may tiike the prayer as suitable to be used by any godly fa.ther for hie children and ohildron'e children, I. Tm: PRAYER. That God would bless the family. A Christia.n father offerincr this prnyer would have regard to: 1. Temporal blessings. Prolonged life, good health of body and mind, success in worldly pursuits, competence. Asking for these a.s a. bless- Ing from God implies the desire tha.t they should be gra.nted only so far a.s they will be blessings; that they should come as the result of God's blessing on upright means (not from fraud, injustice, or violence; see Prov. x. 22); and that they should be accom- panied with God's blessing, so that they may not enenare and injure the soul, but promote its prosperity and highest happiness. Thus regarded, such a. pra.yP,r is not unbecoming the heart and lips of any good man. 2. Spiritual blessings. That the family may be worthy the name of a. Christian household, all being truly the children of God, worshipping and serving him faithfully and to the end. A Christian parent will be more desirous that bis house ebould be good than great--" rich in faith, a.nd heirs of the kingdom" (Jas. ii. 6) rather tha.n possessed of material wealth. For such blessings he need not restrain his desires, as they are good in and for themselves, good alwa.ys and for ever. The poorest may seek these for his children, who may enjoy them equally with the wealthiest: they are open to all. 3. Eternal blessings. That he and his may "continue for ever before God" ( comp. Gen. xvii. 18), and '' be blessed for ever"- numbered with the saints in the glory everlasting. The words translated," let it plea.ea thee to bless," may be more literally rendered "begin and bless" (Revised Version, margin). .As if David's thoughts reverted from the distant future to the present; and he became acutely alive to the fact that, for the accomplishment of the promise in the future, it was necessary that God should be with him and his at once and all along. In the heart of a Christian the meaning may well be, "Let thy blessing come at once, without any delay, on my house, to correct what is wrong, to increase what is right, to produce those conditions which are most favourable to all good, as they most fully ensure thy constant favour." II. WHENCE· IT ARISES. 1. Goaliness. Sense of the value of God's blessing; pre- ference· of it over all else; confidence in God's fatherly love and sympathy with the love of earthly parents for their children; and faith in bis promises. 2. Parental feel- ing. Love for his family; longing for their true and lasting happiness and well-being. 3. Regard for his own happiness. Which is necessarily bound up with the goodness and liappiness of his children. Finally: 1. Su,ch prayer, when real, will be accompanied by Christian instruction and training. (Eph, vi. 4.) 2. Let children thank God for praying parents. Let them keep before them the image of their fathers and mothers daily kneeling before God, and imploring his blessing on them. Let them, however, not trust to their prayers as sufficient to ensure their salvation; but pray for themselves. (See more on eh. vi. 20.)-G. W~
EXPOSITION.
CHAPTER VIII. narrative the first history of David ends, and ii;i the subsequent narratives many of the Ver. ].-David smote the Philistines. In events referred to here are more fully de- the previous chapter we have seen that the tailed, and given with additional incidents. empire of David not only mo.rked an era in David took lllletheg-e.mme.h out of the hand the development of Ierael nationally, but of the Philistines. Metheg-e.mme.h me11DB was also the r&aching of a new stage in the "the bridle of the mother-city." We lee.rrt preparation for the ad vent of the Messiah; from the parallel place (1 Chron. xviiL l) and we saw that without this the develop- that the city of Gath is meant by this phrase. ment of propheoywould have been impossible, Gath was at this time the metropolis of and the people have remained unfit for the Philistie., and had reduced the other four high miseion to whioh they were called as chief towns to a etat., of va8salage. Thus the witnesees to the unity of God. We have by taking Gath, his old city of refuge (l in this chapter o. brief summary of the wars Sam. xxvii. 2), David acquired also the which roised Ierael from the position of a suprema.cy which she had previously ex- struggling and oppressed race to the pos- ercised over the whole country, and by eesijiou of widesprend empire. With this pl11cing II strong ga.rrison there, I\S previously THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [en. vm. 1-18.