Particular, their fingular Piety did not go unrewarded.

Neither was that of Amphinomus and Anapius, two young Sicilians, a Jot inferior thereto, or lefs worthy of Admiration. Thefe excellent and extraordinary Youths, when, on a Time, there happened a violent and dreadful Eruption of Mount Etna, which vomited out Flames to fuch a frightful Degree, that all the Country round were ftruck with Terror, every one betaking himself to Flight, and carrying with him whatever was most precious: These extraordinary Youths, we fay, whilft every one befides was thus employed, reflecting that they had an aged Father and Mother, who, being very infirm, were incapable of faving themfeives, mutually cried ou, Where fhall we find more valuable Treafure than thofe to whom we owe our Lives? And having thus faid, regardless of every Thing elfe, the one taking up the old Man, and the other the Woman, carried them fate off on their Shoulders, through the Fire.

Nor did this their uncommon Virtue go unrewarded, fince Hiftory affures us, that leaven in confideration thereof, wrought a Miracle; the devouring Flames ceafing their Ravage at fo affecting a Sight; and whilft nothing but Marks of Defolation appeared all around, the Way through which the two Brothers paffed, was embellished with fresh Verdure and Greennefs: In effet, to perpetuate the Memory of fo remarkable an Event, thofe Grounds were called by Pofterity, the Field of the Pious What is very obfervable in this Story, is that the Piety of these young Men was inftantly re compenced in the very Act; whilft each of them is loaded with their venerable Burthen, the Fire re fpects their Footsteps, and dares not approach them fo that the Prefervation of their Parents, whom' they had fo highly reverenced, proves at the fame

Time, the Prefervation of their Subftance and Patrimony.

Worthy also of being regarded is the Story of three Brothers, Son to a deceased Monarch, who, upon his Demife, fell at Variance about the Succeffion to the Crown; and not being able to come to any Accommodation amongst themfelves, agreed to refer their Pretenfions to a neighbouring King, and to ftand to his Determination. Accordingly, the

Arbiter having heard each of them urge their re fpective Claims, and finding it no eafy Matter fo to decide the Affair as to fatisfy them all, ordered the dead Body of their Father to be brought, and bid each of them fhoot an Arrow therear, declaring that he who fhould tranfpierce his Heart, or come nearest thereto, fhould be appointed his Succeffor.

Hereupon the Elder shot firft, and fent his Shaft through the Throat of the deceafed Monarch; the fecond then taking Aim thereat, fixed his Arrow in the Breaft of his Father, but miffed the Heart; and it was now the Turn of the Third to try his Skill; but the hopeful young Prince, detefting a D.ed fo unnatural, and fo highly difrefpectul to the Remains of the Author of his Being, cried out aloud, I would much rather yield the whole to my Brothers, and refign all Pretenfions to the Throne, than treat the dead Body of my Father with fuch Indignity. Immediately upon this Declaration, the Umpire pronounced him alone worthy of the Kingdom, as having given a fignal Proof how much he excelled the other Com petitors in Virtue, by the Regard he had fhewn to the Remains of his deceased Parent, even when a Crown was at State. Thus did the Piety of this young Prince meet with an immediate Reward, whilit the unnatural Behaviour of his two Brothers was worthily punished in their Difappointment.

Numerous

Numerous other Inflances might be produced, of the happy Effects attendant on Obedience to this Commandment, but let thefe fuffice for the present; we shall now proceed likewife to give fome Examples of the fatal Confequences of a contrary Prac tice. And here, as the Rechabites demanded the Preference for their fingular Obfervance of their Father, fo we think Abfalom juftly demands the like for his notorious Difobedience, and that on many Accounts. Other Children may indeed dif regard their Parents, and we have but too many Examples thereof every Day; but then thefe Parents may have held a ftrict Hand over them, and treated them with Rigour.

This, however, was not the Cafe with Abfalom, his Father never used him feverely; on the contrary, he doated on him, and if he was guilty of any Fault, it was, that he was indulgent to Excefs; having even forgiven him the premeditated Murder of his Brother Ammon, and rettored him again to Favour.

