The passage should be rendered this way: And it came to pass at that time that Eli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes had begun to grow di…

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli.

And it came to pass at that time
When the word of the Lord was scarce and precious, and there was no open vision; or…

The call that Divine grace intends to make effectual will be repeated until it succeeds, until we heed the call. Eli, perceiving that it was the vo…