his men, killed two hundred Philistines, and came back unhurt this made Saul yet more certain that the Lord was with the man whom he so much feared.

All this time Jonathan's love for David did not abate, and he spoke well of him to the king, his father, and reminded him how much good David had done by killing Goliath, and putting to flight the armies of the Philistines, saying, 'Thou sawest it and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, and slay David without a cause?'

Then Saul said, 'As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.' Jonathan told David how his father's heart was softened towards him, and he brought him before the king, and he was there as in times past.

After this there was war again, and David went out against the Philistines; his God was still with him; he put them to flight, and returned with victory.

This roused the jealousy of Saul yet more, made him forget his kind promises to David, and he again sought to smite him with a javelin; but he escaped to his own house. Even there the king pursued him, and sent people to watch about until the morning, to prevent his escape, when they were to kill him.

His wife, who knew the danger he was in, let him out of a window privately, dressed up an image in his place, and put it in his bed, so that when the men came in the morning

to take him, they found him not, for he had made his escape, and had gone to stay awhile with the good prophet Samuel, who was then living in Ramah.

Saul was so angry at this, that he sought to kill his own son Jonathan.

David did not come before the king again for a long time, but went from place to place, meeting with many troubles. He however contrived once or twice to see his friend, Jonathan, whose kind words were very pleasant to him.

He saw also his brothers and many of the friends of his youth, who heard of his being in the neighborhood and came to see him in the cave of Adullam, where many people joined him at different times, until he was the captain of about four hundred men.

When Saul heard this, he set out to defeat him, and had almost taken him in the wilderness of Maon, owing to the unkindness of some people who told the king where he was. But, just as he had hoped to succeed, news was brought that the Philistines had come up against him; then he turned back from following David, who thus escaped once more out of his hands.

MORE ABOUT DAVID AND SAUL.

I THINK you will no where meet with a life of greater changes than David's: only imagine the future king of Israel flying from mountain to cave, from rock to desert, from the malice of his foe, often not knowing where to lay his head, nor how to satisfy his hunger. But we may sup pose that he had the satisfaction of thinking that it was without fault of his own. He who had so greatly helped him all his life long, He who had delivered him from the lion and the bear, He who had guided his arm when he laid low the proud Goliath, and who had hitherto preserved him from the jealousy of Saul, could yet keep him from every danger, so long as he trusted in him.

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Here I will say a few words upon this besetting sin, which made the life of Saul so miserable to himself and to those about him; which made him forget the many acts of kindness he had met with from David; and yet worse, caused him to try every means to take away the life of one who, under God, had been of such great service to him. The sin I mean, is jealousy.

I should hope none of you will know what this means;

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that you may never have had angry feelings when any your young friends, who have deserved it for their industry or good conduct, have met with praise in which you have had no share. You may be sorry that you have not also deserved it, and if your sorrow makes you wish to be like them, and causes you to try and imitate them, it is well, and your hearts will be made better for such feelings. But, on the contrary, if you feel angry with them for being better than yourselves, or, in other words, if you become jealous of them, then indeed it is time to beware lest this feeling, by being often given way to, should become the constant temper of your minds, and make you miserable to yourselves, peevish and cross to your play-fellows, and, when you are men and women, as unhappy and restless as Saul himself. But I hope better things of you, and will now tell you how nobly David behaved when the life of Saul was twice within his reach.

When the king returned from fighting with the Philistines, it was told him that David was in the wilderness of Engedi. Thither he made up his mind to pursue him, and took three thousand chosen men, and set out once more to meet the shepherd chief at the head of his four hundred.

When Saul came to the desert, he went into a cave to rest awhile, little thinking that David and his men were hidden in the very same place. Some persons would have

thought this a good time for revenge, and David's men said, 'The Lord hath delivered him into thine hand, do with him what seemeth good to thee.'

But David was too noble thus to take advantage of any, even of one who had sought his life unjustly; he remembered also, that he was his king, and the Lord's anointed; he cut off a part of Saul's coat, but even for this his heart

was sorry.

When the king arose, and was going out, David followed him, made himself known to his king, and bowed before him. He then asked him why he believed those persons who said that he thought evil against him, showing him that the Lord had that day delivered him into his hands, saying, 'Some bid me kill thee, but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.'

Saul appears to have felt the full force of this noble conduct, for he lifted up his voice and wept. Thus they once more parted friends; Saul went home, and David and his men sought their cave.

These kindly feelings did not long remain in the heart of the king towards David, for we find that he again took the field against him.

David sent out spies, who found that Saul and his army were resting not far off, and when it was night, he took one