with us.

And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.

Ry. Thou hast heard. p. xxviii.

Lesson III.

AND it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. Now there

fore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. But Absalom filed.

Ry. Hearken, O LORD. p. xxix.
TUESDAY.

the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

Ry. LORD, if Thy people. p. xxxiv.

ΑΝ

Lesson II.

ND the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. Then said she, I pray thee, let the

king remember the LORD thy GOD, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said Say on. And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of GOD? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished. For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth GOD respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Ry. And it came to pass. p. xXXV.
Lesson III.

AND the king said, Is not the hand

of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thine handmaid: to fetch about this form of

speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of GOD, to know all things that are in the earth. And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

Ry. I took thee. p. xxvii.

WEDNESDAY.

Of the 2nd Book of Samuel.

Lesson I. Chap. xv.

AND it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Ry. I have sinned. p. xxviii.

Lesson II.

then I will serve the LORD. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

Ry. Hearken. p. xxix.

THURSDAY.

Of the 2nd Book of Samuel.

Lesson I. Chap. xv.

AND there came a messenger to

David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.

Ry. Prepare. p. xxvi.
Lesson II.

were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Ry. Thou hast heard. p. xxviii.
Lesson III.

his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

Ry. God is the hearer. p. xxvi.
Lesson III.

THEN said the king to Ittai the

Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may,

return thou, and take back thy brethren mercy and truth be with thee.

Ry. The LORD that. p. xxvii.

FRIDAY.

Of the 2nd Book of Samuel.

Lesson I. Chap. xvi.

AND when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus

said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: the LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned.

Ry. Saul hath slain. p. xxvii.

Ry. Ye mountains. p. xxvii.
Lesson III.

ND David said to Abishai, and to A all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him. It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

Ry. I took thee. p. xxvii.

AND Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. And Joab said unto the man

that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, Joab, Though I should receive a and a girdle. And the man said unto thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.

Ry. Thou hast heard. p. xxviii.
Lesson III.

HEN said Joab, I may not tarry

TE thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew the trumpet, and the

people returned from pursuing after

Lesson III.

Bath-sheba the mother

of

a very great heap of stones upon him.

Ry. Hearken. p. xxix.

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
FIRST NOCTURN.

Here beginneth the 1st Book
Kings.

Lesson I. Chap. i.

NOW king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and minis

a

tered to him: but the king knew her

not.

Ry. Prepare. p. xxvi.

Lesson II.

THEN Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

Ry. God is the hearer. p. xxvi.

shall reign after me, and he shall sit Adonijah reign? Behold, while thou upon my throne? why then doth yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber. thy words.

DAVID, once a man of war, when

seventy years old, could get no heat in his chilly age. Therefore the damsel Abishag the Shunammite was sought out from all the coasts of Israel to sleep with the king, and to cherish his aged body. Who is that Shunammite, wife and virgin, so warm, as to cherish one that is cold; so holy as not to entice him to desire? Let Solomon, the wisest of men, tell us what those pleasures of his father mean, and let the peaceful one speak of the warrior's embraces. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall

and

deliver to thee.

Ry. Saul hath slain. p. xxvii.

Lesson V.

NEARLY all the bodily powers undergo change in old men, and whilst wisdom alone increases, other things diminish; fasts, vigils, repose on the ground, hasty journeys hither and thither, the reception of strangers, the defence of the poor, earnestness and perseverance in prayer, visitation of the sick, manual labour to provide alms. And, not to prolong my discourse, everything which is carried on by means of the body becomes less when the body is broken down.

Rz. Ye mountains. p. xxvii.
Lesson VI.

NOR do I mean to say that wisdom, which fades away in the age of most old men, is necessarily cold in the young, who are still of a vigorous time of life: at any rate in such of them as obtain knowledge with toil and ardent study, with holiness of life also, and with constant prayer to the LORD JESUS; but that youth has to undergo many wars of the body, and that amidst the temptations of vice, and the allurements of the flesh, wisdom is choked, like fire in green wood, so that it cannot display its brightness. But on the other hand, the old age of such as have spent their youth in honourable pursuits, and have medi

tated day and night in the love of the LORD, becomes more instructed with age, more polished by experience, wiser by the progress of time, and reaps the sweetest of harvests from its former studies.

Ry. I took thee. p.xxvii.

Rz. vii. I have sinned. p. xxviii.
Ry. viii. Two Seraphim. xxviii.
MONDAY.

Of the 1st Book of Kings.

Lesson I. Chap. i.

came into the king's presence, stood before the king. And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, even as 1 sware unto thee by the LORD GOD of Israel,

saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit will I certainly do this day. Then upon my throne in my stead; even so Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David·liye

for ever.

Ry. Remember. p. xxviii.

Lesson II.

AND king David said, Call me

Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. The king also said unto them, lord, and cause Solomon my son to Take with you the servants of your ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow

ye with the trumpet, and say, GoD save king Solomon. Then ye shall and sit upon my throne; for he shall come up after him, that he may come be king in my stead.

Ry. Thou hast heard. p. xxviii.

Lesson III,

SO Zadok the priest, and Nathan the

prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, GoD save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound

VOL. II.

Ry. Hearken. p. xxix.

e