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rewards to those who should smite the blind and lame. If they were guilty of presumptuous sin, the punishment David inflicted was the just reward of their presumption. We cannot suppose that David would inhumanly hate people on account of natural infirmities.

It is conjectured, that after this important victory, David composed the following psalm*.

Not unto us, O LORD not unto o us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their GOD?

But our Gop is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he pleased.

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not.

They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not.

They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them, are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

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O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: He is their help and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their seield.

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Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD, He is their help and their shield.

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The LORD hath been mindful of us. He will bless us, He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron.

... He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and

great.

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Psi xv. Belahy's Life of King Davido

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The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

You are blessed of the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

The heaven, even the heavens are the LORD's: but the earth hath He given to the children of men.

The dead praise not the LORD: neither any that go down into silence.

But we will bless the LORD, from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.

By this psalm we may see the sense which David entertained of God's mercies; and that he imputed his success to the power of the ALMIGHTY.

When David had possessed himself of the strong fortress of Sion, he fixed his residence there, and made it his capital, after he had improved and enlarged it as far as the present state of affairs required: his next care was to adorn it, in which the friendship of HIRAM, KING OF TYRE, was very serviceable.

This prince appears to have been of a magnificent and generous temper, and a believer in the true GOD, notwithstanding history informs us that he built temples in honour of those idols which the Phoenicians worshipped; perhaps he was converted by Davidt. Tyre was a city in Phoenicia, lately raised to great wealth, and become a royal city. It abounded with cedar trees, and with men of experience in the arts of building, which the Israelites were at that time unskilled in, as they were used to little besides war and agriculture.

According to ancient authors, Jerusalem was, in the time of David, a very magnificent city; in ‡ the centre of it, on the submit of mount Sion, was David's palace, when the building of this was completed, and he was * See Universal History. +1 Kings v. 7. † Chandler's Life of David.

going to dwell in it, he is supposed to have penned the following Psalm*.

I will extol thee, O LORD, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

O LORD my GOD, I cried unto Thee, and thou hast healed me.

O LORD Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

For His anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life. weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

LORD, by Thy favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled. I cried unto thee, O LORD: and unto the LORD I made supplication.

What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? shall the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth? Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be Thou my helper.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness:

To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent: O LORD my GOD, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.

The following Psalm is expressive of David's resolution to observe the utmost integrity in the administration of justicet.

I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

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*Psalm xxx.

+ Psalm ci.

I will

house

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way ; O when wilt thou come unto me: I will walk within my with a perfect heart.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside, it shall not cleave to me.

A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off him that hath a high look, and a proud heart, will not I suffer.

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect

way, he shall serve me.

He that worketh deceit, shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies, shall not tárry in my sight.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land: that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

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2 Sam. Chap. v. 1 Chron. Chap. xii.

BUT when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

And

And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.

And there they left their images, and David and his men burnt them.

Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines garrison was then at Beth-lehem.

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And David longed, and said, Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem that is at the gate; and three of his captains brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,

And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it.

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ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Whilst the Israelites were divided amongst themselves, they were disregarded by the neighbouring nations but when David was seated on the throne of Israel, and had built and fortified the royal city, after destroying the Jebusites, it is reasonable to suppose, 'that they all took the alarm, and confederated together with the Phili tines, in order to crush his growing power: so that David might well say, all nations compassed him about.

The

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