The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 330

the wicked." " Am non hero neglected, indeed, the right means; viz. in time to be.ve resisted his affections and not to have given way unto them; to have given himself to abstinonoe and some honest exercises whioh might havll occupied his mind; then by some lawful matrimonial love to have overoome his unlawful lust ; and to have prayed unto God for grace" (Willet). III. DELIBERATE DISSIMULATION, displayed in crafty devices, adopted in accordance with evil suggestion, in order to selfish indulgence. He who suffers a sinful desire to reign within him is peculiarly susceptible to temptation, and readily yields .to it; sometimes pursues a oourse of guile, aud takes advantage of affection, kindness, n.nd unsuspecting confidence. "The seducer is brother to the murderer." Blinded and infatuat.ed, he resorts to the most subtle e.nd contemptible expedients, And, alas I he too often succeeds. IV. WILFUL PERSISTENCY in wickedness, notwithstanding th<1 strongest inducements to the contrary (vers. 12, 13). "It is enough to suppose that the king had a dispens- ing power, which we.s conceived to cover even extreme cases." When persuasive ere.ft is employed in vain to entice into sin, and the slave of passion meets with another merciful check by tb1J opposition of virtue and piety (" in Israel"), he is driYen on to more brutal, though less diabolical methods of accomplishing his base designs. The dishonour done to the highest claims (of God, religion, his people), the disgrace incurred, the misery inflicted, should be sufficient to deter.from" foolish and hurtful lusts;" but with him they are of no avail. "The unjust knoweth no shame" (Zeph. iii.. 5; lsa.. :uvi. 10). Then one evil p&SSion is replaced by another, "Sweet love, I see, changing his property,, Turns to the sourest and most deadly hate." (Sha.kespee.re.) • "Ilc hated her, bnt did not hat.e his cwn sin. Thus he showed that the love ho had professed to her was not love, but lust; that it was not of God, but of the evii orie" (Wordsworth). "It is characteristic of human nature to hate whom you have injured" (Tacitus). "Such are the baits and allurements of sin, which have a pleasant taste a.t the first, but in the end bite like a serpent; therefore one saith that pleasures must be considered, not as they come, but e.s they go " (Willet). "He feedeth on ashes," etc. (Isa. xliv. 20). The victim of evil desire becomes an object of bitter aversion, is pitilessly thrust away, maliciously defamed, e.nd thus more grievously wronged: the true picture of mnny a desolated life ! "What men dignify with the name of love is co=only a base sensual inclination, entire selfishness, which triumphs over the, conscience and the fear of God, and without pity consigns its object to irreparable disgrace and misery for the sake of & momentary gratification I How different from that love which the Law of God commands I yea, how contrary to it!'' (Scott). V. DELUSIVE SECURITY, arising from the persuasion that secret iniquity may escape retribution. 'l'he transgressor thinks, perhaps, that it cannot be proved, 110 one will venture to call him to account for it, and that it is not worse than other crimes that go UDpunished. Whatever fears (ver. 21) or suspicions he may at first entertain, are laid asleep by the lapse of time (ver. 23). He is not led to repentance by the long- suffering of Hee.van, and he heeds not its wrath. But "judgment lingereth not," etc. (2 Pet. ii. 3). VL SUDDEN DESTRUCTION, inflicted by an unexpected hand (vers. 20, 28, 32). Where public law fails to do justice, private hostility finda means to take vengeance. One sin produces another, and is punished by it; ere.ft by craft, violence by violence, hatred by hatred. " The way of trangressors is hard" (Prov. xiii. lo; vi. 15 ; :nix. 1).-D. Ver. 3.-(JEBUSALEM.) ~ false friend. "And Jonadab was a very subtil man." Every virtue has its counterfeit. As there is a friendship which is true and beneficial, so there is what appears to be such but is false and injurious. Of the former we have an instance in David and Jonathan (1 Sam. xviii. 1-4), of the latter in Amnon and Jona.dab (his cousin, a son of Shammah, .1 Sam. xvi. 9; eh. xxi. 21), 1' one of those characters who in great houses pride themselves on being acquainted and on dealing with all the secrets of the fa.tnily n- (StMlley). In Jone.dab, t.he daily companion of OH, XIII, 1-39.] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 335