destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? men in Italy, or the last of her tyrants. Take your choice!' King Charles Albert threw the noble letter into the fire, instead of following its wise advice; and though Sardinia has been comparatively free under the reign of Victor Emmanuel, the rest of Italy was the scene of the most atrocious tyranny-a burning furnace of affliction-ever since. But, in the wondrous providence of God-for that is our reading of the matter-there appeared on the soil of Italy, a few months since, a plain man, of quiet appearance and simple habits, uncrowned, unsceptred, and untitled, who appears to have adopted, almost literally, the programme of Charles Albert's anonymous correspondent, and who is at this moment the wonder of all Europe and America-Joseph Garibaldi!-Evan. Mag., 1860. V. 14. Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'-When Charles Albert ascended the throne of Piedmont, an anonymous letter reached him, couched in the following terms: Place yourself at the head of the nation; write upon your banner-Union, Liberty, Independence. Declare yourself to be at once the avenger and interpreter of popular rights. Entitle yourself the 'Regenerator of Italy;' deliver her from the yoke of barbarians; be an architect in constructing the future; give a name to an age; found an era which shall date from yourself. Be the Napoleon of Italian liberty. . . . Sire, I must tell you this plain truth; free men are eagerly waiting your reply in the shape of action; but whatever your course may be, remember that posterity will proclaim you to be, either the first of 15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. The Romans had been taught to consider the river Rubicon-a little river which separated Italy from Gaul -as the sacred boundary of their domestic empire. The Senate had long before made an edict, which is still to be seen engraven on pillar near Rimini, by which they solemnly devoted to the infernal gods, and branded with sacrilege and parricide, any person who should presume to pass the Rubicon with an army, a legion, or even a single cohort. Cæsar, therefore, having advanced at the head of his army to the side of the river, stopped upon the banks as if impressed with awe at the greatness of his enterprise. The dangers he was to encounter, the slaughters that might ensue, the calamities of his native city, all rushed upon his imagination in gloomy perspective, and struck him with remorse. He pondered for some time, in fixed melancholy, as 16 Go, he eyed the stream, debating with him- When we are reduced to such straits, as that death on either hand seems inevitable, a wise man will always act, if action be possible, and not sit still; and in all such cases, it is clearly our interest, as well as our duty, to choose that side of the alternative, which holds out the barest preponderance of advantage. This, I say, we are obliged to do in every such case, although in stances rarely occur, where the prospective advantages do not strongly incline more to one side than to the other. (See 2 Kings vii. 3-4.)—L. What a noble act of the soul is faith! There are more difficulties, however, to the exercise of it than are generally considered. The case of Esther, in the court of the Persian king, will serve, in some measure, to explain it. By the law of Persia, every individual, whether man or woman, who ventured into the inner court of the king's presence, uncalled, was condemned to death: neither was there any remission of the punishment, unless the king held out to the offender the golden sceptre. The case, however, for which Esther was constrained to go in was of that nature, that there remained no alternative but to go or die. Contrary to the known law of the realm, she therefore ventured, crying out as she went, If I perish, I perish.' Now this is quite the state of the poor sinner. The law of God for ever separates between a holy God and an unholy sinner. Thou canst not see My face and live.' Nothing that is 'unholy can stand in God's sight.' These are the solemn declarations of the law of heaven. God hath, indeed, reserved the grace of pardon to whom He will hold out the golden sceptre. But even this grace does not reign but through righteousness. The law admits of nothing in a way of pardon but upon the ground of satisfaction. A righteousness every sinner must have in himself, or in a Redeemer, or he will perish everlastingly.-Dr. Hawker. Though God is the Being whose awful justice you have armed against you, His mercy you must sue for, and obtain, or perish. It is in vain for you to think of compensation, to plead your penitence, to promise amendment: you cannot, in this way, appease His wrath, you must cast yourself on His free mercy, or perish. Do not think of excusing from this act by pleading that it would be presumption, an aggravation of your guilt, an invitation to ruin: even if this were true, it is also true that to neglect it is destruction. If a single ray of hope be left you, it must come direct from the throne of God.-Dr. Harris. There are those who say, 'My salvation is altogether dependent on the Divine will; if God have decreed to save me, I shall be saved; and if not, then all my solicitude and endeavours will be in vain; if I am to perish, I must perish.' Let all those who have felt themselves paralysed by such sentiments, seriously ponder the following reasoning:-L. It is very plain that all the other concerns of men, are as much determined by Divine counsel and decree, as the affairs and concerns of their souls and future estate. But it is as plain, that men are not wont to suspend their actions, in common cases, upon mere supposition of such purposes and counsels of God, that may, for aught they know, lie against them in such cases. It would make very strange work in the world if they should; if men should suspend their actions in reference to the common affairs of human life, merely upon the supposition that a decree may lie against them. What a condition would it reduce things to among men on earth! The whole world would be at a stand, or would be sitting still, and would sit still in very uneasy postures too. The husbandman must never plough nor sow, for he might say, 'I do not know but there is a decree against me, that all will come to nothing, I shall have no crop, I shall lose all my labour and expense.' The merchant should never send or go to sea; no man should ever make a meal, because he doth not know but that it may be determined that it shall poison and not nourish him, choke him and not refresh him. Men should not walk the streets, for they do not know but that there may be some decree or other that a tile shall fall and strike them dead, or they may meet with a stab in their walk: nor should they sit still in the house neither, for they do not know but that there may be such a decree that the house may fall and bury them in the ruins! Plain it is, men do not in common cases suspend their actions upon such suppositions. But then it argues very great insin cerity, and a very ill temper of mind, that men should only pick out their weightiest and most important concerns, and do nothing in reference to them; merely upon such an imagination, that there may be some purpose, or something in the Divine counsel, lying against them. It argues, I say, a very ill mind; that there is some peculiar disaffection to God, and to the way of holiness and to Religion as such, that men should only lay themselves under restraint, in reference to those great concerns of Religion, when they have as much cause, and the same pretence, in reference to all things as they have in reference to this.