B.C. cir. 510. they take the privilege to choose their own time, when they will send their blessings down?" principle in the Divine government, namely, that whenever the child of God occupies a position by the appointment of Providence, it is that he may there perform some specific work for God. 1. It is past all reasonable belief that God can do anything without a purpose; 2. How much more confidently may this be believed of human life; 3. Still greater are the reasons why His children should be under His special control, and lie within His plans; 4.-Davenant. Nor is it needful that one should be in an exalted position in order that God may use him. II. It should be our endeavour to "Appetite is the discover and to do the work for which God has introduced us to our present circumstances. III. Our diligent performance of what appears to be a duty may be the surest way to work with God and to secure our own prosperity. Consolation respecting Providence.- Whatever way I turned nothing appeared but danger and difficulty. I saw myself in the midst of a vast wilderness, in the depth of the rainy season, naked and alone, surrounded by savage animals, and men still more savage. I was five hundred miles from the nearest European settlement. At this moment, painful as my reflections were, the extraordinary beauty of a small moss irresistibly caught my eye. I mention it to show from what trifling circumstances the mind will sometimes derive consolation; for though the whole plant was not larger than the top of one of my fingers, I could not contemplate the delicate conformation of its roots and leaves without admiration. Can that Being, thought I, who planted, watered, and brought to perfection in this obscure part of the world a thing which appears of so small importance, look with unconcern upon the situation and sufferings of creatures formed after His own image? Surely not! I started up, and, disregarding both hunger and fatigue, travelled forward, assured that relief was at hand; and I was not disappointed. 13, 14. (13) think.. Jews, he appeals to her own love of life, wh. through the fickleness of the king might not be safe. (14) enlargement, lit. respiration, breathing time, prolonged life. and.. place, he had faith that God would deliver His people, and that she would, if obedient, be the honoured instrument of their safety. who.. time, she was not to regard the exaltation to the throne as the Divine purpose in her life. It seemed to Mordecai that the strange life of Esther was designed by Providence to effect the safety of the Israel of God. God's purpose and man's opportunity.-I purpose, in humble dependence on Divine help, to draw from the text the following general truths: that running through the Providence of this world there is a gracious Divine purpose for its ultimate salvation; that rich and rare opportunities occur in the progress of things, by which believing men are allowed to come effectually "to the help of the Lord against the mighty;" that the neglect of such providential calls has a tendency to bring destruction; that obedience brings elevation and blessing. Let us then consider— I. The Divine purpose. II. Human opportunity. III. The law of destruction. IV. The law of life." will's solicitor, the will is the appetite's controller. No desire is properly called will, unless where reason and understandthing desired." Hooker. ing prescribe the "No man's body is as strong as his appetites, but heaven has corrected the bound lessness of his voluptuous desires by stinting his strength and contracting his capacities."-Tillotson. b Mungo Park. Esther is reminded of her duty v. 13, 14. Dr. A. Rees, iii. 386; J. Alting, Op. 2, pars. 2, 158. "Every subject's duty is the king's: but every subject's soul is his own."-Shakespeare. "We are apt to mistake our vocation by looking for occasions to exercise great and rare virtues, and by stepping over the ordinary ones that lie directly in out of the way us." Hannah Way to accept providential dispensations.-My darling child the road before lies sick-my only daughter, and am I, as a minister of God and an exemplar to men, in submission to the will of my Master, to say that this sickness is unto death? Because the physician says she will not recover, and the nurse says she cannot recover, and More. "There are not a Dr. Raleigh. good things B.C. 510. enough in life to indemnify us for the neglect of a single duty."Mad. Swetchine. Esther is a Ge. xliii. 14. Donne, vi. 70; R. 314. ed once with a my own fears say she may not recover, am I to say, "It is the will of the Lord she should die; the will of the Lord be done?" No! I will fight death to the last; and when I have made good battle, with all the love, and wisdom, and patience, and fidelity I possess, and the shadow has fallen, and I am defeated, then I accept the event; it is proved a true prophet at last; but I would not believe it until I had tested it. Then I say, "It was the will of the Lord she should die; the will of the Lord be done." Not when the revelation first comes do I accept it as an expression of the will of God, but when it has done its last work-that is the revelation. Facts threatening are not revelations; facts accomplished are. 15-17. (15) answer, an answer that, manifesting Esther's piety, must have greatly comforted him. (16) gather.. fast, etc., by fasting and prayer she thought to arm herself with the protection of God. perish," she could but perish at the worst. (17) so.. way, etc., it was now his turn to obey. The valorous queen (v. 16).—-Esther may be regarded as a type of a soul anxious about his salvation, resolving to dare everything for this. . . We shall endeavour from the behaviour of Esther in this particular case to excite all classes of "I was acquaint-men to earnest importunity for spiritual blessings. Observe-I. gallant soldier The momentous considerations which led her to make this resoluwho assured me tion. 1. Personal considerations; 2. National considerations; 3. that his only Religious considerations. II. The almost insuperable obs.cles in the way of her enterprise. 1. The king's indifference to her; 2. The established law; 3. The power of Haman. III. The indomitable courage displayed both in the making of this resolution, gagement, he and in the prosecution of this enterprise. The conduct of every looked upon earnest soul is very much alike. Her eye is fixed on the measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in an en immediately himself as a goal; she will either reach it or perish in the attempt. Saith the dead man. He Scripture, "Add to your faith valour." then fought out the remainder of the day perfectly regardless of all manner of danger, as becomes a dead man to be. So that all the life or limbs he carried back again Providence the guardian of our weakness.-That image in Lowell's poem of "The Changeling" fascinates me. It is so much what I am and ever wish to be. Unable to defend myself and apparently undefended, yet guarded by omnipotent love, I would fain pour out a perfume of praise to the Great Invisible who watches over me, and would feel that under the care of Providence I may claim the sweetness of the clear gains, or, poet's next stanza: to his tent he reckoned as as he himself expressed it, so much out of the here, cut us to "As weak, yet as trustful also; For the whole year long I see Earth whirls, and all but to prosper God knows when to answer prayer.-" God always hears when we scrape the bottom of the flour barrel." So said the child of a poor widow to his mother, one morning, after she had prayed as only the needy can, "Give us this day our daily bread." Beautiful faith of childhood! Why may it not be ours? God always hears the prayers of His children, and He knows when to answer. CHAPTER THE FIFTH. 1, 2. (1) now.. day,a of the feast. her.. apparel, lit. her royalty; i.e. the insignia of her titles. (2) when.. court, whom he had not seen for some time. king.. hand, the usual sign of favour and welcome. touched.. sceptre, in token of her submission. B.C. cir. 510 Esther ventures before the king a iv. 16. b iv. 11, vi. 4. See Bp. Hall, Cont. comhis to pastor that he a whole year for A bold petitioner.-The Romans had a law that no person should approach the emperor's tent in the night, upon pain of A man death; but it once happened that a soldier was found in that plained situation, with a petition in his hand, waiting for an opportunity had prayed of presenting it. He was apprehended, and going to be immediately executed; but the emperor, having overheard the matter in his pavilion, cried aloud, saying, "If the petition be for himself, let him die; if for another, spare his life." Upon inquiry, it was found that the generous soldier prayed for the lives of his two comrades who had been taken asleep on the watch. The emperor nobly forgave them all. 3-5. (3) given.. kingdom, an expression denoting great liberality. (4) let.. prepared, customary to grant requests at banquets; by that time she would be able to frame her request. (5) cause.. haste, Esther invited Haman as the king's favourite. It might also be so to move him by her kindness as to lead him to counteract the decree. the comforts of religion, but had received no answer. His minister replied, "Go Father, glorify Thyself."' home and pray, Esther's invitation to a banquet Liberal of cruelty are those who pamper with promises; prowhile they deceive, and the hope they raise is dearly purchased by the misers destroy Zimmerman. A royal promise fulfilled.