{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_9782/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_9782","id":"gutenberg_9782","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9782","summary":null,"tags":["Bible -- Biography","Category: Biographies","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Women -- Religious life","Women in the Bible"],"text":"Produced by Distributed Proofreaders\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFemale Scripture Biography:\n\nIncluding an Essay on What Christianity Has Done for Women.\n\nBy Francis Augustus Cox, A.M.\n\n\n\n\"It is a necessary charity to the (female) sex to acquaint them with their\nown value, to animate them to some higher thoughts of themselves, not to\nyield their suffrage to those injurious estimates the world hath made of\nthem, and from a supposed incapacity of noble things, to neglect the\npursuit of them, from which God and nature have no more precluded the\nfeminine than the masculine part of mankind.\"\n\nThe Ladies' Calling, Pref.\n\n\n\nVOL. I.\n\nBOSTON:\nLINCOLN & EDMANDS.\n1831.\n\n\n\nPreface.\n\n\n\nNotwithstanding the variety of theological publications of a devotional\nclass, which are perpetually issuing from the press, the author concurs in\nthe opinion of those who think they can scarcely be too numerous. It may\nreasonably be hoped, that in proportion to the multiplication of works of\nthis kind, the almost incalculable diversities of taste will be suited;\nand that those who may be disinclined to one style of writing, or to a\nparticular series of subjects, may be allured by their predilections to\nthe perusal of others.\n\nAmidst the general plenty, however, there is one department which\nexperiences a degree of scarcity--a department to which these volumes\nproperly belong. Pious families require a supply of religious reading,\nadapted to occupy the intervals of business, the hours of devotion, and\nthe time which is often and properly appropriated to domestic instruction\nin the evenings of the Christian Sabbath. To have the minds of the young\ndirected at such seasons, not only to the truths of religion in general,\nbut the more attractive parts of Scripture in particular, seems highly\nimportant. By a happy combination of amusement and instruction, piety is\ndivested of her formality, and clothed with fascination: the ear is\ncaught, and the heart gained; while the narrative interests, the best\nlessons become impressed even upon the gay and the trifling; and he who,\nwhen summoned to the social circle, sat down with reluctance, may rise up\nwith regret.\n\nWhoever has been blessed with the advantages of a religious education, and\nrecurs to his own years of juvenile susceptibility, cannot forget the\nstrong impressions he received by these means; and must have had frequent\noccasion to remark the tenaciousness with which they have lingered in his\nmemory, and sprung up amidst his recollections at every subsequent period.\nIn many cases they have proved the basis, of future eminence in piety,\nand blended delightfully with the gladdening retrospections of declining\nlife. In those instances, where all the good effects which might be\nanticipated did not appear, these early lessons have checked the\nimpetuousity of passion, neutralized the force of temptation, and\ncherished the convictions of an incipient piety.\n\nThe writer of the following pages is aware of the just celebrity acquired\nby some of his predecessors in the same line of composition, and he might\nhave felt wholly deterred from pursuing his design, by an apprehension of\nhaving been superseded by the elegant and comprehensive lectures of\nHUNTER, and the simple, perspicuous, and devotional biography of ROBINSON,\nhad he not remarked that their notices of the women in Scripture formed\nbut a small proportion of their respective works, and that the present\nperformance might be very properly considered as a continuation of their\nvolumes, particularly of those of the latter author.\n\nIt will be seen, that some of the same characters which have been given in\npreceding writers, appear in the \"Female Scripture Biography;\" but the\nreader may perhaps be conciliated to this seeming repetition, by being\nreminded that they were necessarily retouched, in order to complete the\nseries; while the writer satisfies himself with the reflection that,\nwhatever subjects are deduced from Scripture, are not only unexhausted,\nbut will forever remain inexhaustible. The \"wells of salvation,\" from\nwhich preceding ages have drawn, still afford to us, and will supply to\nfar-distant generations, the same spiritual, copious, and unfailing\nrefreshment.\n\nThe Introductory Essay to the second volume, respecting the influence of\nChristianity on the condition of the female sex, has been somewhat\ndivested of that literary cast which it might have been expected to\nassume, the better to accord with the general drift of the work. The\nreader will, it is confidently anticipated, deem, it no\nunacceptable addition.\n\n\n\n\nContents of Vol. I.\n\n\n\nPreface\n\n\nEve--Chapter I\n\n  Superiority of man in the universe: present degradation of reason: the\n  mere philosopher and the Christian contrasted: God seen in all his\n  works: creation of man: his corporeal and mental constitution: value of\n  the soul: Adam in paradise: alone: supplied with a help meet: Revelation\n  points out the true dignity of the female character: one woman given to\n  the man: the fall: aggravated and complex nature of the sin of Eve:\n  consequences, the loss of Eden: loss of the favour of God: loss of life:\n  ruin of posterity: remarks to obviate some difficulties attaching to\n  this subject in general.\n\n\nSarah--Chapter II\n\n  Abraham's departure from Chaldea: his faith: its failure: Sarah and\n  Abraham agree to prevaricate: the admonition which Sarah attracted:\n  Abraham's dismissal from the country of Egypt: beauty and dress:\n  importance of a proper education: parental vanity: source of real\n  attraction: Sarah proposes to Abraham to take Hagar: unhappy\n  consequencies: Hagar's flight and return: visit of three angels: Sarah's\n  laughter at the subject of their commission: her subsequent character:\n  general remarks: birth of Isaac: Ishmael's conduct, and its\n  consequences: Sarah's death.\n\n\nHagar--Chapter III\n\n  Retrospective glance at the history: Hagar: the wilderness: angelic\n  manifestation: divine promises: a view of their accomplishment: Hagar's\n  piety: her second banishment and distress: another interposition:\n  Providence illustrated.\n\n\nLot's Wife--Chapter IV\n\n  Delusions to which the young in particular are exposed: Lot's erroneous\n  choice: sin brings punishment: advantages of Lot's wife: her remarkable\n  deliverance: her guilt: general causes of apostacy traced, fear, love of\n  the world, levity of mind, pride: doom of Lot's wife.\n\n\nRebekah--Chapter V\n\nSection I.\n\n  Progress of time: patriarchal mode of living: Abraham's solicitude\n  respecting the settlement of his son: sends a servant to procure him a\n  wife: his arrival in the vicinity of Nahor: his meeting with Rebekah:\n  her behaviour, and then conversation: the good qualities already\n  discoverable in Rebekah, which render her worthy of imitation: her\n  industrious and domesticated habits: unaffected simplicity: modesty:\n  courtesy: humanity.\n\nSection II.\n\n  The Servant of Abraham cordially received into the house of Laban\n  tells his story: proposes to take Rebekah: consent of her family: her\n  readiness to go: the interview with Isaac: Rebekah becomes his wife:\n  their anxieties: birth of Jacob and Esau: Isaac's death-bed, and\n  Rebekah's unwarrantable proceedings: her solicitude respecting her son's\n  future conduct.\n\n\nMiriam--Chapter VI.\n\n  Proceedings of the new King of Egypt: birth of Moses: conduct of Miriam:\n  preservation of Moses: escape of Israel: Miram's zeal in celebrating the\n  event: her character formed by early advantages: contrasted with\n  Michael: she engages with Aaron in a plot against Moses: God observes\n  it and punishment of leprosy inflicted upon Miriam: her cure: dies at\n  Kadesh: general remarks on slander: debasing nature of sin: hope of\n  escaping punishment fallacious: danger of opposing Christ: exhortation\n  to imitate the temper of Moses.\n\n\nNaomi, Orpah, and Ruth--Chapter VII.\n\nSection I.\n\n  History of domestic life most instructive: book of Ruth: sketch of the\n  Family of Elimelech while residing in Moab: reflections arising out of\n  a view of their circumstances: Naomi's resolution to return, and that of\n  her daughters in-law to accompany her: Orpah soon quits her mother and\n  sister: her character, and that of Ruth: requirements of religion:\n  arrival of Naomi and Ruth at Bethlehem: feelings of the former.\n\nSection II.\n\n  Time of the return to Bethlehem: Ruth offers to go and glean:\n  disposition indicated by this proposal: she happens upon the field of\n  Boaz: his kindness: their conversation: additional favours: Ruth's\n  return home: her mother-in-law's wish to connect her in marriage with\n  Boaz: the measures she suggests, and which her daughter adopts with\n  ultimate success: their marriage: birth of a son: concluding remarks.\n\n\nDeborah--Chapter VIII.\n\nSection I.\n\n  Historical retrospect: Deborah sitting as a judge and prophetess under a\n  palm-tree: sends to Barak to confront Sisera: accompanies him\n  preparations for battle: victorious result: death of Sisera:\n  reflections.\n\nSection II.\n\n  Capacity of Deborah as a poetess: paraphrase of her remarkable song\n  composed to celebrate the victory over Sisera.\n\n\nManoah's Wife--Chapter IX.\n\n  State of Israel: appearance of an angel to the wife of Manoah: she\n  communicates the design of his visit to her husband: second\n  manifestation from heaven: result of the interview: reflection of\n  Manoah's wife stated and analyzed: considerations deducible from the\n  narrative: to avoid precipitancy of judgment: to avow our convictions at\n  every suitable opportunity: to feel assured that the providence of God\n  does never really, though it may apparently, contradict his word.\n\n\nHannah--Chapter X.\n\nSection I.\n\n  Religion a source of peace: account of Elkanah and his two wives:\n  Peninnah reproaches Hannah: sin of despising others for their\n  infirmities: the family at Shiloh: Elkanah endeavours to console his\n  wife: her conduct and prayer: Eli's unjust imputation: Hannah's defence,\n  and her accuser's retraction: return from Shiloh: birth of Samuel:\n  his weaning.\n\nSection II.\n\n  Samuel is devoted to the service of the sanctuary: uniformity of\n  character exemplified in Hannah: her song paraphrased: five other\n  children born to Hannah: view of her natural kindness and\n  self-denying piety.\n\n\nAbigail--Chapter XI.\n\n  Many persons naturally capable of great attainments and elevated\n  stations have lived and died unknown: the dispensations of Providence\n  analogous in this respect to the arrangements of nature: Scripture\n  account of Nabal and Abigail: sources of incongruous marriages:\n  ambition: wish to maintain the respectability of a family: persuasion of\n  friends: early disappointments: Nabal's conduct to David: Abigail's\n  interposition: death of her husband: she becomes David's wife.\n\n\nThe Queen of Sheba--Chapter XII.\n\n  David's anxiety for his son: its happy issue: Solomon's prayer and the\n  answer of God: Solomon's riches and fame: the queen of Sheba's visit:\n  her country ascertained: such solicitude for wisdom not common: she\n  proves Solomon with hard questions, her desire of knowledge worthy of\n  imitation: Solomon's conduct: his buildings: the queen's congratulatory\n  address: reflections: her presents to Solomon, and his to the queen of\n  Sheba, Christ's application of the subject.\n\n\nThe Shunammite--Chapter XIII.\n\nSection I.\n\n  Characteristic difference between profane and sacred history: the\n  Shunammite introduced: her hospitality; proposes to her husband to\n  accommodate Elisha with a chamber: the gratitude manifested by the\n  prophet in offering to speak for her to the king: her reply expressive\n  of contentment: various considerations calculated to promote this\n  disposition, advantages of a daily and deep impression of the transitory\n  nature of our possessions, and of keeping another life in view.\n\nSection II.\n\n  Elisha promises a son to the Shunammite: his birth: his sudden death in\n  consequence of being sun smitten: She replies to the prophet her\n  expression of profound submission to the will of God: her subsequent\n  impassioned appeal to Elisha: the child restored to life: the\n  Shunammite's removal into Philistra, and return: her successful\n  application to the king for the restoration of her property.\n\n\nEsther--Chapter XIV.\n\n  The feasts of the king of Persia: his queen Vashti sent for her refusal\n  to obey the summons: her divorce: plan to fill up the vacancy: Esther\n  chosen queen: Morder detects a conspiracy declines paying homage to\n  Haman; resentment of the latter, who obtains a decree against the Jews:\n  Mordecai's grief, and repeated applications to Esther: she goes in to\n  the king, is accepted: invites the king and Haman to a banquet:\n  mortification of the latter at Mordecai's continued neglect: orders a\n  gallows to be built for the disrespectful Jew: the honour conferred by\n  the king upon Mordecai for his past zeal in his service: Haman's\n  indignation: is fetched to a second banquet: Esther tells her feelings\n  and accuses Haman: his confusion and useless entreaties: he is hung on\n  his own gallows: Mordecai's advancement: escape of the Jews by the\n  intercession of Esther: feast of Purim.\n\n\n\n\n\nFemale Scripture Biography.\n\n\n\n\nEve.\n\nChapter I.\n\n\n\n  Superiority of Man in the Universe--Present Degradation of Reason--The\n  mere Philosopher and the Christian Contrasted--God seen in all his\n  Works--Creation of Man--His Corporeal and Mental Constitution--Value of\n  the Soul--Adam in Paradise--Alone--Supplied with a Help Meet--Revelation\n  points out the True Dignity of the Female Character--One Woman given to\n  the Man--The Fall--Aggravated and complex Nature of the Sin of\n  Eve--Consequences, the Loss of Eden--Loss of the Favour of God--Loss of\n  Life--Ruin of Posterity--Remarks to obviate some Difficulties attaching\n  to this subject in general.\n\nWhat a glorious pre-eminence in the creation, has Infinite Wisdom assigned\nto the human species! As the skilful architect finishes his performance by\nthe most exquisite specimens of workmanship, so \"the great Builder of this\nvaried frame,\" after the formation of _matter_, proceeded to impart\n_life_, to communicate _instinct_, and to inspire reason. \"And God said,\nLet us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have\n_dominion_ over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and\nover the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing\nthat creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his _own image_; in\nthe image of God created he him; male and female created he them.\"\n\nThe superiority of man to _matter_, however fair, to _life_ however\npleasing, to _instinct_ however perfect, appears in this, that he only is\ncapable of contemplating and admiring the works of God--he only has an\neye that opens upon the heavens, and a mind adapted to receive impressions\nfrom their diversified glories.\n\nBut even _reason_, in its present state, is so degraded, that the wonders\nof creative wisdom are, in a considerable degree, overlooked or\nundervalued. The heavens, with all their stars, and suns, and systems,\nexhibit few beauties to the great mass of inattentive spectators; and the\nobservance of them, by day and by night, excites no correspondent\nemotions. All is a blank! Plunged into an abyss of cares and anxieties,\nchained to the oar of constant, unvarying labour; and solicitous only \"to\nbuy and sell, and get gain,\" to _them_ \"the heavens declare the glory of\nGod, and the firmament showeth his handywork\" almost in vain!\n\nNor can it escape observation, that valuable as the discoveries of\nphilosophy are, the _mere discoverer_ who converts his knowledge to no\npious purpose, is the most infatuated of human beings. While he\ncontemplates distances, magnitudes, and number--while he investigates the\nlaws of motion, and the phenomena of nature--while he points the telescope\nto gaze on fiery comets, to pursue wandering planets in their orbits, to\ndetect hitherto undiscovered globes of matter in the fields of space,\nmerely to gratify curiosity or to acquire fame--the Christian contemplates\nthe scene with another eye, and with far different sentiments. He sees\nGOD in all. \"This,\" says he, \"is _his_ creation--this the work of _his_\nfingers--these the productions of _his_ skill\"--\"by _his_ spirit he hath\ngarnished the heavens\"--_he_ hath appointed \"the sweet influences of the\nPleiades, and looseth the bands of Orion\"--_he_ \"bringeth forth Mazzaroth\nin his season, and guides Arcturus with his sons.\" Yonder sun was formed\nand fixed by _his_ mighty power--that moon, which walks forth in\nbrightness, and those stars, which glitter on the robe of night, were\nkindled by _his_ energy, and shine by _his_ command.--\"Lift up your eyes\non high, and behold WHO hath created these things, that bringeth out their\nhost by number; he calleth them all by names.\"\n\nThe God of _nature_ is the God of _truth_, the God of _revelation_, and\nthe God of _Israel_. If the Christian contemplate the firmament, or look\ninto the Bible, he sees the same Being. His operations are diverse, but it\nis the same God. If he go, like Isaac, \"into the fields to meditate at the\neventide,\" he meets with God in every leaf, in every stream, and in every\nstar; if he enter into his closet to read the Scriptures, still he finds\nGod in every page and in every truth; or if he pray, it is to \"his FATHER\nwho seeth in secret.\" He may change his place, but he can never remove\nfrom this lovely presence. \"Nevertheless, I am continually with thee.\"\nHence nature shines with new glory in his eyes. God in the _sun_, conducts\nhim by a delightful association of ideas, and a frequent train of\nreflection, to \"God in _Christ_, reconciling the world unto himself, not\nimputing their trespasses unto them.\"\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 4004.]\n\nCreation was the work of six days, upon the third of which, the earth was\nformed, and clothed with vegetative fertility; on the last \"the Lord God\nformed MAN of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the\nbreath of life; and man became a living soul.\" It is for this reason that\nEternal Wisdom is represented as \"rejoicing in the habitable part of his\nearth, and her delights were with the sons of men.\" The _uninhabited_ part\nof the earth is surely worthy of divine complacency. It forms a portion of\nthat universe which the Supreme Architect at first pronounced to be \"very\ngood.\" The most retired places of this terrestrial globe, those extensive\ndeserts which were never printed by the human foot, those dens and caves,\ndeep valleys and cloud-encircled mountains, where silence and solitude\nhave reigned from the beginning of time, contain innumerable\nmanifestations of wisdom, power, and goodness. Wisdom might rejoice in a\nthousand wonders that lie concealed within the bowels of the earth, or in\nthe caverns of the ocean, a world of mineral productions which our utmost\nresearch fails to discover; but the _habitable_ part of the earth has ever\nexcited the highest interest, as the residence of his intelligent\ncreature, and the anticipated scene where the mediatorial work of his\nbeloved Son was to be accomplished.\n\nMan has been called \"an abridgment of the universe,\" [1] uniting in\nhimself in the extremes of being; in his body connected with the material,\nin his soul with the spiritual world;--by his corporeal constitution a fit\ninhabitant of the earth; by his intellectual faculties, a suitable tenant\nof the skies.\n\nThe soul of man constitutes the perfection of his nature, being destined\nto survive the dissolution of his body, and capable of everlasting\nprogression in knowledge and felicity. And here a vast, an illimitable\nfield of observation presents itself to view; but we must pass by it with\nonly one practical remark. The welfare of this immortal soul ought to\nbecome the object of our principal solicitude. Considering the extent of\nits capacities, the indissoluble nature of its constituent principles, the\nnovel and interesting circumstances under which it will hereafter exist,\nits total incompetency to provide for itself under those amazing\nvicissitudes which it is destined to undergo in a change of worlds, and\nthe unalterable perpetuity of its future condition, how inconsiderate and\nhow presumptuous must that individual be who neglects its interests, and\nacts in constant hostility to the first great law of nature,\nSELF-PRESERVATION! The protomartyr of the Christian age evinced a wise\nanxiety when he exclaimed in his dying moments, \"Lord Jesus, receive my\n_spirit_.\" He was aware that his body would soon be consigned by the fury\nof persecution to its native dust; but this excited comparatively little\nconcern. To him it was of no importance whether his grave was with the\nrich or the poor, whether his burying-place were an obscure or an\nillustrious spot: he was anxious for the salvation of his _soul_.\nUnhappily, mankind in general lavish all their cares upon the body, to\nembellish or preserve it, to pamper its appetites, or to minister to its\nartificial necessities: but what an infatuation is it, to provide for that\nwhich perishes, and to be careless of that which is immortal--to decorate\nthe walls, and to despise the furniture--to value the casket, and to throw\naway the jewel!\n\nThe situation of Adam in the garden of Eden, shows that his Creator had\nadopted every proper expedient to promote his felicity. The place selected\nfor his residence was in the highest degree rich and fertile, furnished\nwith every suitable accommodation, and \"well watered\" by a large river\nwhich ran through it, and afterward divided itself into four considerable\nbranches. In being directed to \"dress\" and to \"keep\" the garden, the\ngoodness of God appears in providing him with an employment adapted to a\nstate of primitive innocence, and calculated by a proper occupation of his\ntime to promote his happiness. A slothful inactivity is not only\nincompatible with true enjoyment in our fallen state, but would have been\ninconsistent with the bliss of original paradise; and even when our nature\nshall have attained its greatest perfection in a future world, an\nincessant exertion of our intellectual powers and moral capacities, is\nrepresent as essential to the joy of heaven. There \"his servants shall\n_serve_ him.\"\n\n\"When we think of Paradise,\" observes bishop Horne, \"we think of it as the\nseat of delight. The name EDEN authorizes us so to do. It signifies\nPLEASURE, and the idea of pleasure is inseparable from that of a garden,\nwhere man still seeks after lost happiness, and where, perhaps, a good man\nfinds the nearest resemblance of it which this world affords.\" \"What is\nrequisite,\" exclaims a great and original genius, \"to make a wise and a\nhappy man, but reflection and peace? And both are the natural growth of a\ngarden. A garden to the virtuous is a paradise still extant, a paradise\nunlost.\" [2] The culture of a garden, as it was the first employment of\nman, so it is that to which the most eminent persons in different ages\nhave retired, from the camp and the cabinet, to pass the interval between\na life of action and a removal hence. When old Dioclesian was invited from\nhis retreat, to resume the purple which he had laid down some years\nbefore, \"Ah,\" said he, \"could you but see those fruits and herbs of mine\nown raising at Salona, you would never talk to me of empire!\" An\naccomplished statesman of our own country, who spent the latter part of\nhis life in this manner, has so well described the advantages of it, that\nit would be injustice to communicate his ideas in any words but his own.\n\"No other sort of abode,\" says he, \"seems to contribute so much both to\ntranquillity of mind and indolence of body. The sweetness of the air, the\npleasantness of the smell, the verdure of plants, the clearness and\nlightness of food, the exercise of working or walking; but above all, the\nexemption from care and solicitude, seem equally to favour and improve\nboth contemplation and health, the enjoyment of sense and imagination, and\nthereby the quiet and ease both of body and mind. A garden has been the\ninclination of kings, and the choice of philosophers; the common favourite\nof public and private men; the pleasure of the greatest, and the care of\nthe meanest; an employment and a possession for which no man is too high\nnor too low. If we believe the Scriptures, we must allow that God Almighty\nesteemed the life of man in a garden the happiest he could give him, or\nelse he would not have placed Adam in that of Eden.\" [3] Traditions of\nthis state of primeval felicity are current among all nations; they are\ndiscoverable in the Roman and Grecian fables of the gardens of Flora, of\nAlcinous, and of the Hesperides; and in the pleasing fictions of the poets\nrespecting the golden age.\n\nThus the Lord God formed the nature of man pure, placed him in a garden of\ndelights, and poured around him rivers of joy. The heavens and the earth,\nthe visible and invisible worlds, animate and inanimate, material and\nspiritual beings, conspired to replenish his cup of bliss; and, as the\nperfection of his felicity, God himself condescended to visit\nhis creature.\n\nHuman transgression has disturbed the peace of human life; but man, in his\nprimeval state, was exposed to no changes; his cup had no bitterness, his\nday no cloud, his path no thorn; the _past_ had no regrets, the _present_\nno guilt, the _future_, no terror; the stream of mercy flowed into\nParadise with uninterrupted course, and the beam of prosperity shone with\nunfading brightness and unsetting splendour.\n\nIn this exalted condition there was neither corporeal nor mental debility;\nand the body and soul were not more closely connected in the constitution\nof their being, than in the harmony of their friendship. There was no\nopposition between the flesh and the spirit, no internal warfare, no\nunhappy disagreement; the dictates of a pure mind were unreluctantly\nobeyed by the faculties of an uncorrupted body; for it appears to have\nbeen the established order of Infinite Wisdom in the constitution of the\nuniverse, that matter should be in subjection to spirit, body to soul,\nanimals to rational creatures, and man to God; his understanding was\nclear, his judgment correct, his affections holy, his will free, his\nreason upright; he desired only what was desirable, he loved only what was\nlovely; the whole moral machinery was in the most complete order, the\nfine-toned instrument constructed by omniscient skill, was in\nperfect tune!\n\nBut notwithstanding the diversified means of enjoyment with which Adam was\nfurnished, his paradise was still incomplete; one ingredient was wanting\nto his cup of joy. Although the place of his residence was, us the\ngreatest of poets describes it,\n\n  \"A happy rural seat of various view,--\"\n\nalthough diversified with \"groves,\" and \"lawns,\" and \"level downs,\" and\n\"flocks,\" and \"irriguous valleys,\" and \"umbrageous grots and caves of cool\nrecess,\" and \"murmuring waters,\" and \"airs, vernal airs--\"\n\n                      \"while universal Pan,\n  Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance,\n  Led on th' eternal spring--\"\n\nthe favoured lord of this unrivalled dominion was ALONE. The inanimate\ncreation spread before his view its unparalleled beauties, and nature\nfurnished a table to supply all his wants; the animal world acknowledged\nhis superiority, and went to him to receive their names: his Maker\ncondescended to hold communion with this excellent and intellectual\ncreature, admitting him to that sacred intercourse, and imparting some of\nthat divine knowledge which will no doubt constitute the future felicity\nof emparadised believers: still he had no COMPANION, no one to share his\npleasures, no one upon equal terms to whom he could communicate his\nsentiments. Endowed with a social nature, he had at present no social\nmeans; he seemed as if placed in that solitary point, that fair, but\ndesolate region, where he saw thousands of creatures below him and above\nhim, but none upon that pleasing _level_ which conduces to a delightful\nand profitable familiarity.\n\nThis defect, however, scarcely existed before the goodness of his Maker\nsupplied it. \"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be\nalone; I will make him a help meet for him.\" The process by which this\nmerciful intention was accomplished appears truly wonderful: Adam was put\ninto a profound sleep, and the Lord God took out one of his ribs, from\nwhich he made a woman, and closed up the flesh. What must have been the\nemotions of our great progenitor, when, upon awaking from his supernatural\nslumber, this help meet was presented to him! He had, it seems, an\nintuitive perception of the kind purpose for which this female companion\nof his future days was made; or some immediate revelation disclosing both\nthe manner of her formation, and the reason of his being presented with\nthis invaluable gift. In the first transports of gratitude he exclaimed,\n\"This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called\nwoman (or _Ishah_,) because she was taken out of man.\" This name was\nafterwards changed by him to _Havah,_ or EVE; assigning, as a reason, that\n\"she was the mother of all living.\" This name we have placed at the head\nof the list of female characters in the present work; and while her brief\nhistory is replete with instruction, it possesses an additional interest,\nfrom the consideration of her being the _first_ woman. We are conducted\nback to the infancy of time, to the origin of human being, to the cause of\nthe present degradation of our race, to an impressive exhibition of the\nevil of sin, and to the dawn of redeeming mercy upon this world of\ntransgressors. In this history we shall perceive reasons both for\nhumiliation and triumph; we shall see human nature in ruins, and provision\nmade for its reparation; we shall witness the effects of infernal agency,\nthe loss of primeval glory, the power of female influence; and, above all,\nthe INFINITE GOODNESS of our Creator.\n\nIt very much enhances the dignity of the female character to reflect, that\nof all created things the woman was selected as the only suitable\ncompanion of the first and fairest of men; she was made expressly to\ncontribute to his mental and social pleasures, and not to be the slave of\nhis will; if the _mother_, she was intended also as the _instructor_ of\nhis children; his assistant, at least, in the \"delightful task\" of\n\"rearing the tender thought,\" and \"teaching the young idea how to shoot:\"\nshe was qualified to counsel and co-operate with him in his daily\noccupations, to aid in the investigation of those laws which regulated the\nnew-made world, to unite with him in acts of worship, and to enliven, as\nwell as to participate, his devotional hours.\n\nRevelation is the only system that assigns to woman her natural and proper\nelevation in the scale of being, and inspires a consciousness of her real\ndignity. The moment that an intelligent being is by any injurious\ntreatment, or by any prevailing error, induced to form a degrading\nestimate of itself, that moment it begins to approximate a state of\nmeanness which was hitherto only imaginary. Let such an one be conscious\nof being held in no esteem, or prized solely as the tool of servitude or\nthe food of appetite, and all majesty of character is lost; all aim or\nwish to rise above the brute, to aspire after a station or character, to\nthe occupation of which a tyrannic impiety has opposed an insurmountable\nbarrier, is gone; and those great principles which confer a superiority\nupon the human kind, and point to a noble pre-eminence, cease to operate,\nand expire for want of action. This state of things is unnatural, contrary\nto the original purpose of creation, and in fact, more dishonorable to the\nusurper than to the degraded sufferer. In Mahometan and Pagan countries\nthe rights of women have been sacrificed to the caprices of men; and,\nhaving plucked this fair flower of creation from its original and highly\nelevated situation, its beauty has faded, its glory been lost in the\nsacrilegious hands of its barbarian possessor. Abject slavery or base\nflattery have existed where woman has been displaced from her proper and\noriginal character, and the most mischievous consequences have ensued.\n[4]\n\nThe first woman is said to have been formed _out of man_; hence, as a\n_part of himself_, it seems the law of creation, that man should cherish\nthe most affectionate sentiments for the woman:--\"Therefore,\" says the\ninspired history, \"shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall\ncleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.\"\n\nIt is observable, that the woman was neither taken out of the _head_, nor\nfrom the _feet_, but from the _side_, and near the _heart_! If, therefore,\non the one hand, she ought not to assume pre-eminence, on the other she is\nnot to be trampled on and despised, but received as an equal and a friend.\n\nAs the original arrangements of Infinite Wisdom were the most perfect in\ntheir respective kinds, the appropriation of _one_ woman only, as the\ncompanion and _wife_ of the first created man, indicates both the will of\nthe Creator respecting marriage, and the circumstances in which it is most\nlikely to produce the greatest sum of domestic felicity. Man is neither to\nlive _alone_, nor to indulge that depravity of taste, which, by seeking\nenjoyment in diversity, not only ensures disappointment, but\ngenerates discord.\n\nThe advocates for celibacy and for plurality, equally betray an ignorance\nof Scripture and of human nature, and can find few supporters, except\namongst the infidel or the barbarian classes of mankind. \"They that will\nnot connect their interests, lest they should be unhappy by their\npartner's fault, dream away their time without friendship, without\nfondness, and are driven to rid themselves of the day, for which they have\nno use, by childish amusement or vicious delights. They act as beings\nunder the constant sense of some known inferiority, that fills their minds\nwith rancor and their tongues with censure; they are peevish at home, and\nmalevolent abroad; and, as the outlaws of human nature, make it their\nbusiness and their pleasure to disturb that society which debars them from\nits privileges. To live without feeling or exciting sympathy, to be\nfortunate without adding to the felicity of others, or afflicted without\ntasting the balm of pity, is a state more gloomy than solitude: it is not\nretreat, but exclusion from mankind. Marriage has many pains, but celibacy\nhas no pleasures.\" [5]\n\nThe original law is enforced in the New Testament by an infallible\ncommentator: \"Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning\nmade them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave\nfather and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be\none flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What,\ntherefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.\" Thus Jesus\nChrist sanctions marriage by his authority, virtually interdicts polygamy,\nand absolutely prohibits divorce.\n\nAs the bestowal of one woman upon one man, at the creation of the human\nspecies, was sufficiently indicative of the divine will, so the near\nequality of the two sexes is a strong presumptive argument in favour of\nthis division of society: if a different proportion were better calculated\nto replenish the world with population, the circumstances of Adam seemed\nparticularly to require such an arrangement; or if it were calculated to\npromote human happiness, the Divine Being, who created Eve for the very\npurpose of enhancing the bliss of our first parent, would have superadded\nthis to his paradisaical possessions. The reverse, however, was obviously\nthe case. Polygamy violates the constitution of nature, and produces\ncontests, jealousies, distracted affections, a voluptuousness which\ndissolves the vigour of the intellectual and corporeal faculties, neglect\nof children, with other lamentable evils, for which it furnishes no\ncompensation. \"Whether,\" says Dr. Paley, \"simultaneous polygamy was\npermitted by the law of Moses, seems doubtful; but whether permitted or\nnot, it was certainly practised by the Jewish patriarchs, both before that\nlaw and under it. The permission, if there were any, might be like that of\ndivorce, 'for the hardness of their heart,' in condescension to their\nestablished indulgencies, rather than from the general rectitude or\npropriety of the thing itself. The state of manners in Judea had probably\nundergone a reformation in this respect before the time of Christ, for in\nthe New Testament we meet with no trace or mention of any such practice\nbeing tolerated.\" [6]\n\nThough man was created in the state we have been representing, encircled\nwith the divine favour, rich in all the requisites of happiness, and the\ntenant of a glorious palace, a melancholy alteration soon occurred.\nSeduced by infernal temptation, he forsook his God and forfeited his\nparadise; and from the narrative of his fall in the book of Genesis, which\nimmediately succeeds the account of his felicity, we learn that the WOMAN\nwas the first transgressor. Assuming the form of a serpent, Satan\npresented himself to Eve, and entered into familiar conversation with her.\nTo his artful inquiry respecting the divine interdiction of one of the\ntrees of the garden, she at first gave a very proper answer. Satan\ninsinuated that the terms which God had prescribed, were severe, if not\ncapricious: but she replied in a manner indicative of her perfect\nacquiescence in the commandment, her untainted purity of mind, and such a\nsense of the beneficence of God, as prevented even a momentary doubt of\nhis wisdom or goodness, in the denial of \"one tree in the midst of\nthe garden.\"\n\nThe tempter, in making a second attack, became more positive. In\ncontradiction to the divine assurance, he affirmed, with unhesitating\neffrontery, that they should _not_ die, even though they tasted the fruit\nof the interdicted tree; but on the contrary, that they should be \"as\ngods, knowing good and evil.\" By the very same representations do the\nministers of satanic malice in every age seduce mankind, suggesting that\nthe commands of Heaven are extremely rigid, and flattering them that sin\nmay be committed with impunity.\n\nThe fatal moment was come--she _looked_ at _the tree!_--Ah! thou mother of\nall living! hadst thou looked at the _command_, and turned away from the\nattractive plant and the beguiling serpent, all would have been\nwell--thine innocence had been uncorrupted, thy posterity uncondemned! But\nunhallowed curiosity prompted the fatal experiment--she wished to\nbe wise--\n\n                      \"Her rash hand in evil hour,\n  Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate.\n  Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,\n  Sighing through all her works, gave signs of wo,\n  That all was lost!\"\n\nIt does not appear that any ill consequences resulted _immediately_ from\nthe criminal rashness of this sinner, so that she was encouraged to go to\nher husband, who, seduced by a fairer tempter, and one endeared to him by\nthe tenderest ties, complied with her request to share the violated tree.\nMotives of curiosity and pride excited _her_ to sin, and so far as appears\nfrom the history, blind affection influenced _him_. Alas! she who was\ngiven him as a \"_help meet_,\" is changed into his _seducer_, and from his\n_comfort_ is become his _snare_! That influence which she naturally\npossessed over her husband, ought to have been exerted to _prevent_ his\ncompliance with any sinful intimation, in case of an unexpected\nsolicitation, instead of which it was used to _induce_ him to plunge into\nguilt and ruin. \"We have a right to presume,\" observes Saurin, \"that as no\ncrime was ever connected with more melancholy results, so none was ever\nmore atrocious than hers. The more we examine its nature, the more base it\nappears, and the more easy is it to exculpate religion from those\nreproaches which this statement has so often occasioned. Whatever tends to\nextenuate the guilt of other sins, is an aggravation of this.\n\n\"Sometimes a confusion _of the passions_ obscures all the powers of the\nsoul; a man who sins in this manner, is frequently less deserving of\nabhorrence than of pity; he acts from a sort of compulsion, and protests\nagainst the crime, even at the moment he is committing it. Eve possessed a\ndominion over those passions to which we are become enslaved; she could\neasily calm their turbulence, and they had no other influence over her,\nthan what was on her own part voluntary.\n\n\"Sometimes _necessity_ inspires the design of acquiring by unlawful\nmethods, a supply which nature has rendered requisite, and which cannot be\nlegitimately obtained. But, what could be wanting to satisfy the\ninsatiable cravings of this woman? What could she need as an addition to\nher happiness? She might be said to be 'crowned with glory and honour;'\nshe had dominion over the works of the Creator; all things were put under\nher feet; all sheep and oxen; yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl\nof the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the\npaths of the seas. Even her love of variety could not yet be satiated, and\nthis garden offered a thousand exquisite fruits which she had\nnever tasted.\n\n\"Sometimes _doubt_ blends itself with disobedience. There are but few sins\ntotally unaccompanied with unbelief; some clouds always obscure our faith;\nsome veils of concealment overspread the existence of the Creator. Among\nthe previous pangs which sin occasions, when we deliberate respecting the\ncommission of it, there always exist certain vague ideas in the mind, such\nas these--perhaps no superior being concerns himself about it; or, perhaps\nno one has forbidden it;--but Eve could not possibly doubt of the\nexistence or the will of the Creator. She had herself heard this language\nfrom his mouth, 'In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall\nsurely die.'\n\n\"Sometimes our abuse of a favour proceeds from _false ideas of its\norigin_. Though every sinner be ungrateful, yet every sinner is not a\nmonster of ingratitude. The first cause of our felicity is sometimes\nmingled with the second, which is serviceable in procuring it. Our\nindustry frequently seems to share with Providence the glory of our\ncondition, and the nature of a blessing sometimes leads us to forget the\nacknowledgments due to our benefactor; but Eve enjoyed no good which did\nnot in some respect proceed _immediately_ from the bounty of God, and\nwhich ought not to have induced her to glorify him.\n\n\"Sometimes a _pure motive_ produces an _impure action_, and the love of\nvirtue itself sometimes occasions our removal from it; but in the present\ncase the action is aggravated by the motive. Pride, vain-glory, perhaps\nthe desire of robbing God of his pre-eminence, his omniscience, or his\njurisdiction over the creature, his most sacred and incommunicable\ndistinctions, were the dispositions that actuated this woman.\n\n\"Can any imaginable pretext serve to palliate so atrocious a crime, or\nexcuse the woman who first committed it, and the man who joined in the\nrebellion? Would they indeed have been less criminal, if a seraph of glory\nhad proposed to them the impious deed? Was not the faculty of _reason_\nwhich they had received from God, sufficient to make them understand what\nrevelation has taught us, that if an angel from heaven were to proclaim\nany thing contrary to what God has commanded, it ought to inspire us with\nno other sentiments than those of _anathema_ and execration?\"\n[7]\n\nThe general consequences of human transgression were:\n\n1. _The loss of Eden_, and the subjection of our first parents to a mode\nof life both humiliating and painful. Ease was exchanged for toil, honour\nfor degradation, peace for distraction and wo.\n\nIt is always painful to quit a favourite spot. The heart lingers long\nbehind, and employs the pencil of memory to paint the absent scene. Adam\nand Eve must have experienced inexpressible emotions when driven from\ntheir primeval residence, where all the elements, all the seasons, and all\nbeings had contributed to their enjoyment. Never, never, could they forget\nthose landscapes on which the eye paused with rapture; never, never, could\nthey cease to remember its rich productions, its often-frequented vales,\nand hills, and rivers, and woods; never, never, could they obliterate from\ntheir memory the bright sunshine of heavenly love that beamed upon them\nthere--for by transgression they suffered.\n\n2. _The loss of their God_. The divine favour can alone constitute the\nreal felicity of a creature; this, in its full manifestation, is\n_heaven_--in its total absence, is _hell_. No place, however loaded with\nblessings, can constitute a desirable abode, unless God be there. The\nfairest Eden without this manifestation must be a melancholy dungeon to an\nintelligent and immortal being. It is this which was forfeited by original\nsin, and which occasioned \"a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep\nthe way of the tree of life.\"\n\nIt would be inconsistent with the nature of God not to manifest\ndispleasure against iniquity, however high and dignified the being who\ncommits it. An angel must lose his crown, if he dare to disobey that Being\nwho is \"glorious in holiness.\"\n\n3. Mankind incurred by sin _the loss of life_.--\"And the Lord God\ncommanded the man, saying, Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely\neat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat\nof it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.\"\nThis denunciation included an exposure not only to temporal, but to\neternal death, as might be shown from the nature and demerit of sin, the\nmeans which were afterwards employed to destroy its effects in the work of\nChrist, the repeated declarations of Scripture, and the peculiar energy\nof the original expression; it is literally, \"Dying, thou shalt die.\" The\nweight of the condemnation rested on the sinner's head, and in order to\nmaintain the glory of his character, \"the blessed God\" rendered his\npunishment as extraordinary as his former mercies, and proportionate to\nhis enormous guilt.--\"Thou wilt by no means clear the guilty.\"--\"These\nshall go away into _everlasting_ punishment.\"\n\n4. The sin of Adam and Eve involved the _ruin of their posterity_. As the\nfirst man and woman, they stood in a peculiar relation to all who should\nhereafter be born, the representatives of unnumbered millions, whose\nfuture condition essentially depended on their character and\ncircumstances. Had they continued innocent, it cannot be doubted their\nchildren would have been placed in a far happier condition. They would\nhave inherited purity and a blessing for the Father's sake, instead of\nbeing \"shapen in iniquity.\" As the streams become polluted when the\nfountain is poisoned, or as the branches die when the root is destroyed,\nso the race of men are become degraded, accursed, and condemned by their\nparent's sin. They inherit a nature depraved by original transgression,\nand disposed to every wicked indulgence. Instead of becoming more\nassimilated to God, as man had flattered himself he should be by partaking\nof the forbidden fruit, he became from that moment assimilated to the\ndevil. Every dishonorable and hurtful passion took immediate possession of\nthe breast, and to this hour reigns in the carnal man with unrivalled\ninfluence. Whatever misery results from the gratification of these\npassions, is solely attributable to the principle; for man, who is\ncriminal by nature, is still more so by inclination and practice. The\nworld is thrown into a state of anarchy. The unbridled dominion of the\npassions disturbs the peace of the individual and the harmony of society.\nSin makes a man at variance with himself, with his neighbour, and with the\nwhole constitution of things. He is restless as the ocean, impelled by\nevery contrary wind, and tossed about by every sportive billow. The desire\nof happiness exists; but he is ignorant of the true means of it, and is\nperpetually pursuing it by a method which only plunges him into greater\nmisery. To this cause must be attributed all the mental distresses and all\nthe bodily afflictions of the individual--all the disturbances which\nprevent domestic enjoyment, the bickerings and jealousies of families with\ntheir various alliances--all the animosities which agitate social\nlife--all the intestine broils, ambitious emulations, endless contentions,\nand opposing interests that distract a state--all the melancholy wars that\nconvulse nations and desolate empires, the record of which has stained the\npage of history in all ages--with every particular, form, and mode of\nevil, discoverable in the world.\n\nBut sin extends its ravages beyond the present state. It has not only\nstrewed the whole path of life with tormenting thorns, but enkindled\n\"everlasting burnings.\" It has not only introduced disorder into the\nworld, disease into the body, and distress into the condition of men, but\nexposed them to the agonies of death and of hell. It is sin which banishes\nevery hope and excludes every ray of comfort from the realms of infernal\ndespair. Justly, then, is it characterized by the apostle, as\n\"_exceeding sinful_.\"\n\nThere were two respects in which the woman became more deeply affected by\nthe curse than the man; she not only participated, as a fallen creature,\nin the diversified calamities which, from the moment of transgression,\nwere entailed upon humanity, but suffered as a _female_ in the _conjugal_\nand _maternal_ relationships which she was destined hereafter to sustain.\nHer husband was to \"rule over her,\" and in sorrow \"she was to bring forth\nchildren.\" The yoke of subjection, indeed, in the one case, and the pangs\nof childbirth in the other, are alleviated by the benign influences of\nChristianity, whose supplies are intended to heal the wounds inflicted by\nthe poisonous serpent; but they nevertheless attach, in greater or less\ndegrees, to the human constitution.\n\nThe reason of this marked difference in the dispensation of an avenging\nProvidence to the two principal parties concerned, was obviously this; the\nwoman was _first_ in the transgression, and after listening to the\ndeceptive counsel of her adversary, tempted when she ought to have warned\nher husband. It appears consonant to every principle of equity, that the\natrociousness of her guilt should be characterized by appropriate\nexpressions of displeasure; and that, in the future condition of mankind,\nall beings should recognize, not only the general purity of the divine\nadministration, but its reference to the peculiarities of individual\ndelinquency. Whatever mystery may at present involve the proceedings of\nInfinite Wisdom, and however incapacitated we may be to discover in every\ngiven case, or even in the majority of instances, the distinct traces of a\njustice that holds the even balance, and adjusts with nicety the\nproportions of sin and punishment, of this we may feel perfectly assured,\nthat \"every one\" will eventually \"receive the things done in his body,\n_according to that he hath done_, whether it be good or bad.\"\n\nIt should be a matter of serious consideration to women to employ the\ninfluence which they possess, as the gift of nature, to wise, holy, and\nuseful purposes. Let the young female especially see to it, that her\nattractions are not dedicated to the service of sin, but to that of virtue\nand of Christ. Let her neither be tempted, nor tempt others, but close her\near against the voice of enticement, and make a covenant with her tongue,\nthat it neither utter folly, nor propagate slander. Let the daughters of\nEve imitate their mother in her state of unfallen rectitude, when she\nshone in all the purity of innocence, and in all the summer of her charms;\nbut let them avoid that course which tarnished her glory, debased her\nnature, and withered her paradise. It is indisputable that society is\nmaterially affected by the character of women; and in very important\nrespects the moral state, as well as the social comfort of the world, is\nat their disposal. Let them beware of the delusions to which they are\nexposed, and make virtuous use of the influence which is undoubtedly given\nthem. Let them aim to be guides to piety, not seducers to sin; and,\ninstead of presenting to others the forbidden fruit, refuse to taste, or\neven to _look_ at it: so shall they regain the dignity they have lost, be\nadmitted to partake of the untainted spring of happiness, and enjoy at\nonce a peaceful conscience and an approving God.\n\nThe narrative which has here been briefly introduced, stands in immediate\nconnection with a subject which abounds in considerable difficulties, and\nhas produced, unhappily, many acrimonious controversies. These it would be\nimproper to detail; but as our design is chiefly practical, if some of\nthose objections which occur to almost every mind, can, by a few words, be\nin any degree obviated, it will be worthy at least of a short digression.\n\n1. It has been alleged that the first man might have been created\nimmutable by a necessity of nature, the consequence of which would have\nbeen his own perfect and unchanging happiness, and that of all mankind.\nThe imagination seizes the transporting thought, and in a moment converts\nevery spot of this barren wilderness into \"the garden of Eden.\" Does it,\nhowever, become us to prescribe rules to Omniscience? Was the Deity\nobliged to impose a miraculous constraint upon the human will, and compel\nhis creature to choose whatever is best with invariable determination and\npromptitude? If a parent were to caution his child against a danger, into\nwhich he afterward plunged himself by his inadvertence or perverseness,\nwould the child be justified in censuring the parent, because, in addition\nto advice, he did not employ bonds and cords? Adam might have been created\nimmutable by a necessity of nature. True--but Adam would then have been\nanother being, and not a man. It might with similar propriety be asked,\nwhy men were not created equal to angels, or beasts to men? This sentiment\nimplies, that it was not proper to create such a being as _man_ at all, an\nintimation sufficiently presumptuous. Adam possessed all the perfections\nessential to his nature, and conducive to his felicity, and all the\nmotives to obedience, which a reasonable creature could demand. If he\nfell, it was _violating_ and not _concurring_ with the principles of his\nnature. And who was culpable for this violation? It is true he was\n_tempted_,--but then he was _forewarned_. He was _tempted_--so was the\n_second Adam_, the Lord from heaven, who effectually _resisted_ the\ntemptation.\n\n2. Some have supposed that the punishment was disproportioned to the\noffence. A more attentive consideration of the subject, however, will\ndemonstrate the contrary. The compliance with the seductions of the\ntempter, of which our first parents were guilty, betrayed many lamentable\nsymptoms of degeneracy. Pride, ambition, discontent, unbelief,\npresumption, ingratitude, and an undervaluation of the divine favour, are\nall plainly discernible through the thin veil of an extenuating apology,\nwith which they vainly attempted to conceal their baseness.--\"The woman,\nwhom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.\"\nAnd the woman said, \"The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.\" Endowed as\nthey were with knowledge, it was a sin against the greatest _light_;\nsurrounded as they were with motives, it was a sin against the greatest\n_means_; warned as they were of danger and promised eternal blessedness,\nit was a sin against the greatest _reason_; and placed as they were at the\nhead of a numerous posterity, and in a sense the depositories and trustees\nof their happiness, it was a sin against the greatest _public good_.\n\nBesides, it was the _first sin_, and consequently justice demanded such an\nexpression of the divine displeasure as would tend to deter future\ntransgressors, and evince the purity of God to all holy intelligences.\nWhen justice seized upon the delinquents, and brought them to the\nequitable tribunal of Heaven, the whole intelligent universe may be\nconsidered as attentive spectators of the scene. Every eye was\nfixed--every ear open--every tongue silent--every harp suspended. The\ngreat Judge with whom \"a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a\nthousand years,\" saw, as it were, the unborn generations of men all\npresent, and tremblingly awaiting the verdict. This was the solemn hour\nwhen the perfections of Deity were to be most sublimely illustrated, and\nten thousand worlds were to learn in one eventful moment the character of\ntheir Creator, \"Therefore the Lord God sent him from the garden of Eden.\"\n\nThe nature of sin in itself should also be considered. It is no trifling\naffair. From the habit of observing only its outward effects, we overlook\nits rancorous principle. The propensity to extenuate sin arises from\nignorance of its vileness. We judge of every thing by comparison, and\nself-flattery always renders the comparison favorable to ourselves. But\n_small_ and _large_ are terms which, though we have chosen to adopt them,\ndo not properly belong to the subject. The divine mind contemplates sin in\nits principle; and the _least_ transgression, being a resistance of his\ncommand, an insult to his authority, an opposition to his truth, a\nviolation, of general order, a perversion and misuse of the noblest\nfaculties, whatever may be the force of the attack or the nature of the\ntemptation, is infinitely offensive to the blessed God. It is an admission\nof that principle which, could it possibly prevail, would produce eternal\ndiscord, universal rebellion, and boundless misery.\n\n3. If, however, we be accounted sinners in Adam, may it not be inferred\nthat our guilt is incalculably _inferior_ to his, and that in all our\nactions resulting from this inherent depravity, we are more _pitiable_\nthan _culpable_? By no means.--It is sufficient to remark, that though our\noriginal guilt be less than his, not having been personally the\nperpetrators of the first crime, our _actual_ guilt is equal, if not\ngreater. For it is obvious we sin with all the experience of the past to\nforewarn us; we sin, though we witness the deplorable effects of his fall,\nand hear the denunciations of vengeance in the Scriptures.\n\nThough it be true that sin originates in a depravity of heart, which is\nthe fatal inheritance of the whole human race, will any one pretend that\nsuch a sentiment justifies its excesses? The perpetration of iniquity in\nthe course of our daily practice, must not be confounded with the original\ntendency. These excesses are in no sense chargeable upon the principle as\nits necessary and unavoidable result, because thousands escape \"the\npollutions that are in the world.\" Nor are we less obliged to love God in\nconsequence of the fall, though unhappily we are become more incapable and\nindisposed to it. You ask, why passions were implanted in human nature?\nThe reply is, to extend the means of our happiness, by rendering us more\ncapable of glorifying and enjoying God. If they have acquired a sinful\nbias, the obligation to devote them to their original purpose is by no\nmeans diminished: But their great Author, to whom we are responsible for\nevery faculty, requires that we should oppose their perverse propensities,\nearnestly repent of the irregularities produced by their seducing\ninfluence, and solicit the aid of his grace to conquer them.\n\nWhen the apostle of the Gentiles was reasoning before an unjust judge of\n\"righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,\" it is said, \"Felix\ntrembled, and answered. Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient\nseason I will call for thee.\" Unhappy man! Hadst thou but obeyed Paul\ninstead of dismissing him, hadst thou but yielded to thy kindling\nconvictions, confessed thy sins, and sought salvation through the blood of\nthat Jesus whom Paul preached, the church of Christ would have hailed thee\nas \"a brand plucked out of the burning.\"\n\nEvery one is conscious that, however corrupt his nature, he is under no\nirresistible impulse, no constraining necessity. If he commit sin it is\nvoluntarily. Sin is his choice and his pleasure. He does not sin because\nhe is _necessitated_ to do it, but because he _loves_ it: and however\nwilling the carnal mind may be to avail itself of sophistical reasonings\nto quiet conscience, every one must, in the hour of dispassionate\nreflection, feel himself implicated in the charge, \"all have sinned.\"\n\nListen to the case of a wretched prodigal.--Crime had reduced him to rags.\nHe had a _home_--but through perverseness he banished himself from all its\ncomforts. He had a _father_--but he undervalued his affection, in a moment\nof folly demanded his patrimony, and adventured abroad friendless and\nalone. A few years brought him to the very gates of death. O thoughtless\nsinner, \"_Thou_ art the man!\" _Thou_ hast forsaken God, the Father of\nmercies! _Thou_ art \"perishing in ignorance and unbelief!\" But this moral\nlunatic came to himself, and resolved to return to his father; \"I will\narise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned\nagainst heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy\nson; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his\nfather. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had\ncompassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.\" What a son!\nwhat a father! what a meeting! what sighs of penitence! what tears of\nfondness! what looks of tenderness! what words of peace! How were\nresentment and grief drowned in a sea of love!\n\nGod of all comfort, who art thyself this kind, forgiving, bountiful\nFather, grant of thine infinite mercy that every reader may prove himself\nthis humble, sincere, and grateful penitent!\n\n\n\n\nSarah\n\nChapter II.\n\n\n\n  Abraham's Departure from Chaldea--His Faith--Its Failure--Sarah and\n  Abraham agree to prevaricate--The Admiration which Sarah\n  attracted--Abraham's Dismissal from the country of Egypt--Beauty and\n  Dress--Importance of a proper Education--Parental Vanity--Source of real\n  Attraction--Sarah proposes to Abraham to take Hagar--Unhappy\n  Consequences--Hagar's Flight and Return--Visit of three Angels--Sarah's\n  laughter at the subject of their commission--Her subsequent\n  Character--General Remarks--Birth of Isaac--Ishmael's Conduct and its\n  Consequences--Sarah's Death.\n\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1920-1921.]\n\nAt a very advanced period of life, and in obedience to a divine\ninjunction, Abraham went out from his country and his father's house, \"not\nknowing whither he went.\" By this cheerful, prompt, and pious submission\nto the mysterious will of Heaven, he has acquired a high distinction in\nthe sacred records, and presents a noble example for the imitation of all\nfuture ages. Here was no debate between a sense of duty and an inclination\nto sin--no disposition to question the wisdom or the goodness of the\ncommand--no effort to devise expedients for the purpose of procuring\ndelay--and no unholy apprehensions respecting the possible or probable\nconsequences of such a proceeding.\n\nIn this removal from Chaldea, the illustrious exile took with him his\nwife, his nephew, \"and all their substance that they had gathered, and the\nsouls that they had gotten in Haran.\" Upon their arrival in Canaan, the\ndivine declaration respecting his future possession of the country was\nrenewed, and he erected an altar to the Lord in the plain of Moreh. The\nsame act of devotion was performed at the next stage of his journey, on a\nmountain to the east of Bethel; for no change of place could obliterate\nhis sense of religious obligation.\n\nThis land of promise was soon afflicted with a grievous famine, in\nconsequence of which, he was necessitated to provide for the subsistence\nof his family by removing into Egypt. This was a new trial to his faith;\nfor by what possible means could a land at present so impoverished, become\na place of plentiful subsistence to his posterity, when multiplied as the\nsands upon the sea-shore? Driven even from this promised inheritance, he\ndid not, however, manifest a spirit of discontent or unbelief, but\nhastened to seek a temporary asylum, convinced that he to whose guidance\nhe had committed himself and his beloved family, could, by the\noutstretched arm of his power, not only overcome every obstacle which to\nhuman ignorance might seem insurmountable; but by his concurrent wisdom\nrender difficulties themselves subservient to the accomplishment of\nhis purposes.\n\nAlas! on his entering Egypt he is seized with apprehension. The faith\nwhich had hitherto been so conspicuous is mingled with distrust, and he\nengages his beloved SARAH, who is now introduced to our notice, in an act\nof most unwarrantable duplicity. The whole of this transaction is detailed\nwith that perfect impartiality which characterizes the histories of the\nScriptures, and which furnishes one very decisive evidence of their\ninspiration.\n\nSarah is represented as very beautiful. Her husband was aware that this\ncircumstance would attract the notice of the Egyptians, not only because\nof the contrast her person would exhibit to the swarthy complexions of\ntheir women, but on account of their licentious character. He dreaded\ntheir illicit attachment, and the probable consequence that they might\nassassinate him in order to obtain his wife. This idea of Egyptian morals\nwas no doubt correct, but how deplorable! They would not commit adultery;\nbut for the sake of gratifying a guilty passion, were ready to perpetrate\nthe abominable sin of murder! And thus, under the strange pretence of\nreverence for the matrimonial law, they would have violated at once the\ndictates of humanity, the principles of reason, and the constitutions of\nheaven. So common is it for transgressors to \"strain at a knat and swallow\na camel;\" and so uniform the course of guilt, which never walks alone, but\ndraws with it a train of complicated iniquities!\n\nThe preliminaries being settled, Abraham and his family entered Egypt. She\nwas to say, when any inquiries were made, that she was his _sister_,\nhoping by this artifice to escape danger. This, it must be observed, was\nnot a _direct_ falsehood: it was such only by _implication_. It was true\nthat, according to the Jewish mode of reckoning, Sarah was the _sister_ of\nAbraham; but their intention in circulating this statement was, to conceal\nthe whole truth of her being his _wife_. Notwithstanding the ingenuity\nwhich some learned men have displayed in attempting to vindicate this\nconduct, we must without hesitation pronounce it base, mean, and\nprevaricating. The purpose was to deceive, and it was the more censurable\nfor being so deliberately premeditated and so perseveringly practised.\nThere are cases in which persons have been overtaken in a fault, impelled\nby some momentary passion, excited by some brilliant temptation, or\nbetrayed by some unexpected coincidence of circumstances, and of which\nthey have deeply and almost immediately repented--a situation which\ncannot but excite our pity, as well as our disapprobation; but this was a\ntransaction which it is impossible either to extenuate or justify. Let it\nbe improved as a motive for self-examination, and a beacon to warn us from\nsimilar misconduct. \"O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be\nashamed, for I put my trust in thee. Let INTEGRITY and UPRIGHTNESS\npreserve me, for I wait on thee.\"\n\nPrevarication of every kind partakes of the very essence of lying, being\nnot only subversive of social happiness, by preventing all confidential\nintercourse amongst mankind, but diametrically opposed to the commands of\nGod. Every species of wilful deceit, as the use of ambiguities in language\nfor the purpose of misleading; the adoption of expressions which we know\nto be understood by another in a different sense from what we really mean;\nmental reservations; a studied suppression of part of the truth, as in the\npresent example, is unworthy the character of any person who professes to\nbe an honest man, much more of one who sustains the dignified character of\na Christian. \"Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with\nhis neighbour.\"\n\nIn theory, it seems an easy thing to adhere to truth; but it is too\nfrequently found difficult in practice. When motives of interest are\nbalanced against motives of duty, it is well if the former do not\nsometimes preponderate. Are we always careful to state facts _exactly_ as\nthey exist; to avoid all false colouring; to swear even to our own hurt?\nIf so, we need not fear investigation, because nothing can be detected but\nan honourable, undissembled mind.\n\nWhen Adam disobeyed the divine commandment, and in consequence forfeited\nthe bliss of primeval paradise, he was seduced by his fair partner, who\nhad already listened to the wily suggestions of the serpent; but Abraham,\nso far from being tempted by his wife, appears to have been the sole\ncontriver of this disingenuous artifice, and employed all his influence to\ninduce her to transgress. In following him from his original residence\ninto Canaan, and subsequently to Egypt, she obeyed the dictates of\naffection and of religion; but when she suffered herself to be persuaded\ninto a deceitful action, she sacrificed the purity of her conscience. It\nbecame her, however painful the conflict, to resist the temptation; and,\nwhen the claims of heaven were opposed to those of affection or human\nauthority, to obey God rather than man. It appears that we are not only in\ndanger of being misled by those who are our avowed enemies, or by the\npernicious example of the multitude who do evil, but the nearest and\ndearest relatives may become snares to our feet; and even those, in whose\npiety and wisdom we should naturally confide, may, under the influence of\ntemporary delusion, incite us to do wrong. Our affections must not be\nimplicitly trusted. There is a point where submission to man becomes\ntreason against heaven. It were better to incur the displeasure even of\nthe dearest friend and tenderest relative, than of Him who possesses\nsupreme authority over conscience.\n\nAt the same time, let a woman, who thus ventures to disobey her husband,\ndo it with that caution which results solely from a conviction of\nparamount duty, and from a well founded assurance that she is not\nmistaken. It is no trifling occasion that will justify opposition to the\nwill of him whom she is commanded to obey; and if it be done in a proper\nspirit, it will be done with a degree of reluctance, and under an\noverwhelming sense of necessity. Let the spirit of meekness be prevalent.\nNothing in the _manner_, in which unwelcome opposition is maintained, must\nindicate a proud resistance, or an air of triumph. It must not be\nlitigious, petulant, unconciliating; but the importance of those\nprinciples which occasion the difference, must be apparent in the temper\nof mind they produce. Thus, it will be possible to maintain the rights of\nconscience, and not to violate the claims of duty: the integrity of the\nheart will be indicated, not by words only, but by actions.--It is natural\nto feel indignant against a conduct which we suspect to proceed from\nimproper motives, and a hostile spirit; but we extenuate even the mistakes\nof those who differ most widely from ourselves, provided we have\nsufficient evidence that their scruples result from conscientious\nfeelings. While, therefore, in our differences from others, we are careful\nnot to be actuated by mere frivolous pretences, we must be equally\nsolicitous not to be deterred from showing a firm consistence of conduct,\nlest we should incur the charge of an affected singularity.\n\nThe fact was such as Abraham had anticipated. Sarah was the object of\nuniversal admiration. She attracted the attention even of Pharaoh's\ncourtiers, who, with the view of pleasing their master, recommended her to\nthe king. Supposing she had been the stranger's sister, she was taken into\nhis house. Alas! what availed all this timid policy! The very means which\nhad been devised for the preservation of Sarah from Egyptian\nlicentiousness, nearly exposed her to all its dreaded consequences; and\nAbraham was duped by his own craftiness. His wife was endangered, his\nartifice detected, and the household of Pharaoh visited with divine\nchastisements on her account. And, in addition to the pain which both he\nand his beloved partner must have felt, from the consciousness of having\nacted wrong, they were dismissed from the country. \"And Pharaoh called\nAbraham, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst\nthou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister?\nSo I might have taken her to me to wife: now, therefore, behold thy wife,\ntake her and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and\nthey sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.\"\n\nThe _beauty_ of Sarah was obviously the occasion of her committing, in\nconcert with her husband, the sin of equivocation, and of the misfortunes\nwhich attended their Egyptian journey. If she had not been distinguished\nfor a fair exterior, she would have escaped the admiration of these\nstrangers, and the difficulties which she and Abraham afterwards\nencountered. Solomon pronounces beauty to be vain; and the history of the\nworld will show, that, in innumerable instances, as well as that of Sarah,\nit has betrayed its fair possessor into many snares. Experience, however,\nin this respect, does not seem to teach wisdom; for the wish to acquire\nthe attraction which beauty confers, seems to be no less prevalent in the\npresent age, than it was at the earliest period of the world. How many\nhours of the day, and how many days of the wasted year, do some females\ndevote to the improvement of their persons! Impossible as it has ever\nbeen, and ever will be found, to make one hair black or white, to add one\ncubit to the stature, to bend one untractable feature into the admired\ncurve to which common consent attributes grace and loveliness; the\nimpossible transformation is nevertheless attempted. The treasures of\nopulence are exhausted; the more valuable possession of health is often\nsacrificed at the shrine of vanity: and while the noble distinctions of\ncultivated intellect and solid piety are neglected, the ostentatious\ndecoration of exterior polish is sought with useless and guilty avidity.\n\nThe most effectual means of correcting this error, is in early life to\ncommence the important business of moral discipline by a solid education.\nIf a greater degree of attention be paid to showy, than to substantial\nacquirements; if young ladies be systematically prepared to shine and\nattract, instead of being assiduously formed to be useful in the stations\nto which Providence has assigned them; it may be expected that they should\nbecome solicitous of courting admiration, rather than of winning esteem.\nThey will necessarily be unfitted for domestic management, and\ndisqualified for the sober realities of life. If the matrimonial connexion\nbe founded upon no better pretensions, and no superior reasons for\nattachment, it is incapable of securing solid happiness. It is, in fact,\nat the mercy of every breeze. The wind of adversity may blow upon the fair\nflower, wither its exterior charms, and leave nothing but prickles and\nthorns. A consciousness of insignificance on the one hand, and a\nperception of it on the other, will produce disappointment, and generate\ndissatisfaction; and it will be found, too late perhaps, that the _mind_,\ninstead of the _face_, ought to have been principally regarded.\n\nThere is a species of parental vanity against which we would loudly\nappeal. Some persons are extremely anxious that their daughters should\npossess all the attractions of beauty; and from their earliest infancy, a\nconcern for appearances is instilled into them, as of the first\nimportance. If young persons, so unhappily circumstanced, should receive a\nwrong bias, we cannot feel surprised; and it will require a long course of\nsalutary discipline, combined with the inculcation of religious\nprinciples, effectually to teach them that to see, and to be seen, are not\nthe great purposes of human existence; that they must live for nobler\nends, and secure the approbation of the wise and good by other\naccomplishments than a taste for the arrangement of a ribbon, or the\nharmony of a tune. Unless they should be unfortunate enough to meet with\nnone but flippant and vacant admirers, to whose flattering nothings they\nare induced to listen, they will find, that persons of real worth are not\nto be attracted by tinsel decorations, nor a butterfly exterior, but that\n\n  \"Man has a relish more refined;\"\n\nand will rather breathe the following sentiments, as the appropriate\nlanguage of a noble enthusiasm, connected with rationality and religion;\n\n  \"Souls are for social bliss designed--\n  Give me a blessing fit to match my mind;\n  A kindred soul to double and to share my joys.\"\n\nThat which constitutes the source of attraction to well regulated minds,\ndoes not depend upon the disposition of the features, nor the colour of\nthe skin. It is possible to every kind of exterior form. \"This beauty,\" it\nhas been well observed, \"does not always consist in smiles, but varies as\nexpressions of meekness and kindness vary with their objects: it is\nextremely forcible in the silent complaint of patient sufferance, the\ntender solicitude of friendship, and the glow of filial obedience; and in\ntears, whether of joy, of pity, or of grief, it is almost irresistible.\n\n\"This is the charm which captivates without the aid of nature, and without\nwhich her utmost bounty is ineffectual. But it cannot be assumed as a mask\nto conceal insensibility or malevolence: it must be the effect of\ncorresponding sentiments, or it will impress upon the countenance a new\nand more disgusting deformity--AFFECTATION. Looks, which do not correspond\nwith the heart, cannot be assumed without labour, nor continued without\npain: the motive to relinquish them must, therefore, soon preponderate,\nand the aspect and apparel of the visit will be laid by together: the\nsmiles and the languishments of art will vanish, and the fierceness of\nrage, or the gloom of discontent, will either obscure or destroy all the\nelegance of symmetry and complexion.\n\n\"The artificial aspect is, indeed, as wretched a substitute for the\nexpression of sentiment, as the smear of paint for the blushes of health:\nit is not only equally transient, and equally liable to detection; but, as\npaint leaves the countenance yet more withered and ghastly, the passions\nburst out with more violence after restraint, the features become more\ndistorted, and excite more determined aversion.\n\n\"Beauty, therefore, depends principally upon the mind, and consequently\nmay be influenced by education. It has been remarked, that the predominent\npassion may generally be discovered in the countenance; because the\nmuscles by which it is expressed, being almost perpetually contracted,\nlose their tone, and never totally relax; so that the expression remains\nwhen the passion is suspended: thus, an angry, a disdainful, a subtle, and\na suspicious temper, is displayed in characters that are almost\nuniversally understood. It is equally true of the pleasing and the softer\npassions, that they leave their signatures upon the countenance when they\ncease to act. The prevalence of these passions, therefore, produces a\nmechanical effect upon the aspect, and gives a turn and cast to the\nfeatures, which make a more favourable and forcible impression upon the\nmind of others, than any charm produced by mere external causes.\n\n\"Neither does the beauty which depends upon temper and sentiment, equally\nendanger the possessor: it is, to use an eastern metaphor, 'like the\ntowers of a city--not only an ornament, but a defence:' if it excite\ndesire, it at once controls and refines it; it represses with awe, it\nsoftens with delicacy, and it wins to imitation. The love of reason and of\nvirtue is mingled with the love of beauty; because this beauty is little\nmore than the emanation of intellectual excellence, which is not an object\nof corporeal appetite. As it excites a purer passion, it also more\nforcibly engages to fidelity: every man finds himself more powerfully\nrestrained from giving pain to goodness than to beauty; and every look of\na countenance in which they are blended, in which beauty is the expression\nof goodness, is a silent reproach to the first irregular wish; and the\npurpose immediately appears to be disingenuous and cruel, by which the\ntender hope of ineffable affection would be disappointed, the placid\nconfidence of unsuspecting simplicity abused, and the peace even of virtue\nendangered, by the most sordid infidelity, and the breach of the strongest\nobligations.\n\n\"But the hope of the hypocrite must perish.--When the factitious beauty\nhas laid by her smiles; when the lustre of her eyes, and the bloom of her\ncheeks, have lost their influence with their novelty; what remains, but a\ntyrant divested of power, who will never be seen without a mixture of\nindignation and disdain? The only desire which this object could gratify,\nwill be transferred to another, not only without reluctance, but\nwith triumph.\n\n\"Let it, therefore, be remembered, that none can be disciples of the\nGRACES, but in the school of VIRTUE; and that those who wish to be\nLOVELY, must learn early to be GOOD.\"\n\nIn the next transaction, Sarah appears in a still more unfavourable light\nthan in the former part of her history. In whatever degree the\ncircumstances in which she was placed may seem to extenuate the guilt of\nher conduct in Egypt, they can no longer be pleaded on her behalf. She is\nnot now overawed by the authority of her husband, or seduced by an\naffection, which would, at all hazards, endeavour to save his valuable\nlife; but becomes the voluntary tempter to a violation of divine\ninstitutions, by which she not only manifested her unbelief, but\nsacrifices to unworthy motives her domestic peace.\n\nNotwithstanding the divine assurance, that the posterity of Abraham should\nbecome a great nation, and possess the land of Canaan, Sarah begins to\nthink that there is no probability of her becoming a mother. Ten years had\nelapsed, and no child was born. Reflecting on her advanced period of life,\nand incapable of an implicit reliance upon the power of God, she requested\nAbraham to take Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, in order that she might\nobtain children by her. It is scarcely possible to imagine a proposal more\ncalculated to subvert the comfort of her family, or more illustrative of\nan unbelieving spirit. She could not rely upon the slow but certain\noperations of a superintending Providence to fulfil those promises which\nhad been given; although a humble faith would have cherished confidence in\nhis word. He who has filled the volume of inspiration with \"exceeding\ngreat and precious promises,\" will assuredly accomplish them,\nnotwithstanding every apparent impediment. Omnipotence marches forward\nwith a steady, undeviating step, to its predestined purpose; and that\ninfinite wisdom which originally planned the future, can never be\nfrustrated or confused by any contingencies or vicissitudes; for no\npossible event can occur which was not fully anticipated at the moment\nwhen the promise was given.\n\nSarah was not only under the influence of distrust, but of inordinate\ndesire. She was impatient for one of those prime domestic comforts which\nit was seen fit at present to deny her; and because the time which had\nelapsed, exceeded her calculations of probability, she took upon herself\nto devise a plan to hasten the accomplishment of her wishes. Let us beware\nof an undue eagerness after the possession of any temporal enjoyment. It\nwill not only produce distrust, but, probably, precipitate us into\nirregular means of gratifying our wishes. \"Inordinate desires commonly\nproduce irregular endeavours. If our wishes be not kept in submission to\nGod's providence, our pursuits will scarcely be kept under the restraints\nof his precepts.\"\n\nIt is truly surprising, that the father of the faithful should listen to\nthis insinuating request. Possibly he thought that, as Sarah was not\ndistinctly mentioned in the promise, Hagar might become the parent of the\npromised seed; and by this specious pretence, being anxious for a son, he\nwas induced to comply. We are easily persuaded, when our own inclinations\nalready concur with a proposal; and even good men are very liable to\nmisinterpret the intimations of Providence, whenever they consult their\nown feelings rather than the word of God.\n\nIt is remarked, that \"Abraham hearkened to the voice of SARAH.