Division "BS I 1 S 
 Sectic . F^22- 
 
 15 
 
 No, 
 
f r 
 
 \ 
 
THE PREACHER'S COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 BOOK OF EZRA. 
 
THE 
 
 1 reader's Cmnplttc p0inHetinil 
 COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 OLD TESTAMENT 
 
 (ON AiV ORIGINAL PLAN), 
 
 SEiti) Critical anti Explanatory i^otcs, jintiicrs, .^c. ^t. 
 
 BY 
 
 VARIOUS AUTHORS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 ■:; EICHAED D. DICKINSON, FAEEINGDON STEEET. 
 
 iSSi. 
 
HOMILETICAL COMMENTARY 
 
 ON THE BOOK OF 
 
 Z R A. 
 
 WITH CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES, 
 ILLUSTRATIONS, AND INDEXES. 
 
 V 
 
 WILLIAM JOl^ES 
 
 LONDON: 
 EICHAED D. DICKINSON, FAERINGDON STREET. 
 
 i88i. 
 
■ EDINBimOH : PRINTED BY 
 
 BAIiLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO., PAUL'S WORE 
 
 AND CHANDOS STREET, LONDON 
 
/^ P B X J 
 
 
 ' ^^T-^,;-- . - - 
 
 HOMILETIOAL INDEX. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Fulfilment of the Word of the Lord, .... 6 
 
 Resemblance between the Proclamation of Cyrus and the Gospel, . 8 
 
 The Edict of Cyrus, ....... 9 
 
 The Proclamation of Cyrus, . . . . . .11 
 
 God with us, ........ 12 
 
 The Release of the Jews from Babylon an Illustration of the Redemp- 
 tion of Man from Sin, . , . . . .14 
 
 The Return of the Exiles, . . . , . .16 
 
 The Results of the Captivity, . . . . . . 19 
 
 The Restoration of the Sacred Vessels, . . . . .19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Going up out of Captivity, 
 A Suggestive Record, .... 
 Religious Service, .... 
 
 The Importance of a Clear Spiritual Pedigree, . 
 Possessions and Offerings, 
 
 22 
 25 
 27 
 29 
 32 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Rebuilding of the Altar : Exemplary Features of Divine Worsliip, 
 
 The Celebration of the Sacred Festivals Resumed, 
 
 The Work of the Day done in the Day, 
 
 The Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple, 
 
 Laying the Foundation of the Temple, . 
 
 The Building of the Temple, 
 
 The Altar and the Foundation of the Temple, 
 
 36 
 39 
 42 
 
 44 
 40 
 49 
 51 
 
INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abandoned, sin must be . . .10.5 
 
 Abborrence of sin essential to moral purity 150 
 
 Accountability, tbe measure of our, 138, 141 
 
 Acknowledgment of God's goodness, 
 thankful ..... 
 
 Acting, the danger of separating feeling 
 froiu ...... 
 
 Agent in every good work, God the chief, 
 
 Aggravations of the guilt of sin 
 
 Almightiness of God guarantees the ful- 
 filment of His word, the 
 
 Ancestry, blessing of a pious . 
 
 Association with the wicked, danger of . 
 
 Association with the wicked is allowed, 
 what ...... 
 
 Assurance and faith .... 
 
 Assurance is not always enjoyed by true 
 Christians ..... 
 
 Atonement, felt need of the . 
 
 Atonement felt by the penitent soul, the 
 need of . 
 
 Authority of God, the sovereign . 
 
 lis 
 
 162 
 
 73 
 
 149 
 
 7 
 106 
 
 58 
 
 58 
 31 
 
 31 
 
 38 
 
 172 
 11 
 
 FA&B 
 
 93 
 
 93 
 
 Benevolence of the Divine law, the . 113 
 
 Bible an inexhaustible book, the . . 86 
 
 a wonderful book, the ... 86 
 
 should be studied, the whole . . 106 
 
 Books, the past preserved in . . . 86 
 
 Capacity the measure of obligation . 138 
 
 Certainty of the punishment of sin, the . 133 
 
 Character of holy men, appreciation of the 113 
 Children of the godly are included in the 
 
 Divine covenant, the . . . 118 
 Children to be trained for God . . 155 
 Christ a Redeemer from the slavery of sin 16 
 on the Cross an example of self-con- 
 secration ..... 38 
 
 the sure foundation .... 60 
 
 Christian, influence of a . . . 146 
 
 life, joyfulness of the .... 99 
 
 shouldhate sin, the . . . .146 
 
 should marry " only in the Lord " . 154 
 Christianity bears marks of its Divine 
 
 origin ...... 85 
 
 Christians should be separate from the 
 
 world 146 
 
 should honour the Name which they 
 
 bear 146 
 
 should reveal God to men . . .106 
 
 Church may win new victories, how the 74 
 reproached because of the faults of 
 
 some of its members, the . . 69 
 
 Church, certainty of the progre.ss of the . 
 
 the joy of helping to build the . 
 Communication, voluntary and involun- 
 tary . . . . _ • 
 
 Confession of sin an essential condition of 
 forgiveness ..... 
 
 of sin a relief to the penitent 
 of sin is followed by its renunciation, 
 true ...... 
 
 of sin, unreal ..... 
 
 what it is . . . . • • l-J*^ 
 
 Confidence in God secures His protection 12S 
 in God should be exercised . 
 in God, the warrant for . 
 Conquest of sin a grand thing, the 
 Consecration to Christ, gratitude a motive 
 to self- . . . • • _ • 
 to Christian work, the noblest worship, 
 
 self- 
 
 to God, self- . . . . • 
 
 Consequences of sin in eminent persons, 
 the injurious ..... 
 
 Courage indispensable to success in Chris- 
 tian work ..... 
 
 Covenant is with believers and their 
 children, the Divine 
 of God with His people, the 
 Creation admonishing us of the flight of 
 time ...... 
 
 Cyrus acknowledges the supreme autho- 
 rity of Jehovah . . . 10,11 
 a great conqueror raised up by Jehovah 11 
 the character and mission of . . 7 
 
 109 
 
 16.> 
 165 
 
 173 
 173 
 
 127 
 127 
 170 
 
 3S 
 
 38 
 97 
 
 145 
 
 27 
 
 118 
 13 
 
 41 
 
 Danger of separating feeling from action 
 Decision in resisting temptation, the im- 
 portance of . 
 Deeds better than correct creeds, good 
 Definitions of holiness . 
 Dependence and Divine defence, hum.an 
 Doing good, the true method of 
 Doubters to be respected, honest . 
 Duty, the faithful discharge of present 
 
 Eminent persons, the injurious- conse 
 
 quences of sin in . . 
 
 Epistles of Christ, Christians should be 
 Eradicated, sin must be 
 Evil of terrible enormity, sin an 
 
 the good man must abhor . 
 Example, the power of , 
 
 continues after our death, the power of 
 our ...... 
 
 162 
 
 57 
 
 108 
 
 118 
 
 128 
 
 60 
 
 77 
 
 72 
 
 145 
 106 
 170 
 150 
 150 
 
 ss 
 
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE ! 
 
 Failure is sometimes real success, ap- 
 parent ...... 69 
 
 Faith and assurance .... 31 
 
 Faitlifulness, the reward of . , . 141 
 Feeling from action, the danger of sepa- 
 rating ...... 16"-2 
 
 Flight of time, the swift ... 42 
 Forbearance of God with the wicked . 63 
 Forgiveness, confession an essential con- 
 dition of 150, 165 
 
 repentance an essential condition of . 172 
 
 Freedom from sin by Jesus Christ . . 139 
 
 Gifts determined by the disposition of 
 
 the giver, the value of . . .33 
 
 Giving is a part of worship . . . 113 
 
 our best to the Lord heartily . . 34 
 
 proportionate ..... 33 
 
 with liberality and clieerfulness . . 42 
 God acknowledged as the great source of 
 
 all good ...... lis 
 
 against the wicked, the power of .134 
 
 for all His benefits, praise ascribed to 119 
 gives Himself to His people . . 13 
 
 reverence towards . . . .113 
 
 upon the wicked, the execution of the 
 wrath of . . . . .134 
 
 God's view of sin ..... 160 
 
 Gratitude due to the living . . . 125 
 Great man a light-fountain, the . . 125 
 Greatness, size is no criterion of . . 27 
 
 true 125 
 
 Guilt of sin, aggravations of the . .149 
 
 Hatred of sin, a Christian duty . . 146 
 of the world to the Church . . 65 
 
 Heaven, rest of .... . 140 
 re-union in .... 140 
 worship of 139, 140 
 
 Heinousness of sin in the light of God's 
 
 presence, the exceeding . . .149 
 
 Helpers . . . . . . .46 
 
 Holiness defined . , . . .118 
 is for everyday wear .... 118 
 should characterise the whole life . 99 
 
 Home, love makes a . . . .34 
 sacredness of . . . . .24 
 
 Hope, the sorrow of repentance inspires . 161 
 
 Humility and pride contrasted . .118 
 
 Imitation of the wealthy and powerful, 
 
 servile 73 
 
 Individuals, the power of . , . 106 
 Influence, the continuousness of involun- 
 tary . .... 109 
 
 the power of involuntary . . . 109 
 
 Influence of a Christian, the, . . . 146 
 of Christian lives, the attractive,. 31, 32 
 
 of God and the freedom of man, the, . 8 
 of the Spirit of God upon the spiirit of 
 
 man, the . . . . . . 7, 18 
 
 Inspiration of all goodness in man is from 
 
 God, the, ..... 73 
 
 Interest in His people individually, 
 
 God's, 26 
 
 Jewels, Jehovah's, 
 
 20 
 
 Jews after the captivity, monotheism of 
 
 the, 56 
 
 Joy and grief mingled in human life, . 49 
 
 Joyfulness in tlie worship of God, . . 96 
 
 of the Christian life, the, ... 99 
 
 Joys, incompleteness of human, . . 45 
 Judaism towards foreigners, the attitude 
 
 of, 46 
 
 Judgment, importance of a sound, . . 125 
 
 Knowledge not acted upon an occasion 
 
 of condenmation, religious, . . 108 
 of His people, God's, . . . .26 
 
 Language, voluntary and involuntary, . 109 
 
 Law, benevolence of the Divine, . . 113 
 Leadership, qualification for, . . .24 
 
 Living, gratitude due to the, . . . 125 
 
 Luminary, the great man a, . . . 125 
 
 Man, the greatest, 125 
 
 the wisest, ...... 125 
 
 Marriage of the godly with the ungodly 
 
 is perilous, the, .... 155 
 
 should be contracted with a view to 
 
 mutual help in holiness, . . . 154 
 tie, the closeness and tenderness of 
 
 the, 154 
 
 to the training of children, the relation 
 
 of, 155 
 
 Marry "only in the Lord," the Christian 
 
 should, ...... 154 
 
 Mercy of God an encouragement to re- 
 pentance, the, . . . . .173 
 
 Minister, the true, ..... 32 
 
 Ministers, how to maintain the supply 
 
 of, 123 
 
 the spiritual needs of, . . . . 123 
 
 the spii'itual perils of, .... 123 
 
 Ministry a solemn trust, the Christian, . 137 
 
 Need of atonement and grace, our daily. 39 
 of atonement felt by the penitent soul, 
 
 the, 172 
 
 of rest, man's, ..... 122 
 
 Obedience, complete, .... 80 
 
 heartv, 80 
 
 joyful 80 
 
 Obligation, capacity the measure of, . 138 
 
 Omniscience of God, .... 74 
 
 Opposition offered to great reformations,. 170 
 
 Oversight of God an inspiration, the, . 75 
 
 Painful, separation from sin is . .169 
 
 Parentage, the blessing of godly . . 106 
 
 Parental obligations .... 155 
 
 prayers answered .... 106 
 Penitence in the experiences of the 
 
 Christian ..... 97 
 
 Penitent soul, confession a relief to the . 165 
 Perfection of humanity, Christianity aims 
 
 at the 93 
 
 Perilous, the marriage of the godly with 
 
 the ungodly is . . . .155 
 
 Persecutions of the Protestant dissenters 38 
 
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Perseverance to the end required of the 
 
 Christian . . . . .93 
 
 Power of God is against the wicked, the 134 
 
 of single individuals, the . . . 106 
 
 of the social element in religious move- 
 ments, the ..... 161 
 Practice is more important than mere 
 
 profession . . . . .108 
 
 Praise and prayer ..... 48 
 
 ascribed to God for all His benefits . 119 
 
 God for His goodness, the obligation to 41 
 Prayer, God's promises an encouragement 
 
 to 127 
 
 and praise . . .... 48 
 
 Prayers of parents answered, the . . 106 
 
 of the godly preserve nations, the . 88 
 Preparation for communion with God . 99 
 Presence of Christ with His people . 14 
 
 of God, the all-sufficiency of the . . 14 
 Pride and humility contrasted . ,118 
 
 Principal thing," " wisdom is the . .125 
 Professing Christ ..... 77 
 Profession is worthless without practice . 108 
 Promises an encouragement to prayer, 
 
 God's 127 
 
 of God should be trusted, the . .127 
 Protection of God, the omniscient . . 75 
 Providence brings good out of evil, Divine 88 
 Prudence a necessary virtue ... 77 
 
 in work, the importance of . . . 170 
 Punishment of sin, the certainty of the . 133 
 
 Redemption enhances the claims of God 
 
 upon man ..... 79 
 
 Reflections of the aged . . . .49 
 
 Reformation essential to true repentance 161 
 Reformations meet with fierce opposition, 
 
 great . . . . . .170 
 
 Remained in Babylon, why many of the 
 
 Jews ...... 18 
 
 Reparation must follow repentance . . 161 
 Repentance an essential condition of for- 
 giveness . . . . . .172 
 
 leads to reparation, true . • . 161 
 painful and hopeful .... 161 
 
 reformation the test of . . .161 
 the mercy of God an encouragement to 173 
 Repulsiveness of sin, the . . . 150 
 
 Resistance of temptation, prompt and 
 
 resolute . . . . . . 59 
 
 Respect for sacred things ... 20 
 Rest, man's need of . . . .122 
 
 of heaven . . . . . .140 
 
 Restitution of all things in Christ . . 20 
 Reunion in heaven .... 140 
 
 Reverence due to God .... 113 
 
 Reward of faithfulness, the . . . 141 
 Risk of ministers, the spiritual . . 123 
 
 Safety of the Churcli of Christ, the . 65 
 
 of the Saints, the .... 20 
 
 Salvation by grace 16 
 
 Satan transformed into an angel of light 56 
 
 Separation from sin, the difficulty of . 169 
 from the wicked incumbent upon the 
 
 good 56 
 
 from the world a Christian duty . . 146 
 
 Sermon, the best .... 
 Service for every Christian, a sphere of 
 in the Church of Christ is honourable, 
 
 the humblest .... 
 not the exclusive prerogative of any 
 class, Christian 
 Sin, aggravations of the guilt of 
 a grand thing to conquer . 
 an evil of great enormity . 
 a power ..... 
 deprives man of courage 
 freedom from .... 
 grieves God .... 
 
 in eminent persons, the injurious con 
 
 sequences of . 
 is painful, separation from . 
 its exceeding sinfulness in the light of 
 
 God's presence 
 
 must be abandoned 
 
 must be eradicated 
 
 provokes God to anger 
 
 should be hated by the Christian 
 
 the certainty of the punishment of 
 
 the loathsomeness of . 
 
 to be viewed with utter repugnance 
 
 Sinned, all have .... 
 
 Sins, even when pardoned, leave sad 
 
 traces ..... 
 
 of the fathers visited upon the children 
 
 Slavery of sin, the .... 
 
 of sin, sinners sometimes unconscious 
 
 of the ..... 
 
 Social element in religious movements, 
 
 the power of the 
 Sorrow of repentance is hopeful, the 
 Sovereignty of God, the . 
 of God, the ground of the . 
 of God, the universality of the . 
 Sphere of service for every Christian, a 
 Success to secondary causes, attributing 
 Supply of ministers, the . 
 
 Talent to be used well, one . 
 
 Talents and responsibilities 
 
 Temple is built, the materials of which 
 
 the spiritual .... 
 the redeemed are growing into a glori 
 
 ous 
 
 Temptations to sin, plausible . 
 Tenderness of the marriage relation, the 
 Thankfulness to God in all things, the 
 
 Christian's .... 
 Trust in God, the justification of . 
 the Christian ministry a solemn . 
 Trusting in God's promises . 
 
 Understakding to be sought, sound 
 Union is strength .... 
 Universality of sin in this world, the 
 Use well the talent you have . 
 
 Various ways of working in the cause 
 
 of God 
 
 "Veneration of holy character . 
 
 Warrant for confidence in God, the 
 Weeping in heaven, no . . . , 
 
 PAGE 
 
 32 
 28 
 
 46 
 113 
 
 127 
 49 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Wicked, the execution of the wrath of 
 
 God upon the 134 
 
 the power of God is against the . .134 
 
 Wisdom and goodness are inseparable . 125 
 
 in work, the importance of . . 170 
 
 "Wisdom is the principal thing" . . 125 
 
 Works, the incompleteness of human . 45 
 World, Christians should be separate 
 
 from the 146 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Worldliness injurious to Christian char 
 acter and influence . 
 the subtle and ruinous power of 
 Worship, giving is a part of , 
 of heaven, the 
 of wealth, the 
 Worthy of the Name which they bear, 
 
 Christians should walk 
 Wrath of God upon the wicked, the execu- 
 tion of the 134 
 
 31 
 
 . 73 
 
 . 113 
 
 139, 140 
 
 . 62 
 
 140 
 
 INDEX OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 Adams, Dr. Thomas, 59, 170. 
 Alford, Dean, 153. 
 Allon, Dr. H., 49, 
 Anon., 42, 86. 
 
 Bailet, p. J., 15. 
 
 Barnes, Dr. A., 49, 60, 153 
 
 Barrett, W. G., 132. 
 
 Basil, 119. 
 
 Baxter, Eichard, 45, 125, 155. 
 
 Beecher, H. W., 7, 27, 31, 32, 46, 49, 73, 77, 
 
 106, 128, 146, 150, 161. 
 " Bible Illustrations," 99. 
 "Biblical Treasury," 170. 
 Binnev, Dr. T., 138. 
 B. P. P., 110. 
 Brooks, George, 8. 
 Brown, J. Baldwin, 46, 59. 
 Burns, Dr. Jabez, 136, 152. 
 Bushnell, Dr. H., 27, 42, 61, 78, 109. 
 
 Caklyle, Thomas, 86, 125. 
 
 Cecil, R., 132. 
 
 Channing, Dr. W. E., 38, 86. 
 
 Charnocke, Stephen, 11, 13, 18, 26, 41, 63, 75, 
 
 79, 80, 82, 113, 134. 
 Cheever, Dr. G. B., 139. 
 Clemance. Dr. C, 101. 
 Cotton, Dr. C. C, 68. 
 Conder, J., 118. 
 Cowper, W., 104. 
 Crosby, Dr., 113. 
 Cumming, Dr., 100. 
 Cuyler, Dr. T. L., 73. 
 
 Dale, Dr. R. W., 107. 
 
 Dewart, E. H., 49. 
 
 "Diet, of Illustrations," 34, 77, 141, 155. 
 
 "Diet, of the Bible," Dr. Smith's, 82. 
 
 Doddridge, Dr. P., 31, 125. 
 
 Downame, 56, 73. 
 
 Edwakds, Pres. 134. 
 
 Ferguson, Dr. R., 140. 
 Fuerst, Dr. Julius, 4, 53. 
 Fuller, Andrew, 69. 
 
 Garbett, Canon, 89. 
 
 Gilfillan, George, 170. 
 
 Gray, J. Comper, 102. 
 
 Guruall, W., 65, 80, 82, 118, 128, 165. 
 
 Guthrie, Dr. T., 57, 88, 165. 
 
 Hall, Bishop, 27, 118. 
 Hamilton, Dr. R. W., 113, 134. 
 Harris, Dr. John, 42, 63. 
 Hemans, Mrs., 17, 33. 
 
 Henry, Matthew, 47, 64, 87, 96, 112, 153, 158. 
 Hervey, Bishop, 2, 52. 
 Hervey, T. K., 48. 
 Howe, John, 20, 108, 154. 
 Howson, Dean, 98. 
 
 Huntington, Dr. F. D., 33, 56, 58, 74, 77, 99, 
 108, 118, 161, 170, 172, 173. 
 
 Irving, Edward, 127. 
 
 James, J. A., 88, 142. 
 Jay, William, 43. 
 Jones, Harry, 49. 
 
 Keil, Dr. C. F., 1, 35, 36, 52, 103, 119, 157. 
 Kitto, Dr. John, 8, 10, 11. 
 
 Lattimer, R. S., 90. 
 Lester, Dr. J. W., 140. 
 Lewis, W. S., 163. 
 Liddon, Canon, 127. 
 Longfellow, H. W., 44. 
 
 Macaulay, Lord, 38. 
 Maclaren, Dr. A., 173. 
 Magirus, John, 31. 
 Manton, Dr., 58. 
 Martin, Samuel, 34. 
 Martineau, Dr. James, 72. 
 Milman, Dean, 5, 56. 
 Milton, John, 58. 
 Montaigne, Michel de, 73. 
 Morris, A. J., 15, 16, 97. 
 Mursell, Arthur, 24. 
 
 Parker, Dr. Joseph, 7, 8, 11, 14, 20, 24, 60, 
 
 75, 81, 93, 106, 123, 146, 150, 161, 165. 
 Patrick, Bishop, 122. 
 Payson, Dr. E., 14, 97, 149, 150. 
 Perowne, Dean, 70. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 Pigg. J. G., 173. 
 Pulsford, John. 21, 93, 118. 
 Punshon, Dr. W. M., 29. 34. 
 Preacher's Portfolio," "The, 110. 
 
 E.AWLINSON, Canon, 103, 104, 163. 
 Eeynolds, Dr. H. R., 46. 
 Robertson, F. W., 16, 69, 146, 162. 
 Ruskin, John, 24, 125. 
 Ryland, Dr., 106. 
 Ryle, Bishop, 31. 
 
 Rai-TER, H. G., 31. 80. 147. 
 
 Schultz, Prof. F. AV., 4, 6, 17, 40, 55, 84, 92, 
 
 95, 103. 
 Scott, Sir Walter, 49. 
 Scott, Thoma?, 18, 68, 124. 
 Seeker, William, 155. 
 Seneca, 125. 
 
 Shakespeare, William. 81, 108, 124. 
 Simeon, Charles, 50, 91, 95, 113, 117, 151, 156. 
 
 Sleigh, William, 12 
 South, Dr. Robert, 146. 
 Speaker's Commentarj'," "The, 35. 
 Spurgeon, C. H., 8, 16, 20, 29, 38, 39, 42, 46, 
 65, 67, 69, 80, 88, 93, 97, 106, 140, 170. 
 Study," "The, 86. 
 Sunday School Teacher," "The, 14, 110. 
 
 Talmage, Dr., 24, 106, 107, 150. 
 Thodey, Samuel, 115, 167. 
 Thomas, Dr. David, 69. 
 Tuck, Robert, 52. 
 
 Vaughan, Dean, 123, 138. 
 
 Wardlaw, Dr. R., 154, 172. 
 Watkinson, W. L., 130. 
 Wesley, Charles, 122. 
 Westcott, B. F., 19. 
 Whittaker, 93. 
 Wordsworth, William, 81, 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY 
 
 BOOK OF EZRA. 
 
 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 I. The Nature of the Book. The Book of Ezra was correctly characterised by 
 Bishop Hilary as "a continuation of the Books of .Chronicles." The Second Book 
 of Chronicles brings the history of the people of Israel down to the destruction of 
 the Temple of Jehovah and of the city uf Jerusalem, and the carrying captive 
 into Babylon such of the peojile that remained in the land. The Book of Ezra 
 takes up the history of the nation at the cjose of the seventy years of captivity, 
 and tells of the return of some of the exiles to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel 
 prince of Judah, and by permission of Cyrus king of Persia, of the restoration of 
 the worship of Jehovah and the rebuilding of His Temple by them, of the return 
 of a second company of exiles many years afterwards under Ezra, the celebrated 
 priest and scribe, and by permission of Artaxerxes king of Persia, and of the social 
 and religious reformation which was accomplished under Ezra. And some portion 
 of this history is given in contemporary historical documents, which seem to have 
 been written "from time to time by the prophets, or other authorised persons, who 
 were eyewitnesses for the most part of what they record," and were collected by the 
 author and incorporated by him into his work. 
 
 II. The Design of the Book. From a survey of the contents of this book, Keil 
 concludes "that the object and plan of its author must have been to collect only 
 such facts and documents as might show the manner iu which the Lord God, after 
 the lapse of the seventy years of exile, fulfilled His promise announced by the 
 prophets, by the deliverance of His people from Babylon, the building of the 
 Temple at Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Temple worship according to the 
 law, and preserved the reassembled community from fre^h relapses into heathen 
 customs and idolatrous worship by the dissolution of the marriages with Gentile 
 women. Moreover, the restoration of the Temple and of the legal Temple worship, 
 and the separation of the heathen from the newly-settled community, were neces- 
 sary and indispensable conditions for the gathering out of the people of God from 
 among the heathen, and for the maintenance and continued existence of the nation 
 of Israel, to which and through which God might at His own time fulfil and realise 
 His promises to their forefathers, to make their seed a blessing to all the families 
 of the earth, in a manner consistent both with His dealings with this people 
 hitherto, and with the further development of His promises made through the 
 prophets. The significance of the Book of Ezra in sacred history lies in the fact 
 that it enables us to perceive how the Lord, on the one hand, so disposed the 
 hearts of the kings of Persia, the then rulers of the^rorld, that in i^pite of all the 
 
 A 1 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 machinations of the enemies of God's people, they promoted the building of His 
 Temple in Jerusalem, and the maintenance of His worship therein ; and on the 
 other, raised up for His people, when delivered from Babylon, men like Zerubbabel 
 their governor, Joshua the high priest, and Ezra the scribe, who, supported by the 
 prophets Haggai and Zechariah, undertook the work to which they were called, 
 with hearty resolution, and carried it out with a powerful hand," 
 
 III. The Authorship of the Book. The statement of Keil on this point seems 
 to us to rest on trustworthy bases : " There can be no reasonable doubt that that 
 author was Ezra,|the priest and scribe, who in chaps. vii.-x. narrates his return 
 from Babylon to Jerusalem, and the circumstances of his ministry there, neither its 
 language nor contents exhibiting any traces of a later date." It is not meant by 
 this that the whole book is the original work of Ezra, but that it was put together 
 by him, and that the last four chapters, and probably some portions of the other 
 chapters, were his original work, ' As illustrations of historical documents which 
 Avere collected by Ezra and embodied in his work, we may mention the list of 
 names in chap, ii., which is also inserted in Neh. vii. 6-73, and " which must have 
 been composed in the earliest times of the re-establishment of the congregation " 
 (see Neh. vii. 5), and the letters and decrees which are given in chaps, iv.-vi. 
 
 All that we know as certainly true concerning Ezra is recorded in this book 
 (chaps, vii.-x.), and in the Book of Nehemiah (chaps, viii. and xii. 26). He was 
 eminent for his learning, piety, patriotism, love of the Sacred Writings, and zeal 
 for the honour of God ; and was held in the highest esteem by his countrymen in 
 ancient times, as he is also by those of modern days. 
 
 IV. The Canonicity of the Book. On this point Bishop Hervey says : "There 
 has never been any doubt about Ezra being canonical, although there is no quota- 
 tion from it in the New Testament. Augustine says of Ezra, ' magis rerum gesta- 
 rum scriptor est habitus quam propheta' {De Civ. Dei, xviii. 36)." — Bihl. Diet. 
 
 V. Date of the Book. The first event recorded in this book took place in the 
 first year of the rule of Cyrus over Babylon (chap. i. 1), which was in the year 
 536 B.C. ; and the work of Ezra, so far as it is recorded in this book, was'completed 
 in the spring of 457 B.C. (chap. x. 17), which was the first spring after Ezra's 
 arrival at Jerusalem, which took place in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (chap. vii. 
 7, 9) or 458 B.C. So that this book deals with a period of about eighty years. 
 But of fifty-seven of these years, which intervene between the conclusion of chap, 
 vi. and the commencement of chap, vii., nothing is recorded. From the fact that 
 the history is carried on in this book so far as the spring of 457 B.C., we conclude 
 that Ezra could not have compiled it before that year. And from the fact that no 
 mention is made in it of the mission of Nehemiah to Jerusalem, which took place 
 in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Neh. ii. 1) or about 445 B.C., we infer that it 
 was written before that date. The probability, therefore, is that the work of Ezra 
 the scribe must be assigned to some time between the years 457 and 445 B.C. 
 
 VI. Analysis of the Contents of the Book. 
 
 I. The ketukn of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem under Zerub- 
 babel, AND THE REBUILDING OF THE TeMPLE (chapS, i.-vi.). 
 
 i. The return of the Jeu's from Babylon to Jerusalem under Zeruhhahel 
 (chaps, i. and ii.). 
 
 1. The edict of Cyrus granting permission to the Jews to return and re- 
 
 build the Temple at Jerusalem (chap, i, 1-4). 
 
 2. The preparations of the Jews for returning (vers. 5 and 6). 
 
 3. The restoration of the sacred vessels of the Temple to Zerubbabel prince 
 
 of Judah (vers. 7-11). 
 9 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 4. The list of tlie names and the number of the people who returned 
 
 (chap. ii. 1-64). 
 
 5. The possessions of those who returned and their offerings for building 
 
 the Temjt'le (vers. 65-70). 
 ii. The erection of the altar, the restoration of ivorship, and the commence- 
 ment of the rebuilding of the Temple (cliap. iii.). 
 iii. The hindrance of the u'07-k hij the Samaritans (chap. iv.). 
 
 1. The request of the Samaritans to co-operate in the rebuilding of the 
 
 Temple, and its refusal by the Jewish authorities (chap. iv. 1-3). 
 
 2. The opposition of the Samaritans in consequence of this refusal 
 
 (vers. 4-6). 
 
 3. The letter of the hostile Samaritans to Artaxerxes the king (vers. 7-1 G). 
 
 4. The reply of the king to this letter, in consequence of which the work 
 
 was arrested (vers. 17-24). 
 iv. The reneival and the comi^letion of the rebuilding of the Temple (chaps. 
 V. and vi.). 
 
 1. The renewal of the work in consequence of the prophesying of Ilaggai 
 
 and Zechariah (chap. v. 1, 2). 
 
 2. The inquiries of the Persian officers concerning the work, and their 
 
 report to Darius the king, which includes the reply of the Jews to 
 their inquiries (vers. 3-17). 
 
 3. The reply of Darius to the letter of his officers, including the discovery 
 
 of the edict of Cyrus, and the commands of Darius to his officers to 
 allow and to promote the rebuilding of the Temple (chap. vi. 1-12). 
 
 4. The completion of the Temple (vers. 13-15). 
 
 5. The dedicatiim of the Temple (vers. 16-18). 
 
 6. The celebration of the feast of the Passover (vers. 19-22). 
 
 II. The return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem under Ezra, 
 
 AND THE REFORMATION WHICH HE ACCOMPLISHED AMONGST THE PEOPLE (chapS. 
 
 vii.-x.). 
 
 i. The return of Ezra and his company from Babylon to Jerusalem (chaps, 
 vii. and viii.). 
 
 1. The genealogy of Ezra, and a statement concerning his going with others 
 
 to Jerusalem (chap. vii. 1-10), 
 
 2. The letter of Artaxerxes the king, authorising Ezra to do certain 
 
 things (vers. 11-26). 
 
 3. Ezra's praise to God for the kindness of the king (vers. 27 and 28). 
 
 4. The list of the names and the number of those who accompanied Ezra 
 
 (chap. viii. 1-14). 
 
 5. Their encampment by " the river that runneth to Aliava," from whence 
 
 Ezra sent for ministers for the Temple, and prepared for the journey 
 by fasting and prayer, .and by the delivery of the precious things of 
 the Temple into the hands of twelve priests and an equal number 
 of Levites (vers. 15-30). 
 
 6. The journey "from the river Ahava" to Jerusalem (vers. 31 and 32). 
 
 7. The giving up of the precious things to certain priests and Levites in 
 
 the Temple, and the presentation of offerings unto the Lord (vers. 
 33-35). 
 
 8. The deliverance of the king's decree to the Persian satraps and gover- 
 
 nors west of the Euphrates (ver. 36). 
 ii. Tlte social and religious reformation effected by Ezra (chaps, ix. and x.). 
 
 1. The evil to be remedied, viz., the marriages of the Jews with heathen 
 
 women (chap. ix. 1, 2). 
 
 2. The sorrow and prayer of Ezra in consequence of this evil (vers. 
 
 3-15). 
 
 3 
 
nOMILETlC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 3. The proposal of Shechaniah for the removal of the evil, and its accept- 
 
 ance by Ezra (chap. x. 1-5). 
 
 4. The accomplishment of the reformation (vers. 6-17). 
 
 .5. The names of those who had married heathen wives and put them 
 away (vers. 18-44). 
 
 Eespecting our own work, we have very little to add to what we stated in the 
 introduction to The Ilomiletic Commentary on Numbers, as the method of that work 
 is followed in this also. 
 
 A considerable number of selected sermon outlines by various authors will be 
 found in the following pages. By their introduction we have sought to secure 
 variety in relation both to the mental view and the homiletic treatment of the texts. 
 
 We wish to acknowledge our obligations to the expositions of Professor Fr.- 
 W. Schultz (in the great work of Dr. Lange), C. F. Keil, D.D., Matthew Henry, 
 and Thomas Scott. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Critical and Explanatory Notes.] In this chapter we have (i.) the proclamation of 
 Cyrus (vers. 1-4) ; (ii.) the preparation of the Jews for availing themselves of it (vers. 5, 6) 
 and (iii.) the restoration of the sacred vessels (vers. 7-11). 
 
 Ver. 1. Now, Heb. 1 and] The conjunction connects the history of the restoration of the Jews 
 with the history of the destruction of their capital and kingdom, as in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22. In 
 the first year of Cyrus] i.e. the first year of his rule over Babylon, which was 536 B.C. Cyrus; 
 K'nizi is the Hebrew for the ancient Persian Kurus, Greek Kvpos. "As to the meaning of 
 the name," says Fnerst, "the ancients have already observed that it is an expression for tlie 
 sun. The sun was called in old Persian Khar, Khur. &- is the sign of the Persian nomi- 
 native s or ush. In cuneiform inscriptions the name is Khurush." Persia] " D"]! signifies in 
 Biblical phraseolosry the Persian Empire (comp. Dan. v. 28 ; vi. 8, Sec.)"— Keil. That the 
 word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah] &c. The prophecy referred to is in Jer. xxv. 
 11, 12 ; xxix. 10. The seventy years began in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Nebucliad- 
 ne'zzar'first took Jerusalem and carried Daniel and others, with part of the vessels of the house 
 of God, to Babylon (2 Kings xxiii. 36-xxiv. 4; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 5-8 ; Jer. xlvi. 2 ; Dan. i. 1, 
 2). This was the year 606 B.C. And, as we have seen, the first year of the rule of Cyrus over 
 Babylon was 536 B.C., which completes the seventy years. The Lord stirred up the spirit of 
 Cyrus] i.e. God inspired within him the desire and the determination (comp. 1 Chron. v. "26 ; 
 2 Chron. xxi. 16 ; Hag. i. 14). Made a proclamation] Margin : " Caused a voice to pass.' 
 The expression signifies to make known by heralds (comp. Exod. xxxvi. 6 ; 2 Chron. xxx. 5 ; 
 chap. x'. 7 ; Neh. viii. 15). And put it also in writing] Schultz : " And also (made knou u) 
 by writing." In addition to the proclamation by heralds, Cyrus issued written edicts. 
 
 Ver. 2.°A1I the kingdoms of the earth] These words, which are not to be taken literalh', 
 " are explained, from tlie wide extent of the Persian Empire. AVhen Cyrus conquered Babylon, 
 he had already subjugated to himself almost the entire eastern Asia, even to the Indian Ocean 
 (according to Berosus in Josephus, c. Ap.). Afterwards he pressed southward also, and entered 
 even into Egypt and Ethiopia."- ^^c/iw/te. He hath charged me] &c. "It is a reasonable 
 conjecture," says Rawlinson, "that, on the capture of Babylon, Cyrus was brought into per- 
 sonal contact with Daniel, and that his attention was drawn by that prophet to the prophecy 
 of Isaiah (Isa. xliv. 24-28 ; xlv. 1 seq.) Cyrus probably accej^ted this prophecy as a 'charge 
 to rebuild the Temple." 
 
 Ver. 3. All His people] Not Judah only, but also the descendants of the ten tribes, lie 
 is the God which is in Jerusalem] does not mean that His presence was confined to that 
 place, but that He had chosen it as the chief seat of His worship (comp. Neh. i. 9, last clause ; 
 Ps. xlviii. 1,'2; cxxxii. 13, 14). . „ 
 
 Ver. 4. And whosoever remaineth] &c. Schultz : "And as for every one of the survivors 
 (comp. Neh. i. 2 ; Hag-, ii. 3). The men of his place] signifies those who were not Israelites.^ 
 Help him] Marsiin : "Heb. lift him up." Both Keil and Schultz give the meaning "to assist." 
 Goods] Fuerst :"" Movable property." Schultz : " Here perhaps clothing or tents." -Beside the 
 freewill offering] &c. i.e. in addition to the gifts intended for the rebuilding of the Temple. ^^ 
 Ver. 5. With all] &c. Keil would render this, "in short," or, "namely, all whose spirit, 
 4 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 &c. He saj'S, " the 7 i'l ?2? serves to comprise the remaining persons, and may therefore 
 be rendered by, in short, or namely." Manj- elected to remain in Babylon. 
 
 Ver. 6. All they that were about them] both their luathen neighbours and the Jews who 
 preferred to remain in Babylon. Strengthened their hands] The idea is correctly expressed 
 in the mar^rin : " that is, helped them." 
 
 Ver. 7. The vessels of the house of the Lord] &c. Most probably those mentioned \\\ 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7, ami Dan. i. 2. 
 
 Ver. 8. Mithredath] According to Rawlinson, the Persian is Mithradata, and is made up 
 of Mithra, "the sun-god," and data past part, of da, "to give," and signifies "given by 
 Mithra.'" Sheshbazzar] is the Chaldee name of Zerubbabel. The etymology and meaning 
 of the name are uncertain. The prince of Judah] He was of the royal family of Judah 
 (1 Chron. iii. 19 ; Matt. i. 12), and was the recognised head of that tribe at this time. 
 
 Vers. 9, 10] The usual names for the sacred vessels are not used here, and consequently 
 there is much uncertainty as to their meaning. 
 
 Ver. 11. Five thousand and four hundred] This total is more than double the numbers 
 which are given in detail in vers. 9, 10. Tlie statement of Keil may be correct : "The differ- 
 ence between the two statements has certainly arisen from errors in the numbers, for the 
 correction of which the means are indeed wanting." But we prefer the suggestion of J. H. 
 Michaelis, '"' that the author passed over many subordinate vessels in the detail, but in the sum 
 total has taken them all into consideration." 
 
 The Fulfilment of the Word of the Lord, 
 {Verse 1.) 
 
 Here are four things which claim our 
 attention : — 
 
 I. The regard of God for His word. 
 
 " Now in the first year of C3'rus kyng 
 of Persia, that the word of the Lord by 
 the mouth of Jeremiah might be ful- 
 filled," &c. The word referred to is in 
 Jer. xxix. 10 : " Thus saith the Lord, 
 That after seventy years be accomplished 
 at Babylon I will visit you, and perform 
 My good word toward you, in causing 
 you to return to this place." The seventy 
 years were now accomplished, and God 
 proceeds to perform His word to His 
 people. He is punctual in the fulfilment 
 of His promises. " God is not a man, 
 that He should lie " <kc. (Num. xxiii. 19). 
 ^' Heaven and earth sball pass away, but 
 My words shall not pass away." " The 
 word of the Lord endureth for ever." 
 " He abideth faithful ; He cannot deny 
 Himself." We have in this — 
 
 1. An assurance that the propherAes 
 <ind promises of His xoord will he fulfilled. 
 " As the architect progressively executes 
 every part of the plan which he had 
 delineated, till the whole design is com- 
 pleted, so God in His [providence per- 
 forms in due order all the prophecies 
 of His word : a great proportion of His 
 great scheme has already been accom- 
 plished, and revolving ages will hasten 
 the performance of all the rest in the 
 Appointed periods." — Scott, (a) 
 
 2. An encouragement to trust in Him. 
 
 " Whoso jiutteth his trust in the Lord 
 
 shall be set on high." "Blessed is that 
 
 man that maketh the Lord his trust." 
 
 * See Ps. xxii. 4, 5 ; xviii. 2. {h) 
 
 II. The mercy of God to His people. 
 This mercy is seen — 
 
 1. In the design and effect of the cap- 
 tivity. The captivity was the punish- 
 ment of their many sins, and especially 
 their idolatry ; and was designed to 
 eradicate their apparently inveterate 
 tendency to idolatry. And in this it 
 was thoroughly successful. " Prone be- 
 fore on every occasion to adopt the 
 idolatrous practices of the adjacent 
 nations, the Jews now secluded them- 
 selves from the rest of the world, in 
 proud assurance of their own religious 
 superiority. The law, which of old was 
 perpetually violated or almost forgotten, 
 was now enforced by general consent to 
 its extreme point, or even beyond it. 
 Adversity endeared that of which in 
 prosperity they had not perceived the 
 value. Prone, the mass of them, all 
 but the wiser and more enlightened, 
 who worshipped Jehovah, to worship 
 Him but as a national God, greater and 
 mightier than the gods of other nations 
 (a conception in itself polytheistic), they 
 threw aside this lower kind of pride to 
 assume that of the sole people of the 
 One True God." In this way the pun- 
 
 5 
 
HO Ml LET IC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 ishment of their sins was an expression 
 of tlie Divine mercy to tliem. "He dotli 
 not afflict willingly, nor grieve the chil- 
 dren of men." " Thus the Divine word 
 of chastisement," says Schultz, " ever 
 goes hand in hand with His word of 
 salvation. His chastening is in truth 
 ever a helping; yea, His killing is a 
 making alive. He puts to death only 
 the dead." 
 
 3. In the release fr'om captivity. (1.) 
 As to its time. The emancipation was 
 not delayed one moment longer than 
 was necessary. As soon as the exile 
 had accomplished its purpose, the Lord 
 brought it to a conclusion. " Though 
 He cause grief, yet will He have com- 
 passion, according to the multitude of 
 His mercies." (2.) As to its meaning. 
 It was an assurance of the Divine for- 
 giveness of their sins. Isaiah clearly 
 expresses this : " Comfort ye, comfort 
 ye My people, saith your God," etc. 
 (Isa. xl. 1, 2). Their release was also 
 the commencement of many and great, 
 blessings. " This chapter contains,'' 
 says Schultz, '• nothing less than the 
 beginning of the fulfilment of all the 
 great and glorious prophecies with which 
 the prophets before the exile brightened 
 the gloomy night of the severe judgments 
 of God — the dawning light of the grace 
 of God in all its greatness, that would 
 reawaken the people of God from death 
 and the grave, and enable them to live 
 a new and glorious life — the glorious 
 liberty of the children of God in the 
 fullest and highest sense. What a 
 great revolution of affairs was now to 
 be expected ! Wliat a fulness of salva- 
 tion after the night of misfortune — the 
 entire extent of Messianic redemption !" 
 
 III. The influence of God upon the 
 spirit of man. " The Lord stirred up 
 the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia." 
 
 1. The nature of this influence. "The 
 Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus." 
 " This does not mean," says Schultz, 
 " that Cyrus was influenced in the same 
 way as were the prophets, upon Avhom, 
 with their greater susceptibility, the 
 Spirit of the Lord came ; but yet an 
 influence in consequence of which Cyrus 
 made the will of God his own will, and 
 executed it in the things under con- 
 6 
 
 sideration. God gave him the resolution 
 and the desire to execute His intention.'' 
 All the pure desires and noble resolu- 
 tions of men's hearts are Divine inspira- 
 tions. All the good in human life is the 
 result of Divine influence, (c) 
 
 2. The subject of this influence. 
 " Cyrus king of Persia." Cyrus was 
 the greatest king of the mightiest empire 
 of the world ; he was a heathen, but, in 
 common with his countrymen at this 
 period, was probably a pure Theist, 
 believing in One Supreme Being. As 
 a prince, he was distinguished for his 
 justice, and for the mildness and kind- 
 ness of his administration. His relations 
 to the people of God, and the terms by 
 which they are described in the Scrip- 
 tures, are very remarkable. He is 
 spoken of as " the righteous man " 
 (Isa. xli. 2) ; " My shepherd " (Isa. xliv. 
 28), and " The Lord's anointed " (Isa. 
 xlv. 1). God employed this celebrated 
 heathen monarch in the accomplishment 
 of His purposes, in the emancipation of 
 His people, and the rebuilding of His 
 Temple, (d) " The king's heart is in the 
 hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water : 
 He turneth it whithersoever He wall." 
 He is now using the powers of the 
 world to promote the interests of His 
 cause. We have in this an earnest of 
 His final victory over all heathen powers. 
 " The kings of Tarshish and of the isles 
 shall bring presents," &c. (Ps. Ixxii. 
 10, 11). 
 
 3. The design of this influence. "The 
 Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, that 
 he made a proclamation," &c. Divine 
 influence was exerted upon Cyrus to 
 cause him to do an act of great gene- 
 rosity and nobility. Tlie intention of 
 the action of God upon the spirit of man 
 is always gracious. In all the inspira- 
 tions and impressions which He imparts 
 to man, His aim is to save and bless 
 him, and to make him an agent in 
 blessing others. 
 
 IV. The suitable response of man 
 to the influence of God. " Cyrus made 
 a proclamation throughout all his king- 
 dom," &c. God's influence upon the 
 spirit of man is not irresistible. He 
 impresses man, but He does not coerce 
 him. He inspires man, but He does 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 not compel bim. Divine influence does 
 not invade human freedom. Man may- 
 harden himself against it, may resist it 
 to his own injury, "Ye do always 
 resist the Holy Ghost," was a charge 
 brought by Stephen against the Jews. 
 Or, like Cyrus, man may yield to this 
 influence, and suitably and heartily re- 
 spond to it. When this is the case the 
 Divine influence results in rich blessings. 
 " Quench not the Spirit." " Grieve not 
 the Holy Spirit of God." {e) 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 {a) Is God all-mighty? Then be assured 
 that the throne of rijjht shall stand upon the 
 ruins of all wrong; but here God is apparently 
 at a disadvantaije, because you cannot kill evil 
 with the sword. The abolition of evil is a 
 work of time, requiring the combination, the 
 conspiring of innumerable moral influences 
 and educational forces ; but that conspiring 
 is going on. " The Lord is not slack concern- 
 ing His promises, as some men count slack- 
 ness." — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (6) "I will go before thee." This was a 
 Divine promise made to Cyrus ; and God has 
 made the same promise to all who put their 
 trust in Him. It is surely something to have 
 a Father's promise singing in the heart, ilany 
 of us know the inspiration even of a human 
 promise ; many of us know that we never 
 could have endured this bitter trial, or sur- 
 mounted that overshadowing difficulty, had 
 we not enjoyed the presence and hopefulness 
 of some friendly promise in the heart. What 
 we want to feel is the triumphant faith that 
 says definitely to God, " Thou didst .promi.se 
 this, and we will wait for its fulfilment," — 
 Ihid. 
 
 (c) It is taught that, besides the general 
 moral influences, unconscious and difl'used — 
 as it were distilled, like dew, in silence and 
 darkness — there is an active energy, arousing, 
 filling, impelling the souls of men. It is said 
 that the Spirit of the Lord came upon judges, 
 that it came upon kings, upon prophets, upon 
 apostles — came mightily and stirred them up. 
 As sudden and mighty winds make trees rock, 
 and wrench them, and even overturn them, 
 so, as by a mighty rushing wind, the Spirit of 
 God has descended on men — on Samuel, on 
 David, on Isaiah, on Paul. It is taught, like- 
 wise, that, while this energy of the Divine 
 mind prepared certain men for emergencies, 
 and prepared them to act official parts, all 
 true Christians, all godly soul?, are opening 
 to a quickening influence, if not so mighty 
 yet ot the same general kind — an influence 
 which stimulates, assists, ripens, and so finally 
 sanctifies. 
 
 The Divine Spirit works along the line of a 
 man's own thinking power, along the channel 
 of a man's own motive power, and wakes up 
 in the man that which was in him. It is not 
 said that God's thought rolls along and be- 
 comes a part — a material part — of the current 
 of our thought ; on the contrary, it is said 
 that God makes us think, makes us will, 
 makes usfeel. What is the formula? "Work 
 out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling." That is, work, work in earnest, as 
 men do about a thing which they are afraid 
 they shall not accomplish. Why ? Because 
 "it is God that worketh in you" — what? 
 putting His own will there and His own 
 thought? — because "it is God that worketh 
 in you to will and to do." There is the point 
 in which the Divine influence expends itself, 
 according to the explicit testimony of Scrip- 
 ture, for the development in man of that 
 which he had in him of dormant power. — 
 11. W. Beecher. 
 
 {d) One of the designations of Cyrus, "the 
 man that exccuteth My counsel," furnishes 
 the key to the prophetic view of his character 
 and position — a view which pervades all that is 
 said of him, and promised to him. This forms 
 the most striking and the most sustained of 
 the instances in which the Lord not only 
 asserts His supremacy in the government of 
 the world, but reveals to us the mode in which 
 that government operates, and the form in 
 which it is most usually conducted. The 
 marked manner in which Cyrus and his 
 Persians are represented as set apart to exe- 
 cute the purposes of the Lord, while they con- 
 sidered themselves pursuing their own objects, 
 cannot fail to suggest many interesting reflec- 
 tions respecting the manner in which the Lord 
 acts in executing the high purposes of His will 
 — often by agents who little think whom they 
 are serving, and who are, it may be, as in this 
 case, ignorant even of His name. 
 
 The greatest difliculty is supposed to be 
 found in the designation of Cyrus, a heathen, 
 as a " righteous man." But this title, which 
 indicates one who acts with habitual rectitude, 
 who would not consciously inflict wrong — a 
 just man, is not in Scripture confined to 
 Israelites ; and, what is more, it correctly 
 describes the character of Cyrus, which, not 
 less than his military exploits, caused his name 
 to be long held in honour by his countrymen. 
 ... In fact, as Dr. Henderson remarks: "It 
 is not a little remarkable, that of all the virtu- 
 ous princes of antiquity, he alone was thought 
 worthy of being exhibited as a model of just 
 government. Not only was he exemplary in 
 private life, but his victories and conquests 
 had for their object the vindication of law and 
 justice. He is even said to have been an 
 object of the Divine love (Isa. xlviii. 14). His 
 destruction of the Babylonian Empire and 
 liberation of the Jews were special acts of 
 righteousness ; and the abolition of idolatry, 
 which in-a great measure followed the success 
 
 7 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 of tlie Persian arms, comes also under the 
 same liead." . . . 
 
 . . . But the Lord had not only called Cyrus 
 by his name — He had "surnamed" him, as 
 our translation somewhat vagueh* renders it. 
 What is meant is, not that He had given him 
 any surname — for the name already mentioned 
 was his own proper name — but that He had 
 made honourable mention of him, and be- 
 stowed upon him titles of hieh honour, sucli 
 as no heathen prince had ever received. What 
 vere these titles and honourable distinctions ? 
 One of them, "The righteous man," has al- 
 ready engaged our attention. Tvi-o more occur 
 in the passage last extracted (Isa. xliv. 28, xlv. 
 1-4) : "My shepherd " and " Mine anointed." 
 
 As to the first of these titles, that of "shep- 
 herd," we know that good kings and rulers 
 are called shepherds in Scripture, as they are 
 in the ancient classics. It is a fact, however, 
 that David, Cyrus, and Christ in His Jlessianic 
 character, are the only sovereigns to whom the 
 title is personally given. .In other instances 
 it is applied to the office of sovereign rather 
 than to the person of any particular king. 
 What is more remarkable is, that this very 
 title was one to which Cyrus was partial, and 
 the purport of which he fully appreciated. 
 Xenophon describes him as saying, "The 
 business of a good king and a good shepherd 
 are much alike. The shepherd ought, before 
 all things, to provide for the welfare and safety 
 of his flock, and to make use of these creatures 
 consistently with their happiness ; and a king 
 ought, in the same manner, to make men and 
 cities happy, and in the same manner to make 
 use of them." 
 
 Cyrus, again, is called "the Lord's anointed," 
 in reference to the ancient custom of anointing 
 kings with oil at their inauguration. To be 
 merely the "anointed," was, therefore, no 
 peculiar distinction to Cyrus, but to be "the 
 iiOrd's anointed " was a very high distinc- 
 tion ; and it is given to him obviously because 
 
 the Lord had, in His providence, appointed 
 him to be the prince under whose rule the 
 Jews were to be restored, and the other pur- 
 poses of His will accomplished. — John Kltto, 
 D.D. 
 
 [e] When we see a casket wrenched open, 
 the hinges torn away, or the clasp destroyed, 
 we mark at once the hand of the spoiler ; but 
 when we observe another casket deftly opened 
 with a master key, and the sparkling contents 
 revealed, we note the hand of the owner. 
 Conversion is not, as some suppose, a violent 
 opening of tlie heart by grace, in which will, 
 reason, and judgment are all ignored or 
 crushed. This is too barbarous a method for 
 Him who comes not as a plunderer to his 
 prey, but as a possessor to His treasure. In 
 conversion, the Lord who made the human 
 heart deals with it according to its nature and 
 constitution. His key insiimates itself into 
 the wards ; the will is not enslaved but en- 
 franchised ; the reason is not blinded but en- 
 lightened ; and tlie whole man is made to act 
 with a glorious liberty which it never knew 
 till it fell under the restraints of grace. — C. 
 II . Spurgeon. 
 
 We are not forced to have God ; we can 
 deliberately take up our pen and strike His 
 name out of the page on which we intend to 
 record our life ; or, on the other hand, we can 
 say, " We are of yesterday, and know nothing; 
 we are so wise as not to be able to tell what 
 will occuc to-morrow ; we are so empty and 
 barren as to carry our little earthly immor- 
 tality in our nostrils. Lord, lead, and we shall 
 follow ; we accept Thy mercy ; we will go 
 where Thou goest." So, then, religion is no 
 tyranny ; it is no pitiless compulsion of under- 
 standing and heart which we resent, but a 
 blessing which first makes us poor, that it 
 may afterwards enrich us with unwasting 
 riches of 2"'urity, and strengtli, and love. — 
 Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 Resemblance between the Proclamation of Cykus and 
 THE Gospel. 
 
 {Verse 1.) 
 
 I. In tlie disposition from wliicli it 
 originated. The motive which actuated 
 the Persian emperor was benevolence. 
 The love of Christ. 
 
 II. In the deliverance which it an- 
 nounced. From Babylon to Canaan. 
 From the captivity of Satan and sin 
 to a state of salvation here and here- 
 after. 
 
 Ill In the terms which it specified. 
 
 No pecuniary compensation for liberty- 
 Salvation by grace. 
 
 IV. In the universality of its offers. 
 Every Hebrew captive. Every sinner is 
 invited. 
 
 V. In the aids it promised. Provi- 
 sion of help for the journey. Provi- 
 dential and spiritual aid for Christians. 
 There were some who did not welcome the 
 proclamation of Cyrus. — George Broolcs. 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 The Edict of Cyrus. 
 [Verses 2-4.) 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. The devout acknowledgment of 
 
 God's sovereignty. 
 
 1. In tJie hcslounnent of His favours. 
 "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The 
 Lord God of heaven bath given rae all 
 the kingd(uns of the earth." The Persian 
 Empire at this time was very vast in its 
 extent. In Isaiah xli. 2, the Lord is 
 represented as giving the nations to the 
 righteous man from the East, and making 
 him ruler over kings. The prophecy- 
 was remarkably fulfilled in Cyrus, (a). 
 His attention was probably called to it 
 by Daniel ; and, perceiving its striking 
 applicability to " himself, he speaks of 
 his wide dominions as given to him by 
 Jehovah the God of heaven. (/)). "The 
 Most High ruleth in the kingdom of 
 met), and giveth it to whomsoever He 
 will." " His dominion is an everlasting 
 dominion, and His kingdom is from 
 generation to generation ; and He doeth 
 according to His will in the army of 
 heaven,"^ &c. (Dan. iv. 32, 34, 35). 
 " Promotion cometh neither from the 
 east, nor from the west, nor from the 
 south : but God is the Judge ; He putteth 
 down one, and setteth up another." 
 God bestows His gifts according to His 
 own wise and righteous will. (c). 
 
 2. In the anthoriiy of His commands. 
 "And He hath charged me to build 
 Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in 
 Judah." In Isaiah xliv. 28, it is pre- 
 dicted that Cyrus would say " to Jeru- 
 salem, Thou shalt be built : and to the 
 Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." 
 Josephus [Ant. xi. i. 1, 2) states that 
 Cyrus having read the prophecies by 
 Isaiah on this matter, " an earnest de- 
 sire and ambition seized upon him to 
 fulfil what was so written." He accepted 
 it as a charge from God. Moreover, it 
 is probable that God charged him by 
 His own immediate action w^on his 
 spirit. As He stirred up his spirit to 
 make the proclamation, He also pro- 
 bably charged his spirit to rebuild the 
 Temple. And the king acknowledged 
 
 His authority, accepted the charge, and 
 proceeded to execute it. [d). All the 
 commandments of the Lord are righteous, 
 and are ever binding. He is infinitely 
 holy, and His will is ever authoritative 
 on all moral beings everywhere, (e). 
 
 II. The magnanimous emancipation 
 of Grod's people. " Who is there among 
 you of all His people 1 his God be with 
 him, and let him go up to Jerusalem 
 which is in Judah, and louild the house 
 of the Lord God of Israel, He i^ the God 
 which is in Jerusalem." The edict of 
 Cyrus does not grant political freedom 
 to the Jews, but full religious liberty, 
 with permission to go up to Jerusalem 
 to rebuild the national Temple and re- 
 store the celebration of its worship. 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. The s2oirit in vjhich the emancipation 
 was made. (1.) It wr,s ffenei'ous. "Who 
 among you of all His people ? " " He 
 does not attempt to keep back any. All 
 are quite at liberty to depart if they are 
 so minded. (2.) It -wns pious. " His God 
 be with him." Thus he wishes them the 
 presence and blessing of God ; and having 
 these, they would be sure to succeed. 
 
 2. The jturjjose for ivhick tlie emanci- 
 pation, was made. " Let him go up to 
 Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build 
 the house osf the Lord God of Israel, He 
 is the God which is in Jerusalem." He 
 sets them free, not for purposes of war, 
 but of woi'ship ; not for his own ag- 
 grandisement, but for the honour of 
 God ; that they might build a. temple, 
 not to Ormuzd the god of the Persians, 
 but to Jehovah the God of Israel. 
 
 III. The generous exhortation to 
 assist God's people. "And whosoever 
 remaineth in any place where he so- 
 journeth, let the men of his place help 
 him," &c. (ver. 4). 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. The purport of this exhortation. 
 That the subjects of Cyrus should assist 
 the returning Jews with gifts. These 
 gifts were of two classes : — (I.) Some were 
 for their personal use. " Help him with 
 
 9 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 silver, and with gold, and with goods, 
 and with beasts." (2.) The others were 
 for the great work which they were about 
 to undertake. " The freewill offering 
 for the house of God that is in Jeru- 
 salem." 
 
 2. The persons to whom it ivas ad- 
 dressed. " The men of his place " are 
 those who belonged not to the Israelites 
 — the heathen amongst whom they had 
 sojourned, and whose goodwill they seem 
 to have won. We may view it as an 
 example of the world helping the Church 
 in its enterprises. In spiritual things 
 tbe world is unable to do this, but by 
 material gifts it may aid the Cijurch in 
 the prosecution of its holy mission. 
 
 3. The pattern hy which it was en- 
 forced. It is probable that Cyrus en- 
 forced his exhortation by his example, 
 in bestowing liberal gifts upon the re- 
 turning exiles. Ilawlinson regards " the 
 freewill offering for the house of God " as 
 the gift of Cyrus himself. This is doubt- 
 ful ; but there is very little reason to 
 doubt that he did render them personal 
 help of this kind. He not only wished 
 them well, but helped them to realise his 
 wishes. 
 
 Lessons : 
 
 1. Be prepared to acknowledge and 
 appreciate moral excellence outside of the 
 visible Church of God. Cyrus, the cen- 
 turion of Capernaum (Luke vii. 1-10), 
 and Cornelius the centurion (Acts x. 22) 
 are examples. 
 
 2. Imitate Cyrus in his practical ac- 
 Icnowledgment of the sovereignty of God. 
 
 3. When we cannot offer our labours 
 in good enterprises, let us cheeifidly offer 
 our gifts. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) In the forty-first chapter of Isaiah, the 
 Almighty is sublimely introduced as demand- 
 ing who it was that had raised up this great 
 conqueror, this Cyrus, characterised as "the 
 righteous man from the East ; " who had called 
 him to His foot — that is, had made him the 
 instrument of the high purposes of His will. 
 "Who," the interrogation proceeds, 
 
 " Gave the nations hefore him, 
 And made him ruler over kings? 
 He gave them as the dust to his sword. 
 And as driven stubble to his bow. 
 10 
 
 He pursued them, and passed safely ; 
 Even by the way that he had not gone with 
 
 his feet. 
 Who hath wrought and done it, 
 Calling the generations from the beginning ? 
 I the Lord, the First, 
 And with the last ; I am He." 
 
 This assertion of the instrumentality of Cyrus 
 — of his being in a peculiar manner the child 
 of the Lord's providence, is always thus em- 
 phatically produced, and gives the clue to his 
 history. 
 
 The fact that the Persians had not before 
 taken part in the aflairs of the West, aTul, in 
 particular, that Cyrus hat^l not, is clearly pointed 
 out in the lines which describe his westward 
 march as one not previously known to his feet. 
 In fact, he had to march so far west as to the 
 neighbourhood of Sardis, before he was enabled 
 to meet tlie enemy in full force and give him 
 battle. This Sardis was the capital of the 
 Lydian Empire ; and it seems to have been the 
 policy of Croesus to draw the Persian far away 
 from his own resources, and into the district 
 where his own means were most available, 
 before he gave him the opportunity of coming 
 to a decisive action. 
 
 The extent of tliis victory and its important 
 consequences are indicated by the largeness of 
 the terms emploj'ed ; not one nation, but many 
 nations, not one king, but many kings, are 
 given "as the dust to his sword, and as the 
 driven stubble to liis bow." Accordingly, the 
 nations who had leagued against him on this 
 occasion, and whom he subdued, were Lydians, 
 Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, and all the 
 nations of Asia Minor, and, taken in a large 
 sense, with reference to the final extension of 
 his power, it embraced the Medes, Hyrcanians, 
 Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, Phrygians, 
 Lyilians, Carians, Pbcenicians,and Babylonians. 
 "He ruled also," says Xenophon, "over the 
 Bactrians, Indians, and Cilicians, as well as 
 the Sacians, Paphlagonians, and Megadinians, 
 and many other nations, whose names even 
 one cannot enumerate. He ruled the Greeks 
 that were settled in Asia ; and, descending to 
 the sea, the Cyprians and the Egyptians. These 
 nations he ruled, though their languages differed 
 from his own, and from each other ; and yet 
 was he enabled to extend the fear of himself 
 over so great a part of the world, as to astonish 
 all, so that no one dared to attempt anything 
 against him." — John Kitto, D.D. 
 
 (6) Cyrus saw and acknowledged the Hand 
 by which his path had been marked out, and 
 his steps guided ; and he hastened to testify 
 his convictions and his obedience hy executing 
 with earnestness the remaining task to which 
 he had been called — that of restoring the Jews 
 to their own land. These are the memorable 
 words of the edict which was promulgated in 
 writing through all his empire : ' ' Jehovah, the 
 God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms 
 of the earth ; and He hath charged me to build 
 Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.' 
 There is nothing indefinite or uncertain in 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 this. If he had said simply, "the God of 
 heaven," we might have been doubtful as to 
 Ills meaning. It might have been understood 
 of the god he had been used to worship. But 
 here he gives Him the name by which the 
 Lord was peculiarly known among the Hebrews 
 — the great name of Jehovah ; and declares 
 unreservedly his conviction that He was "the 
 God of heaven. " Surely this is a great de- 
 claration. It shows not only that Cyrus re- 
 cognised the truth and inspiration of these 
 prophecies, but that they wrought the convic- 
 tion in his mind that the Jehovah, in whose 
 name they were uttered, was, and could be, no 
 other ihan " the God of heaven." 
 
 That this "Jehovah, the God of heaven," 
 and not his own Ormuzd, "had given him all 
 the kingdoms of the earth," he could only 
 have known from Isaiah's prophecy, which 
 declared the intention to give them to him, so 
 long before he saw the light. Indeed, if he 
 believed anything at all of the prophecy, he 
 could not but believe this — that he owed all 
 his glory and his greatness to his being the 
 predestinated and prenominated agent of Je- 
 hovah ; and that it was He, and no other, who 
 had made the nations "as dust to his sword, 
 and as driven stubble to his bow."— /6/(?. 
 
 (c) The whole world is in the hand of God, 
 let us be thankful. The whole past is under 
 His review, let us leave it with the assurance 
 that His judgment is righteous. The whole 
 future is under His control, let us pass into it 
 with the steadiness, the quietness, and the 
 majesty of those wlio know that all the re- 
 sources of God are placed at the disposal of all 
 wlio put their whole trust in His wisdom and 
 love. — Joseph Parlcer, D.D. 
 
 (d) It was only through Isaiah's prophecy 
 th:it Cyrus could have realised the conviction 
 that "Jehovah, God of Israel," had, as he 
 says, "charged me to build Him an house at 
 Jerusalem, which is in Judah." For nowhere 
 else is this command given ; and nothing but 
 the convincing evidence of this command being- 
 contained in an old prophecy, which in so 
 many other circumstances unmistakably in- 
 dicates him and no other, could have invested 
 this command, to his thoughtful and sagacious 
 mind, with an authority and power not to be 
 
 gainsaid. The intensity of his conviction is, 
 however, manifested by the alacrity and fulness 
 with which he discharged the high duty im- 
 posed upon him. This gives a marked inten- 
 sity to the "me." "He hath charged uv. :" 
 " I\Ie," and no other. It was not a duty im- 
 perative on any king of Persia, but on hini 
 personally and individually. — John Kitto, D.D. 
 
 (e) The first act of sovereignty is the making 
 laws. This is essential to God ; no creature's 
 will can be the first rule to the creature, but 
 only the will of God : He only can prescribe 
 man his duty, and establish the rule of it ; 
 hence the law is called "the royal law" 
 (Jas. ii. 8) ; it being the first and clearest 
 manifestation of sovereignty, as the power of 
 legislation is of the authority of a prince. Both 
 are joined together in Isa. xxxiii. 22: "The 
 Lord is our Lawgiver ; the Lord is our King," 
 — legislative power being the great mark of 
 royalty. God, as a King, enacts laws by His 
 own proper authority, and His law is a declara- 
 tion of His own sovereignty, and of men's 
 moral sulijection to Him and dependence ou 
 Him. His sovereignty doth not appear so 
 much in His promises as in His precepts : a 
 man's power over another is not discovered by 
 promising ; for a promise doth not suppose the 
 promiser either superior or inferior to the 
 person to whom the promise is made. It is 
 not an exercising authority over another, but 
 over a man's self ; no man forceth another to 
 the acceptance of his promise, but only pro- 
 poseth and encourageth to an embracing of \i. 
 But commanding supposeth always an autho- 
 rity in the person giving the precept ; it 
 obligeth the person to whom the command is 
 directed ; a promise obligeth the person by 
 whom the promise is made. God, by His 
 command, binds the creature ; by His promise 
 He binds Himself ; He stoops below his sove- 
 reignty to lay obligations on His own majesty; 
 by a precept He binds the creature, by a pro- 
 mise He encourageth the creature, to an ob- 
 servance of His precept. What laws God 
 makes, man is bound, by virtue of His crea- 
 tion, to observe ; that respects the sovereignty. 
 of God. What promises God makes, man is 
 bound to believe ; but that respects the faith- 
 fulness of God. — Stephen Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 The PROCLAMATION OF Cyiius. 
 
 { Verses 
 
 This proclamation, interesting in it- 
 self, is adapted to convey instruction of 
 a very edifying nature if properly con- 
 sidered. AVe may view it — 
 
 I. In a way of literal interpretation. 
 
 1. And here that tvhich Jirst calls fur 
 our notice is the person by ivlioni this 
 proclamation icas issued. It was Cyrus 
 king of Persia ; who, though by educa- 
 
 1-5.) 
 
 tion ignorant of God, and how He was 
 to be served, was yet employed as an 
 instrument in effecting His gracious pur- 
 poses — which shows the power He exer- 
 cises over the spirits of men, a power 
 far exceeding that merely human, which 
 extends only to their bodies. 
 
 2. Btit the proclamation itself is that 
 which moi'e particularly demands our at- 
 
 11 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 tention. In this we see that a great 
 event was to be effected, namely, the 
 deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, 
 after a long and trying captivity ; which 
 event opened to them the pleasing pro- 
 spect of again worshipping Jehovah in 
 their native land. This God had fore- 
 told by the mouth of His servant Jfere- 
 miah (chap. xxix. 10) ; and as He did 
 not forget His promise, so neither did 
 He delay the fulfilment of it beyond the 
 proper time (Isa. xliv. 26-28). 
 
 11. In a way of spiritual improve- 
 ment. In the proclamation of Cyrus 
 we may see — 
 
 1. What a sad state the men of the 
 world at large are in. They are slaves 
 and cajjtives, being in bondage to their 
 lusts, to the world, to Satan, and to the 
 grave (Rom. vi. 12, viii. 21 ; Eph. ii. 
 2 ; 2 Tim. ii. 26 ; 2 Pet. ii. 19 ; 1 John 
 V. 19). This is a humiliating, but just, 
 view of them. 
 