-Howe. There are others who say, 'When I have done all I can, God may withhold His influence, and then I am but where I was, and may perish notwithstanding.' And suppose thou perish notwithstanding! Do but yet consult a little with thy own thoughts. Which is more tolerable and easy to thee? to perish, as not attaining what thy fainter strugglings could not reach; or for the most direct, wilful rebellion, doing wickedly as thou couldst? Or, who shall have, thinkest thou, the more fearful condemnation? He that shall truly say when his Master comes to judgment, 'I never had indeed, Lord, a heart so fully changed and turned to Thee, as should denote me to be the subject of Thy saving, pardoning mercy; but Thou knowest (who knowest all things) I longed, and with some earnestness did endeavour for it. Thou hast been privy to my secret desires and moans, to the weak strivings of a listless distempered spirit, not pleased with itself, aiming at a better temper towards Thee. I neglected not Thy prescribed means; only that grace which I could not challenge, Thou wast not pleased to give. Thou didst require what I must confess myself to have owed Thee; Thou didst withhold only what Thou owedst me not; therefore must I yield myself a convicted, guilty wretch, and have nothing to say why Thy sentence should not pass.' .. Or he that shall as truly hear from the mouth of his Judge, 'Sinner, thou wast often forewarned of this approach ing day, and called upon to provide for it. Thou hadst precept upon precept, and line upon line. The counsels of life and peace were with frequent importunity pressed upon thee, but thou rejectedst all with proud contempt, didst despise with the same profane scorn the offers, commands, and threats, of Him that made thee; hardenedst thine heart to the most obstinate rebellion against his known laws; didst all the wickedness to which thy heart prompted thee, without restraint; declinedst everything of duty which His authority, and the exigency of thy own case, did oblige thee to; didst avoid, as much as thou couldst, to hear or know anything of My will; couldst not find one serious, considering hour in a whole life-time, to bethink thyself, what was likely to become of thee when thy place on earth should know thee no more! Thou mightest know, thou wast at My mercy, thy breath in My hand, and that I could easily have cut thee off any moment of that large space of time My patience allowed thee in the world; yet thou never thoughtest it worth thy while to sue to Me for thy life. Destruction from the Lord was never a terror to thee. Thou wouldst never be brought upon thy knees. I had none of thy addresses. Never didst thou sigh out a serious request for mercy; thy soul was not worth so much in thy account! Thy blood, wretch, be upon thy guilty head! Depart, accursed, into everlasting flames!' In which of these cases, reader, wouldst thou choose to be found at last? But why suppose so bad an issue, as that after thine utmost endeavours, grace should be withheld, and leave thee to perish? God promises sinners indefinitely, pardon and eternal life, for the sake of Christ, on condition that they believe on Him.Ibid. I'll go to Jesus, though my sin I can but perish, if I go; 17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. CHAP. V. Now TOW it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. V. 2. Had not the golden sceptre been held out, where had queen Esther been? The Persian kings affected a stern awfulness towards their subjects; it was death to solicit them uncalled. How safe, how easy, how happy a Then said the king unto her, and what is thy request? it shall the kingdom. How gladly doth Esther touch the top of that sceptre by which she holds her life! And now, while she thinks it well that she may live, she receives besides pardon and favour. • What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom.' 5 thing it is to have to do with the King of heaven, who is so pleased with our access, that He solicits suitors; who, as He is unweariable with our requests, so He is infinite in His beneficences! -Bp. Hall. What wilt thou, queen Esther? be even given thee to the half of Commonly, when we fear most, we speed best. God then, most of all, magnifies His bounty to us, when we have most afflicted ourselves. Overconfident expectations are often disappointed, while humble suspicions go laughing away.—Bp. Hall. 4 And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. The king is not invited without Haman. Favours are sometimes done to men with a purpose of displeasure. Doubtless, Haman tasteth of the same cares with his master; neither could he, in the forehead of Esther, read any other characters, than of respect and kind applause; yet had she then in her hopes designed him to a just revenge. Little do we know, by outward carriages, on what terms we stand with either God or man.-Bp. Hall. "And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? 9 even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said. Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 12 Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. V. 12. Plutarch, in his life of Artaxerxes, informs us, that none but the king's mother, and his real wife, were permitted to sit at his table; and therefore he mentions it as a condescension in that prince, that he sometimes invited his brothers. Haman, therefore, had some reason to be proud of this favour.-Lawson. Haman's fate ought to afford a lesson to those who boast themselves, because they are become exceeding rich, and because they are blessed with everything that the heart of a man of the world can wish. We know not 'what a day may bring forth.'-Ibid. 18 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. Pride will ever render its possessor unhappy. Haman, though possessed of immense riches, glory, and honour, and the prime favourite of his king, is wretched, because he cannot have the homage of that man whom his heart even despised! O how distressing are the inquietudes of pride and vanity!-Comp. Bible. 14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made. CHAP. VI. N that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Aha suerus. |