Hannah: Part II

For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition -which I asked of hiin. — 1 Sam., i. 21.

The birth of a child is one of the most important events that ever takes place in our world. But for the frequency’ of the occurrence, it would be deemed little less than a miracle of nature and providence. The structure of the body, the powers of the soul, the union of flesh and spirit, the provision made to nourish and preserve life, all proclaim that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

The birth of any infant is a far greater event than the production of the sun. The sun sees not his own light, feels not his own heat, and, with all his grandeur, will cease to be; but that infant which began to breathe only yesterday, will hear the heavens pass away with a great noise, and see the elements melt with fervent heat. That infant is possessed of reason, conscience, and immortality. It is true these principles, are not yet developed, but they are in embryo, and the oak is contained in the acorn, and the day in the dawn.

There is also a relative, as well as a personal importance attached to the birth of a child; for who knows what that child may become, what good or evil he may occasion, what misery or happiness he may produce?

The birth of Samuel was attended ^^’ith circumstances peculiarly important and interesting. It was a blessing much desired, and long delayed. It was obtained in answer to prayer, and produced one of the most holy, useful, and illustrious characters in all history. No wonder, therefore, the Scripture so signalizes the event. Let us pursue the hislory

Hannah had prayed to be remembered, and “the Lord remembered her, and she conceived;” and thus her grand wish was accomplishing, and she was becoming the joyful mother, not only of a child, but of a son that would more than realize all her expectations and wishes. And can she forget him, who has thus graciously remembered her?

1st, The very name shall perpetuate the memory of the mercy. “And she called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord,” Thus she could never pronounce the name without recalling the occasion. After the same manner, Joseph and Moses named their children, to be mementos; and so, Samuel called the stone he had set up, “Ebenezer, saying. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us,” So let it be with us.

Why should the wondej-s he hath wrought,
Be lost in silence and forgot?

“Bless the Lord, 0 my soul!” says David, “and forget not all his benefits,”

Secondly, She undertakes the early care of him in person. When, therefore, Elkanali and his family went up as usual to Shiloh, she determined to remain at home for this very purpose. “She said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned.” Here we find Hannah in a state of reduced activity, and partial confinement; a state the most interesting; a state of pleasing expectation and awful anxiety, week after week, and month after month, concerning a life to be preserved, and a life given, with their respective consequences.

In this state the utmost attention, and kindness, and tenderness, were her well- deserved due; and it is pleasing to see the exemplariness of her husband in his disposition and behavior towards her.

Though all the males were required to repair to Shiloh thrice in the year, the obligation did not extend to females. If they loved the sanctuary, and desired the privilege of attendance, they travelled with their husbands, and went to the house of God in company, when their situation and circumstances allowed. But frequently this was not the case; and everything is to be “done decently and in order;” and “if one duty,” says Bishop Hopkins, “destroys another, God rejects it as a murderer.” He requires mercy and not sacrifice, and dispenses with public institutions when we arc obeying private and domestic calls.

Hannah cheerfully bore the loss of Shiloh’s privileges, in order to discharge a home obligation; and Elkanah acquiesces in her proposal, and dispenses with her company and conversation; and, how good and pleasant it is, when yoke-fellows draw the same way, each according with the other, especially in all the concerns of economy, charity, and piety.” And

Elkanah, her husband, said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good: tariy until thou have weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.”

Here, we have an opportunity to say a few words with regard to a common, and, we fear, increasing evil: I mean the abandonment of maternal nursing.

Surely, nothing can be a more ungrateful return, than to treat with neglect and disdain the provision which the goodness and kindness of God have obviously made for the performance of this duty.

And is it not a violence offered to nature; and such a violence as is unknown to all the inferior animals, and to the most barbarous nations, and to the polished Greeks and Romans in their purer ages?

