"4. The man of truth and justice. This was the basis of his great popularity in the army for forty years. "5. The faithful servant of his king.

"6. The warm and wakeful patriot. (2 Sam. xx. 20.) "7. One generous and kind to those in distress. (2 Sam. xiv. 1-3; also verses 28-33.)

"8. Anxious to avoid needless bloodshed. (2 Sam. ii. 28; xviii. 16, and xx. 20-22.)

"9. Wise among counsellors.

1 Chron. xxi. 3.)

(2 Sam. xxiv. 3.

"10. Pious towards God. (2 Sam. x. 12.) "11. Unrivalled as a disciplinarian; and,

"12. Matchless in the field of battle.

"But the king never could forget his killing of Absalom. Such was Joab. Long will the soldier honor his memory. Our narrative takes leave of him here, with the single remark, that having sustained himself in public life for the period of forty years, at length, old and gray-headed, he laid down his life, where, often in the prime and beauty of manhood, he had worshipped, at the altar of his God."*

* Many Bible readers have been greatly perplexed to account for David's order, that Joab should be put to death. Now, observe, the Bible was never designed to sanction despotism. David's government was despotic. There was no trial by jury, when the king was offended. "Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive." Israel sinned grievously in asking a king. The venerable prophet Samuel forewarned them of the sore aggressions which a king, when clothed with supreme power, would perpetrate on their dearest rights. (1 Sam. viii. 9-18, and xii. 19.) Now, it required no revelation from heaven to teach men that despotic power in the hands of a bad man is dreadful. But the Bible teaches that even in the hands of a good man it is liable to horrible abuse. Had the case of Joab come before an impartial jury of his countrymen, the verdict would have been essentially different.

CHAPTER XXIX.

DAVID'S TRUE GREATNESS.

"THERE is yet another question," said Lucifer, "I wish to have solved. You have mentioned several defects in the character of David, as a man and as a prince. How is it that his name has come down with such great reputation in the church till the present day?"

"I have before observed," said Belial, "that the Bible records the imperfections, as well as the excellences, of ancient saints. Some have thought that the design is to show that the salvation there revealed is a salvation not for those who are without fault, but for sinners, who have much to mourn over, but who, on repentance, find acceptance through the merits of a divine Redeemer. As to David, though he was great as a man, and great as a pious prince, yet he had his imperfections. But there are two reasons, and they are ample, for the great reputation of David, in the church, from the day in which he lived until the present time. First. His uniform rejection of idolatry, and his firm, unwavering adherence to the worship of the true God. Idolatry, the worship of false gods," said Belial, addressing himself particularly to Lucifer, "is the master device of hell!"

"Yes!" exclaimed the chief, with kindling anima

tion, "it is the great engine of destruction to Adam's race. Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Greece, and Rome were taken in this snare. It is the most successful device we have ever employed to turn the nations into the broad road. It is the sheet anchor of our kingdom in the world. At this hour, millions are led by its influence in the way of perdition."

"Kings and potentates," said Belial, "priests and people, almost without number, have fallen before the power of this mighty delusion. But King David, to the utter astonishment of the hosts of hell, was resolute and unbending in his opposition to idolatry. Neither in prosperity nor in adversity, neither in youth nor in advanced age, would he listen to its allurements, or have any communion with its bewitching observances. In the worship of the true God, he was steadfast and immovable through his entire earthly history. In this light, the sacred writers, with great frequency, hold him up as a pattern to the kings of Israel and Judah. In this light, he is very often commended as having 'followed the Lord with a perfect heart.'

"The second reason for the high and lasting reputation of David, is this: as a sacred poet, he stands before the church and the world, in all the grandeur of unrivalled superiority. The psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs which he composed for the use of the church, have been sung in every language where the Bible has gone, for near three thousand years. Their spread and extent is greater in this age than ever before. They now bid fair to become, shortly, the principal channel through which every kindred and people under heaven will offer up their gratitude and praise to God. It is

one of the most dreadful influences with which the hosts of hell have to contend.

"The power of song over the human mind is great. This is found in the experience of almost every nation. But when the great truths of religion are combined with the charms of poetry and the enchantment of music, their influence is almost resistless.

"David, as a sacred poet, has never yet been equalled. The perfections of Jehovah are at one time his theme, --the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Lord, as they appear in the wide earth, and wider heaven. At another time, he celebrates the wonderful works of God in behalf of his church, in days of old. At another time, he expatiates on the designs of mercy that are to be unfolded in ages to come the incarnation, obedience, death, resurrection, and eternal kingdom of the Messiah, with the kindred truths embraced in the system of God's revelation to man. When these psalms and sacred hymns first came abroad, the effect was tremendous. They were not only sung in the sanctuary, and in the large worshipping assemblies, but they were sung in the family, and committed to memory by individuals all over the land. The mother taught them to her children around the fireside; and in the social circle they were often the medium of friendly intercourse. Thus the great truths of religion. were presented in a form that took a mighty hold of the attention, and made powerful appeals to the conscience and the heart."

Here Belial rose to his feet, while uncommon animation shone in his countenance. He swung his arm aloft, and in an elevated voice called out, "Powers

of darkness, if you would successfully war against the church of God, guard this point with the utmost vigilance. Arm yourselves with every artifice which the magazines of the bottomless pit can furnish.”

"Belial," said Lucifer, "I am fully aware of the great importance of the point on which you are speaking. I wish the armies of hell to be most thoroughly drilled in reference to it. And therefore, I particularly desire you to relate the plans and schemes you employed in the age of David, and the periods immediately following."

"The tide was too strong," said Belial, " to be met by open and direct resistance. Long before the close of David's life, many of these plain and powerful psalms and spiritual songs were memorized by thousands throughout Judah, Ephraim, Benjamin, and indeed all the tribes of Israel. In the family, they were the means of imparting instruction; in the sick chamber, they were the instrument of consolation to the afflicted, and often those who were about to die would express their hopes and their confidence by quoting some appropriate line or stanza from one of those sacred odes.

"The poetical powers of the Psalmist were of the very highest order. The darling theme on which he sung, was the redeeming love of God. We need not wonder if such truths, with such accompaniments, became the fire and the hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. There was a mighty impulse given to religion in Israel, by this means; you see it clearly in the recorded history of that people in the reign of David and of Solomon. Let me only remark further, that when the queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem, she was