 2. What an invaluahle Messing the 
 Gospel is. No one needs be told what 
 a blessing the proclamation of Cyrus 
 was to the captive Jews • and precisely 
 such is the Gospel, as announcing de- 
 liverance to us (Isa. xxvii. 13). 
 
 3. What tuill he necessary to ohtain 
 what it offers ? However deeply all are 
 interested in doing this, too many, abis ! 
 are well contented with their bondage, 
 displaying thus most inconceivable mad- 
 ness ; whereas, by repentance and faith, 
 they should go up out of it ; and by re- 
 turning to God enjoy the glorious liberty 
 of His children. 
 
 4. What is our hounden duty when it 
 has become effectual for our good ? God 
 is said to " raise the spirits " of such as 
 were ambitious for liberty; and it need 
 ngt be said to whom we are indebted, 
 if we differ from others (1 Cor. iv. 7, 
 XV. 10 ; Jas. i. 17j. — William Sleigh. 
 
 God with Us. 
 ( Verse 3 : " His God be with him.") 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The devout wish expressed. "His 
 God be with him." It is equivalent to 
 our " Good-bye," which is an abbrevia- 
 tion of " God be with you." This wish 
 comprises two things — 
 
 1. Personal relation to God. " His 
 God." The expression may be viewed 
 in two aspects — (1.) "His God," as 
 opposed to the gods of the heathen. 
 ."Jehovah the God of heaven" be with 
 him. He is the only living and true 
 God. (2.) "His God," as engaged to 
 him in covenant relation. God had 
 condescended to enter into covenant with 
 the Israelites (Gen. xvii. 1-14; Exod. 
 xix, 3-8 ; Jer. xxxii. 38-41 ; Ezek. xvi. 
 8). And in the Gospel He engages, or 
 covenants, to forgive and save all who 
 accept Christ by faith, to receive them 
 as His people,, and to be their God. 
 Thus our Lord speaks : " My Father and 
 your Father ; My God and your God " 
 (John XX. 17). All that He has, and 
 all that He is, He gives to them as their 
 portion, to be employed for their good. 
 Without any presumption the true be- 
 12 
 
 liever in Jesus Christ may sny unto the 
 great God, "My God and my Father." [a). 
 Martin Luther said that the sweetness 
 of the Gospel consisted chiefly in its 
 pronouns — such as me, mjf, thy, &c. 
 "Who loved me, and gave Himself for 
 me " (Gal. ii. 20). " Christ Jesus, my 
 Lord" (Phil. iii. 8). ''My Lord and 
 my God" (John xx. 28). It is the as- 
 surance of our personal interest in God, 
 through Christ Jesus our Lord, that 
 makes Him so unspeakably precious 
 unto us, (6). 
 
 2. Jiealisation of the presence of God. 
 "His God be with him." He is every- 
 whei'e present ; but His presence is rea- 
 lised only by believing, loving, and reve- 
 rent spirits. Such spirits feel Him near 
 — they have communion with Him, 
 &c, (c). His presence is a guarantee of 
 all the help and blessing which we need. 
 We have all things in Him. (d). But in 
 uttering this wish in respect to the Jews, 
 Cyrus probably had an eye to two things 
 which the presence of God would secure 
 to them — (1.) Guidance and guardian- 
 ship on their long journey. In the pil- 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 grimage of life we have infallible direc- 
 tion and inviolable protection, if our 
 God be with us. (2.) Success in their 
 great undertaking. Having the Divine 
 Presence, the returning exiles would be 
 able to overcome the difficulties which 
 lay before them, and to rebuild the 
 Temple of the Lord their God. The 
 presence of God is the pledge of the 
 success and triumph of His people. 
 
 II. The kind expression of this wish. 
 The expression of this wish indicates on 
 the part of Cyrus — 
 
 1. Reverence toivards God. He does 
 not utter these words thoughtlessly, but 
 seriously. His proclaniation makes it 
 quite clear that he entertained reverent 
 and exalted views of the Divine Being. 
 In our kind wishes let us never use the 
 Divine Name except with consideration 
 and veneration. 
 
 2. Kindness towards the captives. He 
 wished the'm well, and proved the sin- 
 cerity of his wishes by practically help- 
 ing them in their best interests. 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 1. Do we sustain this personal relation 
 to God ? 
 
 2. Do tve realise the blessed j^resence 
 of God ? 
 
 3. Do tve desire that others also may 
 realise His gracious presence ? 
 
 . ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) This goodness appears in the choice gift 
 of Himself which He hath made over in this 
 covenant (Gen. xvii. 7). You know how it 
 runs in Scripture : "I will be their God, and 
 they shall be My people" (Jer. xxxii. 38); a 
 propriety in the Deity is made over by it. As 
 He gave the blood of His Son to seal the cove- 
 nant, so He gave Himself as the blessing of 
 the covenant ; " He is not ashamed to be called 
 their God" (Heb. si. 16). Though He be 
 environed with millions of angels, and presides 
 over them in an inexpressible glory, He is not 
 ashamed of His condescensions to man, and to 
 pass over Himself as the propriety of His 
 people, as well as to take them to be His. It 
 is a diminution of the sense of the place, to 
 understand it of God, as Creator. What reason 
 was there for God to be ashamed of the ex- 
 pressions of His power, wisdom, goodness, in 
 the works of His hands? But we might have 
 reason to think there might be some ground 
 in God to be ashamed of making Himself over 
 in a deed of gift to a mean worm and a filthy 
 rebel ; this might seem a disparagement to 
 His majesty ; but God is not ashamed of a 
 
 title so mean as the God of His despised 
 people ; a title below those others, of the 
 " Lord of hosts, glorious in iioliness, fearful in 
 praises, doing wonders, riding on the wings of 
 the wind, walking in the circuits of heaven." 
 He is no more ashamed of this title of being 
 our God, than He is of those other that souihI 
 more glorious ; He would rather have His 
 greatness veil to His goodness, than His good- 
 ness be confined by His majesty. He is not 
 only our God, but our God as He is the God 
 of Christ; He is not ashamed to be our pro- 
 priety, and Christ is not ashamed to own His 
 people in a partnership with Him in this pro- 
 priety (John XX. 17) : "I ascend to My God 
 and your God." This, of God's being our God, 
 is the quintessence of the covenant, the soul 
 of all the promises ; in this He hath promised 
 whatsoever is infinite in Him, whatsoever is 
 the glory and ornament of His nature, for our 
 use ; not a part of Him, or one sini;le perfec- 
 tion, but the whole vigour and strength of all. 
 As He is not a God without infinite wisdom, 
 and infinite power, and infinite goodness, and 
 infinite blessedness, &c., so He passes over in 
 tills covenant all that which presents Him as 
 the most adorable Being to His creatures. 
 He will be to them as great, as wise, as power- 
 ful, as good as He is in Himself; and the 
 assuring us in this covenant to be our God 
 imports also that He will do as much for us 
 as we would do for ourselves were we furnished 
 with the same goodness, power, and wisdom. 
 In being our Goil He testifies it is all one, as 
 if we had the same perfections in our own 
 power to employ for our use ; for He being 
 possessed with them, it is as much as if we 
 ourselves were possessed with them, for our 
 own advantage, according to the rules of wis- 
 dom and the several conditions we pass through 
 for His glory. — Stephen Chamocke, B. D. 
 
 (h) Only to be permitted to contemplate such 
 a Being as Jehovah ; to see goodness, holiness, 
 justice, mercy, long-suffering, and sovereignty 
 personified and condensed ; to see them united 
 with eternity, infinite power, unerring wisdom, 
 omnipresence, and all-sufficiency ; to see these 
 natural and moral perfections indissolubly 
 united and blended in sweet liarmony in a 
 pure spiritual Being, and that Being placed 
 on the throne of the universe; to see this 
 would be happiness enough to fill the mind of 
 any creature in existence. But in addition to 
 this, to have this ineffable Being for our God, 
 our portion, our all ; to be permitted to say, 
 " This God is our God for ever and ever ; " to 
 have His resplendent countenance smile upon 
 us ; to be encircled in His everlasting arms of 
 power, and faithfulness, and love ; to hear His 
 voice saying to us, " I am yours, and you are 
 Mine ; notiiing shall ever pluck you frorti My 
 hands, or separate you from My love ; but you 
 shall be with Me wliere I am, behold My glory, 
 and live to reign with Me for ever and ever." 
 This is too much ; it is honour, it is glory, it 
 is happiness too overwhelming, too transport- 
 ing for mortal minds to conceive, or for mortal 
 
 13 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 frames to support ; and it is perhaps well for 
 lis that here we know but in part, and that it 
 (loth not j'et appear what we shall be. — Edward 
 Pay son, D.D. 
 
 {c) My friend has gone away from me over 
 the sea and beyond the mountain, but I have 
 him in my heart ; his thoughts, his views of 
 life, his behaviour under given circumstances, 
 his noble impatience, his magnanimous scorn 
 of all that is low and mean, never leave me; 
 they will mould my life, they will save me 
 in many a temptation. He is with me always 
 because of the realising power of love. And 
 this that we know something about in friend- 
 ship, in tlie family circle, in literature, readies 
 its highest consummation in Jesus Christ ; for 
 though He has gone away from us. He says, 
 " I am with you alway, even unto the end of 
 the world." Though we cannot see Him, yet 
 He says, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake 
 thee." Though we would gladly lay hold of 
 His wounded hand, He says it is better not. 
 
 It is expedient for you tliat fleshly contact 
 cease, and that you lay hold of Him by the 
 tendrils of your love. For what if we did 
 grasp liands, death wotild break up our union ; 
 but if we grasp' liearts, we are one for ever. — 
 Joseph Parker, D. D. 
 
 {d) "I have read," says an old divine, "of 
 a company of poor Christians who were 
 banished into some remote part, and one 
 standing by, seeing them pass along, said that 
 it was a very sad condition those poor people 
 were in, to be thus hurried from the society of 
 men, and made companions with the beasts of 
 the field. 'True,' said another, 'it were a 
 sad condition indeed if they were carried to a 
 place where they should not find their God ; 
 but let them be of good cheer, God goes along 
 with them, and will exhibit the comforts of 
 His presence whithersoever they go. God's 
 presence with His people is a spring that never 
 fails.' " — The Sunday School Teacher. 
 
 The Release of the Jews from Babylon an Illustration of 
 THE Redemption of Man from Sin. 
 
 [Verses 3 and 5.) 
 
 We discover an analogy in these two 
 things as regards — 
 
 I. The subjects. The Jews were exiles 
 and captives in Babylon. Apart from the 
 redemptive power of God, man is the 
 captive of Satan and the slave of sin. 
 He is " taken captive by him at his 
 will." He is the slave of sinful passions 
 and habits. He is captive, imprisoned, 
 and bound (Isa. Ixi. 1 ; Luke iv. 18). 
 " Whosoever committeth sin is the slave 
 of sin" (John viii. 34). "I see a law 
 in my members, warring against the law 
 of my mind, and bringing me into cap- 
 tivity to the law of sin which is in my 
 members" (Rom. vii. 23). In his sinful 
 state, man is an exile from his true con- 
 dition and place, and the bondsman of 
 evil powers, (a). 
 
 II. The agents. Cyrus, and Jesus 
 Christ. The analogy between them is 
 at least twofold. 
 
 1. Both were called of God to tliis 
 work. Ages before his birth Cyrus was 
 prenominated for this work, and spoken 
 of as the anointed of the Lord, and as 
 strengthened by Him for the accomplish- 
 ment of this work (Isa. xliv. 24-xlv. 6). 
 And Jesus Christ is pre-eminently the 
 Servant, the Anointed, the Sent of God 
 (Isa. xlii. 1 ; Ixi. 1-3; Luke iv. 18, 19 ; 
 14 
 
 John iii. 16, 17; Gal. iv. 4, o ; 1 John 
 iv. 9). 
 
 2. Both effected this luorJc by battling 
 7vith and overcoming the ojjpressors. 
 Cyrus had to conquer the Babylonian 
 Empire before he could release the cap- 
 tive Jews. And our Lord and Saviour, 
 as the Son of Man, encountered sin and 
 mastered it ; He resisted temptation and 
 overcame it ; He battled with the devil 
 and vanquished him ; He grappled with 
 death and abolished it ; and thus He 
 offers freedom from sin and Satan to 
 all men. (b). 
 
 III. The source. In both cases the 
 blessing flowed from the free and un- 
 merited grace of God. The Jews had 
 no claim upon Him against whom they 
 had so persistently and so grievously re- 
 belled. He "stirred up the spirit of 
 Cyrus" to grant them release, of His 
 own spontaneous and gracious will. In 
 like manner He gave His Son Jesus 
 Christ for the salvation of men. " God 
 commendeth His love toward us, in 
 that, while we were yet sinners, Christ 
 died for us." " Herein is love, not that 
 we loved God, but that He loved us," 
 &c. " Not by works of righteousness 
 which we have done, but according to 
 His mercy He saved us," &c. (Tit. iii. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 5-7): He gave His Son, He bestowed 
 the Holy Spirit, He instituted means 
 and ministries of grace, all of His own 
 sovereign favour. Human redemption 
 in its origin, in its accomplishment, and 
 in its conditions, is entirely of divine 
 grace. " It is of faith that it might 
 be by grace." (c). 
 
 IV. "The extent. 
 
 1. It is ofered to all. " Who is there 
 among you of all His people 1 " &c.* 
 Every Jew was free to go to Jerusalem 
 if he pleased. Salvation from sin is 
 provided for all, and freely offered to 
 all. Christ "died for all." " God our 
 Saviour, who will have all men to be 
 saved," &c. " God so loved the world," 
 &:c. " Whosoever will, let him take the 
 water of life freely." " Go ye into all 
 the world," &c. 
 
 2. It is accepted only hy some. " Then 
 rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah 
 and Benjamin, and the priests, and the 
 Levites, with, all whose spirit God had 
 raised," &c. Great numbers preferred 
 to remain in Babylon. (1.) Many did 
 not feel any deprivation or degradation 
 in their exile and subjection. They had 
 been born in Babylon, had passed their 
 lives there, (fee. Many do not accept 
 the offered "redemption that is in Christ 
 Jesus" because they are not conscious of 
 the slavery of sin. Like the Jews of a 
 later age, they say, "We were never in 
 bondage to any man." {d). (2.) Many 
 bad attachments and interests in Babylon 
 which they could not or would not leave. 
 And great numbers in this day will not 
 comply Avith the conditions of spiritual 
 redemption. Their love of the things 
 of this world, and their devotion to tem- 
 poral things, bind them to the Babylon 
 of the w^orld and sin. When summoned 
 to '• Arise, and depart," they are unwill- 
 ing to obey. 
 
 V. The object. "Go up to build the 
 house of the Lord which is in Jerusa- 
 lem." A striking illustration of the 
 grand end of redemption, which may be 
 expressed thus — 
 
 \. The universal realisation of the 
 presence of God. So St. John describes 
 it : " Behold the tabernacle of God is 
 with men, and He will dwell with 
 them," &c. (Rev. xsi. 3). 
 
 2. The imiversal 2yTesentation of worship 
 to God. " And every creature which is 
 in heaven, and on the earth, and under 
 the earth," *fec. (Ilev. v. 13, 1-1). 
 
 " And the Temple again shall be built 
 And filled as it was of yore ; 
 And the burden be lift from the heart of 
 the world, 
 And the nations all adore. 
 Prayers to the throne of Heaven 
 
 Morning and eve shall rise ; 
 And unto and not of the Lamb 
 
 Shall be the sacrifice." — P. J. Bailey. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Sin may be conceived of as an object, but 
 also as a poicer — as something to which our 
 actions are directed, but also as something 
 from which our actions proceed. Sin is an 
 internal principle, and he who "commits 
 sin," who lives in it, obeys it in this sense — 
 "obeys it as a force. Occasional acts may not 
 represent, but belie a man's real nature ; but 
 be can do as a liabit only what he is, and if 
 that is sinful, he is the slave of sin. The 
 whole and constant tendency and bias of the 
 soul is a despotic rule ; it is more than any 
 external authority or verbal law. It has a 
 more rigorous and relentless rule. It is more 
 besetting, has a more constant presence and 
 constraining power ; it acts directly on the 
 will ; it controls and stimulates volition. Tliat 
 is a great bondage which overbears the will, 
 which brings it against itself into subjection, 
 which ignores and defies its choice, but that 
 is a greater far which corrupts and perverts 
 it. There is no slavery like that in which the 
 very seat and source of freedom is held cap- 
 tive. It is the salt itself losing its savour ; 
 it is the light leading astray ; it is the king 
 and leader falling in battle. — A. J . Morris. 
 
 Go to the intemperate man in the morn- 
 ing, when his head aches, his hand trembles, 
 bis throat burns, and his whole frame is re- 
 laxed and unstrung: he is ashamed, hates his 
 sip, would not do it. Go to him at night, 
 when the power of habit is on him like a 
 spell, and he obeys the mastery of his craving. 
 He can use the language of Eom. vii.: "That 
 which he would, he does not; but the evil that 
 he hates, that does he." Observe, he is not in 
 possession of a true self. It is not he, but sin 
 which dwelleth in him that does it. A power 
 which is not himself, which is not he, com- 
 mands him against himself. 
 
 This is a gross case, but in every more 
 refined instance the slavery is just as real. 
 Wherever a man would and cannot, there is 
 servitude. He may be unable to control his 
 expenditure, to rouse his indolence, to check 
 his imagination. Well, he is not free. He 
 may boast, as the Jews did, that he is Abra- 
 ham's son, or any other great man's son; that 
 he belongs tp a free country ; that he never 
 
 15 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 was in bondage to any man ; but free in the 
 freedom of the Son h'e is not. — F. W. Bohert- 
 son, M.A. 
 
 (b) Christ came to open the prison doors 
 and preach deliverance to tlie captives. " If 
 the Son, therefore, shall malie you free, ye 
 shall be free indeed." When Paul was describ- 
 ing the bitter bondage of the unregcnerate 
 state, he could not finish it without the paren- 
 thetical exclamation, " I thank God, through 
 Jesus Christ our -Lord." "The law of the 
 spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me 
 free from the iaw of sin and death," &c. 
 (Rom. viii. 2-4). 
 
 Yes, Christ is a Rede€;mer, a Redeemer from 
 the slavery of sin, by entering into the per- 
 sonal contest with evil, with .sin, Satan, and 
 the world lying in wickedness ; suffering, but 
 not submitting ; falling, but yet a victor ; 
 being " made sin for us, though He knew no 
 sin," and thus becoming "the Author of 
 eternal redemption to all them that obey 
 Him." He became sin, "that we might be 
 made the righteousness of God in Him." 
 "Through death He destroyed him that had 
 the power of death." He " hath redeemed us 
 from the curse of the law, being made a curse 
 for us." 
 
 This is our hope. Tliere is no other can 
 break our chains, or make us wish to have 
 them broken. There is no other can rescue 
 us from bondage, or beget in us the love and 
 aspiration of spiritual freedom. It remains 
 for us to lay hold of this hope. And this can 
 be done only by believing His word. "Ye 
 shall know the trutli, and the truth shall make 
 you frte." " But God be thanked that ye were 
 the servants of sin ; but ye have obeyed from 
 the heart tliat form of doctrine which was de- 
 livered to you."— -4. /. Morris. 
 
 (c) Every good thing that is in a Christian, 
 not merely begins, but progresses, and is con- 
 summated by the fostering grace of God, 
 through Jesus Cfirist. If my linger were on 
 the golden latch of Paradise, and my foot 
 were on its jasper threshold, I should not take 
 the last step so as to enter heaven unless the 
 grace which brought me so far should enable 
 me fully and fairly to complete my pilgrimage. 
 Salvation is God's work, not man's. This is 
 the theology which Jonah learned in the great 
 fish college, in the university of the great 
 
 deep, to which college it would be a good 
 thing if many of our divines could be sent, for 
 human learning often puffeth up with the idea 
 of human sufficiency ; but he tliat is schooled 
 and disciplined in the college of a deep experi- 
 ence, and made to know the vileness of his 
 own heart, as he peers into its chambers of 
 imagery, will confess that from first, to last 
 salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of 
 him that runneth, but of God that showeth 
 mercy. — C. U. Spurgeon. 
 
 • (d) Men may have a high notion of personal 
 independence, and make a great boast of 
 freedom, and yet be in the deepest and most 
 degrading bondage. And we may extend this 
 thought to other things. Moral and spiritual 
 evil may be, and frequently is, allied to a keen 
 sense and a tenacious hold of other kinds of 
 good. We may live in sin, which is the worst 
 weakness, and yet have reverence for many 
 kinds of not the lowest power. We may live 
 in sin, which is the deepest degradation, and 
 yet have noble elevation of moral thought and 
 sympathy. The thought of slavery may fire 
 our blood with scorn and hate, and yet we 
 may be slaves of sin. 
 
 . The reason is obvious. Sin is voluntary. 
 It must be. Compulsory sin is a contradiction 
 in terms. Its root and fountain is in the will. 
 It is its being willed that constitutes it sin. 
 For, as Coleridge said, " Nothing is me but 
 my will." In sinning men do what they wish, 
 what gives them pleasure. They feel no con- 
 straint ; they are but acting out their wills. 
 
 And then, again, the practice of sin gradu- 
 ally destroys the power of seeing and feeling 
 that it is slavery. We see things by means 
 of their opposites. We estimate by contrast. 
 And as we see we feel. It is what is good in 
 man that resists evil, mourns over it, repents 
 of it. One wholly evil could do none of these 
 things, and when men are wholly evil they are 
 lost. It is the memory, the feeling, the aspi- 
 ration of freedom that makes men writhe under 
 slavery. It is the reason not entirely blinded, 
 the conscience not utterly seared, that sees and 
 smarts under sin. And when the sense of 
 liberty and the sense of holiness have died out, 
 the man may hug his chains, and the sinner 
 is no more able to deliver his soul or say, " Is 
 there not a lie in my right hand ? " And this 
 is the curse of both slavery and sin. — A. J. 
 Morris. 
 
 The Return of the Exile: 
 
 In these verses two main points claim 
 our attention — 
 
 I. . The company who returned. 
 " Tlien rose up tlie cliief of tlie fatliers," 
 &c. (ver. 5). 
 
 1. Theywere of various classes. "The 
 chief of the fathers of Judah and Benja- 
 16 
 
 {Verses 5 and 6.) 
 
 min, and the priests, and the Levites, 
 witli all whose s})irit God had raised." 
 It was well that the chiefs, men of expe- 
 rience and rank and influence, and the 
 priests and the Levites, men who were 
 consecrated to the service of God, should 
 take the lead in this worthy and diffi- 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 cult undertaking. They who are con- 
 spicuous iu position should be solicitous 
 to act becomingly ; and they Avhose in- 
 fluence is great should see to it that it 
 is also good, 
 
 2. They ive7-e of noble character. "All 
 ■whose spirit God had raised." " Only 
 those marched up," says Schultz, "whom 
 the Spirit of God awakened, that is, only 
 the zealous and the awakened, whose 
 spirits allowed themselves to be filled 
 from God with courage and joy to over- 
 come all the difficulties tliat opposed 
 them, and with a longing for the land 
 of their fatliers that outweighed every 
 other consideration. This limitation was, 
 moreover, entirely in accordance with 
 the Divine purpose. They must bring 
 with them a zeal for the service of the 
 true God that could not be quenched, 
 at least entirely, by the difficult and 
 gloomy circumstances in Judea, that 
 might be enkindled and fed in some of 
 them by these very circumstances." They 
 were men of — (1.) Piety, as we see from 
 their zeal for the rebuilding of the Temple 
 of God, and the restoration of their 
 national worship. (2.) Patriotism, or 
 they would not have left Babylon for 
 their desolate fatherland. (3.) Courage, 
 or they could not have confronted the 
 perils of this enterprise, (a). 
 
 3. They were exalted in 'purpose. They 
 went " up to build the house of the 
 Lord, which is in Jerusalem." No per- 
 sonal or selfish aim was theirs ; but the 
 honour of their fatherland, and the 
 glory of their God. 
 
 " What sought they thus afar ? 
 Bright jewels of the mine ? 
 The wealth of seas ? the spoils of war ? 
 They sought a faith's pure shrine ! " 
 — Ilemans. 
 
 4. TJcey ivere comparatively feiv in 
 number. (1.) Only three of the tribes 
 are mentioned (Judah, Benjamin, Levi) 
 as availing themselves of the oppor- 
 tunity offered by the proclama'tion of 
 Cyrus. There may have been some of 
 the other tribes with them ; but if this 
 were so, their numbers were so few that 
 they are not noticed in this place. The 
 ten tribes of Israel are conspicuous by 
 reason of their absence from this record. 
 (2.) And of the tribes mentioned only 
 
 a portion returned to their own country. 
 There is considerable uncertainty as to the 
 exact number; but certainly there were 
 not fifty thousand persons in all. "The 
 return home," says Schultz, " was not a 
 matter that required no consideration. 
 Their native land lay either desolate or 
 occupied with heathen and barbarous 
 nations. Great dangers threatened the 
 little nation, that would put itself iu 
 opposition with the inhabitants ; and, 
 indeed, severe tasks awaited them. In 
 Babylon, on the other hand, their cir- 
 cumstances had become such that they 
 could very well endure them, yea, they 
 were favourable, as we can see from 
 Isaiah Ivi. 11-lviii., hence 'many re- 
 mained behind in Babylon, unwilling 
 to relinquish their property ' (Joseph. 
 Ant. XL i. 3)." {h). An illustration of 
 those who are in love with this present 
 evil world, and decline to enter upon 
 the Christian life with its self-denials 
 and difficulties. 
 
 II. The assistance which they re- 
 ceived. 
 
 1. This was general. " And «// they 
 that were about them strengthened their 
 hands," &c. The Jews who elected 
 to remain in Babylon would be likely 
 to aid them liberally, in order to a cer- 
 tain extent to make up for their appa- 
 rent neo-lect in remaininff behind. And 
 
 o o 
 
 the Babylonians, encouraged by the ex- 
 hortation and example of Cyrus, would 
 aid them also. 
 
 2. This was spontaneous. " They that 
 were about them" were not compelled 
 to aid them at all. It is indeed stated 
 that thegifts for rebuilding of the Temple 
 were " willingly ofifered ;" and the same 
 cheerful liberality doubtless characterised 
 their other gifts. They gave " not grudg- 
 ingly, or of necessity ; for God loveth a 
 cheerful giver." In the hearty contri- 
 butions of these heathens towards build- 
 ing the Temple of the true God, have we 
 not a hint and a foreshadowing of the 
 gathering of the heathen world into the 
 Church of Jesus Christ 1 
 
 3. This was honourable to both the 
 givers and the receivers. (1.) To the 
 givers, who were not only willing that 
 the exiles should return home, but 
 generously aided them to do so. (2.) To 
 
 B ' 17 
 
nOMILETlC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 the receivers. These gifts are a proof 
 that in the hind of their captivity their 
 conduct must have won the esteem of 
 their conquerors. 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 Apply the subject as iUustrating the 
 offers of deliverance from the bondage of 
 siti which are made in the Gospel, and of 
 the aids which are provided for those 
 who accept those offers, and urge their 
 immediate and hearty acceptance. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) The dominion of God is manifested in 
 raising up and ordering the spirits of men 
 according to His pleasure. He doth, as the 
 Father of spirits, communicate an influence 
 to the spirits of men, as well as an existence ; 
 He puts what inclinations He pleaseth into 
 tlie will, stores it with what habits He pleases, 
 whether natural or supernatural, whereby it 
 may be rendered more ready to act according 
 to the Divine purpose. The will of man is a 
 finite principle, and therefore subject to Him 
 who halh an infinite sovereignty over all 
 things ; and God, having a sovereignty over 
 the will, in the manner of its acting, causeth 
 it to will what He wills, as to the outward act, 
 and the outward manner of performing it. . . . 
 Thus He appointed Cyrus to be His shepherd, 
 and gave him a pastoral spirit for the restora- 
 tion of the city and Temple of Jerusalem (Isa. 
 xliv. 2S) ; and Isaiah (chap. xlv. 5) tells them, 
 in the prophecy, that He had girded him, 
 though Cyrus had not known Him ; i.e.God 
 had given him a military spirit and strength 
 for so great an attempt, though he did not 
 know that he was acted by God for those 
 Divine purposes. And when the time came 
 for the liouse of the Lord to be rebuilt, the 
 spirits of the people were raised up, not by 
 themselves, but by God (Ezra i. 5), "Whose 
 spirit God had raised to go up ; " and not only 
 the spirit of Zerubhabel, the magistrate, and 
 of Jeshua, the priest, but the spirit of all the 
 people, from the highest to the meanest that 
 attended him, were acted by God to strengthen 
 their hands, and promote the work (Hag. i. 
 14). The spirits of men, even in those works 
 whicli are naturally desirable to them, as the 
 restoration of the city and rebuilding of the 
 Temple was to those Jews, are acted by God, 
 as the Sovereign over them, much more when 
 the wheels of men's spirits are lifted up above 
 their ordinary' temper and motion. It was 
 this empire of God good Nehemiah regarded, 
 as that whence he was to hope for success ; he 
 did not assure himself so much of it, from the 
 favour he had with the king, nor the reason- 
 ableness of his intended petition, but the abso- 
 
 lute power God had over the heart of that great 
 monarch ; and, therefore, he supplicates the 
 heavenly, before he petitioned the earthly, 
 throne (Neh. ii. 4): "So I prayed to the God 
 of heaven." The heathens had some glance 
 of this ; it is an expression that Cicero hath 
 somewhere, " Tliat the Roman commonwealth 
 was rather governed by the assistance of the 
 Supreme Divinity over the hearts of men, than 
 by their own counsels and management." How 
 often hath the feeble courage of men been 
 heightened to such a pitch as to stare death in 
 the face, which before were damped with the 
 least thought or glance of it ! This is a fruit 
 of God's sovereign dominion. — Chat-nocke. 
 For further illustration of this topic, see p. 7. 
 
 (6) Some readers may perhaps wonder that, 
 on this proclamation of Cyrus, the Jews did 
 not assemble in one body, and directly go and 
 take possession of their ancient inheritance ; 
 but a little reflection shows the matter in 
 another light. The city and Temple lay a heap 
 of ruins, and it would cost immense labour 
 and expense to rebuild them. The land was 
 either wholly desolate or occupied by encroach- 
 ing neighbours ; and in eitiier case it would 
 require some time and trouble to procure for 
 themselves habitations and provisions. The 
 journey was long, arduous, and perilous to 
 those who were attended with families and 
 substance; and many enemies would endeavour 
 to plunder them by the way, as far as they 
 could and dared (chap. viii. 21-23 ; Neh. ii. 
 7). None of the Jews had seen Jerusalem or 
 the Temple, except such as were above fifty 
 years of age ; at which period of life the spirit 
 of enterprise commonly begins to decline. 
 Few were attached to the Temple by true piety: 
 and most of them wanted even that attachment 
 which men naturally feel for the land of their 
 nativity, having been born in the places where 
 they were then settled. Some persons of true 
 and eminent piety were so situated that they 
 did not think it their duty to remove ; as 
 Daniel in the court of Cyrus. Others would be 
 hindered by the infirmities of old age, and 
 the peculiar circumstances of their families 
 and connections. In short, the difficulties, 
 hardship, and peril were manifest ; the success 
 of the attempt would be doubtful to all but 
 those that were "strong in faith;" its tem- 
 poral advantages were remote and precarious, 
 and not worth the venture, especially to such 
 as had obtained comfortable settlements or 
 occupations in the land of their captivity. 
 Even the spiritual advantages would appear 
 to the pious mind more intended for posterity 
 than for that generation; and to engage in it, 
 jn this view, would require vigorous faith, 
 lively hope, and an active zeal for the honour 
 of God, and the benefit of His Church, and 
 establishment of His worship, in ages to 
 come. — Thomas Scott. 
 
 18 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 The Results of the Captivity. 
 {Verses 5 and 6.) 
 
 It may be ■well to consider here what 
 were the actual effects of the captivity 
 upon the Jewish people. These are well 
 stated in Dr. Smith's Dictionary of the 
 Bible, art. Cyrus, from which we quote 
 tlie following paragraphs : — 
 
 The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding 
 of the Temple was, in fact, the beginning 
 of Judaism ; and the great changes by 
 wltich the nation was transformed into 
 a Cliurch are clearly marked. 
 
 I. The lesson of the kingdom was 
 completed by the captivity. The sway 
 of a temporal prince was at length felt 
 to be at best only a faint image uf that 
 Messianic kingdom to which the pro- 
 phets pointed. The royal power had 
 led to apostasy in Israel, and to idolatry 
 in Judah ; and men looked for some 
 outward form in which the law might 
 be visibly realised. Dependence on 
 Persia excluded the hope of absolute 
 political freedom, and offered a sure 
 guarantee for the liberty of religious 
 organisation. 
 
 II. The captivity which was the 
 punishment of idolatry was also the 
 limit of that sin. Thenceforth the 
 Jews apprehended fully the spiritual 
 nature of their faith, and held it fast 
 through persecution. At the same time 
 
 wider views were opened to tliem of the 
 unt^een world. The poM'ers of good and 
 evil were recognised in their action on 
 the material world, and in this way some 
 preparation was made for the crowning 
 doctrine of Christianity. 
 
 III. The organisation of the out- 
 ward Church was connected with the 
 purifying of doctrine, and served as 
 the form in which the truth might be 
 realised by the mass. Prayer — public 
 and private — assumed a new importance. 
 Tlie prophetic work came to an end. 
 The Scriptures were collected. The 
 "law was fenced" by an oral tradition. 
 Synagogues were erected and schools 
 formed. Scribes shared the respect of 
 priests, if they did not supersede them 
 in popular regard. 
 
 IV. Above all, the bond by which 
 " the people of God " was held together 
 was at length felt to be religious and 
 not local, nor even primarily national. 
 The Jews were incorporated in different 
 nations, and still looked to Jerusalem as 
 the centre of their faith. Tiie boun- 
 daries of Canaan were passed, and the 
 beginnings of a spiritual dispensation 
 were already made when the "Disper- 
 sion " was established among the king- 
 doms of the earth. — B. F. Westcott, M.A. 
 
 The Restokation of the Sacred Vessels. 
 
 ( Verses 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I The preservation of the sacred 
 
 vessels. " Also Cyrus the king brought 
 forth the vessels of the house of the 
 Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar hadbrought 
 forth out of Jerusalem, and had put 
 them in the house of his gods ; even 
 those did Cyrus king of Persia bring 
 forth by the hand of Mithredath the 
 treasurer." These are the vessels which 
 are mentioned in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7, and 
 Dan. i. 2. They did not include all the 
 consecrated things ; for we read in 2 
 Kings xxiv. 13, of some that were after- 
 wards " cut in pieces " by Nebuchadnez- 
 
 7-11.) 
 
 zar or some of his soldiers. But in the 
 providence of God these vessels were re- 
 markably preserved, to be in due time 
 restored to their original place and uses. 
 Nebuchadnezzar, regarding them as 
 sacred things, did not appropriate- them 
 to purposes of his own, but pl.iced them 
 in the temple of his god Merodach, or 
 Bel, as he was called by the Greeks, at 
 Babylon ; and in this way they were 
 preserved. 
 
 Learn : 
 
 Since God is so careful of the mere 
 vessels consecrated to His service, may 
 we not rest assured that He loill muck 
 
 19 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 more preserve His consecrated people ? 
 His children are far more precious in 
 His siglit than the most costly furniture 
 of His temples, (a). 
 
 II. The numeration of the sacred 
 vessels. " Even those did Cyrus king 
 of Persia bring forth by the hand of 
 Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered 
 them unto Sheshbazzar the prince of 
 Judah." This numbering indicates — 
 
 1. The reverent care of -Cyrus for these 
 sacred vessels. 
 
 2. The grave responsibilUy of Shesh- 
 bazzar for these sacred vessels. He would 
 be held accountable for the number of 
 them thus counted out to him. 
 
 Learn : 
 
 That persons, places, and things ivhich 
 are devoted to religious uses should 
 he reverently regarded by us. Their 
 associations should raise them far above 
 the level of common things. (5). 
 
 Ill The restoration of the sacred 
 vessels. "All these did Sheshbazzar 
 bring up with them of the captivity that 
 were brought up from Babylon unto 
 Jerusalem." 
 
 1. This tvas a fulfilment of prophecy 
 (Jer, xxvii. 22). Prophecy is a " sure 
 word." The predictions of the Holy 
 Bible will become accomplished facts ; its 
 promises will all be fulfilled. The vera- 
 city and the power of God guarantee 
 the fulfilment of the declarations and 
 assurances of His Word. 
 
 2. This is an illustration of the resto- 
 ration of perverted things to their true 
 uses. Many of the gifts of God are 
 sadly misused ; e.g., wealth, when it is 
 employed for purposes of self-indulgence 
 or vain show, or when it is avariciously 
 hoarded ; eloquence, when it is em- 
 ployed to arouse and inspire men in 
 unworthy enterprises ; poetry, when it 
 is made the vehicle of impure sugges- 
 tions, or the quickener of corrupt imagi- 
 nations ; art, &c. All these things, like 
 the sacred vessels of the Jews, shall be 
 restored to their true uses. They shall 
 be employed in harmony with the will 
 of God, for His glory, and for th* good 
 of mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ is 
 the great Restorer of the violated order, 
 and the broken harmony of the universe 
 of God. " In the dispensation of the 
 
 20 
 
 fulness of times Gcid will gather together 
 in one all things in Christ, both which 
 are in heaven, and which are on earth ; 
 even in Him." (f). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 {a) "They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of 
 hosts, in that day wlien I make up My jewels." 
 God has jewels even amid tlie rains of tliis 
 shattered and degraded world. " Ye are a 
 chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy 
 nation, a peculiar people." Terrible as has 
 been the havoc created by sin, there are 
 "jewels" still on the earth, and no hand can 
 rifle them. Many times have Satan and his 
 legions sought to purloin the treasure, but the 
 Word of the Lord is faithful — "no man can 
 pluck them out of My Father's hand." — Joseph 
 Parker, D.D. 
 
 Beneath the wings of the Almighty God, 
 night with its pestilence cannot smite the 
 saints, and day with its cares cannot destroy 
 them ; youth with its passions shall be safely 
 passed ; middle age with its whirl of business 
 shall be navigated in safety ; old age with its 
 infirmities shall become the land of Beulah ; 
 death's gloomy vale shall be lit up with the 
 coming splendour; the actual moment of de- 
 parture, the last and solemn article shall be 
 the passing over of a river dryshod, " When 
 thou passest through the waters, I will be 
 with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall 
 not overflow thee ; wlien thou Avalkest through 
 the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither 
 shall the flame kindle upon thee, saith the 
 Lord." "They shall never perish." — C. H. 
 Spurgeon. 
 
 (b) It is a dreadful thing to trifle with sacred 
 matters. If at any time we open the Bible, 
 or anything out of it be opened to us, and we 
 have not the serious design before our eyes 
 and upon our heart?, that we would know more 
 of divine things, that we may be made more 
 like God, and be more fitted for His service 
 and communion both here and hereafter, we 
 shall be found guilty of trifling with that which 
 is sacred; and though in this world the punish- 
 ment may not be so visibly severe, yet the 
 guilt is undoubtedly greater than that which 
 Uzzah lay under when he rashly laid hold on 
 the ark ; and the Bethshemites, when they 
 opened and would be curiously prying into it. 
 When a man meddleth with the great things of 
 God, and can give no account for what he does, 
 but only to satisfy his curiosity, and the idle 
 fancy of a vain mind ; this, sooner or later, 
 must have a sad issue. — John Howe. 
 
 (c) The reconciliation which our Lord has 
 effected has bearings as wide as creation. The 
 whole creation will be restored, and inherit 
 ■with man the peace and glory of Christ. Evil 
 struggles, and will yet struggle, but it is 
 doomed. Christ's death will be fulfilled in 
 the death of evil throughout all nature. His 
 ascension will be fulfilled in the universal 
 diffusion of His Life, Love, and Glory. But 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 He will not muke haste. By Tlis long: patience, unit}'. The reconciliation of all thin'j-s in Him 
 
 He gives the utmost possihility to the endea- . is very Divine. And when the like reconcilia- 
 
 voiirs of evil. In tlie end, evil powers will tion is fulfilled, both in miui and nature, the 
 
 work tlieir own confusion and downfall. The work of the Mediator will he done, and "the 
 
 Son of God is sure of final victory. He fore- mystery of God finished." 
 
 sees it. The whole field will come about, to Observe once for all, that whoever speaks 
 
 Him. He will wait for it. In His ascension, merely of the redemption of mankind, muti- 
 
 all the elements and powers of nature are lutes the redemption of God, and is unfaithful 
 
 already glorified. In Him, they have all come to the New Testament. The mystery of God's 
 
 back to God, with increase. 'i'hey are no will and j)urpose, which Paul commends to 
 
 longer divided and striving:. They underwent us, is the knitting into unity, the gathering 
 
 their grand decisive and bloody sweat in Him. together in one, of "all thinijs in Christ, both 
 
 The worst is past. " The restitution of all the things whicli are in heaven, and the things 
 
 things " is certain. All things are at peace which are on earth ; even in Him." The 
 
 in Christ, and the peace is wonderful. Headship of Christ is universal. Heaven and 
 
 " It is finished," proclaimed the end of the earth, and "all things" therein, are to be 
 
 fallen order of nature. "He is risen," an- brouglit under One Head ; and thus into the 
 
 iiounced the beginning of the new orden fellowship of a divinely balanced harmony. 
 
 Christ glorified is God's firstfruits of the The whole course of sin and sorrow is His 
 
 whole harvest of His recovered creation. All chastisement, which He will bear until it melts 
 
 things will be made after the pattern of Christ's into His own Purity and Peace. — JohnPulsford. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 CiiiTiCAii AND Explanatory Notks.] In this chapter we have the lid of those who returned 
 from captivity ivith Zeruhbahel, and their contributions for rehuilding the Temple. The contents 
 may be arranged thus — 1. The description of the chapter (ver. 1), with the names of the leaders 
 of the exodus (ver. 2). 2. The numbers of the people who returned, arranged — (1) according to 
 families (vers. 3-19; (2) according to cities (vers. 20-35). 3. The numbers of the priests and Levitea 
 who returned, arranged according to families (vers. 36-42). 4. The numbers of the Nethinim 
 and the descendants of Solomon's servants (vers. 43-58). 5. People and priests who could not 
 produce their genealogy (vers. 59-63). 6. The sum total of the persons who returned, with 
 their servants and beasts of burden (vers. 64-G7). 7. The offerings of those who returned for 
 the rebuilding of the Temple (vers. 68, 69), and a concluding statement (ver. 70). This cata- 
 logue appears also in the Book of Nehemiah (chap. vii. 6-73), he having "found" the docu- 
 ment (ver. 5), and incorporated it in his work. It al§o appears in the apocryphal book, 
 1 Esdras v. 7-45. The three texts differ to some extent in the names^ and yet more in the 
 numbers. Tiie differences, however, are unimportant, and arose probably from tlie mistakes of 
 copyists, to which there is great liability in transcribing long lists of names and numbers. 
 
 Ver. 1. The province] "i.e. the province of Judea as a district of the Persian Empire ; so 
 chap. V. 8, Neil. i. 3." — Knl. Every one unto his city] All wlio returned did not settle in Jeru- 
 salem. Many were located in neiglibouring cities and villages. 
 
 Ver. 2. Zerubbabel] = " born in Babylon." His Chaldean name was Sheshbazzar (chap. i. 
 8). Jeshua] A later and abbreviated form of Jehoshua. He was the son of Jehozadak (1 
 Cliron. vi. 14), or, as it is written in Hag. i. 1, Josedech ; was probably born in Babylon; 
 and was the first high priest of the restored community. "A man of earnest piety, patriotism, 
 and courage." The names of nine other jtersons are given in this verse. Nehemiah (chap, 
 vii. 7) gives the name ot Naliamani, whicli is not mentioned here, and makes twelve in all. 
 Of these ten persons we know notiiing except their names, and that, with Zerubbabel and 
 Jeshua, they were probably the twelve heads of twelve divisions into which the new com- 
 munity was arranged. Nehemiah] is not "Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah " (Neh. i. 1) ; 
 Seraiah] is Azariah ; Eeelaiah] is Raamiah ; Mizpar] is Mispcreth ; and Rehum] is Nehum, 
 in Neh. vii. 7; Mordecai] not i\Iordeeai the cousin and foster-parent of Esther (Esth. ii. 7). 
 The number of the men of the people of Israel] is "the special title of the first division 
 (vers. 3-35) of the following list, with which the titles in vers. 36, 40, 43, and 55 correspond. 
 They are called 'the people of Israel,^ not the people of Judah, because those who returned 
 represented the entire covenant people." — Keil. Although, as we before stated, those who 
 returned were almost all from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. 
 
 Vers. 3-35] It is not necessary for us to enter into a comparison of the names and numbers 
 here given and those of the corresponding passage in Nehemiah. 
 
 Vers. 36-89. The priests] This brief cataloijne corresponds exactly with Neh. vii. 39-42. 
 
 Vers. 40-42. The Levites] were of three classes — 1. Those who assisted the priests in Divine 
 •worship. 2. The singers. 3. The porters. (Comp. 1 Chron. xxiv. 20-31, xxv., and xxvi. 1-19.) 
 
 Vers. 43-54. The Nethinims] Nethinim = "given or dedicated ones ; " from }ri3 ="to give," 
 "dedicate," &c. They were captives of war, who were given to the Levites to be employed ia 
 the rougher and more laborious duties of their ofiices (Num. xxxi. 47; Josh. ix. 27). "The 
 Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed (IJeb. given) for the service of the 
 Levites" (chap. viii. 20). Keil briefly desisjnates them "temple-bondsmen." 
 
 21 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Vers. 55-57. The children of Solomon's servants] were, according to Plumpfre {Bill. 
 Diet.) and Rawlinson, the descendants of the remnant of the ancient Canaanites, upon whom 
 Solomon "levied a tribute of bond-service" (1 Kings ix. 20, 21; 2 Chron. viii. 7, 8). But, 
 according to Keil and Schultz, they were prisoners of war from some other nations, whom 
 Solomon made to do services similar to those of the Gibeonites (Josh. ix. 27). In rebuilding 
 the Temple their services would lie of irreat importance. 
 
 Ver. 58. Three hundred ninety and two] So also Neh. vii. 60. 
 
 Vers. 59, 60. Could not show their father's house, and their seed] Margin: "pedigree." 
 "Although thej' couid not prove their Israelite origin, they were permitted to go up to Jeru- 
 salem with the rest, the rights of citizenship alone being for the present withheld." — Kcil. 
 Vers. 61-63. Children of the priests] who could not. prove that they belonged to the priesthood. 
 Ver. 61. "Which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai] &c. Keil and Schultz think 
 that the daughters of Baizillai were heiresses, and that the priest who married one of them 
 assumed her name in order to take possession of her inheritance. But this, to say the least, 
 is very questionable, seeing that they had brothers (1 Kings ii. 7) ; and daughters, according 
 to Jewish law, did not inherit any of their father's property except in those cases in which he 
 had no son (Num. xxvii. 8). It is more probable that the name of the wife's family was pre- 
 ferred because of the honourable associations of that name; for Barzillai the Gileadite "was a 
 very great man," and distinguished by reason of liis relations to king David (2 Sam. xvii. 
 27-29, xix. 31-39 ; 1 Kings li. 7). The change of name would not invalidate the claim of 
 the descendants of the family to the priestiiood ; but in process of time it might have occa- 
 sioned doubts as to their priestly origin. 
 
 Ver. 62. Therefore, were they, as polluted] &c. Margin : " Heb., they were polluted from 
 the priesthood." They were pronounced unclean, and so excluded from the priesthood. 
 
 Ver. 63. Tirshatha] Margin : "Or, governor." It is the Persian title of tlie civil governor, 
 and is here given to Zerubbabel. It was afterwards applied to Nehemiah (Neh. viii. 9, x. 1). 
 Not eat of the most holy things] (comp. Lev. ii. 3 ; Num. xviii. 9). This prohibition involved 
 tlieir exclusion from the discharge of priestly functions. " A portion of the general fees which 
 were offered to the priests was not denied them, since their right to the priesthood was not 
 expressly denied, but left in suspenso." — Schultz. Till there stood up a priest with Urim 
 and with Thiunmim] Zerubbabel expected that when the altar and Temple were rebuilt, 
 Jehovah would again grant them some special manifestation of His presence, and M'ould 
 restore the privilege of obtaining direct answers from Him by means of Urim and Thummim. 
 His expectation, however, was never fulfilled. 
 
 Ver. 64] The number here given agrees exactly with that given both in Nehemiah and in 
 1 Esdras. "The sum total being alike in all three texts, we are obliged to assume its correct- 
 ness. " — Keil. 
 
 Ver. 65. Their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three 
 hundred thirty and seven] In Neh. vii. 67 the same number of servants is given. Two 
 hundred singing men aid singing women] These singers were employed to increase the 
 delight of the festivities, and to chant dirges in times of mourning (2 Chron. xxxv. 25 ; 
 Eccles. ii. 8) ; and as they were hired and paid, and were probably not of Israelite oriijin, 
 tliey are here classed with the servants. 
 
 Vers. f;6, 67] With these verses Neh. vii. 68, 69, exactly agree. 
 
 Ver. 68. When they came to the house of the Lord] i.e. to the site of the Temple. Probalily 
 considerable ruins of the Temple were yet remaining. 
 
 Ver. 69] The account of the offerings given in Neh. vii. 70-72 differs from that in this 
 Terse, and is held both by Keil and by Schultz to be more correct. Threescore and one 
 thousand drams, or darics, of gold] According to Rawlinson, the daric was wortii £1, Is. lOiii. 
 of our money. The 61,000 darics were therefore equal to £66,718, 15s. Five thousand pound, 
 or mina, of silver] The Greek silver viina was worth a little over £-i of our money ; and the vaiue 
 of the IJebrew silver manch, according to Rawlinson, was probably not very difierent from the 
 Greek. Thus the offering in silver would be worth over £20,000 ; and tlie entire offering in 
 money worth nearly £90,000. Keil, however, reckons the 61,000 darics of gold to be woith 
 ^£68,625, and the 5000 mina of silver, £30,000, and the entire offering nearly £99,000. 
 
 Going up out of Captivity. 
 ( Verse 1 cmd part of 2.) 
 
 We have here presented to our Ion." The captivity from which they 
 
 notice — were escaping was (1.) A degradation. 
 
 I. The deliverance from captivity. It was the Joss of their power and inde- 
 
 " These are the chddren of the promise pendence. (2.) A subjection. It Avas 
 
 that went up out of the captivity, of the loss of their freedom. They were 
 
 those wliicli had been carried away, brought under the power of their con- 
 
 "whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of querors. (3.) A transportation. "Nebu- 
 
 Babylon had carried awav into Babv- chadnezzar the king carried them away 
 22 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 unto Babjloii." From their own land, 
 with .'ill its hallowed and inspiring 
 memories and associations, they Avere 
 forcibly removed unto the land of their 
 heathen conquerors. (4.) A retribution. 
 Their captivity was the punishment of 
 tlieir numerous, heiiu)us, and long-con- 
 tinued sins against God, and especially 
 their forsaking Him by the adoption of 
 dolatrous customs. Nebucliaduezzar was 
 the rod of God for their chastiseuient. 
 
 The most deplorable degradation ami 
 the most real and terrible subjection are 
 those of sin. 
 
 But now many of the Jews are going 
 "up out of the captivity." The ofi'er 
 of release has been made, and they 
 who are mentioned in this chapter have 
 accepted it. 
 
 Concerning this deliverance, notice : — 
 
 1 . It originaled in the favour of God 
 (chap. i. 1). 
 
 2. It was efeded by an unlikely agent. 
 Cyrus. 
 
 3. It ivas permissive, not compidsory. 
 The Jews were quite free to accept or to 
 decline the offer of Cyrus. 
 
 Salvation from the bondage of sin is 
 freely offered in the Gospel, but no one is 
 compelled to accept the offer. All who ac- 
 cejit it do so willingly, of their own accord. 
 
 II. The journey home. "And came 
 again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every 
 one unto his city." It is here suggested 
 that this journey was : — 
 
 1. A 7'estoration. "And came again." 
 They were going unto the land which 
 God had given to their fathers ; to the 
 scenes of the most sacred and stirring 
 events in their national history. 
 
 2. -.1 restoration to their own home. 
 " Came again every one unto his city." 
 It seems to us that where it was prac- 
 ticable the returning Jews would settle 
 in the cities where their ancestors had 
 resided, and take possession of the in- 
 heritances which they had held. They 
 went back to the scenes amid which 
 their forefathers lived, and laboured, to 
 the lands which they had cultivated, to 
 the places where they had prayed and 
 woiked, rejoiced and wept, loved and 
 suffered, lived and died. There must 
 have been in this a very strong and 
 tender attraction to many hearts, (a). 
 
 3. A restoration to religums privileges. 
 " Came again unto Jerusalem." Jeru- 
 salem was not only the metropolis of 
 the nation, but the holy city, the place 
 where the Temple had been and was to 
 be again. " This Mount Zion, wherein 
 Thou hast dwelt " (P.s. Ixxiv. '1). " Jeru- 
 salem . . . whither the tribes go up," 
 &c. (Ps. cxxii. 4). 
 
 The salvation of Jesus Christ restores 
 man to his true condition and to his 
 forfeited inheritance, " When divine 
 grace," said Legh Kichmond, "renews 
 the heart of the fallen sinner, Paradise 
 is regained, and much of its beauty 
 restored to the soul." 
 
 But they were not returning with 
 complete independence. They were still 
 "the children of the province." Judea 
 remained a " province " of the Persian 
 Empire, Full religious freedom was 
 granted unto them, but politically they 
 remained subject to Persian rule. Sin, 
 even when it is forgiven, blotted out, 
 always leaves some detriment, or loss, 
 or pain behind it. (6). 
 
 III. The subordination to leaders. 
 "Which came with Zerubbabel : Jeshua, 
 Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, 
 Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baa- 
 nah." Zerubbabel prince of Judah was 
 head over all. Jeshua was the head of 
 the party as regards its religious duties ; 
 and in addition to these there were ten 
 recognised leaders. Society could not 
 exist without rulers and leaders. They 
 are necessary — 
 
 1. For the maintenance of order. The 
 authority of law must be maintained ; 
 its sanctions must be enforced, or the 
 bands of society would be utterly dis- 
 solved, &c. And for this purpose rulers 
 or magistrates are necessar}'. 
 
 2. For insuring j^rogress. The growth 
 and improvement of a community are 
 impossible apart from the exercise of 
 wise leadership. 
 
 3. Because of the differences in the 
 characters and abilities of men. By their 
 native faculties, their character, and their 
 training, some men almost inevitably be- 
 come the rulers and leaders of others, (c).* 
 
 * These points arc treated in a less frag- 
 mentary manner in the Horn,. Com. on Num- 
 bers, p. 12.^ 
 
 23 
 
HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 («) There is a sanctity in a good man's 
 liouse which cannot be renewed in every tene- 
 ment that rises on its ruins : and I believe 
 that good men would generally feel this ; and 
 that having spent their lives happily and hon- 
 ourably, they would be grieved at the close of 
 them to think that the place of their earthly 
 abode, which had seen, and seemed almost to 
 sympathise in, all their honour, their gladness, 
 or their suflfering— that this, with all the record 
 it bare of them, and all of material things that 
 they had loved and ruled over, and set tlie 
 stamp of themselves upon — was to be swept 
 away, as soon as there was room made for them 
 in the grave; that no respect was to be shown to 
 it, no affection felt for it, no good to be drawn 
 from it by their children ; that though there 
 was a monument in the church, there was no 
 warm monument in the hearth and house to 
 them ; that all that they ever treasured was 
 despised, and the places that had sheltered 
 and comforted them were dragged down to the 
 dust. I say that a good man would fear this; 
 and that, far more, a good son, a noble descen- 
 dant, would fear doing it to his father's house. 
 1 say that if men lived like men indeed, their 
 houses would be temples — temples which we 
 should hardly dare to injure, and in which it 
 would make us holy to be permitted to live ; 
 and there must be a strange dissolution of 
 natural afifection, a strange unthankfulncss for 
 all that homes iiave given and parents taught, 
 a strange consciousness that we have been un- 
 faitliful to our father's honour, or that our own 
 lives are not such as would make our dwellings 
 sacred to our children, when each man would 
 fain build to himself, and build for the little 
 revolution of his own life only. . . . 
 
 When men do not love their hearths, nor 
 reverence their thresholds, it is a sign that 
 they have dishonoured both, and that they 
 liave never acknowledged the true universality 
 of that Christian worship which was indeed to 
 supersede the idolatrj', but not the piety, of 
 the pagan. Our God is a household God, as 
 well as a heavenly One ; He has an altar in 
 every man's dwelling; let men look to it when 
 they rend it lightly and pour out its ashes . . . 
 It is one of those moral duties, not with 
 more impunity to be neglected because the 
 perception of them depends on a finely toned 
 and balanced conscientiousness, to build our 
 dwellings with care, and patience, and fond- 
 ness, and diligent completion, and with a view 
 to tlieir duration at least for such a period as, 
 in the ordinarj' course of national revolutions, 
 might be supposed likely to extend to the 
 entire alteration of the direction of local in- 
 terests. — John Ruskin, M.A. 
 
 Home ! angels encamp about it. Ladders 
 are let down from heaven to every pillow in 
 that house. Over the child's rough crib there 
 are chantings as sweet as those that broke 
 above Bethlehem. It is home ! home ! The 
 children of the family will grow up, and 
 
 24 
 
 though they may get splendid residences of 
 their own, they will never forget that homely 
 place, the place where their father rested, and 
 their mother sang, and their sisters played. 
 If you wanted to gather up all tender memo- 
 ries, all lights and shadows of the heart, all 
 banquetings and reunions, all filial, fraternal, 
 isaternal, conjugal aflections, and had only just 
 four letters with which to spell out that height, 
 and depth, and length, and breadth, and mag- 
 nitude, and eternity of meaning, you would 
 write it out. with these four capital letters : 
 H-O-M-E.— y. de Witt Talmage, D.D. 
 
 (b) Even pardoned sins must leave a trace 
 in heavy self-reproach. You have heard of the 
 child whose father told him that whenever he 
 did anything wrong a nail should be driven 
 into a post, and when he did what was good he 
 might pull one out. There were a great many 
 nails driven into the post, but the child tried 
 very hard to get the post cleared of tlie nails 
 by striving to do right. At length he was so 
 successful in his struggles with himself that 
 the last nail was drawn out of the post. The 
 father was just about to praise the child, when 
 stooping down to kiss him, he was startled to 
 see tears fast rolling down his face. "Why, 
 my boy, why do you cry ? Are not all the 
 nails gone from the post?" "Oh yes! the 
 nails are all gone, but the marks are left." 
 That is a familiar illustration, but don't de- 
 spise it because of that. It illustrates the 
 experience of many a grey old sire, who, look- 
 ing upon the traces of his old sins as they yet 
 rankle in his conscience, would give a hundred 
 worlds to live himself back into young man- 
 hood, that he might obliterate the searing 
 imprint of his follies. Have you never heard 
 of fossil-rain ? In the stratum of the old red 
 sandstone there are to be seen the marks of 
 showers of rain which fell centuries and cen- 
 turies ago, and they are so plain and perfect 
 that they clearly indicate the way the wind 
 Avas drifting, and in what direction the tem- 
 pest slanted from the sky. So may the tracks 
 of youthful sins be traced upon the tablet of 
 the life when it has merged into old age — 
 tracks which it is bitter and sad remorse to 
 look upon, and which call forth many a boot- 
 less longing for the days and months which 
 are past. — A. Mursell. 
 
 (c) In the long run leadership resolves itself 
 into a question of personal qualification. For 
 a time men may arise who claim command- 
 ing positions who are unable to discharue the 
 duties which tlieir ambition has coveted. In 
 such instances there would seem to be a mis- 
 carriage of tlie natural law and order of things; 
 yet it is only temporary ; sooner or later un- 
 qualified men have to resign positions which 
 they ouirht never to have assumed. — Joseph 
 Parker, ^D.D., 
 
 In a great leader many elements of qualifi- 
 cation are combined. Other men may excel 
 him in detached points, but taken as a whole 
 he rules not perhaps by one dominant faculty, 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 but. by a noble proportion of natural and ac- 
 quired gifts. The position of a leader is not 
 so easy as it may appear to he to unreflect- 
 ing ohservera. Men see the elevation, not the 
 strain and responsibility which that elevation 
 
 involves. The only sound rule for promotion 
 to influential positions in tlie Church is, that 
 wisdom, wlieresoever found, in tlie rich or the 
 poor, the old or the young, should be recog- 
 nised and honoured. — Ibid. 
 
 A Suggestive Record. 
 
 {Verses 2 (last clause)-G4: : " The number of the men of the people of Israel: The 
 
 children of Tarosh," d'c.) 
 
 Consider : 
 
 I. The significance of the fact of the 
 record. 
 
 1. Jt was all honour to the jiioiis and 
 jMtriotic ones who returned. In going 
 back to their own land at tliis time, and 
 for the purpose of i-ebuilding the Temple, 
 they acted very religiously and coura- 
 geously ; and to their praise their names 
 •were recorded, and in the providence of 
 God the record has been preserved to 
 this day. "Them that honour Me I 
 will honour." 
 
 2. It is an illustration of the Divine 
 record of God's spiritual Israel. The 
 name of every true believer in Jesus 
 
 •Christ is "written in the Lamb's book 
 of life" (Rev. xxi. 27). "Rejoice, be- 
 cause your names are written in heaven" 
 (Luke X. 20 ; comp. Exod. xxxii. 32 ; 
 Ps. Ixix. 28; Phil. iv. 3; Heb. xii. 23; 
 Rev. xiii. 8). " The Lord knoweth them 
 that are His." (a). 
 
 3. It suggests that every one of His 
 2')eople is precious in the sight of God. 
 " A book of remembrance was Avritten 
 before Him . for them that feared the 
 Lord, and that thought upon His name. 
 And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord 
 of Hosts, in that day when I make up 
 My jewels." He knows the number of 
 His people, and- the name of every one 
 of them. " He calleth His own sheep 
 by name." He will not lose any one of 
 them. He has not only written their 
 names in His book of life, but has graven 
 them upon the palms of His hands 
 (Isa. xlix. 16). (6). 
 
 IL The significance of the contents 
 of the record. We have in this list — 
 
 1. Significant perso7is. (L) Zerubba- 
 bel, " the prince of Judah," an ancestor 
 of the Messiah (Matt. i. 12; Luke iii. 
 27). It was important that his name 
 should be recorded, that no link might 
 
 be absent from the chain of evidence 
 which shows that our Lord was of the 
 family of king David (comp. Lsa. xi. 1 ; 
 Jer. xxiii. 5 ; Matt. i. 1-17 ; xxii. 42). 
 (2.) Jeshua, who was a distinguished 
 type of Jesus Christ (Zech. iii., vi. 
 11-13). 
 
 2. A significant place. Bethlehem 
 (ver. 21). This place must be rebuilt, 
 and reinhabited by Jews ; for in the 
 Divine purposes a great destiny awaited 
 it (Mic. V. 2 ; Matt. ii. 1). Here, then, 
 in this record we have two persons and 
 one place which sustained close relations 
 to the Messiah. 
 
 3. Significant numbers. (1.) The num- 
 ber of those who settled in Bethlehem 
 was small — "an hundred twenty and 
 three." Bethlehem was "little among 
 the thousands of Jiidah." Yet how il- 
 lustrious and universal is its renow'u ! 
 Size and populousness are utterly un- 
 satisfactory tests of worth and greatness, 
 (c). (2.) The number of those who 
 settled in Anathoth was also small — " an 
 hundred twenty and eight" (ver. 23). 
 In this we have an illustration of the 
 fulfilment of the Divine threatenings 
 (Jer. xi. 21-23). The word of the Lord, 
 whether it be a promise or a menace, 
 shall surely be accomplished in due 
 season. (3.) The number of the whole 
 was comparatively small. " The whole 
 congregation together was forty and two 
 thousand, three hundred and threescore" 
 (ver. G4). What a small number as 
 compared with the 603,550 men "that 
 were able to go forth to war in Israel," 
 who were numbered in the desert of 
 Sinai ! How small, too, as compared 
 with the 601,730 men "able to go to 
 war ill Israel," who were numbered in 
 the plains of Moab, before the entrance 
 into the Promised Land ! The smallness 
 of the iiunjber of those who returned to 
 
 25 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 their own laud may be viewed — (i.) As 
 a discredit to those who remained in 
 Babylon. In them the love of material 
 prosperity was stronger than the love of 
 country. They had neither piety nor 
 patriotism enough to inspire them to 
 make the sacrifices and encounter the 
 perils which the return to their own 
 land involved, (ii.) The greater honour 
 to those who returned. They acted with 
 a noble faithfulness and independence 
 in doing what they deemed to be their 
 duty and privilege, though they were in 
 a minority, and though the course they 
 followed involved loss and danger. 
 They had the courage of their convic- 
 tions ; they were heroes in their fidelity 
 to their country and to their God. (iii.) 
 An element which contributed to the 
 success of their undertaking. To settle 
 down again in the deserted land, and to 
 rebuild the ruined Temple in the face of 
 difficulty and opposition, demanded men 
 of the right quality rather than men in 
 great multitude. It was force of charac- 
 ter, and not force of numbers, that was 
 needed for the success of the returning 
 exiles — men of sincere piety and fervent 
 patriotism. As the victory of Gideon 
 over the Midianites was achieved not 
 by the 32,000, some of whom were fear- 
 ful and others lacking zeal, but by the 
 300 eager and heroic ones ; so with this 
 company under Zerubbabel, success was 
 to be achieved by their faith and cour- 
 age, not by their multitudinousness. (d). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) God knows the persons of all His own. 
 He hath in His infinite understanding the 
 exact number of all tlie individual persons that 
 belong to Plim (2 Tim. ii. 19) : "The Lord 
 knows them that are His." He knows all 
 things, because He hath created them ; and 
 He knows His people because He hath not only 
 made them, but also chose them. He could 
 no more choose He knew not what, than He 
 could create He knew not what. He knows 
 them under a double title ; of creation as 
 creatures in the common mass of creation, as 
 new creatures by a particular act of separation. 
 He cannot be ignorant of them in time whom 
 He foreknew from eternity. His kuowledLre 
 in time is the same as He had from eternity ; 
 He foreknew them that He intended to give 
 the grace of faith unto ; and He knows them 
 after they believe, because He knows His own 
 act in bestowing grace upon them, and His 
 2G 
 
 own mark and seal wherewith He has stamped 
 them. No doubt but He that " calls the stars 
 of heaven by their names" (Ps. cxlvii. 4), 
 knows the number of those living stars that 
 sparkle in the firmament of His Church. He 
 cannot be ignorant of their j)ersons when He 
 numbers the hairs of their heads, and hatli 
 registered their names in the book of life. 
 As He only had an infinite mercy to make the 
 choice, so He only hath an infinite under- 
 standing to comprehend their persons. We 
 only know the elect of God by a moral as- 
 surance in the judgment of charity, when tlie 
 conversation of men is according to the doc- 
 trine of God. We have not an infallible 
 knowledge of them, we may he often mis- 
 taken ; Judas, a devil, may be judged by man 
 for a saint till he be stripped of his disguise. 
 God only hath an infallible knowledge of them; 
 He knows His own records, and the counter- 
 parts in the hearts of His people ; none can 
 counterfeit His seal, nor can any raze it out. 
 When the Church is either scattered like dust 
 by persecution, or overgrown with supersti- 
 tion and idolatry, that there is scarce any 
 grain of true religion appearing, as in the 
 time of Elijah, who complained that he was 
 left alone, as if the Church had been rooted 
 out of that corner of the world (1 Kings xix. 
 14, 18) ; yet God knew that He had a number 
 fed in a cave, and had reserved seven thousand 
 men that had preserved the purity of His 
 worship, and not bowed the knee to Baal. 
 Christ knew His sheep, as well as He is known 
 of tliem ; yea, better than they can know Him 
 (John X. 14). History acquaints us that Cyrus 
 had so vast a'memory that he knew the name 
 of every particular soldier in his army, which 
 consisted of divers nations ; shall it be too 
 hard for an infinite understanding to know 
 every one of that host that march under His 
 banner ? May He not as well know them as 
 know the number, qualities, influences, of 
 tliose stars which lie concealed from our eye 
 as well as those that are visible to our sense ? 
 Yes, He knows them, as a general to employ 
 them, as a shepherd to preserve them. He 
 knows them in the world to guard them, and 
 He knows when they are out of the world to 
 gather them, and call out their bodies though 
 wrapped up in a cloud of the putrefied carcasses 
 of the wicked. As He kii«w them from all 
 eternity to elect them, so He knows them in 
 time to clothe their persons wiih righteous- 
 ness, to protect their persons in calamitj', 
 according to His good pleasure, and at last 
 to raise and reward them according to His 
 promise. — Stephen Charnockc, B.D. 
 
 (J)) Our God has a particuhar notice of us, 
 and a particular interest in our personal his- 
 tory. And this was one of the great uses of 
 the incarnation ; it was to humanise Goil, re- 
 ducing Him to a human personality, that we 
 might believe in that particular and personal 
 love in whicli He reigns from eternity. For 
 Christ was visibly one of us, and we see in all 
 His demonstrations that He is attentive to 
 
JIOMJLETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 every personal want, woe, cry of the world. 
 When a lone woman came up in a crowd to 
 Bteal, as it were, some healing power out of 
 His person, or out of tlie licm of His garment, 
 He would not let her oft" in that impersonal, 
 unrecognisingway ; Hecompellcd hcrtosliow 
 lierself and to confess her name, and sent her 
 away with His personal blessing. He pours 
 out everywliero a particular sympathy on every 
 particular child of sorrow ; He even hunts up 
 the youth He has before healed of his blind- 
 ness, and opens to him, persecuted as he is 
 for being healeii, the secrets of His glorious 
 Messiahsliip. Tlie result, accordingly, of this 
 incarnate liistory is that Ave are drawn to a 
 different opinion of God ; we liave seen tiiat 
 He can love as a man loves another, and that 
 su'ch is the way of His love. He has tasted 
 death, we say, not for all men only, but for 
 every man. We even dare to s:iy, for me — 
 who loved me and gave Himself for me. Nay, 
 He goes even furtlier tlian this Himself, call- 
 ing us friends, and chiimiiig that dear rela- 
 tionship with us, — friends because He is on 
 the private footing of friendsliip and personal 
 conlidence : " Tiie servant knoweth not wliat 
 his lord doeth, but I liave called you friends." 
 He even goes beyond tiiis, promising a friend- 
 sliip so particular and personal, that it shall 
 be a kind of secret, or cipher of mutual under- 
 standing open to no other — a new white stone 
 given by his King, "and in the stone a new 
 name written, which no man knoweth saving 
 he that receiveth it." 
 
