they should perish on one and the same day.

How warned a second time.

This judgment having been deferred for a long time, the child Samuel was at length commissioned by God to remind him of it.

at the time.

Samuel's age, Samuel, at the time, was only 12 years old; and God appeared to him at night, calling him by his

name.

What Samuel thought.

Samuel thought it was Eli calling, and ran to hear what was wanted; but Eli said he had not spoken, and bade the child return to bed again. The call This occurred thrice, and then Eli "perceived that the Lord had called the child," and told him to go to bed once more, and if he heard the voice again, to say: "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."

repeated.

curred.

What oc- God came a fourth time; and when Samuel answered as he was bidden, God told him He intended to

the message.

destroy Eli and his two sons on the same day, according to His threat. How Eli received Next morning, being asked what God had said, Samuel delivered the awful message; and Eli replied: "It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good."

long delayed.

The threat, how God's threat was again delayed for ten years; when the Philistines made an attack upon the Hebrews, and slew 4000 of them.

To what this was ascribed.

The Israelites ascribed their defeat to the absence of the sacred ark; and accordingly sent to fetch it from the tabernacle.

lowed.

What fol- The attack was renewed; the Israelites were again defeated with great slaughter; Hophni and Phi'. nehas, the sons of Eli, were slain; and the ark of God fell into the hands of the foe.

How Eli received Eli heard these fearful ti

the tidings.

dings as he was sitting on a stone

A.C. 1112.]

bench near the tabernacle. He instantly swooned, fell backwards from his seat, and broke his neck.

His age.

He was 98 years of age when he died, and had judged Israel for 40 years. (B.c. 1141.)

By whom succeeded.

He was succeeded by Samuel, the greatest and last of all the judges of Israel.

Section II.

wwww

THE ARK IN THE HANDS OF THE

PHILISTINES.

B.C. 1112.

1 SAMUEL IV-VII.

What became

of the ark.

The Philistines took the ark of God to Ashdod, and placed it in the temple of Dagon. Whilst it was deposited there, the idol fell down and was broken to pieces.

The female idol, Dagon, had the body and head of a fish, but above this head was a second, re sembling a human head; and the tail terminated in human feet. This strange idol is supposed to have been an allegorical representation of Noah.

What was done with the ark.

The ark was then removed from the temple and carried from place to place for seven months; but it brought such ill fortune on the captors, that they gladly restored it to the Israelites again.

A curse fell on all the people who ventured to detain it, thus:

(1.) The people of Ashdod were struck with emerods, and declared the ark should not remain in their city;

(2.) It was accordingly removed to Gath; but the men of Gath, "being struck with a very great destruction," sent it away to Ekron;

(3.) No sooner was it lodged in that city, than the men of Ekron were smitten with disease and death. Whereupon it was resolved to get rid of the ark altogether by sending it back to the Hebrews;

(4.) It was accordingly placed in a new cart and sent to Bethshemesh. The people of this town received it with great joy; but, presuming to take off the lid and look into the ark, God smote 50,000 of them with a fatal plague;

(5) It was next removed to Kirjath-je'arim, and deposited in the house of Abinʼadab, a priest, where it remained for twenty years;

(6.) In the reign of Saul it was removed to Nob, a sacerdotal city of Benjamin; David afterwards removed it to the house of Obed-Edom, a Levite; and thence to the royal palace at Zion,

[A.C. 109..

where it continued till Solomon placed it in the most holy part of the Temple of Jerusalem;

(7.) It remained in the temple about 400 years, when it was carried away by the Chaldæans amongst other spoil of the sacred city (2 Esdr x. 22), and was never heard of more.

judged Israel.

years.

How long Samuel Samuel judged Israel for 40 On the death of Eli he reclaimed the people from idolatry, and they were both happy and prosperous. How he was He was assisted in his old by his two sons; but these young men were not like their father, for " they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes to pervert judgment."

assisted.

ple bore it.

age

How the peo- The nation, indignant at this corruption, went to Samuel, saying: "Thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, so now make us a king