nearly three thousand years ago, "there was long war between the House of Saul and the House of David," in which “David waxed stronger and stronger, and the House of Saul waxed (vaned would seem the more appropriate word) weaker and weaker." In this war the fate of Israel hung in suspense. What could more profoundly interest any patriotic Jew of after ages than to trace the war through all its stages and vicissitudes? What would be more valuable to him than ancient documents which gave him authentic information of the princes and captains who fought on either side, which marked the several crises at which they espoused the rival causes, and recorded the exploits by which they had deserved well of their country?

To us, indeed, this patriotic interest in the muster-rolls of David's army may be wanting, since we are not of the Hebrew blood. But here another excellence of the Bible comes to our aid. Although the historians of the Old Testament were men of the most national and exclusive temperament, although we can trace the Hebrew character and the Hebrew bias in all they wrote, yet they were so overruled by the Spirit of God that their writings are even more human and universal in their tone than they are Hebrew and local. It seems almost impossible for them to copy the pedigree of any noble Jewish family without adding some touch of description or reflection which either lights up the past history of man or comes straight home to every heart. There is hardly one of those long lists of names, from which we commonly turn in weariness, in which we may not find an incidental note or remark full of valuable suggestion. It is in such a list, for example, that we learn that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."-(Gen. v. 24.) It is in such a list that we light on Lamech's "Song of the Sword."—(Gen. iv. 23, 24.) It is in such a list that we meet Jabez, "who was more honourable than his brethren," and are allowed to overhear the pathetic prayer of that brave chieftain-"Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me."(1 Chron. iv. 10.) And it is from another such list, a mere dry catalogue of names, that we get almost our only glimpse of the life of Joseph's brethren and children in the land of Goshen, and learn how their homesteads and fruitful fields were ravaged by the desert clans. (1 Chron. vii. 21-23.) In short, there is no "dry" place in Scripture in which, if we look for it, we may not find a little verdure or light on some spring of pleasant water; there is not a pedigree or catalogue that is not adorned with some scrap of history or poetry which the world, if only it knew of it, would not willingly let die.

Take, as a final illustration, the Chapter before us. I suppose many of you have never read it, that you have glanced at it, and passed it by as a mere barren list of names, in which you had no possible interest or concern. No interest! You could not make a greater mistake, unless, indeed, you have no taste for history, for dramatic dialogue, for military adventure, for pithy pungent suggestions. Glance at it again, and mark how much, besides mere names, it contains and implies. Most of us have the vaguest and most inadequate impression of the means by which David rose to the throne. The popular conception seems to be that, for a few dark months, he haunted the Cave of Adullam, where there resorted to him "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented," and that by the aid of these ragged followers he conquered the grand military monarchy of Israel, led by Saul, one of the bravest captains of the time; whereas the fact is, that for many years David was slowly gathering to himself all the finest and most patriotic spirits in Israel, the most warlike and accomplished soldiers, organising them with the most faithful pains and care; till from Hebron, where he was elected king, he could launch against the House of Saul a splendidly organised army of more than three hundred thousand men, officered by the most gallant and skilful captains of a warlike

race.

The muster-rolls of this Chapter yield one of many proofs of the extreme care with which those who flocked to David's standard were organised. They carefully mark the successive periods at which first one band of brave men and then another rallied to his cause. And on these rolls there are brief notes, possibly contributed by the hand of David himself, of the special qualities of these men, of the warlike exercises and weapons in which they were individually expert, of the exploits they had performed, or of any dramatic incidents which had marked their adhesion to his standard.

The First Muster-Roll (vv. 1-7) records the names of certain captains of the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's tribe, who attached themselves to David while he was still forbidden the presence of the king; and carefully marks that these men and their followers were expert in the use of the sling and the bow, and that by long practice they had made themselves as skilful in the use of the left hand as of the right.

The Second Muster-Roll (vv. 8-15) records the names of certain sons of Gad who separated themselves to David when he dwelt “in the fortress toward the desert"-i.e. the fortified rock-which is elsewhere called "the Cave," or "the Hold" of Adullam. These Gadites are described in Oriental terms of praise. Men of might,

men of war expert in battle, they could handle shield and buckler; their faces were like the faces of lions, their feet as swift as those of roes cantering over the hills. To join David they had left their ancestral home on the farther side of Jordan, crossed that rapid dangerous river when it was in full flood, fought their way through the abettors of Saul on either side of the river, "putting to flight the valleys" (i.e. the inhabitants of the valleys) "both on the east and on the west" of the stream. Of men who had performed such a feat the chronicler says, "the least of them could stand against a hundred, and the strongest against a thousand;" just as we, in our more moderate Western speech, used to brag that one Englishman could beat three Frenchmen.

In the Third Muster-Roll (vv. 16-18) we are told of other men of Benjamin who, with some of the sons of Judah, repaired about this same time to David at Adullam. Their names are not recorded, but the chronicler or annotator seems to have been much impressed by a brief dramatic scene which occurred at their reception into David's camp. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah were the two tribes most faithful to the House of Saul. When, therefore, David's sentinels and outposts sent him word that a band of the children of Benjamin and Judah were approaching the camp, the suspicion occurred to David that they might be joining him only to betray him to Saul. With his native fearlessness he went out to meet them and judge for himself. He said, "If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, you and I shall be of one heart; but if ye come to betray me to mine enemies, although there is no wrong in my hands, the Lord behold and punish." Amasai, the chief captain of the band thus solemnly greeted, was seized with one of those sudden impulses which the devout Hebrews recognised as an inspiration from heaven. "The Spirit came into him, and he exclaimed, Thine are we, O David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse. Peace, peace be unto thee, and peace to every one who helpeth thee, for thy God helpeth thee." Surely, a very singular scene to take place at the gate of an entrenched camp, and not without a certain interest and pathos even for us!

