FOR HOME STUDY.

THE GREAT CONFLICT:

The two Captains:-Satan, Rev. xii. 7, 9, 17. Christ, Heb. ii. 10.

The two armies:-Satan's, Eph. vi. 12. Christ's, 2 Tim. ii. 3; 1 John ii. 14; Rev. xix. 14.

The armour of defence :-Eph. vi. 14-17; 2 Cor. vi. 7; Rom. xiii. 12; 1 Thess. v. 8.

The weapons of offence :-only one, Eph. vi. 17.

Qualities of a good soldier:-(a) Doing as the Captain does; see Judges vii. 17; comp. Heb. xii. 2. (6) Not looking back, Luke ix. 62. (c) Praying always, Eph. vi. 18. (d) Watchfulness, I Cor. xvi. 13; 1 Pet. v. 8.

The victory-over the devil, Rom. xvi. 20; over the flesh, Gal. v. 24; over the world, 1 John v. 4, 5.

The victor's reward:-Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17, 26; iii. 5, 12, 21; xxi. 7.

A VICTORY WITHOUT A BLOW.

A LITTLE boy who belonged to one of Elihu Burritt's "Olive-leaf Societies one day saw two other boys quarrelling. On kindly trying to stop them, they threatened to punish him. He then resolutely put his hands behind him, and said, "If you strike me I will not strike you back; if you speak crossly to me I will not speak crossly to you." At first the boys were disposed to resist such unusual conduct; but seeing the little fellow was firm, they at length turned round and ran off, ashamed of themselves.

LOOK TO THE STRONG FOR STRENGTH. I SAW a baby learning to walk. It could only just totter along, holding by its mother's hand. It lifted up first one tiny foot, and then the other, with great caution. For a minute the mother took away her hand, to see how the

baby could manage by itself: it tried to walk, but it was not strong enough. It would certainly have fallen down, if its watchful mother had not very quietly reached out her hand.

We are like the baby. We are very weak in doing what is right. How often we try to be good, yet how often we fail. God is good, and in Him is strength. If we ask Him, He will take us by the hand, and uphold us in all our way.

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THE DEATH OF SAMSON.

BUT the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

And when the people saw him, they praised their god : for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.

Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.-JUDGES

xvi. 21-31.

SAMSON, THE STRONGEST MAN.

O MADNESS, to think use of strongest wines
And strongest drinks our chief support of health,
When God, with these forbidden, made choice to rear
His mighty champion, strong above compare,
Whose drink was only from the limpid brook!

MILTON.

AWAKE thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,

THE GOLDEN TEXT.

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."-Micah vii. 8.

Subject." The Death of Samson."-Judges xvi

21-31.

OUTLINE LESSON.

Try and understand about Samson's hair. Why so long? See chap. xiii. 5; Numb. vi. 5; 1 Sam. i. 11. It was the symbol of his dedication to God. No magical power in the hair; but it was the outward sign of God's strength, given to him by God's Spirit, see chap. xiii. 25, xiv. 6, 19, xv. 14.

I. How Samson lost his strength.

(1) He went into bad company-chose God's enemies, the very Philistines he had fought against, as his friends. Like some in apostolic days, James iv. 4. Unlike David, Ps. ci. 4-7, cxxxix. 21, 22.

(2) He" fulfilled the lusts of the flesh," and could not "wal in the Spirit" at the same time, Gal. v. 16, 17.

(3) And then he openly cast off God, by letting the sacred sign, the long hair, be taken from him (which he did by putting it in the enemy's power). That was apostasy.

(4) Did he know his strength was gone? Chap. xvi. 20—“ wist not." He had got so far from God, that he felt no difference when God left him!

II. How Samson regained his strength.

Merely by his hair growing again? No, but by the turning back to God of which that was the outward sign. He felt it growing, and he thought again of God; and once more the Spirit came upon him. Then what was his desire? To be free again, and Israel's judge? No, but to do God's will (see xiii. 5), to "deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." And to do that he laid down his life.

Have you lost your spiritual strength by sin? Is the G. Text true of you?-have you "fallen" ?-do you "sit in darkness," like Samson in the dungeon? Come back to God!—and then you can say the G. Text to your great Enemy.

FOR HOME STUDY.

FALLING AND RISING:

What leads us into danger of falling? Prov. x. 8, xi. 5, 14, 28, xvi. 18, xxiv. 16, xxviii. 14, 18; Matt. vii. 26, 27 ; I Cor. x. 12; Heb. iv. 11; 2 Pet. iii. 17.

The results of falling into sin :

Like Samson.—Captivity, John viii. 34; 2 Pet. ii. 19.
Blindness, 2 Pet. i. 9; Rev. iii. 17.
Hard labour, see Matt. xi. 28; and what
wages? Rom. vi. 23.

What should those who have fallen do?

xv. 18; Eph. v. 14.

"Arise"; see Luke

But how can they rise? See Acts iii. 6; comp. Ps. xxxvii. 24. Better not to fall: how can we be kept? Ps. lvi. 13, cxvi. 8;

ONE sunny morning in spring I took a walk in the country. I had not gone far before I met a boy and a girl. The girl made a curtsey to me, and, touching the boy, told him to make a bow to me, which he did, and looking up, said, "Good morning." I saw that he was blind, and feeling deeply interested in him, I asked him where he lived. He told me, in the first cottage at the end of the lane.

The next day I went to see him. His name was Henry. I found him listening to his sister, who was reading to him out of the Bible; when she had finished he appeared in deep thought. I asked what he was thinking about. He said, "Before it pleased God to deprive me of my sight I was, I fear, a very wicked boy in many ways. I never thought of God and heaven until I

blood of Jesus. He feared not to die, for he was sure that Jesus would be with him when he passed through the dark valley of death.

That valley was soon entered by the poor blind boy. His last words were, "Happy! happy! Saved! saved!" J. J. HISSEY.

GOD IS LIGHT.

SAID a little child to me,
"If God lives so very far
Up above the highest heaven,
Far beyond the brightest star,
"How can He be always near me,
Caring for me night and day?
Are you sure that God can hear me
When I lift my hands and pray?"
And I answered, "God has spoken
Holy words that we receive;
And He gives us many a token,
To persuade us to believe.
"Like the sun that shines around us,
Making all things bright and fair,
By the wayside, in the chamber,

God is with us everywhere.

"Trust Him, darling, when He tells you He is near by day and night; Distance cannot part you from Him, Darkness hides not-'God is light.""

GENTLENESS.

GENTLENESS is the truest strength. I know it will not seem so at first: there seems a good deal more power in a blow than a kind word, and much more power in an unkind look than a kind one. What does the Bible tell us shall lead the lion, the ox, and the wolf? Why, a little child shall lead them. The ornament of a meek and

miserable then. I remembered the days when I went to Sunday-school, and there was taught that Jesus died on

the cross that sinners might be saved. Then it pleased

God to turn my heart to Him; and though since blind, I am far happier than ever I used to be." "How long have you been ill?" I asked. "About half a year," he replied.

I prayed with him, and told him if he only loved Jesus, and was good and patient, Jesus would love him, and when he died would take him to heaven.

I saw poor Henry very often. He appeared to be quickly sinking; he was always very glad for me to talk to him of Jesus. He told me that he was so happy, for he felt sure that his sins were pardoned, and washed away by the

He will give us this by His Spirit, if we ask Him.

and gentle, like the Lord Jesus; and if, because you love Him, you try to be like Him, you will have a rich reward. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

Do, dear young friends, pray that you may be meek

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