man after God's own heart fhould have been betrayed into fuch dreadful crimes. But to the Chriftian it must be a fubject of moft ferious concern and alarm, to observe so striking a proof of the frailty and weakness of human nature, even when ftrengthened by mature years, and confirmed by early habits of virtue and religion. It holds out to him a most awful leffon, how indifpenfably neceffary it is, even for men of the beft difpofitions and most exalted piety, to keep their hearts with all diligence; to watch and to guard those paffions, which they feel most predominant in their fouls, with unremitting vigilance, to the latest period of their lives; and to apply most fervently and frequently for that help from above, which is promised in the Gospel to every fincere believer, and without which our utmost. efforts and our firmeft refolutions will, in fome unguarded and unfufpected moment, give way to the impetuofity of paffion, and we shall be unexpectedly plunged into an abyss of guilt and nifery.

But, above all things, let us beware of perverting the example of David to our own ruin, and of confidering his deviations from duty,

crimes

appear

duty, not as they truly are, a warning to us against danger, but as an encouragement to us to tread in the fame unhallowed paths of vice. Let us not flatter ourselves, that becaufe HE, fo devout, fo religious, fo diftinguished by the favour of Heaven, was once moft fatally feduced into fin, that we may therefore commit the fame or fimilar crimes with impunity. On the contrary, if these fo odious and deteftable, even in a Jewish monarch, who had to plead in his excufe (though all excufe was vain) the temptations of a court, the manners of the times, the peculiarity of his own circumftances, and the liberties too often taken by men in his fituation; they must affume a much more frightful afpect in a private Christian, who has none of those mitigating pleas to offer, who lives in much more enlightened and civilized times, has much stricter rules of moral conduct prefented to him in the Gofpel, is called to a much higher degree of purity and holiness, has far more powerful aid from Heaven to fupport him in his duty, more terrible punishments to work upon his fears, and more glorious rewards to animate his hopes.

Let

Let it be remembered too, that the offences of David were by no means paffed over with impunity; that he was feverely punished for them by the remorfe of his own conscience, by the deep affliction into which they plunged him, by the wretched confequences they drew after them, and by the heavy and pofitive penalties denounced and inflicted upon him by God himself.

Hear how the repenting monarch bemoans himself in the anguifh of his foul, and then say, whether his fituation was an enviable one whether you would chufe to imitate his mifconduct, and take the confequences.

"Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy 'great goodness, according to the multitude of « thy mercies do away mine offences. Wash «i me thoroughly from my wickedness, and "cleanse me from my fin; for I acknowledge « my fault, and my fin is ever before me. "Maké mě a clean heart, O God, and renew # a right spirit within me. Caft me not away « from thy presence, and take not thy Holy

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Spirit from me. Thy rebuke hath broken my heart, I am full of heavinefs; I looked for fome to have pity on me, but there was VOL. II. K

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no man, neither found I any to comfort me. My God, my God, look upon me: why haft "thou forfaken me, and art fo far from my "health and the words of my complaint. I "cry in the day-time, and thou hearest not; "and in the night-feafon alfo I take no rest. «Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon "" me, for I am defolate and in mifery. The "forrows of my heart are enlarged, O bring "thou me out of troubles. Look upon my adverfity and mifery, and forgive me all 66 my fin. Thine arrows ftick faft in me, and

my

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"

thy hand preffeth me fore: for, my wicked"neffes are gone over my head, and are like a "fore burthen, too heavy for me to bear. I "am brought into fo great trouble and mifery, "that I go mourning all the day long. My. heart panteth, my ftrength faileth, and the fight of mine eyes is gone from me *.' It is hardly in the power of language to exprefs greater agony of mind than this; and no one, furely, that reads thefe paffages, can, wish to undergo the mifery there described. It is impoffible for him, if he is of a found mind, to make fo wretched a bargain for himself, as

Pf. li. xix. xxv. xxxviii. &c. &c.

to plunge voluntarily into the crimes of the royal penitent, that he may afterwards taste the bitter fruits of his contrition and remorfe; or, (what is still worse, and what no finner can be fecure againft) that he may die without repenting at all, and rush into the unceasing torments of " a worm that never dies, and a "fire that is never quenched."

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