324 THE KING'S MIRROR 



nant, he sent for Uriah, and hoping to avoid taking his 

 life, he ordered him to lie with his wife so that the off- 

 spring might be known as his, while David would atone 

 in secret for the sin of his whoredom and never after- 

 ward come near Uriah's wife. But when he found that 

 Uriah happened to be unwilling to lie with his wife, he 

 contrived to conceal his sin from men, though he in- 

 creased it in the sight of God. Later, when Nathan the 

 prophet charged David with all this guilt, he answered 

 as if condemning himself, speaking these words: "So 

 ^heavy and evil is my transgression that I am worthy 

 of death because of this thing; a wretch am I to have 

 set such an example before God's people, over whom He 

 has appointed me ruler and judge; rather would I now 

 suffer a speedy death than have this misdeed pursue me 

 tojiell. Now since I have set an evil example before the 

 people of God by my sin, I am ready to suffer punish- 

 ment according to the Lord's will as a warning to the 

 people not to fall into such transgression." But when 

 Truth and Justice saw David's penitence, they per- 

 mitted Mercy to pass the judgment; for the prophet 

 Nathan replied in this wise: " God sees your repentance, 

 and He does not desire you to suffer death for your sin, 

 but He will punish you with an endurable chastisement 

 for this deed before you die." Now you must know that 

 God did not forgive David's crime so completely as to 

 excuse him from just punishment; for this was the first 

 penalty that the king suffered from God: the child which 

 he had begotten with Bathsheba was a man child and 

 very lovely, wherefore David much desired that it might 

 live; but it did not please God to let him enjoy the child 