In the Fourth Muster-Roll (vv. 19-21) we have the names of seven captains of the tribe of Manasseh, who "fell to David" at a much later period, when, after his exile in Gath, he had returned to Ziklag, only a few days before the defeat and death of Saul. All we are told of them is that "they were mighty men of valour,” and that they helped David to chastise the marauding Amalekites who had plundered his camp. But the chronicler appends a note, very brief but very graphic, which tells us why David had been sent away from the Philistine court of Gath before the Philistine army joined battle with the army of Israel. The King of Gath loved

David, but the lords of his court refused to trust him. They said, after due deliberation, "For our heads he will fall away to hismaster Saul"-i.e. he will betray us, he will give up our heads, to make his peace with his former king.

The Fifth Muster-Roll (vv. 23-40) contains a list of the captains and soldiers who had rallied round David at Hebron to make him king in place of Saul; nor does it yield in historic interest to any of the lists that have gone before it. For the most part it gives only the numbers from each of the tribes who had espoused the cause of David, though now and then it mentions the name of some illustrious captain or prince. But besides giving the numbers from each tribe, it briefly characterises them. Thus the twenty thousand eight hundred men of Ephraim are characterised not only as 'mighty men of valour," but as having already acquired "fame by previous exploits. The two hundred captains of Issachar are described as men "who had understanding of the times so that they could see what Israel ought to do "-men, i.e. of fine political sagacity; "and all their brethren acted according to their mouth " -i.e. took the advice of these skilful statesmen. The fifty thousand of Zebulun are described as 66 expert in war, and in the use of all weapons of war," as men "who could keep rank, because they were not of a heart and a heart." Most of the tribes have some brief characterisation of this kind. But when the Chronicler sums up, he says of the whole three hundred thousand what he had already said of the fifty thousand of Zebulun: "All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over ali Israel." No wonder that they succeeded in their aim. Three hundred thousand men who knew how to keep rank, and were of a single heart, might still overturn a kingdom, if not overrun the world.

men.

Now, I have no apology to make for calling your attention to these ancient military lists, for I have no sympathy with those who think any part of Holy Scripture unworthy of study. With St. Paul, I hold "all Scripture" inspired of God to be profitable for Our time has been well spent if we have only learned to read this Chapter, this Scripture, more intelligently. And this morning of all mornings it surely cannot be inappropriate to talk of camps and muster-rolls, and to learn that even these things are not uncared for by the God who sent His Son to save the world. If He cares for them, are not we to care for them too? If it was His Spirit that moved holy men to insert these antique military documents in the Sacred Chronicle, we surely may be moved by the same Spirit to inquire what they mean.

And yet I should be sorry to close without speaking a little more directly both to your consciences and to the present occasion. It

ment.

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is much to know what a wonderful book the Bible is, how every part of it is full of interest and instruction; but it is far more to feel that the truths of the Bible lay hold of every phase and department of our life, that what we do in anything we may do as unto the Lord, and not merely unto men. Let me, therefore, before I close, say a few words to my special audience of this morning, speaking to you, first, as to Volunteers, and then as to Men. Now, as volunteers, when you hear of fifty thousand men could keep rank," that may seem to you no very wonderful achieveYou may think that it would be very strange if soldiers could not at least march. All I can say on that point is, that I have seen some volunteer and a good many line regiments at the march-past on parade, whose notion of a right line must have been a little eccentric, if they thought they were keeping one, who certainly presented a somewhat wavering and uncertain front. I don't know much about it, but I don't think it becomes any young soldier to be too sure that he can even march-so sure, at least, as to neg lect his drill. But of course the sacred Chronicler means much more than marching on parade when he says that the men of Zebulun "could keep rank." He means that they could keep rank amid the storm of battle, that they could repel a charge, or advance to the assault, with unimpaired order; that they could close up when comrades fell fast, and present an unbroken and undaunted front to all the perils whether of triumph or defeat, not breaking into wild pursuit in the hour of victory, nor dissolving into a mere rabble when the day went against them. And to keep rank in that fashion is to be a soldier indeed.

If you ask him what was the secret of this all-enduring order and courage, his reply hits the great secret of unity, organisation and success. They could keep an unbroken rank under all temptations and disasters, because "they were not of a heart and a heart;” because they were animated by a single over-mastering purpose; by an entire and perfect devotion. In each man, as in the whole army, there was a single and supreme aim. They did not think of safety and victory, but of victory alone. They had not one heart in the field and another heart craving for home and ease. They were "all there," breathing a purpose which absorbed all passions and affections of the soul. They did not doubt that God had chosen David for their king. They did not regret that David had been chosen rather than another. They were bent, with a whole heart, an undivided will, on forcing a passage for him to the throne. They had no bye-ends to serve. They were not thinking of personal ease, or plunder, or fame. In the enthusiasm of the time they forgot themselves, and were willing to sacrifice themselves to secure the end they had set before them. It was this