have felt as he had never felt before,-full of awe and wonder that the mighty Jehovah had stooped to speak to him; he must have felt sad, too, that God was obliged to punish Eli, who had been the guide of his youth. So he lay awake until the morning, and then he rose, and opened the doors of the Lord's house; and he feared to tell Eli what he had heard.

But Eli called him to his bed-side, and asked him, 'What is the thing which the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray It seems as if Samuel was afraid thee hide it not from me.'

to tell Eli, and, perhaps, hung his head and said nothing, for Eli- went on, 'God do so to thee and more also if thou hide anything from me of all the things that He said unto thee:' which is as if he had said, 'If the Lord is going to punish me and my sons, as I fear, He will do the same, or even if do not tell me all the truth.' more, to you, you

Then Samuel told him every word; and Eli said, 'It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good.'

Thus it was that Samuel become one of the Lord's prophets, even when he was a child. He grew up to be a man, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words 'fall to the ground.' What he predicted came to pass, and when he commanded, the people obeyed. The Bible tells us many things about him during his long life, and all that he did seems to have been in the same spirit of obedience which made him say when he was a child, 'Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth!'

now if, when Happy would it be for all children even God calls them, either by His ministers or His word, or by 'the still, small voice' of conscience in their breast, would say as Samuel said, 'Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth!'

horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons.'

So the aged priest went to the house of Jesse, and when he saw the eldest son Eliab, who was tall and handsome, Samuel thought he was the very man for a king. But God, who heard his thought, spake to his heart, and said, 'Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature; because I have refused him for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.'

Six more of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel, but of each he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.'

Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There is still the youngest, and he is keeping the sheep.' Samuel said, 'Send and fetch him.' And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him for this is he.' So Samuel poured the oil on David's head, in the midst of his brethren, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day henceforth.

6

Although David was anointed to be king, Saul was not yet dead. He still acted as king, though now the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. His servants thought that it would soothe Saul if some cunning player on an harp' came and played to him. And David, the shepherd-boy, was chosen to play to the king, though neither the king nor his servants knew that God had chosen David; for after Samuel had anointed him, David was not puffed up, but went back to watch his sheep; and even after he had been called to the court to play before

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Saul, he went back again to lead his father's sheep in the pastures, and to sing his sweet psalms to the soft notes of his harp.

Soon after this, Saul went with his army to fight against the Philistines and they pitched their tents on the sides of two mountains opposite each other, with the valley of Elah between them. In the host of the Philistines there was the giant Goliath, whose spear was as big as a weaver's beam, and who was clad in brass armour from head to foot. His story is told in 1 Sam. xviii. Every day he used to go in front of the tents of Israel and shout at them in mocking words I defy the armies of Israel; give me a man, that we may fight together.' And Saul and all the people were greatly afraid.

This had gone on for forty days when Jesse, who wished to know how his soldier-sons were getting on, sent David to the camp with a present for them and for their captain ; and when David had got to the camp, and whilst he was talking to his brethren, Goliath came up and shouted out his taunting words, and David heard them, and he saw how all the men of Israel fled from him and were sore afraid.

Then David was grieved that any one should dare so to insult God, and he asked, first one and then the other, Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?'

And David's words were repeated to Saul, and he sent for the brave shepherd-lad. And when David said that he was ready to go and fight Goliath, the king answered him, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.'

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