and putteth his feet on the neck of his enemies, may, weakened by sin's inroads, yield, before long, at the first summons of temptation, and be bound by the cords of his sins. Be not weary of prayer, and watchfulness, and selfdenial; comfort yourselves with the promises of God. "The night is far spent, the day is at hand," you shall not then need to learn war any more.

Again, let us not fail to mark in Samson's history, the degradation, the misery that was his. The Philistines took him, they put out his eyes, they bound him with fetters of brass, they made him grind in the prison-house, they sported themselves with him whom lately they so dreaded. But these outward afflictions were not the deep waters that went even over him; memory would do her painful task, his eyes were blinded, but his mind's vision was clear, and as he looked back to what he once was, "when the candle of the Lord shined upon him," and then, again, dwelt on his present state,—as fear and doubt would wrestle with him, now so weakened, so forlorn,-as awful thoughts would assail him, "God hath forsaken him, persecute, and take him, for there is none to deliver him," then would the iron enter into his soul, his darkness be darkness that might be felt. Truly, "the way of transgressors is

hard," the prodigal proclaims this as we mark him when he began to be in want, "he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him."1 Saul, king of Israel, bears witness to the same, as he confesses in his dire extremity, "I am sore distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams," Samson, in the estrange

ment of his spirit from the Lord, could tell how dark the woe to the backslider in heart,— could witness that the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Oh that we were wise! Oh that we would lay these things to heart! They are written for our admonition, they bid us to know our weakness, to beware of Satan's wiles, to keep off the forbidden ground of temptation, above all, to abide in Him who is our only strength; thus shall we overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of His testimony, and our happy record be, as we go on from strength to strength, "Thou, O God of my salvation, hast covered my head in the day of battle."

We close the subject with a few words of application,

We see in the history of Samson, something
Luke xv. chap.

2 1 Sam. xxviii. 15.

of the deceitfulness of sin, its entangling character, its deadening power, its miserable fruits. WHAT IS ITS ASPECT TOWARDS OURSELVES? Remember that if we are not overcoming it, it is overcoming us; if we are not in faith and prayer calling in the aid of One who alone can bind the strong man, that strong man is binding us; if we are not growing in grace, we are drawing back to the paths of danger and of death. Are we viewing sin by the light of eternity, forecasting how it will look then, when the sparks that false pleasure now kindles, shall be put out, and the clear shining of the Sun of righteousness shall show it in its real blackness and deformity? Are we beholding sin as it is so wondrously set forth in that agony and bloody sweat in the garden of Gethsemane, in that Cross and Passion on Calvary; where, melted, drawn, won, we read and rejoice in the forgiveness of the sinner, but where we also learn to abhor, to resist, to crucify sin, and that thought becomes graven on our heart by the Spirit of God; "how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?"

How awful the picture so truthfully presented to us by that man of truth, Bunyan,1 in his description of him who "left off to watch and be sober, who laid the reins upon 'Pilgrim's Progress.

man.

the neck of his lusts." "So the Interpreter took him by the hand again, and led him into a very dark room, where there sat a man in an iron cage. Now the man to look upon seemed very sad; he sat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded together, and he sighed as if he would break his heart. Then said Christian, What means this? At which the Interpreter bade him talk with the Then said Christian to the man, Who art thou? The man answered, I am what I was not once. What wast thou once? The man said, I was once a fair and flourishing professor, both in my own eyes and also in the eyes of others. I once was, as I thought, fair for the celestial city, and had then even joy' at the thoughts that I should go thither... I am now a man of despair and am shut up in it, as in this iron cage. I cannot get out, O now, I cannot....O eternity! eternity! how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet with in eternity. . . .

Children of this world! whether mockers at sin, tamperers with sin, or self righteous, and yet unchanged,-cast off slumber, awake! Soon will that cry, "The Philistines be upon thee;" no longer suffer each dreaming soul to sleep. Satan's deceits will then no longer avail to

1 Luke viii. 13.

hide from you your real state, the fetters must then bind you, the prison house receive you, and darkness be your portion for ever.

Children of God! be humble, be prayerful, be watchful, be trustful, then shall you go out as heretofore; you have no might against the great company that cometh against you, but your eyes are upon Him That hath all might. "This is the will of God, even your sanctification;" let that will of God be dear to you. "Satan may present the golden cup, but he has no power to force you to drink the poison that is in the cup," he can only spread his snares, he has no power to force you into those snares. Quit you then like men, be strong; looking unto Jesus, you shall prevail, but remember, the plague may be taken by a touch. Avoid all appearance of evil. Stand at a distance from sin. Give no quarter to the first motions of temptation, and the enemy shall be driven back. "The Lord will give grace and glory." "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OF ME, SAITH THE LORD."

1 Isa. liv. 17.