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of the first crime? Immediately the sense of the Divine presence, the inspiring hope of Divine bfavoure and eternal glory, would withdraw from himiDid he at the hour of prayer, according to custom, go up to the temple of the Lord, amethinks the holy rites and the sacred place gwould reproach him, and say, "We are pure." ePerhaps his own sweet Psalms might upbraid him with that emphatic question, "Who shall go up s to the house of the Lord, who shall ascend his holy hill? Even he that hath clean hands and -caopure heart."-Does he retire to his closet, and there touch the sacred harp? Alas! his heart would be in no tune for the songs of Zion.Would he join those with whom he once "went oin company to the house of God, and took sweet counsel in Divine things?" The sense of guilt et would leave his tongue dumb, and his heart hard.97 How could he meet his servants, or converse with ethose whom he used to reprove or exhort? Alas! *s their looks, intently fixed upon him, and meaning etmore than could be uttered, would confound him.—

Does he join his partner in sin? The guilty hours spent with her would be embittered by reflections on the ruin he had brought upon her soul.-But let us return to his history. The consequences of his crime were becoming visible, and the once Conoble and generous David know resorts to low

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artifices to conceal his guilt. He sends for the injured husband. He treats him with a subtilty unworthy both of himself and of his loyal subject, endeavouring to impose upon him a spurious offspring. How must the noble refusal of the brave warrior to sleep in his bed while the ark of God was abroad," and the armies of Israel were encamped to fight the battles of his beloved though treacherous sovereign, have stung him to the heart! And doubtless this was but one of many daggers which his crime had planted in his bosom. When deceit, however, could not prevail on Uriah, a fresh crime must compel him; a crime at which the pure spirit of the monarch would once have shuddered. But neither would this avail the faithful soldier, even when overcome with wine, refuses to yield to the royal teinpter. What could be done? Crime leads on to crime. David, therefore, urged by a dread of detection (though what was human detection to a man already judged of God!), determines to add murder to adultery; to destroy one of the most faithful of his servants; to murder him even whilst shedding his blood in his own defence; to murder him by an act of perfidy of the basest kind!t a cost qui

Here letouse pause to consider what David once was, and swhat he is now become. Once, he was the leader of the Lord's people, the first

in the sanctuary, the zealous restorer of Divine worship, the sweet singer of Israel. Who, that had once heard his pious melody, his devout addresses to God, could have conceived that he would so fall? Had it been predicted, would the prediction have been credited? Who shall not tremble for himself, when he contemplates the fall of David?

16 IV. But let us next pass on to a more advanced stage of his history. The criminal schemes of David had now taken effect, and Uriah could no more disturb the bed of the seducer and murderer. But when there remained no obstacle to enjoyment, the Divine Hand suddenly arrested him in his guilty career. God sent Nathan the prophet to convince him of his guilt.

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Let us praise God, my brethren, who was pleased thus graciously to interpose to save his servant from everlasting destruction. It doubtless was an act of the Divine mercy by which he was rescued; for would a heart so hardened, a conscience so seared, a soul so habituated to sin, have returned spontaneously to God? Its is, however, perhaps, allowable to conceive that his former prayers might come up as a memorial before God, and plead for him who now could

not plead for himself. In prayer, we often cast in the seed of an harvest which will be reaped, perhaps, at some remote period. Who can say, when he prays to be delivered from temptation; of which he does not now discern even the distant approach, how greatly such a prayer may be nceded, and how immediately and mercifully it may be answered? Sur 979dT

But to return-The mode in which it pleased God to touch the heart of the offender is remarkable. To the claims of justice and the feelings of generosity, David, though greatly fallen, was not entirely lost. Therefore, in a parable constructed so as to touch him at these yet accessible points, the prophet addresses his conscience, and rouses him even to pass sentence on himself in a pronouncing a severe verdict one a supposed criminal. What self-deceit vis there in the human heart! David kindles with indignation against the man who takes a lamb from this poor neighbour, and yet remains insensible to the flagrant iniquity of seduction and murder.in Atqulength, however, he opens his eyes upon his guilt; his heart is softened; he stands self-condemned before the prophet. The account, especially of this part of the transaction, given by the sacred historian, is very brief It might hence appear, that the penitences of David

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was comprised in the single expression, sinned against the Lord; and that the prophet immediately answered, "The Lord also hath put away thy sin." But it is not unusual in Scripture to represent one event as immediately following another, when in fact a considerable time inter vened. And this is probably the case here. There may have been two visits of Nathan sto David, at a considerable interval of time ;-one, in which the judgment was denounced; the other, in which the message of mercy was communicated to the penitent. However this may have been, we shall perceive, by comparing this history with the language of David himself, in the Psalms, that his repentance was sincere, and his grief profound. In the Fifty-first Psalm, a psalm of penitence for this transgression, we find the most humbling confes sion of guilt and misery, and the most fervent sup plication for mercy. In the Thirty-second Psalm, written, as it would appear, on the same occasion, we find him speaking of his bones waxing old through his weeping all the day long," and of the hand of the Lord being so heavy upon him, that his " moisture was turned into the drought of summer." In any case, we know that neither David nor any other sinner could return to God but by the path of deep humiliation and unfeigned repentance, smoling out to soggs sonod afgins

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