with one another before the Lord. Then Jonathan left David his friend, and returned to his father.

were

Saul continued to seek for David: he followed him from place to place, and David fled before him. He wandered with his men among the mountains and desert places, dwelling in caves and holes in the earth. And while Saul pursued him in the wilderness of Engedi, he came alone into a cave, where David and his men hidden, to rest himself. But Saul did not see that they were there, for the cave was large. Then the men who followed David said, that the Lord had delivered Saul into his hand; and they wished that he should kill him. But David said, "The Lord forbid that I should do any thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed." And he would not suffer his men to hurt Saul; but he himself went near to him silently while he slept, and cut off the skirt of his robe.

And when Saul rose up and went out of the cave, David followed him, and cried, "My lord

the king." And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself; and then he said to Saul, "Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to-day into mine hand in the cave; and some bade me kill thee; but I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea see the skirt of thy robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The Lord judge between me Lord avenge me of thee: but

and thee, and the

mine hand shall not be upon thee."

When Saul saw David, and heard his words, his

hard heart for a while was softened.

He said,

"Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept." And he said to David, "Thou art more righteous than I; for

thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil." And he said, "And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king. . . . Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house." Then David sware unto Saul that he would not destroy his children.

Then Saul returned home; but David and his men went back to their stronghold in the mountain.

1 Samuel xxiii. xxiv.

To avenge, is to punish those who have injured another, to do justice to the person who is injured.

Chapter CXVE.

THE FAITH AND LOYALTY OF DAVID.

WHEN Saul had seen the truth and loyalty of David at the cave in Engedi, he had felt and confessed that he had done wickedly in seeking to kill him. The faithful and generous conduct of David, who would not be provoked by all the wrong which Saul had done to him, to lift up his

hand against the anointed king of Israel, had touched his heart, and he wept.

In his early years, Saul had a kind and gene

rous nature.

When he had been first chosen to reign over Israel, he freely forgave the men who had refused to acknowledge him as king. His followers would have put them to death, but he forbade them. But natural good feelings will not last, if they are not strengthened by religion. Saul was not a religious man; he did not fear God. He had not sought to do the will of God, but had been content to do what seemed right in his own eyes. He had not sought to make the will of God to be his will, but had given way without check to the feelings and desires of his own heart. Thus what was good in him had worn away, and evil had grown up in its place, and he became jealous, cruel, and hard-hearted. He had refused to obey the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God had departed from him; and the evil spirit to which he had yielded, gained power over him.

But when, in Engedi, David had shown him

how that he had dealt well with him, and had not killed him when he was in his power, his heart relented. The goodness of David made him feel his own wickedness; he felt, and he said, that David was better than he; and for the time the evil feelings of his heart passed from him. And he said to David, "The Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done to me this day."

But though Saul confessed his sin, and wept over it, he did not repent. His evil heart was not

changed. He had so long served sin, that he had become the slave of sin; and though he was turned for a while from his evil purpose, his heart was evil still.

After he had returned from following David, the men of Ziph came to him while he was dwelling in his own home at Gibeah, and told him that David was hidden in a certain hill which they would show him. Then Saul hardened his heart again in sin, and he arose, and took with him three thousand chosen men, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph to seek David.

When David knew that Saul had come again