 . . . His Saviour and Lord is over him 
 andwith him, as the Good Shepherd calling him 
 by name ; so that he is finally saved, not as a 
 man, or some one of mankind led forth by 
 his Lord in the general flock, but as the Mas- 
 ter's dear Simon, or James, or Alpheus, or 
 Martha, whose name is so recorded in the 
 Lamb's book of life. — Horace BushneU, D.D. 
 
 (c) The moral magnitude of things has no 
 relationship to the physical. W^hat if a man 
 should say that Washington was not a great 
 man because he was not a ten-thousandth part 
 as great as the Alleghany Mountains, compar- 
 ing moral magnitude witli physical ? What has 
 the size of a man, or the duration on earth of 
 a man, or his phjsical powers, to do with the 
 moral measurement that belongs to the under- 
 standing, the reason, or tlie moral sentiments? 
 Is a battle great by tiie size of the nation that 
 fought it, or the Meld that it was fought in ? 
 Or is it great by the skill and the bravery 
 enacted, and by tlie long-reaching sequences 
 tliat flow from it? Tlie part which this world 
 is to play in the far future, the experiment of 
 human life, the story of Divine sacrifice and 
 love, the part which redeemed men are to 
 enact in their translation into the heavenly 
 sphere— these all give a moral grandeur to 
 this world, and utterly overcome the objection 
 that God would not be likely to give minute 
 personal thought to the evolutions of indivi- 
 dual life. — II. W. Beecher. 
 
 (d) Gideon's armj', we see, must be lessened. 
 And who so fit to be cashiered as tlic fearful ? 
 God bids him, therefore, proclaim licence for 
 all faint hearts to leave the held. God will 
 not glorify Himself by cowards. As the timo- 
 rous shall be without the gates of heaven, so 
 shall they be without the lists of God's field. 
 Reader ! does but a foul word, or a frown, 
 scare thee from Christ ? Doth the loss of a 
 little land or silver disquiet thee ? Doth but 
 the sight of the Midianites in the valley strike 
 thee with terror ? Home then, home to the 
 world ; thou art not for the conquering band 
 of Christ. H tliou canst not resolve to follow 
 Him through infamy, prisons, racks, gibbets, 
 flames, depart to thy house, and save thyself 
 to thy loss.— 5(3^0^ Hall. 
 
 Religious Service. 
 {Verses 36-58.) 
 
 This section of the record suggests the 
 following observations concerning service 
 in the Church of God : — 
 
 I. There are various spheres of ser- 
 vice in the Church of God. In the 
 Verses before lis there are several classes 
 of persons, and each of these classes had 
 its own proper duties to discharge. The 
 priests (vers. 36-39), the Levites who 
 assisted the priests (ver. 40), the Leviti- 
 cal choir or choirs (ver. 41), theLevitical 
 porters or gate-keepers (ver. 42), the 
 Nethinim, who performed the more 
 menial and laborious duties (vers. 
 43-54), and "the children of Solomon's 
 servants," who were a grade lower even 
 
 than the Nethinim, and did the humblest 
 work of all. In these we have an illus- 
 tration of the various spheres of religious 
 work in this Christian dispensation. "He 
 gave gifts unto men. And He gave 
 some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; 
 and some, evangelists; aiid some, pastors 
 and teachers;" &c. (Epli. iv. 11, 12). 
 In our own day we have pastors, 
 preachers, evangelists, conductors of 
 prayer-meetings, Sunday-school teachers, 
 tract distributors, visitors of the sick and 
 sorrowful, leaders of the psalmody of the 
 church, and managers of its financial 
 and other business arrangements. In 
 the work gf the Lord Jesus amongst 
 
 27 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 men there is scope for every kind and 
 degree of faculty. The feeblest power 
 may be beneficially employed ; and the 
 greatest gifts may find spheres of service 
 which demand their utmost exercise. 
 This fact deprives the idlers in the 
 Church of God of any legitimate excuse 
 for their indolence. There is work for 
 every one, and suited to every capacity ; 
 and the obligation of service rests upon 
 every one. Let every one, then, be up 
 and doing, (kc. (ci). 
 
 II. The humblest sphere of service 
 in the Church of God is a place of 
 privilege and honour. This seems to 
 us to be fairly deducible from the fact 
 that the Nethinim and "the children of 
 Solomon's servants " are here recorded 
 and numbered. Even the bondsmen 
 taken from alien and conquered peoples, 
 being employed in the most menial ser- 
 vices in connection with the Temple, 
 find a place in this sacred record of the 
 returning people of God. That we are 
 permitted to do anything for Jesus our 
 Lord, if it be the very lowest and hum- 
 blest service, should be regarded as a 
 precious privilege and a high honour. 
 Is it not an honour that we may aid in 
 any way, and in any degree, in the con- 
 version, education, or progress of a soul 
 immortal and redeemed by the precious 
 blood of Christ 1 Is it not an honour 
 that we are permitted, nay, called to be 
 co-workers with our Lord and Saviour 
 in His great redemptive undertaking '? 
 (6). 
 
 III. The privilege of service in the 
 Church of God is not limited to any- 
 particular races or classes of men. 
 Neitlier the Nethinim nor " the children 
 of Solomon's servants" were Israelites ; 
 but they were not excluded from the 
 privilege of employment in connection 
 with the Temple and its services. In 
 this Christian age no races or classes are 
 privileged to share in this service to the 
 exclusion of others. All men may par- 
 ticipate in the blessings of Christ's sal- 
 vation ; and every true Christian may 
 serve in some sphere of holy work, and 
 ought so to serve. "For there is no 
 difference between the Jew and the 
 Greek : for the same Lord over all is 
 rich unto all that call upon Him." In 
 
 28 
 
 the Christian life "there is neither Greek 
 nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, 
 barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free ; but 
 Christ is all, and in all." Neither is 
 there any exclusive sacerdotal class with 
 special privileges and powers. Every 
 sphere of Christian service is open to 
 every Christian who possesses the quali- 
 fications for efficiently discharging the 
 duties of such sphere, (c). 
 
 Let every Christian, then, promptly 
 undertake and faithfully discharge some 
 service in the cause of our. Lord and 
 Saviour. '"Son, go work to-day in My 
 vineyard." " Lord, what wilt Thou have 
 me to do % " 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 [a) Every Christian who wants to have a 
 blessing for himself or for others, must set to 
 work by active exertion. Some of you young 
 men might preach — you have the aliility, you 
 liave the time for study ; I want you to hiy 
 out your talents in that lioliest of enterprises : 
 in the street corners, anywhere, proclaim 
 Ciirist. Some of you ought to be teaching 
 in Sabbath-schools, but you are putting tliat 
 talent by ; it is rusting, it is spoiling, atid you 
 will have no interest to bring to your Master 
 for it. I want that Sabbath-sciiool talent to 
 be used. Many of you might do good service 
 by teaching senior classes at your own houses. 
 1'his work might be most piofitably extended. 
 If our intelligent Christian brethren and 
 matrons would try to raise little classes, of 
 six, eigiit, ten, or twelve, at home, I know not 
 what good might come of it. You wouid not 
 be interfering with any one else ; for in such 
 a city as this, we may all work as hard as we 
 will, and there is no chance of interfering 
 with each other's labours. This sea is too 
 large here for us to be afraid of other folks 
 running away with our fish. Some of you, 
 perhaps, will do best in tract distribution : 
 well, do it — keep it up ; but mind tliere is 
 something in the tract — and that is not always 
 the case — mind there is something worth 
 reading, which will be of usewlien read. Do 
 not give away somnolent tracts, which are 
 more likely to send the readers to sleep than 
 to prayer. Some of them might be useful to 
 pliysicians, when they cannot get their patients 
 to sleep by any other means. Get something 
 useful, intereI^ting, telling, scriptural, and give 
 it away largely out of love to Jesus. And if 
 these labours do not suit your taste, talk per- 
 sonally to individuals. Christ at the well ! 
 What a schoolmaster for us ! Talk to the one 
 woman, the one child, the one carter, the one 
 labourer, whoever he may be. He who makes 
 one blade of grass grow that would not other- 
 wise have grown, is a benefactor to his race; 
 and he who scatters one good thought which 
 Mould not else have been disseminated, has 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 done something for the kingdom of Christ. 
 I cannot tell you what is most fit for every- 
 body to do ; but if your heart is right, there 
 is something for eacli one. Tliere are so many 
 niches in the temple, and so many statues of 
 living stone to fill those niches, to make it a 
 complete temple of heavenly arcliitecture. 
 You and I must each find our own niche. 
 Remember, Christian, your time is going. Do 
 not be considering always what you ought to 
 do, but get to work; shut your eyes and put 
 your hand out, and "Whatsoever thy hand 
 findeth to do, do it with thy might." The very 
 first Christian effort will do, only do it with 
 your might ; do it in the name and strength 
 of God. — C\ H. Spur g eon. 
 
 (h) I know of no service that can be more 
 distinguished than the doing of good, the 
 scattering of blessings among the sons of men. 
 Methinks the very angels before the throne 
 might envy us poor men who are permitted to 
 talk of Christ, even though it be but to little 
 children. I reckon the humblest ragged-school 
 teacher to be more honoured than even Gabriel 
 himself, in being commissioned to tell out the 
 story of the Cross, and to win youthful hearts 
 to the Saviour's service. You are not em- 
 ployed as scullions in your Master's kitchen, 
 though you might be content with such a 
 service ; you are not made as His hired 
 servants, to toil in meanest drudgery, you are 
 not sent to be hewers of wood and drawers of 
 water ; but you are His friends, the friends of 
 Jesus, to do such work as He did ; and even 
 greater works than He did are you enabled 
 to do, because He hath gone to His Father. 
 " This honour have all the saints," the honour 
 of being gentlemen-at-arms under Jesus, the 
 Captain of their salvation. — Ibid. 
 
 (c) The work of conversion is not to be the 
 exclusive prerogative of the pulpit. There is 
 no sacerdotalism in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
 We have a great High Priest, but it is Jesus. 
 Tliere is a holy priesthood, but it is no privi- 
 leged caste, it is no modern tribe of Ijcvi ; it 
 is the whole community of the faithful, the 
 Church of God which lie has purchased with 
 His own blood. That figment of old Popery, 
 which restricts all endeavour to spreacl the 
 Gospel of Christ to the clergy merely, is alien 
 from Apostolic teaching, and would leave the 
 harvest to rot, neglected in the field, because 
 of the miserable fewness of the reapers to 
 gather it in. Though I yi^ld to no man 
 under heaven in respect for the office of the 
 Christian ministry ; though I would rather, far 
 rather if I know myself, have the seal of its 
 baptism upon my brow than the coronet of any 
 earthly-patented nobility, I do feel that I am 
 but fulfilling one of its most solemn vocations, 
 when I summon every member of the sacra- 
 mental host to participate in the glorious war. 
 God forbid that I should trespass upon the 
 crown rights of any of the blood royal of 
 heaven. I should feel as if that were for a 
 guardian to squander his ward's inheritance, 
 or for a father to paralyse the growing man- 
 hood of his children, to deprive you, the very 
 poorest of you, the luxury of doing good. The 
 highest honour in this world, tiie honour of 
 bringing souls to Christ, may be the common 
 privilege of you all. The child with the lineu 
 coat, who listens, as did little Samuel, when 
 the Master speaks ; the love-watchers of the 
 paralytic, who, if they can do nothing else, can 
 take him and let him down through the roof 
 to the room where Jesus is ; the little servant- 
 maid that waits upon Naaman's wife — all, all 
 may have an apostolical commission, and may 
 share in the glories of an apostolical reward. 
 There is not a single member of a single 
 church in the world that is exempt from this 
 service. All are summoned to the labour, and 
 all, oh ! infinite condescension ! may be workers 
 together with God. — W. M. Punshon, LL.D. 
 
 The Importance of a Clear Spiritual Pedigree. 
 {Verses 59-63.) 
 
 Consider : 
 
 I. The doubtful pedigree amongst* 
 tlie people as an illustration of uncer- 
 tainty as to our spiritual state. Verses 
 59 and 60 suggest concerning such un- 
 certainty — 
 
 1. That it mai/ consist ivith association 
 with the people of God. Those who 
 " could not show their father's house, 
 and their seed, wliether they were of 
 Israel/' were permitted to go up to Jeru- 
 salem with those whose Israelitish de- 
 scent was beyond question. And they 
 whose evidences as to their spiritual 
 lineage are not clear and conclusive, may 
 
 have a name and a place amongst God's 
 spiritual Israel. And more than this, 
 they may really be true members of that 
 Israel. Sincere believers in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ do not always realise the 
 blessedness of Christian assurance. Some- 
 times even he "that feareth the Lord, 
 that obeyeth the voice of His servant, 
 walketh in darkness, and hath no 
 light." (a). 
 
 2. That it must involve spiritual loss. 
 Those per-eons of doubtful pedigree who 
 journeyed with the Jews to Jerusalem, 
 could not enjoy the full rights of citi- 
 zenship until they proved their Israeli- 
 
 29 
 
IIOMILETJG COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 tish descent. And doubt as to our 
 S])iritual lineage must involve loss — (1.) 
 Of spiritual joy. Such doubters are 
 strangers to the strong consolation which 
 tliey enjoy wlio can say, " I know whom 
 I have believed, and am persuaded that 
 He is able to keep that which I have 
 committed unto Him against that day;" 
 and who can utter the triumphant chal- 
 lenge, " Who shall separate us from the 
 love of Christ ] shall tribulation," &c. 
 (Rom. viii. 35-39). (6). (2.) Of spiri- 
 tual usefulness. Lacking Christian as- 
 surance, our testimony for Christ would 
 be likely to be deficient in clearness and 
 attractiveness, in fervour and force ] it 
 would especially fail to set forth the 
 joyful character of true religion. And 
 thus our religious usefulness would be 
 diminished, (f). 
 
 II. The doubtful pedigree amongst 
 the priests as an illustration of uncer- 
 tainty as to our ministerial calling and 
 condition. A man's ministerial pedigree 
 in the Church of Christ may be said to 
 be unquestionable when he possesses — 
 
 1. The Divine vocation. The true 
 minister is assured that he is called of 
 God to his work. He can enter into 
 the feeling of the Apostle, who said, 
 " Necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe 
 is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel!" 
 
 2. The Divine qualification. If a man 
 is unfitted for the sacred duties of the 
 ministry, his ministerial pedigree is 
 ruinously defective. 3. The Divine 
 sanction. That a ministry is blessed to 
 the conversion of sinners and the edifi- 
 cation of Christian believers is an evi- 
 dence that it is approved by God. 
 
 The verses under consideration (61- 
 63) suggest — 
 
 1. That a ministerial pedigree may 
 he lost by reason of ivorldliness. The 
 children of the priests who could not 
 find " their register among those that 
 were reckoned by gejiealogy," were de- 
 scendants of one who "took a wife of 
 the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, 
 and was called after their name." Now 
 Barzillai was a great man in his day, and 
 the priest who married his daughter 
 seems to have esteemed his alliance with 
 that distinguished family more highly 
 than the dignity of bis priesthood, and 
 30 
 
 so he adopted the name of Barzillai for 
 his family, and his family register was 
 with the house of Barzillai, and not with 
 the house of Aaron, and in this way it 
 seems to have been lost. His preference 
 for worldly distinction issued in the sus- 
 pension, if not the total loss, of the 
 sacerdotal heritage of his descendants. 
 We regard this as an illustration of the 
 effect of worldliness on the character and 
 influence of a minister of the Gospel 
 of Jesus Christ. The eager pursuit of 
 either the possessions or the distinctions 
 of this present world tends to despoil 
 the Christian minister of spiritual power 
 — to render his perceptions of truth less 
 quick and clear, his spiritual sympathies 
 and susceptibilities less true and active, 
 his spiritual zeal less fervent, his spiri- 
 tual aspirations less intense and constant, 
 (fee. {d). 
 
 2. The loss of ministerial pedigree in- 
 volves a corresponding loss of ministerial 
 power and reward. The priests whose 
 pedigree could not be found were pro- 
 hibited from discharging certain priestly 
 functions, and from receiving certain 
 emoluments of that office. "They were 
 polluted from the priesthood ; and the 
 Tu-sliatha said unto them that they 
 should not eat of the most holy things," 
 (fee. If a minister of the Gospel, from 
 worldliness or any other cause, suffer 
 personal spiritual deterioration or loss, 
 it will tell sadly upon his influence for 
 good, and upon the joy and spiritual re- 
 ward which he finds in his work. (e). 
 
 3. The final decision as to the stand- 
 ing of a minister of uncertain pedigree 
 must be given by God Himself " And 
 the Tirshatha said unto them, that they 
 should not eat of the most holy things, 
 till there stood up a priest with Urim 
 and with Thummiin." The high priest 
 in former times sought to know the will 
 of God by means of Urim and Thum- 
 mim, and the decisions which were. given 
 by this mediuni were regarded as those 
 of God Himself. So the case of the 
 priests of uncertain pedigree was left 
 for the decision of God. Doubtless 
 there are certain questions of ministerial 
 character and qualification with which 
 Church courts and councils are compe- 
 tent to deal. But when a man's minis- 
 
MOMILETIO COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 terial pedigree is merely doubtful or un- 
 certain, the final decision must be left 
 to the great Searcher of hearts. " To 
 his own Master he standeth or falleth." 
 
 " All to the great tribunal haste, 
 The account to render there ; 
 And shoulilst Thou strictly mark our faults, 
 Lord, how should we appear ? " 
 
 — Doddridge. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Faith, let us remember, is the root, and 
 assurance is tlie flower. Doubtless you can 
 never have the flower without the root ; but it 
 is no less certain you may have the root and 
 not the flower. Faith is that poor trembling 
 woman wlio came behind Jesus in the press, 
 and touched the hem of His garment (Mark v. 
 25) ; assurance is Stephen standing calmly in 
 the midst of his murderers, and saying, "I 
 see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man 
 standing on tiie right hand of God (Acts vii. 
 5G). Faith is the penitent thief, ciying, 
 "Lord, remember me" (Luke xxiii. 42); 
 assurance is Job sitting in the dust, covered 
 with sores, and saying, "I know that my 
 Redeemer livelh " (Job xix. 25). "Though 
 He slay me, yet will I trust in Him " (Job xiii. 
 15). Faith is Peter's drowning cry, as he 
 began to sink, " Lord, save me ! " (Matt. xiv. 
 SO) ; assurance is that same Peter declaring 
 before the council, in aftertimes, "This is tlie 
 Si one which was set at nought of you builders, 
 wliicli is become the head of the corner. 
 ^Neither is there salvation in any other; for 
 there is none other name under heaven given 
 among men whereby we must be saved " (Acts 
 iv. ]1, 12). Faith is the anxious, trembling 
 voice, " Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine un- 
 belief " (Mark ix. 24) ; assurance is the confi- 
 dent challenge, "Who shall hiy anything to 
 the charge of God's elect? Who is he that 
 condemneth?" (Kom. viii. 33, 34). Faith is 
 Saul praying in the house of Judas at Damascus, 
 sorrowful, blind, and alone (Acts ix. 11) ; 
 assurance is Paul the aged prisoner, looking 
 calmly into the grave, and saying, "I know 
 Whom I have believed. There is a crown laid 
 up for me " (2 Tim. i. 12, iv. 8). Faith is 
 life. How great the blessing ! Who can tell 
 the gulf between life and death ? And yet life 
 may be weak, sickly, unhealthy, painful, trying, 
 anxious, worn, burdensome, joyless, smileless 
 to the very end. Assurance is more than life. 
 'It is health, strength, power, vigour, activity, 
 energy, manliness, beauty. — Bishop Ryle. 
 
 Suppose thou liast not yet attained so much 
 as to this inward peace, yet know thou hast 
 no reason to question the truth of thy faith 
 for want of this. We have peace with God as 
 soon as we believe, but not always with our- 
 selves. The pardon may be past the prince's 
 hand and seal, and yet not put into the pri- 
 soner's hand. Thou thinkest them too rash 
 {dost not?) who judged Paul a murderer by 
 
 tlie viper [that fastened on liis hand. And 
 who art thou, who condemnest thyself for an 
 unbeliever, because of those troul)les and in- 
 ward agonies which may fasten for a time on 
 the spirit of the most gracious child God hath 
 on earth "i—W. Gurnall. 
 
 (b) A man may praise God for the redemp- 
 tion of the world, &c., who has no conscious- 
 ness of having secured an interest in it, but 
 not like him who feels he has a property in it. 
 How diffji-ent will be their feelings! Just as 
 great will be the diflerence of interest which 
 will be jelt by a stranger passing through a 
 beautiful estate, and by the owner of it. One 
 may admire the richness of the soil, tlie beauty 
 of its crops, and the stateliness of its treeg ; 
 but liis interest in it will fall very far short of 
 his who has the title and property in it. — H, 
 G. Salter. 
 
 (c) Christianity did not in its beginning 
 succeed by the force of its doctrines, but by 
 the lives of its disciples. It succeeded first as 
 a light, in accordance with the Master's com- 
 mand, " Let your light so shine before men, 
 that they may see your good works, and glorify 
 your Father which is in heaven." Make religion 
 attractive by the goodness that men see in you ; 
 so sweet, so sparkling, so buoyant, so cheerful, 
 liopeful, courageous, conscientious and yet not 
 stubborn, so perfectly benevolent, and yet not 
 mawkish or sentimental, blossoming in every- 
 thing that is good, a rebuke to everything that 
 is mean or little ; make such men of yourselves 
 that everybody that looks upon you may say, 
 " That is a royal good fellow ; he has the spirit 
 that 1 should like to lean upon in time of 
 trouble, or to be a companion with at all times." 
 Build up such a manhood that it shall be win- 
 ning to men. That is what the early Church 
 did.— Z^. IF. Beecher. 
 
 (d) What the astronomers say of the eclipse 
 of the sun, that it is occasioned by the inter- 
 vening of the moon between the sun and our 
 sight, is true in this case : if the world get 
 between Christ, the Sun of Eighteousness, and 
 our sight, it will darken our sight of Jesus 
 Christ, and bring eclipses upon our comforts 
 and graces. Again, those men that dig deep 
 into the bowels of the earth, they are often- 
 times choked and stifled by damps that come 
 from the earth. So is it with Christians, 
 those that will be ever poring and digging 
 about the things of this world, it is a thousand 
 to one that if from worldly things a damp 
 doth not arise to smother their comforts and 
 quench their graces. Lastly, a candle, though 
 it may shine to the view of all, yet put it under 
 ground, and, tliough there be not the least putt' 
 of wind, the very damp will stifle the light of 
 the flame ; and so it is that men may shine 
 like candles in their comforts, yet bring them 
 but under the earth, and a clod of that will 
 stifle their candle, will damp their spiritual 
 comforts, and bereave them of those joys that 
 are in themselves unspeakable. — John Magirtis. 
 
 31 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 (e) A true minister is a man whose manliood 
 itself is a strong and influential argument with 
 his people. He lives in such relations with 
 God, and in such a genuine sympatliy with 
 man, that it is a pleasure to be under the in- 
 fluence of such a mind. Just as, lying on a 
 couch on a summer's evening, you hear from 
 a neighbouring house the low breathing of an 
 instrument of music, so far away that you can 
 only hear its palpitation, but cannot discern 
 the exact tune that is played, and are sootlied 
 by it, and drawn nearer to hear more ; so the 
 true man, the true Christian minister, is him- 
 self so inspiring, so musical, there is so much 
 of the Divine element in him, rendered home- 
 
 like by incarnation with his disposition, brought 
 down to the level of man's understanding, tliafc 
 wherever he goes, little children want to see 
 him, plain people want to be with him ; every- 
 body says wlieii he comes, "Good ;" and every- 
 body says wlien he goes away, " I wish he had 
 stayed longer ;" all who come in contact with 
 him are inclined to live a better life. Man- 
 hood is tlie best sermon. It is good to fill the 
 mind with the goodness and sweetness of the 
 thing itself to which you would fain draw them. 
 " Go, preacli," was no more authoritative than 
 " Let your light so shine before men, tliat they 
 may see your good works, and glorify your 
 Father which is iu heaven." — H. W. Beecher. , 
 
 Possessions and Offeeings. 
 
 ( Verses 
 
 These verses present the following 
 homiletical topics, which may be con- 
 sidered with advantage -.' — 
 
 I. The completion of their journey. 
 " They came to the house of the Lord 
 which is at Jerusalem." No account of 
 the journey is given by the historian. 
 It is, however, certain that the journey 
 was — (l)lo)t(/,t\ie distance was more than 
 one thousand miles, and Ezra and his 
 company (who went up many years after- 
 ward) were four months on the way 
 (chap. vii. 9) ; (2) difficult, by reason of 
 their uncertainty as to the best way, and 
 the comparatively small number of beasts 
 of burden ; (3) perilous, as we see from 
 chap. viii. 22. The country through 
 which their course lay was infested by 
 Bedouin Arabs, who frequently plun- 
 dered and assaulted travellers. But the 
 returning Jews were sustained, guided, 
 and guarded by the Lord their God. It 
 was by His blessing that they reached 
 their destination in safety. So will He 
 lead and keep all those who forsake 
 sin, seek to do His will, and set their 
 faces Zion-ward. " An highway shall be 
 there, and a way, and it shall be called, 
 The way of holiness ; the unclean shall 
 not pass over it ; but He Himself shall 
 be with them, walking in the way ; and 
 the foolish shall not err therein. No lion 
 shall be there," &c. (Isa. xxxv. 8-10). 
 
 II. The extent of their possessions. 
 *' Beside their servants and their maids, 
 of whom there were seven thousand 
 three hundred thirty and seven," &c. 
 (vers. 65-G7). There might have been 
 
 32 
 
 65-70.) 
 
 some wealthy men amongst them ; but 
 - viewed as a whole this company was 
 certainly poor. Their reduced and im- 
 poverished condition is indicated by the 
 number of servants and beasts of burden 
 in relation to the number of persons. 
 They had only one slave to every six per- 
 sons, one horse to every fifty-eight per- 
 sons, one mule to every one hundred and 
 seventy-three persons, one camel to every 
 ninety-eight persons, and one ass to every 
 seven persons. Sin always impoverishes 
 and degrades the sinner. Some forma 
 of it lead to temporal poverty, e.g., 
 drunkenness, indolence, wastefulness. 
 " For the drunkard and the glutton 
 shall come to poverty ; and drowsiness 
 shall clothe a man with rags" (Prov. xxiii. 
 21). "I went by the field of the slothful," 
 (fee. (Prov. xxiv. 30). But the worst 
 poverty to which sin leads is that of the 
 spirit. It despoils man of high and holy 
 thoughts, of pure and pious aspirations, 
 of generous and noble purposes ; it 
 tends to make him " wretched, and 
 miserable, and poor, and blind, and 
 naked ; " and to render him unconscious 
 of his destitution and degradation, 
 
 III. The presentation of their offer- 
 ings. " And some of the chief of the 
 fathers, when they came to the house of 
 the Lord," &c. (vers. 68, 69). Notice : 
 
 1. The object of their of erings. "They 
 offered freely for the house of God to 
 set it up in his place." Their contri- 
 butions were for the rebuilding of the 
 Temple. In this way they sought to 
 promote the honour_ of God ; and they 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 were faithful to the purpose for -whicli 
 they were permitted to leave Babylon. 
 Otferings for the building of temples 
 for the worship of the Most High are 
 both prudent and pious ; they are en- 
 couraged both by philanthropy and by 
 religion ; they promote the good of 
 humanity and the glory of God. 
 
 3. The spirit of their offerings. (1.) 
 They offered promptly, without delay \ 
 soon as " they came to the house of the 
 Lord, which is at Jerusaleift." If they 
 could not begin to rebuild the Temple at 
 once, they could contribute towards the 
 expenses of rebuilding, and they did so. 
 (2.) They ofl'ered spontaneously, without 
 constraint. " They offered freely for the 
 house of God." " Every man accord- 
 ing as he purposeth in his heart j not 
 grudgingly, or of necessity ; for God 
 loveth a cheerful giver." It is probable 
 that gratitude for the mercies received 
 during the journey, and for their safe 
 arrival at their destination, would prompt 
 them to present hearty offerings, (a). 
 
 3. The measure of their offerings. 
 "■ They gave after their ability unto the 
 treasure of the work," ifec. This seems 
 to imply — (1.) Proportion; that they 
 gave according to their means, the rich 
 according to his riches, and the poor ac- 
 cording to his poverty. " If there be first 
 a willing mind, it is accepted according 
 to that a man hath, not according to that 
 he hath not." (6). (2.) Liberality; that 
 each one who gave, gave as much as he 
 could. The total amount contributed 
 was, at least, about £90,000 ; which 
 gives an average of about £2 per per- 
 son, including servants. An example 
 worthy of imitation by many congrega- 
 tions in our day which are far more 
 favourably circumstanced, (r). 
 
 IV. The settlement in their cities. 
 "So the priests, and the Levites, and 
 some of the peoj)le, and the singers, and 
 the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt 
 in their cities, and. all Israel in their 
 cities." Two ideas are suggested — 
 
 1. Home after exile. "Dwelt in their 
 cities." Their cities ; not the cities of 
 their conquerors. The cities were to a 
 great extent ruined and desolate ; but 
 they were their own. It was the land 
 of their fathers, and their own land. (t/). 
 
 2. Rest after a long and tedious 
 jonrneif. The toils and perils of their 
 pilgrimage were over. Rest in their own 
 cities would be sweet to their weary feet, 
 but sweeter still to their spirits. 
 
 " But rest more sweet, and still, 
 
 Than ever nightfall gave ; 
 Our yearning hearts shall till, 
 
 In the land beyond the grave. 
 There shall no tempests blow. 
 
 No scorching noontide beat ; 
 There shall be no more snow, 
 
 No weary, wandering feet. 
 So we lift our trusting eyes 
 
 From the hills our fathers trod, 
 To the quiet of the skies, 
 
 To the Sabbath of our God." 
 
 — Mrs. Ilemans. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (rt) " She hath done what she could." The 
 costliness of her gift in proportion to her 
 means, while it was nothing to Him she would 
 honour, was a guarantee that she was not 
 trifling. Had it been far less than it was, and 
 had it been all she could bring. His blessing 
 would have been the same. For mind. He 
 does not say, " Stop, consider, this alabaster 
 box really cost a good deal of money ; it could 
 not have been bought for less than three hun- 
 dred denarii." No ; but He says, "She hath 
 done what she could ; " that is, she hath de- 
 monstrated the deep and tender attachment 
 of her soul, She believes on her Lord. She 
 loves the Saviour for His holiness. His mercy, 
 His Divine benignity. One penny's worth, if 
 it is only the utmost that self-denial can do, is 
 as good for that as ten thousand shekels. Did 
 He not declare as much, in what He said of 
 the two mites that the poor widow cast into 
 the Temple treasury ? Nay, did He not equally 
 accept, and bless with the same favour, 
 another woman, poorer and frailer still, who 
 had nothing to give Him but tears and kisses 
 for His feet ? The whole spiritual meaning 
 of gifts consists in the disposition of the giver. 
 Distinctions of weight and measure, standards 
 of currency, tables of value, rates of exchange, 
 calculations of outlay, colour, material, and 
 shape, vanish before that simple and royal 
 touchstone in the breast. It is felt to be so, 
 even in the presents of human friendship ; 
 and spiritual sincerity does not pass for less 
 in the eyes of Him who searches and sees the 
 heart. — P. D. Huntington, D.D. 
 
 [h) Hohannes, the blind missionary of Har- 
 poot, tells of a place where the Board had 
 spent much money with little result, where he 
 was sent. It was a poor place. The people 
 were to raise six hundred piastres ; and the 
 Board was to pay the balance of his salary. 
 The people said they could not raise that sum ; 
 a neighbouring pastor said it was impossible, 
 they were so poor. After much anxiety, the 
 
 c - 33 
 
UOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 missionary l:iid the case before God in prayer, 
 when it was impressed upon him tliat each 
 should give his tenth. He proposed it to the 
 people, and they agreed to it. The money 
 was easily raised, and amounted to more than 
 the entire salary. That people never prospered 
 so much before ; their crops were abundant, 
 and their satisfaction great. They not only 
 supported their preacher and school-teacher, 
 but gave two thousand piastres to other pur- 
 poses. — Diet, of I i lust. 
 
 (c) If there be any principle in our religion ; 
 if our obligation to worship be anything more 
 than a seemly form, or an irksome impost 
 upon time and thought ; if the idea of God 
 within us be not a remote and impersonal 
 divinit}', but a Being warm, near, watchful, 
 provident, the living God of our clinging 
 heart and of our crying soul, then surely it 
 were mockery to render any homage but the 
 truest at His footstool, and to offer any gifts 
 but the chiefest on His altar. The old heathen 
 understood this matter better. Their eyes 
 were blinded and their rites were cruel, but 
 they never erred in this. The goodliest spoil, 
 the most fragrant libation, the fairest in the 
 stall, the nearest to the heart, were reserved 
 to be devoted to their gods ; and shall we, 
 heirs of all the ages and of all the economies, 
 we on whom God lias caused to shine a sun in 
 His meridian of privilege — shall we anger our 
 God against us by our selfish indifference to 
 His claims, or by our unfilial withholding of 
 His honour ? We to whom He has given 
 every faculty which makes us capable of God, 
 shall we withhold from Him the hearts which 
 He asks only to brighten and redeem? We 
 to whom He has allotted a day so clear and so 
 brilliant, shall we insult Him by the offer of 
 the refuse of our time ? We who are gifted 
 by Him alike with our wealth and with our 
 power to amass it, shall we deal out our 
 niggard pittance in His cause like the coarse 
 miser churl who parts with coin like blood ? 
 Brethren, I summon you, with all possible 
 solemnity, to answer this invocation. If there 
 has been indifl'erence in the past, let our peni- 
 tence mourn it, and let our consecration atone 
 it, to-day. It is but little at the best that we 
 can offer ; our collective wealth would be 
 absorbed by one single city's needs. Our 
 influence, even at its widest, is contracted 
 within a narrow span. The shadows gather 
 swiftly upon the noon of our very longest day. 
 
 We are feeble, and half our time must be 
 spent in sleep that we may recruit our strength. 
 We are frail, and Death standing by laughs at 
 our arithmetic when we calculate on future 
 years. We receive unfinished labours from 
 our fathers, and we transmit them unfinished 
 to our children. Watchmen in the night, it 
 is not given to us to tarry until the morning. 
 Guardians of the battle-flag, we can but wave 
 it gallantly for awhile ; but we know full well 
 that our hands will stiflen, and that our com- 
 rades will bury us before the work is done. 
 But the present is ours. We have room to 
 work ; we have light to work in. There are 
 ample opportunities, and there are passionate 
 needs, and there are strong encouragements, 
 and there are facilities such as no age ever 
 possessed, for honest work for God. Now who, 
 then, is willing to consecrate his service this 
 day unto the Lord ? Give Him your hearts, dear 
 brethren — your costliest and most acceptable 
 offering. The sordid and the worldly may 
 despise your choice, but there awaits you on 
 earth God's palpable smile, and the blessing 
 of those that are ready to perish ; and in 
 heaven the angel's welcome, and the con- 
 queror's palm, and the King's palace as the 
 soul's home, and the King Himself in His 
 beauty as your exceeding great reward — W. 
 M. Punshon, LL.D. 
 
 (d) No bricks and mortar and timber can 
 make a home. No marble, however fine and 
 polished, can make a home. No gold, or silver, 
 or tapestry, or painting, can make a home. It 
 is that which makes heaven which makes a 
 home even ou this earth. It is love that makes 
 a home. To love, and to be loved, though it be 
 in the peasant's cot, though it be in the rudest 
 barn through the fissures of which the wind 
 makes music, is to be at home ; and often you 
 find homes in the rudest dwellings, and none 
 in the most splendid palaces. But where love 
 is likely to be disturbed — where some rude 
 hand can take the threads that love is ever 
 spinning and tying and fastening, and cut 
 them and sever them, the home feeling must 
 of course be partial. And we long for a place 
 and a state where those whom we love will 
 never be taken from us, and where we shall 
 know that we shall abide eternally in the pre- 
 sence of those who love us. " We seek one to 
 come." A higher and a settled dwelling- 
 place, a final home, a permanent state of 
 being. — Satnuel Martin. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Critical and Explanatoky Notes.] This chapter contains— 1. The rebuilding of the altar 
 (vers. l-3a). 2. The renewal of the sacrificial worship and of the observance of the religious 
 festivals (vers. 36-6a). 3. The preparations for rebuilding the Temple (vers. 66, 7). L The 
 laying of the foundation-stone of the new Temple, the religious celebration of the occasion, and 
 the niingled feelings of the people (vers. 8-13). 
 
 Ver, i. The seventh month] i.e. of the year in which they arrived at Jerusalem. The 
 * 34 • 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. cuap. hi. 
 
 seventh month was Tisri, "the month of the full streams," or "floods," wliich corresponded 
 with the latter part of our September and the greater part of October. (For further notes of 
 time, see notes on ver. 8). As one man] The expression does not signify every man ; but, 
 with irreat unanimitv, "as if inspired by one wiU." 
 
 Ver. 2. As it is written in the law of Moses] (See Lev. xvii. 2-6 ; Dent. xii. 5-11). 
 Ver. 3. They set the altar upon his basesj i.e. they built it in its former position and on 
 the old fouudaiious. For fear was upon them] &c. They were afraid of the hostility of the 
 neio-hbouring nations. The people of those countries] are the surrounding peoples, which 
 are "mentioned in chap. ix. 1. Burnt offerings morning and evening] as commanded in Exod. 
 xxix. 3S-4-2; Num. x.xviii. 3-8. . ■, «• j 
 
 Ver. 4. The feast of Tabernacles, as it is written] (See Lev. xxiii. 33-43). And offered 
 the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day 
 required] The last clause i-s in the margin : " The matter of the day in his day." Vulg. : 
 " Opus dies in die suo.'' The otlerings for each day of the feast of Tabernacles are carefully 
 prescribed in detail in Num. xxix. 12-38. " The oiferings required at this feast were the 
 largest of all. They amounted to fourteen rams, ninety-eight lambs, and no less than seventy 
 bullocks, being twice as many lambs and four times as many bullocks as were enjoined for the 
 Passover.- The feast of Tabernacles was especially one of thankfulness to God for the gifts of 
 the fruit of the earth, and the quantity and nature of the offerings were determined accord- 
 intrly." — Speaker's Com. 
 
 Ver. 5. After th-e feast of tabernacles the prescribed order of sacrifices was regularly observed, 
 viz. The continual burnt offering] i.e. the daily morning and evening sacrifice (Num. xxviii. 
 3-8). Both of the new moons] Rather, "And (the offerings) of the new moons" (Num. 
 xxviii. 11-15). And of every one that willingly offered] &c. (Lev. vii. 11-17 ; Num. xxix. 
 39 ; Deut. xvi. 10, 16, 17). 
 
 Ver. 6. From the first day of the seventh"month] &c. "The altar service, with the daily 
 morning and evening sacrifice, began on the first day of the seventh month ; this daily 
 sacrifice was reirularly offered, according to the law, from then till the fifteenth day of the 
 seventh month, I.e. till the beginning of the feast of Tabernacles. All the offerings commanded 
 in the law for the separate days of this feast were then offered according to the numbers 
 prescribed ; and after this festival the sacrifices ordered at the new moon and other holydays 
 of the year were offered, as well as the daily burnt offerings, — none but these, neither the 
 sacrifice on the new moon (the first day of the seventh month), nor the sin-offering on the 
 tenth day of the same month, i.e. the day of atonement, having been offered before this feast 
 of Tabernacles."— A'ci7. This interpretation is, however, opposed by Schultz, who says : "It 
 is merely said (ver. 5) that after the sacrifices of the feast of Tabernacles the usual order of 
 oft'eriugs" was again continued, which included the daily oiierings, and then also those of the 
 new moon and other feasts." 
 
 • Ver. 7. Meat and drink] i.e. corn and wine. Unto them of Zidon] &c. (Corap. 1 Chron. 
 xxii. 4; 1 Kings v. 6-18; 2 Chron. ii. 3-18.) According to the grant] &c. This probably 
 refers to the permission to rebuild the Temple, which would involve permission to negotiate 
 with the Phoenicians for such assistance as they needed ; for we do not read anywhere that 
 Cyrus made them a c;raut of Phoenician timber. 
 
 Ver. 8. Now in the second year of their coming] &c.- " Whether this second year of the 
 return coincides with the second year of the rule of Cyrus" (over Babylon), "so that the 
 foundations of the Temple were laid, as Theophil. Antioch. ad Antolic, lib. 3, according to 
 Berosus, relates, in the second year of Cyrus, cannot be determined; for nothing more is 
 said in this book than that Cyrus, in the first year of his reign, issued the decree concerning 
 the return of the Jews from Babylon, whereupon those named in the list (chap, ii.) set out 
 and returned, without any further notice as to whether this also took place in the first year of 
 Cyrus, or whether the many necessary preparations delayed the departure of the first band till 
 the following year. The former view is certainly a possible though not a probable one, since 
 it is obvious Irom iii. 1, that they arrived at Jerusalem and betook themselves to their cities as 
 early as the seventh month of the year. Now the period between the beginning of the year and 
 the seventh month, i.e. at most six months, seems too short for the publication of the edict, the 
 departure, and the arrival at Jerusalem, even supposing that the first year of Cyrus entirely 
 coincided with a year of the Jewish calendar. The second view, however, would not make the 
 difierence between the vear of the rule of Cyrus and the year of the return to Jerusalem a 
 great one, since it would scarcely amount to half a year." — Keil. In the second month] f.e. 
 Zif (1 Kings vi. 1), "the mouth of 'blossom;' or, more fully, 'the bloom of flowers,'" 
 corresponding to our May. Appointed the Levites ... to set forward the work] i.e. to 
 preside over or superintend the rebuilding of the Temple. 
 
 Ver. 9. Jeshua] not the high priest, but the head of an order of Levites (chap. ii. 40). 
 Judah] is an error of a copyist. It should be Hodaviah, as in the margin, and chap. ii. 40. In 
 Neh. vii. 43, it is written "Hodevah. Together] Margin: "Heb. as one," i.e. "all, without 
 exception." The sons of HenadadJ &c. Keil suggests, as an explanation of tlie striking posi- 
 tion of the record of " the sons ot Henadad," "that the two classes Jeshua with his sons and 
 brethren, and Kadmiel with his sons, Avere more closely connected with each other than with 
 
 35 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 the sons of Henadad, -nho formed a third class." The authority of the clause, however, is 
 doubtful. 
 
 A'er. 10. They (Zerubbabel and JesLua) set the priests in their apparel] i.e. in their robes 
 of office (Exod. sxviii. 40, sxxix. 27--9, 41, and chap. ii. 69). With trumpets] (Num. x. 8, 
 xxxi. 6 ; 1 Ciiron. xv. 24, xvi. 6 ; 2 Chrou. v. 12). After the ordinance] &,c. (1 Chrou. xv. 
 16 ; XIV. 1). 
 
 Ver. 11. And they sang together by course] Or, "And they sang antiphonally." Fuerst 
 gives the meaning : "to sing an alternate song, or in alternate choir (1 Sam. xviii. 7 ; Ezra 
 iii. 11), . . . but always to sing in reply, not to sing merely." The singing Tvas responsive. 
 One clioir sang, "Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good;" and the otlier responded, 
 " For His mercy endureth for ever." Shouted with a great shout] for joy that the foundation 
 of the Temple was laid. 
 
 Yer. 12. Eut many of the priests and Levites] &c. " Solomon's Temple was destroyed B.C. 
 588, and the foundation of the subsequent Temple laid B.C. 535 or 534 ; hence the older men 
 among those present at the latter event might possibly have seen the former house ; indeed, 
 some (according to Hag. ii.3) were still living in the second year of Darius Hystaspes, who had 
 beheld the glory of the earlier building. Ujion these aged men, the miserable circvimstances 
 under which the foundations of the new Temple were laid produced so overwhelming an 
 impression, that they broke into loud weeping." — Keil. 
 
 The Eebuilping of the Altae : Exemplary Features of Divine 
 
 Worship. 
 
 (Verses 1-3.) 
 
 We discover here — 
 
 I. Unanimity and zeal in Divine 
 worship. 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. Tlie evidences of unanimity in wor- 
 ship. " The people gathered t.Lemselves 
 together as one man to Jerusaleiu. Then 
 stood up Jeshua," &c. The movement 
 seems to Lave been a spontaneous one 
 on the part of the people. They were 
 not summoned to Jerusalem either by 
 Zerubbabel the prince or by Jeshua the 
 high priest, but went there of their own 
 accord, urged by the religious impulses 
 of their own souls. And they assembled 
 "as one man," i.e. as with one heart 
 and will. And the authorities were not 
 tardy in taking up the matter and lead- 
 ing it onward. " Then stood up Jeshua 
 the son of Jozadak," &c. Jeshua with 
 the jiriests, and Zerubbabel with the 
 princes, entered heartily into the move- 
 ment. Priests and Levites, prince and 
 people, high and low, cordially united 
 in the preparation for the restoration of 
 their national worship. 
 
 2. The evidences of zeal in uwship. 
 This great gathering at Jerusalem took 
 place " when the seventh month was 
 come, and the children of Israel were 
 in the cities." They had only recently 
 returned from Babylon ; their cotmtry 
 was to a great extent desolate, and would 
 need much cleansing and cultivation ; 
 36 
 
 their houses would need renovation, or 
 new ones would have to be built by 
 them ; many private interests urgently 
 claimed their attention ; but all these 
 were freely and resolutely set aside until 
 they had rebuilt the altar of Jehovah, 
 and restored His worship, and made 
 ready to celebrate the sacred festivals of 
 this seventh m,onth. Such unanimity 
 and zeal for the worship of God are 
 worthy of imitation by both individuals 
 and communities in this age. 
 
 II. Sacrifice in Divine worship. 
 "And builded the altar of the God of 
 Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon." 
 The altar and the burnt offerings sug- 
 gest— 
 
 1. Man's need of atonement ivitli God. 
 The consciousness of guilt, and the de- 
 sire to propitiate God, or the craving of 
 the heart for fellowship with Him, are 
 the experiences which give rise to sacri- 
 ficial offerings. The altar is an answer 
 to the deep cry of man, " Wherewith 
 shall I come before the Lord, and bow 
 myself before the high God ? " Burnt 
 offerings were intended, in some cases at 
 least, to express the idea of expiation, 
 as well as that of self- consecration ; 
 hence they are said •' to make atonement 
 for him " who offered them (Lev. i. 4 ; 
 xiv. 20, 31). The tendency of sin is to 
 estrange man from God ; the tendency 
 of the love of God in the sacrifice of 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Jesus Christ is to destroy the power of 
 sin in man, and. to bind him to God in 
 loving loyalty. We do not now need 
 the altar and the expiatory victim ; but 
 we do need the Cross and the influence 
 of the great Sacrifice, which once for all 
 was offered thereon to put away sin. {a). 
 '2. Mans duty of self-consecration to 
 God. The chief significance of the burnt 
 offering was that it expressed the self- 
 consecration of the offerer to God. 
 Without this, such offerings were worth- 
 less in the sight of Heaven. The moral 
 or spiritual element was the essential 
 thing in all the sacrifices. Without 
 penitence the fein offering was offensive 
 to God. Without gratitude the peace 
 or thank offerings were rejected by Him. 
 And without the self-dedication of the 
 worshipper the burnt offerings were an 
 abomination iinto Him (comp. Ps. 1. 
 8-15; Isa. i. 11-15). Our richest gifts 
 are accepted by God only as they ex- 
 press our self-devotion to Him. "And 
 He died for all, that they which live 
 should not henceforth live unto them- 
 selves, but unto Him which died for 
 them, and rose again." (6). 
 
 III. Respect for precedent in Divine 
 worship. This was manifested by the 
 Jews at this time in two particulars — 
 (1.) In assembling at the old place. 
 " The people gathered themselves to- 
 gether as one man to Jerusalem." They 
 congregated at the place where the 
 Temple had once stood, and where their 
 fathers were wont to worship. (2.) In 
 erecting the altar upon the old founda- 
 tion, and thus, as it were, associating 
 it with its distinguished predecessor. 
 There is much that is commendable in 
 the feelings which led them to act thus. 
 It is well to be willing to adopt changes 
 in our modes and accessories of worship, 
 when really enlightened judgment, and 
 cultured taste, and sincere religious feel- 
 ing unite in recommending them. It is 
 also well to cling tenaciously to what is 
 suitable and seemly in existing methods 
 and arrangements of religious worship. 
 The site of the former Temple and the 
 bases of the ancient altar possessed for 
 the Jews a sanctity and an inspiration 
 to which no other spots in this wide 
 world could lay claim. There are memories 
 
 and associations clinging around certain 
 ancient forms and places hallowed by 
 holy uses which greatly stimulate and 
 enrich the worship of the devout heart. 
 
 IV. Conformity to Scripture in 
 Divine worship. In building, the altar 
 and in olfering their sacrifices, the Jews 
 did "as it is written in the law of Moses 
 the man of God." We must take heed 
 that in our worship, whether clinging 
 to precedent, or accepting suggestions of 
 change, we do not depart from the prin- 
 ciples and spirit of worship, as revealed 
 in or fairly deduced from the holy Book". 
 There are certain directions which are 
 unmistakable and imperative : e.g., "God 
 is a Spirit ; and they that worship Him 
 must worship Him in spirit and in 
 truth." " To this man will I look, even 
 to him that is poor and of a contrite 
 spirit," &c. 
 
 V. Fear . of enemies in Divine wor- 
 ship. " Fear was upon them because 
 of the people of those countries." 
 
 1. The fear of eneonies should not 
 intimidate us from the ivorship of God. 
 The Jews built the altar notwithstand- 
 ing their dread of their enemies. The 
 history of religious persecutions supplies 
 many splendid examples of perseverance 
 in worship despite the threats and cruel- 
 ties of foes. (c). 
 
 2. The fear of enemies should impel 
 us to vjorship God. The Jews were the 
 more eager to build the altar because of 
 the hostility of neighbouring peoples. 
 The opposition of man led them the 
 more earnestly to seek the protection of 
 God. They were not in a position to 
 join battle with their enemies, if they 
 had been attacked by them ; but in 
 placing themselves under the guardian- 
 ship of the Lord God they did that 
 which was far wiser and better. The 
 persecutions of men should cause us to 
 be more earnest in j) raver to God. 
 
 VI. Regularity in Divine worship. 
 "And they offered burnt offerings thereon 
 unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morn- 
 ing and evening." The offering of the 
 daily sacrifice suggests — 
 
 1. Our daily need of atonement with 
 God. There are daily temptations, omis- 
 sions, and transgressions, which tend to 
 alienate the heart from God ; hence we 
 
 37 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZBA. 
 
 need daily to realise the reconciling in- 
 fluences of the Cross of Christ, (d). 
 
 2. Our daily need of reneived conse- 
 cration. Every morning "we require a 
 renewal of our purpose and endeavour 
 to live to God. The reception of new 
 mercies also summons us to fresh dedi- 
 cation of ourselves to the bounteous 
 Giver of all our mercies. 
 
 3. Our daily need of reneived blessings. 
 Forgiveness and grace, guidance and 
 guardianship, are blessings which we 
 need every day, therefore we should 
 seek them in prayer ; they are, more- 
 over, blessings which we receive every 
 day, therefore we should acknowledge 
 them in praise to God. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIOXS. 
 
 (a) I do not think any one ever knows the 
 preciousness of the blood of Christ till he has 
 had a full sight and sense of his sin, his uii- 
 cleanliness, and his ill-desert. Is there any 
 such thing as really and truly coming to the 
 cross of Christ until you first of all have seen 
 what your sin really deserves? A little light 
 into that dark cellar, sir ; a little light into 
 that hole within the soul ; a little light cast 
 into that infernal den of your humanity, and 
 you would soon discern what sin is, and, 
 seeing it, you would discover that there was 
 no hope of being washed from it, except by 
 a sacrifice far greater than you could ever 
 render. Then the atonement of Christ would 
 become fair and lustrous in your eyes, and you 
 would rejoice with joy unspeakable in that 
 boundless love which led the Saviour to give 
 Himself a ransom, the Just for the unjust, that 
 He might bring us to God. May the Lord 
 teach us, thundering at us, if need be, what 
 sin means. May He teach it to us so that the 
 lesson shall be burned into our souls, and we 
 shall never forget it. I could fain wish that 
 you were all burden-carriers till you grew 
 weary. I could fain wish that you all laboured 
 after eternal life until your strength failed, 
 and that you might then rejoice in Him who 
 has finished the work, and who promises to 
 be to you all in all when you believe in Him 
 and trust in Him with your whole heart. — C. 
 H. Spurgeon. 
 
 (i) It is not the greatness of Christ's suffer- 
 ings on the cross which is to move our whole 
 souls, but the greatness of the spirit with which 
 He suffered. There, in death. He proved His 
 entire consecration of Himself to the cause 
 of God and mankind. There, His love flowed 
 forth towards His friends. His enemies, and 
 the human race. It is moral greatness, it is 
 victorious love, it is the energy of principle, 
 which gives such interest to the cross of Christ. 
 We are to look through the darkness which 
 38 
 
 hung over Him, through His wounds and 
 pains, to His unbroken, disinterested, con- 
 fiding spirit. To approach the cross for the 
 purpose of weeping over a bleeding, dying 
 Friend, is to lose the chief influence of the 
 crucifixion. We are to visit the cross, not to 
 indulge a natural soitness, but to acquire firm- 
 ness of spirit, to fortify our minds for hard- 
 ship and suflfering in the cause of duty and 
 of human happiness. To live as Christ lived, 
 to die as Christ died, to give up ourselves as 
 sacrifices to God, to conscience, to whatever 
 good interest we can advance — these are the 
 lessons written with the blood of Jesus. His 
 cross is to inspire us with a calm courage, 
 resolution, and superiority to all temptation. 
 — W. E. Channing, D.D. 
 
 Mercy, love, is more acceptable worship to 
 God, thau all sacrifices or outward offerings. 
 The most celestial worship ever paid on earth 
 was rendered by Christ, when He approached 
 man, and the most sinful man, as a child of . 
 God, when He toiled and bled to awaken what 
 was Divine in the human soul, to regenerate a 
 fallen world. Be such tlie worship which you 
 shall carry from this place. Go forth to do 
 good with everj- power which God bestows, to 
 make every place you enter happier by your 
 presence, to espouse all human interests, to 
 throw your wliole weight into the scale of 
 human freedom and improvement, to with- 
 stand all wrong, to uphold all right, and 
 especiallj- to give light, life, strength to the 
 immortal soul. He who rears up one child in 
 Christian virtue, or recovers one fellow-crea- 
 ture to God, builds a temple more precious 
 than Solomon's or St. Peter's, more enduring 
 than earth or heaven. — Ihid. 
 
 (c) Lord Macaulay, writing of the perse- 
 cutions of the Protestant dissenters in the 
 reign of James II., says : — The number of the 
 rebels whom Jeffreys banged on this (the 
 Western) circuit was three hundred and twenty. 
 Such havoc must have excited disgust even if 
 the sufferers had been generally odious. But 
 they were, for the most part, men of blame- 
 less life, and of high religious profession. 
 They were regarded by themselves, and by a 
 large proportion of their neighbours, not as 
 wrong-doers, but as martyrs who sealed with 
 blood the truth of the Protestant religion. 
 Tery few of the convicts professed any repen- 
 tance for what they had done. Many, ani- 
 mated by the old Puritan spirit, met death, 
 not merely with fortitude, but with exultation. 
 It was in vain that the ministers of the Esta- 
 blished Church lectured them on the guilt of 
 rebellion and on the importance of priestly 
 absolution. The claim of the king to un- 
 bounded authority in things temporal, and 
 the claim of the clergy to the spiritual power 
 of binding and loosing, moved the bitter scorn 
 of the intrepid sectaries. Some of them com- 
 posed hymns in the dungeon, and chanted 
 them on the fatal sledge. Christ, they sang 
 while they were undressing for the butchery, 
 would soon come to rescue Zion and to make 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 war oil Biibylon, would set up His standard, 
 •would blow His trumpet, and would requite 
 His foes tenfold for all the evil which had 
 been inflicted on His servants. The dying 
 words of these men wore noted down ; their 
 farewell letters were kept as treasures ; and 
 in this way, with the help of some invention 
 and exaggeration, was formed a copious sup- 
 plementto the Marian Martyrology. 
 
 Never, not even under the tyranny of Laud, 
 had the condition of the Puritans been so de- 
 plorable as at that time (autumn U)85). Never 
 had spies been so actively employed in detect- 
 ing congregations. Never had magistrates, 
 grand jurors, rectors, and churchwardens been 
 so much on the alert. Many dissenters were 
 cited before the ecclesiastical courts. Others 
 found it necessary to purchase the coniuvancc 
 of the agents of the government by presents 
 of hogsheads of wine and of gloves stuffed 
 with guineas. It was impossible for the 
 separatists to pray together without precau- 
 tions, such as are employed by coiners and 
 receivers of stolen goods. The places of meet- 
 ing were frequently changed. Worship was 
 performed sometimes just before break of day 
 and sometimes at dead of night. Round the 
 building where the little flock was gathered 
 sentinels were posted to give the alarm if a 
 stranger drew near. The minister in disguise 
 was introduced through the garden and the 
 back yard. In some houses there were trap 
 doors through which, in case of danger, he 
 might descend. Where Nonconformists lived 
 next door to each other, the walls were often 
 broken open, and secret passages were made 
 from dwelling to dwelling. No psalm was 
 sung; and many contrivances were used to 
 prevent the voice of the preacher, in his mo- 
 ments of fervour, from being heard beyond 
 
 the walls. . . . Dissenting ministers, however 
 blameless in life, however eminent for learning 
 and abilities, could not venture to walk the 
 streets for fear of outrages, which were not 
 only not repressed, but encouraged, by those 
 whose duty it was to preserve the peace. Some 
 divines of great fame were in prison. Among 
 these was Richard Baxter. Others, who had, 
 during a quarter of a century, borne up against 
 oppression, now lost heart, and quitted the 
 kingdom. Among these was John Howe. — 
 History of England, chap. v. 
 
 [d) Is it not said in Scripture, " If any man 
 sin, weliave an Advocate " ? Why is Christ au 
 advocate to-day ? Only because we want an 
 advocate every day. Does He not constantly 
 intercede yonder before the eternal throne? 
 Why does He do that ? Because we want 
 daily intercession. And it is because we are 
 constantly sinning that He is constantly an 
 advocate — constantly an intercessor. He Him- 
 self has beautifully set forth this in the case 
 of Peter : after supper the Lord took a towel 
 and girded Himself, and then, taking His basin 
 and His ewer, He went to Peter, and Peter said, 
 " Thou shalt never wash my feet." But Jesus 
 told him, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no 
 part in Me." He had been washed once; Peter 
 was free from sin in the high sense of justifi- 
 cation, but he needs the washing of purifica- 
 tion. When Peter said, " Lord, wash not my 
 feet only, but also my head and my hands^," 
 then Jesus replied, " He that is washed " — 
 that is, he who is pardoned — "needeth not 
 save to wash his feet, for he is clean every 
 whit." The /cc( want constant washing. The 
 daily defilement of our daily walk through an 
 ungodly world brings upon us the daily necessity 
 of being cleansed from fresh sin, and that the 
 mighty Master supplies to as.—C.H. Spurgeon. 
 
 The Celebration of the Sacred Festivals Resumed. 
 {Verses 4-6 a.) 
 
 In these verses we have the record of 
 the observance of the religious feasts of 
 the nation. " The continual burnt offer- 
 ing," which we noticed in our exposition 
 of the preceding section, is again men- 
 tioned. The feast of Tabernacles, the 
 observance of the new moons, and the 
 presentation of freewill offerings, are 
 also distinctly mentioned. To these, 
 therefore, let us direct our attention. 
 They present to us the following homi- 
 letic topics : — 
 
 I. The commemoration in Divine 
 worship of national experiences and 
 blessings. Such was the feast of Taber- 
 nacles. 
 
 1. It was a memorial of the emawd- 
 
 fiation of Israel from Egypt, teacJdmj us 
 that tve should cherish the memorij offor- 
 vier mercies. (See Lev. xxiii. 43.) 
 
 2. It was a memorial of their life in 
 the wilderness, reminding us that our 
 present condition is that of strangers and 
 pilgrims. (See Lev. xxiii. 40-43 ; Heb. 
 xiii. 14.) 
 
 3. It luas a thanksgiving for rest and 
 a settled abode in the promised land, sug- 
 gesting the certainty and blessedness of 
 the rest which remains for the people of 
 God. (Comp. Lev. xxiii. 40 with Rev. 
 vii. 9.) 
 
 4. It tvas a thanksgiving for the com- 
 pleted harvest, teaching ms to receive the 
 precious fruits of the earth as the kind 
 
 39 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 gifts of a bountiful Providence. (See 
 Exod. xxiii. 166; Lev. xxiii, 39 ; Deut. 
 xvi. 13-15.*) But this festival was 
 specially appropriate and significant at 
 this time. " It was," as Schultz re- 
 marks, " because of the season of the 
 year in which the congregation had ar- 
 rived in Canaan that the first feast 
 which they could again celebrate in ac- 
 cordance with the law was the feast of 
 Tabernacles. At the same time, however, 
 we may see therein a special providence 
 of God, which was at once lovely and 
 significant to the congregation. The 
 booths adorned with foliage and fruits 
 •had previously represented as well the 
 gracious help in the times of the wilder- 
 ness, as also the gracious blessings of 
 harvest in the present ; corresponding 
 with this, the booths now gained of 
 themselves a reference, on the one side, 
 to the exhibition of grace during the 
 new prolonged wilderness-time of the 
 exile which had entered with so much 
 gloom into the midst of the history of 
 Israel ; .so to speak to the booths of pro- 
 tection and defiance which had arisen 
 for the people, by the grace of the Lord, 
 even in the heathen M'orld ; and, on the 
 other side, to the new regaining of 
 Canaan, which, to a certain extent, was 
 a security and a pledge of all the further 
 blessings in store for them in this land. 
 . They expressed the thanks which they 
 owed to the Lord for both of these 
 blessings in an especially lively and in- 
 ternal manner. This feast of taberni^cles 
 was a festal and joyous conclusion of all 
 the preservations, consolations, and bless- 
 ings that were behind them, connected 
 with a joyous glance into the future ; it 
 was an evidence that a height had been 
 reached upon which finally even the 
 last height might be attained, an indica- 
 tion that some day, after all their strug- 
 gles and all their labours, a still more 
 glorious feast of Tabernacles, the Messi- 
 anic, the eternal and truly blessed one, 
 would come. (Com p. Zecli. xiv.)" The 
 text distinctly mentions one feature of 
 this celebration of the feast, viz., the 
 fidelity with which the original direc- 
 
 * For remarks and illustrations on these 
 points see The Preachers Commentary on Num- 
 bers, pp. 529, 530. 
 40 
 
 tions for its observance were carried out : 
 " They kept also the feast of Tabernacles 
 as it is written, and off'ered the daily 
 burnt offerings by number," &c. The 
 directions are given in Num. xxix. 13- 
 39. (See The Preacher's Commentary on 
 N^imbers, p. 528.) For a people in their 
 straitened circumstances the offerings 
 required were very numerous ; but they 
 were fully and cheerfully provided by 
 them. If their means were small, their 
 zeal was great, {a). 
 
 II. The celebration in religious wor- 
 ship of the natural divisions of time. 
 "And of the new moons." They pre- 
 sented the offerings appropriate to those 
 occasions. " The first day of the lunar 
 month was observed as a holyday. In 
 addition to the daily sacrifice there were 
 offered two young bullocks, a ram, and 
 seven lambs of the first j^ear as a burnt 
 offering, with the proper meat offerings 
 and drink offerings, and a kid as a sin 
 ofi'ering (Num. xxviii. 11-15). It was 
 not a day of holy convocation, and was 
 not therefore of the same dignity as the 
 Sabbath. But, as. on the Sabbath, trade 
 and handicraft work were stopped (Amos 
 viii. 5), the Temple was opened. for pub- 
 lic worship (Ezek. xlvi. 3 ; Isa. Ixvi. 
 23), and, in the kingdom of Israel at 
 least, the people seem to have resorted 
 to the prophets for religious instruction 
 (2 Kings iv. 23). The trumpets were 
 blown at the offering of the special sac- 
 rifices for the day, as on the solemn 
 festivals (Num. x. 10 ; Ps. Ixxxi. 3). 
 . . . The seventh new moon of the re- 
 ligious year, being that of Tisri, com- 
 menced the civil year, and had a signifi- 
 cance and rites of its own. It was a 
 day of holy convocation " (Num. xxix. 
 1-6). What was the design of this re- 
 ligious celebration of '• the beginnings 
 of their months"?. 
 
 We suggest : 
 
 1. To impress them ivith the value of 
 time. Its irrevocableness should suggest 
 its invaluableness. The religious ob- 
 servance of the new moons was calcu- 
 lated to emphasise the facts that one 
 month more had passed away for ever, 
 with all its possibilities and opportuni- 
 ties, and that another had commenced 
 its course, and its opportunities must be 
 
HO MI LET IC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 promptly seized and diligently eiiiploj'ed 
 ere tliey also departed. (6), 
 
 2. To assist them to form a correct 
 estimate of their life upon earth. "All 
 men think all men mortal but them- 
 selves." ^Man needs frequent and for- 
 cible reminders of the swift flight of 
 time, and of the brevity of his life upon 
 earth. " So teach us to number our 
 days, that we may apply our hearts unto 
 wisdom." The religious observance of 
 the natural divisions of time may be 
 regarded as an answer to this request, 
 inasmuch as it helps to impart and to 
 impress the lesson desired, (c). 
 
 3. To arouse them to malce a wise use 
 of the time which remained to them. As 
 Ave realise the fact that one month of 
 our allotted time u])on earth quickly fol- 
 lows another into the everlasting past, 
 we should also realise with imperial force 
 the solemn conviction, " I must wurk 
 the works of Him that sent Me while it 
 is day, the night cometh when no man 
 can Avork." " Whatsoever thy hand 
 findeth to do, do it with thy might," &c. 
 
 III. The presentation in Divine wor- 
 sliip of personal voluntary offerings. 
 " And of every one that willingly offered 
 a freewill offering unto the Lord." These 
 offerings were in addition to those re- 
 quired by the law, and were purely 
 spontaneous on the part of the wor- 
 shipper. The law required much, but 
 in their zeal the returned exiles gave 
 more. And in Christianity there is 
 ample room for the expression of the 
 grateful and reverent emotions of the 
 soul. " Every man according as he pur- 
 poseth in his heart ; not grudgingly, or 
 of necessity ; for God loveth a cheerful 
 giver." " In all thy gifts," says the Son 
 of Sirach, " show a cheerful countenance, 
 and dedicate thy tithes with gladness. 
 Give unto the Most High according as 
 He hath enriched thee; and as thou hast 
 gotten give with a cheerful eye. For 
 the Lord recompenseth, and will give 
 thee seven times as much." (c/) 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 {a) The end of the festival days among tlie 
 Jews was to revive tlie memory of tiiose signal 
 acts wherein His power for them, and His 
 goodness to them, had beea extraordinarily 
 
 'evident ; it is no more but our mouths to 
 praise Him, and our hand to obey Him, that 
 He exacts at our hands. He cummands us 
 not to expend what lie allows us in the erect- 
 ing statelj' temples to His honour; all the coin 
 He requires to Ije paid witii for His expense is 
 the "ofleriiig of thanksgiving" (Ps. 1. 14) ; and 
 this we ought to do as much as we can, since 
 we cannot do it as much as He merits, for 
 "who can show forth all His praise?" (Ps. 
 cvi. 2). If we have the fruit of His goodness, 
 it is lit He should have "the fruit of our lips" 
 (Ilel). xiii. 15) ; the least kindness should in- 
 flame our souls with a kindly resentment. 
 Though some of His benefits have a brighter, 
 some a darker, aspect towards us, yet they all 
 come from this common spring; His goodness 
 shines in all ; there are the footsteps of good- 
 ness in the least, as well as the smiles of good- 
 ness in the greatest ; the meanest therefore is 
 not to pass without a regard of the Author. 
 As the glory of God is more illustrious in some 
 creatures than in others, yet it glitters in all, 
 and the lowest as well as the highest adminis- 
 ters matter of praise ; but they are not only 
 little things, but the choicer favours He hath 
 bestowed upon us. How much doth it deserve 
 our acknowledgment, tiiat He should contrive 
 our recover}-, when we had plotted our ruin ! 
 that when He did from eternity behold the 
 crimes wherewith we would incense Him, He 
 should not, according to the rights of justice, 
 cast us into hell, but prize us at the rate of the 
 blood and life of His only Son, in value above 
 the blood of men and lives of angels ! How 
 should we bless that God, that we have j'et a 
 Gospel among us, that we are not driven into 
 the utmost regions, that we can attend upon 
 Him in the face of the sun, and not forced to 
 the secret obscurities of the night ! Whatso- 
 ever we enjoy, whatsoever we receive, we must 
 own Him as the Donor, and read His hand in 
 it. — S. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 {b) Suppose that God had so cast the arrange- 
 ments of our system as never to give notice, at 
 all, of the passage of time, by the distinction 
 of days, seasons, and years. In that case, we 
 should all be living on together, but how fast 
 or how slow we could scarcely guess. One 
 year of men's childhood seems as long to 
 ■them, they say, as two, or perhaps even ten 
 years, later in life. This shows you how they 
 would mistake if there were no measure of 
 time save that of their inward judgment. They 
 would never realise how fast they are living. 
 They would take the period equal to ten years, 
 in the later portion of life, to be the same 
 period which constituted only its tenth part in 
 their childhood ; and so, when drawing on to- 
 wards the close of their days, — the very time 
 when they ought most of all to be awake to 
 the shortness of their stay, — then would they 
 be, most of all, insensible to the flight of time, 
 and the swift approach of eternity. 
 
