And

And Ittai, the Gittite, passed over, and all his Men, and all the little Ones, that were with him. And all the Country wept with a loud voice, and all the People passed over the King also himself passed over the Brook Kidron; and all the People passed over toward the way of the Wilderness. And lo, Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of GOD; and they set down the Ark of GOD: and Abiathar went up, until all the People had done passing out of the City. And the King said unto Zadok, Carry back the Ark of GOD into the City: if I shall find Favour in the Eyes of The LORD, He will Bring me again, and Show me both It and His Habitation. But if He thus Say, I have no Delight in thee;' Behold, here am I, let Him do to me as Seemeth Good unto Him!' The King said also unto Zadok, the Priest, 'Art not thou a Seer? return into the City in peace, and your two Sons, with you, Ahimaaz, thy Son, and Jonathan, the Son of Abiathar: see, I will tarry in the Plain of the Wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.' Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the Ark of GOD again to Jerusalem; and they tarried there. And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot; and all the People, that was with him, covered every Man his head; and they went up, weeping as they went up. One told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the Conspirators with Absalom.' And David said, 'O LORD, I pray Thee, Turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness! And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the Mount, where he worshipped GOD, behold, Hushai, the Archite, came to meet him, with his coat rent and earth upon his head: unto whom David said, 'If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me: but if thou return to the City and say unto Absalom, I will be thy Servant, O King; as I have been thy Father's Servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy Servant!' then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel! And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar, the Priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the King's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the Priests. Behold, they have there with them their two Sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's Son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's Son and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear !' So Hushai, David's Friend, came into the City; and Absalom came into Jerusalem. And when David was a little past the top of the Hill, behold, Ziba, the Servant of Mephibosheth, met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the King said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these?' And Ziba said, The asses be for the King's Household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young Men to eat; and the wine, that Such as be faint in the Wilderness may drink: And the King said, And where is thy Master's Son ?' And Ziba said unto the King, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, 'To-day shall the House of Israel restore me the Kingdom of my Father.' Then said the King to Ziba, ‘Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth!' And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, my Lord, O King."”—2 Sam. xv. and xvi. 1 to 4.

The perversion of judgment was the act of Absalom, but the blame of it was, doubtlessly, cast upon David, and as a false judgment corrupteth the heart, so the withholding a righteous one alienateth the affection; and, though the fountain of justice be pure, yet may, from the evil machinations of Others, its waters be poisoned, or the progress of their current be intercepted; so dangerous is the prin ciple of favouritism in a King; so difficult is it for the Head of the Executive Power to watch over and prevent the intrigues and machinations of its accredited Ministers David's fame had, doubtless, been established for a wise and impartial Judge among

