And what will constitute the heaven of believers? Doubtless the vision of

the Lamb, converse with Jesus, and perpetual intercourse with saints of

all nations and ages. Moses and Elias descended from the raptures of

immortality to talk with Jesus on the mount, and the same divine communion

will form a considerable portion of our felicity in the invisible world.

To be for ever near him, and to "see him as he is"--to converse of the

things of his kingdom--to learn from his own lips the purpose of all his

most inscrutable dispensations to the church and to each believer, the

reason of every sorrow, and the nature of its connection with our ultimate

happiness--to hold fellowship with all his redeemed, holy patriarchs,

distinguished apostles, and victorious martyrs--to be encircled with all

his family, emparadised in his embraces, and united to all who love him in

bonds of indissoluble affection; no sea to separate, no discord to

agitate, no enemies to infest the unbroken circle of friendship--this will

be "joy unspeakable and full of glory." Not the delight of Moses, when

conversing with God in the burning bush, at the door of the tabernacle,

or in mount Sinai--not the transports of David, when his enchanted spirit

waked the lyre of praise and gratitude--not the bliss of the three

favoured disciples, even on this mount of transfiguration, can be compared

with this perfect happiness. All the little streams of felicity which flow

to the church of God in the desert, will then be collected into one vast

ocean, in which the tears and sorrows of time will be eternally lost. The

pleasures of a moment which now solace us by the way, will be exchanged

for the permanent joys of that celestial inheritance, in which "the Lamb,

which is in the midst of the throne, shall lead us, and feed us by

fountains of living waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from our

eyes." By the anticipations of faith, we are "come unto mount Sion, and

unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an

innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the

firstborn which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to

the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new

covenant."

Section II.

Capacity of Deborah as a Poetess--Paraphrase of her remarkable Song,

composed to celebrate the victory over Sisera.

"On a favoured few," says an elegant writer, "has been conferred the

combined glory of acting nobly and writing well; of serving their own day

and generation with credit to themselves and advantage to their country,

and of transmitting useful information to regions remote and generations

unborn. On the list of those illustrious few, stands, with distinguished

honour, the name of Deborah, the judge, the prophetess, the sweet singer

of Israel; and it is with exultation we observe the most dignified,

arduous, and important stations of human life filled with reputation by a

woman; a woman who first with resolution and intrepidity saved her country

in the hour of danger and distress, and ruled it with wisdom and equity,

and then recorded her own achievements in strains which must be held in

admiration so long as good taste and love of virtue exist in the world."

[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1285.] The remarkable victory we have just

related and remarked upon, is celebrated by Deborah in a poem, which

claims our attention as one of the most ancient in the world, having been

composed upwards of four hundred years before the birth of Homer, and

which is characterized by unusual pathos and sublimity. Many passages in

it are confessedly obscure, which will not be deemed surprising, when it

is recollected how imperfectly we are acquainted, in this distant period,

with the various circumstances, incidents, and localities of the memorable

event it celebrates, and even with the original language in which it

was written.

Dr. Lowth [26] very

properly divides this poem into three parts; first, the exordium: next, a

recital of the circumstances which preceded, and of those which

accompanied the victory; lastly, a fuller description of the concluding

event, the death of Sisera, and the disappointed hopes of his mother;

which is embellished with the choisest flowers of poetry.

It is proposed in the present chapter to furnish an extended paraphrase

of this fine specimen of ancient poetry, for the purpose chiefly of

illustrating its meaning. Its various beauties as a composition can

scarcely fail of striking the most superficial reader. It occupies the

fifth chapter of the book of Judges.

[PG Editor's note: In the original book, the text and paraphrase were

displayed side-by-side. In this case, for each verse, the paraphrase

follows in brackets.]

1. Then sang Deborah, and Barak the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,

[Deeply impressed with a grateful sense of that remarkable interposition

of Providence for the deliverance of Israel from the long tyranny of their

inveterate enemies, which Deborah and Barak saw accomplished by their own

instrumentality, the one directing by her wisdom, what the other performed

by his valor, they sang a sacred ode on the very same day; a day so

wonderful for its dangers, anxieties, and triumphs. It was to this effect.]

2. Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people

willingly offered themselves. [Give thanks, ye tribes of Israel, to the

God of battles, who has smitten the daring foe, and thus avenged our

wrongs. "The hearts of all men are in his hands," and instead of internal

dissention enfeebling our energies, he has graciously disposed the people

of Zebulon and Naphtali to offer their zealous services in the war; a war

which patriotism and piety have, under the blessing of Heaven, conducted

to a glorious termination.]

3. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the

Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel [Let the voice of

praise, uttered from the thousands of Israel, resound to distant nations,

so that Gentile princes and potentates may hear of the miracles of mercy

wrought for the covenanted people of God. Ye idolatrous rulers of the

world, reject forever your gods of wood and stone, for I am called to

celebrate the majesty of Jehovah, who has triumphed over them; and will

sing to the honour of him, who, though no local divinity, has chosen the

children of Israel as his peculiar people.]

4. Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the

field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds

also dropped water.

5. The mountains melted from before the Lord; even that Sinai from before

the Lord God of Israel. [This illustrious day revives the recollection of

those ancient interpositions of the strong arm of Omnipotence for our

ancestors, which have often excited the our admiration, and of which this

appears like the continuation of a miraculous series. O God! what a period

was that, when Israel marched round the confines of Idumea, and the

majesty of thy protecting presence was displayed before the enemy, in the

pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night. Edom refused a passage

through their land, but so terrible were thy signs, that the trembling

earth, the tempestuated heavens--all nature seemed to avenge the cause of

thine insulted people; and the surrounding nations were smitten with

terror, as when mount Sinai herself quaked, and for a time disappeared

amidst the tremendous glory of the divine presence. These wonders do not

surpass what we have witnessed to-day, and which prove that none shall

oppress thy people with impunity. [27]]

6. In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the

highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.

7. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until

that I, Deborah, arose, that I arose a mother in Israel [Turn your weeping

eyes to the recent miseries of our country Shamgar, indeed, who succeeded

Ehud as judge, effected something for Israel, and Jael shall never be

forgotten for her heroism and her useful exertions, although in a private

station; but alas! the long tyranny of our oppressors continued to produce

the most disastrous effects--trade perished, for no caravans of merchants

dared to occupy the public ways, infested as they were with an armed

banditti, the life of the unoffending traveller became endangered, and the

dejected inhabitants of the country were afraid to venture abroad, except

as thieves, stealing through the most unfrequented paths, and even there

the most dreadful outrages were committed; until I Deborah, arose, and

notwithstanding the weakness of my sex, and the desperate situation of

affairs, became the happy instrument of benefiting Israel, by the

restoration of public justice, general security, and national glory.]

8. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates; was there a shield or

spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? [But trace our former miseries

to their source. Israel relapsed into idolatry, and God punished them with

the scourge of war. The insulting foe pressed to the very gates of our

fortified cities--the means of defence were utterly neglected in

consequence of general despondency, and no adequate supply of arms could

be furnished to repel the infuriated enemy.]

9. My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves

willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. [My warmest affections are

due to the chiefs of Israel, who, in the hour of calamity and

apprehension, did not shrink from danger, nor tremble at death; but, in

the true spirit of patriotism, accompanied the people to battle, placed

themselves at their head, flew at my first mandate to defend the common

cause, and animated our warriors by their noble enthusiasm. Let _them_

unite in this anthem of praise to Jehovah, who had the best opportunities

of knowing, that nothing but his gracious interposition could have

procured such unparalleled success.]

10. Speak ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk

by the way. [Rejoice, ye nobles and judges of the land, who have the

honorable distinction of riding upon white asses, [28] the most valuable

animal of the kind, and therefore appropriated to persons of your rank;

shout for joy, because now there is no impediment to the exercise of your

high offices; and ye, merchants, assist in the song, for no obstruction

remains to commercial intercourse; the ways are clear, communications

open, and your marauding foes shall alarm you no more.]

11. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of

drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,

even the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Israel;

then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates. [Ye shepherds, who

a short time since scarcely dared to drive your flocks to the watering

places, and ye maidens, who were afraid to go and draw for your daily

supply, or went in silence lest the smallest noise should rouse your

ever-watchful enemies, [29] now sing with a loud voice, and without the

least apprehension, and unite with the husbandmen and vine-dressers, in

extolling that miraculous mercy which has restored to your most

unprotected habitations the blessings of peace and security. The gates of

our cities shall no longer be shut for fear of the enemy, and the people

may again repair to these seats of justice and judgment. [30]]

12. Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! arise, Barak, and

lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam! [Let not my exhausted

powers drop the exulting strain; but rather, O Deborah, kindle with fresh

enthusiasm upon every new view of the glorious subject! Exert thy utmost

powers of praise, upon this inexhaustible theme! And thou, companion and

instrument of victory, Barak, arise! exhibit the captive foe who once led

Israel captive! let the spoils of triumphant war be shown, and thou and

thy father's name shall be had in everlasting remembrance!]

13. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among

the people; the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. [Alas! to what

a wretched state was Israel reduced: but even this remnant of former

greatness, this weak and dispirited handful, God employed to crush the

power of Canaan and the presumption of her nobles and, be it spoken to his

glory, the Lord made even me, a feeble woman, the conqueror of formidable

armies, and the saviour of a sinking state.]

14. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek, after thee,

Benjamin, among thy people out of Machii, came down governors, and out of

Zebulun, they that handle the pen of the writer. [Those noble warriors who

hastened to the conflict with so much courage, and conquered with so much

glory, have not only rendered themselves, but their tribes, for ever

illustrious, Ephraim originated the expedition, who had, on a former

occasion, discomfited Amalek, and now manifested an heroic zeal against

them and the confederates of Jabin, Benjamin caught the holy infection of

hatred against the enemies of the Lord, and first rushed to the fierce

encounter, Machir, the half tribe of Manasseh, despatched her great men

with their forces, and Zebulon sent her sons more famed indeed, as a

commercial tribe, for handling the pen than the sword, but who readily

came forward to aid the common cause.]

15. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, even Issachar and also

Barak; he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben

there were great thoughts of heart. [The chiefs of Issachar repaired to

Deborah and Barak in Mount Tabor, and with them the strength of their

tribe. They descended into the valley as foot soldiers, with Barak, and

trembled not at the chariots and cavalry of Sisera. But alas! for Reuben,

whose internal dissentions issued in a shameful neutrality, a circumstance

deeply perplexing and vexatious to their brethren.]

16. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the

flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

[Why didst thou obey the dictates of a selfish spirit and a carnal policy,

and while engrossed with thy flocks and herds, refusedst to listen to the

cries of thy brethren in distress, and the loud calls of Deborah and

Barak? Alas, for the dissentions of Reuben! What painful thoughts, what

dreadful anxieties were occasioned by such unaccountable and

unpatriotic conduct!]

17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan, and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher

continued on the sea-shore, and abode in his breaches. [Influenced by a

similar temper, Gilead, or Gad, remained inactive, in their possessions

beyond Jordan, as though, happy themselves, they were insensible to the

miseries of others, and why didst thou, O Dan, regarding only thy

merchandise and thy gainful navigation, continue motionless in the day of

our calamity! And see how Asher imitated the base example, abiding within

the ruined walls of his cities, and in his bays and havens!]

18. Zebulun and Naphtah were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the

death in the high places of the field. [But Zebulon and Naphtah have

acquired immortal renown, by cheerfully hazarding their lives and their

all, when they assembled in the heights of Tabor, and impetuously rushed

upon the foe in the valley where Kishon flows. [31]]

19. The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach,

by the waters of Megiddo they took no gain of money. [Dire was the strife

and vast the struggle when the confederate kings of Canaan fought in

Taanach, and near Megiddo, to which places in the tribe of Issachar their

mighty forces extended. They pressed eagerly and freely to the war, but

how were their vain hopes disappointed when they returned without spoils.]

20. They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against

Sisera. [The awful contest was decided by the God of heaven. His angels,

his elements--all nature aided our righteous cause; and the stars of the

firmament lighted our midnight pursuit, and shone disastrously upon the

fugitive enemy.]

21. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river

Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength! [The river Kishon

rising, as if elated with joy at the opportunity, and overflowing its

banks, swept thousands away; that river, celebrated in ancient times, and

the witness of former conflicts. O Deborah, thou art indeed thrice happy

in becoming the favoured instrument of exciting this glorious war, and

thus eventually of crushing a most formidable confederacy!]

22. Then were the horse-hoofs broken by means of the prancings, the

prancings of then mighty ones. [The war-horse, urged in his rapid flight

over the flinty soil, cut his hoofs to pieces; or entangled amidst the

overflowings of Kishon, pranced, and foamed, and perished. [32]]

23. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord; curse ye bitterly the

inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, the

help of the Lord against the mighty. [The angel, who preceded our hosts as

the sword of an irresistible Providence, denounced a curse upon the city

of Meroz, and commanded us to cherish a holy indignation against its

lukewarm inhabitants, who, instead of resisting the giant armies of

Canaan, remained as uninterested or timid spectators of the

dreadful battle.]

24. Blessed above women shall Jael, the wife be of Heber the Kenite, be;

blessed shall she be above women in the tent. [But feminine heroism shall

exhibited in honourable contrast with such shameful neutrality. Let the

benediction of heaven rest upon the head of Jael, the wife of Heber the

Kenite, above all other women! Blessed shall she be above all other

female, heads of families who remained at home, having with

masculine-courage completed in her tent, what was so happily begun in

the field.]

25. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a

lordly dish. [Sisera, famished and fainting, requested water to allay his

thirst; she opened a leathern bottle, and with feigned respect presented

him with butter-milk; yes, she poured him out butter-milk in a vessel of

copper, such as nobles use. [33]]

26. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's

hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera; she smote off his head, when

she had pierced and stricken through his temples. [Lulled into a fatal

security by her deceptive homage, he slept--to wake no more! She seized a

nail of her tent, and a hammer, approached in cautious silence the

sleeping adversary of Israel, and, animated by an irresistible impulse of

patriotic zeal, she drove it through his temples, and cut off his head.]

27. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he

fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. [Thus fell the great

instrument of Canaanitish oppression at the feet of a woman; thus

ingloriously he perished [34]]

28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the

lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his

chariots? [O day of triumph! Methinks the mother of Sisera, anticipating

the fruits of victory, and the final subjection of all Israel to their

oppressor's yoke, stood at her window, chiding the tardy moments, and

impatiently exclaiming from behind the lattice-work, Why is the chariot of

our victorious general so long in returning? Whence this painful delay?

Hasten, ye fleet animals that draw his chariots, and restore him to our

embraces!]

29. Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

30. Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a

damsel or two, to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers

colours of needle work, of divers colours of needle work on both sides,

meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? [Her maids of honour, who

were scarcely less eager than herself to see the laurelled conqueror,

answered her; yea, chiding for a moment her own impatient expressions, as

if they indicated a doubt of success, she said within herself, Have they

not succeeded in discovering the enemy?--Doubtless they have, Have they

not enriched them selves with immense booty, and apportioned an

Israelitish damsel two to our brave warriors?--Yes, yes, this must

occasion some delay, and let them enjoy the reward of their valour. As for

Sisera, the most beautiful captives are his portion, and shall be the

slaves of his will; the most elegant dresses, curiously interwoven and

wrought with the needle, such as may well be deemed worthy of heroes,

shall grace his triumph and heighten his renown.]

31. So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord let them that love him be as

the sun when he goeth forth in his might. [But who can describe their

utter disappointment! So shamefully, so totally, let all the enemies of

thy people, and all the opponents of thy dominion in the earth perish, O

Lord, from before thy face forever! But let all those who are animated

with a sacred zeal for thy glory resemble the morning sun as he advances

rapidly to his meridian splendour; let them increase in usefulness,

influence, and esteem, the honour of human nature, and the lights of

the world.]

Manoah's Wife.

Chapter IX

State of Israel--Appearance of an Angel to the Wife of Manoah--She

communicates the Design of his Visit to her Husband--Second

Manifestation from Heaven--Result of the Interview--Reflection of

Manoah's Wife stated and analyzed--Considerations deducible from the

Narrative--to avoid Precipitancy of Judgment--to avow our Convictions at

every suitable Opportunity--to feel assured that the Providence of God

does never really, though it may apparently, contradict his word.

Obscurity of station or of birth has no tendency to prelude the favour of

God. In this respect, he "seeth not as a man seeth," but, in the past

dispensations of his mercy, appears to have preferred the lowly as objects

of high and distinguishing manifestations. This is the case in the

Christian era, and to the present hour the stream of celestial goodness

pursues its silent and chosen course, chiefly down the vales of poverty

and wretchedness.

We see from the histories of Scripture, that in seasons of national

defection, there have existed pleasing instances of individual piety.

Amidst universal darkness, some stars of considerable magnitude have shed

a light, though comparatively feeble, athwart the moral hemisphere. God

has never totally suspended his intercourse with man, even in the worst of

times, nor suffered the series of his communications to be entirely

broken. If, during certain disastrous periods, truth has been eclipsed, it

has not been extinguished: the watchful eye of Providence has never been

removed from the earth, nor has the divine hand ceased to interpose in

terrestrial affairs.

[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1156.]

The history of Manoah and his wife is introduced by an allusion to the

state of Israel. This people, in consequence of returning to the

commission of those sins for which they were so notorious, were delivered

up to their oppressors forty years. The Philistines were, in fact, very

inconsiderable, in comparison to the Israelites, having only five cities

of any importance; yet they were the appointed scourge in the divine hand

to chastise his people. Thus he imparts power to the weak, or enfeebles

the energy of the strong, to accomplish his omniscient purposes.

On a certain occasion, an angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah

with most welcome tidings. She was a sufferer from the same cause which

tried the faith and patience of so many of the illustrious females of

patriarchal age: and, to alleviate those painful anxieties which good

people at that period were accustomed to cherish for a family, but

especially to evince the unceasing regard of Heaven to the interests of

Israel, the commissioned spirit announced to her the conception of a son;

and giving her at the same time some directions respecting her own mode of

living, and the devotement of the future Samson as a Nazarite from the

womb, assured her that be should become the deliverer of Israel from

Philistine subjection. It does not seem as if she were commanded to tell

her husband; nevertheless, she immediately hastens to disclose to him

every circumstance that had transpired. To whom could she so properly

confide this important secret? who, excepting herself, could be so deeply

interested; or who so worthy of sharing her utmost confidence? Between

relatives so dear, and so closely allied, there should be few or no

concealments. On every subject they are entitled to reciprocal confidence,

which is the life of friendship and the soul of love: and whither it be

for advice or for congratulation, the husband should share the feelings,

the sympathies, the unreserved affections of the wife, and the wife those

of her husband. These tender relatives may derive advantage especially

from reciprocal communications on religious topics, and points of pious

experience. By this means, they may sweeten and sanctify domestic

enjoyments; by this renew and purify the flame of affection.

The simplicity and veracity of the wife of Manoah appear in her address to

him. "Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came

unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God,

very terrible; but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his

name. But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and

now drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing; for

the child shall be a Nazarite to God, from the womb to the day of

his death."

The injunction respecting her own abstinence was no arbitrary requirement,

but was founded in nature and reason. The temper of the mind, is

materially affected by the state of the body, and both may concur in

communicating permanent impressions from the mother to her offspring,

which often affect the comfort of existence.

