ment of his purposes. Saul as a king was ruined. His defective conviction was of no avail. It should be urged on all that a mere admission of sin and effort to h free from its punishment are of no avail. Loss of all that is deemed precious mu,5t -ensue. Only repentance of the heart will serve. Thie is sure to lead away from all false means of deliverance to him who is exalted to give remission of sins. General lessons :-1. A spirit of blended firmness and kindness should influence us in the discharge of unwelcome duties. 2. We should be careful not to encourage> men in their self-delusions. 3. Respect for an office and consideration for sr,ci·,I relations should enter into our treatment of offenders. Vere. 32-35.-Painful duties. The facts are-1. Samuel summons Agag i11to I,,, presence and hews him in pieces. 2. Samuel departs from Saul, and though mourning for him, no longer holds any official connection with him. The effect of Saul's disobe- dience on the people would have been disastrous were the original command to be in any way evaded; and, therefore, though it was no part of the prophet's ordinary func- tions to act as executioner, Samuel so far deviated from his usual course, and put his feelings under restraint, as to slay the captive king. There could be no mistake of the imperativeness of the Divine command when the people saw Samuel perform on the body of the king an act symbolical of the utter destruction of the enemies of God. The act itself, as also the occasion of it, mu~t have given pain to the prophet's mind. The subsequent suspension of relations with Saul was the natural result and fornrnl expression of God's rejection of him. Any other line of conduct would be open to serious misinterpretation. Samuel naturally was grieved in thus setting his ban on one for whom he had taken such pains, and in whose successful career he himself was deeply interested. But duty is aboye personal feeling. l. HUMAN Ill!PERFEC'J'ION GIVES OCCASION FOR THE DISCHARGE OF PAINFUL DUTIES. Samuel is not the only one who has had to discharge solemn duties with a sorrowful heart. 1. There are instances recorded in Script1tre. (1) Of men. It was not without pain that Moses broke away from the associations of the home of Pharaoh's daughter, where he had from chilrlhood been treated with consideration and kindness. Nathan could not but put constraint on his feelings when he exposed the sin of one for whom he harl cherished the profoundest respect (2 Sam. xii. 7-14). See the case of the apostles (Acts v. 1-10; ix. 23-29; Rom. ix. 1-3; Phil. iii. ~8). (2) Of Christ. It was as much beside his usual course as for Samuel to slay Agag when the gentle Saviour made a scourge and drove the money-changers from the temple (John ii. 15). There was evident sorrow of heart running through the terrible denunciations and forebodings which duty required him to utter over Caper- naum, Jerusalem, and the scribes and Pharisees. His leaving Nazareth and never returning, after the cruel rejection of his word, must have been, considering his associations with the place, a duty as painful almost as the revelation to his disciples that one of their number would betray him (Luke iv. 28-30; xxii. 21-23). And may we not say that it will not be without a tone of sadness, more marked than any that entered into Samuel's demand for Agag, that Christ, the great Judge, will on the day of judgment say to those who once heard his call of mercy nnd scorned it, " Depart from me." 2. There are instances recurring in modern life. On some is imposed the sorrowful duty of rebuking friends for disgraceful deeds, or of admin- istering chastisements which cause more pain to the chastiser than to the chastised, or of enforcing with bleeding heart the rigorous rules of Church di~cipline upon persons once honoured and beloved. Samuel is but one of n host who have to asserl Divine authority, moral order, and the interests of the community nt the cost of much personal suffering. II. SUCH DISCHARGE OF PAINFUL DUTIEB IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE SUPREMACY OF RIGHTEOU8Nl!:SS. The emotional element is strong in life. Personal considerations hnve, wisely and usefully, great weight in regulating actions. But it was profound reg·ard for right that enabled Samuel to rule every feeling of his nature and subor- dinate it to the ends of justice, and therefore of benevolence. The same is seen in every kindred instance. It is indicative of n healthful moral conrlition where regard for right is dominant. Love, tenderness, pity arc useful, powerful elements in " morul character; but they cease to be strictly m ,rnl when they operate as men, 279 THE FIRST DOOK OF SAMUEL. [CR. XV. 1-35,
1>clings apart from the guidance and control of righteousness. This looking l,igh nl;-nve personal relations to the requirements of a universal equity is the sublin" ~c form of conduct.