they ought to think," are the people who are taught how weak they really are, by coming to grief, when others have succeeded who have not boasted:

David before this time had returned home to take care of his father's sheep, and happening to be sent with a message to his brothers in the camp, he heard Goliath defying the armies of Israel. He heard also the promise of the reward offered by the king to whoever should kill the giant. Eliab, his eldest brother, was very angry with him for coming there. "Why camest thou down hither," he said, "and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle." But David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

Then David told him that when he kept his father's sheep, there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, and how he killed with his own hand both the lion and the bear, and, added David, "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said unto David, "Go, and the Lord be with thee." Saul tried to make David put

on heavy armour, but he would not wear it. "He took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine."

A sling was a piece of leather in which was placed a stone, and after being whirled round several times it was flung towards the enemy with immense force. When the giant saw David, “he disdained him, for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves? and he cursed David by his gods. And he said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled."

When David returned from his victory, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, "singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabrets" (a musical instrument rather like a tambourine), "with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands and what can he have more but the kingdom ?"

From this time Saul's jealousy made him often try to kill David, though at intervals he seemed to be very fond of him, and to wish to keep him near him. Happily, Jonathan, Saul's son, loved David, and more than once saved his life. At length, David's only safety seemed to be flight, and he escaped into the desert. At one time he hid himself in the cave of Adullam, and while there, we are told that "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him, and he became a captain over them, and there were with him about four hundred men." A cave so called is now to be seen about twenty-five miles south-west of Jerusalem, quite large enough to hold that number of men.

From this time to the death of Saul, David's life must have been one of much suffering. More than once he might have destroyed Saul, but yet spared him. Saul professed to be sorry for his bad conduct, but David could not trust his assurances of affection,

or his penitence for his offences. Once Saul said to him, “I have sinned, return, my son David, for I will no more do thee harm. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." But the next words we hear were, "David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul, there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines." How often do we meet with people who, like Saul, are constantly sinning and repenting! However sorry they seem for their faults, it is impossible to have any confidence in their future conduct. They give way to the slightest temptation.

The First Book of Samuel ends by telling us of the death of Saul and Jonathan in battle. David was not present, and when the news came, his affection even for his enemy broke forth. "The beauty of Israel," he said, "is slain upon thy high places. How are the mighty fallen! Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me, thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women!" David knew he was to be Saul's successor in reigning over the land of Judah. He dwelt in Hebron, about twenty-two miles from Jerusalem. Saul's family did not allow him to govern without fierce struggles, but we are told that "David waxed

stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker."

David had spent seven years in exile, away from his own country, hiding from Saul, and he was now thirty years of age. Seven years more he was engaged in firmly settling the affairs of his kingdom. On the confines of the land of Judah and Benjamin stood the ancient city of Jebus, beautiful for situation, and guarded by mountains on every side. David made this his capital city, and called it Jerusalem, the word salem meaning "peace." "And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons, and they built David a house." But he remembered by whose power it was that kings reign, and he brought up to his chief city the Ark of the Covenant, from Kirjathjearim, where it had long been neglected and forgotten. "David and all the house of Israel" went out to meet it," and played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals." It was then, probably, that he sang the 132nd Psalm, beginning, "Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions." Ephratah in that psalm means Bethlehem, and the fields of the wood signifies Kirjath-jearim, the city of woods.

THE TEMPLE.

AFTERWARDS, we are told that when the Lord had given David rest from all his enemies, the king said