(Cccur de Lion) hold his court." The onion The pa.rents of the Thimna.thite, having no co.lied eschalot, or shallot, is named from doubt obtained Samson's dower, and sup- Eehknlon, or Aehke.lon. Their spoil-that posing him to have finally broken with his which was stripped from them. His anger treacherous wife, proceeded to give her in was kindled - against the Philistines in marriage to the Philistine young ma.n who general, and his wife in particular, so that ha.d been Samson's friend-perhaps the man he went be.ck to his father's house without to whom she ha.d told the riddle. The sad her. end of this unhappy alliance fully justified Ver. 20.-His companion-no doubt his the opposition of Samson's pa.rents to it in '' best man," the "friend of the bridegroom." ver. 3.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 10-20.-.Another'view of married life. The lessons which we drew from the married life of Manoah and hie wife seem to receive a striking confirmation, by contrast, from the unhappy union of their eon with the daughter of the Philistines. Here everything was against a reasonable prospect of happiness. Their religion was different, one might eay opposite. Samson had been brought up in the faith of the LOBD God of Israel. He was in covenant with him by circumcision. His creed was that there was one true and living God, the Lord of heaven and earth, and that a.11 the gods of the heathen were but vain idols. His religious duty was to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, and to serve him alone. Hie wife did not believe in the Lord, nor love him, nor fear him, but was a worshipper of Dagon, whose temples were at Gaza (eh. x.vi. 21-30) and at Ashdod (1 Sam. v. 1-5). There could therefore be no union for them in that grea.t bond of union which is the living God. Highteousness can have no fellowship with unrighteous- ness, nor light with darkness, nor the believer with an infidel, nor the temple of Goel with idols. Then again the interests of their respective peoples were opposite. To break off the Philistine yoke from the neck of lera.el ; to set his people free from a shameful bondage ; to rescue bis native towns, and fields, and vineyards, from the usurped possession of the uncircumcised invader; to drive out the foreigner from the land which God gave to his forefathers; was Samson's natural aim, and the use which he must needs make of his supernatural strength. But his wife's sympathies were all with the children of her people. Her heart would swell with pride as she thought of their conquests over Israel, of Dagon's conquests over the people of Jehovah. She would look with scorn upon the subject race, and be proud of her kindred with the conquerors. Every movement of either people must at once put them on opposite sides. What was joy to him would be grief to her; and what made her glad would make him sorry. Their language was different, their tastes were different, their habits of thought and life were different. They had nothing in common to cement their hearts and interests together, and to bind their life into one. He was pleased with her beauty, and she was gratified by his admiration. 7hat was all. And how long would that last? What strong temptation, what powerful motive of action, what great provocation, would those influences be able to withstand? What promise did they give of unity of sentiment, and harmony of conduct, amidst the difficulties of troublous times, and the intricacies of conflicting duties? One week in their case was sufficient to supply the answer to these questions. A betrayed husband, a deserted wife, discord, strife, bloodshed, were the fruit of seven days of this ill- assorted union. The wife married to another husband is cut off by murderous bands in the prime of her youth and beauty. The husband married to another wife is again betrayed and given up to hie enemies to be mocked, and blinded, and to die. The man of splendid gifts, but irregular passions, lives a stormy life, and dies a violent death. He has no gentle, clear-sighted woman to restrain and guide him; no sym- pathising wife to share his sorrows, and by sharing to lighten them. He only knows what is bad in woman, because be only seeks them on the bad side. And that one week of disappointed love in an unhappy and unholy wedlock caste its shade upon a whole life which might have been a most happy and glorious one. 'IN e seem, there£_ore, to be taught by the ill-starred marriage of Samson with the Thimnnthite, as forc1b\y as by the blessed union of his father and mother, what to seek and what to avmd in choosing a partner for life. The union of two souls in the love of God and in 156 THE BOOK OF JUDGES. (ctt. Xt\r. 10-20.