This 25assion may exist, not in individuals only, but in bodies of men ; as, for instance, in schools, or colleges, or universities, or kingdoms : for, as every one may be said to possess a share of that honour which belongs to his own peculiar party, every one must feel an interest in exalting that party, and a propor- tionable degree of pain when its honours are eclijosed.
Strange as it may appear, religion itself may be made an occasion of bringing into exercise this vile passion : for though no envious person can delight in piety on its own accoimt, he may desire the reputation attached to it, and consequently may envy him who really possesses it. What was it but Abel's superior piety, and the tokens of God's favour vouchsafed to him, that instigated Cahi to imbrue his hands in his blood ? We are expressly told also, in the history before us, that when Saul saw that David behaved himself very wisely, and tliat God
i310 1 SAMUEL, XVIII. 9. [303.
was witli liim, he feared and hated him the more*^. And why was the Apostle Paul so hated and persecuted, not only by the avowed enemies of Christianity, but by many also who pro- fessed to reverence the Christian name ? Was it not that his light shone more bright than that of others ; and that the suc- cess of his labours was proportionably increased ? Yes ; it was owing to this that the Jews were filled ^vith envy, when they saw the multitudes which sought to avail themselves of his instructions'*; and that less popular ministers in the Christian Church laboured to undermine his influence, " preaching Christ even of envy and strife," that by so doing they might draw over to themselves his converts, and so " add affliction to his bonds ^."]
Having seen the grounds from whence it springs, let us next consider, II. Its operations —
[In the liistory before us, as contained in this and the two following chapters, we behold this passion in as strong a point of view as it can well be placed. From the moment that Saul became enslaved by it, he was so blinded as not to behold the excellence of David's character ; so hardened as to be insensi- ble to all the obligations which he, and the whole nation, owed to him : and so infatuated, as to seek incessantly his death. Repeatedly did he endeavour to destroy David with his spear. When he had failed in these attempts, he sought to ensnare David by engaging him to marry his eldest daughter, and then giving her to another ; and afterwards by inducing him to expose his life to the sword of the Philistines in order to obtain his younger daughter in marriage. When he was disappointed in this also, he issued an order to Jonathan and to all his sons to kill Da\dd : and, when convinced of the injustice of this com- mand, and pledged in a solemn oath to recede from his wicked purpose, he again renewed his attempts to murder him ; and sought to gratify himself with seeing the murder efiected, if not of perpetrating it with his own hand : and, when he did not succeed in that, he still pursued the fugitive to Naioth, where Samuel dwelt, sending different messengers, and at last going himself, to apprehend liim ; and even attempting to destroy Jonathan himself for pleading his cause.
Now we grant that such effects as these are very rare ; for, in truth, very few have it in their power to pursue the object of their envy with such murderous and mirelenting rancour as Saul. But the tendency of tliis passion is the same in all : it produces in all a permanent aversion to the person, so that the
" ver. 12, 14, 15, 28, 29. '^ Acts xiii. 45. and xvii. 5.
e Phil. i. 15, IG.
303.] Saul's envy of david. 211