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to the grave with blood.* Acting upon this advice, Solomon freely pardoned Shimei, on condition of his never quitting Jerusalem, where his intrigues would be watched, and prevented: we shall relate in the history of that king, what afterwards befel him.

While warning his youthful successor against his enemies, David forgot not to recommend his faithful friends to his gratitude. "Shew kindness," he said, "to the sons of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table for so they came to me, when I fled because of Absalom thy brother."

Having ended his charge to Solomon, and again exhorted him to continue faithful to the God of his fathers, and repeated the promises made to him and his children's children, if he obeyed, "David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David," after a reign of forty years seven in Hebron, and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

In estimating the character of David, the king, the poet, and the prophet of his people, we must be careful to bear in mind the age and circumstances in which he lived, the trials to

The negation in the second clause is said to be required by the Hebrew idiom: this is stated by learned commentators, and renders the sense clear, which is otherwise obscure and contradictory the meaning thus being, that, since David had sworn not to put Shimei to death, his life was to be spared; but being a dangerous and wily enemy, Solomon was to regard him as such, and take precautions against his treachery, which exactly agrees with the conduct he pursued.

which he was exposed, and the opinions at that time generally admitted and acted upon. Allowing for these differences, there is no monarch of antiquity whose career is so deeply interesting, or who displays a rarer union of firmness in adversity, gentleness in domestic life, magnanimous forgiveness of injuries, humility in high fortune, and religious trust in all. His devotion was not the ostentatious display of politic superstition it was the natural feeling of his heart, a part of himself, which supported him when all outward supports failed, and when his own familiar friend, nay, his own son sought after his life. But the character of David is best studied in his Psalms. Who that reads these, and finds in them the expression of his own deepest feelings,-remorse for sin,-thankfulness for deliverance,-prayers for succour and strength,—and throughout all, love, gratitude and reverence for the LORD God of his fathers: who that finds in these sublime odes, expression for devout submission, gratitude and love, which no subsequent writer has ever equalled,—but must confess that never was the veneration with which his memory has been regarded more truly deserved? That he committed grievous sins, the faithful historians of his life have not attempted to deny: but if his sins were great, his repentance was bitter and sincere. "He offers no plea of justification," (we quote the words of Mr. Wellbeloved,) "he seeks not for any circumstances that palliate his offence: he labours to

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find expressions strong enough to describe his unequalled criminality, and casts himself entirely on the mercy of that great and holy Being whose laws he had so daringly violated: "My transgression I acknowledge-my sin is continually before me.' It is the frail nature of man to be sinful, and who shall judge his brother? But forgiveness has been promised to the truly penitent; and that such was the aged monarch of Israel, we know by his repentance being accepted by the Great Searcher of hearts.*

* We regret that our limits will not allow us to insert the admirably drawn character of David, given in Jahn's Hebrew Commonwealth: we must be satisfied with referring our readers to it, and particularly to that part relating to the language used in the Psalms.

CHAPTER XIX.

SOLOMON'S CHOICE OF WISDOM. THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. ITS DEDICATION.

THE last act of David's life, was to establish Solomon upon the throne. He had been chosen out of David's numerous family by the express command of the LORD, who had thought fit to sanction, in an especial manner, his appointment

to the royal dignity, and had sent Nathan the prophet to bestow upon him a name significant of his future favor, Jedidiah,' which means in Hebrew, 'Beloved of the LORD.' In the last feeble days of David's life, we have seen that Adonijah attempted to set aside this settlement, and to seize the crown; in which he was assisted by Joab, and Abiathar the priest. The design was frustrated by the vigilance of the prophet Nathan; but the ambition of Adonijah was only checked for the time, not eradicated, by the firmness of David, and the magnanimous pardon of Solomon; it broke out again in an artful request to have Abishag to wife, on which Solomon ordered him to be seized and put to death: immediately Joab, who had participated in the treason of Adonijah, fled in haste to the Tabernacle, and took hold of the horns of the altar. Notwithstanding this, Solomon ordered him to be slain; the sacred Tabernacle of the God of justice, being at no time, and by no law, ever made the sanctuary of crime. Thus died Joab, whose services and early fidelity to David, were more than overbalanced by his evil passions, lawless violence, and daring insubordination. Abiathar, the high-priest, who had also joined Adonijah, was deposed, and the priesthood thus ceased in the house of Eli.

That the history may not be interrupted, we will relate here the end of Shimei, the follower of Saul, who cursed David when flying from Jerusalem, on the revolt of Absalom. In con

formity with the wise caution of his father David, Solomon had commanded this disaffected man to reside at Jerusalem, where he could not carry on any treacherous designs without being discovered; declaring, at the same time, that his life was safe only so long as he strictly obeyed this injunction: "For it shall be that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kedron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days." Sometime after, on pretence of seeking two of his servants, Shimei left Jerusalem, and went as far as Gath. Solomon instantly commanded him to be brought into his presence, when, reminding him of his oath, that he should surely die on the day he went abroad, and reproaching him for his former base conduct to David, he commanded him to be put to death. There can be little doubt that Shimei purposed treachery, and sought to leave Jerusalem at first on some apparently innocent pretext, in order to deceive the vigilance of the king; when, having lulled his suspicions, he would be able to quit the city whenever he chose, and thus renew his intrigues: he was taken in his own toils, and justly paid the forfeit of his crimes.

The first act of Solomon was to offer a public sacrifice to the LORD at Gibeon, where the

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