\" This was\nhis error. There was another voice he should have heard. If he had any\ndoubts upon his mind, or any suspicion that his present wife was not the\npredestined mother of the numerous posterity that were to people Canaan,\nhe should at least have betook himself to prayer. In a day of such\nremarkable revelations, and in an affair of so much consequence, he might\nreasonably have expected an express direction from heaven; and he who had\nbeen already so privileged, ought to have unbosomed his thoughts and\nexplained his desires to the Lord. Let such as sustain the closest\nconnexion, beware of becoming snares instead of helps to each other!\nPrevious to a compliance with any important request that may lead to\nconsiderable consequences, Let us, from whatever quarter it proceed, or\nhowever justifiable it may appear, promptly avail ourselves of that\ngracious throne, which is always accessible to the humble petitioner. We\nare liable to so many misconceptions, exposed to the influence of so many\nprejudices, and subject to the attacks of such a variety of temptations,\nthat our only security is in the exercise of a devotional spirit, our only\nhelp is in the Lord our God. If any man lack wisdom, let him repair to the\nfountain of intelligence, and solicit those supplies from heaven which are\nnot only freely dispensed, but fully adequate to our diversified\nnecessities.\n\nThe consequence of this unsanctioned proceeding, was precisely what might\nhave been expected. Elated with the honour of her situation, Sarah is\ndespised by her Egyptian handmaid. She treats her with contempt and\nimpertinence, as if she were the peculiar favourite of Heaven, and hoping\nno doubt, that the ample promises of God were to be fulfilled by her\nmeans. Knowing what human nature is, we cannot wonder at this disposition,\nculpable as it was. Nothing is more common than for persons, when raised\nabove the meanness of their birth, and the inferiority of their former\ncircumstances, to be guilty of assuming airs of importance, and to forget\ntheir most obvious duties: and we would caution servants especially\nagainst such unwarrantable conduct. If divine favours should be conferred\nupon them; if by the grace of God they should be made partakers of that\nspiritual dignity which genuine religion confers, and be thus placed upon\na level with their masters or mistresses in the Christian church, let them\nremember that they are not exempted from a civil subserviency. They are by\nno means elevated above their natural situation as _servants,_ because\nthey become _Christians_; but all the peculiar claims of domestic duty\nremain. An aspiring, or a haughty spirit, is unbecoming their newly\nacquired character, and shows that they have very imperfectly learned of\nhim who was \"meek and lowly of heart.\" Every person is respectable in his\nstation, exactly in proportion as it is properly occupied; and real\nreligion, instead of disqualifying for subordinate situations, is adapted\nto produce contentment, and to dictate an exemplary and uniform\ncorrectness of conduct in _whatever_ condition we may be placed by\nProvidence. \"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters,\naccording to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your\nheart, as unto Christ: not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the\nservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will\ndoing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever\ngood thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether\nhe be bond or free.\" \"Let as many servants as are under the yoke, count\ntheir own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his\ndoctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them\nnot despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service,\nbecause they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit.\"\n\nIf Hagar behaved with impertinence and vanity, Sarah manifested a very\ncensurable degree of resentment. Irritated by her handmaid's arrogance,\nshe appealed to Abraham, protesting that she could not endure such\ninsolence, and charging him with a secret connivance, if not an\nencouragement of her provoking behaviour. Thus we perceive a specimen of\nwhat will generally prove the case in family dissensions--both were in the\nwrong. Hagar was aspiring and rude; Sarah passionate and severe. If the\nformer should have recollected her obligations, the latter ought not to\nhave forgotten her own foolishness in raising her above her natural level,\nand placing her in circumstances of powerful temptation. The one should\nhave known her place; the other have kept her temper. Let the modern\nmistress and servant take a lesson from this unhappy difference. How many\nintestine commotions might be prevented, if inferiors would not overstep\nthe proper limits of their sphere; and if superiors in station would be\nconciliating in spirit; \"The beginning of strife is as when one letteth\nout water; therefore leave off contention before it be meddled with.\"\n\nAbraham wisely avoided all interference in this affair; and though his\nbeloved Sarah had appealed to him in very intemperate terms, he gave a\nsoft answer. \"Behold thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth\nthee.\" He refrained from all self-vindication, to which he seemed called\nby the violent appeal of his wife; but if he thought proper either to\ndefend himself, or to remonstrate with her, he chose another occasion.\nWhen the passions are inflamed, the judgment is seldom sufficiently\nunbiassed to listen to reason or to consult propriety. It has been\nquestioned, however, whether in this instance he was not too submissive.\nThe Egyptian maid seemed entitled to protection; and, instead of yielding\nto the rage of Sarah, he should have interposed his _meditation_, and if\nnecessary, his _authority_, to restore peace.\n\nIncapable of resisting the combined assaults of jealousy, rage, and\nrevenge, the poor foreigner is driven from the roof of Abraham. She fled\ninto the wilderness with the view of returning to her native country, but\nwas suddenly arrested in her flight by an angelic messenger, who\nadmonished her to return to her mistress, and pacify her by ready and\nunconditional submission. He also predicted the character and habits of\nher future offspring, mentioning the name by which he was to be called,\nand consoling her in this season of tribulation by an assurance that \"the\nLord had heard her affliction.\" She instantly retracted her steps; and, as\nno intimation is given to the contrary, we may infer that the fugitive was\nrestored to her situation in the family. She was humble, and Sarah\nconciliated: and as we hear nothing of her for some years, they probably\nlived in tolerable harmony. It was a merciful interposition to send her\nback to the family of Abraham; for a connexion with the people of God,\nwhatever may be their faults, is far more desirable than the richest\ninheritance, or the noblest alliance, where religion is discarded\nor unknown.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ 1898]\n\nAs the birth of the Egyptian's son was attended by no divine\ncongratulations, Abraham is still permitted to pass thirteen years more in\na state of suspense respecting the promised child; when at the age of\nninety-nine, the covenant is renewed by another revelation. On this\nremarkable occasion his wife received the name by which we have uniformly\ncalled her, Abraham being distinctly assured of her predestined privilege\nas the mother of the promised seed. A similar change of name was conferred\nupon the patriarch. Hitherto he had been called _Abram_, a \"high,\" or\n\"eminent father;\" now he is to be _Abraham_, \"the father of a great\nmultitude.\" His beloved wife, who had been called _Sarai_, \"my princess,\"\nwas in future to be distinguished by the name of _Sarah_, \"a princess,\"\ndenoting a more extensive honour. If he were to become the _Father_, she\nwas to be the _Mother_, of \"many nations.\"\n\nHaving already witnessed the misconduct of Abraham's wife on two memorable\noccasions, it would be highly gratifying to hear, in the next circumstance\nof her history, that she acted worthy of her connexion with so illustrious\na husband, But alas! we are still necessitated to derive instruction\nrather from a record of her faults than of her excellencies. We must\nexpect to witness a variety of these in every human character, combined\nonly with comparatively a small number of shining graces. Indeed we find,\nin general, but one very distinguishing good quality associated with those\nof a different complexion; and if the plant of grace spring up and grow in\nthe human character, it is usually in a thicket of inferior principles and\nunholy propensities. While, therefore, engaged in the cultivation of our\nhearts, in \"keeping them with all diligence,\" as the wise king of Israel\nexpresses it; one very important duty we owe to ourselves is to watch the\nappearance of these irregularities, and aim, by unremitting attention,\nunited with fervent prayer, to eradicate them from the moral soil. In\nSarah we see as great a luxuriance of evil as can be imagined to blend\nwith real piety, without essentially deteriorating it.\n\nSitting one day at the door of his tent to enjoy the refreshing shade,\n[8] Abraham observed three strangers approaching, whom he hastened\nto meet, that he might offer them any temporary accommodation in his\npower. This act of hospitality was conformable to the usage of the\ncountry; but the peculiar generosity of Abraham seems indicated in his\n_running_ to meet them. The invitation is immediately accepted; and the\ngood old man, with the most obliging readiness, offered water to wash\ntheir feet, and bread to satisfy their hunger. He hastened to Sarah,\ndirecting her to make some cakes of fine meal, and bake them on the\nhearth; and then went himself to the herd to choose a tender calf, which\nhe immediately proceeded to dress. Butter and milk, the produce of their\nown pasture, were of course supplied. The venerable patriarch then took\nhis respectful standing under the branches of a neighbouring tree, which\nafforded a pleasant screen from the sultry sun. What exquisite simplicity\nis discernible here! what a subject for the painter! what a theme for the\npoet! what an example for the good! Three heavenly messengers at the\nhumble table of one of the greatest men that ever inhabited this world--a\npatriarch--a prince--the father of the faithful--the friend of\nGod--venerable for age--distinguished by his hospitality--still more\neminent for faith!--their canopy the overarching sky--their shelter, the\nwide-spreading tree--flocks and herds grazing around, the indications of\nan industry which Providence had blessed with remarkable success--and the\nplain of Mamre spreading its luxuriance before their eyes!--\n\nBut we must hasten to the remarkable subject of their conversation. At\npresent the patriarch did not suspect the real character of his visiters;\nwho introduced their intended communication by asking, \"Where is Sarah thy\nwife?\" This must have excited great surprise; for how could strangers know\nthe affairs of his family, and the particular name of his wife, which had\nbeen so recently changed? He informed them, however, that she was in the\ntent, where, according to the prevailing custom of the times, she had her\nseparate table. One of the angels, immediately personating Jehovah\nhimself, if he were not, as appears probable, the very \"Angel of the\nCovenant,\" gave this solemn assurance: \"I will certainly return unto thee\naccording to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son!\"\nSarah, whom curiosity had brought to the door of the tent to listen to\nwhat passed, overhearing this assurance, and looking upon it as an\nimpossible occurrence at her time of life, laughed in derision. She had\nlong come to the conclusion that she should produce no son to Abraham,\nand, therefore, that all such expectations were chimerical and ridiculous.\nThis excessive incredulity--excessive, because a distinct assurance of the\nfact had been already given to Abraham upon the occasion of their change\nof names--was highly culpable; but while we denounce it with merited\nseverity, let us examine our own hearts. Have _we_ never acted in a\nsimilar manner? Have _we_ never distrusted the providence of God or his\npromises? Who can plead exemption from a spirit of unbelief? What surmises\nhave agitated our bosoms, when the events of life contradicted our\nexpectations? What despondency have we shown, and what distrust, when the\nmovements Omniscience were incomprehensible to our reason, and opposed to\nour apparent interest? If but one part only of the divine proceedings\nseemed incongruous, we have dared to arraign \"the whole stupendous plan;\"\nif but \"a momentary cloud\" arose upon our prospect, we have begun to fancy\nthat order was at an end, that the sun had for ever disappeared, that God\nhad \"forgotten to be gracious, and in anger shut up his tender mercies.\"\nLet us then aim to correct these irregularities of feeling, and to dismiss\nthese misinterpretations of providence.\n\nSarah imagined that her contemptuous incredulity was only known to\nherself: but the heavenly visiter instantly detected it, and appealed to\nAbraham on its impropriety. Possibly the reason of addressing Abraham,\nrather than calling the culprit herself to an account, was to inflict the\nseverer reproof. Ah! how vainly do we strive to conceal the secret\nthoughts of the mind from the knowledge of God! His eyes, which run to and\nfro through the earth, penetrate through every disguise, and perfectly\ndiscern every inward motion as well as every outward action. We live every\nmoment--in the darkest midnight as well as at the brightest noon--in the\nfull blaze of Omniscience. \"O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me:\nthou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising; thou understandest my\nthoughts afar off.\"\n\nIncapable of enduring this exposure, the criminal now rushes from her\nconcealment, and boldly calls out, \"I laughed not.\" This was a direct\nfalsehood, dictated by apprehension; and it was confronted by the instant\nretort of him who knew her heart: \"Nay, but thou _didst_ laugh.\" It is\npossible that Sarah had some mental reservation, when she so flatly\ndenied the assertion of the angel: she might persuade herself that she did\nnot absolutely laugh, but only smiled, or felt contempt; but whatever mode\nshe might have adopted to explain away her conscious guilt, it was\nunavailable, as every such unworthy subterfuge must always prove.\n\nWe cannot help remarking the danger of the least deviation from the path\nof rectitude. One sin prepares the way for the commission of another; one\nstep over the edge and boundary of uprightness may lead us down a\nprecipice, and plunge us into a fatal series of crimes. We have already\nseen an exemplification of this remark; and it is more strikingly\nillustrated in the present transaction. Curiosity brought her to the door,\nwhere she was soon betrayed into unbelief: detection soon produced a fear\nof censure; this dread produced a ridiculous attempt at concealment and\nself-justification; and the pride of her heart issued in exciting her to a\ndeliberate falsehood. Notwithstanding her incredulity, however, Sarah\nshall bear a son, to be the spring of innumerable blessings to her\nposterity. Thus infinite goodness overrules the perverseness of his\npeople, as well as the wrath of sinners, ultimately to promote his\nown designs.\n\nIf, on this occasion, the daring transgressor had been smitten to the\nearth by an instantaneous judgment, it must have been regarded as a proper\nexpression of the divine displeasure. Her repeated provocations merited\nthe severest chastisement, and would undoubtedly have justified such a\nproceeding. The thoughts of Jehovah, however, are not as our thoughts, nor\nhis ways as our ways. There is nothing vindictive in the character of the\nblessed God; and if he have on certain occasions launched the thunderbolt\nupon the guilty heads of sinners, the circumstances have shown that the\natrocity of their iniquities has required a signal visitation. How far\npunishment of this nature may be necessary in any particular case, it is\nnot for beings limited in their views as we are to decide, but simply to\nrely on the wisdom of him, who, with a due intermixture of severity and\nmercy, justice and grace, conducts the affairs of the universe.\n\nOverawed by the angelic presence, and mortified by an inward consciousness\nof her folly and sin, Sarah uttered not another word. She could neither\nvindicate her incredulity, nor extenuate her false assertion; and though\nshe proceeded to great lengths, we are happy to find that she sufficiently\nrestrained her intemperate passions to retire in silence.\n\nFrom this moment we trust she assumed another character. Reflection\nrestored her to her right mind. She dismissed her criminal doubts, and\nresigned herself to the divine disposal. As the predestined period of her\ngiving birth to the child of promise was approaching, her faith produced\nthe liveliest sensations of joy; and both she and Abraham exulted in the\nprospect of a son. That this was the state of her mind, we are assured\nfrom indisputable authority: \"Through faith Sarah herself received\nstrength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past\nage, because she judged him faithful who had promised.\"\n\nPerhaps we may be disposed to say, it was time she _did_ believe. After\nsuch remarkable manifestations, and such reiterated promises to Abraham,\nit would have been passing strange had she continued incredulous. Surely\nthere was enough to convince her, that, whatever difficulties nature might\npresent, grace had determined to overcome them, and that every reasonable\nand every possible evidence of the intended miracle had been given. But\nis it so unusual for mankind to resist the most convincing arguments, and\nto disbelieve even the most obvious truth, that the case of Sarah ought to\nbe regarded as so extraordinary? Have we not daily proof of a similar\nobstinacy and perverseness? If it be observed that Sarah possessed great\nadvantages, being connected with so excellent a man, and so great a\nfavourite of Heaven as Abraham, and being visited by angelic messengers,\nand instructed by celestial visions; this may be admitted. But do not\nthose who reject the truth of Christianity, or disobey its precepts, act a\nmore criminal as well as unreasonable part, inasmuch as they enjoy all the\ninstruction and all the experience of past ages? And is it not a more\noutrageous defiance of Heaven to oppose the reality of its manifestations,\nafter successive centuries have demonstrated the truth of predictions once\nmysterious, evinced the nature of facts once misunderstood, dispersed the\ntypical shadow which once enveloped the sublimest discoveries of infinite\nwisdom, and poured upon a benighted world the full blaze of evangelical\nrevelations?--Sarah doubted the possibility of an occurrence which was\nattended with striking difficulties, and evidently miraculous; but what\ncensure do not they deserve who shut their eyes against the clearest\nlight, perplex with sophisms the most intelligible statements, and\nendeavour, by every exertion of a slanderous tongue and a malignant pen,\nto subvert the basis of our religious hopes, and to undermine a fabric\nwhich has stood the test of ages, giving repose and refreshment to\nmillions of heaven-bound pilgrims on their journey!\n\nTo draw the circle of reflection closer.--If _our_ inconsistencies were\nwritten in a book--if the instances of _our_ unbelief amidst evidences, of\n_our_ failures in temper and spirit, of _our_ misimprovement of the\npeculiar advantages of our situation, were recorded for the warning of\nothers--is there any probability that we should acquire much honour by a\ncomparison with the wife of Abraham? We do not indeed justify _her_\nfaults, but let us not overlook _our own_. We have better means, and\nbrighter discoveries. In these last days God hath spoken unto us by his\nSon. We are, through faith, become the children of Abraham, interested in\nthe new covenant, introduced into the family, and admitted to the\nfriendship of God. We have seen the visions of patriarchal days, the\npromises and blessings of the ancient dispensation, the memorable and\nterrific descent of Jehovah on Sinai, the prefigurations of the Mosaic\neconomy, the personal glories, the incarnate love, the agonizing death,\nthe triumphant ascension of the Son of God: we enjoy means of instruction\nwhich no other age did or could possess. And wherein consists our\nsuperiority to former saints, even those whose imperfections are the most\nconspicuous? Surely, the observation may be retorted upon many hearers and\nprofessors of the gospel, in reference to their too frequent instances of\ninconsistency--it is time you _did_ believe!\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1897.]\n\nThe birth of Isaac, the promised seed was attended with great rejoicings.\nHis very name, signifying _laughter_, was expressive of the happy\noccasion; and Sarah, in the ecstacy of her mind, exclaimed, \"God hath made\nme to laugh, so that all that hear me will laugh with me.\" The birth of a\nchild is naturally the subject of joy and congratulation; but the\nintroduction of Isaac into the world, who had been so long and repeatedly\npromised, demanded and excited unusual satisfaction. Sarah, who introduced\nhim with a mother's joy, nursed him herself with a mother's care. She was\nignorant of the cruel absurdity which modern refinement has invented, of\nseparating the tender offspring from its proper guardian and provider, and\nthus not only exposing it to many inconveniences and hardships, but\nnullifying the wise and kind arrangements of Providence. Alas! nature,\nreason, and religion, must all be violated in compliance with fashion!\nNeed we feel surprised that barbarity should produce alienation, and that\nshe who refuses to show tenderness, should fail of receiving attachment?\nIs it at all astonishing, that habits and sentiments foreign to domestic\ncomfort should be acquired; and that, when proper discipline and personal\nsuperintendence are neglected, the young plant should shoot into unsightly\nirregularities of spirit and character?\n\nHow soon may the brightest day be overcast with a cloud! How liable are\nour best enjoyments to interruption! The weaning of Isaac was celebrated\nwith great festivities; upon which occasion this favourite child was\nrecognized as Abraham's heir. This excited the displeasure of Ishmael;\nwhich the jealous eye of Sarah observing, she insisted upon the\ninstantaneous expulsion of mother and son from the family. We are sorry to\nwitness any revival of the old spirit; but, in this world, unholy passions\ncannot be totally eradicated. We should hope, however, there was more\nreason, as well as religion, in her displeasure on this than on a former\noccasion. The young man was, probably, ridiculing the whole ceremony, and\nderiding the parents, the child, and the promise; for passion and\nprejudice are never very discriminating in their censures. Ishmael was, in\nfact, of a wild, ungovernable temper; but we have no evidence that the\nprovocation was sufficient to justify the proceeding of Sarah, in\nperemptorily demanding the expulsion of the mother and her child. Thus\ndid Abraham's concubinage continue to imbitter his domestic peace; and the\ngood old patriarch was again placed in a most difficult and perplexing\nsituation.\n\nWhatever feelings may be supposed to have dictated the resolution of\nSarah, it was coincident with the designs of God; and Abraham, who had\ncertainly sought divine direction, was commanded to comply. This would, no\ndoubt, quiet the feverish anxiety of his mind; for a consciousness of\ndoing the will of God, however contrary it may be to our natural\ninclinations, is sufficient to smooth the roughest path of duty, and to\nlighten the heaviest burden we may be called to sustain. Abraham, in this,\nas well as in various other instances, displayed exemplary faith. The\nbitter draught, however, was somewhat sweetened. It was difficult to\nparental feelings to concur in so severe a measure; but some gleam of\nfuturity was afforded to enlighten the darksome but appointed path. \"And\nGod said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the\nlad, and because of thy bond-woman: in all that Sarah hath said unto thee,\nhearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of\nthe son of the bond-woman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.\"\n\nNotwithstanding the faults to which we have found it necessary to advert,\nSarah was unquestionably a great character. She not only stands recorded\nin the New Testament amongst those who were illustrious in ancient times\nfor their faith, but is exhibited as a pattern of domestic conduct. Her\ndefects were but occasionally visible, being commonly concealed amidst the\nbrightness of her numerous excellencies. Her obedience to Abraham is\nspecified by the apostle as a laudable singularity, which, in connexion\nwith other virtues, he thus recommends: \"Likewise, ye wives, be in\nsubjection to your own husbands; that if any obey not the word, they also\nmay without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they\nbehold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.--Whose adorning let it\nnot be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,\nor of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in\nthat which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet\nspirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this\nmanner, in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned\nthemselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands, even as Sarah\nobeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do\nwell, and are not afraid with any amazement.\"\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1859.]\n\nSeven and thirty years after the birth of Isaac and when Sarah had\nattained the age of one hundred and twenty-seven, we come to the\nconclusion of her \"mortal story.\" Her death, and the respect paid to her\nmemory, are related with a circumstantial minuteness which is truly\nhonourable to her character. This affecting event occurred at Kirjah-Arba,\nor Hebron, in the plain of Mamre, where Abraham came to bemoan his loss.\nVenerable man! thine was no common mourning! Thou didst not merely sit\nupon the ground, assuming the customary attitude of grief; but thine were\ngenuine sorrows! What big tears of undissembled pain poured down thine\naged cheeks! How did affection recal the days, and months, and years of\ndelightful union, which time had strengthened, but death had now\ndissolved! And yet, while nature demanded this tribute of fond\nremembrance, religion had taught thee to moderate thy distress, and to\nelevate thy hopes to a brighter world, where holy friendship, begun on\nearth, shall be purified and perpetuated through everlasting ages!\n\nThe longevity of ancient times, and especially of the antediluvians,\nnaturally excites surprise; but what a dream is human life, even at its\nmost protracted period! How soon do even centuries elapse! How solemn the\nconsideration, that the flood of ages, which has swept from the surface of\nthis globe so many millions of our predecessors, however firm may have\nbeen their health, or numerous their years, or eminent their characters,\nis daily impelling us forward to the \"house appointed for all living.\"\n_Their_ pilgrimage terminated, and so must _ours: their_ earthly relations\nwere dissolved, and _their_ places in society were vacated; and soon the\nplace which we occupy, shall \"know us no more.\" The stream flows on, and\nwe cannot arrest its course. Happy for us, if it should appear that we are\ngoing to join the society of the blessed; if, possessing the faith of\nAbraham, we have reason to indulge the hope of being eventually\ntransported to his bosom!\n\nSitting in imagination at the grave of Sarah, and blending our\nsympathizing tears with those of her honoured husband, what a lesson may\nwe learn respecting the vanity of human life! The flower whose exquisite\nbeauty and attractive sweetness once excited so much desire, is faded, and\nmingled with common dust! There lies a form, which _was_ so lovely and so\nbeloved, to furnish a repast for creeping worms! How bereft of that spirit\nwhich once animated it! How altered and defaced by the putrifying touch of\nmortality! Here the race of life terminates; and to this loathsome\ndwelling, the proudest, the fairest, the wealthiest, _the_ most\ncelebrated, and the most elevated of our race, must sooner or later\ndescend! \"Prepare to meet thy God!\"\n\nWe may take a momentary glance at another consideration. In order to\nanswer the great end of their being, in order to be furnished with\nadequate means for the employment of their immortal faculties, and for\npossessing that plenitude of felicity of which their sanctified natures\nare capable, the saints of God must be removed out of the present world.\nOften do they exclaim, \"I loath it; I would not live alway:\"--\"O that I\nhad wings like a dove; for then would I flee away and be at rest!\"\n\nThis prevailing _wish_ accords with the _purpose_ of Heaven. Infinite\nbenevolence cannot allow a spiritual and sanctified character always to be\nimprisoned within the narrow confines of flesh and blood. It could never\nbe satisfied to assign the objects of its affection so mean a portion as\nthe pleasures and the possessions of this inferior state of existence.\nThey must _die_ to be perfectly _blest_. This earth _will not do_ for a\nChristian in the _maturity_ of his character. It is too vile, and too\ntransitory. Its gold is but dust--its applause, a puff of noisy air--its\nsparkling pleasures, but polluted cisterns--its richest gifts, but\nbubbles, which, if they reflect the fairest colours of the rainbow, break\nwhen they are grasped, or dissolve as we approach them, into mist and\nnothingness! \"Set your affection on things above:--the things which are\n_seen_ are TEMPORAL; the things which are _not seen_ are ETERNAL!\"\n\n\n\n\nHagar.\n\nChapter III.\n\n\n\n  Retrospective Glance at the History--Hagar--the Wilderness--Angelic\n  Manifestation--Divine Promises--a View of their Accomplishment--Hagar's\n  Piety--her second Banishment and Distress--another\n  Interposition--Providence illustrated.\n\n\nThe contention between the wife of Abraham and her Egyptian handmaid, has\nalready been the subject of animadversion; but although their histories\nare considerably blended, some features in the character of the latter,\nand some affecting circumstances of her life, have been hitherto omitted,\nwhich seem to claim a separate notice.\n\nThat retreat into Egypt, which was in some respects so dishonourable to\nthe integrity, both of Abraham and Sarah, was overruled for good. Pharaoh\nshowed great kindness to the patriarch, on account of his fair companion,\nwho he had been led to suppose was his sister; and according to the custom\nof the age, and the high station of her admirer, he presented him with\n\"sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and _maid-servants_, and\nshe-asses, and camels.\" No doubt it was at this time Hagar was introduced\ninto this pious family, and left her native country to accompany her\nmistress and master upon their return.\n\nThe handmaids were a sort of female slaves. They were considered as the\nunalienable property of their mistresses, who claimed the produce of their\nlabour, and even the children they bore. [9]\n\nSarah's impatience for offspring, and the rash policy of her urging\nAbraham to take this Egyptian servant as a concubine, have been already\nmentioned, as well as the unhappy differences it occasioned in the family.\nWe have seen the pride of Hagar, the petulance of Sarah, and the consent\nof Abraham that she should be banished from their dwelling. Let us follow\nthe fugitive into the wilderness, and observe the extraordinary result.\n\nIt was the evident intention of Hagar to escape to her native country. She\nwent into the wilderness of Shur, which extended between Canaan and Egypt,\nwhere she sat down for refreshment by a spring of water. Whatever degree\nof blame we may impute to her in this precipitate removal from the house\nof her pious master, it is impossible not to pity her melancholy\nsituation. Alone, and unbefriended by any human being; surrounded by a\nthousand perils in the desert which stretched its cheerless solitude\nbefore her; expelled from a family where she had so long resided, and\nwhere she enjoyed so many advantages; uncertain of her future residence;\nand in a condition which peculiarly claims our sympathy with the female\nsufferer; her history cannot but excite inquiry, and produce interest.\nThere was an eye that watched her movements and her tears. In a short time\nshe is addressed by an unknown voice, which proved to be the voice of one\nof those ministering spirits that are employed to execute the designs of\ninfinite goodness. \"Hagar,\" said he, \"Sarah's maid, whence earnest thou?\nand whither wilt thou go?\"\n\nThe knowledge of her past history which this question indicated, must have\nconvinced the poor, fugitive that this was some divine visitation; and she\nimmediately answered, \"I flee from the face of my mistress Sarah.\" This\nwas a simple, direct, ingenuous statement. Here was no concealment; no\nprevarication respecting the whole truth; and how much better was this\nthan any attempt at evasion or dishonesty! We are not, indeed, always\nobliged to disclose our circumstances to every inquirer; but, if we do,\nour words ought to be the exact representation of the case: for, sooner or\nlater, integrity will be advantageous both to our character and our real\ninterests.\n\nThe reply of Hagar was, moreover, creditable to her _temper_, Sarah and\nher handmaid had parted under circumstances of mutual provocation; and the\nlatter had, no doubt, suffered very indignant treatment. But she does not\navail herself of this unexpected interview to enter upon her own\njustification, or to produce a long and formal charge against her\nmistress. The mere fact of her expulsion is stated without any comment. It\nmust indeed be admitted, that her introduction into the family of Abraham\nplaced her in that inferior condition in which Sarah possessed an\nindisputable right over her person; and it must be also admitted, that she\nhad manifested a very unwarrantable vanity in despising her for\nbarrenness; yet, judging from her dispassionate language to the angel, we\nshould infer that she was naturally of a more patient disposition than her\nmistress, and is in this view worthy of the imitation of young women whom\nProvidence consigns to the same menial state. How many would have been\nclamorous and peevish, hasty in censuring their mistress, and forward in\nvindicating themselves! They would have obtruded the story of the fancied\ninjuries they had sustained upon every occasion, and wearied with the\nridiculous recital, every one who might be found willing or unwilling to\nhear their complaints. But Hagar, simply and without any marks of\nirritation or resentment, stated the reason of her being alone in the\nwilderness at the fountain of water.\n\nIf our idea be correct, we have here a specimen of a no very unusual\ncase. Some who have no claim to the distinction of religious persons,\nwhich at present was the probable character of Hagar, frequently possess a\nmildness and amiableness of disposition which is peculiarly attractive;\nwhile those who undoubtedly belong to the superior class of the pious and\ndevout, exhibit unhappy defects of temper and disposition. The former\nresemble the flowers of the wilderness, beautiful indeed, and fragrant,\nbut wild; the latter, those of the cultivated garden, blooming like the\nrose among thorns. The loveliness of those who are otherwise \"far from\nGod,\" excites our admiration, and wins our regard; while the unsightly\n\"temper flaws\" of such as generally class with the servants of God are\nrepulsive and disgusting. In consequence of this, the distinction between\nthe two essentially different characters, is not always sufficiently\nmarked, or very perceptible; the excellence of the one elevating them\nalmost to the dignity of saints, and the defects of the other sinking them\nalmost to the meanness of sinners. But we should be cautious in passing\nour judgment, lest we also be judged. Let us not undervalue the sterling\nworth of the genuine Christian, because it is blended with some obvious,\nor even some glaring incongruities. Let us equally beware of attributing\nundue value to the good qualities of the worldling, and thus annihilate\nthe distinction between the natural and spiritual character.\n\nIt was happy for Hagar that the angel was sent to arrest her progress.\nAfter her explicit declaration of the reason of her flight, she was\ndirected to return to her mistress, and submit herself. This was, perhaps,\na hard saying, and a haughty spirit might easily have raised ingenious and\nperverse objections; but we have additional evidence of this young\nwoman's good disposition, in her receiving the mandate with a silent\nobedience of spirit. Her best interests were likely to be more promoted by\nher returning into a pious family, notwithstanding all its faults, than in\ngoing to reside amongst the idolaters of her native country; and thus,\nwhen she knew not how to choose for herself, the goodness of God was\ndisplayed in appointing the bounds of her habitation. This command would\nprove to her, and should teach us, that whatever provocations or injuries\nwe may have sustained, these cannot justify a wrong proceeding; and we\nshould hasten to retrieve our error by retracing our steps.\n\nThis, however, was only the secondary purpose of the present remarkable\nmanifestation. Words of astonishing import immediately followed. Hagar was\npromised a numerous offspring, although the Messiah was not to descend\nfrom her; and the promise was pronounced in a manner so solemn, so\nsignificant, so overwhelming, that her eyes were opened to see it was no\nother than the patriarch's God that assured her of a participation in the\npatriarch's blessing. \"And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will\nmultiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for\nmultitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with\nchild, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the\nLord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will\nbe against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell\nin the presence of all his brethren.\" Similar promises were afterward\nreiterated: \"Behold, I have blessed him, (Ishmael) and will make him\nfruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he\nbeget, and I will make him a great nation.\"--\"And also of the son of the\nbond-woman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.\"--\"I will make\nhim a great nation.\"\n\nThese predictions have been minutely accomplished. The posterity of\nIshmael may be traced in the Ishmaelites, the Hagarenes, the Itureans, and\nArabs; especially the Scenites and Saracens, the latter of whom erected\none of the largest empires in the world. To this day the Arabs are not\nonly a distinct people, but possess the original character of their\nfather, fierce and unsettled, living in a state of perpetual hostility\nagainst the rest of the world. Every attempt to subdue or extirpate them,\nhas proved abortive. The Egyptians and Assyrians were equally\nunsuccessful, and whatever partial dominion Cyrus and the Persians might\nobtain, they could never penetrate the interior of the country, or reduce\nthem to tributary subjection. In vain did Alexander plan their\ndestruction; the hand of Providence interposed to prevent it by his death.\nThe Romans could never conquer Arabia; and they continued to molest their\nneighbours by incessant incursions. Under Mohammed they became a mighty\nempire, and though it was ultimately dissolved, they still maintained\ntheir liberty in defiance of the Tartars, Mamelukes, and Turks.\n\n\"Who,\" inquires a great writer, \"can fairly consider and lay all these\nparticulars together, and not perceive the hand of God in this whole\naffair, from the beginning to the end? The sacred historian saith, that\nthese prophecies concerning Ishmael were delivered partly by the angel of\nthe Lord, and partly by God himself: and indeed, who but God, or one\nraised and commissioned by him, could describe so particularly the genius\nand manners, not only of a single person before he was born, but of a\nwhole race of people, from the first founder of the race to the present\ntime? It was somewhat wonderful, and not to be foreseen by human sagacity\nor prudence, that a man's whole posterity should so nearly resemble him,\nand retain the same inclinations, the same habits, the same customs\nthroughout all ages. The waters of the purest spring or fountain are soon\nchanged and polluted in their course, and the farther still they flow, the\nmore they are incorporated and lost in other waters. How have the modern\nItalians degenerated from the courage and virtues of the old Romans? How\nare the French and English polished and refined from the barbarianism of\nthe ancient Gauls and Britons? Men and manners change with times; but in\nall changes and revolutions, the Arabs have still continued the same with\nlittle or no alteration. And yet it cannot be said of them, as some\nbarbarous nations, that they have had no commerce or intercourse with the\nrest of mankind; for by their conquests they overran a great part of the\nearth, and for some centuries were masters of most of the learning that\nwas then in the world; but, however, they remained, and still remain the\nsame fierce, savage, intractable people, like their great ancestor in\nevery thing, and different from most of the world besides. Ishmael was\ncircumcised, and so are his posterity to this day; and as Ishmael was\ncircumcised when he was thirteen years old, so were the Arabs at the same\nage, according to Josephus. He was born of Hagar, who was a concubine; and\nthey still indulge themselves in the use of mercenary wives and\nconcubines. He lived in tents in the wilderness, shifting from place to\nplace; and so do his descendants, particularly those therefore called\nScenites formerly, and those called Bedoweens at this day. He was an\narcher in the wilderness, and so are they. He was to be the father of\ntwelve princes, or heads of tribes; and they live in clans or tribes at\nthis day. He was a wild man, his hand against every man, and every man's\nhand against him; and they live in the same state of war, their hand\nagainst every man, and every man's hand against them.\n\n\"This, I say, is somewhat wonderful, that the same people should retain\nthe same dispositions for so many ages: but it is still more wonderful,\nthat with these dispositions and this enmity to the whole world, they\nshould still subsist, in spite of the world, an independent and free\npeople. It cannot be pretended, that no probable attempts were ever made\nto conquer them; for the greatest conquerors in the world have almost all,\nin their turns, attempted it. It cannot be pretended, that the dryness or\ninaccessibleness of their country hath been their preservation; for their\ncountry hath been often penetrated, though never entirely subdued. I know\nthat Diodorus Siculus accounts for their preservation from the dryness of\ntheir country; that they have wells digged in proper places known only to\nthemselves, and their enemies and invaders, through ignorance of these\nplaces, perish for want of water; but this account is far from being an\nadequate and just representation of the case. Large armies have found\nthe means of subsistence in their country; none of their powerful invaders\never desisted on this account; and therefore, that they have not been\nconquered, we must impute to some other cause. When, in all human\nprobability, they were upon the brink of ruin, then they were signally and\nprovidentially delivered. Alexander was preparing an expedition against\nthem, when an inflammatory fever cut him off in the flower of his age.\nPompey was in the career of his conquests, when urgent affairs called him\nelsewhere. \u00c6lius Gallus had penetrated far into the country, when a fatal\ndisease destroyed great numbers of his men, and obliged him to return.\nTrajan besieged their capital city, but was defeated by thunder and\nlightning, whirlwinds, and other prodigies, and that as often as he\nrenewed his assaults. Severus besieged the same city twice, and was twice\nrepelled from before it; and the historian, Dion, a man of rank and\ncharacter, though a heathen, plainly ascribes the defeat of the two\nemperors to the interposition of a Divine Power. We who know the\nprophecies, may be more assured of the reality of a divine interposition;\nand, indeed, otherwise how could a single nation stand out against the\nenmity of the whole world for any length of time, and much more for near\n4000 years together; the great empires round them have all in their turn\nfallen to ruin, while they have continued the same from the beginning, and\nare likely to continue the same to the end: and this, in the natural\ncourse of human affairs, was so highly improbable, if not altogether\nimpossible, that as nothing but a Divine Prescience could have foreseen\nit, so nothing but a Divine Power could have accomplished it.\" [10]\n\nTo return to Hagar. The effect of this angelic visitation was her\nconversion to the knowledge and love of God. The advantages of her former\nsituation in the family of Abraham, do not seem to have produced any\nremarkable change of character; but in this the day of her affliction, in\nthis the sad hour of her retreat and solitude, she is taught to pray. So\ntrue is it, that \"thy people shall be _willing_ in the day of _thy\npower_!\" How often have those means which to human apprehension seemed\nbest calculated to produce a renovation of heart utterly failed, while the\nSpirit of God has successfully operated by methods and in situations the\nleast expected to avail! Happy solitude that brings us into the society\nof God! Welcome affliction that subdues us to his will!\n\nIn the transports of holy affection, Hagar addressed Jehovah by a phrase,\nimporting \"Thou, God, seest me;\" and intimated the unexpected but welcome\nnature of the discoveries she had made, and of that influence which drew\nher after God in faith, and hope, and love:--\"Have I also here looked\nafter him that seeth me?\" As a memento of this wonderful interposition,\nshe named the spring of water by which she was sitting, \"Beer-lahai-roi,\"\nthat is, \"The well of him that liveth and seeth me.\"\n\nHagar, in adopting this language, expressed her _grateful sense of the\ndivine interposition_. She felt conscious that in her present\ncircumstances she might have perished alone and unpitied; or, if she had\nsurvived, and taken up her residence in Egypt she would have remained\ndestitute of the religious instruction already received, and the future\nadvantages of pious intercourse. Her gratitude was blended with a feeling\nof humility, a consciousness of unworthiness. What could be more\nsurprising, than that an angel should descend from the splendour of the\ndivine presence, to converse with a poor wanderer in the wilderness of\nShur, and console her by such wonderful promises? These benevolent spirits\nappear to have maintained a frequent intercourse with the best inhabitants\nof our globe in former ages, and to have been intrusted with the holy\nministration of attending the Son of God in his incarnate state. If, since\nthe completion of the canon of Scripture, the necessity of angelic visits\nbe superseded, we ought nevertheless to record the goodness of a\nsuperintending Providence. He who forms a just estimate of his mercies,\nmay surely fill the diary of every day with grateful notices, and cannot\ntake even a cursory retrospect of the years of past existence, without\nrecollecting some striking interpositions which should often renew his\npraise and thanksgiving. Have we not been sustained in weakness, guided in\nperplexity, healed in sickness, supplied in poverty, or defended in\ndanger? Let not insensibility and forgetfulness add to the already large\naccumulations of our guilt.\n\nThe words of Hagar ought also to be regarded as indicative of _pious\nresignation of spirit_ amidst the adversities of life. It is common in\ncalamitous circumstances, or in afflictions which seem immediately\noccasioned by others upon whom we may have been dependent, or with whom we\nhave been in any way connected, to exclaim against the cruelty of our\nenemy, or the malice of such as have been instrumental in producing our\nunhappiness; but Hagar utters no complaints against Sarah, who had driven\nher into the wilderness, where she and her infant offspring might\nhave perished.\n\nThis is instructive. Admitting that we are not mistaken in our views, and\nthat others may be really cruel; if we consider affliction aright, we\nshall leave the instrument to the judgment of God, and be solicitous only\nof glorifying him, by possessing our souls in patience. Joseph afterward\nwas an illustrious specimen of this disposition. \"Now, therefore,\" said he\nto his brethren, \"be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me\nhither; for God did send me before you to preserve life.\"\n\nAll second causes constitute but the machinery on which the great First\nCause operates. If we look merely to _them_, we shall find an endless\nsource of disquietude: if to _him_, who regulates the whole system of\nmeans, we cannot fail of obtaining satisfaction and peace of mind.\nResignation is to be distinguished from a stoical indifference, or a\nsullen insensibility, occasioned by the conviction that, as afflictions\ncould not be avoided, they must be borne; that it is in vain to struggle\nor resist; and that our weakness renders endurance necessary, however\nirksome. It consists rather in a pious acquiescence in the will of Heaven,\narising from a persuasion that God knows what is really best for us; and\nthat his dispensations, however painful or opposite to our wishes, will\nprove conducive to our real benefit. He uses the corrective rod, not the\ndestroying sword. If he amputate the disordered member, it is to save\nthe life.\n\n_Cheerful hope for the future_ seems also to breathe through the\nexpressions of Hagar, in which she is worthy of our imitation. Past\ninterpositions form a solid foundation for future confidence. \"Surely,\"\nsaid David, \"goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.\"\nDisconsolate believer, be assured that the pillar of cloud, which has\nhitherto directed thy path, shall accompany thee to the very borders of\nCanaan! \"Fear not,\" says Jehovah, \"for I am with thee; be not dismayed,\nfor I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I\nwill uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness--I will never\nleave thee, nor forsake thee.\"\n\nIt is natural to wish to pry into futurity. We are impatient to penetrate\nthe clouds that envelope us, and to discern the distant course which\nProvidence has prescribed for our feet. Curiosity combines with\nself-interest to urge this inquiry; but the reproof which Peter received\nis justly merited by ourselves: \"What is that to thee? Follow thou me.\" If\nwe follow Christ, we have nothing to dread; if we desert him, we have\nnothing to hope. Futurity can be no source of alarm to him who is\nconscious of acting right. It is filled with no \"Gorgons, and hydras, and\nchimeras dire,\" but to the distempered imagination of the guilty spirit;\nand, therefore, if we would escape _misery_, we must resist _sin_.\n\nThe language in question may be considered as expressive of\n_self-dedication._ \"Thou, God, seest me,\" my wants, my wishes, my entire\nsituation! I have no will but thine; no desire but what I readily submit\nthat thou shalt gratify or disappoint according to thy pleasure. If thou\ninflict chastisement, I will cheerfully sustain it; if thou afford\nprosperity, I will humbly enjoy and improve it. I will no longer live to\nmyself; I am not my own. I agree to the transfer of all my powers,\ntalents, and possessions to thy service. My whole being shall henceforth\nbe at thy disposal; it shall become thy absolute and inalienable property:\nthis is a \"living sacrifice\" which I admit to be \"reasonable,\" which I\nrejoice to believe is \"holy and acceptable.\" In time past I have \"sown to\nthe flesh;\" let this suffice--another principle influences me--another\nmotive shall evermore predominate.\n\nA resolution of this nature must be dictated by the lowest opinion of\nourselves, and the highest idea of God: and what is our proper situation,\nbut in the dust? and where should we place God, but on the throne? To\nacknowledge this in theory, and to abandon it in practice, is to trifle\nboth with ourselves and with him.\n\nEntire dedication to God is by no means incompatible with the duties of\nlife. It is possible to be \"diligent in business,\" but \"fervent in spirit,\nserving the Lord.\" We contend not for a voluntary seclusion from society,\nseeking the retirements of the cloister or the retreats of the wilderness:\nbut we plead with you, whatever situation you occupy, to set God always\nbefore your eyes, to act as in his sight, and daily to realize the true\ncharacter of saints as \"strangers and pilgrims on earth.\" Religion, that\nflower of paradise, was never intended to \"waste its sweetness on the\ndesert air;\" but to flourish in society, and to diffuse its sacred\nperfumes in every walk of life.\n\nThis elevation of piety, so far from poisoning the springs of human joy,\nso far from imbittering the cordials of our cup, will refine every\nenjoyment and purify every pleasure. It will blunt the keen edge of\nsorrow, and smooth the asperities of adversity. It will bring down heaven\nto earth, and render death itself a desirable passage to everlasting life.\nLet us accustom ourselves to contemplate the most eminent examples of this\nspirit, that, by daily imitating them, we may, through grace, be\nprogressively \"meetening\" for the participation of their inheritance.\n\nIf it were not Hagar's immediate intention, her language may at least be\nadopted to express a _constant sense of the divine omniscience_. No idea\nis so calculated to animate us in the discharge of duty, or to sustain us\nin submission to evil. In the ancient Olympic games, how must the\nconsciousness of twenty or thirty thousand witnesses of their efforts have\nstimulated the Grecian combatants, ranged as they were around them in an\namphitheatre, and consisting of the first magistrates of the kingdom! But\nhow much more impressive and awful is the persuasion that the great eye of\nthe universe is upon us in our Christian race; that the \"King\neternal, immortal, invisible,\" watches every movement, and beholds with\napprobation or kindles into wrath, as we persevere or draw back to\nperdition! He sees in solitude and in society, in the crowded city and the\ndistant wilderness. On the one hand, he witnesses the aversion and\nrebellion of the wicked; on the other, he gathers the tears of penitence\ninto his bottle, records the petitions of faith in his book, and amidst\nthe music of angels, bends his listening ear to the sighs of the\nsorrowful.\n\nLet Christians remember that they have a mighty struggle to sustain, but\ntheir resources are inexhaustible. They have to contend with the powers of\ndarkness and the corruptions of nature. In the issue of this contest\nheaven and hell are interested; the one, that you should fail; the other,\nthat you should come off \"more than conquerors.\" Angels are waiting on the\nshores of immortality to see the final result, and are already tuning\ntheir harps to sound your victory through the universe. The ascended\nSaviour addresses you from the skies: \"Be thou faithful unto death, and I\nwill give thee a crown of life.\"\n\nIn the preceding chapter, the occasion of Hagar's second banishment from\nthe family of Abraham was related. During the festivities which were\nobserved at the weaning of Isaac, her son indulged himself in profane\nmockery; the consequence of which was, that Sarah insisted upon the\ninstant expulsion of mother and child. Notwithstanding Abraham's\nrepugnance to this proceeding, he was induced to it by divine a command.\nEarly in the morning he dismissed Hagar and her son, with a bottle of\nwater and some bread, with which she hastened away into the wilderness of\nBeersheba. This scanty supply was soon exhausted, and the unhappy\nfugitives became reduced to the greatest distress. What could an\nunprotected female do in such melancholy circumstances, but simply commit\nherself to the guidance of Providence, and pursue, though she knew not\nwhither, her adventurous way? Past deliverances ought to inspire\nconfidence in every season of suffering; and we cannot but hope that her\nmind was long consoled, by the recollection of the heavenly interposition\nwhich she had enjoyed sixteen years ago, in her first banishment. No\nresentful feelings, no irritating language is recorded; and doubtless\nAbraham dismissed her with as much kindness as the peculiarity of the\ncircumstances admitted.\n\nBut behold a most tragical scene. In a few days the water is spent in the\nbottle. Poor Hagar pants along the solitary desert, turning hither and\nthither in search of some scanty supply. Not a drop of refreshment is to\nbe found; till at length, arriving at some shrubs, she sat down with her\nexhausted--and, as she imagined, her _dying_ child, beneath the welcome\nshade. Nothing but silence and solitude reigned around her. The burning\nsun had scorched up every sign of vegetation. She was driven from a pious\nfamily; but she had no home, no friend, no helper! Officious kindness,\nwhich often soothes the agonies of death, was denied her. None were at\nhand to soothe her mind, or wipe away her tears; and her maternal heart\nwas rent by the distracting expectation of her son's dissolution. At the\nvery point of despair, she left Ishmael under a shrub, and retired to some\ndistance to avoid the sight of his expiring agonies.\n\nWho can imagine the pain of this excruciating moment, or the bitterness of\nthe tears she shed! O what lamentations did she utter, and perhaps what\nself-reproaches for her undervaluation of past mercies! What regrets that\nshe encouraged, or probably did not suppress and correct, the perverse\nspirit of her son!\n\nWhile we pity her desperate condition, we must not apologize for her sins.\nAfter the remarkable assurances which the angel had given her on a former\noccasion, it was criminal unbelief in Hagar to sit down in despondency,\nand conclude that she and her son must inevitably perish: and yet this is\nbut a specimen of the distrust which is too frequently manifested, even by\nthose who profess to rely upon the promises of God. Happy for us, if, in\ncases of far less extremity, we have not been tempted to forget our\nmercies and relinquish our confidence!\n\nThe sighs of the lad were heard. An angel again appeared to his desponding\nmother--\"What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice\nof the lad where he is: arise, and lift up the lad, and hold him in thine\nhand; for I will make him a great nation.\" At the instant of this address,\nGod is said to have opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, whence\nshe replenished the bottle, and supplied her fainting son. He revived, and\nafterward settled in the wilderness of Paran with his mother, and probably\nmaintained her by the use of the bow. So wonderfully does the providence\nof God accomplish its predestined purposes!\n\nThis distressing circumstance in the life of Hagar was a link in a great\nchain of events, which were connected together by an invisible agency, and\nheld in the divine hands. A superficial observer might see nothing in all\nthat transpired but a curious concurrence of ordinary events. The\ninsolence of Ishmael irritated the temper of Sarah; she procured his\nexpulsion, and that of his mother from her household; retiring in\ndisgrace, she narrowly escaped destruction in the wilderness, and\nafterward took up a casual residence in the vicinity. But if we pay a\nproper attention to these events, we shall view them with another eye.\nEvery circumstance was connected with a vast providential plan, and tended\nto illustrate the power and sovereignty of God in the accomplishment of\nhis designs. The folly of Ishmael, the conduct of Sarah, the compliance\nof Abraham, the various occurrences connected with the settlement in\nParan, concurred to _fulfil a divine prediction_, and thus to evince the\nsuperintendence of God over all human affairs. \"Surely the wrath of man\nshall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain.\"\n\n\n\n\nLot's Wife.\n\nChapter IV.\n\n\n\n  Delusions to which the Young in particular are exposed--Lot's erroneous\n  Choice--Sin brings Punishment--Advantages of Lot's Wife--Her remarkable\n  Deliverance--Her Guilt--General Causes of Apostacy traced, Fear, Love of\n  the World, Levity of Mind, Pride--Doom of Lot's Wife.\n\n\n\"Judge not,\" said our Saviour, \"according to the appearance, but judge\nrighteous judgment.\" This is a maxim which, though originally uttered in\nvindication of his character against the reproaches of the Jews, is\ncapable of a more extensive application.\n\nCaptivated by the fascinating exterior of the world, the prospect of\ntemporal advantage, and diversified enjoyment, how many neglect to\nregulate their desires by those superior principles which Revelation\ninculcates, and which alone can secure substantial happiness! The young,\nespecially suffer by this delusion. Lively in imagination, but immature in\njudgment; easily, and therefore frequently deceived; they are hurried into\nthose premature determinations which cannot be corrected when they come to\ndiscover their mistakes. It is to be deeply deplored, when young persons,\nthrough refusing to listen to the dictates of wisdom or the suggestions of\nexperienced age, precipitate themselves into misery, and sacrifice to the\nfleeting possessions and pleasures of this life, the higher interests of\nanother existence. Deeming themselves privileged to disregard, if not to\nridicule religion, by virtue of their age, rank, or talents; and living as\nthough they held their present being by no precarious tenure, they trifle\naway their time in criminal indulgences, and \"lose their own souls\" by a\nguilty procrastination. To persons of this class, Solomon suggests a most\nimportant truth, in the form of a sarcastic appeal--\"Rejoice, O young man\nin thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth; and\nwalk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know\nthou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.\"\n\nThere are also young persons of another description, who, though partially\ninfluenced by such motives, possess upon the whole a different character.\nTheir inconsistencies, although highly detrimental, result rather from\ntemporary illusion than from radical depravity. The passions which through\ngrace are habitually subjugated to the yoke of reason and religion,\nacquire, on some occasions, a momentary ascendency; and, as the apostle\ndescribes it, \"they do\" that which they \"allow not,\" and that which they\n\"would,\" they \"do not.\" They are, for a time, inveigled by their\nsenses--their eyes are dazzled, and their minds perverted. Their mistakes\nboth of judgment and of feeling, connect themselves, perhaps, with a long\nseries of disasters, neither to be foreseen nor prevented. Sometimes the\nindividual himself does not discover his error for a lapse of years;\ncontinuing under the deception, till the course of providential events\nawakens him from the dream of enjoyment, and successive afflictions\nrestore him to his \"right mind.\"\n\nIf at that unhappy moment, when Lot, regarding temporal advantages only,\nand forgetting his religious dangers, \"lifted up his eyes and beheld all\nthe plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord\ndestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the\nland of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar\"--if he could have anticipated the\nmelancholy consequences of one false step, surely he would not have chosen\nthe plain of Jordan for a residence, or pitched his tent towards the city\nof Sodom! Infinitely better had it been for him to have accompanied\nAbraham to Mamre, or even to have lived in a retired and desolate\nwilderness.\n\nThe most exalted piety does not necessarily exempt the individual who\npossesses it from the trials of life; but it prepares the mind for\nenduring and improving them. In some instances, it obviates those external\ncalamities which befall an ungodly world, supplying the means of escaping\nfrom many of the punishments and penalties which the wicked suffer; but,\nin all cases, it prevents that anguish which arises from the secret\nconviction, that the afflictions of life are the consequences of personal\nguilt and misconduct--sent, it is true, for their ultimate benefit; but\nsent in judgment, and expressive of displeasure. Sin is always pernicious.\nIt not only involves the impenitent in present sufferings and future wo,\nbut inflicts even on the people of God, in proportion to the degree in\nwhich it prevails, embarrassments and calamities.\n\nIf we direct our course by mere worldly considerations, however fair the\nprospect may seem, the luxuriant plain is likely to become overspread with\nconfusion, and deluged with misery. In consequence of the fatal choice of\nLot, he soon became a captive, then a fugitive. He lost his liberty, his\npeace, his possessions, and finally his dearest connexion in life, by one\nof those awful dispensations in which the hand of God is so visible, the\npunishment of sin so striking, and the lessons of divine justice so\nterrible. We are admonished to \"remember Lot's wife;\" and truly, her\n_advantages_, her _deliverance_, her _guilt_, and her _doom_, furnish so\nmany subjects of instructive reflection.\n\nThe ADVANTAGES of Lot's wife were considerable. She was the nearest\nconnection of a \"just or pious man;\" who though he dwelt in Sodom, the\nvery rendezvous of all the vices, \"vexed his righteous soul from day to\nday,\" with the \"unlawful deeds,\" and \"filthy conversation\" of its wicked\ninhabitants.\n\nObvious and lamentable as were the defects in the character of Lot, it\nmust, nevertheless, be admitted that he was a man of eminent piety--a\npiety the more conspicuous, from the circumstances in which he was placed.\nHis fellow citizens were inexpressibly depraved; so much so, that in all\nthe annals of sacred and profane history, we find no parallel example.\nSodom was, in fact, one mass of pollution. High and low, rich and poor,\nseem to have been infected with moral contamination; and every day their\nexcessive immoralities dared the vengeance of Heaven. Lot stood alone and\nunsupported, struggling against the torrent of iniquity that flowed down\nevery street, and inundated with its filthiness the adjacent cities of\nthe plain.\n\nSociety animates the desponding spirit amidst discouragements. It inspires\ndiligence, quickens zeal, and strengthens against resistance. The example\nof the multitude often operates with pernicious influence in situations\nwhere the pious experience considerable co-operation; and considering the\nweakness of human nature, the force of temptation, the numerous instances\nof defection which occur even within the pale of the Christian church,\ncontinuance in well doing is a just cause of congratulation under any\ncircumstances. But that this holy man should have remained steadfast and\nimmoveable amidst the abominations of Sodom, is a proof of the confirmed\nstability and superior excellence of his religion. Neither promises nor\nthreatenings, neither ridicule nor flattery could divert him from his\ncourse. He was neither to be cajoled nor coerced; but set his face like a\nflint, and pursued the narrow path of obedience to God with undeviating\nperseverance. Piety had, in fact, exalted him to a higher sphere, and,\nlike the sun, that pursues his circuit alike through the calm or the\nstormy day, the obstructions which impiety seemed to throw in his path,\nproved nothing but cloud and vapour before his resistless progress.\n\nIt must have been a singular privilege to have sustained the intimate\nrelationship of a _wife_ to one so excellent, and at a period, not only\nwhen immorality had acquired such an odious ascendency in the particular\nplace of their residence, but when there was little religion in the world.\nHis favoured partner had every opportunity of knowing his views upon the\nmost important religious topics, and especially of being informed or\nreminded of the great designs of eternal Providence respecting the future\nmission of our Saviour; to which bright consummation of human happiness\nthe saints of God, in the remotest ages, look forward with confident\nanticipation.\n\nShe had, besides, the best means of observing the influence of true\nreligion upon the character. She saw him in every position, and witnessed\nhis conduct every day. If she were no stranger to many of his\nimperfections, and these attach more or less to every one in the present\nstate, she could not fail of perceiving a mighty contrast between his\ngeneral deportment and spirit, and that of the guilty inhabitants of\nSodom. He was not only unseduced by their example, but detested their\npractices; and bore a decided, if it were an unavailing, testimony against\nthem. She must have seen that his passions were under the regulation of\nprinciples to which _they_ were perfect strangers; and that his whole\ncharacter was cast in a different mould. His fellow-citizens, indeed,\npossessed the advantage of his public example and judicious reproofs,\nalthough they were too base to receive any impression; but _she_ saw him\nat home, and had the privilege of domestic intercourse. There he presented\nhis private and frequent devotions--there, no doubt, he erected the family\naltar, and day by day offered the solemn sacrifices of prayer and praise.\nUpon that house the eye of God was fixed, and there his blessing\ndescended. One voice in Sodom, discordant to the universal chorus of\nimprecation and blasphemy was harmonious in the ear of Heaven--one\nhallowed flame ascended amidst the fires of lust--one drop of purity\nmingled with an ocean of wickedness!\n\nWhether the wife of Lot were benefited by his example, or properly\nobservant of his actions, or whether she were infected by the general\ncontagion, it is not possible to ascertain with certainty: her subsequent\nconduct renders us suspicious of her having been, if not a practitioner of\natrocious crimes, at least in love with the world, and destitute of\nreal religion.\n\nSome of the best of men have suffered this severe affliction. The chosen\ncompanions of their pilgrimage have been strangers to their religious\nfeelings, and could cherish no kindred sympathies. Instead of proving\nhelp meets, they have been hinderances; instead of assisting, they have\nretarded their journey. In some cases, this must be imputed to themselves,\nas their _own fault_. They have been misled by their passions; and, in\nconsequence of \"entering into temptation,\" they have plunged themselves\ninto inevitable wretchedness. This is a sin which, we should hope, is not\noften committed; and, as a means of prevention, we would enforce a\ncontrary conduct by all the authority which can attach to the language of\nan inspired adviser. Paul exhorts us to marry \"only in the Lord;\" and he\nsustains his admonitions by irresistible argument: \"Be ye not unequally\nyoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness\nwith unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and\nwhat concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth\nwith an infidel?\"\n\nThere is one case, in which we must rather pity than censure this\nincongruous association. Previous to that essential change of character\nwhich is introductory to the kingdom of heaven, and which the New\nTestament represents as being \"brought out of darkness into marvellous\nlight,\" the woman and the man have, perhaps, become \"equally yoked\" in\nunbelief. At the period of their early matrimonial connection, no\ndissimilarity in point of religious principle existed. Both were \"lovers\nof pleasure more than lovers of God;\" and unhappily, neither of them felt\nthe importance of securing permanent and solid enjoyment, by constructing\nit on the basis of genuine religion. Resembling others in the same period\nof youth and illusion, they embarked on the smooth and inviting surface,\nunaware of what storms awaited them, or what dangers lurked in the\nperilous sea of life. It was, morning--the scene was new--the prospect\ngay--and their fair horizon seemed to encircle an earthly paradise! They\nknew not it was a _painted_ landscape, and that \"pure and undefiled\nreligion\" alone could effectually prepare them for the disappointment.\n\nSince that period, one of this happy pair has become \"a follower of God,\"\nthe other remains \"a servant of sin\"--the one has discovered the paramount\nimportance of the interest of eternity, the other has not yet learned the\nnecessity of salvation, or the value of the soul. Now is fulfilled the\nprediction of Christ, \"I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am\ncome to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against\nher mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's\nfoes shall be those of _his own household_.\"\n\nLet those who are thus united together by the conjugal tie, although\ndissimilar in character, be excited to a consideration of their respective\nduties. The religious party should pursue a system of conciliation and\nkindness, as best calculated to exemplify the excellence of religion, and\n_win_ the disobedient yoke-fellow; and the irreligious husband or wife\nshould study the virtuous peculiarities, and worthy example, of the pious\npartner: the one being anxious to exhibit the genuine effect of\nreligion--the other to examine with impartiality, and an unprejudiced\nattention, the operation of grace.\n\nAnother circumstance to which our attention is directed, in the history of\nLot's wife, is her DELIVERANCE from the miraculous conflagration of Sodom.\nThe angelic messengers who were sent to Lot, conducted him and his family\nfrom the scene of danger. They first distinctly predicted the destruction\nof the city, on account of its extreme iniquity, and intimated that they\nwere commissioned to execute this awful purpose of eternal justice. They\nthen inquired about his relations, commanding him to bring them out of the\nplace; but, with a spirit of infatuation too common to the impenitent, the\nearnest solicitations of Lot were utterly rejected, and even ridiculed.\n\"Up,\" said he, \"get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this\ncity! But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law.\"\n\nOn the ensuing morning, at a very early hour, the two commissioned angels\nurged Lot to use all possible despatch in his departure, and to take with\nhim his wife and daughters. The predestined moment was at hand; the\nwindows of heaven were opening, and the burning tempest ready to descend.\n\"And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand\nof his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being\nmerciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the\ncity. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that\nhe said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in\nall the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.\"\n\nThis narrative intimates with sufficient plainness that Lot's wife and\ndaughters were spared for _his sake_; and that it was nothing but the\nimpenitent obstinacy of his other family connexions, that prevented their\nescape. They would not listen, even though he \"lingered,\" probably, to\npersuade them to accompany his flight; they must, therefore, perish. It\nappears that his wife and daughters also were reluctant, as the angels\nwere obliged to take them each by the hand, and conduct them into the\nplain; but, _for the sake of Lot_, they were happily compelled to flee. If\nthis woman had not been the wife, and these the daughters of a _good man_,\nthey would have shared the tremendous fate of the other inhabitants of\nthe city; their near connection with him, unquestionably saved their\notherwise unprotected lives.\n\nHumiliating as the sentiment may be to the enemies of religion, it is\nclearly deducible from this affecting narrative, and strikingly confirmed\nby other scriptural accounts, that righteous persons are the salt of the\nearth; the means, not only of preserving it from becoming an entire mass\nof corruption, but of averting the judgments of Heaven from others; and\nespecially of preserving those from awful calamity, who are more\nimmediately connected with them by the ties of consanguinity or\nfriendship.\n\nThe escape of Lot's wife and daughters, on this disastrous occasion, was\nan illustration of the promise which had but a short time before been made\nto Abraham, when he was permitted to commune with Jehovah respecting the\ndestruction of this city. Having been informed of the divine\ndeterminations, Abraham, deeply affected with the condition of his wicked\nneighbours, but feeling a peculiar concern for his nephew, drew near with\nholy boldness to inquire whether the righteous and the wicked were to be\ninvolved in the same common catastrophe; and whether, if fifty righteous\npersons could be found, the city might not be spared? To this he obtained\nfull consent: upon which he ventured to limit the pious number, for whose\nsake all the inhabitants should be spared, to forty-five--then to\nforty--to thirty--to twenty--and to ten; \"And the Lord said, I will not\ndestroy it for ten's sake.\"\n\nHere it is observable, that the patriarch did not request the preservation\nof the wicked for _their own sake_, or because of any supposed severity in\nthe predicted punishment, but solely for the sake of the _righteous_ who\nmight be discovered in the place. Value your connexion, then, with the\npeople of God. To be born of pious parents, or to be situated amidst\nreligious advantages, is an unspeakable favour. The church of Christ,\nespecially, is a privileged spot--there celestial mercy takes her\nfavourite walks--thither she conveys her choicest blessings--and to that\nsacred enclosure from the world, she extends her most powerful protection.\nHow many families, besides the house of Obed-edom, have been blessed\n\"because of the ark of God!\"\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1897.] The inspired history, in the next\nplace, particularly points out the GUILT of Lot's wife. As soon as this\nfavoured family had reached the suburbs, and at a moment when the rising\nsun shed his unclouded radiance over the devoted scene, and, consequently,\nindicated no approaching storm, the mighty tragedy commenced. Down came\nthe burning sulphureous deluge upon Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim;\nwhich, mingling with the bituminous soil of the valley, and blazing with\ninconceivable intensity, spread sudden, awful, and universal desolation.\nFrom this horrible moment, the site of these ancient cities became\nconverted into a lake, which, from its bituminous quality, is termed the\nlake _Asphaltites_, and sometimes the _Dead Sea_, from the idea that no\ncreature can exist in its waters. [11]\n\nDuring this miraculous tempest, the wife of Lot, who was now flying to\nZoar, \"LOOKED BACK FROM BEHIND HIM;\" and in consequence, suffered an\ninstantaneous judgment, which we shall presently have occasion to notice.\n\nAnd was this the whole amount of her criminality? Was it a mere glance of\nthe eye, for which she is become an object of execration, and a warning to\nall ages? Was this the single action for which she suffered?--Have we not\nbeen led to suppose, that apostacy is rather a _course of conduct_, than\nthe perpetration of any particular crime, however atrocious? And yet does\nnot the wife of Lot appear to have been punished as an apostate?\n\nBeware of forming a hasty judgment, and recollect that, in some cases, a\nsingle action is an infallible criterion of a most impious character. It\nis the _last in a series of crimes_, although, perhaps, the only\n_discovered_ iniquity. The rest have been concealed by circumstances, or\nby artifice; and, like the apex and point of a rock piercing the surface\nof the deep, which indicates its immense magnitude and elevation above the\nbottom of the ocean, _one_ considerable act of baseness indicates the real\nexistence of an immense accumulation of secret iniquity. Such was the\ncharacter of _Judas,_ and probably of _Lot's wife_.\n\nThe recorded action in question indicated, in fact, a very complicated\ncrime. It was a direct disobedience to an express and solemn command; and\nwhether the command respected a mere look, or a mighty undertaking, the\n_principle_ which influenced the conduct, was equally censurable. We must\nabstain from _whatever_ is interdicted, whether it respect the tasting of\nfruit, as in the case of Eve, or the looking back to relinquished\npossessions, as in the example of Lot's wife. Unbelief was also a probable\nconcomitant in this transgression. She might doubt the reality of the\nthreatened destruction, or be influenced by a spirit of unhallowed\ncuriosity: or, if she heard the descending tempest, some dread of being\novertaken by it might induce her to look back. But, above all, our Lord,\nin commenting upon her conduct, intimates that her _heart_ lingered after\nthe possessions she had left, and her look implied a _wish_ to return to\ntheir enjoyment.\n\nThe case of this woman is peculiarly affecting, from other considerations.\nIt has been already stated, she had peculiar advantages, being the wife of\na righteous man--she had thus far escaped the pollutions of Sodom, and\navoided its destiny--she had obeyed the voice of the celestial messenger,\nand was led forth under a heavenly ministration--she was in the company of\nthe pious--participated the deliverance of her husband, and was on the\npoint of having completely escaped--Sodom was left behind--Zoar was at\nhand--the raging storm was desolating the devoted cities, while the bright\nsun of the morning lighted the fugitives on their way. Before, all was\nsmiling! Behind, all was tempestuous!--Salvation, if they persevered!\nPerdition, if they retreated or looked back!--It is written in the book of\nGod--may it be written indelibly on every heart--\"If any man draw back, my\nsoul shall have no pleasure in him.\"\n\nIt will conduce to the purposes of instruction, if we generalize this\nsubject, by briefly stating a few of the most usual causes of apostacy\nfrom God; some of which are strictly applicable to the history of\nLot's wife.\n\nSometimes it originates in _fear_; and though every period could furnish\ninstances, we must expect to find them principally in times of\npersecution. Many, under the awful apprehension of excruciating torments,\nand some even from very inferior reasons of alarm, have signed their\nrecantation of principles which they had long professed to venerate; but\nfew have imitated the noble heroism of a CRANMER, who publicly denounced\nhis own recantation, and resolutely thrust the hand that signed it first\ninto the fire, on the day of his martyrdom, calling it, \"this unworthy\nright hand!\"\n\nBut in all ages a _love of the world_ may be justly considered as a much\nmore prevalent occasion of apostacy than fear. Demas, and the wife of Lot,\nlive again in a thousand wretched examples. It may be acknowledged\ndifficult to point out in all cases with perfect exactitude, the precise\nline of demarkation between a proper and an inordinate pursuit of worldly\ngood, and thus to detect the first commencement of an avaricious temper,\nthe embryo germ of an apostate disposition; but at least no difficulty\nshould remain with _the individual himself_ in deciding upon his own\nactual state, even though he be not guilty of flagrant immoralities, if\nconscious that his heart is in his covetousness--if the love of gain have\nusurped the dominion of his soul, and dethroned the love of God--if he\ngladly embrace every opportunity of promoting his worldly interest, and\nobey but slowly and reluctantly the calls of duty. Let him apprehend that\nhe is drifting along to ruin--let him fear, and fear justly, that the\npleasant gale of success to which he has expanded all his powers, is only\nbearing him upon the rocks of eternal destruction. Be not deceived, though\nthey appear covered with flowers of surpassing beauty, and exquisite\nfragrance. \"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.\nIf any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\"\n\n_Levity of mind_ is a frequent occasion of apostacy. It predisposes the\nunhappy individual to the ruinous influence of vicious society and\ninjurious publications. These, most fatally adapted to their purpose, soon\ninduce the unwary to neglect, and finally to despise all religious\ninstitutions. The apostle Paul intimates that some are \"tossed to and fro,\nand carried about with every wind of doctrine,\" like clouds which,\npossessing no solidity, are driven in every direction through the\natmosphere. Persons of this description are easily persuaded by a\nplausible reasoner, that his opinions are true, and with equal facility\nsubmit to the next artful sophist, who avows even contrary sentiments. The\nnatural effect of this inconstancy will be, a disregard of ALL truth, and\na ready admission of every sceptical principle. When the mind is in such a\nstate of fluctuation and uncertainty, or rather the willing slave of every\ntyrant, it is well prepared for vice: it will admit a criminal thought, as\nwell as a sentimental error, and the same plausibility which could\nsuccessfully insinuate a sceptical principle, can excite to an immoral\npractice. In the circles of gay dissipation, every remaining scruple is\neasily dissipated; the poison of \"evil communications\" is voraciously\nswallowed, and \"good morals are corrupted.