him from the stem grip of the ruthless writer he.s ever rea.ched so high e. level ol Joe.b. The moral lessons of this snd story e.re spirituality e.s David, though we may thank- beyond numbi,r, We see the se.int changed fully acknowledge that many of our best into a sinner. No privileges ee.ve him hymns do not fall far short of it. from hateful crime; no repentance from It is easy, then, to see that these two dro.ining the last dregs of the bitter cup of histories a.re not only of primary importance, retribution. But never was the power of but that no narrative after the time of the repentance in cleansing the heart e.nd Exodus equals them iu ve.lue. They form giving pence to the conscience more clearly the very kernel of the Book of the Earlier shown ; and the psalms written by De.vid Prophets, giving us, in the first, the true as o penitent, and during hie flight from meaning and spiritual import of the settle- .AhsLLlom, ore the most spiritual and choice ment of Israel in Pa.lestiue; e.nd setting and edifying of the whole Psalter. Without before us, in the second, the nature of re- them the depths of self-a.ba.eement would pentance, and so preparing the we.v for the have been left without inspired expression. revelation of the gospel of pardon e.nrl peace. The sinner in h1a greatest need, when crushed They are followed hy an appendix con- with the conviction of sin, when earnestly taining several narratives recorded appa- longing for forgiveness, when thirsting for rently for their intrinsic value. Commen- the restored presence of God within his soul, tators have endeavoured to trace a connection and when feeling that, vile a.s he was, yet between them, but their arguments are far- that he was not shut out from mercy, bnt fetched, and their conclusions unsatisfactory. that access to God's presence was still per- It is better to regard them a.s separate and mitted him ;-a.t all such times he would complete, ea.eh one in itself. They a.re six have gone to his Bible, a.ud it would have in number: (1) the visitation of famine been silent. These pea.Ima are still the because of Saul's cruelty to the Gibeonites; sinner's comfort, and give him the words (2) some incidents in the war with the which best express what is present in his Philistines, illustrating the heroic character heart. Without them the Jewish Church of David's worthies; (3) David's psalm or would never have reached that fervid purity deliverance; (4) David's last words; (5) of spiritual feeling which so animated the a list of the Gibborim, with special records prophets ; and even the Christion Church of acts of bra.very and devotion ; (6) the would possibly have stopped short of that visitation of pestilence because of David's full doctrine of repentnnce which she now numbering the people. The third and fourth. holds. It is, indeed, the Christian's privi- sections especially a.re of the highest in- lege to unite the doctrine of repentance terest; while the second makes it plain with the thought of a.11 that Christ ha.a done that David's bravery in encountering the and suffered for us, and so to understand giant of Gath lit up a.n equally bright tiame why repentance a.va.ils to cleanse the heart; of pe.tdotic heroism in the armies of Israel. but even with this knowledge no Christia.n
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1~13.-The facts are: 1 . .Among the men who discuss the question of priority with Judah is a worthless man named Sheba, and he raises the cry of revolt against David, and the men of Israel follow him, while those of Judah cleave to the king. 2. David enters his house a.nd makes arra.ngement for the sustenance of his concubines, who henceforth live in virtual widowhood. 3. David, observing that Amasa was tardy in executing his orders to gather the men of Judah, directs Abishai to go out with Joab'~ men in pursuit of Sheba.. 4. While they are obeying the king's orders, .Amasa joins them at Gibeon; whereupon Joab, under pretext of saluting .A.masa and inquiring concerning his health, smites him, while off his guard, unto death. 5. While the pursuit after Sheba continues, one of Joab's partisans calls upon the people to show their preFerence for' Joab and David by following after Joa.b, which they do when the bleeding corpse is no longer on the road to arrest their progress.
Man's revolt against Christ. The hot controversy between the men of Israel and Judah issued in more than words. The discussion took its rise in a. pretended interest in the restoration of David to the throne, but, becoming mixed up with personal matters it first developed an alienation of one pa.rt of the nation from another; and then the more humiliated section turned their alienation from their brethren into the . more dangerous form of revolt against the authority of the king whom those brethren claimed as specially theirs (eh, xix. 42, 43), Tb.ere is &iways in huuian society sorn11 J:J, IIA14UIH1t ~ It ms THE SECOND BOOK -OF SAMUEL, [err. xx. 1-26,