Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-12-14
DEATH OF SAMSON.
LESSON XII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, DEC. 16.

documentary by Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.
permission of H. S Hoffman, Philadelphia, pub
Usher
In all the Scriptures the great truth is kept
before us that if we would ENJOY peace and
have victory over all enemies, it must be by
a mind stayed upon God, and by an humble
walk with Him in cheerful and whole hearted
obedience. Another truth brought before
us over and over and over again is that God
often chooses the most unlikely instruments
with which to accomplish His purposes, that
no flesh may glory in His presence. And
everywhere we are taught Gods readiness to
forgive and to restore to favor and useful
ness in some measure when there is true
turning from sin to Him, either on the part
of a nation or an individual
Gideon judged Israel forty years and was
succeeded by Abmelech, lola and Jair; then
they did evil again and were oppressed by
the Phiistines and Ammonites eighteen
years; God then raised up Jephtha as their
deliverer and judge, and he was succeeded
by lbzam, Elon and Abdon; then they did
evil again and were delivered into the hands
of the Philistines, who oppressed them forty
years; God then raised up Samson as a de
liverer and Judge, and his is the last rule re-
corded in the book of Judges, the closing
chapters describing the condition of things
when ''every man did that which was right
in his own eyes" Chap xvii, q; xxi, 25)
%. 1.-THE Philistines took him, and put out
his eyes" Behold him, prisoner, u slave,
| ;,1 bo1 ho ;o
and what he had been. His birth was fore
told by the Lord, who appeared twice to his
mother and once to his father; he was
Nazarite to God from his birth, that is, one
who was fully separated unto the Lord, hay
ing nothing to do with the vine, either as to
wine or grapes, and no razor was to come
upon his head (Num. vi, 1-S) as to his
mighty acts, he had rent lion as he would
have rent kid, he had slain a thousand men
with the jawbone of an ass, when shut in q
city by those who wanted to kill him he arose
in the night and took the gates and the posts
and the bar ON his shoulders and carried
them away to the top of hill, and many
other marvellous feats Of superhuman
strength had he performed. but now his
power and glory have departed from him,
and he is in the power Of his enemies, poor,
blind, helpless prisoner What is the cause
of this terrible fall, ard why this reproach
upon the Lord through His servant for not
only is Samson disgraced, but the name Of
the Lord is dishonored. Milton in his 'Sam-
son Agonistes" makes him say:
Il to God have brought
Dishonor, oboquy, and oped the mouths
li.,fc lotb nictc lo,., hr,, trl,tc nj
To Israel, diffidence of God, and doubt
In feeble hearts, propense enough before
To waver or fall off and join with idols
The cause was simply that Samson had de.
parted from his conservation and had given
his time and attention to things which he
should have been separated from. He saw a
woman in Timnath; he saw an harlot in GAIA
he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek
and thus, instead Of making covenant with
his eyes tJoD XXI, II, he let his eyes lead
him into trouble, and now he has lost them.
-. The hair of his head began to grow
again." Not that Samson's strength lay in
his hair, but in his conservation TO God, of
which his locks were al outward token; and
as we see the outward CIV dence of his separa-
ton to God returning, have we not reason tc
believe that in his heart there is true peni.
tence and sincere return to the God OF
Israel, who had so wonderfully called him
but whom he had so grievously slandered.
-. "a great sacrifice unto Dagon, theiI
god" DaSon is mentioned ten times in
Samuel V, 2-7, and once in Chronicles X, 10
1t was the great national god OF the Philis
tines The name signifies fish," and Its
form is said to have been the face and hand.
of man with the tail of fish.
"a. "They praised their god" If Samson
had only praised the living and true God by
whole hearted conservation to Him, ther
these Gentiles had not had this occasion t.
praise their god.
"Our God hath delivered into our hand!
our enemy" In this and the preceding verse
we find this statement, and they no doubt
thought it true Nebuchadnezzar probably
thought that he subdued Jenoiakim, but it il
written that "the Lord gave Jehoiak I'M int
his hand" dan. i, ~
25 Call for Samson, that he may MAKE
us sport" A great company Of uncircum
cised Philistines praising and worshipinl
devils or demons, and servant of the Grea
God Of Israel in their midst making spor
for them. IL is true he was not there of hi
own accord nor was it by any means to hi
liking; but il he had not Of his own free vii
and by his own choice departed from being
consecrated to God, he had never come Il
this most ptiiul and disgraceful condition.
81. The house was full of men an(
women" Three thousand on the roof, bu
how many thousands inside we are not told
all beholding while Samson makes sport
How few such gatherings are found II
worship God; one in Brooklyn, one i'll Lon
don, a few Others here and there; but how
easy to gather the thousands if there is any
sport in the service of Satan. Which way
does your own heart tend; 1 mean, which
company do you honestly enjoy the most
For know that there are Sunday schoo
teachers WAC enjoy the so called good tint
better than the house and service of God
rs. samson called unto the Lord" IL
does not seem to have been raised up to LEAF
forth an army, like Othneil, Deborah ant
Barak, Gideon or Jephthah, but rather b,
acts OF personal valor to avenge Israel. w
now see him in prayer, his last prayer, AM
strange as such prayer may seem to us, Co
answered it. We must see Sampson here Oh
the side of Che Lord desiring the overthrow
of the enemies of the Lord. Some one ha
suggested that he had better sight now thai
before he lost his eyes. 1t is not our natura