(1 Sam. 30:) The most faithful servants of God have not been perfect. Moses, the meekest man in all the earth, "spake unadvisedly with his lips." Peter, a truly devoted man, learned from bitter experience that he could put "no confidence in the flesh." David is, in some respects, the most beautiful and striking type we have of Christ in the Old Testament, both in his rejection and his elevation to the throne. In all the time of his persecution by king Saul, he exhibited both a forbearance toward his enemy and a faith in God which are very beautiful. Again and again he refused to take his case in his own hands, but committed all to the One who had called and anointed him.

It is therefore specially painful to see the faith of such an .one fail, and to hear him say, in his heart, '' I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul :there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines." How prone are God's people to leave His land, the place of His appointment ! A famine drove Abraham into Egypt, where he learned that the path of sight, apparently easier than that of faith, ends in sorrow and shame. Isaac doubtless would have gone the same way, had he not been restrained by a distinct word. Since that day the road from the land into Egypt has been much traveled by the Lord's people, who, under stress of circumstances, have thought to get relief, away from God's path-a sad mistake. No matter what the trial may be, it is light if we remain in God's place with a good conscience, compared with the sorrow and chastening which accompany departure from Him. Naomi is a striking example of this. " I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty." Ah! how slow we arc to realize that perfect love has chosen our path, and that perfect wisdom knows exactly what is best for us.

It was in the face of distinct preservation from the king, and indeed of strange, if but temporary melting on his part, that David made the unbelieving remark we have quoted above. "Then said Saul, 'I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm ; because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day :behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.'" (i Sam. 26:21.) If he wanted to walk by sight, here seemed to be a relenting on the part of the king which would for a time, at least, insure him quietness; but unbelief is without reason and once indulged will lead us on in a path farther and farther from that which counts on God alone. And so he finds himself in the land of his and God's enemies whom he had oftentimes met and overcome in battle, but to whom he now goes for protection. Le us not be too severe with him; let us rather remember our own inconsistencies in this very respect, and how they have led us to adopt courses for ourselves which we have condemned in others.

Humanly speaking, it was a wise move on his part, but he had left the place which God had chosen for him, and substituted as a protector, king Achish, of Gath-his name signifying, " truly a man,"-for the living God. And this was the very man who at the beginning of his rejection had refused shelter to David; before whom he had feigned himself a madman, until he rose to the dignity of dependence upon God, and went to the cave of Adullam-his true place.

Now he is back again in the same place, and in what strange inconsistencies is he involved. An enemy to God's enemies he must fight them, but with the courage to do that he at the same time uses deception and fears to acknowledge it to Achish. Strangest of all, he is found in the Philistine army ready to go up to Apheh to take part in battle against king Saul, the Lord's anointed. He who had refused to lift up his hand against the king of Israel is actually now found in the ranks of the enemy, and but for the mercy of God would have been found in that clay of Israel's sorrow and humiliation fighting against the very people over whom he had been anointed king, or what would have been also a blot upon his good faith, he would have turned against the Philistines in the day of battle. God does not want His servants to be traitors. He would never have them in such compromising positions that such a thing would be possible.

But the disgrace of fighting in the enemy's ranks is prevented by the Philistines, and, with a vigorous protest of faithfulness to their cause, David is compelled to retire. God in mercy would not let His servant go further in this path of unbelief.

