David fled from Achish in alarm. He took shelter in the cave of Adullam. This was a large cavern, capable of containing many hundreds of men. Here all his father's family took refuge also; being probably exposed to persecution at the hands of Saul. And hither there resorted to him about four hundred men; such as were "in distress," or "in debt," or "discontented." A strange company, to form the court and camp of one that had been anointed to the kingdom of Israel! A cheerless palace, to be the best in which the future king could receive his parents and his brethren! Yet not even here could he be satisfied of their safety. He was forced to apply to the king of Moab to take charge of his father and his mother. Nay neither might he abide safely in the cave himself. For the prophet Gad said unto him, "Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth." This was within the borders of his own tribe. And here he might derive advantage from that favour and affection, which they of one tribe bare towards each other, as against the enmity of the rest.

But Saul this whole time sought his life to destroy him. He "abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him." That is to say, he was ready in arms, and in the field, to march in any direction where he could be likely to slay David. He too relied chiefly upon the men of his own tribe, saying, "Hear now, ye Benjamites;" when he appealed to the interests and affections of his followers, and charged them with neither grieving for his disappointment, nor forwarding his success. And his appeal, though not answered by any Benjamite, gave occasion to Doeg the Edomite to report what he had seen at Nob; and so to represent the case to the prejudice of Ahimelech, that Saul took occasion to vent upon the priests his wrath, as though they were accomplices of David.

Thus was David persecuted not only in himself, but in all who could be charged of being connected with him. Thus did he foreshew the history of our Saviour, as a type; not only by first suffering before he was glorified, but also by being made the occasion of suffering to such as could be accused of having served or loved him. But who would not rather stand charged with Ahimelech, than be in the place of accusing Doeg? Who would not rather flee with David, than persecute with Saul? Who would not rather suffer with Christ, than join with them that revile that name, and vex and oppress all such as love it in sincerity? Oh let it be our endeavour, in all our troubles, so to suffer, as that we may be counted to suffer with Christ! Oh let it be our comfort to remember, that "if so be that we suffer with him," we shall "be also glorified together!" Rom. 8. 17.

Doeg, by Saul's orders, slayeth the priests and their families.

11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. 13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. 17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the

LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD's priests.

22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

LECTURE 488.

What it is to have a tender conscience.

This is a dreadful page in the history of Saul; and it shews us not only to what lengths angry passions run, if once we let them obtain the mastery, but also what great danger there is, that if they cannot reach the first object of wrath, they will rather find vent on some one else, without the least possible provocation, than not be indulged at all. Let the passionate man take warning. And

let those who talk with such a man be watchful, that they never provoke his wrath, nor give him ground of provocation against others. They may be guilty of the consequences, if like Doeg they have suggested the occasion, though they should not also be like Doeg, the executioners. If "whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer," 1 John 3. 15, he that soweth between brethren the seeds of hatred cannot be altogether free from blood guiltiness.

Ahimelech pleads the truth in his defence, plainly, and firmly; but in vain. Truth cannot get a hearing in the storm of passion, when it opposes the current of a man's violence; whilst falsehood, if it be in the direction of his wrath, is readily believed, and made the ground of action. No other witness need be summoned. Nor need Doeg be troubled to reply. The pleading of Ahimelech, strong as it was for his innocence, weighs not with Saul against pronouncing instantly this stern sentence, "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house." What a forcible reproof to this unjust judge was the refusal of his own servants to execute his sentence! They "would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord." What a standing testimony against such as persecute God's ministers, or in any way delight in wronging or reviling them, that none but Doeg the Edomite could be found, to slay those "that did wear a linen ephod," and to lay waste their city with the sword! And what a terrible warning, to God's ministers themselves, of his being sure to visit them for their sins, when they remember that this son of Ahitub and his family were those very descendants of Eli, see ch. 14. 3, of whom the Lord had said in his displeasure, "all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age!" Ch. 2. 33.

We read not of any compunction in either Saul or Doeg, both of whom were wholly guilty in this grievous crime. We read that David, who unwittingly had first led to its taking place, said immediately on hearing it from Abiathar who escaped, "I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house." See what it is to have a tender conscience. See how ready it makes us to take blame to ourselves before men, as well as to own our sinfulness unto God. Doubtless David here reflected, that if he had not deceived Ahimelech, he would not have received at his hands those favours which Doeg made the occasion of his death. A tender conscience is not to blame ourselves groundlessly; but to be sensitive to the many grounds on which we are justly blameable. It is not to be scrupulous about trifles; but to feel that nothing really is a trifle which really is a sin. It is not to take a pride in owning to our sins, so as for men to give us praise for our humility; but it is to own to them unfeignedly, and to be ashamed of them heartily, and to be willing to bear all the shame and blame. ourselves, and to give all the glory of our repentance and forgiveness unto God.

David rescueth Keilah; departeth to the wilderness. Then they told David, say- his men. ing, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2 Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4 Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.

12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.

13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. 15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. LECTURE 489.

8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and

The information which God gives us in his word.

"It came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.” Hence it appears that David was at Keilah when Abiathar came

to him. And whatever use David may have made of this ephod, which was probably the high priest's ephod, in consulting the Lord afterwards, he must have had some means before of enquiring of the Lord whether he should go and save Keilah, or not. How this was done, is nowhere explained. And yet we read here, that it was done twice; once for David's own satisfaction, and once more for the encouragement of the men who followed him. By whatever means he consulted the will of the Lord, his doing so is a proof of his willingness to go forth at the Lord's bidding, of his depending on the Lord for success, and of his being willing to reign subject to the Lord, as the King over his people Israel.

When David had rescued Keilah from the Philistines, he appears to have dwelt for a short time within the walls of the town. And Saul, hearing of this, thought that he might now more easily take him captive, saying, "God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars." Strange presumption, to speak of God as prospering an object, which he was seeking in opposition to God's well known will! Strange, if it were not in truth a common practice, for men to refer to God's providence their success in things which He forbids, and also their failure in things which He commands! How many have thanked God for riches, gained perhaps by extortion, or by dishonesty, or by intense devotion to a worldly calling! How many have laid the blame on God for faults, arising simply from their own neglect of grace; or for deficiencies in duty, through want of time, health, or strength, when they have wasted their years in idleness, and sacrificed the health and strength He would have given them, by a wanton neglect of those laws of nature on which they knew that these means of usefulness depend!

But God delivered him not into his hand;" no, neither in the wilderness of Ziph, nor in the town of Keilah. The men of Keilah indeed would have given up their deliverer. But David had consulted God, and learnt from Him, both that Saul would come to take him, and that they would give him up. He acted on this information; and he escaped. Thus God tells us, as plainly as by an ephod, in his word, both what we ought to do, and what will happen if we do it, and what if not. "The Lord said, He will come down." And yet Saul came not. And again, "the Lord said, They will deliver thee up." And yet they did no such thing. And why? because David profited by the warning. Thus it is also with all we read in Scripture, of God's promises, and of his threatenings, directed to ourselves. Both are true infallibly. But which of the two will take effect in any one of us, this is a thing which God Himself has been pleased to make dependent upon the deference which we pay to them ourselves. May we enquire, and learn the truth! May we learn it, and obey it! May we obey it, and be delivered from the enemy of our souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord!