that the loss of one would be serious, yet thou hast neglected them, hast proved unfaithful in the little that was committed to thy charge. I know thy pride, etc.,-pretence of patriotism and piety may deceive strangers, but I know thee too well to believe them. Mark David's answer. He had been insulted, the vilest construction had been put upon his motives, and that in the presence of strangers, by one from whom he had the right to expect affection and encouragement. Yet he replies meekly and quietly, What have I now done ?-what wrong? Is there not a cause?-rather, is it not a word? surely there cannot be sin in the mere question! Again and again David makes the same inquiries, trying to stir some one up to courage and trust in God: but in vain.

REFLECTIONS.-1. Note Goliath's trust and pride in his own strength.-Pride

is always both foolish and sinful, but pride in our personal power is the most foolish of all. We did not make ourselves, and can claim no credit for that which we received as a gift.

2. David's modesty, and cheerful obedience to his father.

3. Eliab's censoriousness and envy.He accused David of the very faults of which he himself was guilty: compare Matt. vii. 3-5, and Note. We should rejoice in the prosperity of others, even when they excel ourselves. It is easier to sympathise with their misfortunes. The grace of God will enable us to do both, Rom. xii. 15. 4. David's brave trust in God.

5. David's victory over himself,-he suffered his brother's words neither to anger nor to discourage him, Prov. xvi. 32. David had learned to "rule his spirit." His meekness was the best possible answer to Eliab's insinuations.

INTRODUCTION.-Recall

last Lesson.

Picture the excitement in the camp as David's words were repeated from mouth to mouth. Some would think them boasting; some would ascribe them to the rashness of youth; and some would notice his pious confidence in Jehovah, and thence augur well for his success.

THE CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.-V. 31 -37. In Saul's presence, the shepherdyouth asserts more plainly than ever his willingness to fight Goliath. He is little more than a boy, three and twenty years old at most, untrained to war, not deemed by his father fit to join the army. No wonder that Saul answers, Thou art not able, etc.,-the King spoke partly out of kindliness, lest David should rush upon certain death; and partly from fear of the consequences of failure, ver. 9. The shepherd replies he has destroyed foes as formidable as the giant, a lion and a bear, at different times. Beard,mane. This refers to the lion, the victory over the bear is not described. To kill a lion single-handed was a feat of which a fully-armed man might be proud. David mentions his exploits not boastingly, but for the sake of showing the reason of his readiness to

meet Goliath: The Lord that delivered, etc.-Compare, he hath defied the armies of the living God.-God would assist David for His name's sake; He had helped him before. David's trust rested upon reasons common to all the Lord's people, and also peculiar to himself. Saul sanctions the enterprise. Doubtless he remembered what Jehovah had done by him, before his rebellion.

DAVID'S EQUIPMENT.-V. .38-40. It was wise in the shepherd to decline Saul's armour. He had not proved it, was not used to it, its weight would only hamper him. Even had David trusted rather to himself than to Jehovah, his choice of weapons would have been wisest. What chance had he in hand-to-hand combat with Goliath, an expert swordsman, to say nothing of his strength? David could sling a stone skilfully, like his brethren of Judges xx. 16. He proceeds warily and trustfully. He picks his stones carefully, smooth stones, polished by the water, thus capable of being thrown with the greater force and accuracy. He takes five, that if one misses or does not disable the giant, he may have another chance. He does

not fill his wallet with stones, that I would have manifested confidence in himself rather than in God. These are his weapons,-his sling and shepherd's staff.

THE COMBAT.-V. 41-54. Contrast the heavily-armed giant, strutting in the valley, with the stripling coming down to meet him. They come closer and closer to each other, till they can hear the sound of each other's voice. In those days it was customary for warriors to defy one another before they engaged. The substance of Goliath's speech is given, ver. 43, 44. It is proudly self-confident, and contains an appeal to his gods. David's speech is reported verbatim. Retorting the giant's threats, it expressly declares that the young man's hope for victory rested wholly upon Jehovah. Running toward Goliath, David slings a stone swiftly and surely. It strikes the Philistine on the only unprotected part of his body, his forehead. The stone sank into it, forced probably by supernatural power. The Philistine falls helpless. To spring upon him, to strike off his head with his own sword, is the work of a minute. The victory is with the shepherd. "The ease with which David was able to wield, and afterwards to wear, Goliath's sword, showed that he possessed great muscular strength. The supernatural element in the victory must not be overlooked; but still, full allowance must also be made for the skill and courage and prowess of David."-Porter.

The

downfall of their champion was followed by the flight of the Philistines. Encouraged by David's conquest, the Israelites pursued their flying foes back to their own territory.

The

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valley, rather, Gath: compare, unto Gath, and unto Ekron. Shaaraim,-in the lowlands of Judah. The head of the Philistine was preserved as a national trophy; the armour the conqueror kept himself. Tent,-any dwelling-place.

"WHOSE SON IS THIS YOUTH ?". V. 55-58. See Portfolio.

REFLECTIONS.-1. We have giants to fight, pride, passion, unbelief, sin, Satan.

2. These giants are stronger than we. -If you try to fight any one of them yourself, only for a day, you will see how much mightier they are than you.

3. These giants may be conquered.Many men, many boys and girls, have conquered them.

4. We can conquer them only through faith in Jesus, 1 John v. 5.

5. "God helps those that help themselves;""Them that honour Me I will honour."-Illustrate from the Lesson. 6. Notice that David's courage never wavered, though it was exposed to continual attacks. It is easier to begin the battle with Satan, than to carry it on undaunted. Learn to be steadfast, immovable.

7. David destroyed Goliath with his own sword. "Thus didst Thou, O Son of David, foil Satan with his own weapon; that whereby he meant destruction to Thee and us, vanquished him through Thy mighty power, and raised Thee to that glorious triumph and super-exaltation wherein Thou art, wherein we shall be with Thee.". Bishop Hall.

8. Two victories in one day,”- -one over his own spirit, one over Goliath. The first victory was as glorious, as pleasing to God, as the second.

OF VICTORY.-Psalm ix.

Thy marvellous works. The duty of praise, Ps. 1. 23. Is there any difference between praise and thanksgiving? The latter word explains itself; in praise we give to God the glory due unto His name, celebrate what He is, rather than thank Him for what He has done for us. But sometimes praise includes thanksgiving. So the word is used here. Our gratitude to God should be expressed. How God ought to be praised with our whole heart. With the heart, not with the voice only; with all the heart, not listlessly and indifferently. "Half-heart is no heart."

Our gratitude to God must be sincere and heartfelt.

One mode of manifesting our thankfulness is to tell others how the Lord has dealt with us. So David, "I will show forth all Thy marvellous works." We must not interpret the "all" too strictly; no man can tell all the goodness of God even to himself, Job. ix. 10; Ps. xl. 5. David's will and love are strong enough to lead him to tell all, if he could. The Psalm refers specially to the defeat of Goliath, but one benefit calls to memory many past blessings.

If

II. They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee. Thankfulness for the past should always prompt to trust for the future. God's name stands for God Himself, His character, His attributes, His works. The better God is known, the more thoroughly He is trusted. you have always found your friend to be honourable and upright and kind, you do not readily believe evil of him. The Christian life is experience of God. He is always teaching us lessons of trust in Himself. This is one meaning of tribulations, dark providences. Do you know God? You know of Him, you know much about Him; do you know HIM?

How may this knowledge be obtained? There is abundant encouragement for the seeker after God; the Lord is with him in his search, will guide him to Himself.

III. Have mercy upon me, O Lord; ..I will rejoice in Thy salvation. — "Memories of the past and confidences concerning the future, conducted the man of God to the mercy-seat to plead for the needs of the present." Mark

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JULY 26.- 66 THOUSANDS AND DAVID AND JONATHAN.-V. 1-4. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul,-ch. xvii. 57, 58. Evidently there was much conversation that is not reported. The soul of Jonathan, etc.-He had marked in David courage, strength, skill, every quality of a good soldier; piety, trust in God, modesty, selfcontrol. Therefore he loved him. A covenant of friendship. And Jonathan stripped himself, etc.,-a token of peculiar favour. Sce Portfolio. From these verses we may learn several lessons.

the contrast and connection between the two clauses. Hence the teacher may talk closely to the scholars of their own need of mercy, of God's delight in it, of the many times He has answered prayer for it, of the certainty that He will answer theirs, of their gladness who have obtained mercy.