 Observe, then, the faithfulness of God. He 
 lias made the very universe to be the clock of 
 the universe, and admonish every mortal heart 
 
 41 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 of the sure and constant passai^e of time. We 
 are not left to our inward judgments. Time 
 has its measures without, in the most palpable 
 and impressive visitations of the senses. Every 
 twilight tells us that a day is gone, and that 
 by a sign as impressive as the blotting out of 
 the sun ! It is as if we had a clock, so adjusted 
 as to give notice of the hour, by displacing, at 
 a stroke, the light of heaven, suspending the 
 labours of the world, quenching the fevers of 
 its earthly schemes and passions, and diffusing 
 an opiate spell of oblivion over all human con- 
 sciousness. The impalpable odours of spring 
 penetrate our secret sense as monitors of time. 
 The summer heat is the heat of time, the 
 winter's cold is the cold of time — both forcing 
 their way into our experience hy a visitation 
 that we cannot resist. One season tells us 
 that another is gone ; and, when the whole 
 circle of seasons is completed and returned 
 into itself, the new year tells us that the old is 
 gone. And a certain number of these years, 
 we know, is the utmost bound of life. How 
 sure is the reckoning ! It is even compulsory 
 — none can escape it. — H. Bitshnell, D.D. 
 
 (c) A thousand years is a long time, but how 
 soon it flies ! One almost seems, in reading 
 English history, to go back and shake hands 
 with William the Conqueror; a few lives bring 
 us even to the flood. You who are getting on 
 to be forty years old, and especially you who 
 are sixty or seventy, must feel how fast time 
 
 _ flies. I only seem to preach a sermon one 
 Sunday in time to get ready for the next. 
 Time flies with such a whirl that no express 
 train can overtake it, and even the lightning 
 flash seems to lag behind it. We shall soon 
 lie at the great white throne ; we shall soon be 
 at the judicment bar of God. Oh ! let us make 
 ready for it. Let us not live so much in this 
 present, which is but a dream, an empty show, 
 but let us live in the real, substantial future. — 
 C. If. Spiiroeon. 
 
 (d) Who, with the Word of God in his hand, 
 
 but must feel that an era of enlarged Christian 
 liberality is hastening on ? . . . 
 
 Now, the Christian professor too commonly 
 allows his regular contribution to check his 
 liberality, to prevent his giving more than the 
 stipulated sum, though there are times when 
 his benevolent impulses would prompt him 
 to exceed that sum ; then, he will regard his 
 subscription only as a pledge that he will not 
 yive less, but as leaving his liberality open to 
 all the impulses of an unrestricted benevolence. 
 Kow, he is too often disposed to shun the 
 applications for charity, and if he is overlooked 
 and passed by, to view it as a fortunate escape; 
 but then he will do good as he hath opportunity 
 — creating the opportunity which he cannot 
 find already made to his hands. Now, his 
 ability exceeds his inclination ; but then his 
 inclination will be greater than his ability ; 
 like the Macedonian Christians of whom the 
 Apostle testifies, "I bear them record that to 
 their power, j'ea, and beyond their power, they 
 were willing of themselves." Instead of being 
 charitable only on comparative distraint, he 
 will often anticipate application, and surprise 
 the agents of beneficence by unexpected gifts; 
 thus strengthening their faith in God, and 
 inciting them to enlarge their designs for the 
 kingdom of Christ : like the same believers of 
 whom the Apostle records, that, instead of 
 needing to be solicited, they entreated him to 
 accept their contributions — "praying us with 
 much entreaty to accept the gift." Like the 
 happyparentof ahappyfamily,hewill hailevery 
 new-born claim on his resources, and cheerfully 
 deny himself in order to support it. And, in- 
 stead of giving as he now does, as scantily as if 
 he only aimed to keep the Christian cause from 
 famishing, he will then act on the persuasion 
 that his own enjoyment is identified with its 
 growth and prosperity. — John Harris, D. D. 
 
 Works of pietj' and charity should, like water 
 from a fountain, flow spontaneously from the 
 gratitude and benevolence of a believing heart, 
 and not require to be extorted with impor- 
 tunity, like the toil and trouble of drawing 
 water from a deep well. — Anon. 
 
 The Work of the Day Done in the Day. 
 
 {Verse i: " Js the duty 
 
 The pious Jews returned from Babylon 
 Laving erected an altar, kept also the 
 feast of Tabernacles as it is written, and 
 offered the daily burnt offerings by num- 
 ber, according to the custom, '"as the 
 duty of every day required." It is in 
 the margin, " the matter of the day in 
 his day." This has grown into a pro- 
 verbial saying among those who love 
 Scripture phraseology, and teaches us 
 tbat we should do the work of the day 
 in the day. 
 
 I. We may apply this to life in 
 42 
 
 of every day 7'equired.^') 
 
 general. This is called a "day," and 
 it is a single day, a short day, a day 
 which it is impossible to lengthen. And 
 what is the language of reason, of Scrip- 
 ture ] " To-day, if ye will hear His 
 voice, harden not your heart." " Behold 
 now ... is the day of salvation." And 
 what will be your language if the same 
 mind be in you which was also in Christ 
 Jesus 1 "I must work the works of Him 
 that sent Me while it is day ; the night 
 cometh, wherein no man can work." 
 n. It will apply to prosperity. This 
 
HOMJLETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 is called a "day;" and Solomon tells 
 us what is the duty of it. " In the day 
 of prosperity be joyful." He cannot 
 intend to encourage extravagance and 
 excess. We are to " use this world as 
 not abusing it." The wise man would 
 teach us to enjoy the comforts our cir- 
 cumstances afford, in opposition to that 
 self-denial that arises not from religious 
 motive, but from anxiety; from a dis- 
 position to live comparatively poor and 
 destitute at present in order to hoard 
 up for the future ; whereas the Apostle 
 tells us that "God gives us all things 
 richly to enjoy." God, like a generous 
 friend, is pleased to see His presents 
 enjoyed — " to enjoy is to obey." But 
 let us be always joyful in Him ; let us 
 enjoy all in God, and God in all. Behold 
 another thing that the duty of this day 
 requires. It is gratitude. Compare your 
 circumstances with those of others, whose 
 plans are equally wise, and whose de- 
 pendencies seemed equally sure. Com- 
 pare your present with your former 
 condition ; the " two bands " with the 
 "staff." Compare your indulgences 
 with your deserts, and how can you 
 be unthankful? And surely the duty 
 of this day requires liheraUty. He lias 
 made you stewards, and not proprietors; 
 and He will soon call you to give up your 
 account. " Charge them that are rich 
 in this world that they do good," &c. 
 
 III. It will apply to adversity. This 
 is also called a "day;" and it is said, 
 "In the day of adversity, consider." 
 This is the grand duty of the season. 
 Whatever be your affliction, it is a 
 solemn call to consider your ways, to 
 exau'iine your hearts and lives, to in- 
 quire wherefore He contends with you, 
 and what He would have you to do. 
 You are also to consider the alleviations 
 of your suffering; how much worse it 
 might have been ; and to compare your 
 resources with your difficulties. Another 
 part of the duty this " day " requires is 
 submission. " Submit yourselves under 
 the mighty hand of God," &c. This 
 subjection does not exclude feeling, but 
 regulates it ; keeping us, while sensible 
 of the affliction, from quarrelling with 
 Providence, from charging Him foolishly 
 or unkindly, and leading us to say, " It 
 
 is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth 
 Him good." The duty of this day also 
 requires prayer. " Call upon Me in the 
 day of trouble," &c. " Is any afflicted'? 
 Let him pray." The very exercise of it 
 will soothe him, while the answer of it 
 will deliver him. 
 
 IV. We may apply it to the Sabbath. 
 This is called " the Lord's-day " because 
 it is consecrated to the memory of His 
 resurrection, and is employed in His 
 service. But as to advantage, it is our 
 day. It " was made for man." We are 
 commanded to " sanctify it, calling the 
 Sabbath a delight," &c. A Christian 
 will say, " How amiable are Thy taber- 
 nacles, O Lord of hosts ! " &c. He will 
 take heed tvhat he hears, and hoiv he 
 hears. But this is not all. He will 
 retire. He will indulge in private re- 
 flection. 
 
 V. It will apply to every day. No 
 day comes without its appropriate duty. 
 We are to do everything in its season ; 
 to do the work of the day in the day ; 
 and not leave it till to-morrow. 
 
 1. Because ioe may not live till to- 
 morrow. "We know not what a day 
 may bring forth." 
 
 2. Eaclh day tvill have its oivn engage- 
 ments, and it is wrong to surcharge one 
 period ivith the additioncd work of an- 
 other. " Sufficient unto the day is the 
 evil thereof." It is unlawful to encumber 
 to-day with the care of to-morrow ; and 
 to encumber to-morrow with the work of 
 to-day. 
 
 3. Because by this temporary negli- 
 gence, we have nothing to do, or too 
 much; tvhereas by doing the work of the 
 day IN the day, we are never tinoccttpied, 
 never oppressed. 
 
 4. Because by this means the mind is 
 kept cool, and tranquil, and cheerfd ; 
 and ive shall knoiu nothing of the per- 
 plexities and ill-temper of those who are 
 alimys in covfusion and haste. 
 
 To verify this important maxim, let 
 me lay down three rules — 
 
 (1.) Rise early. 
 
 (2.) Grasp not so much business as 
 to "entangle yourselves in the affairs of 
 this life." 
 
 (3.) Arrange a plan of life, and firmly 
 adhere to it. — William Jay. 
 
 43 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 The Preparations for Hebuilding the Temple. 
 
 {Verses 66, 7 : "But the founclalion of the Temple of the Lord ivas not yet laid. 
 The]) gave moneij also," &c.) 
 
 Two chief points are here presented 
 to our notice — - 
 
 1. The great work yet to be accom- 
 plished. jMingled with the joy of the 
 Jews in their restored worship was tlie 
 recollection of the great work whicli as 
 yet was not even commenced. "The 
 foundation of the Temple of the Lord 
 was not yet laid." We regard this as an 
 illustration of — 
 
 1. T}Le incom'pleteness of human joys. 
 The gladness of the returned exiles in 
 celebrating tlie feast of Tabernacles was 
 tempered by the fact that they had only 
 an altar; they had no temple. The 
 brightest day of our life here has its 
 cloud and its shadow. Our most serene 
 seasons are not entirely free from dis- 
 turbance. Our joys are incomplete. Our 
 gladness is often checked by sadness. 
 " There is a cross in every lot." The 
 victorious and calm eventide of the life 
 of king David was darkened by trials in 
 his family. " Although " my house be 
 not so with God " (2 Sam. xxiii. 5). St. 
 Paul " was caught up into Paradise " 
 and there received " abundance of reve- 
 lations ; " but there was given to him 
 "a tliorn in the flesh, the messenger of 
 Satan to buffet '' him. This incomplete- 
 ness of our joys here is a wise and kind 
 arrangement. We need the shadow as 
 well as the sunshine. We are reminded 
 by vicissitude tbat this is not our rest, 
 and urged to set ouraffections on spiritual 
 and eternal things. («). 
 
 2. The incompleteness of human worlcs. 
 The altar was built, but the Temple was 
 not begun. The work of these patriotic 
 and pious Jews was only just com- 
 menced. It would be long before it was 
 completed. The work of the earnest 
 man is never accomjilished. Ere one 
 task is com])leted another summons him 
 to effort. If lie were tempted to settle 
 down to repose, his rest would soon be 
 broken by the demands of unfinished 
 enterprises, or by challenges to new en- 
 deavours. 
 
 44 
 
 " Labour with what zeal we will, 
 Something still remains undone, 
 Something uncompleted still 
 Waits the rising of the sun." 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Even when death approaches, most men 
 have much which tbey desire to accom- 
 plish. The statesman is summoned hence 
 devising new measures for his country's 
 good, which he will not assist in passing 
 into laws. The author dies leaving his 
 book unfinished. The Christian minister 
 lays down his charge, leaving many plans 
 for the welfare of his people not yet 
 carried out ; and the parent, while he 
 longs still to do much for the welfare of 
 his children. Doubtless the good man 
 is not called to leave this xYorld until his 
 work here is finished; but to us it often 
 seems that life closes here in incomplete- 
 ness. This incompleteness of our human 
 works is also ordered wisely and well. 
 It tends to prevent stagnation ; to rouse 
 to earnest activities, &c. (b). 
 
 3. l^he obligation of the Church of 
 God. The Jews at Jerusalem felt them- 
 selves bound not to rest content with the 
 joys and blessings of the altar, but to 
 proceed to the more arduous task of 
 rebuilding the Temple. In seasons of 
 religious worship the Church must not 
 forget the work which it is called to 
 accomplish. Our holiest delights should 
 not detain us from our arduous duties. 
 The Church should not entertain the 
 idea of any pause or decrease in its 
 labours until the spiritual temple of our 
 God is raised into utmost and beautiful 
 completeness out of the ruins of our 
 fallen humanity. Let Christians labour 
 on until the head stone of this temple 
 shall be brought forth " with shoutings 
 of, Grace, grace unto it." (c). 
 
 II. The prompt preparations for the 
 accomplishment of this work. " They 
 gave money also unto the masons, and 
 to the carpenters," &c. (ver. 7). Two 
 points claim attention — 
 
 1. Tlie variety of service and the unity 
 
IIOMILETIC COATMENTARY : EZJiA. 
 
 CHAP. 111. 
 
 of design. See the various ways in which 
 different persons contributed to the pre- 
 purations for rebuilding the sacred edifice. 
 (1.) Certain Jews gave of their posses- 
 sions to pay the workmen. " They gave 
 money also unto the masons, and to the 
 carpenters ; and meat, and drink, and 
 oil unto them of Zidon, and to them of 
 Tyre." (3.) Other Jews laboured in the 
 work of preparation. " The masons and 
 the carpenters." (*3.) Zidonian and 
 Tyrian workmen also laboured in this 
 work. " Them of Zidon and them of 
 Tyre brought cedar trees from Lebanon 
 to the sea of Jojipa." And (4) Cyrus 
 assisted by his patronage and by his 
 gifts. "According to the grant that 
 they had of Cyrus king of Persia." And 
 others might be mentioned who other- 
 wise promoted the great object ; such as 
 the Levites who acted as overseers of the 
 work. All these, each in his own way 
 and in his own sphere, helped to accom- 
 plish the end which was so eagerly de- 
 sired by most of them. And in building 
 the spiritual temple, there should be 
 the individual effort of every Christian 
 for the attainment of the great object 
 which they all have in common : each 
 one, in some form or other, should con- 
 tribute his share in the glorious work, 
 and all should keep in view the one 
 grand end. (d). 
 
 2. The co-operafion of Jetcs and Gen- 
 tiles. " It was signihcant also," says 
 Schultz, " that at this building of the 
 Temple again it was not Canaan proper, 
 but the Phoenician Lebanon, that j^ro- 
 vided the building material, and that 
 correspondhig with this, heathen work- 
 men and artists also took part in erecting 
 the house of God. It indicates that the 
 rest of the earth also, and corresponding 
 thereto, the rest of mankind, are to 
 render their gifts and capacities, which 
 are more and more to take part in the 
 complete and true worship of the Lord, 
 that the Lord by no means regards 
 them as profane. The rest of the earth 
 and mankind become therebj', to a certain 
 extent, consecrated in advance and de- 
 signated as one who, if now already in 
 the Old Testament economy, yet still 
 more some day in the fulness of time, 
 would take part in the highest destiny 
 
 of Israel." (c). In the Church of Christ 
 "there is neither Greek nor Jew, cir- 
 cumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, 
 Scythian, bond nor free ; but Christ is 
 all and in all." 
 Conclusion : 
 
 1. -4 re we " as living stones huilt vj) " 
 in the spiritual temjile of God ? (Comp. 
 1 Pet. ii. 4-6.) 
 
 2. Are we also assisting to build this 
 (doriotis temple ? (Comp. i Cor. iii. 
 10-15.) It is paradoxical yet true, 
 that we should be both stones in the 
 edifice and toilers for its completioii. 
 But are we 1 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Mark the same people that usually have 
 the highest joys, and see whether at other 
 times they have not the greatest troubles. This 
 ■ week they are as at the gates of heaven, and 
 the next as at the doors of hell : I am sure with 
 many it is so. Yet it need not be so, if Chris- 
 tians would but look at these high joys as 
 duties to be endeavoured, and mercies to be 
 valued ; but when they will needs judge of 
 their stale by them, and think that God is 
 gone from or forsaken them when theymv; 
 not such joys, then it leaves them in terror 
 and amazement. Like men after a flash of 
 lightning, they are left more sensible of the 
 darkness. For no wise man can expect that 
 such joys should be a Christian's ordinary 
 state ; or God should so diet us with a con- 
 tinual feast. It would neither suit with our 
 health nor the condition of this pilgrimage. 
 Live, therefore, on your peace of conscience 
 as your ordinary diet ; when this is wanting 
 know that God appointeth you a fast for your 
 health ; and when you have a feast of high 
 joys, feed on it and be thankful ; but when 
 they are taken from you, gape not after them 
 as the disciples did after Christ at His ascen- 
 sion, but return thankfully to your ordinary 
 diet of peace. And remember that these 
 joys .which are now taken "from you may so 
 return again. However, there is a place pre- 
 paring for you, where your joys may be full. 
 — Richard Baxter. 
 
 ' (h) Human life is short ; God's work is com- 
 plex and prolonged, and steadily flowing on. 
 Hence we are continually beginning, and pass- 
 ing away, and leaving what we begin for 
 others to finish. Every generation is begin- 
 ning, and every generation is passing away 
 without having finished what it has begun. 
 But that which we begin is not going to stop 
 because we cease to go forward with it. One 
 worker dies ; the loom goes on, and another 
 worker takes up the thread that he has laid 
 down. We pass -away, and another man, 
 somewhere, is prepared to step into our place. 
 AVe commence a work, and perform a part of 
 
 45 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 it ; when we are gone, others perform another 
 part ; when thej' are gone, still others perform 
 another part ; and so that which we under- 
 take is by others carried along to its bright 
 consummation. — H. W. Beecher. 
 
 (c) I ask you to remember that every child 
 whose heart'is touched by the love of Christ, 
 every worker for God who is ready to sacrifice 
 his time, his comfort, his luxury, his life, for 
 Christ, whose sympathy with the advance of 
 God's kingdom is produced by an intelligent 
 understanding of the magnitude of the in- 
 terests tha't are at stake ; every bedridden, 
 poverty-stricken Christian, who is daily wrest- 
 ling with God in prayer ; every Sunday-school 
 teacher who identifies himself with this great 
 enterprise, not simply by giving money (that 
 is sometimes an easy way of putting aside a 
 pressing claim), but by earnest thought, honest 
 speech, and loyal feeling ; every one of us who, 
 appreciating the magnitude, sublimity, and 
 consecration of Christian missions, does devote 
 himself to this work, rises up for God against 
 the evil-doers, enlists in the great battle which 
 can only terminate when death and hell, the 
 beast and the false propliet, are cast into the 
 lake of fire.—//. R. Reynolds, D.D. 
 
 {d) I would stir you all up to help in this 
 work — old men, young men, and you, my 
 sisters, and all of you, according to your gifts 
 and experience, help. I want to make you 
 feel, "I cannot do much, but I can help; I 
 cannot preach, but I can help ; I cannot pray 
 in public, but I can help ; I cannot give much 
 away, but I can help ; I cannot officiate as 
 an elder or a deacon, but I can help ; I cannot 
 shine as *a bright particular star,' but I can 
 help ; I cannot stand alone to serve my Mas- 
 ter, but I can help." There is a text from 
 which an old Puritan once preached a very 
 singular sermon. There were only two words 
 in the text, and they were, " And Bartholo- 
 mew." The reason he took the text was, that 
 Bartholomew's name is never mentioned alone, 
 but he is always spoken of as doing some good 
 thing with somebody else. He is never the 
 principal actor, but always second. Well, let 
 this be your feeling, that if you cannot do all 
 yourself, you will help to do what you can. — 
 C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 (e) There are those in the Church who be- 
 lieve that God's express aim in Judaism was 
 
 to keep the Jewish people as separate from the 
 world as possible ; to keep them, like Xoah, 
 in an ark, while He plagued and punished the 
 world at His will. But I maintain, on the 
 contrary, that Judaism was always genial and 
 benignant to the stranger who would adopt its 
 belief and accept its blessings. From the evil 
 which was in the world God was minded to 
 keep the Jewish people free at any cost. From 
 idolatry and its attendant pollutions He sought 
 to deliver them, inasmuch as idolatry in the 
 long run inevitably leads to national decline 
 and death. To the stranger, the foreign person 
 or nation, who would dishonour its beliefs and 
 trample on its blessings, Judaism was stern as 
 fate and pitiless as death. The nations which 
 had filled up the measure of their iniquity, 
 Avhose influence must be corrupting, were 
 ruthlessly exterminated. . . . The Jews 
 were simply God's executioners here, and the 
 same doom, they are plainly warned, awaited 
 them if they suffered themselves to be tempted 
 into the same sins. The nations, of whose 
 pollutions the very land was weary, were swept 
 off AS the stubble before the flame. But this 
 was the accident and not the essential char- 
 acter of the dispensation. The law here in 
 England is merciful, though it has often to 
 deal out terrible judgments on flagrant sins. 
 And I am persuaded that the more carefully 
 the spirit of the dispensation is studied, the 
 more plainly will it appear that . . . from 
 Moses to Zechariah, it is a cry to the nations 
 not to rot in their own corruption, "Come 
 with us and we will do you good." How be- 
 nignantly, in the closing verses of the eighth 
 chapter of the book of Joshua, the "strangers 
 which were conversant among them" are in- 
 cluded in the benediction ! How earnestly 
 Daniel and his coadjutors sought to diffuse the 
 blessings of Judaism among the nations which 
 had enslaved them, and to make the Oriental 
 despots sharers in the knowledge of the living 
 God, which by revelation they had gained ! 
 How emphatically the prophets take up and 
 echo the invitation with growing clearness and 
 earnestness through the ages, until it breaks 
 out into full utterance in the great Successor 
 of Moses, the great Fulfiller of the Law, the 
 Son of David, the King of Zion, "And I, if I 
 be lifted up, icill draw all vien unto Me." 
 Judaism in all ages was a witness for God to 
 the nations, and a means of drawing all that 
 would be drawn unto Himself. — /. B. Bro2on, 
 B.A. 
 
 Laying the Foundation of the Temple. 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The work already done. 
 
 1. Something u'cis already accom- 
 plished. Several months had passed 
 away since the arrangements mentioned 
 in verse 7 were made ; and during those 
 46 
 
 (Fmes 8-13.) 
 
 months the masons and carpenters, and 
 the Tyrian and the Sidonian workmen, 
 had not been idle. Considerable labour 
 must have been expended on the site of 
 the Temple before it was ready for laying 
 the foundation thereof. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 2. Arrangements were viade for carry- 
 ing on the tvork. "Now in the second 
 year of their coming into the house of 
 God at Jerusalem, in the second month, 
 began Zerubbabel," &c. (vers. 8, 9). 
 And in these arrangements there was a 
 iinanimity which augured well for the 
 success of the enterprise. " Zerubbabel 
 the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son 
 of Jozadak, and the remnant of the 
 brethren, the priests and the Levites, 
 and all they that were come out of the 
 captivity unto Jerusalem," were united 
 in their arrangements and efforts for 
 prosecuting the w-ork to a successful 
 issue. 
 
 II. The worship offered. " And 
 when the builders laid the foundation 
 of the Temple of the Lord, they set the 
 priests in their apparel with trumpets," 
 «tc. (vers. 10, 11). Notice : 
 
 1. Tlie manner of tlceir ivorship. 
 " They set the priests in their apparel 
 with .trumpets, and the Levites, the 
 sons of«Asaph, with cymbals, to praise 
 the Lord, after the ordinance of David 
 king of Israel. And they sang together 
 by course in praising and giving thanks 
 unto the Lord." Their worship was 
 orderly and seemly in manner. It was 
 conducted by those who were qualified 
 for the work and called to it by the 
 command of God, and in accordance 
 with the arrangements made by king 
 David (1 Chron. vi. 31, xvi. 4-6, 42, 
 XXV, 1 ; Neh. xii. 24). 
 
 2. The character of their luorship. 
 *• Praising and giving thanks unto the 
 Lord," &c. Their worship consisted of 
 grateful and joyful praise ; because of — 
 (1.) The goodness of God. "Praising 
 and. giving thanks unto the Lord ; 
 because He is good." (2.) The per- 
 petuity of His goodness. " For His 
 mercy endureth for ever," (3.) Their 
 perpetual interest in His goodness. 
 " His mercy endureth for ever toward 
 Israel." Pievereut and grateful praise 
 is the highest form of worship which we 
 present to the Father of spirits, (a). 
 
 3. The occasion of their ivorship. 
 '' When the builders laid the foundation 
 of the Temple of the Lord." We call 
 attention to the occasion in this place, 
 because it illustrated and stimulated 
 
 their thankful praise, God had vouch- 
 safed to them unmistakable manifesta 
 tions of His goodness and mercy, in pre- 
 serving and blessing them in Babylon, 
 in granting them so favourable a return 
 to their own land, and in helping them 
 thus far with their work of restoration 
 and renewal. Their own experiences 
 would give force and fervour to their 
 worship-song. 
 
 4. lUie spirit of their worship. This 
 was hearty and enthusiastic. "And all 
 the people shouted with a great shout, 
 when they praised the Lord, because 
 the foundation of the house of the Lord 
 was laid." Worship which is not hearty, 
 or which is cold or lukewarm, does not 
 meet with Divine acceptance. 
 
 III. The emotions excited, " And 
 all the people shouted with a great 
 shout," &c, 
 
 1. Great joy. " And many shouted 
 aloud for joy." This joy probably arose 
 from — (1.) The consideration of what 
 was accomplished. "Those that only 
 knew the misery of having no temple at 
 all," says M, Henry, " praised the Lord 
 with shouts of joy when they saw but 
 the foundation of one laid. To them 
 even this foundation seemed great, and 
 was as life from the dead ; to their 
 hungry souls even this was sweet. They 
 shouted so that ' the noise was heard afar 
 off.' Note. — We ought to be thankful 
 for the beginnings of mercy, though we 
 have not yet come to the perfection of 
 it; and the foundations of a temple, after 
 long desolations, cannot but be fountains 
 of joy to every faithful Israelite." Every 
 step in the progress of our communion 
 with God should be a matter of great 
 joy to us. (2.) The anticipation of 
 what would yet be accomplished. They 
 looked forward with confident and exul- 
 tant hope to the completion of the sacred 
 edifice. 
 
 2. Great so7-row. " But many of the 
 priests and Levites, and chief of the 
 fathers, ancient men, that had seen the 
 first house, when the foundation of this 
 house was laid before their eyes, wept 
 with a loud voice." Their grief arose 
 chiefly from memories of the past, with 
 which the present contrasted unfavour- 
 ably. (1.) Recollections of the former 
 
 47 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Temple. They " had seen the first 
 house," and they knew well that they 
 could not hope to build one which would 
 be at all comparable with it in magnifi- 
 cence and splendour. " Who is left 
 among you that saw this house in her 
 first glory 1 and how do ye see it now 1 
 is it not in your eyes in comparison of 
 it as nothing 1 " (Hag. ii. 3). Moreover, 
 they might have wept because of the 
 sins which had led to the destruction of 
 the former Temple, and the manifold 
 miseries which had resulted from those 
 sins. (2.) Recollections of their own 
 lives. The joyful acclamations of the 
 young generation probably recalled to 
 these "ancient men " the brightness and 
 hopefulness and enthusiasm of their own 
 youth, and the recollection awakened 
 sad thoughts. The contrast between the 
 purpose of early life and the performance 
 of after days, and the sad disparity 
 between the hopes of youth and the 
 attainments of manhood, are generally 
 sufficient to subdue and sadden the 
 hearts of the aged. The difference 
 between the ideal entertained at twenty 
 years of age and the actual realised at 
 fifty or sixty is often a mournful thing. 
 And even if a man is able to carry out 
 his purposes, and achieves what is com- 
 monly called "success in life," how 
 different the objects gained appear in 
 possession from what they appeared in 
 anticipation, and how disappointing ! 
 Much, very much, after which men as- 
 pire and for which they labour, cannot 
 satisfy them ; and having obtained their 
 chief aims, they may cry mournfully — 
 
 " Years have gone by ! and life's lowlands are 
 
 past, 
 And I stand on the hill which I sighed for, 
 
 at last : 
 But I turn from the summit that once was 
 
 my star. 
 To the vale of my childhood, seen dimly and 
 
 far ; — 
 Each bliirht on its beauty seems softened and 
 
 gone. 
 Like a land that we love, in the light of the 
 
 morn." — T. K. Uervey. (6). 
 
 3. Great joy and great sorroio mingled. 
 " The people could not discern the noise 
 of the shout of joy from the noise of the 
 weeping of the people." We may regard 
 this scene as — (1.) An illustration of our 
 48 
 
 personal experiences in this world. All 
 our joys are tinged with sadness; all our 
 sorrows have their mitigations, and if 
 they do not yield rich compensations 
 the blame will be our own. (c). (2.) An 
 illustration of the experiences of mankind 
 in this world. The shouts of those who 
 rejoice and the cries of those who mourn 
 are ever mingled in this world. The exul- 
 tations of the victors and the lamenta- 
 tions of the vanquished rise together from 
 earth to heaven. (3.) A feature which 
 distinguishes tlie present from the future 
 state. These mingled experiences belong 
 only to this -present life and world. In 
 hell no one " shouts aloud for joy." And 
 in heaven " God shall wipe away all tears 
 from their eyes ;* and there shall be no 
 more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, 
 neither shall there be any more pain : 
 for the former things are passed awav." 
 {d). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Praise is the very highest mood and 
 exercise of the religious soul ; it is the expres- 
 sion towards God of the holiest emotions of 
 which we are capable — reverence, obligation, 
 gratitude, love, adoration. Whenever these 
 are uplifted to God in admiration and homage, 
 there is the worship of praise — the highest and 
 most perfect expression of all tliat is purest 
 and noblest in our i-eligious nature. As con- 
 trasted with the worship of prayer, the worship 
 of praise is manifestly transcendent. Prayer 
 is the pleading of our human indigence and 
 helplessness ; praise is the laudation of Divine 
 excellency and sufficiency. Prayer supplicates 
 the good that God may have to bestow ; praise 
 is the adoration of the good that there is in 
 God Himself. When we pray we are urged by 
 necessities, fears, and sorrows,— it is the cry 
 of our troubled helplessness, often of our pain 
 or our terror ; we are impelled by feelings of 
 unworthiness, memories of sin, yearnings for 
 forgiveness and renewal. Praise brings, not a 
 cry, but a song, — it does not ask, it profiers, — 
 it lifts, not its hands, but its heart, — it is the 
 voice, not of our woe, but of our love, not of 
 beseeching, but of blessing. It comes before 
 God not clothed in sackcloth, but with its 
 "singing robes" about it, not wailing litanies, 
 but shouting hosannas. Prayer expresses only 
 our lower religious moods of necessity and 
 sorrow ; praise expresses our higher religious 
 moods of satisfaction and joy. Prayer asks 
 God to come down to us ; praise assays to go 
 up to God. The soul that prays falls prostrate 
 witb its face to the ground, often being in an 
 agony ; the soul that praises stands with up- 
 lifted brow and transfigured countenance ready 
 to soar away to heaven. Moreover, the instinct 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 of praise is deeper in the religious heart tlian 
 that of prayer ; song in the human soul is 
 earlier, and will be later, than supplication. 
 Prayer is the accident of our present sinful 
 necessity ; praise is the essence of all religious 
 life and joy. The birthplace and home of 
 prayer is on earth. The birthplace and home 
 of praise is in heaven." — U. Allan, D.D. 
 
 (b) I used to think a slight illness was a 
 luxurious thing; ... it is different in the 
 latter stages ; the old postchaise gets more 
 shattered at every turn, windows will not pull 
 up, doors refuse to open, or, being open, will 
 not shut again. There is some new subject of 
 complaint every moment ; your sickness comes 
 thicker and thicker, your sympathising friends 
 fewer and fewer. The recollection of youth, 
 health, and uninterrupted powers of activity, 
 neither improved nor enjoyed, is a poor strain 
 of comfort. . . . Death has closed the long 
 dark avenue upon loves and friendships ; and 
 I look at them as through the grated doors of 
 a burial place filled with monuments of those 
 who were once dear to me, with no insincere 
 wish that it may open for me at no distant 
 period, provided such be the will of God. I 
 shall never see the threescore and ten, and 
 shall be summed up at a discount; no help 
 for it, and no matter either. — Sii- Walter Scott. 
 
 There is no joy unmixed with grief — 
 
 Each garden has more weeds than flowers — 
 Care rides upon the winged hours. 
 
 And doubt for ever haunts belief. 
 
 We stop to pluck some beauteous flower, 
 And cold precaution idly scorn, 
 To find some sharp and hidden thorn 
 
 Exacts a forfeit for the dower. 
 
 There have been tears of wormwood shed. 
 For every pleasure life can bring ; 
 The joys of earth are flowers that spring 
 
 From out the ashes of the dead — E. H. Dewart. 
 
 In the bitterest grief, in the sharpest period 
 of agony, in the dullest, most hopeless pro- 
 spect, there is a source of joy which none but 
 the spirit of Jesus can find or use. St. Paul 
 calls it rejoicing in the Lord. Then we go 
 
 out of ourselves, as it were, and leave the last 
 trial like a cloak that is thrown off. We pass 
 from the sharpest and most disappointing 
 trouble into the presence of the Spirit of the 
 Lord. We move in by a mental flash, as it 
 were, and there see the source of lite unshaken, 
 undimmed, steady, like the shining of tlie 
 moon above a battlefield ; calm and quiet, as 
 the sunlight amid the shrieks and tumult of 
 a pillaged town. — Harry Jones, M.A. 
 
 There is great joy of prosperity, of love, of 
 victory, but there is a joy that belongs to the 
 experience of sufl'ering and sorrow which is 
 more divine and exquisite, than any joy the 
 heart ever knows outside of trouble. When a 
 soul is afflicted till it is driven into the very 
 pavilion of God, till Christ, as it were, wraps 
 His arms about it and says, " llest here till 
 the storm be overpast," that soul experiences 
 an exquisiteness of joy which only those who 
 have felt it can understand. — //. W. Beccher. 
 
 Then happy those, since each must drain 
 His share of pleasure, share of pain ; 
 Then happy those, beloved of Heaven, 
 To whom the mingled cup is given, 
 Whose lenient sorrows find relief, 
 Whose joys are chastened by their grief. 
 —Sir W. Scott. 
 
 {d) This is a world of weeping — a vale of 
 tears. Who is there that has not wept over 
 the grave of a friend ; over his own losses and 
 cares; over his disappointments, over the treat- 
 ment he has received from others ; over his 
 sins; over the follies, vices, and woes of his 
 fellow-men ? And what a change would it 
 make in our world if it could be said that 
 henceforward not another tear would be shed ; 
 not a head .would ever be bowed again in grief I 
 Yet this is to be the condition of heaven. In 
 that world there is to be no pain, no disappoint- 
 ment, no bereavement. No friend is to lie in 
 dreadful agony on a sick-bed, no grave is to 
 be opened to receive a parent, a wile, a child ; 
 no gloomy prospect of death is to draw tears 
 of sorrow from the eyes. To that blessed world, 
 when our eyes run down with tears, are we 
 permitted to look forward ; and the prospect 
 of such a world should contribute to wipe away 
 our tears here — for all our sorrows will soon be 
 over. — A. Barnes, D.D. 
 
 The Building of the Temple. 
 {Verses 11-13.) 
 
 That an exuberance of joy and of 
 sorrow should be excited at once by the 
 same event, is undoubtedly a curious 
 fact • and it will be profitable to show 
 you — 
 
 I. What there was at that time to 
 call forth such strong and widely-dif- 
 ferent emotions. The Jews, after their 
 return from Babylon, had just laid the 
 
 foundation ,of the second Temple, and 
 this was — 
 
 1. To some an occasion of exalted joy. 
 It was not the mere circumstance that 
 a magnificent building was about to 
 be raised, but the thought of the use 
 to which that building was to be 
 appropriated, that proved to them a 
 source of joy. The erection of it was 
 
 49 
 
IWMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 justly regarded by them as a restoration 
 of God's favour to them after the heavy 
 judgments which He had inflicted on 
 them during their captivity in Babylon. 
 This event opened to them a j^^'ospect of 
 again ivorsliipping Jehovah according to 
 all the forms prescribed to them by the 
 Mosaic ritual. Nor could they fail to 
 view it as tending to advance the honour 
 of their God ; in which view pre-eminently 
 it must of necessity fill them with most 
 exalted joy. With such views of the 
 event before them the people could not 
 but shout for joy ; and " if they had 
 been silent, the very stones would have 
 cried out against them." 
 
 2. To others an occasion of the deepest 
 sorrow. The persons who manifested 
 such pungent grief were " the priests, 
 and Levites, and the chief of the fathers 
 who were ancient men, that had seen 
 the former Temple." They wept because 
 they well knew how infinitely this struc- 
 ture must fall below the former in point 
 of magnificence. Of necessity it must 
 want many things which constituted the 
 glory of that edifice, and could never be 
 replaced. The Shechinah, the bright 
 cloud, the emblem of the Deity Himself, 
 was for ever removed. The ark was 
 lost, and the copy of the law which had 
 been preserved in it. The Urim and 
 Thuramim too, by which God had been 
 wont to communicate to His people the 
 knowledge of His will, was irrecoverably 
 gone ; and the fire which had descended 
 from heaven was extinct, so that they 
 must henceforth use in all their sacrifices 
 nothing but common fire. And what 
 but their sins had brought upon them 
 all these calamities ? Would it have 
 been right, then, in these persons to lose 
 all recollection of their former mercies, 
 and of the sins through which they had 
 been bereaved of them ; and to be so 
 transported with their present blessings 
 as not to bewail their former iniquities 1 
 No ! I think that the mixture of feeling 
 was precisely such as the occasion called 
 for. 
 
 II. How far similar emotions be- 
 come us at the present day. 
 
 1. There is at this time great occasion 
 for joy. We are not, indeed, construct- 
 ing a material temple for the Lord ; but 
 50 
 
 the whole nation is engaged in endea- 
 vours to erect a spiritual temple to Him 
 throughout the world. Never was there 
 a period since the apostolic age, when 
 the exertions were so general, so diversi- 
 fied, so diffusive. And is this no ground 
 of joy ? Is there no reason to rejoice in 
 what, we trust, is going on amongst us ? 
 If the Gospel he "glad tidings of great 
 joy unto all people," is it no cause for 
 joy that it is brought to our ears ; and 
 that it is effectual amongst us to convert 
 men to God ? Are there not amongst 
 you some at least who have been " turned 
 from darkness unto light, and from the 
 power of Satan unto God " ] Surely we 
 have reason to rejoice. 
 
 2. Yet is there amongst its abundant 
 occasion for grief also. If we suppose 
 the Apostle Paul, who witnessed the 
 state of God's Church in its primitive 
 and purest age, to come down in the 
 midst of ^ts, what would be his feelings 
 at the present hour? Would his joy be 
 unmixed with sorrow 1 Would he be 
 satisfied with what he saw ? It was with 
 " weeping " that St. Paul contemplated 
 many of the Philippian converts ; and 
 for many of the Galatian Church he 
 " agonised as in the pangs of childbirth 
 till Christ should be more perfectly 
 formed in them." And was this from 
 a want of charity, or from a contempt 
 of piety in its lower stages of existence 1 
 No ; but from love, and from a desire 
 that God should be honoured to the 
 uttermost wherever His Gospel came, 
 and wherever its blessings were expe- 
 rienced in the soul. 
 
 See, then — 
 
 (1.) What, above all things, should 
 interest our souls. Nothing under heaven 
 should transport us with joy like the 
 establishment of Christ's kingdom in the 
 world and in the soul. Nothing should 
 produce in us such acute sensations of 
 grief as a consciousness that God is not 
 glorified in the midst of us as He ought 
 to be. 
 
 (2.) What use we shotdd make of our 
 hnoxvledge and experience. It is not so 
 much an unqualified effusion of joy that is 
 pleasing to the Most High, as that which 
 is moderated with shame, and tempered 
 with contrition. — Charles Simeon, 31. A. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 The Altar and the Foundation of the Temple. 
 Notes for Scripture Lesson [Whole Chapter). 
 
 Our lesson contains the account of 
 the beginning of the great work of re- 
 building the Temple. It is sad to 
 find that through delays and indiffer- 
 ence twenty years passed before it was 
 finished, and then only on the arousing 
 preaching of Haggai and Zechariah. 
 They, however, began well, collecting 
 material and laying the foundations by 
 the fourteenth month after their return. 
 Of this great and rejoicing day our 
 lesson contains the brief account. 
 
 Looking carefully atthe chapter, itwill 
 be seen that it contains two things,which, 
 though related, are quite distinct — 
 
 1. The beginning of Worship. 
 
 2. The beginning of the Temple for 
 Worship. 
 
 It will also be observed that the 
 people very properly thought more of 
 the spiritual worship than of the material 
 building, and found that they could 
 have the worship at once, though the 
 Temple to worship in might be long 
 unbuilt. The things we give to God, 
 buildings, &c., must always come second, 
 and have no value before Him until we 
 have given Him ourselves. The true wor- 
 shippers worship " in spirit and in 
 truth ; " but they properly accept all 
 the helps of buildings and services. 
 The key to the lesson may therefore be 
 the sentence of praise spoken by Paul 
 concerning the Macedonians (2 Cor. viii. 
 5). They " first gave their ownselves to 
 the Lord, and unto us by the will of 
 God." 
 
 We have then this to set forth and 
 illustrate, and we call it — 
 
 I. The true order. First the burnt 
 offering, then the Temple. First the 
 self-suitender, then the doing of duty. 
 First the worship of tlie soul, then the 
 work of the hands. The burnt offering 
 ■was designed to represent the entire 
 yielding of the worshipper to God. How 
 suitable such an act was for the newly- 
 restored people, just beginning their 
 national life ! They properly began 
 witli a very solemn consecration of the 
 
 whole nation to God by burnt offering. 
 Though we do not bring representative 
 sacrifices now, we follow the example of 
 these, earnest-hearted men. Tell of the 
 youth, going out into life from a country 
 town, not knowing what temptations 
 might befall him, and -solemnly conse- 
 crating himself to God, and using David's 
 resolve, " I will go in tlie strength of 
 the Lord God, I will make mention of 
 Thy righteousness, even of Thine only." 
 That was his offering of himself on the 
 altar of burnt offering, and the right and 
 noble beginning for his life. Tliat youth 
 lived to work at building in the world 
 the great Temple of God. But in the 
 second part of the lesson we have another 
 event introduced — layingthe foundations 
 of the second Temple, and this brings 
 before us — 
 
 II. The mingled feelings. In the 
 worship all feelings were absorbed in 
 solemn joy ; but when the foundations 
 were laid, such memories blended with 
 hope, that tears fell plentifully, and the 
 wail of sorrow almost drowned the shout 
 of triumph. Laying foundations of a 
 new temple or church is the occasion for 
 joy ; show how we decorate with flags, 
 &c., and have music and song. And yet 
 noif-a-days, when a new church replaces 
 an old one, we cannot wonder that very 
 touching memories should crowd round 
 the elder peojile, making them sorrow 
 in the very midst of other joys. So it 
 is through our life, songs and tears are 
 blended. Joys and sorrows go hand in 
 hand continually. And so it must be 
 in a sin-stricken world until " God Him- 
 self shall wipe all tears from our eyes." 
 Impress the duty which surely comes to 
 all who give themselves to the Lord " a 
 living sacrifice." They have work to do 
 for God in the world, and whatever forms 
 that work may take, it is really a part 
 of the work of building a great temple 
 in the earth for the glory of God ; a 
 crreat spiritual teni[ile that needs all sorts 
 of workers and work ; and, when one 
 day complete, will win from the universe 
 
 51 
 
nOMILETlC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 triumphant songs, with which shall -blend dwell among them." God's temple among 
 no sorrow and no tears. "The Temple men ive must help to build. — R. Tuck, 
 
 of God shall be with men, and He shall B.A. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Critical and Explanatory Kotes.] In this chapter we have — (i.) The proposal of the 
 Samaritans to unite with the Jews in building the Temple, and its rejection (vers. 1-3). 
 (ii.) The opposition of the Samaritans because of the rejection of their proposal (vers. 4, 5). 
 (iii.) The letters of the Samaritans to King Artaxerxes against the Jews, one of which is liere 
 given (vers. 6-16). (iv.) The reply of Artaxerxes to their letter (vers. 17-22). (v.) The 
 stoppage of the building of the Temple (vers. 23, 24). 
 
 Ver. 1. The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin] These "adversaries " speak of themselves 
 in the second verse as having been brought up hither by Esarhaddon king of Assur. They 
 are the peoples spoken of in 2 Kings xvii. 24 : "And the king of Assyria brought men from 
 Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and 
 placed tiiem in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel ; and they possessed 
 Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." They described themselvess in vers. 9, 10, as "tlie 
 Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, 
 the Elamites, and the rest of the nations," &c. They "were called Samaritans after the 
 central point of their settlement." They were a very mixed people, including some Israelites, 
 but chiefly composed of heathens. 
 
 Ver. 2. For we seek your God, as ye do ; and we do sacrifice unto Him] They did worship 
 Jehovah, but not as the faithful Jews did. They worshipped Him not as the only living and 
 true God, but as one amongst others, according to the statement in 2 Kings xvii. 29-33. 
 
 Ver. 3. Ye have nothing to do with us to build] &c. "The question was not," as Keil 
 observes, "whether they would permit Israelites who earnestly sought Jahve to participate in 
 His worship at Jerusalem — a permission which they certainly would have refused to none who 
 sincerely desired to turn to the Lord God — but whether they would acknowledge a mixed 
 population of Gentiles and Israelites, whose worship was more heathen than Israelite, and who 
 nevertheless claimed on its account to belong to the people of God. To such, the ruler.s of 
 Judah could not, without unfaithfulness to the Lord their God, permit a participation in ilie 
 building of the Lord's house." But we ourselves together] = "we as a compact unity, 
 excluding others. " — 8chultz. 
 
 Ver. 4. The people of the land] i.e. " the adversaries," of ver. 1. Weakened the hands] 
 &c. Hindered them by diminishing their courage and strength for the work. 
 
 Ver. 5. And hired counsellors against them, to frustate their purpose] Whether by " hired 
 counsellors" we are to understand ministers of state whom the Samaritans bribed, or legal 
 agents whom they employed to bring about a stoppage of the work, is uncertain. All the days 
 of Cyrus king of Persia] &c. " The machinations against tlie building, begun immediately 
 after the laying of its foundations, in the" second year of tlie return, liad the effect, in the 
 beginning of the third year of Cyrus (judging from Dan. x. 2), of putting a stop to the work 
 till the reign of Darius, — in all, fourteen years, viz., five years of Cyrus, seven and a half of. 
 Cambyses, seven months of the Pseudo-Smerdis, and one year of Darius (till the second years of 
 his reign)." — Keil, 
 
 Vers. 6 and 7. Ahasuerus. . , . Artaxerxes. Heb. Ahashverosh. . . . ArtachshasJda] Dr. 
 Cotton, Bishop of Calcutta, says that Ahasuerus "must be Cambyses," the successor of Cyrus, 
 and Artaxerxes "must be the Pseudo-Smerdis" (Bibl. Diet.). So also Rawlinson, et al. But 
 Keil, Schultz, et al., hold that by Ahasuerus we must understand Xerxes, and by Artaxerxes 
 "really Artaxerxes" Longimanus. The question is argued by them at considerable length in 
 their observations in loco. Bishop Hervey takes the same view, and states it thus : " Ezra, iv, 
 6-23 is a parenthetic addition by a much later hand, and, as the passage most clearly shows, 
 made in the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus. The compiler who inserted chap, ii., a docu- 
 ment drawn up in the reign of Artaxerxes, to illustrate the return of the captives under Zerub- 
 babel, here inserts a notice of two historical facts — of which one occurred in the reign of 
 Xerxes, and the other in the reign of Artaxerxes — to illustrate the opposition ofi'ered by tlie 
 heathen to the rebuilding of the Temple in the reign of Cyrus and Cambyses. He tells us that 
 in the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, i.e. before Esther was in favour, they had written to 
 the king to prejudice him against the Jews — a circumstance, by the way, which maj* rather have 
 inclined him to listen to Haman's proposition ; and he gives the text of letters sent to Arta- 
 xerxes, and of Artaxerxes' answer, on the strength of which Eehum and Shimshai forcibly 
 hindered the Jews from rebuilding the city. These letters doubtless came into Ezra's hands at 
 Babylon, and may have led to those endeavours on his part to make the king favourable to 
 Jerusalem which issued in his own commission in the seventh year of his reign. At ver. 24 
 52 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMEXTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Haggai's narrative proceeds in connection with ver. 5." Fuerst also liolds tiiat Aliasuerus was 
 Xerxes, but on Artaxerxes he says that the name was "borne by Pseudo-Smerdis and Arta- 
 xerxes Longimanus." But if Ahasiierus was Xerxes, tiie Artaxerxes of the text must have been 
 Artaxerxes Longimanus. Matthew Henry propounds another view, viz., that Ahasuerus (ver, 
 6) was also called Artaxerxes (ver. 7), and is identical with Cambyses. Tlie view of Rawlinson 
 is perhaps correct, that the theory that Ahasuerus is Cambyses and Artaxerxes the Pseudo- 
 Smerdis "presents fewer difficulties than any other." But, notwithstanding difficulties, the 
 other theory seems to us to be the true one. It is beyond our province to enter further into the 
 question. 
 
 Ver. 7. Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel] "These names certainly indicate Samaritans who, 
 without being Persian officials, enjoyed, just as Sanballat subsequently, a certain degree of 
 consequence."— i'cAwZte. And the rest of their companions] Margin: " Heb. societies.'" 
 Fuerst : "Associates, colleagues." The writing of the letter was written in tjie Syrian tongue] 
 It was written in Syriac or Aramaic characters. And interpreted in the Syrian tongue] It 
 was in the Syriac or Aramaic language. Both the characters and the language were Aramaic. 
 The Samaritans "spoke a language more nearly akin to Hebrew than to" Aramaic ; and what 
 tliey had thought in their own language they translated into Aramaic, and wrote in Aramaic 
 characters. 
 
 V^er. 8. Rehum the chancellor] Heb. Dyjp'^ya. Fuerst: "Properly, lord of the (royal) 
 <iecree, i.e. either stadtholder, and so the parallel is nPIp (comp. Ezia v. 3, vi. 6, or, accord- 
 ing to Ezra Apocr. ii. 25 ; Jos. (Arch. xi. 2), and Kimchi, &e.) = "1^3?'? "^?0 chancellor ; but 
 the former is more probable." It is probably the title of the Persian governor of the Samaritan 
 province. Shimshai the scribe] Margin: ^^ Or, secretary." Fuerst: " Royal scribe." 
 
 Ver. 9. The Dinaites] were probably, as suggested by Ewald, people from the Median city 
 Deiiiaver. Rawlinsou sugsrests that they were the people of Dayan, a country bordering on 
 Cilicia. The Apharsathchites] were probably the same as the Apharsachites" (chap. v. 6), and 
 were perhaps identical with the Parastacse, or Paraetaceni, a tribe of mountaineens living on the 
 borders of Media and Persia. The Tarpelites]: "The territory Tarpel has been supposed to 
 be found in (TciTroupot) of Ptolemy, east of Elam, with which it is mentioned ; more correctly, 
 perhaps, the territory Tarpel is at the Mseotic swamp, whose inhabitants TapTrijres are men- 
 tioned in Strabo (i. p. 757). In no case can it be the Phoenician Tripolis." — Fuerst. The . 
 Apharsites] are by some regarded as Persians, by others as the Parhasii, in eastern Media. The 
 Aichevites] were people from the city Erech, now Warka. The Susanchites], or Susanites, were 
 from thfe city of Susa. The Dehavites] were the Dai or Dahi, mentioned by Herodotus (i. 125) 
 among the nomadic tribes of Persia. The Elamites] were the original inhabitants of the 
 country called Elam. 
 
 Ver. 10. The great and noble Asnapper] seems to have been a distinguished officer in the 
 service of Esarhaddon (ver. 2), and employed by him to conduct the colonists to Samaria and 
 arrange their settlement there. And at such a time.] Chaldee n3J^3-1 = " and so now, Ezra 
 iv. 10, vii. 12, i.e. and so forth, et cetera." — Fuerst. ' ' ' 
 
 Ver. 12. And have set up the walls] &c. Keil would translate : "And are setting up its 
 walls and digging its foundations." "Repairing" (Fuerst) "its foundations" would perhaps be 
 better. 
 
 Ver. 13. Toll] Rather tax or tribute ; the money payment required from every one. 
 Tribute] "A tax on articles consumed, excise. — Fuerst. Custom] "A road tax, a toll." 
 Ibid. Thou shalt endamage the revenue] The meaning of the word rendered "revenue" 
 in the text, and "strength" in the margin, is entirely uncertain. Keil, Rawlinson, and others 
 say that DhDX depends upon the Pehlevi word QITIKi and signifies "at last." "And so at last 
 thou shalt endamage the kings." Fuerst, however, says that this "gives no suitable sense." 
 But it seems to us, as Schultz observes, tiiat "the meaning of 'finally,' 'at last,' is entirely 
 appropriate." 
 
 Ver. 14. We have maintenance from the king's palace] Margin: "We are salted with 
 the salt of the palace." The Heb. is, " We salt the salt of the palace ; " i.e. we eat the salt of 
 the palace ; a figurative expression, signifying to be in the king's service and to obtain 
 subsistence from him, and implying the obligation to look after his interests. The king's 
 dishonour] Keil: "The damage of the king" ni"!y deprivation, emptying, here injury to 
 the royal power or revenue," 
 
 Ver. 15. The book of the records of thy fathers.] It is called in Esth, vi, 1, " the book of 
 the records of the clironieles." Thy fathers] are the predecessors of the king on the throne, 
 and the term applies not only to the Medo-Persiau but also to the Chaldean sovereigns. Of 
 old time] Heb. : "From the days of eternity," i.e. from time immemorial. For which cause 
 was this city destroyed] — by Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Ver. 16. No portion on this side the river] The statement amounts to this, that the 
 returned Jews, if allowed to rebuild and fortify Jerusalem, would seizi all the country west of 
 the Euphrates, and so the king would lose that part of* his dominions. A very absurd 
 exaggeration. 
 
 Ver. 17. And at such a time] Rather, " And so forth." (See on ver. 10.) 
 
 53 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Ver. 18. Kead before me] Persian monarchs were not accustomed to read letters or records 
 themselves, but to have them read to them by others (comp. Esth. vi. 1). 
 
 Ver. 20. There have been mighty kings] &c. This is most applicable to David and Solomon, 
 and in a smaller degree to Uzziah, Jotham, and Josiah. Kuled over all beyond the river] i.e. 
 over all the region west of the Euphrates. 
 
 Ver. 23. Ey force and power] Or, as in the margin, "By arm and power." They com- 
 pelled the Jews to desist from building. 
 
 Ver. 24. According to Keil, Schultz, et al., the historian in this verse takes up the thread of 
 the narrative which he dropped at the close of verse 5, in order that, by inserting the episodical 
 section (vers. 6-23), he might give in this place "a short and comprehensive view of all the 
 hostile acts against the Jewish community on the part of the Samaritans and surrounding 
 nations." In their view this verse refers to the opposition which was commenced in the reign 
 of Cyrus, while verses 6-23 narrate subsequent hostilities. But according to the view of Bishop 
 Cotton, that Ahasuerus (ver. 6) must be Cambyses and Artaxerxes (ver. 7) the Pseudo-Smerdis, 
 and that this chapter is one continuous narrative, the enforced suspension of the work lasted 
 for about two vears. 
 
 The Proposal of the Samaritans to the Jews. 
 (Verses 1-3.) 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The proposal made by the Sama- 
 ritans. " Now when the adversaries 
 of Judah and Benjamin heard that the 
 children of the captivity builded the 
 Temple unto the Lord God of Israel ; 
 then they came to Zerubbabel," &c. 
 (vers. 1, 2). This proposal was — 
 
 1. Plausible in its form. Tliey pro- 
 posed — (1) To render heljy in a great 
 and good work. " They said, Let us 
 build with you." They do not ask for 
 anything for themselves, except per- 
 mission to co-operate in building " the 
 Temple unto the Lord God of Israel ; " 
 but they offer something to the Jews, 
 even their assistance in their great under- 
 taking, (2.) To render help in this work 
 for an excellent reason. " For we seek 
 your God as ye do, and we do sacrifice 
 unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon 
 king of Assur, which brought us up 
 hither." They urge that they were 
 worshippers of Jehovah even as the 
 Jews were ; that they were interested 
 in the promotion of His honour ; and 
 that it would therefore be appropriate 
 for them to unite in building a temple 
 unto Him. Moreover, the returned 
 Jews being neither a strong nor a 
 wealthy people, and having much to 
 occupy their time and energies, would 
 naturally be prepared to welcome any 
 suitable offers of assistance. Tempta- 
 tion is always plausible in its presenta- 
 tion^ to the tempted, {a). But this pro- 
 posal was — 
 64 
 
 2. Evil in itself. Fair and plausible 
 in appearance, it was false and perilous 
 in reality. The evil of their proposal 
 will appear if we consider that — (1.) 
 They were not Israelites. They were 
 brought into Samaria by Esarhaddon 
 king of Assur. "And the king of 
 Assyria brought men -from Babylon, 
 and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and 
 from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim," 
 &c. (2 Kings xvii. 24). They were 
 " Dinaites, Apharsathchites, Tarpelites, 
 Apharsites, Archevites, Babylonians, 
 Susanchites, Dehavites, and Elamites " 
 {ver. 9). If it be allowed that these 
 peoples had become mixed by marriage 
 with the remnant of the Israelites who 
 remained in the land at the captivity, 
 still the heathen elements and usages 
 and influences were predominant amongst 
 them. They were not Israelites either 
 by descent or by sympathy. (2.) They 
 did not worship Jehovah as the true 
 God. When they were first planted in 
 Samaria they were ignorant of the wor- 
 ship of Jehovah ; and after they had 
 been instructed in it, they adopted it 
 not as exclusive of the wor.ship of other 
 gods but in common with such worship. 
 "They feared the Lord, and served 
 their own gods," (fee. " These nations 
 feared the Lord, and served their 
 graven images," <fec. (2 Kings xviii. 24- 
 41). To have received such a peojile 
 into community and co-operation with 
 the true people of God would have been 
 an act of utter unfaithfulness and dis- 
 
no MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 loyalty to Him. (3.) Their design in 
 making this proposal was an unworthy 
 one. " The occasion of tliis request of 
 the Samaritans," says Schultz, " was 
 the correct recognition of the fact that 
 those who should have tlie Temple at 
 Jerusalem Avould be regarded as the 
 leading nation, whilst those who should 
 be excluded from this central point of 
 the worship of the land would appear as 
 less authorised, as intrusive ; they like- 
 wise no doubt expected, if they were 
 admitted to participation in the building 
 of the Temple, as well as to consultation 
 with reference to it, to gain thereby 
 influence in shaping the affairs of the 
 congregation in general. If in addition 
 to this they had also a religious interest 
 in the matter, it was only in order to 
 secure for themselves the favour of the 
 God of the land, whom they recognised 
 as Jehovah, and then therewith also the 
 same possessions and blessings in their 
 new home as the Jews designed for 
 themselves. We cannot regard them 
 as actuated by any higher and purer 
 motive ; for tbeir entire subsequent 
 behaviour, which makes them appear as 
 quite indifferent to religious afiairs, and 
 also that which we elsewhere learn of 
 their religion (2 Kings xvii. 24-41), is 
 opposed to that view." (4.) The accept- 
 ance of their proposal would have been 
 perilous to the Jews. Proneness to 
 associate with their heathen neighbours 
 and to adopt their idolatrous customs 
 had been painfully prevalent in the 
 Israelites previous to their captivity, 
 and had been the chief cause qf their 
 miseries. To have acceded to the pro- 
 posal of the Samaritans would have 
 been to have placed themselves in the 
 utmost danger of falling again into their 
 former sins with all their train of bitter 
 consequences. They were not strong 
 enough to overcome the heathen ele- 
 ments and influences which they must 
 have encountered in association with 
 the idolatrous Samaritans. In such 
 association there was grave peril to 
 their best interests. Separation from 
 the Samaritans was essential to the 
 spiritual safety of the Jews. (6). 
 
 II. The proposal rejected hy the 
 Jews. " But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, 
 
 and the rest of the chief of the fathers 
 of Israel, said unto them," &c. (ver. 3). 
 In this rejection there are several note- 
 worthy points — 
 
 1. An exclusive obligation in relation 
 to the work is asserted. " Ye have no- 
 thing to do with us to build an house 
 unto our God ; but we ourselves to- 
 gether will build unto the Lord God of 
 Israel." In such an undertaking the 
 Jews and the Samaritans had nothing 
 in common. The obligation to build 
 the Temple devolved upon the Jews, and 
 they alone would fulfil that obligation. 
 
 2. The alleged similarity of luorsJdp 
 is indirectly denied. The rulers of the 
 Jews in their reply to the Samaritans 
 speak of " our God " and of " the Lord 
 God of Israel," implying that He was 
 not the God of the Samaritans. The 
 returned exiles worshipped Jehovah as 
 the only living and -true God, while the 
 Samaritans worshipped Him simply as 
 a local deity, as one god amongst others. 
 In this sense, then. He was " the Lord 
 God of Israel," but not of the Samari- 
 tans, (c). 
 
 3. The command of King Cyrxis is 
 adduced in support of this rejection. 
 " As King Cyrus the king of Persia hath 
 commanded us." The authority of Cyrus 
 was binding upon both the Jews and the 
 Samaritans. The Jews had his commis- 
 sion to come to Jerusalem and build the 
 Temple ; but if it was a work which the 
 Samaritans could appropriately under- 
 take, he need not have encouraged or 
 even allowed the Jews to leave Babylon 
 to do it. Again, if it was a work which 
 might be done by others than Jews, why, 
 seeing that he was so much interested 
 in it, did he not undertake it himself ? 
 The mentioning of the authority of King 
 Cyrus by the Jewish leaders was cer- 
 tainly a prudent thing. *' Be ye wise 
 as serpents, and harmless as doves." 
 
 4. The rejection of the proposal ivas 
 U7ia7iim02is. " Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, 
 and the rest of the chief of the fathers 
 of Israel," i.e., all the heads of the 
 people, concurred in declining the co- 
 operation of the Samaritans. This una- 
 nimity i^ further indicated in the ex- 
 pression, "We ourselves together will 
 build," which Schultz correctly explains, 
 
 55 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 " we, as a compact unity, excluding 
 others." If tlie Cliurcli of Christ would 
 stand against and conquer its enemies, 
 it must present to them, a compact 
 opposition. (</). 
 
 5. The rejection of the proposal was 
 prompt and decided. There is neither 
 hesitation nor uncertainty in the reply 
 of the heads of the Jewish people to the 
 Samaritans. It is perilous to parley 
 ■with evil proposals. They should be 
 immediately and firmly repudiated, (e), 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) It was but a shallow device, and showed 
 a very inadequate conception of devilish art, 
 to represent Satan a hideous and repulsive 
 figure, with frightful marks to be recognised 
 by, with a beastly foot to certify his track, and 
 ail concentrated malignities on liis distorted 
 features. Why, men would run from such 
 ugliness by instinct ; and if this were the type 
 of evil, it could never come near enough to 
 tempt us. Our virtue would be safe against 
 a seducer that iuspiretl nothing liut disgust. 
 In the real Satan we must look lor a shrewder 
 cunning, a more subtle diplomac}% a more 
 politic disguise. Whatever he may have been 
 to the superstitious fears of ruder ages, to try 
 the temper of the nineteenth centurj'^ lie takes 
 on tlie address of a courtier, the self-possession 
 of a man of the world, the royal dignity of a 
 prince, the beauty of a seraph, and the man- 
 ners of a gentleman. If you meet him now — ■ 
 and meet him you certainly will to-morrow 
 and to-day — he will be transformed into an 
 angel of light. — F. D. Huntington, D.D. 
 
 [h) Let not any so much presume upon 
 their own strength as to imagine that they 
 can retain their sineerit)', though they keep 
 wicked company, and rather convert them to 
 good than be perverted by tliem to evil, see- 
 ing this is a matter of great difficulty. "To 
 be good among the good," says Bernard, "has 
 in it health and safety ; among the wicked to 
 be so, is also commendable and praiseworthy: 
 in that, happiness is joined with much security; 
 in this, much virtu« with difficulty." For as 
 he wlio is running down the hill can sooner 
 pull with him one that is ascending, thrin he 
 who is going up can cause him to ascend that 
 is running down ; so he who holds a headlong 
 course in wickedness can more easily carry 
 with him one that is ascending the hill of 
 virtue, being a motion contrary to natural 
 disposition, than he can cause him to ascend 
 with him. For in common experience we 
 see that the worser state prevails more in 
 altering the better to its condition, than the 
 better to make the worse like itself. The in- 
 fected are not so soon cured by the sound, as 
 they are tainted with their contagion. Rotten 
 apples Iving witli the sound are not restored 
 56 
 
 to soundness, but the sound are corrupted 
 with their rottenness. Dead carcasses united 
 to living bodies are not thereby revived, un- 
 less it be by miracle, as we see in Elijah and 
 Peter ; but the living, if they continue any 
 time united to the dead, partake with them 
 in their mortality and corruption. And thus 
 it is in our spiritual state, wherein the worse 
 more prevails to corrupt the better, than the 
 better to reform the worse. — L'owjiame. 
 
 {c) Prone before, on every occasion, to 
 adopt the idolatrous practices of the adjacent 
 nations, the Jews now secluded themselves 
 from the rest of the world in proud assurance 
 of their own religious superiority. The law, 
 which of old was perpetually violated, or almost 
 forgotten, was now enforced, by general con- 
 senttoitsextreme point, oreven beyond it. Ad- 
 versity endeared that, of which in prosperity, 
 they liad not perceived the value. Prone, the 
 mass of them, all but the wiser and more en- 
 liglitened wlio worsliipped Jehovah, to wor- 
 ship Him but as a national God, greater and 
 mightier than the gods of other nations (a 
 conception in itself polytheistic), they tlirew 
 aside this lower kind of pride, to assume that 
 of the sole people of the one true God. Their 
 city, their native soil, their religion, became 
 the objects of the most passionate attachment. 
 Intermarriages with foreigners, neither for- 
 bidden by statute nor by former practice, were 
 strictly inhibited. The observance of the Sab- 
 bath, and even of the sabbatical year, was 
 enforced witli rigour of which we have no 
 precedent in the earlier annals, even to the 
 neglect of defence in time of war. In 
 short, from this period commences that un- 
 social spirit, that hatred towards mankind 
 and want of humanity to all but their own 
 kindred, with which, notwithstanding the 
 extent to which they carried proselytism to 
 their religion, the Jews are branded l)y all 
 the Roman writers. The best of these writers 
 could not but be unconsciously or involun- 
 tarily impressed by the majesty of this sub- 
 lime monotheism, but their pride resented 
 the assumption of religious superiority by 
 this small peojile ; and the stern self-isolation 
 of the Jews from all religious communion 
 with the rest of mankind was beheld only in 
 its seemingly proud and lonely obstinacy — in 
 its refusal to contaminate itself with what it 
 openly declared to be the unholy and un- 
 righteous and foolish usages of the world. — ■ 
 JI. II. Milman, D.D. 
 
 [d) Union is power. The most attenuated 
 thread, wlien sufficiently multiplied, will form 
 the strongest cable. A single drop of water 
 is a weak and powerless thing; but an infinite 
 number of drops, united by the force of at- 
 traction, will form a stream ; and many 
 streams combined will form a river ; till 
 rivers pour their waters into the mighty 
 ocean, whose ]>roud waves, defying the power 
 of man, none can stay but He who formed 
 them. And thus forces which, acting singly, 
 
UOMILETW COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 are ntterly impotent, are, wlien acting in com- 
 biiialioii, resistless in their energies, migiity 
 in power. And when tliis great union of the 
 several powers of the Church sliall be brought 
 to bear unitedly on one point, its triumph 
 will be the subjection of a world to Clirist 
 which now defies the solitary efforts of single 
 forces. — //. G. Salter. 
 
 (e) Decision of character and promptitude 
 of action, qualities so important on board 
 ship in a storm, in the manoeuvring of troops 
 in battle, are indispensable to the Christian 
 
 life, both to our getting through the "strait 
 gate," and our getting on in the "narrow 
 way." How often, for example, does it hap- 
 pen that to hesitate even for one moment 
 between resisting and yielding to temptation 
 is to fall ! The battle is lost in that moment 
 of vacillation. In such cases, our safety lies 
 in coming to an immediate decision ; in 
 promptly resolving to dally with the tempter 
 not an. instant, to flee if we can, and if we 
 cannot flee to fi',''ht — so resisting tlie devil 
 that if we cannot flee from iiim, he shall flee 
 from us, and leave us. — Thomas Guthrie, D.D. 
 
 The Proposals of the Wicked and how to Treat Them. 
 
