my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord."

"So David," we are told, "stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul."

Have you ever, my young friend, felt the spirit of retaliation towards one who had injured you? Have you ever had an occasion present itself which seemed to invite, and even to urge the necessity of inflicting some evil upon your enemy, that you might save yourself from harm? How did you act at such a crisis? Did you yield to the suggestions of a selfish and malignant revenge? Did you feel nothing of the meek and forgiving temper which the Gospel enjoins, nor of that magnanimous generosity of soul which despises the very thought of taking vengeance upon one, how much soever he may deserve it, who, at the time, is unable to make any resistance? What, now, are your reflections upon your past conduct? Does conscience approve of it? Would you do so again, if placed in similar circumstances? Can you still cherish such feelings, and dare to offer up the petition which our Savior taught his disciples daily to present before the throne of grace,-Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors! Remember his solemn declaration; "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Saul, not knowing what had happened, soon

rose and left the cave. David followed him, and arrested his attention by exclaiming, "My lord the king," and, when Saul looked round, "stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said to Saul, wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord hath delivered thee to-day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, wickedness proceedeth from the wicked:"-(if I had been so guilty as to conspire with others against thee, I should surely have been depraved enough to kill thee when I had thee in my power :)—" but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? After a dead dog, after a flea ?-(so insignificant a person, that he is unable to do thee any harm.)—" The Lord therefore be judge, and

judge between me and thee; and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand."

The more generous feelings of Saul seem to have been touched by this appeal of David. "Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thy hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house."

David was ready to comply with this request, and called God to witness that he would faithfully abide by his promise made to the king. Saul then returned home with his forces, while David, still apprehensive of danger, sought a place of security with his men in some one of the strong holds in the neighborhood.*

*David is supposed, while in the cave of En-gedi, to have composed Psalms 57, 58, and 63.

About this time the prophet Samuel died, having reached the advanced age of nearly a hundred years; and "all the Israelites," we are told, "were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah;" that is, as we have reason to believe this expression intends, in the sepulchre he had prepared for his burial, near his dwelling, and probably in the garden attached to it.

The death of this illustrious and beloved man produced a deep sensation throughout the whole country. An immense number of people were assembled at Ramah, from all parts of the land, to attend his funeral; and the mourning for his loss, which probably continued during thirty days, so engrossed the public attention that quite a respite was afforded David from the persecution of Saul, and he had the opportunity of moving from place to place with little or no fear of molestation. He left the strong holds where he and his men had secreted themselves, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. This was a desert in Arabia Petroa, south of Judea, and northwest of the Elanitic, or eastern gulf of the Red Sea. Here an occurrence took place of a deeply eventful character in the life of David

a

In Maon, a city not far distant, there dwelt man of great wealth, whose name was Nabal. Among other possessions, he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats, which he fed in the

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neighborhood of Carmel, a city of Judah, on a mountain of the same name, about ten miles east of Hebron. His wife, whose name was Abigail, a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings.' His name seemed to be an appropriate one; for it signifies to be foolish, base, or villanous; and some think, that his being said to be" of the house of Caleb,” or a Calebite, rather refers to his surly, snappish temper, -as the word caleb in Hebrew, means a dog. At any rate, he was of a very selfish, cynical disposition, as we shall soon see.

CHAPTER XIV.

David determines to punish Nabal, but is appeased by his wife, Abigail. Nabal dies suddenly.

Nabal, at this time, had a large sheep-shearing at Carmel. The shepherds who had the charge of his flocks were there, with others employed for the purpose, and many of his friends and acquaintance. It was an occasion among the Israelites of great festivity, and a very generous entertainment was usually provided for those who were present.

David heard of this, and felt that he and his