IV. The Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth. -Thus are manifested His holiness, truth, justice, love of righteousness, hatred of iniquity. From His dealings with those of old, we may gain an insight into His character, the method of His dealings with us. This, one main use of the historical Scriptures. Illustrate: from Abraham a lesson in faith, etc.

V. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. -Mark the doom of the wicked; the definition of the wicked, "all that forget God." Not liars, swearers, thieves only; but every one that acts without thought of, or reference to God, even though they be amiable, honest, benevolent. 'I have read of a loadstone in Ethiopia which hath two corners; with the one it draws iron to it, with the other it puts the iron from it so God hath two hands, of mercy and justice; with the one He will draw the godly to heaven, with the other He will thrust the sinner to hell."Thomas Watson.

VI. Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in Thy sight.-Apply to the conquest of the world to Jesus Christ, to missions. Prayer is powerful weapon in a believer's hand against sin, both on his own account, and in behalf of others, the world at large.

imitate Jonathan's unselfishness. He could do much for David; David could do little for him. He loved the shepherd-youth for what he was, not for what he had. We shall see, too, that Jonathan's love was constant.

II. "There is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother,"-such a Friend is a blessing for which we should be. devoutly thankful. We may apply these words to Jesus. Read Hymn 25, "Methodist Scholars' HymnBook; John xv. 13-15. Who was called "the friend of God"? Is he ever called by that name in the Old Testament? Why did God give it him? Thus may we become friends of God.

III. Jonathan gave all he had to David in proof of his love; so must we give up everything for the love of Jesus Christ.

IV. A lesson about envy.-If any one might be expected to envy David, it would have been Jonathan. He had been the foremost soldier in Saul's army, the subject of the people's praises. His glory was eclipsed by the fame of a youth, a stranger to him hitherto. Yet Jonathan was noble enough to love David for the very qualities by which he had excelled himself. Even when he was certain that David should succeed to his father's throne, he neither envied the man of God's choice, nor ceased to. love him. He could rejoice at his friend's prosperity, although it was his own loss. Noble Jonathan! Now observe how differently Saul acted and felt.

"THOUSANDS " AND "TEN THOUSANDS. ."-V. 5-16. In these verses consider, (1) David's advancement; (2) David's popularity; (3) Saul's hatred of him, and the reason of it; (4) David's behaviour. (1) From the sheep-fold David was promoted to be captain of Saul's guard; then to the command of a thousand men stationed on the frontier to guard the country against the Philistines. What a change from shepherding to the court and the camp; from obscurity to fame; from peace to war! Terrible must David's temptations have been. (2) David's popularity would increase his temptations to pride. The people loved him, and sung his praises even more than the king's. The courtiers, Saul's servants, loved him, though, generally, courtiers dislike any new candidate

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for the sovereign's favour. He had the peculiar friendship of the king's own son. Notice how Jehovah was turning the heart of the nation from Saul to David; the sentence of rejection was beginning to be executed. (3) Saul's hatred would make David's position more difficult; not simply from the danger he always stood in, but also because Saul would seize eagerly upon, and punish severely, any fault the young soldier might commit. Twice Saul tried to kill David while he was playing upon the harp to soothe the king's frenzy. Prophesied,—rather, raved. See ch. xvi. 14-23. The evil spirit from God,-it is never said to be a spirit of God. "Even the worst spirits have not only permission, but commission from heaven for the infliction of judgment." Saul's hatred began in mere envy. Returning from the slaughter of the Philistines after the death of Goliath, the women met them in a triumphal procession, singing and dancing. Their words displeased Saul, Saul hath slain, etc. The surmise about the kingdom shows that Saul had begun to suspect that David was the neighbour better than he (ch. xv. 28) of whom Samuel had spoken. Eyed,-looked askance at him; with jealousy, suspicion, dislike. Envy rapidly grew into fear and hatred as Saul saw that the Spirit of the Lord was with David. Thus he was sure the youth was his destined successor. (4) Spite of all David's temptations and difficulties, the Holy Ghost Who inspired the writer of this book bears this testimony, that he behaved himself wisely, ver. 5; so wisely that Saul could not but acknowledge it, ver. 15. The reason of his wisdom was, the Lord was with him, ver. 12.. Compare Gen. xxxix. 21-23.