The condition to which her child was thus devoted requires a brief

historical elucidation. The term Nazarite signifies _separated_; and is

commonly applied to persons who make a vow to live in a more holy manner

than others, either during a certain specified number of years, or ever

after the pledge is given, without recantation or change. The Nazarite

abstained from every kind of intoxicating liquor, "from wine and strong

drink," from vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, and from grapes,

whether moist or dried; he was to let his hair grow, and upon no pretext

whatever to approach a dead body, though it were to render funeral honours

to a father or mother. If, during the period of a vow, the Nazarite

neglected any of these injunctions, the whole ceremony was to recommence.

The least admissible time for this consecration was, according to some of

the Jewish Rabbins, thirty days; and the perpetual Nazarite whose hair had

been allowed to grow for many years, might cut it once. At the expiration

of the appointed term, various sacrifices were to be offered, a particular

enumeration of which is given in the sixth chapter of the book of Numbers.

After this, the priest shaved the head of the Nazarite at the door of the

tabernacle, and burnt his hair on the fire of the altar. If the person

died previous to the expiration of his vow, his son was required to

fulfil the time, and offer the same sacrifices. Perpetual Nazarites, like

Samson, were consecrated by their parents; but there is a peculiarity

attaching to him above all others of whom we read, being devoted even

before his birth. Similar rites were observed amongst the heathen,

especially the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans, the origin of which

is unquestionably to be referred to the Jewish law. [35]

As soon as Manoah was informed by his wife of the visit she had received,

and the delightful promises she had heard, he entreated God to permit the

return of the messenger, whom he supposed to have been a prophet. "When,"

says Bishop Hall, "I see the strength of Manoah's faith, I marvel not that

he had a Samson to his son: he saw not the messenger, he beard not the

errand, he examined not the circumstances; yet now he takes thought, not

whether he should have a son, but how he shall order the son which he must

have; and sues to God, not for the son which as yet he had not, but for

the direction of governing him, when he should be. Zachary had the same

message, and craving a sign, lost that voice wherewith he craved it.

Manoah seeks no sign for the promise, but counsel for himself; and yet

that angel spake to Zachary himself, this only to the wife of Manoah; that

in the temple like a glorious spirit, this in the house or field, like

some prophet or traveller; that to a priest, this to a woman. All good men

have not equal measures of faith; the bodies of men have not more

differences of stature, than their graces. Credulity to men is faulty and

dangerous, but, in the matters of God, is the greatest virtue of a

Christian. Happy are they that have not seen, yet believed. True faith

takes all for granted, yea, for performed, which is once promised.

"He that before sent his angel unasked, will much more send him again upon

entreaty; those heavenly messengers are ready, both to obey their Maker,

and to relieve his children. Never any man prayed for direction in his

duties to God and was repulsed; rather will God send an angel from heaven

to instruct us, than our good desires shall be frustrated."

Upon his reappearance, the angel did not present himself to Manoah, though

he came in answer to his supplications; but to his wife as she sat alone

in the field. She immediately hastened to her husband, who gladly returned

with her to the spot; and hearing from her own lips, that it was the same

remarkable visitor she had so recently seen, he expressed his faith in the

promise, and his solicitude for the child. His wife concurred in every

desire; and his inquiry was, in fact, equally her own. "How shall we order

the child, and how shall we do unto him?" The angel repeated his former

injunctions, which this pious female was ready to observe.

Good people commence their plans, and offer their prayers, in behalf of

children, even before their birth; feeling the weight of that

responsibility which the parental relationship incurs, and knowing well

the early trials and dangers that await their little ones. The tears and

concerns that attend the period of parental anticipation, mingle with the

transports which accompany their nativity, and stimulate their future

exertions to train them up in the ways of religion. How gladly do they

make considerable sacrifices of time and property to this object; and how

richly are the maternal pangs repaid, when true wisdom guides the steps

of their youthful charge into paths of pleasantness and peace! The mercies

of Providence are ill requited, when the parents never inquire, like

Manoah and his wife, "How shall we order the child?" If incapable of

properly cultivating the infant mind themselves, either on account of

their own ignorance, from their too abundant occupation, or from an

unprincipled disregard to the best interests of the little immortals

intrusted to their care; it is a happiness for the present generation,

that so many benevolent institutions exist, which invite the poor and the

neglected to their parental guidance. But let parents, and especially

Christian parents, consider it one of their first duties, one of their

noblest privileges, to implant the good seed of knowledge in their hearts,

which in its future developements, may not only expand their faculties and

dignify their characters, but render them the ornaments' of society, the

comfort of their parents, the guides and examples of posterity, and the

objects of divine approbation.

Hitherto these two favoured individuals had no idea of the being they were

addressing, but still supposing him to be an ordinary prophet, Manoah, in

the true spirit of eastern hospitality, requested permission to dress a

kid for his refreshment. He was, besides, animated with a sense of

gratitude for the joyful news he communicated. The angel declined his

offer, assuring him, though he remained with him a little while, he should

not take any food; but that if he designed to offer a burnt-offering, he

ought to be careful not to imitate the prevailing enormity of sacrificing

to strange gods, but to worship God.

Manoah now became anxious to know the stranger's name, that he might have

an opportunity of hereafter expressing his gratitude and affection, by

informing him of the birth of his predicted offspring, and making suitable

acknowledgments for his kindness. This request was refused; and he was

assured it was "a secret," and must remain concealed. This was a

sufficient reply to Manoah and his wife, who did not presume, with an

impertinent eagerness, to press the question. Many secret things belong to

God; and it is the province of true piety to repress curiosity, where it

is not authorized, or would be useless. All impatience, we should often

take wing, and pursue our adventurous flight through all the regions of

possible knowledge, and beyond the limits of Scriptural revelation; but,

"Why askest thou?"--"What is that to thee?"--Truth is disclosed in all its

essentials--regard thy duty, and listen to thy Saviour--"follow me."

Many expositors have concurred in rendering the words of the angel thus,

"Why askest thou after my name, seeing it is WONDERFUL?" and for an

explanation of the epithet, they refer to the sublime description of

Isaiah, "His name shall be called WONDERFUL, Counsellor, the mighty God,

the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." If this be correct, the

ministering spirit, concealing his glory in the form of a man, was no

other than the Angel of the covenant, the Wisdom, the Word, and the Son of

God. If, after his resurrection from the dead, and immediately previous to

his reascension to the glories of eternity, when invested with the

character of the Conqueror of death and hell, he appeared to two of his

disciples on the way to Emmaus whom he had so recently left, without their

suspecting who it was, "for their eyes were holden, that they should not

know him?" it cannot be deemed an improbable circumstance in itself, that

on this occasion he should have been divested of all his splendid

peculiarities, to fulfil so interesting a mission to these worthy

Danites, to authorize so unusual a sacrifice, and to accomplish so

glorious a mode of disappearance.

Manoah now proceeded to present an offering to the Lord, presenting, as

was customary, a meat-offering with his burnt-offering. He was not indeed

a priest, nor was this the place; but it was not requisite to go to the

tabernacle in Shiloh, when his divine visiter had already dispensed them

from the circumstantials, by sanctioning the sacrifice here. "Audit came

to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar, that

the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar; and Manoah and

his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground." This was,

at once, a proof of the full acceptance of their sacrifice; and

irresistibly convinced them, they had been conversing with a divine

personage. "And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we

have seen God. But his wife said unto him, IF THE LORD WERE PLEASED TO

KILL US, HE WOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED A BURNT-OFFERING AND A MEAT-OFFERING

AT OUR HANDS; NEITHER WOULD HE HAVE SHOWED US ALL THESE THINGS, NOR WOULD,

AS AT THIS TIME, HAVE TOLD US SUCH THINGS AS THESE."

Considering all the circumstances, this was very remarkable language, and

merits attention; not only as illustrative of the character of this

excellent woman, but as furnishing a principle of sound and legitimate

reasoning in the concerns of religion.

At first, being overawed by the majestic manifestation, both these pious

people fell prostrate in the dust. A reverential awe pervaded their

bosoms, at a sight so wonderful and so unexpected. The sentiments they

felt were, doubtless, allied to those which dictated the exclamation of

Jacob, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of

God, and this is the gate of heaven:" or the humble tone of Isaiah, "Wo is

me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among

a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of

Hosts." But if the divine appearance in mercy proved so terrific and

overwhelming to pious persons in those extraordinary times; how tremendous

will the second appearance of Christ in judgment be to his enemies, with

the glory of his Father, and all the holy angels! If the splendour of his

grace confound a mortal eye; what must be the lightning of his

indignation, how intolerable the flaming fire of his displeasure!

On this occasion, Manoah appears the weaker believer. He thought of

nothing but death; he expresses his confidence of perishing, and assigns a

reason, which, however weak, is sufficiently accounted for by the extreme

terror of his mind, and the universal prejudice of that age: "We shall

surely die, for we have seen God." Even good men are sometimes tempted to

listen to the suggestions of nature, rather than to the assurances of

revelation; and to dread as an evil, what in their better moments is

anticipated as a good. If death were the extinction of being, it might

excite alarm; but, if it be only the means of our purification, and the

preparatory process to fit the spiritual character for the felicities of a

higher existence, it should, and often does, awaken pleasure. If, even

while the shroud is worn by the body, the spirit is clothed with the

garments of salvation, and that shroud will soon be exchanged for the

white robe of purity and heaven; what is there to prevent our adopting the

words of an apostle, "I have a _desire_ to depart, and to be with Christ,

which is far better?" If the apprehensions of Manoah had been really well

founded, and himself and his beloved partner had yielded Up their spirits

on that memorable spot; who can say it would have proved an undesirable

exchange? As the servants of the living God, they were prepared for all

events, and for either world. Their union could never have been dissolved,

and the sphere of their spiritual discoveries would have been amply

enlarged. To see God is the antidote, and not the occasion, of death; the

hope, and not the terror, of the believer.

