having both his head and his hands broken from the trunk. Should tliey not have learned from this that their idol had neither wisdom nor power to effect any tiling*^?
But when they would not understand from this sign the superiority of the God of Israel, Jehovah smote multitudes of them with a pestilence, of which they died ; and multitudes also with emerods (which are supposed to be a very grievous kind of ])iles^); insomuch that they were constrained to acknowledge that " his hand was sore upon them, and upon Dagon their god*^." Wearied with their sufferings, they sent the ark to Gath : but there the same judgments were inflicted on the people, both small and great : so that they got it removed to Ekron ; where the people were terrified at the prospect of ex- periencing the like calamities, and soon united in the general wish for its dismission from their country. Another judgment also which God inflicted on them contributed to make them anxious to restore the ark without delay, and to appease the wrath of him whose symbol it was : their country was suddenly overrun with mice, which destroyed all the fruits of the earth. A consultation therefore was held by all the priests and diviners, to ascertain the best method of testifying their sorrow for the indignities offered to Jehovah : the result of which was, to send back the ark, vvdth representations in gold both of the mice and of the emerods, five in number, one for each of the lords who ruled the country, and who were therefore fit repre- sentatives of the whole people.
But in their mode of executing this they shewed how reluc- tant they were to part with the ark, or to acknowledge Jeho- vah's power. They put the ark on a cart, and yoked two milcli kine to it, and left them to go whither they would ; taking care however to shut up their calves at home, that, if they should, contrary to all their natui'al inclinations, go directly to the way of Beth-shemesh, it might be evident, beyond all pos- sibiHty of doubt, that they were constrained to do so by the invisible power of Jehovah^.
In all this, however, God glorified himself, and shewed that the whole creation was subject unto him, and that He alone was " God over all the earth^."]
He had punished also his own presumptuous people —
[The men of Beth-shemesh received the ark, as it became them, with joy and gratitude; and immediately offered the kine a burnt-offering to the Lord. But soon they lost that reverence which they had been ever taught to feel towards that
c 1 Sam. v. 1—5. d See Ps. Ixxviii. 65, 66.
'^ 1 Sam. V. G, 7, 11, 12. f 1 Sam. vi. 1—11, s 1 Sam. vi. 12.
287.~l THE ARK RETURNED TO BETH-SHEMESH. 139
symbol of Jehovah, and with impious curiosity looked into the ark, which was not so much as to be seen by any except the high-priest, and by him only once in the year. For this pro- lane conduct God smote the men of Beth-shemesh, even " fifty thousand and threescore and ten men," or, as it probably should rather be read, " fifty out of a thousand, even threescore and ten men." Terrified at this judgment, especially as connected with all the judgments that had been inflicted on the Philis- tines, the men of Beth-shemesh were as desirous to get rid of the ark, as ever the Philistines themselves had been. Instead of humbhng themselves before him for their sin, they thought only of their punishment; and were willing rather to part with Jehovah himself, than to conciliate liis favour by suitable hmniliation.]
Such were the grounds of this desponding question.
We now proceed to state,
II. The answer to be given to it —
Whatever reason for despondency there was in their apprehension, there was none in reality.