He had no enmity, no rancour, my child ; he was all forgiveness, as you shall hear in the expressions of his deep grief and lamentation. The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places! How are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, Neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, Of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, Who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! I am distressed for thee! Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women! How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished! Why, Mamma, David speaks of Saul, as of his best friend. K The iniquity of Saul excited David's pity and compassion, my child; he knew that the wrath of God was upon Saul, and this distressed him: had he died a friend of God, David would have rejoiced; for he, no doubt, had hoped that a reconciliation would have taken place before his death. David's anguish, therefore, can only be conceived by those who are earnestly seeking the salvation of the souls of men, and have the melancholy task to observe the sting of death piercing its prey. The shout of victory by him who, triumphing over corruption, descends into the grave, and the exultation which is heard on the entrance of one into everlasting glory, is a glory they will never witness. Did David return home, Mamma, after Saul was killed? He immediately, according to the direction of God, went to Hebron, a city in Judah, where being anointed king over Judah, he had to contend with the house of Saul for some time; but eventually he became king over all Israel. Thus you see, my love, though God puts his children to many trials, to search their hearts, and prove their faith and love, he will, in the end, reward them for their piety. He humbles them for a season, that they may be exalted to eternity. During the early part of the reign of David, his whole life was given to God; but he was like all other saints, subject to change. He had the same evil nature with which all men are born, and his supreme power was, perhaps, a great temptation to him. It happened, one evening, as he was walking on the top of his house, he saw a very beautiful woman, and immediately feeling a desire that she should become his wife, sent to enquire who she was: he ascertained that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Notwithstanding this discovery, he cherished his improper wish. His desire was, therefore, unlawful, she being another man's wife; and it was no sooner felt, than God took his Holy Spirit from him. O Mamma, did he fall like Adam ? You shall hear, my child; I feel delighted to find you have so retentive a memory, and have paid such attention. O, Mamma, I could sit up all night to hear your account of God. May the Lord hear thee, my child, and bless the words which have come from thy darling little heart, and make thee in the image of his son David. David fell, like Adam, from God. What, Mamma, merely for desiring, before he took her for his wife? Yes, my child; the intention in the sight of God, is equal to the act. If a man intends to kill you,. and has not an opportunity of doing so, is he not in his heart a murderer? If a man, my child, wants another man's wife, and has not the opportunity of obtaining her, is he not an adulterer? What is an adulterer, Mamma? One, my child, who takes another man's wife, or a wife who takes another wife's husband privily. Now our Lord has said in the gospel of St. Matthew, chapter iv. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shall not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." What is lust, Mamma? Unlawful desire, my child, such as David felt towards Bathsheba, (for this was the female's name ;)on which account God, who is holy, would not dwell with him; and, therefore, left him. The consequence was, that the evil of his heart immediately produced the act of adultery. What, in taking Uriah's wife, Mamma? Yes, my child; he was, by committing this one act, left to his own reprobate will, and became immediately guilty of the basest envy, jealousy, and hatred, even to the act of murder. And was this, Mamma, the consequence of the Holy Spirit being taken from him? It was, my love. Now when David was guilty of this base act, Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, was absent, fighting the battles of David and Israel. David sent for him, and told him that he might return to his home; but Uriah, who was a brave soldier, and a good man, made the following beautiful reply: "The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents," said he, " and my lord Joel, and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields ; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to be with my wife? As thou livest, and as my soul liveth, I will not do this thing." When David could not alter the resolution of this zealous servant, he basely sent him back to the camp, with a letter to Joel, the commander in chief, ordering Uriah to be placed in the fore-front of the hottest battle, and the army retire, that he might be smitten and die. David's orders were obeyed, and thus this brave soldier and injured husband was killed. And O, Mamma, did not David feel great horror at his crime? Nay, my love. I told you, my sweet child, that the Holy Spirit was not in him, because, my child, he had committed adultery; for Paul says, in his sixth chap. of 1st Corinth. 19th verse, that it is impossible the Spirit could be in such a person. What?" exclaims Paul, "know ye not that your body is the tem |