, 1876-03-25
The Snnt1ay"Sc1looi lesson
for TO.MOrrOw.
Review Of the Character Of David
Joab's Conduct Justified.
Why The Bible Should Be Read In the
Schools.
Three Eminent English Dlvlnes.
suNpAY.scHooL LESSON.

suNDAY.sCHO0L LESSON.
TIE cnAnAcrEn OF AnsAIos1. .nAD. AND DAVID.
We wish To reriev tho studies Of tho last
three months. 80 far ns shoy relate 10 Absalon,,
Joab, and David. Abanom was Tho son OF
navid by hta vito, Maacah. Ho killed Annon,
and thop f1dd to Lis grandfattor'H At Goshen,
and With him resided three years. On his re-
turn David refused 200 him for two years
lougor, but ras At laat racoocilnd to him.
AbBalom had been FREQ 10 60 about tho city
but short tImo, whom Lis pant-up foo!ings
towards his royal father began to show thoua-
sclyes in mild way at lras-but soon
10 did not lositato To hint shat tho
nld Ksag lad treated him vury cruelty !;
that in killing Amnnn ho did no
moro that what lle was fully tus.itied IN doing,
AZ his grandfather, TalmaL Ind ,ofton satd TINT
the King was eloepiy chgrossod in family affairs,
and ncKlectoa h!a official dutios md that It wni
very plain that to did not intond TINT be, bis
oldest surviving son, should DO his successor on
tho shrono of Israel. but that Solomon should
supersede him. From thus timo tho sou OF
Aiaacah wss determined 20 tecure Ills legal
rights. Hc, therefore, resolved to court popu-
ln1lty IN various Ways, and succeeded In obtain
ing tho good will and oven tho love Of very
many Influential mon. He then formed u CON
apsracy. for. tho purpoao Of oustsng lis
upon bis owl head, In duo time, whan bis
frionds announced that tho hearts OF Tho people
Mete for Abaalom. ha cauacd it TO bo proclaimed
TINT Ahsalom was King. aud hold his Court a.
Hebron" 1Io drove David and his friends from
Jerusalem to Mahanalm. Ho then wished to
make snldon attack upon his father and mon
watlst t1ey wore weak aud unable to roBise him.
hut Hushai, tho confidential and trustworthy
counselor OF David. then ht tho Court Of ABB
salon, aaviaoa Tho young King not TO taxe 80
dibaatrouH \ course, but to postpone the onset
until ho could collect military forco auilielontly
lnrgo to destroy Dayid and his men at Quo blow.
This advice hbBaiom Was induced 70 follow. Iu
n Rhort time he Was nnonted thitd King OF
IsrnoL
Ilo then led his forces across tho Jor-
dan, and prepared to attack his father,
who had bad time enough to collect and drill q
OF EphrAim in Gl]otd md totally defeated tho
rebelH. David charged his o!llcsIs and mon "a
they loft 11nllanaim, to ''troAt tondcrfy tho
young man as salom for my sake." 1sunnors to.
out, IAN IL we'll" The anxious King inquired
for his SOL. CnHhi said, ''The enemies of my
Lord, tho King, md all TINT would hurt thoo, be
as that Young man it," The King understood.
chambor md wopt bitterly. Cushi'a reply nns
worry expressive 1t uonnt that your aop, Abea-
lon, has been your cuetny, and lo with your
other enc1nlcs. have been BIain.
Now, w0 wldh to Inquire what were tho causcs
Of Da1id's excessive grief David Was . man
Of very strong emotions. His command OF Of
prossivo language WAS wonderful. ThoBo Who
grove dcep1y at tlrat arc eoon relieved. Tcnsn
wash away ao1rows, Or Eroatly lesson them. We
bad maoy years ago dear friend, who Lost by
death two beautiful daughters 10 ono week, He
Ehcd not = tehr, but with trembling topgus
said, "Not my will. q God, but TAno be dona."
Tic grief Mas 50 ionp und tho submission 30
complete; TINT five years passed away before
tcars could How. Deep grief rarely Shows itself
BY tears. Il dE1os up thoso fouutatns that
1lo" 70 freely III ordinary sorrows.
iltnpnsiEo grief soon e1peuds itHclf. David lad
been an enormous nttlucr. Wna ho consciona
t!aat he himee!t was tho causo Of his sons rock
less md wicked courno Of li1e2 What did David
do that could havo any bearing upon tue charac-
ter Of tho son Z lFtlat VAS DaviIa cAasactor
Ia krrown t,y its fruit. SO a nuns character T il
known by his do'nEs and not by l,a sayings.
Now, Nhat did David do7 Ho tlsregasded erery
ono Of Gods written lNwh. lIo was seemingly
aixiu'.s not to observe them III any particular.
not . fool. lie knew tho laws OF LID Mnkcr. II
ho did not, 1t ~ay biz own fault.
David, 10 far ~ we know, did not hear Of tie
mannor Of lila sous death, Certaiu!y CusLi
darts through tia heart, mud thon allowed ton
young men 10 torment aud kill him. David had
MARY elements Of MORROW, but tho cruelty prae-
tloed = a. upon h!a son was not ono OF them. Was
It Ahaaon y whom tho fa!hc1 could not seo ono
single ray Of hope2 No. It waa tho conscious
nosh that ho himBelt was the prime cause Of tho
evil ttat befcl hin. Conscience did its ollice.
We cannot ssuipathzo with David. Tho desth
nayas s. tts sqa was wS stsr Of Eroa Icy 10
Mho has taketl cara 10 bEeaft MI Gods laHs?
Wo may pity lin, as We would any old Ainpcr,
hut no mora as king than ns srbjoct. IIa had
sopy OF tho wfittcn lava Of God, aud he lad
becn commanded by God ITO read tl,etn ill tho
DAYS Of hts ltfo.". Ihay wcse not arbitrary aud
unreasonable. They wcro bAAcd on infInitp
wisdom and tndorscd by tho common sense aud
matured cxpcr,enco Of nank,rd. Observing
Iheu shon AZ now-eyen IN this lifo-sccursd
ach reward.
Did David really mean that he wished to die In
he place Of llB sou7 No; hs was a man Of
.trong emotions. and expressed them impulsiYo-
be MAE afflicted. ho manifested It ~ a low do
oowaaayH. Of whotn no aEe apt 10 Say "Let tflem
cry 1t OUT" Possibly ho 1nay have felt lint lin
ton was more worthy OF Pity than OF eeusuro !;
ioas mother; that hsa conduct developed FerMs
which be did not pint. We cannot but Consider
pavtd's grief entirely based On Ais own oonkcioua
,n IN marrying Naacah. = wild girl OF the
..3aa snS aoSod ano oa 81 mora, 70 pnopS nnsp
Ind INSCRIPTIONS In her conduct. David could
not pses4 ignorance. Tor we road (18) that tho
Rtng shall copy tho law,book kept by tho priest,
hud be shall rrad thoEelp all hia days, that Ao
may "tcar tho Lord and keep My law aud
tEltukGH."
It may bo said tia. David had no time. that
Tho tolls aud caros Of ovory day 40 great that
lle bocaIne too weary By night 10 read tho law,
But God had directly forbidden him 10 multiply
Tives. lilo had nearly twenty. or thc,r cquiya-
lcnts. A man who murders when drunk cat,
not rob the sopo OF liz privilege Of encirclog
f1ia NECK GU the ground that he did not know
what 10 was doing when io committed the
bloody decd. Aud 10. It David waA fool enough
to taxo under hla speciel caro- ton or twoaty
wives. hc rightly suffered The penalty-aud no
ts!d suffer richly for uegoctina to.ead aud kcop
Cots law ald BtntutrS.
David broke auother law Dcut., VII, -. that
"an lsrael,te shall not marry into Pagan
family" God evidently wiahOd 10 keep liia 10.
culiar peop1o FROM bong polluted by .io Pagan
tribes who lived around them. God believed
I'm blood" ~, o., he Designed that certain
lrails Of character. physical, moral,
Wa cannot tesl that DAVID, In Lila grief for bis
son, bad any regard 10 tho future, 10 far ~ lis
kon wss concerned, foE his conduct DOES not iu-
1tce ua to be'ieyo that TO soaiizcd Tue e1lstence
OF fuiuIo life. Il was Dayds conscieuca that
annoyed him. II may 10 said that David Waa
!u6uliAafyc. and 10 il Tie widest mariner very
bumblD. very nufeItupatn, very pyareT{ul, when
hGA ~. i n