On Isaac is poured out the spirit of prophecy; he is directed to bless his sons; and strictly charges Jacob, to whom the promise is made, and with whom God solemnly renews his covenant, "not to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan," but to seek one amongst the Lord's people.

In faith he sends away this beloved son, who, after an absence of many years, he is once again permitted to see before his death, "full with the blessing of the Lord." Gen. xxxv. 27-29: "And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the days of Isaac were an hundred and four-score years. And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him." M.

SAMSON.

THE record of Samson's history is contained in the book of Judges, from the 13th to the 16th chapters. The early particulars given of him are peculiarly interesting.

He was promised by God to his parents when it seemed improbable that they should have any descendants. Without hesitation they receive and

credit the message of the angel, who appeared at first to the wife of Manoah when she was alone. (verses 3-5.) He tells her what she herself should do; gives directions concerning her future son, and promises that he should be a deliverer to his countrymen, who were then suffering under a grievous and galling yoke. Filled with joy and gratitude she hastens to her husband to communicate to him the welcome intelligence. He falls down immediately and prays for a repetition of the angelic visit. (verse 8.) "Then Manoah intreated the Lord and said, O my Lord, let the man of God, which thou didst send, come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born." In answer to this prayer for direction concerning the training of their child, the angel reappears as before to the woman. (verses 9-11.) "And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again unto the woman, as she sat in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am."

The extreme anxiety of this believing pair to omit nothing from the time of the birth of their

child, which should be for his good, is beautifully pourtrayed in the urgency of their request to the angel. (verse 12.) "And Manoah said, Now let

thy words come to pass.

How shall we order the

child, and how shall we do unto him?"

They seem to feel as secure that the thing shall come to pass, because God has promised it, as if the child were already born. And having received the answer from their heavenly visitant, they proceed to offer to the Lord, sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving; and the woman encourages herself and her husband in the expectation of future mercies, because of those they have already received. (verse 23.) “His wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering, and a meatoffering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would he as at this time have told us such things as these."

This child of faith and prayer is born, “And he grew, and the Lord blessed him;" and early in life" the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and and Eshtaol."

Samson becomes a mighty deliverer to Israel, and differs from all the other judges whom the Lord raised up for the help of his people, in one remarkable particular. They were, indeed, many of them feeble; and the aid given them to accomplish their various enterprises, was altogether

inadequate to the work, that they might feel that it was not by might, nor by power, that they got the victory, but by the help of the Lord their God. But Samson is sent single-handed against all his adversaries; he has no human friend to encourage him; no arm of flesh to lean upon. He receives the command to go, and we find him, whatever be the peril, at once obeying the direction; his whole life is one of obedient, unhesitating faith, and according to his faith, so was it unto him.

That he was a man of prayer we can entertain no doubt, for in a memorable instance in his history, we find him in a great strait calling upon God, and urging him, by his faithfulness to his servant, to send him help, and he receives an immediate answer to his prayer. Judges xv. 18, 19: "And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant, and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? And God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkone (i. e. the well of him that called or cried,) which is in Lehi unto this day."

It is true that he manifested also much inconsistency of character, at times fell into great

snares in consequence, which caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, and no doubt greatly tried the faith of his parents. But the Lord chastened him as a child, and brought him into sore affliction, and humbled him.

When the closing scene arrived, we see Samson calmly submitting to the cruel mockeries of his triumphant adversaries, and bearing the chastening of the Lord because he had sinned against him. But here, as in a former instance, he calls upon God, he desires, even at the expense of his life, to maintain His injured honour, and willingly dies in his cause. Judges xvi. 28-30; And Samson called unto the Lord and said, O Lord God remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up; of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death, were more than they which he slew in his life."

The Holy Spirit. speaking by the mouth of Paul, ranks Samson with "David and the prophets, who, through faith, subdued kingdoms,