10-38-29

2 SAMUEL iii. 34.

Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; as a as a man falleth before wicked men, fo felleft thou. And all the people wept again over him.

I

a

b

N this uncertain world we are ever liable to meet with awful changes. Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. Man's apoftate nature is born unto trouble, as the Sparks fly upward." Burning coals cannot fend forth fparks fo numerous, or fo quick and conftant in their fucceffion, as the afflictions of our mortal ftate. See, how high they rife, how wide they fpread, how their influence reaches to every ftage, every various condition, and every diftinct relation of human

life!

с

So incapable are we of looking thro' a train of future confequences, that we know not what a day may bring forth. Hence it comes to pafs, that every unexpected event hath to us the appearance of novelty. And if any event be fudden and awful, calamitous and diftreffing, in proportion to its novelty, who can avoid being

deeply impreffed? Yet in our more deliberate reflection and calmer moments, we fhall fee reafon to conclude, that there is no event altogether new. The thing that hath been, it is that which fall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the fun. Is there any thing whereof it -may be faid, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

d

The fudden and awful death we are now lamenting, tho' new to us, hath had, in former days, its too many fimilar inftances. It is very remarkable, that the firft man who died out of our world, was an inftance of this kind; even righteous Abel, whofe precious blood was fpilt by that daring murtherer his wicked brother Cain. Another inftance we have ftrongly marked out to us, in the words of the text.

It was

concerning Abner, captain of the hoft of Ifrael, that David himfelf, in a funeral oration at the grave, and as the chief mourner there, most pathetically faid; Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; as a man falleth before wicked men, fo fellest thou.

There is indeed fuch a peculiar fuitableness in the text to the prefent mournful occafion, that the thoughts of every attentive hearer will need little affiftance in confidering,

First, What there is in the text remarkably expreffive of the very afflictive scene, into which divine Providence hath now brought us: and,

d Ecclef. i. 9, 10.

Secondly,

Secondly, What ufeful leffons fuch a fcene of affliction fhould inculcate upon us.

I. In confidering what there is in the text, fo remarkably expreffive of our prefent affliction, you can fcarce avoid obferving thefe three things -the fpeech which was made at the grave of a very refpectable perfon; a death which was brought about by the most execrable villany; and that fuch a death of fuch a perfon excited a deep and univerfal concern.

1. Let us obferve, that the text contains the fpeech, which was made at the grave of a very respectable perfon.

David, fpeaking at the grave of Abner, was fenfibly ftruck at the lofs of fo great a man: fuch an able general, a perfon of fuch confummate valour and policy, nearly related to Saul, the preceding king of Ifrael, and who, but lately had the first hand in difpofing of a kingdom. This accounts for the apparent emotion, with which the king faid unto his fervants, at the clofe of his funeral, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Ifrael?e

We have lately been at the grave of a perfon, who was truly refpectable for his goodnefs, which is far better than what the world calls greatness. He was a very ufeful member of fociety, an honeft tradefman, an affectionate father, a kind mafter, and, what in his profeffion of a miller is of no inconfiderable value, even B 2

the

the poorest people in the town will teftify for hin, that he was a confiderate, generous and obliging friend and neighbour. He had been about twenty-five years, I hope I may truly fay, a worthy communicant in this church. Methinks I fee him, as he was accustomed to fit in this place of worship on Lord's-days, and all other convenient feafons; and who was there among all his fellow-worshippers, either more conftant, more ferious, or more candid in attending Gofpel-miniftrations?

2. The next thing obfervable in the text, is the manner of defcribing a death, that was brought about by the moft execrable villany.

Such was the death of Abner. He was treacherously murthered by Joab, from the odious, but too common, motives of malice and revenge, of pride and envy. Joab was determined, at any rate, to rob Abner of all his earthly power and grandeur, and particularly of his growing intereft at David's court, and in David's friendship. In order to perpetrate fuch a robbery, Joab fcrupled not to give Abner a private ftab. This was long after ftiled by David, in language admirably fit to paint to the life the most deteftable hypocrify, perfidy and cruelty: Joab's Shedding the blood of war in peace, and putting the blood of war upon his girdle, that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

f

f 1 Kings ii. 5.

While

While David was fpeaking at Abner's grave, he had this wretched murtherer full in fight; for Joab himself was at the funeral. Such a criminal ought, indeed, to have been immediately arrefted and imprifoned, in order to his suffering the death due to a murtherer. But the facred history gives us the painful conviction, that Joab was too powerful a villain for fo equitable a prince as David himself to punish according to his deferts. Every generous mind must therefore feel for David, when he was obliged to fay, I am this day weak, tho' anointed king; and these men, the fons of Zeruiah be too hard for me. The Lord fhall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness. .

It must however, have been not a little mortifying to Joab, when he heard the defcription of the manner of Abner's death, given by David in the text. It was telling Joab to his face, that instead of bravely fighting with Abner, overcoming him in a fair combat, and detaining him as a prifoner, with his hands bound, and his feet put into fetters; on the contrary, he had treated Abner with the greatest injustice and cruelty, and in every refpect fo difhonourable and treacherous, that all men would look upon him with deferved abhorrence and contempt. With what confusion of mind muft Joab hear from the lips of David, fuch language as this? "O Abner thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters, by thofe that conquered thee in the field of battle; but as the braveft, the wifeft, and the best of men may fall before wicked

2 Sam. iii. 39.