"gation of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, I "beseech you, observe and diligently follow all the com"mands of the Lord your God, that you may inherit "this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your "children after you for ever. And thou, Solomon my ໄ son, acknowledge thou the God of thy fathers, and serve "him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; for "the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth every "imagination of the thoughts. If thou diligently seek "him, he will be found of thee, and if thou forsake him, "he will reject thee for ever. Observe now, that the Lord "hath chosen thee to build an house for a sanctuary. Be "resolute and perform it.*

Having said this, David, in the presence of the whole assembly, gave his son Solomon patterns, draughts or models, of all the porches and buildings that were to belong to the temple; the order of the courses he had fixed for the priests and Levites; on account of the gold and silver he had provided for all the instruments and vessels that were to be made use of in the solemnities of the temple

*There is certainly no person, who reads over this speech of David's with attention, but what must admire the great prudence and piety that appears in it. He was now grown old; he had advanced Solomon to the throne, who had elder brethren that might envy his advancement, and endeavor to disturb the settlement that had been made in his favor. To secure the affection and fidelity of all the principal persons then assembled, he puts them in mind that he chose the tribe of Judah before all the others, as the tribe in which the regal power should be established, his father's house before all the other families of that tribe, himself before all his brethren to be king of Israel, and Solomon, in preference to all his other sons, to succeed him in the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel, and that he had commanded him to build his house, and the courts belonging to it, promising to establish his kingdom, if he continued faithful and diligent in keeping his commandments. This would have argued the greatest imprudence and folly, had not the assembly well known that the Divine appointment David appealed to was real; but as he was sensible they knew this, a more prudent step could not have been taken to reconcile the affections of the people to Solomon's interest, and secure him in the peaceable possession of the throne. His solemu exhortation to the states of his kingdom, and his son, to keep all the commandments of God was a noble proof of his real piety, and his concern for the public welfare; as he knew this was the only method by which the national prosperity could be properly secured.

service; the candlesticks and lamps; the table of shewbread; the altar of incense; and the cherubims that were to cover with their wings the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. Having done this, he addressed himself in words to this effect: "All these things the Lord made me to un"derstand by inspiration, even all the works of his pat "tern;" or, as we would rather render the words, the pattern of all these works. "Be strong, and of good cour, age, and do it. Be not afraid or dismayed, for the Lord God is with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake "thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service "of the House of the Lord. And behold the course of the "priests and Levites shall be with thee, for all the service "of the house of God, and there shall be with thee, for all "manner of workmanship, every willing skilful man for any manner of service. All the princes also, and all the people, will be wholly at thy command.”

66

my

But David had yet a farther view in convening this assembly of the states of his kingdom, and that was still more effectually to secure their assistance to his son and successor, in carrying on, and completing the building of the temple, by persuading them to a liberal contribution towards this important service. To effect this, he farther addressed them nearly as follows:* "Solomon my son, says he, "whom alone God hath chosen, is young and tender, and "the work is great, for the palace is not for man, but for "the Lord God. I have, therefore, with the utmost zeal "and power, prepared gold and silver, and brass, and "wood, for all things that are to be made out of these "several materials, and all manner of precious stones, and "marble stones in abundance. Besides, as I have set my affection towards the house of my God, I have gold and "silver that is my peculiar property, which I will give for "the house of my God, above all that I have otherwise "prepared for the house of the sanctuary; the gold for "things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for "all manner of work to be made by the hands of the artifi"cers. And who now will willingly offer with a full hand "this day unto the Lord?"

See 1 Chron. xxix, 1, &c.

This truly royal munificence of David inspired a noble generosity in the whole assembly, and each, ambitious to imitate the glorious liberality of their prince, willingly made their offerings to the same sacred service, rejoicing to contribute their share, and doing it with a perfect heart, out of an unfeigned affection to the God of Israel, and a fervent desire of having a temple erected to his name and honor. Their contributions amounted to five thousand talents and ten thousand drams of gold, eighteen thousand of brass, and an hundred thousand of iron, besides precious stones that were paid into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

David's heart was filled with pleasure when he saw how willingly and bountifully the assembly contributed towards carrying on the service he had recommended to them; and, in the fullness of his joy, addressed himself in thanksgiv ings to God to this effect:

"Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, God of Israel, our Father, "for ever and for ever. To thee belong greatness, power, "glory, victory, and majesty. For all that is in the heaven "and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Je❝hovah, and thou art exalted as head over all. Riches "and honor are from thy presence, for thou rulest over all, ❝ and in thy hand and disposal is power and might; in thy "hand to make great, and strengthen every one thou "pleasest. And now, O our God, we make our acknowl"edgments to thee, and praise thy glorious name. But "who am I, and what is my people, that we should be "able willingly to offer, as we have now done? But all "things are from thee, and of what we have received from "thy hand, we have given unto thee. For we are stran"gers before thee and sojourners, as all our fathers were. "As a shadow are our days on earth, and there is no hope "of long continuance here. All this store therefore, O Je"hovah our God, which we have provided to build an "house to the name of thy holiness, is from thy hand; for

thine are all things. But I know, O my God, that thou "searchest the heart, and that thou approvest every in"stance of integrity. As for me, in the uprightness of my "heart, I have freely offered up all these things; and I "have also seen with joy, that thy people who are present "here, have offered freely and liberally to thee. O Jeho

