words of Hannah, but undoubtedly you entered entirely into her views, and the fruit of the womb was to be "holiness to the Lord." Well, God has been gracious to thee, and remembered thee. Thou haft furvived the danger, and been delivered from the pangs of child-birth. You have enjoyed the fatisfaction of training the beloved of your foul through the dangers, difficulties and folicitude of infancy and childhood. God has graciously done his part, and have fo far performed yours. But did your engagements ceafe, when the infant was weaned? Did you rear that tender plant with fo much anxiety, tendernefs and care, only to poifon and corrupt it, after it had begun to take root, and bud, and bloffom? Know you not, that the inconfideration and folly of a day may destroy the pains and labour of many years; and that the eyes of children are much quicker and more retentive than their ears?

you

Happy that daughter who is betimes formed to habits of difcretion, of purity, of regularity, of piety, by the tender guardian and guide of her early days! Happy that mother whofe attention is bent on infufing betimes, in her female offspring at least, the principles of wisdom, virtue, and true godlinefs; who is honoured to exemplify what fhe teaches, and is bleffed with a docile, affectionate, and improving difciple!

The manner in which Elkanah and Hannah live and converfe together, is exemplary and inftructive. They have one common intereft; they have one darling object of affection; they exprefs one and the fame will, in terms of mutual kindness and endearment.

faid unto her husband, I will not go up until the child "She be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide forever. And Elkanah her husband faid unto her, Do what feemeth thee good, tarry until thou have weaned him, only the Lord establish his word. gave her fon fuck until fhe had weaned him.” So the woman abode, and There

There was in all this a commanding principle of religion, of zeal for the will and glory of God, which regulated the fpirit, and inspired the tongue; without which, I am afraid there is but a flender fecurity for domestic felicity in the exercife of even good nature and good manners, much lefs in a mere fenfe of decency, or regard to the opinion of the world. These may overawe at particular feafons and in particular fituations; but the fear and love of God are permanent and unvarying principles; they enforce and affift relative duty till it grows into a habit, and habit renders even difficult things eafy and agreeable.

Samuel, who is his own biographer, has moft judiciously drawn a veil over his infancy. Childifh prognoftics' of future eminence are generally ridiculous and contemptible; they can impofe only on the partiality of parental affection, or the credulity of fuperftition. The cynic fnarls difdain at the relation of thefe premature prodigies of dawning wifdom, and the fage fmiles indulgence and compaffion on the fond belief. Let parents, by all means, amufe, delight thenfelves and each other with the fallies of infant, opening genius, but let them keep the delight to themfelves. It is one of the joys in which "a firanger intermeddleth not."

In the next Lecture we shall be led forward to confider the prefentment of Samuel before the Lord in Shiloh; the facrifice which accompanied that folemn ceremony; the farther discovery of the amiable and excellent fpirit by which the mother was actuated; and the infant prophet's entrance on his important

office.

-Behold once more, chriftians, the fpirit of prophecy ftill pointing to one and the fame great object. The perfons and circumftances of the prophets were various; but amidst that variety, fome one friking feature of character, office or condition announced "Him that was to come," more clearly or more obfcurely reflected his image, and "prepared the way of

the

the Lord." The tongues of the prophets are many; but they all speak the fame language, they all pronounce one name. The periods of their existence and predictions were widely remote; but all meet in one › central point of light, in one aufpicious instant, "the fulness of time," in one illuftrious perfonage, "to whom all give witness," in one commanding "purpofe and grace"-the falvation of the world. "God, who at fundry times and in divers manners fpake in time paft unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in these laft days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the cxprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himfelf purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the Majefty on high."* Behold all created glory thus abforbed in one glorious, divine perfon, "who is above all, and through all, and in all.", "Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue fhould confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."t

*Hcb. i. 1-3.

† Phil. ii. 9—11.

Hiftory

Hiftory of Hannah,

THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL.

LECTURE

I SAMUEL i. 24-28.

XVIII.

And when he had weaned him, he took him up with ber, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the boufe of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. And they flew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And fhe faid, O my Lord, as thy foul 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 alfo I have lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth; he fhall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. "LORD, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the fon of man, that thou vifiteft him ?" Every serious reflection on the nature, and perfections, and works of God, fuggefts this rapturous meditation of the holy pfalmift. Every view of Deity is at once humiliating and encouraging to the foul. We seem to fhrink into nothing, while we contemplate the regions of unbounded fpace; while the eye wanders from orb to orb; and the mind lofes itfelf in calculating their number, diftances, magnitude, luftre and harmony;

harmony; while imagination wings its daring flight to the world of spirits, and furveys myriads of angels adoring before the throne of the Moft High; and "the fpirits of juft men made perfect" rejoicing "with joy unfpeakable and full of glory." But man rifes into greatnefs and importance, when we reflect that "God created him in his own image ;" that eternal Providence exercifes an unremitting folicitude about him; and that for his redemption the Son of God fuffered and died.

The little concerns of individuals, and of private families, acquire value and dignity when we confider them as ftamped with the feal of omnipotence, as the operation of infinite wifdom, as links in the great chain of divine adminiftration, and as extending their influence to eternity. But destroy this connexion, and we perceive only a ftrange and unaccountable fcene of vanity, folly and confufion.

The holy fcriptures, which exhibit the justest reprefentation, and enable us to form the jufteft eftimate of human life, keep this continual interpofition and commanding influence of Divine Providence conftantly in view. We meet with domeftic feelings and occurrences exactly fimilar to our own, and we find a proof that the Bible is the word of God, in our own perfonal, daily experience.

The tranfactions which led to the scene reprefented in the paffage now read, have been too recently submitted to your notice, to need repetition. In the fpirit and deportment of Elkanah and Hannah to each other, we have an ufeful example of conjugal complacency and affection. In the character of Hannah, we behold the feelings of the woman fweetly blended with the piety of the faint; and the child of forrow feeking and finding refuge in the power and mercy of God. We are now to contemplate one of the most pleating objects that human life prefents-a good and honeft heart in poffeffion of its wifh, and making the proper ufe of the expected bleiling; the fpirit of pray

er