children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword™."
Besides his own immediate servants, Saul had traitors in confederacy with him, and armies to execute his murderous pro- jects. The men of Keilah, a fortified city, which David, with great prowess, had saved from the PhiHstine armies, instead of requiting his kindness to them as they ought, would have betrayed him into the hands of Saul, if I)a^^d had not escaped from them". "Every day did Saul seek him" with indefa- tigable vigilance ; so that he must have fallen, if God had not, as it were by miracle, preserved him". David had concealed himself in a wood, in the wilderness of Ziph : and the Ziph- ites, instead of affording him protection, voluntarily offered to deliver him into the hands of Saul, if he would come down to take him : and, in the wilderness of Maon, whither David had taken refuge on a rock, did Saul actually encompass him with his armies, and would have apprehended him, but that he was forced suddenly to abandon his enterprise, in order to repel an invasion of the Phihstines. With no less than three thousand men did Saul pursue him, as soon as he had rid himself of the Philistine invaders ; so determhied was he not to rest till he had slain David p.
But that which most of all shews the reason which David had for fear, is, that Saul persevered in his efforts, amidst all imaginable checks, both from God, and from his own conscience. In the wilderness of En-gedi, David and his men were hid in a cave. Saul, unconscious of any danger, went into that very cave wherein they were : and David, unperceived by Saul, who possibly might have lain down to sleep, cut off" the skirt of Saul's robe ; and then followed him out of the cave with the skirt in his hand, and shewed him how easily he might have put an end to the contest by the destruction of Saul him- self. On that occasion the murderous tyrant was overcome with gratitude ; and with tears acknowledged, that his enmity against David was unmerited in the extreme i. Who would suppose, that, after such kindness, this wicked monarch could ever again renew his murderous attacks ? Yet, on the Ziphites again tendering their traitorous services, did Saul go down again to the vdlderness of Ziph with three thousand men to seek him : and there again did he experience, at the hands of David, the same forbearance as before; and had the same decided evidence of it given him as before, by seeing the very spear that was at his bolster, and the cruse of water that was near it, in the hands of David, who might have slain him with the
'« 1 Sam. xxii. 18, 19. " 1 Sam. xxiii. 5, 12, 13.
0 1 Sam. xxiii. 14. i' 1 Sam. xxiv. 2.
1 1 Sam. xxiv. 4, 8, 16, 17. VOL. III. Q