December 4

1 Samuel iii. — 1. And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days: there was no open vision.

2. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3. And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4. That the Lord called Samuel; and he answered, Here am I.

5. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not: lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son: lie down again.

7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

9. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10. And the Lord came, and stood and called as

After Moses, Samuel was the first character in ancient Jewish history who centred in himself the elements of political and religious authority. He was the last and the greatest of the judges whose official power succeeded that of the lawgiver; and he was the first of that long line of prophets whose function and influence came to be superior to that of the priesthood itself. Moreover, his life marked a transition period in the nation; for, against his own judgment, he yielded to their clamor for a king, and anointed, first Saul, and afterwards David, to this office. He was a person of rare dignity, beauty, and integrity of character, and of sincere and humble piety. Consecrated by his mother to the service of the Lord, he was trained from childhood in the sanctuary;

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 156, 169, 190.

Oh! grant us grace, Father in heaven, to hear thy Word, and to obey it. We would make haste, and delay not, to keep thy commandments. Thou hast a right, O Lord! to our time, our gifts, our hearts, our persons; to all that we are, and all that we have: for thou hast created us, and hast redeemed us with the precious blood of thy Son.

We give thee thanks for the mercies of the night, and for all the mercies of our past lives, — for home and its blessings: for friends, and all the ministries of love; for health, knowledge, comfort, and prosperity; but, above all things, for thy grace in the

at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

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

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

13. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.

15. And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

16. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son; and he answered, Here am I.

17. And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

18. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

19. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

and it was while sleeping in the tabernacle that he received the divine call that ennobled and ever after guided his life. This scene, pictured with the simplicity of truth, has an unfading charm alike for childhood and for age, for poetry and for art. The little child, so quick to hear the voice in the night, so ready to trust the word of Eli, so prompt to obey the voice of the Lord: the venerable priest, warned by this innocent boy of the doom upon his house, and receiving the message with such patient meekness, — all this lives before us as often as we read the story. Oh, may our ears ever be open to the voices of the Invisible! and our hearts answer, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth!"

gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ever be ready to acknowledge him the Son of God, the Saviour of the world! May men in the high places of power and influence consecrate themselves to him! may the poor and lowly trust in him! may children sing bosannas to the Son of David! How shall we praise thee, O God! for thy love and grace to us sinners? For all thy mercies, we bless and magnify thy glorious name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise for His sake who died, and rose again, and who liveth evermore. Amen.