 ( Verses 
 
 "The children of the captivity" who 
 had returned to their own land were 
 true Israelites, both in their origin and 
 in their sympathies ; the Samaritans 
 were heathens of various rafces, or at 
 best only heathens mingled with Israel- 
 ites. The Jews were decided mono- 
 theists ; the Samaritans were confirmed 
 polytheists, and are here correctly de- 
 scribed as " the adversaries of " the 
 Jews. For these reasons we may fairly 
 regard the Jews as representing the true 
 and good, and the Samaritans the false 
 and evil. Viewed in this resjiect, the 
 text suggests — 
 
 I. That the wicked often propose 
 to enter into alliance with the good. 
 " Now when the adversaries of Judah 
 and Benjamin heard that the children of 
 the captivity builded the Temple unto 
 the Lord God of Israel ; then they came 
 to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the 
 fathers, and said unto them, Let us 
 build with you." For selfish reasons 
 these idolaters propose to co-operate with 
 the Jews in building the Temple of the 
 true and only God. In like manner 
 worldly and wicked men often seek to 
 form alliances with the religious and the 
 godly. These alliances are of different 
 kinds, e.g. — 
 
 1. Commercial. Partnerships in busi- 
 ness, &c. 
 
 2. Social. Reception into their society, 
 or personal friendship. 
 
 3. Matrimonial. From various selfish 
 motives the non-religious man may seek 
 a religious woman for his wife ; or the 
 worldly woman a godly man. 
 
 4. And even, as in this case, Religious. 
 
 1-3.) 
 
 Persons who have no real godliness, 
 actuated by unworthy motives, some- 
 times seek to co-operate in religious 
 enterprises. 
 
 II. That the proposals of the wicked 
 for alliance with the good are often 
 supported by plausible reasons. " For 
 we seek your God, as ye do ; and we 
 do sacrifice imto Him," &c. How 
 plausible ! And men argue with equal 
 plausibility for the formation of alliances 
 between the worldly and the godly in 
 our own day. Take the alliances men- 
 tioned above, and see how men argue 
 for them. 
 
 1. Commercial. It is argued that 
 religious principles have nothing to do 
 with business transactions. 
 
 2. Social. That the advantage and 
 enjoyment of social intercourse is inde- 
 pendent of the question of personal 
 piety. 
 
 3. Jfatrimojiial. Tliat the ungodly 
 partner will soon be won over to the 
 iDeliefs and practices of the godly one ; 
 or, at the very least, will derive much 
 moral benefit. 
 
 4. Eel iff ions. That there is very little 
 difference between the two parties ; as, 
 in the argument of the Samaritans. Such 
 proposals must needs be plausibly sup-, 
 ported, or they would not have even the 
 remotest chance of acceptance, (a). 
 
 III. That the alliances proposed by 
 the wicked are always perilous to the 
 good. The Samaritans were " the ad- 
 versaries of the " Jews, and their pro- 
 posal was a dangerous one to the Jews. 
 And the alliances we have spoken of 
 i^lace the best interests of the godly in 
 
 57 
 
HO M I LET I C COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 jeopardy. In such business partnerships 
 the good man's high standard of morality 
 and business principle is in sore danger 
 of a sad reduction. In social and mat- 
 rimonial relationships of this mixed 
 moral character there is great danger 
 that the delicate bloom of piety will be 
 Boon swept away, that zeal for truth 
 and for God will grow cold, that habits 
 of devotion will gradually fail, and thus 
 the very life of the soul will be gravely 
 imperilled. And if the wicked be ad- 
 mitted into religious alliances and enter- 
 prises, such enterprises will run immi- 
 nent risk of being first degraded and then 
 defeated. (6). 
 
 IV. That the proposals of the 
 wicked for alliance with the good 
 should always be firmly rejected. The 
 leaders of the Jews are an example to 
 us in this respect. " Zerubbabel and 
 Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the 
 fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye 
 have nothing to do with us to build an 
 house unto our God," &c. When the 
 difference of character is essential and 
 radical, there should be no hesitation as 
 to the treatment of such proposals. 
 Occasional association between the un- 
 mistakably good and the unmistakably 
 •wicked is sometimes justifiable and 
 necessary ; as in business transactions 
 and in the efforts of the good to benefit 
 the wicked. " I pray not," said Christ, 
 "that Thou shouldest take them out 
 of the world, but that Thou shouldest 
 keep them from the evil." (c). But the 
 first suggestion of intimate association 
 or close alliance between them, however 
 plausibly presented and enforced, should 
 be at once and decisively checked by 
 the good. " Can two walk together, 
 except they be agreed 1 " " Be ye not 
 unequally yoked together with unbe- 
 lievers ; for what fellowship hath righte- 
 busness with unrighteousness 1 " (kc. 
 (2 Cor. vi. 14-18). Resist temptation 
 promptly and firmly, (cl). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Satan never plays a bold game. He 
 wins by not showing his worst at first, by con- 
 cealing his tricks, transformed into an angel 
 of light. It takes a great deal of effort to put 
 us thoroughly on our guard against his wiles ; 
 but when it is done, it is worth the paius. 
 
 58 
 
 Tempting men imitate their great leader and 
 prototype. They never go directly and openly 
 to their object. If they would bend you from 
 your integrity, they will flatter your self-respect 
 by holding out to you a moral inducement. If 
 they would corrupt your purity, they insinu- 
 ate the poison through some appeal to your 
 better affections. If they would weaken the 
 holy restraints that gird in, with their blessed 
 zone, the innocence of childhood, they will 
 urge some sly argument to an honourable 
 pride, or else to a friendly sympathy, or else to 
 a praiseworthy love of independence ; and the 
 first battery that has been plied against many 
 a boy's virtue has been the cunning caution 
 that bade him not be afraid of his elders. 
 They may say, as Milton makes the Archfiend 
 say, sitting like a cormorant on a tree that 
 overlooked the sinless Eden and the yet inno- 
 cent inmates, deceiving even his own black 
 heart — 
 
 " Should I at your harmless innocence 
 Melt, as I. do, yet public reason just, 
 Honour and empire, with revenge enlarged 
 By conquering this nfew world, compels me 
 
 now 
 To do what else, though damned, I should 
 
 abhor." 
 
 Theologians can cover their sectarian mis- 
 representations with the plea of " zeal for the 
 cause," and controversialists baptize their 
 bipotry with language of Holy Writ wrested 
 from its meaning. 
 
 " The devil can cite Scripture for his pur- 
 pose . . . 
 Oh what a goodly outside falsehood hath ! '' 
 
 Says the Apostle Paul, " If Satan himself is 
 transformed into an angel of light, it is no great 
 thing if his ministers also be transformed as 
 the ministers of righteousness ; whose end 
 shall be according to their works." — F. D. 
 Huntin<jton, D.D. 
 
 (&) Man, being a sociable creature, is mightily 
 encouraged to do as others do, especially in an 
 evil example; for we are more susceptible of 
 evil than we are of good. Sickness is sooner 
 communicated than health ; we easily catch a 
 disease of one another, but those that are sound 
 do not communicate health to the diseased. 
 Or rather, to take God's own expression that 
 sets it forth thus, — by touching the unclean 
 the man became unclean under the law, but 
 by touching the clean the man was not puri- 
 fied. The conversation of the wicked has 
 more power to corrupt the good, than the con- 
 versation of the virtuous and holy to correct 
 the lewd. — Manton. 
 
 (c) All company with unbelievers or mis- 
 believers is not condemned. We find a Lot 
 in Sodom, Israel with the Egyptians, Abra- 
 ham and Isaac with their Abimelechs ; roses 
 among thorns, and pearls in mud ; and Jesus 
 Christ among publicans and sinners. So 
 neither we be infected, nor the name of the 
 Lord wronged, to converse with them that we 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 may convert them is a holy course. But still 
 we must be among them as strangers : to pass 
 through an infected place is one thing, to dwell 
 in it another. The earth is the Lord's, and 
 men are His ; wheresoever God shall find the 
 merchant, let him be sure to find God iu every 
 place. — Thomas Adams. 
 
 (d) Keep the devil at arm's length, and 
 fight him at a distance. Suffer him, in easy 
 security, to draw near, and resistance is over ; 
 the citadel of your soul is won. Nine-tenths 
 of the gross, degrading, damning sins into 
 which people are betrayed, are committed 
 without premeditation, nay, with a clear pur- 
 pose against them ; but a man or a woman 
 has toyfd with temptation — just thus far I can 
 venture, and stop short of foul and fatal sin. 
 
 And then, as the poor bird when he sees the 
 bait in the trap, Satan knows he has you fast ; 
 he knows that those encroachments are never 
 staid. The art of godly living in its eailier 
 stages is an art of wise defences, a constant, 
 earnest vigilance at the outworks of the sj)irit, 
 that they may never be stormed or sapped by 
 the foe. Gradually, as a man grows in grace 
 and godliness, the outer defence may be aban- 
 doned. ■ Paul, the aged, could look steadily 
 iu the face many a peril which Paul the neo- 
 phyte would have wisely shunned. But let the 
 young pilgrim of life bewarp, and if he feels 
 himself in an atmosphere of temptation, let 
 him raise bulwarks of habits and self-denials 
 by which the pestilent foe may be kept as far 
 as may be from the near neighbourhood of the 
 soul. — /. B. Brown, B.A. 
 
 The True Builders of the Spiritual Temple of God. 
 
 (Verse 3.) 
 
 The chiefs of the Jewish community 
 here affirm that the building of the 
 Temple at Jerusalem was their work, 
 that the Samaritans had no proper part 
 in it ; and that, therefore, they would 
 do the work themselves, without the 
 proffered aid of the Samaritans. Tiiis 
 position, which they took up and main- 
 tained, suggests that the true sjnritual 
 Israelites are the only authorised and 
 legitimate builders of the spiritual Temple 
 of God, or that Christian ivork should 
 be done only by Christians. This posi- 
 tion may be supported by the following 
 reasons : — 
 
 I. They alone will build on the 
 true foundation. "Behold I lay in 
 Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried 
 stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure 
 foundation : he that believeth shall not 
 make haste." "Other foundation can 
 no man lay than that is laid, which is 
 Jesus Christ." He is the only founda- 
 tion of a true character ; the only corner- 
 stone of a true church. Neither theolo- 
 gical creeds or systems, nor ecclesiastical 
 politics, nor even divinely instituted 
 sacraments, nor schemes of social im- 
 provement, nor the unreliable excel- 
 lences and fancied merits of individuals 
 — none of these, nor all of them com- 
 bined, can be the true foundation of the 
 spiritual Temple of God. Christ is the 
 only true and sure foundation. And 
 the true Christian, who is both a stone 
 in the edifice and also a builder of the 
 
 edifice, is himself built upon Christ and 
 builds others upon Him. He who is not 
 himself a true Christian will suggest 
 some other foundation, &c. (a). 
 
 II. They alone will build with the 
 true materials. The spiritual temple 
 is to be built of living and Christly 
 souls. " Ye also as living stones are 
 built up a spiritual house, an holy 
 priesthood." The Christian Church 
 should be composed of Christian persons, 
 and only of them. The great spiritual 
 dwelling-place, of God must be con- 
 structed of spiritual persons. The car- 
 nally-minded, the worldly-minded, the 
 ungodly, have no true place in it. The 
 Christian builder will seek to build the 
 edifice of true materials ; he will " build 
 upon this foundation gold, silver, pre- 
 cious stones." Those who are not them- 
 selves true Christians would build of 
 " wood, hay, stubble ; " they would put 
 into the edifice unsuitable materials, 
 &c. {b). 
 
 III. They alone will build in ac- 
 cordance with the true plan. The 
 design of the Church is Divine. They 
 who labour in the erection of the spiri- 
 tual temple are not to carry out their 
 own ideas, but to fulfil the plan of God. 
 The Lord Jesus is the great Master 
 Builder : He also superintends the 
 work. The business of the workmen is 
 to carry oat His directions. Here are 
 some glimpses of the Divine design for 
 this temple. "In whom all the build- 
 
 59 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 ing fitly framed together groweth unto 
 an holy temple in the Lord." " A glori- 
 ous Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, 
 or any such thing ; but that it sliould 
 be holy and without blemish." Only 
 the members of the true spiritual Israel 
 will keep the Divine plan in view, and 
 faithfully build in accordance with it. 
 
 IV. They alone will build with the 
 true aim. What is the great end of 
 the spiritual temple which is being built 
 amongst men 1 The glory of God. For 
 this end the Jews rebuilt their Temple. 
 This is the end of the great redem2)tive 
 work of our Lord and Saviour, and of 
 the Holy Spirit, and of all Christian 
 agencies. " Ye are builded together for 
 an habitation of God through the Spirit." 
 " Ye are built up a spiritual house, an 
 holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual 
 sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
 Christ." " Behold the tabernacle of 
 God is with men, and He will dwell 
 with them, and they shall be His 
 people, and God Himself shall be with 
 them, and be their God." The final 
 cause of this spiritual temple is that 
 God shall be manifest in it everywhere, 
 realised everywhere, obeyed everywhere, 
 adored everywhere. Only the godly 
 will faithfully labour for this end. The 
 ungodly, like the Samaritans, will be 
 moved by political or other inferior con- 
 siderations, and will aim at some selfish 
 end. 
 
 V. They alone will build in the 
 true spirit. The true spirit for Chris- 
 tian work is that of — 
 
 1. Obedience, as opposed to self-will. 
 
 2. Humility, as opposed to haughti- 
 ness and self-conceit. 
 
 3. Patience in dealing with difficulties 
 and disappointments, as opposed to 
 petulance. 
 
 4. Trust in God, as opposed to self- 
 confidence. 
 
 5. Self -consecration, as opposed to self- 
 seeking. This is the true spirit for the 
 builders of the spiritual Temple of our 
 God ; and this spirit belongs only to 
 the true people of God. The first and 
 cliief condition of doing good to others 
 is being good ourselves. To accomplish 
 successful Christian work we must live 
 sincere Christian lives. And so our 
 
 60 
 
 subject brings us to the cross and to 
 the Saviour, to the atonement and the 
 example of the Lord Jesus. Fitness for 
 holy work begins by trusting in Him, 
 and is maintained by imitating Him. (c). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Christ is often called the foundation ; the 
 stone ; the corner-stone on which the Church 
 is reared (Isa. xxviii. 16 ; Matt. xxi. 42 ; Acts 
 iv. 11 ; Eph. ii. 20 ; 2 Tim. ii. 19 ; 1 Pet. ii. 6). 
 The meaning is, that no true church can be 
 reared which does not emhrace and hold the 
 true doctrines respecting Him — those which 
 pertain to His incarnation, His Divine nature, 
 His instructions, His example, His atonement. 
 His resurrection, and His ascension. The 
 reason why no true church can be established 
 without embracing the truth as it is in Christ, 
 is, tliat it is by Him only that men can be 
 saved ; and where this doctrine is wanting, all 
 is wanting that enters into the essential idea 
 of a church. The fundamental doctrines of 
 the Christian religion must be embraced, or a 
 church cannot exist ; and where those doctrines 
 are denied, no association of meu can be recog- 
 nised as a Cluireh of God. Nor can the foun- 
 dation be modihed or shaped so as to suit the 
 wishes of men. It must he laid as it is in the 
 Scriptures ; and the superstructure must be 
 reared on that alone. — Aihtrt Barnes, D.D. 
 
 {b) By going to the lowest stratum of human 
 nature, Christ gave a new idea of the value of 
 man. He built a kingdom out of the refuse 
 of society. To compare small things with great, 
 it has been pointed out by Lord Macaulay 
 that in an English cathedral there is an ex- 
 quisite stained window wliich Avas made by an 
 apju'entice out of the pieces of glass which had 
 been rejected by his master, and it was so far 
 superior to every other in the church, that, 
 according to tradition, the envious artist killed 
 himself "with vexation. All the builders of 
 society had rejected the "sinners," and made 
 the painted window of the "righteous." A 
 new Builder came ; His plan was original, 
 startling, revolutionary ; His eye was upon the 
 contemned material ; He made the first last, 
 and the last first ; and the stone which the 
 builders rejected He made the head stone of 
 the corner. — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (e) The true philosophy or method of doing 
 good is, first of all and principally, to be good 
 — to have a character that will of itself com- 
 municate good. There must and will be active 
 effort where there is goodness of princi])le ; but 
 the latter we should hold to be the principal 
 thing, the root and life of all. Whether it is 
 a mistake more sad or more ridiculous, to make 
 mere stir synonymous with doing good, we 
 need not inquire ; enough, to be sure that one 
 who has taken up such a notion of doing good 
 is for that reason a nuisance to the church. 
 The Christian is called a light, not lightning. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. IT. 
 
 In order to act ■with effect on others, he mu,-t 
 walk in the Spirit, and thus become the image 
 of goodness ; he must be so akin to God, and 
 so iilled with His dispositions, that he shall 
 seem to surround himself with a hallowed atmo- 
 sphere. It is folly to endeavour to make our- 
 selves shine before we are luminous. If the 
 sun without his beams should talk to the 
 planets, and argue with them till the final day, 
 it would not make them shine ; there must be 
 light in the sun itself, and then they will shine, 
 of course. And this, my brethren, is what 
 God intends for you all. It is the great idea 
 
 of His Gospel, and the work of His Spirit, to 
 make you lights in the world. His greatest 
 joy is to give you character, to beautify your 
 example, to exalt your principles, and make 
 you each the depositary of His own Almightj'- 
 grace. But in order to this, something is 
 necessarj' on your part — a full surrender of 
 your mind to duty and to God, and a perpetual 
 desire of His spiritual intimacy ; having this, 
 having a participation thus of the goodness of 
 God, you will as naturally communicate good as 
 the sun communicates his beams. — H. Bush- 
 nell, D.D. 
 
 The Hostility of the Samaritans to the Jews. 
 
 {Verses 4, 5, 
 
 The advances of the Samaritans having 
 been firmly declined by the Jews, they 
 resorted to opposition, and endeavoured 
 to thwart them in their great work. 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The tactics of the wicked. Hav- 
 ing failed to accomplish their selfish 
 purposes by the proposal to co-operate 
 in the work, " the people of the land " 
 at once proceeded to hinder the work. 
 If the Jews would not accept their prof- 
 fered assistance, they were resolved that 
 they should experience their hostility. 
 The Jews had said that they would do 
 the work alone, whereupon the Samari- 
 tans determined that they should not do 
 it at all. They " weakened the hands 
 of the people of Judah," " i.e., they dis- 
 couraged and intimidated them as re- 
 gards their great work. The wicked 
 are, alas ! fertile in resources for the 
 accomplishment of their evil designs. 
 Their methods are often manifold and 
 crafty. If they cannot bend the good 
 to their wishes and aims by plausible 
 pretences, they alter their tactics and 
 betake themselves to unscrupulous op- 
 position in various forms. 
 
 II. The venality of the wicked. The 
 Samaritans " hired counsellors against 
 them, to frustrate their purpose." M. 
 Henry suggests that these counsellors, 
 "pretending to advise them for the best, 
 should dissuade them from proceeding, 
 and so 'frustrate their purpose,' or dis- 
 suade the men of Tyre and Sidon from 
 furnishing them with the timber they 
 had bargained for (chap. iii. 7) ; or what- 
 ever business they had at the Persian 
 court, to solicit for any particular grants 
 
 and 24.) 
 
 or favours, pursuant to the general edict 
 for their liberty, there were those that 
 were hired and lay ready to appear of 
 counsel against them." Or, as Schultz 
 suggests, they were hired to get the 
 edict of Cyrus cancelled by influencing 
 " the ministers to whom chap. vii. 28 
 and viii. 25 refer, or other influential 
 persons, to give advice to Cyrus un- 
 favourable to the Jews, At court they 
 naturally did not understand how it 
 could be that those who were as much 
 the inhabitants of the land as the re- 
 turned exiles, and therefore seemed en- 
 titled to the God of the land, should be 
 excluded. If Cyrus had seen in Jehovah 
 his own supreme God, it must have been 
 all the more annoying to him that those 
 who apparently had the best intentions 
 of worsliipping Him should be rejected. 
 It would seem as if the reason why the 
 Jews opposed the union could only be 
 a national and political one, and the 
 suspicion was quite natural, that they 
 already designed to form not merely a 
 religious community, but also had na- 
 tional and political designs, that they 
 thus gave an entirely false interpretation 
 to the decree of Cyrus," But, however 
 these counsellors proceeded in their 
 work, it is reasonable to infer that they 
 were men of some skill and resource and 
 power of persuasion, and they deliber- 
 ately exercised their abilities in an evil 
 cause for gain. In them the voice of 
 conscience was overwhelmed by the 
 cravings of cupidity. In the twenty- 
 fourth chapter of Acts we have two 
 illustrations of this venality. The learn- 
 ing and eloquence of Tertullus, a Roman 
 
 61 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 barrister, were employed to promote the 
 «ause of tyranny, injustice, and false- 
 hood, and to persecute a true and holy 
 man. And Felix the governor refrains, 
 for the space of two years, from doing 
 what he is convinced is his duty in re- 
 leasing St. Paul from his imprisonment, 
 in the hope of receiving bribes to do so. 
 It is inexpressibly mournful to see men 
 prostituting their genius, or learning, or 
 wisdom, or eloquence, or power for 
 money. Yet how numerous are the 
 forms and instances of it in our own 
 day, e.g., men write fictions and songs 
 which minister to men's lower nature at 
 the expense of their higher nature, 
 ■&c. (a). 
 
 III. The temporary triumph of the 
 wicked. The Samaritans succeeded in 
 discouraging the Jews, harassing them 
 in their work, and finally putting a stop 
 to their work. They frustrated " their 
 purpose all the days of Cyrus king of 
 Persia, even until the reign of Darius 
 king of Persia. . . . Then ceased the 
 work of the house of God which is at 
 Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the 
 second year of Darius king of Persia." 
 For the space of fourteen years the 
 building of the Temple was arrested, 
 viz., for five years of the reign of Cyrus, 
 seven and a half of Cambyses, seven 
 months of the Pseudo-Smerdis, and one 
 year of Darius. The wicked have often 
 succeeded in hindering the progress of 
 the cause of God. St. Paul was hin- 
 dered by Satan, once and again, from 
 the execution of his purposes (1 Thess. 
 ii. 18). Persecution too has frequently 
 obstructed sadly the work of God, and 
 inflicted grievous trials and sufferings 
 vipon His people. 
 
 IV. The freedom allowed by God to 
 the wicked. He allowed the Samaritans 
 to resist His purposes, to persecute His 
 people, to arrest the building of His 
 Temple for fourteen years. And still 
 He allows the atheist to deny His exist- 
 ence, the blasphemer to blas[)heme His 
 name, and the wicked to "do evil with 
 both hands earnestly." He will not in- 
 vade the moral freedom with which He 
 Himself has dowered us. And " sen- 
 tence against an evil work is not speedily 
 executed." His forbearance, even with 
 
 62 
 
 the most pernicious and provoking sin- 
 ners, is very great. " The Lord is merci- 
 ful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
 plenteous in mercy." But let no one 
 presume upon the Divine patience. 
 " Thinkest thou, O man, that thou 
 shalt escape the judgment of God 1 Or 
 despisest thou the riches of His good- 
 ness and forbearance and long-suffer- 
 ing?" &c. (Rom. ii. 4-11). (6). And 
 in the end the Temple of God shall 
 be built, and His purposes fully and 
 splendidly accomplished. The triumph 
 of the wicked is only temporary. God 
 will frustrate their deepest designs, and 
 overrule them for the fulfilment of His 
 own. " Surely the wrath of man shall 
 praise Thee : the remainder of wrath 
 shalt Thou restrain." Let us learn, 
 before leaving this section of the nar- 
 rative, that the most dangerous enemies 
 of the Church of God are hypocritical 
 adherents to it. Half-hearted, incon- 
 sistent, ungodly professors of religion 
 are, in their influence, the worst obstruc- 
 tions to the progress of the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Gold is the only power which receives 
 universal homage. It is worshipped in all 
 lands without a single temple, and by all 
 classes without a single hypocrite ; and often 
 has it been able to boast of having armies for 
 its priesthood, and hecatombs of human victims 
 for its sacrifices. Where war has slain its 
 thousands, gain has slaughtered its millions ; 
 for while the former operates only with the 
 local and fitful terrors of an earthquake, the 
 destructive influence of the latter is universal 
 and unceasing. Indeed war itself — vv'hat has 
 it often been but the art of gain practised on 
 the largest scale ? the covetousness of a nation 
 resolved on gain, impatient of delay, and lead- 
 ing on its subjects to deeds of rapine and 
 blood ? Its history is the history of slavery 
 and oppression in all ages. For centuries, 
 Africa — one quarter of the globe — has been set 
 apart to supply the monster with victims — 
 thousands at a meal. And, at this moment, 
 what a populous and gigantic empire can it 
 boast ! the mine, with its unnatural di-udgery ; 
 the manufactory, with its swarms of squalid 
 misery ; the plantation, with its imbruted 
 gangs ; and the market and the exchange, 
 with their furrowed and careworn counte- 
 nances, — these are only specimens of its more 
 menial offices and subjects. Titles and honours 
 are among its rewards, and thrones are at its 
 disposal. Among its counsellors are kings, 
 and many of the great and mighty of the earth 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 are enrolled among its subjects. Where are the 
 waters not ploughed by its navies ? What 
 imperial element is not yoked to its oar? Philo- 
 sophy itself has become a mercenary in its pay ; 
 and science, a votary at its shrine, brings all 
 its noblest discoveries, as offerings, to its feet. 
 What part of the globe's surface is not rapidly 
 yielding up its last stores of hidden treasure to 
 the spirit of gain ? or retains more than a ievr 
 miles of unexplored and unvanquished terri- 
 tory? Scorning the childish dream of the 
 philosopher's stone, it aspires to turn the globe 
 itself into gold. — John Harris, D.D. 
 
 (b) The patience of God informs us of the 
 reason why He lets the enemies of His Church 
 oppress it, and defers His promise of the 
 deliverance of it. If He did punish them pre- 
 sently, His holiness and justice vi^ould be glori- 
 fied, but His power over Himself in His 
 patience would be obscured. Well may the 
 Church be content to have a perfection of God 
 glorified, that is not like to receive any honour 
 in another world by any exercise of itself. If 
 it were not for His patience, He were incapable 
 to be the Governor of a sinful world ; He 
 might, without it, be the Governor of an inno- 
 cent world, but not of a criminal one ; He 
 would be the destroyer of the world, but not 
 the orderer and disposer of the extravagancies 
 and sinfulness of the world. The interest of 
 His wisdom, in drawing good out of evil, would 
 not be served if He were not clothed with this 
 perfection as well as with others. If He did 
 presently destroy the enemies of His Church 
 upon the first oppression, His wisdom in con- 
 triving, and His power in accomplishing de- 
 liverance against the united powers of hell and 
 
 earth, would not be visible, no, nor that power 
 in preserving His people unconsumcd in the 
 furnace of affliction. He had not got so great 
 a name in the rescue of His Israel from 
 Pharaoh, had He thundered the tyrant into 
 destruction upon His' first edict against the 
 innocent. If He were not patient to the most 
 violent of men, He might seem to be cruel. 
 But when He offers peace to them under their 
 rebellions, waits that they may be members of 
 His Church, rather than enemies to it, He frees 
 Himself from any such imputation, even in the 
 judgment of those that shall feel most of His 
 wrath ; it is this renders the equity of His 
 justice unquestionable, and the deliverance of 
 His people righteous in the judgment of those 
 from whose fetters they are delivered. Christ 
 reigns in the midst "of His enemies, to show 
 His power over Himself as well as over the 
 heads of His enemies, to show His power over 
 His rebels. And though He retards His pro- 
 mise, and suffers a great interval of time be- 
 tween the publication and performance, some- 
 times years, sometimes ages to pass away, and 
 little appearance of any preparation to show 
 Himself a God of truth ; it is not that He hath 
 forgotten His word, or repents that ever He 
 passed it, or sleeps in a supine neglect of it : 
 but that men might not perish, but bethink 
 themselves, and come as friends into His 
 bosom, rather than be crushed as enemies 
 under His feet (2 Pet. iii. 9) : "The Lord is 
 not slack concerning His promise, but is long- 
 suffering to usward, not willing that any should 
 perish, but that all should come to repentance." 
 Hereby He shows that He would be rather 
 pleased with the conversion than the destruc- 
 tion of men. — S. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 The Antagonism of the World to the Church. 
 {Verses 6-16.) 
 
 In these verses we have a further 
 account of the hostility of the Sama- 
 ritans to the Jews in their great work. 
 Homiletically we may view it as an 
 illustration of The antagonism of the 
 world to the ChiLrch. This antagonism 
 a.3 it is here illustrated is — 
 
 L Persistent. The opposition to the 
 Jews was carried on during a consider- 
 able portion of the reign of Cyrus, the 
 whole of the reigns of Cambyses and of 
 the Pseudo-Smerdis ; and it was con- 
 tinued by means of letters of accusation 
 in the reigns of Ahasuerus (ver. 6) and 
 of Artaxerxes (ver. 7). Terrible is the 
 persistence of the world in its hostility 
 to the Church of God. In different 
 forms it is continued age after age ; and 
 at present we can discover no signs of 
 its cessation. The spirit of worldliness 
 
 is as hostile now to the spirit of decided 
 piety as ever it was. " Marvel not, my 
 brethren, if the world hate you." " If 
 the world hate you," said our Lord, "ye 
 know that it hated Me before it hated 
 you," &c. (John xv. 18-21). (a). 
 
 II. Authoritative. This letter was 
 written and sent to Artaxerxes by two 
 high officers of the Persian monarch. 
 It seems to have been devised by 
 Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their 
 associates, and to have been written by 
 Helium the Persian governor in Samaria, 
 and Shimshai the royal scribe in the 
 same province. The letter of accusa- 
 tion had all the weight which the 
 authority of these distinguished officers 
 could imjiart to it. The spirit of 
 secular governments has often been 
 inimical to the spirit of true godliness, 
 
 63 
 
CHAP. IT, 
 
 EOMILETIC COMl^IENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 and their action hostile to the principles 
 of truth and righteousness. " The 
 kings of the earth set themselves, and 
 the rulers take counsel together, against 
 the Lord and against His" Church. 
 
 III. Combined. All the colonies of the 
 Samaritans concurred in the statements 
 and in the sending of this letter. " Rehum 
 the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, 
 and; the rest of their companions : the 
 Dinaites," &c. (vers. 9, 10). "They 
 followed the cry, though ignorant of 
 the merits of the cause." The popu- 
 larity of a movement is no proof of its 
 truth or righteousness. Numbers are 
 not a reliable guarantee of the wisdom 
 and worthiness of a cause. Majorities 
 have very frequently been on the side 
 of falsehood, injustice, and folly. Mark 
 what a combination there was against 
 the Lord and Saviour. " Against Thy 
 holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast 
 anointed, both Herod and Pontius 
 Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the 
 people of Israel, were gathered to- 
 gether." There is combination in 
 hell. 
 
 " Devil with devil damned firm concord 
 holds." 
 
 IV. Unscrupulous. This is very mani- 
 fest in the gross exaggerations of this 
 letter. Notice two or three of them. 
 "Jerusalem . . . the rebellious and the 
 bad city." A most unjust description 
 of its character. " If this city be builded 
 and the walls set up, they will not pay 
 toll," &c. (ver. 13). An unwarranted and 
 slanderous assertion, for these Jews had 
 never given any cause why their loyalty 
 to the Persian monarchs should be sus- 
 pected, " If this city be builded, and 
 the walls thereof set up, by this means 
 thou shalt have no portion on this side 
 the river." An extremely absurd exag- 
 geration. One would suppose that the 
 authors of it must have known it to be 
 a gross misrepresentation. The chief 
 assertions of the letter were unscrupulous 
 and base calumnies. The enemies of 
 the Church of God have ' never been 
 particular as to the weapons they should 
 use against it. Falsehood and cruelty, 
 fines and imprisonment, bonds and 
 banishment, fire and sword, have all 
 been employed against it. 
 
 64 
 
 V. Plausible. This letter to Arta- 
 xerxes reveals the craft and plausibility 
 of the Samaritans — 
 
 1. In their pj'ofession of loyalty to the 
 Tcing. "Thy servants" (ver, 11) , , . 
 " Now because we have maintenance 
 from the king's palace, and it was not 
 meet for us to see the king's dishonour," 
 &c, (ver. 14). 
 
 2. In their presentation of proof of 
 their assertions. They suggest " that 
 search may be made in the book of the 
 records of thy fathers," &c. (ver. 15). 
 The remarks of M, Henry on this verse 
 are admirable : "It cannot be denied 
 but that there was some colour given 
 for this suggestion by the attempts of 
 Jehoiakim and Zedekiah to shake oflf the 
 yoke of the King of Babylon, which, if 
 they had kept close to their religion and 
 the Temple they were now rebuilding, 
 they would never have come under. 
 But it must be remembered — (L) That 
 they were themselves, and their ances- 
 tors, sovereign princes, and their efforts 
 to recover their rights, if there had not 
 been in them the violation of an oath, 
 for aught I know, would have been 
 justifiable, and successful too, had they 
 taken the right method and made their 
 peace with God first, (2.) Though 
 these Jews, and their princes, had been 
 guilty of rebellion, yet it was unjust 
 therefore to fasten this as an indelible 
 brand upon this city, as if that must for 
 ever after go under the name of * the 
 rebellious and bad city.' The Jews, in 
 their captivity, had given such specimens 
 of good behaviour as were sufficient, with 
 any reasonable men, to roll away that 
 one reproach ; for they were instructed 
 (and we have reason to hope that they 
 observed their instructions), to 'seek 
 the peace of the city w^here they were 
 captives, and pray to the Lord for it ' 
 (Jer. xxix. 7), It was, therefore, very 
 unfair, though not uncommon, thus to 
 impute the iniquity of the fathers to 
 the children." But it was craftily con- 
 ceived and executed ; and, for a time, 
 it answered the purpose of its authors. 
 The Church now has to contend against, 
 not only the strength but also the subtlety 
 of its foes ; not only against the " roar- 
 ing lion," but also against the " old 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 serpent." " Satan himself is transformed 
 into an angel of light." And the 
 blandishments of the world are more 
 I)erilous to the Church than its threats. 
 Christians need to be " wise as serpents," 
 watchful as trusty sentinels, and prayer- 
 ful as devoutest saints. 
 
 Yet greater is He that is in ns and 
 for us, than all our foes, with all their 
 might, and malice, and cunning. " The 
 Lord is on my side ; I will not fear : 
 what can man do unto me ? " (6). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) From the fiery days of the stakes of 
 Smithfield even until now, the world's black 
 lieart has hated the Church ; and the world's 
 cruel hand and laughing lip have been for ever 
 against us. The host of the mighty are pur- 
 suing us, and are thirsty for our blood, and 
 anxious to cut us oiF from the earth. Such 
 is our position unto this hour, and such must 
 it be, until we are landed on the other side of 
 
 Jordan, and until our Maker comes to reign 
 on the earth. — C. H. Spurgcon, 
 
 (b) As for the trouble thou puttest thyself 
 to concerning the cause and Church of Christ, 
 which thou mayest see at any time distressed 
 by the enemy, though God takes thy goodwill 
 to them (from which those thy fears arise) 
 very kindly, j'et there is no need of torment- 
 ing thyself with that which is sure never to 
 come to pass. The ark may shake, but it 
 cannot fall. The ship of the Church may be 
 tossed, but it cannot sink, for Christ is in it, 
 and will awake time enough" to prevent its 
 wreck. There is, therefore, no cause for us, 
 when the storm beateth hardest upon it, to 
 disturb Him, as once the disciples did, with 
 the shrieks and outcries of our unbelief, as if 
 all were lost. Our faith is more in danger of 
 sinking at such a time than the cause and 
 Church of Christ are. They are both by the 
 promise set out of the reach of men and devils. 
 The Gospel is an " everlasting Gospel," 
 " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not 
 one iota of this shall perish." "The Word of 
 the Lord endureth for ever," and shall be alive 
 to walk over all its enemies' graves, yea to see 
 the funeral of the whole world. — IF. Gurnall. 
 
 Good Cause for Great Zeal. 
 {Verse 14.) 
 
 The facts of the case were these. . . . 
 Now let me take these words right out 
 of those black mouths, and put them 
 into my own and into yours. They 
 will suit us well if we turn them to the 
 great King of kings. We may truly 
 say, " Now because we have maintenance 
 from the King's palace," &c. The text 
 will enable me to speak on three points. 
 
 I. We acknowledge a very gracious 
 fact. " We have maintenance from the 
 king's palace." Both the upper and the 
 nether springs from which we drink are 
 fed by the eternal bounty of the great 
 King. Hitherto we have been supplied 
 with food and raiment. Although we 
 do not drink of the water from the rock, 
 or find the manna lying at our tent door 
 every morning, yet the providence of 
 God produces for us quite the same 
 results, and we have been fed and satis- 
 fied ; and, at any rate, many of us, in 
 looking back, can say, " My cup runneth 
 over. Surely goodness and mercy have 
 followed me all the days of my life." 
 Hence, we have thus, even in things 
 temporal, been made to feel that we 
 have been maintained from the Kins^'s 
 
 palace. But it has been in spiritual 
 things that our continual experience of 
 the King's bounty has been most not- 
 able. We have a new life, and there- 
 fore we have new wants, and new 
 hunger, and a new thirst ; and God has 
 maintained us out of His own palace as 
 to this new life of ours. We have had 
 great hunger at times after heavenly 
 things, but He has "satisfied our mouth 
 with good things," and our youth has 
 been "renewed like the eagle's." Some- 
 times we have been drawn aside from 
 our steadfastness, and we have wanted 
 mighty grace to set ns on our feet 
 again, and to make us once more 
 " strong in the Lord and in the power 
 of His might;" and we have had it, 
 have we not 1 In looking back upon all 
 the way wherein the Lord our God has 
 led us, we can sing of tlie beginning of 
 it, we can sing of the middle of it, and 
 we believe we shall sing of the end of 
 it ; for all through we have been main- 
 tained out of the King's palace. This 
 is matter of fact both as to things 
 temporal and things spiritual. Be- 
 loved, it is a great mercy that you 
 E 65 
 
CHAP. IV, 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 and I have been maintained out of the 
 King's palace as believers ; because, 
 where else could vee have been main- 
 tained 1 As to spiritual things, to whom 
 could we go but unto Him who has been 
 so good to us ] What empty wells 
 ministers are if we look to them 1 If 
 we look to their Master, then " the rain 
 also filleth the pools," and we find that 
 there is supply in the preached word for 
 our consolation. And the books you 
 once read with so much comfort appear 
 to have lost their flavour, their aroma, 
 and their sweet savour, and, I may add, 
 even the Word of God itself, though it 
 is unchanged, appears to be changed 
 sometimes to you. But God, your God, 
 oh, how graciously has He still supplied 
 you ! " All my springs are in Thee," 
 my God ; and had they been elsewhere 
 they long ago had failed. 
 
 We may remember that our mainte- 
 nance frum the King's palace has cost 
 His Majesty dear. He has not fed us 
 for nothing. It cost Him His own dear 
 Son at the very first. We should not 
 have begun to live if He had spared His 
 Son and kept Him back from us ; but 
 the choicest treasure in heaven He was 
 pleased to spend for our sakes that we 
 might live ; and ever since then we 
 have been fed tipon Jesus Christ 
 Himself. Let us bless and magnify 
 our bounteous God, whose infinite fav- 
 our has thus supplied our wants. 
 Think over the kind of maintenance you 
 have had from the King's palace. We 
 have had a hountlful supply. As the 
 sun throws out his wealth of heat and 
 light, and does not measure it by the 
 consumption of men, but throws it 
 broadcast over all worlds, even so does 
 God flood the world with the sunlight 
 of His goodness, and His saints are 
 )nade to receive it in abundance. Our 
 receptive faculty may be small, but His 
 giving disposition is abundant. We 
 have had an iinf ailing portion. As there 
 has been much of it, so it has always 
 come to us in due season. Times of 
 need have come, but the needed supply 
 has come too. The supply has ennobled 
 us. For, consider how great a thing it 
 is to be supported from a king's palace ; 
 but it is the greatest of all privileges 
 
 to be living upon the bounty of the 
 King of kings. " Such honour have 
 all the saints." Even those that are 
 weakest and meanest have this high 
 honour — to be supplied by Royalty it- 
 self with all that they need. And there 
 is reason for good cheer in this, that we 
 have such a soul-satisfying portion in 
 God. A soul that gets what God gives 
 him has quite as much as he can hold 
 and as much as he can want. He has 
 got a portion that might well excite 
 envy. . . . Let us rejoice, &c. 
 
 II. Here is a duty recognised. *' It 
 was not meet for us to see the king's 
 dishonour." The reasoning comes home 
 to us. If we are so favoured — we, who 
 are believers — with such a choice por- 
 tion, it is not meet for us to sit down 
 and see our God dishonoured. By every 
 sense of propriety we are bound not to 
 see God dishonoured by ourselves. It is 
 well to begin at home. Art thou doing 
 anything that dishonours thy God, pro- 
 fessor — anything at home, anything in 
 thy daily avocation, anything in the 
 way of conducting thy business % Is 
 there anything in thy conversation, any- 
 thhig in thy actions, anything in thy 
 reading, anything in thy writing, any- 
 thing in thy speaking, that dishonours 
 God 1 Seeing that thou art fed from 
 the King's table, I beseech thee let it 
 not be said that the King got damage 
 from thee. Perhaps that dishonour may 
 come from those ivho dwell tinder our 
 roof, and live in our own house. I 
 charge you that are parents and masters 
 to see to this. Do not tolerate anything 
 in those over whom you have control 
 that would bring dishonour to God. 
 We cannot impart to our children new 
 hearts, but we can see to it that there 
 shall be nothing within our gates that is 
 derogatory to the religion of Jesus Christ. 
 Let the same holy jealousy animate 
 us among those tvith wliom toe have in- 
 Jluence — as, for instance, amongst those 
 who wish to be united with us in Church 
 fellowship. It is the duty of every 
 Church to try, as far as it can, to guard 
 the honour and dignity of King Jesus 
 against unworthy persons, who would 
 intrude themselves into the congregation 
 of the saints, of those who are called. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENT A R Y : EZRA . 
 
 and chosen, and faithful. To receive 
 into our membersliip persons of unhal- 
 lowed life, unchaste, unrighteous — of 
 licentious life and lax doctrine, such as 
 know not the truth as it is in Jesus — 
 would be to betray the trust with which 
 Christ has invested us. 
 
 Under what sacred obligations do we 
 stand to maintain the stahttes and testi- 
 monies of the Lord! And, oh, how the 
 King is dishonoured by the mutilation 
 and misrepresentation of His Word ! 
 Therefore we are always _bound to bear 
 our protest against false doctrine. Those 
 who have their maintenance from the 
 King's palace ought not to allow the 
 Lord to be dishonoured by a neglect of 
 His ordinances. The Lord Jesus has 
 given you only two symbolic ordinances. 
 Take care that you use them well. 
 Again, let us take care that He be not 
 dishonoured by a general decline of His 
 Church. When churches go to sleep — 
 M'hea the wtirk of God is done deceit- 
 fully — for to do it formally is to do it 
 deceitfully; when there is no life in the 
 prayer-meeting, when there are no holy 
 enterprises afloat for the spread of the 
 Hedeemer's kingdom, then the world 
 says, " That is your Church ! What a 
 sleepy set these saints are ! " Oh ! let 
 not the King be thus dishonoured. 
 And, oh, how can we tolerate it that so 
 many should dishonour Clirist hy reject- 
 ing His Gospel ! We cannot prevent 
 their doing so, but we can weep for 
 them ; we can pray for them, we can 
 plead for them, we can make it uncom- 
 fortable for them to reflect that believers 
 are loving them, and yet they are not 
 loving the Saviour. Privileged as you 
 are, you ought to love your Master, so 
 that the slightest word against Him 
 should provoke your spirit to holy 
 jealousy. 
 
 III. A course of action pursued. 
 " Therefore have we sent and certified 
 the kinf^." How shall we do that % 
 
 Doubtless we act as it well becomes us, 
 when we go and tell the Lord all about 
 it % " Certified the King ! " — but does 
 He not know ] Are not all things open 
 to Him from whom no secrets are hid ? 
 Ah, yes ; but when Hezekiah received 
 liabshakeh's blasphemous letter he took 
 it and spread it before the Lord. It is 
 a holy exercise of the saints to report 
 to the Lord the sins and the sorrows 
 they observe among the people — the 
 griefs they feel, and the grievances they 
 complain of — to spread before Him the 
 blasphemies they have heard, and appeal 
 to Him concerning the menaces with 
 which they are threatened. After those 
 people had certified the king, they took 
 care to plead with him. Plead with 
 God ! That praying is poor shift that is 
 not made up of pleading. And when 
 you have done it, do not go away and 
 make your prayers into a lie by contrary 
 actions, or by refraining from any action 
 at all. He that prays hard nmst work 
 hard ; for no man prays sincerely who is 
 not prepared to use every effort to ob- 
 tain that which he asks of God. We 
 must put our shoulder to the wheel 
 while we J^ray for strength to put it in 
 motion. All success depends upon God ; 
 yet He uses instruments, and He will 
 not use instruments that are useless and 
 unfitted to the work. Therefore let us 
 be up and be stirring, for if we are 
 maintained from the King's palace, it is 
 not meet that we see the King's dis- 
 honour, but it is due to Him that we 
 should seek His glory. Alas ! there are 
 some here that have never eaten the 
 King's bread, and will be banished from 
 the King's presence if they die astheyare. 
 But, oh remember, the King is always 
 ready to receive His rebel subjects, and 
 He is a God ready to pardon. " Kiss the 
 Son lest He be angry, and ye perish 
 from the way when His wrath is kindled 
 but a little." " Blessed are all they that 
 put their trust in Him." — C. H. Spur g eon. 
 
 67 
 
HO MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 The Success of the Subtle Scheme op the Samaritans, or the 
 Temporary Triumph of the Wicked. 
 
 {Verses 17-23.) 
 
 I. Examine the letter of the king. 
 
 " Then sent the king an answer unto 
 Rebum," &c. (vers. 17-22). This letter 
 suggests — 
 
 1. 1'hat the siihtlety of the wicked 
 frequently obtains a temporary trium.'ph 
 over the good. We have already noticed 
 that the letter of the Samaritans to the 
 king was very plausible. And that it 
 completely succeeded is clear from the 
 reply of the king to it. (1.) The search 
 in the archives of the nation which they 
 recommended (ver. 15) was made. "I 
 commanded, and search hath been made" 
 (ver. 19). (2.) The result which they 
 predicted (ver. 15) followed the search. 
 "And it is found that this city of old 
 time hath made insurrection against 
 kings, and that rebellion and sedition 
 have been made therein." The Jews 
 had formerly rebelled against foreign 
 powers by whom they had been sub- 
 jected. Hezekiah "rebelled against the 
 king of Assyria " (2 Kings xviii. 7). 
 Jehoiakim rebelled against the king of 
 Babylon (2 Kings xxiv. 1). Zedekiah 
 also " rebelled against the king of Baby- 
 lon " (2 Kings xxiv. 20). (3.) The 
 ■warnings which they gave (vers. 13, 16) 
 were heeded. As a result of the exami- 
 nation of the records of the kingdom, 
 the king discovered that " there had 
 been mighty kings over Jerusalem, 
 which had ruled over all countries be- 
 yond the river ; and toll, tribute, and 
 custom had been paid unto them ;" and 
 so the warnings of the Samaritans seemed 
 to him reasonable and timely, and he 
 acted upon them, inquiring, " Why 
 should damage grow to the hurt of the 
 kings?" (4.) The end which they 
 aimed at was attained. Their object 
 was to obtain authority to put a stop to 
 the rebuilding of Jerusalem. And the 
 king writes, " Give ye now command- 
 ment to cause these men to cease, and 
 that this city be not builded, until 
 another commandment be given from 
 me. Take heed now that ye fail not to 
 do this." The misrepresentations of the 
 G8 
 
 Samaritans had sufficient truth in them 
 to completely mislead Artaxerxes the 
 king and to accomplish their evil design. 
 "Falsehood," says Colton, "is never so 
 successful as when she baits her hook 
 with truth ; and no opinions so fatally 
 mislead us as those that are not wholly 
 wrong, as no watches so effectually de- 
 ceive the wearers as those that are some- 
 times right." 
 
 " A lie which is half a truth 
 Is ever the worst of lies." 
 
 2. That one generation frequently 
 suffers through the sins of another and an 
 earlier one. The Jews of this time were 
 suspected of disloyalty, and were pre- 
 vented from carrying on their great 
 work because some of their ancestors 
 had rebelled against the domination of 
 foreign powers. They smarted for the 
 sins of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. The 
 children of the spendthrift, the drunkard, 
 and the impure man generally have to 
 bear the iniquities of their fathers. 
 (Comp. Exod. XX. 5.) This stern fact 
 should prove a restraint from sin, (a). 
 
 2. Tliat the cause of God is frequently 
 reproached and hindered by the evil con- 
 duct of some of its adliereiUs. The re- 
 bellions of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah 
 were now made use of to asperse the 
 Jews and to stop the work of God. "A 
 few instances of this kind," as Scott ob- 
 serves, " standing on record, whilst the 
 blameless lives and patient sufferings of 
 thousands are unnoticed and forgotten, 
 serve through revolving ages as a pre- 
 text, by which malignant enmity mis- 
 leads worldly policy. All who love the 
 Gospel should therefore walk circum- 
 spectly, avoiding all appearance of evil, 
 especially in this particular, lest the 
 Church of God and posterity should 
 suffer through their misconduct ; for the 
 whole body will be condemned without 
 hearing, if a few individuals act impro- 
 perly."^(6). 
 
 II. Notice the action of the Sama- 
 ritans. " Now when the copy of king 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Artaxerxes' letter was read," ifcc. Their 
 action was — 
 
 1. Pronqyt. They allowed no delay 
 whatever, but eagerly carried out the 
 royal mandate. " They went up in 
 haste to Jerusalem," ifec. 
 
 2. Personal. They did not depute 
 others to put a stop to the Avork of the 
 Jews : tlieir interest was too deep and 
 zealous for that. They themselves " went 
 up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews." 
 
 3. Poiuer/ul. They " made them to 
 cease by force and power." They com- 
 pelled the Jews by a display of force, 
 Avhich they j^robably took with them, to 
 desist from building the city. Thus the 
 plotters prevailed ; the enemies were 
 triumphant, and the progress of the good 
 w'ork was arrested. The tact and energy 
 and zeal of the Samaritans were worthy 
 of a good cause, and they were rewarded 
 with success. 
 
 Learn : 
 
 1. That the temporary trmmph of a 
 cause or a party is not a proof of its 
 righteousness. When Jesus Christ was 
 crucified, dead and buried, the enemies 
 of truth and light and God appeared to 
 be completely victorious, (e). 
 
 2. H'/iat ive are not competent to judge 
 the relation of present events to the pur- 
 poses and providence of the great God. 
 These require time for their development, 
 &c. " One day is with the Lord as a 
 thousand years, and a thousand years as 
 one day." 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) This is a truth evident by universal ex- 
 perience. It is seen every day, in every part 
 of the world. If Mr. Paine indulge in in- 
 temperance, and leave children behind him, 
 they may feel the consequences of his mis- 
 conduct when he is in the grave. The sins of 
 the fathers may thus be visited upon the 
 children to the third and fourth generation. 
 It would, liowever, be their affliction only, and 
 not their punisliment. Yet such visitations 
 are wisely ordered as a motive to sobriety. — 
 Andrew Fuller. 
 
 The child generally inherits the natural con- 
 stitution, the mental peculiarities, and some- 
 times even the moral character of his parent. 
 
 His secular condition, too, rich or poor, is 
 frequently determined by liis parents. Some 
 inherit a princely fortune, and some a crushing 
 penury, from their ancestors. And their social 
 status, too, is often ruled by the position and 
 conduct of those of whom they were born. 
 Children participate in the shame or the glory 
 connected with the memory of their parents. 
 The brilliant reflection of an illustrious sire 
 seems to lead his offspring to social honour, 
 and to shed a radiance on his name. On the 
 other hand, the infamy which parents by theft, 
 treason, or murder, have gained for them- 
 selves, transmits its odious influence down to 
 their children, depreciating their own personal 
 worth, and degrading them in the estimation 
 of their contemporaries. — David Thomas, D.D. 
 
 {h) Was there ever a club in all the world 
 without disreputable persons in it ? Was there 
 ever any association of men that might not be 
 condemned, if the fool's rule was followed of 
 condemning the wheat because of the chaff? 
 When with all our might and power we purge 
 ourselves of deceivers as soon as we detect 
 them, what more can we do ? If our rule and 
 practice is to separate them wholly as soon as 
 we unmask them, what more can virtue itself 
 desire ? I ask any man, however much he may 
 hate Christianity, what more can the Church 
 do than watch her members with all diligence, 
 and excommunicate the wicked when dis- 
 covered ? It is a foul piece of meanness on 
 the part of the world that they should allege 
 the faults of a few false professors against the 
 whole Church : it is a piece of miserable mean- 
 ness of which the world ought to be ashamed. 
 Nevertheless, so it is. " Ha ! ha! " they say, 
 " So would we have it ! so would we have it ! " 
 The daugliter of Philistia rejoices, and the 
 uncircumcised triumphs when Jesus is betrayed 
 by His friend, and sold by His traitorous dis- 
 ciple. O deceitful professor, will not the Lodr 
 be avenged upon you for this ? Is it nothing 
 to make Jesus' name the drunkard's song ? 
 Nothing to make the enemy blaspheme? O 
 hardened man, tremble, for this shall not go 
 unpunished. — C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 (c) If ever failure seemed to rest on a noble 
 life, it was when tlie Son of Man, deserted hj 
 His friends, heard the cry which proclaimed 
 that the Pharisees had successfully drawn the 
 net round their Divine Victim. Yet from that 
 very hour of defeat and death there went forth 
 the world's life — from that very moment of 
 apparent failure there proceeded forth into the 
 ages tlie spirit of the conquering Cross. Surely 
 if the Cross says anything, it says that appa- 
 rent defeat is real victory, and that there is a 
 heaven for those who have nobly and truly 
 failed on earth. — F. W. Robertson, M.A. 
 
 69 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Critical axd Explanatory Notes.] i. The work resumed through the preaching of Haggai 
 and Zechariah, the prophets (vers. 1, 2). ii. The workers interrogated by the Persian autho- 
 rities west of the Euphrates (vers. 3-5). iii. The letter of the Persian authorities to Darius 
 the king concerning the work (vers. 6-17). 
 
 Ver. 1. Then] shows tlie close connection of this with the last verse of the previous chapter. 
 Zechariah, the son of Iddo] He was really the son of Rerechiah, and the grandson of Iddo (Zech. 
 i. 1). It is probable, as Dean Perowne suggests, "that Berechiah had died early, and that 
 there was now no intervening link between the grandfather and the grandson. The son, in 
 giving his pedigree, does not omit his father's name; the historian passes it over, as of one 
 who was but little known, or already forgotten." In the name of the God of Israel, even unto 
 them] Rather, " which was upon them," i.e. the name of God was called upon them, indicating 
 that they h"longed to Him (comp. Isa. iv. 1 ; Jer. xv. 16). 
 
 Ver. 2. Then rose np Zerubhabel . . . and Jeshua] &c. The exhortations of Haggai were 
 addressed chiefly to these two leaders (Hag. i. 1, ii. 2, 4), and speedily they responded to them. 
 " In the sixth month, in the first day of the month," the prophet delivered his first message 
 to them ; and "in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month," the " woi-k in the house 
 of ihe Lord of hosts, their God," was resumed by them and the people (Hag. i. 1, 14, 15). 
 Zechariah did not enter upon his mission until the eighth month, wliich was two months later 
 than Haggai. And with them the prophets of God] Haggai and Zechariah. Helping them] 
 by exliortation, eneouraafement, &c. 
 
 Ver. 3. Tatnai, governor on this side the river] Tatnai was governor (pechah) of the entire 
 country west of the Euphrates, while Zeruhbabel was governor {pechah) of Judah only, and 
 was therefore subordinate to Tatnai. Shethar-boznai] was probably the royal scribe or secre- 
 tary. Who hath commanded] &c. In investigating this matter the Persian magistrates only 
 did their duty. 
 
 Ver. 4. Then said we unto them] &c. It is almost certain that the text here has been 
 corrupted in some way, and that the genuine reading is, " Then said they unto them," &c. The 
 question was put by tlie Persian officers to the Jews, as appears from vers. 9, 10. 
 
 Ver. 5. And then they returned answer by letter] &c. Schultz : " 'And they then brought 
 back a letter,' &c. The letter to be brought back was certainly to come from Darius." Keil : 
 " 'And they should then receive a letter,' &c. They (the royal officials) then receive a letter, 
 i.e. obtain a decision." 
 
 Ver. 6. The Apharsachites] are probably the same as "the Apharsathchites " (chap. iv. 9). 
 See notes on that verse. 
 
 Ver. 7. They sent a letter] or a report, a message. All peace] i.e. "peace in all things, in 
 every respect." 
 
 Ver. 8. With great stones] Margin : "Chald., 'stones of rolling.'" So also Fuerst, who 
 explains it as denoting "heaviness, weight. Ezra v. 8, vi. 4, stone of heaviness, i.e. a heavy, 
 large stone, hewn." And timber is laid in the walls] Rawlinson interprets this as the employ- 
 ment of timber as the material of the party walls. Schultz, as indicating " the inlaying of the 
 walls with woodwork artistically finished." Keil : " The placing of wood in the walls refers to 
 building beams into the wall for flooring ; for the building was not so far advanced as to make 
 it possible that this should be said of covering the walls with wainscoting." 
 
 Ver. 11. We are the servants] &c. The elders of the Jews when asked for their names 
 replied by stating their relationship to "the God of heaven and earth," which implied their 
 obligation to obey Him. Which a great king of Israel builded and set up] Or, "and a great 
 king of Israel built and completed it." 
 
 Ver. 12. But after that our fathers] &c. Keil : " For this reason, because our fathers," &e. 
 Similarly Schultz: "On this account, because our fathers," &c. The significance of this 
 verse he expresses thus : " It is true the Temple has been destroyed, but this does not show 
 any weakness in their God, but rather His holiness." Nebuchadnezzar could not have 
 destroyed their Temple, and carried them away into captivity, if God had not first withdrawn 
 His protection from them because of tlieir sins. 
 
 Ver. 15. Take these vessels] &c. "The three unconnected imperatives, 'take, go forth, lay 
 down,' comprehend the three acts, to a certain extent, in one, thus expressing likewise the zeal 
 of Cyrus, and the zeal that Sheshbazzar was expected to exhibit." — Schultz. Let the house of 
 God be builded in his place] i.e. in its former sacred place. 
 
 Ver. 16. And since that time even until now hath it been in building] These words were 
 probably not a part of the answer of the elders of the Jews to Tatnai, but simply his own 
 statement to the king, which he thought was correct. "It was entirely in the interest of the 
 Jews to be silent respecting the fact that Cyrus had allowed an interruption to take place ; " 
 and Tatnai and his associates were probably quite ignorant of the fact that the work had been 
 suspended. 
 
 Ver. 17. The king's treasure house] This is called, in chap. vi. 1, " the house of the rolls, 
 where the treasures were laid up in Babylon." Important documents were preserved in the 
 treasure house attached to the roval residence. 
 
 70 
 
nOMTLETlC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 The Great "Work Resumed. 
 
 {Verses 1 
 
 The best commentary on these verses 
 is the first chapter of Haggai, In the 
 light of that chapter we propose to in- 
 terpret them. For fourteen years the 
 rebuikliiig of the Temple was stayed. 
 AVe have now to consider the resump- 
 tion of the work. 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The inciters to the work. "Then 
 the prophets, Haggai the prophet and 
 Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied 
 unto the Jews," &c. 
 
 1. Want of interest in the looi'h is 
 implied. The Jews were backward at 
 making a new efi'ort to erect the sacred 
 edifice, and needed stirring up to their 
 duty in the matter. They had been 
 building their own houses, attending to 
 their own aff"airs, and had become in- 
 different as to the rebuilding of the 
 house of God. They said, " The time 
 is not come, the time that the Lord's 
 house should be built " (Hag. i. 2). Had 
 they been zealous in this affair, they 
 would have renewed their efforts when 
 Darius came to the throne. But the 
 spirit of worldliness possessed them, 
 and they deferred this sacred duty 
 until they were sharply summoned to 
 it. 
 
 2. Ohligation to perform the tvorh is 
 implied. The prophets summoned them 
 to the work "in the name of the God 
 of Israel which was upon them." This 
 implies His authority over them, and their 
 obligation to render loyal obedience to 
 Him. In His name Haggai commanded 
 them to resume this work. " Thus 
 saith tlie Lord of hosts ; . . . Go up 
 to the mountain and bring wood, and 
 build the house," <kc. (Hag. i. 7, 8). 
 The Jews did not deny the obligation. 
 Fourteen years previous they had claimed 
 it as their exclusive privilege. At that 
 time they were forcibly prevented from 
 fulfilling it ; and afterwards, in process 
 of time, they grew indifferent as to its 
 fulfilment, and while acknowledging the 
 obligation, they postponed its discharge. 
 By neglecting the performance of duty 
 our sense of its sacredness and im- 
 
 and 2.) 
 
 perativeness will almost certainly be 
 diminished. 
 
 3. Exhortations to resume the toork 
 were f/iven. " The prophets Haggai 
 and Zechariah prophesied unto the 
 Jews," &c. The nature of their pro- 
 phesying we can ascertain by reference 
 to the books which bear their names. 
 In the address of Haggai (Hag. i. 1-11, 
 13), which led to the resumption of the 
 work, we find — (1.) Earnest remon- 
 strance because of their neglect (ver. 4). 
 (2.) Solemn and repeated summons to 
 reflection, " Consider your ways " (vers. 
 5, 7). (3.) Interpretation of the Divine 
 dealings with them, showing that God 
 had withheld His blessing because of 
 their neglect (vers, 6, 9-11). (4.) 
 Command to build the Temple (ver. 8). 
 (5.) Encouragement to them to enter 
 upon the work (vers. 86, 13). Thus the 
 prophet, under the direction of the Most 
 High, endeavoured to arouse them from 
 their sloth, and incite them to interest 
 and effort in the good and great work. 
 
 II. The leaders in the work. " Then 
 rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, 
 and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and be- 
 gan to build," &c. 
 
 1. They resumed the worJc readily. lu 
 less than a month after the summons of 
 Haggai they began the work. On the 
 first day of the sixth month the first pro- 
 ])hetic message was delivered to them, 
 and on the twenty-fourth day of the 
 same month actual operations were re- 
 sumed at the Temple. The readiness of 
 their response is commendable. Delay 
 in the performance of duty is perilous. 
 Promptitude in its discharge is both 
 binding and blessed, (a). 
 
 2. They led the ivork appropriately. 
 It was becoming that Zerubbabel the 
 chief prince, the first man in the state, 
 and Jozadak the chief priest, the first 
 man in the Church, should take the lead 
 in such a work. " Those that are in 
 places of dignity and power," as M. 
 Henry observes, " ought with their dig- 
 nity to put honour upon, and with their 
 power to put life into every good work ; 
 
 71 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 thus it becomes those that precede, and 
 those that preside, with an exemplary 
 care and zeal to fulfil all righteousness 
 and to go before in a good work." 
 
 3. Tliey led the xvorh wfliientially. 
 " All the remnant of the people " fol- 
 lowed their example, " and came and 
 did work in the house of the Lord of 
 hosts, their God." The force of ex- 
 ample is proverbially great ; but it is 
 especially influential in the case of those 
 who hold the position of leaders amongst 
 men. The example of those who occupy 
 high stations is — (1.) Most conapicuous. 
 It is visible with great clearness and to 
 great numbers. (2.) Most attractive. To 
 the majority of mankind the example uf 
 persons in eminent po.-itions, from the 
 mere fact that they occupy such posi- 
 tions, has an influence which is denied 
 to others however wise and worthy they 
 may be. (b). Great is the responsibility 
 of those Avho are called to the high 
 places of society. " For unto whomso- 
 ever mucli is given, of him shall be mucli 
 required," &c. (Luke xii. 48). 
 
 III. The helpers in the work. " And 
 with them were the prophets of God 
 helping them." The nature of the 
 assistance which the prophets rendered 
 in the work may be gathered from the 
 prophecies of Haggai which were de- 
 livered after the work was resumed 
 (Hag. ii). They assisted by their — 
 
 1. Exliortations to vigorons jvosecu- 
 tion of the icork. " Be strong, Zerub- 
 babel, saith the Lord," &c. (ver. 4). 
 
 2. Assurances of the presence of God 
 ivith them. " For I am with you, saith 
 the Lord of hosts : according to the 
 word that I covenanted with you," &c. 
 (vers. 4, 5). This means more than His 
 mere presence ; for He is everywhere 
 present. "Whither shall I flee from 
 Thy presence ? If I ascend up into 
 heaven. Thou art there," &c. (Ps. 
 cxxxix. 7-10). It is an assurance of 
 His gracious and heliiful presence — 
 His presence as their covenant God. 
 With the obedient God is ever present 
 for their protection, encouragement, as- 
 sistance, &c. 
 
 3. Promises of future blessings from 
 God to them. '• The desire of all na- 
 tions shall come, and I will fill this 
 
 7 -I 
 
 house with glory, saith the Lord of 
 hosts," &c. (vers. 7-9). What a mighty 
 inspiration there must have been in 
 promises of such blessings as these, 
 uttered by the prophet of God I He 
 who thus encourages the hearts of 
 workers renders them most valuable 
 help in their work. Thus the earnest 
 thinker, and the firm believer in God, 
 may help those who are engaged in 
 more active labours in building the 
 spiritual temple of our Lord. 
 
 IV. The great First Cause of the 
 work. It was God who inspired and 
 sent forth the prophets, and who excited 
 the spirit of the Jewish leaders and 
 people to resume the work. " The 
 Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerub- 
 babel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of 
 Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the 
 son of Josedech, the high priest, and the 
 spirit of all the remnant of the people ; 
 and they came and did work in the 
 house of the Lord of hosts, their God." 
 " All holy desires, all good counsels, and 
 all just works do proceed" from Him. 
 He is the great Master-Builder of His 
 own Church. " I will build My Church," 
 said our Lord to Peter. All the in- 
 spiration and wisdom, the patience and 
 power of the under-builders, come from 
 Him. And to Him be all the praise. 
 (.). 
 
 Learn : — 
 
 1. The insidious nature of the sin of 
 worldliness. See how gradually and 
 stealthily it came upon the Jews. {d). 
 
 2. The value of faithful ministers. 
 They both arouse men to duty, and 
 assist them to perform it. 
 
 3. The solemn obligation of men in 
 eminent stations. Let them, like Zerub- 
 babel and Jeshua, be forward in every 
 good work. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Pleasant is it to entertain the picture of 
 ourselves in some future scene, planning wisely, 
 feeling nobly, and executing witli the holy 
 triumph of the will ; but 'tis a ditterent thing 
 — not in the green avenues of the future, but 
 in the hot dust of the present moment — not 
 in the dramatic positions of the fancy, but in 
 the plain prosaic now— to do the duty that 
 waits and wants us, and put forth an instant 
 and reverential hand to the noonday or even- 
 ing task. — James Maitlneau. 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 ih) As we give them (kings) all advantages 
 of iionour, so do we soothe and autliorise all 
 their vices and defects, not only by approba- 
 tion, but by imitation also. Every one of 
 Alexander's followers carried their heads on 
 one side, as he did, and the flatterers of Diony- 
 sius ran against one another in his presence, 
 stumbled at, and overturned whatever was under 
 foot, to show that they were as purblind as 
 he. Natural imperfection has sometimes also 
 served to recommend a man to favour. I have 
 seen deafness affected ; and because the master 
 hated his wife, Plutarch has seen his courtiers 
 repudiate theirs, whom they loved ; and, which 
 is yet more, uncleanness and all manner of 
 dissoluteness has been in fashion ; as also dis- 
 loyally, blasphemies, cruelty, heresy, super- 
 stition, irreligion effeminacy, and worse, if worse 
 there be. And by an example yet more dan- 
 gerous than that of Mithridates' flatterers, who, 
 by how much their master pretended to the 
 honour of a good physician, came to him to 
 have incission and cauteries made in their 
 limbs; for these others suffered the soul, a more 
 delicate and noble part, to be cauterised. But 
 to end where I began : the Emperor Adrian, 
 disputing with the philosopher Favorinus 
 about the interpretation of some word, Fa- 
 vorinus soon yielded him the victory ; for 
 which his friends rebuking him, " You talk 
 simply," said he, "would you not have him 
 wiser than I, who commands thirty legious ?" 
 — Montaigne, 
 
 (c) The scribe is more properly said to write 
 than the pen, and he that maketh and keepeth 
 the clock is more properly said to make it go 
 and strike tlian the wheels and poises that 
 hang upon it, and every workman to effect 
 his work rather than the tools which he uses 
 as his instruments. So the Lord, who is the 
 chief Agent and Mover in all actions, may 
 more fitly be said to bring to pass all things 
 ■which are done in the earth than any suIj- 
 ordinate causes, as meat to nourish us, clothes 
 to keep us warm, the sun to lighten us, friends 
 to provide for us, &c., seeing they are but His 
 instruments. — Doivname. 
 
 Day and night the tides are rising along our 
 shores, filling bay and estuary, silently for the 
 most part, yet surely. The power that draws 
 them resides afar off in the heavenly bodies, 
 and is not seen or noticed, but only inferred. 
 All the goodness of men, their generous im- 
 pulses, their loves and faiths and inspirations 
 of purity, their zeal and enthusiasm in self- 
 denial and devotion — that great moving tide 
 of goodness which is moving in upon the hu- 
 man heart — is derived from God, who, afar off, 
 silent as the moon in summer nights, is draw- 
 ing all men unto Him. — II. W. Beecher. 
 