It is not difficult, however, to ascertain the reason why this prejudice

so early and so extensively influenced the pious in primitive times. It

arose from a consciousness of guilt, and a dread of merited punishment. As

a sinner, man must necessarily tremble at the thought of his approaching

God, or at the communication of any message from his throne: when God

opens his mouth, he naturally fears the sentence; when tidings arrive from

the invisible world, he dreads their purport, and conscience suggests that

even the most favourable manifestations may be blended with tokens of

displeasure. Every approach of the Deity is liable to excite confusion to

a guilty world; and a sense of demerit may lead us not only to expect a

war-rant for execution when a reprieve is coming; but at first, like

Manoah, to mistake and misinterpret the sign.

The wife of this good man entertained no such fears. With a faith which

penetrated the divine intentions, at least in part, and which elevated her

not only above the prejudices of the age, but gave her a decided

superiority over her trembling partner, she suggested a far different

conclusion, and intimated the reason on which it was founded. Her

conclusions, the very opposite to his--so different are the _degrees_ of

grace in different characters--were deduced from three considerations.

Each of these, in her view, was a decisive evidence against his

suggestion, and a consoling reflection in this extraordinary and

ambiguous moment.

The first was, _the acceptance of their sacrifices_. "If," said she, "the

Lord be pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering

and a meat-offering at our hands." The law which prescribed the

presentation of sacrifices, expressly represented them as "a _sweet

savour_ unto the Lord;" which implied not only an approbation of the

offering, which was indeed of divine appointment, and could not therefore

be rejected, but complacency in the worshipper. The _person_ could not be

disowned, while the _presentation_ was acknowledged. If this sentiment

needed any corroboration, the history of Cain and Abel would have

furnished it. The acceptance and rejection of each was evinced by the

divine treatment of their respective offerings. "The Lord had respect unto

Abel, and to his offering: but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not

respect." When God entered into a solemn covenant with Abram, "a smoking

furnace and a burning lamp passed between the divided pieces of the

sacrifice, and consumed them." At the dedication of the tabernacle, when

"the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people, there came a fire out

from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and

the fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their.

faces." The dedication of the temple was signalized by a similar

manifestation. "Now, when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire

came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the

sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house!" The same

principle is fully-recognized by David, in the following supplications:

"The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob

defend thee: Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of

Zion: Remember all thy burnt-offerings, and accept thy burnt-sacrifice."

The argument, therefore, of Manoah's wife was pious, legitimate, and

conclusive: "if _we_ were to be destroyed, our _services_ could not be

approved."

The people of God too frequently resemble Manoah; but their doubts and

fears would soon subside, could they be persuaded to adopt the reasoning

of his wife. Past experience is a solid basis for future expectations. A

succession of spiritual mercies is a pledge of kind intention, and of

continued favour. In periods of despondency, recur to days of religious

prosperity and happiness, when the candle of the Lord shone upon you, and

spiritual enjoyments were dispensed in the use of means. Have you not good

evidence, that your sacrifices _have been_ received--your prayers heard,

your dedication to God accepted? Have the spirit and efficacy of his

promise evaporated in the lapse of time, "I will never leave you, nor

forsake you?" or have you no reason to say with holy anticipation, "Surely

goodness and mercy _shall_ follow me all the days of my life, and I will

dwell in the house of the Lord for ever?"

Feeble, imperfect, and disproportionate to our obligations, as all our

offerings must be, they are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. He has

presented a sacrifice, "once for all," upon the cross, to which this

subject naturally directs our attention, which constitutes the foundation

of human hope, and secures a welcome reception, and gives an available

power to all the future offerings of faith. The figurative nature of the

ancient dispensations renders it not improbable, that these humble

Israelites perceived, in the memorable transactions they witnessed, some

typical representation of the work of redemption, some glimpses of the

great atonement, and of the principle upon which what they offered was

accepted. This event was not intended merely to astonish or overawe, but

to instruct; and the wife of Manoah presents a noble example of that

profound attention, which it becomes us to pay to all the revelations of

Heaven. If, in particular, the "angels desire to look into" the mysteries

of redeeming love, and consider the sabbath of eternity well employed in

this research; mortals surely, who are more nearly interested, cannot

devote the less sacred hours of time to a more important inquiry. Nor

should they be satisfied with superficial, or indeed with _any_

attainments in spiritual wisdom, which is so unfathomable in its depths,

and illimitable in its extent.

The second consideration, which led to the inference in their own favour

drawn by Manoah's wife, was _the wonders which the angel had shown them_.

These were of a nature, in her belief, to justify her conclusion, that God

did by no means purpose their ruin, but the reverse. It appears from the

general expression, that "the angel did wondrously," in connection with

the mention of "_all_ these things," that some other manifestations,

probably of a hieroglyphic or typical nature, were given antecedently, or

as an immediate preparation to his miraculous ascent in the flame of the

altar. This at least is certain, making a general application of the

statement, that we are not only authorized to conclude from the privileges

we enjoy, but from the spiritual discoveries we have made, that God is our

Father and our Friend. He would not have pointed out our danger, and

exhibited our remedy, if he had designed our ruin. Were we appointed to

perish in our guilt, "the Physician of souls" would never have been

commissioned to visit us. To be shown, by Scriptural statement, by

ministerial instruction, and by providential guidance, the way to heaven,

is no indication of an appointment to destruction. Have you not discovered

the evil of sin, the value of the soul, and the excellency of Christ? Have

you not felt the sorrows of repentance, and the joys of faith? Have you

not touched the outstretched sceptre, submitted to the chastising rod, and

gloried in the cross? God does not impart a fixed aversion to all

iniquity, an intense desire after holiness, habitual delight in his word,

and desire after his presence and glory; he does not impress a sense of

the infinite excellence of the Saviour, and a readiness to sacrifice every

thing to his will, and for his sake, excepting to holy souls, which are

"born, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The wife of Manoah adverted to a third source of consolation, at the

period of this miraculous disappearance. She refers to _what they were

told_. The assurances they had received of the birth of a son, rendered it

impossible they should die. She had received very minute directions, both

respecting her offspring and herself, who was to be consecrated as a

Nazarite, and to rise up as the deliverer of his country from the yoke of

Philistia. Possibly, during the preparation of the sacrifice, the

inquisitive spirit of this thoughtful woman induced her to seek a

conversation, which the celestial messenger was not unwilling to

encourage, and during which they might have received some further

instructions. Our fears are apt to betray us into absurdities, and confuse

the memory; so that good men, like Manoah, speak or act inconsistently

with themselves, and their own more deliberate convictions. Happy they who

are blessed with an intelligent awl pious companion, whose kind

suggestions may detect their errors, refresh their recollections, quell

their fears, and comfort their desponding hours! Thus "two are better than

one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For, if they fall,

the one will lift up his fellow: but wo to him that is alone when he

falleth; for he hath not another to help him."

Obvious but important considerations are deducible from this narrative,

which seem capable of an application to the general concerns of life, as

well as to the inquiries of religion.

1. We should avoid precipitancy of judgment. The wife of Manoah, in this

view, appears in advantageous contrast to her hasty husband. She did not

suffer herself to be hurried into a discouraging inference, without

reviewing the circumstances of the case, and allowing time for reflection.

In the common affairs of life, an inconsiderate eagerness, either to

escape from danger or to possess good, is often itself productive of the

disappointment it dreads; while a proper deliberation prepares the mind

either for failure or success: and, in the pursuit of moral and religions

inquiries, the same precipitancy is calculated to plunge into error,

which, if it do not always endanger our salvation, may disturb our peace.

Jesus Christ has expressly exhorted us to close and deliberate

investigation, intimating that our labour will be repaid by discovery; for

"searching the Scriptures," and acquiring a knowledge of him respecting

whom they "testify," and "whom to know is life eternal," are inseparably

connected. On another occasion, when describing the true hearer of his

word, he suggests a comparison equally and beautifully illustrative of the

necessity of a diligent use of the means of instruction, and that serious,

profound, and careful inquiry, which is calculated to prevent an implicit

submission to the opinion of others, or taking our religion upon trust.

"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will

show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house, and

digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose,

the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it

was founded upon a rock."

2. It is wise, and may be useful, on all proper occasions, to avow our

convictions. Selfishness and timidity may concur to suggest a different

proceeding: but religion requires that we act upon principles superior to

those of worldly policy. Manoah had every reason to be grateful to his

wife, for the distinct and prompt avowal of her sentiments; which, though

contradictory to his, were adapted to rouse him from his despondency and

stupor. She was, no doubt, ready to sympathize with his distress; but duty

to God, attachment to her husband, a consciousness of knowing the truth,

and even a proper respect to herself, prompted a statement of her

disagreement with his opinions. When religion claims our services, we must

not withhold the offering of our lips, or the labour of our hands, through

fear of danger or hope of gain. When truth demands that we should speak,

or Providence that we should act, it would be criminal--it would be

disgraceful, to continue silent or inactive.

To generalize and apply these remarks to the circumstances in which

Christianity has placed us--it is required not only to believe in Christ,

but explicitly to avow our sentiments of attachment to his Gospel by a

public profession, whether we meet with the concurrence, or suffer the

opposition, of our dearest friends. Timidity is natural to the female

mind; but religion requires even the youngest and the weakest of the sex,

not to suffer even natural delicacy to degenerate, by excessive

indulgence, into criminal shame. It does more, it enables women to become

heroes and martyrs! Inflamed with the love it inspires, they have learned

to see no lions, to fear no dangers, to feel no pains in the path of duty;

not only evincing patience, but expressing joy.

Jesus Christ was "not ashamed to call us _brethren_," to assume our

nature, to fill our humble station, to suffer our sorrows, or to die for

us an ignominious death; he is not ashamed to own his connection with us

now he is in the highest heavens, or to be engaged in preparing a mansion,

in his Father's house, for our final reception. Shall we be ashamed of

him, or of his cause? Shall we tremble to avow our attachment, if we feel

it? This would expose us to the censure of our own consciences, to the

reproach of a dishonourable, hesitating, indecisive conduct; and, above

all, to the Saviour's final malediction, as the Judge of mankind. It is

the design of Christ to establish an interest in the world; and this is to

be maintained, not by fear, but by firmness: not by temporal compliances,

but by holy resistance; not by sloth, inactivity, and shrinking into a

corner, but by "putting on the whole armour of God." Not to be _for_

Christ is to be _against_ him--neutrality is enmity--a refusal to enlist

under his banners is disloyalty, rebellion, and treason!

