BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 141

little older read and ponder over the same subject in Stan-
ley’s ‘Jewish Church.”

And now to return to our young Nazarite. Nothing
could have harmed Samson if he had not harmed himself.
He was so strong that there was no peril to him in the
strength of his foes; the only peril to him was his own weak-
ness.

Nay, is not this true of us all? If we put our trust in
God, we cannot be harmed, unless we harm ourselves.

The boy Samson has grown to be a man. The giant
of Gaza becomes a plaything in the hands of wicked, designing
Philistine men and women. And he went on and on, till
“the Lord departed from him,” and Samson, in spite of
many warnings, at last became the prisoner of the Philis-
tines—the bond-slave of the foes of Israel. How are the
mighty fallen! How have the strong become weak!

THis cruel foes pluck out his eyes! And Samson, who
has been for many ages Judge in Israel, was made to work
at the task of a slave. Blind and bound, he was made to
grind corn by turning two great stones in a mill; work that
mules and asses have done in Palestine for thousands of
years, and are doing still to-day.

The picture of the blind old man in the prison of Gaza,
bound with brazen fetters, his long locks shorn, grinding corn
for his foes, is one of the saddest pictures in the world’s
history, and certainly one of the very saddest pictures the
Bible contains. Who so strong as Samson once? Who so
weak as Samson now?

In all the realm of beautiful, soul-stirring poetry it would
be very difficult to find anything more sublime than Milton’s
great poem called “Samson Agonistes.” The grand Puritan
poet deals with the last days of Samson’s sad career. He