nd great of heart, forbade it.
"Not a man," he said, "shall be put to death this day, for to-day the
Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel."

The Philistines had for a long time oppressed the land, so that men who
were their neighbours hid themselves in caves, thickets, and rocks.
They were not armed, for the Philistines had forbidden the working of
iron, lest their slaves should have anything wherewith they might
defend themselves. Having defeated the Ammonites, Saul went up to
Gilgal, and a great crowd came after him trembling. He waited there
seven days for Samuel, and meanwhile the people began to slip away from
him. What was he to do? He could wait no longer, and he commanded the
burnt-offering to be brought to him. Just as he had made an end of the
sacrifice, Samuel appeared, and Saul went out to meet him and take his
blessing. But Samuel turned upon him and doomed him, because he had
meddled with the priest's office. He was to be cast out from his
kingship, and another was chosen in his place. That was the root of
all my lord's trouble, as we shall afterwards see--the seed of the
madness which made his life worse than death. What had he done?
Nothing, but set fire to that miserable beast. Had he slain a man, or
robbed the widow or the fatherless, or defrauded those who came to him
for judgment, his punishment would have been just; but that he should
be deposed because, in his extremity against the Lord's enemies, he had
taken upon him to do what Samuel neglected to do, was a strange
sentence from the Lord. Would you or I deal so with our friends? would
we give them no place for repentance? would we let the penalty endure
when, the heart is changed and forgiveness is sought? The Lord's ways
are wonderful. But it was Samuel's doing. If it had not been for
Samuel, the Lord would have shown mercy. Samuel was ever the priest,
and had no compassion in him. He had been chosen as a child, and he
never forgot he was the Lord's selected servant. He hated Saul because
Saul was king, and he loved to show his power over him. Before that
day in Gilgal, he had called down thunder and lightning from heaven to
show that Jehovah listened to him, and to prove that Jehovah resented
the request that the people should have some one to command them other
than the sons of Eli. He hated Saul because the people obeyed him and
fled to him when they were in danger. Who could help obeying him; who
was there who knew him w