"vah, thou God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, let this be thy care, perpetually to form the "thoughts of the hearts of thy people, so as to prepare "their hearts towards thyself. And to Solomon, my son, "give thou a perfect heart, that he may observe thy pre"cepts, thy testimonies, and thy statutes; and that he "may do every thing and build the temple, towards which "I have made the necessary preparations."*

After David had finished his address to Jehovah, the God of Israel, he ordered the whole assembly publicly to bless the God their fathers. They immediately offered him their solemn praises, and, in token of their acknowledg ing him as their God, bowed themselves down before him; after which they made their obeisance, and did homage to the king. This being done, David dismissed the assembly, who, the next day, offered up sacrifices, feasted on them with great joy before the Lord, confirmed David's choice of Solomon to succeed him, and anointed him a second time king over Israel.

This prayer of thanksgiving made by David cannot be read without the greatest surprize and pleasure. The address to the Almighty is expressed with great dignity and propriety; and the senti ments of the Deity are rational and sublime. He acknowledges God as infinitely great and powerful, as encompassed with glory, as the author of victory, as clothed with majesty, as the great proprietor of heaven and earth, as universal sovereign, supreme in dominion, the great source of riches and honor, having the kingdoms of the earth in his disposal, and as distributing greatness, power and prosperity to whomsoever he pleases; as the searcher of the heart, as approving integrity, and more pleased with the right disposition of the giver, than the offering he presents. And having acknowledged that his own, and his people's prosperity, were owing to the Divine goodness, and solemnly prayed that they might constantly adhere to their God, and his son be a pattern to them of religious subjection and obedience, he excites them to a public and general adoration of God, and thus accomplished the great scheme he had at heart, namely, the peaceable succession of Solomon his son to his throne and kingdom. It is scarcely possible to conceive any solemnity more truly grand and royal than this: a solemnity heightened by religion, honored by the presence of a powerful prince and the states of his kingdom, increased by the magnificence and plenty of the entertainment, brightened by the joy and gladness of the whole assembly, and that concluded by such a settlement of the government, as produced an almost forty years of uninterrupted prosperity and peace. On this occasion David composed the 72d Psalm, which the reader will find corresponds with the prayer of thanksgiving above mentioned.

A short time after this, David, finding, from his natural infirmities, that his dissolution was near at hand, called for his son Solomon, and gave him his last exhortation; the substance of which was nearly the same as he had before delivered to him; namely, to walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments, his judgments and his testimonies, that he might prosper in all he did.* Having said this, he gave Solomon a particular charge with respect to two persons who had highly offended and injured him, namely, Joab and Shimei. The charge to Joab was conceived in these words: Thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and, what he did to the two captains of the host of Israel, unto Abner, the son of Ner, and unto Amasa, the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet; that is, treacherously, and under pretence of

66

* The words Josephus puts into David's mouth on this occasion, are to the following effect: "I am now (says he) going a journey common to all, but to a place from whence no traveller returns. "Wherefore, while I am yet living, let me remind you of those "things I have before said to you; namely, that you exercise your "authority with justice over your subjects, humbly obey God who "has been pleased to bestow the government on you, and carefully "observe those laws and commandments which he has transmitted to "you from the great lesgislator Moses. Be careful that you are not "induced to violate these injunctions, either from the flatteries of "your courtiers, your own corrupt desires, or any other cause whatever. If you do, be assured your great and divine protector will "immediately forsake you; whereas, on the contrary, if you behave "yourself towards him as you ought, and as I most sincerely wish, you will confirm the kingdom to your posterity; no other house but "our's will sway the sceptre of the Israelites, but it will be continued 66 to you, and yours for ever. Forget not the crimes of Joab, who, "through jealousy, put to death two just and faithful generals, name"ly, Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Ithra: punish him for their deaths as you shall think fit; for, being more power"ful than myself, he has hitherto escaped the threats of justice. I "beseech you to do all the good offices you can for the sons of Bar"zillai, the Gileadite, not under the light of an obligation, but as an " acknowledgement for the great benefits I received from their father "during my banishment, which I reckon as a debt incumbent on our "whole family to discharge. As for Shimei, the Benjamite, who re"viled me in the days of my persecution, and whom I afterwards pardoned, you may act with him as you think proper, but I would "not have him escape unpunished.”