3. The providence of God does never _really_, though it may _apparently_

and to human apprehension, contradict his word or discredit his character.

The present manifestation of the angel in flame and terror, did not

subvert the confidence which the wife of Manoah felt in his past

declarations, nor excite despondency respecting future events. The fears

of her husband did not shake her faith in the promises of God, nor did the

incomprehensible nature of the mystery blind her perceptions of the

concealed mercy. We are very inadequate judges of the divine conduct. It

is neither possible, nor proper, that we should know the mighty plan of

his operations; and it can never be a sufficient reason, even under the

most disastrous circumstances, for questioning the goodness or wisdom of

his dispensations that _we_ cannot comprehend them. The designs of God are

very imperfectly unravelled in the present world. We can see but to a

short distance, nor is it necessary that we should. _Some_ light from the

sacred page beams across the path of life; but if we cannot at present

attain all we may wish to know, let us be contented to wait for the

manifestations of eternity. In the mean time we may rest assured, that

whatever is thought contradictory in the dispensations of Providence to

the written word, is but _seemingly_ so. It is so merely because we cannot

now see the connecting links, the unbroken chain of events, which, when

the clouds that obscure this earthly atmosphere shall be finally

dispersed, will become distinctly and for ever visible.

Hannah.

Chapter X.

Section I.

Religion a Source of Peace--Account of Elkanah and his two

Wives--Peninnah reproaches Hannah--Sin of despising others for their

Infirmities--the Family at Shiloh--Elkanah endeavours to console his

Wife--her Conduct and Prayer--Eli's unjust Imputation--Hannah's Defence,

and her Accuser's Retractation--Return from Shiloh--Birth of

Samuel--his Weaning.

"Where there is _piety_," says an excellent commentator, "'tis pity but

there should be _unity._" There is, however, too frequent occasion to

deplore the dissentions of families, whose religious profession induces

us to expect the prevalence of peace and harmony. Nevertheless, these

inconsistencies are so far from being justly chargeable upon religion,

that they furnish the most decisive evidence of its value. It is in

consequence of a departure from its genuine spirit, and a compliance with

the suggestion of evil principles and passions, that individuals are

rendered miserable and families distracted. The renewal of that "right

spirit" which it inculcates, is the direct means of restoring personal

comfort and domestic tranquillity.

The Psalmist represents "the law of the Lord" as "_perfect:"_ it is the

only solid-basis of human felicity; and every hope that is differently

founded, must prove, inevitably prove, a shadowy super-structure. A

deviation from the order and appointments of Heaven is a proportionate

departure from happiness; for this order and these appointments do not

result from caprice, but a perfect combination of goodness and wisdom. The

divine system of legislation is formed with a merciful regard to our best

interests, and an entire knowledge of our nature. Its arrangements are not

arbitrary, but kind; and obedience is no less essential to our real

welfare, both present and eternal, than it is expressive of a just regard

to our obligations. In opposing the requirements of God, man is an enemy

to himself; his resistance is not only culpable, but ruinous.

These observations are fully exemplified in the history of Hannah, and the

family of which she was the female head. Her husband, whose name was

Elkanah, resided at a place in the tribe of Ephraim, called

Ramathaim-zophim. He is mentioned as having descended from Zuph an

Ephrathite, or inhabitant of Bethlehem-Judah, which is Ephratah, probably

with the view of showing his connection with David. As persons have

sometimes conferred distinction upon places, so places have occasionally

dignified persons. Who would not have thought it an honour to be born at

Bethlehem, whence the light of the world first proceeded, and where such

wonderful events were to be afterward transacted? And yet it is but an

adventitious honour, which will soon fade, if it be not sustained by

personal character and real excellence.

Elkanah had two wives; Hannah, the subject of this history, and Peninnah.

Here we trace the origin of the infelicity of this religious household. It

is strange that the experience of past ages, the incongruity of such a

practice in itself, and the unauthorized nature of such a proceeding,

should not have prevented him from forming two matrimonial connections at

the same time. If polygamy were not expressly interdicted by a law, but

rather tolerated in an age of imperfect revelation, like the plan of

divorce to which our Saviour alludes, for "the hardness of their hearts;"

it had plainly no foundation in reason, no sanction from Heaven; and not

only no good consequences attached to it, but it was commonly attended

with calamitous results. Every recorded instance of it proves its extreme

inexpediency. It seldom failed to involve the comfort of all parties, and

must be regarded as a proof of weakness, if not absolutely of a criminal

indulgence of passion, even when adopted under the most plausible

pretences. If the Creator had at first perceived that a plurality of wives

was conducive to human felicity, he would have bestowed more than one upon

man in his paradisiacal state. Infinite wisdom must have known what was

really best; and the inspired narrative shows that infinite goodness

pursued every conceivable method of completing the enjoyment of him who

was placed, both in point of capacity and authority, at the summit

of creation.

There is a marked difference between the two women whom Elkanah had

espoused. In most cases of contention, considerable blame attaches to all

the parties concerned. We hear of provocations and insults on the one

hand, of recriminations and resentments on the other. Whoever originates

the dispute, an irreconcilcable spirit in both usually perpetuates it.

Hannah, reproached as she was by Peninnah for her barrenness, does not

seem to have returned railing for railing. The haughty behaviour, indeed,

of her rival, made her the more deeply sensible of her affliction, and

fretted her almost into despondency. Day after day, she was ridiculed for

what implied no blame, and admitted of no remedy. With how much greater

reason might she have retorted upon Peninnah her malignant temper and

provoking tongue! What was her natural infirmity, in comparison with the

slanderer's moral defilement! How misplaced the censures of the one! How

admirable the patience of the other!

This disagreement presents a fair occasion of remarking upon a practice

too much tolerated in society, for which young persons especially cannot

be too strongly reprehended. It is the cruel conduct of despising others

for their natural imperfections, turning their blameless deformities into

ridicule, and speaking ill of them for defects which ought rather to

excite the deepest commiseration. Perhaps the persons who suffer this

unmerited contempt, possess qualities of a mental and moral description,

which ought to conciliate the esteem and excite the imitation of the fair

and graceful slanderer. Perhaps they have a cultivated mind and a pious

spirit, while she has nothing but a pretty countenance or an attractive

form. But how ill is wisdom compensated by beauty, and how disgraceful is

it to despise the work of God's hands! If the object of offensive remark

should happen to be endowed with neither wisdom nor symmetry, is it

becoming of you, my reader, to institute an arbitrary standard of

gracefulness, and despise every one who has not attained it! Is it for you

to aggravate as a crime, what reason teaches is, at worst, a misfortune?

Is it for you to calumniate those who have given you no personal offence;

who are, notwithstanding their disadvantages, good members of society; and

if in some respects defective, may not be vicious? But if the latter were

the case, if they exhibited a combination of exterior deformity and

interior depravity, they would not then be the proper objects of

_ridicule_. The former peculiarity would still merit pity, and indeed

forbid observance; the latter would require more serious treatment.

In many instances, perhaps in the majority, young persons are guilty of

this misconduct through inadvertency. They have been stimulated to it by

others, or they have never been impressed with a sense of its impropriety.

It has been the result of thoughtlessness, rather than of malignity. It

was not their design to injure, but to seek amusement. Let parents and

tutors, therefore, explain the evil of such practices; let such as read

these pages meditate upon its enormity, and be solicitous of cultivating

those benign and benevolent feelings which peculiarly adorn their early

age, and are inculcated by the religion and the example of Christ.

To return to the family of Elkanah. This worthy man did not allow domestic

dissentions to interrupt his religious duties. He went up to the worship

of the Lord in Shiloh at the yearly festivals, according to the

appointments of the law. "Unto the place which the Lord your God shall

choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his

habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shall come; and thither ye

shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes and

heave-offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your free-will-offerings,

and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks. And there ye shall

eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your

hand unto, you and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath

blessed thee."

In the services of religion, it becomes us to ascend above all temporal

considerations, and regard exclusively the will of God. Elkanah, however,

even at the solemn and public festival, unhappily gave a worthy or double

portion to Hannah, which was the ancient mode of expressing peculiar

affection. This was likely to inflame, rather than to extinguish strife;

and though done, no doubt, with the kind attention of alleviating the

sorrows of his best beloved partner, was a sad display of weakness, and a

miserable profanation of the worship of God. Peninnah had children, Hannah

the affections of her husband; the former persecutes, and the other weeps.

Who would not have indulged the pleasing hope, that the worship of God,

that cement of society, that healing remedy for the disorders of the moral

world, would have quieted contention; and that the flames of animosity

would not have mingled with the hallowed fires of sacrifice! It was well

meant in Elkanah to bring all his household together to the tabernacle

in Shiloh--

"Religion should extinguish strife,

And make a calm of human life."

If we cannot be reconciled at the altar, it is an indication of rooted

antipathy, and will neutralize the effect of our entreaties for divine

forgiveness. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord," said David,

"will not hear me." The salutary effect of Elkanah's measure was prevented

by the continuance of discord. Year after year this mischievous spirit

prevailed. Elkanah was unable to conciliate Peninnah, or to sooth Hannah.

The good man was rendered wretched, both by the temper of the one and the

tears of the other: the latter, however, was the most intolerable.

"Hannah," said he, "why weepest thou? why eatest thou not? and why is thy

heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?"

