vibrated upon his lips, his poignard entered the heart of Amasa, who fell dead at his feet.

What event of painful interest next occurred in the reign of David?

A. C, 1021.

The most painful interest attaches to the next recorded transaction in the reign of David. For three years a famine had wasted the resources and oppressed the population of the country; and it was ascertained by a divine communication, that it was inflicted for the unpunished guilt of Saul and his bloody house, contracted by the slaughter of the Gibeonites. For Saul, under the influence of some wicked motive, had barbarously destroyed a great number of this unhappy people, who from the time of their subjugation by Joshua, had been retained in bondage. Seven of the sons of Saul were given up to the Gibeonites, and they suffered the penalty of an ignominious death. The maternal affection of Rizpah, the mother of two of these unhappy wretches, who took her mournful station on a neighbouring rock to prevent the birds from tearing the bodies by day and the ravenous beasts at night, excited the compassion of David; the bones of the slain, together with those of Saul and Jonathan which until now had reposed at Jabesh-Gilead, were collected, and were placed in the sepulchre of Kish, the ancestor of this devoted and miserable family.

What nation attempted to throw off the authority of David?

The ever-restless Philistines, who seem to have struggled for their national independence with the most undaunted and obstinate valour, made another effort to emancipate themselves from the thraldom of subjugation. In their army were four gigantic warriors, who were considered the champions of their country. One of them had almost succeeded in killing David, whose intrepid valour had led him into the midst of the fight. Abishai, the brother of Joab, saved the life of his sovereign, and the contest terminated in the complete humiliation of the Philistines.

SECTION VI.

CONCLUSION OF THE REIGN OF DAVID.

WHAT instance of presumption did David give in the close of his reign

THE warlike achievements of the king of Israel had now been brought to a close; the tribes and the nations which surrounded his frontier, were either associated with him in alliance, or subjugated by his power; and he enjoyed the blessing of uninterrupted tranquillity and peace. The best of men are unable upon all occasions to resist the temptations of prosperity. Proud of the vast resources and immense population of his empire, he determined, in an A. C. 1017. evil hour, to ascertain the number of the people who submitted to his authority in peace, or could be called to his standard in war. This resolution was not only sinful because it proceeded from unhallowed principles, but it was impolitic because by exhibiting the relative superiority of the tribe of Judah, it directly tended to produce the same disastrous jealousies which had already caused the dangerous sedition of Sheba. In vain Joab, whose abilities seem to have been equally eminent in the cabinet and the field, and the experienced officers who had so often proved their allegiance and loyalty, dissuaded him from the adoption of the imprudent measure. census was made; eight hundred thousand men of military age were found in Israel, and five hundred thousand in Judah. David had no sooner accomplished his object, than he became conscious of his sin, and bitterly repented before the throne of God. The prophet Gad, who afterwards became the biographer of his sovereign, was sent to propose three punitive evils for his selection, famine for seven years, flight before his enemies for three months, or a pestilence which was to rage for three days. "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man," was the mournful re

The

ply of the humbled monarch. The pestilence commenced, and seventy thousand individuals soon descended to the grave. But the pathetic prayer of David, "Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house," this prayer was heard. At the thrashing floor of Araunah, a Jebusite, the plague was stayed, the ground was purchased by David for sacred purposes, there an altar was built, and on its site on mount Moriah, already memorable for the sacrifice of Isaac, the splendid temple of Solomon was afterwards reared.

Did David terminate his reign in peace?

A. C. 1017.

The close of the reign of David was disturbed by machinations and intrigues relative to the succession to the crown. Adonijah his fourth son, impelled by an inordinate ambition, and having attached to his party the celebrated Joab and Abiathar the priest, attempted to take advantage of the age and infirmities of his father, and to obtain possession of the kingdom. When he conceived that his designs were ripe for execution, he collected his adherents at a great entertainment, to which he invited all the king's sons except Solomon, and from which also Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the illustrious warrior, were excluded. The intelligence was soon communicated to the king by Bathsheba; he commanded Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah, to take Solomon, surrounded by the royal guards, and to proclaim him sovereign of the Israelites. The sound of the trumpets, and the acclamations of the people, soon convinced Adonijah and his friends of the disappointment of their schemes and the danger of their persons; they immediately dispersed; Adonijah took sanctuary at the horns of the altar, but soon afterwards received a full pardon from Solomon.