Were I to speak of its physical injuriousness, I might seem to get off my own ministerial and moral ground. But, here, I can appeal for my censure to proper and qualified authorities. Have not the most eminent physicians told us, that the sudden check of the nutritious fluid may be of the worst consequences to the mother, by gendering disease, and even risking life itself? Have they not told us that there are many disorders incident to women, of which their nursing is the most effectual cure; that delicate constitutions are strengthened by it; that when a mother suckles her child, her complexion becomes clearer, her spirits more uniformly cheerful, her appetite more regular, and her general habits stronger? Have they not afiirmed even, that fewer women die while they are nursing, than at any equal period of their lives? Have they not told us what injury the babe may sustain, by being deprived of its own natural nourishment; yea, and that a far greater number of those children die that are nursed by aliens, than of such as are nursed maternally? And is it not strange that a mother should deprive herself of the most exquisite pleasure of tender and endeared sympathy and kindness; or that a woman of sensibility can see the darling of her soul hanging on the breast of another, and stroking the cheek of a stranger; engrossing her maternal rights, and sure to be more loved than herself?

Hannah not only nurses her own child, but dedicates him to the Lord. “And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said. Oh my lord! as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him.” What a number of reflections arises from hence.

We see what changes in conditions and feelings individuals may experience. At evening-time it may be light, and the shadow of death may be turned into the morning. The Jews, when the Lord turned again their captivity, were like men that dream; the deliverance was so great, sudden, and unlooked-for. Never therefore despond. To use what Cowper calls the beautiful’ words of Dr. Watts: —

ITie Lord can clear the darkest skies,

Can givcB us day for night;
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise

.To rivers of delight.

We see that the Lord will cause earnest persevering prayer, in due time, to yield matter for praise. It is his character — “O thou that hearest prayer.” ‘Tis his promise — “Ask and it shall be given you.” ‘Tis his memorial in all generations — -” He never said to the seed of Jacob, seek jq me in vain.”

We see that the answers of prayers ought to be observed and noticed. Many never think of their prayers after they have offered thera; but is it not a mockery of the Supreme Being to call forth his attention, by an appearance of devotion, when we never mean to regard his benefits? It was otherwise with Moses. “The Lord,” says he, “hearkened unto me at that time also,” So it was with David. “The Lord,” says he, “hath heard the voice of my weeping;” and he derives two advantages from the observation — gratitude and confidence. “I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice, and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

We should also remark that it is our duty, not only to observe, but to own and confess such returns of mercy, for the glory of Grod, and for the sake of others, that they also may be encouraged to trust and pray. “Come,” says David, “come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.”

Again, hear this admirable thanksgiver. “Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.” Yows made ought to be remembered and fulfilled. We are not fond of vowing; we much prefer praying. “Beware,” says Cowper,

“Beware of Petei’s word,
Nor coufidently say
I never will deny Thee, Lord,
But, Grant I never may.”

But VOWS are not unlawful nor useless, when formed in the strength of divine grace; “But,” says Solomon, “when thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Yet how many transgressors are here. How many have vowed how liberal they would be if God would prosper them in their endeavors to get wealth; but when riches have increased they have set their heart upon them; and have even done less in the cause of God and of the poor than before; not only proportionably, but even actually less. How many” have we known, who, when sick and apprehensive of dying, have vowed, if they recovered, what a different course they would run; yet no sooner hath health returned, than their iniquities, like the wind, have carried them away.

Here even good men have failed. Hezekiah said, “O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for rjic;” and he rebuked his disorder, and, “in love to his soul, delivered it from the pit of corruption.” And for the time he felt well, and said,” For the grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the chihlren shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me; th-ere- 92 LECTUEE VII.

fore we will sing mj songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. Yet Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up.”

“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to nay father’s house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God; and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” Yet how long did he linger, neglectful of his engagement; and it was not till God reminded and summoned him, that he said, “Let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.”

But hear Hannah: — “Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.” It is added, “And he worshipped the Lord there.” But of whom is this spoken? Some say of Eli. K so, it refers not to his ordinarj- worship, but to the present particular instance of his adoration and praise on Hannah’s behalf, and which would afford another proof of soraethiug good in his character, amidst all his mistakes and infirmities.

But the worshipper seems to be Samuel himself. And why should this be thought strange or wonderful? He was a peculiar and extraordinary infant, and might have given early indications of his future ability and greatness. But without this supposition, have we not read that “out of the mouth of babes and sucklings God hath perfected praise”? We have known children, who, as young as Samuel now was, have evinced true piety and devotion. And suppose the language he used was not of his own invention? Would a form have been improper? “Would not his pious mother have as early as possible taught him to pray?

