Connecticut western news., 1876-02-04
By the Pastor of n Sunday School.
FOR FEBRUARY 9TH. 1878.

FOR FEBRUARY 9TH, 1876.
 GOLDEN TExT.--Recompense no man evil for evll.-Rom. xiii. IF.
 DATE-1061 B. c.
 DAVID STARING SAUL-I SAM. 24, 1-16. CoRNECTIoN.-After parting with Jona- than. David lied alone to Mob, Q village where the tabernacle bad been set up un- der the charge of Ahimelech, the high priest. Ahimelech did not know of Sauls quarrel with him and gave him some of the 'shew bread Matt. xii. q and Goliath's sword. which had been laid up here as a Fsl,c David told lies to the priest and David went to Gath, right among the Philistines. They found out soon who he was. and escaping from them by pretend ing to be mad tsee the title of Psalm 34l he among the hills of Judea. There hls brothers joined him, and other men. until he had a band of 400 with hlm. Then Da- yid went to Moab, the other side of the Dead Sea lDavld's Rreat-grandmother. Ruth. was Moabitessl and left his father and mother in the care of the king there. David then returned to JHdea. Saul heard where he was and went out with an army agalnst hlm. Then Doeg, a man from was there, told Saul what he had seen, and Saul sent for the priests of Mob, and though Ahimelech told him just how it had happened, Saul caused all the priests (S5 persons) to be killed. None of the Jews Doeg dId, and all their families and chil- dren too. Abiathar. the son of Ahimelech, alone escaped, and he went to Davld and told him: See the title of Psalm 52). The Phllistines came up and captured the town of Keilah. David and his men drove them out. Saul went down to cap | ture David. and David went to the wider ness ot Ziph Ia little south of Hebron). Here Jonathan saw hlm for tEe last tune, and they renewed their covenants. The men of Ziph told Saul that David was | there, and Saul, coming with an army, drove David from place to place until news | was brought him that the Fhilistines had again Invaded the land, when he was obliged to give up pursuing David and 20 against the Pbllistlnes. David went down to Engedl, by the west side of the Dead Sea. and hid himself and men in the caves there.
 the Psalms-Psalms 31, 35, 54. 65, 57, 5S, 68. | LEssoN.-l1-2l Saul. having drlven the PhilIstInes away, heard that David was at Engedi. It is very rough country. full of great rocks and caves; there is one cave there in which 1t IS said 5000 people hid once Saul went after David, taking with hlm an army of 5000 picked men. L3l David and some of his men were hld in cave. Saul came to that very cave end went in out of the glare of the hot suu to | that means to take noon day nap, which most every body does during the long hot days they have in that country. These caves were used as a shelter for sheep Al Saups army, it seems. marched on and left him there asleep, not thinking that David was near. David might have killed him-and he had come there to kill DavId. David's men thought God had sent Saul there to be killed. People often mis- understand what God does and what God | p,vf they need not Uames i. 5.l Instead of kill ing Saul, David cut of tue long skirt of his robe.
 [5-7l But when he had done that 'bis Saul was David's king. He had been eho- sen by God to be king. Yet David had treated him with great disrespect in cut ting off his robe. and he was sorry. He pre- vented his men from iniurlng Saul be dId not think that Gods promise to deliver him gave him right to kill Saul or do him any hurt. After awhile Saul awoke and left the cave, not knowing what had happened.
 [sl David went out of the cave after around David bowed down as men did be- fore the king.
 T9 15l These verses tell what David said to Saul. He asked hIm why he believed that David wantefto hurt him l9l; told him that he might have killed Mm just now, but would not l10l called him his father Saul was his father in law showed him the piece he had cut from his robe said he had not sInned against Saul. and yet Saul was trying to kill him Ill; called upon God to judge between them, but said
 he would not hurt Saul (12l; declared he had no power to damage the king. compar, ing himself to a dead dog that could not
 bite, and flea, that might be troublesome
 but net dangerous TAI; and again called J on God to judge between them and save
 him.
 [l6l Saul was so astonished and affected
 by what he had heard that he burst into
 tears. He acknowledged that David wa.
 righteous and good, aud promised not t, injure him [l7-22l.
 TEkCHINGs.-Th overrullng urovidenc, of God. Saul and his army were right by
 the cave. They might have caught DavIC and all bis men there as ID trap. Bu God did not let them know, and the army passed on.
 The utter impotence of man. Saul wal , a king with great army. Yet God pu him. defenceless alone, into the tue powe of the man he was trying to kill. Never indulge feelings of revenge. F Never do evil that good may come.
 Natural feeling is not true repentance : Saul was affected, but he dld not keep hi promise to Davld Hosea vi. 4l. Only tn Spirit of God can lead to true repentance
 and forgiveness Il Sam. xvi, 1, etc.) NOTE.-These teachings are, in part ,fron
 the s. s. Times of Jan. 9.
 EW- Births. Marriages and Deaths inacrte e