What object particularly excited the solicitude of David before his death?

When David perceived that his dissolution was at hand, he diligently devoted the remainder of his strength and of his time, to arrange the affairs of his

kingdom. His great object was to furnish every possible facility for the erection of the temple. For this purpose, he gave to Solomon the plan of the sacred edifice and the arrangements of its services; he presented him with the incalculable treasures which he had amassed during a long career of victory and conquest; and he stimulated the fathers and princes of the people to contribute to the utmost extent of their generosity and ability, to this great work. He gave to Solomon his dying advice; he recommendA. C. 1014. ed him to keep a watchful eye upon the restless and ferocious Joab, and upon Shimei who had cursed him at the rebellion of Absalom; and he earnestly exhorted him to a steadfast adherence to the service of God and the institutions of the law, as the basis of the regal establishment, and the security of the prosperity and glory of the kingdom.

What was the character of David?

A more illustrious personage than David, has never appeared on the theatre of the globe. He was possessed of qualities which invest his character with surpassing loveliness. Whether he be contemplated as a shepherd, a warrior, a prince, a sovereign, a conqueror, or a saint, the mind must bear testimony to his unrivalled excellency. His modesty, his patience, his forbearance, his humility, his patriotism in the time of his persecution, the tenderness and amiableness of his disposition, his disinterestedness, his clemency, his justice, his sagacity, his promptitude, his prudence, his diligence, his perseverance, when he ascended the throne; his undaunted valour and consummate skill as a military commander; his regard for the institutions of man, and for the commandments of God; his exalted devotion, which he embodied in those poetic compositions, which are infinitely superior to any that have excited the admiration of mankind, either in ancient or in modern times —compositions, which in language sometimes pathetic, sometimes vehement, sometimes tender, sometimes sublime, he has expressed the most profound repentance, the most holy aspirations, the most fervent prayers, all the animation of celestial hope, all the fervour of divine love, all the joy of communion with

God, and all the rapture inspired by the anticipation of the heavenly world-compositions, which ever since his day have expressed the feelings and conducted the devotional services of the best, of the wisest, and of the holiest of men-compositions, whose utility will never be fully known until the awful disclosures of the great last day are made before the whole intelligent universe-all these dispositions, and qualities, and graces, combine to give unrivalled interest to the character of David, and to demonstrate the applicable propriety of the description, "He was the man after God's own heart." "He was chosen out of the people of Israel. He played with lions as with kids, and with bears as with lambs. He slew a giant when he was young; and took away reproach from the people; for he called upon the Most High Lord, and he gave strength to his right-hand to slay this mighty warrior, and to set up the horn of his people. So the people honoured him with ten thousands, and praised him in blessings of the Lord, for he destroyed the enemies on every side, and brought to nought the Philistines his adversaries. In all his works he praised the Holy One Most High, and blessed the Lord with words of glory. He set singers also before the altar, that by their voices they might make sweet melody, and daily sing praises in their songs. He beautified their feasts and set their solemn times in order.-The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his horn for ever, he gave him a covenant of kings and a crown of glory in Israel."

What were the deficiencies of David's character ?

His crime in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba, was dark, dreadful, and inexcusable; he did not always exemplify the feelings of humanity to the nations he subdued by the prowess of his arms; and when he numbered the people, he seems, either to have aspired after the fame of a universal conqueror, or at any rate to have cherished an irrational and wicked pride in the vastness of his own resources, to the forgetfulness of his heavenly benefactor, and to the prejudice of the prerogatives of God. Yet with all the deficiencies of his character, he was one of the most valiant of soldiers, one of the wisest of mon