may be
seen the distinct fulfilment of the punishment foretold by Nathan the
prophet, as prepared for David's own "great transgression." God's
providence is unerring, and men indeed prepare for themselves the
retribution which, in spite of sincere repentance, is the inevitable
consequence of their own violations of law,--physical, moral, and
spiritual. God gave David the new heart he longed for; but the evil
seeds sown bore nevertheless evil fruit for him and his children.

Aside from these troubles, we know but little of the latter days of
David. After the death of Absalom, it would seem that he reigned ten
years, on the whole tranquilly, turning his attention to the development
of the resources of his kingdom, and collecting treasure for the Temple,
which he was not to build. He was able to set aside, as we read in the
twenty-second chapter of the Chronicles, a hundred thousand talents of
gold and a million talents of silver,--an almost incredible sum.

If a talent of silver is, as estimated, about L390, or $1950, it would
seem that the silver accumulated by David would have amounted to nearly
two billion dollars, and the gold to a like sum,--altogether four
billions, which is plainly impossible. Probably there is a mistake in
the figures. We read in the twenty-ninth chapter of Chronicles that
David gave to Solomon, out of his own private property, three thousand
talents of gold and seven thousand talents of silver,--together, nearly
$74,000,000. His nobles added what would be equal to $120,000,000 in
gold and silver alone, besides brass and iron,--altogether about
$194,000,000, which is not incredible when we bear in mind that a
single family in New York has accumulated a larger sum in two
generations. But even this sum,--nearly two hundred million
dollars,--would have more than built all the temples of Athens, or St.
Peter's Church at Rome. Whether the author of the Chronicles has
exaggerated the amount of the national contribution for the building of
the Temple or not, we yet are impressed with the vast wealth which was
accumulated in the lifetime of David; and hence we infer that the wealth
of his kingdom was enormous. And it was perhaps the excessive taxation
of the people to raise this money, outside of the spoils of successful
wars, that alienated them in the latter days of David, and induced them
to rally under the standards of usurpers. Certain it is that he became
unpopular in the feebleness of old age, and