from the heart of David to form any undue oppofition to the will of God-he made ufe, not of murmurs, but fupplications. There is no impatience in intreaties. He well knew, that the divine threatenings were not fo denounced, as to be incapable of revocation. If any means under heaven can avert judgments, it is the of faith. prayer BUT neither faith, nor prayer, can preferve a feeble mortal from all temporal afflictions. Since the admiffion of fin into the world, the decree is gone forth, and "man is born to trouble." David muft drink deeply of the cup of forrow-the infant is no more! HIS anxious attendants only whisper this fad news-they had witnessed the fufferings of their lord; they now look for all the paroxyfms of frantic grief. This very fecrecy proclaims, to the vigilant ear of fufpicion, the fad truth which they trembled to utter. David perceives that that his child is dead: and now he rifes up from the earth on which he lay, and changes his apparel, and goes, firft into the house of the LORD to worship, and then into his own to eat-now he refuses not to liften to the voice of comfort. Till we know the determination of GOD, it is lawful for us to be importunate in our prayers-when the event has taken place, he demands our duteous refigna tion. "WHILE the child lived, I fafted, " and wept; for I faid, Who can tell "whether GOD will be gracious to me, " that the child may live? But now he " is dead, wherefore should I faft? can "I bring him back again? I fhall go to him, but he fhall not return to "me!" There fpake the voice of faith, and hope. David knew, that those affections which GOD hath implanted in the foul, would, like that foul, furvive the body. He knew that a day would come, come, when he fhould rejoin his child,. to be feparated from him no more. He knew that his fincere repentance entitled him to look for a reception in those heavenly manfions, to which innocence itself is tranflated. "Turn ye unto me, "from whom ye have deeply revolted"ceafe to do evil-learn to do well.. "Let the wicked forfake his way, and "the unrighteous man his thoughts,. " and let him return unto the LORD, "and He will have mercy upon him"and to our GOD, for he will abun"dantly pardon ! XXXI. THE CONSPIRACY OF ABSALOM. WHEN the fon of Jeffe, (in the calamities of his early life) wandered in the wilderness, an exile, a fugitive, his safety every hour endangered by the machinations of Saul, then peace and innocence were his companions. In the afflictions of his later days he feels the torture of a felf-reproving confcience. His future pardon is promifed, but not without his prefent fuffering. In the heinous offence of Amnon, in the fubfequent murder of the guilty prince, in the diffimulation by which that murder was effected, the unhappy father reads his own tranfgreffions. The fting of forrow, as well as of death, is fin. YET these are the beginnings of woe. Other chastisement is in store for the king. of Ifrael. He muft experience the utmoft extreme of earthly mifery-he must meet with the blackest ingratitude from the object of his fond affection. THE tears of David for the irrecoverable lofs of his firft-born now fall no longer-he comforts himself concerning Amnon, and begins to feel a degree of impatience for the return of Abfalom. The long abfence of that darling fon was more a punishment to the king than to the prince. Joab perceives the wishes of his lord, and artfully inclines him to their accomplishment. A woman of Tekoa perfonates a mourner, and, while she speaks of the lofs of one child, and the danger of another, excites in David compaffion for himself, and favour to his banished fon. A parable taught him to repent-a parable teaches him to forgive. Now |