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rejected your God, Who only hath saved you out of all your evils and your tribulations, and you have said, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore

stand before the Lord by your tribes and by your families." And Samuel ordered them to cast lots that they might know who was the person amongst them designed by God to be their king. The lot fell upon the tribe of Benjamin, and then on the family of Metri, of which Saul was, and lastly upon Saul in that family. And Saul had concealed himself at home; but they sent and fetched him from thence, and when he appeared, they were all charmed with his tall and majestic appearance, and cried out with enthusiasm, "God save the king!"

Saul at this time was young and good. Happy would it have been for him if he had always continued as innocent and humble as when he was elected king of Israel. But it is a very hard trial for a man, and a very dangerous position, to be raised to royalty or any great dignities; and it is indeed a rare case when those who wear earthly crowns attain to heavenly ones also; as the melancholy history of Saul will show.

THE REIGN OF SAUL.

SAUL was brave and valiant, and led the Israelites out to battle against the Philistines, whom he conquered; but after the battle he offended God by offering sacrifices himself, instead of waiting till Samuel came, who had been appointed by God to offer them. And when Samuel came up and saw what he had done, he warned him that God would deprive him of the crown, and give it to one who

loved God better than Saul, and was more obedient to Him.

And Saul had a son called Jonathan, who was very brave, and helped to fight the battles of Israel with great success. And once when Saul led out the Israelites to fight against one of the heathen nations called the Amalecites, Samuel warned Saul in God's name to be careful to destroy all the people in Amalec, and not only the people, but all the sheep and oxen likewise. Saul, however, instead of simply obeying the commands of God, exercised his own judgment in the matter, and spared the best of the oxen and sheep to offer them in sacrifice to God; he also spared Agag, the king of Amalec. Having thus deliberately disobeyed the express commands of God, Saul erected a triumphal arch to celebrate his victory, and began offering a holocaust to God. And seeing Samuel approach, he advanced to meet him, and began telling Samuel how he had obeyed God's commands. But Samuel said, "What meaneth, then, this bleating of the flocks which soundeth in my ears, and the lowing of the herds which I hear ?"

And Saul began to excuse himself by saying that the people had spared the best of the sheep and herds to offer sacrifices to God. But Samuel told him that God valued obedience to His commands more than all the gifts or sacrifices he could offer Him. He said to Saul, "Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Because it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel, and like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey. Forasmuch therefore as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king over Israel." And Saul then

acknowledged his sin, saying that he had transgressed through fear of the people, or, in other words, through human respect, fearing man rather than God. But Samuel saw that his repentance was not that of true contrition, and again replied, "I will not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king." And after uttering this sentence, Samuel turned away to leave Saul, who, endeavouring to detain him, laid hold of the skirt of Samuel's mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said to him, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to thy neighbour, who is better than thee." And Saul again said, "I have sinned;" but, as before, it was a repentance caused, like the sin, by human respect; for he urged Samuel to offer sacrifice with him, that he might appear to honour him before the ancients of his people. Samuel gave him then that honour which he valued more than the pardon of God, and turned and offered sacrifice with him before the people. And Samuel destroyed the heathen king of Amalec, according to God's command, who in His infinite wisdom gave this order respecting all that was taken amongst the heathens, to keep his chosen people free and pure from idolatry.

And after this Samuel went to see Saul no more till the day of his death.

The sin of King Saul was that of wilfulness; he lacked spiritual obedience, which is, as we are often told by the Christian saints, that virtue which alone can guide us safely through the sea of this world. Samuel had been appointed by God as Saul's spiritual guide, and had he obeyed his commands and counsels with piety and simplicity, he would daily have approached nearer to God, and received His graces and blessings. But Saul's temperament was

wilful and rebellious, and he followed his own will, not that of God, as pointed out to him by His servant; and this it was which ruined him. We, as Christians and followers of the meek and obedient Lamb of God, should lay seriously to heart the history of Saul, and with thankfulness and humility follow the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, as shown us through the spiritual father placed over us by the hand of God.

DAVID, THE KING AFTER GOD'S OWN ᎻᎬᎪᎡᎢ .

AND now God spoke again to Samuel, who could not refrain from mourning over the sad end of Saul's reign, and the melancholy sight of one in whom he had taken so deep an interest, and with whom he had been so much joined in the service of God, and desired him to go to the family of Isai, from whence he said, "I have chosen a king." And God warned Samuel that when he should see the sons of Isai, he was not to suppose that the tallest or the handsomest was he whom God had chosen as king. "Look not on his countenance nor on the height of his stature, for I do not judge according to the look of man; for man seeth those things which appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart." ven of the sons of Isai passed before Samuel, and he said it was none of these which God had chosen. And Samuel asked if these were all Isai's sons. Their father replied that there was yet one more who was very young, and who was keeping the sheep. Samuel desired therefore that he should be sent for. And as this youngest son, David, entered,

Se

God inspired Samuel to anoint him, saying, "This

is he."

And Saul, who was abandoned by God, was troubled by an evil spirit, who was permitted by God to possess him. And Saul's servants seeing this, asked the king to give orders that some one should be sought who was a skilful musician; for this it was thought would as it were charm away the fits brought on by this terrible possession. And some one of Saul's attendants then spoke of having heard one of the sons of Isai, the Bethlehemite, play well upon the harp; and added that he was a young man of noble appearance, brave, and prudent in speech. So Saul sent for David, who was the youth alluded to; and he played to Saul upon his harp whenever the fit of the evil spirit was upon him, and this refreshed Saul, and made him better; so that whilst the sweet sounds and the praises of God sung by David continued, the evil spirit departed from him; for David's devotion was so great that it put to flight the evil spirit. And Saul grew very fond of David, and made him his armourbearer.

DAVID AND GOLIATH.

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AT this time the Philistines again declared war against Israel, and they drew themselves out in battle-array upon a mountain, and the Israelites took their station opposite to them on another mountain, and a deep valley ran between the two armies.

And in the Philistine host there was a giant, a man of most enormous height, size, and strength. He was clad in complete armour; wearing a helmet of brass, a coat of mail, and greaves of brass on his

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