KING DAVID S EPITAPH.
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forgotten. Peter, after his foul fall, he was not so much as upbraided by Christ in particular, ' Thou hast denied me,' &c. ; only Christ comes sweetly over him with a question, ' Lovest thou me ? ' John xxi. 15. He tells him not, thou hast betrayed me thus and thus. No ; he doth not so much as upbraid him with the mention of it. So curious* is God for troubling the peace of his people, that when they have soundly repented of their sins, they shall never hear of it to their confusion, nor at all, except it be to better them, and to perfect the work of humiliation. _
Contrary to the fashion of the corrupt poisonful nature of man : if they have but one thing in all a man's Hfe to hit him in the teeth with, he shall be sure to hear of it oft enough, and pass by whatsoever is good in him. God doth not so with his children ; but though they have some breaches in their lives, he passeth by them, and takes notice of that which is_ good in them, as we see here the apostle doth, being directed by the Spirit of God.
But though God so sweetly pass by David's faults when he mentions him, and calls him a ' man after his own heart,' &c., yet there is one thing that God puts in as a scar upon David. ' He was a man after God's own heart in all things but in the matter of Uriah,' 1 Kings xv. 5 Why doth that come in Scripture ? Surely God mentions that, because that was done with more deliberation and advice ; it was done in cold blood. ^ It was not infirmity, but presumption in that. Now the more will there is in any action of sin, the more heinous the sin is, the more the guilt is increased. There was more will in that, for it was not done in heat of passion, but deliberately, therefore it was a foul act. The Spirit of God takes notice both of the good and of the evil ; as we see in the epistles, in Rev. ii., to the churches. He had found fault with them before, and indeed God dis- cerns directly when we are to blame, ' yet this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans,' &c. If there be any good, God takes notice of it. David, after he had repented of that foul sin, and was sharply cor- rected for it, as indeed he was, David was a good man for all that, ♦ he served God in his generation.'
But to give you an item by the way : however God passed by the sin in David, and accounted him after his repentance a good man, yet he must be sharply corrected for it. Let no man therefore presume upon this that God will judge him by the tenor of his life, and therefore he will commit particular enormities. Oh no ! It cost David dear; for besides his heart- smart in his own particular, God made his heart^bleed. It cost him many a salt tear, besides that it was punished in his posterity. God raised up his own bowels to take arms against him ; he made him wish a thousand times that he had not so ofiended God. It is ill trying conclusions with God. Though God afterwards pardon us, and turn all to good, yet it shall cost us dear first. Though God will bring us to heaven, yet if we will venture upon sins against conscience, and take liberty to oflend God, he will take sharp courses with us. Yet it shall not prejudice our salva- tion. You see those sins of David, after he had repented and was corrected for them, they were forgotten, and David, in regard of the course of his Ufe, ' served God.' His life was a service of God, notwithstanding some particular actions. These things may be useful to the best of us all. Therefore I observe them in general from God's manner of mentioning David here with honour, and passing by his infirmities. To come more particularly to the words.
* That is, ' careful or scrupulous,' — Ed.
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KING DAVID S EPITAPH.
' Then David, after he had served in his generation the will of God,' &c.
The words are a short epitome of the life and death of the hlessed man David. First, I will speak of his Hfc, and then of his death. In his life there are those two parts :
First, The time in which he lived ; when this service was done, ' in his generation.'
And then the manner of his carriage in that time of his generation. It was a service of God, ' he served God.'
And this service of God is set down by the object of it, ' God.' By the rule of his worship, ' the will of God.' He served God, but how ? As he had revealed his will to him, not at random. God will be served according to his own will. And then here is the act, ' he served.' So here is the proper object of worship, ' God,' in whom all our service is terminate. Whatsoever we do, it must rest in him. If we do good works to men, it must be for God's sake ; we must serve God in it. Then here is the proper rule carrying us to that object, ' his will.' And then it must be a service ; it must be done in obedience to God. ' David in his gene- ration served the .will, or counsel, of God,' as the word is [b). For his death, we shall speak of it after.