oblig~d t? protec~ their flocks from pro"·ling beasts of prey. How many encountel'l!- of this kmd David may have had we do not know ; but we learn from himself that while yet a striplin~-, he had fought an~ slain both a lion and a bear rather than giv~ up one lamb or kid of the flock. His was the best sort of courage-natural in- trepidity,°~ a hue and ?rave spi~it, sustain~d and elevated ?Y unquestioning trust in God. ,\ lnle encounten~g the wild beasts m defen~e of_ his flock David was being fitted, though he knew 1t not, to face an armed giant m behalf of Israel, and in n!any battles afte!-wards to beat down ~he en~mies of his country. The springs of l11s courage were m God. "Jehovah 1s my hght and my salvation: whom shall I foar? Jehovah is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" (3) As a shepherd Da,id had leisure for music and poetry. As he kept the sheep he learned to play on his harp "•ith a skill which was the occasion of his first rise from obscurity; and he composed and sang sweet lyrics, pious and patriotic. Whether he looked up to the sky, or looked round on the hills and valleys, or recalled to mind famous passages of his nation's history, everything gave him a song· to Jehovah. Every poet writes juvenile pieces, which, though defective, show the bent of his genius ; and in after years, if he has not rashly published them, he is able to recast them into new and more perfect forms as his mind grows and his skill improves. So, doubtless, the son of Jesse, in the pastoral solitude at Bethlehem, began to compose lyrics which in more mature life, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he threw into the forms of those Psalms which carry down his fame to the end of time. What a contrast to the unhappy son of Kish ! Saul had the impulse of music and song· upon him more than once ; but be had to be acted on by others, and his own spirit. lw<l no inward harmony. As the years advanced his life became more and more unmelodious and out of tune; whereas David's early addiction to devout song and minstrelsy prepared him to be something better than a gruff warrior in his manhood. Born \\"ith genius and sensibility, he grew up a man of some accomplishment, and: when called to the throne, elevated the mental and spiritual tone of the nation, and was, through a long reign, himself a very fountain of musical culture and sweet poetic thouglit. 4. .Anointed witliout and witliin. Samuel anointed the youth out- wardly, pouring oil over his head; Jehovah anointed him inwardly, for" the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from tliat day forward." The old prophet is a figure of John the Baptist, another Nazarene, and one who came to prepare the way of the King. Da,id suggests Another, a descendant of his own, born in the same Bethlehem, and, like himself, lightly esteemed. As Samuel poured oil on the head of David, s<> John poured water on the head of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Then Samuel retired from view. So John too retired, and made way for him whom he had baptized. "He must increase, but I must decrease." Tl1e parallel goes still further. David had been a child of grace, but on that day the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he got what Samuel could not impart-a Divine qualification for the work and dignit_y to which he was destined. Jesus had been holy, harmless, and undefiled from his mother's womb; but on the day of his baptism the Spirit, as a dove, descended and rested upon him, and be got what John could not impart-the Divine qualification of his humanity for the work and dignity to which he was destined as the Christ, the Lord's Anointed. "Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed." Therefore He will save us who follow the King. Only let the name of the King be our watchword, Lis rigl1teousness our righteousness, his strength our strength, his mind our mind, his anointing our anointing. So shall we see him and be with him in his kingdom and glor,r.-F.
Ver. 23.-1'he Icing and the minstrel. I. THE COMPLICATION OF' MENTAL A':1D MOR~L DISORDER. Saul was the victim of cerebral disease, but not an innocent victim. His unl1ino-ement of mind was due in large measure to causes for which he was morally resJJO!Zsible. The expression, "an evil spirit from the Lord was upon him," is ~ust a~ Old Testament way of saying that the state into which he fell, as ij result mm_nly_ of l1is own misconduct, bore the character of a Divine retribution. From the begmrnng tl1ere seems to Lave been a morbid tendency in the mind of Saul. He was at once Very impul8ive and very obstinate ; and aB his troubles and anxieties incrcascJ, the urigiue.l weakness or unhealthine8s of his brain became more and more apparent. UH. XVI. 1--2!,,J THE FillST BOOK OF SA:\[CEL. 315