his People, and as not less willing than able to deal out justice unto All, that sought it; hence, therefore, in a great degree had flowed back upon him, in merited return, the love and veneration of his Subjects; and it was here that the artful and insinuating Absalom knew he stood so strong in his Subjects' esteem, that nothing short of a diametrically opposite system, however superinduced, could weaken his Father's hold on his Subjects' affections, and favour the daring and parricidal attempt at the overthrow of that Father's government and the substitution of his own. He, therefore, with all the craftiness that the spirit of rebellion—the more diabolical as stabbing a Father's fame-could suggest, placed himself between the Throne of Justice and its Supplicants, and intercepted the course of the chiefest benefit, that flows from a well-regulated Government. The next expedient resorted to by Absalom in his career of lawless ambition, after traducing the character of his Superior, and preventing him doing the good he was inclined to do, was the artful endeavour, by affected fondness and feigned condescension, to win to himself the hearts of All, who were bound by solemn allegiance of paramount love to Another. So deeply-rooted in the hearts of his Subjects was their love of David, that it took the long period of forty years (if such were the true history, though four years seems countenanced by some Commentators) to mature the hell-bred plot of Absalom, and to ripen his hope of a full harvest of success in his execrable enterprise; in all which time he seems to have veiled his fell purpose in the deepest hypocrisy, and to have led his Father to suppose him a Man of equal piety towards GOD, as of fidelity and devotion to his King: thus specious is oftentimes religious hypocrisy. Absalom lulled David into a fatal unsuspectiveness of his unfilial intention, by glossing over his design with pious professions; thus, in the very commission of his evil purpose, proving a striking Authority for the well-merited reputation of David as a Lover and Promoter of piety in Others, as well as a Practiser of it himself; and the benediction with which he let his Son depart, was an evidence of that disposition and of the charity that flows from it," Go in peace!" The time for the disclosure, as Prophetically Foretold, of Absalom's dark and unnatural.design having arrived, it is no longer made matter of concealment, but in the confidence of the maturity of his purpose and the certainty of its success, he throws off the veil and rears the standard of rebellion. David, who never seems to have doubted the Word of Prophecy, received the tidings with that humility and reverential submission to the Will of GOD, which the fear of The LORD, and the consciousness of having but too justly awakened His Displeasure, were calculated to excite. He knew that resistance would have been against HEAVEN; otherwise himself, a Man of war from his youth, and the Child, as it were, of Victory, with wisdom in his counsel and valour in his heart, supported, as he would have been, by a brave and faithful Band, could scarcely have failed to have overcome, or by an opposing front to have awed into subjection, the vain Spirit of his Son and the rebel Crew attached to him. But "Have I Said, and shall I not Do It?" were Words Issuing from The Throne of HEAVEN, and Sounding in his ears. To have opposed Absalom in Jerusalem would have been to have resisted the Decree of The ALMIGHTY and to have added blasphemy to disobedience, involving Others, as well as himself, in a hopeless contest. He prudently, therefore, determined to withdraw from the City, and to seek in pious resignation for That Deliverance, Which, in an Acceptable Season, it might Accord with the Satisfied Justice and Merciful Disposition of The DIVINE DISPOSER of Events to Vouchsafe him; for he knew that a contrite Spirit The LORD would not Despise. Nor, indeed, is it easy, if possible, to find in history a more striking instance of humiliation than in the relinquishment by David of his throne, his palace, and his pleasures, to become an Outcast among the People he had faithfully served, and to be branded as a Coward amongst those he had so frequently led to triumph. And yet this very meekness must have been the best

Soother of that sorrow, which his sin had occasioned him, and have sensibly weakened that anguish, which his altered estate was otherwise so calculated to raise in his heart. Another source of consolation, which, through the Mercy of GOD, is the frequent companion of adversity, was the unaltered and unalterable attachment and devotion to David of his true Friends-the willing Sharers in his misfortunes, whose regard for him was the fruit of his own virtues, and of which no storms of fate, no altered destiny in circumstances could rob him; but even in his acceptance of this balm of comfort to the Soul, he was actuated by the tenderest regard for the condition of Others. His own People he knew it would be to no purpose to urge to return unto the City of their Fathers, and to leave him at the mercy of Strangers; but Ittai, who had probably been a recent Visitor at his court, being an Exile from his own Country, he thought it unfair to involve in his calamity, and, therefore, in a manner the most gracious, proposed his seeking his personal safety, where it was most likely to be secured; but the Man of a generous heart disdains to shrink from a storm, when, by manfully meeting it, he may hope to lessen its fury against the head of One, whom he deservedly esteems; though driven, himself, from his native Land, and going with David he knew not whither, yet Ittai's veneration for the, to him foreign and exiled, King, was paramount to all selfish considerations, and must have proved a cheering cordial in that state of suffering to which David was exposed. In recommending Ittai to return to Jerusalem, it is further observable that David did not know but that he might thus lay himself open to another Enemy; he, therefore, concludes his admonition by saying, "Mercy and Truth be with thee!" thereby exhorting him that, if he possessed power or influence under the new Government, to use them with lenity; and in proportion as he had opportunity to manifest forth the excellence of truth. True, indeed, it was that David seemed to need Mercy; and probable it was that he trusted Truth would be finally triumphant. Ittai was almost a Stranger to him; but the character of David was a Host to him even in the midst of his Enemies. Ittai's veneration and esteem, which grew out of that character, were confirmed on a personal acquaintance, and the expressions of devotion, which breathed from him, mark the truest magnanimity and the most exalted pitch of friendship. Amidst the dispiriting sorrows that were pouring out on all sides around David, Ittai remained faithful to his pledge, and was immovably bent on sharing the fortune of the Royal Exile of Jerusalem, invoking The GOD of Israel to bear Witness to the sincerity of his professions: and though Absalom, his own Son, and the Child of his affection, had taken the Name of That LORD in vain, to the severe cost of David, yet was not the Latter unwilling to believe an Alien's promise, grounded on so solemn an appeal; and he received him, therefore, of his Escort.