Let us sum the whole up. Think of David's temptations from his advancement, his popularity, Saul's hatred of him. Then remember he "behaved himself wisely." If any of you are in positions of peculiar difficulty, have untried duties to perform, imitate David. If your companions hate you for your religion's sake, imitate David. Do right as in the sight of God; be circumspect, Ephes. v. 15; look before you tread, think and pray before you speak and act. David would be humble, respectful, watchful, careful to discharge all his duties efficiently.

God will be with you as He was with David, if you trust and honour Him as David did. Mind, only God can teach

how to behave wisely, (not cunningly, but with "superior sense,") even as regards this life, James i. 5.

DAVID'S DANGER.-1 Sam. xix. 13. The teacher may picture David's position as described in the last Lesson. The reality of the danger is shown by the fact that Saul's own son counsels David to hide himself till he can ascertain the King's intention towards him. These verses form an appropriate introduction to the Psalm. David's friends (real or pretended) had advised immediate flight, at a time when flight would have involved dereliction of duty, would have manifested cowardice, or distrust of God. The eleventh Psalm is David's answer.

THE TEMPTATION.-Ps. xi. 1-3. The Psalmist prefaces his repetition of the words of his tempters by a declaration of his unshaken trust in Jehovah, thus anticipating the reply of ver. 4-7. In the Lord put I my trust, these are David's own words; the rest of the paragraph contains the exhortation addressed to him by others. Flee as a bird,-fly as swiftly as a frightened bird; thou art as helpless as a bird against the fowler. To your mountain, hide in some mountain fastness beyond the pursuit of Saul. For, lo, the wicked, etc.,-the arrow is already pointed, destruction sudden and sure will overtake thee unawares. Thy only safety lies in instant flight. It will be too late when the arrow has left the string. The uprightness of thy heart and life is the very reason of their enmity. Innocence is no security; it ought to be; it is ordinarily; but if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Saul has subverted the foundations of law and justice; what can peaceful righteousness do against the power of an absolute and tyrannical monarch?

THE ANSWER.-V. 4-7. What can the righteous do? They can trust in the Lord. That thought he amplifies. Is Saul unjust? Yet the Lord is in His holy temple,-inflexible in His justice, ever ready to hear the prayer of the petitioner, to weigh the appeal of the persecuted. Is Saul an absolute monarch? Yet the Lord's throne is in

heaven, above Saul's. He reigneth and ruleth all things. Saul cannot harm David without Divine permission. The Lord is not ignorant of any man or any work. His eyes behold,-He needs not to search, a glance reveals everything to Him, even the deepest recesses of the human heart, Heb. iv. 13. His eyelids try the children of men,- "a metaphor taken from men that contract the eyelids when they would wistly and accurately behold a thing: it is not a transient and careless look."-Charnock. The Psalmist then contrasts the doom of the righteous and of the wicked. The Lord trieth the righteous,-this is the interpretation of their suffering here. Thus is manifested their faithfulness; thus are they purified, 1 Peter i. 7. The wicked..hateth, even now. Their punishment after judgment shall be terrible indeed. Snares, that they escape not; fire,-inextinguishable; brimstone,-melted for their drink; an horrible tempest,-possibly an allusion to the hot, suffocating wind of the desert, the sirocco. The portion of their cup,— which they shall be compelled to drain. On the other hand, the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright,-with closest attention, intensest interest, strong, enduring love, that He may be ready to help them in time of need, 1 Pet.iii. 12.

Every verse in this Psalm is capable of practical application. The teacher can hardly fail to notice: Trust in God the best answer to suggestions of cowardice. Ver. 3 may be used to illustrate the safety of the righteous when all earthly things fail, Heb. xii. 27. — God the Supreme, Omniscient Ruler.

The doom of the righteous and the wicked.-Which will we shun? God never forgets His people; His knowledge of them a source of joy and comfort.See Hymns 590, 591, in our HymnBook. The pleasure the Lord has in His people :

"But saints are lovely in His sight,
He views His children with delight;
He sees their hope, He knows their fear,
And looks and loves His image there."