escape suspicion himself, as to screen (by keeping him in ignorance of his disgrace,) the venerable servant of God from the future vengeance of Saul. In this we shall see he failed, (as dissemblers so often do,) in consequence of the presence of a spy, a wretched Edomite, named "Doeg," by whom the hospitality of the priest to a supposed confidential relation of the king, was grossly and cruelly misrepresented.

MARY. But had Ahimelech a right to give any one, except the priests, the hallowed bread to eat?

MAMA. Strictly speaking, certainly not. But, according to our Lord's merciful interpretation of many Mosaic precepts, charity to the famishing, might be held to supersede mere legal disqualification; especially, as the marginal translation explains, that fresh bread was already consecrated, and ready to replace that which might, by being withdrawn, become in some degree "common."

But what want did David labour under, more serious in his present exposed condition, than even a temporary famine of bread?

MARY. He had no "sword," or other weapon. I suppose, Mama, he durst not go to his own house to get one, before he came away, for fear of Saul. But how glad he must have

been, that he had piously hung up before God the giant Goliath's, when it came now to hand in his own extremity! Well might he say, "there is none like that!" and now that he had grown older and stronger, he could bear its weight with ease. But, Mama, could Achish, the king to whom David fled for shelter, live at that very "Gath" to which Goliath belonged? If so it seemed madness to go to him.

MAMA. What rational hope of protection David could have from a Philistine monarch, it is difficult to imagine; at all events we cannot wonder that he suffered severely, for what was certainly an unhallowed, and must have been an injudicious choice.

MARY. Mama; he must surely have trusted to their not knowing who he was-but they did; and then David (I feel quite ashamed of him) feigned himself mad. Why did he do this?

MAMA. Evidently that the distrust which his former fame as a warrior would have inspired, might be counteracted by pity for his supposed condition. But the artifice was despicable in itself, and utterly unworthy of one, who had lately declined flight, even from certain peril, from the lofty consciousness that the "Lord careth for the righteous," and would "save all who put their trust in him."

But lest our just disapprobation of unworthy expedients, should render us insensible to the greatness of the extremity (incurred however by his own folly) to which poor David was at this time driven, let us turn to the 56th Psalm, composed on the occasion, and see what sense of atter desolation and hopeless persecution it breathes. By what strong figures does he express the rage and fierceness of his enemies?

MARY. He says they would "daily swallow him up"-" Every day they wrest my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil.

i "They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul."

But he says, at the same time,

"In God have I put my trust; I will not fear what man can do unto me."

If this had been true, he need not have pretended madness; but prayed to God to help him out of his distress.

MAMA.

Nay, he did at length, as we learn from this beautiful Psalm, commend his cause to him, whom he thus pathetically invokes,

"Thou tellest my wanderings; put my tears in thy bottle; are they not written in thy book?"

"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back; this I know for God is for me,"

Happy had it been for David's reputation, as well as comfort, had such pious sentiments been always uppermost in his mind! And happy will it be for every Christian, who adopts, as the motto of his warfare with sin and Satan, the same motives to fervent prayer, and holy confidence. For every redeemed sinner may, with even stricter propriety, appropriate the concluding words of the Psalmist,

"Thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling; that I may walk before God in the light of the live ing?"

H

74

MORNING SIXTH.

LESSON-1st Samuel, Chapters xxii and xxiii.

MAMA. I think it will assist us in rightly estimating the greatness of the escape which David lately made from the enraged townsmen of Goliath and his own deep sense of it-if we turn to the 34th Psalm, in which, while in comparative safety in the cave of Adullam, he poured forth his gratitude to his almighty defender. How does this beautiful hymn of praise commence?

MARY. "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

MAMA. Yes; and observe how he urges to unite in his thanksgivings, those companions in affliction, whom relationship by blood, or similarity of condition, had driven to join him in his exile.

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."

And how beautifully does he encourage them