There is something soothing and gentle in this remonstrance, which

bespeaks the affection of Elkanah, and exhibits his pacific character in

an advantageous light. He does not directly interpose to settle the point

of domestic difference by the stern dictation of authority, but with a

kind hand endeavours to wipe away the falling tears of his disconsolate

wife. Nothing is more difficult than properly to administer reproof,

except it be properly to receive it. Elkanah seems, on this occasion, to

have managed it with extreme delicacy, and with happy success. He kindly

insinuated, that she ought to feel consolation in her husband's regard;

and that a becoming submission to Providence is at all times our duty. She

might have suffered not only the affliction which she so deeply deplored,

but the still greater distress of her partner's aversion. If he had been

alienated, or even if his regard had been only diminished, there would

have existed a more plausible pretence for incessant grief; but although

Peninnah was blest with children, Hannah was best beloved. Would the

latter have been willing to exchange advantages? would she have descended

from a pre-eminence so justly valued, for the sake of a family? Doubtless

it was her wish to unite these comforts; to retain the love of Elkanah,

and to rival the children of Peninnah. But it is our duty, and would prove

eminently conducive to our happiness, to improve the blessings we enjoy,

rather than to cherish undue solicitude for what Providence does not see

fit to confer.

There does, by no means, exist that inequality in the distribution of

divine favours, which our impatience tempts us to imagine. One thing is

set over against another; comforts are associated with crosses: and if we

were in a situation, or possessed a capacity, to estimate with exactness

the proportion of good and evil in the individual condition of mankind, it

is more than probable we should find the balances by which these

proportions are determined most accurately poised. We _may_ safely, and

_ought_ unhesitatingly, to trust the hands in which they are placed, and

the power that regulates their distribution.

If the language of Elkanah may be considered as honourable to his general

spirit, the silent obedience of Hannah was no less illustrative of her

extraordinary excellence. How many tempera would have been exasperated by

such an appeal; and instead of drying up the tears of grief, and

proceeding to partake food, would have instantly retorted both upon the

intercessor and the rival! She might have demanded why her husband,

instead of asking her to conceal her sorrows, did not rather reprove the

provoking conduct of Peninnah, and silence her exasperating tongue?

Availing herself of the decided preference shown her, she might have aimed

at making her husband a party in the dispute; and, by his means, have

triumphed over her adversary. But Hannah was influenced by far different

sentiments. To her husband's remonstrances she appears to have returned no

answer: nor was it a sullen silence; for she took food, interrupted no

longer the festivities of the occasion, but, painful as the struggle must

have been, heroically concealed her own feelings till the termination of

the public solemnities.

"After they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk," Hannah

continued in "bitterness of soul," and rose up to withdraw. But whither

did she go? Whither, under circumstances like these, was it natural for

her to fly? Perhaps into solitude to bemoan her sad situation, to pour out

her unrestrained tears, to anathematize her insulting rival, to plot

revenge, to curse the day of her birth. The stream of grief and complaint

might be expected to flow, in the secret hour, with accelerated force and

rapidity, proportioned to the restraint which publicity had imposed. She

did not, however, yield to this influence, or retire for such a purpose.

Perhaps she withdrew to seek the counsel of a friend, or solicit the

prompt interference of others who pitied her sufferings, to check

Peninnah, or to stimulate Elkanah to stronger measures. Such a proceeding

was not unlikely; it was not, however, the one she adopted. Perhaps, then,

it may be supposed, she went home to wait for some favourable opportunity

of urging her husband to discard Peninnah, and of exasperating his

prejudices against her. It was indeed _natural_ for her to pursue either

or of all these courses; but she chose a different one. The pious mourner

has another and a better resource. If she look around her for comfort in

vain, she can look above. She may be pressed on every side--difficulties

and distresses accumulating in every direction--foes behind, and seas of

trouble before--but the opening into heaven is free; the ear of mercy is

not shut; the way of access to God never can be closed! "And she vowed a

vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the

affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine

handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give

him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come

upon his head."

This solemn address to Heaven exemplifies some of the essential qualities

of genuine prayer. It is marked by _reverence_ and _godly_ fear; for she

appeals to "the Lord of hosts," whose prerogative it is to marshal the

celestial armies, and to regulate with undeviating skill and irresistible

influence the affairs of this lower world: it displays profound

_humility_; for she repeats the simple and self-abasing term, "thine

handmaid:" it expresses _submission_ and _dependence_ of spirit; for she

refers with implicit obedience to the determinations of the divine will,

as comprising whatever is best calculated to promote her real interests,

though without presumption, she solicits Omnipotent interference to remove

her affliction, if it should comport with the arrangements, and seem

proper to the wisdom of God; it manifests an importunity which will always

operate with more or less intenseness in every genuine prayer. Her solemn

vow, her judicious repetitions, her whole phraseology, evince this

prevailing disposition. She kindles with holy fervour, and seems to

stretch forth her eager hand to take the blessing which she cannot

persuade herself will be refused. She is fully aware that power and

goodness combine in perfect proportions to influence the dispensations of

the God whom she addresses, and pleads with success, because she pleads

with fervour.

Nor is Hannah the first or the last witness to the apostolic assurance:

"the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much." It is not

indeed insinuated, that importunity in soliciting favours is invariably

successful. Unquestionably, many considerations of propriety, necessity,

and adaptation, must be understood to enter into the account. The spirit

of dictation must not blend with that of earnestness, nor must we deem

ourselves qualified to determine the time, the manner, or the proportion

of divine communications; but, so far as relates to the spirit of prayer,

importunity is materially connected with success, and coldness with

failure: the former advances, and the latter negatives our supplications,

even while we present them. There are cases of extraordinary ardour, which

can be measured by no common standard; moments of outgoing after God,

seasons of inexpressible sensibility, when the mind possesses an

invincible persuasion of success, which is at once the dictate of the Holy

Spirit, and the certain indication of acceptance. Faith discerns the

blessing, with a distinctness hitherto unknown, and love burns with a

vigour hitherto unfelt. A certain persuasion pervades the soul that its

entreaties cannot fail, that the contemplated good is its destined

portion; and amidst the deepest, the most unusual impression of

unworthiness, its assurance is sustained by a vivid remembrance of the

promises, and an overwhelming consciousness of personal interest in them:

all obstacles seem to remove, or to vanish at the first touch; every thing

yields before the pursuit of zeal, distance disappears, time dwindles into

a moment, and the mind at once enters upon a paradise of possession. In

the very midst of discouragements, the supplicant becomes a hero, and

triumphs by _a prevailing power_, analogous to that of a great conqueror,

whose very consciousness of superiority wins an otherwise doubtful battle,

and gives him a victory even by anticipation. Amidst the provocations of

her rival, and the soothings of her husband, Hannah could only weep and

fast: but at the footstool of mercy, she wrestles like Jacob, and

prevails like Israel. She rises above herself, no longer the despised and

desponding mourner, but the accepted and the triumphant suppliant. Thus

devotion not only sanctifies, but ennobles character. It awakens all the

energies of our nature, directs them to their proper object, and supplies

an ample sphere for their exercise. It produces extraordinary elevation,

and creates a heaven in the exercise of faith, and in the sphere of duty.

It cannot excite surprise, that a mere spectator, even though he be a

pious spectator, should, on such occasions as these, mistake the outward

indications of inward feeling. Objections will sometimes arise in persons

of cooler temperament or more constitutional apathy to the enthusiasm of

younger and more ardent Christians, founded altogether in misapprehension,

not like those of the world, in impious dislike. That the latter should

miscal the holy ecstacies of religion enthusiastic and rhapsodical, we do

not wonder; since they _cannot_ understand them by that medium through

which alone they become comprehensible, the medium of _experience_: nor

need we feel much astonishment at the occasional mistakes of the former,

when it is recollected, that the external indications of the passions are

often equivocal.

This was the case with Hannah. Eli, the venerable priest, was sitting upon

a seat by a post of the temple; and either from want of charity, or a

defect of eyesight, he pronounced a precipitate judgment upon this good

woman, whom he strangely imagined to have been in a state of intoxication.

Hannah, it appears, "spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her

voice was not heard." This excited the unjust suspicions of Eli, who

immediately charged her with gross immorality. "How long" said he, "wilt

thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee."

It may be admitted, as an extenuation of this rude attack, that the good

priest was jealous for the honour of his God, whose temple he supposed was

suffering profanation by indecent conduct: and that, instead of turning

tale-bearer and whisperer, he openly expressed his sentiments to the party

concerned, affording an opportunity for acknowledgment or explanation.

Still his precipitancy cannot be justified. It was his duty to have

obtained better evidence, before he ventured upon such a crimination; or,

at least, to have been more ceremonious and considerate. Reproof may be

well merited; but, in order that its end be answered, it should be

properly administered. Gentleness and mercy should blend their benign

influences with justice. We are ourselves liable to error, and have no

right to assume the tone of severity, or the air of triumph, when required

to notice blameable conduct. If we should be mistaken, either in the

general fact, or in the circumstances, upon some of which we may have

dwelt with unkind severity, the reproof will not only affect us by a

strong and most unwelcome reaction, but in many instances furnish the

transgressor with means of defending himself in what was actually wrong,

and thus nullify _our_ testimony, and harden _his_ mind.

Admirable, indeed, was the reply of Hannah. "No, my lord," said she, "I am

a woman of sorrowful spirit, I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink,

but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for

a daughter of Belial; for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief

have I spoken hitherto."

Nothing could be a more complete vindication of herself than this

respectful, dispassionate, and dignified language. She merely disclaims

the unjust imputation of her accuser, and explains the true cause of her

emotions. If she had been resentful and clamorous, the suspicion of Eli

would rather have been confirmed than removed; but her innocence shone

forth as the noon-day, unclouded by irritability or violence.

There is usually a marked difference between innocence and guilt, in the

mode of treating accusations: the latter boisterous and impatient; the

former gentle, calm, and moderate, comparatively careless of

misrepresentations, and often silent; the latter adopts any artifice to

shun the light, the former affords every facility to investigation. If a

character be free from the stain of guilt, it will not shrink from those

proceedings which tend to hold it up to the light, and which of course

only exhibit its perfect transparency.