All present would probably be struck with the little orator. But see the mother! how she gazes! how she wipes her eyes! how she lifts her hands! how ready she must have been to exclaim, “this child is mine, even mine!”

Nor could she, impressed as she was, restrain her feelings; but she breaks forth in strains becoming the saint, as well as the mother. “And Hannah prayed, and said. My heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none beside thee; neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased; so that the baiTcn hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Loni killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up “the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall be thunder upon them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

On these words we shall not have space to enlarge; we drop only a few hints. We see Hannah had poetical talent, and which could be of no mean kind, since we find David, the chief Hebrew bard, not ashamed to borrow from her. “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.”

It is here said she “prayed;” but we find no supplication or petition; only yraise and thanksgiving; but praise and thanksgiving are an essential part of prayer, and should always accompany it. Hence says Paul, “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be make known to God. And the peace of God, which passe th all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When she prayed in the “bitterness of her soul,” it was “in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard;” but now she had obtained the blessing, she cannot hold her peace. Such is the difference between sorrow and joy. Sorrow seeks retreat, and the anguish bearer “sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, and putteth his mouth in the dust.”

But joy is exciting and manifestative. “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” Has the shepherd found the sheep which he had lost? “He calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me.”

From her own particular case, she takes occasion to speak glorious things of God, of his being, his attributes, and works, and ways; and U) tell what he is doing in the world, and in the church. The events to which she refers are often not considered at all, or they are viewed as the effects of fortune or chance; but she views them as the purposes and performances of him “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will;” and it is the supreme of piety to see and acknowledge God in all things.

It is commonly imagined that Hannah has even an allusion to the coming and character of the Messiah himself. She certainly is the first who pronounces that “name which is above every name” — “anointed of the Lord.” it is no disproof of this supposition, that she might not understand the full and evangelical import of the term. The Prophets often delivered things which they afterwards searched in order to understand.

Finally, there is one sentence, jDromise, threatening, admonition, which we should always retain, and often revolve — “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

96 LECrURE VII.

It is probable that, as moved by the Holy Ghost, she composed this ode for this occasion, during the few daj’S she continued at Shiloh, and where care was taken to secure and publish the contents.

However this may be, everything is now finished, and she must return to her own abode, and leave her beloved Samuel behind. How would she be reminded, at the different parts of the way back without him, of what he had artlessly asked in their journey up to the temple!

What a parting was here! How affecting must it have been to leave such a child; to leave him, not for a month or a year, but for life. But she leaves him under the care, and in the service of Eli, who now feels a deep and paternal interest in him. “And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eh,” performing such of&ces as his tender age and powers allowed. And we are also told of his dress; “girded with a linen ephod;” a dress entirely sacerdotal, and indicative of his future destination.

Thus she leaves him; but does she forget him? “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” Many mothers would have been continually or frequently visiting him, especially as Ramah was not very distant from Shiloh; but observe her self-denial, her firmness, her prudence. Her visit was only annxial.

But could she ever go without going as a mother? “Moreover, his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” Had Hannah to furnish him with articles of apparel? or was this vestment the produce of maternal fondness? In earlier times, we know, women of eminence did not deem a certain kind of manual employment beneath them. Alexander’s sisters manufactured his garments; and Solomon, speaking of a virtuous princess, says, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.”

But does God record in his word such actions as many would deem trifling, and pass by those which the world would regard as alone worthy of notice? “His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways.” “The Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Thus she leaves him; but is he less hers now than before? Nothing is so much our own as that which we have dedicated to God, He holds, and sanctifies, and blesses it for us; and such a sacrifice is not a gift but a loan. “Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.”

And was she a loser by the deed. Was she not even recompensed? “And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said. The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord.’’ “And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters.” But, regardless of these additional olive plants around her table, what a reward had she even in Samuel himself. He was the darling of heaven and earth. “He grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” He was established a prophet, and none of his words fell to the ground. He ruled and judged

Israel. He maintained a blameless reputation, and at the close of life, could thus challenge the whole nation. “I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it to you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man’s hand.”

But what has all this to do with Hannah? Much every way. Did he early learn not to be idle? Did he readily obey those who had the rule over him? Did he cheerfully submit to restraints and privations? Did he show no unwillingness to be left behind? Had he no fear to sleep alone? Could he hear an extraordinary voice in the night without terror? Did the fear of God banish every other fear? All this proclaims her influence. All this she had early taught him. All this shows the excellency of her discipline, the wisdom of her teaching, and the influence of her example. All this, under God, was owing to Hannah. All that ennobled him praises her; and the history of the son is the eulogium of the mother.