 [d] Nearly all can recall that favourite fiction 
 of their childhood — the voj'age of Sinbad the 
 Sailor into the Indian Sea. They will remem- 
 ber that magnetic rock thatrose from the surface 
 of the placid waters. Silently Sinbad's vessel 
 was attracted towards it ; silently the bolts were 
 drawn out of the ship's side, one by one, 
 through the subtle attraction of that magnetic 
 rock. And when the fated vessel drew so near 
 that every bolt and clamp were unloosed, the 
 whole structure of bulwark, masts, and spars 
 tumbled into ruin on the sea, and the sleeping 
 sailors awoke to their drowning agonies. So 
 stands the magnetic rock of loorldliness athwart 
 the Christian's path. Its attraction is subtle, 
 silent, slow ; but fearfully powerful on every 
 soul that floats within its range. Under its 
 enchanting spell, bolt after bolt of good re- 
 solution, clamp after clamp of Christian ob- 
 ligation, are steadily drawn out. AVhat matters 
 it how long, or how fair has been the man's 
 profession of religion, or how flauntingly the 
 flag of his orthodoxy floats from the mast 
 head? Let sudden temptation smite the un- 
 bolted professor, and in an hour he is a wreck. 
 He cannot hold together in a tempest of trial, 
 he cannot go out on any cruise of Christian 
 service, because he is no longer held togther 
 by a Divine principle within. It has been 
 silently drawn out of him by that mighty 
 loadstone of attraction — a sinful, godless, 
 self-pampering, Christ rejecting world. — T. L. 
 Cuyler, D.D. 
 
 The Great Woek Investigated and Continued. 
 (Verses 3-5.) 
 
 I. The sacred work investigated by 
 the secular authorities. " At the same 
 time came to them Tatnai, governor on 
 this side the river, and Shethar-boziiai, 
 and their companions, and said thus 
 unto them," &c. (vers. 3, 4). 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. 'J'he nature of (he investigation. 
 Two points are inquired into : — (1.) 
 The authority of the buiklers. " Who 
 hath commanded you to build this house, 
 and to make up this wall ]" (2.) The 
 
 names of the builders. " Then said they 
 unto them after this manner, What are 
 the names of the men that make this 
 building 1 " 
 
 2, The spirit of the investigation. It 
 is probable that some of the Samaritan 
 enemies of the Jews, prompted by bitter 
 and hostile feelings, communicated with 
 Tatnai and instigated this inquisition. 
 But as regards the inquisition itself there 
 is nothing to complain of; for — (1.) 
 Tatnai had the authority to make the 
 
 73 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 investigation. He was " governor on 
 this side the river;" all the country- 
 west of the Euphrates was subject unto 
 him. The governorship of Zerubbabel, 
 being of Judea only, was subordinate 
 to that of Tatnai, who therefore acted 
 within the limits of his power in making 
 this inquisition, (2.) Tatnai exercised 
 his authority in a commendable manner. 
 He made no vexatious or impertinent 
 inquiries. And he presented an impar- 
 tial and honest report to Darius the 
 king. Very different was the course 
 which he and his associates pursued 
 from that of Rehum and his associates 
 (chap. iv.). There is nothing in the 
 conduct of the present Persian officials 
 which bears any resemblance to the un- 
 scrupulous and bitter hostility which 
 their predecessors displayed to the Jews. 
 
 The eye of the world is upon the work 
 of the Church to-day. And while there 
 are some who would wilfully misrepre- 
 sent and maliciously oppose that work, 
 there are others who regard it fairly, and 
 speak of it with candour and truthful- 
 ness. Let the members of the Church 
 see to it that it shall be apparent to all 
 unprejudiced persons that their work 
 tends to promote truth and righteous- 
 ness, purity and peace, piety and patrio- 
 tism, (a). 
 
 II. The sacred work carried on 
 through the Divine blessing. " But 
 the eye of their God was upon the elders 
 of the Jews, that they could not cause 
 them to cease," &c. These words 
 suggest — 
 
 1. Tlie Divine interest in the work. 
 " The eye of their God was upon the 
 elders of the Jews " is an expression 
 denoting His deep concern in the pro- 
 gress of their undertaking. As we atten- 
 tively observe that in which we are 
 greatly interested, so God regards His 
 Church and the enterprises in which it 
 is engaged. 
 
 2. The Divine oversight of the loorh. 
 His eye ever upon the Jewish leaders 
 suggests the accuracy and thoroughness 
 of His knowledge of them and of their 
 great business. In His providence the 
 great God watches over the interests and 
 efforts of His people. (6). 
 
 3. The Divine inspiration of the luorhers. 
 
 74 
 
 The consciousness that " the eye of their 
 God was upon " them encouraged the 
 Jews, made even coward spirits brave, 
 and nerved even the feeblest arm for 
 vigorous toil, and so raised them above 
 fear, and enabled them to carry on the 
 work. And to-day to godly souls there is 
 unlimited inspiration in the consciousness 
 that the Divine Eye is upon them. (c). 
 
 4. The Divine i^otection of the tvorlcers. 
 " The eye of their God upon " them 
 clearly involved this. The figure implies 
 not only interest and knowledge and 
 oversight, but also defence. His eye 
 was upon them not only to inspire but 
 also to shield them ; not only to mark 
 their perils, but also to preserve them 
 from injury. And in this way the work 
 was carried on. It suffered no interrup- 
 tion by reason of the inquisition of the 
 Persian officials, and the reference of the 
 case to Darius. ((/). 
 
 If we are engaged in the work of the 
 Lord, we may confidently look to Him 
 for protection. The path of duty is the 
 path of safety. And the consciousness 
 of the eye of our God upon us should 
 make us patient in suffering, calm in 
 peril, earnest in work, and courageous 
 in conflict. 
 
 ILLUSTPtATIONS. 
 
 ((() If the Church will go forth to win new 
 victories, she needs only to take fearlessly up 
 the supremacy with which her God has dowered 
 her, namely, the reconciling life of her in- 
 dwelling Lord. Shutting up all internal ques- 
 tions that make her militant against herself, 
 she is to move on in her own absolute, sublime 
 majesty, militant only against every form of 
 sin, to enthrone the kingdom of God. She 
 must cease to beg favours of worldly policy. 
 She must stop her infamous coquetry with 
 Mammon. She must not bo bowing on Sun- 
 days to sectarian prejudice, nor on week-days 
 to social respectability, nor ever whisper guilty 
 flatteries to popular sins, nor wait till great 
 public vices are manifestly dying out of them- 
 selves, and feeble with approaching dissolution, 
 before she dares strike at them. The staunch, 
 uncompromising sincerity of old Puritans and 
 confessors must be in her mu.scles. An awful 
 zeal must gird up her loins. Purity, freedom, 
 equity, are to be more to her than costly 
 churches ; the prayers of saintly men, and 
 women and children too, her patronage; and 
 her daily speech, the benediction of charity. — 
 F. D. Hantington, D.D. 
 
 (b) The infinite knowledge of God fits Him 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 to be a special oliject of trust. How could we 
 depend upou^IIim, if He were ignorant of our 
 state ? His compassions to pity us, His readi- 
 ness to relieve us, His power to protect and 
 assist us, would be insignificant, without His 
 omniscience to inform His goodness and 
 direct the arm of His power. Tins perfection 
 is, as it were, God's office of intelligence : as 
 you go to your memorandum-book to know 
 what you are to do, so doth God to His omni- 
 science. Tills perfection is God's eye, to ac- 
 ((uaini Him with tlie necessities of His Cliurch, 
 and directs all His other attributes in their 
 exercise for and about His people. You may 
 ilepend upon His mercy that hath promised, 
 antl upon His truth to perform; upon His 
 sufficiency to supply you, and His goodness to 
 relieve you, and His righteousness to reward 
 you ; because He liatli an infinite understand- 
 ing to know you and your wants, you and 
 your services. And without tliis knowledge 
 of His, no comfort could be drawn from any 
 other perfection ; none of them could be a 
 sure nail to hang our hopes and confidence 
 upon. This is that the Cliurch alway cele- 
 brated (Ps. cv. 8) : "He hath remembered 
 His covenant for ever, the word whicli He com- 
 manded to a thousand generations ; " and (ver. 
 42), " He remembered His holy promise ; " 
 " And He remembered for them His covenant" 
 (Ps. cvi. 45). He remembers and understands 
 His covenant, therefore His promise to per- 
 form it, and therefore our wants to supply 
 them.- — S. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 (c) Were the Olympian Agonistas inspired 
 by the admiring gaze of applauding thousands ? 
 Did the thunders of acclamation which awoke 
 the echoes of Olympus excite the Athletse to 
 hisrher energies? How, then, shall we be 
 affected who believe that we are ever under 
 the watchful eye of the dread Supreme ? The 
 
 King looks on those who are running tlie 
 heavenly race — who are wrestling with spiri- 
 tual antagonists — and who are handing "a 
 cup of cold water" to some drooping and 
 thirsty disciple ! As the King's eye brightens 
 with approbation, let us resolve to climb the 
 highest steeps of duty and to walk on the lof- 
 tiest mountains of holy enterprise ! — Joseph 
 Parker, B.D. 
 
 {d) The tribulation and poverty of His 
 Church is not unknown to Him (Rev. ii. 8, 9) : 
 " I know tliy works and tribulation," &c. He 
 knows their works, and whlit tribulation tliey 
 meet with for Him ; He sees their extremities 
 wlien tliey are toiling against the wind and 
 tide of the world (Mark vi. 48); yea, the natural 
 exigencies of the multitude are not neglected 
 by Him ; He discerns to take care of them. 
 Our Saviour considered the three days' fasting 
 of His followers, and miraculously provides a 
 dish for them in the wilderness. No good 
 man is ever out of God's mind, and therefore 
 never out of His compassionate care : His eye 
 pierceth into their dungeons, and pities their 
 miseries. Joseph may forget his brethren, and 
 the disciples not know Christ when He walks 
 upon the midnight waves and turbulent sea ; 
 but a lions' den cannot obscure a Daniel from 
 His sight, nor the depths of the whale's belly 
 bury Jonah from the Divine understanding: 
 He discerns Peter in his chains, and Stephen 
 under the stones of martyrdom ; He knows 
 Lazarus under his tattered rags, and Abel 
 wallowing in his blood ; His eye and know- 
 ledge goes along with His people, when they 
 are translated into foreisrn countries, and sold 
 for slaves into the islands of the Grecians, for 
 He "will raise them out of the place" (Joel 
 iii. 6, 7). He would defeat the hopes of the 
 persecutors, and applaud the patience of His 
 jieople. — S. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 The Letter to the King Concerning the "\York. 
 {Verses 6-17.)' 
 
 This letter lias three chief divisions, 
 each of which requires brief notice, 
 
 I. The inquisition of the Persian 
 authorities. " The coj^y of the letter 
 that Tatnai, governor on this side the 
 river," &c. (vers, 6-10). Here is a 
 report of — 
 
 1, The observations which they made. 
 (1.) That the work was being well done. 
 " Be it known unto the king, that we 
 went into the province of Judea, to the 
 house of the great God, which is builded 
 with great stones, and timber is laid in 
 the walls." This seems to show that 
 the work was being done in a substan- 
 tial and excellent manner. (2.) That 
 the work was being rapidly done. "And 
 
 this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in 
 their hands." Inspired by the exhorta- 
 tions of Haggai the projjhet, and en- 
 couraged by tlie example of Zerubbabel 
 the prince, and Jeshua the chief priest, 
 the people worked zealously and the 
 edifice was progressing quickly. 
 
 2. The inquiries which they proposed. 
 (1.) As to the authority oi the builders. 
 " Then asked we those elders, and said 
 unto them thus. Who commanded you 
 to build this house, and to make up these 
 walls'?" (comp. ver, 3). (2.) As to the 
 names of tlie builders, " We asked their 
 names also, to certify thee, that we might 
 write the names of the men that were 
 the chief of them " (comp. ver. 4). 
 
 75 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 II. The reply of the Jewish leaders. 
 " And thus they returned us answer, say- 
 ing," &c. (vers. 11-16). This answer is 
 remarkable both for its prudence and 
 for its piety. It seems to us to present 
 the following aspects of the work. That 
 it was — 
 
 1. Not a mere human enterprise, but 
 a Divine commission. When asked to 
 give their own names, the Jewish elders 
 replied, " saying. We are the servants 
 of the God of heaven and earth," &c. 
 Of their personal names and distinctions 
 they say nothing; but assert that in re- 
 building the Temple of Jehovah they 
 were acting as servants of the Supreme 
 Being, whom they were bound to obey. 
 The work was to them not optional, but 
 obligatory. 
 
 2. Not an innovation, hut a restora- 
 tion. " We build the house that was 
 builded these many years ago, which a 
 great king of Israel builded and set up." 
 Nearly five hundred years had passed 
 since Solomon built the first Temple. 
 The building they were raising was not 
 a novel invention of their own, but was 
 supported by the venerable antiquity 
 of its predecessor, and by the fame 
 of the great king which built that pre- 
 decessor. 
 
 3. Not in a spirit of presuviption and 
 p7'ide, hut of ohedience and humility. 
 " But after that our fathers had pro- 
 voked the God of heaven unto wrath, 
 He gave them into the hand of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar the king of Babylon, the 
 Chaldean, who destroyed this house, 
 and carried the people away into Baby- 
 lon." At least three portions of this 
 statement have a bearing of more or 
 less importance in the present position 
 of affairs. (1.) That the destruction of 
 the former Temple was not owing to any 
 imperfection on the part of their God. 
 Nebuchadnezzar did not prevail against 
 Him. This testimony vindicates Him 
 against any imputation of inability to 
 defend His people and His Temple. (2.) 
 That the destruction of their former 
 Temple was owing to their God having 
 forsaken them. " He gave them into 
 the hand of Nebuchadnezzar." He with- 
 drew His protection from them, and they 
 speedily fell before the Chaldeans. (3.) 
 
 76 
 
 That their God forsook them because of 
 their numerous and heinous sins. Their 
 fathers provoked Him unto wrath by 
 abominable idolatries, and He retired, 
 leaving them to themselves and to the 
 gods whom they had chosen. They 
 forsook God, then God forsook them. 
 This testimony reveals the fact that it 
 was in a spirit of penitence rather than 
 of presumption that they were working. 
 It also shows the obligatoriness of the 
 work : having seen the evil of their ways 
 and returned unto Jehovah their God, it 
 behoved them to rebuild the Temple for 
 His worship. 
 
 4. Not in opjyosition to, hut in confor- 
 mity with, royal authority. " But in the 
 first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon," 
 &c, (vers. 13-16). Three things (which 
 we have already noticed) are here laid 
 down. (1.) That the work was com- 
 manded by King Cyrus. " King Cyrus 
 made a decree to build this house of 
 God. . . . Let the house of God be 
 builded in his place " (comp. chap. i. 
 1-3). (2.) That the work was assisted 
 by King Cyrus. " And the vessels also 
 of gold and silver of the house of God," 
 &c. (vers. 14, 15, and comp. chap. i. 
 4-11). (3.) That the work was carried 
 on by the officer appointed by king 
 Cyrus. " Then came the same Shesh- 
 bazzar, and laid the foundation of the 
 house of God which is in Jerusalem," &c. 
 (ver. 16, and comp. ver. 2, and chap. i. 
 8), Thus they show that in this work 
 they were obedient and loyal subjects of 
 the Persian monarch. 
 
 5. Not political, hut religious in its 
 character. They were building an edifice 
 which was designed not for plotting but 
 for piety, not for political schemes but 
 for religious services — " the house of 
 God." Moreover, they were not build- 
 ing this Temple to any merely local or 
 national deity, but to the One Supreme 
 Being — " the God of heaven and earth." 
 Thus the reply of the Jewish elders was 
 fitted to honour Jehovah their God, and 
 to disarm the opposition of men ; it was 
 both pious and prudent, {a). 
 
 III. The appeal of the Persian autho- 
 rities to the king. " Now, therefore, 
 if it seem good to the king," &c. They 
 ask Darius — 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 1. 7'o ascertain whether Ci/riis did 
 autho7'ise and encourage this ivork. " Let 
 there be search made in the king's 
 treasure house, which is there at Baby- 
 lon, whether it be that a decree was 
 made of Cyrus the king to build this 
 house of God at Jerusalem." 
 
 2. To issue instr^ictions for their guid- 
 ance in relation to this %vork. " And let 
 the king send his pleasure to us concern- 
 ing this matter." 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 Two things we may well admire and 
 imitate — 
 
 1. The fairness of the Persian officials. 
 Let us deal justly with those who differ 
 from us in faith or opinion ; let ns be 
 careful to represent their views and be- 
 liefs fairly and accurately, &c. (6). 
 
 2. The faithfuhiess of the Jeivish 
 leaders. They " witnessed a good con- 
 fession." Let us imitate them in tliis. 
 By the testimony both of the lip and of 
 the life, let us honour " the God of 
 heaven and earth." (c). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) As the hermitswere communing: together, 
 there arose a question as to which of all the 
 virtues was most necessary to perfection. One 
 eaid chastitj- ; another, humility ; a third, 
 justice. St. Anthony remained silent till all 
 had given their opinion ; and then he spoke, 
 " Ye have all said well, but none of you have 
 said aright. The virtue most necessary to 
 perfection is prudence ; for the most virtuous 
 actions of men, unless governed and directed 
 by prudence, are neither pleasing to God, nor 
 serviceable to others, nor profitable to our- 
 selves." — Diet, of 111 us. 
 
 (b) There are a great many who cannot 
 accept religion as a mere fact. There are a 
 great many on whose minds are thronging 
 thousands of thoughts. There are those who 
 come to religion from the side of their house- 
 hold, and from the side of their afTections. 
 And they cannot doubt. Blessed be that man 
 who had such a father and mother, that as 
 long as the memory of father and mother lives 
 he cannot doubt. Under such circumstances, 
 whatever the intellect may do, the heart recti- 
 fies it. The intellect may write " Scepticism," 
 but the heart rubs it out, and writes " Love." 
 But many have no such childhood, no such 
 teaching, and no such association. My memory 
 goes back to the Sabbaths of my childhood — 
 to the bright hill top, to the church-bell, and 
 so long as I remember these things, and have 
 a vision of my mother, and a recollection of 
 my father, I cannot doubt religion. But there 
 
 are many who had no such parents, or none 
 within their remembrance. Many liave had 
 their whole life's training in the most material 
 elements, some in artistic relations, some in 
 realms of doubt, some in intellectual gladia- 
 tion. Men come to the suliject of religion 
 from entirely different points. And when 
 men come to religion in such ways that they 
 have in themselves no moral witness to the 
 truth, and have suggestions and doubts that 
 they do not seek, but that are forced upon 
 them, there is a certain respect to be paid to 
 them, and a certain svmpathy to be experi- 
 enced for them. — B. W. -Beecher. 
 
 (c) We all have our creeds, and, in spite of our- 
 selves, we profess them ; — the creed of fashion ; 
 the creed of appetite ; the creed of a selfish ex- 
 pediency ; the creed of a sect; the creed of in- 
 difference, which is as irreligious and as bigoted 
 in its way as any other ; or the creed of eternal 
 right and Gospel faith. Conduct is the great 
 profession. Behaviour is the perpetual reveal- 
 ing of us. A man's doctrines flow from his fin- 
 gers' ends, and stand out in his doings. What 
 he may say is not his chief profession, but how 
 he acts. Character lets out the secret of his 
 belief ; what he does tells what he is. lie has 
 " put on the Lord Jesus Christ," when he has 
 " Christ formed within him." His profession 
 is as natural as the pulse in his veins. The 
 good man makes profession of his goodness by 
 simply being good ; but the Christian man will 
 not forget that he is not wholly good till he 
 has joined himself to Christ's body. He pub- 
 lishes his adhesion as spontaneously as nature 
 publishes her laws, — as the sun its light, — as 
 the rose its sweetness ; by being steadfast ; 
 by shining; by fragrant charities. It costs a 
 graceful elm no spasm to paint a graceful 
 image on our eye, and the sea spreads its mys- 
 terious arms around the hemispheres without 
 vanity. Tliey make their nature known by 
 silently keeping its laws. And because the 
 Christian soul is made to be a conscious mem- 
 ber in a living organism or church, it keeps 
 its own high law only by being there. Religion 
 belongs in the heartbeat of a man's affections, 
 and the breath of his daily desire ; till it has 
 so possessed him, it is a small matter that he 
 keeps its effigy as a connoisseur keeps his mar- 
 ble Apollo, — on the outskirts of his practical 
 fortunes. The true hospitality takes it to the 
 heart. But when the heart has taken it in, it 
 will not lock it there, and make it a prisoner. 
 It must go abroad again, for the blessing of 
 man and the praise of God. It will put its 
 owner into the Church, not to show himself, 
 but that he may the better become one with 
 his brethren, and their common Head. So 
 does the religion that is natural unite the 
 public confession of it with the hiding of its 
 inward power,— i^. D. Buntinr/ton, D.D. 
 
 The matter of professing Ciirist appears to 
 be regarded by many as a kind of optional 
 duty, just srs optional as it is for light to shine, 
 or goodness to be good, or joy to sing, or gra- 
 titude to give thanks, or love to labour and 
 
 77 
 
HO M I LET I C COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 sacrifice for its ends. No, my friends, there 
 is no option here, save as all duties are op- 
 tional, and eternity hiangs on the option we 
 make. Let no one of j^ou receive or allow a 
 different thought. Expect to be open, out- 
 
 standing witnesses for God, and rejoice to be. 
 In ready and glorious option, take your part 
 with such, and stifle indignantly any lurking 
 thought of being a secret follower. — U. Bush- 
 ncll, D.D. 
 
 The Supremacy of God. 
 {Verse 11.) 
 
 " We are the servants of the God of 
 heaven and earth." 
 
 These words lead us to consider — 
 I. The universal supremacy of God. 
 "The God of heaven and earth." The 
 idea of sovereignty is involved in the 
 idea of God. " The very name of a 
 God includes in it a supremacy and an 
 actual rule. He cannot be conceived as 
 God, but He must be conceived as the 
 highest authority in the world. It is 
 as possible for Him not to be God as not 
 to be supreme." Our text brings to our 
 notice the extent of the Divine supre- 
 macy, but we shall do well briefly to 
 notice — 
 
 1. The ground of the Divine sujwe- 
 macy. God is the universal Sovereign 
 because of — (1.) The perfections of His 
 being. He is infinitely wise, righteous, 
 and kind. He is supreme in authority 
 because He is supreme in ability and 
 excellence. " God therefore being an 
 incomprehensible ocean of all perfection, 
 and possessing infinitely all those virtues 
 that may lay a claim to dominion, hath 
 the first foundation of it in His own 
 nature." («). (2.) Because all things 
 were created b}'- Him. The maker of 
 anything has an undoubted right over 
 the thing which he has made. The in- 
 vention is the property of the inventor ; 
 the picture, of the ])ainter ; the book, 
 of the author. God's creatorship is 
 most complete ; all things, in respect 
 both of matter and of form, were made 
 by Him ; therefore His sovereignty is 
 absolute. (3.) Because all tilings are 
 sustained bj/ Him. " By Him all things 
 consist." He " upholds all things by 
 the word of His power." " In Him we 
 live, and move, and have our being." 
 He is the Force of all forces ; the Super- 
 intendent of all laws and processes of 
 nature, »tc. " As the right to govern 
 resulted from creation, so it is perpetu- 
 78 
 
 ated by the preservation of things." 
 (4.) And this supremacy should be the 
 more heartily recognised and responded 
 to by us because of the benefits which 
 He bestows upon us, and especially be- 
 cause of our redemption from sin by 
 Jesus Christ. " Ye are not your own ; 
 for ye are bought with a price : there- 
 fore glorify God," tfec. " I beseech you 
 therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
 God, that ye present," &c. (h). 
 
 2. The extent of the Divine sirpremacy. 
 (1.) It extends throughout heaven. He 
 is "the God of heaven." He is supreme 
 over heavenly beings. " Angels that 
 excel in strength, do His commandments, 
 hearkening unto the voice of His word." 
 They are " His hosts, ministers of His, 
 that do His pleasure." The music and 
 joy of their being is in doing His wilh 
 He is supreme over heavenly bodies. 
 "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold 
 who hath created these, that bringeth 
 out their host by number : He calleth 
 them all by names by the greatness of 
 His might, for that He is strong in 
 power ; not one faileth." " He telleth 
 the number of the stars ; He calleth 
 them all by name." (2.) It extends 
 throughout earth. He is " the God of 
 heaven and earth." 
 
 " By knowledge supreme, by wisdom Divine, 
 God governs the earth with gracious design. 
 O'er beast, bird, and insect His providence 
 
 reigns. 
 Whose will first created, whose love still 
 
 sustains." 
 
 He rules over all men. The highest 
 potentate and the humblest peasant are 
 alike under His authority. He " bringeth 
 the princes to nothing ; He maketh the 
 judges of the earth as vanity," &c. (Isa. 
 xl. 23, 24). He rules over men in every 
 respect. Nothing pertaining to their life 
 is too great or too small for His over- 
 sidit and control. Even " the bounds 
 
UOMILETW COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 of their habitation " are determined by 
 Him. (3.) It extends throughout hell. 
 " The devil and his angels " are rebels 
 against God's authority, but they cannot 
 annul that authority, or free themselves 
 from the restraints of His arm. Satan 
 could not afflict Job beyond a certain 
 limit, which was determined by God 
 (Job i. 12 j ii. 6). "God spared not 
 the angels that sinned, but cast them 
 down to hell," &c. (2 Pet. ii. 4). " The 
 angels which kept not their first estate, 
 but left their own habitation," &c. (Jude 
 6). Thus the Divine supremacy is uni- 
 versal in its extent, (c). 
 
 II. The great obligation of man. 
 " We are the servants of the God of 
 heaven and earth ; " and are therefore 
 under solemn obligations to obey Him. 
 His will we should accept as our law. 
 And our obedience to Him should be — • 
 
 1. Comi>lete. We should conform to 
 His will in all things. No department 
 of our life is beyond His control. We 
 may not select certain commandments for 
 our obedience, and reject or ignore others. 
 We must "have respect unto all His 
 commandments." (d). 
 
 2. Ferpetual. His kingdom is an 
 everlasting kingdom. Our obedience 
 must be continued as long as our beins;. 
 The redeemed will "serve Him day 
 and night in His Temple " through all 
 eternity. 
 
 3. Hearty. Mere mechanical obedience 
 is not acceptable to Him, The service 
 of the hireling is an abomination in His 
 sight ; but that which is spontaneous- 
 and sincere He delights in, (e). 
 
 4. Joyous. Obedience to Him should 
 be a pleasure to us. Joyous service is 
 frequently commended in the Scriptures, 
 " I will run in the way of Thy command- 
 ments." "Thy statutes have been my 
 songs." " Serve the Lord with glad- 
 ness." " I delight to do Thy will, 
 my God."(/). 
 
 III. The exalted privilege of man. 
 It is deemed an honour to serve human 
 sovereigns and princes. How much 
 greater — how immeasurably greater — is 
 the honour of serving the God of heaven 
 and earth ! When the service of God 
 is rightly estimated, it is regarded as a 
 glory, and rejoiced in as a privilege. 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 What is our attitude towards the 
 sovereignty of God *? Do we bow to it 
 only when we are forced to do so, and 
 because we are forced to do so % Or do 
 we rejoice in being "the servants of the 
 God of heaven and earth " % 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) This is the natural order God hath 
 placed in His creatures, that -the more excel- 
 lent should rule the inferior. He committed 
 not the government of lower creatures to lions 
 and tigers, that have a delight in blood, but 
 no knowledge of virtue ; but to man, who had 
 an eminence in his nature above other crea- 
 tures, and was formed with a perfect rectitude, 
 and a height of reason to guide the reins over 
 them. In man, the soul being of_a more 
 sublime nature, is set of right to rule over the 
 body ; the mind, the most excellent faculty of 
 the soul, to rule over the other powers of it ; 
 and wisdom, the most excellent habit of the 
 mind, to guide and regulate that in its deter- 
 minations ; and when the bodj' and sensitive 
 appetite control tiie soul and mind, it is a 
 usurpation against nature, not a rule according 
 to nature. The excellency, therefore, of the 
 Divine nature is the natural foundation for 
 His dominion. He hath wisdom to know 
 what is fit for Him to do, and an immutable 
 righteousness whereby He cannot do anything 
 base and unworthy ; He hath a foreknowledge 
 whereby He is able to order all things to 
 answer His own glorious designs and the end 
 of His government, that nothing can go awry, 
 nothing put Him to a stand, and constrain 
 Him to meditate new counsels. So that if it 
 could be supposed that the world had not been 
 created by Him, that the parts of it had met 
 together by chance, and been compacted into 
 such a body, none but God, the supreme and 
 most excellent Being in the world, could have 
 merited, and deservedly challenged the govern- 
 ment of it ; because nothing had an excellenc}' 
 of nature to capacitate it for it, as He hath, or 
 to enter into a contest with Him for a suffi- 
 ciency to govern. — S. Charnoche, B.D. 
 
 (b) That benefit of redemption doth add a 
 stronger right of dominion to God ; since He 
 hath not only as a Creator given them being 
 and life as His creatures, but paid a price, the 
 price of His Son's blood, for their rescue from 
 captivity ; so that He liatli a sovereignty of 
 grace as well as nature, and the ransomed ones 
 belong to Him as Redeemer as well as Creator 
 (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20): "Ye are not your own, 
 for ye are bought with a price;" therefore 
 your body and your spirit are God's. By tliis 
 He acquired a right of another kind, and 
 bought us from that uncontrollable lordship 
 we affected over ourselves by the sin of Adam, 
 that He might use us as His own peculiar for 
 His own glory and service. By this redemp- 
 tion there results to God a right over our 
 
 79 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 bodies, over our spirits, over our services, as 
 well as by creation ; and to show the strength 
 of this right, the Apostle repeats it, "you are 
 bought," a purchase cannot be without a price 
 paid ; but he adds price also, "bought with a 
 price." To strengthen the title, purchase gave 
 Him a new right, and the greatness of the 
 price established that right. The more a man 
 pays for a thing, the more usually, we say, he 
 deserves to have it ; He hath paid enough for 
 it ; it was, indeed, price enough, and too 
 much for such vile creatures as we are. — Ibid. 
 
 (c) The sapphire throne of God, at this 
 moment, is revealed in heaven, where adoring 
 angels cast their crowns before it ; and its 
 power is felt on earth, where the works of 
 creation praise the Lord. Even those who 
 acknowledge not the Divine government are 
 compelled to feel it ; for He doeth as He wills, 
 not only among the angels in heaven, but 
 among the inhabitants of this lower world. 
 Hell feels the terror of that throne. Those 
 chains of fire, those pangs unutterable, are the 
 awful sliadow of the throne of Deity ; as God 
 looks down upon the lost, the torment that 
 flashes through their souls darts from His 
 holiness, which cannot endure their sins. The 
 influence of that throne, then, is found in 
 every world where spirits dwell ; and in the 
 realms of inanimate nature it bears rule. 
 Every leaf that fades in the trackless forest 
 trembles at the Almighty's bidding, and every 
 coral insect that dwelleth in the unfathomable 
 depths of the sea feels and acknowledges the 
 presence of the all - present King. — C. H. 
 Spurgeon. 
 
 {d) All the commandments have the same 
 Author, and the same sanction. He who 
 thinks to atone for the breach of one by the 
 observation of another; he who reserveth to 
 himself a license of indulging in any favourite, 
 darling lust, while, in general, he preserveth 
 the appearance of an exemplary conduct, is a 
 
 hypocrite, and, unless he repent, will be brought 
 to shame, if not before men here, yet before 
 men and angels hereafter. — Bishop Home. 
 
 The hypocrite is in with one duty, and out 
 with another: likeaglobousbody, he toucheth 
 the law of God in one point — some particular 
 command he seems zealous for ; but meets not 
 in the rest ; whereas, the sincere heart lies 
 close to the whole law of God in his desire and 
 endeavour. — W. Gurnall. 
 
 (e) As fruits artificially raised or forced in 
 the hot-house have not the exquisite flavour of 
 tliose fruits which are grown naturally, and in 
 their due season ; so that obedience which is 
 forced by the terrors of the law, wants the 
 genuine flavour and sweetness of tliat obedience 
 which sprinirs from a heart warmed and 
 meliorated with the love of God in Christ 
 Jesus. — H. G. Salter. 
 
 (/) Men are commonly more cheerful in 
 their obedience to a great prince than to a 
 mean peasant, because the quality of the master 
 renders the service more honourable. It is a 
 discredit to a prince's government, when his 
 subjects obey him with discontent and dejected- 
 ness, as though he were a hard master, and his 
 laws tyrannical and unrighteous. When we 
 pay obedience but with a dull and feeble pace, 
 and a sour and sad temper, we blemish our 
 great Sovereign, imply His commands to be 
 grievous, void of that peace and pleasure He 
 proclaims to be in them ; that He deserves no 
 respect from us, if we obey Him because we 
 must, and not because we will. Involuntary 
 obedience deserves not the title : it is rather 
 submission than obedience, an act of the body, 
 not of the mind : a mite of obedience with 
 clieerfulness, is better than a talent without 
 it. The testimonies of God were David's 
 delight (Ps. cxix. 24). Our understandings 
 must take pleasure in knowing Him, our wills 
 delightfully embrace Him, and our actions be 
 cheerfully squared to Him. — <S'. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 Arguments against Sinning. 
 
 {Verse 12.) 
 
 In tliis verse we liave three weighty 
 reasons for abstaining from sin. 
 
 I. It provokes God. " Our fathers 
 provoked the God of heaven unto wrath." 
 By many sins, and especially by the 
 practice of idolatry with its accompany- 
 in<^ vices, the people of both Israel and 
 Judah had long provoked Jehovah before 
 He suffered them to be carried into exile. 
 The evil of sin, as a provocation of the 
 Most High, will be more impressively 
 realised if we reflect that He is a Being 
 
 of— 
 
 1. Infinite imrity. He is " glorious 
 
 m 
 
 in holiness ; " . . . "of purer eyes than 
 to behold evil, and cannot look upon 
 iniquity." Sin is the very opposite of 
 holiness ; therefore it grieves Him, and 
 if persisted in, it provokes Him. It is 
 the "abominable tlnng, which He hates." 
 Have we not in this a reason for shun- 
 ning it ? (a). 
 
 2. Infinite patience. He is "not 
 easily provoked ; " " The Lord is merci- 
 ful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
 plenteous in mercy." He " is longsuffer- 
 ing to us ward, not willing that any 
 should perish, but that all should come 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 to repentance." How wonderful was 
 His forbearance with His ancient people ! 
 How long He suffered them, notwith- 
 standing their heinous, widespread, and 
 long-contiinied sin ! Yet at length they 
 provoked Him unto wrath. How wicked 
 and how persistent must the sin be which 
 provokes so patient a Being to anger ! 
 Therefore let us flee from sin. (6). 
 
 II. It deprives the sinner of His 
 protection. " He gave them into the 
 hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of 
 Babylon, the Chaldean." By their sin 
 the Israelites deprived themselves of the 
 sure defence which His presence afforded 
 to them, and frustrated His gracious 
 purposes in relation to them. This truth 
 is pathetically and beautifully expressed 
 in Ps. Ixxxi. 11-16: " My people would 
 not hearken to My voice ; and Israel 
 would none of Me," &c. By his sin the 
 sinner places himself beyond the protec- 
 tion of the Divine Providence ; he takes 
 np the position of a rebel against tlie 
 Divine government, and so forfeits the 
 rights and privileges which that govern- 
 ment confers upon its loyal subjects. 
 
 III. It Strips the sinner of power 
 to battle with his foes. " Nebuchad- 
 nezzar the king of Babylon destroyed 
 this house, and carried the people away 
 into Babylon." Bereft of the Divine 
 presence and protection, the men of Israel 
 and of Judali could not stand befoi-e their 
 enemies. Guilt robs a man of courage. 
 The consciousness of righteous action in 
 a righteous cause is the mightiest inspira- 
 tion in conflict and the surest defence in 
 peril. Sin deprives a man of this. Guilt 
 brings faintness into men's "hearts; and 
 the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase 
 them ; and they shall flee, as fleeing from 
 a sword ; and they shall fall when none 
 pursueth," &c. (Lev. xxvi. 36, 37). "The 
 wicked flee when no man pursueth ; but 
 the righteous are bold as a lion." Or, as 
 Shakespeare expresses it — 
 
 " Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind ; 
 The thief doth fear each bush an officer." 
 
 A guilty "conscience does make cowards of 
 us all." 
 
 And Wordsworth : 
 
 '' From the body of one guilty deed 
 A thousand ghostly fears and haunting 
 thoughts proceed." (c). 
 
 By all these reasons let us beware of sin, 
 shun it, hate it ; and " follow after holi- 
 ness." For in respect of holiness we 
 may reverse the argument of our subject, 
 and affirm that (1) it is well pleasing to 
 God ; (2) it secures to its possessor the 
 Divine protection ; and (3) it invests 
 its possessor with moral strength and 
 courage. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Is it (if the supposition may be allowed) 
 anything merely 2'>^i'sonal which God con- 
 demns in the action of the sinner against 
 Himself ? Can the sinner do God any harm ? 
 Can the mightiest chief in all the armies of 
 hell pluck one star from the sky, or keep 
 back the light of the sun, or bind tlie sweet 
 influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of 
 Orion ? God is not, so to speak, alarmed for 
 His/)ersonaZ government. The offences against 
 Hispowej'cost Him noconcern, buttlie offences 
 against His holiness afflict Him with great sor- 
 row. The parent cares nothing for the mere 
 blow of tile child's tiny fist, but the passion 
 which prompted it breaks his heart. God has 
 to maintain the public virtue and order of the 
 universe. He fears no stroke of power ; but 
 if, for mere convenience of expression, we may 
 distinguish between His personality and His 
 attributes, we may say that offences against 
 His person are forgiven, but offences against 
 His attributes cannot be forgiven apart from 
 confession and repentance on the side of the 
 criminal. — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (6) The more His patience is abused, the 
 sharper will be the wrath He inflicts. As His 
 wratli restrained makes His patience long, so 
 His compassions restrained will make His wrath 
 severe ; as He doth transcend all creatures ia 
 the measures of the one, so He transcends all 
 creatures in tiie sharpness of the other. Christ 
 is described witli "feet of brass, as if they 
 burned in a furnace" (Rev. i. 15), slow to 
 move, but heavy to crusli, and hot to burn. 
 His wrath loseth nothing by delay ; it grows 
 the fresher by sleeping, and strikes with greater 
 strength when it awakes : all the time men 
 are abusing His patience, God is wlietting His 
 sword, and the longer it is whetting the sharper 
 will be the edge ; the longer He is fetching 
 His blow, the smarter it will be. The heavier 
 the cannons are, the more difficultly are they 
 drawn to tlie besieged town ; but, when arrived, 
 they recompense the slowness of their marcli 
 by the fierceness of their battery. " Because 
 I have purged thee," i.e., used means for thy 
 reformation, and waited for it, "and thou wast 
 not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy 
 filthiness any more, till I have caused My fur}' 
 to rest upon thee. I will not go back, neither 
 will I spare ; accordmg to thy ways, and ac- 
 cording to tUy doings, shall tliey judge thee " 
 (Ezek. xxiv. 13, 14). God will spare as little 
 then as He spared muck before : His wrath 
 
 81 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 •will be as raging upon tliem as tlie sea of their and demand to be righted by Justice ; Justice 
 
 ■wickedness was within them. When there is will take the account from the hands of Patience, 
 
 a bank to forbid the irruption of tlie stream, and exact a recompense for every disingenuous 
 
 the waters swell; but when the bank is broke, or injury offered to it. When Justice comes to 
 
 the lock taken away, they rush with the greater arrest men for their debts, Patience, Mercy, 
 
 violence, and ravaire more than they would and Goodness will step in as creditors and clap 
 
 have done had they not met with a stop : the their actions upon them, wliich will make the 
 
 longer a stone is in falling, the more it bruiseth condition so much more deplorable. — S. Chkr- 
 
 and grinds to powder. There is a greater noche, B.D. 
 treasure of wrath laid up by the abuses of 
 
 patience : every sin must have a just recom- (c) They say sheep are scared with the clatter 
 
 pense of reward ; and therefore every sin, in of their own feet as they run ; so is the sinner 
 
 regard of its aggravations, must be more pun- with the din of his guilt. No sooner Adam 
 
 ished than a sin in the singleness and simplicity saw his plate off, and himself to be naked, but 
 
 of its own nature. As treasures of mercy are he is afraid of God's voice, as if he had never 
 
 kept by God for us, "He keeps mercy for been acquainted with Him. Never can we 
 
 thousands ; " so are treasures of wrath kept truly recover our courage till we recover our 
 
 by Him to be expended, and a time of expense holiness. " If our heart condemn us not, then 
 
 there must be. Patience will account to Jus- have we boldness before God " (1 John iii. 21). 
 
 tice all the good offices it hath done the sinner, — Wi Gurnall. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Critical and Explanatoet Notes.] This chapter contains — (i.) The search for and dis- 
 covery of the decree of Cyrus (vers. 1-5). (ii.) The decree of Darius for the furtherance of the 
 building of the Temple (vers. 6-12). (iii.) The carrying on and completion of the building of 
 the Temple (vers. 13-15). (iv.) The dedication of the Temple (vers. 16-18). (v.) The cele- 
 bration of tlie feasts of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread (vers. 19-22). 
 
 Ver. 1. Then Darius the king made a decree] "These words seem to refer only to the 
 command to make an investigation ; but in reality they serve as an introduction to the decree 
 which was promulgated to Tatnai, &c. (comp. v. 6). It is as if the subsequent narrative : and 
 search was made] were taken up merely as an explanation of the decree following in ver. 6 
 sq." — SchuUz. The house of the rolls] Margin: " Chald. boohs." Schultz : " wrltimjs." 
 (Comp. chap. v. 17.) Laid up] Margin: "Chald. made to descend." The apartment was 
 probably underground. 
 
 Ver. 2. Achmetha] i.e., Ecbatana. " The name 'Achnetha, which at first sight seems some- 
 what remote from Ecbatana, Avants but one letter of Ilagmatana, which was the native appella- 
 tion. . . . Two cities of the name of Ecbatana seem to have existed in ancient times, one the 
 capital of Northern Media; the other the metropolis of the larger and more important province 
 known as Media Magna. The site of the former appears to be marked by the very curious 
 ruins at Talclit-i- Suleiman ; while that of the latter is occupied by Haniadan, which is one jOf 
 the most important cities of modern Persia. Tiiere is generally some difficulty in determining, 
 when Ecbatana is mentioned, wliether the northern or the southern metropolis is intended. 
 Few writers are aware of the existence of the two cities, and they lie sufficiently near to one 
 another for geographical notices in most cases to suit either site. The northern city was the 
 ' seven-walled town ' described by Herodotus, and declared by him to have been the capital of 
 Cyrus (Herod, i. 98, 99, 153; comp. Mos. Ciioren. ii. 84) ; and it was thus most probably there 
 that the roll was found whicli proved to Darius that Cyrus had really made a decree allowing 
 the Jews to rebuild their Temple." — Bihl. Diet. A roll] "The ancient Persians used parch- 
 ment for their records, as appears from Ctesias (cap. Diod. Sic. ii. 32) "• — Raivlinson. 
 
 Ver. 3. In the first year of Cyrus the king] (Comp. chaps, i. 1 ; v. 13.) Omit "concern- 
 ing " as supplied by the translators of tlie A. V. The house of God at Jerusalem] These 
 words "stand alone by themselves, and constitute to a certain extent a title." The place 
 where they offered sacrifices] Keil : " As a place where sacrifices are offered." Schultz: "As 
 a place where offerings are brought." And let the foundations thereof he strongly laid] 
 Schultz : " 'And whose foundations are capable of supporting' (namely, the structure).',' The 
 height thereof threescore cubits] &c. In these dimensions the length is not specified ; probably 
 because in this respect the new Temple was to correspond Avith the former one. 
 
 Ver. 4. With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber] The meaning of this 
 is uncertain. One interpretation is that the Avord translated row n\2'l^\ should be rendered 
 "storey;" and that it applies "to the three storeys of chambers tliat surrounded Solomon's, 
 and afterwards Herod's Temple, and Avith this again Ave come to the wooden Talar which sur- 
 mounted the Temple and formed a fourth storey." — BiU. Diet. But it is questionable Avhether 
 "^313 ever signifies " storey." Fuerst gives, as the meaning of the A^■ord, "a layer, a row," as 
 of stones or bricks in a AA'all. So also Keil. Schultz says it means " that three of the Temple 
 walls were of hewn stone, the other, namely, the front, which must for the most part be com- 
 82 
 
UOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. chap. vi. 
 
 posed of a large entrance, was to be made of wood." In support of this view he argues from 
 1 Kings vi. 36, "that Solomon provided the inner court (of his Temple) on three sides with 
 walls of quarried stone, on tlie one other side, without doubt the front side, where the chief 
 entrance was, where then there was probably a larger door, with an enclosure of hewn cedar. 
 ... In tlie Temple of Herod also, the entrance side of the lioly place was still composed of one 
 great folding door, sixteen cubits broad." Another interpretation is that the walls were three 
 rows or courses of stone in thickness with an inner wainscoting of wood. And another, taking 
 1]3"IJ as signifying row, or layer, is that the walls were built of three layers of large stones and 
 then a layer of timber, repeated from the base to the summit. But there is a complete absence 
 of evidence of the existence of buildings of this kind- in the East in olden times. And 
 let the expenses be given oxit of the king's house] or from tlie royal revenues (Comp. 
 ver. 8.) This must eitlicr refer to the cost of only the materials of the building, or it was never 
 carried into effect ; for the Jews themselves contributed largely to the cost of the building 
 (cliaps. ii. 68, 69 ; iii. 7). 
 
 Ver. 5. And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God] &c. (Comp chaps. 
 i. 7. 8; V. 14, 15.) 
 
 Ver. 6. Now therefore Tatnai] &c. This is the decree made by Darius the king (ver. 1). 
 Your companions the Apharsachites] (See on chap. v. 6.) Be ye ifar from thence] i.e. do not 
 trouble or interfere with the Jews in this matter. 
 
 Ver. 10. That they may offer sacrifices] &c. This was the object aimed at by Darius the 
 king in the preceding orders of his decree. " We find," says Keil, " that in after times sacrifices 
 were regularly offered for the king on appointed days : comp. 1 Mace. vii. 33, xii. 11 ; 2 Mace, 
 iii. 35, xiii. 23 ; Joseph. Antiq. XII. ii. 5, and elsewhere." 
 
 Ver. 11. Alter this word] either l)y transgressing or by abolishing it. Let timber be pulled 
 down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon] Keil : " Let a beam be 
 torn from his house, and let him be fastened hanging thereon." Schultz : " Let him be fastened 
 thereon and crucified." It is almost beyond doubt that crucifixion is the punishment signified 
 here. And let his house be made a dunghill for this] " that is, let it be torn down and changed 
 into a common sewer, comp. 2 Kings x. 27 ; Dan. ii. 5." — Schultz. 
 
 Ver. 14. And Artaxerxes king of Persia] " This king did not reign till long after the com- 
 pletion of the Temple, and the insertion of his name here can only be accounted for by sup- 
 posing that the compiler or editor of this record inscribed his name as one who, in later times, 
 conti-ibuted to the maintenance of the Temple, and so kept up the work his predecessors had 
 begun." — Clemance. And Schultz points out that, instead of giving a simple narrative of the 
 completion of the building, "the author would rather express recognition and thanks, and 
 hence could forget none who were deserving of mention. Artaxerxes came into consideration 
 only on account of the gifts which he caused to be brought to Jerusalem by Ezra " (chap. vii. 
 15-20). 
 
 Ver. 15. The month Adar] which is the twelfth month, and corresponds with our March. The 
 building was completed about twenty years after the laying of the foundation by Zerubbabel, 
 and four years five months and a few days after the resumption of the work by reason of the 
 prophesying of Haergai (Hag. i. 15). 
 
 Ver. 17. An hundred buUocks, two hundred rams] &c. These numbers, though small as 
 compared with those offered at the dedication of the former Temple (1 Kings viii. 5, 63), con- 
 sidering the number aiid the circumstances of the people, constitute a hearty and joyful offering. 
 A sin offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats] &c. While the great majority of those who 
 returned with Zerubbabel were of Judah, it is probable that some families of the other tribes 
 returned with them, and that for that reason a sin offering was presented for every tribe. More- 
 over, as Keil observes, a sin offering was brought for all Israel, "because the Temple was 
 intended for the entire covenant people, whose return to the Lord and to the land of their fathers, 
 according to the predictions of the prophets, was hoped for. (Comp. e.g. Ezek. xxxvii. 15, sq. 
 Jer. xxxi. 27. sq.) " 
 
 Ver. 18. They set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses] &c. 
 (Comp. 1 Chron. xxiii. 6-23 ; xxiv. 1-19 ; 2 Chron. xxxv. 5, 12.) As it is written in the book of 
 Moses] (Comp. Num. iii. 6-10 ; viii. 5-26.) Witli this verse tlie Chaldee section closes. 
 
 Ver. 19. Kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. (Comp. Exod. 
 xii. 6.) 
 
 Ver. 20. For the priests and the Levites were purified] &c. Rawlinson says that this is a 
 mistranslation, and that it should be, " For the priests had purified themselves, and the Levites 
 were all pure as one man, and killed," &c. He further suggests that this was the reason why 
 the Levites killed the paschal lambs not only for themselves and for the people, but also for their 
 brethren the priests (Comp. 2 Chron. xxix. 34.) But, as Keil remarks, from thedaj's of Josiali 
 it seems to have been customary for the Levites to slaughter the passover lambs for the whole 
 community, both priesthood and laity. (2 Chron. xxxv. 11, 14,15). Schultz translates, "For 
 the priests and Levites had purified themselves as one man, they were all clean, and killed," &c. 
 He suggests that the latter slaughtered the lambs " for the priests, because they were so busy 
 elsewhere." 
 
 Ver, 21. And all such as had separated themselves] &c. " Tliose who separated themselves 
 
 83 
 
CHAP. vr. 
 
 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 from these heathen are not proselytes from heathenism, but descendants of the Jews and 
 Israelites who had remained in the land when the rest of the nation had been carried captive, 
 as all the parallel passages show, comp. ix. 1, 10, x. 2, 10, 11 ; Neh. ix. 2, x. 28. They had 
 without doubt intermarried with the heathen, and the more they had entered into communion 
 with them, the less were they in a position to observe the ilosaic laws respecting food and 
 purification. To separate themselves from the impurities of the heathen meant for them to 
 forsake altogether communion with the heathen, and seek communion with the Jewish congre- 
 gation." — Schultz. 
 
 Ver. 22. Kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days] (Comp. Exod. xii. 15, xiii. 7, &c.) 
 The king of Assyria] " Darius, the king of Persia, is here called king of Assyria, not only as 
 ruler of the territory of the previous Persian empire (Keil), or because Assyria from ancient 
 time had been the usual name for all that region (Clericus), which cannot be proved from 
 Judith ii. 1 ; but, above all, likewise, because Darius, as head of the great empire of the world, 
 properly took the same relative position over against the people of God as the Assyrian and 
 Chaldean kings had once had, because it was properly only a continuation or renewal of the 
 same, and because the thought was now to be expressed, that finally that very enemy who had 
 once so fearfully and destructively oppressed the people of God, had been changed by the grace 
 of God into a friend, so that he had even himself strengthened the hands of the congregatioa 
 in re-establishing the destroyed Temple." — Ibid. 
 
 A Thorough Search and an Important Discovert. 
 {Verses 1-5.) 
 
 I. The search for the decree of 
 Cyrus. 
 
 1. Was thoroiigli. " Search was 
 made in the house of the rolls, where 
 the treasures were laid up in Babylon," 
 as being the most likely place in which 
 to find a copy of the alleged decree of 
 Cyrus. The document, however, was 
 not found there. But the search was 
 not abandoned when it failed there, but 
 was continued at Achmetha, or Ecba- 
 tana, as being the place where, next to 
 Babylon, it would most probably be 
 discovered. The thoroughness of this 
 search seems to us an" evidence of the 
 desire of Darius the king to deal fairly 
 and honourably with his Jewish sub- 
 jects. 
 
 2. Was successful. " And there was 
 found at Achmetha, in the palace that 
 is in the province of the Medes, a roll," 
 &c. Thus the honest and earnest 
 search was rewarded, the veracity of 
 the statement of the elders of the Jews 
 (chap. V. 13-15) was clearly proved, 
 and the lawfulness of the authority by 
 which they acted firmly established. 
 
 Learn : 
 
 Honest and thorough investigation 
 promotes the interests of religion and of 
 tlie Church of God. Partial examina- 
 tion, and yet more, examination by per- 
 sons whose opinions or feelings are 
 prejudiced, often leads to conclusions 
 which are inimical to the cause of God 
 84 
 
 and of religious truth. But sincere, 
 patient, thorough investigation into the 
 credentials of Christianity is eminently 
 desirable, and conduces to its progress. 
 Merely human systems of religion may 
 well shun the light ; some of the doc- 
 trines of men concerning Christianity, 
 upon examination, may prove unten- 
 able ; and error may naturally seek to 
 evade every real test ; but truth, righte- 
 ousness, and the religion of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ court inquiry, and by in- 
 quiry they spread and prevail, (a). 
 
 II. The discovery of the decree of 
 Cyrus. " And there was found at 
 Achmetha, in the palace that is in the 
 province of the Medes, a roll, and 
 therein was a record thus written : In 
 the first year of Cyrus," &c. (vers. 2-5). 
 The edict thus brought to light con- 
 tained three commands of the utmost 
 importance to the Jews. 
 
 1. Tliat their Temple should he rebuilt. 
 " In the first year of Cyrus the king, 
 Cyrus the king made a decree : — The 
 house of God at Jerusalem : — Let the 
 hou.se be built," &c. It was to be 
 built (1) at the old place ; " at Jerusa- 
 lem." This was important, because of 
 the old and precious associations and 
 memories which clustered thickly around 
 it. (2.) For the old purposes. " The 
 house of God ... a place where they 
 may offer sacrifices." It was for the 
 worship of the same holy Being, and in 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 the same manner, as their fathers had 
 worshipped. (3.) In solid and durable 
 manner. "And let the foundations 
 thereof be strongly laid," so as to be 
 thoroughly capable of supporting the 
 superstructure, that the edilice may en- 
 dure the longer. 
 
 2. That the expenses of htiilding he 
 (jranted them from the royal revenues. 
 " And let the expenses be given out 
 of the king's house." Either this com- 
 jnand was intended to apply only to 
 the materials of the building, or it was 
 never fully carried out. It may be 
 that they did not receive what was here 
 ordered them, as Matthew Henry sug- 
 gests, because the face of things at court 
 was soon changed. But we know that, 
 out of their own resources, the Jews 
 contributed largely to the expenses of 
 the building (chaps, ii. 68, 69 ; iii. 7). 
 
 3. That the costly and sacred vessels 
 of the former Temple should he restored. 
 "And also let the golden and silver 
 vessels of the house of God," kc. (ver. 5). 
 (1.) These vessels had been degraded to 
 base uses by heathen kings. "Which 
 Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the 
 Temple which was at Jerusalem, and 
 brought unto Babylon." "And he 
 brought the vessels into the treasure 
 house of his god " (Dan. i. 2). Belshazzar, 
 at his great and impious feast, " whiles 
 he tasted the wdne, commanded to bring 
 the golden and silver vessels," &c. (Dan. 
 v. 2-4). (2.) They had been preserved 
 from destruction or loss in the Providence 
 of God. God had so ordered events 
 that these vessels were regarded by the 
 lieathen Nebuchadnezzar as sacred, and 
 were by him deposited in a secure place. 
 (3.) They were restored to their original 
 place and -use by a heathen king, who 
 was moved thereto by the Spirit of 
 God. Let them "be restored, and 
 brought again unto the Temple which 
 is at Jerusalem, to their place, and 
 (thou) shalt place them in the house of 
 God." Seeing that God thus preserves 
 even consecrated utensils, how much 
 more will He keep His consecrated 
 people ! " Fear thou not ; for I am 
 with thee : be not dismayed," &c. (Isa. 
 xli. 10, 13). "Fear not; for I have 
 redeemed thee, I have called thee by 
 
 thy name ; thou art Mine. When thou 
 passest through the waters," &c. (Isa 
 xliii. 1, 2). 
 
 Learn : 
 
 The advantages of ivritten history. 
 The testimony of the Jewish elders con- 
 cerning the edict of Cyrus might have 
 been denied by some, and by others 
 suspected of exaggeration in their own 
 favour, and in this way the great work 
 might have been again arrested; but 
 this state-document, found in one of the 
 royal offices or chambers, was unim- 
 peachable. Tradition is variable and 
 uncertain ; but the record written at the 
 time of the events is fixed and trust- 
 worthy. (6). How great should be our 
 gratitude for the sacred writings — "the 
 Word of God, which liveth and abideth 
 for ever " ! (c). 
 
 ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 (a) The religion of Christ might be shown 
 to abound in circumstances which contradict 
 and repel the idea of a human origin. For 
 example, its representations of the paternal 
 character of God ; its inculcation of a universal 
 cliarity ; the stress which it lays on inward 
 purity ; its substitution of a spiritual worship 
 for the forms and ceremonies, which every- 
 where had usurped the name and extinguished 
 the life of religion ; its preference of humilitj', 
 and the mild, unostentatious, passive virtues, 
 to the dazzling qualities which had mono- 
 polised men's admiration ; its consistent and 
 bright discoveries of immortality ; its adap- 
 tation to the wants of man as a sinner ; its 
 adaptation to all the conditions, capacities, 
 and sufferings of human nature ; its pure,' 
 sublime, yet practical morality ; its high and 
 generous motives; and its fitness to form a 
 character, which plainly prepares for a higher 
 life than the present; — these are peculiarities 
 of Christianity, which will strike us more and 
 more in proportion as we understand distinctly 
 the circumstances of tlie age and country in 
 wliich this religion appeared, and for which 
 no adequate human cause has been or can be 
 assigned. 
 
 Passing over these topics, each of which 
 miiriit be enlarged into a discourse, 1 will 
 make but one remark on this religion, which 
 strikes my own mind very forcibly. Since 
 its introduction, human nature has made 
 great progress, and society experienced great 
 changes ; and in this advanced condition of 
 the world, Christianity, instead of losing its 
 application and importance, is found to be 
 more and more congenial and adapted to man's 
 nature and wants. Men have outgrown the 
 other institutions of that period when Chris- 
 tianity appeared, its philosophv, its modes of 
 
 85 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 warfare, its policy, its public and private 
 economy ; but Ciiristianity has never shrunk 
 as intellect has opened, but has always kept 
 in advance of men's faculties, and unfolded 
 nobler views in proportion as they have 
 ascended. The highest powers and affections 
 which our nature has developed find more 
 than adequate objects in this religion. Chris- 
 tianity is indeed peculiarly fitted to the more 
 improved stages of society, to the more 
 delicate sensibilities of refined minds, and 
 especially to that dissatisfaction with the 
 present state, which always grows with the 
 growth of our moral powers and affections. 
 As men advance in civilisation, they become 
 susceptible of mental sufferings, to which ruder 
 ages are strangers ; and these Christianity is 
 fitted to assuage. Imagination and intellect 
 become more restless ; and Christianity brings 
 them tranquillity, by the eternal and magnifi- 
 cent truths, the solemn and unbounded pros- 
 pects, which it unfolds. This fitness of our 
 religion to more advanced stages of society 
 than that in which it was introtiuced, to wants 
 of human nature not then developed, seems 
 to me very striking. The religion bears the 
 marks of having come from a Being who 
 perfectly understood the human mind, and 
 had power to provide for its progress. This 
 feature of Christianity is of the nature of 
 prophecy. It was an anticipation of future 
 and distant ages ; and when we consider 
 among whom our religion sprung, where, but 
 in God, can we find an explanation of this 
 peculiarity ? — W. E. Channing, D.D. 
 
 {h) In Books lies the soul of the whole Past 
 Time ; the articulate audible voice of the 
 Past, when the body and material substance 
 of it has altogether vanislied like a dream. 
 Mighty fleets and armies, harbours and arsenals, 
 vast cities, high domed, many engined, — they 
 are precious, great : but what do they become ? 
 Agamemnon, the many Agamemnons, Peri- 
 
 cleses, and their Greece ; all is gone now to 
 some ruined fragments, dumb mournful wrecks 
 and blocks : but the Books of Greece ! There 
 Greece, to every thinker, still very literally 
 lives ; can be called up again into life. No 
 magic Rune is stranger than a Book. AH that 
 mankind has done, thought, gained, or been : 
 it is lying as in magic preservation in the 
 pages of Books. They are the chosen posses- 
 sion of men. — Thomas Carlyle. 
 
 (c) It is a blessed thought that the words of 
 the Bible were written for us — that tlie Spirit 
 of God looked along the ages, and saw that iu 
 such an event or circumstance of life we 
 should need just such counsel and help. And 
 then He inspired a pen to write it down. Not 
 for our good only, but for thousands who have 
 gone befoi-e and who will come after. No 
 promise is there that has not been proved 
 thousands of times — no warning, but many 
 have taken it home. It is like a good chart 
 which has everything on it that a mariner in 
 any seas may need. Its truths never wear 
 out. Says one, who has been a deep student 
 of it : " Tlie Bible will bear a thousand read- 
 ings, and the man who has gone over it the 
 most frequently and carefully is the surest of 
 finding new wonders there." — The Study. 
 
 What a wonderful Book is the Bible ! Just 
 let us look at it. There it lies — a Book several 
 thousand years old — a Book at war with all 
 the evil passions of a wicked world — a Book 
 dwelling in an enemy's country — a Book 
 exposed to every species of assault — a Book 
 that has been shot at by innumerable archers, 
 and yet there it lies, unhurt, invulnerable, 
 not a crevice to be found in its coat of mail, 
 not the sliadow of a genuine doubt upon its 
 Divinity, not a speck upon its glorious robes ! 
 Well may we say as we gaze upon it, " Surely 
 God is in this Book ! how dreadful is this 
 Book ! it is none else than the Book of God ; 
 it is the gate of heaven ! " — Anon. 
 
 The Decree of Darius. 
 {Verses 6-12.) 
 
 In this royal edict Ave have : 
 I. A prohibition. " Now Tatnai, gov- 
 ernor beyond the river, Shethar-boziiai, 
 and your companions the Apharsachites, 
 which are beyond the river, be ye far 
 from thence : let the work of this house 
 of God alone." All interference with 
 the builders and the building of the 
 Temple is here forbidden by the king. 
 Tatnai and Shethar-boznai seem to have 
 acted with conspicuous fairness toward 
 the Jews ; but it is probable that some 
 of their former Samaritan enemies would 
 have hindered them in their great work 
 86 
 
 if they could have done so. Such hin- 
 drance this edict imperatively prohibits. 
 II. An injunction. The royal decree 
 goes on to command Tatnai and. his 
 companions in olRce to help onward the 
 work of the Jewish builders. 
 
 1. They ivere to allow the building of 
 the Temple. "Let the governor of the 
 Jews and the elders of the Jews build- 
 this house of God in his place." 
 
 2. lliey ivere to assist the building of 
 the Temple. " Moreover, I make a decree 
 what ye shall do to the elders of these 
 Jews for the building of this house of 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 God : that of the king's goods, of the 
 tribute beyond the river, forthwith ex- 
 penses be given unto these men, that 
 they be not hindered." 
 
 3. Tliey were to assist the worship of 
 the God of the Temple. "And that 
 ■which they have need of, both young 
 bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the 
 burnt oiierings of the God of heaven, 
 wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to 
 the appointment of the priests which 
 are at Jerusalem, let it be given them 
 day by day without fail." 
 
 Notice : 
 
 1. The sufficiencif of this assistance. 
 It provides for the daily and other burnt 
 offerings, for the meat offerings, and for 
 other things according to the expressed 
 requirements of the Jewish priests. 
 
 2. The continuity of this assistance. 
 "Let it be given them day by day." 
 
 3. The urgency of the command of 
 this assistance. "Let it be given them 
 without fail ; ... let it be done with 
 speed." In this w^ay unusual importance 
 is given to this edict for helping for- 
 ward the Temple and the worship of 
 Jehovah. Tlie object of the Icing in thus 
 aiding their worship is noteworthy : 
 " That they may offer sacrifices of sweet 
 savours unto the God of heaven, and 
 pray for the life of the king, and of his 
 sons." This is a remarkable utterance 
 from a heathen monarch. It reveals — 
 (1.) His reverence towards God. Twice 
 in this decree he speaks of Him as " the 
 God of heaven ; " and from his wish 
 that sacrifices and prayers should be 
 presented to Him, it is evident that he 
 believed in His power to aid and bless 
 men. (2.) His faith in the efficacy of 
 prayer to God, Darius knew that the 
 Jews " were a praying people," says 
 Matthew Henry, " and had heard that 
 God was nigh to them in all that which 
 they called upon Him for. He was 
 sensible he needed their prayers and 
 might receive benefit by them, and was 
 kind to them in order that he might 
 have an interest in their prayers. It is 
 the duty of God's peo[)le to pray for 
 those that are in authority over them, 
 not only for the good and gentle, but 
 also for the froward ; but they are par- 
 ticularly bound in gratitude to pray for 
 
 their protectors and benefactors ; and it 
 is the wisdom of princes to desire their 
 prayers. Let not the greatest princes 
 despise the prayers of the meanest 
 saints ; it is desirable to have them for 
 us, and dreadful to have them against 
 us." («). 
 
 III. A malediction. "Also I have 
 made a decree, that whosoever shall 
 alter this word," ikc. (vers. 11, 12). 
 
 1. Severe jjencdties are denotmced 
 against any who shoidd violate the de- 
 cree. (1.) The crucifixion of the offen- 
 der, " Whosoever shall alter this word, 
 let timber be pulled down from his 
 house, let him be fastened thereon and 
 crucified." (2.) The consignment of 
 the memory of the offender to shame 
 and loathing. "And let his house be 
 made a dunghill for this." Language 
 such as this is not unfrequently em- 
 jiloyed by Orientals (2 Kings x. .27; 
 Dan. ii. 5 ; iii. 29). " They imprecate 
 all sorts of indignities and abominations 
 on the objects of their dislike, and it is 
 not uncommon for them to smear over 
 with filth what is the object of their 
 contempt and abhorrence. Thus when 
 the Caliph Omar took Jerusalem, at the 
 head of the Saracen army, after ravag- 
 ing the greater part of the city, he 
 caused dung to be spread over the 
 site of the sanctuary, in token of the 
 abhorrence of all Mussulmans, and of 
 its being henceforth regarded as the 
 refuse and offscouring of all things," 
 
 2. A ster7i imprecation is uttered 
 against any who shoidd attempt to injure 
 the Temple. "And the God that hath 
 caused His name to dwell there destroy 
 all kings and people, that shall put to 
 their hand to alter, to destroy this house 
 of God which is at Jerusalem." Where 
 his own power was inadequate to pro- 
 tect the Jews and their Temple, he in- 
 vokes the hand of God against those 
 who would injure the sacred place. 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 1. See the force of example. Darius 
 was moved by the example of Cyras in 
 thus showing favour to the Jews. In 
 this case we have — (1.) An example of 
 excellent ^character. The conduct of 
 Cyrus towards the Jews was good and 
 noble, (6), (2.) An example of pos- 
 
 87 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 thamous power. Cyrus had been dead 
 for several years, but the decree which 
 he had made determined the conduct 
 of Darius towards the Jews. Our 
 influence for good or for evil does not 
 cease with our life upon earth, (c). (3.) 
 An example nobly followed. The de- 
 cree of Darius was even more noble and 
 generous than that of Cyrus. 
 
 2. See the ivorhings of Divine Provi- 
 dence. In this decree we see that — (1.) 
 God sometimes uses unlikely agents in 
 accomplishing His purposes. Darius, 
 king of Persia, was one of the most im- 
 portant agents in rebuilding the Temple 
 at Jerusalem, &c. (2.) God overrules 
 the opposition of enemies for the accom- 
 plishment of His purposes. We are far 
 from saying that Tatnai and Shethar- 
 boznai were enemies to the Jews ; but 
 we know that the Samaritans were bit- 
 terly hostile to them ; and now, as the 
 result of the appeal to Darius, all his 
 subjects Avest of the Euphrates are com- 
 manded to contribute to the Temple and 
 to the worship of Jehovah. " Surely 
 the wrath of man shall praise Thee; the 
 remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain." 
 {d). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) A man who lives habitually near to God 
 is like a great cloud for ever dropping with 
 fertilising showers. Tliis is the man who can 
 say, "The earth is dissolved; I bear up the 
 pillars thereof." France had never seen so 
 bloody a revolution had there been men of 
 prayer to preserve her. England, amidst the 
 commotions which make her rock to and fro, 
 is held fast because prayer is put up incessantly 
 by the faithful. The flag of old England is 
 nailed to her mast, not by the hands of her 
 sailors, but by the prayers of the people of 
 God. These, as they intercede day and night, 
 and as they go about their spiritual ministry, 
 these are they for whom God spareth nations, 
 for wliom He permitteth the earth still to 
 exist ; and when tlieir time is over, and they 
 are taken awaj% the salt being taken from the 
 earth, then shall the elements dissolve with 
 fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that 
 are therein, shall be burnt up ; but not until 
 He hath caught away the saints with Christ 
 into the air, shall this world pass away. — C. 
 U. Spurgeon. 
 
 (h) If the present lecturer has a right to 
 consider himself a real Christian, — if he has 
 been of any service to his fellow-creatures, and 
 has attained to any usefulness in the Church 
 
 of Christ, he owes it, in the way of means and 
 instrumentality, to the sight of a companion, 
 who slept in the same room with him, bending 
 his knees in prayer on retiring to rest. That 
 scene, so unostentatious, and yet so uncon- 
 cealed, roused my slumbering conscience, and 
 sent an arrow to my heart ; for, though I had 
 been religiously educated, I had restrained 
 prayer, and cast off the fear of God. My con- 
 version to God followed, and soon after my 
 entrance upon college studies for the work of 
 the ministry. Nearly half a century has rolled 
 away since then, with all its multitudinous 
 events ; but that little chamber, that humble 
 couch, that praying youth, are still present to 
 my imagination, and will never be forgotten, 
 even amidst the splendours of heaven, and 
 through the ages of eternity. — /. A. James. 
 