\"\n\nSuch a disposition is closely allied to _pride,_ which often \"goes\nbefore, destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.\" Praised by their\ncompanions as persons of distinguished genius, or admired for a natural\nwit, they sacrifice every thing to flattery. They have been stimulated to\nbelieve that the possession of religion is a decisive proof of\nintellectual inferiority; or at least, that a punctilious observance of\nits practices, or a fervent attachment to its peculiar doctrines, is\nenthusiastic. They listen to the artful seducer, who assures them that\ntheir principles are too evidently drawn from the lessons of the nursery,\nand that it is time to shake off--their own penetration, indeed, will lead\nthem to discard--the mere prejudices of an illiberal education. It is not\nimprobable they may meet with some advocate of deistical principles or\nlibertine conduct, who zealously instils into them the maxim of the\nwell-known Earl of Shaftesbury, that \"whoever is searching for truth,\nshould examine if they cannot find out something that may be justly\nlaughed at;\" and if they can be persuaded as he was, \"not to think on the\nsubject of religion, without endeavouring to put himself in as good a\nhumour as possible,\" it is not unlikely they may adopt what he calls a\n_natural suspicion_, that \"the holy records themselves were no other than\nthe pure invention and artificial compliment of an interested party, in\nbehalf of the richest corporation and most profitable monopoly which could\nbe erected in the world.\"\n\nIn the scriptural statement of the fall of man, it appears that pride and\nsensuality were the first dispositions which polluted the human mind in\nparadise, and their contaminating influence has descended upon the whole\nhuman race. From these two springs the torrent of corruption originated,\nand has never ceased to pursue its course and widen its channel through\nthe successive ages of time. \"When the woman saw that the tree was good\nfor food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired\nto make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave\nalso unto her husband with her, and he did eat.\"\n\nThe DOOM of Lot's wife is one of the most memorable in the records of\neither profane or sacred history. It is said, that \"she became a pillar of\nsalt,\" or a nitro-sulphureous pillar; the singularity and severity of her\npunishment being thus proportioned to the atrocity of her crime. When we\nrecollect that Jehovah afterward proclaimed himself to Moses as \"the Lord,\nthe Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in\ngoodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and\ntransgression, and sin;\" that he is frequently celebrated by the inspired\nwriters, as \"ready to pardon, slow to anger, of great kindness, plenteous\nin mercy, full of compassion;\" that he is represented by the apostle John\nas \"love\" itself; and that infinite benignity is essential to his nature,\nand characteristic of his dispensations--we cannot but tremble at the\nsight of such a visitation.\n\nInexpressibly awful as the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim\nappears, there is an additional feature of horror in the destruction of\nthis woman. Our imagination is bewildered amidst the general ruin of\nmultitudes; while, by the contemplation of an individual instance,\nappointed to a separate and peculiar punishment, we become excited to\ndeeper feeling. From the very constitution of our nature, we view the doom\nof numbers with a diminished impression; we have not time to select and\nmeditate upon the peculiarities of individual agonies, and regard them\nonly in one vast heterogeneous mass, consigned to one common portion of\nsuffering: but the emotion is widely different, and incalculably more\npoignant, when a solitary example is presented to us, alike distinguished\nfor guilt and for punishment. In the present case, too, the degree of\nsensibility excited into action is necessarily more acute, from the very\ncircumstance forbidding us to pity, and demanding an unmingled\noverwhelming sense of omnipotent justice. Nor is this a censurable, but a\nnecessary feeling, indicative of a proper coincidence of mind with the\nperfect will of Heaven: it is allied to the sentiments attributed to purer\nspirits, who, when they witness the seven angels distributing the seven\nlast plagues in which is filled up the wrath of God, are represented as\nstanding on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.--\"And they sing the\nsong of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, great\nand marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy\nways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify\nthy name? for thou only art holy, for all nations shall come and worship\nbefore thee: for thy JUDGMENTS are made manifest.\" In the same spirit, the\nheavens, the holy apostles and prophets, are called upon to rejoice over\nBabylon in the hour of her destruction; and a great voice of much people\nis heard in heaven, saying, \"Alleluia; salvation and glory, and honour,\nand power, unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his\nJUDGMENTS.\" \"And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever\nand ever.\"\n\nThe justice of God displayed even in the awful form which it assumes in\nthe punishment of the wife of Lot, is, in fact, only a modification of\ngoodness, and therefore a proper reason both for angelic and human\ncelebration. The love of order is no less essential to a holy being than\nthe love of mercy; and therefore it is compatible with the most perfect\ngoodness, in its association with justice, to punish transgressors either\non their own account or for the sake of others--either for the purpose of\nindividual correction or of general warning. It would be a far less\ndisplay of goodness to suffer men to persevere in sin without any\ncontrol, than to arrest them by some powerful stroke. In the former case,\nthey not only plunge into ruin themselves, but draw others, by their fatal\nand malignant attraction, into perdition: in the latter, a salutary\nprecaution is given to such as lie within the reach of their mischievous\ninfluence. Whatever has a tendency to prevent sin is a benevolent exercise\nof power; because sin is the source of individual and universal misery: if\nit had never entered into this world, man would still have been happy; and\nwhen, in the merciful appointments of Heaven, the guilt which now stains\nthe moral creation shall be purified away by the efficacy of the blood of\nChrist, paradise will be restored, and the long-renowned tabernacle of God\nagain descend to be with men. To this glorious consummation of human\nfelicity, all the dispensations of Providence point; and to produce it,\nall his judgments are inflicted: the promises and the threatenings have\neach a similar design, and will ultimately promote the same general\nobject. The tempest and the tornado have their peculiar uses, as well as\nthe small rain that descends upon the tender herb. \"Mercy and truth meet\ntogether--righteousness and peace kiss each other.\"\n\nIn turning our eyes, then, towards the plain of Sodom, we must combine a\nsentiment of holy reverence with trembling horror. The destiny of the\natrocious sinner was intended to produce salutary apprehensions in her\nsurviving relatives, and in all her posterity. Upon that accursed plain\nEternal Justice erected a monument of infinite displeasure; but the hand\nwhich raised the pillar of salt, at the same time inscribed upon it, in\ncharacters too large and legible to be mistaken, \"FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS\nCOMMANDMENTS.\"\n\nThe terrific nature of this judgment was enhanced by the _instantaneous_\nmanner in which it occurred. No sooner did the wife of Lot look back, than\nshe was converted into a pillar of salt, [12]--_this moment_ in the midst\nof life, and apparently escaping from the scene of danger--_the next_, a\nmonument of wrath! What a transition from happiness to misery! What a\ndescent from the summit of hope to the depths of despair! Mercy had almost\nconducted her to Zoar--Guilt transported her to the abyss of wo! She had\neven tasted the cup of blessing; but, dashing it from her lips in the\nspirit of daring rebellion, she was made to drink \"the wine-cup of fury.\"\n\nIt elucidates the divine condescension and forbearance, when the wicked,\ninstead of being withered at a touch, are allowed time for reflection.--\nThe ordinary dispensations of Providence are characterized by a merciful\ntardiness: the daring transgressor is addressed by reiterated appeals,\nand perhaps placed under a course of moral discipline: he is not smit by\nthe thunder, or blasted by the lightning; but a series of smaller\nprecursory punishments precedes a great catastrophe: his way is hedged up;\nreproofs, remonstrances, losses, afflictions, bereavements, constitute so\nmany obstructions thrown across the path to perdition; and if he perish,\nit is necessary to force his way through them with a daring and infatuated\nheroism: voices from heaven and earth precede the infliction of merited\nvengeance, saying with loud and harmonious exclamations, \"Let the wicked\nforsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return\nunto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he\nwill abundantly pardon.\"\n\nBut in the present melancholy instance, the wife of Lot was cut off as in\na moment: she was ripe for the sickle, and justice delayed not to gather\nher into the storehouse of wrath; she cumbered the ground by her\nimpieties, and was worthy of no additional cultivation. Here we behold an\nawful specimen of the obstinacy of sinners, the effect of disobedience,\nand the determination of God, in a visible and striking manner, to\nvindicate his holy name.\n\nReader! flatter not yourself that the circumstance of having hitherto\nescaped remarkable judgment is any real indemnification against future\npunishment: do not imagine that the supreme God is unobservant, because he\nis not vindictive; that it is possible to elude his eye, because you have\nnot yet been slain by his sword. The delay, which is intended as a\nbenefit, may, and often does, by perversion, aggravate the sinner's doom:\nand indeed it is one of the most lamentable proofs of human degeneracy,\nthat the very circumstance in which the goodness of God is singularly\napparent, and which ought to lead to repentance, is made the occasion of\nmore atrocious crime and more resolute perseverance.\n\nBut delay is no evidence of indifference; and if justice have hitherto\nslept, it is to be apprehended it will rise with recruited vigour. While\nyou go on still in your trespasses, be assured the glittering sword is\ndrawing from its scabbard--it is even whetting to the final stroke!\n\n\n\n\nRebekah.\n\nChapter V.\n\n\n\nSection I.\n\n\n  Progress of Time--Patriarchal mode of Living--Abraham's Solicitude\n  respecting the Settlement of his Son--sends his Servant to procure him a\n  Wife--his Arrival in the Vicinity of Nahor--his Meeting with\n  Rebekah--her Behaviour, and their Conversation--the Good Qualities\n  already discoverable in Rebekah, which render her Worthy of\n  Imitation--her industrious and domesticated Habits--Unaffected\n  Simplicity--Modesty--Courtesy--Humanity.\n\n\nRapid, irresistible, and certain is the progress of time. The few\nincidents of which human life consists, transpire in quick succession; the\nfew years of which it is composed, even in cases of the greatest\nlongevity, soon elapse: the cradle and the grave seem placed very near\neach other; and scarcely does the voice of congratulation cease at our\nbirth, before it is succeeded by the lamentations of sorrow at\nour funeral.\n\nThere is a wide difference, however, in the actual impression, between\npassing through the details of existence in daily and hourly engagements,\nwhich, from their variety, produce an illusion of slowness and a vague\nidea of almost interminable continuance, and looking at expended years\n_after their termination_, or at successive lives in the perspective of\nhistory. In the latter case, events appear crowded together, the\nintervening spaces are riot distinctly perceptible, and the distance is\ndiminished. If the life of an Abraham, an Isaac, or a Jacob, had been\npresented to us in the form of a daily journal of occurrences, how easily\nmight it have been expanded into a volume equal in dimensions to the whole\ninspired record; and how distant would each eventful period of their\nrespective lives have appeared! how vast would have seemed the space\nbetween them if minuter circumstances had been formally detailed in the\norder of months, and days, and hours! Even a single year assumes a\nconsiderable magnitude when viewed as three hundred and sixty-five days,\neach day and night as four-and-twenty hours, each hour as sixty successive\nminutes, and each minute or hour as occupied with its appropriate and\nnecessary engagements: but when we ascend that elevated spot to which\nhistory conducts us, and look back upon the long track of time, and\nthrough the course of revolving centuries, we reflect at once on those\nimages of Scripture with which our imagination has been so often arrested,\nand see that the motion of the \"weaver's shuttle\" scarcely represents the\n\"swiftness\" of our days; the passing shadows that fly across the plain,\nimperfectly display the nothingness of fleeting years; \"the little time\"\nin which the \"vapour appeareth,\" is but faintly expressive of the manner\nin which life \"vanisheth away.\" It is almost impossible to observe the\nsmall number of pages which relate all that is really worth recording, of\nhundreds and even thousands of years, without being deeply affected. A few\nchapters suffice to state the principal circumstances relating to the\ncreation, destruction, and renewal of the world; and a single book\ncontains, in addition to this information, the lives of patriarchs the\nmost distinguished, and the account of ages the most eventful and\nextraordinary. Solemn consideration--\"one generation passeth away, and\nanother cometh!\"\n\nWe have been led into these reflections chiefly by observing how rapidly\nthe inspired writer passes from one event to another in the life of\nAbraham, though many years intervened; and especially by noticing the\n_immediate_ connexion in which the death and burial of Sarah are placed\nwith the marriage of Isaac: so nearly allied, so few are the intermediate\nsteps between the most joyful and the most painful events of human\nexistence! A marriage to-day--a funeral to-morrow! This hour\ncongratulated--the next lamented! \"Great and marvellous are thy works, O\nLord God Almighty: just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.\"\n\nThe family histories of the patriarchs are rendered peculiarly attractive\nby the simplicity of their manners, and their pastoral mode of living. We\nare transported into ages, around which antiquity throws a powerful charm,\nand revelation an extraordinary lustre. What are scenes of blood, and\nacclamations of triumph, in comparison with the private history of a man\nof peace, and a man of piety? what are heroic deeds to virtuous\nachievements? and what the most splendid page of secular history to the\nbeautiful and interesting account of the various transactions relating to\nthe union of Isaac and Rebekah?\n\nThese are so intimately blended together, that the present chapter must\nembrace at least a brief notice of them, in order to form an adequate idea\nof the heroine of this inimitable Scripture narrative.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1856]\n\nAbraham had now attained the venerable age of one hundred and forty years;\nhis beloved Sarah was no more; and after weeping over her grave, and\nnegociating for the entire possession of the field of Ephron in Machpelah,\nwhere she was interred, as a family burying-place, his thoughts were\nforcibly attracted towards the day of his own dissolution. \"The Lord had\nblessed him in all things,\" but his affections were detached from earthly\npossessions, and permanently fixed upon his unchangeable inheritance in\nthe skies. He \"desired a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore\nGod was not ashamed to be called his God, for he had prepared for him\na city.\"\n\nPrevious to his departure, Abraham felt solicitous respecting the\nadjustment of his temporal affairs, and particularly the settlement and\nmarriage of his beloved son. Actuated not merely by the common anxiety of\na parent, who knows that the credit and happiness of his family depend on\nthe propriety of the connection which he may form; but contemplating with\nthe eye of faith his future posterity, the patriarch called his eldest and\nconfidential servant. This was Eliezer of Damascus, the steward of his\nhouse; and, in case of his death, the manager of his affairs. He was,\nunquestionably, under that divine direction, which in this as in every\nother concern of life, he anxiously sought. It is pleasing to witness the\nresult which was so evidently connected with the prudence and piety of his\nproceedings, and which points us to the never-failing promise, \"In all thy\nways acknowledge him, and lie shall direct thy paths,\" Isaac is not,\nindeed, distinctly mentioned, but he was no stranger to prayer; and\nhaving attained his fortieth year, he had doubtless felt a laudable\nanxiety to enter into the honourable state of matrimony, expressed his\ndesires to God, and after concerting the proper measures with his father,\npatiently waited the will of Providence.\n\nAbraham explained his views to Eliezer, and exacted a solemn oath\nrespecting the punctual fulfilment of his commission, in which some of the\ncharacteristic principles of this illustrious saint were conspicuous. In\nthe selection of a wife for his son, he seems uninfluenced by worldly\npolicy. He wishes him to connect him with virtue rather than wealth;\nknowing that the latter is not only uncertain, but unnecessary to the\npurposes of real happiness.\n\nIt has been often said, there are \"few happy matches;\" but the cause of\nthis fact is seldom traced or regarded. If our calculations be founded\nsolely upon a reference to temporal interests, if the importance of a\nconnexion be measured merely by the probable amount of gold it may\nproduce, or the degree of worldly influence it is likely to confer, we may\nadd another item to the sum of probabilities--that of _disappointment_.\nThe inconsistencies into which this strange match-making infatuation has\nbetrayed some of the greatest and best of men, is truly deplorable; and if\nit do not incur immediate calamity, it certainly excites the divine\ndispleasure. God requires to be honoured in this, no less than in every\nother transaction.\n\nAbraham also evinced his characteristic aversion of idolatry. He desired\nhis servant not to seek a wife for Isaac in Chaldea, but to proceed to\nHaran in Mesopotamia, to the house of Nahor his brother. He was particular\nin requiring him to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of\nthe earth, that he would not take his son a wife of the daughters of the\nCanaanites, among whom he resided. The danger of his posterity becoming\nblended with idolaters, and contracting their habits, induced him to use\nthis solemn precaution; although his faith realized the peopling of this\ncountry, by his descendants. His servant put his hand upon his thigh, in\nconfirmation of the agreement, [13] and immediately prepared for his\njourney. The distance from Hebron, the present residence of Abraham, to\nHaran, was about seventeen days' journey; and the servant must have\ntravelled about four hundred and sixty miles.\n\nServants may learn, from this example, the kind of conduct which adorns\ntheir station. They should be punctual in the discharge of their duties,\nand readily comply with the directions they receive. Eliezer felt himself\nbound to comply with his master's injunctions, and not only proceeded on\nhis distant expedition without reluctance and murmuring, but with that\ndespatch which proves his whole heart was engaged in his duty. If any\nshould plead, that it was, no doubt, a privilege to have such a master,\nand any one would have been happy in such a situation, let them be\nreminded that this is a very questionable position; for it is common for\nservants to disregard the authority, or undervalue the character of the\nbest masters and mistresses; but their duty is not to be measured by the\nvirtue or even the kindness, of their domestic superiors, the apostle\nexpressly ordaining obedience \"not only to the good and gentle, but also\nto the froward.\"\n\nUpon Eliezer's arrival in the vicinity of the city of Nahor, he made his\ncamels kneel down by a well, intending to supply them as soon as possible\nwith water. The whole retinue was, no doubt, sufficiently weary with the\njourney. It was evening, and about the customary hour when the women of\nthe country came out to fetch a supply of water. This faithful and pious\nservant was aware of this circumstance, but, previous to the arrival of\nany of these strangers, he betook himself to solemn and effectual prayer.\nHis words are remarkable: \"O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee\nsend me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.\nBehold, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of\nthe city come out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the damsel\nto whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher I pray thee, that I may drink;\nand she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; let the\nsame be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby\nshall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master!\"\n\nWhile the words of supplication were still upon the tongue of this worthy\nservant, behold a damsel of singular beauty approaches the well! It is, in\nfact, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor;\nand whom an invisible but all-wise Providence had sent at this precise\nmoment, and by this happy concurrence of circumstances, introduced to the\ntravelling stranger. Beautiful, young, and artless; bearing a pitcher upon\nher shoulder, which she hastened to the well to fill for the necessary\nsupply of the family; we cannot imagine a more finished picture of\nloveliness, or one to which the Miltonian description of Eve, as first\nbeheld by her admiring partner, is more justly applicable:\n\n                                  \"Adorn'd\n  With what all earth or heaven could bestow\n  To make her amiable; on she came\n  Led by her heav'nly Maker, though unseen.\n\n  \"Grace was in all her steps, heav'n in her eye,\n  In every gesture, dignity and love.\"\n\nShe speedily descended to the reservoir of water, and filled her pitcher.\n[14] The servant was attracted by her remarkable appearance, for she\nseemed \"like the lily among thorns;\" but, at present, remained silent.\nIntent upon her proper business, she did not indulge an idle curiosity,\nand waste her time, by stopping to make inquiries respecting the stranger,\nand his train of camels, which were reclining near the well; nor would she\nhave been detained a moment, had not a motive of kindness prompted her to\nlisten to his solicitations for help. He, at length, hastened to meet her,\nand requested to drink a little of the water with which she had just\nreplenished her pitcher. This was granted with the utmost readiness; she\nlet down the vessel from her shoulder, and desired him to take whatever he\npleased. After this, she kindly offered to supply all his train of camels;\nand, regardless of the trouble which such officious hospitality\noccasioned, she did not even wait for a reply, but ran to fill the trough,\nby repeated draughts of water.\n\nAll this time, the man, who, by the way might have rendered this lovely\nyoung woman some assistance, stood gazing in silent astonishment. There\nwas so striking a coincidence between her conduct, and the wishes he had\nbeen expressing, that he could not help connecting them together.\n\"Wondering at her, he held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his\njourney prosperous or not.\" It seems strange that he should have felt even\na momentary hesitation upon the subject, but it exemplifies the frequent\nstate of our minds respecting anticipated blessings. We seek them with an\nimportunity which procures their communication, but, when actually\nbestowed, we scarcely believe them to be in our possession, and are too\nreluctant to recognize the divine bounty. But what has been sought with\neagerness ought to be acknowledged with promptitude.\n\nAs soon as the camels had been supplied, the good man presented Rebekah\nwith a suitable token of his thankfulness. It consisted of a golden\near-ring, of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten\nshekels weight of gold. These were, probably, the costly ornaments which\nAbraham had commissioned his servant to bestow upon the future wife of his\nson; and which, as he had now seen the accomplishment of his prayer, he no\nlonger hesitated to give this interesting young woman.\n\nAvailing himself of the present favourable opportunity of entering into\nsome conversation with her, he inquired whose daughter she might be, and\nwhether she thought her father could afford him and his attendants; and\ncamels, sufficient accommodation? In the east this was so common an act of\nhospitality, that the question did not appear strange, or the request\nobtrusive. It was, besides, dictated by a strong suspicion, if not a full\nassurance, that he had attained the object of his journey. She gave a\nprompt and kind answer: \"I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah,\nwhich she bare unto Naoh. She said, moreover, unto him, we have both straw\nand provender enough, and room to lodge in,\" The man bowed in thankfulness\nto _her_, but in more expressive praise and gratitude to GOD. His heart\nwas full, and his tongue could no longer remain silent. \"Blessed,\" said\nhe, \"be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my\nmaster of his mercy and his truth. I, being in the way, the Lord led me to\nthe house of my master's brethren.\" This was the language of _faith_--he\nrecognizes the divine \"mercy and truth\" which had promised to multiply and\nextend the family of Abraham. It was the voice of _gratitude_--for he\nremembers the way in which God had conducted him, and sees the concurrence\nof Providence in all that had transpired. It contained also a delicate\nintimation to the young women, not only that he came from her venerable\nrelative, but had some important business with her family. Rebekah made\nall possible haste back, and soon circulated through the family the joyful\nintelligence of this arrival.\n\nIn reviewing what has been hitherto related of this charming story, and\nthe circumstances of the first interview between the servant of Abraham\nand the future wife of Isaac, we beg to present to our young female\nreaders, a more distinct statement and recommendation of the good\nqualities discoverable in Rebekah.\n\n1. Observe her _industrious and domesticated habits._ She was high-born,\nand had great connections--she possessed a commanding beauty of person\nand fascination of manners--but yet she did not indulge in indolence, or\nin frivolous pursuits. At that period luxury and refinement had not\ncorrupted simplicity of manners, the affairs of a family were usually\nunder the more direct inspection and management of its principal members,\nand custom did not prescribe an avoidance of all careful, nor even of all\nlaborious, interference in domestic concerns. But there was a cheerfulness\nand an assiduity in the whole deportment of Rebekah, that proved it not\nmerely custom, but a sense of duty that influenced her. She was attentive\nto her proper business, neither omitting nor performing it negligently. It\nis very unbecoming to see young persons resisting the wishes of their kind\nparents, who having had a better experience than themselves, are desirous\nof training them to domestic usefulness. Ill do they requite parental\naffection, which has devoted, perhaps, a considerable portion of\nhard-earned profits to their education in useful branches of knowledge, or\nto their acquirement of polite accomplishments: by refusing to assist in\nfamily arrangements, or to submit to that wise after-discipline, by which\nthey may be prepared to occupy important situations in future life. It is\nnot the proper business of a woman to _shine_, to court admiration, or to\ndisplay superficial acquirements; nor, on the other hand, does either\nreason or religion reduce her to the inferior situation of a domestic\ndrudge; but her education is ill bestowed, and perversely misapplied, if\nit unfit her for the appropriate duties of her station, if it make her\nproud and petulent, if it raise her above her sphere, and if it indispose\nher to a proper \"care for the things of the world, how she may please\nher husband.\"\n\nIn modern times it would be unjust to impute the entire blame to the young\nwomen themselves; much is attributable to the _system_ which has been\nadopted in their education. Nothing indeed can justify, and few things can\nbe said in extenuation of the guilt of an arrogant disposition, unyielding\nto the wishes of tender though perhaps less educated parents; but it is to\nbe regretted, that the useful is often far less regarded in public\nseminaries than the ornamental; and that, while the exterior is polished,\nthe mind remains comparatively uncultivated. We shall not be understood to\nrequire a total exclusion of elegant instruction, or polite\naccomplishments; but let the understanding be well directed, the memory\namply stored, the judgment constantly exercised, the hands usefully\nemployed, the temper carefully watched and disciplined--above all, let\nreligion and the fear of God be the basis of the whole fabric, that \"our\ndaughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a\npalace.\"--\"By daughters families are united and connected to their mutual\nstrength, as the part of a building are by the corner-stones; and when\nthey are graceful and beautiful, both in _body_ and _mind_, they are then\n_polished_ after the similitude of a nice and curious structure. When we\nsee our daughters well established, and stayed with wisdom and discretion,\nas corner-stones are fastened in the building; when we see them by faith\nunited to Christ as the chief corner-stone, adorned with the graces of\nGod's Spirit, which are the polishing of that which is naturally rough,\nand become _women professing godliness_; when we see them purified and\nconsecrated to God as living _temples_, we think ourselves happy in them.\"\n[15]\n\n2. We see in Rebekah's interview with the servant of Abraham, a pattern of\n_unaffected simplicity_. It is this which throws an inexpressible charm\nover the narrative. We see nothing but _nature_; not a particle of false\ndelicacy or finesse. There is no study, no aim to please, no acting a part\nto court esteem, no suspicions about her, and no concealments; but, in\nevery word and motion, the most perfect artlessness. \"When unadorned\" she\napproaches the well to draw the evening supply of water, she seems\n\"adorned the most.\"\n\nLet young ladies beware of affectation. It is one of the most disgusting\nqualities that can attach to female character. It will never win esteem,\nbut will excite ridicule. There is reason to believe that it is frequently\nproduced in a gradual and almost imperceptible manner, but it takes the\ndeeper root, and extends the wider influence in consequence of a slow\ngrowth. It is not always easy to make the individual herself sensible of\npossessing it, but the surest way of preventing its baneful influence, is\nto guard against whatever has a tendency to produce it. Be\nyourself--simple and natural. The art of pleasing is--to please without\nart. Aim not to shine in borrowed feathers, or to acquire the\npeculiarities of another, especially when they are obviously incongruous\nwith your own native character; and avoid thinking of yourself as of a\nperson of great consequence in every circle, for this is a most infallible\nmeans of really becoming of no consequence at all.\n\nThe only sufficient security against affectation of every kind, is\nChristian humility. An inspired writer admonishes us to be clothed with\nit; and, where this is wanting, every attempt to conceal deformities of\ncharacter will resemble only the thinnest veil, which may be seen through\nby the most careless observer. This recommendation may possibly appear to\nsome rather antiquated and obsolete; we shall, nevertheless, persist in\nit, as of essential importance; and support it by quoting the reference of\nthe apostle to him who has best exemplified the principle, and whose\nSpirit alone can effectually impress it upon the heart: \"Let nothing be\ndone through strife or _vain glory_, but in _lowliness of mind_, let each\nesteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things,\nbut every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which\nwas also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not\nrobbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took\nupon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and\nbeing found in fashion as a man, he _humbled himself_, and became obedient\nunto death, even the death of the cross.\"\n\n3. The _modesty_ of Rebekah was conspicuous. Vain is the effort to obtain\nadmiration, without this quality. Confining the term to the general\nbehaviour of females in society, which is its most common application, it\nmay be considered as opposed to obstrusiveness, and as contradistinguished\nfrom bashfulness. Rebekah waited till the servant of Abraham addressed\nher, before she paid any attention to him; and when he put the questions\nwhich have been related, she readily gave him an answer.\n\nForwardness is so unbecoming the female character, so opposite to all real\ndelicacy of mind, that no intermixture of other qualities can render it\ntolerable. If it be associated with rare and brilliant powers, or very\neminent acquirements, it is calculated to excite envy and hatred, because\nit never fails to produce an overbearing conduct. But whatever another's\nconsciousness of mental inferiority may be, this unhallowed temper will\nproduce determined resistance. The very worm that crawls upon the earth\nwill resent the giant's tread. If, on the contrary, it be united to\nshallowness of capacity, it will render its unhappy possessor utterly\ncontemptible notwithstanding other exterior attractions which might\notherwise command attention. It is, in this case, the effect of egregious\nignorance; and so far from extorting respect, it only serves to expose\nthat inbecility, which, but for this strange mode of attempt at\nconcealment, might have remained, in a considerable measure, undetected.\n\nGenuine modesty is also distinguishable from extreme bashfulness. As the\nusages of civilized society do, by no means, banish females from social\nintercourse, it is requisite in avoiding forwardness to retain a certain\ndegree of self-possession. Boldness and excessive timidity are the two\nextremes to be avoided. The latter is irksome, both to the individual\nherself, and to others with whom she may be called to associate. It\nproduces an unnatural character, and, perhaps, may be classed with\naffectation. It is to be feared, that many who blush at the merest\ntrifles, and are confounded at maintaining the least interchange of\nsentiment, are too little ashamed of sin, and too unacquainted with the\nstate of their own hearts. The young need not be mortified at any\ndeformity but vice, nor afraid even of confessing ignorance, or making\ninquiries, so long as they show a proper solicitude for improvement. It\nis, in fact, a consciousness of ignorance that leads to the acquisition of\nknowledge. It inspires the desire of information, and stimulates to the\nuse of every means of acquiring it; but a vain and conceited mind is\nreally ignorant, and is likely to remain so, while it presumes\nupon wisdom.\n\n4. _Courtesy_ was another conspicuous feature in the character of Rebekah.\nThe stranger had no sooner requested a little supply of water, than she\nlets down the pitcher from her shoulder, and manifests the most obliging\ndisposition to render him service. Her whole proceeding evinces good\nhumour and affability in the highest degree, and the \"law of kindness is\nin her tongue.\" Josephus relates that there were other young females with\nher, who were asked for water, but refused; and that Rebekah reproved them\nfor their churlishness. Her civilities were connected essentially with her\npromotion, though she had no selfish purpose in view: they resulted solely\nfrom a pure and disinterested generosity of spirit.\n\nLet young women remember that an unfeeling and disobliging temper is\nunworthy of their character, and opposite to their real interest. It is at\nonce a neglect of duty, and a certain forfeiture of esteem. Courteousness\nis peculiarly suited to their age and sex, and particularly expected of\nthem. Nor should the exercise of this disposition be restricted merely to\ntheir superiors or equals; it ought to characterize their behaviour to\ntheir dependents and inferiors. If young people display affability only\nwhen in company with others, who move in the same, or in a more elevated\nsphere of life than themselves, but assume consequence, and betray an\narrogant spirit amongst their servants; we cannot but suspect that their\ngood qualities are only apparent, and their motives selfish. The true\ncharacter of every person is to be learned at home, and at times when no\nexterior influences operate to make persons different from themselves.\nThen the mask is taken off, meretricious ornaments are dispensed with,\nand consequently native qualities appear. Tyrannical conduct may compel\nobedience, but an amiable spirit alone can command affection, and render\nservitude pleasant. There are, indeed, great constitutional differences;\nbut it is no apology for petulance to say, it is natural to us, or that we\nwere born irritable. Our constitutional imperfections ought to be\ncarefully watched, and resolutely corrected. Irregularities of temper are\ncapable of being subdued by the vigorous efforts of religious principle.\nIt is possible, by careful and constant discipline, to subdue the most\nuntamed spirit; and is equally politic, because it renders its possessor\ndisagreeable to others, and miserable in herself.\n\nIt is on many accounts not only wicked, but foolish, to conduct yourselves\nwith provoking superciliousness towards inferiors. Courtesy is easily\npractised, and the reverse dangerous to your own peace and comfort.\nBesides, it is scarcely possible to think of a human being so utterly\ncontemptible, that his esteem is not worth possessing, or so morose that\nhe may not be conciliated by kindness: and in a world in which we are\nliable to such reverses, and exposed to such reproaches, the friendship of\nthe meanest person may be advantageous. Hence, it is well remarked by Dr.\nBarrow, \"the great Pompey, the glorious triumpher over nations, and\nadmired darling of fortune, was at last beholden to a slave for the\ncomposing his ashes, and celebrating his funeral obsequies. The honour of\nthe greatest men depends on the estimation of the least: and the good-will\nof the meanest peasant is a brighter ornament to the fortune, a greater\naccession to the grandeur of a prince, than the most radiant gem in his\nroyal diadem. However, the spite and enmity of one (and him the most weak\notherwise and contemptible) person, may happen to spoil the content of our\nwhole life, and deprive us of the most comfortable enjoyments thereof; may\ndivert our thoughts from our delightful employments, to a solicitous care\nof self-preservation and defence; may discompose our minds with vexatious\npassions; may, by false reports, odious suggestions, and slanderous\ndefamations, blast our credit, raise a storm of general hatred, and\nconjure up thousands of enemies against us; may, by insidious practices,\nsupplant and undermine us, prejudice our welfare, endanger our estate, and\ninvolve us in a bottomless gulf of trouble.\"\n\n5. We may take occasion, from Rebekah's kindness, to commend another\nquality for which she was distinguished--_humanity to animals_. Abraham's\nservant merely requested some water to quench his own thirst; but she felt\nfor the dumb creatures that attended him, who could only express their\nwants by signs. She offered to supply his camels, and hastened to fill the\ntroughs, that they might drink. How kind, how considerate was this! There\nare few persons of a really amiable temper, who do not cherish an\nattachment to animals; still we should distinguish between a proper\nattention to their necessities and comforts, and that excessive caressing\nfondness which is unbecoming a rational being.\n\nBut in what language shall we sufficiently denounce _cruelty_ to animals?\nAre they not the creatures of God; and endowed with capacities both of\npain and pleasure? Why should we inflict unnecessary pain, even upon the\nmeanest reptile? Who has given us authority to do so? By what argument, or\nby what sophistry, shall we seek a justification of such conduct? Why\nshould we abridge the short span of existence allotted to the inferior\ncreation, especially when we recollect that \"the spirit of a beast goeth\ndownward;\" and that, being destitute of immortality, the whole period of\ntheir enjoyment is limited to the short date of their life on earth? It is\nthe mark of a debased mind to seek amusement from the writhings of\ndefenceless creatures, to sport even with the agonies of a fly. Parents\nand guardians of youth should particularly guard against the encouragement\nof a principle of cruelty, by allowing this practice. Children should not\nbe suffered to indulge in such abuses, but should rather be taught to set\na proper value upon the life and liberty of an animal. The subsequent\nmaltreatment of the lower creation, many of the outrageous passions that\nin maturer life disgrace the uneducated part of society, and even the cold\ninsensibility to the necessities of others, which so often obtains in the\nhigher circles, may be traced to this early commencement. The future\ntyrant is formed in the hours of sportive cruelty; and he who in infancy\npractices on a fly, may in maturity domineer over an empire. It is\nimportant to trace evil passions and principles to their origin, to watch\ntheir developement and first operations, and, at the earliest possible\nperiod, to implant corrective sentiments in the youthful mind.\n\nSolomon represents it as characteristic of \"a righteous man,\" that he is\n\"merciful to his beast;\" and if it be censurable to assail the meanest\ninsect which is not positively noxious, how much more to abuse those\nanimals which contribute to our domestic comfort and security? This may be\ndone, not only by beating, goading, and over-driving the laborious ox, or\nthe swift-paced horse, by whom we cultivate our fields, or pursue our\ncommercial concerns; but by stinting them of food, supplying them with\ninsufficient or inferior provender, or leaving them to careless or\npeculating hands. Jacob was a specimen of kindness to animals--Balaam of\nbrutality. The Mosaic law wisely and mercifully provided for the ox which\ntrod out the corn, an enactment worthy of the supreme legislator, and\ncoincident with the feelings of every humane heart.\n\n\n\nSECTION II.\n\n\n  The Servant of Abraham cordially received into the House of Laban--tells\n  his Story--proposes to take Rebekah--Consent of her Family--her\n  Readiness to go--the Interview with Isaac--Rebekah become his\n  Wife--their Anxieties--Birth of Jacob and Esau--Isaac's Death-bed, and\n  Rebekah's unwarrantable Proceedings--her Solicitude respecting her\n  Son's future Conduct.\n\n\nWe left the good old servant of Abraham at the well of water--we\nlistened to his grateful acknowledgments to Heaven for prospering his\njourney--and we saw the interesting daughter of Bethuel run home to inform\nher friends of the extraordinary circumstance that had occurred. She had\nmet a stranger--he had accepted her assistance, and presented her with\ncostly ornaments--he had requested the customary rites of hospitality--he\nhad been praying like a servant of the most high God--he had even\nintimated that he was travelling to fulfil some special commission of his\nmaster and their relative, the venerable Abraham! Every heart welcomed the\ntidings, and mutual congratulation circulated through the family.\n\nLaban, the brother of Rebekah, whoso mercenary spirit viewed with\npeculiar satisfaction the ear-ring and bracelets which had been presented\nto his sister, hastened immediately to the well, and gave the messenger of\nAbraham a warm invitation to his home: \"Come in,\" said he, \"thou blessed\nof the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the\nhouse and room for the camels.\" If we were quite certain that this pious\nlanguage was dictated by a proportionable purity of motive, we should be\nhighly gratified with it; but, alas! how common is it to use words of\ncustomary congratulation without meaning, and to sacrifice sincerity to\npoliteness!\n\nThe man accepted the invitation; his camels were soon ungirded and\nsupplied with provender, water was furnished to wash his feet and those of\nhis men, and the table spread with a plentiful supply of provision for\ntheir refreshment. We need not be surprised, however, that he refuses to\neat till he has introduced the important business upon which he came! the\ngood man's heart is overflowing, and he prefers the discharge of his duty\nbefore his \"necessary food.\" O that all our obedience to God were\ncharacterized by a similar zeal and fidelity!\n\n\"Speak on,\" said Laban: upon which, with admirable skill and perfect\ningenuousness, he recounts a series of simple facts, interweaving his\nnarrative with such touching arguments as proved irresistible: he stated\nwithout the vanity of a superior domestic who was actually the steward of\nthe family, that he was \"Abraham's servant;\" and then proceeds to mention,\nnot his own exploits, or merit, or influence, but the opulence and\nprosperity of his master; his becoming great and rich in \"flocks and\nherds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels\nand asses,\" he devoutly ascribes to \"the Lord:\" but at the same time gives\nthe fact a prominence in his discourse well calculated to conciliate the\npersons he addressed, and prepare them for his subsequent statements. He\nnow proceeds to mention Isaac, taking care to intimate the weighty\nconsiderations, that he was the son of the illustrious patriarch whom he\nserved, by Sarah his beloved wife; born at an advanced period of their\nlives, and therefore young, as well as the child of promise, and heir of\nall the wealth which his master possessed. He then explicitly refers to\nthe solemn oath by which he had been bound to seek a wife for his son; not\namongst the idolatrous Canaanites near his own residence, but amongst his\nkindred in Haran. Dear is the name of _kindred_, especially when families\nare separated at such distances of time and space from each other, that\nthey scarcely expect to meet again in an unbroken circle, and renew the\nembraces of friendship. It is then the tenderest sensibilities are\nexcited, the fondest remembrances renewed, and the heart becomes\naccessible to every endearing impression!\n\nEliezer, having now gained the ear and won the regard of the listening\ncircle, next adverts to the conversation which had passed previously to\nthe commencement of his journey; in which he exhibits to great advantage\nthe faith of his master Abraham, and the particular direction of his\nwishes, By repeating the story of his interview with Rebekah at the well,\nin connexion with the command to seek a wife for Isaac among the kindred\nof the family, he points at once to the object he had in view, and appeals\nto their piety in estimating the movements of Providence. They must\nconsider whether all these concurring circumstances were not evidences of\na divine interposition, and whether some important consequences were not\nlikely to result from the proposed connexion: \"And now, if you will deal\nkindly and truly with my master, tell me; if not, tell me; that I may turn\nto the right hand or to the left.\" In all this the very spirit of his\nmaster is conspicuous in the servant; he had not lived with Abraham in\nvain; a similar fear of God was before his eyes, and the same solicitude\nto fulfil the duties of his station; he could not eat, he could not drink,\ntill he had disburdened his full heart, and ascertained the probability of\nsuccess in his important mission.\n\nEvery servant may here take a lesson of fidelity to his master on earth,\nand every servant of Christ especially, who sustains the ministerial\ncharacter, may see a fine specimen of the ardour, energy, and affection\nwith which it becomes him to execute his high commission. This delicate\nservice upon which Abraham's servant was sent to Nahor, was honourably\ndischarged; but how much more \"he that winneth souls is wise!\"\n\nWhat could the friends of Rebekah say to the appeal they had heard? Laban\nand Bethuel were overwhelmed. There was a mysterious singularity in the\nwhole train of circumstances, calculated to impress the most indifferent\nand superficial mind, and they bowed to the interposing wisdom of the\nSupreme Disposer. As soon as the solemn feeling produced by such an\nextraordinary narrative was sufficiently regulated to permit them to\nspeak, they joined in expressions of devout acknowledgment and submissive\nconsent; \"The thing proceedeth from the Lord; we cannot speak unto thee\nbad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her and go, and let her\nbe thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken.\"\n\nThis was a moment of exquisite satisfaction; but whence did it originate?\nNot surely so much in worldly as in religious considerations. The period\nwas arrived, that anxious period to the parent, for the marriage of his\nlovely Rebekah; and now he was satisfied with the disposal of her to a\ndistant relation. A worldly mind would have rejoiced indeed in the outward\nsuitability of the match, but especially in the flattering prospect of\ngreat possessions which it presented. These inferior views too generally\nand too exclusively influence matrimonial alliances; the hearts both of\nthe young and the aged are captivated by the splendours of life, as if\nthey necessarily secured the possession of real happiness, or as if they\ncould compensate for the absence of those mental and moral qualities which\ncan alone constitute the basis of substantial comfort. But in the present\ninstance, whatever pleasure might be lawfully derived from the assurances\nwhich were given of the opulence of Abraham, and from the endearing\ncircumstance of the already existing relationship between the two\nfamilies, it was the perception of a _Providence_, superintending and\nguiding the whole arrangement, that occasioned these most delightful\nfeelings; it was not an idolatrous, but a pious connexion, and God had\ngiven the most striking indications of his will.\n\nLet parents remember, that with whatever temporal prosperities they may\nconnect their beloved daughters, there is no security for permanent\nhappiness without real religion; and let children consider, that if the\nfear of God do not possess their own breasts, and influence their\nmatrimonial choice, the delirium of pleasure will soon be past, and a\nsense of inexpressible vacuity be left behind. The world is a gay\ndeceiver, and life a fleeting dream; the mists of illusion which gather\nover the morning of existence, gradually disappear as the day advances;\nand this imagined scene of enchantment, this fairy-land of pleasure\nsubsides into the reality of a thorny wilderness. The only preparation for\nsuch a change, is a piety which seeks its happiness on high, and knows\nthat no earthly condition can form a paradise without the presence of the\nblessed God.\n\nThe faithful servant, having adored the divine goodness for thus evidently\nprospering his way, gave suitable presents to this happy family; jewels of\nsilver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, were presented to the young and\nbeautiful bride elect, and \"precious things\" to her mother and brother:\nafter this he could eat, necessary food being sweetened by temporal and\nspiritual blessings.\n\nThe next morning, faithful to his commission, and eager to return, he\npresses for a dismission, to which we need not wonder that the brother and\nmother object, requiring him to remain at least ten days: still he urges\nhis request, and pleads that the Lord had prospered his way: but how\nnatural is their reluctance to part in a moment from so dear a daughter,\nnever perhaps to see her face again! They at length agree to defer the\ndecision of the affair to herself: Rebekah, with all the frankness so\nremarkable in her whole deportment, instantly replied, \"I will go.\"\n\nIt may appear mysterious, that when her parents pleaded only for a few\ndays, when modesty would even seem to have dictated a little delay; and\nwhen filial tenderness must have powerfully resisted so sudden and\nimmediate a departure, that she should express so prompt a compliance,\nwithout even stipulating for a single day. Something perhaps may be justly\nimputed to the times, but far more to the religious state of her own mind;\na sense of duty overwhelmed a feeling of reluctance, together with every\ninferior consideration. She was doubtless in the habit of daily\nintercourse with God, and in fervent prayer had sought divine direction:\nshe saw an overruling providence--God was in the affair--his finger,\nvisible to the eye of faith, pointed out the way in which she should go,\nand with unhesitating obedience she confessed her readiness to part with\nall the felicities of home to seek a distant alliance, at the voice of\nthat sovereign Power to whom she committed her future destiny. Flattering\nas the scene before her must have appeared to a mere worldly eye, the\nsacrifices she made at this moment of compliance were certainly most\nconsiderable. What could have led to such an answer, when standing between\nthe tears, the tenderness, the entreaties of parental and fraternal\naffection, and the urgency of a mere stranger, the _servant_ too of her\nfuture house--but a faith which overcame the world, and dictated her holy\nresolution? _Heaven_ appointed her journey, and _nature_ pleaded in vain.\n\nTo every reader we recommend the noble principle which actuated this young\nheroine. Let inclination bow to a sense of duty--let God be obeyed rather\nthan man--let not only authority be resisted, but even the fondest\nendearments sacrificed to the divine requirements. Apply this principle to\na higher occasion, and remember that the Son of God has declared, \"If any\nman come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and\nchildren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot\nbe my disciple; and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me,\ncannot be my disciple.\"\n\nHow tender, how affectionate is the parting scene! How the heart speaks in\nevery word! The whole group seems placed before our eyes; and we witness\nthe tears that flow, the sighs that heave each bosom; we seem to hear the\nfaltering yet fond accent, in which the dear forsaken family pronounce\nthe last benediction, \"Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of\nthousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which\nhate them.\"\n\nBehold Rebekah, quitting the scene of her infancy and youth; Painful was\nthe sacrifice, but pleasant the service: a thousand objects would revive\nthe remembrance of past occupations and occurrences; a thousand\ncircumstances rush into her memory; her susceptible mind would often\nretrace the scenes once so familiar, now to be abandoned for ever;\naffection would often recal the names of Bethuel and Laban, and filial\ntenderness would weep at the thought of maternal anxiety. She was about to\ncommit her happiness to the disposal of another--to form another\nconnexion--to seek another home--the young plant was removed by Providence\nto take root in a new soil and situation. This is always a moment of\ntrial, and in the usual manner of estimating life, an experiment of\ndoubtful issue; but he who \"commits his way to the Lord,\" and \"leans not\nto his own understanding,\" but at the call of duty, in the spirit of\nprayer, dissolves or forms connections, may reasonably hope for the\n\"blessing which maketh rich\" in all the essentials of happiness. Young\npeople! venture not upon a single step without a previous application for\nguidance to the \"throne of grace,\" lest by inconsideration and rashness\nyou forfeit the favours you might have secured by piety. At your eventful\nperiod of life the transactions of _one day_ are likely to affect the\nwelfare _many succeeding years_; and if you would reap a future harvest of\njoy, you must sow in present tears and prayers.\n\nNo incident of the journey is mentioned till the cavalcade was nearly\narrived at Hebron; they then saw a person walking in a thoughtful\nattitude; and Rebekah, suspecting probably that he might be one of the\nhousehold establishment of Abraham, inquired of the servant, \"What man is\nthis that walketh in the field to meet us?\" The servant informed her that\nit was his young master, the son of Abraham; he was come into the field\nfor the purposes of meditation and prayer. She instantly took a veil and\ncovered herself, alighting from the camel. This was done in compliance\nwith the usages of the times, as a part of the ceremonial belonging to the\npresentation of a bride to her intended husband: the eastern brides are\ngenerally veiled in a particular manner upon such occasions. This custom\nseems at once expressive of female modesty and subjection.\n\nIsaac appears to have avoided addressing her when he perceives the veil,\nbut taking the servant aside, he learns from his mouth the long and\npleasing tale of every circumstance in his journey; he participates the\ngeneral feeling, and with emotions of gratitude and gladness conducts his\nRebekah into the tent of Sarah, whose loss he had so deeply regretted,\nthat now for the first time, he was comforted respecting it. After the\ncustomary mode, Rebekah became his wife, and he loved her. [16]\n\nPeace be to that dwelling, the residence of a dutiful son and a tender\nhusband--a kind, generous, open-hearted, pious wife! Dear were the ties of\nnature which united them, but still dearer the bonds of religion! It was a\nday they never could forget--it was a friendship that could never be\ndissolved! What could be wanting to complete their bliss? Approving\nfriends, reciprocal attachment, concurring providences, smiling heaven,\nsanctioned the proceeding. At present their cup was full to the brim--not\na bitter ingredient mingled in the portion. But while we congratulate\ntheir situation, let us imitate their example; and if we would participate\na similar felicity, cherish a similar spirit: we may be fully assured that\nreal piety will sweeten the pleasures and possessions of life; it may even\nprevent, and will certainly sanctify, disappointments.\n\nWe are, however, easily misled; looking only at the outward appearance,\n(and in general little more can be known of the history of families,) it\nis common to fancy the prosperous, and persons of the greatest\nconnections, really possessed of the most abundant share of happiness. In\nsome cases every earthly good seems to be the allotted portion, and we are\nready to imagine that sorrow has found no means of access, no door of\nadmission: but a very slight knowledge of the world is sufficient to\nascertain that there is a \"crook in every lot,\" and that this world is not\nthe destined abode of unmingled enjoyment. This remark is exemplified in\nthe history of Isaac and Rebekah. Twenty years elapsed, and they had no\nchildren: this must have been a severe affliction, not only because at\nthat period a general hope of being connected with the Messiah led all\npious persons to be solicitous of a family, but because Isaac was the son\nof promise, the multiplication of his seed was distinctly recorded, and he\nhad formed his matrimonial connection in the fear of God. As he partook\nof the trial, he seems to have been endowed with the spirit of his\nillustrious father; though he lived childless, he did not cherish\ndespondency, but \"entreated the Lord for his wife,\" which was the only\neffectual means of procuring the blessing.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1836.] His prayer was heard; but this new\nfavour was attended with unusual anxieties, which proved signs of future\nevents. She ultimately bore twins, of which the elder was destined to\nserve the younger. As names were usually given in reference to the\ncircumstances attending the birth of children, so _Esau_ signified _red,_\nin allusion to his colour, and _Jacob_ signified the _supplanter._ Esau,\nand his posterity the Edomites, were of a sanguinary disposition, and\npeculiarly hostile to Israel; Jacob supplanted his brother in the\nbirthright; Esau was \"a cunning hunter, a man of the field;\" Jacob, a \"a\nplain man, dwelling in tents.\"\n\nFrom the earliest period of their lives we may trace the existence of\nthose partialities in the two parents which have so frequently disquieted\nthe otherwise most harmonious families. The Scriptures assign a particular\ncause for the fondness which Isaac cherished for Esau, which seems a most\nlamentable weakness in so venerable a man: it arose from his eating of his\nvenison; for he was given to the indulgence of his appetite. Surely when\nwe observe how the greatest of men have been guilty of some of the most\nunaccountable littleness, it should awaken us to holy jealousy over\nourselves, and induce us to establish a system of constant, laborious, and\nimpartial self-inspection.\n\nThe occasion of Rebekah's partiality is not distinctly recorded; it might\npossibly have originated in his being more domestic, and attentive to\nherself. [17] The usual effects resulted from these partialities: Isaac\nwas blind to the sins of his son, who soon pursued a course of conduct\nthat occasioned both his parents the deepest grief; while Rebekah's\nfondness involved herself and her favourite child in the greatest\ncriminality.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1750.]\n\nHaving attained an advanced period of life, and becoming conscious of\nincreasing infirmities, Isaac took measures to convey the patriarchal\nbenediction and the blessings of the covenant to his posterity. With this\nview he called his eldest son, and in accents of fondness requested him to\ngo and procure him that savoury kind of food to which he was so partial;\nafter which he expressed his intention of pronouncing the blessing, and\nthus securing for him, as he imagined, the mercies of the Abrahamic\ncovenant. Overhearing this conversation, Rebekah thinks of her favourite\nson, and instantly devises a plan to supersede his elder brother. This\nwas, indeed, conformable to the determination of Providence; but is no\njustification of her sinful policy. If it were even her intention to\naccomplish the divine promises, the plea would not vindicate her doing\nevil, that good might come.\n\nHer object being to countervail the design of her husband, she instantly\ncommences a system of manoeuvring to carry her point. We must consider her\nnow as under a particular temptation, and evidently acting inconsistently\nwith the natural ingenuousness of her character, no less than with the\nprinciples of her religion. The proper course would have been that of\npersuasion, entreaty, or remonstrance; but under the apprehension that\nIsaac's extravagant attachment to his darling child would render this\nunavailable, she deviates at once from the path of rectitude to gain her\npurpose. It is most unfortunate when the heads of families are influenced\nby opposite wishes, and refuse a fair, candid exposition of their own\nviews to each other. Confidence is the basis of friendship, and in no case\nshould be cherished with more assiduous care than in domestic life.\n\nActive in the execution of a scheme she had so promptly devised, Rebekah\nstates to Jacob all that had passed between his father and his elder\nbrother; proposing, or rather commanding him to go to the flock with all\npossible despatch, and fetch two kids of the goats; \"and I,\" says she,\n\"will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth; and thou\nshall bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee\nbefore his death.\" Jacob hesitates--not, however, as we could have wished,\nat the execution of the plan; but solely because he is apprehensive of its\nfailing, and producing unhappy consequences. Jacob was pacified by his\nmother's offer to run all hazards, and incur the whole responsibility of\nthe transaction. She reiterates her request with all the fervour that a\nbetter cause should have inspired; and has not long to wait in a state of\nirksome suspense, before the favourite of her excessive affection returns\nwith the kids. Not a moment is to be lost--every thing is put in\nrequisition--the savoury meat is soon prepared. The hunter's speed is\noutstripped by management and artifice--in vain he toils over the\nlengthening field. Jacob is introduced, by his mother, into Isaac's\napartment, clothed in the goodly raiment of Esau, covered on the more\nexposed parts of the body with the skins of the kids, to make him resemble\nhis hairy brother; and presents the food with due formality and\ndissembling eagerness to the blind old patriarch. Some suspicions,\nhowever, are awakened--\"Who is it?\"--\"I am Esau, thy first-born.\"--\"How\ncan this be--how quickly thou hast returned?\"--The young man blushes and\ntrembles--but he must either confess or persevere--there was no\nalternative--the mother's eyes probably intimated that he _must_ persist\nin his deception. Awful to relate! he ascribes his good success,\npersonating Esau, to \"the Lord.\" Isaac pursues other measures to obtain\nsatisfaction. His voice appears altered, and he begs to _feel_ his\nson--the falsehood silences, but does not satisfy him. At length, he is\npersuaded--he blesses him, and eats the venison. Though the dupe of\natrocious artifice, Isaac is, nevertheless, under supernatural direction,\nand was afterwards unable to revoke his benediction.\n\nBut what did Rebekah gain by this detestable contrivance? She saw, indeed,\nher favourite son inheriting the blessing; but this would have descended\nupon him without her interference, according to the predeterminations of\nProvidence. She saw also a just recrimination upon her deceit on the part\nof observant Heaven. The original dislike of the two brothers was kindled\ninto a raging flame. Esau burned with indignation at being thus cajoled,\nand resolved to avail himself of the day of mourning for his father, to\nsatiate his resentment in his brother's blood: and Rebekah, to save both\ntheir lives, was obliged to send her guilty, but favourite son, to a\ndistance. Thus were the latter days of both the parents imbittered by\ntheir indiscreet and criminal partialities!\n\nAfter the departure of Jacob, the fond mother becomes not merely\nsolicitous for his safety, but anxious respecting his future conduct. She\nreflects on the temptation to form an idolatrous alliance to which he\nmight become exposed, unchecked by parental authority, and under\ncircumstances which would naturally induce him to seek a shelter from the\nstorm of adversity in the bosom of conjugal endearment. If the language of\nRebekah, upon this occasion, be tinctured with impatience, we cannot but\nfeel gratified to see it founded upon religious sentiment. \"And Rebekah\nsaid to Isaac, I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of Heth: if\nJacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the\ndaughters of the land, what good shall my life do to me?\"\n\nWe are unwilling to part with Rebekah precisely at this point of her\nhistory; but here it is that the sacred narrative drops her name. It is\nwritten, however, we doubt not, on the imperishable pages of another\nvolume, which is emphatically styled, \"the Lamb's book of life.\"\n\nThis abrupt termination suggests, amongst other considerations, the\n_truth_ of the narrative. If it had been the purpose of the writer to\nexhibit the subject of his story to the admiration of posterity, or to\ndisplay his own powers, rather than to represent fact or record\ninstructive biography, he would have carefully avoided whatever tended to\ndiminish the interest of the whole, and give it an unfinished appearance.\nBy concealing some of the more unsightly parts of the picture, and by\nrendering prominent others of a more attractive character, he might have\ncontrived to accomplish an _effect_, though at the expense of truth and\nreality. But the sentiments and prepossessions of the writer disappear\nfrom the narrative of Scripture. There is no effort to conceal any facts\nwhich may be supposed to weaken the general impression, or to introduce\nexplanatory or encomiastic statements which may be thought to strengthen\nand enhance it. In every page, in every sentence, it is apparent that the\ngreat object is instruction, and not amusement. The historian has no\nprivate views--no partialities--no misconceptions--the pen of inspiration\nis dipped in the fountain of truth, and \"holy men of God spake as they\nwere moved by the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nLet the sad inconsistencies which disgrace the closing part of Rebekah's\nhistory, awaken every reader to a just sense of the importance of a\npersevering uniformity of character. It is of great consequence, that we\nadorn the religion we profess, and that our light shine more and\nmore--that we grow in grace as we advance in years, and that we do not\nresemble the changing wind or the inconstant wave. Let us improve the\nfailure and irregularity of others to the purpose of self-examination;\nand, while we neither extenuate nor aggravate their faults, aim to avoid\nthem. We have enough to encourage, yet sufficient to caution us, A life of\nunblemished piety is almost as rare an occurrence, as a day of unclouded\nbrightness; but many such adorn the annals of the church, and the grace of\nGod is fully competent to multiply their number.\n\n\n\n\nMiriam.\n\nChapter VI.\n\n\n\n  Proceedings of the new King of Egypt--Birth of Moses--Conduct of\n  Miriam--Preservation of Moses--Escape of Israel--Miriam's Zeal in\n  celebrating the Event--her Character formed by early\n  advantages--Contrasted with Michal--she engages with Aaron in a Plot\n  against Moses--God observes it--Trial--Punishment of Leprosy inflicted\n  upon Miriam--her Cure--dies at Kadesh--general Remarks on\n  Slander--debasing Nature of Sin--Hope of escaping Punishment\n  fallacious--Danger of opposing Christ--Exhortation to imitate the\n  Temper of Moses.\n\n\nThe family of Amram was distinguished by a very striking peculiarity. All\nthe three younger branches of which it consisted, Aaron, Moses, and\nMiriam, because eminent in ancient Israel. Their history is considerably\nintermingled; but the latter, from the design of this work, will claim our\nchief attention.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ 1571.]\n\nSixty-four years had elapsed from the death of Joseph, when the \"_new_\nking over Egypt,\" influenced by an ill-founded jealousy of the Israelites,\nadopted one of those measures to which weak and wicked princes are\nsometimes excited by an unhappy combination of bad counsel, and\nmean-spirited perverseness. Instead of regarding this people, who had been\nprodigiously multiplied by a series of unexampled prosperities, as the\nmost valuable portion of his subjects, and the best security to his crown;\nthis Pharaoh was jealous of their strength, and determined to weaken it by\na course of systematic oppression. This he called \"dealing _wisely_ with\nthem;\" whereas it would have been infinitely wiser, even upon principles\nof mere political prudence, to say nothing of justice and humanity, to\nhave conciliated by kind treatment, rather than have exasperated by\nbarbarous exactions, six hundred thousand of his subjects!\n\nHis plan was, in the first place, to set over them taskmasters, to afflict\nthem with extraordinary burdens; but, to his extreme mortification, \"the\nmore they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.\" Still his\nobstinacy did not permit the least relaxation of that rigorous discipline\nhe had imposed: although, while he imbittered their lives, he failed of\npromoting his own interest. Disappointment exasperated his malignity; and\nhe issued orders to certain Hebrew women, of whom Shiphrah and Puah are\nnamed as the principal in their office, to destroy every male child that\nshould be born. They ventured, however, to disobey this mandate; the fear\nof God not allowing them to commit murder, though enjoined to do so by\nroyal authority. The king called them to an account for their\ndisobedience, and \"charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born\nye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.\"\nWhen we have such an awful display of the excess of human passions, that\nfearful band of banditti that is for ever disturbing the peace of society,\nit should inspire us with holy solicitude to suppress the first emotions\nof sin in our hearts, and to aspire after the dignity and the bliss of\ndominion over ourselves. Alas! how many who have been victorious over\nforeign powers, could never achieve this nobler conquest of internal\ndepravity!\n\nThe command of Pharaoh to his too tractable slaves, introduces us to the\nstory of the birth and preservation of Moses. His mother--unenviable name\nin this sad season of calamity!--his weeping mother, by a thousand\nschemes, such as maternal fondness and ingenuity would naturally devise\nto save the little darling of her heart, contrived to conceal this \"goodly\nchild\" for the space of three months; but finding it impossible to hide\nhim any longer, she took him--and with what feelings, say, ye\ntender-hearted mothers!--to the river Nile.\n\n                   --\"A dealing parent lives\n  In many lives; through many a nerve she feels;\n  From child to child the quick affections spread,\n  For ever wand'ring, yet for ever fix'd.\n  Nor does division weaken, nor the force\n  Of constant operation e'er exhaust\n  Parental love. All other passions change\n  With changing circumstances; rise or fall,\n  Dependent on their object; claim returns;\n  Live on reciprocation, and expire,\n  Unfed by hope. A mother's fondness reigns,\n  Without a rival, and without an end.\"\n\n  H. MORE.\n\nMiriam, an interesting actor upon this occasion, accompanied her mother.\nWilling to adopt every possible expedient, even at this last extremity,\nthe afflicted parent had prepared a little boat of bulrushes, which grew\nplentifully on the bank; and, making it water-proof by the use of pitch\nand tar, she put the child into it, committed it to the uncertain\nelements, and retired from the heart-rending scene. Poor Miriam, his\nsister, supposed to be at this time about ten or twelve years of age, was\nplaced at a distance to watch the event. Dear little sentinel! what heart\ncan refuse to pity thy sad employment! who does not sympathize with thy\nsorrow, and begin to mourn with thee for thy anticipated bereavement!\nImagination listens to strains which seem to strike upon the ear of\ndistant ages:\n\n  \"The flags and sea-weeds will awhile sustain\n  Their precious load, but it must sink ere long;\n  Sweet bade, farewell! Yet think not I will leave thee.\n  No, I will watch thee, till the greedy waves\n  Devour thy little bark.\"\n\nThe dispensations of Providence are indeed considerably diversified; but\nat what an early period does affliction familiarize itself, even with the\nhappiest family! Behold Moses, in his cradle of bulrushes, exposed to the\nwaters and the crocodiles of the Nile! Behold his little sister at some\ndistance, participating the cares of her mother, and already at the outset\nof life deluged with a storm of grief. She had learned to love the\nbabe--she had fondled it, and felt the kindlings of sisterly\naffection--and at an age just sufficiently advanced to realize something\nof the nature and extent of her loss, the new-born infant is torn from her\nheart by the hands of sanguinary violence. It was because he was a Hebrew\nchild. His danger, and the distress of Miriam and her mother, arose from\ntheir belonging to the persecuted Israelites; but with all their\ndisadvantages in this unfriendly world, let the children of pious parents\nrejoice, even amidst their tribulations and reproaches, in being connected\nwith the people of God. It is an honour which, however at present\noverlooked, will hereafter be fully appreciated, both by those who have\ndesired and those who have despised it!\n\nAt this juncture, the daughter of Pharaoh, to whom Josephus has given the\nname of Thurmutis, came down with her maidens to the river-side; and\nperceiving the frame of bulrushes, sent her servant to fetch it. Upon\nopening it the little stranger wept. Her heart was touched with\ncompassion, and she said, \"This is one of the Hebrew children.\"\n\nMiriam, all observant and alert, seized the happy moment, introduced\nherself, or perhaps she was called by the royal lady; but dexterously\ncontrived to propose her going to call a Hebrew nurse to nourish and rear\nit as her adopted child. Divinely influenced by him who has all hearts in\nhis hands, and moves them by his secret touch, she consents; and who\nshould the well-instructed young messenger bring, but the babe's own\nmother! Pharaoh's daughter intrusted the adopted stranger to her care, and\npays her for a service which she would willingly have rendered even at the\nhazard of her life. The child grew, and, from the expression of the sacred\nhistorian, appears to have become a favourite with this illustrious\nprincess. \"And she called his name Moses; and she said, Because I drew him\nout of the water.\" Such is the story, which needs none of the Rabbinical\nembellishments to make it additionally interesting or wonderful.\n\nMiriam is next introduced to us upon an occasion the most remarkable that\never occurred in the history of the world. Miracle after miracle had been\nperformed by the instrumentality of Moses, ere the infatuated king of\nEgypt could be persuaded to dismiss the children of Israel; and no sooner\nhad he given his consent to their removal, than taking an immense army he\npursued them to their encampment, which was by the sea, beside Pihahiroth,\nbefore Baal-Zephon. The terrified fugitives complained to their leader,\nwho presented fervent supplications to Heaven for their deliverance. The\near of mercy heard; he was commanded to take his rod, and stretch it over\nthe waters, upon the assurance that they should instantly divide, and\npresent a dry channel, over which they might safely pass. Awed by a divine\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1491.] power the retiring waves became a\nwall of defence on either side, while the pillar of a cloud guided their\nadventurous march. During the night, the Egyptian and Israelitish armies\nwere kept asunder, in consequence of the cloud affording a miraculous\nlight to the one, and shedding disastrous darkness upon the other.\nPharaoh, obdurate and furious, led on his troops into the new-formed\nchannel; and already by anticipation seized in the grasp of his mighty\nmalice, the prey which he intended to tear and devour. \"And it came to\npass, that in the morning-watch the Lord looked upon the host of the\nEgyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the\nhost of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot-wheels, that they drave\nheavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel:\nfor the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said\nunto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come\nagain upon the Egyptians, upon their Chariots, and upon their horsemen.\nAnd Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to\nhis strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it;\nand the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the\nwaters returned, and covered the chariots, and horsemen, and all the host\nof Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much\nas one of them.\"\n\nWhat a scene did the light of morning exhibit to Israel! Pharaoh's\nchariots, his chosen captains, and all his host, had perished; \"the depths\nhad covered them, they sank into the bottom as a stone.\" But, as if the\nwaters refused to harbour even the bodies of these enemies of the people\nof God, they were no sooner drowned than thrown, by the indignant billows,\nupon the sea-shore. See their ranks broken, their persons disfigured,\ntheir glory for ever extinguished! Their unburied and unpitied remains\nproclaim how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of God, and how\ndangerous it is to venture upon \"touching\" his people, which is, in\neffect, \"touching the apple of his eye.\"\n\nAnxious to celebrate so miraculous a victory, a victory achieved without a\nbattle, and by the special interposal of an omnipotent arm, Moses composed\nthat celebrated song of thanksgiving which is recorded in the fifteenth\nchapter of the book of Exodus. It is remarkable, not only on account of\nits intrinsic excellency, but as being composed six hundred and\nforty-seven years before the birth of Homer, the best of heathen poets,\nand, therefore, the most ancient piece of poetical composition in the\nworld. It is characterized by the beauty and boldness of its imagery, the\nstrength of its language, and the piety of its sentiments. If brought into\ncomparison with the finest specimens of human genius that have since\ndelighted mankind, its superiority must instantly be established.\n\nAccording to the practice of the age, Miriam, with whom we are\nparticularly concerned at present, appeared at the head of the women to\ncongratulate Israel upon this splendid event, in responsive strains and\ndances. She was anxious only to aid the universal joy, and express in\nevery possible manner her accordance of sentiment with that of her two\nillustrious brothers, Moses and Aaron, and the thousands of Israel. Happy\nwas it for Miriam, that, instead of leading the unhallowed and prostituted\nfestivities of heathen gods, she was \"educated in the Jews' religion;\"\nand, from infancy to maturer years, had been taught to sing the praises of\nthe great I AM! Nor did she merely mingle her undistinguishable notes of\njoy with her country-women and her nation; but, from the ardour of her\nzeal, and the general superiority of her character, she took the lead in\nthese devotional raptures. Her early advantages, and her pious connexions,\nhad contributed essentially to the formation of her future character. They\nnot only contributed to impress a holy bias upon her mind, but to prepare\nand mould her into that characteristic pre-eminence, by which she occupied\nso conspicuous a station among the Israelites, and was ranked with their\ntwo illustrious leaders. [18] What might not be anticipated from the\nsingular concurrence of such means in her favour? She was the sister of a\nman who refused the honours of a court, and perhaps of a crown, to incur a\nvoluntary degradation with the afflicted people of God; and with him she\nenjoyed a familiar and incessant intercourse. She had, besides, received\nher earliest lessons in the school of adversity, and was become an eminent\nproficient in sacred knowledge.\n\nLet us duly appreciate, but be cautious of overrating, the advantage of\nreligious education. It did not necessarily follow, from the means which\nProvidence so amply and so graciously dispensed to Miriam, that she should\nbecome a truly religious person, much less that she should acquire such\ndistinction in Israel; but while we gratefully admit, that good\ninstruction is calculated to effect the best results, and will commonly\nproduce them, it does not infallibly secure the end; nor can it at any\ntime prove available, independently of the blessing of God. With the use\nof that system of means which is established in the providential\narrangements of Heaven, his concurring sanction may be expected;\nalthough, to show the impotency of mere means, and to fulfil the secret\npurposes of the divine government, they are sometimes totally inefficient.\nIt was the privilege of Miriam to be born an Israelite, and to have pious\nrelatives; and it is our advantage to live in an age, and to be born in a\ncountry, blessed with the pure light of the Christian revelation. But\nreligion is personal in its nature; and unless our advantages be improved,\nit is in vain that we have possessed them. Providence may give us Abraham\nfor our father, and impenitence may incur perdition for our portion! It\nwas to the most distinguished, and to the most boasting of the Jewish\nfraternity, that Jesus Christ afterward declared, \"I know you, that ye\nhave not the love of God in you.\"\n\nThe conduct of Miriam, on the triumphal occasion already mentioned,\nexhibits a striking contrast to that of Michal, the daughter of Saul, when\nat a subsequent period, the ark of God was brought from the house of\nObed-edom into the city of David. Harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets,\ncymbals, and all kinds of musical instruments, were put in requisition\nupon that interesting day; and David disarraying himself of the dress of\nroyalty, and substituting the lighter linen vestment of the priest, danced\nbefore the ark in a devout ecstacy. But Michal, instead of uniting in the\nshouts of universal gladness, and extolling her husband's humility and\nzeal, addressed him in this taunting language, \"How glorious was the king\nof Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the\nhandmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly\nuncovereth himself!