manded a hundred men; the captain of a thousand, would therefore have ten centurions under him.

19. Fighting.-There might be frequent skirmishes, though they did not come to a general engagement.

22. Carriage.-Or rather, the provisions which he carried; it reads in the margin, the vessels from upon him. "The keeper of the carriage" would then be one who was left in charge of the baggage of the army.

28. Eliab's anger.-Eliab was probably secretly displeased with his younger brother, for coming forward so courageously, when he himself, in common with the rest, had been afraid. There may also have been some feelings of envy, if he knew of his brother having been anointed by Samuel.

29. Is there not a cause?-Is it not enough to make any one come forward, when the armies of Israel are defied, and no one is ready to defend them? or he may refer to a secret intimation received from above, by which he knew that he was called to engage in conflict.

LESSONS.

I. No worldly advantage-such as strength, knowledge, &c.-can do any real good to us, unless rightly used. V. 4-8. (Zech. iv. 6. Jer. ix. 23, 24.)

II. When God forsakes us, a little will make us afraid. V. 11. (Gen. iii. 8-10. Prov. xxviii. 1.)

III. God leads his people in the right way: David was taken to the court of Saul, (ch. xvi. 19.) then back again to the sheep, V. 15., and now to the battle-field, V. 17. ; but all to prepare him for the station God had appointed for him. (Deut. viii. 2, 3.)

IV. Parents are to be willingly obeyed by their children, even when they have passed the age of boys and girls. V. 20. (Prov. xxiii. 22.)

V. An envious disposition causes much that is both unkind and unjust. V. 28. (James iii. 16.)

VI. Those who are most truly courageous are often distinguished for their meekness and gentleness. V. 29. (Acts iv. 13, 19, 20.)

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

1 SAMUEL Xvii. 31-58.

36. Slew both the lion and the bear.-It was doubtless by God's special help that David was enabled to do this, unarmed and alone; as we are told that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson on a similar occasion. (Judges xiv. 5, 6.)

This uncircumcised Philistine.-Throughout we find David moved by zeal for the honour of God, whose chosen people had been defied by a proud and heathen man.

39. David put them off him.-God ordered it that he should go without the armour which soldiers commonly used, in order that it might be clearly seen that the victory was from him.

42. A youth. He is supposed to have been about twenty-two or twenty-three years old at this time.

43. His gods.-The idols he worshipped; though it is clear that he depended not so much upon their help as upon his own strength. (Compare 1 Kings xx. 10.)

44. Fowls of the air.—Birds of prey, such as vultures, which abound in hot countries, and feed upon dead bodies. (Compare Gen. xv. 11. Jer. vii. 33.)

45. I come to thee.-David here beautifully expresses his simple confidence in God, and that indeed was his strength.

49. Sunk into his forehead.-Either the Philistine, looking upon David with contempt, neglected to fasten on his helmet; or the stone, driven on by more than human power, penetrated the brass.

LESSONS.

I. What God has done for us already, may well encourage us to trust in him for the future. V. 34-37. (Ps. ìxiii. 7.)

II. God's people are often looked down upon by the wicked, who have a high opinion of themselves. V. 42. (Ps. cxxiii. 3, 4.)

III. Pride and self-confidence prepare men for disgrace and ruin. V. 42. (Prov. xvi. 18.)

IV. The curses of the wicked will only fall upon themselves. V. 43, 44. (Prov. xxvi. 2.)

V. He who simply trusts in God, will never be put to confusion. V. 45. (Ps. cxxv. 1.)

VI. God can accomplish any purpose he pleases by the weakest instruments. V. 50. (2 Cor. xii. 9.)

VII. We may sometimes be forgotten, even by those who have received the greatest benefits from us. V. 55. (Eccles. xxxi. 30.)

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

1 SAMUEL Xix.

1. That they should kill David.-Instead of being grateful to him for having slain Goliath, his envy was excited by the women who celebrated the victory speaking more highly of David than of himself, (ch. xviii. 6-9.) and so strong was this evil passion within him, that he sought by every means in his power to put him to death.

2. Delighted much.-The warm affection of Jonathan for David was very remarkable; there was more to make him envious than his father, as he knew that God having anointed David to be king, he must himself be excluded from succeeding Saul on the throne.

6. Hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan.-He was probably sincere in the promise he gave, being impressed by Jonathan's arguments-though the effect soon passed off-and forgetting the oath he had taken, he again sought to kill David.

12. Michal let David down.-Michal was quite right in using every lawful means to save her husband's life; but we cannot defend the falsehood she told (V. 17.) in endeavouring to excuse herself * to her father.

13. An image.-We can hardly suppose that David would have allowed an image to remain in his house for idolatrous worship, as the "teraphim" mentioned in Gen. xxxi. 19.-it must therefore have been a statue for ornament.

