September 21

3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Asharoth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

4 Then the children of Israel did put away Bialam and Asharoth, and served the LORD only.

5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mirpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.

6 And they gathered together to Mirpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel to Mirpeh.

7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to

Mirpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly into the LORD, and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel, and the LORD heard him.

10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel, but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and descended them; and they were smitten before Israel.

11 And the men of Israel went out of Mirpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethlehem

12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizra, and Sion, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord heaped us.

13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel, and

the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines and the days of Samuel.

14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Eken even into Gath; and the roads thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

"The coming on of a great trouble or grief; the hours of anguish, which we may or may not confide to another; those habitual troubles which weigh down life with a perpetual gravitation; and, on the other hand, the rolling away of grief; the glad morning after the night; the dawn of great affections in the soul—which are the best blessings that God ever gives, and are to us what the coming of the morning sun is to the day; the emerging into the light of a new faith; victories over easily besetting sins; the conquest over inbred sins; clearer views; stronger impulses of conscience; a new sense of manhood infused into our souls; a more heroic impulse taking the place of a craven or mere physical habitude of obedience—all these critical, inward experiences are worthy of some external recognition. We should specialize them. We should think of them in their individuality and in their sequences; and it would be well for us if we could set up some memorial, and be able to bear witness to one another, saying, 'Hitherto the Lord hath helped us.'"—H. W. Beecher.

Closet Promise.—Thou art My servant; I have formed thee; thou art My servant; O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of Me.—Isa. xliv. 21.

Oh, give Thy servant patience to be still, And bear Thy will; Courage to venture wholly on the arm That will not harm;

The wisdom that will never let me stray Out of my way; The love, that, now afflicting, knoweth best When I should rest. ... J. M. Neale.

Accept His will entirely, and never suppose that you could serve Him better in any other way. You can never serve Him well, save in the way He chooses. Supposing that you were never to be set free from such trials, what would you do? You would say to God, "I am Thine—if my trials are acceptable to Thee, give me more and more." I have full confidence that this is what you would say, and then you would not think more of it—at any rate, you would not be anxious. Well, do the same now. Make friends with your trials, as though you were always to live together; and you will see that when you cease to take thought for your own deliverance, God will take thought for you; and when you cease to help yourself eagerly, He will help you.—Francis de Sales.