XVI.

LET. pened was the fourth year fince a famine had commenced on another occafion, mentioned 2 Sam. XXI. I. This circumftance confidered, the question, as it is worded in one place,-" Shall Seven years of famine come unto "thee in thy land?"—is tantamount to faying, "Wilt thou chufe three ad"ditional years of famine," &c. Which removes the apparent contradiction.

It may be urged, that "the pro"phet delivered the meffage no more "than once, and therefore must have "faid either feven, or three: he could "not have faid both."

True; but the facred, like other historians, often relate the fame converfation in different terms; that is, they give the fenfe and fubftance of what paffed, varying the phrafeology. Inftances

Inftances frequently occur in both LET.

Teftaments.

If no other fatisfactory folution of the difficulty could be affigned, candour and common fenfe furely would fuppofe, that the word feven, in 2 Sam. xxiv, was originally three, especially as three is the word in the Greek verfion of the LXX.*

But If David only finned, why "fhould the punishment fall upon "the people?"

Such is the union between king and people, like that between the head and the body, that this happens continually in the natural order of things; and therefore, why not, judicially? What greater misfortune can befall a king, or a father, than the lofs of his fubjects, or his children?

Τρια ετη.

XVI.

LET. It is poffible, however, that fuch XVI. might not be altogether the cafe, in the present instance, though David, like a true patriot king and most affectionate father, intercedes for his people, and defires to receive in his own person and family the ftroke that was ready to defcend on them — “ I "have finned, and done wickedly: "thefe fheep, what have they done? "Let thine hand, I pray thee, be

"I

upon me, and upon my father's "house"-Notwithstanding all this, I fay, it fhould feem, that the people were by no means without fault. For the history opens thus; "The anger "of the Lord was kindled against If"rael, and "as a confequence of it "David was excited to number "Ifrael."

But

But of what nature, then, after all, LET. was this act of numbering the people, XVI. and why should it have been followed by a plague ?

I am perfuaded that we are much in the dark upon this point. If any light can be thrown upon it, that light must proceed from a paffage in the book of Exodus, Ch. xxx. 12. where God fays to Mofes, "When "thou takeft the fum of the children "of Ifrael after their number, then "fhall they give every man a ransom "for his foul unto the Lord, when "thou numbereft them, that there be

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no plague among them, when thou "numbereft them." To number the people, then, was not, as it fhould feem, merely to count them out of curiofity, or vain glory. It was a religious rite, it was a mufter, a review a vifi

. R 3

LET. a visitation, an inquifition into their XVI. conduct, into the religious and moral

ftate in which they at that time stood before their God. For upon fuch inquifition fomething came out, or appeared against them, which required an offering, by way of atonement or ranfom for their fouls-" They fhall give a ransom, that there be no plague

amongst them, when thou numbereft "them;" A very obfervable expreffion; for when David numbered them, this was the very thing that happened; there was a plague among them, in confequence of their being numbered. They might be in fuch a ftate, that God would not accept them, or their offerings. It is not improbable that they should be in such a state, if we confider what corruptions must needs creep in under Saul's wicked reign,

and