Dowry (e) In those days and long before it was the custom to give Dowâ—ies to their wives and not as now to receive portions See Gen. 34.12 Exod. 22.16 Deut. 22.29 and the Dowry was at the womans disposing and if her husband died before her served for her maintenance and education of her children if no other portion were left them fit for the Kings daughter and possibly upon that account I was slighted before when I should have had his other daughter The Courtiers relate to Saul what David had said Saul bids them go to him again and tell him that he desired not any Dowry for his daughter but only an hundred foreskins of the Philistines to take thereby some revenge on them they being his and his peoples enemies This was that which Saul hypocritically pretended whereas his great design was to make David fall in the attempt or else to provoke the surviving Philistines to revenge themselves on him if he did effect it And observable it is that he requires their foreskins not their heads the more to enrage them against David for he knew that the circumcising and cutting off the foreskins of the slain Philistines would be looked upon by their surviving brethren as a matter of the greatest scorn and disgrace that could be put upon them However David hearing on what terms he might be the Kings Son-in-law namely if he brought him so many foreskins of the Philistines within such a time and finding the time was not yet expired he accepts the terms and accordingly went out with his men and slew of the Philistines two hundred and brought their foreskins and gave them in full tale to the King and having thus perform'd double to what was required of him and within the time limited Saul had no colour or pretense to deny him his daughter and therefore forthwith gave him Michal to wife However Saul seeing and finding by continual experience that God prospered David in all his ways and blessed him in all his concernments he was the more afraid of him apprehending that he was the man whom God would set up in his stead and upon that account he became his implacable enemy The Princes of the Philistines besides former provocations being now extreamly enraged at the slaughter David had lately made among them when he kill'd two hun-hundred of them and especially at the dishonour he had put upon their Nation by cutting off their foreskins and bringing them to Saul they with their forces invade the land of Israel and David though a new married man and so by the Law Deut. 24.5 exempted from going to war this year yet it seems readily went out and behaved himself more prudently and valiantly in this expedition than any of Saul's Commanders so that his name became very precious and renowned among the Israelites from v. 20 to the end 5ly Saul now seeing that none of his secret designs against David took effect but that he prospered in all his undertakings and so gained more and more reputation among his Courtiers and all the people he now openly gives command to Jonathan and to his servants to kill him Jonathan who truly loved and much delighted in David gives him notice of his Fathers bloody purpose towards him and advises him to look to himself that night following and to hide himself in some Cave or secret place of the field where Saul was wont to walk and take the air and thither he himself would accompany him and would speak to him in his behalf and what he saw to be his temper and inclination towards him he would discover to him Jonathan accordingly waited upon his Father into the field and there spake good of David to him and though he knew he was sometimes troubled with frantick fits and might in a rage do him a mischief for it yet he resolves to hazard that rather than desert his friend in a righteous cause 'T is true whilst David was esteem'd a favourite with Saul all his Courtiers carried it fair towards him Ch. 18.5 and faun'd upon him but now when Saul had openly discovered his ill will to