And now begins the chastening which is to bring him back to the simplicity of his confidence in God. He came to Ziklag, the place where his family and possessions were, only to find the city a mass of smoking ruins, and those whom he loved carried away captive. If he can be willing to go with the enemy, another enemy can come upon him and spoil him. It was no doubt a bitter moment for David. His little all had vanished. "Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep." Ah! now he is beginning to taste the bitterness of being without the protection of God. As a homeless wanderer, pursued like a partridge upon the mountains, despised by the Nabals, who dwelt at ease in the land, he had never known the like of this. But now, under the protection of the king of Gath, and with a city of his own, he learns that without God's shelter he is exposed indeed. In the first shock of disappointment he can only weep:all seems lost. Perhaps we may know from experience something of his gloom. We have been hoarding for many a day to get a little about us, to make a comfortable home it maybe, and it is all taken from us. Perhaps it is bereavement that comes, and in the bitterness of the grief all seems to be against us. He is aroused from the lethargy of his grief by the anger of his faithful followers. Those who had been with him in the cave of Adullam, and shared without a murmur, so far as we know, his perils and trials, now speak of stoning him. His troubles accumulate. But this is God's way to bring him back to Himself. And at last we read that he no longer will place himself under human protection-it has sadly failed him. When all things are against him, David's faith comes back,-he turns to the One who had never failed, and from whom he had sadly departed. "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." Ah! blessed is the trial, no matter how heavy,-precious the disappointment, no matter how bitter, that can result thus! He is back now to God; and that, for him and for us all, means back in the place of blessing. Better, far better, to be in the midst of the black ruins of Ziklag, surrounded by a threatening mob, than in the ranks of the Philistines fighting against God's beloved people.

Have we, beloved brethren, in any way known what bitter disappointment means ? and have we in the midst of it turned to the One who has smitten us, and encouraged ourselves in Him ? Then, like David, we can say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept Thy word."

And how encouraging this is to all who are borne down with great sorrow. Never can it be so great, the disappointment can be never so keen, but we can find relief in God-in the very one who has sent the sorrow upon us. This faith in God, springing up among the ruins of all he had, was a precious and a beautiful thing. It marked a great turning-point in his life.

Nor does it stop here. His next step is, to inquire what can be done. Notice, he does not rush after the enemy who had done the mischief. He first inquires of God in the appointed way, and finds out what must be done. His restless self-confidence has disappeared, his soul is again like a weaned child. God shall now be his guide. Is not this a beautiful lesson? "Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them ?" Ah! he is in the right path now; and if he does not move rapidly, he goes surely. Would that we could learn to imitate him! for our efforts to undo the results of our own folly and unbelief are often but a fresh going on in the path which brought the chastening upon us. And this will end only in fresh disappointment. "Be still, and know that I am God " is the word we need to hear, and to let the hand that has smitten us lead us in the plain path that He alone knows. This is most needful, and one of the surest signs that disappointment and sorrow have been blessed to us is, to see this spirit of dependence on God.

And this brings us to the place of victory. This nerves them, weak as they may be, and, with some left behind, to press on after the enemy, to overtake them, and to recover that which had been lost. They arc now, too, in a state to enjoy their recovered possessions. They will not be a snare to them. When God takes a thing out of our hands to teach us a lesson we need to learn, He can, after we have learned that lesson, put the thing back in our hands. This He often, not always, does. But faith is now in its right place, and can appreciate recovered blessings, receiving them now from God.

But there is more to see. Only a portion of the men had the strength and energy to follow David over the brook Besor, to overtake and vanquish the spoilers. What about those who " tarried at home "? Pride and selfishness might say that they should not share in the fruits of the victory; but one who had been truly restored in his soul, like David,-who knew what his own failure had been, and how all was due to God alone, would permit no such selfishness. Those who remained at home were to share in the victory. This is true largeness of heart, and always marks one who has learned in God's school. Others may want to stint those with less faith and energy; he will rejoice to give them what he has gained. It is always comparatively few who do the active work of recovering truth, for instance; but it would be niggardly indeed to deprive any of God's people of the fullest enjoyment of what has been won. We need to remember this. If God has in mercy restored to us any truths of His Word, we owe it to the whole Church to impart it to as many as will receive it. "Feed the flock of God,"-not part of it, but all,- any who will share with us what we have won back from the spoiler, not hampered in our ministry by the fact that "he followeth not with us."

Thus, out of the ruins of Ziklag, and out of the ruins of his testimony, David rises to a brighter faith step by step,-dependence, looking for guidance, energy to pursue the enemy, and largeness of heart to share the spoil with all. So did Gideon in his victory.

The next notice we have of David's movements is, the childlike inquiry, " Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah ?" He had left them, inquiring of his own heart only; he will only go back as God may guide. And how fitting it is that he should be sent back to Hebron-"communion "! It is ever back to this that God would call us. He would never have us leave the place of communion; and if we do, He would call us back, and we can thank Him well if He gets us back at the cost of disappointment and sorrow.