priests; and we shall have occasion to notice its consummation in the deposition of Abiathar, the high priest, by Solomon, and the subsequent degradation of his family.

For Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, contrived to escape when the slaughter of his father and kindred took place, and fled immediately to David for protection. The latter, on being informed by him of that horrible event, exclaimed, "I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house." On every account, therefore, he found himself bound to defend Abiathar against the vengeance of Saul, and added; "Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard."

Abiathar brought with him the ephod, and probably the Urim and Thummim, which had hitherto been appropriated to the service of Saul; thus enabling David, as we shall soon see, to consult the oracle of God for direction in his affairs.

It happened, at this time, that the Philistines, taking advantage of the distracted affairs of the Israelites, invaded their country, and attacked Keilah, a town in the tribe of Judah, committing extensive depredations, and carrying off the grain which the inhabitants had gathered and were threshing in the adjoining fields.

Keilah was not far from the forest of Hareth, where David and his men, about six hundred in number, were concealed. He was told of what the Philistines were doing, and his patriotic spirit was immediately roused to go to the relief of his countrymen. But he would not do this without inquiring of the Lord for direction. This he probably did through Abiathar, the high-priest, who was with him, and received the reply, "Go and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah."

But his men dreaded the enterprise. They said they had already dangers enough to encounter, without making their case the more desperate by going out to attack the Philistines. To satisfy them, David inquired again of the Lord, and was told to arise, and go down to Keilah, for God would deliver the Philistines into his hands. There was no more hesitation. He and his party went resolutely forward. They rescued Keilah, obtaining a complete victory over the enemy, bringing away their cattle, and smiting them with a great slaughter.

Such a generous and heroic deed David had good reason to suppose would secure the gratitude of the inhabitants of Keilah, and afford him and his men at least a temporary shelter within their walls. But it proved far otherwise. Saul, having heard of what had happened, expressed his joy at the event. He exultingly exclaimed that God had now delivered David into his hands, (inasmuch

as the latter and his party could easily be taken prisoners, being shut up in a town that had gates and bars,) and immediately summoned his soldiers to assemble, that he might go and besiege Keilah. David was informed of this movement, and, through Abiathar, sought once more the Divine direction in so critical an emergency. He was told that Saul was fully resolved to come down to the city, and that the inhabitants would be ready to deliver him up into the hands of his enemy. He hesitated not a moment what course to take. He withdrew from Keilah, and, wandering about from place to place, at length sought a refuge in a mountainous and retired hold in the wilderness of Ziph between Hebron and the Dead Sea. (See Psalm 31.) In the meanwhile, Saul, having heard of David's escape from Keilah, forbore to go thither, using, however, all the means in his power to ascertain where David was, and to surprise him and his party, but without success. "Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand."

In the midst of such severe trials, David was much comforted and encouraged by a visit from his friend Jonathan. The latter knew his place of concealment, and met him privately in the recesses of a thick wood, there to tender to him the sympathy which he so much needed, and to convince him that the attachment which they had mutually long since formed had suffered no di

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minution. In doing this, Jonathan, we are told, inspired David with new confidence in the Almighty, "and strengthened his hand in God."— 'Fear not," said he, "for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth."

The interview of the two friends was a hurried, but deeply interesting one, and before they separated they renewed their solemn covenant with each other, calling upon the Lord to witness the sincerity of the transaction, and invoking his blessing upon them.

But if David had thus one faithful, devoted friend, he was surrounded, also, by many treache rous enemies. The Ziphites, who knew where he and his men were hiding themselves, formed the purpose of betraying him into the power of Saul. With this object in view, some of them went to Gibeah where the king was, informing him of David's strong holds, and promising, if he would come down, to deliver David into his hands.

"Blessed be ye of the Lord;" said Saul, "for ye have compassion on me. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilely. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurkingplaces where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with

you and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah."

It was not long before the Ziphites gave Saul such intelligence that he set out with a body of armed men in quest of David. The latter, being aware of the movement, concealed himself, with his followers, in a retreat in the rocky fastnesses of the wilderness of Maon, a mountainous region in the most southern parts of the tribe of Judah. Saul pursued after him, advancing on one side of the mountain, while David and his party, on the other, were endeavoring to elude the search, and to avoid being encompassed by their enemies. At this critical juncture, a messenger came in great haste to inform Saul that the Philistines had invaded the land, and were pouring themselves into it in vast numbers. The danger from this quarter was so pressing, that the king, for the present, abandoned the pursuit of his intended victim, and hastened to defend his territories against an old and formidable enemy.

Thus David's earnest supplications for deliverance in the fifty-fourth Psalm, which it is supposed he wrote when in this extreme peril, were signally answered by the interposition of Providence in his behalf; and he might well say,

"I will praise thy name, O Lord! for it is good. "For he hath delivered me out of all trouble;

"And mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies."