THE DEATH OF ELI.

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Her prayer was heard; and when the child, whom she called Samuel, was weaned, she and her husband took sacrifices, and offered, and dedicated him to the Lord according to her vow.-I SAM. i.

E

LI was high priest and judge of Israel at this time.
Though a good man, he was timid, and did not

exert himself in correcting the immoralities of his family. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were most abandoned characters, on which account, the Lord appeared to Samuel, and denounced judgment upon the house of Eli, who received the tidings with pious resignation. Shortly after, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines; the ark was taken, and the sons of Eli were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes

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rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the way-side watching for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, and he could not see. And the messenger said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died. And he had judged Israel forty years.'I SAM. iv.

HEN the Israelites, during the battle, found that

WHE

they were suffering defeat before their enemies, they sent for the ark,-that hallowed token of God's presence and favour,-thinking thereby to obtain deliverance and triumph; but they miscalculated here, and knew not that God was reckoning with them for their sins. It appears, however, that the Philistines themselves were struck with awe and terror, when they found by the shouting of the Israelites that the ark of God was come amongst them. However, they fought with redoubled valour, and Israel was smitten. 'And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.' And 'they brought it into the house of Dagon [their god], and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the

Lord and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands, were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.'I SAM. V.

THE

long together, desired to be governed by a king

like the nations around them, forgetting that the Lord of Hosts was their sovereign. However, Samuel was admonished by God to gratify them in this matter, and Saul was appointed their first monarch; but as he soon offended God by his misconduct, David was chosen to supersede him. He was the youngest son of Jesse, who was the grandson of Boaz, by Ruth his wife. David's

DAVID KILLS A LION AND A BEAR. 103

employment was that of shepherd to his father. Samuel went by the divine command to select one of Jesse's numerous sons for the high honour of the throne of Israel. They were all made to pass before the prophet in succession, except the youngest, who, however, was at length produced. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.'- -I SAM. xvi.

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AVID, it seems, was but a stripling, exceedingly slender and youthful in his appearance, and on this account was despised by his brethren and others. When, therefore, the giant Goliath defied Israel,