**Notwithstanding the unfeigned regret manifested by the People, as David passed through them, and the fervent zeal which his immediate Followers evinced in his cause, yet would he not avail himself of that disposition to assert his outraged rights; but from conscious offensiveness against The MAJESTY of HEAVEN, he bowed in unmurmuring, though not unsorrowing, submission to That Dispensation, Which was to Satisfy DIVINE Justice; and he waited patiently that Season which should vindicate the Ways of GOD to Man. Even the Honour of GOD seems to have been a weightier consideration with him, than his own personal safety, for the Ark of The LORD, Which had been, in the suddenness of his Removal, brought along with him, and Which, by its continuance with him, might at least have awed his Enemies into a fear of using any personal violence against him, he caused to be sent back reverently to Jerusalem. For David's piety led him to seek Salvation, from Whence alone It Cometh, even from the Favour of GOD; "And the King said unto Zadok, Carry back the

Ark of GOD into the City! if I shall find Favour in the Eyes of The LORD, He will Bring me again, and Show me both It and His Habitation.'

The Omnipresence and Omnipotence of GOD are the pious Man's surest and most consoling Refuge. On This ROCK of Salvation David, therefore, rested his hope, confident that, when the but too justly-merited season of Chastisement was over, though the Storm of DIVINE Anger might Beat furiously in the meanwhile upon him, The SUN of Righteousness would Arise with Healing on His Wings, and Dissipate all his gloom. Conscious that vain is the help of Man against the Arm of The OMNIPOTENT, and that if The LORD did not Delight in him, it was equally vain to seek elsewhere the Soul's peace, he, therefore, unreservedly flung himself upon The DIVINE Mercy, in these emphatic words addressed to the Priest, as the Oracle of GOD, "If GOD thus Say, I have no Delight in thee;' behold, here am I, let Him Do to me as Seemeth Good unto Him." The Forbearance and Loving-Kindness of The LORD he had deeply felt, and before devoutly acknowledged; and His Just Judgments it was equally becoming in him. to bend unto in pious resignation. He looked to The LORD as a GOD of Mercy, and knew that better would it be to fall into the Hands of That LORD, than into the hands of Man.

Though we owe it to A Good and Gracious GOD to be perfectly resigned to His Will, and contented with His Dispensations, yet it is not incompatible with the fulfilment of that duty to avail ourselves of all opportunities, which His Providence has Mercifully Placed within our reach, of extricating ourselves from our temporal Enemies, and of checking the progress of general or individual injustice. David, therefore, though he had said, "Let GOD Do to me as Seemeth Good unto Him!" yet bethought him, when in a situation so imminently hazardous to himself, to his Followers, and all his peaceable Subjects, how he might adopt means to confound the malice, by distracting the councils of his Enemies, and restore his beloved Jerusalem to its peace. He dismissed, therefore, the High-Priest, trusting that, as the Oracle of GOD, it would be with him, if GOD so Willed it, to bear to him by Kindred Messengers intelligence of his Enemies' proceedings, that he might shape his course and regulate his actions accordingly. But whatever gleam of hope this scheme may have shot forth, we see David, almost immediately after, in the bitterness of Soul, and in the deepest humility, bending to the Rod of Chastisement Inflicted on him, and manifesting at the same time, a sorrow so open, that All who were with him were overcome by it, and mingled, perhaps, less from a sympathy with his sufferings than from compassion towards the fate of so beloved a King, their tears and wailings with his. Yet large as the measure of David's anguish was at this time, we find it in no inconsiderable degree increased by the arrival of news that Ahithophel, his own wise Counsellor, had deserted his cause and traitorously sided with his Enemy: the power of that Man's mind David had, doubtless, frequently witnessed, and was justly apprehensive of its unfavourable influence towards his cause, if the counsel he might give were not counteracted. But David knew that wise as was Ahithophel, yet was there ONE Wiser and Mightier than he, Who could Bring to nought the counsel of the Wicked, and make their evil imaginations turn to their own destruction. In the fulness of this faith David, therefore, poured forth the prayer, “O LORD, I pray Thee, Turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!" By the same holy dependance on the Power and Goodness of GOD, we see David continually actuated; and we may receive from thence the most salutary lesson for our own guidance and governance amidst every trial or temptation, to which we may be exposed in our conflicts with the World, the flesh, or the Devil. Still continuing his flight from that City, which his wisdom and valour had so ennobled and aggrandized, he is condoled with by Hushai the Archite, who

