was forced to abdicate
his throne.

David's premature old age presented a sad contrast to the vigor of his
early days. He was not a very old man when he died,--younger than many
monarchs and statesmen who in our times have retained their vigor, their
popularity, and their power. But the intense labors and sorrows of forty
years may have proved too great a strain on his nervous energies, and
made him as timid as he once was bold. The man who had slain Goliath ran
away from Absalom. He was completely under the domination of an
intriguing wife. He showed a singular weakness in reference to the
crimes of his favorite son, so as to merit the bitter reproaches of his
captain-general. "Thou hast shamed this day," said Joab, "the faces of
all thy servants; for I perceive had Absalom lived, and all of us had
died this day, then it had pleased thee well." In David's case, his last
days do not seem to have been his best days, although he retained his
piety and had conquered all his enemies. His glorious sun set in clouds
after a reign of thirty-three years over united Israel, and the nation
hailed the accession of a boy whose character was undeveloped.

The final years of this great monarch present an impressive lesson of
the vanity even of a successful life, whatever services a man may have
rendered to his country and to civilization. Few kings have ever
accomplished more than David; but his glory was succeeded, if not by
shame, at least by clouds and darkness. And this eclipse is all the more
mournful when we remember not only his services but his exalted virtues.
He was the most successful and the most admired of all the monarchs who
reigned at Jerusalem. He was one of the greatest and best men who ever
lived in any nation or at any period. "When, before or since, has there
lived an outlaw who did not despoil his country?" Where has there
reigned a king whose head was less giddy on a throne, or who retained
more humility in the midst of riches and glories, unless it were Marcus
Aurelius or Alfred the Great? David had an inborn aptitude for
government, and a power like Julius Caesar of fascinating every one who
came in contact with him. His self-denial and devotion to the interests
of the nation were marvellous. We do not read that he took any time for
pleasure or recreation; the heavy load of responsibility and care never
for a moment was thrown from his shoulders. His penetration of character
was so remarkable that all stood