It is very difficult for us to realize the intense appreciation of, and respect for, the beard, which is entertained among the Persians, Arabians, and other bearded nations. They treat their own beards with respect, suffering no defilement to come near them, and handling them with deliberate care. They bury with solicitude any stray hairs that come from the beard; and to lose it by accident were worse than the loss of the head itself, which would, in their esteem, become ridiculous and useless without this essential appendage. For any one else to touch a man's beard irreverently, to speak of it lightly, to cast a reproach upon it, were an offence never to be forgotten or forgiven; but to cut or remove it by violence or stealth, were an affront, a disgrace, a horror, which scarcely the heart's blood of the offender could expiate. All these notions respecting the beard doubtless had their origin in its being the grand mark of distinction between the male and the female face, whence it became the symbol of manly dignity and strength, and the want of it the sign of weakness and effeminacy. Conceive the ecstasies of mirthful derision which attended the progress of David's unfortunate ambassadors through the country in their way home, with half their faces shaven, and their garments cut far too short for decency or comfort. In smiling at the idea of the awkward figure these illustrious and worthy persons presented, one cannot help feeling indignant that it should be in the power of foolish men, by anything they can do, to render ridiculous and contemptible the persons of men entitled to veneration or respect. It is really in their power; for, let us say what we will, few of us would be able to repress a laugh at beholding even a great and good man in a ridiculous position; nor must we be too confident that we should have been able to keep our countenances, had the disfigured ambassadors presented themselves to our view. Truly, the sense of the ridiculous, which seems peculiar to man, is often a very great misfortune.

King David was well aware that his ambassadors would never again be able to face those who should once see them in this absurd and wretched plight. He therefore, with a

tender consideration for their feelings, which they must have prized most highly, sent a messenger to meet them, releasing them from the duty of coming to the court, and permitting them to remain at the first town on this side the Jordan, at Jericho, until the growth of their beards should enable them again to appear in public.

Fully persuaded that David could not overlook this grievous insult, the Ammonites prepared for war. With the terrible result in view, it is well to note that David, although naturally quick tempered, was slow to move in this matter; or rather, the Ammonites were so prompt in taking the initiative, that they appeared in the field against him before he manifested any disposition to move. They were most entirely and most unprovokedly the aggressors in this war. Reposing in conscious power, the king's lion-like wrath was but slowly awakened ; but when fairly aroused, it was irresistible and terrible.

There is a very noticeable circumstance that meets us here. The Ammonites, sensible that they were not able to encounter the might of David in their own strength, hired the aid of various Syrian princes; this being the first recorded example of mercenary warfare. Under the circumstances, these powers were probably but too willing to join the coalition; and it speaks much for the wealth and influence which the Ammonites had by this time attained, that they were able to organize this powerful confederacy, and to bear its expenses. The expense amounted to a thousand talents of silver, which would be of the present value of £360,000, but of far greater worth at that time, when silver seems to have borne a much higher value than it does now; but even at the present value, it would not be less than at the rate of eleven pounds for each of the chariots employed during the campaign. The writer of the book of Chronicles states the number of chariots at 32,000; and it has been thought that this may be an error of transcription, as it is seen that the numbers of that book often differ from those of the books of Samuel and Kings, and are always in excess. One must be wrong, and in most cases the accounts in Chronicles are not preferred. In this case, however, there is no contradiction, as

the numbers are not stated in Samuel. Such a force in chariots is certainly unparalleled. Yet the circumstances agree with it. The money is fairly proportioned to the number; and it is stated that the force of a large extent of country, in which chariot warfare prevailed, was engaged in this enterprise, and that the chariot forces of four kingdoms were brought together on this occasion.

David beheld not this confederacy with indifference. He called out the military force of Israel; and when he learned that the Syrians had marched to join the Ammonites, he despatched Joab to take charge of the war. This great commander decided to prevent the intended junction. With the flower of the army he went himself to meet the Syrians, and gave to Abishai the easier task of engaging the Ammonites, with the understanding that the one should help the other in case either were distressed by his opponents. The words of Joab to his brother, before they separated to their respective tasks, were altogether worthy of the commander of the armies of Israel, and appear to indicate that, with all his faults, and even crimes, he possessed more real piety, and truer theocratical views, than he has usually had credit for: 'Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the Lord do what seemeth Him good.'