was, probably, One of David's Counsel, a Man of sound wisdom and probity and discretion. This incident gave rise to a political expedient in the mind of David to overthrow the deep and wicked designs of the Arch-traitor Ahithophel, and so highly reverenced and beloved was David by Hushai, that at the hazard of his life he acquiesces in the scheme. Deception was certainly here practised, which in any shape and for any object is contrary to The SPIRIT of GOD; but this shows, of how little faith are the Worthiest and most Pious among us. This device, indeed, of David manifested a state of mind distrustful of the Especial Interposition of DIVINE PROVIDENCE, Which could, in an instant, Confound all the Wise of this World, and could have brought that of Ahithophel to foolishness, and that too by causes strictly accordant with the ordinary operations of Nature, as by death, or even sickness, which might have reduced the mind to a state of imbecility.

From this interesting and generous character of Hushai, with what disgust do we turn to the selfish and dishonest Ziba. Aware of the distresses that had overtaken the King, and conscious of his Master's affection for the Royal Sufferer, and of his ardent desire to administer to the King's necessities, and to visit him with the consolations of friendship and condolence, Ziba disappoints the full purpose of Mephibosheth to visit David; and on the contrary most falsely accuses him of disaffection and disloyalty; artfully introducing himself as alone considerate of the Royal wants, and bringing an offering to alleviate them, thereby hoping to deceive the penetration of David, and looking forward, doubtlessly, to some probable benefit resulting to himself in the event of the civil war terminating, as he might suppose probable, in David's favour: and indeed were it otherwise, still probably the present he made was from the property of his Master, and, consequently, of no detriment to himself in making it and had Mephibosheth fallen a sacrifice to the suspicions of David, or been exterminated by the sword of Absalom, as avowedly hostile to his cause, the whole of his wealth might be looked to by Ziba as the reward of his services and the return for his seeming loyalty. But Ziba heeded not that there was A GOD in Israel, Who Looked upon his heart, and was Able, if Willing, to Blast his fell purpose. The warning voice of conscience saying within him," Be sure your secret sin will find you out," he had stifled; and the things of this World, which cannot serve us in the grave, neither in the Eternity beyond it, he had wilfully suffered to blind his eyes, and to dispossess him of the promised inheritance of those Riches Which fade not away, but are Eternal in the Heavens the sure Reward of every faithful and upright Servant, who maketh singleness of heart his guide, and possesseth his Soul in patience, waiting for that Day, which shall be the Rest from his labour, and make him equal in glory to his Master, and superior to him, if superior in that faith by which alone Salvation cometh. It may seem censurable in David so soon to give credit to a false representation, and to condemn, without a hearing, the Son of his dearest Friend; but amidst so much of disaffection, and the persecution that so imminently threatened David himself, no time was then allowed him for patient investigation; and the concurring circumstances of Mephibosheth's not coming in the hour of distress to him, who had so kindly dealt by him, and of Ziba's narrative (which was so artfully supported by appearances exposing him to the vengeance of Mephibosheth, and in bringing succour to David at a season of calamity, to which he could see no end, and in which from that very support he might himself be involved), were indeed so strong, as most naturally to prevent suspicion, and induce to the conduct which David adopted in the promise, though from its very nature impliedly conditional, that, if things were as Ziba related, David would, if eventually restored to power, transpose the wealth and inheritance of Mephibosheth to Ziba, as meritoriously earned by the One, and more justly forfeited by the Other.