Davideis :: :: University of Virginia Library

NOW all was hush'd and still. Uriah dead,
His wife translated to king David's bed;
No more by stealth, but now with open face,
The joyful king doth Beth-sheba embrace,
Before his courtiers, doth her court and kiss,
And, without blushing, dares to call her his;
Uriah's blood th'adultery out did blot,
And how that blood was shed, is now forgot;
Dissolv'd in melting pleasures David lies,
And from th'avenger in himself he flies;
Remorse was lost, hardness was enter'd in,
Sensual delights had drown'd the sense of sin.

But David's God, the God who David chose,
And David lov'd, would not his David lose;
For though a strong temptation had prevail'd,
And David sway'd thereby, had grosly fail'd;

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Yet he who hearts doth search, and reins doth try,
Saw yet in David a sincerity;
His prophet, therefore, God did send to rouse,
The stupid king from his lethargick drowse.

O boundless goodness! O unmeasur'd love!
Which did the bowels of his father move
Towards his erring child; he condescends,
And the first motion makes, for being friends;
Th'offended uses means to raise a sense
In the offender of his foul offence,
That, on repentance, he may mercy show,
And reconciliation thence may flow.

Th'inspired prophet, thus to David sent,
Did, by a harmless wile, him circumvent;
And having in a parable him caught,
The king to be his own condemner brought.

‘Two men,’ said he, ‘did in one city dwell,
‘One very poor, and one in wealth did swell;
‘The rich, of flocks and herds had plenteous store;
‘The poor man had, in all the world, no more
‘But one small ewe-lamb, which he bought and fed,
‘And choicely with his children nourished;
‘Of his own cup it drank, and for its meat
‘He grudg'd it not the same himself did eat;
‘He let it in his bosom lie at night,
‘For, as a daughter, 'twas his chief delight.
‘Now when a stranger to the rich man came
‘To visit him, so void was he of shame,

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‘That, sparing all his own, he took and drest
‘The poor man's lamb, to entertain his guest,’

With strict attention did king David hear
The prophet's tale; then made it soon appear
How quick his sense was of the poor man's wrong,
And what to th'rich oppressor did belong;
Against the man his hot displeasure brake,
And to the prophet Nathan thus he spake:

‘As lives the Lord, let him be ne'er so high,
‘The man that this hath done shall surely die:
‘Nay, death shall not suffice, but furthermore,
‘He four times over shall the lamb restore;
‘Because, that having plenty of his own,
‘He did this thing, and hath no pity shown.’
So spake the king; but little thought, alas!
That he this sentence on himself did pass.

How partial is the nature of mankind!
Quick-sighted at another's fault, but blind
Unto our own! ourselves how apt to spare,
But unto others, how severe we are!
He that could with an over-hasty breath,
For a less fault, pronounce another's death,
Could just before abuse his neighbour's wise,
And him, without remorse, deprive of life.

No sooner did the heavy sentence come
From David's lips, but Nathan set it home;
Disguises laid aside, the seer began:
“My message is to thee—Thou art the man!”

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How great was now the guilty king's surprise!
Might have been seen in his dejected eyes;
His conscious blood into his face did flush,
And brought upon his cheeks a scarlet blush,
Which lasted not, but in a while did fail,
And was succeeded by a fainty pale,
As if the guiltless blood he lately spilt
Had thither flow'd, to evidence his guilt,
And then retiring, back again had fled
To shew the stained ground where it was shed.
A great disorder in his face appear'd,
As well from what he felt, as what he fear'd;
His hands, like one that had the palsy, shook;
His trembling knees against each other strook;
Silent he sat, his spirit almost gone,
While the inspired prophet thus went on:

‘Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel,
‘Who in most awful majesty doth dwell,’—
“I over Isr'el thee appointed king,
“And out of all thy troubles thee did bring;
“Out of the hand of Saul I thee did save,
“And unto thee thy master's house I gave;
“Into thine arms thy master's wives I cast,
“And to thee Isr'el made, and Judah fast;
“And if all this had been too small a store,
“I would have added such and such things more.
“Why then didst thou the Lord's command despise
“To do the thing that's evil in his eyes?
“Uriah thou, with Ammon's sword hast slain,
“And with his wife, as with thine own, has lain;

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“Now, therefore, never shall thy house be free
“From sword, because thou hast despised me,
“Who from the sheep-cote set thee on the throne,
“And took Uriah's wife to be thine own.”

‘Thus saith the Lord,’—“Behold, I'll evil raise
“Out of thy house against thee divers ways;
“Thy wives, before thine eyes, I'll from thee take,
“And let thy neighbour strumpets of them make;
“He with thy wives in open view shall lie,
“Regardless who looks on, or who stands by.
“Thou secretly hast wrought, and in the dark,
“But I will on thee set a publick mark;
“For I will cause this justice to be done
“Before all Israel, and before the sun.”

Thus said, the prophet stopp'd.—The wounded king,
Who of his guilt now felt the piercing sting,
Defence had none to make; no art did use
His soul offence to palliate or excuse;
But fetching from his very inmost part
A doleful groan, which seem'd to rend his heart,
His quiv'ring lips let fall this mournful word,
“Ah me!—I sinned have against the Lord.”
A sigh the sentence clos'd; a sigh that came
So warmly out, it might his lips inflame;
But that his melting eyes a plenteous show'r
Of tears upon his cheeks and beard did pour.

Short the confession was; yet that it flow'd
From a true penitent the accent show'd;

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It reach'd the prophet's heart, and gain'd belief
Of the sincerity of David's grief;
For God repentance, if it be sincere,
Accepts, tho' short in words it doth appear.

Such David's was; yet was it not in vain,
The gladded prophet alters now his strain,
And with an healing word doth thus begin;—
‘The Lord hath also put away thy sin;
‘Thou shalt not die.’ O! who would be so base
To sin against such undeserved grace!
‘Howbeit, (thus the prophet did proceed)
‘Because thou great occasion by this deed
‘Hast given wicked men the Lord to scorn,
‘The spurious child, which unto thee is born,
‘Shall surely die.’ His word was verify'd,
For, on the seventh day, the infant dy'd.

The prophet now, his message fully done,
Had left the king, and to his house was gone;
But what he from the Lord had to him said,
On David's heart a deep impression made;
His conscience, which before did slumb'ring lie,
Now throughly waken'd, in his face did fly,
And charg'd him home; he felt the wounds within,
Which, on his bleeding heart, were made by sin.

Ah! who his grinding sorrows can express!
Or speak the hundredth part of his distress!
His galling grief, his pity-moving moans,
His deep-fetch'd sighs, and his heart-rending groans!

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Himself we find, could not deliver these,
Without the help of great hyperboles.

How earnest was he! with what fervency
Unto his God did he for pardon cry!
‘Have mercy on me, O my God!’ he cry'd,
‘And for my sins thy face not from me hide;
‘Purge me with hyssop, cleanse me from my sin,
‘And wash me throughly from all guilt within:
‘Create in me a clean heart, and renew
‘Within me, Lord, a spirit right and true;
‘O! from thy presence cast me not away,
‘Nor take thy spirit from me, Lord, I pray;
‘With thy free spirit me uphold; restore
‘The joy of thy salvation as before.’

Such moving supplications, day and night,
Did he pour forth, which I nor can recite,
Nor need; for he hath couch'd them in such verse
As my short-winded muse cannot rehearse.
Suffice it, therefore, that the reader know
He did not pray in vain; but prayed so,
That he not only pardon did obtain,
But his lost favour did with God regain.

God grant, whoever sins like him may be
As true a contrite penitent as he!