The result of an engagement, undertaken in this spirit, could not be doubtful. The hired army of chariots soon gave way before the stedfast front of Joab's indomitable infantry; and when the Ammonites beheld this, and saw that Joab was coming to join his brother against them, they lost heart and fled. They shut themselves up in their strongholds, and laboured to incite the Syrians again to take the field. They probably urged that they had not obtained the worth of their money; and although the lesser princes seem to have declined any further action, the greatest of them, Hadadezer of Zobah, who had had a sufficient case of his own against the Israelites, was effectually roused, and collected forces from every available source for another struggle. Even his troops beyond the Euphrates were brought over for this service. This force,

worthy to decide the fate of an empire, took the field under a renowned general named Shobach; and David deemed the occasion of sufficient importance for him to command in person. The result was as before. The Syrians were beaten, and the power of Hadadezer so entirely broken, that he no more appears in history. The Syrian tributary princes, who had been obliged to join him, made their own terms with David, and left the Ammonites to their own resources.

The word rendered 'Syrians' in our version, is uniformly Aram in the Hebrew. Aram was the name given to a wide extent of country, embracing north-eastern Syria and Mesopotamia. That section of it which lay east of the Euphrates was called AramNaharaim; while the western portion was divided into a number of small principalities—Aram-Zobah, Aram-Maachah, Aram-Bethrechob, and Aram-Damascus. The greater part of Aram is a plain, clothed with rich pastures, and famous in ancient as well as modern times for its horses. The Bedawîn of Northern Syria and Mesopotamia could, at any moment, bring into the field fifty thousand cavaliers. The level plains, too, were well adapted for war-chariots. It ought not to be overlooked, however, that the Hebrew word rendered 'chariots,' both in this chapter and in the parallel passage in 1 Chron. xix., is a general term, properly signifying 'riders,' and may mean those riding in chariots, or on horses, or on camels. Camels have been always much used by the Arabs in warfare. Each animal carries two men, in special cases even three. They either fight from the back of the camel, or dismount and act as foot soldiers.

The numbers given in the parallel passages in Samuel and Chronicles are widely different. With our present information, it is impossible satisfactorily to harmonize them. It ought to be remembered, however, that the narratives are fragmentary; that the numbers, though diverse, are not necessarily contradictory; and that, were the full account before us, the whole might appear perfectly consistent.

Thirty-eighth Week-Fourth Day.

SIN AND SORROW.-2 SAMUEL XI. XII.

THE Ammonites, who, although beaten, were not wholly reduced, having retired to their fortified towns, held out with much obstinacy. The next campaign against them was conducted by Joab, who, after ravaging the country, laid siege to the metropolitan city of Rabbah.

It was while the army was engaged in these distant operations that David fell into those deep sins, which have left a dark blot upon his that all his tears have not been able to expunge name, from the view of man, nor all his griefs to make man forget. It is indeed profitable that they should be held in remembrance, in their causes and results, that the sad fall of so distinguished a saint-a man so near to God—may teach us not to be highminded, but fear.

The facts are so well known to every reader, that it will suffice to indicate them very briefly.

David, when walking upon the roof of his palace, after having risen from his afternoon rest, obtained a view of a beautiful woman, of whom he became most passionately enamoured. Her name was Bathsheba, and she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who, notwithstanding his Canaanitish origin, was one of the king's most distinguished officers, and a member of the illustrious band of 'worthies.' After gratifying his criminal passion, and finding that it would not be much longer possible to conceal a fact which would expose Bathsheba to the deathpunishment of an adulteress, David did not shrink from sending orders to Joab, so to expose her valiant husband in battle as to ensure his destruction by the sword of the Ammonites. Joab obeyed this order to the letter, and Uriah perished. Bathsheba was then free, and David barely suffered the days of her mourning to pass (probably a month) before he added her to the

number of his wives.

Here is adultery; here is murder. Oh, David, David, how