The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 163

such thing as actual irrespon~ibility between man and man. None is so strong as to be able to boast him~elf independent of the help, the love, the good opinion of his fellow-men. Conscience only can claim for itself the prerogative of freedom to do and speak as though irresponsible to man, but even these noblest displays of human power and virtue do not practicall_y deliver from the consequences and the patent fact of responsibility; while in all inferior attempts the power is weakness, and the travestie of the virtue is the licence of vice. But no, David's mighty men strenuously held by him, and they were in turn seconded by the entire of an enthusiastic and faithful people. Their one combined aim was to put stability into his kingdom and to make him a strong and prosperous king. And it was all "according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel." Happy king! happy people! David had not to pay the very common penalty of exaltedness and empire. 'l'he people were a willing people in the day of his power. Would that it may last, last to the end-must have been the ardent wish of every patriot that day-the humble prayer of every earnest, spiritual Israelite I Vers. 15-19.-Tlie bravery of David's three mighty men, and the better bravery of himself. The graphic narrative of these verses needs no interpretation in the ·sense of either criticism or explanation. It offers itself, as it were, exclusively to the use of instruction, and to the illustration of the possibilities of human character. In doing so, it brings to view something of the weakness, much of the strength, and not least what is of the Divine in that character. Lessons manifestly present themselves from the consideration of the conduct of the three brave warriors in the first instance, and then of that of David by himself. Let us notice- I. THE CONDUCT OF THE THREE WARRIORS. 1. Their courage. It was, perhaps, the least part of their excellence at this time. They were trained to deeds of dash and daring. They took pride in these. They were, by natural constitution and tempern- ment, and now by some training and practice, predisposed to them. Their courage, therefore, must be somewhat the less reckoned to their praise, as containing but small measure of effort of any moral element. Possibly we ought even to deduct some little from it, as laying itself open in a degree to the charge of recklessness, on an occasion which was not one of absolute necessity in one aspect, nor of any moral necessity in another. Yet, nevertheless, if we cannot but admire the self-risking bravery, we shall not do wrong in crediting it with some intrinsic claim to commendation. For, to say the very least, bow well it contrasts with the carefulness, the cautiousness, the lingeringness of cold self-calculation I And how well it illustrates bow quality resides still in human nature which on occasion-if only the occasion be an altogether worthy one-can achieve very great things I 2. Their utter unselfishness. At all events, there is not the slightest trace of selfishness in what they did. They ran not for a prize of honour or money. They expect no crown, no garland, for their achievement if they shall be successful. The pleasure of ministering to a master they serve and love is the only reward they appear to contemplate. 3. Their spontan~ous service. They wait for no command, nor even for a request. They do not so much as hear a wish, so uttered that they could interpret it into the nature of an intended hint or suggestion. 'l'hey overhear only, and what they overbear is the sighing out of o. wish. And probably it was the naturalness ancl. the homeliness of it which helped much to move them-the deep-drawn breath and the utterance of heart which was recognizable in it, though the expression but of a bodily appetite. What chords, strange to say, one sentence, one tone, of nature's own voice will have efficacy to wake in the hearts of ?thers, and, to the testimony of human goodness be it said, not least so when the voice is a voice of want I "God loves a cheerful giver," a willing workman, an obedient servant; rarely indeed does he behold more than this. For we cannot anticipate his command, nor run before his thought, nor be freer than his will. Yet let us feel it thus, not as from man to God, but as from man to man. If it be part of his glory and not the least of the tokens of his pitiful mercy to us feeble, faltering, limping full oft, that he take the will for the deed, and accept the thought for the act, how well must the sight suit him as some sign of nature's return, when he may see the deed of a!1y one of us to a brother or sister, "swift to the thought or wif.a divined, swift to thQ Sigh o'erheard."  154 THE FIHST 13OO:K OF THE CHRONICLES. [cu. n. 1-47.