\" From David's vindication of his behaviour, and from\nthe punishment inflicted on this inconsiderate woman, we perceive how\nlittle capable irreligious characters are of estimating the nature and\nvalue of those extraordinary acts of piety, for which eminent saints have\nbeen always distinguished; and how displeasing to God is their proneness\nto vilify those whom they ought rather to admire. In the present instance,\nhowever, Miriam inspires the song, and leads the dance, vying with the\nother sex in expressions of praise, and recognizing with equal joy an\ninterposing Providence. While Moses exclaims, \"I will sing unto the Lord;\"\nMiriam, with no tardy zeal, utters the responsive and animating strain,\n\"Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his\nrider hath he thrown into the sea.\"\n\nUnion in religious exercises is conducive to holy pleasure, and no sight\ncan he more gratifying than that of brethren and sisters engaging with\nheart and voice in the praises of God. Within the small circle of a single\nfamily, what a considerable portion of happiness--such as the world cannot\npossibly supply--is dispensed, when every heart is in tune to devotion,\nand no discordant sympathies blend with the universal feeling of pious\ndelight. It resembles a young plantation, which the gentle gales of the\nsouth bend in the same direction--all under the same divine influence, all\ntending to the same point. But never had witnessing spirits before beheld\nsuch a scene on earth, as that of a _whole nation_ assembled to celebrate\nthe praises of Jehovah--never till the day of deliverance from the Red\nSea, had they before listened to such acclamations as those of all the\ntribes and tongues of the thousands of Israel united in one general,\ninstantaneous, and harmonious song. Now a world, which having been\ncharacterized by its apostacy, was marked by signs of displeasure--a world\nfrom which only a few notes of holy praise, a few strains of sincere\ndevotion, had ascended to heaven from individual saints during the long\ncourse of more than _two thousand five hundred years_--seemed beginning\nto redeem its character; and rise to the dignity of serving God!\n\nIf blessed spirits were not permitted to break silence, and mingle their\ncongratulations with man, as they did when incarnate mercy descended to\nBethlehem, who can doubt the reality of their sympathy and satisfaction,\nwhen the songs of Moses and Miriam were thus emulating \"the song of the\nLamb?\" Faith travels onward to a future and still happier day, when\n_every_ redeemed individual, from amongst men, shall be permitted to utter\nhis voice in the great chorus of eternity, in which the millions of the\nhuman race, who have \"washed their robes and made them white in the blood\nof the Lamb,\" shall unite with the unfallen universe in the praises of\nHeaven. By the visions of the apocalypse, we are admitted to a view of the\nemployments of that celestial state, and the very prospect of it is highly\ncalculated to kindle a warm devotion. How truly trifling do all the\npursuits of time appear to the exercises and enjoyments of happy beings\naround the throne, who, elevated above this mortal sphere, behold the\nunveiled glories of God and the Lamb, and drink immortal bliss from \"the\nfountain of living waters.\" The many angels round about the throne, and\nthe living creatures and elders, whose number is ten thousand times ten\nthousand, and thousands of thousands, are represented as _uniting_ in the\nsame immortal song, adoring the same Lord, and celebrating the same\nredemption. It is thus--exhilarating anticipation!--the devotions of time\nwill expand into the songs of eternity; thus the services of earth issue\nin the raptures of heaven!\n\nThe course of the history of Israel at length introduces us to a very\ndifferent, but perhaps a no less instructive scene. Miriam must not only\nbe contemplated in a new, but unpleasing light. Hitherto she had been the\ncoadjutor of her brother Moses, but now becomes his opponent, pursuing a\nline of conduct, in consequence of indulging a guilty passion, which\nusually produces the most deplorable effects, and which we cannot but\nlament should have been so conspicuous in this illustrious woman. The\ncircumstance alluded to is recorded, with the characteristic fidelity of\nthe inspired historians, in the twelfth chapter of the book of Numbers.\n\n\"Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before\n_Envy?_\" To this latter principle must be attributed the plot in which\nboth Aaron and Miriam engaged to diminish the reputation of Moses. This\nwas not indeed the ostensible reason, but it was their real design; and\noccasioned the severe, but just chastisement which was immediately\ninflicted. Seldom do any of the baser passions act without combining and\nblending themselves with hypocritical pretences, in order to conceal from\nview their own hateful deformity. This will be found particularly the\ncase, when they prevail in persons who have acquired respectability and\ninfluence, and who are not given over to total blindness and hardness of\nheart. Artifice may sometimes conduce to success, but it usually betrays\ncharacter.\n\nAaron and Miriam spake _against_ Moses, but not _to_ him. If they had\nobserved any thing objectionable in his administration of public affairs,\nit would have been candid, fair, and kind, to have taken a private\nopportunity for expostulation or inquiry. Not only was he extremely\naccessible, but they were his relatives, and in habits of daily intimacy\nand communication. They knew him well, and saw him often. Such a conduct\nwould have done them honour, and although their surmises had proved\nincorrect, Moses would have applauded their ingenuousness. But, alas!\nthese dear relatives, and otherwise good and great characters, had become\nenvious of their brother; and acting conformably to the invariable\nmeanness of such a spirit, they secretly circulated reports in the camp\ntending to disparage his excellence, for the purpose of advancing their\nown pretensions to popular estimation. Their arrogance is sufficiently\napparent from their words, \"Hath the Lord indeed spoken ONLY by Moses?\nHath he not spoken ALSO by us!\"\n\nCan this be _Aaron?_ Can that be _Miriam?_ The one the _brother_--the\nother the _sister_ of Moses? Persons too, venerable for their years, and\nfor their office, and only next in honour to the great legislator and\nleader of Israel? It may have comported with the ambition of a Pagan to\nexclaim, \"I had rather be the first man in a village, than the second in a\nkingdom;\" but is such language befitting the lips of saints and prophets\nof the true God? Was not _Aaron_ the person that sought the intercession\nof his brother when he had committed idolatry? Was he not consecrated a\nhigh priest unto God? Was not _Miriam_ his elder sister, who acted so\nconspicuous a part in his early preservation, watching his bulrush-cradle\nwhen exposed to the waves and the monsters of the Nile? Was it not\n_Miriam_ that accompanied him in his prosperities, that hailed his\nincreasing glory, that aided his triumphant songs when the Egyptian army\nwas submerged in the Red Sea? and can _Miriam_ be envious? Strange\ninfatuation!\n\nBut, perhaps, we are really censuring ourselves. Listen to the unbiassed\nvoice of conscience. Does it not thunder in your ears, \"Thou art the man?\"\nArt thou insensible to its powerful and just remonstrances, \"Wherein thou\njudgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doeth the\nsame things?\" O beware of this mean, creeping, reptile spirit! Persons in\neminent stations may, in a certain degree, expect to suffer from the wiles\nof envy: But to suffer from those of their own household, and from persons\non whose friendship they have had the greatest reason to rely, must be\npeculiarly afflictive. If it be possible to add one drop to the bitterness\nof such a portion, it is by being envied, and consequently depreciated, by\nthose who are _associated in the same sacred office_. A remark upon this\nsubject cannot be misplaced, the history seems rather to claim it. A\nmortal creature cannot be invested with a more important commission than\nthat of the ministry of the word. So highly did the apostle of the\nGentiles appreciate his work, that, gifted as he was in every requisite to\ndischarge it with honour and success, he exclaimed, \"Unto me, who am less\nthan the least of all saints, is this _grace_ given, that I should preach\namongst the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.\" But if each\nheavenly ambassador be really convinced that he and his brethren are\nintrusted with an office at once so dignified in its nature, so useful in\nits design, so extensive in its duties, that no one can adequately fulfil\nfor himself what would be sufficient to expend the energies of an angel;\nand that the combined exertions of all the preachers that ever have, or\never will, minister in holy things, cannot _wholly_ occupy the sphere of\npossible usefulness, were every power of the mind, and every moment of\ntime, made tributary to the service--if this were duly considered, surely\ninstead of envying, depreciating, and thwarting each other, perfect love\nmust prevail, and mutual assistance be incessantly rendered. The world is\nsufficiently disposed to reproach the servants of the sanctuary; they\nshould not undervalue each other. Nothing can exceed, and no words can\nexpress, the littleness of attempting to construct our own fame upon the\nruins of others; and when this temper exists, as it sometimes\nunquestionably does, amongst those who teach humility, it is singularly\ndetestable. Ministers of the divine word should be guardians of each\nother's reputation, aware that the honour, and in some degree the success\nof it depends upon the _character_ of its publishers and representatives.\nMiriam and Aaron should have been the last, while, such is human nature,\nthey were the first, to envy Moses!\n\nMark the origin of those depreciating reports which they contrived to put\nin circulation. They had taken some offence respecting Zipporah, his wife,\nwho is called the Ethiopian woman. The precise occasion of this offence\ncannot, and need not, be ascertained. Some have supposed it was on account\nof his having married her; but as this had taken place forty years before,\nand, being perfectly legal, could have furnished no just ground of\ncrimination, the probability is, that some recent occurrence, grounded\nperhaps on personal and long cherished antipathy, produced a difference.\nSome private contention might have existed; that ungovernable member, the\ntongue, had inflamed resentments; and a revengeful spirit fastened the\nblame upon Moses, whose only offence was, probably, some meek and\npacifying word.\n\nBut what connexion subsisted between the marriage of Moses with an\nEthiopian woman, and the pretentious of Aaron and Miriam to an equality\nwith their illustrious brother? Truly, none at all. Their conduct is a\nstriking display, not only of the virulence of envy, but of the progress\nand resentful nature of anger. It always wanders from its subject, and\nranges around for new materials upon which to operate. It possesses the\nperverse capacity of converting every thing into an element of mischief,\nof inventing circumstances and envenoming objections. It seeks to enlist\nothers into its services, and to bring every thing into a confederacy\nagainst the peace of its object. It is limited by no bounds, and\nrestrained by no considerations; it will often, like the exasperated judge\nof Israel, pull down ruin upon his own head, for the sake of destroying\nothers. The present contention began about Zipporah, but it ended in Moses\nhimself. It was, perhaps, at first, a common-place strife; but at length\nit assumed the shape of a settled hostility. It was but a spark, and if\nangry passions had not blown it, soon it might have gone out; imprudence\nand revenge raised and extended it into a vast conflagration.\n\nFamily quarrels are, of all other dissentions, the most to be deprecated.\nWe should be careful to prevent them, and if they occur, take effectual\nand speedy measures for their extinction. Let us not be tenacious of our\nown opinions, or determined upon practising our own plans. It becomes the\nChristian, both for his own sake and for the interest of religion, to make\nevery possible sacrifice to peace. Pour the oil of gentleness upon the\nstormy billows of strife: ever remembering that \"a brother offended is\nharder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions are like the\nbars of a castle.\"\n\nOne expression in this narrative merits particular notice. Let the envious\ndetractor tremble at the words, \"the Lord heard it.\" It requires not the\ntone of thunder to penetrate the ear of God: his omniscience perceives the\nsecret whisperings of slander, and even the inaudible and unexpressed\nsurmises of a perverted mind. Moses may have been ignorant of the\nindustrious malignity of his brother and Miriam, or disregardful of any\nintimations on the subject; for a person of integrity is unwilling to\nbelieve, without very compulsory evidence, the dishonesty of others; or,\nif it cannot be discredited, he will patiently pursue that course which\nwill eventually place injured innocence in the point of complete\nvindication. In this he resembled the great Exemplar of every virtue of\nwhom he was an eminent antitype, and of whom it is recorded, that \"when he\nwas reviled, he reviled not again, but committed himself to him that\njudgeth righteously.\"\n\nBut whether _Moses_ did or did not hear, or, hearing, disregarded the\ndetractions of his nearest relatives, _God_ observed them, and instantly\ncame down to express his displeasure. The two delinquents were summoned to\nthe door of the tabernacle of the congregation, with their much-injured\nbrother: the glory of the Shekinah appeared, and the solemn voice of the\ndivine majesty issued from the cloud of his presence. The superiority of\nMoses was proclaimed, and an unanswerable question proposed to them,\n\"Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?\" As\nan indication of anger, the symbolic cloud instantly removed from the\ntabernacle; and Miriam, the most forward, and perhaps the first in this\ntransgression, became \"leprous, white as snow.\"\n\nAaron was shocked at the sight, and had immediate recourse to the man he\nhad before so defamed, humbly requesting him to pass over the sin they had\nperpetrated, and entreating his powerful intercession with God on behalf\nof their afflicted sister. Moses, obeying at once the impulse of humanity,\npiety, and fraternal attachment, pleaded for her restoration. He was\ngraciously heard. Miriam was excluded from the camp only seven days,\nduring which the journeyings of Israel were suspended, to express the\ndispleasure of God at their concurrence in her transgression, and to show\nthe kind intermixture of mercy with judgment in the divine proceedings.\nAfter this, the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the\nwilderness of Paran.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1451.]\n\nWith this instructive story the history of Miriam closes, excepting the\nbrief notice of her death at The encampment at Kadesh, where she was\nburied. Josephus relates, that after interring her with great solemnity,\nthe people mourned for her a month. This occurred in the fortieth year\nafter the departure from Egypt, Eusebius says, that in his time her\nsepulchre was still to be seen at Kadesh.\n\nWhether the imputation be true or false, that women are particularly\naddicted to the vice of slander, it cannot be deemed unsuitable to suggest\na caution upon this subject. Character is a sacred thing, and it is\nunworthy of you to trifle with it. To sit in judgment upon others, and to\npronounce a hasty verdict upon actions which may be carelessly\nmisrepresented, or words, if not intentionally, yet heedlessly misquoted,\nwithout affording an opportunity to the condemned individual to speak for\nhimself, is unjust in the extreme. But how many excellent persons are made\nthe butt of ridicule, or tossed about as the playthings of a gossipping\nspirit, which, incapable of a direct charge, gratifies its malignity by\ninfusing calumnies into the too listening ear of prejudice. An idle report\nis, by this means, magnified and circulated to an incalculable extent; or\nthe infirmities of excellent characters animadverted upon, for no other\npurpose than to fill up the waste moments of a ceremonious visit. Women\nshould assume their proper rank, by aspiring to the dignity of rational\nintercourse; and not degrade themselves, and disquiet society, by\nengaging in petty warfare against the reputation of others.\n\nLet what is termed _religious conversation_ turn rather upon _things_ than\n_persons_; otherwise men in public station, perhaps of equal though\ndissimilar excellence, will be in danger of undue praise or excessive\ndepreciation. The favourite preacher will be unmercifully extolled, and\nthe unpopular one as cruelly degraded. A clashing of opinion will be\nlikely to produce rivalries, and invigorate partialities; till, probably,\nthe effect of their respective labours is lost upon these fair but\ninjudicious critics. Let young women, especially, take the hint, and \"set\na watch upon the door of their lips.\" Beware of indiscriminate censure, or\nextravagant applause. Regard the ministers of the word as the servants of\nGod. Receive instruction from their lips with all humility, pray for their\nincreasing wisdom, and tenderly cherish their good name. If a Moses, with\nall his excellencies, seem to you to assume, or in any respect to commit\nan error, do not be the first to publish it abroad in the camp, or to\naggravate, by misrepresentation, a failing which is blended with such\nacknowledged worth. Remember, it is as likely that _you_ should be\nmistaken in your judgment, as that _he_ should be faulty in spirit or\nconduct; and that if your detractions be not visited with an outward token\nof displeasure, resembling the loathsome deformity of Miriam, which\nrequired a veil, they render you most unlovely in the sight of God and\nman. \"The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue amongst\nour members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the\ncourse of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast,\nand of birds, and of serpents, and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath\nbeen tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly\nevil, full of deadly poison.\"\n\nThe situation of Miriam during her exclusion from the camp suggest an\nobservation on the debasing nature of sin. When engaged in the exercises\nof religion, and taking the lead in the celebration of the overthrow of\nthe Egyptian army by the interposing providence of God, she appears the\nglory of her sex and the ornament of her country; but from the moment she\nindulges a guilty passion, her honour is tarnished, her dignity degraded,\nand her pre-eminence lost; the moral defilement she has contracted is\nmarked by an external deformity, and issues in a degrading separation.\nMiriam is deeply conscious of her guilt, and confounded at its bitter\nconsequences: she feels that she is a sufferer because she was a sinner;\nand would no doubt have made any sacrifice could it have been possible to\nregain the forfeited paradise of peace and innocency. But we have here a\nspecimen of the inevitable consequence of sin. It does not indeed\ngenerally incur immediate and temporal punishment; but it degrades the\nperpetrator of it in the eyes of God, in the opinion of others,\n(especially the wise and good,) and in his own sight: it lowers him in the\nscale of being, at once diminishing his reputation and contracting his\nmeans of usefulness. If the face of Miriam recovered its beauty, and the\neyes of Israel could discern no external blemishes, it is questionable\nwhether a scar would not ever after be discernible upon her character: and\neven should her indulgent friends have forgotten, and God have graciously\nforgiven her past iniquities, Miriam, as a true penitent, would scarcely\never forgive herself: the very consciousness of pardoning mercy would\noften renew the sensations of penitence; and moments of holy joy would\never after be bedewed with tears of humiliation.\n\nFrom this example it is further obvious, that the hope of escaping the\ndivine displeasure on account of sin, under the notion of being the\nprofessed people of God, is altogether delusive; sin is detestable in the\neyes of perfect purity _wherever_ it exists, and can neither escape\ndetection nor elude chastisement. Its perpetration by his own people is\nrather a reason for more signal and exemplary chastisement, than for any\nkind of exemption from it; because the motive to obedience arising from\ngratitude and other sources is proportionably stronger; and because a\ncontrary proceeding would tend to disparage the divine government, by\naffording a plausible pretence to the doctrine of salvation _in_ sin, and\nnot _from_ it. The eminence of Miriam rendered her disgrace the more\nrequisite as a punishment, and the more salutary as an example: the\nleprosy in her face was a practical lesson, which every Israelite could\nnot fail of understanding, and probably would not soon or easily forget.\n\nIt is, besides, not only the necessary tendency of sin to procure its own\npunishment, but such is the appointment of God: it constitutes an\nessential part of the great system of his moral government to unite them\ntogether; and no mortal power can disconnect them. Sooner or later every\ntransgressor must be humbled; he _must_ fall--by judgment, or by\npenitence--before the sword of excision, or into the arms of mercy. Happy\nfor us if external visitations produce internal prostration of spirit; if,\ninstead of stiffening ourselves into resistance, we bend to the\ninflictions of parental chastisement; and if present and temporary\nsufferings excite a feeling which will supersede the necessity of future\nand more awful visitations.\n\nIf, again, Miriam were so severely visited for speaking against _Moses_,\nhow fatal will prove the consequences of resisting _Christ!_ The secret\nwhisperings of envy and ambition against the _servant_ of God, occasioned\na public and awful punishment: what tremendous wrath may not they expect\nwho reproach or disregard his beloved _Son!_ \"If they escaped not, who\nrefused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn\naway from him that speaketh from heaven.\"\n\nThis remarkable manifestation to Miriam, Aaron, and Moses, may remind us\nof that period which is hastening on the rapid wings of time, when the\ndescending Judge of the universe will \"come in the clouds of heaven with\npower and great glory,\" \"the glory of the Father and all the holy angels,\"\nto summon every class, and all the generations of mankind, to his\ntribunal, and pronounce their final, irreversible, everlasting doom: then,\nlike Moses, his servants will be vindicated from every charge, honoured by\nwitnessing celestials, admitted through the gates into the city of the New\nJerusalem, be emparadised forever in the embraces of their God. Then, like\nMiriam and Aaron, a guilty race, which has plotted against the righteous,\nand opposed by their impenitence, if not their actual persecutions, the\nprosperity of his cause and people, will be driven, not into temporary\nexile and disgrace, but into ever-during darkness. \"These shall go away\ninto everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.\" The\npride of Miriam was intelligibly marked upon her smitten countenance; and\nthe sin of transgressors will be written by the finger of God in\nappropriate and conspicuous characters upon their immortal destinies. Thus\nwill the perfections of the Deity for ever blaze in the flames of\nperdition, and irradiate the temple of glory!\n\nFinally, imitate the conduct of Moses, who, on this occasion, so nobly\ndisplayed a conduct which the Redeemer of the world thus inculcated as an\nessential part of his religion: \"Pray for them that despitefully use you\nand persecute you.\" His intercession for Miriam, who had so cruelly\ninjured him, was prompt and ardent; instead of resenting her calumnies, or\ntriumphing in her merited affliction, he prayed for her recovery! Here we\nsee the very spirit of the Gospel under the law! a Christian in the habit\nof a Jew! Superior to the age in which he lived, he seemed in character\nand temper to have anticipated a far distant period of evangelical\nillumination; to have caught, so to speak, by ascending the summits of\nfaith and hope, some of the yet unrisen splendour of the Sun of\nRighteousness; to have been in a sense the _disciple_, as he was the most\nillustrious _antitype_ of Christ, even centuries previous to his\nincarnation! The cross is indeed the centre of union and the point of\nattraction to all ages and nations. There the antediluvian and patriarchal\nsaints associate with those of later times, imbibing one spirit,\ncoalescing upon one principle, meeting in one sacred spot, conjoined in\none fraternal band! The wise and the good of a former dispensation looked\nforward with anticipating pleasure to the great event, which we are\npermitted to contemplate with retrospective joy. Hail, happy hour! when we\nshall meet with all the redeemed in one glorious assembly; not as at\npresent, _by faith_, on mount Calvary, but _in reality_, on mount Zion--in\na world where the imperfections of Christians shall be removed, and their\nexcellencies completed--where Miriam shall not envy Moses, nor Moses be\nexhibited in contrast with Miriam!\n\n\n\n\nNaomi, Orpah, and Ruth.\n\nChapter VIII.\n\n\n\nSECTION I.\n\n\n  History of Domestic Life most instructive--Book of Ruth--Sketch of the\n  Family of Elimelech while residing in Moab--Reflections arising out of a\n  View of their Circumstances--Naomi's Resolution to return, and that of\n  her Daughters-in-law to accompany her--Orpah soon quits her Mother and\n  Sister--Her Character, and that of Ruth--Requirements of Religion--\n  Arrival of Naomi and Ruth at Bethlehem--feelings of the Former.\n\nDomestic life furnishes the most attractive and the most instructive\nspecies of history. If it do not present an equal diversity of incident\nwith the narratives of rising or falling empires, in whose mighty concerns\nevery passion of human nature is interested, it possesses the superior\nadvantage of \"coming home to men's business and bosoms.\"\n\nThe scene of _general history_ is frequently placed in a region which, to\nthe great proportion of mankind, is inaccessible; and however we may\nadmire its principal actors, they seldom furnish examples capable of being\nexhibited for imitation. The sphere in which they moved is so totally\ndifferent, so far remote from that in which our duty usually lies, that\nthe knowledge of their achievements can conduce but little, to the great\npurposes of practical improvement. The story of _private life_ possesses a\nvery different character; we are at once introduced to our _own_ sphere;\nand although it may relate to a class in society either very much inferior\nor superior in point of station to ourselves, it necessarily brings into\nreview relations which we all sustain, situations we have all to occupy,\nand duties we have all to discharge. Whether, therefore, a princess or a\npeasant be the principal actor, the central point round which every\ncircumstance revolves, and from which it derives interest and distinction,\nit claims and will repay our serious attention.\n\nIndependently of these general considerations, the history of Ruth, in\nconnection with that of Naomi and Orpah, has been always regarded as\nsingularly interesting: it is a most pathetic tale, illustrative of the\noperation of the tenderest of the domestic affections, in unison with\ngenuine religion: it exhibits the most artless simplicity of manners, the\nmost virtuous sensibilities, and the most affecting interpositions of\nProvidence. It is at once romantic and true, sublime and simple,\nmarvellous and natural: it constitutes, moreover, a connecting link in the\ngreat chain of providence, and an important incident in the history of\nredemption.\n\nThe sacred book, which derives its name from RUTH, was in all probability\nwritten by Samuel: this is the concurrent opinion of Jews and Christians.\nIt may be considered as supplementary to the book of Judges, an\nintroductory to the history of David, whose descent from Judah through\nPharez is distinctly traced in the genealogy of Boaz.\n\nAccording to Jewish tradition, Ruth was of the royal race of Moab, a\nnation descended from Lot, and settled on the borders of the salt sea in\nthe confines of Judah. She married Mahlon, the son of Elimelech, who lived\nin Moab in consequence of a famine which prevailed in Judea. After his\ndeath, relying on the promises made to the tribe of Judah, to which her\nhusband belonged, she became a proselyte; and thus the Holy Spirit, by\nrecording the adoption of a Gentile woman into that family from which the\nMessiah was to descend, might intend to intimate the comprehensive design\nof the Christian dispensation. \"It must be remarked also, that in the\nestimation of the Jews it was disgraceful to David to have derived his\nbirth from a Moabitess; and Shimei, in his revilings against him, is\nsupposed by the Jews to have tauntingly reflected on his descent from\nRuth. This book, therefore, contains an intrinsic proof of its own verity,\ninasmuch as it records a circumstance so little flattering to the\nsovereign of Israel [19]; and it is scarcely necessary to\nappeal to its admission into the canon of Scripture for a testimony of its\nauthentic character; or to mention that the evangelists, in describing our\nSaviour's descent, follow its genealogical accounts.\" [20]\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1818] This book commences with a\nstatement of the calamitous situation of Israel in consequence of a\nfamine, one of those messengers of divine displeasure sometimes\ncommissioned to scourge a guilty land, and chastise them into obedience.\nElimelech, a resident in Bethlehem-Judah, was compelled, probably with\nmany others, to quit his beloved home, and seek a temporary subsistence in\nthe country of Moab, which, although favoured at this time with the\nblessings of temporal prosperity and abundance, was destitute of those\nreligious means, without which, in the view of a good man, Eden would lose\nits charms, and life its value. He took with him his wife Naomi and his\ntwo sons Mahlon and Chilion; and, under the guidance of that Providence\nwhich once tamed the lions and restrained the fires of Chaldea, found an\nasylum in the bosom of Israel's enemies.\n\nIn this exile, a family so ancient and reputable sunk into such\ndegradation excites our compassion; still more so, when in tracing their\nadventurous history, we find them assaulted by new forms of sorrow and\ncalamity. Elimelech dies, and Naomi is left with her two sons. The young\nmen afterward marry, the one Orpah, the other Ruth, both natives of Moab.\nIt seems as though the disconsolate widow were beginning to dry up her\ntears, and to rebuild her fallen house by those matrimonial alliances\nwhich tended to naturalize them in the country; but whether the use of\nthese idolatrous materials was displeasing to God, or whether it was\ndeemed requisite to detach the mind of Naomi, by repeated afflictions,\nfrom a soil in which her affections were becoming too deeply rooted, her\ntwo sons also died in a few years, and the three females were left to\ngrapple with adversity alone. The original state and character of the\nyoung women is uncertain, but they became proselytes to the Jewish\nreligion. They might have become so previously to their union with their\nnow departed husbands, whom, if the sacred narrative had been more\ndetailed and minute, we might possibly have had occasion to applaud for\ntheir pious discrimination, rather than to censure or suspect for\nimpropriety of conduct; at least, under all the circumstances, we are by\nno means justified in severe animadversions upon their choice. But,\nwhatever might have been their intentions, the Supreme Disposer was\nworking with a wise but mysterious secrecy, to promote his designs which\nwere linked with a succession of events extending to far distant\ngenerations. Poor Naomi! how desolate thy condition! how deep thy\ndepression! Wave after wave rolls over thy defenceless head! And yet,\nwhere is the human being to whom no comforts are left? Thy daughters\nremain, and even if they had been removed, thy pious spirit would not have\nsorrowed over their graves, as one that has no hope! Thy religion has\nsupplied thee with sources of consolation unknown to the world, and\nindestructible by calamity, time, or death--\"The eternal God is thy\nrefuge,\" \"and underneath are the everlasting arms.\"\n\nThe rapid changes in this family cannot fail to remind us of the\ninstability of earthly possessions and enjoyments; nor ought we to forget\nthe wisdom and the goodness of that divine superintendence, which holds\nall these changes in subserviency to his will. How impressive is the\nlanguage of inspiration, \"we all do fade as a leaf;\"--and how\nillustrative of the present tragical history! When the sun of summer beams\nupon the growing landscape, and, ascending some eminence, you survey the\nvalleys covered over with corn, the hills adorned with verdure, the trees\nbending their abundant foliage to the gale, the flowers in \"yellow meads\nof asphodel and amaranthine bowers,\" perfuming the air with their odours,\nyou seem for a moment to inhabit regions of enchantment and perpetual\nbeauty. A month or two intervenes--you reascend your former elevation,\nonce more to feast the senses--to admire and adore the Dispenser of these\nblessings--but O how faded! The bright beams of the sun are shrouded in a\nwintry cloud--the corn has disappeared--the flocks retire--the trees are\nbereft of their foliage--the flowers lie scattered on the ground. Such,\nsuch is human life; thus we and our families fade! to-day in\nvigour--to-morrow in dust! Where are generations past? where are our\nancestors? where our immediate predecessors? where our early associates,\nand many of the individuals that have enlivened our social hours in\nmaturer life? Like the leaves which cluster on the ground in autumn, and\nalmost obstruct the path of the traveller, they seem to have dropped in\nquick succession, and to lie in faded heaps on the road that leads into\neternity. And, alas! with an indifference too nearly resembling that which\nis apparent in the unheeding passenger, who tramples autumnal foliage\nbeneath his feet, we tread on the graves of departed ages, and neglect to\nimitate the example of the pious dead.\n\nPause and reflect, \"we _all_ do fade.\" Whatever our circumstances or\nconnections, the inevitable dominion of death extends over all. The leaves\nmay occupy a higher or a lower station on the tree, they may be suspended\non the loftiest or the lowliest branches--but they _all_ drop off; and we\nmay be rich or poor, learned or illiterate, young or old, the house of the\ngrave is \"appointed for _all _ living.\" Providence in mercy permits the\nunion of families long to remain unbroken; and, at length, in _mercy_\ntoo--whatever the suggestions of despondency--dissolves it. The parent\nexpires, and the children follow; till, perhaps, the _name_ only survives,\nlike a tree bared to the storm of winter thrown down by the blast, and at\nlength rotting into dust.\n\nMournfully fascinating, however, and instructing as these considerations\nappear, they must not divert us longer from the narrative. Naomi, at the\ndistance of ten years, cherished a constant anxiety respecting what passed\nin Israel; and, weaned by repeated trials, if not still more so by\nMoabitish idolatry, from her present situation, she heard with pleasure,\n\"that the Lord had visited his people, in giving them bread:\" upon which\nshe determined to return, and take her two daughters-in-law with her into\nJudea. This secondary kindred often proves a source of the most unhappy\njealousies and animosities in domestic life, but the harmony in which\nthese women lived, and with which they concerted measures for their\nremoval, indicated at least the goodness of all their dispositions. They\nwere, besides, in equal distress. Affliction, in almost every form, is\nbeneficial in its tendency; and nothing is more calculated to strengthen\nmutual attachment than common calamity.\n\nHow often is distress, similar to this, aggravated by unkindness!\nMoroseness on the one part, and undutifulness on the other, excite the\nmother-in-law against the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against\nthe mother-in-law; whereas reason, religion, and even self-love, require a\ndifferent conduct. The poverty of Naomi was no objection to Orpah and Ruth\nto accompany her in her departure from Moab; but at once, abandoning every\nminor or selfish consideration, they prepared to attend her unprotected\nway. They would not suffer her to drink alone of the bitter cup, but\nresolved to encourage her by sharing it.\n\nA bitter cup indeed it was. Who can imagine, without a painful sympathy,\nthe situation of three friendless women, each a widow, and quitting a\ncountry where they left behind so many sad recollections! There they had\nlost the dearest of earthly connections, who, had they been preserved to\nthis hour, would have soothed their sorrows, sustained their spirits, and\naccompanied their journey! The voice of parental and conjugal tenderness\nwas silent in the grave! Their natural timidity had no shelter--their\ntears were wiped away by no kind hand--their steps were supported by no\nsustaining arm--the world was a barren wilderness before them--they seemed\nto be alone, as after a ship-wreck--and they had no immediate refuge but\nin themselves, and--for there was still another hope, an observant friend,\na helper to the needy in his distress--in GOD!\n\nHaving proceeded a short distance, Naomi, overwhelmed with a sense of the\ndisinterested kindness of her daughters-in-law, even more than with her\nown affliction, begged them to leave her, and return to their respective\nhomes. She adverts to their past amiable and affectionate conduct; and\nsevere as parting would prove to her maternal heart, she wished them still\nto be happy in the Sand of their nativity. Commending them to the\nbenediction of the God of Israel, and expressing her desire for their\nhappiness in the formation of future connections, \"she kissed them\" in\ntoken of a long and last farewell.\n\nWhat fondness and what agony blended in that embrace! What a separation!\nIt was no moment for words; the lovely daughters could only weep! A\nthousand past endearments recurred to their memory, a thousand\nuncertainties springing from the bosom of futurity, presented themselves\nto their minds. They had cherished a mutual esteem--they were blended\ninto one in feeling, in interest, in all that can render life desirable.\nTheir dark path had hitherto been enlightened by the beam of\naffection;--and was the sun to set upon their day for ever?\n\nAlas! what a land of mourning is this! what heart-rending separations are\nwe called to experience on earth; and what an hour of parting from the\ntenderest of connexions will soon arrive, when, death interposing his\nauthority to break the ties of nature and of friendship, we must bid adieu\nto those who would indeed gladly accompany us, but _must_ survive to walk\nalone in the wilderness.\n\nWe are, however, attributing too much to this formidable power. He may\nbreak the ties of nature--but he cannot dissolve the union of _Christian_\nfriendship. The pious shall meet again in a region uninfested by\nmalignity, and where the long annals of everlasting ages shall record no\nday of separation, and no instance of death.\n\nIt was kind, it was disinterested, it was maternal, in Naomi to propose\nthis parting; but they were not to be persuaded. As soon as tears\npermitted utterance, they exclaimed, \"Surely we will return with _thee_\nunto _thy_ people.\"--\"We have taken our resolution, and cannot depart\nfrom it. To go _with_ thee is indeed a trial--but to go _from_ thee is\nincalculably worse. Thou shall not be forsaken. We will be inseparable.\"\nNaomi remonstrated, and kindly repeated her commands. She called them\n_daughters_, an appellation they had well merited by their ardent and\nunabated attachment, earnestly entreating them to \"turn again; and\"\nintimating that they could not reasonably entertain a hope of her having\nsons whom they might marry, and therefore they could not accompany her\nwithout detriment to themselves. She was afflicted at the idea of their\nbeing widows in the days of their youth; and especially that, for her\nsake, they should continue in so solitary a condition, voluntarily\nresigning to her comfort the joys of connubial love.\n\nAgain they wept--but from this moment, Orpah and Ruth take a different\ncourse. The former fails in her resolution, embraces her mother-in-law,\nand returns; the latter \"cleaves to her,\" and remains the solitary example\nof unconquerable affection, the heroine of the future narrative.\n\nIn the character of Orpah, we perceive an exemplification of that\nimperfect obedience which characterizes those who have been induced to pay\nsome degree of attention to the gospel of Christ, but who have been\ninfluenced by certain subordinate motives to retrace their steps. She\ncontemplated future poverty with alarm, and cannot be exculpated from a\ncharge of secretly preferring the service of Chemosh, the Moabitish god,\nto the service of Jehovah. Her affection for Naomi had, perhaps, induced\nher hitherto to dissemble; and though she persevered to a considerable\nextent, when the final resolution was to be taken, she paused--hesitated\n--trembled--and drew back. She could not part with _all_ for this\nservice. In the days of Christ, many treated him with respect, listened to\nhis words, admired, and like the young ruler, even wished to become his\nfollower, but excited the best hopes only to disappoint them. Happy,\nthrice happy, they who take up the cross, and follow him through much\ntribulation; nobly resisting the allurements of the world, the demands of\nearthly friendship, and even the interdictions of human authority, for the\nsake of Christ and his gospel! The martyr's _crown_ awaits them, for\nthey display the martyr's _spirit_.\n\nAt a superficial glance, the address of Naomi to Ruth, upon this occasion,\nseems altogether extraordinary; \"Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back\nunto her people, and unto her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law.\"\nDid she then really wish to urge this young widow to imitate the conduct\nof her sister, not only in returning to her relations, but to the service\nof the gods of Moab? Whatever opinion she entertained of her\ndaughter-in-law's piety, could she really be desirous of placing her in\ncircumstances of such temptation and danger? This supposition would be at\nleast uncharitable, and contradicts probability. It was rather a trial of\nher sincerity in religion, and an evidence of her determination to use no\ncompulsory measures, not even maternal influence, to coerce her\nconscience. Her language was, besides, premonitory and warning, similar to\nthe permission given to Balaam, who though apparently admonished to go and\ncurse Israel, was really interdicted.\n\nRuth received the appeal in a manner worthy of her character, and the\nmost satisfactory to Naomi. \"Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return\nfrom following after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where\nthou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my\nGod. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do\nso to me and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.\" If the pious\norigin of this attachment were not sufficiently apparent, we should be\ntempted to call it romantic; but founded as it was in religion, we must\ncontemplate it as a rare specimen of a perfection in friendship, scarcely\never attained in the cold and chilling atmosphere of this world. Nothing\ncould have so ripened and matured it, but the beamings of heavenly love,\nwhich rendered even an unfriendly soil productive of so choice a fruit.\n\nNotwithstanding the indigent circumstances of Naomi, her daughter-in-law\npersisted in accompanying her, and thus voluntarily chose affliction with\nthe people of God in preference to hereditary affluence and distinction.\nWith deliberate resolution, and persevering consistency, she adhered to\nher purpose, calculating upon all the inconveniences that might result,\nbut not fearing them. She turned her back upon the glory of the world,\nneither dreading its frowns nor soliciting its patronage. She knew that\nshe could live happily without human applause, but not without divine\napprobation. Her early prejudices were subdued by principle, and she felt\nno hesitation in discarding the gods of Moab to procure the love of the\nGod of Israel. In fact she _did_ choose the path of true honour and\nrenown. The servant of God is the greatest character in the universe, and\nwill eventually be exalted to a situation which will fully and for ever\ndisclose the perfect nothingness of terrestrial glory, and the shadowy\nnature of all that mortals have been deluded to imagine substantial.\n\nThis part of the history may serve to suggest the beneficial inquiry,\nwhether we habitually cherish an equal zeal for our religion, with that\nwhich this young Moabitess manifested? It would be easy to descant upon\nthe superiority of our advantages, and to urge our increased\nresponsibility; but do we equal her in the firmness of our faith, and the\nsteadfastness of our profession? It may not be a question, whether we are\nlikely to be called to similar or equal trials; but the most important\nconsideration is, whether through the grace of God we stand prepared for\n_whatever_ trials await us in the path of duty; and whether, with fewer\ndifficulties and greater advantages, we at least display an equal decision\nof character? We have Sabbaths--do we keep them? We have Bibles--do we\nread them? We have religious and social opportunities--do we improve\nthem? We have pious friends--do we, like Ruth, cleave to them? Do we come\nout from the world, and are we separate, saying to the church of Christ,\nand adhering to our purpose, \"We will go with you, for we have heard that\nGod is with you?\" Association is a test of character. The companion\nexhibits the man.\n\nCandour and sincerity may be recommended from this example, as the best\npolicy. We should not be ashamed of our religion: an open avowal, like\nthat of Ruth, which prevented any farther importunity to return to the\nidolatries of Moab, is calculated to prevent a thousand perplexities into\nwhich the wavering, the timid, and the dissembling, inevitably fall.\nPersons of this description fail in every respect. They dissatisfy both\nparties, sacrifice their own peace of mind, and incur all the pains,\nwithout securing any of the pleasures of genuine piety. Hesitating\nbetween a sense of duty and an inclination to sin, trembling amidst\nconflicting attractions and opposing interests, they never attain to\ndignity of character or repose of spirit. They lie at the mercy of every\nfoe, of every passion, of every change. Without the pilotage of principle,\nthey know not what course to take, and are every moment in danger of a\nfatal wreck. \"He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the\nwind and tossed! ... A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.\"\n\nIt is unquestionably a duty devolving on all who believe in Christ, to\n\"confess him;\" and to this candid avowal he has himself attached, not only\nthe purest felicities on earth, but the honour of a public acknowledgment\nof their persons and services before assembled ages in the day of\njudgment, together with a final admission into the paradise of his\npresence. It is indeed criminal to profess attachment to him when we do\nnot feel it, and it is also highly improper to cherish such an attachment\nwithout daring to avow it. If the former must be characterized as\nhypocrisy, the latter cannot be exculpated from the charge of sinful\ntimidity; if the one be presumptuous boldness, the other is unholy fear.\n\nTo avow our principles, on all suitable occasions, with unshrinking\nfirmness, is essential to integrity, and distinctly claimed by religion.\nThe worldly motives which influenced some of the chief rulers in the days\nof our Lord, if not to disavow, at least to withhold their public\nconcurrence with his doctrines, are mentioned in the gospel to their\neverlasting dishonour. They are not exhibited as specimens of violent\nhostility, but of that spirit of neutrality which resulted from political\nfeelings, and which, being no less deemed a real enmity, will receive its\nappropriate condemnation. \"Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many\nbelieved on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him,\nlest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of\nmen more than the praise of God.\"\n\nThis kind of preference seems to be the result of strange infatuation, the\norigin of which demands a serious inquiry. In part, it may be accounted\nfor from the impression which sensible and near objects produce on the\nmind, in comparison with those which are less obvious and more distant.\nVisible things attract attention, while those which are invisible, being\nplaced beyond the sphere of sense, remain unnoticed. An object which is\nreally greater, appears less when it is more remote. Eternity seems, in\nhuman estimation, extremely distant; its crown of glory afar off; all the\npossessions of the New Jerusalem disappear from view, when covered with\nthe mists of futurity. We are easily affected by loud applauses, gay\nscenes, and temporal good. The secret whispers of an approving conscience\nare less audible, the smiles of God less perceptible to a depraved and\nearthly mind. In addition to which, temporal inconveniences or dangers are\nfrequently connected with a conduct which secures the approbation of God;\na criminal apprehension of which produces indifference and distaste for\nreligion. When the choice lies between shame, poverty, affliction, the\nsacrifice of worldly interest, and even death itself in the one\nbalance--and temporal distinction, affluence, ease, advancement, in the\nother--many will hesitate, with Agrippa, few determine, with Moses. In the\npresent history one was taken, the other left. The experiment has been\nsince sufficiently tried upon a large scale, and proofs are perpetually\naccumulating, that the temper and conduct of Orpah were coincident with\nthose of the great majority in the world.\n\nThe narrative of the journey to the place of Naomi's early residence, is\ncomprised in one short sentence; \"So they two went until they came to\nBethlehem.\" We are left in ignorance of those circumstances which\ncuriosity would wish to explore in so remarkable a removal. Who can doubt,\nthat in a distance of at least one hundred and twenty miles over mountains\nand rivers, these female travellers, unprotected, friendless, on foot, and\nseeking day by day a precarious assistance from the wild luxuriancy of\nnature, or the occasional hospitality of the stranger, must have\nencountered repeated perils, and often deemed themselves irretrievably\nlost. But there was an eye that watched them, of whose observance they\nwere not ignorant; an arm that protected them, on whose powerful support\nthey leaned by faith, and leaned not in vain. _He_ can never be destitute\nwho has _God_ for his father; _he_ can never be lost, in whatever region\nhe wanders, who has _God_ for his guide! In the adventurous journey of\nlife take his proffered aid, ye children of adversity! repose in his\ngoodness, having committed your way to him, ye widowed mourners! while God\nis on his throne, ye cannot inhabit a fatherless world, ye cannot be\ndestitute of efficient aid! \"A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of\nthe widows, is God in his holy habitation.\"\n\nIn a small town, like Bethlehem, the arrival of these strangers would\nnaturally awaken inquiry. After an absence of ten years, the inhabitants\nprobably never expected to see Naomi again. Such is the vicissitude of\nhuman affairs, that within a few years many strange mutations occur, even\nin places of no great extent. Of her former friends or acquaintances, some\nwere, no doubt, consigned to the grave; and her own appearance and\ncircumstances were so altered since her departure, that the voice of\nfriendship, the congratulation of love, seems to have subsided into the\nidle language of wonderment, \"Is this Naomi?\"\n\n_It is_--but the mention of her name is a caustic to the wounds of her\nheart. The endearments attached to that beloved and significant\nappellation are fled with departed time, and Bethlehem no longer beholds\nher in a situation to command respect, to excite envy, or to purchase\nattention. Her husband, her children, are no more!--one, one only comfort\nremains--one friend, one solace in adversity--one ray of light in the dark\nhour! Amidst universal desertion, RUTH has not forsaken her; but is become\nher joy in sorrow, her companion in solitude, her prop in decrepit age!\nCan we wonder that she wishes to discard a name which awakened such\nrecollections, and only recalled the _dream_ of happiness? \"Call me not\n_Naomi_,--call me _Mara_; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with\nme. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty; why\nthen call ye me _Naomi_, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and\nthe Almighty hath afflicted me?\"\n\nThere is something in these words which charity requires us to excuse. If,\nunder the peculiar circumstances in which she was at present placed, the\nname of NAOMI, which signifies _pleasant_, distracted her, and she wished\nrather to adopt that of Mara, importing _bitterness_, her impatience must\nnot be interpreted in the worst sense. After long absence, it is natural\nto anticipate a return home, and a rush of joy pervades even unfeeling\nminds, when the spire of their native _village_, the smoke of their native\n_hamlet_, especially the roof of their native _cottage_, first strikes\nupon the sight. Friends, family, neighbours, early scenes and pleasures,\nrecur with a force which gives the air of enchantment to the long-lost\nscene. But every feeling of this nature was, in the case of Naomi,\nchecked by different associations; the darkness of the sepulchre converted\nthis day into midnight, and this lovely spot into a desolate wilderness!\n\nThere is, moreover, something in Naomi's remonstrance, which sympathy\nwould lead as to pity, and experience, in some degree, to blame. She\ncommits an evident mistake in attributing the dispensations she had\nsuffered, to a _testimony against her_ on the part of the supreme\nDisposer. Viewing past events through the discolouring medium of present\naffliction, and incapable of perceiving their secret and concurrent\ndesign, she forms a conclusion, which is rather the effect of temporary\ndepression of mind, than of a settled conviction of judgment. We cannot\ndoubt, indeed that the impression was evanescent; but it seems allied to\nthat of the impatient patriarch, who exclaimed, \"All these things are\nagainst me.\" _That_ eminent servant of God enjoyed the privilege of living\nto a period in which the divine purposes were fully developed, and of\nseeing that what he deemed hostile circumstances, were really conducive to\nthe most wise and felicitous results. Had Jacob departed during the\ninterval, and while the mysterious plan was yet unaccomplished, his grey\nhairs would have gone down with sorrow to the grave, and the cloud of\nmystery would have been suspended over his dying hour. Such is the usual\nlot of the righteous. Life, in general, does not afford a space\nsufficiently ample, a period sufficiently protracted, for the complete\nexecution of the great purposes of Infinite Goodness with regard to our\nreal interests; and we murmur, because we cannot penetrate his\narrangements. Patience, however, should be supported by the consideration\nthat either in this, or in a future state of existence, the day of\nsatisfactory explanation will arrive.\n\nBut there is a sentiment pervading the whole of this appeal, which,\nnotwithstanding its partial defects, piety must warmly approve. Every\nthing is imputed to \"the Lord.\" Naomi sees his hand in whatever occurrence\nshe has witnessed. To him she imputes the fulness of her prosperity, and\nthe emptiness of her adversity. In _every_ change, in _every_ place, she\nbeholds and bows, to the ALMIGHTY. When this is happily the prevailing\nsentiment, the storm of angry passions will soon subside, the murmurings\nof discontent cease, and the clear shining of comfort break forth from\nbehind the cloud.\n\n\"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.\" This is enough! Angels and blessed\nspirits shall not monopolize the strain of gratitude and acknowledgment.\nMortal voices shall join immortal harps, saying, \"HALLELUJAH!\"\n\n\nSECTION II.\n\n\n  Time of the Return to Bethlehem--Ruth offers to go and\n  glean--Dispositions indicated by this proposal--she happens upon the\n  Field of Boaz--his Kindness--their Conversation--additional\n  Favours--Ruth's return Home--Her Mother-in-law's wish to connect her in\n  Marriage with Boaz--the Measures she suggests, and which her daughter\n  adopts with ultimate Success--their Marriage--Birth of a\n  Son--concluding Remarks,\n\n\nTales of fictitious wo, and of splendid distress, may alone be capable of\nfascinating those who recline on the lap of luxury, and who seek\namusement, without soliciting instruction; but, among persons who possess\nany taste for genuine simplicity, any delight in the sacred employment of\ntracing the operations of infinite wisdom in the works of Providence, any\ndesire for their own mental and spiritual improvement, and who have not\nyet learned of dissipated folly to despise\n\n  \"The short and simple annals of the poor;\"\n\nthe remaining circumstances of the narrative introduced into the preceding\nchapter, cannot fail of exciting interest.\n\nThat God, who promised Noah, that \"while the earth remaineth, seed-time\nand harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night,\nshall not cease;\" and who \"visits the earth and waters it, greatly\nenriching it with the river of God which is full of water, and prepares\nthem corn when he has so provided for it;\" having at this period dispensed\nfertility to the fields of Bethlehem, the humble travellers from Moab\nchose, or rather, were appointed by a superior influence to return in the\nseason of barley-harvest. This was probably at the commencement of the\nmonth of May. [21]\n\nBut whither shall the wretched fugitives turn for assistance and support?\nIt was indeed a time of plenty, but they were in extreme poverty. Golden\nharvests waved around them, but having no fields to reap, they were\nsorrowful amidst universal gladness, and depended upon precarious means of\nsubsistence.\n\nRuth proposed to her mother-in-law to allow her to go and glean in any\nfield where she could obtain the permission of the proprietor; to which\nNaomi readily consented. _As_ a Moabite, she was probably ignorant, that\nwhat she regarded as a _favour_, was bestowed upon the needy as a _right_\nby the God of Israel. \"When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field,\nand hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shall not go again to fetch it:\nit shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that\nthe Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.\" This law\nis more than once repeated, and Ruth had a peculiar claim upon the\nliberality of its provisions, as uniting all the three species of\nwretchedness in her individual case. She was indeed a _stranger_, an\n_orphan_, and a _widow_.\n\nThe proposal of Ruth upon this occasion is, in many respects, illustrative\nof her estimable character. It furnishes a specimen of that _respectful\ntreatment_ which is due from the younger relative, to those whom venerable\nage and long experience have rendered their superiors. She would do\nnothing without Naomi; but consults her wishes, and seeks her concurrence\nin attempting to procure subsistence by means which she deemed the best\nadapted to their present poverty. A churlish temper would have submitted\nwith extreme reluctance, and many taunting reproaches to what might easily\nhave been represented as the drudgery and degradation of the gleaner's\nfield; but this excellent daughter-in-law displayed a spirit most worthy\nof imitation.\n\nHer _reflecting kindness_ may be recommended to the notice of the\ninconsiderate and unfeeling. Offering herself to the laborious but\nnecessary service, she is far from hinting any wish that Naomi should\neither accompany her to the field, or take measures to spare her, by\nseeking the aid of her richer relations, or the casual contributions of\nothers. She wished to extend her support to the wearied and decaying\nnature of her beloved relative, and to use every possible exertion to\nalleviate her anxieties, to minister to her comfort, and to assist her\ninfirmity. \"Let _me_ now go to the field.\" Amiable, generous, kindhearted\nwoman! Thou wert anxious to procure for thy poor, afflicted, aged mother,\nall the repose which her advanced life seemed to require, to wipe away the\ntear from her dimmed eye and farrowed cheek, and as far as possible, to\ndissipate the clouds that hovered about the setting beam of her earthly\nexistence!\n\nIf there be one scene of domestic life pre-eminently attractive, it is\nthat of a lovely daughter manifesting a promptitude and zeal to alleviate\nthe sorrows, and to aid the weekness of a parent, by those nameless and\nnumberless assiduities which bespeak a genuine affection. Her own works\npraise her, and the mere flatterer's tongue is awed into respectful\nsilence. How deplorable is it to witness the impatience of some young\npersons who think every little exertion an insufferable effort, a trouble,\nand a fatigue; and who forget the maternal fondness which cherished their\ninfancy, the wakefulness that guarded their sickness, the love that\nnever slept.\n\nAs Ruth was characterized by a virtuous sensibility, the proposal she made\ndistinguished her also as _active and industrious_. Although her\nmother-in-law was advanced in years, she being in the vigour of her days,\ndetermined to devote her health and strength to procure subsistence. She\ndid not waste her time in complaining, or sit down in a state of inactive\ndespondency; but was alive to the duties of her lowly station. The poorest\nindividual, who cheerfully fulfils his obligations, and exerts himself by\nan honest industry to maintain himself and his family, is inexpressibly\nmore respectable in a wise man's estimation, than pampered luxury lolling\non the couch of indulgence, and dreaming away existence in slothfulness\nand pomp. Real worth unquestionably consists in the proper occupation of\nthat sphere, whatever it may be, which Providence has assigned us: and\nthat person who is \"not slothful in business,\" but \"fervent in spirit,\nserving the Lord,\" secures the esteem of the good, and what is infinitely\nmore important, the approbation of God. Idleness is no less a perversion\nof the designs of nature, than detrimental to our personal happiness. It\nnot only renders its unhappy devotees useless to society, but burthensome\nto themselves. All beings, through every gradation of existence, from the\ntoiling emmet to the flaming angel, are formed for activity and exertion.\nNor ought we, who are privileged to live under the Christian dispensation,\nto forget, that Jesus Christ himself, by his humble appearance and lowly\noccupation, as the Son of a carpenter, has elevated honest industry to a\njust and honourable distinction.\n\nAccidentally, so far as related to herself, Ruth went and gleaned in the\nfield of Boaz; but she was guided by an invisible hand. This proprietor\nwas a man of great opulence, and a relative of Naomi. Coming from\nBethlehem to his reapers, and having exchanged their mutual salutations\naccording to the pious custom of the times, [22] he inquired of\nthe superintendent, or steward, the name of the young woman he observed\ngleaning amongst the sheaves. Ruth, it appears, attracted his particular\nnotice. Even a superficial reader might be struck with the astonishing\nprovidential coincidences in this story; and nothing but the most perverse\ninfidelity can refuse to admit, that the God who had conducted this\ninteresting widow from Moab to Bethlehem, and from Bethlehem into the\nfield of the reapers, guided the steps and awakened the solicitude of Boaz\non this occasion.\n\n\"And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is\nthe Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.\nAnd she said, I pray you let me glean and gather after the reapers among\nthe sheaves; so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until\nnow, that she tarried a little in the house.\" The rich are frequently\nreluctant to acknowledge their poor connections, and in the great majority\nof instances, a discovery like this would rather have averted than\nconciliated the regards of an affluent proprietor from the humble\nindividual he found to be the daughter-in-law of his indigent relative.\nSuperior, however, to unwarrantable prejudices and ridiculous vanity, Boaz\nlistened to the tale and immediately addressed her in affectionate terms.\nIt is by no means improbable, that a blush of shame crimsoned his cheek,\nfrom the recollection of his past negligence in suffering Naomi to pine\naway in solitary sadness and penury, when it was in his power to have\nafforded her relief. Reasons _might_ have existed to justify this delay,\nthough they must have been very imperious to furnish even a plausible\npretence for such indifference; but the best construction we can put upon\nhis conduct is to suppose, that, like many worthy and benevolent men, he\nwas dilatory in the execution of measures which he might have planned to\ndiscover and relieve the necessities of his kindred. The law of love was\nin his heart; he hastened to make reparation, and kindly enjoined her to\nglean in no other field, to keep fast by his own female servants, and to\ndrink whenever she chose out of the vessels which were replenished from\ntime to time for his reapers. He further issued orders to the young men\nemployed in his service, to show every kindness, and to observe the utmost\ndecorum towards her, upon pain of his displeasure.\n\nIt is observable, that Boaz addressed her by the tender epithet of\n_daughter_, adopting the language while he displayed the affection of a\nparental protector. Ruth had forsaken every Moabitish friend and relative,\nto share the fortunes of Naomi. Her birth-place, her home, her\nconnections, all were relinquished for the privileges of her new\nrelationship and adopted country, although to her eye nothing was\npresented but poverty and want. But her loss was gain; in Naomi she found\na mother--in Boaz a father--in Bethlehem a home--in Judaism the religion\nof heaven, and the way to God. And shall they be eventually losers, who\nforsake all things for Christ and his gospel? Listen, ye youthful readers\nof either sex, and be wise--\"Every one that hath forsaken houses, or\nbrethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or\nlands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall inherit\neverlasting life.\"\n\nThe reply of Ruth is singularly expressive of her characteristic modesty,\nhumility, and goodness, The wealthy proprietor of the field had\nunexpectedly discovered in one word the history of this stranger: but she\nwas wholly ignorant of the string that had been touched, and with\nartlessness replies, \"Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou\nshouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?\" This is equally\nthe language of astonishment and gratitude. Little did she imagine the\nmighty consequences of this casual interview, or the real origin of this\nextraordinary kindness. Her susceptible and affectionate heart would have\nacknowledged the _smallest_ favour, while some, and unhappily too often,\nthe most dependent and the most indulged of the children of indigence seem\nscarcely thankful for the _greatest_ obligations. It ought not to prevent\nour charity, but it may well excite our surprise, to find that needy\npersons are sometimes disposed to claim as a right what is bestowed as\na boon.\n\nBoaz intimated that the principal circumstances of her past life had come\nto his knowledge, and conveyed the most delicate commendation into her\nmodest ear. He said, that he was aware of her whole behaviour to Naomi,\nwith the sacrifice she had made of her native land and connections, and\npronounced upon her an affectionate, solemn, and pious benediction: \"The\nLord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God\nof Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.\" To the same refuge\nfrom painful convictions and impending judgments may every reader\ninstantly repair, embracing, by a devout faith, that glorious Light of the\nworld, and Saviour of men, who was prefigured, in all the splendours of\nhis love, by that miraculous brightness which shone between the wings of\nthe cherubim in the ancient temple, and pointed the Jewish worshipper to\n\"God manifest in the flesh.\"\n\nVirtually disclaiming the praise which the opulent stranger had conferred,\nand far from imagining that she deserved, or had reason to expect any\nreward of God for conduct which she considered as no other than what a\nproper sense of duty demanded, Ruth thought herself honoured in the notice\nwhich she had received, respectfully acknowledged the condescension, and\nsolicited its continuance. \"Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for\nthat thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto\nthine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.\" Boaz\nrepeats every kind assurance, invites her to share the rural repast, to\n\"eat of the bread, and dip her morsel in the vinegar;\" and with his own\nhand plentifully supplies her with \"parched corn.\"\n\nThe sentiments of this excellent woman for the comparatively trifling\nkindness of her kinsman, may serve to reprove our cold returns, our\ndisproportionate gratitude to the Supreme Benefactor, who daily loads us\nwith temporal benefits, and constantly replenishes the cup of spiritual\nblessing; he, indeed, \"comforts us;\" in his word he \"speaks friendly to\nus;\" and we have, individually, abundant reason to confess, \"I am not\nworthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which the Lord\nhas showed unto his servant.\"\n\nThe rural repast being ended, and Ruth having withdrawn into the field to\npursue the humble labour of gleaning, which necessity and affection for an\naged parent alike concurred to prompt, Boaz enjoined his reapers not only\nto allow her to glean, and to glean among the sheaves, but to \"let fall\nsome of the handfuls on purpose for her, and leave them that she may glean\nthem, and rebuke her not.\" Her real thankfulness and amiable diffidence\nprocured her these additional favours, and seem to have inspired the noble\nbenefactor with a feeling which was afterward matured into love and\nconsolidated in marriage. Let the poor beware of that cold indifference in\nthe reception of benefits which freezes up the stream of benevolence, and\nchills the heart of the most liberal friend; let them equally avoid that\nforwardness which seems to demand, rather than to solicit kindness. Boaz,\non this occasion, enjoyed a Double feast; with condescending familiarity\nhe partook the frugal meal with his labourers, encouraging them by his\npresence and piety; with pleasure he fed the hungry stranger, cheerfully\ndispensing a portion of what he thankfully received from the Lord of all,\nwhose bounty had enriched his possessions, and thus enjoying the luxury of\ndoing good: this was indeed to his benevolent spirit, a feast which all\nthe wealth of a Croesus could not otherwise have procured.\n\nBoaz may be exhibited as a specimen of that prudential charity which\nshould always regulate our distributions. He might have supplied Ruth at\nonce from his ample repository of grain, or from the sheaves of the golden\nharvest; but he chose, on the contrary, to encourage her industry, though\nhe kindly mitigated her toil. Indiscriminate gifts may rather favour\nidleness than relieve necessity; and it is as much a duty to see to the\nmode of distributing help to the needy, as to render them the requisite\naid: besides which, the poor are more likely to value and to use properly\nwhat has been industriously acquired, than what is lavishly, however, as\nto its principle, benevolently communicated. Alleviate the toil of the\nnecessitous, but do not prevent their useful employment of time and means.\nIndustry is the law of the universe; and the Supreme Disposer of human\naffairs has appointed that \"in the sweat of his face man should eat bread\ntill he return unto the ground.\"\n\nTo Ruth this was one of the happiest evenings of a life which had been\nchequered with vicissitude, and of late particularly beclouded with,\nsorrow. How different were the feelings with which she returned to the\ncottage of her mother-in-law from those which afflicted her bosom when she\nquitted it in the early part of this memorable day.\n\nDistressed and friendless she had gone forth; \"not knowing whither she\nwent,\" anxious only to procure some scanty subsistence for the day to\nsatisfy the cravings of appetite, and to sustain the weakness of her dear\nand aged relative; but she returned laden with the spoils of the harvest\nfield, an ephah of barley; she had been noticed by a very liberal\nproprietor of the soil, and invited to continue gleaning in his field.\nWith what heartfelt satisfaction did she present the fruits of her\nfirst-day's exertion at the feet of Naomi, and sit down to share that kind\nof comfort to which Solomon has so strikingly alluded--\"Better is a dinner\nof herbs where love is, than a stalled ox, and hatred therewith.\"\n\nWhat family in Bethlehem was so truly blessed as these two poor women?\nWhere, in the whole city, was concentrated so many sweet enjoyments, so\nmany pure unsophisticated pleasures as met beneath this dwelling? Who\nwould not rather turn into that lowly door, and listen to the inspired\nrecord of the conversation which took place between, its pious inmates,\nthan hear the music which shakes the lordly roof, or witness the unmeaning\ngayety that riots in its apartments?--The good matron inquired where she\nhad been gleaning; and seeing the ample supply she had procured, eagerly\ndemanded where she had wrought: but unable, in the exultation and\noverflowings of her gratitude to wait for an answer, she pours forth her\nbenedictions upon the unknown benefactor: \"Blessed be he that did take\nknowledge of thee!\" Her daughter informed her it was BOAZ; a name welcome\nto her ear, and calculated to kindle a hope in a bosom long filled with\ndistracting griefs: she was reminded of former favours: she remembered his\nconstant friendship to her family, and uttered an instantaneous\nsupplication to Heaven for blessings upon his head. Unable herself to\nrequite his kindness, she well knew who could recompense it, and\ntherefore prayed, \"Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his\nkindness to the living and to the dead!\"\n\nSuch is the commerce between the benevolent rich and the pious poor; the\nformer bestows subsistence, the latter blessings. How miserable, how\n_deservedly_ miserable is an incommunicative selfishness! Happy the man\nwho can say with Job, \"When the ear heard me then it blessed me; and when\nthe eye saw me it gave witness to me: because I delivered the poor that\ncried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing\nof him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's\nheart to sing for joy. I was a father to the poor.\"\n\nWith what astonishment must Ruth have heard, \"The man is near of kin unto\nus, one of our next kinsmen!\" but she did not arrogantly assume her right\nto what she had received, or, presuming upon the dignity of her\nrelationship, propose to make immediate application for that support which\nhe was so well able to afford: this would have been the first thought of an\nordinary or a selfish mind. On the contrary, she expatiates, with a\nsatisfaction which heartfelt gratitude and pre-eminent goodness alone\ncould have inspired, upon the marked attention of Boaz--\"He said unto me\nalso, Thou shall keep fast by my young men until they have ended all my\nharvest.\" Naomi advised her to accept this bounty, lest, by gleaning in\nany other field she might seem to undervalue the permission, or to cherish\nan offensive dependency of spirit. With her characteristic meekness, Ruth\nassented, continuing to pursue her mean occupation during the weeks of\nharvest, and returning every evening to share with Naomi her humble cot\nand her scanty fare.\n\nDuring all this time, the mind of the affectionate mother-in-law was\nmeditating a plan to promote the future happiness of her daughter. Past\nthe period of marriage herself, she knew that Ruth might yet adorn, as\nwell as obtain an accession of comfort from such a connection. If the\nyoung woman were satisfied with her obscurity, and content to provide a\nprecarious subsistence for herself and her venerable relative by the\nlabour of her hands, Naomi was superior to that selfishness which would\nrather have aimed to retain her in perpetual subserviency to her\nconvenience, than seek to augment her joys, advance her interests, and\nraise her to her proper sphere of usefulness. Having made every possible\nsacrifice to her and her religion, she deemed it the part of maternal\nkindness to avail herself of the existing laws respecting matrimony, to\nconnect her with the noble minded Boaz. This solicitude she took the first\nopportunity of expressing, and directed her to measures, which, if they\nappear extraordinary to us, might not have been unseemly or unusual at\nthat period and in that country. A few years are sufficient to operate a\ncomplete revolution in existing customs; it cannot therefore be\nsurprising, that the manners of another quarter of the globe, at the\ndistance of more than thirty centuries, should essentially differ from our\nown. To judge of their propriety by our standard is manifestly absurd; and\nto make great allowances for the state of society is, in cases of extreme\nvariation, obviously necessary. After all, the conduct of Naomi may not be\ncapable of entire vindication; though we are certain it proceeded from a\nsentiment of pure affection, and was connected with important results in\nthe order of Providence: it is, moreover, recorded without the slightest\nhint of disapprobation.\n\nRuth was directed by her mother-in-law to repair with the utmost secrecy\nto the threshing-floor; and, when Boaz, conformably to the simple manners\nof the age, retired to rest among the heaps of corn, to place herself at\nhis feet. When be spoke, she was to answer frankly, and await the\nintimation of his will. She did so: Boaz made the inquiry, and promised\nall that a sense of her virtues and a knowledge of her rights dictated.\nThe law authorized the present application on her part at the instigation\nof Naomi, in order that the possessions of the family might not be\nalienated. Kinsmen were required to intermarry, and in case of refusal the\nnear relative was treated with the utmost public indignity. Boaz perfectly\nunderstood this legal claim; and, notwithstanding his evident partiality\nto Ruth, ingenuously informed her, \"There is a kinsman nearer than I.\" If\nhe performed the kinsman's part, law and piety required acquiescence; if\nnot, he solemnly avowed his own resolution to do so. Ruth departed before\nit was light, and carried the intelligence home. Boaz availed himself of\nthe earliest opportunity in the morning to bring the affair to a decision;\nhe went up to the gate, stopped the relative to whom he had alluded as he\nwas passing by, and appealed to ten of the elders of the city. He at first\nagreed to the redemption of some family inheritance which belonged to\nNaomi; but, upon intimation that if he purchased the land he must marry\nRuth, he declined it, giving full permission to his relative to enter into\nthis contract. The mutual regard subsisting between Boaz and Ruth rendered\nthis a most welcome circumstance, and the former immediately called upon\nthe elders and all the people who were assembled on the occasion, to hear\nwitness to this, as a fair, public, and honourable transaction. \"So Boaz\ntook Ruth, and she was his wife.\"\n\nIn some cases, where the matrimonial connection has been founded upon a\ndereliction of principle, and formed in defiance of the suggestions of\ncommon prudence, of parental kindness, and even of the interdictions of\nHeaven itself, we feel compelled to express our grief, rather than offer\nour congratulations; but where, as in the present instance, the voice of\nnature harmonized with that of reason, conscience, and God, who can\nhesitate to approve the union, and to anticipate that delightful result\nwhich has been so well expressed in poetic numbers?\n\n  \"Hail, wedded love! by gracious Heaven design'd,\n  At once the source and glory of mankind!\n  'Tis this can toil, and grief, and pain assuage,\n  Secure our youth, and dignify our age;\n  'Tis this fair fame and guiltless pleasure brings,\n  And shakes rich plenty from its brooding wings;\n  Gilds duty's roughest path with friendship's ray,\n  And strews with roses sweet the narrow way.\"\n\nIf, in all the circumstances that lead to this union, the interpositions\nof Providence be not always, perhaps not frequently, so marked,\nincontrovertible, and striking, as in the history under consideration, let\nit never be forgotten, that such a wise and good superintendence really\nexists, and may, in every instance, be traced in some degree by the devout\nobserver. If our ways be committed to the Lord, he will direct our paths.\nAmidst the ardour of youth, we are not always capable of discerning what\nis really obvious, or of fully believing what is infallibly true: but\nyears teach wisdom; the developements of futurity often throw light upon\nthe mysteries of the past; in the coolness and quiet of the eventide of\nlife, and even before that period, how commonly do good men acknowledge\nthe kindness of those once distressing dispensations that thwarted their\njuvenile susceptibility. In the adverse, as well as the prosperous events\nof the life of Ruth, she could perceive that \"all things worked together\nfor her good;\" and no reflecting Christian will hesitate to appropriate\nthe same sentiment to himself. A plan was laid in the divine mind, in the\nexecution of which she often acted unconsciously: the birth, the\neducation, the original circumstances and residence, the removal, the\nfinal elevation of Ruth, were all essential parts of the scheme, links in\nthe chain of mercy; and the same may be affirmed respecting the life of\nevery pious individual.\n\nOne circumstance demands particular notice. Neither in Boaz nor in Ruth\ncan we discern the least symptom of _precipitation_; they suffered\nProvidence to work its own way, to accomplish, without any obstruction\nfrom their unholy haste and heedlessness, its own purposes; in neither of\nthem is discernible the least trace of a wish to seek their own\ngratification irrespectively of the will of Omniscience; they were in a\nsense passive, resigning themselves wholly to the disposal of God; they\ndid not force a passage through intervening impediments with an indecent\nand impious resolution of spirit, as if they could not, or would not be\nhappy excepting in their own way, but \"waited patiently for the Lord.\"\n\nYoung persons sometimes attempt to outstrip Providence, and dare to chide\nits lingerings, or to murmur at its decisions; they set up for separate\nempire, and imagine they can create their own paradise; a conduct which\nultimately proves as fatal to their comfort as it is now to their\nrespectability. It is an advantage for young people of both sexes, which\ncannot be too highly appreciated, to have judicious, and especially\nparental advisers. Let them not impute their kind suggestions to the\nfrigidity of age when they do not keep pace with their own warm feelings,\nbut consider that they are likely to know more of the world, and to\ndeserve their attention after amassing a stock of experience. Why should\ntheir good advice, or even their urgent importunity, be deemed officious\nor be treated with contempt? If mistaken, they are not, or ought not to\nbe, peremptory. If not obliged to _follow_ their opinion, young persons\nare certainly required, by every motive of duty, and even of\nself-interest, to _hear_ it. Were it admitted that Ruth erred in some\ndegree from her excessive obsequiousness to Naomi, yet her general spirit\nand temper merit the strongest encomium, the deepest study, and the closet\nimitation.