dead body. How pleased they were to find that the king and his brave son were dead! But O how shamefully they treated their bodies! They cut off Saul's head: they stripped off Saul's clothes of iron, and brass, (his armour,) and they sent his head and his armour to all the places where the Philistines lived; and they praised their idols, and said that their idols were greater than the God of Israel; because they said their idols had helped them to conquer the Israelites.

Then

they took Saul's armour, and put it in one of the houses where they worshipped idols: and they fastened his body to the wall of one of the idol's houses, that every body might see it. And they fastened Jonathan's body to the same place. Was not this a sad thing to happen to poor Jonathan? But God loved Jonathan. Where was Jonathan's soul? It was with God. But Saul's soul was not with God; and his body was on the idol's house.

Some of the Israelites heard where the Philistines had fastened the bodies of Saul and Jonathan and these kind men travelled all night to the place, and took their bodies down

from the wall, and burned them, and buried their bones under a tree.

Where was David all this time?

He was

in the land of the Philistines. He knew that Saul and Jonathan had been fighting a battle, and he longed to know who had conquered. At last a man, who had been at the battle, came to David, to tell him about it. The man bowed down to David, and David said, "Where do you come from ?”

And the man said, "I come from the tents of Israel."

Then David said, "Pray tell me what has happened."

And the man said, "The Israelites have run away, and many are dead: and Saul, and Jonathan his son, are dead also."

The man thought that David would have been very glad to hear that Saul was dead. But was David glad? No: he still loved Saul, and he was sorry too that the Philistines should have conquered him; because he knew that the Philistines would praise their idols, and speak against the God of Israel, and David loved God so much, that he wish

ed everybody to praise him. And David was very sorry for Jonathan his friend. He would never see his face again in this world.

David sang a sweet song about Saul and Jonathan. He said that Saul and Jonathan had been like eagles and lions, they had been so brave: he said they had lived together, and had died together. And then he said in his song, "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; thy love to me was wonderful.” He called Jonathan his brother, because he had been so very kind to him.

David did not speak of Saul's wickedness; he only spoke of his bravery: for he did not like to speak against the king.

Now the time was come when David was to be king. God put it into the hearts of the Israelites to ask David to be their king. And David said he would be their king. God had promised that David should be king, and God kept his promise, and made him king.

What

God always keeps his promises. did God once promise Abraham? That he

should have a son, and that his children's children should live in the land of Canaan. Did God keep these promises? O yes.

What has God promised you, my dear children? To give you his Spirit, if you ask him, and I know he will keep his promise to you. He will keep all his promises. He has promised, if you have his Spirit, to give you a crown of glory. I hope, dear children, that you will ask him for his Holy Spirit.

David praised God on his harp for keeping his promise to him; for taking him from keeping sheep, to make him king over all the land. David wished to be a good king, and to do all that God told him, and to teach all his people to love God. He knew that God would bless him and keep him from all harm.

THE DEATH OF SAUL.

Wounded with sharp arrows,

The king of Israel flies;

On the field of battle

By his own sword he dies.

How the heathen triumph

To find him 'mongst the dead!

To their idol temples,

They send his royal head.

Then with nails they fasten

His body to a wall:

All who pass by see it,

And mock the name of Saul.

He refus'd to honour

The Great Almighty name;

God in righteous anger

Has cover'd him with shame.

THE BRAVE SHEPHERD.

Good David, whose psalms have so often been

sung,

At first was not noble, or grand;

But only a shepherd boy, when he was young,
Though afterwards king of the land.

He tended his flocks in the pastures by day,
And kept them in safety by night,

And though a poor shepherd, he did not delay
To do what was holy, and right.