(1 Sam. 25:)

In order to have practical communion with the mind of God, through the Scriptures, whilst the conflict still remains between the flesh and the Spirit, it is needful that the soul be established in grace. Now Satan seeks to hide the simplicity of this grace ; but it is simple grace toward those who were dead in trespasses and sins that has met us. As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so was Jesus on the cross, and He is presented to us by God as the object of our faith. When we look to Him, God says, "Live." The next thing that Satan seeks to hide from us is God's preserving grace; and this he does by bringing in many inventions of his own. God preserves us by something hidden in heaven. We may be looking at our experience-to outward observances-to an outward priesthood, and the like ; but if it is not that which is hidden in heaven, connected with the precious blood of Jesus, and His priesthood, to which we are looking, it must come from him who is the "father of lies." All those things which tend at all to promise the soul preservation, apart from this, lead astray.

There is, then, to all believers, sure and everlasting acceptance, because of the precious blood of Jesus which has been shed for them. " Christ being come a High-Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,-that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." (Heb. 9:11, 12.) This secures their blessing and peace forever. Nothing can shake or alter the peace that subsists between the Father and the Son,-nothing that crosses our path here, none of the circumstances of earth, can alter the peace of the sanctuary. It is established forever between the Father and Jesus. So that, whenever a believer seeks it, whatever the condition of soul in which he may turn toward God, the peace of the sanctuary is there-unchanged. How precious the assurance of this! The soul that has learned any thing of God and of His holiness knows how, every hour, many a thing crosses the path likely to affect this peace-that soul must prize the unchanged peace of the sanctuary.

But we know other blessings also. God would have the saints understand and love Him and His ways here- His actings in the midst of an unholy earth, where Satan's seat is. He (God) desires that we should have communion with Himself in His thoughts about all around. By and by the Church will participate with the Lord in the exercise of power toward the earth-we shall share His glory, for we are "joint-heirs with Christ." But besides this, there is the place of present association, in service. And this must be in humiliation. Jesus served God in the midst of circumstances of evil and the "contradiction of sinners."

We read of the apostle Paul saying, " By the grace of God I am what I am ; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Now, very often (our thoughts are apt to dwell so much and so exclusively on acceptance), this passage:" By the grace of God I am what I am," is looked at as only having to do with acceptance ; but the Lord desires that we should abundantly serve Him in the midst of Satan's world-having, it may be, to conflict, not only with evil in ourselves, but with evil in others ; and nothing but His grace can enable us to do this. It is as much the " grace of God" that has given us to serve, and the " grace of God" that strengthens for service, as it was the " grace of God" that saved us at the beginning.
When "Christ ascended up on high," He "gave gifts unto men. . . . some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints ; for the work of the ministry, to the edifying of the body of Christ." (Eph. 4:8-16.) You. will perceive how the grace of God leads that way, viz., to strengthen and qualify for service. Thus, if any teach you, they do it that you may be blessed, and so blessed as to become servants to others-life in you ministering to life in them, and strengthening that which needs to be strengthened. Now, suppose this be not understood-that I do not see it to be my privilege, I may be very thankful to have one to teach me, but my faith will be weak, and my prayers hindered, I shall not have the right object before me. Teaching amongst the saints is not intended simply to open up truth to them, to tell them what salvation is, or to give them comfort; but also to open out, and direct the soul to, those things which God desires should be the object of service in faith, as it is said, "Your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father." I need not say, beloved friends, how often we stop short of this, and rest in our own personal blessing. When the soul once recognizes it to be the intention God. has in view in strengthening us. that we should serve Him in serving others, it gets quite a new motive for which to live-something worth living for.

Now, I know nothing more important or more blessed than the being able to discern the true servant of Christ in the world. Nothing more marks the difference between a soul taught of the Spirit and one untaught of Him than this. It was a blessed thing-the great test of faith, when the Lord Jesus was here, to be able to discern and confess Him as what He really was-the Son, and Sent One of God. And so, at the present moment, the leading of the Holy Ghost is always toward the distinct recognition of that which is of God in the world. Till Jesus comes again, this will be found in the lowly place, that which the flesh likes not to own, but which the Holy Spirit loves to recognize. He leads the enlightened soul to say, There will I cast in my lot, for there blessing is.

Such parts of Scripture as that on which we are now meditating bring us into communion with the servants of God-the family of faith, in past ages. They show us that, in principle, their trials were like our trials, their conflicts like our conflicts, and thus knit our hearts to them in a way which nothing else can.

David had gained the place in which we find him here because he was of faith, and because Saul was one who was not of faith. He represents the person with whom the truth and the calling of God is. As a simple stripling David had been taught to trust in God-the God of Israel. When the lion and the bear came, he had faith to meet the lion and the bear, and to overcome them. This was a matter between David and God in secret. But very soon after, David's faith enabled him to come forward, not for his own deliverance, but for that of God's Israel. Faith led him to take up the current of the counsels of God. As a Christian goes onward in his career, though the trials he has to encounter may be greater, he goes on in the current of the counsels of God ; and thus, as Paul says, he is led about in triumph in Christ. Greater things may be done, yet, in one sense, they are felt to be easier, because he becomes more acquainted with the strength of God. But this path must begin in secret, and then shall we be led onward of God.