\n\nTragical as was the commencement of this history, its termination presents\na very different aspect. We beheld the family of Elimelech sinking fast in\nhuman apprehension into oblivion, and his name beginning to cease in\nIsrael; we now witness its restoration and prosperity: it has emerged from\nits obscurity into splendour, and shines with imperishable glory on the\npage of inspiration. The aged tree, which time had well nigh lopped of\nevery branch, sprouts out afresh, and shoots forth with new vigour and\nluxuriancy. We should learn never to despair of Providence, never to\nrelinquish hope, never to imagine that \"any thing is too hard for the\nLord.\" Time, and change, and death, whatever revolutions they may occasion\nin general society or in individual families, not only cannot prevent,\nbut, by their diversified operations, shall conduce to accomplish the\npurposes of Heaven. \"Time and change,\" exclaimed Job, \"are against _me_.\"\nTrue; but they cannot countervail _Omniscience_.\n\nWe naturally congratulate our favourites upon their prosperity; and the\ninterest we must feel in the history of Ruth swells into the highest\nsatisfaction upon reading the closing part of the narrative. We hear of\nthe birth of Obed, who derives additional importance from the illustrious\nline of his descent. A few generations conduct immediately to the MESSIAH.\nAll the neighbourhood celebrates the event, and we have equal reason to\nhail and proclaim it: \"And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord,\nwhich hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be\nfamous in Israel; and he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life and a\nnourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee,\nwhich is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. And Naomi took\nthe child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the\nwomen her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi;\nand they called his name Obed: HE IS THE FATHER OF JESSE, THE FATHER\nOF DAVID.\"\n\nOrdinary minds avoid, as much as possible, recurring to past periods of\nindigence and inferiority of station. Any reference to such circumstances\nis deemed offensive, by people of the world who have been elevated from\nlow situations to opulence and rank, and whose arrogant nothingness proves\nthey have descended in moral worth and real respectability exactly in\nproportion as they have risen in temporal distinction. But every thing we\nknow of Ruth tends to convince us that, if a detailed account of her\nprivate life had been given, it would have been highly honourable to her\nsensibility and her piety. How often, and with what feelings, would she\npace the field where, in the situation of a humble gleaner, she first met\nwith Boaz. With what emotions would she trace and retrace her own\neventful story! And especially, with what devout gratitude would she call\nto mind the days of her idolatry in Moab, and the happy era of her\nspiritual emancipation! In her own past character, in her infatuated\nsister's defection, what motives to praise would arise, and what tears of\nmingled pain and pleasure would she shed! And shall not we, who have\n\"tasted that the Lord is gracious,\" cherish a sense of our obligations to\nredeeming mercy, and \"remember all the way which the Lord our God hath led\nus these years in the wilderness, to humble us and to prove us, to know\nwhat was in our hearts, whether we would keep his commandments or no?\"\nSweet are the recollections of piety, and acceptable the offerings of a\ngrateful mind! How inferior to these the trees of Lebanon in sacrifice, or\nall the spicy mountains of Arabia in a blaze! From what depths of sin,\nwhat delusions of mind, and what danger of soul, has \"God in Christ\"\ndelivered us! \"Once far off,\" we are now \"brought nigh\"--\"sometimes\ndarkness, now light in the Lord\"--\"you hath he quickened, who were dead in\ntrespasses and sins.\"\n\nBut far more exalted pleasures of memory and retrospection await the\nChristian in a future world. Having ascended above this cloudy spot into\nthe glory of the divine presence, it will be his pleasing and privileged\nemployment to retrace the events of past existence, when nothing but a\n_remembrance_ of the struggles and conflicts of this mortal state will\nremain, to enhance the raptures of eternal victory. What is crooked will\nthen be made straight, what is perplexing will become plain, what is\nunknown will be revealed. Amidst the songs of heaven it will heighten our\nblessedness to recollect the sorrows of earth as _past_--clothed in the\nrobe of salvation and triumph, it will be grateful to recall the time\nwhen we _wore the armour_ and _strove in the field_--arrived in port, it\nwill be inexpressibly delightful to recur to the storm as then for ever\n_gone by_!\n\n\n\n\nDeborah.\n\nChapter VIII.\n\n\n\nSECTION I.\n\n\n  Historical retrospect--Deborah sitting as a Judge and Prophetess under a\n  Palm-tree--Sends to Barak to Confront Sisera--Accompanies him--\n  Preparations for Battle--Victorious Result--Death of Sisera--Reflections.\n\n\nAfter the death of Joshua, which occurred in the hundred and tenth year of\nhis age, and in the two thousand five hundred and seventy-eighth of the\nworld, the people of Israel were in a very fluctuating, unsettled\ncondition, having no regularly appointed governor; and the book of Judges,\nsupposed to have been written by Samuel, exhibits a striking picture of\nthe disorders incident to such a state of civil disorganization. \"Let\nevery soul,\" then, \"be subject unto the higher powers;\" remembering that,\nas \"rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil,\" while we are\nproperly submissive to their authority, we should be grateful to God for\ntheir appointment.\n\nAlthough the Israelites, who had been commanded to extirpate the nations\nof Canaan, pursued their conquests for some time, they gradually relapsed\ninto a neglectful inactivity, permitting the inhabitants of the land to\nremain in tributary subjection. Whatever personal objections they might\nfeel, and whatever apparent contrariety there might have been between\ntheir views of strict justice and the explicit directions of Heaven, they\nwere bound to execute the divine will with a prompt unhesitating\ncompliance. If general rules of conduct were not perfectly superseded by\nthe paramount authority of an express direction from God, the great\nprinciple of positive institutions would he annulled, and the prejudices,\npassions, and misconceptions of a fallible creature, might, in certain\ncases, interfere with the acts of supreme legislation. Though, to\nstrengthen the principle of obedience, and, as far as possible, to render\n\"a reasonable service,\" it may often be proper to inquire \"_why_--\" such\nis our present incapacity, or so profound and vast the mysteries of divine\nadministration, that in general our inquiries must be limited to the great\nquestion, \"_what_--is enjoined?\" His conduct does not require our\nvindication, while his commands claim our obedience.\n\nNor does a rebellious spirit merely incur censure; it inevitably exposes\nto punishment. The people upon whom Israel neglected to execute the\npurposes of Infinite Justice, became, according to prophetic intimations,\n\"snares and traps to seduce them to idolatry,\" and \"scourges in their\nsides, and thorns in their eyes.\" They were in subjection eight years to\nCushan, king of Mesopotamia, till judges, of whom Othniel was the first,\nand Samuel the last, were raised up for their deliverance.\n\nAfter the signal interference of Heaven on their behalf, in the successes\nof their first judge, which terminated in a peace of forty years, the\n\"children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord\nstrengthened Eglon, the king of Moab; against Israel,\" by whom they were\nenslaved eighteen years. After which, Ehud, a Benjamite, became their\ndeliverer, by assassinating the king of Moab, and another peaceful\ninterval of eighty years elapsed: but such was the strange perversity of\nthis extraordinary nation, that they abused their prosperity, and again\napostatized from God. Nor will it be difficult or unprofitable to trace in\nourselves some striking points of resemblance to them, and in the divine\nconduct that same character of love and forbearance which marks his\ndispensations to his church in all the successive ages of time, \"They were\ndisobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their\nbacks, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to\nthee; and they wrought great provocations. Therefore thou deliveredst them\ninto the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their\ntrouble, when they cried unto thee, thou hearedst them from heaven; and\naccording to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours who saved them\nout of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil\nagain before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their\nenemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned\nand cried unto thee, thou hearedst them from heaven, and many times didst\nthou deliver them according to thy mercies; and testifiedst against them,\nthat thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly,\nand hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments,\n(which, if a man do, he shall live in them,) and withdrew the shoulder,\nand hardened their neck, and would not hear: yet many years didst thou\nforbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets:\nyet would they not give ear; therefore gavest thou them into the hand of\nthe people of the lands. Nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake, thou\ndidst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious\nand merciful God.\"\n\nJabin, king of Canaan, was raised up by Providence to disturb that long\nperiod of national tranquillity already adverted to, during which the\nreligious character of Israel had so much degenerated: and it must be\nadmitted to evince the unfailing regard of their divine Protector, rather\nto inflict corrective chastisement upon his people, than to suffer them to\nproceed with unchecked eagerness in a course fatally injurious to their\nreal interests. In every individual concern shall we not gratefully\nconfess, that \"whom the Lord loveth--he chasteneth, and scourgeth every\nson whom he, receiveth?\"\n\n[Sidenote: Year before Christ, 1805 to 1235]\n\nJabin is said to have reigned in Hazor, a place situated, according to\nJosephus, in the tribe of Naphtali, on the lake Semechon. Joshua had\nreduced this place to ashes, and slew its former sovereign; but, probably,\nthe present prince had availed himself of the criminal indolence of the\nIsraelites to rebuild it. The captain of Jabin's army was Sisera, who was\ntruly formidable; having, according to the inspired historian, nine\nhundred chariots of iron. This, for a petty prince of Canaan, was a most\nextraordinary force, by which Israel was kept under tyrannical domination\nfor twenty years. Ardent cries were presented to Heaven in these critical\ncircumstances; and he whose ears are ever open to the cries of the\ndistressed, interposed by raising up an illustrious female to accomplish\nthe plans of mercy. \"And DEBORAH, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she\njudged Israel at that time.\" As no prophet is mentioned in Israel during\ntheir defection, this was a signal testimony of the divine favour upon\ntheir repentance; and while observing that out of the millions of Israel a\nwoman was chosen to execute the great purposes of Heaven, we cannot but\nadmire the inscrutable wisdom that appoints all persons to their stations,\nqualifies all agents for their particular instrumentality, and regulates\nall the movements of this lower world. Not a sparrow falls to the ground,\nnor an angel wings his flight, but in subserviency to the arrangements of\nan omniscient mind.\n\nDeborah was a judge, as well as a prophetess; and a ruler over some, if\nnot all their tribes. Some have supposed, that judges among the ancient\nIsraelites resembled the Archons among the Athenians, and the Dictators\namong the Romans. The office was not hereditary, but conferred for life;\nand seems to have been considerably allied, although somewhat inferior, to\nroyal authority.\n\nWe are struck with the simplicity of the age in which this prophetess and\njudge of Israel is represented as sitting under a palm-tree, to discharge\nher public and eminently important duties. It was between Rama and Bethel,\nin mount Ephraim. The subject is curious and interesting; we may,\ntherefore, enter into some particulars.\n\nThe palm, or date-tree, is a native of Africa and the East, where it grows\nto the height of fifty or sixty, and occasionally a hundred feet. A\ncluster of branches issues from the top of it, eight or nine feet long,\nbending towards the earth, and extending all round in the form of an\numbrella. The trunk is upright, and full of cavities, the vestiges of its\ndecayed leaves, having a flat surface within, adapted to the human foot,\nand forming a kind of natural ladder, by which a person may easily ascend\nto the top. The lower part produces a number of stalks or suckers, which\ndiffuse the tree considerably, and form a kind of bushy forest. This\nillustrates the scriptural term in the history of Deborah. \"She dwelt\nunder the _palm-tree_;\" or, as it might be rendered, _in a forest of\npalms_. This tree was very common in Palestine. It abounded along the\nbanks of Jordan, and particularly about Engeddi and Jericho; the latter\nplace is designated, in Scripture, _the city of palms_.\n\n\"The extensive importance of the date-tree,\" says Dr. Clarke, \"is one of\nthe most curious objects to which a traveller can direct his attention. A\nconsiderable part of the inhabitants of Egypt, of Arabia, and Persia,\nsubsist almost entirely upon its fruit. They boast also of its medicinal\nvirtues. Their camels feed upon the date stone. From the leaves they make\ncouches, baskets, bags, mats, and brushes; from the branches, cages for\ntheir poultry, and fences for their gardens; from the fibres of the\nboughs, thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap is prepared a spirituous\nliquor: and the body of the tree furnishes fuel: it is even said, that\nfrom one variety of the palm-tree, the _Phoenix farinifera,_ meal has been\nextracted, which is found among the fibres of the trunk, and has been used\nfor food.\" [23]\n\nIn the East, it is very common for persons to live in tents, either\nentirely or during some of the most sultry seasons of the year. This was\nthe patriarchal mode, and persons of considerable distinction are\naccustomed to pitch them for occasional residence. Mr. Harmer quotes Dr.\nPococke as speaking of a pleasant place not far from Aleppo, where he met\nan Aga, who had a great entertainment there, accompanied with music under\ntents. Maillet mentions tents as things of course, in an account he gives\nof an Egyptian officer's taking the air with his lady in the neighbourhood\nof Cairo; and Chardin says, that Tahmasp, the Persian monarch, used to\nspend the winter at Casbin, and to retire in the summer three or four\nleagues into the country, where he lived in tents at the foot of Mount\nAlouvent, in a place abounding with cool springs and pleasant shades; and\nthat his successors lived after the same manner until the time of Abas the\nGreat, who removed his court to Ispahan. [24] It is sufficiently probable,\ntherefore, that Deborah pitched her tent during a considerable period of\nthe year, under some remarkable palm-tree which stood either alone, or in\na forest of palms. There, for the purpose of convenient shelter in a\nsultry climate, and with primitive simplicity of mind and manners, she\nreceived the children of Israel who came to her for judgment,\ninvestigating their causes, and by her integrity and wisdom, promoting the\nhappiness of her illustrious nation. The homage which mere external pomp\ncompels is lighter than vanity, compared with that stirling solidity of\ncharacter which no less ministers to the general good than to the\nindividual's own reputation. He who rules over others, should aim to be\nenthroned in their affections; and they whom Providence calls to obey,\nshould readily cherish, and, on all suitable occasions, express feelings\nof respect for their appointed rulers.\n\nAs the supreme magistrate of Israel, Deborah sent to Barak, of whom we\nknow only that he was the son of Abinoam, and resided in Kedesh-Naphtali,\nrequiring him to take ten thousand men of the tribes of Naphtali and\nZebukin into the neighbourhood of mount Tabor; and, as a prophetess under\nsupernatural influence of immediate inspiration, she assured him of the\nmost perfect success against the hostile prepartions of Sisera. He was\nnot only warranted to anticipate a decisive victory, but also the\ndestruction of this celebrated general, of whom it was expressly affirmed\nthat he should be \"delivered into his hand.\"\n\nIt is not necessary to inquire by what particular means this divine\nintimation of success was communicated to the prophetess of Israel,\nwhither by an audible voice, a nocturnal vision, an angelic messenger, or\na secret impression; suffice it to know, that the great Disposer of human\ndestiny has often adopted some and all of these methods to disclose the\nscenes of futurity to the mind, in proof that he is not only the ruler of\nnations, but the guardian of his church. Though he permit the rod to smite\nhis people, it shall he broken in pieces whenever it has accomplished its\nwork. On the present occasion, it was revealed to Deborah, that in the\nensuing conflict Israel should certainly be victorious; and this\ndisclosure of the event might be kindly intended to revive the desponding\nfeelings of the pious part of the community under circumstances of painful\ndepression. We are not authorized to anticipate, in our individual or\nnational calamities, such a miraculous discovery, nor ought we to repine\nat the concealment of future events; but of this we may rest assured, if\nindeed the people of God, and the \"called according to his purpose,\" the\nhostility of our worst enemies cannot eventually injure us--the \"Captain\nof our salvation\" will conduct, us to triumph--and the standard of victory\nshall be planted upon the graves of our foes.\n\nBarak, it seems, started some objection to the message of Deborah,\nalleging, \"If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not\ngo with me, then I will not go.\" This extraordinary reply may, perhaps, be\nexplained, by supposing it to be the language of that modesty which has so\noften characterized the greatest of men; and which, it must be admitted,\nis no less admirable than their most splendid achievements. Thus when the\nangel of the Lord appeared to Moses, announcing a divine commission to go\nto Pharaoh, and bring the children of Israel out of Egyptian servitude, he\nreplied, \"Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?\" and, during a\nlong-continued conference, he stated a variety of difficulties, and\nmanifested a degree of reluctance that excites astonishment. We are ready\nto charge him with an infatuation bordering upon insolence and\npresumption; nor, upon a first perusal, should we wonder to find him\nsmitten to the earth for his strange hesitation and timidity; but a closer\ninspection of the narrative will convince us, that his reluctance, and\napparent refusal, ought not to be attributed to any unwillingness to\nengage in the service of God, with a view of promoting his glory in the\nearth, but to a consciousness of his personal unworthiness. His objection\nwas less to the _work_, than to _himself_; he did not so much tremble\nbecause _that_ was arduous, as because _he_ was, in his own apprehension,\n_unfit_. This was a feeling, however, which, under the circumstances of\nhis call, we cannot vindicate; for, to say the least, it was excessive.\nWhatever estimate Moses in the one case, or Barak in the other, might have\nformed of themselves, the divine will ought to have been considered the\nonly rule of action. We must never shrink from the course to which\nProvidence calls us--allowing God, who cannot err, to choose his own\ninstruments; and feeling that he who _commands_ can _enable_ us to perform\nthe most arduous duties.\n\nAnimated by a zeal which nothing could repress, Deborah instantly complied\nwith the condition upon which Barak proposed to engage in the war. In\nlanguage expressive of an unconquerable heroism, a masculine energy of\ncharacter and a devoted patriotism of spirit, she sent him word, \"I will\nsurely go with thee;\" but accompanied this message with an intimation,\nthat the honour of this exploit would in part at least attach to a woman,\nwhom Providence had selected to execute the purposes of heaven upon\nSisera. The little army being collected, the general and the prophetess\nhastened to the field of battle, anxious to revenge the wrongs of their\ninsulted country, and to emancipate her enslaved provinces. A patriotism\ninspired _her_ breast, and probably by this time animated _his_, which was\nkindled by a fire from heaven, which roused into vigorous action all the\nrespective talents, and energies of their nature; and which, urging them\nforward to righteous war, a war against impiety and oppression, undertaken\nin the fear, and to promote the glory, of God, excited them to march to an\nanticipated victory.\n\nUnder these circumstances, it is as much to the honour of Barak, that he\nwished for the presence of the prophetess. Heroes are seldom anxious for\nthe observant eye of piety to watch their movements, and to penetrate\ntheir camps. Alas! those whom we admire as the defenders of our country,\nwe weep over as the corrupters of our morals; and too often the page which\ncelebrates their prowess, is stained with the record of their rapacity.\nBut, however unwelcome an attendant, let them remember that an omniscient\neye witnesses both their private transactions, and their public career.\n\nIt is no less honourable to the character of this illustrious heroine and\nfemale head of Israel, that so far from cherishing any petty jealousies of\nBarak, and aiming at a monopoly of the reputation likely to result from\nthe present undertaking, she assigned to him the post of honour, and\ncontented herself with becoming his adviser. The superiority of her mind\ninduced her to seek an inferiority of station; anxious only to ensure\nsuccess, not to gain applause; to be approved of God, not to be altered of\nman. Happy would it be for us all in our respective stations, whether\nelevated by opulence or depressed by poverty, were we constantly\ninfluenced by a similar principle. Then should we be stimulated to the\nnoblest duties, and fulfil the solemn injunction of our God and Saviour,\n\"Occupy till I come.\"\n\nSisera, the captain of the Canaanitish army, having been informed of the\nmovements of Israel, gathered together all his nine hundred chariots of\niron, and encamped between Harosheth and the river Kishon. This hostile\nforce, stretching along the circumjacent valley of mount Tabor, must have\npresented a formidable appearance; and it would not have been surprising,\nif even veteran troops, whose scared bosoms proclaimed their unretreating\nhardihood in battle, had been appalled to meet so mighty a preparation\nwith only ten thousand men. But the spirit of a weak woman, when sustained\nby the living God, shall brave every danger. Faith shall triumph over\nfear, and the sword shall follow and fulfil prophetic inspirations. \"Up,\"\nsaid Deborah to Barak, \"for this is the day in which the Lord hath\ndelivered Sisera into thine hand; is not the Lord gone out before thee?\"\nIf from this spirited appeal, it might be unjust to the military character\nof Barak, to cherish a suspicion that he manifested some degree of\nreluctance to attack the army of Sisera, overawed by his numerical\nsuperiority, we cannot help perceiving the wisdom and promptitude which\nactuated the conduct of Deborah. She had an eye to discern, and a courage\nto seize, an important crisis. But what most claims our admiration is, an\nincessant reference to Providence, which marks all her words and actions.\nNothing of that boastful language, which indicates an arrogant mind\nescaped her lips. She evinced no self-adulation, and no undue dependence\nupon human resources. How many in similar circumstances, would have vushed\nforward to disproportionate battle with a blind impetuosity, trusting to\n_chance_, for the result: or, inspired alone by personal hatred against\nthe foe, and a thirst for renown, would have hastened to conquer or to\ndie! From our earliest days we have been taught to admire the heroes of\nclassical story, and have followed with acclamations the conquerors of\nlater ages, who seem to have rivalled the fame of a Themistocles or a\nLeonidas, and to have reacted the tragical sublimities of Salamis and\nThermopyl\u00e6; but, in the present history, we see piety clad in the armour\nof heroism--the achievements of military valour ascribed solely to the\nhigher cause of a divine superintendence--\"The LORD hath delivered Sisera\ninto thine hand; is not the LORD gone out before thee?\"\n\nWithout detracting however from the military genius of Barak, or ascribing\nan undue pre-eminence to Deborah, it may be readily believed, that so\ndisproportionate a force as that of the Israelites at first acted, and\nvery properly acted, on the defensive, till a favourable conjunction of\ncircumstances occurred; and, perhaps, some miraculous sign, or some divine\ninspiration on the mind of the prophetess, suggested the moment of attack.\n[25] It is in fact impossible to determine with any precision where human\nskill ceased to operate, and where divine interposition commenced; and so\nimperfect is our present acquaintance with the laws by which spirit and\nmatter are connected, that our speculations will certainly be fruitless,\nand may therefore be pronounced unwise. Let us be grateful, that _the\nfact_ of divine operation on the human mind is fully ascertained, and by\nevery sincere Christian pleasingly experienced; and that, though \"all the\nLord's people\" are not \"prophets,\" the language of kind encouragement can\nnever be expunged from the sacred page, \"If ye being evil know how to give\ngood gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father\ngive THE HOLT SPIRIT to them that ask him?\"\n\nIn obedience to the orders of Deborah, Barak immediately put his little\nband of intrepid warriors in motion. The result was such, as under these\ncircumstances might, however astonishing, have been reasonably expected;\nfor \"if God be for us, who can be against us?\" The mighty hosts of Canaan,\namounting, according to the estimate of Josephus, to three hundred\nthousand foot, and ten thousand horse, vanished before the valiant arm of\nIsrael, nerved as it was by an energy from heaven. Barak poured the\nirresistible torrent of war upon his presumptuous foes, and swept\nthem away.\n\nJosephus states, that \"when they were come to a close fight, there came\ndown from heaven a great storm, with a vast quantity of rain and hail; and\nthe wind blew the rain in the face of the Canaanites, and so darkened\ntheir eyes, that their arrows and slings were of no advantage to them; nor\nwould the coldness of the air permit the soldiers, to make use of their\nswords; while this storm did not so much incommode the Israelites, because\nit came in their backs. They also took such courage upon the apprehension\nthat God was assisting them, that they fell upon the very midst of their\nenemies, and slew a great number of them. So that some of them fell by the\nIsraelites, some fell by their own horses, which were put into disorder,\nand not a few were killed by their own chariots.\"\n\nScarcely does the history of the world furnish an example of so complete a\nvictory, accompanied by so utter an annihilation of the enemy. Curiosity\nmight wish to trace the various movements of that memorable day, the plan\nof battle, the occasion of defeat, the exploits of individual heroes, and\na thousand other circumstances, with which fancy often decorates the head\nof the hero, and amplifies the page of the historian; but with a majestic\nsimplicity so eminently characteristic of the sacred narrative, it is\nstated that \"the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all\nhis host, with the edge of the sword, before Barak; so that Sisera lighted\ndown off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after\nthe chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all\nthe host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a\nman left.\" Who will compare with this simple record the language of\nC\u00e6sar, though so often celebrated, \"_Veni, vidi, vici_--I came, I saw, I\nconquered;\" words at least as remarkable for egotism as for laconic force:\nor who would represent the battle of _Zela_, and the defeat of the\n_Pharnaces_ as worthy of being named in connection with the memorable\nvictory of Tabor.\n\nSisera, defeated, dispirited, and alone, fled to the tent of Jael, the\nwife of Heber the Kenite, a family which was at this time at peace with\nthe king of Canaan. It was an additional reason to hope for security from\nthe enemy's pursuit, that the custom of the country interdicted intrusion\nof all strangers into the woman's apartment. Jael moreover went forth to\ninvite this defeated general under her protection, and encouraged him to\nexpect every attention that humanity could dictate in this moment of\nextremity. No wonder he resigned himself with a fearless confidence to her\ncare, and prepared to seek in \"balmy sleep\" an oblivion of all his\ndistractions. She furnishes him with a refreshing draught of milk, though\nhe only requested water; covers him with a mantle, and undertakes to guard\nhim from all unwelcome intrusion, by standing at the door of the tent, to\nanswer the interrogatories of any inquisitive stranger. But no sooner did\nhe drop into a sound sleep, than, seizing upon the first weapons that her\nsituation afforded, a nail and a hammer, and approaching softly to the\nunconscious general, she drove the nail into his temple, and transfixed\nhim to the ground. Hastening from her tent, in the transport of success,\nto meet Barak, who was in eager pursuit, she conducted, him to the corpse\nof his prostrate foe. \"So God subdued on that day, Jabin, the king of\nCanaan, before the children of Israel.\"\n\nLet us dismiss Jael, for the present, from our meditations, and offer a\nreflection or two on the fate of Sisera.\n\nI. No event recorded upon the page of history is more calculated to\nimpress upon our minds the assertion of Solomon, than that to which we\nhave just given our attention: \"The race is not to the swift, nor the\nbattle to the strong ... for man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes\nthat are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the\nsnare; so ere the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth\nsuddenly upon them.\" Nothing could have been more improbable, according to\nhuman calculations, than the result of this extraordinary battle. Who that\nhad seen the far-stretching troops of the king of Canaan overspreading,\nlike a vast inundation, the vicinity of Kishon and Harosheth, whose\npolished armour glittered along the valley to the rising sun, accustomed\nto victory, breathing revenge, and headed by the most distinguished\ngeneral of the age--who that had viewed their prodigious forces,\nconsisting of infantry and cavalry, in contrast with the diminutive\nstrength and contemptible numbers of the Israelitish army, but must have\nconsidered the attack as the feeble effort of an unaccountable\ninfatuation? But though HE who \"sitteth upon the circle of the earth,\"\ncould have interposed at once to crush the foe by the thunder of his\npower, ten thousand men of Israel were appointed to execute his purpose\nagainst the devoted Canaanites, to show that it is his will to work by\nhuman means;--he required the employment of _only_ ten thousand, to\nprove that all human skill and success is mere instrumentality, and that\nthe honour of victory is to be attributed to the God of battles.\n\n2. The enemies of God and his people shall perish ingloriously. This is\nnot the only instance. Pharaoh makes ready his own chariot, and takes with\nhim all the chariots of Egypt, in eager pursuit of Israel, just escaped\nfrom his relentless oppression. In the pride of his strength he proclaims,\n\"I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my lust shall be\nsatisfied upon them--I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them;\"\nbut there was an arm of superior might that seized the unresisting\nelements, and launched them upon the rash adventurer and his guilty\nmyriads. \"Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank\nas lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the\ngods?\"--Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sends Tartan, and Rabsaris, and\nRabshakeh, with a great host against Jerusalem, in the reign of Hezekiah.\nMark their insolent blasphemy: \"Hearken not unto Hezekiah when he\npersuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of\nthe nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of\nAssyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? where are the gods of\nSepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?\nWho are they among all the gods of the countries that have delivered their\ncountry out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of\nmine hand?\" A letter was afterward sent to the king to the same effect,\ncommencing with this blasphemous sentence, \"Let not thy God, in whom thou\ntrustest, deceive thee.\" Hezekiah instantly repairs to the temple, opens\nhis letter in the immediate presence of the Eternal, and supplicates his\ngreat name for that interference in the present extremity, which would\ndeliver his people, and promote his own glory. His prayer is heard. From\nthe heaven of heavens an angelic envoy is despatched to the Assyrian\nencampment, and with the flaming sword of almighty indignation, smites _a\nhundred and eighty-five thousand_ of the boasting foe; \"and when they\narose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses.\" Herod\nventures upon the dangerous experiment of persecuting the church of God:\nhe dares, with an untrembling hand, to put James to the sword, and\nultimately imprison Peter for the same horrid purpose: but he who \"sitteth\nin the heavens\" held the presumptuous criminal in \"utter derision,\"\ndespatched an angel to break off the chains by which his servant was\nbound, and laid his finger upon the royal rebel to extinguish his glory\nand his pride for ever; \"he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.\"\nAh! the immortality of the soul elevates it above mortal power, and the\nutmost that a persecutor can do is, by a painful stroke, to put a\nChristian into speedier possession of his promised blessedness. \"A tyrant\nis mortal, his empire expires with his life; and were he to employ the\nwhole course of his life in tormenting a martyr, and in trying to impair\nhis felicity, he would resemble an idiot throwing stones at the lightning,\nwhile in an indivisible moment, and with as inconceivable rapidity, it\ncaught his eye as it passed from the east to the west.\"\n\n\"Thou dull stupid man, who art not stricken with the idea of a God, whose\nwill is self-efficient, and who alone can act immediately on an immaterial\nsoul, come and behold some sensible proofs of that infinite power, of\nwhich metaphysical proofs can give thee no idea! And thou, proud insolent\nman! go aboard the last-built vessel, put out to sea, set the most\nvigilant watch, surround thyself with the most formidable instruments:\nwhat art thou, when God uttereth his voice?' What art thou, when the\n'noise' resounds? What art thou, when torrents of rain seem to threaten a\nsecond deluge, and to make the globe which thou inhabitest one rolling\nsea? What art thou when lightnings emit their terrible flashes? What art\nthou when the 'winds' come roaring 'out of their treasures?' What art thou\n_then_? Verily, thou art no less than thou wast in thy palace. Thou art no\nless than when thou wast sitting at a delicious table. Thou art no less\nthan thou wast when every thing contributed to thy pleasure. Thou art no\nless than when at the head of thine army, thou wast the terror of nations,\nshaking the earth with the stunning noise of thy warlike instruments: for,\nat thy festal board, within thy palace, among thy pleasures, at the head\nof thine armies, thou wast _nothing_ before the King of nations. As an\nimmaterial and immortal creature, thou art subject to his immediate power;\nbut, to humble and to confound thee, he must manifest himself to thee in\nsensible objects. Behold him, then, in this formidable situation: try thy\npower against his: silence 'the noise of the multitude of waters:' fasten\nthe vessel that 'reeleth like a drunken man;' smooth the foaming waves\nthat 'mount thee up to heaven;' fill up the horrible gulfs whither thou\ngoest 'down to the bottoms of the mountains;' dissipate the lightning that\nflasheth in thy face; hush the bellowing thunders; confine the winds in\ntheir caverns; assuage the anguish of thy soul, and prevent its melting\nand exhaling with fear. How diminutive is man! How many ways hath God to\nconfound his pride! He uttereth his voice, and there is a noise of a\nmultitude of waters in the heavens. He causeth the vapours to ascend from\nthe ends of the earth. He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth\nthe wind out of his treasures. Who would 'not fear thee, O King\nof nations?\"\n\nIt is necessary, however, to remark, that we are not authorized always to\nexpect the strict exercise of retributive justice in the present state.\nSome remarkable visitations have, in all periods, roused the attention of\nan astonished world, and powerfully appealed to the understanding of men,\nin vindication of the character, and in proof of the existence, of a\nsuperintending Providence. Tyrants have been hurled from their thrones,\nempires uprooted from their foundations, and the \"poor set on high from\noppression;\" but these dispensations have not been regular, nor can they\nbe calculated upon as certain, or in general, perhaps, as probable. They\nhave been sufficiently numerous to indicate an observant though invisible\neye fixed upon human affairs; but not so frequent as to supersede the\nChristian's anticipations of a day of final and impartial judgment. The\npresent may indeed be considered rather as a time of permitted, confusion,\nthe period of moral chaos, in which the elements of a new creation\nexists, but in a disorganized state; in which the principles of depraved\nhuman nature are permitted to develope themselves, and human passions are\nsuffered to act in an ample field of exertion with comparatively little\ncontrol, and for the purpose of ultimately promoting the glory of God.\nHereafter \"the morning stars\" will \"sing together,\" and all \"the sons of\nGod\" again \"shout for joy,\" when \"all things that offend shall be gathered\nout of his kingdom,\" when sinners shall be everlastingly degraded, Christ\nfor ever exalted, the most mysterious dispensations shine with transparent\nbrightness in the light of eternity, and the unfading paradise of the\nsaints bloom amidst the wrecks of time.\n\n3. \"Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may\nbring forth.\" Little did Sisera imagine the fatal reverses he was destined\nto suffer, when in all the pride of fancied superiority, sustained by the\nrecollection of the successes of twenty years, he made his arrangements\nfor the battle with Barak and Deborah. What a contrast between the moment\nof confident preparation, and that of disgraceful retreat! What a mighty\nand unexpected contrast between the high-spirited general at the head of\nhis army, and the trembling fugitive hiding himself in a tent, and slain\nby a woman.\n\nLet us apply the reflection to ourselves. How often do we form our\nschemes, and calculate on temporal prosperities, without any due regard to\nthe will of Providence, or any proper consideration of the uncertainty of\nlife. \"We live without God in the world,\" an omniscient Deity has no\nexistence in our minds, and we inquire \"Who will show us any good?\" as if\nGod were not the chief good, or could not supply our happiness.\n\nAlas! how often have we boasted of to-morrow by neglecting, in a\nreligious sense, the most important business of to-day. It is not easy to\nimagine a more dangerous state of mind, than that of a person, whose\nresolutions of repentance and amendment all respect futurity, because he\nmakes these very resolutions an excuse for his negligences, and even\nconsiders them as an expiation of the guilt of his procrastinating temper.\nIt is indeed an affecting thought, that so thick a mist surrounds us, we\nare not only unacquainted with the events of YEARS to come, we do not know\nwhat a DAY may bring forth. It may produce a change in our\ncircumstances--our faculties--our friendships--our hopes.--An hour--a\nmoment, may waft us from time into eternity! \"Now,\" then, \"is the accepted\ntime, behold, NOW is the day of salvation.\"--\"Seek the Lord while he may\nbe found, call ye upon him while he is near.\"\n\n4. Mount TABOR has been repeatedly mentioned as the place where Deborah\ndirected that the forces of Zebulon and Naphtali should be concentrated,\nand its immediate vicinity as the scene of the celebrated contest between\nBarak and Sisera; but though it may appear a digression from the present\nsubject, it would be scarcely pardonable to omit a reference to that still\nmore wonderful circumstance, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, which\nprobability and tradition concur in assigning to the same remarkable spot.\nThree of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, accompanied him to this\nmountain, where two bright spirits from among the glorified saints, Moses\nand Elias, descended to join their society. Delightful pledge of that\ninseparable union which will one day take place upon the summits of\nimmortality, when \"the general assembly and church of the first-born\"\nshall associate together in the realms of bliss!\n\n  \"O happy, happy company,\n  Where men and heavenly spirits greet,\n  And those whom death hath severed meet,\n  And hold again communion sweet;\n  O happy, happy company!\"\n\nWhat though death at present divides them, and while some of this glorious\nfamily have reached their destined habitation, others are left on earth to\nstruggle with the calamities of life; the separation is but temporary, and\nwill serve to heighten the raptures of union, when they shall come from\nthe east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and sit\ndown with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God.\n\nAnd what will constitute the heaven of believers? Doubtless the vision of\nthe Lamb, converse with Jesus, and perpetual intercourse with saints of\nall nations and ages. Moses and Elias descended from the raptures of\nimmortality to talk with Jesus on the mount, and the same divine communion\nwill form a considerable portion of our felicity in the invisible world.\nTo be for ever near him, and to \"see him as he is\"--to converse of the\nthings of his kingdom--to learn from his own lips the purpose of all his\nmost inscrutable dispensations to the church and to each believer, the\nreason of every sorrow, and the nature of its connection with our ultimate\nhappiness--to hold fellowship with all his redeemed, holy patriarchs,\ndistinguished apostles, and victorious martyrs--to be encircled with all\nhis family, emparadised in his embraces, and united to all who love him in\nbonds of indissoluble affection; no sea to separate, no discord to\nagitate, no enemies to infest the unbroken circle of friendship--this will\nbe \"joy unspeakable and full of glory.\" Not the delight of Moses, when\nconversing with God in the burning bush, at the door of the tabernacle,\nor in mount Sinai--not the transports of David, when his enchanted spirit\nwaked the lyre of praise and gratitude--not the bliss of the three\nfavoured disciples, even on this mount of transfiguration, can be compared\nwith this perfect happiness. All the little streams of felicity which flow\nto the church of God in the desert, will then be collected into one vast\nocean, in which the tears and sorrows of time will be eternally lost. The\npleasures of a moment which now solace us by the way, will be exchanged\nfor the permanent joys of that celestial inheritance, in which \"the Lamb,\nwhich is in the midst of the throne, shall lead us, and feed us by\nfountains of living waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from our\neyes.\" By the anticipations of faith, we are \"come unto mount Sion, and\nunto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an\ninnumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the\nfirstborn which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to\nthe spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new\ncovenant.\"\n\n\n\nSection II.\n\n\n  Capacity of Deborah as a Poetess--Paraphrase of her remarkable Song,\n  composed to celebrate the victory over Sisera.\n\n\n\"On a favoured few,\" says an elegant writer, \"has been conferred the\ncombined glory of acting nobly and writing well; of serving their own day\nand generation with credit to themselves and advantage to their country,\nand of transmitting useful information to regions remote and generations\nunborn. On the list of those illustrious few, stands, with distinguished\nhonour, the name of Deborah, the judge, the prophetess, the sweet singer\nof Israel; and it is with exultation we observe the most dignified,\narduous, and important stations of human life filled with reputation by a\nwoman; a woman who first with resolution and intrepidity saved her country\nin the hour of danger and distress, and ruled it with wisdom and equity,\nand then recorded her own achievements in strains which must be held in\nadmiration so long as good taste and love of virtue exist in the world.\"\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1285.] The remarkable victory we have just\nrelated and remarked upon, is celebrated by Deborah in a poem, which\nclaims our attention as one of the most ancient in the world, having been\ncomposed upwards of four hundred years before the birth of Homer, and\nwhich is characterized by unusual pathos and sublimity. Many passages in\nit are confessedly obscure, which will not be deemed surprising, when it\nis recollected how imperfectly we are acquainted, in this distant period,\nwith the various circumstances, incidents, and localities of the memorable\nevent it celebrates, and even with the original language in which it\nwas written.\n\nDr. Lowth [26] very\nproperly divides this poem into three parts; first, the exordium: next, a\nrecital of the circumstances which preceded, and of those which\naccompanied the victory; lastly, a fuller description of the concluding\nevent, the death of Sisera, and the disappointed hopes of his mother;\nwhich is embellished with the choisest flowers of poetry.\n\nIt is proposed in the present chapter to furnish an extended paraphrase\nof this fine specimen of ancient poetry, for the purpose chiefly of\nillustrating its meaning. Its various beauties as a composition can\nscarcely fail of striking the most superficial reader. It occupies the\nfifth chapter of the book of Judges.\n\n[PG Editor's note: In the original book, the text and paraphrase were\ndisplayed side-by-side. In this case, for each verse, the paraphrase\nfollows in brackets.]\n\n1. Then sang Deborah, and Barak the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,\n[Deeply impressed with a grateful sense of that remarkable interposition\nof Providence for the deliverance of Israel from the long tyranny of their\ninveterate enemies, which Deborah and Barak saw accomplished by their own\ninstrumentality, the one directing by her wisdom, what the other performed\nby his valor, they sang a sacred ode on the very same day; a day so\nwonderful for its dangers, anxieties, and triumphs. It was to this effect.]\n\n2. Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people\nwillingly offered themselves. [Give thanks, ye tribes of Israel, to the\nGod of battles, who has smitten the daring foe, and thus avenged our\nwrongs. \"The hearts of all men are in his hands,\" and instead of internal\ndissention enfeebling our energies, he has graciously disposed the people\nof Zebulon and Naphtali to offer their zealous services in the war; a war\nwhich patriotism and piety have, under the blessing of Heaven, conducted\nto a glorious termination.]\n\n3. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the\nLord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel [Let the voice of\npraise, uttered from the thousands of Israel, resound to distant nations,\nso that Gentile princes and potentates may hear of the miracles of mercy\nwrought for the covenanted people of God. Ye idolatrous rulers of the\nworld, reject forever your gods of wood and stone, for I am called to\ncelebrate the majesty of Jehovah, who has triumphed over them; and will\nsing to the honour of him, who, though no local divinity, has chosen the\nchildren of Israel as his peculiar people.]\n\n4. Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the\nfield of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds\nalso dropped water.\n\n5. The mountains melted from before the Lord; even that Sinai from before\nthe Lord God of Israel. [This illustrious day revives the recollection of\nthose ancient interpositions of the strong arm of Omnipotence for our\nancestors, which have often excited the our admiration, and of which this\nappears like the continuation of a miraculous series. O God! what a period\nwas that, when Israel marched round the confines of Idumea, and the\nmajesty of thy protecting presence was displayed before the enemy, in the\npillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night. Edom refused a passage\nthrough their land, but so terrible were thy signs, that the trembling\nearth, the tempestuated heavens--all nature seemed to avenge the cause of\nthine insulted people; and the surrounding nations were smitten with\nterror, as when mount Sinai herself quaked, and for a time disappeared\namidst the tremendous glory of the divine presence. These wonders do not\nsurpass what we have witnessed to-day, and which prove that none shall\noppress thy people with impunity. [27]]\n\n6. In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the\nhighways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.\n\n7. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until\nthat I, Deborah, arose, that I arose a mother in Israel [Turn your weeping\neyes to the recent miseries of our country Shamgar, indeed, who succeeded\nEhud as judge, effected something for Israel, and Jael shall never be\nforgotten for her heroism and her useful exertions, although in a private\nstation; but alas! the long tyranny of our oppressors continued to produce\nthe most disastrous effects--trade perished, for no caravans of merchants\ndared to occupy the public ways, infested as they were with an armed\nbanditti, the life of the unoffending traveller became endangered, and the\ndejected inhabitants of the country were afraid to venture abroad, except\nas thieves, stealing through the most unfrequented paths, and even there\nthe most dreadful outrages were committed; until I Deborah, arose, and\nnotwithstanding the weakness of my sex, and the desperate situation of\naffairs, became the happy instrument of benefiting Israel, by the\nrestoration of public justice, general security, and national glory.]\n\n8. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates; was there a shield or\nspear seen among forty thousand in Israel? [But trace our former miseries\nto their source. Israel relapsed into idolatry, and God punished them with\nthe scourge of war. The insulting foe pressed to the very gates of our\nfortified cities--the means of defence were utterly neglected in\nconsequence of general despondency, and no adequate supply of arms could\nbe furnished to repel the infuriated enemy.]\n\n9. My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves\nwillingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. [My warmest affections are\ndue to the chiefs of Israel, who, in the hour of calamity and\napprehension, did not shrink from danger, nor tremble at death; but, in\nthe true spirit of patriotism, accompanied the people to battle, placed\nthemselves at their head, flew at my first mandate to defend the common\ncause, and animated our warriors by their noble enthusiasm. Let _them_\nunite in this anthem of praise to Jehovah, who had the best opportunities\nof knowing, that nothing but his gracious interposition could have\nprocured such unparalleled success.]\n\n10. Speak ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk\nby the way. [Rejoice, ye nobles and judges of the land, who have the\nhonorable distinction of riding upon white asses, [28] the most valuable\nanimal of the kind, and therefore appropriated to persons of your rank;\nshout for joy, because now there is no impediment to the exercise of your\nhigh offices; and ye, merchants, assist in the song, for no obstruction\nremains to commercial intercourse; the ways are clear, communications\nopen, and your marauding foes shall alarm you no more.]\n\n11. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of\ndrawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,\neven the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Israel;\nthen shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates. [Ye shepherds, who\na short time since scarcely dared to drive your flocks to the watering\nplaces, and ye maidens, who were afraid to go and draw for your daily\nsupply, or went in silence lest the smallest noise should rouse your\never-watchful enemies, [29] now sing with a loud voice, and without the\nleast apprehension, and unite with the husbandmen and vine-dressers, in\nextolling that miraculous mercy which has restored to your most\nunprotected habitations the blessings of peace and security. The gates of\nour cities shall no longer be shut for fear of the enemy, and the people\nmay again repair to these seats of justice and judgment. [30]]\n\n12. Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! arise, Barak, and\nlead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam! [Let not my exhausted\npowers drop the exulting strain; but rather, O Deborah, kindle with fresh\nenthusiasm upon every new view of the glorious subject! Exert thy utmost\npowers of praise, upon this inexhaustible theme! And thou, companion and\ninstrument of victory, Barak, arise! exhibit the captive foe who once led\nIsrael captive! let the spoils of triumphant war be shown, and thou and\nthy father's name shall be had in everlasting remembrance!]\n\n13. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among\nthe people; the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. [Alas! to what\na wretched state was Israel reduced: but even this remnant of former\ngreatness, this weak and dispirited handful, God employed to crush the\npower of Canaan and the presumption of her nobles and, be it spoken to his\nglory, the Lord made even me, a feeble woman, the conqueror of formidable\narmies, and the saviour of a sinking state.]\n\n14. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek, after thee,\nBenjamin, among thy people out of Machii, came down governors, and out of\nZebulun, they that handle the pen of the writer. [Those noble warriors who\nhastened to the conflict with so much courage, and conquered with so much\nglory, have not only rendered themselves, but their tribes, for ever\nillustrious, Ephraim originated the expedition, who had, on a former\noccasion, discomfited Amalek, and now manifested an heroic zeal against\nthem and the confederates of Jabin, Benjamin caught the holy infection of\nhatred against the enemies of the Lord, and first rushed to the fierce\nencounter, Machir, the half tribe of Manasseh, despatched her great men\nwith their forces, and Zebulon sent her sons more famed indeed, as a\ncommercial tribe, for handling the pen than the sword, but who readily\ncame forward to aid the common cause.]\n\n15. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, even Issachar and also\nBarak; he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben\nthere were great thoughts of heart. [The chiefs of Issachar repaired to\nDeborah and Barak in Mount Tabor, and with them the strength of their\ntribe. They descended into the valley as foot soldiers, with Barak, and\ntrembled not at the chariots and cavalry of Sisera. But alas! for Reuben,\nwhose internal dissentions issued in a shameful neutrality, a circumstance\ndeeply perplexing and vexatious to their brethren.]\n\n16. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the\nflocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.\n[Why didst thou obey the dictates of a selfish spirit and a carnal policy,\nand while engrossed with thy flocks and herds, refusedst to listen to the\ncries of thy brethren in distress, and the loud calls of Deborah and\nBarak? Alas, for the dissentions of Reuben! What painful thoughts, what\ndreadful anxieties were occasioned by such unaccountable and\nunpatriotic conduct!]\n\n17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan, and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher\ncontinued on the sea-shore, and abode in his breaches. [Influenced by a\nsimilar temper, Gilead, or Gad, remained inactive, in their possessions\nbeyond Jordan, as though, happy themselves, they were insensible to the\nmiseries of others, and why didst thou, O Dan, regarding only thy\nmerchandise and thy gainful navigation, continue motionless in the day of\nour calamity! And see how Asher imitated the base example, abiding within\nthe ruined walls of his cities, and in his bays and havens!]\n\n18. Zebulun and Naphtah were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the\ndeath in the high places of the field. [But Zebulon and Naphtah have\nacquired immortal renown, by cheerfully hazarding their lives and their\nall, when they assembled in the heights of Tabor, and impetuously rushed\nupon the foe in the valley where Kishon flows. [31]]\n\n19. The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach,\nby the waters of Megiddo they took no gain of money. [Dire was the strife\nand vast the struggle when the confederate kings of Canaan fought in\nTaanach, and near Megiddo, to which places in the tribe of Issachar their\nmighty forces extended. They pressed eagerly and freely to the war, but\nhow were their vain hopes disappointed when they returned without spoils.]\n\n20. They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against\nSisera. [The awful contest was decided by the God of heaven. His angels,\nhis elements--all nature aided our righteous cause; and the stars of the\nfirmament lighted our midnight pursuit, and shone disastrously upon the\nfugitive enemy.]\n\n21. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river\nKishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength! [The river Kishon\nrising, as if elated with joy at the opportunity, and overflowing its\nbanks, swept thousands away; that river, celebrated in ancient times, and\nthe witness of former conflicts. O Deborah, thou art indeed thrice happy\nin becoming the favoured instrument of exciting this glorious war, and\nthus eventually of crushing a most formidable confederacy!]\n\n22. Then were the horse-hoofs broken by means of the prancings, the\nprancings of then mighty ones. [The war-horse, urged in his rapid flight\nover the flinty soil, cut his hoofs to pieces; or entangled amidst the\noverflowings of Kishon, pranced, and foamed, and perished. [32]]\n\n23. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord; curse ye bitterly the\ninhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, the\nhelp of the Lord against the mighty. [The angel, who preceded our hosts as\nthe sword of an irresistible Providence, denounced a curse upon the city\nof Meroz, and commanded us to cherish a holy indignation against its\nlukewarm inhabitants, who, instead of resisting the giant armies of\nCanaan, remained as uninterested or timid spectators of the\ndreadful battle.]\n\n24. Blessed above women shall Jael, the wife be of Heber the Kenite, be;\nblessed shall she be above women in the tent. [But feminine heroism shall\nexhibited in honourable contrast with such shameful neutrality. Let the\nbenediction of heaven rest upon the head of Jael, the wife of Heber the\nKenite, above all other women! Blessed shall she be above all other\nfemale, heads of families who remained at home, having with\nmasculine-courage completed in her tent, what was so happily begun in\nthe field.]\n\n25. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a\nlordly dish. [Sisera, famished and fainting, requested water to allay his\nthirst; she opened a leathern bottle, and with feigned respect presented\nhim with butter-milk; yes, she poured him out butter-milk in a vessel of\ncopper, such as nobles use. [33]]\n\n26. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's\nhammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera; she smote off his head, when\nshe had pierced and stricken through his temples. [Lulled into a fatal\nsecurity by her deceptive homage, he slept--to wake no more! She seized a\nnail of her tent, and a hammer, approached in cautious silence the\nsleeping adversary of Israel, and, animated by an irresistible impulse of\npatriotic zeal, she drove it through his temples, and cut off his head.]\n\n27. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he\nfell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. [Thus fell the great\ninstrument of Canaanitish oppression at the feet of a woman; thus\ningloriously he perished [34]]\n\n28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the\nlattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his\nchariots? [O day of triumph! Methinks the mother of Sisera, anticipating\nthe fruits of victory, and the final subjection of all Israel to their\noppressor's yoke, stood at her window, chiding the tardy moments, and\nimpatiently exclaiming from behind the lattice-work, Why is the chariot of\nour victorious general so long in returning? Whence this painful delay?\nHasten, ye fleet animals that draw his chariots, and restore him to our\nembraces!]\n\n29. Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,\n\n30. Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a\ndamsel or two, to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers\ncolours of needle work, of divers colours of needle work on both sides,\nmeet for the necks of them that take the spoil? [Her maids of honour, who\nwere scarcely less eager than herself to see the laurelled conqueror,\nanswered her; yea, chiding for a moment her own impatient expressions, as\nif they indicated a doubt of success, she said within herself, Have they\nnot succeeded in discovering the enemy?--Doubtless they have, Have they\nnot enriched them selves with immense booty, and apportioned an\nIsraelitish damsel two to our brave warriors?--Yes, yes, this must\noccasion some delay, and let them enjoy the reward of their valour. As for\nSisera, the most beautiful captives are his portion, and shall be the\nslaves of his will; the most elegant dresses, curiously interwoven and\nwrought with the needle, such as may well be deemed worthy of heroes,\nshall grace his triumph and heighten his renown.]\n\n31. So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord let them that love him be as\nthe sun when he goeth forth in his might. [But who can describe their\nutter disappointment! So shamefully, so totally, let all the enemies of\nthy people, and all the opponents of thy dominion in the earth perish, O\nLord, from before thy face forever! But let all those who are animated\nwith a sacred zeal for thy glory resemble the morning sun as he advances\nrapidly to his meridian splendour; let them increase in usefulness,\ninfluence, and esteem, the honour of human nature, and the lights of\nthe world.]\n\n\n\n\nManoah's Wife.\n\nChapter IX\n\n\n\n  State of Israel--Appearance of an Angel to the Wife of Manoah--She\n  communicates the Design of his Visit to her Husband--Second\n  Manifestation from Heaven--Result of the Interview--Reflection of\n  Manoah's Wife stated and analyzed--Considerations deducible from the\n  Narrative--to avoid Precipitancy of Judgment--to avow our Convictions at\n  every suitable Opportunity--to feel assured that the Providence of God\n  does never really, though it may apparently, contradict his word.\n\n\nObscurity of station or of birth has no tendency to prelude the favour of\nGod. In this respect, he \"seeth not as a man seeth,\" but, in the past\ndispensations of his mercy, appears to have preferred the lowly as objects\nof high and distinguishing manifestations. This is the case in the\nChristian era, and to the present hour the stream of celestial goodness\npursues its silent and chosen course, chiefly down the vales of poverty\nand wretchedness.\n\nWe see from the histories of Scripture, that in seasons of national\ndefection, there have existed pleasing instances of individual piety.\nAmidst universal darkness, some stars of considerable magnitude have shed\na light, though comparatively feeble, athwart the moral hemisphere. God\nhas never totally suspended his intercourse with man, even in the worst of\ntimes, nor suffered the series of his communications to be entirely\nbroken. If, during certain disastrous periods, truth has been eclipsed, it\nhas not been extinguished: the watchful eye of Providence has never been\nremoved from the earth, nor has the divine hand ceased to interpose in\nterrestrial affairs.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1156.]\n\nThe history of Manoah and his wife is introduced by an allusion to the\nstate of Israel. This people, in consequence of returning to the\ncommission of those sins for which they were so notorious, were delivered\nup to their oppressors forty years. The Philistines were, in fact, very\ninconsiderable, in comparison to the Israelites, having only five cities\nof any importance; yet they were the appointed scourge in the divine hand\nto chastise his people. Thus he imparts power to the weak, or enfeebles\nthe energy of the strong, to accomplish his omniscient purposes.\n\nOn a certain occasion, an angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah\nwith most welcome tidings. She was a sufferer from the same cause which\ntried the faith and patience of so many of the illustrious females of\npatriarchal age: and, to alleviate those painful anxieties which good\npeople at that period were accustomed to cherish for a family, but\nespecially to evince the unceasing regard of Heaven to the interests of\nIsrael, the commissioned spirit announced to her the conception of a son;\nand giving her at the same time some directions respecting her own mode of\nliving, and the devotement of the future Samson as a Nazarite from the\nwomb, assured her that be should become the deliverer of Israel from\nPhilistine subjection. It does not seem as if she were commanded to tell\nher husband; nevertheless, she immediately hastens to disclose to him\nevery circumstance that had transpired. To whom could she so properly\nconfide this important secret? who, excepting herself, could be so deeply\ninterested; or who so worthy of sharing her utmost confidence? Between\nrelatives so dear, and so closely allied, there should be few or no\nconcealments. On every subject they are entitled to reciprocal confidence,\nwhich is the life of friendship and the soul of love: and whither it be\nfor advice or for congratulation, the husband should share the feelings,\nthe sympathies, the unreserved affections of the wife, and the wife those\nof her husband. These tender relatives may derive advantage especially\nfrom reciprocal communications on religious topics, and points of pious\nexperience. By this means, they may sweeten and sanctify domestic\nenjoyments; by this renew and purify the flame of affection.\n\nThe simplicity and veracity of the wife of Manoah appear in her address to\nhim. \"Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came\nunto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God,\nvery terrible; but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his\nname. But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and\nnow drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing; for\nthe child shall be a Nazarite to God, from the womb to the day of\nhis death.\"\n\nThe injunction respecting her own abstinence was no arbitrary requirement,\nbut was founded in nature and reason. The temper of the mind, is\nmaterially affected by the state of the body, and both may concur in\ncommunicating permanent impressions from the mother to her offspring,\nwhich often affect the comfort of existence.\n\nThe condition to which her child was thus devoted requires a brief\nhistorical elucidation. The term Nazarite signifies _separated_; and is\ncommonly applied to persons who make a vow to live in a more holy manner\nthan others, either during a certain specified number of years, or ever\nafter the pledge is given, without recantation or change. The Nazarite\nabstained from every kind of intoxicating liquor, \"from wine and strong\ndrink,\" from vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, and from grapes,\nwhether moist or dried; he was to let his hair grow, and upon no pretext\nwhatever to approach a dead body, though it were to render funeral honours\nto a father or mother. If, during the period of a vow, the Nazarite\nneglected any of these injunctions, the whole ceremony was to recommence.\nThe least admissible time for this consecration was, according to some of\nthe Jewish Rabbins, thirty days; and the perpetual Nazarite whose hair had\nbeen allowed to grow for many years, might cut it once. At the expiration\nof the appointed term, various sacrifices were to be offered, a particular\nenumeration of which is given in the sixth chapter of the book of Numbers.\nAfter this, the priest shaved the head of the Nazarite at the door of the\ntabernacle, and burnt his hair on the fire of the altar. If the person\ndied previous to the expiration of his vow, his son was required to\nfulfil the time, and offer the same sacrifices. Perpetual Nazarites, like\nSamson, were consecrated by their parents; but there is a peculiarity\nattaching to him above all others of whom we read, being devoted even\nbefore his birth. Similar rites were observed amongst the heathen,\nespecially the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans, the origin of which\nis unquestionably to be referred to the Jewish law. [35]\n\nAs soon as Manoah was informed by his wife of the visit she had received,\nand the delightful promises she had heard, he entreated God to permit the\nreturn of the messenger, whom he supposed to have been a prophet. \"When,\"\nsays Bishop Hall, \"I see the strength of Manoah's faith, I marvel not that\nhe had a Samson to his son: he saw not the messenger, he beard not the\nerrand, he examined not the circumstances; yet now he takes thought, not\nwhether he should have a son, but how he shall order the son which he must\nhave; and sues to God, not for the son which as yet he had not, but for\nthe direction of governing him, when he should be. Zachary had the same\nmessage, and craving a sign, lost that voice wherewith he craved it.\nManoah seeks no sign for the promise, but counsel for himself; and yet\nthat angel spake to Zachary himself, this only to the wife of Manoah; that\nin the temple like a glorious spirit, this in the house or field, like\nsome prophet or traveller; that to a priest, this to a woman. All good men\nhave not equal measures of faith; the bodies of men have not more\ndifferences of stature, than their graces. Credulity to men is faulty and\ndangerous, but, in the matters of God, is the greatest virtue of a\nChristian. Happy are they that have not seen, yet believed. True faith\ntakes all for granted, yea, for performed, which is once promised.\n\n\"He that before sent his angel unasked, will much more send him again upon\nentreaty; those heavenly messengers are ready, both to obey their Maker,\nand to relieve his children. Never any man prayed for direction in his\nduties to God and was repulsed; rather will God send an angel from heaven\nto instruct us, than our good desires shall be frustrated.\"\n\nUpon his reappearance, the angel did not present himself to Manoah, though\nhe came in answer to his supplications; but to his wife as she sat alone\nin the field. She immediately hastened to her husband, who gladly returned\nwith her to the spot; and hearing from her own lips, that it was the same\nremarkable visitor she had so recently seen, he expressed his faith in the\npromise, and his solicitude for the child. His wife concurred in every\ndesire; and his inquiry was, in fact, equally her own. \"How shall we order\nthe child, and how shall we do unto him?\" The angel repeated his former\ninjunctions, which this pious female was ready to observe.\n\nGood people commence their plans, and offer their prayers, in behalf of\nchildren, even before their birth; feeling the weight of that\nresponsibility which the parental relationship incurs, and knowing well\nthe early trials and dangers that await their little ones. The tears and\nconcerns that attend the period of parental anticipation, mingle with the\ntransports which accompany their nativity, and stimulate their future\nexertions to train them up in the ways of religion. How gladly do they\nmake considerable sacrifices of time and property to this object; and how\nrichly are the maternal pangs repaid, when true wisdom guides the steps\nof their youthful charge into paths of pleasantness and peace! The mercies\nof Providence are ill requited, when the parents never inquire, like\nManoah and his wife, \"How shall we order the child?\" If incapable of\nproperly cultivating the infant mind themselves, either on account of\ntheir own ignorance, from their too abundant occupation, or from an\nunprincipled disregard to the best interests of the little immortals\nintrusted to their care; it is a happiness for the present generation,\nthat so many benevolent institutions exist, which invite the poor and the\nneglected to their parental guidance. But let parents, and especially\nChristian parents, consider it one of their first duties, one of their\nnoblest privileges, to implant the good seed of knowledge in their hearts,\nwhich in its future developements, may not only expand their faculties and\ndignify their characters, but render them the ornaments' of society, the\ncomfort of their parents, the guides and examples of posterity, and the\nobjects of divine approbation.\n\nHitherto these two favoured individuals had no idea of the being they were\naddressing, but still supposing him to be an ordinary prophet, Manoah, in\nthe true spirit of eastern hospitality, requested permission to dress a\nkid for his refreshment. He was, besides, animated with a sense of\ngratitude for the joyful news he communicated. The angel declined his\noffer, assuring him, though he remained with him a little while, he should\nnot take any food; but that if he designed to offer a burnt-offering, he\nought to be careful not to imitate the prevailing enormity of sacrificing\nto strange gods, but to worship God.\n\nManoah now became anxious to know the stranger's name, that he might have\nan opportunity of hereafter expressing his gratitude and affection, by\ninforming him of the birth of his predicted offspring, and making suitable\nacknowledgments for his kindness. This request was refused; and he was\nassured it was \"a secret,\" and must remain concealed. This was a\nsufficient reply to Manoah and his wife, who did not presume, with an\nimpertinent eagerness, to press the question. Many secret things belong to\nGod; and it is the province of true piety to repress curiosity, where it\nis not authorized, or would be useless. All impatience, we should often\ntake wing, and pursue our adventurous flight through all the regions of\npossible knowledge, and beyond the limits of Scriptural revelation; but,\n\"Why askest thou?\"--\"What is that to thee?\"--Truth is disclosed in all its\nessentials--regard thy duty, and listen to thy Saviour--\"follow me.\"\n\nMany expositors have concurred in rendering the words of the angel thus,\n\"Why askest thou after my name, seeing it is WONDERFUL?\" and for an\nexplanation of the epithet, they refer to the sublime description of\nIsaiah, \"His name shall be called WONDERFUL, Counsellor, the mighty God,\nthe everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.\" If this be correct, the\nministering spirit, concealing his glory in the form of a man, was no\nother than the Angel of the covenant, the Wisdom, the Word, and the Son of\nGod. If, after his resurrection from the dead, and immediately previous to\nhis reascension to the glories of eternity, when invested with the\ncharacter of the Conqueror of death and hell, he appeared to two of his\ndisciples on the way to Emmaus whom he had so recently left, without their\nsuspecting who it was, \"for their eyes were holden, that they should not\nknow him?\" it cannot be deemed an improbable circumstance in itself, that\non this occasion he should have been divested of all his splendid\npeculiarities, to fulfil so interesting a mission to these worthy\nDanites, to authorize so unusual a sacrifice, and to accomplish so\nglorious a mode of disappearance.\n\nManoah now proceeded to present an offering to the Lord, presenting, as\nwas customary, a meat-offering with his burnt-offering. He was not indeed\na priest, nor was this the place; but it was not requisite to go to the\ntabernacle in Shiloh, when his divine visiter had already dispensed them\nfrom the circumstantials, by sanctioning the sacrifice here. \"Audit came\nto pass, when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar, that\nthe angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar; and Manoah and\nhis wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.\" This was,\nat once, a proof of the full acceptance of their sacrifice; and\nirresistibly convinced them, they had been conversing with a divine\npersonage. \"And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we\nhave seen God. But his wife said unto him, IF THE LORD WERE PLEASED TO\nKILL US, HE WOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED A BURNT-OFFERING AND A MEAT-OFFERING\nAT OUR HANDS; NEITHER WOULD HE HAVE SHOWED US ALL THESE THINGS, NOR WOULD,\nAS AT THIS TIME, HAVE TOLD US SUCH THINGS AS THESE.\"\n\nConsidering all the circumstances, this was very remarkable language, and\nmerits attention; not only as illustrative of the character of this\nexcellent woman, but as furnishing a principle of sound and legitimate\nreasoning in the concerns of religion.\n\nAt first, being overawed by the majestic manifestation, both these pious\npeople fell prostrate in the dust. A reverential awe pervaded their\nbosoms, at a sight so wonderful and so unexpected. The sentiments they\nfelt were, doubtless, allied to those which dictated the exclamation of\nJacob, \"How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of\nGod, and this is the gate of heaven:\" or the humble tone of Isaiah, \"Wo is\nme, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among\na people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of\nHosts.\" But if the divine appearance in mercy proved so terrific and\noverwhelming to pious persons in those extraordinary times; how tremendous\nwill the second appearance of Christ in judgment be to his enemies, with\nthe glory of his Father, and all the holy angels! If the splendour of his\ngrace confound a mortal eye; what must be the lightning of his\nindignation, how intolerable the flaming fire of his displeasure!\n\nOn this occasion, Manoah appears the weaker believer. He thought of\nnothing but death; he expresses his confidence of perishing, and assigns a\nreason, which, however weak, is sufficiently accounted for by the extreme\nterror of his mind, and the universal prejudice of that age: \"We shall\nsurely die, for we have seen God.\" Even good men are sometimes tempted to\nlisten to the suggestions of nature, rather than to the assurances of\nrevelation; and to dread as an evil, what in their better moments is\nanticipated as a good. If death were the extinction of being, it might\nexcite alarm; but, if it be only the means of our purification, and the\npreparatory process to fit the spiritual character for the felicities of a\nhigher existence, it should, and often does, awaken pleasure. If, even\nwhile the shroud is worn by the body, the spirit is clothed with the\ngarments of salvation, and that shroud will soon be exchanged for the\nwhite robe of purity and heaven; what is there to prevent our adopting the\nwords of an apostle, \"I have a _desire_ to depart, and to be with Christ,\nwhich is far better?\" If the apprehensions of Manoah had been really well\nfounded, and himself and his beloved partner had yielded Up their spirits\non that memorable spot; who can say it would have proved an undesirable\nexchange? As the servants of the living God, they were prepared for all\nevents, and for either world. Their union could never have been dissolved,\nand the sphere of their spiritual discoveries would have been amply\nenlarged. To see God is the antidote, and not the occasion, of death; the\nhope, and not the terror, of the believer.\n\nIt is not difficult, however, to ascertain the reason why this prejudice\nso early and so extensively influenced the pious in primitive times. It\narose from a consciousness of guilt, and a dread of merited punishment. As\na sinner, man must necessarily tremble at the thought of his approaching\nGod, or at the communication of any message from his throne: when God\nopens his mouth, he naturally fears the sentence; when tidings arrive from\nthe invisible world, he dreads their purport, and conscience suggests that\neven the most favourable manifestations may be blended with tokens of\ndispleasure. Every approach of the Deity is liable to excite confusion to\na guilty world; and a sense of demerit may lead us not only to expect a\nwar-rant for execution when a reprieve is coming; but at first, like\nManoah, to mistake and misinterpret the sign.\n\nThe wife of this good man entertained no such fears. With a faith which\npenetrated the divine intentions, at least in part, and which elevated her\nnot only above the prejudices of the age, but gave her a decided\nsuperiority over her trembling partner, she suggested a far different\nconclusion, and intimated the reason on which it was founded. Her\nconclusions, the very opposite to his--so different are the _degrees_ of\ngrace in different characters--were deduced from three considerations.\nEach of these, in her view, was a decisive evidence against his\nsuggestion, and a consoling reflection in this extraordinary and\nambiguous moment.\n\nThe first was, _the acceptance of their sacrifices_. \"If,\" said she, \"the\nLord be pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering\nand a meat-offering at our hands.\" The law which prescribed the\npresentation of sacrifices, expressly represented them as \"a _sweet\nsavour_ unto the Lord;\" which implied not only an approbation of the\noffering, which was indeed of divine appointment, and could not therefore\nbe rejected, but complacency in the worshipper. The _person_ could not be\ndisowned, while the _presentation_ was acknowledged. If this sentiment\nneeded any corroboration, the history of Cain and Abel would have\nfurnished it. The acceptance and rejection of each was evinced by the\ndivine treatment of their respective offerings. \"The Lord had respect unto\nAbel, and to his offering: but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not\nrespect.\" When God entered into a solemn covenant with Abram, \"a smoking\nfurnace and a burning lamp passed between the divided pieces of the\nsacrifice, and consumed them.\" At the dedication of the tabernacle, when\n\"the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people, there came a fire out\nfrom before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and\nthe fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their.\nfaces.\" The dedication of the temple was signalized by a similar\nmanifestation. \"Now, when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire\ncame down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the\nsacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house!\" The same\nprinciple is fully-recognized by David, in the following supplications:\n\"The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob\ndefend thee: Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of\nZion: Remember all thy burnt-offerings, and accept thy burnt-sacrifice.\"\nThe argument, therefore, of Manoah's wife was pious, legitimate, and\nconclusive: \"if _we_ were to be destroyed, our _services_ could not be\napproved.\"\n\nThe people of God too frequently resemble Manoah; but their doubts and\nfears would soon subside, could they be persuaded to adopt the reasoning\nof his wife. Past experience is a solid basis for future expectations. A\nsuccession of spiritual mercies is a pledge of kind intention, and of\ncontinued favour. In periods of despondency, recur to days of religious\nprosperity and happiness, when the candle of the Lord shone upon you, and\nspiritual enjoyments were dispensed in the use of means. Have you not good\nevidence, that your sacrifices _have been_ received--your prayers heard,\nyour dedication to God accepted? Have the spirit and efficacy of his\npromise evaporated in the lapse of time, \"I will never leave you, nor\nforsake you?\" or have you no reason to say with holy anticipation, \"Surely\ngoodness and mercy _shall_ follow me all the days of my life, and I will\ndwell in the house of the Lord for ever?