him, he one ian had but the little ewe rifhed up him and of his own P, and lay in is a daughter unto the rich his own flock ❝ and ftrength to remove this flattering paffion which ftood in their way, and blocked up all the paffages to the heart, they endeavoured by ftratagem, to get beyond it, and by a skilful address, if poffible, to deceive it. This gave rife to the early manner of conveying their inftructions, in parables, fables, and fuch fort of indirect applications, which, though they could not conquer this principle of felf-love, yet often laid it asleep, or at least over-reached it for a few moments, till a juft judgment could be procured. The prophet Nathan seems to have been a great mafter in this way of addrefs. David had greatly displeased GOD, by two grievous fins which he had committed, and the prophet's commiffion was to go and bring him to a conviction of them, and touch his heart with a fense of guilt for what he had done against the honour and life of Uriah. The holy man knew, that was it any one's cafe but David's own, no man would have been fo quick-fighted in difcerning the nature of the injury, more ready to have redressed it, or who would have felt more compaffion for for the party who had fuffered it, than he himself. Instead, therefore, of declaring the real intention of his errand, by a direct accufation and reproof for the crimes he had committed, he comes to him with a fictitious complaint of a cruel act of injuftice done by another, and accordingly he frames a cafe, not fo parallel to David's as he fuppofed would awaken his fufpicion, and prevent a patient and candid hearing, and yet not so void of resemblance in the main circumftances, as to fail of striking him, when shewn in a proper light. And Nathan came and faid unto him, "There were two men in one city, the one "rich and the other poor-the rich man had "exceeding many flocks and herds, but the 66 poor man had nothing fave one little ewe "lamb, which he had bought and nourished up "-and it grew up together with him and "with his children-it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in "his bofom, and was unto him as a daughter "-and there came a traveller unto the rich 66 man, and he spared to take of his own flock D 3 " and "and of his own herd to dress for the way faring man that was come unto him, but "took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for "the man that was come unto him." The cafe was drawn up with great judgment and beauty, the several minute circumstances which heightened the injury truly affecting,and fo ftrongly urged, that it would have been impoffible for any man, with a previous fenfe of guilt upon his mind, to have defended himself from fome degree of remorse, which it muft naturally have excited. The story, though it spoke only of the injuftice and oppreffive act of another man, yet it pointed to what he had lately done himfelf, with all the circumftances of its aggravation; and withal, the whole was fo tenderly addreffed to the heart and paffions, as to kindle, at once, the utmost horror and indignation. And fo it did,but not against the proper perfon. In his tranfport he forgot himself; -his anger greatly kindled against the man,and he faid unto Nathan, "As the "LORD liveth, the man that hath done this "thing, fhall furely die, and he shall restore "the |