gh·i~ preeence of the Lord of all power 11nd glory. In so far as we each enter on our appointed work for Christ in the Mme spirit, we carry on the inspiration and swell the moral forces that are to win the world for God. - V. MEMORIES. David, &B we know from hia early experience and fror.a the PMlms, W&8 B man of much meditation-one who WBS well versed in the memorials of his nation and d~ply imbued v.ith the spirit of devotion. W BS it nothing to him that the ~eat_ of Melch1~ooek's rei!ffi as King of Salem W&B possibly this spot where now the impious Jebusites dwelt? Could he forget that here it WRS Abraham displayed the marvellous faith which, more than anything, won for him:the name ever to be cherished, " father of the faithful"? It was creditable to his religious instincts and to his sag&eity that one ot the first acts of his reign W&B to recover a place so sacred to the ID:emory, and to gather the aesociations of the place a.round his own seat of government. Piety, poetry, and statesmanship a.re here combined. Great and hallowed BSsociations fA:nd to b~get ~rresponding deeds; and doubtless it was with the fond hope that as king he might still further consecrate that sacred spot, that he made it the centre of hie a_dministration. History tells us how age after age memories clustered more and more nchly and often sadly, yet instructively, around that holy hill, until the name of Zion has become, pez:haps, more rich in pathetic story and suggestive splendour and bliss than any word m human language-next, of course, to tbe one" Name that iB above every name." " Glorious things of thee a.re spoken, Zion, city of our God ; Be whose Word oa.unot be broken Formed thee for his own abode."
Vere. 11-25.-The facts a.re: 1. The King of Tyre, being friendly with David, eupplies him with means of building his house on Mount Zion. 2. David regards the varied successes of his enterprises a.e confirmation of his belief that he wa.s indeed appointed by God to reign over Israel. 3. Be establishes a court on a larger scale, after Oriental style. 4. The Philistines_Jiea.ring of his &ecession to the throne, prepare for an attack upon him, whereupon he imeks guidance of God, defeats them at Baal-Perazim, and destroys their images. 5. Subsequently the Philistines come to a second attack, but on inquiring of God, David is not allowed to assail them in front. 6. Adopting the atrategy reco=ended him, David secures the overthrow of the enemy unto Gazer.
Divine favour tJOtJ,Chsafed to imperfect men. The Bible teaches that the hearts of kings and people a.re in the hands of the Lord, and that he turns them so as to advance the great purpose he is working out. 'l'he friendly attitude of so important a personage as Hiram must be regarded BS a mark of God's favour to David. To us the record makes clear that David W88 indeed called of God, and had the special help of the Almighty, and yet ver. 12 suggests that there were hours when he himself felt the need of con- fumatoiy signs. Some of the Psalms indicate the same. He is here represented as overcoming any doubts and fears arising from his own deep consciousness of moral imperfection, by considering the unmistakable blessings wherewith his efforts so far were crowned. It w88 all of the Lord. He was not in error in supposing that he wa.e in the path of duty. And yet the veiy next verses of the narrative (vers.13-16) tell us of a weakness in David's character-an inferiority to much that later on was attained to by others--so that we cannot but note this conjunction of great and manifold favours conferred on one whose standard of moral and social life was, relatively to ours, very inferior. 'l'o the right understanding of this we have to observe- !. DOMESTIC RELATIONSHIPS ARE JUTTEBB OF POSITIVE ENACTMENT. Moralists dis- tinguish rightly between obligations moral in their own nature and obligations created by precept. Obviously there is not the same kind of obligation for a man to have only one wife as there is to love God with all his heart. The one depends on considerations subsequent to the existence of more than one person; the other holds from the very I1ature of the feeling, and cannot but be the right thing. That it is wisest, best, mos~ couducive to personal moral perfection and to social welfare that men should not have pi urality of wives, is certain ; but that arises from the constitution of society and the p~rticular purposes God intends to work out by reeans of the domestic institution, and OH, V, 1-25.] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, 125