\"\n\nFeeble, imperfect, and disproportionate to our obligations, as all our\nofferings must be, they are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. He has\npresented a sacrifice, \"once for all,\" upon the cross, to which this\nsubject naturally directs our attention, which constitutes the foundation\nof human hope, and secures a welcome reception, and gives an available\npower to all the future offerings of faith. The figurative nature of the\nancient dispensations renders it not improbable, that these humble\nIsraelites perceived, in the memorable transactions they witnessed, some\ntypical representation of the work of redemption, some glimpses of the\ngreat atonement, and of the principle upon which what they offered was\naccepted. This event was not intended merely to astonish or overawe, but\nto instruct; and the wife of Manoah presents a noble example of that\nprofound attention, which it becomes us to pay to all the revelations of\nHeaven. If, in particular, the \"angels desire to look into\" the mysteries\nof redeeming love, and consider the sabbath of eternity well employed in\nthis research; mortals surely, who are more nearly interested, cannot\ndevote the less sacred hours of time to a more important inquiry. Nor\nshould they be satisfied with superficial, or indeed with _any_\nattainments in spiritual wisdom, which is so unfathomable in its depths,\nand illimitable in its extent.\n\nThe second consideration, which led to the inference in their own favour\ndrawn by Manoah's wife, was _the wonders which the angel had shown them_.\nThese were of a nature, in her belief, to justify her conclusion, that God\ndid by no means purpose their ruin, but the reverse. It appears from the\ngeneral expression, that \"the angel did wondrously,\" in connection with\nthe mention of \"_all_ these things,\" that some other manifestations,\nprobably of a hieroglyphic or typical nature, were given antecedently, or\nas an immediate preparation to his miraculous ascent in the flame of the\naltar. This at least is certain, making a general application of the\nstatement, that we are not only authorized to conclude from the privileges\nwe enjoy, but from the spiritual discoveries we have made, that God is our\nFather and our Friend. He would not have pointed out our danger, and\nexhibited our remedy, if he had designed our ruin. Were we appointed to\nperish in our guilt, \"the Physician of souls\" would never have been\ncommissioned to visit us. To be shown, by Scriptural statement, by\nministerial instruction, and by providential guidance, the way to heaven,\nis no indication of an appointment to destruction. Have you not discovered\nthe evil of sin, the value of the soul, and the excellency of Christ? Have\nyou not felt the sorrows of repentance, and the joys of faith? Have you\nnot touched the outstretched sceptre, submitted to the chastising rod, and\ngloried in the cross? God does not impart a fixed aversion to all\niniquity, an intense desire after holiness, habitual delight in his word,\nand desire after his presence and glory; he does not impress a sense of\nthe infinite excellence of the Saviour, and a readiness to sacrifice every\nthing to his will, and for his sake, excepting to holy souls, which are\n\"born, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.\"\n\nThe wife of Manoah adverted to a third source of consolation, at the\nperiod of this miraculous disappearance. She refers to _what they were\ntold_. The assurances they had received of the birth of a son, rendered it\nimpossible they should die. She had received very minute directions, both\nrespecting her offspring and herself, who was to be consecrated as a\nNazarite, and to rise up as the deliverer of his country from the yoke of\nPhilistia. Possibly, during the preparation of the sacrifice, the\ninquisitive spirit of this thoughtful woman induced her to seek a\nconversation, which the celestial messenger was not unwilling to\nencourage, and during which they might have received some further\ninstructions. Our fears are apt to betray us into absurdities, and confuse\nthe memory; so that good men, like Manoah, speak or act inconsistently\nwith themselves, and their own more deliberate convictions. Happy they who\nare blessed with an intelligent awl pious companion, whose kind\nsuggestions may detect their errors, refresh their recollections, quell\ntheir fears, and comfort their desponding hours! Thus \"two are better than\none, because they have a good reward for their labour. For, if they fall,\nthe one will lift up his fellow: but wo to him that is alone when he\nfalleth; for he hath not another to help him.\"\n\nObvious but important considerations are deducible from this narrative,\nwhich seem capable of an application to the general concerns of life, as\nwell as to the inquiries of religion.\n\n1. We should avoid precipitancy of judgment. The wife of Manoah, in this\nview, appears in advantageous contrast to her hasty husband. She did not\nsuffer herself to be hurried into a discouraging inference, without\nreviewing the circumstances of the case, and allowing time for reflection.\nIn the common affairs of life, an inconsiderate eagerness, either to\nescape from danger or to possess good, is often itself productive of the\ndisappointment it dreads; while a proper deliberation prepares the mind\neither for failure or success: and, in the pursuit of moral and religions\ninquiries, the same precipitancy is calculated to plunge into error,\nwhich, if it do not always endanger our salvation, may disturb our peace.\nJesus Christ has expressly exhorted us to close and deliberate\ninvestigation, intimating that our labour will be repaid by discovery; for\n\"searching the Scriptures,\" and acquiring a knowledge of him respecting\nwhom they \"testify,\" and \"whom to know is life eternal,\" are inseparably\nconnected. On another occasion, when describing the true hearer of his\nword, he suggests a comparison equally and beautifully illustrative of the\nnecessity of a diligent use of the means of instruction, and that serious,\nprofound, and careful inquiry, which is calculated to prevent an implicit\nsubmission to the opinion of others, or taking our religion upon trust.\n\"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will\nshow you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house, and\ndigged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose,\nthe stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it\nwas founded upon a rock.\"\n\n2. It is wise, and may be useful, on all proper occasions, to avow our\nconvictions. Selfishness and timidity may concur to suggest a different\nproceeding: but religion requires that we act upon principles superior to\nthose of worldly policy. Manoah had every reason to be grateful to his\nwife, for the distinct and prompt avowal of her sentiments; which, though\ncontradictory to his, were adapted to rouse him from his despondency and\nstupor. She was, no doubt, ready to sympathize with his distress; but duty\nto God, attachment to her husband, a consciousness of knowing the truth,\nand even a proper respect to herself, prompted a statement of her\ndisagreement with his opinions. When religion claims our services, we must\nnot withhold the offering of our lips, or the labour of our hands, through\nfear of danger or hope of gain. When truth demands that we should speak,\nor Providence that we should act, it would be criminal--it would be\ndisgraceful, to continue silent or inactive.\n\nTo generalize and apply these remarks to the circumstances in which\nChristianity has placed us--it is required not only to believe in Christ,\nbut explicitly to avow our sentiments of attachment to his Gospel by a\npublic profession, whether we meet with the concurrence, or suffer the\nopposition, of our dearest friends. Timidity is natural to the female\nmind; but religion requires even the youngest and the weakest of the sex,\nnot to suffer even natural delicacy to degenerate, by excessive\nindulgence, into criminal shame. It does more, it enables women to become\nheroes and martyrs! Inflamed with the love it inspires, they have learned\nto see no lions, to fear no dangers, to feel no pains in the path of duty;\nnot only evincing patience, but expressing joy.\n\nJesus Christ was \"not ashamed to call us _brethren_,\" to assume our\nnature, to fill our humble station, to suffer our sorrows, or to die for\nus an ignominious death; he is not ashamed to own his connection with us\nnow he is in the highest heavens, or to be engaged in preparing a mansion,\nin his Father's house, for our final reception. Shall we be ashamed of\nhim, or of his cause? Shall we tremble to avow our attachment, if we feel\nit? This would expose us to the censure of our own consciences, to the\nreproach of a dishonourable, hesitating, indecisive conduct; and, above\nall, to the Saviour's final malediction, as the Judge of mankind. It is\nthe design of Christ to establish an interest in the world; and this is to\nbe maintained, not by fear, but by firmness: not by temporal compliances,\nbut by holy resistance; not by sloth, inactivity, and shrinking into a\ncorner, but by \"putting on the whole armour of God.\" Not to be _for_\nChrist is to be _against_ him--neutrality is enmity--a refusal to enlist\nunder his banners is disloyalty, rebellion, and treason!\n\n3. The providence of God does never _really_, though it may _apparently_\nand to human apprehension, contradict his word or discredit his character.\nThe present manifestation of the angel in flame and terror, did not\nsubvert the confidence which the wife of Manoah felt in his past\ndeclarations, nor excite despondency respecting future events. The fears\nof her husband did not shake her faith in the promises of God, nor did the\nincomprehensible nature of the mystery blind her perceptions of the\nconcealed mercy. We are very inadequate judges of the divine conduct. It\nis neither possible, nor proper, that we should know the mighty plan of\nhis operations; and it can never be a sufficient reason, even under the\nmost disastrous circumstances, for questioning the goodness or wisdom of\nhis dispensations that _we_ cannot comprehend them. The designs of God are\nvery imperfectly unravelled in the present world. We can see but to a\nshort distance, nor is it necessary that we should. _Some_ light from the\nsacred page beams across the path of life; but if we cannot at present\nattain all we may wish to know, let us be contented to wait for the\nmanifestations of eternity. In the mean time we may rest assured, that\nwhatever is thought contradictory in the dispensations of Providence to\nthe written word, is but _seemingly_ so. It is so merely because we cannot\nnow see the connecting links, the unbroken chain of events, which, when\nthe clouds that obscure this earthly atmosphere shall be finally\ndispersed, will become distinctly and for ever visible.\n\n\n\n\nHannah.\n\nChapter X.\n\n\n\nSection I.\n\n\n  Religion a Source of Peace--Account of Elkanah and his two\n  Wives--Peninnah reproaches Hannah--Sin of despising others for their\n  Infirmities--the Family at Shiloh--Elkanah endeavours to console his\n  Wife--her Conduct and Prayer--Eli's unjust Imputation--Hannah's Defence,\n  and her Accuser's Retractation--Return from Shiloh--Birth of\n  Samuel--his Weaning.\n\n\n\"Where there is _piety_,\" says an excellent commentator, \"'tis pity but\nthere should be _unity._\" There is, however, too frequent occasion to\ndeplore the dissentions of families, whose religious profession induces\nus to expect the prevalence of peace and harmony. Nevertheless, these\ninconsistencies are so far from being justly chargeable upon religion,\nthat they furnish the most decisive evidence of its value. It is in\nconsequence of a departure from its genuine spirit, and a compliance with\nthe suggestion of evil principles and passions, that individuals are\nrendered miserable and families distracted. The renewal of that \"right\nspirit\" which it inculcates, is the direct means of restoring personal\ncomfort and domestic tranquillity.\n\nThe Psalmist represents \"the law of the Lord\" as \"_perfect:\"_ it is the\nonly solid-basis of human felicity; and every hope that is differently\nfounded, must prove, inevitably prove, a shadowy super-structure. A\ndeviation from the order and appointments of Heaven is a proportionate\ndeparture from happiness; for this order and these appointments do not\nresult from caprice, but a perfect combination of goodness and wisdom. The\ndivine system of legislation is formed with a merciful regard to our best\ninterests, and an entire knowledge of our nature. Its arrangements are not\narbitrary, but kind; and obedience is no less essential to our real\nwelfare, both present and eternal, than it is expressive of a just regard\nto our obligations. In opposing the requirements of God, man is an enemy\nto himself; his resistance is not only culpable, but ruinous.\n\nThese observations are fully exemplified in the history of Hannah, and the\nfamily of which she was the female head. Her husband, whose name was\nElkanah, resided at a place in the tribe of Ephraim, called\nRamathaim-zophim. He is mentioned as having descended from Zuph an\nEphrathite, or inhabitant of Bethlehem-Judah, which is Ephratah, probably\nwith the view of showing his connection with David. As persons have\nsometimes conferred distinction upon places, so places have occasionally\ndignified persons. Who would not have thought it an honour to be born at\nBethlehem, whence the light of the world first proceeded, and where such\nwonderful events were to be afterward transacted? And yet it is but an\nadventitious honour, which will soon fade, if it be not sustained by\npersonal character and real excellence.\n\nElkanah had two wives; Hannah, the subject of this history, and Peninnah.\nHere we trace the origin of the infelicity of this religious household. It\nis strange that the experience of past ages, the incongruity of such a\npractice in itself, and the unauthorized nature of such a proceeding,\nshould not have prevented him from forming two matrimonial connections at\nthe same time. If polygamy were not expressly interdicted by a law, but\nrather tolerated in an age of imperfect revelation, like the plan of\ndivorce to which our Saviour alludes, for \"the hardness of their hearts;\"\nit had plainly no foundation in reason, no sanction from Heaven; and not\nonly no good consequences attached to it, but it was commonly attended\nwith calamitous results. Every recorded instance of it proves its extreme\ninexpediency. It seldom failed to involve the comfort of all parties, and\nmust be regarded as a proof of weakness, if not absolutely of a criminal\nindulgence of passion, even when adopted under the most plausible\npretences. If the Creator had at first perceived that a plurality of wives\nwas conducive to human felicity, he would have bestowed more than one upon\nman in his paradisiacal state. Infinite wisdom must have known what was\nreally best; and the inspired narrative shows that infinite goodness\npursued every conceivable method of completing the enjoyment of him who\nwas placed, both in point of capacity and authority, at the summit\nof creation.\n\nThere is a marked difference between the two women whom Elkanah had\nespoused. In most cases of contention, considerable blame attaches to all\nthe parties concerned. We hear of provocations and insults on the one\nhand, of recriminations and resentments on the other. Whoever originates\nthe dispute, an irreconcilcable spirit in both usually perpetuates it.\nHannah, reproached as she was by Peninnah for her barrenness, does not\nseem to have returned railing for railing. The haughty behaviour, indeed,\nof her rival, made her the more deeply sensible of her affliction, and\nfretted her almost into despondency. Day after day, she was ridiculed for\nwhat implied no blame, and admitted of no remedy. With how much greater\nreason might she have retorted upon Peninnah her malignant temper and\nprovoking tongue! What was her natural infirmity, in comparison with the\nslanderer's moral defilement! How misplaced the censures of the one! How\nadmirable the patience of the other!\n\nThis disagreement presents a fair occasion of remarking upon a practice\ntoo much tolerated in society, for which young persons especially cannot\nbe too strongly reprehended. It is the cruel conduct of despising others\nfor their natural imperfections, turning their blameless deformities into\nridicule, and speaking ill of them for defects which ought rather to\nexcite the deepest commiseration. Perhaps the persons who suffer this\nunmerited contempt, possess qualities of a mental and moral description,\nwhich ought to conciliate the esteem and excite the imitation of the fair\nand graceful slanderer. Perhaps they have a cultivated mind and a pious\nspirit, while she has nothing but a pretty countenance or an attractive\nform. But how ill is wisdom compensated by beauty, and how disgraceful is\nit to despise the work of God's hands! If the object of offensive remark\nshould happen to be endowed with neither wisdom nor symmetry, is it\nbecoming of you, my reader, to institute an arbitrary standard of\ngracefulness, and despise every one who has not attained it! Is it for you\nto aggravate as a crime, what reason teaches is, at worst, a misfortune?\nIs it for you to calumniate those who have given you no personal offence;\nwho are, notwithstanding their disadvantages, good members of society; and\nif in some respects defective, may not be vicious? But if the latter were\nthe case, if they exhibited a combination of exterior deformity and\ninterior depravity, they would not then be the proper objects of\n_ridicule_. The former peculiarity would still merit pity, and indeed\nforbid observance; the latter would require more serious treatment.\n\nIn many instances, perhaps in the majority, young persons are guilty of\nthis misconduct through inadvertency. They have been stimulated to it by\nothers, or they have never been impressed with a sense of its impropriety.\nIt has been the result of thoughtlessness, rather than of malignity. It\nwas not their design to injure, but to seek amusement. Let parents and\ntutors, therefore, explain the evil of such practices; let such as read\nthese pages meditate upon its enormity, and be solicitous of cultivating\nthose benign and benevolent feelings which peculiarly adorn their early\nage, and are inculcated by the religion and the example of Christ.\n\nTo return to the family of Elkanah. This worthy man did not allow domestic\ndissentions to interrupt his religious duties. He went up to the worship\nof the Lord in Shiloh at the yearly festivals, according to the\nappointments of the law. \"Unto the place which the Lord your God shall\nchoose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his\nhabitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shall come; and thither ye\nshall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes and\nheave-offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your free-will-offerings,\nand the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks. And there ye shall\neat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your\nhand unto, you and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath\nblessed thee.\"\n\nIn the services of religion, it becomes us to ascend above all temporal\nconsiderations, and regard exclusively the will of God. Elkanah, however,\neven at the solemn and public festival, unhappily gave a worthy or double\nportion to Hannah, which was the ancient mode of expressing peculiar\naffection. This was likely to inflame, rather than to extinguish strife;\nand though done, no doubt, with the kind attention of alleviating the\nsorrows of his best beloved partner, was a sad display of weakness, and a\nmiserable profanation of the worship of God. Peninnah had children, Hannah\nthe affections of her husband; the former persecutes, and the other weeps.\nWho would not have indulged the pleasing hope, that the worship of God,\nthat cement of society, that healing remedy for the disorders of the moral\nworld, would have quieted contention; and that the flames of animosity\nwould not have mingled with the hallowed fires of sacrifice! It was well\nmeant in Elkanah to bring all his household together to the tabernacle\nin Shiloh--\n\n  \"Religion should extinguish strife,\n  And make a calm of human life.\"\n\nIf we cannot be reconciled at the altar, it is an indication of rooted\nantipathy, and will neutralize the effect of our entreaties for divine\nforgiveness. \"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord,\" said David,\n\"will not hear me.\" The salutary effect of Elkanah's measure was prevented\nby the continuance of discord. Year after year this mischievous spirit\nprevailed. Elkanah was unable to conciliate Peninnah, or to sooth Hannah.\nThe good man was rendered wretched, both by the temper of the one and the\ntears of the other: the latter, however, was the most intolerable.\n\"Hannah,\" said he, \"why weepest thou? why eatest thou not? and why is thy\nheart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?\"\n\nThere is something soothing and gentle in this remonstrance, which\nbespeaks the affection of Elkanah, and exhibits his pacific character in\nan advantageous light. He does not directly interpose to settle the point\nof domestic difference by the stern dictation of authority, but with a\nkind hand endeavours to wipe away the falling tears of his disconsolate\nwife. Nothing is more difficult than properly to administer reproof,\nexcept it be properly to receive it. Elkanah seems, on this occasion, to\nhave managed it with extreme delicacy, and with happy success. He kindly\ninsinuated, that she ought to feel consolation in her husband's regard;\nand that a becoming submission to Providence is at all times our duty. She\nmight have suffered not only the affliction which she so deeply deplored,\nbut the still greater distress of her partner's aversion. If he had been\nalienated, or even if his regard had been only diminished, there would\nhave existed a more plausible pretence for incessant grief; but although\nPeninnah was blest with children, Hannah was best beloved. Would the\nlatter have been willing to exchange advantages? would she have descended\nfrom a pre-eminence so justly valued, for the sake of a family? Doubtless\nit was her wish to unite these comforts; to retain the love of Elkanah,\nand to rival the children of Peninnah. But it is our duty, and would prove\neminently conducive to our happiness, to improve the blessings we enjoy,\nrather than to cherish undue solicitude for what Providence does not see\nfit to confer.\n\nThere does, by no means, exist that inequality in the distribution of\ndivine favours, which our impatience tempts us to imagine. One thing is\nset over against another; comforts are associated with crosses: and if we\nwere in a situation, or possessed a capacity, to estimate with exactness\nthe proportion of good and evil in the individual condition of mankind, it\nis more than probable we should find the balances by which these\nproportions are determined most accurately poised. We _may_ safely, and\n_ought_ unhesitatingly, to trust the hands in which they are placed, and\nthe power that regulates their distribution.\n\nIf the language of Elkanah may be considered as honourable to his general\nspirit, the silent obedience of Hannah was no less illustrative of her\nextraordinary excellence. How many tempera would have been exasperated by\nsuch an appeal; and instead of drying up the tears of grief, and\nproceeding to partake food, would have instantly retorted both upon the\nintercessor and the rival! She might have demanded why her husband,\ninstead of asking her to conceal her sorrows, did not rather reprove the\nprovoking conduct of Peninnah, and silence her exasperating tongue?\nAvailing herself of the decided preference shown her, she might have aimed\nat making her husband a party in the dispute; and, by his means, have\ntriumphed over her adversary. But Hannah was influenced by far different\nsentiments. To her husband's remonstrances she appears to have returned no\nanswer: nor was it a sullen silence; for she took food, interrupted no\nlonger the festivities of the occasion, but, painful as the struggle must\nhave been, heroically concealed her own feelings till the termination of\nthe public solemnities.\n\n\"After they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk,\" Hannah\ncontinued in \"bitterness of soul,\" and rose up to withdraw. But whither\ndid she go? Whither, under circumstances like these, was it natural for\nher to fly? Perhaps into solitude to bemoan her sad situation, to pour out\nher unrestrained tears, to anathematize her insulting rival, to plot\nrevenge, to curse the day of her birth. The stream of grief and complaint\nmight be expected to flow, in the secret hour, with accelerated force and\nrapidity, proportioned to the restraint which publicity had imposed. She\ndid not, however, yield to this influence, or retire for such a purpose.\nPerhaps she withdrew to seek the counsel of a friend, or solicit the\nprompt interference of others who pitied her sufferings, to check\nPeninnah, or to stimulate Elkanah to stronger measures. Such a proceeding\nwas not unlikely; it was not, however, the one she adopted. Perhaps, then,\nit may be supposed, she went home to wait for some favourable opportunity\nof urging her husband to discard Peninnah, and of exasperating his\nprejudices against her. It was indeed _natural_ for her to pursue either\nor of all these courses; but she chose a different one. The pious mourner\nhas another and a better resource. If she look around her for comfort in\nvain, she can look above. She may be pressed on every side--difficulties\nand distresses accumulating in every direction--foes behind, and seas of\ntrouble before--but the opening into heaven is free; the ear of mercy is\nnot shut; the way of access to God never can be closed! \"And she vowed a\nvow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the\naffliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine\nhandmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give\nhim unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come\nupon his head.\"\n\nThis solemn address to Heaven exemplifies some of the essential qualities\nof genuine prayer. It is marked by _reverence_ and _godly_ fear; for she\nappeals to \"the Lord of hosts,\" whose prerogative it is to marshal the\ncelestial armies, and to regulate with undeviating skill and irresistible\ninfluence the affairs of this lower world: it displays profound\n_humility_; for she repeats the simple and self-abasing term, \"thine\nhandmaid:\" it expresses _submission_ and _dependence_ of spirit; for she\nrefers with implicit obedience to the determinations of the divine will,\nas comprising whatever is best calculated to promote her real interests,\nthough without presumption, she solicits Omnipotent interference to remove\nher affliction, if it should comport with the arrangements, and seem\nproper to the wisdom of God; it manifests an importunity which will always\noperate with more or less intenseness in every genuine prayer. Her solemn\nvow, her judicious repetitions, her whole phraseology, evince this\nprevailing disposition. She kindles with holy fervour, and seems to\nstretch forth her eager hand to take the blessing which she cannot\npersuade herself will be refused. She is fully aware that power and\ngoodness combine in perfect proportions to influence the dispensations of\nthe God whom she addresses, and pleads with success, because she pleads\nwith fervour.\n\nNor is Hannah the first or the last witness to the apostolic assurance:\n\"the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.\" It is not\nindeed insinuated, that importunity in soliciting favours is invariably\nsuccessful. Unquestionably, many considerations of propriety, necessity,\nand adaptation, must be understood to enter into the account. The spirit\nof dictation must not blend with that of earnestness, nor must we deem\nourselves qualified to determine the time, the manner, or the proportion\nof divine communications; but, so far as relates to the spirit of prayer,\nimportunity is materially connected with success, and coldness with\nfailure: the former advances, and the latter negatives our supplications,\neven while we present them. There are cases of extraordinary ardour, which\ncan be measured by no common standard; moments of outgoing after God,\nseasons of inexpressible sensibility, when the mind possesses an\ninvincible persuasion of success, which is at once the dictate of the Holy\nSpirit, and the certain indication of acceptance. Faith discerns the\nblessing, with a distinctness hitherto unknown, and love burns with a\nvigour hitherto unfelt. A certain persuasion pervades the soul that its\nentreaties cannot fail, that the contemplated good is its destined\nportion; and amidst the deepest, the most unusual impression of\nunworthiness, its assurance is sustained by a vivid remembrance of the\npromises, and an overwhelming consciousness of personal interest in them:\nall obstacles seem to remove, or to vanish at the first touch; every thing\nyields before the pursuit of zeal, distance disappears, time dwindles into\na moment, and the mind at once enters upon a paradise of possession. In\nthe very midst of discouragements, the supplicant becomes a hero, and\ntriumphs by _a prevailing power_, analogous to that of a great conqueror,\nwhose very consciousness of superiority wins an otherwise doubtful battle,\nand gives him a victory even by anticipation. Amidst the provocations of\nher rival, and the soothings of her husband, Hannah could only weep and\nfast: but at the footstool of mercy, she wrestles like Jacob, and\nprevails like Israel. She rises above herself, no longer the despised and\ndesponding mourner, but the accepted and the triumphant suppliant. Thus\ndevotion not only sanctifies, but ennobles character. It awakens all the\nenergies of our nature, directs them to their proper object, and supplies\nan ample sphere for their exercise. It produces extraordinary elevation,\nand creates a heaven in the exercise of faith, and in the sphere of duty.\n\nIt cannot excite surprise, that a mere spectator, even though he be a\npious spectator, should, on such occasions as these, mistake the outward\nindications of inward feeling. Objections will sometimes arise in persons\nof cooler temperament or more constitutional apathy to the enthusiasm of\nyounger and more ardent Christians, founded altogether in misapprehension,\nnot like those of the world, in impious dislike. That the latter should\nmiscal the holy ecstacies of religion enthusiastic and rhapsodical, we do\nnot wonder; since they _cannot_ understand them by that medium through\nwhich alone they become comprehensible, the medium of _experience_: nor\nneed we feel much astonishment at the occasional mistakes of the former,\nwhen it is recollected, that the external indications of the passions are\noften equivocal.\n\nThis was the case with Hannah. Eli, the venerable priest, was sitting upon\na seat by a post of the temple; and either from want of charity, or a\ndefect of eyesight, he pronounced a precipitate judgment upon this good\nwoman, whom he strangely imagined to have been in a state of intoxication.\nHannah, it appears, \"spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her\nvoice was not heard.\" This excited the unjust suspicions of Eli, who\nimmediately charged her with gross immorality. \"How long\" said he, \"wilt\nthou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.\"\n\nIt may be admitted, as an extenuation of this rude attack, that the good\npriest was jealous for the honour of his God, whose temple he supposed was\nsuffering profanation by indecent conduct: and that, instead of turning\ntale-bearer and whisperer, he openly expressed his sentiments to the party\nconcerned, affording an opportunity for acknowledgment or explanation.\nStill his precipitancy cannot be justified. It was his duty to have\nobtained better evidence, before he ventured upon such a crimination; or,\nat least, to have been more ceremonious and considerate. Reproof may be\nwell merited; but, in order that its end be answered, it should be\nproperly administered. Gentleness and mercy should blend their benign\ninfluences with justice. We are ourselves liable to error, and have no\nright to assume the tone of severity, or the air of triumph, when required\nto notice blameable conduct. If we should be mistaken, either in the\ngeneral fact, or in the circumstances, upon some of which we may have\ndwelt with unkind severity, the reproof will not only affect us by a\nstrong and most unwelcome reaction, but in many instances furnish the\ntransgressor with means of defending himself in what was actually wrong,\nand thus nullify _our_ testimony, and harden _his_ mind.\n\nAdmirable, indeed, was the reply of Hannah. \"No, my lord,\" said she, \"I am\na woman of sorrowful spirit, I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink,\nbut have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for\na daughter of Belial; for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief\nhave I spoken hitherto.\"\n\nNothing could be a more complete vindication of herself than this\nrespectful, dispassionate, and dignified language. She merely disclaims\nthe unjust imputation of her accuser, and explains the true cause of her\nemotions. If she had been resentful and clamorous, the suspicion of Eli\nwould rather have been confirmed than removed; but her innocence shone\nforth as the noon-day, unclouded by irritability or violence.\n\nThere is usually a marked difference between innocence and guilt, in the\nmode of treating accusations: the latter boisterous and impatient; the\nformer gentle, calm, and moderate, comparatively careless of\nmisrepresentations, and often silent; the latter adopts any artifice to\nshun the light, the former affords every facility to investigation. If a\ncharacter be free from the stain of guilt, it will not shrink from those\nproceedings which tend to hold it up to the light, and which of course\nonly exhibit its perfect transparency.\n\nEli, perceiving his mistake, disdains to persist in it. Like a man of\nintegrity and piety, he corrects himself at once, dismisses her with a\nblessing, and prays for her success. This was making the best possible\nreparation, and it was done with a promptness which evinced its sincerity.\nThe good man was as ready to express his approbation, when convinced of\nHannah's innocence, as he had been to censure her conduct, when he\nimagined it to be culpable.\n\nIn this transaction, we perceive him practising one of the most difficult\nof duties; and if the wife of Elkanah be worthy of imitation for a\nrespectful and modest defence against a false accusation, the pious priest\nof the Lord is no less so for retracting a hasty judgment, and instantly\nexchanging frowns for smiles, reproof for applause, cursing for blessing.\nIn most cases, the offending party is the last to be reconciled; and\nmistake is frequently adhered to with an obstinacy, and defended with a\npertinacity, proportioned to the haste with which it has been adopted.\nLook inward. What is the present state of your minds respecting the errors\nyou have committed, or the wrong steps you have taken, and of which you\nare deeply conscious? Have you adopted any measures to give satisfaction\nto an injured party, or, are you disposed to that concession which you\nknow your past improprieties require? To trifle with the character of\nanother is cruel--to persist in misrepresentation is wicked. Can you\nexpect pardon of God, while living in the indulgence of an unforgiving\nspirit towards your fellow-creatures? Justice requires, and Christianity\ninsists, upon reparation. O listen to their united voice! Hasten to wipe\noff the stain which your carelessness, or your malignity, has flung upon\nthe white robe of innocence! Hasten to dry up the tears which you have\ncaused the sufferer to shed: hasten to heal the wound you have foolishly,\nperhaps wickedly, inflicted.\n\nThis duty, remember, is not superseded even by the ill conduct of the\nperson you have made your foe. If, instead of submitting to your\nunkindness, or bearing your mistake with the meekness of Hannah, you have\nbeen loudly denounced--if you have been represented as a calumniator, and\nrailing has been rendered for railing--if the injured person have even\ntaken advantage of your error to reproach you in turn, and circulated a\nthousand mis-statements to your disadvantage, you are still under the\ngreatest obligations to correct and apologize for your original error.\nNever can you be justified in the eyes of impartial men; never can you\nstand upon the high ground of an unblemished reputation, and become\ninvulnerable to attack; never can you obtain the divine approbation, till\nyou have adopted this measure. Neither conscience, reason, nor religion,\nwill admit that the aspersions of another justify your slanders. His\npersistance is no reason against your concession.\n\nRestored to tranquillity and happiness, Hannah withdrew from the temple,\nand \"her countenance was no more sad.\" Her innocence was apparent to the\npriest, her petition heard in heaven. She went up weeping, she returned\nrejoicing. Devotion had pacified her troubled breast, and since\n\"committing her way to the Lord,\" the tide had ebbed, the sky had cleared.\nShe knew that her request would be granted, or, if denied, that she should\nsee occasion ultimately to feel perfect acquiescence and satisfaction in\nthe determinations of Providence. She, therefore, wiped away her tears,\nand dismissed her anxiety. Such is the relief afforded by humble prayer.\nHow often has sorrow been transformed into joy by religious exercises!\nFrom the dark vale of life, where the winds blow and the rains descend,\nhow often has the pious mourner ascended to that sacred mount of communion\nwith God, _the closet_, or to the \"_holy hill of Zion_,\" and dwelt in the\nsunshine of heaven! Agitated no longer with conflicting elements, and\nmysterious events, the clouds have appeared far, far below; while the\nomnipotent hand has been seen engaged in regulating their movements,\ndirecting their course, and preparing to disperse them in every direction.\n\nIt is obvious that no combination of happy circumstances, no human power,\nno earthly friendship, could have afforded substantial consolation to\nHannah, if she had not repaired to the mercy-seat. Already had her\naffectionate husband attempted, in vain, to sooth her grief. He had\nrenewed his love, wiped off her tears, kindly remonstrated and reasoned\nwith her.--Hannah! \"am not I better to thee than ten sons?\" Ah! what\navails it! Elkanah can sympathize, but he cannot relieve--he can reason,\nbut he cannot remove the cause of her sorrows--he cannot turn the course\nof nature, or renew the springs of existence--he cannot change weakness\nfor strength, or convert barrenness into fertility: but he who has all\nresources in his hands, all elements and worlds at his disposal, _can_;\nand, at the voice of prayer, _will_ accomplish the holy desires of the\nmind. See, Christians, your best resource, your ultimate appeal, your\ndistinguished privilege! \"God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.\"\n\nHenceforward, the sacred narrative omits the name of Peninnah, and there\nis nothing in her history to induce a wish to penetrate the concealing\nveil. She was, in fact, originally introduced to notice for the purpose of\nillustrating the more valuable qualities of Hannah, whose excellence\ncontinues to shine with indiminished lustre to the end of her days. It is\nindeed profitable, as a warning, to contemplate specimens of moral\ndeformity as well as examples of moral worth; but we naturally hasten from\nthe offensive, to the pleasing and attractive forms of female character.\nPeninnah perishes unregretted from the page--Hannah continues to adorn it,\nand obtains an everlasting remembrance.\n\nOn the day fixed for the return of this pious family, it is stated that\nthey rose early in the morning, and worshipped before the Lord. It is\ndeplorable, that so many of our thoughtless race should live from day to\nday, and from year to year, in a state of perfect estrangement from the\nduties of devotion. Whirled about in the circle of dissipation, or busied\nwith the cares of the world, they forget God their Maker; and, though the\nconstant recipients of mercies which flow to them in uninterrupted\nsuccession, they never acknowledge, they can scarcely be said to know the\nGiver. The most important transactions, schemes, and journeys, are\nundertaken without once committing themselves to the guidance or\nprotection of that Providence which is observant of their steps, and\nsupplies them, notwithstanding their ingratitude. How pleasantly do _they_\nproceed, who, like the family of Elkanah, first solemnly present\nthemselves before the Lord, and commence every business and every day with\nan act of worship! It is true they are not exempted from misfortune, or\nrendered invulnerable to the attacks of evil; but they are well prepared\nfor, and will be graciously sustained in every vicissitude.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, 1155.]\n\nThe predestined hour having arrived, a son was born to Hannah, whom she\nnamed _Samuel_; \"because,\" said she, \"I have asked him of the Lord.\"\nSometimes, what has been sought with importunity, is received with\ncoldness, or enjoyed with ingratitude. No sooner is the blessing bestowed,\nno sooner is the tear of agony dried up, than every pledge is forgotten,\nand the mind relapses into thankless indifference. The sun shines, and our\nimpressions pass away with the storm. But Hannah adopted a measure well\ncalculated to excite every member of the family, and his mother in\nparticular, to a perpetual recurrence to the goodness of Providence. She\nwas resolved upon an expedient, by which the flame of gratitude might be\nkept incessantly burning in her breast. Could she ever look upon _Samuel_\nwithout recollecting he was \"asked of God?\" Could she ever repeat the\nname of her beloved first-born, without thinking of the Hearer of prayer?\nAmidst the ecstasies of maternal love, when she witnessed the infant\nsportings, and traced the expanding faculties of her Samuel, how often\nwould she remember the stirrings of her spirit, and the sad days of her\nreproach. Once she had scarcely indulged the hope of being a mother, much\nless the mother of so remarkable a child. Once she wept in bitterness of\nsoul, now she shed tears of parental transport.\n\nAssiduity in the discharge of maternal duties is the next distinguishing\nexcellence of Hannah to which our attention is invited. The sensibilities\nof her character seemed to have remarkably qualified her for the new\nstation she was called to occupy after the birth of her child.\n\nProvidence has so wisely and so kindly ordered the connection subsisting\nbetween the parent and the offspring, and has rendered human nature, even\nin its depraved state, so susceptible of fine impressions and feelings,\nthat the moment this relationship commences, a sort of new character is\nsuperinduced.\n\nWhen a dependant little being is presented, a careful and protecting\ndisposition is generally displayed; the arm of support is readily held\nforth to the weakness of infancy, and the most inconsiderate and volatile\nof women are, by a natural instinct--a certain powerful, indefinable\ntransformation--converted to sober habits and necessary attentiveness--Who\ncan withhold his admiration of this singular economy, or refuse to admit\nthe interference of an invisible and wonderworking God! If this be the\neffect in ordinary instances, it is easy to imagine that the wife of\nElkanah proved an exemplary instance of diligence and goodness when she\nbecame a mother. For such an honourable situation she was peculiarly\nqualified by her gentleness and piety. The precious gift, for which she\nhad been so solicitous, was nursed with fondness, and eventually presented\nwith all a mother's, with all a Christian's joy, to the Lord in Shiloh.\n\nAt the next anniversary festival, Elkanah went up to fulfil a vow he had\nmade, and to renew the dedication of himself and his family to the divine\nservice. Hannah accompanied him in spirit, but was prevented from a\npersonal attendance by her little lovely dependant: she intimated to her\nhusband the propriety of her remaining at home, pledging herself to\nundertake the pleasing journey when the child was weaned. \"Then,\" said\nshe, \"I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there\nabide for ever.\" It is no honour to religion for its professors to neglect\nthe duties of civil life under the pretence of superior sanctity: in vain\ndo those who disregard their families apologize for their misconduct by\npleading their diligence in pious services. Religion not only requires a\npunctuality of observance in reference to its more public engagements, but\ndemands an unremitted attention to those of a more private, social, and\ndomestic nature: these ought not indeed to be viewed apart, in a separate\nand disunited form, but as constituting a beautiful whole. Religion, in\nfact, consists both in diligence and devotion, in the occupation of our\nstations in society, as well as in fulfilling the services of the\nsanctuary; in nursing and educating the child, as well as in presenting\nthe sacrifice, or keeping the holy festival of saints.\n\nElkanah fully concurred with the arrangements of Hannah. Happy is it for\nthat family where the domestic hearth is cheered by love and the altar by\npiety. Happy they, whose affection, planted in religion, resembles a\nflourishing tree that spreads its shade over the united household. Hannah\nconsulted her husband, and stated the reasons of the plan she had\ndevised--Elkanah listened to the representations of his wife, and\ninstantly assented.\n\n\"Do,\" said he, \"what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou hast weaned him;\nonly the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son\nsuck until she weaned him.\"\n\nHow beautiful is the allusion of the royal psalmist to this important\nperiod in the history of infancy: \"Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine\neyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things\ntoo high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that,\nis weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.\"\n\nIt costs, indeed, a severe struggle to alienate the little offspring from\nthe breast from which it has drawn the means of subsistence, and, for a\nshort time, uneasiness and fretfulness may be the result; but when the\ndays of weaning are accomplished, the long-valued provision is regarded\nwith total indifference. Strong is the conflict and sharp the encounter\nbetween a sense of duty and an inclination to sin, when the world presents\nthose fascinating pleasures which are so adapted to the appetites of\nnature; but having obtained the victory--having, through the grace of God,\ntriumphed over the enticement, a real Christian will contemplate the\nglories of this world which once enchanted him, with an indifferent eye,\nand seek more substantial blessings. What naturally afforded satisfaction,\nwill, in a renewed state of mind, excite aversion or be treated with\nneglect. The propensity being conquered, will never, or but partially\nreturn, and if not absolutely exterminated, it can never again acquire an\nascendancy. The soul is become, in reference to the fleeting honours and\npossessions of time, like a \"weaned child.\"\n\nIt is at once our duty and felicity to aim at this detachment of affection\nfrom the vanities of life, to cherish a holy disinclination toils\nallurements, and to seek our bliss in the unfading good which Scripture\nrecommends and Heaven dispenses. An interest in the love of God, by faith\nin the Redeemer, is the supreme enjoyment to which we are encouraged to\naspire, and which alone can fill the capacities and consummate the\nblessedness of intelligent and immortal creatures. Pitiable is the\nsituation of those who are still attached, with childish fondness, to what\ncannot promote their spiritual growth, and befits not their advancing\nmaturity. \"Let Israel,\" then, \"hope in the Lord from henceforth and\nfor ever.\"\n\n\n\nSection II.\n\n\n  Samuel is devoted to the Service of the Sanctuary--Uniformity of\n  Character exemplified in Hannah--her Song paraphrased--five other\n  Children born to Hannah--View of her natural Kindness and\n  self-denying Piety.\n\n\nAs soon as the time proposed by Hannah had elapsed, she thought of\nfulfilling her vow, and hastened to Shiloh. In the days of her distress\nshe had pledged herself to devote her child to the service of God; in the\ndays of her prosperity she does not forget the obligation. Never, so far\nas we can discover, was a more perfect example of female excellence and\npersevering religion: in adversity and in prosperity, in sorrow and in\njoy, the light of her piety shone with undiminishing splendour. She had\nvirtues appropriate to every season, and conspicuous in every situation:\nin affliction she cannot be reproached with impatience, nor in success\nwith ingratitude.\n\nWhen Samuel was weaned, she took him with her, with three bullocks, an\nephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, determining to leave him with the\npriest, for the purpose of being trained up to the service of the\ntabernacle. It was an equal honour to the pupil and the tutor, the one to\nhave such a priest as Eli, the other to have such a child as Samuel. With\nall the dignity of innocence and all the pleasure of devotion, she\npresented the little stranger to Eli, reminding him of the occasion when\nshe first pledged herself to consecrate the child she requested to the\nwork of the sanctuary, and explaining a vow of which he was previously\nignorant. It is true that God and her own soul were the only witnesses and\nhearers of this vow; but she did not deem it the less obligatory though it\nwas made in secret, nor was her upright mind the less anxious for its\npunctual fulfilment: \"And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to\nEli. And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman\nthat stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed;\nand the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore\nalso I have lent him to the Lord: as long as he liveth he shall be lent to\nthe Lord.\"\n\nThere is an exquisite delicacy in this language. The allusion to her\nformer appearance in the house of God is as cursory as could be devised to\nenable the good priest to recognize her. Eli is reminded of her former\nprayers; but not a syllable is uttered tending to criminate or to reflect\nupon his past precipitancy and misrepresentation. She tells a simple\nstory, in a candid and respectful manner. The points of deepest interest\nare introduced, and her darling child is devoted forever, and with\nunreluctant zeal, to the God of her salvation.\n\nLet the impatient and revengeful study the example of Hannah, who did not\nallow herself to utter an angry word, or even to cherish a resentful\nfeeling against Eli, when he preferred against her an inconsiderate and\naggravating accusation; much less did she indulge a spirit of malignity.\nHow many would have felt an invincible aversion, even though his frank\nacknowledgment had compelled them to a momentary reconciliation; and,\nviewing his character ever after through the medium of prejudice, would\nhave magnified every feeling, and flung their public reproaches, or\ncirculated their secret whispers and surmises against this venerable\nminister of the tabernacle. It becomes the people of God to be careful of\nthe reputation of their brethren, and aim to wipe off the aspersions with\nwhich the world is apt to depreciate their characters, rather than to\nunite in the clamours of defamation. Men in official situations are placed\nupon a pinnacle which renders them conspicuous, and envy is always ready\nto shoot at them its envenomed darts. They have their faults indeed, but\nlet charity cover them: they may have also their counterbalancing\nexcellencies--let piety observe and imitate them. Should the criminal\nconduct of such persons belie their general profession, dishonour the\nreligion they profess, and render it necessary to displace them, we ought\nto tremble for ourselves, and not triumph in their fall. Who would be\nqualified to cast the first stone, if his offences were all detected,\nexposed, and treated with merciless severity? The practice of dedicating\nchildren to God, is, we perceive, sanctioned by the usage of high\nantiquity; but, what is far better, it is conformable to reason and\nScripture. Sometimes, indeed, it is accompanied with much absurdity and\nsuperstition; but, when properly attended to, it secures many advantages.\nPrayer, at all times important, is peculiarly effectual when offered in so\nsolemn a manner: and if, in ordinary cases, it procure the blessings of\nHeaven, a well-founded hope may be excited, that the interesting little\nobject of such a service will reap some substantial benefits. It tends\nbesides to purify the domestic affections, and to regulate their exercise.\nThe child which is bestowed in answer to prayer, and by prayer is, at the\nvery dawn of existence, consecrated to God, and committed to the future\ncare and guidance of his providence, is regarded with a new kind of\nfeeling even by its parents; their fondness receives a peculiar tone and\ncharacter from their piety; the motive to seek its spiritual interest is\nstrengthened by their holy vows; and they cannot but feel an additional\nmotive to impart early instruction, to cultivate its expanding faculties,\nand form the young immortal both for its present and ultimate destination.\n\nDevote, then, ye mothers of Israel, devote your babes to piety and God!\nHesitate not to incur the solemn responsibility which a vow implies in\nreference to your tender offspring: it is the most immediate method of\nmaking them your future comforts in this life, and your companions in a\nbetter. Your solicitude will at least afford you personal satisfaction;\nyou will inherit the delightful consciousness of having done your duty:\nyou may be happily instrumental in producing early impressions, and\npreparing them for their future crown. Then, should they depart from the\nworld before you, to be \"forever with the Lord,\" they will rise from their\nthrones of light to hail your approach, and mingle their thanksgivings and\npraises with yours in the songs of eternity.\n\nUniformity of character is a high attainment, of which Scripture history\npresents some pleasing specimens, though perhaps it affords more numerous\ninstances of irregularity. The early life of some is nothing but the\nrecord of crime and folly, when the passions were indulged in unbridled\nlicentiousness, and the moral creation groaned beneath the burden of\ntheir vices; but afterward retrieving their errors, they have become\nexamples of sobriety, kindness, and religion. Others shone, forth at first\nwith preeminent brightness, attracting the eyes of an extensive community\nto their juvenile excellence, and holding forth the best promises of\nfuturity; but their goodness has proved like the morning cloud, and like\nthe early dew, that passeth away; the eyes of parental tenderness, that\nonce glistened with rapture and admiration, are suffused with tears; the\nchurch of God, that once hailed their zeal, is filled with regrets to\nwitness its faded ardours and its altered nature. \"How is the gold become\ndim, and the fine gold changed?\" There is another, a sort of intermediate\nclass, who have rather a doubtful complexion, some of whose actions\nindicate piety, others the reverse: at a distance they may be admired,\nbut, upon a closer inspection, their principles are questionable, and, as\nour acquaintance with them increases, our respect irresistibly diminishes.\nCandour itself, which would put the most favourable construction upon\nthem, is compelled to see new spots and blemishes in proportion as we\nperceive more distinctly their entire character.\n\nThe illustrious female, however, before us, exhibits a singular contrast\nto all these diversities. From the first to the last mention of her name\nin the page of Scripture, she challenges unmitigated admiration; she is\nuniform in every character: adversity and prosperity find her the same\nwoman: she does not murmur in the one, she is not vain in the other. There\nis but a single variety in her character, arising from its progressive\nexcellence. She is not _the same_, only because she is _better_; our\nveneration keeps pace with our knowledge. Her character does not, like\nthat of many others, suffer by investigation; it does not resemble an\nobject seen at some distance through a mist, which is magnified into\nunnatural dimensions, so that the illusion vanishes when you come near;\nbut is like a tower seen afar off under a clear sky, swelling in majesty\nat every step of approximation.\n\nWe are now brought to the close of Hannah's history; it is even more\nsplendid than its commencement. We have traced her through the various\ncharacters of a persecuted wife, a weeping suppliant, a misrepresented\nworshipper, a joyful mother, and a grateful saint, fulfilling her vows and\ndevoting her first-born to the service of God. In some respects the latter\nmust have proved a trying occasion, a duty of difficult execution; and we\ncould have forgiven, we could have sympathized with the tears of a mother\nwho was placed in the situation of violating her vows or giving up her\ndarling; we could have pitied her struggles, while we commended their\nsuccessful issue, in leaving her Samuel behind her at Shiloh. But she\nassumes a higher tone and spirit: the mother is absorbed in the saint;\nand, at the moment when we expected the language of parting regret and\nanxiety, behold, she bursts into a song of praise, and soars to the\nheights of prophecy.\n\nThis holy effusion is somewhat analogous to that of the mother of our\nLord, which we shall hereafter have occasion to illustrate. In the mean\ntime the hymn of Hannah claims our examination. It is called a _prayer_,\nbecause it was addressed to God as an act of worship, and because the\nacknowledgment and celebration of divine mercies constitute an important\nbranch of devotion.\n\n\"_My heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my\nmouth is enlarged over mine enemies: because I rejoice in thy salvation_.\"\n\nA vain mother might have celebrated her _son,_ and, if she had expressed\na general sense of divine goodness in his bestowment, would have dwelt\nwith satisfaction upon his premature indications of greatness. Inordinate\nattachment to the gift is apt to obliterate from the mind a grateful\nrecollection of the giver; and to this forgetfulness we are liable to be\nseduced by our affections. But Hannah cannot taste of the stream without\nbeing led to the fountain; she cannot receive mercies without viewing the\nhand that bestows them; nor be so enraptured with the blessing as to sink\nthe Creator in the creature. In fact, Samuel is unnamed. His beauty, his\npliability--whatever he really possessed, or whatever the fond eye of a\nmother fancied he possessed--all was forgotten, lost, and annihilated in\nGod. Every valued blessing--her child, her husband, her possessions;--the\nwhole creation vanished into nothingness before the thought of the\n\"eternal ALL!\"\n\nThe \"horn\" is an emblem of power and pre-eminence, and Hannah speaks of its\nexaltation. She had been degraded and despised for the childless\ncondition, and had suffered reproach from the daughters of Israel, in\nparticular from Peninnah; but she had now, through the mercy of God, risen\nto distinction, and obtained the object of her warmest solicitude. The\nlips which before moved in secret whispers or inarticulate prayer, are now\ntaught to praise! The horn was also an instrument of music, and was lifted\nup to be sounded in the sacred chorus. In the days of David we read of the\nsons of Heman, who were to \"lift up the horn;\" and this pious woman\nperhaps borrowed the allusion to represent the ardour of her worship and\nthe triumph that inspired her tongue.\n\nIf, with her solemn praises, Hannah blended a momentary recollection of\nthe unkindness with which she had been treated, it was solely to express\nher thankfulness for deliverance, and not to produce a charge against her\nenemies. \"Her mouth was enlarged,\" indeed, but not to utter the language\nof retaliation, not in passionate exclamations or in threatening words,\nbut to memorialize the goodness of the Lord. Nor was this her only source\nof joy. Temporal interposition served but to remind her of spiritual\nblessings; and, while her spirit exulted in the birth of Samuel, she\nlooked forward to a more auspicious day, and rejoiced in the \"salvation\"\nwhich should hereafter be accomplished by the incarnation of the Redeemer.\n\nWinged with holy rapture, she now ascends far above all earthly interests\nand concerns; and quiting the subject, to which she had made but a\ntransient allusion, though of the deepest personal importance, she\nmeditates alone on infinite perfection:\n\n\"_There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none besides thee: neither\nis there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not\narrogancy come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and\nby him actions are weighed_.\"\n\nThe attributes of the Divine Being excite in the bosoms of the wicked\nunmingled dread. Every manifestation of his character is an appeal against\ntheir impieties, and hence they \"desire not the knowledge of his ways.\" In\na state of innocence the presence of the blessed God enhanced the\nfelicities of Paradise, and nothing but the estrangement which sin has\noccasioned could have so altered the views and perverted the inclinations\nof mankind as to render the best of beings an object of terror; but in\nproportion to the renewal of the mind will be the return of that feeling\nof complacency which was cherished by unfallen man, and is felt by sinless\nimmortals.\n\nIn all the principal events of her own life, and in the general\nregulation of human affairs, Hannah perceived a display of those\nperfections which she now celebrates; the perfections of holiness, power,\nomniscience, and justice. Nothing is better calculated to suppress the\narrogance of man than the contemplation of these divine excellencies,\nwhich are so many rays of one ineffable glory; distinct yet blended;\nseparate, yet harmonious in their operations. The history of pagan nations\nsupplies ample proof that the spirituality of the divine essence, which\nimplies the existence and exercise of these attributes, is too high an\nidea for a creature sunk under the dominion of his senses: he cannot\nascend to the conception of infinite purity and wisdom: God is not known,\nand cannot be discovered as the searcher of hearts, and the righteous\ndispenser of good and evil, life and death: he cannot realize his\nunlimited dominion, nor imagine the pervading presence of that all-seeing\neye which looks through the universe, penetrates every concealment, and\nobserves, with leisurely and perfect survey, every movement of the soul.\nIt is the province of revelation to disclose these great facts, and the\nprivilege of piety to triumph in them.\n\n\"_The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded\nwith strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread;\nand they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath borne seven: and\nshe that hath many children hath waxed feeble_.\"\n\nThe dispensations of Providence illustrate his perfections. Often, indeed,\nthey do not accord with human plans or expectations, but they are\nnevertheless marked with wisdom and equity. In accomplishing the mighty\npurposes of omnipotence the strong are sometimes weakened, and the feeble\nsupplied with power; the wealthy are impoverished, and the poor enriched;\nthe childless blessed with families, and those whose tables are surrounded\nwith a smiling offspring made to weep over their fading health and\nglory. For,\n\n\"_The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and\nbringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and\nlifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the\nbeggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them\ninherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,\nand he hath set the world upon them_.\"\n\nThese changes are frequently ascribed, by unthinking mortals, to mere\nchance, or at least to the uncontrolled operation of second causes. Hannah\nascribes them \"to the Lord.\" Her faith discerned an invisible hand, and\nrejoiced in an omniscient superintendance. Whatever confusion appears to\nthe eye of sense to prevail in the world, religion has access behind the\nscenes, observes the finger that touches the prime spring of this vast\nmachine of providence, and sees nothing but harmonious movements,\nconcurrent designs, merciful and intelligible plans, perfect and universal\norder. The perspective of human affairs is to such an one complete; he is\nplaced by the fear of God in the very point of observance; he looks to the\ndistant results, to the termination of the series, and every object, to\nhis renewed sight, appears in just and proportionate dimensions. Unless\nseen from this point, every thing will be out of place and contradictory;\nand human arrogance will naturally arraign as irregular, imperfect, or\nunwise, what genuine piety will acknowledge to be best.\n\n\"_He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in\ndarkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the\nLord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them:\nthe Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength\nunto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed_.\"\n\nThere is a _progressive_ energy in this sacred song. Hannah warms into\nenthusiasm as she proceeds, till, under the influence of a heavenly\ninspiration, she assumes the language of prophecy, and becomes \"wrapt into\nfuture times.\" At the opening, she expressed her gratitude for personal\nblessings; hence she is led to celebrate the perfections of Jehovah: then\nshe proclaims the interference of his providence in the vicissitudes of\nthis lower world: and finally, proceeds to contrast the destinies of the\nrighteous and wicked, as resulting from the manifestation of the Messiah\nto rule over all nations by a spiritual and everlasting dominion. In that\nname which is above every name, in the hallowed name of the ANOINTED ONE,\nthe song of Hannah terminates. What greater honour could be conferred on a\nwoman than to be gifted with that spirit of prophecy which first announced\nthe approaching Redeemer, to whom all the prophets gave witness? She\nspeaks of his authority as a \"King,\" his administration as a \"Judge,\" his\nwork as a Priest and Prophet, prefigured by that oil which was poured upon\nthe most eminent of mankind, who were types of the distinguished Personage\nwho was to come, and who is therefore designated as the Lord's \"Anointed.\"\nHow great his influence! \"he will keep the feet of his saints!\" How\nterrible his power! \"the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in\npieces: out of heaven shall he thunder upon them.\" Preposterous indeed is\nthe hope of his enemies, that they shall evade the destruction of his iron\nrod; while pleasing and well-founded is the expectation of his saints, who\nbow with unreluctant submission, with grateful acceptance, to his\ngolden sceptre.\n\nAlmost twelve hundred years were yet until when Hannah uttered this\nprediction of the Messiah; and yet her faith, overleaping the ages of\nintervening time, beheld his glory, and triumphed in his salvation. No\ndarkness could blind her perceptions, nothing could repress her love: she\nlived as it were, in advance, and, like many of her illustrious\npredecessors and of her posterity, believed in Christ to the saving of\nher soul.\n\nThese ages are passed away, and many more are numbered since the actual\nmanifestation of the Son of God in human nature. We are partakers of his\nday; we live in the light of his glory: from the ages of prediction, we\nare advanced to those of accomplishment; from the time of shadows to the\nera of reality. And have we _improved_ upon the past, in the strength of\nour faith or in the warmth of our attachment to the Lord of glory? Would a\nfair comparison of our state of mind with that of early saints, in far\ndistant ages, prove advantageous or unfavourable to our character? Is our\npiety proportionate to our privileges? Does the intensity of our love\nequal the clearness of our discoveries? These are salutary questions, and\nquestions of practical importance. Let us aim to be able to put them often\nto our consciences without a blush.\n\nVery little more information is communicated respecting Hannah: her\nhistory is merged in that of her distinguished son. We have, however, a\nbeautiful picture of her maternal character, a record of the blessing\nwhich the aged priest pronounced upon the family, and an account of five\nother children which Providence gave them: \"Samuel ministered before the\nLord, being a child girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made\nhim a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came\nup with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed\nElkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman, for\nthe loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And\nthe Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bare three sons and two\ndaughters.\"\n\nThe good mother and the eminent saint are delightfully blended in the wife\nof Elkanah, and the influence of each is obvious in Samuel. Eli seems to\nhave beheld him with unusual affection. He had been early trained to\ngentleness, docility, and goodness. Discipline at home commenced from his\nfirst infancy, and continuing to the moment of his removal to Shiloh,\nprepared him for the course of life to which he was so soon introduced.\nToo often the petulance and frowardness of children indicate the defective\nnature of their education: indulgence has permitted the wild plant to\nshoot forth its branches with irregular luxuriancy, and it has become both\nunsightly and enfeebled for want of being properly pruned. To suffer the\npropensities and passions of children to go unrestrained is the extreme of\ncruelty, being the most direct means of rendering them burdens to society\nand tormentors to themselves.\n\nHannah, with admirable firmness, relinquished her youthful charge to the\ncare of Eli at the call of duty, and with no less admirable affection and\nprudence, continued to maintain that kind of intercourse which tends to\npromote mutual love. A _passionate_ mother would have urged her husband to\nremove to Shiloh, for the sake of having her little darling perpetually\nunder her eye; a _prudent_ one chose to remain at Ramah, only bringing her\npresent at the annual festivals. True love knows when to separate, and is\nready to make necessary sacrifices to the good of a valued child. He was\nin excellent hands, training to a noble work, under a venerable priest,\nand in conformity to a solemn vow. Providence was not unobservant of his\nmother's heroism and piety, and she is amply repaid, not only by his\nsuperior excellence, but by her own increasing family. _One_ child is lent\nto the Lord, _five_ are given. She possessed with gratitude, she resigned\nwith magnanimity, and she is recompensed by multiplication.\n\nLet children never forget the debt they owe to maternal tenderness, a debt\nwhich the devoted affection and kindness of a whole life can scarcely\ndischarge. Let the fond parent who nursed your infancy, corrected your\nfrowardness, sowed the seeds of knowledge and piety in your heart,\nwatched, wept, and prayed over you, be ever dear, ever respected, and\nloved. She who has sustained your weakness, may live to need support from\nyour strength; she who hold you up in the helplessness of infancy, may\nrequire your supporting arm, and deserves your sympathizing aid in the\nyears of her decrepitude.\n\nYoung persons need to be reminded, however, that even the impiety of\nparents is no sufficient reason for disrespecting them _as parents_; and\nif you possess the inestimable treasure of religion, it will be best\nevinced in soothing the cares, ministering to the necessities, and setting\nan example of every duty before the eyes of those who are still so unhappy\nas to be destitute of it. But you who are born of the children of God, and\nwho have been nourished and educated under the wing of parental piety, can\nnever be too thankful to the God of your salvation, and at some future\nperiod may have to adopt the poet's elevated strain:\n\n  \"My boast is not that I deduce my birth\n  From loins enthroned, and rulers of the earth;\n  But higher far my proud pretensions rise--\n  The son of parents pass'd into the skies.\"\n\n  Cowper.\n\n\n\n\nAbigail.\n\nChapter XI.\n\n\n\n  Many persons naturally capable of great Attainments and elevated\n  Stations have lived and died unknown--the Dispensations of Providence\n  analogous in this respect to the Arrangements of Nature--Scripture\n  Account of Nabal and Abigail--Sources of Incongruous\n  Marriages--Ambition--Wish to maintain the Respectability of a\n  Family--Persuasion of Friends--early Disappointments--Nabal's Conduct to\n  David--Abigail's Interposition--Death of her Husband--She becomes\n  David's Wife.\n\n\nMillions of the human race, naturally capable of great attainments and\nmighty exploits, had they been differently circumstanced, or had their\nmental and moral energies been properly cultivated, have died as they have\nlived, in a state of obscurity. Unknown to the rest of mankind even by\nname, they have scarcely wandered from the precincts of their native\nvillage, or the cottage that gave them birth; but, like the wild flowers\nof the untrodden wilderness, have sprung up, and bloomed, and perished\nupon the same spot. Successive generations have occupied the identical\nsphere of their ancestors, living in the same unenvied seclusion, and at\nlast carried to the same undistinguished grave.\n\nWhoever has had an opportunity of knowing the state of society and the\ncharacter of man in retirement, must be aware that the amazing disparity\nsubsisting between the extremes of rusticity and of polished life arises\nfar less from original disproportions of capacity than from the accidental\ncircumstances which attach to the two conditions. Education has a\ntendency to remove these differences, to elevate the inferior classes of\nsociety from their degradation, to raise them in the scale of being and to\nunite man to man: but still more important effects result from religion,\nwhich, by fixing the thoughts on holy and heavenly objects, and firing the\nbreast with incessant ardour in the pursuit of them, advances the\ncharacter to a dignity otherwise unattainable. How much humble piety has\nbloomed in the by-paths of life far from the crowded highway of the world,\namidst the recesses of privacy! How often has the beauty of holiness\nadorned the most misshapen, or otherwise unattractive exterior! How many\ngreat and pious individuals have occupied the vale of poverty, the objects\nof divine approbation and of angelic joy; who, under different\ncircumstances, might have been ornaments of the political world, or lights\nin the church of God; and will be pillars for ever in the\ncelestial temple!\n\nThese dispensations of Providence are analogous to certain arrangements in\nnature. How many showers descend, and how many vegetable productions grow\nin barren wildernesses! It is not till after ages of research that a few\nspecies and varieties have been discovered; and it may be questioned\nwhether an equal, if not a far greater number, still exist in the\nunfrequented solitudes of creation, which science may not visit for\ncenturies yet to come: and of those which are at present known, a few only\nof their qualities, and the uses for which they were formed, have been\nascertained. To pronounce a condemnatory sentence upon that wisdom which\nassigned them their places, merely on account of our incapacity to\ndiscover their precise destination, would be presumptuous and impious in\nthe extreme; nor would it be less so to contemn the unsearchable mysteries\nof Providence, whose arrangements surpass the comprehension and confound\nthe inquiries of man.\n\nSome of those \"lights shining in a dark place\" have, however, been\noccasionally brought into view by unexpected circumstances; and more than\none is exhibited through the medium of the inspired word. They would have\nfor ever remained in concealment, and their names have perished, excepting\nfrom the book of God's remembrance, but for some apparent casualty. A\nhistory of _incidents_ would furnish a most delightful record of\nProvidence, showing its secret, but certain operations, and its\nconnecting, though, to superficial observers, invisible links. One of\nthese, in the life of David, presents the brief, but interesting account\nof ABIGAIL, who, like Job in Uz, Joseph in Egypt, and Daniel in Chaldea,\nexhibited a specimen of solitary excellence, which at length emerged from\nobscurity, and, by means of her connection with one of the most eminent of\nmankind, shone in an appropriate sphere.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 1058.]\n\nShe is thus introduced to our notice, in the scriptural narrative, at a\ntime when the son of Jesse was \"hunted like a partridge upon the\nmountains\" by his royal persecutor. \"And David arose, and went down to the\nwilderness of Paran. And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were\nin Carmel: and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and\na thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of\nthe man was Nabal; and the name of his wife, Abigail: and she was a woman\nof good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was\nchurlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.\"\n\nThe contrast which the characters of Nabal and Abigail exhibit, may well\nexcite astonishment, that persons so dissimilar should have become united\nby the tender ties of matrimony, and may lead us to inquire a little into\nthe sources of some incongruities of this kind, which not unfrequently\nmake their appearance in society. How is it, that _adaptation to each\nother_, in point of mental and moral qualities especially, which seems so\ngreat a prerequisite to happiness, should seldom form the basis of an\nunion voluntarily contracted, and incapable of dissolution--an union of\nthe closest nature, and an union for life?\n\nFrequently an ill-assorted connection arises from an _ambitious motive_;\none party is wealthy, the other aspiring. Attracted by the gilded bait, it\nis seized too eagerly to admit of prudential considerations respecting the\npossibility of concealed mischief, from which, like the fish once caught\nby the hook, it is too late to be disentangled. It cannot be asserted that\nAbigail was induced to marry her churlish husband from such a motive,\nthough it will not be deemed improbable by those whose experience of the\nworld convinces them that even persons like her, of good understanding,\nbeauty, and piety, are sometimes guilty of similar improprieties. Riches\nare, on many accounts, attractive to those whose immaturity of judgment is\ndazzled by the glare of life, and who are consequently too apt to\nassociate in their conceptions things which, in reality, have no\nconnection--_splendour_ and _happiness_. The mind is naturally gratified\nby a sense of elevation above the usual level of mankind, as persons\nascending in an air-balloon become elevated, even amidst their dangers, in\nconsequence of attaining a height impossible to others, and attracting the\nidle gaze of spectators on the ground. It is supposed also, that wealth\nwill furnish some covert from the storms of adversity, if not a perfect\nsecurity against them; and, forgetting that it tends to multiply and\nextend our wants in a ten-fold proportion to the means of supplying them,\nthe sheep and the goats of a Nabal are viewed with ardent but mistaken\nfondness. It is difficult to convince the young of their errors upon this\nsubject; nevertheless, we forewarn them that the experiment is hazardous,\nthe prospect delusory, the possessions of life uncertain, and utterly\nincapable of compensating for the absence of moral qualities and social\nsuitabilities; above all, we proclaim the criminality of cherishing an\navaricious disposition, and the practical falsehood of giving it the name\nof love. A young woman acting upon this principle literally fulfils the\ncommon representation of the case, by _throwing herself away_, and, in one\nrash moment, forfeits her reputation and her happiness.\n\nThis unsuitability of connexion in married life sometimes originates in a\nmutual, but foolish _wish to maintain the respectability of the family_.\nIn such instances both are wealthy, and join their fortunes as a sort of\ncompromise to the opinion of the world and their own pride, for the sake\nof maintaining their rank. It is true, an equality, or some fair\nproportion in point of fortune, as society is constituted, seems in itself\n_desirable_, and, if it can be accomplished, is as legitimate an object of\npursuit as similarity of age or of mind; but the practice of making this\nan absolute prerequisite, of sacrificing to it the affections of the\nheart, and, qualifications of far greater importance, of rendering the\nwant of it a sufficient ground of refusing a matrimonial alliance, though\nage, temper, religion, and every commendable quality, may be placed in the\nother scale, and of deeming the possession of it enough when other great\nrequisites are absent, is both foolish and wicked. No reason can exist, in\nsuch a case, why an Abigail--a woman of \"good understanding,\" should\nconnect herself with a Nabal--a man \"churlish and evil in his doings.\"\n\nOccasionally the same evil arises from the _persuasion of others_,\nespecially of those who are entitled to respect, and who sometimes, very\nimproperly, interpose authority instead of suggesting advice. The parties\nimmediately concerned would by no means, if left to themselves, select\neach other as companions for life, but marry merely to satisfy their\nfriends. It can never be regarded as otherwise than extreme cruelty in\nthose who compel their children to gratify _their_ predilections, instead\nof allowing them their _own_ choice. As this is a connexion, the happiness\nof which so essentially depends upon the affections, and as no argument\ncan force the heart into an attachment from which it naturally, or perhaps\ncapriciously revolts, and as moreover, the comfort of existence results\nfrom the state of the mind far more than from any external circumstances\nwhatever; reason and religion prescribe, that, after due caution and\nadmonition, persons should be permitted to determine ultimately for\nthemselves, without being subjected to the miserable alternative of\naccepting parental choice or forfeiting parental fondness.\n\nIncongruous connexions may also originate in one or both of the parties\nhaving suffered _previous disappointment._ Young persons under the pang\noccasioned by the failure of a romantic attachment, foolishly resolve no\nmore to consult affection, or even to allow it any share in the\ndetermination of their choice. They imagine it needless any longer to\nexpect happiness, because they cannot possess the individual they supposed\nalone capable of promoting it, and repair to marriage merely as a refuge\nfrom solitude or from reproach. In such cases, they deem it of\ncomparatively trifling consequence with whom they connect themselves,\nrefusing to admit it possible that they should ever more obtain peace\nof mind.\n\nNothing, however, can be more delusive than such a feeling. The immaturity\nof the judgment at the early age of first attachments, renders it probable\nthat they may not, in reality, have made the best selection, and that\ntheir preferences were determined rather by casual circumstances and\naccidental impressions, than any knowledge of character or any perception\nof solid qualities. If the comfort of life depended upon the success of\nearly predilections, it is probable few would be happy; but Providence has\nwisely ordered it otherwise, by constituting it independent of arbitrary\nassociations. Let not the young, therefore, precipitate themselves into\nimproper connexions--into connexions not founded on principle, and not\ncemented by love, through indulging the notion that the gratification of a\nfirst romantic attachment is essential to happiness, and that if\ndisappointed, it is of no importance whether they become united to a\ngentle Isaac or a churlish Nabal; because, in reality, the prize is yet to\nbe won, the jewel is yet attainable, and Providence may have kindly\nfrustrated a present wish, to bestow ultimately a more substantial\nbenefit. \"The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh\nto direct his steps.\" Our utmost efforts cannot arrest or accelerate the\nwheel of destiny, which is turned by a secret and invisible power, that\nraises or depresses, subserves or frustrates our purposes, _irresistibly_\nindeed, but not _arbitrarily_; making \"all things work together for good\nto them that love God.\"\n\nThe history before us represents David as still a wanderer from wilderness\nto wilderness, and reduced to great extremity. Hearing of the\nextraordinary festivities observed upon the occasion of Nabal's shearing\nhis sheep, from which he inferred his opulence, ten messengers were sent\nto him to solicit, in the most respectful manner, a supply of provisions.\nIt was intimated, that David had not availed himself of the power which\nthe Arab emirs are accustomed to assume, of seizing whatever they need,\nbut on the contrary, had afforded protection, instead of exercising\nviolence. [36]\n\nNabal not only refused to comply with the request, but returned an\ninsulting answer, which the young men carried to their master. David felt\nthe utmost indignation, and instantly prepared to resent the affront. The\npersecutions of Saul being no more than he expected, were borne with a\nfortitude, and requited by a forbearance which cannot but excite our\nadmiration; but the unlooked-for barbarity of Nabal took him by surprise,\nand threw him into a rage. We cannot justify his hostile preparations, nor\nlook without regret upon his rash proceeding, in taking four hundred of\nhis armed followers to destroy Nabal. How unlike David, the man after\nGod's own heart, who had been so long trained in the school of\naffliction, and so often manifested a very different spirit! Alas, bow\neasily are the best of men \"led into temptation;\" and how necessary is it\nto exercise vigilance, not only over our \"easy besetting sins,\" but over\nwhat we deem the least vulnerable points of our character! Neglecting the\nrequisite precautions, we may be taken even on the strongest side, and at\nthe most unexpected moment.\n\nOne of the servants informed Abigail of what had occurred, stating the\nmessage of David, and the behaviour of her husband; and, at the same time,\nrepresenting the civility with which the former had conducted himself\ntowards the shepherds.\n\nA person of less understanding might have said, \"Let these rival chiefs\nsettle the matter between themselves; my husband had an undoubted right to\ndo what he pleased with his own, and he has the means of defending himself\nfrom a vindictive stranger.\" But Abigail wisely listened to the\ninformation communicated by the servant, and instantly adopted a plan,\nwhich seemed indeed the only one calculated to avert the threatened blow.\nShe took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready\ndressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of\nraisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, which she hastened to present\nto David.\n\nThis was excellent management. Had she repaired to her husband, and\nendeavoured to pacify his turbulent spirit by remonstrance, reason, or\nentreaty, the probability is she would have met with a repulse, and\ndisabled herself from any further interference. Had she merely _sent_ the\nsupply with which the asses were laden, the indignant son of Jesse might,\nvery possibly, have returned it as insufficient, or pressed on with his\narmed men to compel Nabal to make reparation for the affront he had\nventured to offer. This skilful negotiator, however, goes herself to\nsettle the contention which had so suddenly arisen; and never, surely, was\na better arranged or more successful expedition.\n\nThe moment Abigail perceived David, she alighted from her ass, and,\nfalling prostrate at his feet, addressed him in language well calculated\nto accomplish her wishes. Every thing was in perfect contrast with the\nbehaviour of Nabal--her suppliant posture--the respectful term she\nchooses, calling him _lord_--the appropriation of her husband's fault to\nherself--the apology she offers for him, by representing his conduct as\nresulting rather from a momentary impulse than any settled malignity, as\nthe general failing of his nature, not the effect of any personal\nmalevolence--the ignorance she professes of the request which David had\nsent, insinuating that otherwise he would have received a very different\nreturn--her apparent assurance of success, delicately intimating the happy\ncircumstance of his being restrained from shedding blood in a momentary\nfit of passion--her offer of the magnificent present she had prepared--her\ncongratulation upon his achievements--her confident anticipations of his\nfuture triumphs, and final establishment in the kingdom--her reference to\nProvidence--her suggestion, that it would hereafter prove a source of\nsatisfaction that he had been prevented from committing an act which,\nwhatever were the provocation, must be painful to recollect, and which\nmust rather afflict his conscience than grace his laurels--all these\ntopics were well introduced, and urged with a tone of eloquence that\nproved irresistible. David takes the present, thanks Abigail for her\ninterposition, and dismisses her, with the assurance that he had\n\"hearkened to her voice, and accepted her person.\"\n\nUpon her return she found Nabal in a state of intoxication, totally\ndisregardful of danger, and ignorant of the ruin from which his prudent\nwife had procured his deliverance. Thus do multitudes sport upon the brink\nof everlasting destruction, heedless of the justice they have provoked,\nand solicitous only of consuming those hours, and days, and years, in\nindulgence, which ought to be devoted to repentance. Let the \"lovers of\npleasure\" reflect on three short maxims, \"He that will not fear, shall\n_feel_, the wrath of Heaven--He that lives in the kingdom of _Sense_ shall\ndie in the kingdom of _Sorrow_--He shall never truly enjoy his _present_\nhour who never thinks on his _last_.\" [37]\n\nAbigail properly resolved to defer any conversation with Nabal till the\nmorning, when she disclosed the whole affair. The surprise was so great\nthat \"his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.\" Ten days\nafterward he was smitten by the hand of God, and descended without honour\ninto the grave. No one could esteem him while living, and no one regretted\nhim when dead.\n\nThe news of this event having been conveyed to David, he expressed his\ngrateful sense of the divine goodness in keeping him from the execution of\nhis rash project, and in thus vindicating his cause by a signal\ninterference. As he had been deeply impressed with the personal charms and\ngood understanding of Abigail, and as no obstacle seemed to exist to\nprevent their union, he took the first opportunity of proposing to marry\nher; to which, with becoming expressions of humility and modesty, she\nconsented.\n\n\"It was a fair suit,\" says Bishop Hall, \"to change a David for a Nabal; to\nbecome David's queen, instead of Nabal's drudge! She, that learned\nhumility under so hard a tutor, abaseth herself no less when David offers\nto advance her: 'Let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the\nservants of my lord.' None are so fit to be great as those that can stoop\nlowest. How could David be more happy in a wife? He finds at once piety,\nwisdom, humility, faithfulness, wealth, beauty. How could Abigail be more\nhappy in a husband, than in the prophet, the champion, the anointed of\nGod? Those marriages are well made, wherein virtues are matched and\nhappiness is mutual.\"\n\n\n\n\nThe Queen of Sheba.\n\nChapter XII.\n\n\n\n  David's Anxiety for his Son--its happy Issue--Solomon's Prayer, and the\n  Answer of God--Solomon's Riches and Fame--the Queen of Sheba's\n  visit--her Country ascertained--such Solicitude for Wisdom not\n  common--She proves Solomon with hard Questions--her Desire of Knowledge\n  worthy of Imitation--Solomon's Conduct--his Buildings--the Queen's\n  congratulatory Address--Reflections--her Presents to Solomon, and his to\n  the Queen of Sheba--Christ's Application of the Subject.\n\n\nThe pious solicitude of David, the king of Israel, in his last hours, for\nhis son and successor, is thus recorded in the closing chapter of the\nfirst book of Chronicles: \"Give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to\nkeep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes.\" With this\nprayer he connected suitable and impressive advice, \"Thou Solomon my son,\nknow thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and\nwith a willing mind; for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth\nall the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found\nof thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.\"\n\nParental piety does not always influence, as it ought, those who by their\ndomestic privileges are most favourably situated for witnessing it: to all\nhuman appearance, the language of kind remonstrance or entreaty has been\noften useless, the petitions of fervent desire have failed, and the tears\nof pure affection have flowed in vain. The present instance, however,\nfurnishes a pleasing exception to this remark; for upon Solomon's\naccession to the throne, he appointed a solemn festival at Gibeon before\nthe tabernacle of Moses; and during the night, in which the God of Israel\ndesired that he would ask what he should bestow upon him, he presented a\npetition, no less distinguished by its singularity in such circumstances,\nthan by its excellence and success. \"And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast\nshowed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his\nstead. Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father, be\nestablished; for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the\nearth in multitude. Give me now WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE, that I may go out\nand come in before this people; for who can judge this thy people that is\nso great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and\nthou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine\nenemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and\nknowledge, that thou mayest judge my people over whom I have made thee\nking; WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE is GRANTED UNTO THEE; and I will give thee\nRICHES, and WEALTH, and HONOUR, such as none of the kings have had that\nhave been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.\"\n\nThe inspired description of Solomon's magnificence may justly excite\nastonishment--a magnificence which extended to \"all his drinking vessels,\nwhich were of gold; and all the vessels of the house of the forest of\nLebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: It was nothing accounted\nof in the days of Solomon.\" It is natural to imagine, that the fame of so\nremarkable a prince, concurring with the comparative ease with which gold\nand silver were procurable, would contribute to establish that taste for\nsplendour which has ever distinguished the potentates of the East. It is\nstated by Sir J. Chardin, that the plate of the king of Persia is of pure\ngold, originally made by Shah Abbas, the most glorious of the princes of\nthe Sefi royal family; who, for this purpose, melted seven thousand two\nhundred marks, or nearly thirty six thousand English troy ounces of _the\npurest gold_. But Solomon, according to the testimony of Scripture, was\nthe most opulent prince that ever sat upon a throne. His annual revenues\nwere six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, exclusive of the supply he\nreceived from the customs and from tributary nations. A talent weighed\nthree thousand shekels, and a shekel two hundred and nineteen grains. The\nking employed a navy, which, with the assistance of Tyrian vessels and\nnavigators, who were esteemed the most skilful in the world, fetched gold\nand silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks, from Ophir, by the way of the red\nsea. This voyage occupied three years.\n\nIn comparing the extremes of human society, the riches of a Solomon with\nthe poverty of a Bartimeus, it becomes us to recognize the hand of a\nmysterious though wise Providence. He who fixed the stars of the firmament\nin their proper places, determines, independently of all human control,\nthe orders of society and the sphere of the individual; and it is no less\nconsolatory than obvious, that the equitable rule by which a final\njudgment of our character is to be determined, will measure the extent of\nour responsibility, by an impartial estimate of our situation, our\nopportunities, and our respective talents.\n\nAttracted by the celebrity of Solomon, the QUEEN OF SHEBA came to\nJerusalem, with a train and presents suited to his dignity and her own.\nAlthough the sovereigns of neighbouring nations paid similar visits of\nceremony and of curiosity, yet this illustrious woman is particularly\nnoticed in the sacred page, on account perhaps of her sex, her\ninquisitiveness, the remoteness of her situation, the magnificence of her\nequipage and offerings; but especially the piety of her views, and the\nimpressive language of her devout admiration.\n\nThe date of this interview with the king of Israel may be referred, with\nsufficient accuracy, to the year of the world three thousand and twelve,\nor nine hundred and ninety-two before the Christian era. This was\nsubsequent to the completion of the temple and of the royal houses. A\nvariety of opinions have prevailed respecting the kingdom of Sheba; and\nsome have supposed, though without sufficient reason, that this is the\nname of the queen herself, and not of her country or capital. The\nprobability is, that _Sheba_, situated in the southern part of Arabia\nFelix, and on the eastern coast of the Red Sea, is intended. Moses speaks\nof Sheba, the son Joktan, a descendant of Eber, and more remotely of Shem;\nand ancient authors represent his descendants, the _Sabeans_, as peopling\nthis district of Arabia, the metropolis of whose kingdom was denominated\n_Sheba_ or _Saba_. It appears from authentic testimony, that they were\naccustomed to female government; and Bochart proves, by numerous\ncitations, that the kingdom of Sheba was called by the Jews _the country\nof the South_, which explains the phraseology of our Lord in the twelfth\nchapter of Matthew. The geographical accuracy of this statement is further\ncorroborated, by comparing the description which the inspired historian\nrecords of the gifts presented by this queen to Solomon, with the language\nof Pliny and Herodotus: the former of whom says, \"that odoriferous woods\nwere in use only in this country, and that the Sabean consumed them in\ndressing their food;\" and the latter, \"that the Arabians took a thousand\ntalents of frankincense every year to Darius.\" We deem it proper to avoid\ninvolving ourselves in a labyrinth of geographical difficulties, and have\ntherefore simply stated the result of our inquiries; which however may\nfurnish us with, at least, one serious reflection. How transitory and how\ncontemptible is human glory! It is not peculiar to the poor and the\ndestitute to be forgotten, to have their dwellings and their names perish\namidst the desolations of time; such is nearly the fate of one of the most\nremarkable sovereigns of antiquity, whose visit to the greatest potentate\nof the eastern world is so celebrated in Scripture. What mean our trifling\ncares--our incessant solicitude about temporal possessions and worldly\ndistinctions? The house we now inhabit will soon be demolished and swept\naway by the flood of time--the name by which we are distinguished, and the\nannals of our short period of temporal existence, will soon be scarcely\nremembered by our successor--all our glory will be covered with the\ndarkness of death! Shall we not, therefore, aim to secure an incorruptible\ninheritance in the skies, and an unfading pre-eminence in the records of\neternity? \"The _righteous_ shall be had in everlasting remembrance.\"\n\nThe design of the queen of Sheba, in repairing to Jerusalem, was not\nmerely to pay a visit of ceremony. She \"heard of his fame concerning the\nname of the Lord,\" and \"she came to prove him with hard questions.\" The\nreport, not only of the riches, splendour, and wisdom of Solomon, but also\nof the miraculous interferences of the God of Israel on behalf of his\npeople, and of his peculiar favour to this monarch, had reached the\ndistant residence of this Arabian queen; and so deep was the interest it\nexcited in her bosom, that she determined to undertake a journey, long and\nhazardous as it might be, for the sake of investigating these\nextraordinary facts. It is evident she attached a considerable degree of\ncredibility to the representations she had received; and relying no longer\nupon subordinate means of information, she resolved upon a course of\ndiligent inquiry. When and where shall we discover a similar zeal to\nacquire a knowledge of \"the glorious Gospel of the blessed God?\" How often\nhave Christian ministers occasion to adopt the prophetic strain, \"Who hath\nbelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?\" How\noften do all the personal excellencies, the moral glories of him who is\ndescribed as \"a greater than Solomon,\" fail to attract mankind? Satisfied\nwith mere report--few apply to the sacred Scriptures as the immediate and\npurest means of instruction in \"the truth as it is in Jesus,\" after the\nlong-recorded example of the ancient Bereans, who \"received the word (of\nPaul and Silas) with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures\ndaily, whether those things were so.\"\n\nBishop Hall very pertinently remarks, \"No doubt many, from all coasts,\ncame to learn and wonder, none with so much note as this noble daughter of\nCham; who herself deserves the next wonder to him whom she came to hear\nand admire: that a woman, a princess, a rich and great queen, should\ntravel from the remotest south, from Sheba, a region famous for the\ngreatest delicacies of nature, to learn wisdom, is a matchless example. We\nknow merchants that venture to either Indies for wealth; others we know\ndaily to cross the seas for wanton curiosity; some few philosophers we\nhave known to have gone far for learning; and among princes, it is no\nunusual thing to send their ambassadors to far distant kingdoms, for\ntransaction of business either of state or commerce: but that a royal lady\nshould in person undertake and overcome so tedious a journey, only to\nobserve and inquire into the mysteries of nature, art, religion, is a\nthing past both parallel and imitation. Why do we think any labour great,\nor any way long, to hear a greater than Solomon? How justly shall the\nqueen of the South rise up in judgment, and condemn us, who may hear\nwisdom crying in our streets, and neglect her?\"\n\nAmong princely cares, the ardent search of truth can seldom be enumerated,\nthough it be a most honourable and beneficial employment. Those whom\nProvidence has placed in an elevated situation are usually too much\noccupied with themselves, their pleasures, their pomp, and their ambitious\nprojects, to listen to the dictates, or to search out the mysteries of\nwisdom. The concerns of an extensive empire furnish a plausible pretext\nfor neglecting the great interest of piety, which a deceived heart is\nready to plead in extenuation of a conduct condemned alike by reason,\nconscience, and revelation. But let the rulers of nations observe David,\nSolomon, and others of the kings of Israel; the splendour of whose earthly\nglory was eclipsed by the superior brightness of their heavenly wisdom;\nand whose names are written upon, the sacred page, not so much, because\nthey were _men of rank_, as because they were _men of God_. The command\nof Jesus Christ is of prime importance and of universal obligation, \"Seek\nFIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness;\" and unless it can be\ndemonstrated that he has made one code of laws for the prince and another\nfor the peasant, or that his precepts possess an accommodating flexibility\nsuited to the prejudices and passions of mankind, no exception can be for\na moment admitted. As there is no royal road to the heights of human\nscience, but all who attain them must ascend by assiduous and persevering\napplication, so there is none to the summit of celestial felicity; but\npersons of every class, rank, sex, and age, must follow Christ in the same\nunsmoothed path of repentance and self-denial. Hence, such is the\nbewitching influence of worldly splendour, so numerous and so powerful the\nattractions of opulence, that we have daily and hourly proofs of the\napostle's statement: \"Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,\nnot many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the weak things of the\nworld, to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the\nworld, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things\nwhich are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should\nglory in his presence.\" But happily the long scroll of history is here and\nthere embellished with a name, which combines the glory that confers\npre-eminence in the present world, with the grace that secures everlasting\ndistinction in the next.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 892.]\n\nThis celebrated princess is said to have visited Solomon, \"to prove him\nwith hard questions,\" by which have generally been understood enigmatical\npuzzles. Some of these are to be found in sacred writ, of which the riddle\nwhich Samson proposed to the young men of Timnath, is a very ancient and\ncurious specimen. It appears from the writings of the ancients, that the\nGreeks and all the Eastern nations, were singularly attached to enigmas.\nPlutarch, in his Feast of the Seven Sages, introduces the following\nquestions proposed by Amasis, the king of Egypt, to the king of Ethiopia:\n\"What is the most ancient thing--what the most beautiful--what the\nlargest--what the wisest--what the most common--what the most useful--what\nthe most hurtful--what the strongest--and what the most easy?\" To which the\nking of Ethiopia replied, \"The most ancient thing is time--the most\nbeautiful is light--the largest is the world--the wisest is truth--the\nmost common is death--the most useful is God--the most hurtful is the\ndevil--the strongest is fortune--and the most easy, to follow one's own\ninclination.\" In the book of Proverbs, we find several series of this\ndescription, which originally might have been answers to questions of a\nsimilar nature. Among others, we have this very curious and beautiful\nstatement: \"There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they\nare exceeding wise; the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare\ntheir meat in the summer; the conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they\ntheir houses in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all\nof them by bands; the spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings'\npalaces.\" To the same class may be referred the following paragraph in the\nthird chapter of Ecclesiastes: \"To every thing there is a season, and a\ntime to every purpose under the heaven: a 'time to be born, and a time to\ndie; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time\nto kill, and a time to heal: a time to break down, and a time to build up;\na time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;\na time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time\nto embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a\ntime to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and\na time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to\nlove, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.\"\n\nEnigmatical questions and answers may easily degenerate into mere childish\namusement: but it is due to the celebrity of the queen of Sheba, to\nsuppose that her inquiries were principally directed to the great purpose\nof information. She was indeed curious to _prove_ Solomon, to ascertain\nwhether his reputation for wisdom were the result of mere courtly\npanegyric and flattering report, or whether it really originated in a\nsupernatural endowment--but still more anxious to acquire knowledge\n\"concerning the name of the Lord.\" While, therefore, she discovered a\nlaudable desire of information upon subjects connected with the\nimprovement of her mind, in general knowledge, and in political wisdom;\nshe aspired after a more intimate acquaintance with that heavenly truth,\nwhich had hitherto been almost exclusively communicated to the descendants\nof Abraham. In this she may be exhibited as a pattern for the particular\nimitation of her own sex. No exterior accomplishments, no personal\nattractions can reconcile an intelligent observer to an ignorant mind;\nwhile such an one would be easily persuaded to dispense with external\nbeauty, for the sake of mental and moral worth. He would prize the jewel,\nand overlook the inferiority of the casket. Curiosity is one of the most\npowerful principles of our nature, and may be indulged where it is not\nperverted. Let a woman assiduously cultivate, in early life especially,\nher mental faculties, and cherish an inquisitive spirit upon all the\nsubjects of knowledge within the reach of her pursuit, still under the\nconstant regulation of modesty and her sister graces; and let her never\nfor a moment imagine, that knowledge is inimical either to her personal\nhappiness and influence, or to her domestic duties. So far, indeed, as an\nintemperate persuit of learning disqualifies a woman for the sphere which\nProvidence has allotted her, so far as she is rendered proud, pedantic,\nunsocial, assuming, and negligent of the proper business of every day in\nher family, it is to be discouraged; not from the consideration that\n_knowledge_ is an evil, but the _misuse_ of it. Its legitimate tendency is\nto improve the female character--to polish off the asperities and\nroughnesses occasioned by the indulgence of pride--to teach her the proper\nduties of her station, and the best means of discharging them--to elevate\nher into the interesting and intelligent companion of social and domestic\nlife--to constitute her the best instructor of her children, at that early\nperiod when the first buddings of intellect are discernible, the first\ntendencies of the mind begin to be developed, and the character for time,\nperhaps for eternity, is to be formed. It is then under the hand of\nmaternal tenderness the model of the future man or woman is to be made;\nfor it is seldom, even in the most unhappy cases of apostacy, that traces\nof this early formation are by any circumstances totally obliterated.\n\nBut while we plead for the cultivation of the youthful mind, by a diligent\nuse of all the advantages which are afforded to impart knowledge, be it\nremembered, that the \"wisdom which is from above\" must not only be\nsought--but sought _first,_ as of paramount importance. With all our\nconscious superiority in other respects, if destitute of the knowledge of\n\"the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent,\" we shall prove\nbut as \"a sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal.\" Our boasted\nattainments, as enhancing our responsibility, will minister to our final\ncondemnation; and while imagining we have been defective in nothing, we\nshall feel the everlasting remorse connected with the conviction of having\nforgotten or despised the \"ONE thing NEEDFUL.\"--\n\n  \"'Tis Religion that can give\n  Sweetest pleasures while we live;\n  'Tis Religion can supply\n  Choicest comforts when we die.\"\n\nSolomon conducted himself to the queen of Sheba in a manner highly worthy\nof his wisdom, and instructive to those who are distinguished from others\nby any natural or acquired superiority. He was neither reserved nor\nimpatient, but suffered her to \"commune with him of all that was in her\nheart. And Solomon told her all her questions; there was not any thing hid\nfrom the king, which he told her not.\" It ill becomes those who can teach,\nto be supercilious and uncommunicative. As the rich are required to supply\nthe necessities of the poor with a judicious liberality, being expressly\nappointed as the trustees of Providence, and dispensers of its bounty; and\nas those who withhold, when it is in the power of their hands to give, are\nunfaithful stewards; so, persons qualified to be the instructors of\nothers, or who assume a station which presupposes such a qualification,\nought to exert their talents and employ their time for the benefit of the\nuninformed. Is not this a lesson for the ministers of the sanctuary? For\nwhat purpose is \"heavenly treasure\" committed to \"earthen vessels?\" Is it\nnot for distribution? Are they not made rich in spiritual gifts, graces,\nand knowledge, that, instead of monopolizing their spiritual possessions,\nthey may aim to supply and enrich an impoverished world? The true\nministerial spirit breathes in the language of Peter to the lame man, who\nwas laid daily at the gate of the temple, \"Silver and gold have I none,\n_but such as I have give I thee_; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,\nrise up and walk.\"\n\nEvery thing her eyes beheld at Jerusalem produced, in the queen of Sheba,\nsurprise and admiration. Accustomed as all the eastern nations were to\nsplendour, she had never before witnessed such an universal and surpassing\nmagnificence. Solomon's wisdom--his house--his luxurious table--his\nservants--his ministers--the temple, and the devotional manner of his\nattendance upon its services, struck her with overwhelming astonishment.\nWhen she had seen all these, \"there was no more spirit in her.\"\n\nIt is easy to imagine that the TEMPLE, a structure which has been admired\nin every age for its unparalleled glory, and for which such minute\ndirections were given by Jehovah himself, must have attracted particular\nnotice; especially when it is considered, that the science of architecture\nwas, at that period, in a very infantine state, compared to its subsequent\nprogress amongst the Greeks and Romans, and that temples were a species of\nbuilding probably unknown to the queen of Sheba. It is notorious that the\nPersians, who worshipped the sun, erected no temple, from a persuasion it\nwould be derogatory to his glory who had the whole world for his\nhabitation; and hence the magi exhorted Xerxes to destroy all the temples\nin his expedition to Greece. The Bithynians worshipped on the mountains,\nthe ancient Germans in the woods; and Diogenes, Zeno, and the Stoics,\nexpressly condemned the erection of such edifices. The Arabians rendered\nhomage to the sun, stars, and planets; and their religion resembled the\nancient Chaldean superstition. The illustrious visitor of Solomon must,\ntherefore, have been confounded at an architectural magnificence so\nsuperior to any thing she had ever before witnessed.\n\nThe inspired historian also mentions the house of the forest of Lebanon;\nhis own palace, which occupied thirteen years in building; a house for\nPharaoh's daughter whom he married; with other expensive erections. \"All\nthese were of costly stones, (according to the measures of hewed stones,\nsawed with saws,) within and without, even from the foundation unto the\ncoping, and so on the outside towards the great court. And the foundation\nwas of costly stones, even great stones; stones of ten cubits, and stones\nof eight cubits. And above were costly stones, (after the measures of\nhewed stones) and cedars.\"\n\nJosephus gives the following amplified description of these buildings:\n\"This house (the king's palace) was a large and curious building, and was\nsupported by many pillars, which Solomon built to contain a multitude for\nhearing causes, and taking cognizance of suits. It was sufficiently\ncapacious to contain a great body of men, who would come together to have\ntheir causes determined. It was a hundred cubits long, and fifty broad,\nand thirty high, supported by quadrangular pillars, which were all of\ncedar, but its roof was according to the Corinthian order, with folding\ndoors, and their adjoining pillars of equal magnitude, each fluted with\nthree cavities; which building was at once firm and very ornamental. There\nwas also another house so ordered, that its entire breadth was placed in\nthe middle; it was quadrangular, and its breadth was thirty cubits, having\na temple over against it, raised upon massy pillars; in which temple there\nwas a large and very glorious room, wherein the king sat in judgment. To\nthis was joined another house, that was built for his queen. There were\nother smaller edifices for diet, and for sleep, after public matters were\nover; and these were all floored with boards of cedar. Some of these\nSolomon built with stones of ten cubits, and wainscotted the walls with\nother stones that were sawed, and were of great value, such as are dug out\nof the earth for the ornaments of temples, and to make fine prospects in\nroyal palaces, and which make the mines whence they are dug famous. Now\nthe contexture of the curious workmanship of these stones was in three\nrows, but the fourth row would make one admire its sculptures, whereby\nwere represented trees, and all sorts of plants, with the shades that\narose from their branches, and leaves that hung down from them. Those\ntrees and plants covered the stone that was beneath them, and their leaves\nwere wrought so prodigiously thin and subtle, that you would think they\nwere in motion: but the other part up to the roof was plastered over, and,\nas it were, embroidered with colours and pictures. He moreover built other\nedifices for pleasure; as also very long cloisters, and those situate in\nan agreeable place of the palace; and among them a most glorious\ndining-room, for feastings and compotations, and full of gold, and such\nother furniture as so fine a room ought to have for the conveniency of the\nguests, and where all the vessels were made of gold. Now it is very hard\nto reckon up the magnitude and the variety of the royal apartments; how\nmany rooms there were of the largest sort; how many of a bigness inferior\nto those; and how many that were subterraneous and invisible; the\ncuriosity of those that enjoyed the fresh air; and the groves for the most\ndelightful prospect, for the avoiding the heat, and covering of their\nbodies. And to say all in brief, Solomon made the whole building entirely\nof white stone, and cedar wood, and gold, and silver. He also adorned the\nroofs and walls with stones set in gold, and beautified them thereby in\nthe same manner as he had beautified the temple of God with the like\nstones. He also made himself a throne of prodigious bigness, of ivory,\nconstructed as a seat of justice, and having six steps to it; on every one\nof which stood, on each end of the step, two lions, two other lions\nstanding above also; but at the sitting-place of the throne, hands came\nout and received the king; and when he sat backward, he rested on half a\nbullock, that looked towards his back, but still all was fastened together\nwith gold.\" [38]\n\nIf human happiness were uniformly proportionate to the degree of elevation\nin the scale of society, and the extent of worldly riches, some plausible\npretence might be framed for that eager ambition which characterizes so\nlarge a part of mankind; but, if Solomon may be congratulated as\nremarkably happy, this arose not from his being unusually rich, but\npre-eminently wise. In vain does any one expect substantial enjoyment, who\ndespises or neglects religion; while he who possesses it can never be\nmiserable. \"Having nothing, he yet possesses all things.\" If it be not our\ncondition, but the state of our mind, that constitutes the blessedness of\nlife, exterior circumstances can neither confer nor deprive us of real\npeace. The \"contentment\" which \"godliness\" imparts, is \"great gain;\"\nbecause it renders its possessor, in a high degree, independent of the\nvicissitudes that agitate this terrestrial scene, raises him above the\ntempests of this transitory state of existence to a higher sphere, and\nadmits him into the very precincts of heaven. If Solomon had been endowed\nwith _wealth_, but remained destitute of _wisdom_, we should have looked\ndown upon his earthly splendour as a fading dream, or as the tinsel\ndecoration of a littleness which, by this means, became the more\ncontemptible; had he been possessed of _wisdom_ without _wealth_, we\nshould still have regarded him as the first of our species, and rich in\nall the requisites of real felicity.\n\nHaving recovered from the ecstacy which the first impression of Solomon's\nwisdom and magnificence produced, the queen of Sheba said to the king, \"It\nwas a true report, that I beard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy\nwisdom. Howbeit, I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had\nseen it; and, behold, the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity\nexceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy\nservants which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom,\nBlessed be the Lord thy God which delighteth in thee, to set thee on the\nthrone of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made\nhe thee king to do judgment and justice.\"\n\nMany reflections occur upon reading this noble panegyric. Nothing is so\nconducive to the true glory of a monarch, and the real interests of his\npeople, as an entire self-devotement to the proper business of government.\nHe who avoids the splendid course of ambition, to cultivate the arts of\npeace, and to promote, by judicious regulations, the internal welfare of\nhis dominions, may not always glitter upon the page of history; but will\nlive in the hearts of his people, and be embalmed in their grateful\nrecollections. He will have the satisfaction, when commanded by Providence\nto lay aside his crown, to leave to his subjects what is infinitely better\nthan extended empire, an _example_ worthy of their imitation.\n\nIt becomes us to recognize a superintending providence in the appointment\nof rulers to their stations--to remember that \"promotion cometh neither\nfrom the east, nor from the west, nor from the south; but God is judge, he\nputteth down one, and setteth up another\"--and that the gift of a good\nking is a mark of favour, and ought to excite a people's gratitude. It was\nbecause \"the Lord loved Israel forever,\" that Solomon was placed upon the\nthrone. Confining our attention solely to second causes, and the limited\nhorizon of the political theatre, we may frequently perceive nothing but\nconfusion--the struggles of ambition--the uproar of passion--the ravings\nof impiety--the clash of arms--the subversion of thrones--the desolation\nof provinces--the flow of human blood--and an interminable series of\nchanges, both unexpected and mysterious;--but when the light of Scripture\nbreaks upon the dark and troubled scene, it discloses the footsteps of\nDeity walking in the midst of the storm, regulating all human affairs, and\nrendering every occurrence subservient to his own omniscient purposes.\nWith these discordant elements he is moulding future events, and preparing\nto exhibit to the admiration of the intelligent universe, \"a new heaven\nand a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.\"\n\nComparing, further, the situation of the servants and courtiers of\nSolomon, with that of others in Pagan countries, we cannot help uniting in\nthe congratulations of his noble visiter, and remarking the advantage of\nreligious connexions in general. Wicked association is the bane of human\nsociety, and fatally conducive to the confirmation of evil habits and\nprinciples, or to the excitement of them. Such persons, therefore, as are\nconnected with the people of God, who have pious parents or friends, or\nwho are servants in religious families, cannot be too grateful to\nProvidence, or too solicitous of improving their advantages. Let them be\nattentive to the instructions they receive, and anxious to understand and\njoin in the devotions which are offered on the domestic altar.\n\nBut this congratulatory strain of the queen of Sheba may be applied to the\nChristian age, and to \"a greater than Solomon.\" Jesus Christ is \"king in\nZion,\" and happy are his servants which stand continually before him, to\nhear his wisdom; happy they who have \"the glorious Gospel\" in their\npossession, and, by means of the evangelical historians of the New\nTestament, witness the actions and hear the words of this divine\nInstructor! The intelligence that distinguished the king of Israel was but\na single beam of light from the \"Sun of Righteousness,\" by whom all\nspiritual knowledge is communicated to the world--who is the fountain of\nall wisdom, and whose glory will for ever irradiate and beautify a\nredeemed universe. When believers ascend above this inferior state of\nexistence into the presence of God and the Lamb, notwithstanding all the\ncommunications of inspired penmen in the sacred page--owing to the\nimperfection of human language, and the circumstances of man, which, in\nsome cases, render further instructions _impossible_, in others\n_improper_--such will be their discoveries of the glory of Jesus Christ,\nthat the language of the queen of Sheba will prove peculiarly descriptive\nof their feelings, \"behold, the half was not told me.\" And even here\nexperienced piety exclaims, \"whom having not seen we love; in whom, though\nnow we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND\nFULL OF GLORY.\"\n\nThe queen of Sheba did not return to her country till she had given\nSolomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, besides a great quantity of\nspices and precious stones; a present, for which the king made suitable\nacknowledgments, by giving her \"all her desire; whatsoever she asked,\nbesides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.\" Harmer remarks,\n\"this appears strange to us; but is perfectly agreeable to modern Eastern\nusages, which are allowed to be derived from remote antiquity.\n\n\"A reciprocal giving and receiving royal gifts has nothing in it strange;\nbut the supposition of the sacred historian, that this Arabian queen\n_asked_ for some things she saw in the possession of king Solomon, is what\nsurprises us. However, the practice is very common to this day in the\nEast--it is not there looked upon as any degradation to dignity, or any\nmark of rapacious meanness.\n\n\"Irwin's publication [39] affords many instances of such a custom, among\nvery considerable people, both in Arabia and Egypt, though not equal in\npower to the queen that visited king Solomon. They demanded from time to\ntime, such things as they saw, and which happened to please them; arms,\nvestments, &c. What the things were that so struck the queen of Sheba, as\nthat _she asked_ for them, and which Solomon did not before apprehend\nwould be particularly pleasing to her, the sacred historian has not told\nus, nor can we pretend to guess.\n\n\"Many other travellers have mentioned this custom, and shown that the\ngreat people of that country not only expect presents, but will directly,\nand without circumlocutions, ask for what they have a mind to have, and\nexpect that their requisitions should be readily complied with; while,\nwith us, it would be looked on as extremely mean, and very degrading to an\nexalted character.\" [40]\n\nThis reciprocation of presents may be considered as illustrative of that\nhomage which it becomes every heart to render to the Son of God, and of\nthose divine communications of grace with which he will ever enrich the\nbeliever. We cannot indeed enhance his glory by the most splendid\nliberalities, or the most costly offerings; but he solemnly requires, and\ngraciously deigns to accept our penitence and our obedience. \"The\nsacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O\nGod, thou wilt not despise.\" Whatever be the present state of the world,\nit is pleasing to reflect that an omnipotent Providence is hastening the\ntriumphs of Christ; and to this wise and glorious King of Israel, all the\ntribes of the earth shall ultimately present their best offerings and\ntheir united affections. \"The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles, shall\nbring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all\nkings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him.\"\n\nBut what shall be said to those who refuse submission to the authority of\nJesus Christ, and reject the blessings of his salvation? How pungent was\nhis address to the Jewish nation, and how applicable to such characters in\nthe present age! \"The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment\nwith this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the\nuttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a\ngreater than Solomon is here.\" The queen of Sheba only had access to the\nwisdom of _Solomon_--but you have access to the wisdom _Christ_--she came\nfrom a _very distant region_--but \"the word is _nigh thee,_ even in thy\nmouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach\"--she\ncame _uninvited,_ and upon the hazard of a favourable reception--but you\nare _requested_ and _urged_ to come to Jesus, and partake of the\nprovisions which cover the well-spread table of his grace. His supplies\nare spiritual, and therefore invaluable. He does not promise gold, but\ndispenses \"grace and glory.\"--He confers not the fading honours and\ntransient distinctions of this life, but the joys of _salvation,_ the\nblessedness of _heaven_, the riches of ETERNITY!\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Shunammite\n\nChapter XIII.\n\n\n\nSection I.\n\n\n  Characteristic Difference between profane and sacred History--the\n  Shunammite introduced--her Hospitality--Proposes to her Husband to\n  accommodate Elisha with a Chamber--the Gratitude manifested by the\n  Prophet in offering to speak for her to the King--her Reply expressive\n  of Contentment--various Considerations calculated to promote this\n  Disposition--Advantages of a daily and deep Impression of the transitory\n  Nature of our Possessions, and of keeping another Life in view.\n\n\nHow strikingly different is the course of profane and sacred history! The\nformer, searching out the most prominent characters that figure upon the\nstage of life, exhibits them in pompous language, and, by emblazoning\ntheir actions with the lustre of high-wrought description and extravagant\npanegyric, conceals from view those moral blemishes which a nearer\ninspection, through the medium of a more dispassionate narrative, would\ndiscover in all their enormity. Hence the Alexanders and C\u00e6sars of the\nworld, whose mighty ambition, in marching to take possession of\nunoffending empires, has trampled on the rights of man, the fruits of\nindustry, and the comforts of domestic life, and whose laurels are died\nwith the blood of humanity, have nevertheless had their names transmitted\nwith loud applause from age to age. High station, noble birth, great\ntalents, or marvellous exploits, though associated with daring crime,\nconstitute a sufficient passport to the historic page, which too often\nextols where it ought to censure: and instructs us to venerate a name\nwhich should rather be execrated.\n\nSacred history pursues a different course. It records, indeed, the actions\nof the unworthy as well as of the pious; not that we should be roused to\nrapturous admiration of their achievements, but, by tracing the dreadful\noutline of their characters, and the fatal consequences of their guilt, be\nincited to avoid their vices. In general, those individuals whom civil\nhistory overlooks, are found in the inspired records, while \"the mighty\"\nand \"the noble\" remain unnoticed. Some few instances, indeed, of the lives\nof great men, in point of station and rank, furnish exceptions to this\nobservation; but they are introduced, not because they were _great_, but\nbecause they were _pious_; or, if impious, because they stood connected\nwith the church of God. Scripture does not so much furnish the history of\nthe world as the history of the church and of human nature. It aims to\ninstruct, not to amuse or astonish; and that, by the exhibition of\ncharacters remarkable in any respect for their efforts to oppose or to\npromote the purposes of eternal wisdom, or for the exhibition, in a\nprivate sphere, of those principles, the knowledge of whose diversified\noperations might prove useful to posterity.\n\nShunem, or Sunam, a city of the tribe Issachar, would have been scarcely\nnoticed or known but for the residence of an opulent female, who is\nHerself rendered forever illustrious in consequence of her friendship for\nthe prophet Elisha, and the eminence of her religion: but, though \"a great\nwoman,\" her name is omitted in the narrative--of so little importance are\nthose distinctions upon which mankind value themselves so highly! She is\nsimply designated _the Shunammite_, after the name of her city.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 835]\n\nThe inspired narrator notices, in the first place, the warmth of her\nhospitality, and its unabating continuance to Elisha. On a certain\noccasion, when he went to Shunem, she urged him to visit her, which issued\nin such a mutual esteem, that \"as oft as he passed by, he turned in\nthither to eat bread.\" Among the ancients, and in a simple state of\nsociety, where the accommodations of modern travelling were unknown, the\nentertainment of strangers was considered as one of the first of duties.\nIn all the Arab villages this necessary practice prevails. The sheikh, or\nprincipal person, generally invites strangers to his house, furnishes them\nwith eggs, butter, curds, honey, olives, and fruit, when there is not\nsufficient time to dress meat: and, if they choose to remain during the\nnight, they are treated with the utmost kindness. The Arabs value\nthemselves highly upon their hospitality. \"How often,\" says one of their\npoets, \"when echo gave me notice of a stranger's approach, have I stirred\nmy fire that it might give a clear blaze. I flew to him as to a prey,\nthrough fear that my neighbours should get possession of him before me.\"\n[41]\n\nThe Scriptures furnish many examples of this duty. Abraham, in\nentertaining three strangers, is said to have \"entertained angels\nunawares;\" Lot received two angels into his house, who appeared as\nstrangers in the streets of Sodom: Job affirms of himself, \"The stranger\ndid not lodge in the street; I opened my doors to the traveller;\" a good\nwidow, in the apostolic age, is described as washing the saints' feet,\nrelieving the afflicted, and _lodging strangers_; and Gaius is represented\nas receiving Christian ministers into his house as his own children.\n\nAlthough a considerable difference of circumstances exists in more\ncivilized countries, and in this age, so as to render such an extensive\nhospitality impossible, as well as in many cases unsafe; yet no change of\ncustom and no lapse of time can preclude the duty itself, or diminish the\nforce of the apostolic admonition, \"be not forgetful to entertain\nstrangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.\" If an\nindiscriminate admission of strangers into the domestic circle might, in\nour case, be productive of great inconveniences, benevolence requires that\nthose acts of kindness should be shown to others which comport with our\nmeans and opportunities, and that we should aim at such moderation in our\nusual expenditure as shall enable us to discharge the obligations of\nChristian charity. How, otherwise, can we \"do unto others as we would that\nothers should do unto us?\" The wheel of Providence is perpetually\nrevolving, and who knows but that he who is now at the summit of worldly\nprosperity, or in the full enjoyment of an easy competence, may soon be\nbrought down to the level of the needy; and, though he may be in a\ncondition to _confer_ kindness to-day, may have to _solicit_ it to-morrow?\nWho can be insensible to the privilege of the Saviour's final benediction,\n\"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from\nthe foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat;\nI was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;\nnaked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison,\nand ye came unto me.\"\n\nThe Shunammite did not entertain a stranger merely, but a prophet; and,\nfrom the conversation of Elisha, doubtless derived that spiritual\nedification which induced her to solicit his future friendship. Others\ncame, departed, and were forgotten; but religion in each heart converted\nthese strangers into friends, and cemented a holy union, which neither\ntime, nor change, nor death, could dissolve.\n\nIt is to be lamented, that the converse even of holy men in Christian\nfamilies is not always tinged with that piety which renders it as \"a sweet\nsavour,\" and too frequently the ministers of the sanctuary fail to enforce\nthe admonitions of the pulpit and fix the sacred impressions of the\nsabbath by \"a conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ.\" What fine\nopportunities do they possess of \"winning souls to Christ,\" or \"building\nup the saints in their most holy faith,\" by the very nature of their\noffice, and the extensive private intercourse to which it admits them! It\nwould be well for _all_ to cultivate that sort of spiritual adroitness for\nwhich _some_ are truly remarkable, who can, with the utmost facility,\nglide from general topics of discourse to religious communications, which\nare so piously, and yet so delicately managed, that the most hostile are\nin some degree conciliated, and even pleased. The apostle of the Gentiles\nthus exhorts Timothy, \"Be thou an example of the believers in word, in\nconversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.\"\n\nThis excellent Shunammite proposed to her husband to accommodate Elisha\nwith a _little chamber_ appropriated to his own use, with which he seems\nreadily to have complied. This is much to the honour of both; to the one\nfor her proposal, to the other for his compliance. It is a happy\ncircumstance where those who have joined hands are united in heart, and,\navoiding the spirit of domination, are equally anxious to fulfil the\nrespective duties of their domestic character. The ground of her\nsolicitation, was that of his being \"a holy man of God,\" which, it is to\nbe feared, would prove a very decisive _objection_ to such a measure in\nmany families, who wish to conceal their gay and licentious habits from\nsuch observance. The suggestion of this pious lady to her husband\nrespecting the accommodation of their agreeable visiter, may remind us of\nthe duty of women, 'to avail themselves of the opportunities with which\nprovidence favours them in married life, to give such useful hints to\ntheir husbands as their benevolence will naturally dictate. The\nmultiplicity of engagements in which the husband is involved, in the\nprosecution of his daily concerns, often precludes those thoughts which\nmight issue in plans of public utility or more private kindness; while the\nwife has leisure for this very important purpose. And to the honour of the\nfemale sex let it be recorded, that the poor and the destitute are\nindebted to the ladies of Britain for originating, and in many cases\ncarrying into execution, some of the noblest schemes of Christian charity.\n\nSeparate buildings, resembling the prophet's chamber, are frequently\nattached to houses in the East, sometimes rising a story higher than the\nhouse, at other times consisting of one or two rooms and a terrace: others\nare built over the porch or gateway, having most of the conveniences\nbelonging to the house itself: they communicate by a door, into the\ngallery of the house, which the master of the family opens or shuts at\nhis pleasure; besides another door, which opens from a private staircase\nimmediately into the porch or street, without giving the least disturbance\nto the house. These back-houses are called _olee_ or _oleah_, and in them\nstrangers are usually lodged and entertained. The little chamber built by\nthe Shunammite for Elisha was probably of this description. To this he had\nfree access, without interfering with the family, or being interrupted by\nthem in his devotions, and from it he might privately retire whenever he\npleased. [42]\n\nThe peculiar simplicity of the furniture in the prophet's chamber cannot\nfail of striking attention: it consisted of a _bed_, a _table_, a _stool_,\nand a _candlestick._ This scanty fitting up of his room is by no means to\nbe attributed to disrespect or negligence: it is rather to be considered\nas characteristic of the simplicity of the times. The intention certainly\nwas to accommodate Elisha in a manner expressive of reverence and esteem.\nThe original term, unhappily rendered _stool_ in our English version,\nsignifies one of the most honourable kind of seats usually placed in an\napartment, and is sometimes translated _throne_. In ancient times, the\nnations of the East were not so universally addicted as they are at\npresent to sitting on the ground upon mats or carpets, but accustomed\nthemselves to raised seats or chairs, which were sometimes sufficiently\nelevated to require a footstool. The _candlestick_ is likewise to be\nconsidered as a mark of respect, if not of magnificence, and its\nparticular use was to keep a light burning the whole night. Dr. Chandler\nmentions a lamp being placed in his room for this purpose in the house of\na Jew, who was vice-consul for the English nation, at the place where he\nlanded when about to visit the ruins of Asia Minor.[43]\n\nIn general, however, the prophets chose to live in the plainest manner:\nthey built their houses with their own hands, and wore a coarse dress of a\ndark brown colour. Instead of availing themselves of the opportunities\nwith which they were often presented of acquiring riches, or of\nfrequenting the luxurious tables of the great, they sometimes refused the\nmost valuable presents. Of this we have a remarkable specimen when Elisha\ndeclined the gifts of Naaman, and inflicted a dreadful punishment upon\nGehazi for his contrivance to secure them. If the mean attire and mode of\nliving which distinguished the ancient prophets cannot be viewed in the\nlight of an authoritative example to future ages, and if something may be\nreasonably conceded to the practices of different nations, this may be\nreceived as an axiom, that those whom Providence has appointed to the\nsacred office ought to avoid all unnecessary show in their appearance, and\nall ambitious aspiring after the vain splendours of life; for \"the fashion\nof this world passeth away.\" On the other hand, it is the duty, and should\nbe considered as the privilege of pious individuals, to whom Providence\nhas dispensed riches or competence, to minister to the necessities of the\npoor servants of God, who, while devoting their lives to promote their\nspiritual comfort, and that of their families, have neither time nor means\nto rescue themselves from a state of dependence and poverty. \"If they have\nbeen partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister\nunto them in carnal things.\"\n\nElisha was not insensible to all this kindness, but, on the contrary,\nfeeling anxious to devise some means of requiting it, he intimated,\nduring one of his visits, his wish to render his hostess any service in\nhis power, and proposed what he thought might be the most acceptable;\n\"Behold,\" said he, \"thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what\nis to be done for thee? wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or to the\ncaptain of the host?\" It is gratifying to find that Elisha possessed so\nmuch influence at court, and that Jehoram, though an impious prince,\nhonoured the man of God. But, perhaps, the king of Israel was more\ninfluenced in his attachment by the miracle which the prophet had lately\nperformed in his favour, and the victory he had promised to him and his\nroyal friends Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom, than by any proper regard\nto his person or his office.\n\nThe answer of this Shunammite to the prophet's proposal was brief, but\nexpressive: it indicated a mind full of contentment, and actuated in all\nits liberal devices by the purest motives. \"I dwell,\" said she, \"among\nmine own people;\" _q. d_. \"I am satisfied with my lot--I am happy in the\ncircle in which I move--I have no wish to emerge from obscurity, persuaded\nthat though I or my family might gain in point of distinction or wealth by\nyour kind interference, we should lose a considerable portion of that real\ncomfort which, in our estimation, is better than the greatest of earthly\npossessions.\"\n\nThe sentiment of this pious lady is to be distinguished from the opinion\nwhich has prevailed in some parts of the world, that the perfection of\nreligion consists in a total retirement from the intercourse of life to\nthe cell of the monk or the cave of the hermit, and in passing the days\nand nights of existence in mere speculative contemplation. That separation\nfrom the world which the word of God enjoins, is a separation of\n_spirit_, a withdrawment of the affections from its criminal pursuits and\nguilty indulgences. It does not interdict all intercourse with mankind, or\ncensure a diligent pursuit of business, but inculcates purity of\ncharacter, and teaches us so to act in the particular sphere assigned us\nby the arrangements of Providence, that \"our good works,\" may be \"seen,\"\nand our \"light\" may \"shine before men.\"\n\nReligion is not an abstract principle, or a mere speculation; it is\noperative: God is its source and end, but society its proper sphere of\naction. In circumstances of perplexity and trial its real nature is best\ndeveloped, as conquering the irregularity of desire, pacifying the\nturbulence of passion, purifying all the principles of the corrupt heart,\nand forming men into the future associates of angels and \"saints in\nlight.\" The Shunammite did not retire from her people, her family, or her\nfriends; but \"_dwelt_ amongst them,\" exemplifying those virtues which\nadorn domestic and social life, and securing, as we may infer from her\nexpressions, that general esteem which such exalted goodness is calculated\nto procure. She discharged scrupulously and zealously the appropriate\nduties of her situation, and shone in the orbit allotted to her by Him\nwhose infinite wisdom disposes all the arrangements of the natural and\nmoral worlds, with conspicuous brightness and useful influence.\n\nMoreover, the language in question presents us with one of the finest\nspecimens of contentment in the records of history. It may be affirmed\nwithout hesitation, that nothing can secure the exercise of this temper,\nin the present constitution of the human mind, but genuine religion. In\ncases where no such principle exists, dissatisfaction imbitters the cup of\nour earthly portion, and all those ambitious feelings which agitate and\ndistress the life of man, acquire an uncontrolled ascendency. The\ndiscourse of Pyrrhus with Cineas is only a transcript of the impatient\nambition of the generality of mankind. \"If it please Heaven that we\nconquer the Romans,\" said the philosopher, \"what use, sir, shall we make\nof our victory?\"--\"Cineas,\" replied the king, \"your question answers\nitself. When the Romans are once subdued, there is no town, whether Greek\nor Barbarian, in all the country, that will dare to oppose us; but we\nshall immediately be masters of all Italy, whose greatness, power, and\nimportance, no man knows better than you.\" Cineas, after a short pause,\ncontinued, \"But after we have conquered Italy, what shall we do next,\nsir?\" Pyrrhus, not yet perceiving his drift, replied, \"There is Sicily\nvery near, and stretches out her arms to receive us; a fruitful and\npopulous island, and easy to be taken: for Agathocles was no sooner gone,\nthan faction and anarchy prevailed among her cities, and every thing is\nkept in confusion by her turbulent demagogues.\"--\"What you say, my\nprince,\" said Cineas, \"is very probable; but is the taking of Sicily to\nconclude our expeditions?\"--\"Far from it,\" answered Pyrrhus, \"for if\nHeaven grant us success in this, _that success shall only be the prelude\nto greater things_. Who can forbear Libya and Carthage, then within reach,\nwhich Agathocles, even when he fled in a clandestine manner from Syracuse,\nand crossed the sea with a few ships only, had almost made himself master\nof? And when we have made such conquests, who can pretend to say that any\nof our enemies, who are now so insolent, will think of resisting us?\" \"To\nbe sure,\" said Cineas, \"they will not; for it is clear that so much power\nwill enable you to recover Macedonia, and to establish yourself\nuncontested sovereign of Greece. But when we have conquered all, what are\nwe to do then?\"--\"Why then, my friend.\" said Pyrrhus, laughing, \"we will\ntake our ease, and drink, and be merry.\" Cineas, having brought him thus\nfar, replied, \"And what hinders us from drinking and taking our ease NOW,\n_when we have already those things in our hands at which we propose to\narrive through seas of blood, through infinite toils and dangers, through\ninnumerable calamities, which we must both cause and suffer?_\" [44]\n\nOne motive to contentment, which probably influenced the Shunammite, and\nwhich is calculated to inspire a similar feeling in every situation, arose\nfrom the conviction, that _happiness is much more equally diffused than we\ncommonly imagine_.\n\nWhatever may be the diversities of human condition, and however preferable\nthe situation of some above others may _seem_, to an inexperienced or\ncareless observer, looking only at the _exterior_ of society, Providence\nhas so wisely adjusted its various inequalities, that it becomes extremely\ndifficult to determine who possesses the most happy lot. Wherever\nparticular advantages exist, they are balanced by proportionate evils, and\nthe reverse: the golden cup often contains a bitter potion, while sweet is\nthe draught and refreshing the supply, that is brought in a broken\npitcher. The poor are apt to suppose, that opulence furnishes an\ninexhaustible fund of enjoyment; and that luxurious tables, sumptuous\npalaces, and a splendid retinue, confer a never-failing enjoyment;\nforgetting that riches create a thousand artificial wants, a thousand\nfantastic desires, which it is utterly impossible to supply. The wealthy\nlook with pity upon the indigent, as condemned to an irksome and perpetual\ndrudgery, and destitute of all means of enjoying life; a pity they might\nwell spare, did they know that labour sweetens rest, and that unpampered\nappetite has none of those loathings which luxury superinduces. Riches and\npoverty are not then, according to the miscalculations of mankind, terms\nof synonymous import with happiness and misery. The most exalted have many\nafflictions, the most depressed many comforts. The shafts of envy fly over\nthe lowly cottage, and smite the towers of greatness; and while the\npeasant sleeps soundly in his humble cottage,\n\n  \"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.\"\n\nIt has been well remarked by Bishop Hopkins, that \"there is scarcely any\ncondition in the world so low, but may satisfy our _wants_; and there is\nno condition so high, as can satisfy our _desires_. If we live according\nto the law of nature and reason, we shall never be poor; but if we live\naccording to fond opinion and fancy, we shall never be rich.\"\n\nThe diversities of our temporal condition, therefore, illustrate the\nremark which Solomon has connected with very important advice; \"In the day\nof prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider; _God also\nhath set the one over against the other_, to the end that man should find\nnothing after him.\"\n\nIndependently of these considerations, it may be questioned whether that\nchange after which so many eagerly aspire, would really conduce to their\nhappiness. The probability is, that _any_ material alteration of\ncircumstances is unfavourable to enjoyment, and that our respective\ndestinies are so wisely arranged, that each one is, upon the whole, most\nlikely to secure the greatest proportion of temporal felicity in the\nsphere originally assigned him, than in any other. His habits, his views,\nhis friendships, are all fixed by his position and place in society, and\nall his mental faculties have been trained, so to speak, to this very\nspot. Any removal or change would be hazardous and more likely to impair\nthan consummate his happiness. After the growth of years, the tree cannot\nbe transplanted into another soil and air without long exhibiting symptoms\nof languishing, and sometimes a total decay.\n\nAnother reflection calculated to promote a contented spirit is, that _if\nwe were capable of tracing the tendencies, connexions, and ultimate\nresults of all things as they are seen, by the eye of Omniscience, and\nestablished by omnipotent power, we should perceive as much reason to be\nthankful for what is denied us, as for what is bestowed_. The fancied good\nwhich we are so eager to obtain would, in many cases, be a real evil in\npossession. Our prejudices and passion prevent our forming a proper\njudgment, and were not our heavenly Father influenced by a truly parental\nsolicitude for his people, the most fatal mischiefs would arise.\n\nProvidence has two ways of punishing a repining or an impatient temper;\nthe one is by _counteracting_ it, by placing the imaginary good beyond the\nreach of attainment, and forcing back the wandering heart to its home and\nits God, by disappointing its expectations of happiness in earthly\npossessions. Such refusals, or rather obstructions to temporal success,\nare indications of the purest regard, as parents, _severely_ kind, take\naway from their froward children those destructive weapons which had\nattracted them by their glittering appearance. Another, and a more\ndreadful mode of inflicting necessary chastisement, is, by _complying_\nwith their wishes, and making them feel the insufficiency of what they\ndesired to render them happy. They \"forsook the fountain of living\nwaters,\" and the \"cisterns\" they resolved to possess, prove to be \"broken\"\nand empty. In this case, they suffer the double penalty of dissatisfaction\n_in_ the imaginary good for which they had sacrificed so much, and of deep\nremorse for a misconduct which has incurred the divine displeasure. It is\nsaid of Israel, \"he gave them their request, but sent leanness into\ntheir soul.\"\n\nIn considering the _denials_ of Providence, it should not be forgotten,\nthat what is in part an evil, may be a good upon the whole; the amputation\nof a disordered or fractured limb, as it necessarily produces great\npersonal suffering, is in part an evil; but, inasmuch as it saves life, it\nis, on the whole, an important good. On the other hand, that which as in\npart good, may, on the whole, be an evil; the rich cargo with which a\nvessel is freighted may be considered in itself a good, but if it be\nretained to the destruction of the vessel tossed by a tempestuous ocean,\nand struck upon a sunken rock, it is, on the whole, a dreadful evil; and\nyet, in the vast concerns of the soul and eternity, what multitudes act\nupon this fatal principle--clinging to their treasures, though they sink\nthem into perdition!\n\nIt is obvious, therefore, that in order to understand the dispensations of\nHeaven, it is necessary to know the circumstances of each particular case,\nwhich the very limited extent of our present knowledge and capacities\nrenders utterly impossible; and it cannot be doubted, that if we were\nacquainted with the _whole_ subject, the most afflictive events of life,\nno less than the most pleasing, would be seen to form essential parts of\nthat great system of mercy, by which the universal Disposer is promoting\nthe ultimate and perfect felicity of all his children. \"But let patience\nhave her perfect work,\" for eternity will discover these mysteries of\ntime. \"_Now_ we see through a glass darkly, but _then_ face to face; now I\nknow in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.\"\n\nA third consideration, which, doubtless, influenced this contented\nShunammite, was, _the vanity of the world_. The wise have always\nadmitted, that the three principal objects of human desire, pleasures,\nriches, and honours, when weighed in the balances of truth, are \"found\nwanting,\" and that, although the misplaced eagerness of mankind attributes\nto them a thousand charms, they are in reality, but \"airy nothings.\"\n\n\"As bubbles blown into the air,\" says Bishop Hopkins, \"will represent a\ngreat variety of orient and glittering colours, not (as some suppose) that\nthere are any such really there, but only they appear so to us, through a\nfalse reflection of light cast upon them; so truly this world, this earth\non which we live, is nothing else but a great bubble blown up by the\nbreath of God in the midst of the air, where it now hangs. It sparkles\nwith ten thousand glories; not that they are so in themselves, but only\nthey seem so to us through the false light by which we look upon them. If\nwe come to grasp it, like a thin film, it breaks, and leaves nothing but\nwind and disappointment in our hands; as histories report of the fruits\nthat grow near the Dead Sea, where once Sodom and Gomorrah stood, they\nappear very fair and beautiful to the eye, but, if they be crushed, turn\nstraight to smoke and ashes.\" If, from general reflections, we descend to\nthe particular details of life, it will still be found, that \"while we\neagerly pursue any worldly enjoyments, we are but running after a shadow;\nand as shadows vanish, and are swallowed up in the greater shade of night,\nso when the night of death shall cast its thick shade about us, and wrap\nus up in deep and substantial darkness, all these vain shadows will then\ndisappear and vanish quite out of sight.\"\n\nThe vanity of the world arises from the instability and mutation of human\naffairs, as well as from the comparative insignificance of all its best\nenjoyments. We say, \"What a large estate does that distinguished\npersonage _possess!_\"--vain word and false--he is only a tenant for a\nday--to-morrow he will become the inhabitant of a sepulchre! What a\nmansion is yonder!--what a lovely family! what prospects in business! what\nadmirable connexions! what charming society! O what an edifice of human\nhappiness is here!--The Providence of God blows upon the four corners of\nthe house, and it falls! \"Here we have no _continuing_ city\"--no fixed,\nunalterable enjoyments--no permanent rest. Mutation is inscribed in\ncharacters clear and legible to the eye of reason, upon all terrestrial\nthings; and so uncertain are our property, our health, our enjoyments, our\nfriendships, our ALL upon earth, that, as the thistle-down is scattered by\nthe gentlest breeze, these light and fair possessions may be wafted away\nby the first wind that rises, or the first touch of unexpected adversity.\n\nThe impressive language of Scripture corroborates and illustrates these\nrepresentations. Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of\ntrouble. \"He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as\na shadow, and continueth not.\" ... \"Lord, make me to know mine end, and\nthe measure of my days what it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold,\nthou hast made my days as a hand-breadth, and mine age is as nothing\nbefore thee: verily, every man at his best state is altogether vanity.\nSurely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in\nvain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.\" ...\"\nWe spend our years as a tale that is told.\" ... \"My days are like a shadow\nthat declineth; and I am withered like grass,\" ... \"As foreman, his days\nare as grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth; for the wind\npasseth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no\nmore.\" ... \"Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth\naway.\" ... \"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and,\nbehold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.\" ... \"What hath man of all\nhis labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured\nunder the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief, yea,\nhis heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.\" ... \"Who\nknoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life\nwhich he spendeth as a shadow! for who can tell a man what shall be after\nhim under the sun?\" ... \"Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, all is\nvanity.\" ... \"Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into\nsuch a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gain;\nwhereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It\nis even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and than\nvanisheth away.\"\n\nA fourth reason for contentment, and which we cannot doubt influenced the\npious woman of Shunem, is to be derived from a _view of that future\nhappiness which infinite goodness has provided for the children of God_.\nIn the early period to which we are now adverting, \"life and immortality\"\nwere not so distinctly \"brought to light\" as they are in the Christian\ndispensation by \"the Gospel;\" but from the day of the first promise of a\nSaviour, the believing mind perceived the grand purposes for which he was\nto descend into the world, and enjoyed some pleasing anticipations of that\nparadise, which it was his prerogative to confer upon one of his\nfellow-sufferers on the cross. If, as we believe, the Shunammite were\nacquainted with the existence, and, in some degree, with the glory of a\nfuture state; if with Job she felt convinced, that \"though worms destroy\nthis body, yet in her flesh she should see God;\" if she knew any thing of\nthat inexpressible charm which attaches to the blessedness of \"a better\ncountry,\" arising from its unfading permanence,--the language of\ncontentment which she uttered, was but the natural expression of a feeling\nwhich such discoveries were calculated to excite. It was sufficient, in\nher apprehension, to all the purposes of real happiness, to \"pass the time\nof her sojourning,\" among her \"own people,\" without seeking those\ndistinctions which constitute only the vain decorations of a scene that\npasseth away. Nor did her principles merely promote satisfaction with her\nlot: they fortified her against the assault of temptation, a temptation\npresented in the least exceptionable form, and recommended by the sanctity\nof a prophet, who deliberately proposed to her an interference with the\nking, or the captain of the host, for her temporal advancement. Her words\nexpress an unalterable resolution of mind: \"I dwell amongst mine\nown people.\"\n\nEvery thing earthly possesses a character of insignificance from its\ntransitoriness, while every heavenly object becomes inviting on account of\nits durability. A single hour may precipitate us from the highest worldly\nelevation--the proudest laurel that ever decked the brow of the proudest\nhero quickly fades; and he who sits out upon a journey of discovery to\nfind the extent of human enjoyments, will soon \"see an END of all\nperfection.\" But religion has laurels which never fade; crowns of glory\nwhich pass to no envious successor. Religion does not lay her foundations\nin the sand, but erecting her temple upon the shores of eternity, bids us\nenter in, to \"go no more out.\"\n\nAn apostle states, that \"godliness hath the promise of the life which now\nis, and of that which is to come;\" intimating the certainty of the\nexistence of a future state, the nature of its felicities, and the\nessential connection between the _pursuit_ and the ultimate _possession_\nof it. The value of this promise respecting the life to come, is not a\nlittle enhanced by its being accomplished precisely at that critical\nmoment when every earthly hope expires, and every human joy departs.\nGodliness has, indeed, the promise of the life which \"_now_ is;\" but, if\nit had _not_, the life which \"now is\" will soon terminate: the successive\ngenerations of mankind are hastening to the grave; _our_ breath will soon\ncease--our possessions must soon be left--our days soon covered with the\nshadows of the last evening--all we fondly called _our own_ scattered to\nthe winds;--but at such a moment of desolation, the religion of Jesus\npoints to regions of deathless felicity. His voice seems to sound across\nthe gulf of death, in accents soft and sweet as the harps of angels, \"I am\nthe resurrection and the life.\" And the \"life to come\" is no other than\nthe perfection of the Christian's life which \"now is\"--a life of love--a\nlife of peace, purity, and praise--a life of incessant activity in the\nservice of the blessed God. Hence his present spiritual life, is a kind of\npledge and promise of his eternal life; the pantings and breathings of a\nholy mind after that world, are proofs that it is his _home;_ and the\nbeliever in Christ becomes assured, that as he advances in spiritual\nattainments here, he is making so many approaches, hastening by so many\nsteps, to the perfection and joy of eternity.\n\nA few brief observations on the advantages resulting from a daily and deep\nimpression of the transitory nature of terrestrial possessions, and\nkeeping the scenes of another life in constant view, shall close the\npresent section.\n\n1. This will tend to moderate our earthly attachments. Affections were\nnot implanted in our nature to be suppressed and extinguished. We may\nlove, but we must not love inordinately. Love must be proportioned to the\nvalue of the object, and must be regulated by scriptural principles,\notherwise we shall commit offence, and suffer injury. There is a remedy,\nand but one _effectual_ remedy, for the errors of the heart. It is\nsuggested by an apostle: \"Set your affection on things above, not on\nthings on the earth.\"\n\n2. A due impression of the present, and a just conception of the future,\nwill conduce to the purification of our moral principles. Intermixture\nwith the world, its business and concerns, and those solicitudes which\noccupy the attention in reference to transactions merely temporal, tend to\nvitiate the mind. In the pursuits of traffic we seem to live, as if we\nwere destined to live here always. The interests of a moment engross and\ncaptivate the passions, and kindle ardours which burn with incessant\nvigour. The mind is brought close to present objects, in consequence of\nwhich they assume an unnatural magnitude, filling the whole sphere of\nvision, and excluding external realities from view. The effect of this is\ndepraving: it contracts the soul, misdirects its energies, and blunts the\nedge of its spiritual sensibility.\n\n3. The sentiment we are wishing to inculcate will furnish us with\nconsolation amidst adversities, and reconcile the spirit to bereaving\ndispensations. The present is a probationary state; and although the\nparticular mode of suffering be unknown, afflictions are not unexpected by\nChristians. But whatever is transitory is tolerable--\n\n                      \"----the darkest day,\n  Live till to-morrow, will have pass'd away.\"\n\nAs their own condition is subject to vicissitude, they know also the\nuncertainty of every other, and realize the possibility of separation from\ntheir nearest and dearest connections. The severity of disappointment is\nhere diminished; for what cannot be retained, or is precarious, or _ought_\nto be resigned, is dispensed with, if not without a sigh or tear, at least\nwithout a resentment against the smiting hand of Providence.\n\n4. This comparative view of our two states of being, and this just\nestimate of their proportionate importance, will prepare us for our own\ndissolution. The feeling that we have no fixed, no permanent abode on\nearth, will familiarize the mind with the consideration, that \"it is\nappointed unto men once to die.\" If, when a fatal disease attacked the\nconstitution, we thought for the first time of our removal from the\npresent scene, the effect would be unspeakably painful, and hence arises\nthe despondency which often pervades the mind of such as have moved only\nin circles of gayety and dissipation; but a Christian frequently meditates\nupon the final hour. While looking at this or that valued possession, he\nreflects, \"I must soon leave it: the loan will, in a short period, be\nreclaimed.\"\n\nNor is this all. The prospect before him is exhilarating. \"To die is\ngain.\" If the death of a man resembled that of a beast, if the termination\nof life were the extinction of being, the prospect would be inexpressibly\nalarming: but the religion of Jesus confers a victory over every fear by\nrevealing immortality. A Christian knows there is something worth dying\nfor; and this animates him to walk with a firm step down \"the valley of\nthe shadow of death.\" He is guided through a darkness impervious to\nreason. A beam from the \"excellent glory\" lights him HOME!\n\n\n\nSection II.\n\n\n  Elisha promises a Son to the Shunammite--his Birth--his sudden Death, in\n  consequence of facing sun-smitten--she repairs to the Prophet--her\n  expression of profound Submission to the Will of God--her subsequent\n  impassioned Appeal to Elisha--the Child restored to Life--the\n  Shunammite's Removal into Philistia, and Return--her successful\n  Application to the King for the Restoration of her Property.\n\n\nDefeated in his benevolent intentions by the unambitious spirit of the\nShunammite, Elisha consulted his confidential servant Gehazi, through whom\nthe former communication had been made, respecting what could be done for\nher benefit. Sincere as her refusal had been, he found it impossible to\nsatisfy himself without some further attempt to express his gratitude; and\nupon the suggestion of Gehazi that she had no child, the prophet directed\nthat she should be again called into his presence. \"And he said, About\nthis season, according to the time of life, thou shall embrace a son.\"\n\nIt is not improbable, that although Elisha addicted himself to great\nretirement, Gehazi might be in the habit of familiar intercourse with this\npious family, by which means perhaps he found that they were anxious upon\nthis point; at least, if that spirit of perfect contentment which breathed\nin the language on which we have already offered some observations,\ninfluenced them on this as well as on other occasions, they no doubt had\nintimated, in a moment of unreserved intercourse, that a child would prove\na most acceptable gift of Providence.\n\nThe brevity of the sacred history precludes that detail of circumstances\nattending any particular transaction which it sometimes seems necessary\nto suppose.