Samuel still lived with him in the temple, and helped him in the offices of the service of the Lord. One night, when Eli and Samuel were sleeping in the temple, Samuel heard a voice calling, "Samuel, Samuel!" And the child, thinking it was Eli who called, rose and went to the high priest, answering, "Here am I." But Eli had not called, and he told Samuel to lie down again. But once more the voice sounded through the darkness, calling Samuel; and again Samuel came to Eli and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me." And again Eli said he had not called Samuel, and sent the child to lie down.

But when the mysterious voice sounded for the third time, crying, "Samuel, Samuel!" Eli perceived that it was the Lord who had called the child. So he said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.” So Samuel went back to his place, and when the Lord called to him again, he answered, just as Eli had taught him, "Speak; for Thy servant heareth." Then the Lord vouchsafed to tell Samuel that He was about to bring a great and mighty judgment upon Israel, and that first of all the things which had been prophesied against Eli and against his house should come to pass; because Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had committed

wickedness and sin, and their father had not restrained or punished them. Therefore the first punishment should come upon Eli and his house; and no sacrifice nor offering that Eli could make could turn away the anger or alter the purpose of the Lord, whom Eli had offended.

When the Lord had made an end of speaking to Samuel, Eli called to the child, and desired to know what the Lord had said, conjuring Samuel to hide nothing from him. Therefore Samuel repeated the words that he had heard, concealing nothing of the truth; and Eli was informed that some terrible judgment was in store for him. He submitted himself patiently to the chastisement he expected, merely saying, "It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good."

And as Samuel grew it became more and more plain that the Lord was with him; and all Israel, from end to end, from Dan to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. And again in Shiloh the Lord appeared, and deigned to reveal His will to Samuel. No wonder, therefore, that when the people saw how highly Samuel was favoured by the Almighty, they looked upon him with respect, and were prepared to see in him the great lawgiver and priest he afterwards became in Israel.

GOD'S JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL AND ELI.

And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tinglc.

In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. I. Samuel, iii. 11, 12.

You may remember that Balaam once said of the words of the Lord, "God is not a man, that He should lie," and, "Hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" By this he meant that every word that goeth out from the mouth of the Lord shall assuredly be fulfilled, and that every one of His promises and His judgments shall most assuredly come to pass. The Lord had pronounced a judgment against Israel and against Eli, and I will now tell you how this judgment was fulfilled.

The most precious thing that the Israelites possessed was the Ark of the Covenant, made by the command of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Moses in the wilderness. It was to them the sign and symbol of

God's gracious promises to them. It held the tables of stone on which were written the ten great commandments given on Sinai. In all their journeys it was carried before the host of Israel, and when the walls of Jericho fell down, it was the ark of the covenant that was carried round about the city. Therefore the Israelites looked upon the ark with great reverence; and any misfortune that could happen to it was looked upon by the whole nation as a great and grievous misfortune.

Now the Israelites were encamped at Eben-ezer, to fight against their old adversaries, the Philistines; and in the battle at Eben-ezer the Israelites were vanquished, and above four thousand of them were slain. Therefore the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us this day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies." So the people sent to Shiloh for the ark of the covenant; and when the ark of the covenant came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout.

The Philistines heard this shouting in the camp of the Israelites, and were afraid; for they remembered how often the Lord had fought against them on the side of Israel. But after a time they took courage, and de

termined to fight against the Israelites, and to acquit themselves like men. So presently there was a great battle between the Israelites and the Philistines.

And now the judgment that the Lord had pronounced came upon Israel. In this battle the Lord was not upon their side, and consequently they were grievously smitten and compelled to flee to their tents, and the Philistines made a very great slaughter of them. The two wicked sons of Eli also, Hophni and Phinehas, met with the fate the Lord had denounced against them. when He told Samuel that they should both be killed in battle on one day; for in this slaughter of the Israelites by the Philistines they were both slain.

Thirty thousand of the Israelites fell on that disastrous day, and the ark of the Lord was taken by the Philistines.

What next occurred is most impressively told in the Bible, and you shall read it in the very words of the sacred volume: "And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes rent and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside, watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all And when Eli heard the noise of

the city cried out.