SAMSON’S DEATH.

has told me the truth; I know now
what it is makes him so strong.”

The lords of the Philistines were
very glad to think that they should
soon have their enemy in their
power; and they came directly, and
brought money with them to give
Delilah. Then the cruel wife, when
Samson was asleep, called a man,
and told him to shave off all Sam-
son’s hair; and when he had finished,
Delilah cried, “The Philistines are
upon thee, Samson.” Samson arose,
but his strength was gone; God
had taken it all away. He could
not defend himself now; and his
enemies came, and took him, and
put out his eyes, and bound him in
chains, and carried him to Gaza,
and made him work hard in the
prison there.

 

 

131

He ought not to have told his
secret, nor to let his hair be shaved,
because God had commanded that
no razor should come on his head.
God punished him by taking away
his strength. Delilah was not a
kind and affectionate friend to her
husband, but his deceitful wicked
enemy.

This world is full of sorrow. We
cannot trust to anything in it.
Our friends may forsake us, and
become unkind; our health and
strength may be taken away; we
may lose all we have, and be left
sick, and sorrowful, and have none
to comfort us. Then we ought not
to set our affections on anything
here, but put our trust in God; He
alone will never forsake us.

~~
Ne

 

LXXXVIII.

PAMSON'S PEATH.

AMSON was now in prison
Akl at Gaza, alone and blind,
| without any friend to
comfort him. He had
much time then to think
about God, and to pray for the par-
don of all his sins.

 

God often afflicts His people; but |
| forget the world and worldly things,

he afflicts them in love. He wants
them to pray to Him, and to love
Him more. When they are well
and busy, they often forget God;
they think too much about worldly
things, and too little about heavenly
things; and then God sends afflic-
tion to make them remember Him.
Perhaps He makes them lie many
days upon a bed of sickness ; or He
takes away their friends, or their

 

comforts, and then they are left
alone and in sorrow, like Samson
in his prison-house. God sends all
these sorrows. Why? Does God
like to see His people unhappy, and
in pain? No; “God is love;” and
when He sends affliction He sends
it in love. He wishes His people to

and to love and trust in Him only ;
and He gives them time and quiet,
when they are sick and alone, to
think about Him, and to pray to
Him.

Perhaps Samson had been very
proud of his great strength; now
he had lost it, and God taught him
that he had no power in himself:
all the strength Samson had, God