 (o) The truth is, that no man or woman, 
 however poor their circumstances or mean, 
 their lot, are without their influence ; like an 
 electric spark, passing from link to link, that 
 runs flashing down the chain of successive 
 generations. Indeed, a man's life is as im- 
 mortal as his soul ; and by its influence, though 
 dead, he yet speaketh and worketh. . . . 
 Men live after they are dead. Outliving our 
 memory, and more enduring than any monu- 
 ment of brass or marble, our example may 
 prove like the circle that rises round the sink- 
 ing stone, and growing wider and wider, em- 
 braces a larger and larger sphere, till it dies 
 in gentle wavelets on the distant beach. It 
 reaches a distant shore ; your example a dis- 
 tant time. Take care, then, how you live. — 
 Thomas Guthrie, D.D. 
 
 [d) All things are for the best, by virtue of 
 no inherent power in evil to develop good, for 
 evil must ever gravitate towards an increase 
 of itself ; but by virtue of an overruling Wis- 
 dom bringing good out of evil, and convert- 
 ing the evil itself into the instrument of good. 
 Tills is true of natural laws. The storm de- 
 structive of life and property fills the atmo- 
 sphere with the seeds of larger and freer life. 
 Pestilence is the providential stimulus of sani- 
 tary progress. Difficulties and conflicts are 
 the school of all the heroic virtues. Fortitude, 
 self-control, heroic force of will, unselfish 
 generosity, a rational love of liberty, and 
 liberality tolerant of other men's opinions, all 
 grow out of this soil. They are not hot-house 
 exotics, needing to be stimulated into artificial 
 life, but vigorous evergreens, flourishing only 
 in the free air of heaven, and striking their 
 roots deep only in their native soil. The 
 exercise of a Divine wisdom and power over- 
 ordering evil for good is but the application 
 of the same principle to the higher sphere of 
 God's moral government, but anotiier and a 
 louder strain of the same harmonious music. 
 The past history of the world is one long illus- 
 tration of this truth. The experience of the 
 past becomes prophetic, and catching its lan- 
 guage from the glowing pages of the inspired 
 Scripture, sings its songs of triumphant hope 
 
EO MI LET 10 COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 for the future. Looking back to the past and 
 forward to the future, faith recognises that 
 all is best. From the height of the revealed 
 
 promise peeping on tiptoe into the future, it 
 catches a glimpse of a more glorious hereafter. 
 — Canon Garbctt. 
 
 A Believer's Expenses. 
 [Verse 4.) 
 
 *' Let the expenses he given out of the 
 hinges hoiise." 
 
 The times are Lard. Expenses are very 
 well when one is able to meet them easily, 
 but they involve a thousand perplexities 
 if the income is insufficient. The most 
 expensive living possible is that of the 
 believer. It is not difficult to satisfy 
 the bare requirements of the body. 
 There is more swallowed up by the re- 
 quirements of a man's position. But 
 the human soul has the greatest needs. 
 If we speak of its simple necessities, 
 what a costly matter is the sustaining 
 of its life ! Think, however, of its ex- 
 pensive enjoyments, its superabounding 
 luxuries ! From whence do they all 
 come 1 We are spiritually penniless. 
 Are we not living far beyond our in- 
 come ? No. Heaven's exchequer sup- 
 plies bountifully all our requirements 
 and enjoyments. 
 
 I. What are our expenses? The 
 expenses referred to in the text are 
 those connected with the return of the 
 Jews to their own land, the rebuilding 
 of the Temple, and its continual sacri- 
 fices. 
 
 1. Their release from captivity was 
 doubtless an expensive blessing. Our 
 release from the thraldom of sin in- 
 "volved enormous expenditure. Was 
 paid " out of the King's house." Did 
 not God give His Son 1 Did not the 
 Son pay down His blood and His life 1 
 " Ye are not redeemed with corruptible 
 things such as silver and gold, but with 
 the precious blood of Christ," What a 
 price ! 
 
 2. Their return to Jerusalem. The 
 liberated Jews in Babylon were pro- 
 bably impoverished by their captivity. 
 Cyrus says, " Return to your own land, 
 I will pay your expenses." The im- 
 portant step of public profession of 
 faith in Christ, and of union with His 
 Church, need peculiar supplies of grace. 
 
 It is promised to you •' out of the King's 
 house." 
 
 3. The material for a, neiu Temple 
 was provided by king Cyrus. There 
 is much new material to be built up in 
 our habits and life. Extensive altera- 
 tions must be made. We require a new 
 building, the material of which shall 
 be faith, hope, love, humility, chastity, 
 self-denial, &c. Can we obtain these 
 from our own slender purse % 
 
 4. Wages for the workmen are part of 
 these expenses. It was a long job — 
 the Temple-building — and the workmen 
 must not stand still. The Christian 
 who makes no progress in the Divine 
 life may account for it — his source of 
 supplies has been neglected — " the 
 King's house." 
 
 5. The, restoration of the sacred vessels 
 from Babylon (ver. 5) meant expense. 
 
 Our bodies being temples of the Holy 
 Ghost, every physical power and every 
 mental faculty should be " a vessel unto 
 honour, sanctified and meet for the 
 Master's use." But these, also, have 
 been profaned and defiled in our capti- 
 vity to sin. They must now be restored 
 to their proper use, and purified. 
 
 6. The daily sacrifices were a further 
 item in the expenditure (ver. 9). (1.) 
 Our hearts are altars whereon should 
 be offered the sacrifices of worship and 
 praise. (2.) Oar life is an altar whereon 
 should be offered our whole conduct, 
 and our s[)ecial effort for Christ. 
 
 II. Where shall we find means to 
 meet these expenses '! There is one 
 great treasury of light — the sun — in- 
 exhaustible. " The King's house " is an 
 inexhaustible treasury of grace. 
 
 1. The u'ord of His truth. Hidden 
 mines of wealth. Rich doctrines, rich 
 examples, rich promises, rich pledges. 
 Our needs^ appeared big until we saw 
 the supply here. 
 
 2. The throne of His grace. " Let 
 
 89 
 
CHAP. TI. 
 
 ROM I LET 10 COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 us come boldly," &c. (Heb. iv. 16). 
 "Ask what ye will," Arc. "Whatso- 
 ever ye shall ask," &c. 
 
 " Thou art coming to a King, 
 Large petitions with thee bring; 
 For His grace and power are such. 
 None can ever ask too much." 
 
 3. TJie felloivsliip of His people. Ex- 
 perience tells us of the supplies to be 
 found here. 
 
 4. Tlie disjyensation of His providence. 
 God's abundant, unasked mercies every 
 day. Everything in nature is a store- 
 house of food ; the clouds over our 
 heads, the clods under our feet, the 
 atmosphere which we breathe. Every- 
 thing in Providence supplies food for 
 the believer. " We know that all things 
 work together for good," &c. 
 
 5. The opposition of his foes. The 
 Persian monarch was naturally Israel's 
 enemy, yet God arranges that He shall 
 pay Israel's expenses. Even the lions 
 we may meet shall supply sweet honey 
 for our nourishment and refreshment. 
 
 6. The worli of His Son. This in- 
 cludes all others. " My God shall sup- 
 ply all your need according to His riches 
 in glory by Christ Jesus." What is 
 there wanted that is not to be found 
 here 1 " In Him dwelleth all the fulness 
 
 of the Godhead." "Full of grace and 
 truth ; and of His fulness have all we 
 received, and grace for grace." 
 
 III. How shall we act in the pre- 
 sence of such abundance ? 
 
 1. We need not he afraid of exhaust- 
 ing Heaven^s treasures. Here is grace 
 abounding ! We may be prodigals, for 
 our Father has plenty. 
 
 2. We dare not he sloiu in availing 
 ourselves of these supplies. Live up to 
 your privileges, or you will suffer, and 
 the bountiful King will be insulted. 
 
 3. We cannot help wondering at the 
 goodness of the King. Was it not enough 
 that He should liberate us from sin? 
 He " crowns us with loving-kindness 
 and tender mercies." 
 
 4. We tvill not forget to express our 
 gratitude to the King. As He is at all 
 the expense. He shall have all the praise. 
 Here I will begin the song, and when I 
 arrive at the "King's house" I shall in 
 richer language 
 
 "The gratitude declare 
 That glows within my ravished heart." 
 
 5. We must not he so selfish as to hide 
 these glad tidings. " This day is a day 
 of good tidings, and we hold our peace." 
 — R. S. Latimer. 
 
 The Desire of a Sovereign and tee Duty of Subjects. 
 
 {Verse 10.) 
 
 I propose to consider the words before 
 us in a twofold point of view — 
 
 I. As the desire of a heathen 
 prince. 
 
 1. It ivas a just and reasonable desire, 
 as the history will clearly show. The 
 Jews, by the permission of Cyrus, had 
 begun to rebuild their Temple, &c. 
 
 Now, consider the obligations which 
 this benevolent monarch was conferring 
 on the Jews, and then say whether the 
 desire which he expressed was not just 
 and reasonable. He had ordered that 
 "whatever they had need of, young 
 bullocks and rams and lambs," &c. 
 (ver. 9). Was it not reasonable that he 
 should expect these things to be applied 
 to their distinct use, and that, when he 
 was showing such a paternal regard for 
 90 
 
 the welfare of their nation, he should be 
 remembered by them in their devotions, 
 and have an interest in their prayers? 
 Surely this was the least return which 
 they could render to him for his extreme 
 kindness. 
 
 2. It ivas also a wise and joolitic desire. 
 Religion and loyalty are inseparable. It 
 cannot be that a man who truly fears 
 God should fail essentially in honouring 
 the king. On the other hand, a man 
 who has no fear of God before his eyes, 
 has no principle sufficiently strong to 
 keep him faithful to his king, if he be 
 drawn either by interest or inclination 
 to oppose him. Hence, then, it was 
 wise in Darius, though a heathen prince, 
 to encourage piety amongst the Jews. 
 
 Nor was he less politic in desiring a 
 
HO MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 remembrance in their prayers. Inter- 
 cession will induce a habit of mind 
 friendly to the person for whom it is 
 offered, and, if offered in sincerity by 
 a whole nation, would prove a bulwark 
 around the throne, stronger than all the 
 fleets and armies that could be raised 
 for its defence. 
 
 II. As the duty of a Christian 
 people. 
 
 1. In the service of orir heavenly King, 
 the " offering of sacrifices to Him of a 
 sweet savour" may well be considered 
 as comprehending our duty to Him ; 
 whether as sinners, who stand in need 
 of His mercy, or as saints, who desire 
 to glorify His name. The Jewish 
 sacrifices were presented as an atone- 
 ment for the sins of the people ; and 
 they prefigured that " Lamb of God, 
 which in His eternal purpose was slain 
 from the foundation of the world." 
 These ive are not required to bring ; 
 because that adorable Saviour, in whom 
 all the types and shadows of the Mosaic 
 law were to be fulfilled, has come. " He 
 loved us, and gave Himself for us, an 
 offering and a sacrifice to God for a 
 siveet - smelling savour." This sacrifice 
 we must ever bring before the God of 
 heaven and earth. Jesus is " the way, 
 the truth, and the life." " His is the 
 only name whereby any man can be 
 saved." 
 
 But there are other sacrifices also, 
 which, as saints, we are to oti'er, and 
 Avhich have a sweet savour before God. 
 Our whole person, body, soul, and spirit, 
 is to be presented to the Lord, as the 
 Apostle tells us : "I beseech you, by the 
 
 mercies of God, that ye present your 
 bodies," (fcc. (Rom. xii. 1). And if only 
 we come to God through Christ, there 
 is not a service which we can render to 
 Him which shall not come up with ac- 
 ceptance before Him, as a sacrifice of a 
 sweet-smelling savour. Such are our alms 
 (Heb. .xiii. 16); such our prayers (Ps. 
 cvii. 22) ; such our very sighs (Ps. li. 
 17) ; such is our every service, of what- 
 ever kind (1 Pet. ii. 5). ■ 
 
 And do not imagine that your atten- 
 tion to this duty is unimportant as it re- 
 spects the welfare of the state. There is 
 a far closer connection between national 
 • piety and national prosperity than men 
 generally imagine. (Comp. chap. vii. 23.) 
 
 To this must be added your duty to 
 your earthly prince, to be instant in 
 prayer to God on his behalf. This is 
 your duty ; for the Apostle says, " I 
 exhort that, first of all, supplications, 
 prayers," &c. (1 Tim. ii. 1-3). 
 
 It is your interest also ; for the wel- 
 fare of every individual in the nation is 
 bound up in the welfare of the king. 
 
 Let us, from the example of this hea- 
 then prince, learn hoiv to employ our in- 
 fiuence. Let us use it for "the God of 
 heaven ; " let us employ it to protect the 
 oppressed, to encourage piety, and to 
 maintain the honour of God in the world. 
 
 Let us learn also hoiv to improve the 
 jirivileges we enjoy. Let us abound in 
 praises to our heavenly Benefactor, ia 
 affectionate loyalty to our earthly king, 
 and in every work, whereby God may be 
 glorified, and the welfare of our fellow- 
 creatures may be advanced. — C. Simeon, 
 M.A. 
 
 The Completion of the Temple. 
 (Ferses 13-15.) 
 
 Let us consider — 
 
 I. The ready compliance of the Per- 
 sian officers with the royal commands. 
 
 1. They carried out their commands 
 faithfully. " Then Tatnai, governor on 
 this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and 
 their companions, according to that 
 which Darius the king had sent, so they 
 did." 
 
 2. They carried out their commands 
 
 readily. " So they did speedily." 
 They exhibited neither reluctance nor 
 delay in carrying out the directions 
 which they had received from king 
 Darius. We have in this another evi- 
 dence of the freedom from prejudice, 
 the impartiality, and the fairness which 
 marked the conduct of Tatnai and She- 
 thar-boznai towards the Jews. 
 
 II. The satisfactory progress and 
 91 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 ultimate completion of the building of 
 the Temple. "And the elders of the 
 Jews builded, and they prospered," &c. 
 (vers. 14, 15). This successful issue of 
 their important undertaking was accom- 
 plished by the co-operation in various 
 ways of many persons and powers, 
 through the good Providence of God. 
 Let us glance at such of these as are 
 here mentioned. 
 
 1. The grand Authority for the great 
 xvork. " They builded, and finished it, 
 according to the commandment of the 
 God of Israel." The builders prosecuted 
 their work as " the servants of the God 
 of heaven and earth" (chap. v. 11). 
 They were summoned to their work and 
 encouraged in it by the prophets of 
 Jehovah, " in the name of the God of 
 Israel" (chap. v. 1). They were work- 
 ing in obedience to His express com- 
 mand. And " there would have been 
 no command of Cyrus and Darius with- 
 out God's command." 
 
 2. The royal 2^'>'oinoters of the great 
 work. " And according to the com- 
 mandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and 
 Artaxerxes king of Persia." Although 
 Artaxerxes had nothing to do with the 
 erection of the sacred edifice, he is men- 
 tioned by the historian because of the 
 great favour he showed to the good 
 cause many years afterwards. Each of 
 these monarchs had rendered valuable 
 assistance to the Jews in restoring and 
 carrying on the worship of Jehovah, 
 (1.) They gave permission for the return 
 of the exiles and for the rebuilding of 
 the Temple (chaps, i. 1-4; vi. 1-12; 
 vii. 11-13). (2.) They granted them 
 protection in rebuilding the Temple (ver. 
 7). (3.) They bestowed upon them 
 liberal assistance both for their work 
 and for their worship (chaps, i. 4-11; 
 vi. 8-10 ; vii. 14-23). 
 
 3. The worthy leaders of the great 
 work. "And the elders of the Jews 
 builded." They were forward in taking 
 up the work when summoned thereto 
 by the prophet Haggai (chap. v. 2), and 
 they continued steadfast and diligent 
 in the prosecution thereof. By their 
 example they encouraged the people in 
 their duty. 
 
 4. The inspired inciters in the great 
 
 92 
 
 work. "And they prospered through 
 the prophesying of Haggai the prophet 
 and Zechariah the son of Iddo." When 
 the people were disheartened and wearied 
 through difficulties and hindrances, these 
 holy messengers of Heaven encouraged 
 and strengthened them "through the 
 Divine word and in the power of the 
 Divine Spirit." With the assurances of 
 success in their great work, and of the 
 rich blessing of their God, they stimu- 
 lated and invigorated the people in the 
 prosecution of that work. (Comp. Hag. 
 ii. ; Zech. iv. 6-10.) 
 
 5. The ultimate completion of the great 
 ivork. " And they builded and finished 
 it," &c. It was completed at last. 
 There had been difficulties in the way 
 of the work, and opposition to it, and 
 for some time lack of interest in it on 
 the part of the Jews themselves ; but by 
 the several concurrent favourable influ- 
 ences, and especially by the blessing of 
 God, the undertaking was at length 
 brought to a successful issue. And the 
 time of its completion is sigiiificant. 
 "And this house was finished on the 
 third day of the month Adar, which 
 was in the sixth year of the reign of 
 Darius the king." Says Schultz : ".For 
 a work of such importance the date is 
 properly given. ... It was now for 
 the first the exactly right time. The 
 Temple was ready just seventy years 
 after its destruction, so that the jiro- 
 phecy of the seventy years was now ful- 
 filled exactly thereby." 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 The building of this Temple may be 
 regarded as a figure of — 
 
 1. The building of the temple of God 
 in individual Christians. " Know ye 
 not that ye are the temple of God, and 
 that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
 &c. (1 Cor. iii. 16, 17). "But ye, be- 
 loved, building up yourselves on your 
 most holy faith," &c. (Jude 20, 21). 
 " Giving all diligence, add to your faith 
 virtue," &c. (2 Pet. i. 5-7). And build- 
 ing thus, by the blessing of God, this 
 edifice also shall be completed. "He 
 which hath begun a good work in yon 
 will perform it until " (Alford : " will 
 perfect it up to") "the day of Jesus 
 Christ." («). 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 2. The building of the temjyle of God 
 in the ivorld. A great and glorious 
 spiritual temple is being erected out of 
 the ruins of fallen humanity. The work 
 is frequently and sadly obstructed ; the 
 adversaries to it are many ; the builders 
 at times seem only half-hearted in their 
 work ; and the progress appears to be 
 irregular and slow ; but the edifice shall 
 surely be brought to splendid comple- 
 tion. Opposition, however crafty and 
 organised and powerful, can neither 
 frustrate the purposes nor hinder the 
 fulfilment of the promises of God. Here 
 is the grand issue of the work of the 
 builders of the spiritual temple : " Be- 
 hold the tabernacle of God is with men, 
 and He will dwell with them," &c. (Rev. 
 xxi. 3, 4). (6). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) The work of sanctification must go on 
 until the saint can say, "I and my Father 
 are one." That is the sublime end of Chris- 
 tianity. It is not to multiply theological tech- 
 nicalities ; it is not to build one church spire 
 higher than another; it is not to furnish a 
 grindstone on which pugnacious bigots may 
 whet tlieir little swords ; it is to gather up a 
 shattered and overthrown humanity, to re- 
 burnish the living stones on wliich the fire of 
 an enemy has left traces of fury, to rebuild 
 the fallen empire of manhood, until it shall 
 be beautiful and holy as a palace built for 
 God. — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 It is the part of a good workman not to 
 leave his work imperfect; a good physician 
 will not forsake his patient when he has done 
 but half his cure ; the husbandman gives not 
 over when he has sown but part of his ground; 
 and he that does but half build a house is but 
 half a carpenter. So he that enters into the 
 way of Christianity, and stands still, is but 
 half a Cliristian — the greatest part of his work 
 is yet behind. It is not enough to begin well, 
 but to continue in well-doing ; it is not go 
 much the entrance into, as the perseverance 
 in goodness that is required. God left not 
 the great work of the creation in the first or 
 second day thereof, but in six days finished 
 it to the glory of His name ; not as then in 
 the generation of His creatures, but now also 
 in their regeneration ; whom He loves, He 
 loves to the end ; and the good work He has 
 begun in any, shall be perfected. Having, 
 then, so fair a copy to write by, so good an 
 example to live by, let us so run that we may 
 obtain ; so sail in the sea of this world that 
 we may never give over till we arrive in the 
 
 desired haven ; so to begin as to be sure to 
 make an end ; that it may never be said to 
 our great and just reproach, "This man began 
 to build, but was not able to finish " (Luke 
 xiv. ZO).— \YhiUaker. 
 
 (6) Inasmuch as " all the building is grow- 
 ing in the Lord" (Eph. ii. 21), and according 
 to His order, it will, in the end, not only be 
 a glorious temple of humanity, but marvel- 
 lously adapted for the indwelling and mani- 
 festation of God. " I will dwell in them, 
 and I will be their God, and they shall be My 
 people." I will fill them, and they shall re- 
 present My fulness. "The whole building," 
 the redeemed of every generation, growing 
 more and more into unity with each other, 
 and with Christ, and through Him, with all 
 the hidden powers of the Godhead, is a work 
 which is every way worthy of an Almighty 
 Father. To what glory, to what beauty, will 
 the kingdom grow 1 to what wisdom will its 
 members attain? what will be their powers? 
 what their fellowships ? what their individual 
 freedom of action ? what their service and end, 
 as one empire in the Son, and in the Father ? 
 — John Puhford. 
 
 Did you ever win a soul to Christ? Did you 
 ever get a grip of the hand of spiritual grati- 
 tude ? Did you ever see the tear starting from 
 the eye when the convert said, " Bless you ! 
 I shall remember you in heaven, for you have 
 brought me to Christ ? " Ah, my dear friend, 
 you will not be satisfied merely with this. 
 This is a kind of food that makes men hungry. 
 Oh, that you had a rich banquet of it, and yet 
 wanted more still. The Church will be built. 
 If you and I sit still, it will be built. This 
 is a truth, though it is often turned to a mis- 
 chievous end — the Church will be built, even 
 without us. But, oh, we shall miss the satis- 
 faction of helping in its building. Yes, it will 
 grow ; every stone will be put in its place, and 
 the pinnacle will soar into its predestined 
 place, but every stone from foundation to 
 pinnacle, will seem to say to you, "Thou 
 hadst nothing to do with this ! Thou hadst 
 no hand in this ! " When Cyrus took one of 
 his guests round his garden, the guest admired 
 it greatly, and said he had much pleasure in 
 it. " Ah," said Cyrus, " but you have not so 
 much pleasure in this garden as I have, for I 
 planted every tree in it myself." One reason 
 why Christ has so much pleasure in His Church 
 is because He did so much for it ; and one 
 reason why some saints will have a greater 
 fulness of heaven than others to rejoice in 
 will be because they did more for heaven than 
 others. By God's grace they were enabled to 
 bring more souls there ; and as they look upon 
 the Church they may, without self-reliance, 
 and ascribing it all to grace, remember what 
 they were enabled to do in its building up. — 
 C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 93 
 
EOMILETIO COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 The Subserviency of a Faithful Ministry to the Erection of God's 
 
 Spiritual Temple. 
 
 (Vej-se 14.) 
 
 I. The building of the Temple through 
 the instrumentality of the prophets 
 Haggai and Zechariah. 
 
 1. Many difficulties obstructed the 
 •progress of the work. Scarcely was the 
 foundation laid, before an attempt was 
 made to impede the work through the 
 hypocrisy of p)retended friends. The 
 Samaritans oft'ered to co-operate with 
 the Jews in raising the intended fabric ; 
 but their design was to frustrate, rather 
 than promote, the completion of it. 
 Many will profess to desire the same 
 objects, and will offer to concur in pro- 
 secuting them to a certain point, who, 
 if their offers were accepted, would only 
 defeat the ends proposed. The Jews, 
 however, determined to prosecute their 
 work alone (chap. iv. 1-3). That device 
 having failed, they were assaulted by 
 the hostility of open enemies. Complaints 
 were made against them, and they were 
 represented as plotting to gain their 
 liberty and independence, cfec. In this 
 way the servants of God have been 
 assailed in all ages : our Lord was 
 calumniated as an enemy to Caesar ; and 
 His apostles as " movers of sedition," 
 &c. This plan succeeded, the Jews 
 yielded to despondency, and for the 
 space of fifteen years suspended the 
 work (chap. iv. 23, 24). A spirit of 
 indolence and supineness soon prevailed 
 among them, and would have operated 
 to a total dereliction of the work, if 
 God had not sent His prophets to rouse 
 them from their lethargy. 
 
 2. Through the preaching of the pro- 
 phets^ hoivever, these difficulties were over- 
 come. The prophet Haggai justly re- 
 proved them for attending so carefully 
 to their own accommodation, &c. (Hag. 
 i. 2-5, 7). The prophet Zechariah also 
 urged them to bear in mind how awfully 
 their fathers had suffered for the neglect 
 of God (Zech. i. 1-6) ; and then, by a 
 variety of images wliich he had seen in 
 visions, encouraged them with assur- 
 ances of success in their labours (Zech. 
 94 
 
 i.-iv.). Thus were the people stimulated 
 to exertion. But no sooner did they 
 resume their work, than their enemies 
 renewed their application to the govern- 
 ment to issue again their mandate to 
 discontinue it (chap. v. 1-10). This 
 effort, however, was overruled, as similar 
 efforts have often been, for the further- 
 ance of the work it was intended to 
 destroy (comp. chap. vi. 1-10 with Phil, 
 i. 12) ; and in the short space of four 
 years the edifice was completed (ver. 15). 
 II. The subserviency of a faithful 
 ministry to the erection of God's 
 spiritual temple. The Temple of old 
 was a shadow of that spiritual temple 
 which is erected for God in the hearts 
 of men ; " being built on the foundation 
 of theapostles," &c. (Eph. ii. 20-22). The 
 erection of this — 
 
 1. Is connected with the same difficul- 
 ties. Who that begins truly to sur-- 
 render up his soul to God, does not 
 find many impediments from pretended 
 friends ? They will profess to approve 
 of religion, and will propose to go with 
 us to a certain length, that so they may 
 have the greater influence to keep us 
 from "following the Lord fully," and 
 from serving Him with our tvhole hearts. 
 If we are enabled to withstand their 
 efforts, then we shall be assailed by open 
 enemies. Not unfrequently will they 
 become our greatest foes, who by their 
 relation to us ought rather to become 
 our firmest protectors. And too often 
 do timidity and sloth induce us to relax 
 our efforts, till, if God do not by some 
 special act of providence or grace awaken 
 us, we lose the time for working, and, 
 like the foolish virgins, experience for 
 ever the fatal effects of our remissness. 
 
 2. Is carried on and perfected hy the 
 same means. God has established an 
 order of men 07i jni7'pose to carry on this 
 spiritucd building in the world (Eph. 
 iv. 11-13). The apostles maybe called 
 " master builders ; " but every pastor 
 and teacher is engaged in the same 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 work, according to the office that has 
 been assigned him. We call you, then, 
 to " consider your ways ; " consider what 
 has hindered you hitherto, <fec. Consider 
 too the promises of God. What assur- 
 ances of success are given, &c. " Up 
 
 then, and be doing," every one of you ; 
 and " your God will be with you." 
 Yield not to discouragements of any 
 kind, &c. Seek *' as living stones to be 
 built up a spiritual house," &c. (1 Pet. 
 ii. 4, 5). — C. Simeon, M.A. 
 
 The Dedication of the Temple. 
 
 ( Verses 
 
 The dedication of the Temple was 
 characterised by — 
 
 I. Religious rejoicing. "And the 
 children of Israel, the priests, and the 
 Levites, and the rest of the children of 
 the captivity, kept the dedication of this 
 house of God with joy." It would not 
 have been very surprising if they had 
 mourned because it was so inferior in 
 magiiificenceand splendourtothe Temple 
 of Solomon. It is probable " that the 
 carving and the gold, and other orna- 
 ments of Solomon's Temple far sur- 
 passed this, and the pillars of the 
 portico and the veils may all have been 
 far more splendid, so also probably were 
 the vessels ; and all this is what a Jew 
 would mourn over far more than mere 
 architectural splendour." Moreover,some 
 of the most sacred and glorious things 
 of the first Temple were altogether absent 
 from this one, e.g., the Ark of the cove- 
 nant, the cherubim, the Shechinah, and 
 the Urim and Thummim. Sometimes 
 when we have reached the end of long 
 cherished hopes and efforts, we are dis- 
 api^ointed and depressed because the 
 result does not come up to our ideal and 
 desire. And we should not, therefore, 
 have been surprised if the Jews had 
 looked upon their finished work with 
 .'madness. But it was not so. They 
 "kept the dedication of this house of 
 God with joy." And they had good 
 reasons for devout gladness ; e.g. — 
 
 1. Protracted labours brought to a 
 successful termination. 
 
 2. The honour offered to Jehovah their 
 God. 
 
 3. The benefits which were lihely to 
 accrue to men throxigh their sacred edifice 
 and its ivorship. Joyousness in the 
 service of God is a conspicuous feature 
 of the religious life in post - exile 
 times. This is especially manifest in 
 
 16-18.) 
 the Psalms of this period. Comp. Ps. 
 cxxxv., cxxxvi., cxlvi.-cl'., and cxviii., 
 
 which, says Schultz, " without doubt 
 the congregation then sung, although 
 it was really composed somewhat 
 earlier ; and especially did they ap- 
 propriate with greatly agitated hearts 
 the shout of triumph : 'The right band 
 of the Lord is exalted, the right hand 
 of the Lord doth valiantly. . . . Open 
 to me the gates of righteousness," (fee. 
 And we also should " serve the Lord 
 with gladness, come before His pre- 
 sence with singing, enter into His gates 
 with thanksgiving," &c. (a). 
 
 II. Devout gratitude. "And offered 
 at the dedication of this house of God 
 an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, 
 four hundred lambs." In these offer- 
 ings we discover — 
 
 1. An expression of gratitude. They 
 presented both burnt offerings and peace 
 offerings ; and while both were ex- 
 pressive of gratitude, the latter were 
 especially so. The peace offerings were 
 eucharistic. The Psalmist refers to 
 them when he says, "I will offer to 
 Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving." 
 They had great and strong reasons for 
 gratitude. " The Lord had done great 
 things for them." And they sang, " The 
 Lord hath done great things for us; we 
 are glad." (6). 
 
 2. A n expression of their complete self- 
 dedication to God. The burnt offerings 
 were laid whole upon the altar, and there 
 consumed by fire, thus setting forth the 
 entire consecration of the offerer to God. 
 This was the chief meaning of the burnt 
 offerings. The dedication of churches 
 is acceptable to God only as the wor- 
 shippers dedicate themselves to Him. 
 " The sacrifices of God are a broken 
 spirit; a 'broken and a contrite heart, 
 O God, Thou wilt not despise." " I be- 
 
 95 
 
CHAP. vr. 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 seech you, therefore, brethren, that ye 
 present your bodies a living sacrifice," 
 &c. (c). 
 
 The number of these offerings is small 
 as compared with the very large number 
 offered by Solomon at the dedication of 
 the former Temple. '• Solomon offered 
 a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he 
 offered unto the Lord, two and twenty 
 thousand oxen, and an hundred and 
 twenty thousand sheep." But Zerub- 
 babel offered only " an hundred bullocks, 
 two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, 
 and for a sin offering for all Israel, 
 twelve he-goats." The total number of 
 animals sacrificed then was 142,000; 
 the total now is only 712. Yet Zerub- 
 babel and the people with him offered 
 — (1.) Freely. (2.) Liberally, when we 
 take into account their small numbers 
 and reduced circumstances, as compared 
 with those of the time of Solomon. (3.) 
 Cheerfully. And " if there be first a 
 willing mind, it is accepted according 
 to that a man hath, not according to 
 that he hath not." 
 
 III. Deep humility. "And for a 
 sin offering for all Israel, twelve he- 
 goats, according to the number of the 
 tribes of Israel." Consider — 
 
 1. The naU(,re of this offering. " A 
 sin offering." This was an acknowledg- 
 ment of sin on the part of those for 
 whom it was offered, and that the 
 sinner deserved death by reason of his 
 sin, but that God in His mercy ac- 
 cepted the death of the victim as an 
 atonement for the sinner. And in this 
 way the people humbly confess their 
 sin before God. Sin had brought their 
 miseries upon them, had stripped them 
 of their national power and protection, 
 had been the real cause of their cap- 
 tivity. Hence this sin offering was ap- 
 propriate in its relation to past sins, and 
 a hopeful indication as to their future 
 conduct, (c?). 
 
 2. The number of the victims composing 
 this offering. "A sin offering for all 
 Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the 
 number of the tribes of Israel." The 
 confession of sin was intended for the 
 whole nation, and the atonement was 
 designed " for all Israel." This was a 
 recognition on the part of the offerers 
 
 96 
 
 of the imity of all the tribes, an evidence 
 that "the Temple was intended for the 
 entire covenant people," and an expres- 
 sion of the hope that all would return 
 to the land of their fathers, and to the 
 enjoyment of the full privileges of the 
 people of God. 
 
 IV. Appropriate arrangements for 
 its future use. "And they set the 
 priests in their divisions, and the Levites 
 in their courses, for the service of God, 
 which is at Jerusalem ; as it is written 
 in the book of Moses." Thus arrange- 
 ments were made for — 
 
 1 . Megular and orderly services. They 
 aimed at — (1.) Completeness in their wor- 
 ship. Both priests and Levites were set 
 in their respective spheres of work. No 
 duties were to be neglected. (2.) Con- 
 tinuity in their worship. They were set 
 in classes and divisions, so that when 
 one had fulfilled its appointed term of 
 service another would take its place. 
 (Comp. 1 Chron. xxiii.-xxvi.) 
 
 2. Script^iral services. "As it is 
 written in the book of Moses." They 
 were careful that their worship should 
 be in accordance with the expressed will 
 of God. It is well said by Matthew 
 Henry : " Though the Temple service 
 could not now be performed with so much 
 pomp and plenty as formerly, because of 
 their poverty, yet perhaps it was per- 
 formed with as much purity and close 
 adherence to the Divine institution as 
 ever, which was the true glory of it. 
 No beauty like the beauty of holiness." 
 
 It is perhaps unnecessary to add that 
 the principal points of this exposition are 
 applicable to the dedication of churches 
 in our own day. 
 
 ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 [a) The priests of old were not to sully them- 
 selves with sorrow when they performed their 
 functions, and saints who are of a higlier 
 priesthood should show forth delight in their 
 approaches to their God. Angels sing, and 
 why not God's other servants, who are a little 
 lower, and yet far higher ? David danced 
 before the ark, wliicli was but a symbol of 
 Divinity; what ails us that our heart so sel- 
 dom dances before the Lord Himself ? The 
 old creation has its sunshine and flowers ; its 
 lowing herds and bleating flocks ; its heaven- 
 mounting larks and warbling nightingales ; 
 its rivers laughing, and its seas clapping 
 
UOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 hands ; is the new creation of grace to render 
 less hiippy worsliip to God our exceeding 
 joy? Nay, rather let us come into His pre- 
 sence with thanksgiving, and show ourselves 
 glad in Him with psalms. Most of the English 
 versions alter the old hundredth Psalm into, 
 "Him serve with fear;" but for my part, 
 by God's grace I mean to sing it as it used to 
 be and still is sung in Scotland — 
 
 "AH people that on earth do dwell, 
 
 Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice ; 
 Him serve witli jukth, His praise forth tell, 
 Come ye before Him and rejoice." 
 
 — C. II. Spurgcoii. 
 
 (6) It is an excellent thing when Ciiristian 
 men know how to sing as well as to work, and 
 mingle holy music with holy service. Tlie best 
 music of a Christian consists in thankfulness 
 to God. Thanks should be rendered by the be- 
 liever witli all the acts common to men. Our 
 eating, our drinking, our social meetings, our 
 quiet conversings one with another, in all we 
 should give thanks unto God and the Father. 
 This we should do in the labours peculiar to 
 our vocation. "Whatever your trade and call- 
 ing may be, if you cannot sing aloud, you can 
 sing in your hearts while your hands are busy ; 
 you can ring out the praises of God as well to 
 the sound of the hammer on the anvil as to 
 the peal of the organ ; your feet at the sewing 
 macliine may beat time to a sacred tune ; you 
 can as well praise God while you crack your 
 ■whip as when you sing to a Psalm tune. Wliy 
 not? If the heart be right you can mount up 
 to the heavens from any place of labour. — 
 Ibid. 
 
 (c) It is the end and essence of all religion 
 to turn the mind from self to God ; to give it 
 absorbing views of the Divine beauty and glory; 
 to fill it with Divine love -and zeal ; to make 
 it feel honoured in honouring God, blessed in 
 blessing Him ; to make it feel that nothing is 
 good enougli or great enough for Him. . , . 
 A man thus inspired will no more tliink of 
 inquiring the advantages, the probable gain 
 of his deeds and his adoration, than he would 
 think of the profitableness of gazing with 
 admiration on a lovely landscape, or regaling 
 his soul with the noble qualities of a hero or 
 a martyr. Such a man has ofiered himself to 
 
 God ; he has given his own soul, with all its 
 powers. His other gifts are but results and 
 forms of this first and greatest gift ; all other 
 oflerings are virtually included in this. And, 
 in truth, this consecration of self is the grand 
 and essential condition, the seminal principle 
 of all consecration. We have no just thought 
 of God, no oneness of spirit with His Spirit, 
 if we look on ourselves simply as sacrificers ; 
 we are sacrifices as well ; both sacrificers and 
 sacrifices ; we have to present ourselves as 
 sacrifices to God. And if there be this first 
 and best oflering, the offering of ourselves, it 
 will infuse a spirit of life and fulness into all 
 our service, animating the form, quickening 
 the body of all service ; a spirit of delight and 
 strength and earnestness ; a large and enlarg- 
 ing, a noble and an ennobling spirit. The 
 prudent, commercial temper, in religion, is 
 one of narrowness and pain and bondage ; we 
 never possess ourselves thoroughly till we for- 
 get ourselves, never realise our power and in- 
 herit our portion till all spiritual engagements 
 and acts cease to be the mere meeting of a de- 
 mand, the mere performance of a condition, 
 and become the^home and rest and reward of 
 the soul. — A. J. Morris. 
 
 {(l) The efTect of these views and recollec- 
 tions (viz., tliose of true Christians) are peni- 
 tence, contrition, and deep humiliation of 
 soul, and by them all their religious feelings 
 are pervaded and characterised. When they 
 love their God and Redeemer, it is with a 
 penitent love ; when they rejoice in Him, it 
 is with a penitent joy ; when they believe in 
 Him, it is with a penitent faith ; when they 
 obey Him, it is with a penitent obedience ; 
 when they offer Him thanksgivings and praises, 
 penitence mingles with them her humble con- 
 fessions and contrite sighs ; and the place on 
 earth which they most covet, in which they 
 most delight, is that of tlie woman who stood 
 weeping at the feet of Christ, washing them 
 with her tears, and wiping them with the 
 hairs of her head. Even while observing a 
 joyful festival, tears, the fountain of which 
 is supplied by godly sorrow for sin, and grati- 
 tude to the Redeemer ; tears, which it is de- 
 lightful to shed, are seen on the same coun- 
 tenances which glow with love and hope, and 
 beam with holy humble joy in God. — E. 
 Payson, D.D. 
 
 The Celebration of the Passovee. 
 {Verses 19-22.) 
 
 A fews weeks after tlie dedication of 
 the Temple the feasts of the Passover 
 and of unleavened bread were celebrated ; 
 and this marked the beginning of the 
 new period in which the worship of God, 
 with its festivals and observances, was 
 regularly and fully carried on. 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The personal preparation for these 
 sacred festivals. This comprised — 
 
 1. The jmrification of tlie jii-iests and 
 Levites from cerevionial tuideanness. 
 " For the priests and Levites had puri- 
 fied themselves as one man, they were 
 
 97 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 all clean, and killed tbe Passover for all 
 the children of the captivity, and for 
 their brethren the priests, and for them- 
 selves." " The purity of ministers adds 
 much to the beauty of their ministra- 
 tions." They who " bear the vessels of 
 the Lord " should be clean (Isa. lii. 7). 
 
 2. The separation of the people from 
 heathen associations and ivimoralities. 
 *' And the children of Israel, which were 
 come again out of captivity, and all such 
 as had separated themselves unto them 
 from the filthiness of the heathen of the 
 land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did 
 eat." And separation from sinners and 
 their corrupt practices is still indispen- 
 sable to union and communion with God. 
 " Ye are the temple of the living God ; 
 as God hath said, I will dwell in them, 
 and walk in them ; and I will be their 
 God, and they shall be My people. 
 Wherefore come out from among them, 
 and be ye separate," &c. (2 Cor. vi. 16- 
 18). We cannot meet with God in holy 
 fellowship unless we are in a suitable 
 spiritual condition. And as a rule, men 
 require preparation of heart (Job xi. 
 13), in order to meet Him thus. To 
 enjoy intimate communion with God, we 
 must turn aside from the ways of dark- 
 ness, and " walk in the light as He is 
 in the light" (1 John i. 5-7). {a). 
 
 II. The principal significance of 
 these sacred festivals. It would be 
 out of place here to enter at any length 
 into a consideration of the meaning of 
 these feasts. But inasmuch as their 
 chief significance was emphasised upon 
 this special occasion, it behoves us to 
 notice that significance. 
 
 1. The Passover was a memorial of 
 their covenant relation loith God. " The 
 Exodus," as Dr. Howson observes, "was 
 looked upon as the birth of the nation ; 
 the Passover was its annual birthday 
 feast. Nearly all the rites of the fes- 
 tival, if explained in the most natural 
 manner, appear to point to this as to its 
 primary meaning. It was the yearly 
 memorial of the dedication of the people 
 to Him who had saved their first-born 
 from the destroyer, in order that they 
 might be made holy to Himself. This 
 Avas the lesson which they were to teach 
 to their children throughout all genera- 
 98 
 
 tions. When the young Hebrew asked 
 his father regarding the paschal lamb, 
 ' What is this ? ' the answer prescribed 
 was, * By strength of hand the Lord 
 brought us out of Egypt,' tfec. (Exod. 
 xiii. 14, 15). Hence, in the periods of 
 great national restoration in the times 
 of Joshua, Hezekiah, Josiah, and Ezra, 
 the Passover was observed in a special 
 manner, to remind the people of their 
 true position, and to mark their re- 
 newal of the covenant which their 
 fathers had made." This covenant re- 
 lation was originally based upon what 
 God had done for them in bringing 
 them out of their bondage in Egypt, 
 and in preserving their first-born from 
 the destroying angel ; and now the 
 grounds of that relation were strength- 
 ened by the deliverance from Babylon, 
 which He had effected for them, and 
 by the fact that He had raised up for 
 them such powerful and liberal friends 
 as Cyrus and Darius. Thus they had 
 special reasons for celebrating this Pass- 
 over with extraordinary heartiness and 
 devotion. How many and mighty are 
 the reasons which constrain us to de- 
 vote ourselves to God ! (1 Cor. vi. 19, 
 20; 1 Pet. i. 18,19). (6). 
 
 2. lice feast of unleavened bread was 
 a solemn recognition of their obligation 
 to live holily unto God. '' Tlie vuilea- 
 vened bread signified the abiding state 
 of consecrated holiness." " Through 
 the feast of Unleavened bread," says 
 Schultz, " they vowed, in that the strict 
 abstinence from leaven was connected 
 therewith, to walk not in the old leaven 
 of wickedness and wantonness, but in 
 the unleavened bread of sincerity and 
 truth." (Comp. 1 Cor. v. 7, 8.) " We 
 have far more cogent motives to rise 
 into the new and pure life of sincerity 
 and truth." (c). 
 
 III. The special joy in these sacred 
 festivals. " And they kept the feast of 
 unleavened bread seven days with joy." 
 
 1. All the ordinary reasons for joy 
 ivere applicable upon this occasion. The 
 great facts commemorated were joy- 
 inspiring. So also was the covenant 
 relation which arose from these facts, 
 with its privileges, <kc. 
 
 2. There tvere also sp>ecial reasons 
 
JIOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP, VI. 
 
 for joy on this occasion. " For the 
 Lord had made them joyful, and had 
 turned the heart of the king of Assyria 
 Tinto them, to strengthen tlieir hands in 
 the work of the house of God, the God 
 of Israel" 
 
 Notice : 
 
 (1.) The Author of their joy. " The 
 Lord had made them joyful." They 
 regarded Him as the great fountain of 
 all their blessings. " All my springs 
 are in Thee." (2.) 'Vh.e occasion oi t\\&\v 
 joy. That by the favour and assistance 
 of Cyrus and Darius they had com- 
 jjleted the Temple of God, and were 
 able to celebrate all the sacred ordi- 
 nances of their religion in a becoming 
 manner. (3.) The character of their joy. 
 It was religious in its source, occasion, 
 character, and expression. It expressed 
 itself in the reverent worship of the holy 
 God. Let our joy be of the same char- 
 acter. " Rejoice in the Lord alway : 
 again I say, Ilejoice." (rf), 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (rt) Sequester j'ourselves from all earthly 
 emploj-ments, and set apart some time for 
 solemn preparation to meet God in duty. 
 You cannot come hot, reeking out of the 
 world into God's presence, but you will find 
 the influence of it in your duties. It is with 
 tlie heart a few minutes since plunged into 
 the world, now at the feet of God, just as with 
 the sea after a storm, which still continues 
 working muddy and disquiet ; though the 
 wind be laid and storm over, thy heart must 
 have some time to settle. There are few 
 musicians that can take down a lute or viol, 
 and play presently upon it, without some 
 time to tune it. When thou goest to God in 
 any duty, take thy heart aside, and say, " 
 my soul, I am now addressing myself to the 
 greatest work that ever a creature was em- 
 ployed about. I am going into the awful 
 presence of God, about business of everlasting 
 moment." — H. G. Salter. 
 
 (h) Dr. Doddridge, on one occasion, inte- 
 rested himself on behalf of a condemned cri- 
 minal, and at length succeeded in obtaining 
 his pardon. On announcing to him the joyful 
 intelligence, be prostrated himself at the 
 Doctor's feet, and exclaimed, " Oh, sir, every 
 drop of my blood thanks you, for you have had 
 mercy on every drop of it ! Wherever you go, 
 I will be yours." With how much greater pro- 
 priety may the Christian prostrate himself 
 at the feet of Christ, and make use of similar 
 language.— £16^6 Illmtrat'wns. 
 
 (c) " Holiness to the Lord ! " where is that 
 
 inscription to be stamped now ? Not on the 
 vestments of any Levitical order ; not 011 plates 
 of sacerdotal gold, worn upon the forehead. 
 Priest and Levite have passed by. The Jewish 
 tabernacle has expanded into that world-wide 
 brotherhood where whosoever doeth righteous- 
 ness is accepted. Morning has risen into day. 
 Are we children of that day ? For form, we 
 have spirit; for Gerizim and Zion, our common 
 scenery. The ministry of Aaron is ended. 
 His ephod, with its gold, and blue, and purple, 
 and scarlet, and fine twined linen, and cunning 
 work, has faded and dropped. The curious 
 ginlle and its chains of wreathen gold are 
 broken. The breastplate of judsjment that lay 
 against his heart, and its fourfold row of triple 
 jewels — of sardines, topaz, and carbuncle — of 
 emerald, sapphire, and diamond— of ligure, 
 agate, and amethyst — of beryl, ony.x, and jas- 
 per — has been crushed and lost. The pome- 
 granates are cast aside like untimely fruit. 
 The golden bells are silent. Even the mitre, 
 with its sacred signet, and the grace of the 
 fashion of it, has perished. All the outward 
 lieauty and glory of that Hebrew worship which 
 the Lord commanded Moses has vanished into 
 the eternal splendours of the Gospel, and been 
 fulfilled in Christ. What teaching has it left '/ 
 what other than this ? — that we are to engrave 
 our "Holiness to the Lord," first on the heart, 
 and then on all that the heart goes out into, 
 through the brain and the hand : on the plates 
 of gold our age of enterprise is drawing up 
 from mines, and beating into currency ; on 
 bales of merchandise and hooks of account ; on 
 the tools and bench of every handicraft ; on 
 your weights and measures ; on pen and plough 
 and pulpit; on the doorposts of your liouses, 
 and the utensils of your table, and'^ the walls of 
 your chambers ; on cradle and playthings and 
 sehool-books ; on the locomotives of enterprise, 
 and the bells of the horses, and the ships of 
 navigation; on music-halls and libraries; on 
 galleries of art, and the lyceum desk ; on all 
 of man's inventing and building, all of his 
 using and enjoying ; for all these are trusts in 
 a stewardship, for which the Lord of the ser- 
 vants reckoneth. — F. D. Himtinyton, D.D. 
 
 (d) Christianity is not a sepulchral thing, 
 a gloomy life, a depressed condition of social 
 existence. It is impossible that it can be so 
 as the world brands it, with such a prescrip- 
 tion as this from an apostle's lips, "Rejoice 
 evermore." True, the Christian has his sor- 
 rows ; but these are not unsweetened. True, 
 the Christian life has its shadows and its 
 showers ; but these are not unmingled with 
 bright beams of heavenly light; and the sad- 
 dest aspects of a Christian's daily life are but 
 the April showers of spring that usher in the 
 approaching bright and beautiful summer — 
 the everlasting and the heavenly sunshine,. 
 Christian life is not a penance, as the Romanist 
 thinks it ; but a privilege, as God describes it. 
 It is not a i'eluctant sacrifice wrung from us, 
 but a joyous and freewill offering gladly and 
 gratefully rendered bv us. And, therefore, the 
 
 99 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 light of our life is not a dim, but a bright 
 religious life. The injunction of our Apostle is, 
 " Rejoice always ; " and the prayer of the Apos- 
 tle's Lord, " That My joy might remain in you, 
 and that your joy miglit be full." And Peter, 
 catching up the thought of his Lord still sliin- 
 ing with undiminished lustre on the leaves 
 of memory, answers in his epistle, " Whom, 
 having not seen, we love ; in whom, though 
 now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice 
 
 with joy unspeakable and full of glory." And 
 the Apostle Paul, echoing the same grand 
 sentiment, says, " We joy in God." " Eejoice ; 
 again I say, Rejoice." This shows us, that of 
 all happy men upon earth the Christian should 
 be happiest. His sorrows come from sin, his 
 griefs spring from evil ; his sunshine, his 
 gladness, and his joy are the spontaneous and 
 moral elements of his true Christian and holy 
 life. — John Cumining, D.D, 
 
 The Dedication of the Second Temple. 
 
 Notes for ScripUire Lesson. [Verses 16-22.) 
 
 The new house at length was ready. 
 It was larger than the Temple of Solomon 
 (see article on Second Temple in any good 
 Bible dictionary), though very far less 
 gorgeous. Its size, however, was " not 
 larger than an average parish church of 
 the last century. Solomon's was smaller." 
 (Article, '"Temple of Zerubbabel," Smith's 
 Bibl. Diet) There is, too, a very great 
 contrast between the number of sacrifices 
 at the dedication of the tv?o Temples 
 (comp. Ezra vi. 17, with 2 Chron. vii. 5), 
 as there is also between the gorgeous- 
 ness of the ritual ia one case, and 
 its comparative plaiiniess in the other. 
 Each feature noted by Ezra is of interest 
 and importance. 
 
 I. The occasion was one of joy — 
 the worship of God should be joyful. 
 Hebrew and Christian worship are joy- 
 ful, because believers worship a revealed 
 God of salvation. Heathen worship is 
 a straining or groping of man after God 
 (1 Kings xviii. 26-29). It cannot be 
 joyful. But we worship a God of Love, 
 who revealed Himself to the Hebrews in 
 sacrifices and prophecy, and who reveals 
 Himself to us in Jesus Christ, " full of 
 beauty, truth, and grace." If we would 
 see the gladsomeness of the worship in 
 the second Temple, let us turn to the 
 146th, 147tb, and 148th Psalms, which 
 were composed by, or under the direc- 
 tion of, Haggai and Zechariali, for the 
 service of this house of God. The 
 burden of Hebrew song is "Eejoice in 
 the Lord!" 
 
 II. The service was one for which 
 all who had to take part in it had 
 previously purified themselves (ver. 
 20). All who have to take any part 
 in the work of teaching, or worship of 
 
 100 
 
 God's house, should prepare themselves 
 for it by communion with God, and a 
 renewal of the covenant with Him to 
 put away all iniquity. 
 
 III. There were burnt offerings as 
 a token of the consecration of the 
 people (see the title of these Psalms iu 
 the LXX.), heart and soul afresh to 
 God (ver. 17, 1st part). Let us (1) 
 glory in what God is to us, and (2) give 
 our whole selves to God. 
 
 IV. There were sin offerings — "A 
 sin offering for all Israel" (ver. 17). 
 Every tribe was represented. These 
 sin offerings were " but shadows of good 
 things to come" (see Heb. x'. 1-12; 
 John i. 29). In Divine worship there 
 should always be a recognition of sin, 
 and of Christ's having " put away sin " 
 by the sacrifice of Himself. 
 
 V. There was the observance of the 
 Passover(Exod. xii.). Doubtless an effort 
 was made to finish the Temple at the 
 close of the year, that the feast, which 
 celebrated the great national deliverance 
 of the people, might naturally fall iu 
 place during the dedication ceremonies. 
 Their national life was based on redemp- 
 tion. They loved God, because God 
 loved them ; this is the order now, and 
 we cannot reverse it (1 John iv. 19). 
 
 VI. The feast of unleavened bread 
 was kept joyfully for seven days. 
 (I) A feast in token of national unity 
 and fellowship ; (2) of unleavened bread, 
 in token of their desire to cultivate 
 purity ; (3) a feast in which, as of old, 
 " the stranger " joined, if ready to 
 separate himself to Israel's God (ver. 
 21 ; Exod. xii. 48, 49). 
 
 VII. The new national life thus 
 inaugurated had far less of pomp and 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 show about it than were seen in the 
 days of Solomon. But there was more 
 of spiritual power (Hag. ii. 9). The 
 people had been purified in the furnace 
 
 of affliction, and from this time idolatry 
 was unknown among them. — C. Cle- 
 mance, D.D. 
 
 The Dedication of the Temple. 
 Outline of Scripture Lesson. {Whole Chapter.] 
 
 I. The Jews had a truth to learn 
 which God knew only captivity in a 
 strange land would teach them. That 
 truth was, that national and individual 
 prosperity depend on the maintenance 
 of religious worship. The captivity had 
 the desired effect ; the people traced 
 their fall to its real source (Ps. cxxxvii. 
 1, 2). Ages before, they, on looking 
 back, had remembered other things 
 (Num. xi. 4, 5), and would willingly 
 return to the house of bondage for the 
 sake of creature comforts. Long ages 
 of national discipline and Divine teach- 
 ing had taught them that men do not 
 live by bread alone. (Comp. Deut. viii. 
 3 with Matt. iv. 4.) Now they remem- 
 bered and sighed for the nourishment of 
 their higher life. Instead of recalling, 
 with tears, the land flowing with milk 
 and honey, and their former political 
 greatness, and the glory of their kings 
 (as David and Soh)mon), they " wept 
 when they remembered Zion." 
 
 Bring out the province of memory, 
 and how the character is indicated by 
 that which memory recalls with most 
 of joy or of sorrow. The day will come 
 when the' memory of each one will be 
 most active, when the Lord will say to 
 many an one, " Son, remember " (Luke 
 xvi. 25). 
 
 II. They showed how well they had 
 learned this truth by at once, on their 
 return, commencing the rebuilding of 
 the Temple, and persevering with the 
 work, in the midst of many difficulties 
 and interruptions, for twenty - one 
 years. Let the teacher bring out the 
 difference between the work of the people 
 on coming out of the Egyptian house of 
 bondage ; and now, on returning from 
 the Babylonian captivity, show how the 
 different work is indicative of great pro- 
 gress in national sentiment and religious 
 life. The old work showed that freedom 
 
 was then won by the sword ; this, that 
 the greatest freedom and 'happiness of a 
 people are secured by the truth (.John 
 viii. 32), the central, liberty- winning 
 truth being, There is one true and ever- 
 living God, and that happy is the people 
 whose God is the Lord (Ps. cxliv. 15). 
 
 So far, what has been said may be 
 regarded as recapitulatory exercise. 
 
 III. Their persevering, self-denying 
 work was crowned with success — the 
 Temple was at length finished. The 
 completion of great undertakings is a 
 time of great interest. Take, as examples, 
 some celebrated buildings, palaces, for- 
 tresses, exhibition buildings, &c. Will 
 they answer the purpose for which they 
 have been erected 1 Is the purpose one 
 that warrants the expectation of the 
 Divine blessing ? If not (as the Tower 
 of Babel), the building will presently 
 become a monument of human folly 
 (Ps. cxxvii. 1). 
 
 Bring out the purpose of this building, 
 and show its importance, relatively, to 
 other erections. The Temple was built 
 before the walls of the city were repaired. 
 It was the true rock of strength, the for- 
 tress, the spiritual Gibraltar, the key to 
 the possession of tlie Promised Land. 
 Why? (See Ps; xlvi.; xviii. 2, 3 ; Ixxi. 
 3.) 
 
 IV. It was meet that the opening 
 services should be marked by the live- 
 liest demonstrations of religious joy. 
 
 1. For here was a vast work, pursued 
 by a small number of people through 
 many interruptions, and continued for 
 many years — (during which those who 
 assisted at the foundation, above twenty 
 years before, were daily dying off) — 
 brought to a successful close ; while 
 enemies and difficulties increased, the 
 stimulatin*; influence of the presence of 
 the elders of the people diminished. 
 
 2. Not only was there the joy caused 
 
 101 
 
CHAP. VII, 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 by tlie ending of the work, joy caused 
 by retrospective glances, but joy inflamed 
 by the hope of the future. We are ac- 
 customed, in the opening of places of 
 worship, to rejoice in the prospect of the 
 truth that may be 'there proclaimed to 
 future generations. 
 
 3. It was joy marked by feasting and 
 song. Probably they sang Psalms cxlvi., 
 cxlvii., cxlviii., which, in the Septuagint, 
 are called Psalms of Haggai and Zecha- 
 riah. Reference to these Psalms will 
 show that joy was deep and religious ; 
 that they praised God as the Creator of 
 the world, as the God of providence, and 
 as the God of Israel, and (see Ps. cxlviii. 
 11, 12) that all classes and ages were to 
 share in the joy and the song. 
 
 4. It was joy marked by the control 
 of law and order. It was no wild bac- 
 chanalian revelry, but devout and reve- 
 rential thanksgiving. There was in it 
 the remembrance of former mercies (see 
 vers. 20-22). Hence the acknowledg- 
 ment of the God of the past as the God 
 of the present, and the belief that He 
 "would be the God of the future. 
 
 v. In spirit and principle, this dedi- 
 ication of the Temple nay be applied 
 tin the case of the opening of any build- 
 
 ing devoted to religious purposes. Such 
 an event is an occasion for joy of the 
 deepest and most holy kind. There is 
 in it the grateful memory of the past, 
 and believing hopefulness for the future. 
 All places of prayer, and religious work 
 in the world, are the true successors of 
 this Temple, whose dedication we have 
 been considering. They are designed to 
 conserve and to promulgate that salva- 
 tion which is of the Jews, and which, 
 by type and ceremony, was first mani- 
 fested by shadows in the past, but which 
 now with clearer light has appeared unto 
 all men. 
 
 VI. We are engaged in rearing a 
 Temple. It is not built of bricks and 
 stones, but of living souls. In it are our 
 sons and our daughters, polished after 
 the similitude of a palace. (1.) Have 
 we a place therein % (2.) Are we doing 
 our utmost to bring others in '? (3.) Let 
 us not be content till every one in our 
 class is built up into this spiritual tem- 
 ple. (4.) Let us also labour for the 
 whole school, and for the world at large; 
 till, as the glory of God filled the Temple 
 of old, the "whole earth may be filled 
 with His glory " in the reign of love, and 
 truth, and salvation. — J. Cowper Gray. 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Critical A^"D Explanatory Noti'Is.] We now enter upon the second and concluding part 
 of this book, which treats of the return of certain Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem under 
 Ezra, and tlic reformation wliich he accomplished amongst tlie people (chap. vii. 10). The 
 first section of this part gives the history of the return of Ezra and his company from Babylon 
 to Jerusalem, with the names of " the chief of their fathers " and the numbers of the respective 
 families (chaps, vii. and viii.). The present chapter contains — (i.) The genealogy of Ezra and 
 a brief statement of his joiu'ney with others to Jerusalem (vers. 1-10). (ii.) The commission 
 given by Artaxerxts the king to Ezra (vers. 11-26). (iii.) Ezra's praise to God for the favours 
 received from the king (vers. 27, 28). 
 
 Ver. 1. Now after these things] Fifty-seven years had elapsed since the events'recorded in 
 the close of the preceding chapter. "Such gaps," as Schultz observes, "the ancient sacred 
 history has again and again ; it is silent respecting the times between Joseph and Moses, 
 respecting the time passed by the generation rejected of God in the wilderness, respecting the 
 time of the exile. There was lacking in these times useful material calculated for the edifica- 
 tion of the congregation." Artaxerxes king of Persia] Heb. Artachshasta. Artaxerxes Longi- 
 manus, son of Xerxes and grandson of Darius, is meant. Ezra the son of Seraiah] "Ezra 
 was probably the great-great-grandson of Seraiah ; for the high priest Jeshua, who had gone 
 to Jerusalem seventy-eight years before with Zerubbabel, was a grandson of Seraiah. One 
 hundred and thirty years had already passed since the execution of the latter (2 Ivings xxv. 
 18-21) in the year 588." — Schultz. According to the usage of the writers of Scripture, every 
 descendant is designated a "son," and every progenitor, a "father." 
 
 A'^ers. 1-5] A number of generations are not mentioned between Ezra and Aaron. Three 
 names are omitted between Ezra and Seraiah (ver. 1), and " in verse 3 six members of the line 
 are passed over between Azariah and Meraioth (according to 1 Chron. vi. 7-10), without doubt 
 only for the sake of brevity, as is frequently the case in the longer jrenealogies." 
 
 Ver. 6. A ready scribe in the law of Moses] "The word "ISID means in older works 
 
 102 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 ■writer or secretary ; but even as early as Jer. viii. 8, the lying pen of the D''"1Sb is spoken of, 
 and here therefore "IQID has already attained the meaning of one learned in the Scripture, one 
 who has made the written law a subject of investigation. Ezra is, however, the first of whom 
 the predicate ISisH 6 ypaixixarevs, is used as a title."— A'f(7. Which the Lord God of Israel 
 had given] It thorouglily accords witli the piety of Ezra to regard and speak of the law as the 
 gift of God. And the king granted him all his request] " The question how this favouring of 
 Ezra is related to the writing of Artaxerxes given in chap, iv., is best answered by the fact that 
 Ezra's journey occurred somewhat later, that Artaxerxes, since he had been moved to that writing 
 by his officials, had paid more attention to the Jews, and that he furthered Ezra's journey in order 
 to strengthen the Jewish congregation ; perhaps also in order to show thereby that he actually 
 was ready to be as just as possible, notwithstanding the prohibition issued respecting the walls 
 of the city. It is sliowTi then by this approval that he would perhaps recall at a suitable time 
 even that prohibition which indeed had been issued at first only provisionally." — Schultz. 
 According to the hand of the Lord his God npon him] This expression is found only here and 
 in vers. 9, 28 ; viii. 18 ; Neh. ii. 8, 18 ; and with sliglit variations in chap. viii. 22, 31 ; and it 
 signifies, according to the favour and furtherance which God had granted to him. 
 
 Ver. 7. And there went up some of the children of Israel] &c. (Comp, chap. ii. 70.) 
 
 Yer. 9. For upon the first day of the first month] &c. The journey occupied exactly four 
 months, which seems an unnecessarily long time. "The direct distance of Babylon from 
 Jerusalem," says Eawlinson, "is no more than about five hundred and twenty miles ; and it 
 may therefore seem surprising that the journey should have occupied four mouths. But no 
 doubt the route followed was that circuitous one 'uy Carchemish and the Orontes valley, which 
 was ordinarily taken by armies or large bodies of men, and which increased the distance to 
 about nine hundred miles. Still the time occupied is long, and must be accounted for by the 
 dangers alluded to in chap. viii. 22, 31, which may have necessitated delays and detours to 
 avoid conflicts." Moreover, we read of one rest of three days by the river of Ahava (chap. viii. 
 15), and there might have been other rests during the journey. 
 
 Ver. 12. Artaxerxes, king of kings] One of the recognised titles of the Persian monarchs, to 
 whom were subject a number of tributary sovereigns. Perfect peace] " Peace " has been sup- 
 plied by the translators of the A.V., and that improperly, in the oijinion of some Hebraists. 
 The explanation of T'DS (from "IDJl = to complete) is difficult. Fuerst says it is the passive 
 participle. Keil is inclined "to regai-d it as an adverb used adjectively : To the scribe in the law 
 of God perfectly, for the perfect scribe, &c., corresponding with the translation of the Vulgate, 
 doctissivio." The correct meaning is probably that which is given in the margin of the A.V,, 
 " Unto Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven." And at such a time] 
 Rather : et cetera, and so forth. (Comp. chap. iv. 11.) The letter of the king is given in the 
 Chaldee original. 
 
 Ver. 14. His seven counsellors] constituted the supreme court of the kingdom, (Comp. 
 Esth. i. 14.) To inqiiire concerning Judah] &c. " Probably the commission Avas general to 
 inquire into the state of the province. According to Xenophon [Cyrop. VIII., vi. 16), it was a 
 part of the Persian system for the king to send an officer once a year into each province to 
 inspect and report upon it." — Raidinson. According to the law of thy God] &c. i.e. "righte- 
 ously and justly, according to the principle of thy religion." 
 
 Vers. 15, 16. And to cany the silver and gold] &c. " Three kinds of offerings for the 
 Temple are here spoken of: 1st, tlie gifts of the king and his counsellors for the service of the 
 God of Israel ; 2d, the gold and the silver that Ezra should obtain in the province of Babylon, 
 i.e. by the collection which he was consequently empowered to make among the non-Israelite 
 population of Babylon ; 3d, the freewill offerings of his fellow-countrymen." — Kcil. 
 
 Ver. 20. Out of the king's treasure house] i.e. the royal treasury. " The Persian system of 
 taxing the provinces through the satraps involved the establishment in each province of at least 
 one local treasury. Such treasuries are mentioned occasionally in Greek history (see Arrian, 
 Exp. Alex. I. 17 ; III. 18, 19, &c.)."—Raw!inson. 
 
 Ver. 22. Here the limit is stated which the treasurers were not to exceed in their grants to 
 Ezra. An hundred talents of silver] According to Bishop Cumberland's computation of the 
 Hebrew silver talent, this would amount to about £35,350. According to Dr. Arbuthnot's 
 tables it would amount to £34,218, 15s. But according to Mr. R. S. Poole ("Diet, of the 
 Bible," articles, Money, and Weights and Measures), it would be as much as £40,000. But it is 
 not certain that the Hebrew talent was meant. An hundred measures of wheat] Margin : 
 Chald. cors. Cor is the later word for homer. It was equal to ten ephas or baths, almost two 
 bushels (1 Kings v. 11 ; Ezek. xlv. 14). The bath was equal to seven and a half gallons, accord- 
 ing to Dr. Arbuthnot ; but, according to the Rabbinists, to between four and five gallons, 
 while, according to Josephus, it was between eight and nine gallons. Wheat, wine, oil, and 
 salt] were required by the Jews for their meat offerings ; and " as the Persian tribute was paid 
 partly in money and partly in kind, the treasuries would be able to supply them as readily as 
 they could furnish money." ^ 
 
 Ver. 23. Let it be diligently done] Keil translates, " completely done." So does Schultz 
 also. Why should there be wrath] &c. (Comp. vi. 10.) 
 
 103 
 
nOMILETlC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Ver. 24. We also certify you] or, "and to you it is made known." "The treasurers 
 which are beyond the river" are still addressed. Or niinistersj Eather, "and ministers." 
 " The expression comprises any servants of the Temple who miglit have been omitted in the 
 classes enumerated." — Keil. It shall not be lawful to impose] &c. In this respect " the 
 decree of Artaxerxes was more favourable to the Jews than those of all previous Persian 
 monarchs." Toll, tribute, or custom] (See notes on chap. iv. 13.) 
 
 Yen 25. That is in thine hand] ie. "which thou possessest." All the people that are 
 beyond the river] is limited to Israelites- or Jews by the following clause, all such as know the 
 laws of thy God. And teach ye them that know them not] These words do " not refer to the 
 heathen, but to born Israelites or Jews, who, living among the heathen, had not hitherto made 
 the Mosaic law the rule of their lives. Such were the judges to constrain to the observance 
 and obedience of the law. 
 
 "By granting these privileges, Artaxerxes was not only treading in the footsteps of Cyrus 
 and Uarius Hystaspes, Imt even going beyond these princes in granting to the Jews a jurisdic- 
 lion of their own." — Keil. 
 
 Vers. 27, 28. Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers] &c. " This abrupt transition from 
 the words of Artaxerxes to those of Ezra may be compared with the almost equally abrupt 
 change in vi. 6. The language alters at the same time from Chaldee to Hebrew, continuing 
 henceforth to be Hebrew till the close of the book." — Ran-linson. 
 
 Ver. 28. And hath extended mercy unto me before the king] i.e. hath awakened in him 
 such a kind disposition towards me. And I gathered together] &c. Ezra regards this as a 
 result of his being "strengthened." Chief men to go up with me] These chief men being 
 heads of households, their families would accompany them to the land of their fathers. 
 
 Ezra the Distinguished. 
 {Verses 1-10.) 
 
 In this paragraph Ezra appears before 
 us as — 
 
 L A man of distinguished ances- 
 try. " Now after these things, in the 
 reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, 
 Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Aza- 
 riah, &c." (vers. 1-5). He was able to 
 trace his pedigree up to Aaron the higli 
 priest ; and he was " descended frona 
 the heads of that line." To have de- 
 scended from godly progenitors is a 
 blessing of incalculable worth. This 
 blessing comprises — 
 
 1. The inspiration of noble examples. 
 
 2. IVie inheritance of excellent consti- 
 tutional moral tendencies. («). 
 
 3. Tlie rich results of parental 
 prai/e7's. (b). 
 
 " My boast is not that I deduce my birth 
 From loins enthroned, and rulers of the 
 
 earth ; 
 But higher far my proud pretensions rise — 
 The son of parents passed into the skies." 
 — Coioper. 
 
