or unreasonable. I am going to
speak to you to-day of another form of obstinacy.

SUBJECT.--My subject is Persistency in doing wrong, because you have
begun wrong. This is only another form of the same fault. The other
is thinking wrong persistently, this is perseverance in doing wrong.
And the source of both is the same, Pride. Pride stands in the way of
altering an erroneous opinion, and in the way of altering a wrongful
course of action.

I. In the tenth chapter of the second book of Samuel we have a
striking story of the way in which a man having once done a wrong,
persists in it, and it brings about his ruin.

King David, when firmly established on his throne, began to look about
him to see who had been kind to him in his day of adversity, and to
reward, or thank them. He showed his gratitude to the memory of his
friend Jonathan by investing his son Mephibosheth with his
grandfather's property. Then he remembered that Nahash the King of
Ammon had shown him hospitality, and he heard also that he was just
dead. So David said, "I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of
Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me." And David sent to
comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father.

The message was kindly intended. David wished to show that he was not
forgetful of past favours, that he was ready to make a lasting
friendship with Hanun, and he desired to exhibit his sympathy with the
son for the loss of his father. These were the three motives actuating
David, all good. Now, how did Hanun act? One would naturally suppose
that he would appreciate these motives, and that he would be glad, when
scarce settled on his throne, to secure the powerful friendship of King
David. No!--he was young, insolent, inconsiderate, and fond of
practical joking,--a vulgar-minded fellow, puffed up with conceit at
his elevation to power. Hanun took the servants, the ambassadors of
David, and shaved off half their beards, and cut off the lower half of
all their clothes, and sent them back to David. And when it was told
unto David that his messengers had been thus ignominiously treated, "he
sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed, and said,
Tarry at Jericho, until your beards be grown, and then return." As
soon as Hanun and his Ammonites had done this, what was their next
step?--As perhaps you are aware, by the laws of civilized and
uncivilized people, the persons of ambassadors are held to be sacr