Eli, perceiving his mistake, disdains to persist in it. Like a man of

integrity and piety, he corrects himself at once, dismisses her with a

blessing, and prays for her success. This was making the best possible

reparation, and it was done with a promptness which evinced its sincerity.

The good man was as ready to express his approbation, when convinced of

Hannah's innocence, as he had been to censure her conduct, when he

imagined it to be culpable.

In this transaction, we perceive him practising one of the most difficult

of duties; and if the wife of Elkanah be worthy of imitation for a

respectful and modest defence against a false accusation, the pious priest

of the Lord is no less so for retracting a hasty judgment, and instantly

exchanging frowns for smiles, reproof for applause, cursing for blessing.

In most cases, the offending party is the last to be reconciled; and

mistake is frequently adhered to with an obstinacy, and defended with a

pertinacity, proportioned to the haste with which it has been adopted.

Look inward. What is the present state of your minds respecting the errors

you have committed, or the wrong steps you have taken, and of which you

are deeply conscious? Have you adopted any measures to give satisfaction

to an injured party, or, are you disposed to that concession which you

know your past improprieties require? To trifle with the character of

another is cruel--to persist in misrepresentation is wicked. Can you

expect pardon of God, while living in the indulgence of an unforgiving

spirit towards your fellow-creatures? Justice requires, and Christianity

insists, upon reparation. O listen to their united voice! Hasten to wipe

off the stain which your carelessness, or your malignity, has flung upon

the white robe of innocence! Hasten to dry up the tears which you have

caused the sufferer to shed: hasten to heal the wound you have foolishly,

perhaps wickedly, inflicted.

This duty, remember, is not superseded even by the ill conduct of the

person you have made your foe. If, instead of submitting to your

unkindness, or bearing your mistake with the meekness of Hannah, you have

been loudly denounced--if you have been represented as a calumniator, and

railing has been rendered for railing--if the injured person have even

taken advantage of your error to reproach you in turn, and circulated a

thousand mis-statements to your disadvantage, you are still under the

greatest obligations to correct and apologize for your original error.

Never can you be justified in the eyes of impartial men; never can you

stand upon the high ground of an unblemished reputation, and become

invulnerable to attack; never can you obtain the divine approbation, till

you have adopted this measure. Neither conscience, reason, nor religion,

will admit that the aspersions of another justify your slanders. His

persistance is no reason against your concession.

Restored to tranquillity and happiness, Hannah withdrew from the temple,

and "her countenance was no more sad." Her innocence was apparent to the

priest, her petition heard in heaven. She went up weeping, she returned

rejoicing. Devotion had pacified her troubled breast, and since

"committing her way to the Lord," the tide had ebbed, the sky had cleared.

She knew that her request would be granted, or, if denied, that she should

see occasion ultimately to feel perfect acquiescence and satisfaction in

the determinations of Providence. She, therefore, wiped away her tears,

and dismissed her anxiety. Such is the relief afforded by humble prayer.

How often has sorrow been transformed into joy by religious exercises!

From the dark vale of life, where the winds blow and the rains descend,

how often has the pious mourner ascended to that sacred mount of communion

with God, _the closet_, or to the "_holy hill of Zion_," and dwelt in the

sunshine of heaven! Agitated no longer with conflicting elements, and

mysterious events, the clouds have appeared far, far below; while the

omnipotent hand has been seen engaged in regulating their movements,

directing their course, and preparing to disperse them in every direction.

It is obvious that no combination of happy circumstances, no human power,

no earthly friendship, could have afforded substantial consolation to

Hannah, if she had not repaired to the mercy-seat. Already had her

affectionate husband attempted, in vain, to sooth her grief. He had

renewed his love, wiped off her tears, kindly remonstrated and reasoned

with her.--Hannah! "am not I better to thee than ten sons?" Ah! what

avails it! Elkanah can sympathize, but he cannot relieve--he can reason,

but he cannot remove the cause of her sorrows--he cannot turn the course

of nature, or renew the springs of existence--he cannot change weakness

for strength, or convert barrenness into fertility: but he who has all

resources in his hands, all elements and worlds at his disposal, _can_;

and, at the voice of prayer, _will_ accomplish the holy desires of the

mind. See, Christians, your best resource, your ultimate appeal, your

distinguished privilege! "God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness."

Henceforward, the sacred narrative omits the name of Peninnah, and there

is nothing in her history to induce a wish to penetrate the concealing

veil. She was, in fact, originally introduced to notice for the purpose of

illustrating the more valuable qualities of Hannah, whose excellence

continues to shine with indiminished lustre to the end of her days. It is

indeed profitable, as a warning, to contemplate specimens of moral

deformity as well as examples of moral worth; but we naturally hasten from

the offensive, to the pleasing and attractive forms of female character.

Peninnah perishes unregretted from the page--Hannah continues to adorn it,

and obtains an everlasting remembrance.

On the day fixed for the return of this pious family, it is stated that

they rose early in the morning, and worshipped before the Lord. It is

deplorable, that so many of our thoughtless race should live from day to

day, and from year to year, in a state of perfect estrangement from the

duties of devotion. Whirled about in the circle of dissipation, or busied

with the cares of the world, they forget God their Maker; and, though the

constant recipients of mercies which flow to them in uninterrupted

succession, they never acknowledge, they can scarcely be said to know the

Giver. The most important transactions, schemes, and journeys, are

undertaken without once committing themselves to the guidance or

protection of that Providence which is observant of their steps, and

supplies them, notwithstanding their ingratitude. How pleasantly do _they_

proceed, who, like the family of Elkanah, first solemnly present

themselves before the Lord, and commence every business and every day with

an act of worship! It is true they are not exempted from misfortune, or

rendered invulnerable to the attacks of evil; but they are well prepared

for, and will be graciously sustained in every vicissitude.

[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1155.]

The predestined hour having arrived, a son was born to Hannah, whom she

named _Samuel_; "because," said she, "I have asked him of the Lord."

Sometimes, what has been sought with importunity, is received with

coldness, or enjoyed with ingratitude. No sooner is the blessing bestowed,

no sooner is the tear of agony dried up, than every pledge is forgotten,

and the mind relapses into thankless indifference. The sun shines, and our

impressions pass away with the storm. But Hannah adopted a measure well

calculated to excite every member of the family, and his mother in

particular, to a perpetual recurrence to the goodness of Providence. She

was resolved upon an expedient, by which the flame of gratitude might be

kept incessantly burning in her breast. Could she ever look upon _Samuel_

without recollecting he was "asked of God?" Could she ever repeat the

name of her beloved first-born, without thinking of the Hearer of prayer?

Amidst the ecstasies of maternal love, when she witnessed the infant

sportings, and traced the expanding faculties of her Samuel, how often

would she remember the stirrings of her spirit, and the sad days of her

reproach. Once she had scarcely indulged the hope of being a mother, much

less the mother of so remarkable a child. Once she wept in bitterness of

soul, now she shed tears of parental transport.

Assiduity in the discharge of maternal duties is the next distinguishing

excellence of Hannah to which our attention is invited. The sensibilities

of her character seemed to have remarkably qualified her for the new

station she was called to occupy after the birth of her child.

Providence has so wisely and so kindly ordered the connection subsisting

between the parent and the offspring, and has rendered human nature, even

in its depraved state, so susceptible of fine impressions and feelings,

that the moment this relationship commences, a sort of new character is

superinduced.

When a dependant little being is presented, a careful and protecting

disposition is generally displayed; the arm of support is readily held

forth to the weakness of infancy, and the most inconsiderate and volatile

of women are, by a natural instinct--a certain powerful, indefinable

transformation--converted to sober habits and necessary attentiveness--Who

can withhold his admiration of this singular economy, or refuse to admit

the interference of an invisible and wonderworking God! If this be the

effect in ordinary instances, it is easy to imagine that the wife of

Elkanah proved an exemplary instance of diligence and goodness when she

became a mother. For such an honourable situation she was peculiarly

qualified by her gentleness and piety. The precious gift, for which she

had been so solicitous, was nursed with fondness, and eventually presented

with all a mother's, with all a Christian's joy, to the Lord in Shiloh.

At the next anniversary festival, Elkanah went up to fulfil a vow he had

made, and to renew the dedication of himself and his family to the divine

service. Hannah accompanied him in spirit, but was prevented from a

personal attendance by her little lovely dependant: she intimated to her

husband the propriety of her remaining at home, pledging herself to

undertake the pleasing journey when the child was weaned. "Then," said

she, "I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there

abide for ever." It is no honour to religion for its professors to neglect

the duties of civil life under the pretence of superior sanctity: in vain

do those who disregard their families apologize for their misconduct by

pleading their diligence in pious services. Religion not only requires a

punctuality of observance in reference to its more public engagements, but

demands an unremitted attention to those of a more private, social, and

domestic nature: these ought not indeed to be viewed apart, in a separate

and disunited form, but as constituting a beautiful whole. Religion, in

fact, consists both in diligence and devotion, in the occupation of our

stations in society, as well as in fulfilling the services of the

sanctuary; in nursing and educating the child, as well as in presenting

the sacrifice, or keeping the holy festival of saints.

Elkanah fully concurred with the arrangements of Hannah. Happy is it for

that family where the domestic hearth is cheered by love and the altar by

piety. Happy they, whose affection, planted in religion, resembles a

flourishing tree that spreads its shade over the united household. Hannah

consulted her husband, and stated the reasons of the plan she had

devised--Elkanah listened to the representations of his wife, and

instantly assented.

"Do," said he, "what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou hast weaned him;

only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son

suck until she weaned him."

How beautiful is the allusion of the royal psalmist to this important

period in the history of infancy: "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine

eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things

too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that,

is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child."