Again, Abfalom's Offence was not only a Difregard of his Father, and that fuch a Father, which in itself would have been highly criminal, and was a Breach of the Fifth Commandment; but his Guilt proceeded much further, he fought to difpoffefs him of all, nay, he fought his Life alfo ; fo that he was at once a Tranfgreffor of the Fifth, the Sixth, the Eighth, and the Tenth Commandment: And as if this was not enough, by going in unto his Father's Concubines he committed Inceft, and fo became likewife a Tranfgreffor of the Seventh.

To enhance and aggravate his Guilt yet more, he was not only disobedient and unnatural to a Parent, and a fond Parent, but to his King and Sove. reign, and that a moft excellent and merciful Sovereign, fo that he added Rebellion alfo to all his other

Crimes;

Crimes; as if the reft had not been a Load fufficient to everwhelm him with Mifery, unless he had joined the latter, which is in itself a Complication of all others, and has this peculiar Aggravation, that it cannot be carried on by any one, without involving Thousands in the fame Guilt with one's felf, fo that it may properly be faid to be truly diabolical; it being the particular Characteristic of the Devil to draw others into Sin.

Such and fo heinous was the Offence of that unhappy young Man; we need not therefore wonder, that the Divine Vengeance foon overtook him, and that in such a remarkable Manner, as to make him a memorable Example to all such notorious Offenders, not to fancy they fhall escape with Impunity. In order to fet this in a right Light, it will be neceffary to confider, that, loaded as Abfalom was with Guilt, yet it was only against GOD, and against the King his Father he had offended; neither had any one else the Power, we mean a lawful Power, to bring him to Juftice.

Now the latter of these was so far from being defirous to punish him for his grievous Crimes, that though he was in open Rebellion against him, and had fought his Life, he gave a particular Charge to the Officers of his Army to be careful of him, and to fpare him, left he should fall in the Day of Battle; and this was publickly known throughout the Army. Heaven indeed might juftly chaftife him; but as Heaven feldom goes out of the Way of its ordinary Providence, for that Purpofe, it might reasonably have been fuppofed, he would efcape in this World; he did not however, the Almighty not thinking fit to fuffer fo enormous an Offender to live.

The Mule, therefore, whereon he rode for his Safety, and the Hair of his Head, on the Beauty whereof

whereof he valued himself, are made the Inftruments to betray him into the Hand of his Enemy, the one carrying him under the thick Boughs of a large Oak, wherein the other intangled itself fo ftrongly, that he was taken off the Saddle, and left hanging between Heaven and Earth. Even in this Condition, he might ftill have efcaped, the People paying fo great a Regard to the King's Command, that when one found him thus, he would not lay Hands on him, but only acquainted Joab therewith; that he might confult how it was proper to difpofe of him, and to fecure him.

Joab however was angry with him for his illtimed Mercy, as he thought it, and accordingly reproved him for not killing him, telling him in that Cafe he would have rewarded him with ten Shekels of Silver and a Girdle. The Man answers, he would not have done fo for a Thousand, becaufe of the King's Order; wherefore Joab finding him not a proper Inftrument for his Purpose, tells him, I may not tarry thus with thee; and arming himfe:f with three Darts, he goes directly where Absalom hung, and piercing him through therewith, buried him in a Pit,

The Reafon of Joab's proceeding in this Manner, contrary to the King's exprefs Command, is no where affigned in Scripture, and can therefore only be gueffed at; for which Reafon all we fhall ob. ferve thereupon, is, that, befides his feeming in this Cafe, to have been an Inftrument of the Divine Vengeance, he acted therein according to the Prin ciples of the foundest Policy, and ferved David most faithfully even against his Will. He rightly judg ed Abfalom too dangerous a Perfon to be fuffered to live, and fufficiently knew the King's Love for him, to be affured he would not confent to his Death; he therefore dispatched him directly, that it might no longer be in the Power of a too indulgent Father to