find better and wiser than yourself, and, sitting at his feet, you will, in the practice of obedience, learn the secret of command. David not only attracts, however but elevates. Beneath the kindling inspiration of his valour all hearts grow brave. C~urage seems so easy and fear so shameful that, with him as leader, each man is twice, ay sometimes many times himself. A Bruce, a Cromwell, a Nelson, or a Wellington, wili never lack brave following. "As iron sharpeneth iron, so does a man the countenance of his friend." Valour in one makes many valiant. King Arthur had bis knights of the Round Table, and David had his, and all brave men have theirs. Such a fact is worthy of notice, for we are apt to think evil a stronger thing than ~ood ; the fact being that good is the most omnipotent thing on earth, kindling similar goodness in others' lives. Be brave and good, and you will not long be without companivns. II. A WISE KING CHOOSES BRA.VE MEN FOR CA.PTA.INS. He did so because he recog- nized the validity of the principle we have just been considering. His valour infused into the captains; theirs would be infused into the men. In war an army wants brave leaders, not figure-beads. "Take the kings away every man out of his place, and put captains in their room," said the sensible military critics of Benhadad, who bad made his first invasion of Israel with thirty-two kings as leaders of his troops. But it is not only in military matters, but in all others that courage is wanted. From the teacher of a Sunday school to a prime minister, from a minister of religion to a town councillor, whoever is at the head of his fellows should be brave; wise as well, but brave. Prudence without some daring and enterprise will so shrink from difficulties and risks that it will take ofttimes the most dangerous course of all-doing nothing. There is always at hand, available for whoever can use it, abundance of power to work reforms, to render needed service to mankind, if only there be leaders for it. Are you in a position of influence of any sort, in Church or state, with few or many? Remember that David would have none but heroic men for leaders, and if you have not courage to lead men forwnrd, you should give place to those who have. Happy the village Church, the Sunday school, the school board, the town council, the land, whose leaders have brave hearts that do not slacken with languor or shrink from danger! With such leading, the community, like Israel, will find safety, prosperity, blessing, in richer measure than languid hearts ever dare to dream of.-G.
Ver. 22.-" Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." " Benaiah the son of J ehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam ; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear." I venture to treat of this hero, although far removed from any nineteenth-century characteristics. He was a priest, son of a high priest, yet a warrior. 'l'o find one like him in office and quality one has to go back to the fighting bishops of the Middle Ages. We do not read of bis minister- ing at the altar. Yet we must not, therefore, imagine him some degenerate son of Aaron, affording warning rather than example. l~or there is something savoury in his brief story, which occurs twice in the Bible, and just because of its unusual combina- tions of characteriEtics it is worth our lingering on it. Let me urge some simple lessons which may be of use, at least to the more combative of our readers. Observe- I. 'l'HAT MANLINESS IS A GREAT DESIDERATUM IN A PRIESTIIOOD. 'l'o make n. true priest of God, the first and greatest thing required is godliness, and the second is like unto it-manliness; and on these two qualities hang all effective discharge of priestly duties. It may be objected that this remark does not necessarily spring from Ilcnaiah, who, though of the tribe of Levi, might be an exception to rather than a specimen of the priestly order. And I should admit the relevancy of the remark were it not that the tribe of Levi seems, in Egypt, to have been conspicuous for its courage and leading qualities (for otherwise the eminence of Aaron before Moses received his commission would be inexplicable); that the tribe of Levi was called pre-eminently "the host," during nil the encampments in the wilderness; that in David's time the tribe of Levi seems to have afforded one of the monthly army corps of twenty-four thousand men (eh. xxvii. 5); that from the days of Phinehas to those of the Maccabces, and even later, the priesthood furnished many of lHrael's nohlest warriors; so th11.t, without 166 THE FIRST BOOK OF 'fHE CHRONICLES. [OH, XI. 1-47,