SAUL, THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL.

(1 Samuel vii. 15, to xxxi.)

SAMUEL governed Israel well for many years; and it was his custom to go through the country, judging the people fairly, and never taking a bribe. But when he was old, he made his two sons judges instead of himself; and they did not do as he had done, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

The elders of Israel made this an excuse for asking Samuel to let them have a king. They thought that it would be a fine thing to have the pomp and grandeur of a king's court, like the other nations around them; and they forgot that Jehovah their God had declared himself to be their king, and that He was sufficient for them.

Then Samuel, by command of God, told them that they might have a king

if they pleased, but that they would repent of having asked for one, since they would find that he was an evil instead of a blessing to them: they would find that he would vex and oppress them; that he would take their sons and their daughters to be his servants, and seize upon their fields and their vineyards, to bestow them upon his favourites, and the tenth part of their corn and fruit he would take for the use of himself and his courtiers. Notwithstanding this, the people still persisted in asking for a king; so God directed Samuel to listen to their request, and told him that He had made choice of Saul to be their ruler.

Accordingly Saul was appointed king of Israel. He ruled many years, and gained many victories over the enemies of his countrymen; but they soon found that what their prophet had told them was true; for Saul was a hasty, passionate man, and of a jealous spirit. He saw that the people liked David much better

than they liked him; and this made him so unhappy, that he was perpetually seeking to put this young man to death. Twice he aimed at him with a javelin; and he offered him his daughter in marriage on condition that he would slay one hundred of the Philistines in battle, thinking that he would, in this way, occasion him to fall by their hands. Thus was his life rendered wretched by his own evil passions, and his death was wretched also, for his army was defeated in battle by the Philistines, and he himself was sorely wounded-all which grieved him so much, that he fell on his own sword and died.

We see here how foolish it is to disregard good advice. The people of Israel were warned by Samuel that they would repent of having a king; but they would not mind this, and they soon found that their prophet was right. Saul was a bad man, who was unfit to be a king. His

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temper was so ungovernable, that one day he even cast a javelin at his own son Jonathan, intending to smite him. This shews us how dangerous it is to give way to anger. If, therefore, we feel it rising in our breasts, we should put a restraint upon it; we should never allow ourselves to speak or to act in a hasty or inconsiderate manner, but endeavour always to be as kind and as gentle to others, as we would wish them to be to us.

DAVID SLAYING GOLIATH. (1 Sam. xvii.)

WHEN Saul was king of Israel, the Philistines assembled their armies to fight against him. So Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and when both armies were drawn up one against the other, there came out of the ranks of the Philistines a giant ten feet high,

whose name was Goliath. He had a helmet of brass upon his head, and was clothed with a coat of mail from head to foot. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and offered that if they could find any one to fight with him, the battle should be decided by single combat. "Choose you a man for you,' said he," and let him come down to me; and if he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us."

When Saul and the Israelites heard these words, they were greatly dismayed, for they thought that no one could have any chance against a giant, such as Goliath. But there was among them a young man of the name of David: he was generally employed in tending sheep, but his father had sent him to carry provisions to his two elder brothers, who were in the army. And David went up