\n\nIn the present case, it is not to be presumed that Elisha would have\nventured, _immediately_, upon the mere suggestion of Gehazi, to give so\nimportant a promise to the Shunammite as that which is here recorded,\nwithout first consulting the will of Heaven, or receiving some divine\nintimation of an event which no human being could foresee, much less make\nthe subject of a solemn prediction.\n\nUpon his announcing so unexpected a mercy, she manifested that sort of\nincredulity which extreme astonishment blended with joy is calculated at\nthe first moment to produce; and the well-known effect of which accounts\nfor what, under other circumstances, would appear like disrespectful\nlanguage: \"Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.\"\nShe was too much acquainted with Elisha's character to intend to charge\nhim with deliberate falsehood; but her feelings were suddenly overpowered,\nand consequently, she was at no leisure to weigh her words. The prophet's\nprediction was completely verified; and she had a son, \"at that season\nthat Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life,\"--\"Lo!\nchildren are a heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is\nhis reward.\"\n\nIn reviewing the scriptural account of remote ages, we cannot fail to be\nstruck with several instances of the extreme anxiety of good women for the\npossession of children; an anxiety which requires some other reason than\nthe general causes to be assigned for domestic and social congratulations\ncommon upon such occasions. Sarah, for example, the wife of Abraham, was\ninduced by this desire to practise a piece of wretched and criminal\npolicy, in giving Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to her husband. Rachel,\nthe beloved wife of Jacob, was so impatient of her own barrenness, and so\nenvious of her sister, that she exclaimed, \"Give me children, or else I\ndie.\" The fact was, that they were influenced by the promises of God to\nAbraham, whose posterity were to inherit the most invaluable blessings,\nand from whom the Messiah himself was to descend in the fulness of time.\nAs in him \"all the families of the earth were to be blessed,\" who can be\nsurprised that the most distant probability or possibility of introducing\nhim, who was to be \"born of a woman,\" into the world, should excite an\nardent wish in every pious woman to become a mother? And here it must be\nadmitted, that whatever reproach the first transgressor might have cast\nupon the female sex by her misconduct, it is forever wiped away by the\nenviable distinction of becoming instrumental to a Saviour's birth.\n\nThe time hastened in which the Shunammite was to be subjected to a species\nof trial different from that with which she had been hitherto exercised.\nThe congratulations of her connections on the birth of her child were\nscarcely expressed, and her earthly happiness consummated, when she was\ndestined to suffer acutely by the death of her little favourite.\n\nThose who have never felt a similar deprivation are necessarily\ndisqualified from forming any adequate idea of the bitterness of parental\ngrief, when the objects of their fondest solicitude are suddenly snatched\nfrom the grasp of their affections. It is difficult to say in what period\nof youthful history this stroke is severest, or when it is most tolerable;\nbecause every point of age has its peculiar attractions, and parental love\nwill always imagine that to be the most afflicting in which the event\noccurs. Happy those who can adopt the language of one of the sweetest\nepitaphs that ever adorned a monument!--\n\n  \"Liv'd--to wake each tender passion,\n    And delightful hopes inspire;\n  Died--to try our resignation,\n    And direct our wishes higher:--\n\n  \"Rest, sweet babe, in gentle slumbers,\n    Till the resurrection morn;\n  Then arise to join the numbers,\n    That its triumphs shall adorn.\n\n  \"Though, thy presence so endearing,\n    We thy absence now deplore;\n  At the Saviour's bright appearing,\n    We shall meet to part no more.\n\n  \"Thus to thee, O Lord, submitting,\n    We the tender pledge resign;\n  And, thy mercies ne'er forgetting,\n    Own that all we have is thine.\" [45]\n\nIt is not unusual for the providence of God to deprive us of those objects\nwe had too exclusively and too fondly called _our own_, and the long\nenjoyment of which we had confidently anticipated. This is no capricious\nproceeding: it is marked by wisdom and goodness, since our real happiness\ndepends on the regulation of those passions which, but for such\ndispensations, would rove with unhallowed eccentricity from the chief\ngood. It is necessary that we should be trained in the school of\nadversity; and that by a course of corrective discipline, nicely adapted\nto each particular case, our characters should be gradually matured for a\nnobler existence.\n\nThe manner in which the calamity to which we have referred overtook the\nShunammite, is thus detailed by the faithful pen of inspiration. \"And when\nthe child was grown, it fell on a day that he went out to his father to\nthe reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head! And he said to\na lad, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him and brought him\nto his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.\"\n\nFrom this brief statement it is evident that this child was smitten by the\nsun, in consequence of exposing himself in the harvest field to the\nintensity of the season. In northern climates it is difficult to realize\nthe danger; but in the torrid zone great precaution is necessary to avoid\nsuch calamities. Observing the effects of the sun's rays, Apollo is\nrepresented, in heathen mythology, as holding a bow, and shooting his\narrows upon the earth.\n\n  \"Pay sacred reverence to Apollo's song,\n  Lest watchful the far-shooting god emit\n  His fatal arrows.\"\n\n                     PRIOR'S Callimachus.\n\nThe heat in some parts of Judea has often proved fatal, even at a very\nearly period of the year. In a battle fought by king Baldwin IV. near\nTiberias in Galilee, as many are said to have died in both armies by the\nheat as by the sword; and an ecclesiastic of eminence, although carried in\na litter, expired under mount Tabor, near the river Kishon, in consequence\nof the excessive heat. Shunem was in the neighbourhood of Tabor. [46]\n\nAs soon as the Shunammite found that her son was dead, she took him to\nthe prophet's chamber, and laying him on his bed, shut the door and\ndeparted. The only reason of this proceeding probably was, its being the\nmost retired part of the house, and therefore the best suited to such a\nmelancholy occasion. But who can express the yearnings of her maternal\ntenderness, when she left behind her this precious, but now insensible\nclay! That tongue which had so often pleased her by its innocent prattle,\nso often uttered\n\n              ----\"the fond name\n  That wakes affection to a flame,\"\n\nwas now silent in death; and those artless and attractive smiles, which to\na mother's heart were more lovely than the looks of the morning, were\nsubsided into the fixed and motionless aspect of one whose spirit has\nceased to animate the body.\n\nAn impatient temper might have invented many reasons for discontent, on\nthis affecting occasion. It might have reproached the father for\npermitting the child to accompany him, at this sultry season, into the\nharvest field--the child for an infantine eagerness to go--or herself for\nindiscreetly allowing of so dangerous a gratification. A comparison of the\nhappier lot of other families might have been drawn, whose children went\nout on the same day, and returned unsmitten by the infectious atmosphere,\nor the burning sun; and by aggravating the painful peculiarity of her own\naffliction, she might thus have driven the barbed arrow still deeper in\nher bosom, and censured, at least by implication, the Supreme Disposer.\nBut we have to admire a conduct which bespeaks the fullest conviction that\nit was a _providence_ and not a _casuality_ that occasioned the death of\nher beloved offspring, and evinces the most entire acquiescence in the\nmournful event.\n\nWhile our attention is confined solely to second causes, the mind will be\ninvolved in a labyrinth of difficulties, in judging of the changes and\ntrials incident to the present life; but when our faith ascends above this\nlow and limited scene, to contemplate the arrangements of an universal\nProvidence, the deepest mysteries become unravelled, and the greatest\nseeming inconsistencies in a considerable degree reconciled. Or, if we\ncannot develope the whole plan, and ascertain the reason of every movement\nof almighty Wisdom, we at least acquire a spirit of submission and\nobedience.\n\nSome persons are so overwhelmed by their sorrows as to be totally\ndisqualified for their duties: but, although the world may applaud this\nacute sensibility, religion condemns it. As the effect of mere passion, it\nhas nothing in it which can secure the approbation of God; on the\ncontrary, it is offensive to him, who, while he permits us to weep, does\nnot allow us to despond, and who often sees it best to humble a refractory\nspirit by a repetition of chastisement.\n\nThis excellent Shunammite, after making the necessary arrangements for her\npoor departed son in the prophet's chamber, instead of sitting down to\nindulge her own melancholy feelings, or court the compassion of her\ndomestics and friends, despatched a messenger to her husband, to request\nthat a servant might be sent to her with one of the asses, for the purpose\nof going to pay a visit to the man of God. As she had not told him the\nmotive of this sudden determination, he remonstrated, because it was\n\"neither new moon nor sabbath,\" that is, neither the usual time of secular\nor sacred journeys. [47] He was, however, easily satisfied when she\nintimated that she had a good reason for wishing to pay this visit. \"She\nsaid, It shall be well.\"\n\n\"See,\" says pious Matthew Henry, \"how this husband and wife vied respects;\nshe was so _dutiful to him_ that she would not go till she had acquainted\nhim with her journey, and he so _loving to her_ that he would not oppose\nit, though she did not think it fit to acquaint him with her business.\"\n\nEquipped according to the eastern mode of travelling, the Shunammite\nmounted an ass, and ordered the man appointed to attend her and goad on\nthe animal, to make all possible haste to mount Carmel. As soon as Elisha\nsaw her coming, he sent Gehazi to salute her with these inquiries: \"Is it\nwell with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child?\"\nAs she came at so unexpected a moment, and with such evident haste, the\nprophet was naturally apprehensive that some calamity had befallen her,\nand, as he felt a deep interest in all her concerns, first inquired\nrespecting what he well knew lay near her heart, the welfare of her\nfamily. Her reply was short, but remarkable: \"IT IS WELL.\"\n\nSome have considered this merely as an evasive answer, made for the\npurpose of avoiding conversation with Gehazi, with whom she did not wish\nto enter into the particulars of her present situation. This, however, is\nan improbable interpretation, because it would by no means comport with\nthe general integrity of her character, nor with the respect which was\ndue, and which we know she cherished, for the prophet. This was doubtless\nthe message with which Gehazi returned to his master, who, from his\nignorance of her precise circumstances, could not, till her own subsequent\nexplanation, comprehend the elevated sentiments implied in such a general\nreply. A pious mind in similar circumstances would not hesitate to affirm,\n\"_It is well_\"--_well_ with the living--_well_ with the dead--_well_ with\nthose who, notwithstanding all their bereavements, are under the care of\nHeaven and enjoy the smiles of God--_well_ with those whose disembodied\nspirits, escaped from the imprisonment of time, have ascended to the\nunfettered freedom, the unbounded felicity, of eternity.\n\nIn this view the Shunammite recognized the sovereignty of God; his\nindisputable right to dispose of her and her affairs as he pleased. \"Shall\nthe clay say to him that formed it, What doest thou?\" The unbending temper\nof infidelity will, perhaps, receive this as \"a hard saying;\" but it is\naffirmed in the inspired page, and must ever be admitted by him who is in\nhis \"right mind.\" Uncontrollable power, acting irrespectively of wisdom or\ngoodness, would be indeed a terrific idea, and must issue in a state of\nuniversal anarchy; but the _perfection_ of that Infinite Being who\n\"sitteth upon the circle of the earth,\" secures the _righteous_ exercise\nof the most irresistible authority; and of this we may ever be assured,\nthat although his arm is omnipotent, it is never unmerciful.\n\nThe Shunammite intended also to express her confidence in the goodness of\nGod, however disguised by the afflictive nature of his dispensations. In a\nproper state of mind it will not be requisite, in order to produce\nresignation, that we should comprehend the whole design of every sorrow.\nWe should bow to the mysteriousness of the event; and the patience of our\nendurance will not depend on the full developement and explanation of the\nmystery. Whether events accord with our wishes or oppose them, \"It is THE\nLORD\" will strike us into silence and submission.\n\nUpon this subject the declarations of the Scriptures are most encouraging.\nThey affirm, that \"he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of\nmen\"--that their own benefit requires the chastisement, of whatever\ndescription it may be--that not a needless sigh heaves the human bosom, or\nan unnecessary tear is made to flow--and that \"all things work together\nfor good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to\nhis purpose.\" It cannot be doubted, that the all-wise Disposer could, if\nhe had pleased, have prevented a single cloud from rising to darken the\nChristian's day, and by the interdictions of his Providence, as formerly\nby the blood sprinkled upon the door-posts of Israel in Egypt, have\nsecured his people from the visitation of all the messengers of wo; but he\nknows that affliction is conducive to our real welfare, that it is a means\nof improving our character, and of preparing us for that state of perfect\nenjoyment where it shall be no longer necessary; and that it furnishes\noccasion for the exercise of those graces which adorn the Christian's\ncharacter, and glorify his God.\n\n\"We should endeavour,\" to use the words of a profound writer, \"not to be\ndistressed about any thing, but to take every event for the best. I\napprehend this to be a duty, and the neglect of it to be a sin: for in\ntruth, the reason why sin is sin, is merely because it is contrary to the\nwill of God. If, therefore, the essence of sin consists in having a will\ncontradictory to the known will of God, it seems clear to me, that when he\ndiscovers his will to us by events, we sin if we do not conform ourselves\nto it.\" Again, \"Our own will, though it should obtain all it can wish,\nwould never be contented; but we are contented from the very instant that\nwe renounce it. We never can be contented with it,\" [48] nor otherwise\nthan contented without it.\n\nIt is highly proper to investigate the causes of our sorrows, to inquire\nhow far they are occasioned by any thing sinful in ourselves. It becomes\nus to be humble and penitent before God, when we discover that our own\nmisconduct has rendered it necessary for him who is \"slow to anger\" to\ninflict chastisement. It is to be feared that while we abhor the blasphemy\nof uttering the language of complaint, and of saying, like Jonah, \"I do\nwell to be angry,\" we often do not suspect the criminality of cherishing\nhard thoughts of Providence, doubting the propriety or repining at the\ncontinuance of afflictive dispensations. There exists, perhaps, a secret\nsuspicion of his goodness, a latent spirit of revolt, which we dare not\nexpress, or which we flatter ourselves, because we give it another name,\nthat we do not cherish.\n\nThe people of God sometimes receive affliction with a gaze of wonder, as\nif it were the most unlikely of all occurrences. We feel no surprise when\nit attacks _others_, but live in the true spirit of the poet's\nrepresentation,\n\n  \"All men think all men mortal but _themselves_.\"\n\nIn general terms we even acknowledge that we are not exempted; and yet,\nwhen actually visited by personal or relative troubles, we seem like a\ntraveller suddenly overtaken by a thunderstorm; all is confusion and\nalarm: our faith, and hope, and joy, take wing, and leave us solitary and\nsad. In our alarm we forget God, think it \"strange,\" brood with a\nmelancholy, but guilty pleasure, over our sufferings, and act as if we\nthought that \"God had forgotten to be gracious.\" But \"let them that suffer\naccording to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in\nwell doing, as unto a faithful Creator.\"\n\n\"Four things,\" observes Melancthon, \"ought to be well impressed upon our\nminds respecting afflictions.\n\n\"1. They are appointed. We do not suffer affliction by chance, but by the\ndeterminate counsel and permission of God.\n\n\"2. By means of affliction God punishes his people; not that he may\ndestroy them, but to recall them to repentance and the exercise of faith;\nfor afflictions are not indications of displeasure, but of kindness--'He\nwilleth not the death of a sinner.'\n\n\"3. God requires us to submit to his afflictive dispensations, and to\nexpend our indignation and impatience upon our own sins; and, since he\ndetermines to afflict his church in the present state, submission tends to\nglorify his name.\n\n\"4. Resignation, however, is not all; he requires faith and prayer, that\nwe may both seek and expect divine assistance. Thus he admonishes us,\n'Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will answer thee, and thou shalt\nglorify me.'\n\n\"These four considerations are applicable to all our afflictions, and are\ncalculated, if properly regarded, to produce that truly Christian\npatience, which essentially differs from mere philosophical\nendurance.\" [49]\n\nAs soon as the Shunammite came to Elisha, she fell at his feet and\nembraced them. Gehazi attempted to thrust her away, but the prophet told\nhim to desist, intimating that he perceived she was in some deep\naffliction with which he was unacquainted. Then bursting out in the abrupt\nlanguage of impassioned grief, she exclaimed, \"Did I desire a son of my\nlord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?\"\n\nIf these words wear a complaining aspect, we must make allowance for the\nstrength of maternal feelings; perhaps, too, notwithstanding her\ncharacteristic equanimity of temper, and the elevated piety of her mind,\nshe was betrayed, in this instance, into some degree of impatience. It is\nremarkable, that some of the most eminent of saints have failed, in\nparticular periods of their lives, in the exercise of those very\ndispositions for which they are particularly celebrated. That faithful\npage, which delineates the characters of men with perfect impartiality,\nrepresents Moses, distinguished for his _meekness_, as in a state of\n_violent irritation_ when he saw the idolatry of Israel; in consequence of\nwhich he broke the two tables of stone to pieces on which the finger of\nGod had inscribed his own laws--Job, to whom sacred and profane history\nhave assigned extraordinary _patience_, in language the most emphatical,\n\"_cursed his day_\"--Peter, whose _courage_ and _ardent zeal_ in the\nservice of his Divine Master were apparent on every other occasion, not\nonly _trembled_ before the simple intimation of a servant-maid that he was\none of his friends, but _denied_ him with _oaths_ and _curses_. Such is\nthe inconsistency of human character! Such are the shades that darken the\nbrightest names. Such the salutary warnings that preceding ages transmit\nto those who have to follow the long train of heaven-bound travellers to a\nbetter existence!\n\nLet us turn our eyes for a moment from these specimens of mortal\nexcellence to Him who was \"holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from\nsinners;\" and who has left us \"an example, that we should follow his\nsteps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth ... who his\nown self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to\nsins, should live unto righteousness.\"\n\nCompassionating the distressed Shunammite, Elisha immediately adopted\nmeasures to afford her effectual consolation. He commanded Gehazi to\nhasten to the chamber appropriated to his use, and lay his staff upon the\nface of the child. He was to avoid the usual compliments upon meeting\nfriends or strangers, in order that not a moment might be lost. [50] The\nbereaved mother, in the mean time refused to quit the prophet, to whom she\nwas so much attached, and in whom she cherished such unbounded confidence;\nand he, affected by her sufferings, arose and accompanied her home.\n\nGehazi fulfilled his commission; but finding no symptoms of life, he\nreturned to inform his master, whom he met on the way. \"And when Elisha\nwas come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his\nbed. He went in, therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed\nunto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth\nupon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands,\nand he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed\nwarm. Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro; and went up and\nstretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the\nchild opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this\nShunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said,\nTake up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself\nto the ground, and took up her son, and went out.\"\n\nIt is observable, that the attempt to reanimate the child by despatching\nthe servant to place the prophet's staff upon its face utterly failed,\npossibly because \"this act was done out of _human conceit_, not out of\n_instinct from God_.\" [51]\n\nElisha, however, came, _prayed unto the Lord_, and succeeded in effecting\na miraculous restoration of the departed child. The grateful mother may be\nclassed among those who, through faith, \"received their dead raised to\nlife again.\" How animating the prospect of that moment when almighty power\nwill be displayed in raising every human body from the grave, and\nreuniting it with its kindred spirit in a state of deathless existence!\nMay we attain the \"blessedness and holiness\" of such as have \"part in the\n_first_ resurrection!\"\n\nOnly one other circumstance is mentioned in the history of the Shunammite.\nWhen Israel was threatened with a famine of seven years, Elisha forewarned\nher of the danger, and advised her retirement into some place of security\nand plenty. She accordingly removed with her family into the land of the\nPhilistines. At the expiration of this period she returned; but finding\nthat her property had become the prey of rapacity, or was alienated by\nsome royal edict, she applied to the king for its restoration. This was\nperfectly consistent with her former character; for although she felt no\neagerness for worldly advancement, and, indeed, refused it, piety did not\nrequire a total negligence of her civil rights, or of measures calculated\nto preserve her and her beloved family from a state of indigency.\n\nProvidentially, at the precise moment of her application the king was\nconversing with Gehazi, who was informing him of Elisha's miracles, and in\nparticular of the miracle he had performed upon the deceased son of the\nShunammite. She was of course introduced under the most favourable\ncircumstances; and having ascertained the identity of the present\napplicant, \"the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore\nall that was hers, and all the fruits of the field, since the day that she\nleft the land even till now.\"\n\nThus is afforded a striking exemplification of the remark of Solomon, \"The\nking's heart is in hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it\nwithersoever he will.\"\n\n\n\n\nEsther.\n\nChapter XIV.\n\n\n\n  The Feasts of the King of Persia--his Queen Vashti sent for--her Refusal\n  to obey the Summons--her Divorce--Plan to fill up the Vacancy--Esther\n  chosen Queen--Mordecai detects a Conspiracy--declines paying Homage to\n  Haman--Resentment of the latter, who obtains a Decree against the\n  Jews--Mordecai's Grief, and repeated Applications to Esther--she goes in\n  to the King--is accepted--invites the King and Haman to a\n  Banquet--Mortification of the latter at Mordecai's continued\n  Neglect--Orders a Gallows to be built for the disrespectful Jew--the\n  Honour conferred by the King upon Mordecai for his past Zeal in his\n  Service--Haman's Indignation--is fetched to a second Banquet--Esther\n  tells her feelings, and accuses Haman--his Confusion and useless\n  Intreaties--he is hung on his own Gallows--Mordecai's\n  Advancement--Escape of the Jews by the Intercession of Esther--Feast\n  of Purim.\n\n\nOne of the most delightful employments of the heavenly state will probably\nbe, to investigate the past dispensations of Providence, and to make\nperpetual discoveries of its mysteries. In that world of light, events\nwhich are now covered with clouds and darkness impervious to the eye of\nsense, will become obvious to the view of \"just men made perfect\" in all\ntheir proportions, connexions, and combinations. The shadows of the\nmorning having disappeared, the brightness of eternal noon will irradiate\nour existence.\n\nWe are by no means to imagine, however, that it is inconsistent with the\npresent arrangements of divine goodness to afford us information, even in\nthis world, respecting his plans and purposes; we do \"know,\" though it be\nbut \"in part.\" The book of providence is indeed the least intelligible to\nus of all that the wisdom of God has written: but we can read _some_ of\nits pages, and understand _some_ of its hieroglyphical characters. The\nhistories of Scripture constitute a volume of elementary instructions, of\nwhich the narrative of ESTHER has always been regarded as singularly\ninteresting.\n\n[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 460.]\n\nIn order to introduce this story, it will be requisite to take a cursory\nview of some previous occurrences. The scene is laid in Persia, in the\ndays of Ahasuerus, another name, as learned men have generally agreed, for\nArtaxerxes Longimanus. After struggling with those perplexing competitions\nfor empire which often obstruct the path to a crown, and agitate the first\nyears of power in arbitrary governments, he at length secured the dominion\nof Persia with its hundred and twenty-seven provinces. To proclaim his\nundisputed possession, and to display his glory, he appointed a feast,\nwhich may perhaps be deemed unrivalled in the majesty of its circumstances\nand the length of its continuance. At the expiration of a hundred and\nfourscore days the king gave another entertainment of seven days, for \"all\nthe people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and\nsmall.\" It was held in the court of the garden, for the purpose of\naccommodation, and with great magnificence. Vashti also, his royal\nconsort, in conformity to the usages of the times, which, it must be\nadmitted, were admirably calculated to preserve the purity of morals,\nprepared a separate entertainment for the women in another part of the\npalace. \"Vashti feasted the women in her own apartment: not openly in the\ncourt of the garden, but in the _royal house_. Thus, while the king showed\nthe _honour of his majesty_, she and her ladies showed _the honoux of\ntheir modesty_, which is truly the majesty of the fair sex.\" ... HENRY.\n\nAlas! how little did Ahasuerus comprehend wherein true riches and dignity\nconsisted; and how little are these heathen \"lovers of pleasure\" to be\nenvied by us, who are invited as welcome guests to a nobler table and a\nbetter banquet! \"Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her\nseven pillars, she hath slain her oxen, she hath mingled her wine.\" Into\nthe highways and hedges, into every quarter of the world, and amongst\nevery class of mankind, the messengers of heaven are commissioned to go\nand call the poor as well as the rich, the peasant as well as the prince,\nto the \"feast of fat things,\" which celestial mercy has provided in the\nGospel, where admission is not exclusive, where indulgence cannot be\nconstrued into excess, where not a brutal appetite, but a mental and\nspiritual taste, is amply supplied. The princes of Persia congratulated\nthemselves upon the favour of Ahasuerus; but how much greater reason have\nChristians to rejoice in the friendship of Christ! Now they are admitted\nto participate the blessings of his grace and the sacramental festival;\nhereafter they have substantial reasons to anticipate a diviner\nintercourse and a more exalted familiarity, when they shall drink new wine\nwith him in his Father's kingdom.\n\nOn the seventh day of the feast already mentioned, the king commanded the\nseven chamberlains of his household to wait upon Vashti, and bring her\nbefore him arrayed in the crown-royal. His heart is said to have been\n\"merry with wine,\" or he would not have thought of indulging his own\nvanity, and insulting his queen's dignity, by such an exhibition. She\nventured to refuse a compliance with this royal order, in which she was\nprobably countenanced by the concurring opinion and feelings of the ladies\nwho were present at the entertainment. As a woman she felt for the honour\nof her sex, and as a queen for her individual reputation and dignity. It\nwas unquestionably a foolish command, contrary to the Persian customs, and\ndishonourable to the character of Ahasuerus as a sovereign and a husband.\nIt is not by indulging pomp that the glory of a prince is best displayed,\nbut by useful enactments, virtuous associations, and an upright uniformity\nof conduct.\n\nUnreasonable, however, as the demand of Ahasuerus was, Vashti ought not to\nhave been so peremptory. In such an age, and under such a government, a\nmoment's consideration must have excited in her an apprehension of danger.\nBesides, it was not the time for remonstrance. She was no private\ncharacter; it was, therefore, an injudicious resistance of his authority.\nObedience would have involved no guilt; but disobedience, even though the\ncommand were ridiculous, necessarily exposed her husband's authority to\ncontempt. It must be admitted in Christian communities, that the Gospel\nrequires submission on the part of a wife; nor is this requisition limited\nsolely to those commands which the woman herself may deem just and proper,\notherwise her own humour, caprice, or misconception, would perpetually\ninfringe upon a positive law, and in fact, render it nugatory. On the\nother hand, if the husband would secure a cheerful obedience, and cherish,\ninstead of spoil, an amiable temper, or regulate a peevish one, let his\nwishes be reasonable in themselves, and uttered without a look or a term\nexpressive of an insolent consciousness of superiority.\n\nAhasuerus instantly resented the refusal of Vashti. His passion became\noutrageous, sensible that his dignity was insulted and his authority\nquestioned. He not only felt the uncomplying message of the queen as a\nsufficient mortification to his personal vanity, but as a public attack\nupon his influence and power as a king. It was not in a retired apartment,\nor on a private occasion, but, in a sense, before the eyes of a _hundred\nand twenty-seven provinces!_\n\nImmediate recourse was had to his counsellors, who concurred in the\nopinion of Memucan, that it was a public question of great importance to\nthe future welfare of the state, and affecting the domestic felicity, not\nof the king only, but of every family in the Persian empire. The advice he\ngave them, which Ahasuerus promptly followed, was to divorce Vashti, and\ninterdict her forever from reappearing in the royal presence. \"If it\nplease the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be\nwritten among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not\naltered. That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus: and let the king\ngive her royal estate unto another that is better than she. And when the\nking's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his\nempire (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands\nhonour, both to great and small.\" It is not surprising that such a\ngratifying, but _unchristian_ proposal, should be adopted by an arbitrary\nheathen monarch. Neither Memucan nor his royal master had drunk at the\npurifying fountain of evangelical truth.\n\nGod was now making \"the wrath of man to praise him.\" Human passions,\nprejudices, and errors were promoting divine designs. The feast, and the\nriot, and the vanity, and the rage of Ahasuerus, all concurred, though\nunconsciously on his part, to fulfil the mighty arrangements of\nProvidence, and to introduce, a train of events which now march through\nthe page of sacred history in rapid and wonderful succession.\n\nAfter the divorce of Vashti, the ministers of Ahasuerus advised him to\nadopt speedy measures to fill up the vacancy in his affections and his\nthrone. Their plan exhibits the barbarity of the age and the sensuality of\nthe king. He was to have his choice of all the \"fair young virgins,\"\ncollected from the provinces of the empire: and it devolved upon Hadassah,\nor Esther, an orphan educated under the inspection of Mordecai, her cousin\nand guardian, one of the captive Jews at this period attached by some\nemployment to the royal establishment. That God, who had bestowed upon\nthis young Jewess unusual beauty, gave her favour in the eyes of the king,\nand secretly accomplished his own gracious purposes respecting his people\nby her advancement.\n\n\nLittle did any of the persons immediately concerned in this affair imagine\nthe predestined results. Ahasuerus was gratifying his passions; Esther and\nMordecai conforming to an irresistible influence; Hegai, the keeper of the\nwomen, following the impulse of a secret admiration, and, perhaps, aiming\nto ingratiate himself in the favour of one whom he might suppose likely to\nbecome the future queen; while the Supreme Disposer was making use of all\nthis variety of feeling and design as the means of securing the ends in\nhis omniscient view.\n\nEsther retained her humility of spirit after her elevation of\ncircumstances; for she \"did the commandment of Mordecai like as when she\nwas brought up with him.\" She was one of the very few that resist the\nallurements of splendour--that cherish kindness for their poorer\nrelatives--and remember with gratitude the guardians of their youth.\n\nMordecai, having detected a conspiracy against the king, mentioned it to\nEsther, who named it to her royal consort; by which means the traitors\nwere soon brought to execution. This circumstance rendered the faithful\nJew known to his sovereign. It was attended, indeed, by no immediate\nrecompense; but he felt a satisfaction in having done his duty,\nincomparably more grateful to an unambitious mind.\n\nThe danger to which the great king of Persia was exposed by the\nmachinations of his domestics, shows the counterbalancing disadvantages\nwhich attach even to the most prosperous condition of human life; the\nconduct of Mordecai, on this occasion, teaches the allegiance we all owe\nboth to our lawful king, and to the Sovereign of the universe; and the\ncircumstances of the whole transaction, though for the present otherwise\nunnoticed, being \"written in the book of the Chronicles before the king,\"\nreminds us of the \"Lamb's book of life,\" that faithful register of the\npious services of his people, which, if not in this life, shall be fully\nrequitted in another.\n\nGreat princes often act capriciously, and advance to the highest stations\nthose whose personal insignificance or baseness must otherwise have\nrendered them contemptible. Thus Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the Agagite, to\nthe place of his prime minister; who received that homage from the\nmultitude, which persons of rank and eminent station usually secure in all\ncountries, but which is peculiarly exacted under arbitrary governments.\nThe flattering incense of the king's servants was accepted by Haman as a\nfragrant offering, while his vanity feasted itself most luxuriously upon\npopular admiration.\n\nBut, in proportion to a man's eagerness after honour, will be his\nsensibility to the slightest affront, and his readiness to interpret, in\nthe worst sense, even unintentional neglect. It will not appear\nsurprising to those who are acquainted with the heart of man, that this\nnew favourite should have felt even more pain from the disrespect of one\nindividual, than pleasure from the reverence of ten thousand others: and\nthis, not because of any extraordinary importance which the dissentient\nhad acquired, but simply on account of the extreme susceptibility to\napplause which the dignity and the pride of Haman had superinduced.\nMordecai, in fact, refused to pay that homage to the prime minister which\nthe king commanded; and he persisted in his refusal, notwithstanding the\nremonstrances of the king's servants, who \"spake daily unto him.\" The\nknown loyalty of Mordecai renders it certain that this determination did\nnot proceed from any disesteem of the king; his character is an equal\npledge that it did not originate in envy, or any ridiculous pique: it must\nhave been a conscientious scruple, and the probability is, that the king\nrequired for his favourite a _religious_ homage, similar to what the\nPersian monarchs were accustomed to claim for themselves. The minister\nwas, besides, an Agagite, and therefore, probably, of the race of Amalek,\na people against which Jehovah had proclaimed a perpetual and\nexterminating war. If these were his motives, he is rather to be extolled\nfor his heroism, than censured for his temerity. A man of God should\npersevere in his duty at all hazards, unseduced by the flatteries, and\nunawed by the threats of mankind. He must contend against spiritual\nwickedness, oppose internal lust, and resist external temptation. He must\nbrave alike caresses and sneers; the importunity of the timid, and the\ninsistance of the powerful; so, however reproached by men, he will be\nhonoured by God.\n\nThe officers of the king, at length, resolved to inform his favourite of\nthis determined omission to pay him reverence. Haman became incensed, and\nhis rage burned with destructive violence. Having been told that Mordecai\nwas a Jew, he instantly vowed to revenge his mortification, not only by\npunishing the individual, but by destroying the nation: and as the Persian\nmonarchy, at this period, included Judea, had not Providence signally\ninterposed, few if any could have escaped. How cruel is wrath, how\noutrageous anger! Thousands are devoted to death for an individual's\nconduct, who were utterly incapable of participating in it, and who had\nnever even heard the name of their offending countryman! Supposed guilt\nand unquestioned innocence were doomed alike to perish in one\nindiscriminate massacre! O let us daily pray for that \"wisdom which is\nfrom above, which is first pure, then _peaceable, gentle, and easy to be\nentreated, full of mercy_, and good fruits!\"\n\nWith a view of discovering the will of the gods, according to the common\npractice of Pagan antiquity, Haman ordered the lot to be cast, which was\nsupposed to discriminate between lucky and unlucky days, little aware that\n\"the whole _disposing_ thereof is of the Lord.\"\n\nHis address to the king was artful and insinuating. Instead of stating the\nreal cause of his desire for the extermination of the Jews, he touches\nonly upon what the principles of policy might seem to dictate; and induces\nAhasuerus to accede to his sanguinary proposal, by lending him his ring to\nuse at his own discretion. Thus the weakness of favouritism combines with\nthe wickedness of pride, to destroy a people whose name was scarcely known\nto their prince, and whose crime was not even attempted to be proved by\ntheir malignant accuser.\n\nThe decree was at length issued, and letters were despatched into every\nprovince of the empire, \"to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all\nJews both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon\nthe thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to\ntake the spoil of them for a prey.\" After this inhuman proceeding, \"the\nking and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.\"\n\nIt is an outrage upon public decency, which even modern times and\ncivilized nations have unhappily witnessed, to see princes dissipating\ntheir days in festivity, and enfeebling their reason by excess, riot, and\nintoxication, when the calamitous circumstances of their country have\ndemanded a serious investigation, a sympathizing regard, and a prompt\nrelief; but still more lamentable is it to observe such conspirators\nagainst the lives of mankind as Haman and Ahasuerus, sitting down to\nindulge in merriment, while Persia was bathed in tears, and innumerable of\nher inhabitants written for execution. Was not one governor then to be\nfound, to return an answer similar to that which the king of France, in a\nlater age received, who had commanded the massacre of the Huguenots? \"In\nmy district,\" said one of his virtuous lieutenants, \"your majesty has many\nbrave soldiers, but no butchers!\"--This was a people, however, ignorant as\nthe haughty favourite of Ahasuerus was of the fact, that no human power\ncould annihilate--a people under the immediate protection of the eternal\nGod--a people respecting whom important prophecies were yet\nunaccomplished--a people of whom it is affirmed, Jehovah \"kept him as the\napple of his eye.\"\n\nMordecai was no uninterested spectator of these transactions; but went\nabout the city, and approached even to the king's gate, attired in\nsack-cloth, and uttering cries of grief and lamentation. Esther, who was\nno less accessary to sorrow in the palace than in the cottage, being\ninformed of this circumstance, sent him a change of raiment, that she\nmight enjoy a conversation to which he could not be introduced in the\nhabiliments of mourning. Alas! though the _signs_ of affliction may be\ninterdicted, the unwelcome visitant herself will intrude even into the\nmost splendid residences and most elevated conditions! Mordecai refused\nthe dress, not out of disrespect to the queen, but to express his poignant\nanguish, and to incite her to deeper sympathy. Esther immediately\ndespatched her attendant, one of the king's chamberlains, to inquire into\nthe cause of his distress; and this faithful messenger soon hastens back\nto detail all the proceedings which had been adopted in reference to the\nJews, with a request from Mordecai, that \"she should go in unto the king,\nto make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for\nher people.\"\n\nThis was a dangerous requisition. She, therefore, sent back her attendant\nto Mordecai, to remind him that it was a matter of universal notoriety,\nwhoever, man or woman, should venture into the royal presence without\nbeing called, must suffer death, unless the \"golden sceptre\" were held out\nas an intimation of mercy; and that she questioned the probability of this\nin case of her intrusion, since her not having been sent for during thirty\ndays past seemed to indicate some alienation.\n\nIt must be confessed, there is less of the heroine and the martyr in this\nreply than we could wish to have witnessed; but, on the one hand, we may\nobserve that a similar blemish disfigured the early conduct of Moses: and\non the other, as some extenuation, that she does not _refuse_ to comply\nwith Mordecai's suggestion; but merely referred to the danger awaiting\nsuch a proceeding, in order perhaps to induce him, if possible, to\ncontrive some safer and no less effectual expedient. The love of life is a\nprinciple of human nature implanted by our Creator for the purpose of\nself-preservation, a principle which, in ordinary cases, cannot be\nviolated without guilt; and, on no occasion, can be dispensed with but\nfrom some imperious necessity. He who gave life, however, has a right to\nreclaim it; and that sacrifice which it would be a vice to make to our own\npassion, becomes a virtuous and pious offering when yielded to divine\nrequirements.\n\nMordecai sent another message to Esther, at once spirited, pointed, and\neffectual. It was a moment that demanded instantaneous action; and if the\ntimorous queen cherished apprehensions on her own account, he showed her\nthat she was even more likely to suffer by an ignominious retreat than a\nbold advance. He reminded her of her Jewish extraction, and the consequent\ndanger to herself in the arrangement to exterminate all that hated race.\nFor though the prime minister probably would not have lifted his hand\nagainst the queen; and though her connexion with his master, who married\nher from affection as great as we can imagine a sensual and despotic\nprince capable of cherishing, seemed to promise security; yet there could\nbe no absolute dependence, and the favourite of to-day might be discarded\nto-morrow. He added to this other and weighty considerations--\"If thou\naltogether boldest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement\nand deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy\nfather's house shall be destroyed; and who knoweth whether thou art come\nto the kingdom for such a time as this?\"--_q.d_. 'Thy timidity may prevent\nthy becoming the means of rescuing the people of God; nevertheless, they\nshall assuredly escape--his resources are inexhaustible--his chosen\nnation shall not be annihilated--and he will not only perform the work\nwithout thy instrumentality, but inflict an awful but merited chastisement\nfor thy misconduct. After all, I have better anticipations--perhaps thy\nwonderful advancement to the crown was intended by him who sometimes\nconceals his plans of mercy in clouds of mystery, for the very purpose of\naccomplishing the deliverance of Israel at this critical emergency.'\n\nMordecai, in this appeal, shines as a \"wise reprover;\" and it was \"upon an\nobedient ear.\" He is, moreover, illustrious as a man of _faith_. The\nconfident tone he assumed did not arise merely from that solicitude he\nfelt upon the subject, and which will sometimes inspire a boldness not\ncommonly manifested; but from a knowledge of the prophecies, and a trust\nin the faithfulness of God respecting their fulfilment. The lyres of\nIsaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, celebrated in accordant strains the\nrestoration of the Jews from captivity, and the advent of Messiah; and he\nwas persuaded that infinite Wisdom could not be deceived, nor infinite\npower frustrated. O that in every minute affair of our lives, as well as\nwith regard to every great event of time, we could cherish a similar faith\nin the providence of the \"God of salvation!\"\n\nObserve, in passing, that it is reasonable and just to expect services\nfrom us proportioned to the situations which we occupy. Favours involve\nobligations; and whatever influence, talent, or means of any kind we\npossess, ought to be conscientiously appropriated to the great Bestower.\nEvery being in the universe has duties arising out of his condition by\ndoing which he glorifies, and by omitting which he displeases, his\nCreator. Esther was, therefore, responsible for her actions as a queen, as\na Jewess, and as one furnished with extraordinary opportunities at a\ncrisis most singular and important, and the remonstrance of Mordecai\nproved irresistible. With what exultation must he have received this\nmessage from her--\"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in\nShushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night\nor day. I also, and my maidens, will fast likewise: and so will I go in\nunto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish,\nI perish!\"\n\nThese devotional preparations for the experiment about to be hazarded,\nwere not only highly proper in themselves, but expressive of the piety of\nEsther. Abstinence from food, an ancient practice of the church sanctioned\nby divine authority, is an evidence of humiliation before God; and at the\nsame time, adapted to produce it, by inflicting a salutary mortification\nupon the corporeal appetites. If carried to excess, it will indeed hinder\nrather than promote piety; but when adopted on proper occasions, and\nobserved with judicious regulations, it is attended with consequences\nmanifestly beneficial. The queen did not impose a service on others which\nshe was indisposed to practise herself; but sympathizing with the\ncondition of her countrymen, she participated in their self-denying\nduties. Let us never forget the promise of eternal mercy, which has\nconsoled the church of God in her deepest afflictions, and upon which\nevery pilgrim in Zion may depend with unhesitating confidence, \"Call upon\nme in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.\"\n[52]\n\nWhen it is recollected, that the proceeding of Esther, in going in to the\nking uncalled, was a deliberate violation of a law of the state, and that\nVashti had been discarded for an offence of far inferior consideration; we\ncannot but notice the overruling providence of God, in giving the queen\nacceptance in the eyes of Ahasuerus. On the third day she laid aside her\nmourning dress, and putting on her royal apparel, presented herself in the\ninner court of the palace, opposite the king's private apartment, where he\nsat upon his throne. What a moment of suspense and of secret agony! If\nprevious devotion had not, in some measure, tranquillized the agitations\nof her bosom, and inspired a holy courage, it is scarcely conceivable how\na woman could sustain the trial of such an hour. If the sharp conflict had\nsmitten her to the ground, and she had expired upon the spot, we should\nnot, religious considerations apart, have been greatly astonished; but\nhope in God, and a composure gained, no doubt, at the mercy-seat, and\ndiffused over her spirit by recent intercourse with heaven, prepared her\nto hear the mandate of death, or receive the outstretched token of\nclemency. Her splendid attire--her attractive mien--her beautiful\ncountenance, in which grief, anxiety, and devotion blending their\ninfluence, produced a new and interesting character, fixed the king's\nattention, and reinspired his love; but neither the one nor the other of\nthese, nor all of them in the most happy combination, could have produced\nthe effect, had not the tears, the prayers, the fastings of Israel and of\nEsther, brought down the blessings from above. How _important_ are means!\nhow _essential_ is religion!\n\nBehold the golden sceptre! The queen trembles with rapture at the\nanticipated sign--it is held out--she approaches--touches--triumphs--and\nlives! \"Let us come boldly unto the THRONE OF GRACE, that we may obtain\nmercy, and find grace to help in time of need!\"\n\nInstead of rejection and death, Esther soon found herself treated with\nperfect familiarity, and more than usual kindness. Imagining that some\nimportant business had occasioned this visit, the king desired to know it,\nand promised to gratify the queen \"to the half of the kingdom.\" She\nthought it prudent, however, at present, to waive the particular request\nshe had to present, simply inviting Ahasuerus and his favourite to a\nbanquet, by which mark of attention she hoped more effectually to confirm\nhis reviving fondness, and thus secure the accomplishment of her ultimate\npurpose. Her invitation was accepted. He repaired with Haman to the\nfestival, where, being highly delighted with the entertainment, he renewed\nhis protestations in reference to whatever petition she might have to\npresent. The wary queen ventured only to request a renewal of the royal\nvisit on the morrow, at which time she assured him of a full explanation\nof her wishes.\n\nThere is an appearance of undue timidity in this procrastination; and yet,\nif we were better informed of her secret motives, we might perhaps award\nher the praise of wisdom. The partiality of the king for Haman might\nrender her doubtful of success in the contest with that favourite; and she\nmight think it necessary to excite both the curiosity and the affection of\nthe king still more, in order that he might not, through being startled at\nthe magnitude of her demand, instantaneously refuse it. Extremes are\ndangerous. It would be well for us always to avoid both dilatoriness and\nprecipitancy in our conduct; in order to which we should implore, with\nhabitual fervency, the \"wisdom from above.\"\n\nWhatever were the views of Esther, the designs of God were secretly\nmaturing. Haman retired to his own house, full of mortification at the\ncontinued neglect of Mordecai, which disturbed him even when every\nexternal good seemed to concur in promoting his enjoyment. He called his\nfriends together, expatiated upon all his possessions and glory, noticing\nwith peculiar emphasis the favour of Esther in admitting him as the sole\ncompanion of his sovereign and queen at the day's festivity, to a\nrepetition of which he had the honour of being invited on the morrow;\n\"yet,\" he added, displaying at once the festering wound of his heart, \"yet\nall this availeth nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at\nthe king's gate.\"\n\nNever, surely, was a more complete exposure of the insufficiency of\nworldly glory to constitute happiness, and never a more impressive\nexhibition of the littleness of vanity. What an insignificant\ndisappointment is sufficient to mar the comfort of him who depends upon\ncreatures! The merest feather may be turned into a weapon of hostility,\nand destroy his peace; and whatever he may possess or acquire, he must\nnecessarily he as remote from true felicity as at the first step of his\npursuit, since something will always he wanting to _complete_ his bliss,\nand the phantom of _ideal_ good will continue to dance before his eyes.\n\nZeresh, the wife of Haman, advised him to have a gallows made of fifty\ncubits in height, upon which he should instigate the king to hang\nMordecai. To this advice, in which all his friends concurred, he listened,\nand gave immediate orders for the construction of this instrument\nof death.\n\nWhat is to be done--what can be _attempted_ by Esther or by Mordecai, in\nthis critical emergency? Neither of them were, indeed, aware of the\nmurderous determination. The queen had delayed her petition till the\nsucceeding day, at the intended banquet; but malevolence was hastening to\nfrustrate her designs, without her knowledge, and previously to her\nintercession. Could she ever pardon herself for this delay, when Mordecai\nis suspended? Could she recall the past hours of festivity, in which so\nfavourable an opportunity seemed to present itself for urging her\nsupplication to the king?--\n\n\"Stand still and see the salvation of God!\" He who \"sitteth upon the\ncircle of the earth,\" is about to fulfil his own purposes, which no human\nprojects can frustrate, and no apprehension of contingencies need hasten.\n\"On that night could not the king sleep.\" But little did he know the true\ncause of this unusual wakefulness, or suspect that God was about to render\nit subservient to accomplish his divine intentions. \"And he commanded to\nbring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the\nking.\" But why did not a prince like this, addicted to pleasure, seek a\ndiversion of his restlessness, by calling in the aid of music, rather than\nthat of history? It seems more natural, that, he should wish for temporary\namusement, rather than sold instruction. What more soothing than the\n\"concord of sweet sounds?\" True; but that Providence which kept him awake,\ninfluenced him to the choice of this extraordinary expedient. \"And it was\nfound written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the\nking's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on\nthe king Ahasuerus.\" But how came this particular circumstance in his\npersonal history, to be selected on this occasion? The Persian records\ncontained events of astonishing magnitude, and romantic interest. They\ntold of mighty exploits, and splendid conquests!--Again we discern that\ndivine superintendence, by which Ahasuerus was _led_ to a circumstance\nof his own time, in which that very individual was named, whose life was\nnow in imminent danger, and upon whom depends so many of the incidents of\nthis story. The king inquired, whether the fidelity of Mordecai had been\nproperly rewarded! To which his servants replied, \"There is nothing done\nfor him.\" The cares of empire are so multifarious and complicated, that we\nought to make considerable allowances for those omissions in princes,\nwhich would be utterly inexcusable in others; yet it does appear\nsurprising, that so signal a service as that which Mordecai had rendered\nin the discovery of a dangerous conspiracy against the throne, should have\nbeen totally unrequited. Happily for Christians, they serve a Master who\ncannot forget even \"a cup of cold water, given in the name of a disciple\"\nto one of his \"little ones!\"\n\nEarly the ensuing morning, Haman hastened to the palace, for the purpose\nof obtaining the royal consent to his malignant preparations. Now he was\nabout to rid himself at a stroke of the disdainful Jew that refused him\nhomage; and anticipated the hour when he should witness his enemy on the\ngallows, so soon and so eagerly prepared! It was, indeed, a strange\ncoincidence. Ahasuerus is as anxious to see his minister, as Haman to be\nintroduced to the apartment of his king. Each has a great object in view,\nfor which the other's concurrence is desired--each too is solicitous\nrespecting the disposal of the same individual, and each ignorant of the\nother's wishes and projects.\n\nAfter the usual salutations, the king entreated, the opinion of his\nfavourite minister with regard to the best mode of expressing his\nattachment to one whom he \"delighted to honour.\" Haman concluded that his\nroyal master, of course, alluded to _him_, since he well knew no other\nshared so largely in the royal confidence; and thinking to gratify the\nvanity of his little soul, he proposed that the favourite alluded to\nshould be, for once, clothed in the royal apparel and crown, carried\nthrough the city upon the horse which was appropriated to the king,\nattended by one of the first princes of the empire, and have proclamation\nmade before him, \"Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king\ndelighteth to honour.\" Approving of this mode of testifying the regard he\nwished to express, extraordinary as it was, Ahasuerus instantly commanded\nits punctual execution. \"Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse,\nas thou hast said, and do even so to\"--whom? to my favourite\nHaman?--No--insufferable mortification;--\"to _Mordecai the Jew_!\"\n\nBehold Haman again in his house, \"mourning and having his head covered,\nand expatiating upon the misery of his situation.\" His wise men and his\nwife agree, that if Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, all his\ncontrivances to ruin him would prove ineffectual; so fully aware were even\nthe heathen of the peculiar interposition of Providence, in former times,\non behalf of that scattered people.\n\nIn the midst of their consultations, the king's chamberlain came to attend\nHaman to the banquet prepared by Esther. He goes--but rather like a man\nled to execution, than one invited to a festival. But he must conceal his\nchagrin, and assume the smile of gayety.\n\nHaving partook of the feast, Ahasuerus requires of Esther the fulfilment\nof her promise, in the explanation of her wishes. He assures her with\nreiterated protestations, that her petition shall certainly be granted,\n\"even to the half of the kingdom.\" How was he astonished, when she\nentreated for her own life, and that of her people! It had never entered\ninto the mind of the king, that such a request was necessary. Is it\npossible that he hears aright? Ignorant that he had really prostituted,\nhis authority to sanction the destruction of the queen as a Jewess, he\nlooks at her and Haman with wild confusion, while she proceeds in a strain\nof firm, dignified, and eloquent statement: \"For we are sold, I and my\npeople, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish; but if we had been\nsold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy\ncould not countervail the king's damage.\"\n\nWho can paint the terrors that gathered, at this moment in the countenance\nof Haman, or the indignant frown of Ahasuerus, when he thundered\nforth--\"Who is he? and where is he that durst presume in his heart to do\nso? The hour of detection was come. Detestable conspirator, thou shall not\nescape! Truth shall, at length, come from her concealment, and wither at a\ntouch thy unmerited and unenviable distinctions!\" Esther said, \"_The\nadversary and enemy is this wicked Haman_.\"--\"The word was loath to come\nforth, but it strikes home at last. Never till now did Haman hear his true\ntitle. Before, some had styled him noble, others great; some magnificent,\nand some perhaps virtuous; only Esther gave him his own, 'wicked Haman.'\nIll-deserving greatness doth in vain promise to itself a perpetuity of\napplause.\" Bp. Hall.\n\nOverwhelmed with astonishment and indignation, the king hastily withdrew\nfrom the banquet into the palace-garden: while the offender, who was too\nwell acquainted with the countenance of his master not to perceive that\n\"there was evil determined against him,\" writhing in all the agonies of\ndespair, produced by a consciousness of guilt, and a dread of merited\npunishment, implored the queen to intercede for his safety. He who was\nprofuse of the lives of others, with a consistency which is characteristic\nof villany and despotism cannot endure the thought of forfeiting his own,\nbut betrays a cowardice proportioned to his recent insolence. The king\nreturning at the moment in a state of the utmost exasperation, imputed the\nworst motives to his suppliant attitude, and allowed his servants to rush\nforward and cover Haman's face, as a person under sentence of death. The\nmiserable criminal had, probably, many flatterers in the days of his\ngreatness, but his adversity shows that he had no friends. Every one is\neager to accelerate his destruction. Harbonah, especially, a chamberlain,\nproposed his being executed on the gallows of fifty cubits in height,\nwhich he had prepared for Mordecai; to which the king immediately\nassented. In this manner did Providence take the cunning persecutor in his\nown snare, and vindicate the cause of his oppressed people. Let the\nenemies of religion tremble, while the children of God are joyful in their\nKing. The arrows which malignity shoots at the church of Christ shall\neither be broken against her walls, and fall pointless to the earth; or\nrebounding on the foe that ventures upon the attack, shall pierce his\nown heart.\n\nThe advancement of Mordecai was the natural result of Haman's ruin. Esther\nhaving fully informed Ahasuerus of her relationship to the much-injured\nJew and his nation, she was empowered to bestow upon him the house of the\nfallen minister. The Jews, however, were not yet exempted from the decree\nwhich the wickedness of Haman had inveigled the king to issue against\nthem! so that Esther, not merely solicitous for her personal security or\nthat of her friend and relative, ventured again before the king, \"and fell\ndown at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of\nHaman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.\"\nThe king renewed the testimony of his kindness, by stretching forth the\ngolden sceptre; and the queen addressed him in these words, \"If it please\nthe king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem\nright before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to\nreverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite,\nwhich he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the kings' provinces:\nfor how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or\nhow can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?\"\n\nThe king was ready to concede every thing it was in his power to grant:\nbut as the laws of Persia were irreversible, and he could not rescind an\nedict already issued in his several provinces, he adopted the plan of\nputting his ring into the hands of Mordecai and Esther, to seal whatever\ndecree they might think it right to frame in the present emergency.\nAccordingly, they gave unlimited permission to the Jews to defend\nthemselves, which it was likely would so plainly evince the royal wishes\nto nullify his former edict, that few if any would indulge their malice\nagainst this people, or endanger their own lives by availing themselves of\nthe first order. Many, however, did so; and even in the royal city five\nhundred men attacked them, probably some of the partisans of the late\nminister; but their temerity hurried them on to their own destruction. The\nten sons of Haman, were also slain, and at the request of the queen, hung\non the gallows.\n\nAn annual festival, called _Purim_, [53] was established in commemoration\nof the deliverances we have recorded, which the Jews continue to observe\nat this day. It seems to have been appointed by Mordecai and Esther, as a\ncivil, rather than a religious feast; unless it be supposed, that they\nreceived some special revelation to authorize such a measure. It is\nobserved in the month _Adar_, which corresponds with our _February_\nand _March_.\n\nThe interesting history we have been reviewing, is calculated not only to\nimpress those general sentiments of Providence, to which we cannot too\noften recur, but to awaken in the minds of Christians a pleasing\nconviction of that minute inspection of their affairs, and that unremitted\ncare for their welfare individually, which God exercises towards them. Is\nit possible to imagine a doctrine more elevating than this, or more\ncalculated to produce sensations of reverence, gratitude, and joy? It is\nnot presumptuous, even in a mortal \"worm,\" to believe that his interests\nengage the attention of the INFINITE BEING; and that to promote them, the\nimmense machinery of moral and natural means is put in motion--the animate\nand inanimate creation--mortal agents and spiritual beings--events great\nand small, past and present. _Worm_ as thou art, still the central point\nin the vast circle of Providence! _Worm_ as thou art, God has \"graven thee\nupon the palms of his bands, and thou shalt never perish.\" _Worm_ as\nthou art, but for thee \"the brightness of the Father's glory\" had not left\nhis radiant sphere to become incarnate, to endure reproach and execration,\nand finally to be \"brought as a lamb to the slaughter!\" To hear _thy_\nsupplications the King of heaven has erected a _throne of grace_--to\nvindicate _thy_ character, to condemn _thy_ foes, to perfect _thy_\nfelicity, he is preparing, and will soon come to sit upon _a throne of\njudgment!_\n\nReview past dispensations, and gather encouragement for present\nconfidence! \"If God be for us, who can be against us?\" Did he not choose\n_Abraham_, and call him his \"friend?\" Did he not release _Joseph_ from\nthe pit, and raise him to princely glory? Did he not rescue _Moses_ from\nthe destructive waters, and constitute him the leader of his people\nIsrael? Did he not deliver _David_ from the lion and the bear, from the\ngiant of Philistia, and the royal madman of Israel! Did he not feed\n_Elijah_--advance _Esther_--promote _Mordecai_--support _Job_--save\n_Jonah_--rescue _Peter_, and honour _Paul_? Has he not, in all ages,\nsupplied the necessities of his saints--alleviated their\nsorrows--sweetened their bitter cup--turned death itself into life? Can he\nnot extricate them from all difficulties--preserve them amidst ail\ntemptations--render them invulnerable to all attacks--make them more than\nconquerors over external misery, internal pollution, and satanic\nmalice?--Can he not eventually elevate them above the reach of all evil,\nthe fear of death, and the possibility of falling? Can he not array them\nin the robe of light--adorn them with a crown of glory--make them \"drink\nof the rivers of his pleasures\"--associate them with holy angels, in a\nstate of immaculate purity--stamp immortality on their blessedness, and\n\"wipe away all tears from their eyes?\"--HE CAN--HE WILL--\"Our Father which\nart in heaven ...thine is the POWER and the GLORY, forever. Amen!\"\n\n\n\nEnd of Volume I.\n\n\n\n\nFootnotes\n\n\n\n[1]: Bates.\n\n[2]: Young's Centaur not fabulous, p. 61.\n\n[3]: Sir William Temple's Gardens of Epicurus. Horne's Discourses, vol. I.\n\n[4]: This subject is more fully illustrated in the Essay prefixed to the\nsecond volume of this work.\n\n[5]: Dr. Johnson.\n\n[6]: Paley's Moral Philosophy, vol. i. p. 316, 8vo.\n\n[7]: SAURIN, Discours historiques, critiques, theologiques, et moraux, sur\nles Evenemens le plus memorables du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament. Tom. I.\np. 41-43. 8vo.\n\n[8]: The following quotation is illustrative of this circumstance: \"At ten\nminutes after ten in the morning, we had in view (says Dr. Chandler)\nseveral fine bays, and a plain full of booths, with the Turcomans sitting\nby the doors, under sheds resembling porticos; or by shady trees,\nsurrounded with flocks of goats.\" Harmer's Observations, vol. i. p. 132.\n\n[9]: Fleury's Manners of the ancient Israelites.\n\n[10]: Newton's Diss. on the Prophecies, vol. i. p. 34--36.\n\n[11]: The ancient authors, Tacitus, Pliny, Diodorus Siculus, and others,\nfurnish abundant testimony in undesigned confirmation of the scriptural\naccount. The following quotation is from Strabo: \"There are many\nindications that fire has been over this country; for, about Massada, they\nshow rough and scorched rocks and caverns, in many places eaten in; and\nthe earth reduced to ashes, and drops of pitch distilling from the rocks\nand hot streams, offensive afar off, and habitations overthrown; which\nrender credible some reports among the inhabitants, that there were\nformerly thirteen cities on that spot, the principal of which was Sodom,\nso extensive, as to be sixty furlongs in circumference, but that by\nearthquakes, and by an eruption of fire, and by hot and bituminous waters,\nit became a lake as it now is, the rocks were consumed, some of the cities\nwere swallowed up, and others abandoned by those of the inhabitants who\nwere able to escape.\" _Lib xii_\n\nTacitus states, that the traces of fire were visible in his time \"At no\ngreat distance are those fields which, as it is said, were formerly\nfruitful, and covered with great cities, till they were consumed by\nlightning, the vestiges of which remain in the parched appearance of the\ncountry, which has lost its fertility.\" _Hist lib v_\n\nA modern traveller, who was recently an eyewitness of the scene, is\nparticularly entitled to be heard on this interesting subject, even at the\nrisk of extending this note to a disproportionate length: \"The Dead Sea\nbelow, upon our left, appealed so near to us, that we thought we could\nhave rode thither in a very short space of time. Still nearer stood a\nmountain upon its western shore, resembling in its form the cone of\nVesuvius, and having also a crater upon its top which was plainly\ndiscernible.\n\n\"The distance, however, is much greater than it appears to be; the\nmagnitude of the objects beheld in this fine prospect, causing them to\nappear less remote than they really are. The atmosphere was remarkably\nclear and serene; but we saw none of those clouds of smoke which, by some\nwriters, are said to exhale from the surface of the Lake Asphaltites, nor\nfrom any neighbouring mountain. Every thing about it was, in the highest\ndegree, grand and awful. Its desolate, although majestic features, are\nwell suited to the tales related concerning it by the inhabitants of the\ncountry, who all speak of it with terror, seeming to shrink from the\nnarrative of its deceitful allurements and deadly influence. 'Beautiful\nfruit,' say they, 'grows upon its shores, which is no sooner touched, than\nit becomes dust and bitter ashes.' In addition to its physical horrors,\nthe region around is said to be more perilous, owing to the ferocious\ntribes wandering upon the shores of the lake, than any other part of the\nHoly Land.\" _Clarke's Travels_, part ii. sect. i. p. 614.\n\n[12]: The design of this work being rather practical than critical, the\nauthor conceives it generally proper to avoid subjects of doubtful\ndisputation; and rather, in particular cases, to give the _result_ of\nhis inquiries, than to detail the process by which it had been obtained.\nOn this account, he has forborne to introduce the different notions that\nhave prevailed among the learned respecting the real nature of the\npunishment inflicted upon the wife of Lot, but has simply stated what is\nthe most common, and, upon the whole, the most satisfactory opinion. It\nseems conformable to the words of the historian to suppose a _real\nconversion into a pillar of salt_, and not that Lot's wife was merely\n_smitten dead upon the spot_. If further information be wished, the\nreader is particularly referred to a French work of well-merited\ncelebrity, and which contains on this and many subjects of Biblical\ncriticism, much valuable and curious information--Saurin, Discours\nhistoriques, critiques, theologiques, et moraux, sur les Evenemens les\nplus memorables du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament. Tom, i.\n\n[13]: This appears to have been the ancient mode of concluding an\nagreement, or solemn covenant. Josephus says, that if two persons bound\nthemselves mutually by an oath, they put their hand upon each other's\nthigh. Grotius states, that anciently they wore the sword upon the thigh,\nso that to swear by putting the hand upon the thigh, was intimating, \"I am\nwilling to be pierced through by this sword if I break my promise.\"\n\n[14]: \"Sir J. Chardin observed this difference in the East between wells of\nliving water, and reservoirs of rain water; that these last have\nfrequently, especially in the Indies, a flight of steps down into the\nwater, that as the water diminishes, people may still take it up with\ntheir hands, whereas he hardly ever observed a well furnished with those\nsteps through all the East. He concludes from this circumstance, that the\nplace from whence Rebekah took up water was a reservoir of rain water.\nThis is the account that he gives us in his sixth MS. volume, and it\nexplains very clearly what is meant by Rebekah's _going down_ to the\nwell, Gen. xxiv. 16.\" HARMER'S Observations, vol. ii. p. 184, 185,\n_note_.\n\n[15]: HENRY in loc.\n\n[16]: \"We do not find that their (the Israelites') marriages were attended\nwith any religious ceremony, except the prayers of the father of the\nfamily and the standers by, to entreat the blessing of God: we have\nexamples of it in the marriage of Rebekah with Isaac, of Ruth with Boaz,\nand of Sara with Tobias. We do not see that there were any sacrifices\noffered upon the occasion, or that they went to the temple, or sent for\nthe priests; all was transacted betwixt the relations and friends, so that\nit was no move than a civil contract.\" _Fleury's Manners of the ancient\nIsraelite_, Part ii. chap. 10.\n\n[17]: Most commentators attribute a higher principle to the partiality of\nRebekah; they imagine that it was founded upon the prophecies, choosing\nhim whom the Lord had chosen: but I can perceive no good reason for this\nopinion.\n\n[18]: \"For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee\nout of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and\n_Miriam_.\" Mic. vi. 4.\n\n[19]: Hieron, in Trad. Heb. ad 1 Kings 3. Calmet's Preface to Ruth, and Ch.\niv. 22.\n\n[20]: Gray's Key to the Old Testament.\n\n[21]: Comp. HARMER'S Observations, vol. i. p. 78, 79.\n\n[22]: There is something inimitably beautiful in this ancient practice, and\nin language of their mutual address, which is preserved in the inspired\nnarrative, \"And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the\nreapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless\nthee.\" Ch. ii. 4.\n\n[23]: Clarke's Travels, Part II, Sect, ii. p, 302.\n\n[24]: Comp. Harmer's Observations, p. 232-237.\n\n[25]: It has been thought probable, that from the expression \"Is not the\nLord gone out before thee?\" some angelic messenger or visible appearance,\nsimilar to that of the Shekinah, prompted the words and animated the zeal\nof Deborah. The Targum favours this sentiment: \"Is not the angel of the\nLord gone out before thee to prosper thee?\"\n\n[26]: Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews.\n\n[27]: The historical reference appears to be to the narrative in the\ntwentieth chapter of Numbers, in which the refusal of Edom to allow the\nchildren of Israel to go through their borders is recorded. Some\nextraordinary circumstances seem referred to, not mentioned in the sacred\npage, but possibly transmitted by tradition to the times of Deborah. Sen\nis a mountain of Idumea. The language is highly figurative, and denotes\nearthquakes and storms. \"The mountains melted,\" that is, part of their\nsurface was carried down, by the force of excessive torrents of rain.\n\n[28]: The ass derives its name from a Hebrew word signifying _redness_,\nthe usual colour of this animal, but some are white. The word translated\nwhite is _zechorot_, and may, perhaps refer to the _zebra_, which the\nEthiopians call _zechora_, and which is generally considered as one of the\nmost beautiful of living creatures. It is sometimes called the wild ass.\n\n[29]: \"Dr. Shaw mentions a beautiful rill in Barbary, which is received\ninto a large basin, called _shrub we krub,_ (drink and away,) there\nbeing great danger of meeting there with rogues and assassins. If such\nplaces are proper for the lurking of murderers in times of peace, they\nmust be proper for the lying in ambush in times of war; a circumstance\nthat Deborah takes notice of in her song, Judges v. 11.\" Harmer.\n\n[30]: _Gates_ were anciently the places where they held their courts\nof judicature. In the towers there were very spacious and handsome\nstate-rooms.\n\n[31]: The Vulgate reads, _in the country of Merom,_ alluding to the\nplace where Joshua fought a former king of Canaan. The waters of Merom are\nsupposed to be the same as Kishon. Comp. Josh. xi. 5 Ps. lxxxiii 9.\n\n[32]: There is a remarkable alliteration here in the original Hebrew,\n[Hebrew: _middaharoth daharoth_.] Some have supposed it a poetical\nimitation of the sound of the trampling of horses, and compare this\npassage with the celebrated line of Virgil--\"Quadrupedante putrem sonitu\nquatit ungula campum.\" VIRG. \u00c6n. viii. v. 595.\n\n[33]: Comp. HARMER'S Observations, volume i. pp. 216 and 445.\n\n[34]: It has often been inquired, on what principle this action of Jael,\nwhich is so apparently repugnant to the laws of honourable warfare, and\neven of common humanity, could be so eulogized by Deborah. The Kenites and\nthe Canaanites were in alliance, and besides, the rights of hospitality\nhave always been most scrupulously regarded, especially in the early ages\nof the world. To these considerations the ingenious Saurin replies, that\nin order to judge of this affair, it would be necessary to know the nature\nof the treaty between Heber and the Canaanites; because, according to\nPuffendorf, if two agreements cannot be performed, of which the one was\nmade _with_ and the other _without_ an oath, the latter ought to\nyield to the former; and we cannot tell but this latter might be the\nnature of the agreement between the Kenites and the Canaanites. He\nconceives also, that a justification of Jael's conduct might be found in\nthe character of Sisera, pleading that we are not required to keep good\nfaith, or to show lenity to those execrable persons who only avail\nthemselves of our regard to these virtues, to violate them in their\nconduct to others, to falsify their promises, and carry blood and carnage\nwherever they go. Under this impression, he prays that Providence may\nnever raise up among us Jabins or Siseras; but if the justice of God\nshould see fit to employ such scourges for our correction, that his mercy\nwould send Jaels to effect our deliverance. Comp. SAURIN Discours\nHistoriques, tom iii. _La defaite de Jabin et de Sizera_, p. 318-322.\nI confess this reasoning is not quite satisfactory; nor indeed will any\nreasoning upon this remarkable transaction be so, till we allow that there\nwere circumstances which the Spirit of God has not seen fit to disclose,\nand that Jael most probably acted under the influence of some divine\nintimation. Long was it the revealed will of God that the Canaanites\nshould be exterminated, and Israel had been criminally negligent of his\ncommands. It must, doubtless, be admitted, that the general authority\nwhich they had received, independent even of any acts of oppression, was\nparamount to every other consideration, and sufficient to justify the most\nimplacable hostility.\n\n[35]: Illustrations may be found in Saurin, \"Discours Historiques,\nCritiques, Theologiques, et Moreaux, sur les Evenemens les plus memorables\ndu Vieux et du Nouveau Testament.\" Tom. iv. p. 14-20, 8vo.\n\n[36]: The Septuagint rendering of David's message to Nabal explains the\nrapaciousness of the Arabs, and the forbearance of David. \"Behold, I have\nheard that thy shepherds are now shearing for thee; they were with us in\nthe wilderness, and we have not _hindered_ them, [Greek: ouch apecholusamen], nor\nhave we _commanded_ them [Greek: ouch eneteilametha] all the days of their being in\nCarmel.\" \"This,\" says Harmer, \"is translating like people perfectly well\nacquainted with the management of the Arab emirs, whose manners David,\nthough he lived in the wilderness as they did, had not adopted. One of\nthem at the head of six hundred men, would have _commanded,_ from time to\ntime, some provisions, or other present from Nabal's servants, for\npermitting them to feed in quiet; and would have driven them away from\nthe watering-place upon any dislike. He had not done either.\"\n_Observations_, vol. i. p. 173.\n\n[37]: Young's Centaur, p. 119.\n\n[38]: JOSEPHUS, Book viii. ch. 5,\n\n[39]: Voyage up the Red Sea, and Route through the Desarts of Thebais.\n\n[40]: Harmer's Observations, vol. iv. p. 192, 193.\n\n[41]: From the _Arabian Anthologia_, quoted by SCHULTENS.\n\n[42]: Shaw's Travels, p. 214-317, quoted in Harmer's Observations, vol. i.\np. 251.\n\n[43]: Comp. Harmer's Observations, vol. ii. p. 503.\n\n[44]: Plutarch's Life of Pyrrhus.\n\n[45]: Epitaph in Bunhill Fields burying-ground on a child that died at the\nage of nine months. The writer of these pages knows not the author, or\nwhether these lines have ever appeared in any other place than on the\nstone whence he has transcribed them.\n\n[46]: HARMER'S Observations, vol. i. p 4.\n\n[47]: The first day of the month was kept with burnt-offerings and\npeace-offerings. Vide Numb. x. 10. and xxviii. 11. In imitation of the\nJews, the calends, or first days of the month, and the fourth and seventh\nof the week, were sacred to Deity.\n\n[48]: PASCAL'S Thoughts, pp. 229, 244.\n\n[49]: See The Life of Philip Melancthon, by the author of this work, p.\n225, second edition.\n\n[50]: \"The salutations of the East often take up a long time. The manner of\nsalutation as now practised by the people of Egypt, is not less ancient.\nThe ordinary way of saluting people, when at a distance, is bringing the\nhand down to the knees, and then carrying it to the stomach; marking their\ndevotedness to a person, by holding down the hand; as they do their\naffection, by their after raising it up to the heart. When they come close\ntogether afterward, they take each other by the hand, in token of\nfriendship. What is very pleasant, is to see the country-people\nreciprocally clapping each other's hands very smartly, twenty or thirty\ntimes together, in meeting, without saying any thing more than _Salamant\naiche halcom?_ that is to say, _How do you do? I wish you good\nhealth_. If this form of complimenting must be acknowledged to be\nsimple, it must be admitted to be very affectionate. Perhaps it marks out\na better disposition of heart than all the studied phrases which are in\nuse among us, and which politeness almost always makes use of at the\nexpense of sincerity. After this first compliment, many other friendly\nquestions are asked about the health of the family, mentioning each of the\nchildren distinctly, whose names they know,\" &c. MAILLET, Descript. de\nl'Egypte.\n\n\"If the forms of salutation among the ancient Jewish peasants took up as\nmuch time as those of the modern Egyptians that belong to that rank of\nlife, it is no wonder the prophet commanded his servant to abstain from\nsaluting those he might meet with, when sent to recover the child of the\nShunammitess to life. They that have attributed this order to haste, have\ndone right; but they ought to have shown the tediousness of Eastern\ncompliments.\" HARMER'S Observations, vol. ii. pp. 331, 332.\n\n[51]: BISHOP HALL.\n\n[52]: Ps. I. 15. The thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of the apocryphal\nbook of Esther contain appropriate prayers for this occasion, attributed\nto Mordecai and Esther, well worthy of perusal.\n\n[53]: In the Persian language _Pur_ signifies a _lot_; and the\nreference is to Haman's casting lots to ascertain the lucky month for the\nexecution of his iniquitous project against the Jews.","title":"Female Scripture Biography, Volume I","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":113458}