-Dr. Lyons, who was preferred to the bishopric of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, during the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, held the benefice for twenty years, but never preached but once, which was on the death of the queen. On that melancholy occasion he thought it his duty to pay the last honours to his royal mistress, and accordingly ascended the dependence that pulpit in Christ Church, Cork, where he delivered a good dis- is sequent to discourse on the uncertainty of life, and the great and amiable appointment."qualities of her majesty. He concluded in the following warm but whimsical manner :-" Let those who feel this loss deplore "I had rather do with me on this melancholy occasion; but if there be any that and not promise, hear me who have secretly wished for this event (as perhaps and not do."than promise there may be), they have now got their wish, and may it do them Arthur Warwick. all the good they deserve." The bishop's aversion to preaching is supposed to have arisen from his not having been intended for "An acre of perthe Church. His promotion is very singular: he was captain of formance is a ship, and distinguished himself so gallantly in several actions worth the whole with the Spaniards, that, on being introduced to the queen, she mise."-Howell. told him that he should have the first vacancy that offered. The honest captain, who understood the queen literally, soon after It was said of hearing of a vacancy in the see of Cork, immediately set out for perors of Rome, court, and claimed the royal promise. The queen, astonished at the request, for a time remonstrated against the impropriety of it, and said that she could never think it a suitable office for him. It was, however, in vain; he pleaded the royal promise, was said of him. and relied on it. The queen then said she would take a few days Bradford says, to consider of the matter, when, examining into his character, bear ill" is writ"Do well and and finding that he was a sober, moral man, as well as an ten upon the intrepid commander, she sent for him, and gave him the bishopric, gates of heaven. VOL. V. O.T. I world of pro one of the em that he was careful of what was done by him, but careless of what a iii. 5. b 2 8. xiii. 22. e Said to have been dau. of Tatnai, who was gov. of W. of Euphrates in time of Darius, Ezr. v. 3, 6, vi. 6, "Tis thus that pride triumphant rears her head, 13. saying, she "hoped he would take as good care of the Church as he had done of the State,"a 6-8. (6) king.. wine, etc., reminding her of what he had promised. (7) my.. request, she saw that the moment had not come for preferring her request. (8) king.. them, though kings ate alone, his guests were allowed to take wine with him afterwards. Esther an example in prayer.-I. Consider the noble conduct of Esther on this trying occasion. 1. The cause she undertook was God's cause; 2. The service she performed was at the peril of her life; 3. With glowing zeal she combined consummate prudence. II. The encouragement to believing prayer which her example affords. 1. We come into the presence not of a tyrant but of a kind and indulgent Father; 2. We are not forbidden, but expressly invited, to approach Him; 3. While Esther had a rigid law to repress her, we have promises in our favour; 4. We have not a Haman at court opposed to us, but a heavenly Friend and Intercessor to plead with us and for us. Learn :-(1) God in His providence prevents the fears and exceeds the expectations of those who wait upon Him; (2) God must be served and honoured in the face of danger and rebuke; (3) To embark in the cause of God is to be allied to an interest certain of success; (4) If the love of life could inspire such pathetic pleadings, how much more the love of souls, both of our own and others! Earnest seeking.-An old phrase speaks of "leaving no stone unturned," when one makes an earnest search. It is as though hidden beneath some stone there was a treasure, and the searchers who were determined to discover it went forth, not merely looking upon the ground, or upon every stone, but actually turning each stone out of its place, to make sure of the concealed treasure if it were beneath. So Ahab and Obadiah went forth to search for water. A man who had long been seeking religion in a halfhearted way, one day lost his pocket-book. He said to his wife, "I know it is in the barn; I had it after I went there, and before I left it was gone. I am going back to find it; and find it I will, if I have to move every straw." Such seeking soon secured the prize, and enabled the wife so clearly to illustrate the way to seek Jesus, that the man soon found Him also, and rejoiced in a found salvation. 