consequences, David's heart was profoundly touched. "O God!" he cried,
in a generous burst of penitence, "I have sinned. But these sheep, what
have they done? Let thine hand be upon me, I pray thee, and upon my
father's house!"

If David committed no more sins which we are forced to condemn, and
which were not irreconcilable with his piety, he was subject to great
trials and misfortunes. The wickedness of his children, especially of
his eldest son Amnon, must have nearly broken his heart. Amnon's offence
was not only a terrible scandal, but cost the life of the heir to the
throne. It would be hard to conceive how David's latter days could have
been more embittered than by the crime of his eldest son,--a crime he
could neither pardon nor punish, and which disgraced his family in the
eyes of the nation. As to Absalom, it must have been exceedingly painful
and humiliating to the aged and pious king to be a witness of the pride,
insolence, extravagance, and folly of his favorite son, who had nothing
to commend him to the people but his good looks; and still harder to
bear was his rebellion, and his reckless attempt to steal his father's
sceptre. What a pathetic sight to see the old warrior driven from his
capital, and forced to flee for his life beyond the Jordan! How
humiliating to witness also the alienation of his subjects, and their
willingness to accept a brainless youth as his successor, after all the
glorious victories he had won, and the services he had rendered to the
nation! David's history reveals the sorrows and burdens of all kings and
rulers. Outward grandeur and power, after all, are a poor compensation
for the incessant cares, vexations, and humiliations which even the most
favored monarchs are compelled to accept,--troubles, disappointments,
and burdens which oppress both soul and body, and induce fears,
suspicions, jealousies, and animosities. Who would envy a Tiberius or a
Louis XIV. if he were obliged to carry their load, knowing well what