23. Upon him also.-This was the second time that the Spirit of God had come upon him in a miraculous manner, causing him to prophesy: (ch. x. 10, 11.) and here, still more clearly than before, it was merely the gift without the grace of the Spirit.

LESSONS.

I. None can tell to what lengths of wickedness we may be led by giving way to envy. V. 1. (Gen. iv. 5-8.)

II. True religion will lead us to love those who love and serve God. V. 2. (John xiii. 35.)

III. Real love will lead a man to exert himself for his friend, even though with difficulty and danger to himself. V. 2-7. How has Christ proved his love to us? (1 John xv. 13. Rom. v. 7, 8.) IV. Good resolutions are soon broken, if made only in our own strength. V. 6, 10 (Hosea vi. 4.)

V. We should gladly take every opportunity of doing good, even to those who treat us worst. V. 9. (Rom. xii. 19-21.)

V1. God has many ways of delivering his servants. V. 11, 12. 20-24. (Ps. xviii. 30.)

VII. How awful the character of a man enjoying the greatest religious privileges, and yet remaining wicked-a Saul among the prophets! V. 24. (John vi. 70.)

SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

To the Editor of the Teacher's Visitor.

SIR, AS so many efforts are being made at the present day to direct the minds of Christian people to the signs of the times, in order that their readiness may be promoted for the coming of the Lord, may I beg a small space in your "Teacher's Visitor" for the publication of what seems to me to be the sober and Scriptural view of this subject? I will only add, by way of preface, that my chief motive for this is a sense of the necessity of guarding against an injudicious interpretation and enthusiastic abuse of the fulfilling and unfulfilled prophecies.

That every Christian, even from the time of Christ, is required to live as if he expected the coming of the Lord would shortly take place, is quite clear from the New Testament. And, whilst nothing is more constraining to good than this high privilege put in lively exercise, it is much to be lamented that, from misapprehension or oversight, it has not been duly pressed upon our attention. We shall do well to mark the following texts, with many others that are of a similar import: "How ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven." (1 Thess. i. 9, 10.) "What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God." (2 Peter iii. 11, 12, to the end of the chapter.) "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour." (Phil. iii. 20.) "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." (Heb. x. 36, 37.) "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (James v. 7,8.) "The day is at hand." (Rom. xiii. 12.) "The Lord is at hand." "The end of all things is at hand." (1 Peter iv. 7.) On a careful reading of the above passages of Scripture, we cannot fail to notice, that it was an essential point in apostolical admonition to inculcate the continual "looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour." (Titus ii. 13.) The instructions of our Lord himself give likewise the same impression: "Again, a little while, and ye shall see me." (John xvi. 17.) "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." (John xiv. 3.) "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John xxi. 22.) "Surely I come quickly." (Rev. xxii. 20.)

(Phil. iv. 5.)

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matt. xxiv. 42.) Indeed the whole of the New Testament, if we except the prophecy of the 1260 days, &c. of Revelation, gives the idea, that the glorious advent of Christ was even then to be regarded as shortly to happen. The only appearance of exception besides this is 2 Thess. ii. 3; but the words which precede, and especially those which follow-"The Lord direct your hearts into the patient waiting for Christ," (2 Thess. iii. 5.)-show that it was the rule to impart the idea of the near approach of that great event, as an incentive to perseverance. So much does this pervade the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists, that scoffers have urged, and timid Christians feared, that it militated against the truth of Scripture. But like the things of God, either in nature or revelation, it needs only to be rightly apprehended, that its wisdom may be appreciated and admired. It must not be dissembled, that at first sight there is a difficulty: and there is only one solution. But it is quite a satisfactory one, and it is that which God himself, by the pen of his Apostle, has given us : "Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing," &c. (2 Peter iii. 8.) Here we find that a thousand years is as one day with the Lord. This is told us that it may be so in our estimation; and with the disembodied timeliberated spirits of the just made perfect, doubtless it is the case. Or, in other words, when the souls of the righteous sleep in Jesus, it is their felicity to pass over the interval of the remnant of time with such a rapidity that the moment of their departure out of this life is as if immediately followed by the last great day, which will be the consummation of all things, and the commencement of an endless eternity. We may understand the possibility of this from our experience of sleep; which, if perfectly sound, seems to unite the ends of a space of many hours, as if there were no interval. Death then, in such case, seems to be immediately followed by the judgment-day; and as any one may die at any moment, and death, in the view given, is exactly equivalent to the coming of the Lord, we see what cause we have to admire the wisdom of God; which, to enforce the most solemn watchfulness, addresses us, Behold, the judge standeth before the door;" (James v. 9.) and, to add to it the joy of hope, pronounces, "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." (Matt. xxiv. 46.) To look for the coming of the Lord in this way seems clearly Scriptural.

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But the minds of many can only be moved by a more literal expectation, (in some sense,) of the near approach of Christ's second advent. To such the signs of the times, if soberly and carefully