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of the God of Israel, (Saml. v. passim, part. c. ] 1. 12. chap. 6. 

 V. 5. 6.) must have almost died away; when tlve signal defeat 

 of their armies, defeat, which nsiialli/ brought them to a sense 

 of duty and an acknowledgement of guilt, was but partially 

 remembered or completely forgotten; when servitude was 

 lightened by habit, and external dominion assimilated by 

 time to legitimate authority ; when the example, the pre- 

 cepts, and the personal influence of Samuel, unquestionably 

 would have been sedulously exerted to recal them to piety 

 and virtue; an influence, doubtless jiowcrfuU}' assisted at 

 this juncture by the I'enewed manifestation of the particular 

 providence of God, evinced in the miraculous return of the 

 ark; in the punishment of the Philistines and the mei> of 

 Bethshemesh, and more particularly b}' the experience of 

 his singularly prophetic gifts ; so awfully proclaimed even 

 in the late destruction of their hosts ; in the death of their 

 leaders, the sons of Eli ; and in the loss of the peculiar re- 

 ligious symbol of their nation; according to his prediction. 

 AVhat ! are we to suppose, that his authority, and his preach- 

 ing, acquired new influence on the minds of his country- 

 men, in proportion as the evidence for the divinity of his 

 mission, for the religious importance, the heavenly selec- 

 tion of his character, became remote, indistinct, or tradi- 

 tional ? The effect of " line upon line, and precept upon 

 precept," recommended by inspiration, is doubtless great 

 and operative ; but precept, practice, the language of pro- 

 phecy, or the recommendations of virtue, are more power- 

 fully 



