CONTENTS. reap as we sow-Danger of unwise and unfaithful The second wine banquet-Orientals superstitious-" The feast of death"-The Queen's request for her life and that of her people-The enemy denounced-The King leaves the feast in anger-Shah Sefi-The Ro- man custom-The Queen's eloquence-Haman's con- fusion and doom-Vicissitudes of the world-The first risings of passion to be restrained-Prosperity no comfort in trouble--God's favors rightfully dis- Harm watch, harm catch--The highth of the gallows- Retributive Justice seen in the history of Samson- And in the Jews--Conviction of duty to be regard- ed Exceptions only prove the general rule The fire unquenchable is within the soul-Inventors xiii Newton and La Place-Symmetry of God's laws and word -Men work out their own destinies-Cicero on gen- eral character-Benevolence-The only true reformer is the Gospel-The only true happiness is in love to God, and deeds of love to men-The sun, and earth and air, are ever giving-Our laws wise and good, The contending decrees-The Jews act only in self- defence-Haman's sons killed and then hanged- Reasons why-Greatness of the slaughter-Jews did PURIM, its name and history-Lot-casting-Holinshead at Agincourt-Horace on dice and "the governor of the feast"-Le Clerc refuted-Abraham's God in the lot Lord Bacon's confidence rightly placed-Principles bear- ing fruit-The Bible teaches chiefly by examples- Even great men desire truth in a simple garb-Ben- gel-Mordecai's greatness-Tomb of Ahasuerus not known-The Russian empress-Grave of Calvin not known-Tomb of Esther and Mordecai-Palace of Shushan identified-Jews dispersed-An argument -Earthly glory fades-Alexander at Cyrus' tomb- The Bible to be relied on-Mad. Dacier's test---Com- mit your orphans to God-Take care of the father- less-Benevolent deeds immortal-Parents, teachers, INTRODUCTION. THERE is no more powerful auxiliary to the pulpit than the PRESS. The intellectual and moral stimulus of editorship, instead of being a loss to a pastor's charge, are both to them and to the world preëminently useful, if his writings are successful in advocating the truth. I see not how a pastor's efficiency is impaired by habits of close study, as far as his health and pastoral visitings will allow, whether his studies are devoted to manuscripts that are never published or to regular authorship. For even if he does not publish, the habit of study, which is rarely acquired and pursued without the use of the pen, is very great blessing to his hearers; and if he publish the results of his study in an acceptable manner, then his influence may be extended from a thousand to fifty thousand, and instead of preaching to a congregation of a few hundred members, he may preach to a whole continent for many generations. No man, however great his genius, has a right to serve the Lord in the sanctuary with unbeaten oil. The pastor after God's own heart is one that feeds the people with knowledge and with understanding-full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and mighty in the Scriptures-showing unto the people out of the Scriptures the way of salvation through Christ. Oh, that the vast harvest-field that lies all around us already ripe for the sickle, was filled with a great multitude of such servants of the Most High ! So great is my confidence in the English version, that I 9 have not knowingly departed from it in a single instance in the examination of the history of Esther. I do not remember to have met with any discussion as to the merits of the translation of Esther in our version, compared with the translation of the other historic books; but it seems to me to be an exceedingly correct and happy version. There are but few words that could possibly be improved. The only change I have introduced in the translation is to omit the division into chapters and verses, which, though of great convenience for reference, is often a marring of the force and beauty of the text, especially in the historical parts of the Old Testament and in the Epistles. My reverence for our English version is equalled only by my regard for the originals, which are our standard of faith and manners. I do not believe, as a modern poet says, that the Holy Bible is "good Michael's Scripture," and that "history is the Devil's Scripture." No, the Bible is the word of the Lord, and history is but a record of how He governs the world. The great Bengel has truly said, that the "true commentator will fasten his primary attention on the literal meaning, but never forget that the spirit must equally accompany him; and at the same time, we must never devise a more spiritual meaning for Scripture passages than the Holy Spirit intended." But as from every point in the circumference of a circle, we may imagine straight lines converging to a centre, not one of which is exactly coincident with another, so in all the books of the Old Testament, I find either types, or promises, or prophecies, or national events, or personal narratives, that all point to the Church of God under the Great Messiah; and so, in expounding the Old Testament Scriptures, by searching out cotemporary and subsequent histories, and bringing together things new and old, from far and near, for the purpose of comprehending these Old Testament Scriptures, our great object always is to make the Messiah appear as He really is, the Redeemer of the world. I have attempted always in interpreting the Word of God, to follow the rule of Bengel: "Put nothing into the Scriptures, but draw everything from them, and suffer nothing to remain hidden that is really in them." I do not, however, understand it to be the duty of an expositor of the Word of God, to go through it selecting only "the berries and leaving the rest as fit only for the pruning hook;" but to take all the Scriptures together and just as they are, and to explain Scripture by Scripture, and that remembering the character of his audience, he will endeavor to have the true text, restore and defend it, then exhibit the meaning and force of the language employed, explain the circumstances under which the portion he is considering was uttered or written, and in a word, as far as possible, he will try so to enlighten his hearers that they may be in a condition to understand the Scriptures similar to that of the hearers of the Prophets and Apostles themselves. The Church of God in the days of the Prophets, and of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, did not require annotations, illustrations, Bible dictionaries, geographies of the Holy Land, and maps and descriptions of the birds, beasts and flowers of the country, nor of the manners and customs of the people. These were all familiar to them; they were immersed in the knowledge of local and national histories and customs, as they were in the atmosphere of the Holy Mountains. Accord ingly, in the first ages of the Church, we have no commentaries, but the preaching was expository and homiletic. If Paul is in the synagogue, his text is out of the Hebrew Scriptures; and his argument is to show that, according to the Scriptures, Jesus is Christ. If he is on Mars' hill, his text is the Athenian altar to the unknown God, and his proofs and illustrations are from Greek authors and from the works of the Supreme Being. What are dead languages to us were living tongues to them, and the knowledge of their times, which we have to acquire by much study, was their common patrimony. The most learned men of our day are hardly as well acquainted with some of the idioms, proverbs and local customs, some knowledge of which is necessary to the elucidation of the Bible, as the children of the Church were in the days of the Prophets and of the Apostles. It takes much study therefore to put us on the same platform to hear the early teachers of religion, that their hearers occupied. |