It costs, indeed, a severe struggle to alienate the little offspring from

the breast from which it has drawn the means of subsistence, and, for a

short time, uneasiness and fretfulness may be the result; but when the

days of weaning are accomplished, the long-valued provision is regarded

with total indifference. Strong is the conflict and sharp the encounter

between a sense of duty and an inclination to sin, when the world presents

those fascinating pleasures which are so adapted to the appetites of

nature; but having obtained the victory--having, through the grace of God,

triumphed over the enticement, a real Christian will contemplate the

glories of this world which once enchanted him, with an indifferent eye,

and seek more substantial blessings. What naturally afforded satisfaction,

will, in a renewed state of mind, excite aversion or be treated with

neglect. The propensity being conquered, will never, or but partially

return, and if not absolutely exterminated, it can never again acquire an

ascendancy. The soul is become, in reference to the fleeting honours and

possessions of time, like a "weaned child."

It is at once our duty and felicity to aim at this detachment of affection

from the vanities of life, to cherish a holy disinclination toils

allurements, and to seek our bliss in the unfading good which Scripture

recommends and Heaven dispenses. An interest in the love of God, by faith

in the Redeemer, is the supreme enjoyment to which we are encouraged to

aspire, and which alone can fill the capacities and consummate the

blessedness of intelligent and immortal creatures. Pitiable is the

situation of those who are still attached, with childish fondness, to what

cannot promote their spiritual growth, and befits not their advancing

maturity. "Let Israel," then, "hope in the Lord from henceforth and

for ever."

Section II.

Samuel is devoted to the Service of the Sanctuary--Uniformity of

Character exemplified in Hannah--her Song paraphrased--five other

Children born to Hannah--View of her natural Kindness and

self-denying Piety.

As soon as the time proposed by Hannah had elapsed, she thought of

fulfilling her vow, and hastened to Shiloh. In the days of her distress

she had pledged herself to devote her child to the service of God; in the

days of her prosperity she does not forget the obligation. Never, so far

as we can discover, was a more perfect example of female excellence and

persevering religion: in adversity and in prosperity, in sorrow and in

joy, the light of her piety shone with undiminishing splendour. She had

virtues appropriate to every season, and conspicuous in every situation:

in affliction she cannot be reproached with impatience, nor in success

with ingratitude.

When Samuel was weaned, she took him with her, with three bullocks, an

ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, determining to leave him with the

priest, for the purpose of being trained up to the service of the

tabernacle. It was an equal honour to the pupil and the tutor, the one to

have such a priest as Eli, the other to have such a child as Samuel. With

all the dignity of innocence and all the pleasure of devotion, she

presented the little stranger to Eli, reminding him of the occasion when

she first pledged herself to consecrate the child she requested to the

work of the sanctuary, and explaining a vow of which he was previously

ignorant. It is true that God and her own soul were the only witnesses and

hearers of this vow; but she did not deem it the less obligatory though it

was made in secret, nor was her upright mind the less anxious for its

punctual fulfilment: "And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to

Eli. And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman

that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed;

and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore

also I have lent him to the Lord: as long as he liveth he shall be lent to

the Lord."

There is an exquisite delicacy in this language. The allusion to her

former appearance in the house of God is as cursory as could be devised to

enable the good priest to recognize her. Eli is reminded of her former

prayers; but not a syllable is uttered tending to criminate or to reflect

upon his past precipitancy and misrepresentation. She tells a simple

story, in a candid and respectful manner. The points of deepest interest

are introduced, and her darling child is devoted forever, and with

unreluctant zeal, to the God of her salvation.

Let the impatient and revengeful study the example of Hannah, who did not

allow herself to utter an angry word, or even to cherish a resentful

feeling against Eli, when he preferred against her an inconsiderate and

aggravating accusation; much less did she indulge a spirit of malignity.

How many would have felt an invincible aversion, even though his frank

acknowledgment had compelled them to a momentary reconciliation; and,

viewing his character ever after through the medium of prejudice, would

have magnified every feeling, and flung their public reproaches, or

circulated their secret whispers and surmises against this venerable

minister of the tabernacle. It becomes the people of God to be careful of

the reputation of their brethren, and aim to wipe off the aspersions with

which the world is apt to depreciate their characters, rather than to

unite in the clamours of defamation. Men in official situations are placed

upon a pinnacle which renders them conspicuous, and envy is always ready

to shoot at them its envenomed darts. They have their faults indeed, but

let charity cover them: they may have also their counterbalancing

excellencies--let piety observe and imitate them. Should the criminal

conduct of such persons belie their general profession, dishonour the

religion they profess, and render it necessary to displace them, we ought

to tremble for ourselves, and not triumph in their fall. Who would be

qualified to cast the first stone, if his offences were all detected,

exposed, and treated with merciless severity? The practice of dedicating

children to God, is, we perceive, sanctioned by the usage of high

antiquity; but, what is far better, it is conformable to reason and

Scripture. Sometimes, indeed, it is accompanied with much absurdity and

superstition; but, when properly attended to, it secures many advantages.

Prayer, at all times important, is peculiarly effectual when offered in so

solemn a manner: and if, in ordinary cases, it procure the blessings of

Heaven, a well-founded hope may be excited, that the interesting little

object of such a service will reap some substantial benefits. It tends

besides to purify the domestic affections, and to regulate their exercise.

The child which is bestowed in answer to prayer, and by prayer is, at the

very dawn of existence, consecrated to God, and committed to the future

care and guidance of his providence, is regarded with a new kind of

feeling even by its parents; their fondness receives a peculiar tone and

character from their piety; the motive to seek its spiritual interest is

strengthened by their holy vows; and they cannot but feel an additional

motive to impart early instruction, to cultivate its expanding faculties,

and form the young immortal both for its present and ultimate destination.

Devote, then, ye mothers of Israel, devote your babes to piety and God!

Hesitate not to incur the solemn responsibility which a vow implies in

reference to your tender offspring: it is the most immediate method of

making them your future comforts in this life, and your companions in a

better. Your solicitude will at least afford you personal satisfaction;

you will inherit the delightful consciousness of having done your duty:

you may be happily instrumental in producing early impressions, and

preparing them for their future crown. Then, should they depart from the

world before you, to be "forever with the Lord," they will rise from their

thrones of light to hail your approach, and mingle their thanksgivings and

praises with yours in the songs of eternity.

Uniformity of character is a high attainment, of which Scripture history

presents some pleasing specimens, though perhaps it affords more numerous

instances of irregularity. The early life of some is nothing but the

record of crime and folly, when the passions were indulged in unbridled

licentiousness, and the moral creation groaned beneath the burden of

their vices; but afterward retrieving their errors, they have become

examples of sobriety, kindness, and religion. Others shone, forth at first

with preeminent brightness, attracting the eyes of an extensive community

to their juvenile excellence, and holding forth the best promises of

futurity; but their goodness has proved like the morning cloud, and like

the early dew, that passeth away; the eyes of parental tenderness, that

once glistened with rapture and admiration, are suffused with tears; the

church of God, that once hailed their zeal, is filled with regrets to

witness its faded ardours and its altered nature. "How is the gold become

dim, and the fine gold changed?" There is another, a sort of intermediate

class, who have rather a doubtful complexion, some of whose actions

indicate piety, others the reverse: at a distance they may be admired,

but, upon a closer inspection, their principles are questionable, and, as

our acquaintance with them increases, our respect irresistibly diminishes.

Candour itself, which would put the most favourable construction upon

them, is compelled to see new spots and blemishes in proportion as we

perceive more distinctly their entire character.

The illustrious female, however, before us, exhibits a singular contrast

to all these diversities. From the first to the last mention of her name

in the page of Scripture, she challenges unmitigated admiration; she is

uniform in every character: adversity and prosperity find her the same

woman: she does not murmur in the one, she is not vain in the other. There

is but a single variety in her character, arising from its progressive

excellence. She is not _the same_, only because she is _better_; our

veneration keeps pace with our knowledge. Her character does not, like

that of many others, suffer by investigation; it does not resemble an

object seen at some distance through a mist, which is magnified into

unnatural dimensions, so that the illusion vanishes when you come near;

but is like a tower seen afar off under a clear sky, swelling in majesty

at every step of approximation.

We are now brought to the close of Hannah's history; it is even more

splendid than its commencement. We have traced her through the various

characters of a persecuted wife, a weeping suppliant, a misrepresented

worshipper, a joyful mother, and a grateful saint, fulfilling her vows and

devoting her first-born to the service of God. In some respects the latter

must have proved a trying occasion, a duty of difficult execution; and we

could have forgiven, we could have sympathized with the tears of a mother

who was placed in the situation of violating her vows or giving up her

darling; we could have pitied her struggles, while we commended their

successful issue, in leaving her Samuel behind her at Shiloh. But she

assumes a higher tone and spirit: the mother is absorbed in the saint;

and, at the moment when we expected the language of parting regret and

anxiety, behold, she bursts into a song of praise, and soars to the

heights of prophecy.

This holy effusion is somewhat analogous to that of the mother of our

Lord, which we shall hereafter have occasion to illustrate. In the mean

time the hymn of Hannah claims our examination. It is called a _prayer_,

because it was addressed to God as an act of worship, and because the

acknowledgment and celebration of divine mercies constitute an important

branch of devotion.

"_My heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my

mouth is enlarged over mine enemies: because I rejoice in thy salvation_."

A vain mother might have celebrated her _son,_ and, if she had expressed

a general sense of divine goodness in his bestowment, would have dwelt

with satisfaction upon his premature indications of greatness. Inordinate

attachment to the gift is apt to obliterate from the mind a grateful

recollection of the giver; and to this forgetfulness we are liable to be

seduced by our affections. But Hannah cannot taste of the stream without

being led to the fountain; she cannot receive mercies without viewing the

hand that bestows them; nor be so enraptured with the blessing as to sink

the Creator in the creature. In fact, Samuel is unnamed. His beauty, his

pliability--whatever he really possessed, or whatever the fond eye of a

mother fancied he possessed--all was forgotten, lost, and annihilated in

God. Every valued blessing--her child, her husband, her possessions;--the

whole creation vanished into nothingness before the thought of the

"eternal ALL!"