To return to the scene before us. God had anointed David king. Saul was still in power, having offices, etc., which none but one who was of faith ought to have had. David did not lift his hand in vengeance against Saul,- he left all that was connected with the place of the flesh, and took his place as an outcast, simply and singly in the wilderness. There he was glad of any countenance, of any support. Just so is it at the present hour with the servants of Christ who seek to walk in the truth-those, in a spiritual sense, of the lineage of David. The more they walk in it, the more sensitive will they become to any thing of kindness and love which comes in their way, for their hearts will be often worn and weary. I suppose there is nothing more gladdening to the soul that desires the good of others and the glory of God than to see any uniting with itself for the truth's sake. The " cup of cold water"-any little act of kindness connects such with the truth of God. In this there is distinct and precious service-" Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." God only sees the heart; but where there is one who says, I receive and countenance, and desire to cast in my lot with, persons who are walking in the truth, suffering for righteousness sake,-there, blessing will be.

David was in need :here was another not in need. Rich in the earth, surrounded by this world's goods, living in abundance,-such was the character of Nabal (5:2). David grudged him not his prosperity (nay, doubtless he felt that he would not have exchanged his place for Nabal's); it was no hard message that he sent-"I do not ask thee," he says, "to leave thy riches and follow me ; I say, Peace both to thee, and peace to thy house, and peace unto all that thou hast ; only wilt thou show kindness unto me; wilt thou give me that which I deed?" (10:6-8.) The heart of David was large enough to have rejoiced in any thing that would have identified Nabal's place with his. And so ever, when the heart of a saint is in a gracious state, there will not be the grudging of those around, nor yet the disposition to say, " See what I am and what you are not." No, that heart will rather seek to bind the connecting link between another and itself.

God deals in grace. He knew what the end of Nabal would be, yet this was the gracious test which he put to him. And if there had been a spark of grace in Nabal's heart, of any thing according to God, it must have answered to the test. But there was not. His eye was fixed upon outward circumstances; his rough, outward thought about David's position was this :"Who is David ? and who is the son of Jesse ? there be many servants that break away now-a-days, every man from his master" (5:10). Now we must remember, dear friends, that we have all of us, naturally, this Nabal feeling; there is no heart without it as well as other evil; and about this, even as believers, we have to watch and judge ourselves. I ask you whether, because you desire to serve God, there is ready willingness, in full freedom of heart, to give all that countenance and fellowship which you are able, to others who may stand in need of it. This may be done in the way of support, or comfort, or sympathy, either in temporal or spiritual things. Love will find out many a way.

In the present day, there are not a few who, it may be, seem to some of us, to shrink from and shun the circumstances in which they find themselves placed. But about this we may misjudge them, and be saying, in principle, the same thing that Nabal said, little aware of the deep inward struggle and anxiety there has been. David had given up much ; many a tie had been broken, many a struggle gone through, ere he took this position. So that, though it was true, in one sense, that he had " run away from his master," how different was the act in the eyes of God and of man. That which is outward soon attracts the eye, when perhaps it requires patient, diligent investigation to find out the truth. If the soul desire fellowship with God in His thoughts and ways, there must be this diligence, otherwise we shall never know what to encourage and what not. Depend upon it, all truth, the more it is known and acted on, the more will it lead into the isolated place.

But we may learn a deep and practical lesson from what is shown out here of David's heart.

The flesh was still in David, and (as many of us are often found, when any thing comes upon us unexpectedly) he was unprepared to meet, in steadfastness of grace, that which God allowed to be in His path.

No doubt he considered the slight and dishonor put upon him by Nabal " most uncalled for," " most unjust," " rather too much to bear." But he was wrongly roused. And how often is this the case with the saints of God ! They dwell on circumstances, instead of turning from circumstances to God and then acting amidst them according to Him. They say, perhaps, "How unkind! How unjust! do I deserve this treatment? Is it not quite right to be angry ? " Thus the place of grace is lost. Day by day a thousand things act on our spirits, in one way or another, which are calculated to produce trying and painful effects. Now, if these be met in fellowship with God, they afford an occasion for bringing forth blessed fruit; but if not, we ourselves become contaminated, and have to confess sin. So that, instead of (as the hymn says) Satan trembling and fleeing from us in every conflict, he often thus gains advantage over us. It is a blessed thing to be able to praise God for having enabled us practically to triumph and overcome. And this we should seek to attain. The apostle Paul could say, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith," and " none of these things move me," etc. We can always praise God for what He is in Himself, and for what He has made us in Christ, but we might also praise Him for our own practical victory over Satan and over the world.

" 'Mid mightiest foes, most feeble are we;
Yet, trembling, in every conflict they flee:
The Lord is our banner, the battle is His,
The weakest of saints more than conqueror is."

(To be concluded in our next.)