Eli was held responsible for the excesses of his sons. He was a mild and gentle old man. But there are times when mildness and gentleness are out of place. We must be stern and strong when the occasion demands. It is always necessary to be on the alert, lest flabbiness and weakness should pass under the designation of Christian graces. Moreover, severer measures might have restrained his sons, 3:13. Therefore in the message of judgment Eli was included,

vs. 27-36. He is classed with his sons and reckoned as an accomplice with them in their sin against God, vs. 29, 30.

Notice that prediction of the ‘‘faithful priests,’’ vs. 35, 36. In its first reference Samuel may be seen, but beyond him rises the figure of Another who ever lives to intercede, and is expressly designated as ‘‘faithful.’’ Eli and his sons lived in the Temple, where the burning holiness of God was reflected in every service; but they seem never to have heard the chant of the seraphim, nor to have cried, ‘‘ Woe is me, for I am undone,’’ nor to have felt the burning coal on their lips. Do not trifle with the sacred privileges of God’s house! They will condemn where they do not uplift.

6. “Speak, Lord; for Thy Servant Heareth.”

1 Samuel 3:1-9. As we read again these familiar verses, we are taken back in thought to the dear scenes of childhood,—to the home we remember so well and to the mother’s voice, perhaps now silent. This story, which was our favorite then, is hardly less dear to us now that we are well advanced on the pathway toward the home beyond.

The dying lamp of the Tabernacle, the glimmering dawn, the silence and awe of the Holy Place were in. strict accord with the boy’s attentive ear and opened heart. The rug or couch on which he lay was not too lowly for the eternal God to visit. Stooping from his high heaven, he came, and stood, and called. He was not angry because the child did not understand; nor did he, impatient of the delay, close the interview because he was not recognized. He knew that, once he understood, Samuel’s heart would be eager to obey the call. With all of us there is ignorance as well as mistake. In our confusion we run hither and thither, It is best to lie still, even though the heart throbs and the attention is alert, until the knock is again heard on the door.

From Painting by JAMES SAnT. Modern British Artist.