9-11. (9) then.. heart, forth fr. the king's presence puffed up by vanity. but.. Mordecai,a the increased favour of the king made him the more indignant. (10) refrained,' he could afford to do so, since the day of his revenge was at hand. he.. friends, some that perh. he would mortify by recounting the honours heaped upon him. Zeresh, he sent for her, as one would bear rule in his own house. (11) Haman.. riches, etc., what contemptible vanity was all this! C Personal vanity.-"Thou hast (saith a man to himself) rare endowments of soul, and wonderful skill and ability in this and that matter; thou art master of excellent things; thou hast managed very important business; hast accomplished hard designs; hast achieved brave feats with great wit and industry; thou hast framed and vented very curious orations, very facetious speeches, very nervous and pithy discourses; thou hast put obligafled."--Goldsmith. tions upon this man and that; thou hast got much credit and a little while, and all her power is interest among men ; the world much looketh on thee, loveth and prizeth thee hugely, resoundeth with thy fame and praise; surely thy worth is notable, thy deserts are egregious; how happy art thou in being such a person, in performing such things, in enjoying such advantages !"d B.C. cir. 510. d Dr. Barrow. the advice of Haman's wife a ix. 7. b vii. 9. c The Vulg. has it is xúlon, the 12-14. (12) moreover, etc.,"reserving this crowning honour as a final surprise. come.. myself, in this respect treated with equal honour to the king. (13) yet, etc., one small drawback embitters the whole. The story of his honours seems to have been intended to enhance the enormity of Mordecai's offence. (14) gallows, Heb. tree. fifty.. high, or ab. 75 ft. then.. banquet, after thou hast had thy revenge; perh. they thought it justice. and.. Haman, wherefore then were all the Jews to be slain, if this one was to be signally punished for his fault? he.. made,a in anticipation of the king's approval. Haman's confession.-I. It is calculated to impress two things upon us. 1. That material things cannot make us happy; 2. That human happiness is all too easily destroyed. II. The mistakes into which Haman fell. 1. He thought far too much. about Mordecai's refusal to pay him the homage to which he considered he was entitled; 2. He set too high a value on the respect of Mordecai. III. The principal lesson to learn is to think more about what we have than what we want.e Vanity rebuked.-A young clergyman, boasting among his relations of having been educated at two colleges, Harvard and Cambridge, an aged divine, being present, said, "You remind me of an instance I knew of a calf that sucked two cows.' "What was that?" said a third person. "Why, sir, the consequence was, that he was a very great calf."f-Pride.-Take some quiet, sober moment of life, and add together the two ideas of pride and man; behold him, creature of a span high, stalking through infinite space in all the grandeur of littleness. Perched on a speck of the universe, every wind of heaven strikes into his blood the coldness of death; his soul floats from his body like melody from the string; day and night, as dust on the wheel, he is rolled along the heavens, through a labyrinth of worlds, and all the creations of God are flaming above and beneath. Is this a creature to make for himself a crown of glory, to deny his own flesh, to mock at his fellow, sprung from that dust to which both will soon return? Does the proud man not err? Does he not suffer? Does he not die? When he reasons, is he never stopped by difficulties? When he acts, is he never tempted by pleasure? When he lives, is he free from pain? When he dies, can he escape the common grave? Pride is not the heritage of man; humility should dwell with frailty, and atone for ignorance, error, and imperfection.s CHAPTER THE SIXTH. 1-3. (1) on.. sleep, lit. the king's sleep fled away; an unusual thing. he.. chronicles,' to pass the time, to lull him to sleep. they.. king, a providential selection. (2) written, etc., ii. 21. (3) what.. this? his conscience pricked him for suffering the saviour of his life to be possibly unrewarded. Ahasuerus' sleepless night.-1. Who is the sleep monarch on this night? 2. What was the book he read that night? 3. What was the discovery he made that night? We learn hence lessons v.13. H. Wharton, ii. 51: R. Theed, Coney, i. 291; F. Webb, ii. 171; J. Balguy, i. 77; Dr. H. Blair, i. Sac. Biog. 157; Dr. 173; J. Charles- W. Garrow, 145; 166. e G. Cron. f Dr. Beaumont. wave that in our ceases."-Lavater. B.C. cir. 510. the king's sleepless a The Heb. verb ing, undulatory movements of a bird's wings. Is. x. 14; Pr. xxvii. 8; b ii. 23. See Bp. Je. iv. 25. |