Let me conclude with a few words of address to mothers, to children, and to husbands.

First Let me admonish you who are mothers, to make Hannah your example. I am not afraid to intimate the great importance that belongs to your character: for however humbly it becomes you to think of yourselves personally, you ought highly to value yourselves relatively. Your maternity itself is an amazing prerogative. What a thought that you have brought into existence a number of rational, responsible, and immortal beings. And you have not shaken them off at their birth. They demand, not only your immediate, but your persevering attention, your unremitting care. I hope I have convinced you that it is your duty to nurse your own children; but your duty does not cease with their weaning. You are to superintend their growth, to watch over their health, to open their minds, and form their habits.

But as they are God’s subjects, as well as God’s creatures; and as they have souls within them, and an eternity before them, you are to be concerned not only for their physical and outward welfare, but their moral and spiritual. You are not only to ask what shall they eat, and what shall they drink, and how shall they be clothed? but you are to dedicate them to God, and so regard them as sacred characters, and “train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” And, as much depends upon you, so much may be accomplished by you. Who has such influence, along with so much authority? Who has the command of so many means and opportunities of approaching and impressing the mind?

Though Mr. Newton sinned away his early advantages, you see what benefit he derived, when awakened, from the texts and hymns his mother had fixed in his mind, in his infancy and childhood. Mr. Cecil tells us, that, in the days of his vanity, though he withstood so many pious endeavors, he never could resist his mother’s tears. And Mr. Wilson, now Bishop of Calcutta, in his narrative of intercourse th Bellingham, the assassin, says he could make him feel nothing, till he mentioned his mother and then he broke into a flood of tears.

Secondly Let me address you, my dear children, and call upon you to make Samuel your pattern, and encouragement. “When,” says Cecil, “I was a child, and a very wicked one too, the character of young Samuel came home to me, when nothing else had any hold on my mind.” And can you, my dear children, help admiring him? You see what proofs he gave of early wisdom, and how entirely he obeyed and honored his beloved mother. And will you disobey yours? Will you dishonor and distress the mother

who bore you, and who bred,

Nursed on her knee, and at her bosom fed?

Oh! if ever you are tempted to go astray, or do amiss, hear her voice crying, “What, my son! and what, the son of my womb! and what, the son of my vows!”

And how was Samuel distinguished and honored? How well did he exemplify the fulfilment of the promise, “I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.” You may not, like him, be called to fill a sacred ofiice, but you will be the servants of the most high God. If long life be not granted to you, as it was to him, should you die young, this will be gain, and early death will be early glorj-. And should you reach fourscore years and ten, your “hoary head will be a crown of glory; being found in the way of righteousness,” and God will say, “I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth.”

It has been said that young saints often prove old demons. But nothing can be less true. W:s {.’* the case with Joseph? with Obadiah? with David? or with Timothy?

When we devote our youth to God

‘Tis pleasing in his eyes;
A flower, when offered in the bud,

Is no vain sacrifice.

‘Twill snve us from a thousand snares

To mind religion young;
Grace will preserve t)ur following years,

And make our virtues strong.

Oh! may your language, therefore, be —

To thee, Almighty God, to thne.

Our childhood we resign;
‘Twill please us to look back, and see

That our whole lives were thine.

Thirdly, What shall I say to you who are husbands? “Marriage is honorable in all,” and “it is not good for man to be alone.” But if you have a Hannah, be grateful, and faithful, and kind, and tender. I need not exhort you against adding a Peninnah to vex her withal. Blessed be God, we live in a land where marriage is confined to one pair, according to its original institution. But you may in other ways vex one whom, by every principle, you ought, and have sacredly promised, to cherish and comfort. “Yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.” If every wish of thine heart is not accomplished in her, remember she feels the disappointment, and is more mortified on thy account than her own. And should not thy behavior assure her that thou art “better to her than ten sons?” Are her sprightliness, and powers, and attractions beginning to decline, whose better days you have exulted in? Let her feel the more, that she is not alone, but “coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved.” “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.”