his own life? Let Mr. Bayle believe this, if he can; for my part, I cannot.

I CANNOT help quoting, upon this occafion, an expreffion, which fell from a gentleman of my acquaintance, a little too much heated in difpute with a frivolous conceited antagonist; Man, tho' born to mifery, was never forced upon a more vexatious task, than to reason against ribaldry.

NEED I add, after all this, that, when princes, or other persons, put off their robes of ftate, did it ever enter into the idea of fuch an unrobing,that they stript themselves starknaked? And therefore, tho' we had not been. told, that David put on a robe of byssus on this occafion, and girded it with a linen ephod, 1 Chron. xv. 27. and tho' we had no reason to believe, that he added any other part of the priestly dress, we should rationally have concluded, that, upon stripping off his regal robe, his under-garments continued the fame, as before; nor fhould we have haftily believ'd, that any man in his fenfes would, at his time of life, (turned of forty years) and in that cool feafon, which fucceeds autumn, ftrip himself stark-naked. If no re

gard

gard to decency, yet, furely, a common care of health, would forbid this.

BUT, after all, the stripping off of his regal robes might fufficiently juftify Michal's expreffion of his uncovering himself; as hath been shewn in the first part of this history.

UPON the whole, the candid reader is intirely referred to his own judgment, whether he will from henceforth confider Mr. Bayle, in this account of David, under the character of an honeft and judicious writer of an biftorical and critical dictionary, or a negligent and inattentive examiner of truth, and shameless vender of ribaldry.

GIVE me leave to add, that the rude revilings of Michal, and railleries of Mr. Bayle, will be a monition to thinking men, how they haftily admit either the dictates of proud wrath, or dull drollery, for real truths.

CHAP.

CHA P. XII.

A Digreffion, containing a fhort Inquiry, in what Part of the City of DAVID the Ark was depofited.

W

HEN David had depofited the ark

of the covenant of the Lord in its place, the facred hiftorian relates, that he left there before it Afaph and his brethren (to minifter before the ark continually, as every day's work required); and Obed-edom, with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom alfo the fon of Feduthun, and Hofab, to be porters. And from hence, I think we may date the establishment of the publick liturgy of the Jews.

IT may be thought a matter of more curiofity than use, to inquire, in what part of the city of Sion, David depofited the ark of the covenant; but I hope it will not long be fo deemed; at least not by every reader.

THE city of Sion is in a peculiar manner intitled the city of God; and I humbly apprehend it to be fo intitled, not only because God

GOD chose that city, in preference to all others, to place his name there; but because he kept his refidence there, in a very peculiar and distinguished manner; in his tabernacle, as in his palace: which I apprehend to have been placed in a court, in the centre of David's palace, on the summit of Sion.

FIRST, Because when David erected a new tabernacle to GOD at Sion, the original tabernacle of Mofes was erected on the high place at Gibeon; whither he fent Zadok the priest and his brethren to attend it, ( 1 Chron. xvi. 39). And I apprehend it was erected upon diftinguished eminences, from the beginning; which gave rife to the custom of facrificing upon the high places. This was document enough to David, not to give his tabernacle a less eminent fituation at Sion.

SECONDLY, Because the example of GOD at Sinai would naturally lead David into this way of thinking: and it is certain, that when God defcended in a cloud from heaven, upon mount Sinai, in the presence of all his people, he defcended and rested upon the fummit of the mount. (Exod. xix. 20.)

AND that David was in this way of thinking, is evident enough from the lxviiith Pfalm:

Pfalm: where fpeaking of the ark, and tabernacle, the prefence-chamber of GOD, he fays, And the Lord is among them (Ifrael) as in the holy place at Sinai; that is, GOD on the top of the mount, and the people at fet bounds round about (Exod. xix. 12.) The only difference was, that here be afcended on high, (Pfalm. xlviii. 18.) and there, he defcended from on high.

THIRDLY, Because when GoD commanded the people to bring their several offerings towards forming, and furnishing the tabernacle, he adds, (Exod. xxv. 8.) And they shall make me a fanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them* And again, (Exod. xxix. 45.) I will fanctify the tabernacle, &c. and I will dwell in the midst of the fons of Ifrael; that is, in the midst of the tribes denominated from those fons; Reuben, Simeon, &c.

FOURTHLY, Because (as the best comment upon this text) in all the marches and encampments of the fons of Ifrael, the court

of

*Which is thus very faultily rendered in the English tranflation. And let them make me a fanctuary, that I may dwell amongst them.

This alfo is faultily tranflated, among the children of Ifrael.

A