same facility that lie had taken them''. On this occasion, Saul, a second time, acknowledged the injustice of his conduct to- wards Da\dd, and foretold that David would ultimately pre- vail ^ But how was it possible for David to place any reliance on the professions of such a man? or, when the enmity of Saul was so rooted, so inveterate, so active, so widely diffused, and so continually persevering, how could David, who was the object of it, do any thing but fear, and anticipate at last a fatal issue? It is but justice to the character of David to state thus minutely the grounds he had for fear, more especially because we are constrained to say, that,]
Nevertheless, in entertaining desponding fear, he sinned —
[God had promised to David that he should sit upon the throne of Israel' : and it was not in the power of man to make void the divine decree. Indeed, God had already shewn, by his various interpositions in his behalf, that under his pro- tection we are safe, even though men and devils should combine their efforts to destroy us. David should have remembered this, and not siiffered any thing to shake his faith m God. I mean not to say, that it was easy to exercise faith under such circumstances, and to preserve unruffled composure in the midst of so many perils : conscious of our own infirmity, we can easily make allowance for him : but the point we have in hand is, to determine the quality of David's conduct on that occasion : and we are constrained to say, that he should have, like his great progenitor, " against hope, beheved in hope'^;" and have believed, that though he were actually slain, God would rather raise him again from the dead to sit on the throne of Israel, than suffer one jot or tittle of his word to fail^. Thus it was that Abraham acted in reference to Isaac : and thus should David also have been " strong in faith, giving glory to God^."]
But that we may bring this matter home to our own bosoms, it will be proper to inquire,
II. What similar apprehensions we have to guard against —
God has given to his people promises of exaltation to thrones of glory. But they also are surrounded with many enemies, and are exposed to many and severe conflicts. Hence they also are sometimes over-
r 1 Sam. xxvi. 5 — 16. ^ 1 Sam. xxvi. 21 — 25.
t 1 Sam. XV. 28, 29. and xvi. 12. with Ps. Ixxxix. 19 — 24. " Rom. iv. 18. X Heb. xi. 17—19. y Rom. iv. 20.