 II. A man of distinguished attain- 
 ments. 
 
 1. Here ?v[q distinguished attainments. 
 " This Ezra was a ready scribe." This 
 does not mean merely a ready writer; 
 but, as Bishop Patrick observes, " he 
 calls himself a scribe, from his declaring 
 and explaining the things contained in 
 104 
 
 the Scriptures. The word in the ori- 
 ginal signifies one skilled and learned 
 in that which was the Book by way of 
 eminence, a teacher and expounder of 
 it ; and he was a ' ready scribe,' because 
 he was peculiai'ly expert and under- 
 standing in the law, both in matters 
 which related to the priesthood, and to 
 the civil authority." 
 
 2. Distinguished attainments in a 
 great subject. " He was a ready scribe 
 in the law of Moses." Ezra was famous 
 for his learning and skill, not in any 
 trivial matters, or in things of inferior 
 importance, but in themes and things of 
 the most vital and enduring interest. 
 He was " mighty in the Scriptures." 
 And, passing over the Jewish tradi- 
 tions concerning him in this respect, 
 we may observe, quoting the words of 
 Bishop Hervey, " that the pointed de- 
 scription of Ezra (vii. 6) as 'a ready 
 scribe in the law of Moses,' repeated in 
 11, 12, 21, added to the information 
 concerning him that ' he had prepared 
 his heart to seek the law of the Lord, 
 and to do it, and to teach in Israel 
 statutes and judgments' (vii. 10), and 
 his commission to teach the laws of his 
 God to such as knew them not (25), 
 and his great diligence in reading the 
 Scriptures to the people, all give the 
 
IIOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 iitmdst probability to the account which 
 attributes to him a corrected edition of 
 the Scriptures, and the circulation of 
 many such copies. Tlie books of Nehe- 
 niiah and Malachi must indeed have 
 been added later, possibly by Malachi's 
 authority." (c). 
 
 3. Distinguished attainments in a 
 great subject 6y a great Author. " He 
 Avas a ready scribe in the law of Moses, 
 Avhich the Lord God of Israel had 
 given." In the estimate of Ezra, the 
 law was not a human code which origi- 
 nated with Moses; the Scriptures were 
 not merely the richest treasures of their 
 national literature, which had required 
 many ages for their accumulation. They 
 had God for their author; they were His 
 special gift to His chosen people ; they 
 were sacred things to this earnest and 
 reverent student of them. 
 
 III. A man in the enjoyment of dis- 
 tinguished favour. "This Ezra went 
 up from Babylon, . . . and the king 
 granted him all his request." It is pro- 
 bable that the officers of the Persian 
 government in Syria were not faithfully 
 and fully carrying out the decree of 
 Darius as regards the grant of supplies 
 for the Jewish worship at Jerusalem 
 (chap. vi. 9, 10), and that Ezra, repre- 
 senting the elders of the Jews, requested 
 the king to issue new commands con- 
 cerning them ; for the commission of 
 Ezra from the king provides fully for 
 these things (vers. 15-23). His request 
 seems also to have been for permission 
 for himself to go up to Jerusalem, and 
 for all such as were disposed to accom- 
 pany him, that they might be allowed 
 to do so. And this pious and patriotic 
 scribe stood so high in the estimation of 
 Artaxerxes that " the king granted him 
 all his request." That he should enjoy 
 so much of the confidence and favour of 
 such a monarch as Artaxerxes is a valu- 
 able testimony to the worth of Ezra. 
 " The king's favour is'^oward a wise 
 servant." 
 
 IV. A man of distinguished influ- 
 ence. " And there went up some of 
 the children of Israel, and of the 
 priests," &c. (ver. 7). Ezra was trusted 
 not only by the king and his counsellors, 
 but by his own countrymen also, with 
 
 whom he had great influence. This 
 influence was over — 
 
 1. Varioiis classes of men. Priests, 
 Levites, people of the other tribes, not 
 set apart for religious services, and 
 Nithinim, accompanied him to Jeru- 
 salem from Babylon. 
 
 2. Large numbers of men. Of all 
 classes there were upwards of 1770 
 adult males in the party which went 
 up to Jerusalem with Ezra ; so tliat the 
 total, including wives, children, and 
 servants, would probably be from 8000 
 to 9000 souls. ((/). 
 
 V. A man of distinguished success. 
 We have an example of this in his 
 journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. 
 " He came to Jerusalem in the fifth 
 month, which was in the seventh year 
 of the king. For upon the first," &c. 
 (vers. 8, 9). This journey was — 
 
 1. Long. About nine hundred miles 
 by the route which they probably pur- 
 sued. 
 
 2. Difficult. It was by no means an 
 easy matter to conduct so large a num- 
 ber of persons, including many women 
 and "little ones," through so long a 
 journey in those times and countries. 
 (Comp. chap. viii. 21.) 
 
 3. Perilous. They were in danger of 
 being attacked by Arabian freebooters, 
 by whom the country through which 
 they had to travel was infested. (Comp. 
 chap. viii. 22, 31.) 
 
 4. Successful. " On the first day of 
 the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, 
 according to the good hand of his God 
 upon him." 
 
 VI. A man of distinguished aim. 
 " Ezra had prepared his heart to seek 
 the law of the Lord," <fec. (ver. 10). 
 We see that he aimed at — 
 
 1. The acquisition of the highest Jcnow- 
 ledge. "He had prepared" — set or 
 fixed^ — " his heart to seek the law of the 
 Lord." He resolutely sought thoroughly 
 to know the Scriptures. 
 
 2. The practice of t/ie highest hiow- 
 ledge. " And to do it." He endea- 
 voured to conform his life to the law of 
 Jehovah, (e). 
 
 3. The , imi^artation of the highest 
 hioivledge. "And to teach in Israel 
 statutes and judgments." By both pre- 
 
 105 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 cept and example he strove to bring 
 the people to know and obey the Divine 
 law. We must know ourselves what 
 we would teach others ; and if we would 
 teach with practical effect, we must our- 
 selves practise what we teach. 
 
 VII. A man of distinguished bless- 
 ing. . " The king granted him all his 
 request, according to the hand of the 
 Lord his God upon him. . . . Came 
 he to Jerusalem, according to the good 
 hand of his God upon him." 
 
 1, The blessing of God rested upon 
 him. By reason of it he was protected 
 in journeyings, and prospered in his 
 undertakings. 
 
 2. Tlie blessing of God luas achiotv- 
 ledged by him. He traced his successes 
 to their First Cause ; and gratefully 
 acknowledged the gracious providence 
 of God in his life. (/). 
 
 We are all recipients of the manifold 
 blessings of God; let us also heartily 
 recognise them as such, and gratefully 
 bless the Giver. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 («) If you plant seeds for apple-stalks, you 
 are obliged to graft every one of them : but 
 if you take from a good apple-tree a cutting, 
 it will grow up and bear the same kind of 
 fruit which that tree bears. Now, I do not 
 say that literally there is a transfer of qualities 
 from parents to children, as there is a literal 
 transfer of fruit from the original tree to the 
 tree which is produced from a cutting, so that 
 the apples are greenings or pippins according 
 to the stock from which they sprung ; but I 
 believe it is substantially like that. I believe 
 it is in the power of father and mother to rear 
 the child so that from its earliest periods it shall 
 be drawn by the Spirit of God. — H. W. Bcccher. 
 
 Your father was a holy man, — will you 
 undertake to break the tine of a holy succession 1 
 Ought not the fame of his holiness to awaken 
 your own religious concern ? Are you pre- 
 pared to make yourself the turning-point in 
 the line of a pious ancestry? Beware lest you 
 say in eiFect, " For generations ray fathers 
 have trusted in God and looked to Him for 
 the light of their lives, but now I deliberately 
 disown their worship and turn away from the 
 God they loved." This you can say if you 
 be so minded. God does not force Himself 
 upon you. You may start a pagan posterity 
 ii you please. — Joseph Parker, 1). I). 
 
 (I) Though God has not bound Himself to 
 
 hear the prayers of any one for the salvation 
 
 of the soul of another, yet He frequently does 
 
 so ; and hence perhaps, though grace does not 
 
 106 
 
 run in the hloocl, yet we frequently see it runs 
 in the line. Many more of the children of 
 God's children prove gracious than those of 
 others. — Dr. Ryland, 
 
 (c) That is a good day in which you learn 
 something new of the Bible. Do not keep 
 treading around in just the same place, reading 
 the same Psalms of David over and over again 
 because they are short, while you neglect 
 other portions of the Gospel. If your friend 
 writes you a letter written on four sides of a 
 letter-sheet, you do not stop after you have 
 read the first page. You do not treat him 
 well unless you read the second page, the 
 third page, and the fourth page, as well as 
 the first. God our Father has written us a 
 very long letter, all full of affection and 
 counsel ; and what a mean thing it is if we 
 only read one or two of the pages when all of 
 them demand our attention. How many verses 
 could you quote to me from Obadiali, or Ha- 
 bakkuk, or Nahum, or Leviticus? Not one. 
 Find out what part of the Bible you know the 
 least about, and study it. Do not spend your 
 entire time under one tree when there is 
 around about you a great orchard, — T. De 
 Witt Talmage, D.D. 
 
 {d) The greatest works that have been done, 
 have been done by the ones. The imndreds 
 do not often do much, the companies never 
 do ; it is the units, just the single individuals 
 that, after all, are the power and the might. 
 Take any Church — there are multitudes in it ; 
 but it is some two or three that do the work. 
 Look on the lleformation ! — there might be 
 many reformers, but there was but one Luther : 
 there might be many teachers, but there was 
 but one Calvin. Look ye upon the preachers 
 of the last age, the mighty preachers who 
 stirred up the churches ! — there were many 
 coadjutors with them ; but, after all, it was 
 not Whitefield's friends, nor Wesley's friends, 
 but the men themselves, that did it. Indi- 
 vidual effort is, after all, the grand thing. A 
 man alone can do more than a man with fifty 
 men at his heels to fetter him. Look back 
 through all history. Who delivered Israel 
 from the Philistines ? — it was solitary Samson. 
 Who was it gathered the people together, to 
 rout the Midianites ? — it was one Gideon, who 
 cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" 
 Who was he that smote the enemy ? — It was 
 Shamgar, with his ox-goad ; or it was an 
 Ehud, who, with his dagger, put an end to his 
 country's tyrant. Separate men — Davids with 
 their slings and stones — have done more than 
 armies could acccQiplish. — C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 (e) I ask you to remember, at home, in the 
 shop, and in the counting-house, that you are 
 epistles of Christ ; and that in your spirit, 
 habits, and character, His very thoughts are 
 to be translated into forms which common 
 men can read and understand. You would 
 condemn with heaviest censure the presump- 
 tuous hand which wilfully corrupted the text 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 of the printed book in which the acts and 
 tlioughts of God are preserved for the instruc- 
 tion of the world ; you would condemn with 
 censure hardly less severe the carelessness 
 which sliould omit chapter after chapter, and 
 give false readings instead of true. But ijou 
 are tlie living revelation of God to mankind. 
 Through you it is meant that the Holy Ghost 
 should speak, not in mere words, but in acts, 
 which are more intelligible and emphatic than 
 words. The very life of the Spirit of God is 
 intended to be manifest in your conduct, as 
 the life of a plant is manifested in the flower, 
 and the life of a tree in the fruit. Are you 
 giving a true revelation to mankind, or are 
 you perverting, corrupting, falsifying it? 
 
 Your religious emotions irreligious men can 
 know nothing of, but your virtues and vices are 
 a language plain and familiar to themasiheir 
 mother tongue. They can read these without 
 note or comment. They can judge of the Divine 
 inspiration of these without any argument from 
 miracles. As the style of a great artist is re- 
 
 cognised in the drawing and colouring of his 
 pictures ; as the genius of Mozart or Beethoven 
 may be known at once by the movement of the 
 melody and the flowing sweetness or myste- 
 rious complexity of the chorus, so — if you are 
 really Gocl's workmanship — there ought to be 
 the manifested impress of the Divine hand in 
 your character, and to those who know you 
 well, your life ought to be plainly the revela- 
 tion of a Divine idea.— 7^. W. Dale, M.A., D.D. 
 
 (f) When men have had a successful season 
 in merchandise, they are apt t9 attribute it to 
 their own acumen or their partners in business. 
 When men have had a successful season in 
 husbandry, they attribute it to the phosphates 
 used, or to the agricultural journal that gave 
 them the right kind of information. How 
 seldom it, is that men first of all go to the 
 Lord, who is the owner of the field, and who 
 presides over all merchandise, and who gives 
 us all our worldlv as well as our spiritual 
 success \~T. De Witt Talmage, D.D. 
 
 Studying, Pkactising, and Teaching the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 ( Verse 
 
 The conduct of Ezra as described here 
 is eminently worthy of imitation. Let us 
 contemplate its chief features — 
 
 I. The acquisition of Divine truth 
 for himself. " For Ezra had prepared 
 his heart to seek the law of the Lord." 
 In aiming at the attainment of a know- 
 ledge of the Divine law, Ezra adopted — 
 
 1. The right method. He sought for 
 the knowledge which he desired ; he 
 put forth efforts to acquire it. Would 
 any one attain a competent knowledge 
 of any science 1 He must seek it , he 
 must read, think, experiment, etc. "Would 
 any one " know the Holy Scriptures, 
 which are able to make him wise unto 
 .'salvation through faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus"? He must "search the Scrip- 
 tures," ifec. Personal effort is indispen- 
 sable. 
 
 2. The right manner. Ezra sought 
 for this knowledge resolutely and ear- 
 nestly. " He had prepared " — i.e., fixed 
 or set — " his heart to seek the law of the 
 Lord." He who would seek successfully 
 must seek resolutely. It is the earnest 
 student who overcomes obstinate diffi- 
 culties, disentangles bewildering per- 
 plexities, and makes glorious discoveries. 
 Moreover, though it is not mentioned in 
 this verse, we have abundant evidence 
 of the fact that Ezra was a devozct stu- 
 
 10.) 
 
 dent of the Scriptures. In this province 
 of investigation, reverence is as impor- 
 tant as earnestness. " The meek will 
 He guide in judgment," &c. " The 
 secret of the Lord is with them that 
 fear Him," &c. 
 
 3. The right place. Ezra sought " the 
 law of the Lord " in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures. Divine truth may be discovered 
 in the material creations of God, in the 
 revolutions of human history, &c. But 
 he who would acquahit himself with 
 moral law, let him " search the Scrip- 
 tures ; " he who would know the re- 
 demptive truth of God, let him study 
 the Bible. 
 
 II. The embodiment of Divine truth 
 in his life. Ezra had set his heart not 
 only to seek the law of the Lord, but 
 also " to do it." He translated his 
 discoveries into deeds. The truth which 
 he acquired by his heart and mind, he 
 practised in his life. In this also he is 
 an example to us. And the importance 
 of imitating him in this respect will 
 appear if we consider that knowledge 
 misapplied is — 
 
 1. Useless. Knowledge of the laws 
 of nature benefits us only as it leads us 
 to act in harmony with those laws. And 
 knowledge of Gospel truth becomes a 
 blessing to us only as we receive it into 
 
 107 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 our heart by faith, and give practical 
 expression to it in our lives. " Not 
 every one that saith unto Me, Lord, 
 Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven," &c. (Matt. vii. 21-27). It is 
 the " doer of the work" that is "blessed 
 in his deed " (Jas. i. 25). (a). 
 
 2. Anoccasion of condemnation. "That 
 servant vrhich knew his lord's will, and 
 prepared not himself, neither did accord- 
 ing to his will, shall be beaten with many 
 stripes," &c. (Luke xii. 47, 48). (6). 
 
 III. The communication of Divine 
 truth to others. Ezra had set his heart 
 also " to teach in Israel statutes and 
 judgments." A solemn obligation rests 
 upon man not only to acquire truth, but 
 also to impart it. He who has learned 
 of others must himself in his turn 
 become a teacher of others. Here is 
 the Divine law on the question : " Freely 
 ye have received, freely give." 
 
 " Thyself and thy belongings 
 Are not thine own so proper, as to waste 
 Thyself upon thy virtues, them on thee. 
 Heaven doth with us, as we with torches do : 
 Is^ot light them for themselves; for.if our 
 
 virtues 
 Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike 
 As if we iiad them not. Spirits are not finely 
 
 touched, 
 But to fine issues ; nor nature never lends 
 The smallest scruple of her excellence. 
 But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines 
 Herself the glory of a creditor, 
 Both thanks and use." — Shalcespeare. 
 
 " Measure for Measure," i. 1. 
 
 Ezra first learned the truth for himself, 
 then practised it in his own life, and 
 then taught it to others. He taught 
 others both by his speech and by his 
 action. Merely verbal teaching will not 
 bear comparison with that which is also 
 of the character and conduct. The 
 latter is — 
 
 1. More intelligible. Minds which 
 would utterly fail to follow our argu- 
 ments can understand our actions. 
 
 2. More continuoris. Instruction by 
 means of sermons or lessons is neces- 
 sarily occasional, but the teaching of 
 the life is constant, (c), 
 
 3. More influential. " How forcible 
 are right words ! " But how much more 
 forcible are right works ! Ezra's power 
 as an expository preacher was great, as 
 we see from Neh. viii. ; but his power 
 
 108 
 
 as a holy and zealous man was greater. 
 And it seems to us that much of his 
 power as a preacher arose from the saint- 
 liness and strength of his character, (d). 
 Let all Christians, but especially 
 Christian preachers and teachers, copy 
 the example of Ezra, and first study the 
 Scriptures for themselves, then live the 
 Scriptures for themselves, and then 
 teach the Scriptures to others. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 {a) As compared with professions, good 
 deeds are put into ever-lustrous eminence, 
 both by their solid quality, and by that grand 
 refutation of all talking hypocrisy and cere- 
 monial cant, from the mouth of the Judge 
 Himself, "Not every one that saith unto 
 Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
 dom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of 
 My Father." We cannot be wrong — if there 
 is such a thing as truth in God's universe, we 
 must be right — in esteeming one palpable 
 and ponderable action in Christ's name before 
 a library of dogmatic credos, subscription to 
 the straitest ecclesiastical vows, or the hand- 
 somest adjustment of the mantle of public 
 conformity. H we must have one without 
 the other, an acre of statements must be let go 
 rather than an ounce of life. — F. D. Hunt- 
 ivr/ton, D.D. 
 
 I beseech you more earnestly endeavour 
 to reduce the things you know to practice. 
 Nothing can be more absurd than to content 
 ourselves with only a notional knowledge of 
 practical matters. We should think so in 
 other cases ; as if any man should satisfy 
 himself to know the use of food, but famish 
 himself by never eating any, Avhen he hath it 
 at hand ! Oh, what holy and pleasant lives 
 should we lead in this world, if the temper 
 and complexion of our souls did but corre- 
 spond to the things we know. The digesting 
 otir food is what God eminently calls for. — 
 John Howe, 
 
 (&) The more any one doth only notionally 
 know in the matters of religion, so as that 
 the temper of his spirit remains altogether 
 unsuitable to the design and tendency of the 
 things known, the more he hath lying ready 
 to come in judgment against him ; and if, 
 therefore, he count the things excellent which 
 he knows, and only please himself with his 
 own knowledge of them, it is but a like case 
 as if a man should be much delighted to be- 
 liold his own condemnation written in a fair 
 and beautiful hand ; or as if one should be 
 pleased with the glittering of that sword 
 which is directed against his own heart ; and 
 so little pleasant is the case of him who thus 
 satislies his own curiosity with the concerns 
 of eternal life and death, that any serious 
 person would tremble on his behalf, at that 
 wherein he takes pleasure, and apprehend 
 
UOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 just horror in that state of the case whence he 
 draws matter of delight. — Ibid. 
 
 {c) If Tve distinguish man as a creature of 
 language, and thus qualified to communicate 
 himself to others, there are in him two sets or 
 kinds of language, — one which is voluntary in 
 the use, and one that is involuntary; that of 
 speech in the literal sense, and that expres- 
 sion of the eye, the face, the look, the gait, 
 the motion, the tone or cadence, which is 
 sometimes called the natural language of the 
 sentiments. This natural language, too, is 
 great]}' enlarged by the conduct of life, that 
 which, in business and society, reveals the 
 principles and spirits of men. Speech, or 
 voluntary language, is a door to the soul, that 
 we may open or shut at will ; the other is a 
 door that stands open evermore, and reveals 
 to others constantly, and often more clearly, 
 the tempers, tastes, and motives of their 
 hearts. Within, as we may represent, is 
 character, charging the common reservoir of 
 influence, and through these twofold gates 
 of the soul, pouring itself out on the world. 
 Out of one it flows at choice, and whensoever 
 we purpose to do good or evil to men. Out 
 of the other it flows each moment, as light 
 from the sun, and propagates itself in all 
 beholders. 
 
 The door of involuntary communication, I 
 have said, is always open. Of course we are 
 communicating ourselves in this way toothers 
 at every moment of our intercourse or pre- 
 sence with them. But how verj' seldom, in 
 comparison, do we undertake by means of 
 speech to influence others ! Even the best 
 Christian, one who most improves his oppor- 
 tunities to do good, attempts but seldom to 
 sway another by voluntary influence, whereas 
 he is all the while shining as a luminous 
 object unawares, and communicating of his 
 heart to the world.— iZ^. Bushnell, D.D. 
 
 (d) If every disciple is to be an "epistle 
 known and read of all men," what shall we 
 expect but that all men will be somehow 
 affected by the reading ? Or, if he is to be 
 a liglit in the world, what shall we look for, 
 but that others, seeing his good works, shall 
 glorify God on his account? How often is it 
 seen, too, as a fact of observation, that one, 
 or a few good men, kindle at length a holy 
 fire in the community in which they live, and 
 become the leaven of a general reformation ! 
 Such men give a more vivid proof in their 
 persons of the reality of religious faith, than 
 any words or arguments could yield. They 
 are active ; they endeavour, of course, to exert 
 a good voluntary influence ; but still their 
 chief power lies in their holiness, and the 
 sense they produce in others of their close 
 relation to God. 
 
 . . . Where the direct or active influence 
 of men is supposed to be great, even this is 
 due, in a principal degree, to that insensible 
 influence by which their arguments, reproofs, 
 and persuasions are secretly invigorated. It 
 is not mere words which turn men ; it is the 
 heart mounting uncalled into the expression 
 of the features : it is the eye illuminated by 
 reason — the look beaming with goodness ; it 
 is the tone of the voice, that instrument of 
 the soul, which changes quality with such 
 amazing facility, and gives out in the soft, 
 the tender, the tremulous, the firm, every 
 shade of emotion and character. And so 
 much is there in this, that the moral stature 
 and character of the man that speaks are 
 likely to be well represented in his maimer. 
 If he is a stranger, his way will inspire con- 
 fidence and attract good will. His virtues 
 will be seen, as it were, gathering round him 
 to minister words and forms of thought, and 
 their voices will be heard in the fall of his 
 cadences. — Ibid. 
 
 The Christian Ministry. 
 
 ( Verse 
 
 This learned and pious priest is an 
 eminent model for the study of those 
 who are engaged in the public service • 
 of God. Born in Babylon, he neverthe- 
 less became an Israelite indeed, in whom 
 Avas no guile. His zeal for the pure 
 worship of God — for the reformation of 
 social manners and faithful administra- 
 tion of the law ; his personal consecra- 
 tion, his profound study of the sacred 
 writings, his deep viev\'s of the evil of 
 sin, his power with God in prayer, his 
 personal humility and true nobleness of 
 character, entitle him to rank among 
 the most illustrious of God's worthies 
 in the ancient Qhurch. 
 
 10.) 
 
 The text points out some indispensable 
 qualifications for an able minister of the 
 New Testament. 
 
 I. Devotedness to God's Word. 
 
 1. The minister is called to this ; it 
 is the indispensable requirement of his 
 office. 
 
 2. Its inexhaustible riches require 
 profound and constant research. 
 
 3. Prayer is absolutely necessary for 
 the right understanding of the Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 II. Personal religion. 
 
 1. Without this all other qualifica- 
 tions will prove unavailing. 
 
 2. Its influence upon the minister's 
 
 109 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 own heart and life is necessary to his 
 success. 
 
 3. Its power over others. 
 
 III. Public instruction. 
 
 1. Its subjects. Scripture : — God in 
 Christ, sin, salvation. 
 
 2. Its spirit. Dependent on Divine 
 aid, faithful, bold. 
 
 3. Its manner. Simple, unaffected, 
 earnest, practical, affectionate. — The 
 Preache7'^s Portfolio. 
 
 Divine Sequence. 
 {Verse 10.) 
 
 In most operations due sequence is of 
 as great importance, in order to success, 
 as correct action or proper quality. To 
 transpose the order in a succession of 
 processes is certain failure. How mani- 
 festly fatal as to the result, for a farmer 
 to sow before ploughing, or to harrow 
 before sowing ! How vain the black- 
 smith's labour if he smite the iron first, 
 and then make it hot ! Everything in 
 its due order is a universal law. It 
 applies to Sabbath-school teaching as 
 inexorably as to other matters, and to 
 ignore it is culpable folly. The law of 
 true sequence in this case is plainly 
 taught in the Word of God, and is for- 
 cibly illustrated in the conduct of Ezra. 
 
 I. There must be diligent searching 
 for the law of God. "Ezra prepared 
 his heart to seek the' law of the Lord." 
 Teachers must know before they can 
 teach, and there is need for searching in 
 order to knowledge. " Search the Scrip- 
 tures " is the first step in the Divine 
 sequence. " Then shall we know, if we 
 follow on to know the Lord." And for 
 effective teaching, to head - knowledge 
 there must be heart-sympathy. 
 
 IL There must be a hearty doing 
 of the discovered will. Ezra prepared 
 his heart not only to seek, but " to do " 
 the law of the Lord, and this is the 
 second process in the Divine order. 
 Alas ! for him who seeks to teach others 
 laws which he does not himself obey, 
 and to enforce commands which he him- 
 self defies ! Dohig, moreover, stands in 
 
 double relation to knowing and teaching. 
 " If any man will do His will, he shall 
 knowof the doctrine, whether it be of 
 God" (John vii. 17). Hence its im- 
 portance in relation to knowledge. It 
 is also indispensable to true teaching; 
 for by our lives we must teach, even 
 though we be very unskilful with our 
 tongues. " Whosoever shall do and 
 teach, shall be called great in the king- 
 dom of heaven" (Matt. v. 19). 
 
 III. Then may we teach the law of 
 the Lord. This is the last step in the 
 Divine sequence ; and how firm a founda- 
 tion will the teaching rest upon if the 
 sequence has been duly observed ! Know- 
 ledge treasured in the heart and acted 
 in the life will give power and energy 
 to the teachings, such as can in no other 
 way be gained. How forcible will such 
 teaching be — how irresistible! What 
 efficacy the observance of this Divine 
 sequence gave to Ezra's teaching may 
 be learned from his subsequent history, 
 for all the congregation were by his 
 words convinced of their sin, and truly 
 repenting, they cried, "As thou hast 
 said, so must we do" (chap. x. 12), and 
 they did it. So will our scholars act, if 
 we faithfully fulfil the Divine conditions. 
 Let us give heed to this sequence. It 
 is taught in many parts of Scripture ; 
 but let Ezra's embodiment of it make it 
 plain. Let his example stir our emula- 
 tion, and his success whet our desire for 
 a like result. — B. P. P., in The Sunday 
 School Teacher. 
 
 The Commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra. 
 (Verses 11-26.) 
 I. The granting of this commission. 1. In answer to the request of Ezra. 
 
 This letter, conveying such large powers, 
 was given — 
 110 
 
 We see this from ver. 6 : " the king 
 granted him all his request j " and from 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 ver. 28 : God " hath extended mercy 
 unto nie before the king and his coun- 
 sellors," tkc. It was a courageous thing 
 for Ezra to make such a request before 
 such an assembly (comp. Neh. ii. 2; Esth. 
 iv. 11); and the fact that it was granted 
 is a forcible testimony to the very high 
 esteem in which he was held, 
 
 2. By the supreme authority of the 
 empire. " Thou art sent of the king 
 and of his seven counsellors" (ver. 14). 
 " God hath extended mercy unto me 
 before the king, and his counsellors, and 
 before all the king's mighty princes " 
 ^ver. 28). Thus the commission carried 
 the greatest Aveight and importance. 
 
 II. The articles of this commission. 
 
 1. Those xohich are addressed to Ezra. 
 (1.) Permission for him to go up to 
 Jerusalem luith as viany of his fellow- 
 countrymen as ivished to do so. " I 
 make a decree, that all they of the people 
 of Israel," &c. (ver. 13). This permis- 
 sion was necessary to enable them to go 
 forth, because they were captives. And 
 it was simply a cordial permission ; it 
 was not a sentence of banishment from 
 Babylon. The Jews were not sent away, 
 but freely allowed to go if they desired 
 to do so. (2.) Authority to investigate 
 the affairs of those Jews loho were already 
 settled in their oivn land. " Thou art 
 sent of the king, and of his seven coun- 
 sellors, to inquire," &c. (ver. 14). The 
 subject of the inquiry is not stated ; 
 and it cannot be determined whether it 
 referred to their general condition and 
 progress, or more particularly to their 
 religious condition. But the rule by 
 which the inquiry was to be conducted 
 is clearly laid down : "according to the 
 law of thy God which is in thine hand." 
 Thus the Divine law was honoured by 
 the Persian monarch and his supreme 
 council. (3.) Authority to receive, con- 
 vey, and distribute money and other 
 valuables for the worship of Jehovah at 
 Jer^isalem (vers. 15-19). Notice — (i.) 
 The treasures committed to him. " The 
 silver and gold which the king and his 
 counsellors freely offered," &c. (ver. 15). 
 The contributions of money which the 
 non-Israelite population in all the pro- 
 vince of Babylon, and such Jews as 
 elected still to remain in Babylon, were 
 
 disposed freely to contribute for the 
 worship of the God of Israel. "And 
 all the silver and gold that thou canst 
 find," &c. (ver. IG). And certain vessels 
 which had been given for use in the 
 Temple -service at Jerusalem. "The 
 vessels also that are given thee," &c. 
 (ver. 19). It is probable that the sacred 
 vessels which Zerubbabel had taken to 
 Jerusalem were inadequate to their re- 
 quirements at the great religious festivals, 
 (ii.) The use to be made of these trea- 
 sures. The vessels were to be delivered 
 up in the Temple to the proper persons 
 for use in its services. " The vessels 
 . . . deliver thou before the God of 
 Jerusalem." The money was to be 
 employed in the purchase of animals 
 and other things for religious sacrifices. 
 " That thou mayest buy speedily with 
 this money bullocks," &c. (ver. 17). 
 And the residue of the money was to be 
 appropriated to 'such religious uses as 
 seemed good to Ezra and to his brethren. 
 "And whatsoever shall seem good to 
 thee and to thy brethren," &c. (ver. 18). 
 (4.) Authority to obtain further needful 
 supplies from the royal treasury in Syria. 
 "And whatever more shall be needful 
 for the house of thy God," &c. (ver. 20). 
 The requirements at Jerusalem could 
 not be fully known by Ezra until he 
 had looked into the state of affairs 
 there ; hence this warrant concerning 
 further supplies was both thoughtfully 
 and generously given. And such a 
 use of royal revenues was both wise 
 and worthy in the highest degree. (5.) 
 Authority to appoint viagistrates and 
 judges with full judicial jioivers. "And 
 thou Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God 
 that is in thine hand, set magistrates 
 and judges," etc. (vers. 25, 2G). Observe : 
 (i.) Their jurisdiction was over the 
 Jews and the proselytes to the Jewish 
 religion. They were to "judge all the 
 people that are beyond the river, all 
 such as know the laws of thy God," 
 *fec. (ii.) Full power was granted to 
 them for maintaining their authority 
 and enforcing their decisions. They 
 were authorised to inflict the severest 
 penalties which the law prescribed. 
 " Whosoever will not do the law of thy 
 God," &c. (ver. 20). They were "re- 
 
 111 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 sponsible to the king alone for the 
 exercise of their authority." 
 
 2. Those which are addressed to the 
 Persian treasitrers in Syria. " And I, 
 even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a 
 decree to all the treasurers which are 
 beyond the river," &c. {vers. 21-24). 
 These commands refer to two things — 
 1, To contributions which they ivere to 
 make to Ezra. They were to furnish 
 him with certain supplies for the service 
 of the Temple of the God of heaven, 
 according to his request. (1.) These 
 supplies were liberal. " Unto an hun- 
 dred talents of silver," &c. (ver. 22, and 
 see explanatory note). (2.) These sup- 
 plies were to be quickly and fully fur- 
 nished. " Whatsoever Ezra the priest, 
 the scribe of the law of the God of 
 heaven, shall require of you, it be done 
 speedily. . . . Whatsoever is com- 
 manded by the God of heaven, let it be 
 completely done," &c. (3.) The reason 
 assigned for furnishing these supplies is 
 significant. " For why should there be 
 wrath against the realm of the king and 
 his sons?" This inquiry implies a con- 
 viction of several things : — e.g., that the 
 God of heaven is almighty ; that the 
 neglect of His worship was likely to 
 awaken His anger ; that His anger should 
 be earnestly dreaded and deprecated ; 
 and that a liberal regard for His worship 
 was likely to secure His favour. 2. To 
 exem2:)tions from taxation which they were 
 to make. Every ininister of the Temple, 
 from the high priest to the humblest of 
 the Nethinim, was to be entirely re- 
 lieved of government taxation. " Also 
 we certify you, that touching any of the 
 priests and Levites," ifec. (ver. 24). This 
 was at once a liberal favour and an hon- 
 ourable distinction for all those whom 
 it concerned. 
 
 This official letter reflects very great 
 credit upon Artaxerxes. It is, as M. 
 Henry observes, " to the praise of this 
 heathen king, that he honoured the God 
 of Israel though His worshippers were 
 a despicable handful of poor men, who 
 were not able to bear the charges of their 
 own religion, and were now his vassals, 
 and that, though he was not wrought 
 upon to quit his own superstitions, yet 
 he protected and encouraged the Jews in 
 112 
 
 their religion, and did not only say, ' Be 
 you warmed, and be you filled,' but gave 
 them such things as they needed." 
 
 III. The spirit of this commission. 
 
 The letter indicates clearly a spirit 
 of— 
 
 1. Great reverence for God. Thrice it 
 speaks of Him as " the God of heaven," 
 thus showing that Jehovah was regarded 
 by the king not as a mere local deity, 
 but as the Supreme Being. And the 
 inquiry, " Why should there be wrath 
 against the realm of the king and his 
 sons % " imjjlies (as we have mentioned 
 above) certain important convictions con- 
 cerning Jehovah, God of Israel, (a). 
 
 2. Profound respect for the laio of 
 God. " According to the law of thy 
 God which is in thine hand" (ver. 14). 
 " Do after the will of your God " (ver. 
 18). " Whatsoever is commanded by 
 the God of heaven, let it be completely 
 done," &c. (ver. 23). Ezra is commis- 
 sioned to teach those persons the laws 
 of God who did not know them (ver. 
 25). And, according to ver. 26, the law 
 of Jehovah was made the law of Ar- 
 taxerxes so far as the Jews were con- 
 cerned. " The law of thy God, and the 
 law of the king." (6). 
 
 3. Sincere regard for the loorship of 
 God (vers. 15-24). The munificence of 
 the royal grant for this worship indi- 
 cates the depth and sincerity of his re- 
 gard fur it. 
 
 4. Hearty appreciation of the char- 
 acter of a good man. That this large 
 and liberal commission was granted to 
 Ezra in answer to his request is an evi- 
 dence — (1.) That the life of Ezra must 
 have been distinguished by wisdom, up- 
 rightness, and piety. (2.) That Arta- 
 xerxes sincerely appreciated the wisdom, 
 and worth of Ezra, for in honouring him 
 the king seems to have taken pleasure. 
 This letter is greatly to the praise of 
 both the monarch of Persia and the 
 scribe of the law of Jehovah, (c). 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 The liberal gifts of Artaxerxes for the 
 support of the worship of God may be 
 exhibited as — 
 
 1. A rebuke to the parsimony of many 
 Christians in this respect. 
 
 2. An example to all Christians. ((/). 
 
UOMILETIG COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 («) How should we reverence that God tliat 
 hath a throne encompassed witli such glorious 
 •creatures as angels, whose faces we are not 
 able to behold tliough shadowed in assumed 
 bodies ! How should we fear the Lord of 
 Hosts, tliat hath so many armies at His 
 command in the heavens above, and in the 
 eartli below, whom He can dispose to the 
 exact obedience of His will ! How should 
 men be afraid to censure any of His actions, 
 to sit judge of llieir Judge, and call Him to 
 an account at their bar ! How should such 
 an eartliworm, a mean animal as man, be 
 afraid to speak irreverently of so great a King! 
 Not to fear Him, not to reverence Him, is to 
 pull His throne from under Him, and make 
 Him of a lower authority than ourselves, or 
 any creature that we reverence more. — <S'. 
 Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 (b) We cannot be too strongly impressed 
 with the goodness or benevolence of the Divine 
 law. Eight and good are correlative ideas, 
 but we are not equally affected by them. More 
 spontaneously can we conclude that all good 
 is riglit, than that all right is good. And we 
 more slowly confess the good of law, because 
 we commonly regard law itself as restraint 
 rather than as protection. We forget that it 
 is far more restraint upon others than upon 
 ourselves, and that our protection is in that 
 restraint. Every interdict is on all, and each 
 one obtains the benefit. Every obliii-ation 
 binds the whole race to the security and wel- 
 fare of the individual. The best definition of 
 liberty is, protection from wrong. And if we 
 inspect tlie great social law, wluit is it but a 
 fence and safeguard thrown around our dearest, 
 most precious, interests ? Its heed holds back 
 that which receives every denouncement, when 
 we call it lawless. Its observance defends the 
 allegiance of our household, the sanctity of our 
 life, the legitimacy of our offspring, the posses- 
 sion of our store, the reputation of our char- 
 acter, even to the proscription and to the 
 driving from the heart of any secret wish that 
 might seek to injure us. It sets a seal upon 
 all. Our forbearance to aggrieve others, which 
 must be harmful to ourself, is repaid by for- 
 bidding any grievance against our welfare from 
 the millions upon millions who might other- 
 wise inflict it. The duty which every man 
 owes to love us as himself, is a blessed and 
 rich return of our duty thus ourselves to love 
 every man. > The rule commands and obliges 
 every man to love me, to uphold me, — invests 
 him as my brotlier, autiiorises him as my 
 keeper, arms him as my defender, pledges 
 him as my surety, adorns him as my example, 
 couples him as my co-heir. It is the law of 
 love. It is the perfect commutative justice. 
 How benign must be the univeral regulation, 
 allwliose requirements, bearings, consequences, 
 motives, aims, are fulfilled by love ! The same 
 
 reflections are appropriate with respect to the 
 claims of the Deity. . . , Let us honour law 
 as the crowning blessing of blessings. Let us 
 remember that intellectual creatureship with- 
 out it is as inconceivable as it would be in- 
 supportable. Let us acknowledge it as the 
 most sublime of ideas, the true exponent of 
 happiness, the proper basis of dignity, the 
 exclusive shield of freedom, the pure fountain 
 of goodwill, — inaugurating truth in its state, 
 decking benevolence in its majesty, lifting 
 right to its throne, and then proclaiming with 
 imperial authority that all thisis but God, and 
 that, therefore, there is none "good but One, 
 that is God !— ^. W. Hamilton, LL.D., D.D. 
 
 (c) There is something in a holy life which 
 wonderfully conciliates the minds of men. At 
 first, indeed, like a strong influx of light, it 
 offends their eyes ; and the beholders, unable 
 to bear the effulgence of its beams, turn away 
 from it, or perhaps desire its utter extinction. 
 But when it has shone for a long time before 
 them, and they have had sufficient opportunity 
 to contemplate its worth, they are constrained 
 to acknowledge that "the righteous is more 
 excellent than his neighbour ; " and they begin 
 to venerate the character, whose virtues at 
 first were occasions of offence. — C. Simeon, 
 M.A. 
 
 ({d) In collecting money for the repairs of 
 the Temple, which Athaliaii and her sons had 
 dilapidated, the good priest did a thing worth 
 noticing. He had a chest placed right along- 
 side the brazen altar in front of the Temple, 
 and in the lid of the chest was a hole bored, and 
 into the hole the priests, selected for the purpose, 
 dropped the coins which the people brought, 
 either as their half-shekel tax, or as the offer- 
 ing for vows, or as a freewill offering to the 
 Temple of Jehovah, When I read this story 
 and then read from Paul's First Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, " Upon the first day of the week" 
 (the Lord's-day, mind you!) "let everyone 
 of you lay by him in store, as God hath pros- 
 pered him," I cannot help thinking that (/iviiig 
 is a jmH of ^vorship ! Close alongside of the 
 altar, where the type of the Lamb of God was 
 offered up, was the money chest. How exalted 
 giving to the Lord's cause is in this light ! 
 And Paul calls it Sunday work, puts it with 
 prayer, and praise, and Bible instruction, and 
 all that is improving to the soul. I take it 
 that if all Christians in our land would enter- 
 tain tlie notion of Jehoiada and Paul about 
 giving to the Lord (and it is not their notion, 
 but the Holy Ghost's), our spiritual temple 
 would not be so dilapidated — thousands would 
 flow forth from willing hearts where now 
 hundreds are squeezed out. Take the idea, 
 my brother with the long purse ; yes, and my 
 brother with the short purse, too. Make your 
 giving a part of your worship, and tlien thank 
 Jehoiada and Paul, but above all the Lord, 
 for making y-our Christian life the happier. — 
 Di\ Croshij. 
 
 113 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Reasons for Active Devotedness to the Cause of God. 
 
 (Verse 23.) 
 
 Here Artaxerxes issues a decree, gives 
 •wealth, displays great zeal for God, and 
 as though ambitious to sink the monarch 
 in the preacher, exhorts to diligence and 
 fervour in the work. *' Whatsoever is 
 commanded by the God of heaven," &,c. 
 We may well sit at the feet of this lord 
 of one hundred and twenty-seven pro- 
 vinces, and learn fi'om heathen lips the 
 extent of our duty and the nature of 
 our obligations. We plead for missions. 
 
 I. To assign some reasons for active 
 devotedness to the cause of G-od and 
 truth in the world. 
 
 1. From the Divine authority hy ivhich 
 it is 671 joined. It "is commanded by the 
 God of heaven." We love to see the 
 estimate of Christian duties from the 
 men of the world, who, while they are 
 blind as bats in discerning their own 
 defects, are clear-sighted as eagles to 
 mark the inconsistencies of the professed 
 followers of Christ. They often take 
 a just measure of our obligations, and 
 reason with wonderful exactness and 
 form just conclusions, from the prin- 
 ciples which we lay down, as to the 
 course which we ought to follow, — just 
 as Artaxerxes did here. The text is 
 remarkable from the quarter whence it 
 comes ; not from the hovel of poverty, 
 but from the throne of power ; not from 
 one who prophesied in sackclotb, but 
 from one clothed in the purple and fine 
 linen of royal houses. 
 
 Tlie law of love to the perishing 
 heathen is clearly laid down. We labour 
 under no uncertainty upon the subject. 
 We are not left to the trembling ifs 
 and conjectures of mere circuitous and 
 inductive reasoning, but the rule is ex- 
 press and final : "Thou shalt open thine 
 liand wide unto thy brother." The same 
 law which says, "Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thine heart," 
 says, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
 as thyself." We should like to see in- 
 scribed over all our missionary institu- 
 tions the law, " Whatsoever ye would 
 that men should do to you, do ye even 
 so to them." The same God who bids 
 114 
 
 us "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" 
 that we may be saved, bids us " Go into 
 all the world," ifcc. God makes man the 
 medium of His blessings to man. He 
 blesses us by making us blessings. The 
 harvest of immortal souls is to be 
 gathered in, but human hands are to be 
 employed in the work. The scattered 
 flock of Christ, wandering upon the dark 
 mountains of the Eastern and Western 
 world, claim your ready aid, and Jesus 
 commissions you to bring them into the 
 fold. 
 
 2. From the urgent necessity tvhich 
 exists for your exertions. " In Judah 
 was God known ; His name was great 
 in Israel ; " but His spiritual claims 
 were unknown and disregarded every- 
 where else. And the Gospel cannot be 
 proclaimed in the heathen world except 
 Christians proclaim it ; for " how shall 
 they call on Him in whom they have 
 not believed?" &c. (Rom. x. 14, 15). 
 We cannot plead ignorance of the state 
 of the heathen world, or of the religious 
 destitution of the heathen without the 
 Gospel. It was never safe to use this 
 plea as an excuse for indifference, but 
 it is wholly impossible to urge it now. 
 " We hioio that the whole world lieth in 
 wickedness." " We hioiv that the whole 
 creation groaneth and travaileth in pain," 
 &c. The islands and continents of the 
 kingdoms under darkness have been 
 completely explored. The reports of 
 travellers, merchants, missionaries, and 
 scientific men only confirm the testimony 
 of Scripture as to the moral misery and 
 degradation of mankind without the 
 Gospel. Where Christianity is not, the 
 race is stationary, if not retrograde ; 
 social life loses its security and charm, 
 &c. 
 
 3. From the fearful consequences of 
 the neglect of this duty. " For why 
 should there be wrath against the realm 
 of the king and his sons ? " The king 
 feared God's anger, and apprehended 
 that the neglect of Zion's interests would 
 be fatal. He could not be ignorant of 
 the ruin that had overtaken the Pharaohs 
 
IIOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 of Egypt, Sennacherib of Assyria, and 
 the monarchs of Babylon ; and he 
 trembled for himself, for his sons, and 
 for the future stability of the Persian 
 throne. 
 
 It is not safe for individuals to oppose 
 the kingdom of Christ. They who '' break 
 His bands asunder," do it at their own 
 peril. And there is no neutrality : not 
 to assist is to oppose ; not to seek Christ 
 is to neglect Him. Every one of us is 
 taking a side — for Christ against Satan, 
 or for Satan against Christ. It is not 
 safe for churches to do so. What has 
 become of the Jewish church 1 of the 
 seven churches of Asia 1 &c. Their 
 golden lamps have been extinguished. 
 It is not safe for nations to neglect the 
 interests of religion. "The nation and 
 kingdom that will not serve Thee shall 
 perish," whether that nation be Persia 
 or Judea, Carthage or Rome, Spain or 
 England. I should tremble for Britain's 
 safety, if she forgot her obligations to 
 the God of the Bible, and failed to pay 
 some small fraction of the mighty debt 
 she owes to the Providence that has 
 exalted her, by extending the Gospel. 
 God has not raised her so high for any 
 mean and ignoble purpose. He has not 
 given her the empire of the seas, and a 
 
 voice among the nations at which the 
 mightiest tremble, and an extent of 
 colonial territory heretofore unknown, 
 merely for purposes of national aggran- 
 disement or personal pride ; but to 
 render us, as we hope, the world's bene- 
 factors, the heralds of the Cross, the 
 willingharbingersof the onward triumphs 
 of the Prince of Peace. Fulfilling this 
 duty, Britain stands : failing to fulfil it, 
 Britain falls ; for God's wrath will be 
 against the realm of the Queen and her 
 sons, 
 
 4. From the success which has attended 
 tlie fulfilment of this duty. 
 
 II. To offer some suggestions as to 
 the spirit and mode in which this work 
 should be carried on. 
 
 1. Earnestly, without remissness. "Let 
 it be diligently done." Learn a lesson 
 from the activity of the opposite party. 
 The infidel and socialist come into your 
 workshops and manufactories. The 
 emissaries of the Papacy are not idle. 
 Popery is fighting, not for existence, but 
 for dominion. 
 
 2. Pray erf idly, luithout j^i'ide. 
 
 3. Speedily, toithout delay. 
 
 — /Samuel Tlmdey. 
 
 The Decree of Artaxerxes. 
 (Verse 23.) 
 
 The words before us breathe a spirit 
 which we should scarcely have expected 
 to find in a heathen prince ; but it is 
 remarkable that some of the richest 
 eflfusions of piety in the whole Scriptures 
 proceeded from heathen monarchs, e.g., 
 Darius and Nebuchadnezzar. To make 
 a due improvement of the words before 
 us we shall consider tliera — 
 
 I. In reference to the Jewish 
 Church. 
 
 1. Tlie state of the Jewish Chnrch at 
 this time is not unlike to that in ivhich 
 it ivas in the days of Ezra. Though the 
 Temple worship was restored, it was 
 carried on by the Jews without any zeal 
 for God's honour, or any of that spiri- 
 tuality of mind which is the very essence 
 of all acceptable worship. Nor was the 
 
 law of God regarded amongst them with 
 any just measure of submission ; for, in 
 direct opposition to its most authoritative 
 dictates, they formed connections with 
 the heathen round about them, &c. (chap, 
 ix. 1-9). So at this time the Jewish 
 people are at a very low ebb, both in 
 respect of morals and religion. ... It 
 is impossible to behold them in their 
 religious services, and not see how thick 
 a veil is yet ujion their hearts. Nor do 
 they manifest any resjject for their own 
 law in its sublimer precepts. Of real 
 holiness of heart and life they are 
 ignorant in the extreme. 
 
 3. Btit to us is given, no less than to 
 Ezra, a conunand to advance their loelfare. 
 Ezra received a commission from Ar- 
 taxerxes to go and rectify the abuses 
 
 115 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 EG MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 which obtained at Jerusalem, &c. And 
 have we no command to seek the welfare 
 of that degraded people] Are we not 
 told what God's purpose is respecting 
 them; namely, to "raise up the taber- 
 nacle of David," &c. ? (Amos. ix. 11). 
 This is God's express command to us 
 strangers of the Gentiles : " The sons 
 of strangers shall build up thy walls," 
 &c. (Isa. Ix. 10-12). With their material 
 temple we have nothing to do ; but for 
 the erection of God's spiritual temple 
 amongst them we are bound to labour, 
 proclaiming to them the advent of their 
 Messiah, saying, "Behold your salvation," 
 &c. (Isa. Ixii. 11 ; xl. 9). 
 
 3. In this work we should engage tvith 
 all diligence. It is not to be effected 
 by good wishes merely, but by great 
 exertions. It was not without great 
 exertions on the part of men that the 
 Gentiles were converted to the faith of 
 Christ ; and the same kind of efforts 
 which the apostles made for the conver- 
 sion of the Gentiles we are to make for 
 the restoration of the Jews to the favour 
 of their God. This is our duty. Ged 
 has told us that He has made us the 
 depositaries of His Gospel, not for our 
 benefit merely, but for the benefit of 
 His outcast people : " As ye in times 
 past," etc. (Rom. xi. 30, 31). 
 
 II. In reference to the Church which 
 is amongst us. 
 
 1. Ye, brethren, iheed to have God's 
 work advanced in the midst of ymu Ye 
 are God's house (Heb. iii. 6) ; ye also 
 are called the temples of God, in which 
 He lives and dwells (2 Coi-. vi. 16). 
 But in whom is God honoured as He 
 ought to be ? In whom are found 
 sacrifices so pure, so spiritual, so abun- 
 dant, as God calls for at our hands % 
 Truly there is much amiss in all of us ; 
 much evil to be rectified, and much 
 defective to be supplied, 
 
 2. / call xipon yoii, then, to engage in 
 the Lord's tvorh ivith yonr whole hearts. 
 We will suppose that you are built upon 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, as the foundation 
 which God has laid in Zion (Isa. xxviii. 
 16). But no man is contented with 
 liaving laid a foundation ; he proceeds 
 to build upon it, and never considers 
 his work as finished till he has brought 
 
 116 
 
 forth the top-stone. So it must be in 
 this spiritual building which is begun 
 within us. We must come to Christ 
 daily " as lively stones, that we may be 
 built up," kc. (1 Pet. ii. 4-6). To this, 
 then, would I call you, &c. Oh ! learn 
 of a heathen to venerate the Divine 
 authority, and to exert yourselves to 
 the uttermost to promote the Divine 
 glory. 
 
 Let me call you to obey this imperial 
 mandate — 
 
 1. In a way of j^ersonal reformation. 
 At the time of the Passover, the Jews 
 swept every corner of their houses, in 
 order to purge from them every particle of 
 leaven which might have escaped their 
 more general and superficial search. And 
 this is what we are called to do. Alas ! 
 there are many evil dispositions which 
 lurk within us, and which a superficial 
 survey will not enable us to detect. 
 Pride, envy, discontent, &c. Oh, be 
 diligent in " purging out this old leaven, 
 that ye may be a new lump " (1 Cor. 
 
 2. In a ivay of ministerial exertion. 
 In this, persons of rank and influence 
 ought to take the lead. Who can see a 
 heathen monarch thus interesting him- 
 self for his Jewish subjects, and not 
 wish that all monarchs with " their 
 counsellors " were embarked in this holy 
 cause 1 In this the clergy, also, should 
 be most distinguished. Gladly did 
 Ezra avail himself of tlie liberty accorded 
 to him of going to Jerusalem for the 
 purpose of remedying the evils which 
 obtained there, Arc. It was an oflfice of 
 great labour, yet he willingly undertook 
 it. And does not this show, how those 
 who ai'e distinguished for rank and 
 learning amongst the clergy should em- 
 ploy their talents and influence for the 
 Lord % 
 
 The readiness with which the people 
 of Babylon concurred in this good work 
 shows how all classes of the community 
 amongst ourselves should unite in the 
 work. They contributed no less than 
 eighty thousand {bounds in silver, and 
 one hundred and flfty thousand pounds 
 in gold, besides a vast abundance of 
 wheat, ikc. This was done by heathens 
 to honour the God of the Jews. What, 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 then, slioulcl not be done by us Chris- 
 tians, who profess to serve the God of 
 the Jews, and to feel our obligations to 
 
 Him for all the wonders of redeeming 
 love 1 — C. Simeon, M.A. 
 
 Exemplary Pratse. 
 
 {Verses 21, 28.) 
 
 I. The true offerers of praise. We 
 
 regard Ezra as an example of the true 
 and acceptable worshipper. He exhibits 
 in these verses— 
 
 1. Unaffected humilitij. There is not 
 here the least indication of self-lauda- 
 tion or self-commendation. All thought 
 of his own character and influence and 
 work seems lost in his admiration and 
 thankfulness for the doings of God. 
 Humility is always becoming in man ; 
 but in drawing near to the great and 
 mighty, the holy and blessed God, 
 humility is especially incumbent upon 
 us. (a). 
 
 2. Sincere 2nety. Of this here are 
 two evidences — (1.) Ezra traces all 
 good to God. He looks above secon- 
 dary causes to the great First Cause. 
 The godly soul sees the hand of God 
 in all the worthy purposes and kind 
 actions of men, and in all that is true 
 and good in life. " Every good gift 
 and every perfect gift is from above," 
 &c. {b). (2.) Ezra delights in the 
 worship of God. It was matter of joy 
 to him that the king designed "to 
 beautify the house of the Lord which 
 is in Jerusalem." "We read not of 
 any orders given to paint or gild it, or 
 to garnish it with precious stones, but 
 to be sure that the ordinances of God 
 were administered there constantly, and 
 carefully, and exactly, according to the 
 institution ; and that was indeed the 
 beautifying of the Temple." When 
 God is honoured by the erection of 
 beautiful temples, and more, by the 
 presentation of spiritual and reverent 
 worship, the good man realises great joy 
 of spirit. 
 
 3. Practical religio^isness. Ezra's pious 
 feelings were expressed in consistent 
 actions. He blessed God in words, 
 and sought to bless Him in works also. 
 " And I was strengthened as the hand 
 of the Lord my God was upon me, and I 
 
 gathered together out of Israel chief 
 men to go up with me." The noblest 
 jtraise that we can present to God is 
 that of hearty conformity to His will. 
 " Thanksgiving is a good thing ; thanks- 
 living is better, (o). 
 
 II. The grand Object of praise. 
 " Blessed be Jehovah God of our fa- 
 thers." 
 
 1. The Stipreme Being. " Jehovah 
 God." "Jehovah," i.e. the Self-Exis- 
 tent, the Eternal, the Unchangeable 
 One. " God," — the primary idea of the 
 word is the Strong One, the Almighty. 
 The true object of worship for man is 
 the Omnipotent and Eternal, the Su- 
 premely Great and Good. 
 
 2. The Supreme Being in covenant 
 relation with His ivorshi2)pers. " Jeho- 
 vah my God" (ver. 28). The Israelites 
 had entered into solemn covenant 
 relations with God (Exod. xxiv. 3-8). 
 God by the Psalmist speaks of them 
 thus : " My saints ; those that have 
 made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." 
 Again He says : " I will walk among 
 you, and will be your God, and ye shall 
 be My people" (Lev. xxvi. 3-13). And 
 the true worshippers to-day are in cove- 
 nant relation with God ; they have 
 embraced Him as tbeir Supreme Good, 
 and have fully given themselves to 
 Him. 
 
 3. The Supreme Being whom our 
 fathers imrshi2Jped. There is pathos in 
 the expression " Jehovah God of our 
 fathers." That they worshipped Him 
 binds us tenderly yet tenaciously to 
 His service. There is inspiration also 
 here. He who proved Himself the 
 unfailing Friend and Helper of our 
 fathers is worthy of our trust : He will 
 not fail us, &c. 
 
 " In Thee our fathers put their trust ; 
 Thy \fays they humbly trod : 
 Honoured and sacred is their dust, 
 And still they live to God. 
 
 117 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Heirs to their faith, their hope, their prayers 
 
 We the same path pursue : 
 Entail the blessing to our heirs ; 
 
 Lord, show Thy promise true." 
 
 ^ — Conder. (d). 
 
 III. Good reasons for praise. "Blessed 
 be Jehovah God of our fathers, which 
 hath put," &c. 
 
 1. He ins2nres the wortliy 'purposes 
 of men. He put it into " the king's 
 heart to beautify the house of Jehovah 
 which is in Jerusalem." " The king's 
 heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the 
 rivers of water ; He turneth it whither- 
 soever He will." " All holy desires, all 
 good counsels, and all just works do 
 proceed " from Him. 
 
 2. He beneficently influences the moral 
 judgments of 7nen. "And hath ex- 
 tended mercy unto me before the king, 
 and his counsellors, and all his mighty 
 princes." The influence of Ezra over 
 the sovereign and these mighty princes 
 was very great ; and to his mind the 
 secret of it was that God had inclined 
 them to regard him with esteem, and 
 to give their judgment in his favour. 
 
 3. He invigorates the heart and life 
 of His servants. " And I was strength- 
 ened as the hand of Jehovah my God 
 was upon me," &c. God encouraged 
 His servant in order that he might 
 carry out his sacred mission, and he at 
 once proceeded to do so. The strength 
 which God gives must be used in ac- 
 cordance with His will, and for His 
 glory. " If God gives us His hand, we 
 are bold and cheerful ; if He withdraws 
 it, we are weak as water. Whatever 
 service we are enabled to do for God 
 and our generation, God must have all 
 the glory of it. Strength for it is 
 derived from Him, and therefore the 
 praise of it must be given to Him." (e). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Two men went up into the Temple to 
 pray, tlie one a very righteous man, as he 
 seemed to himself and to others ; but God, 
 who seeth not as man seeth, accounted the 
 unrighteous man the more righteous of the 
 two. So have I seen two flowers, side by 
 side, the one erect, and without a misgiving, 
 looking up to heaven ; the other, with its 
 head all adown upon its breast, looking only 
 to the earth. But the flower that looked 
 118 
 
 earthward, as though not worthy to look 
 heavenward, was the more heavenly of the 
 two. Then said I, Pride and self-sufficiency 
 are a miserable insufficiency ; but meekness 
 and self-distrust are allied to All-sufficiency. 
 Question : Does God always give least to 
 those who think tliemselves greatest, and most 
 to those who think least of themselves ? 
 Answer : Humility hath the palm. — John 
 Pulsford. 
 
 (h) As rivers empty their streams again into 
 the bosom of the sea, whence they at first re- 
 ceived them ; so men give the praise of what 
 they do unto that by which they do it. If 
 they attempt any enterprise with their own wit, 
 you shall have them bring the sacrifice to 
 their own wit or net. But faith teaches the 
 creature to l)lot out his own name, and write 
 the name of God in its room upon all he hath 
 and doth. — W. Gurnall. 
 
 What I have done is worthy of nothing but 
 silence and forgetfulness ; but what God has 
 done for me is worthy of everlasting and 
 thankful remembrance. — Bishop Hall, 
 
 (c) Holiness was meant, our New Testa- 
 ment tells us, for everyday use. It is home- 
 made and home-worn. Its exercise hardens 
 the bone, and strengthens the muscle in the 
 body of character. Holiness is religion shin- 
 ing. It is the candle lighted, and not hid 
 under a bushel, but lighting the house. It is 
 religious principle put into motion. It is the 
 love of God sent forth into circulation, on the 
 feet, and with the hands, of love to man. It 
 is faith gone to work. It is charity coined, 
 into actions, and devotion breathing benedic- 
 tions on human suffering, while it goes up in 
 intercessions to the Father of all pity. Prayers 
 that show no answers in better lives are not 
 true prayers. Of religion without holiness — 
 or the spurious pretence current under that 
 name — the world has seen enough ; it has 
 more than once made society, with all its re- 
 forms, go backward ; it has sharpened the 
 spear of the scorner, and sealed the sceptic's 
 unbelief. It has hidden the Churcli from the 
 market. It has gone to the conference and 
 communion-table, as to a sacred wardrobe, 
 where badges are borrowed to cloak the ini- 
 quities of trade. It has said to many an out- 
 cast and oppressed class, " Stand by thyself ; 
 the Master's feast is for me, and not for you. " 
 It has thinned the ranks of open disciples, 
 and treacherously offered to objectors the van- 
 tage-ground of honesty. My friends, get faith, 
 and then use it. Gain holiness, and wear it. 
 Pray, and Avatch while you pray. Keep the 
 Sabbath ; keep it so carefully that it shall keep 
 you all the week, — a mutual friendship. Come 
 to the church ; come to carry the church back 
 with you, not in its professions nor its external 
 credit, but its interior substance, into a con- 
 sistent holiness. — F. D. Huntinr/ton, D.D. 
 
 (d) The covenant made with the Patriarch 
 was made with Abraham and his seed after 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 him. Throughout the Mosaic period, children From the cheerless gloom of non-existence 
 
 were included with their fathers in all the He waked us into being ; He ennobled us with 
 
 blessings of the elder Testament. "The pro- understanding ; He taught us arts to promote 
 
 mise is unto you and your children," is the the means of life ; He commanded the prolific 
 
 constant doctrine through all God's mes- earth to yield its nurture ; He bade the ani- 
 
 sages to the Israelites. We are expressly told, mals to own us as their lords. For us the 
 
 that under Christ, in the New Testament, the rains descend ; for us tlie sun sheddeth abroad 
 
 same covenant is renewed, only expanded and its creative beams ; tlie mountains rise, the 
 
 deepened. Tliroughout, the law of descent is valleys bloom, offering us grateful habitation 
 
 carefully respected. The hereditary tie is re- and a sheltering retreat. For us the rivers 
 
 cognised. Offspring, at birth, are supposed flow ; for us the fountains murmur ; the sea 
 
 to be bound up in the same bond of Christian opens its bosom to admit our commerce ; the 
 
 privileges and helps which encircles their be- earth exhausts its stores ; each new abject 
 
 lieving progenitors. — Ibid. presents a new enjoyment ; all' nature pouring 
 
 her treasures at our feet, through the boun- 
 
 (e) What reward shall we give unto the teous grace of Him who wills that all be ours. 
 
 Lord for all the benefits He hath bestowed ? — Basil. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Critical and Explanatory Notks.] This chapter contains — (i.) A list of the heads of 
 houses, with tlie number of adult males accompanying each of them, who went with Ezra from 
 Babylon to Jerusalem (vers. 1-14). (ii.) An account of the encampment for three days at the 
 river Ahava, and the doings there ; viz., obtaining ministers for the Temple service (vers. 15- 
 20) ; proclaiming and observing a religious fast (vers. 21-23) ; arranging for the safe keeping 
 during the journey of the offerings and the precious vessels for the Temple (vers. 24-30). (iii.) 
 A brief record of their departure from Ahava and arrival at Jerusalem (vers. 31, 32) ; and (iv. ) 
 Of the careful delivery of the treasures in the Temple (vers. 33, 34), the offering of sacrifices 
 to God (ver. 35), and delivering their commissions unto the king's lieutenants (ver. 36). 
 
 Ver. 1. The chief of their fathers] or, "the heads of their families." Keil : "The heads 
 of the houses." 
 
 Vers. 2-14] This list is parallel with that of chap. ii. 3-19. Many of the family names 
 (or, as Keil calls them, "designations of races," e.f/. Pharosh, Pahath-moab, &c.) are common 
 to both ; wliile some are found in each which are absent from the other. The presence of the 
 same family names " in both lists is to be explained by the circumstance that portions of " such 
 families or races "returned with Zerubbabel, and "that the rest did not follow till Ezra's 
 departure." The number of families in Ezra's list is smaller than in that of Zerubbabel, and 
 the members of each family less numerous. The total number of adult males, including Levites 
 and Nethinim (vers. 18-20), who returned with Ezra was 1775, according to this list. 
 
 Vers. 2, 3] The first member of ver. 3 should probably be joined to ver. 2: Of the sons of 
 David ; Hattush, of the sons of Shecaniah] It is almost certain that this is the Hattush of 
 1 Cliron. iii. 22, the son of Shemaiah and grandson of Shecaniah. 
 
 Ver. 5] Tlie Hebrew text seems to be imperfect here by reason of the falling out of a name. 
 Keil suggests that the reading, as in the LXX., should be, " Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, 
 the son of Jahaziel." (Comp. chap. ii. 8.) 
 
 Ver. 10] A similar defect seems to exist in the text of this verse. The deficiency is thus 
 supplied in the LXX., "And of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah." (Comp. 
 chap. ii. 10.) This emendation is also accepted by Keil. 
 
 Ver. 13. And of the last sons of Adonikam] &c. " Here, instead of the name of the head of 
 the liouse, we read the words, ' last, and tliese their names ; ' whereupon three names are given, 
 and not till then, ' and with them sixty males.' Here, then, it is not the head of the house who 
 is named, but in his place three lieads of families, amounting together to sixty males. Now, 
 as these tliree families did not form a house, these sixty sons of Adonikam who returned 
 with Ezra are, with regard to the six hundred and sixty-six sons of Adonikam who returned 
 -with Zerubbabel (chap. ii. 13), designated the last, or last arrived, and thus comprised with 
 them as one house." — Kcil. 
 
 Ver. 15. The river that runneth to Ahava] In vers. 21 and 31 : "the river of Ahava." The 
 name both of a place and of a river. "The latest researches," according to Mr. Grove {Bibl. 
 Diet.), "are in favour of its being the modern Bit, on the Euphrates, due east of Damascus," 
 and north-west of Babylon, from which it was about eighty miles distant. The place is famous 
 for its bitumen springs. "The river of Ahava" is a small stream which here flows into the 
 Euphrates. And there abode we in tents three days] From this statement, and tliat of ver. 
 31, "We departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month," we learn 
 that they arrived at Ahava on tlie ninth day of the first month ; the journey from Babylon 
 having been commenced on the first day of that month (chap. vii. 9). 
 
 119 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Ver. 17. CasipMa] "a place of uncertain site on the road between Babylon and Jerusalem." 
 — Bibl. Diet. "The place Casiphia is entirely unknown, but cannot have been far from the 
 river Ahava." — Keil. It seems tliat both Levites and Nethinim, the upper and lower orders of 
 Temple ministers, had settled in Casiphia ; and that Iddo was the chief man of the place, and 
 possessed considerable influence amongst these orders. 
 
 Ver. 18. By tLe good liand of our God upon u ] (Comp. chap. vii. 6, 9, 28.) A man of 
 understanding'] Heb. : Ish sechel. Keil regards this as a proper name. But it seems to us better 
 to take it as in the A. V. ; or as Fuerst renders it, "A man of knowledge." The man of under- 
 standing was named Sherehiah The "| copulative {and) was probably "inserted by a careless 
 copyist," or, if it be retained, it should be translated even. " A man of understanding, . . , 
 even Sherebiah." He is again mentioned in ver. 24 ; Neh. viii. 7 ; ix. 4, 5 ; x. 12 ; xii. 24. 
 
 Ver. 19. Hashatoiah] is again mentioned in ver. 24 ; Neh. x. 11 ; xii. 24. 
 
 Ver. 20. The NetMnims] (See on chap. ii. 43.) AH of tbem were expressed by name] i.e. 
 Iddo sent a list of them to Ezra. 
 
 Ver. 21. A right way] Fuerst: An "even" or "plain way;" i.e. a prosperous journey 
 (Comp. Jer. xxxi. 9 : "A straight way, wherein they shall not stumble.") 
 
 Ver. 24. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah] &c. It seems from 
 the rendering of the A. V. that Sherebiah and Hashabiah were priests ; but they have been already 
 described as Levites (vers. 18, 19). The Heb. is IT'lTii^? • but in the A.V., as in the Vulgate, 
 S is not translated. Keil suggests that for 7 we should read 1 and translate, "and Shere- 
 biah ; " for this reason that if we retain ?^ and translate " for Sherebiah," we " place the priests 
 in a servile relation to tlie Levites, contrary to their true position." We prefer to retain the 
 7 and to translate, "Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests to Sherebiah," &c. 
 This would not involve the subordination of the priests to the Levites; but would mean that 
 Ezra appointed twelve chiefs of the priests to act Avith twelve chief Levite.s, of whom Sherebiah 
 and Hashabiah were two, in keeping the offerincrs for the Temple during the journey. 
 
 Ver. 26. Six hundred and fifty talents of silver] According to Dr. Arbuthnot's tables this 
 would be equivalent to £222,421, 17s. (id. of our money ; and according to Mr. R. S. Poole's 
 estimate {Bibl. Diet.), to about £260,000. Of gold an hundred talents] or £547,500 of our 
 money, according to Dr. Arliuthnot, and a little over £1,000,000, according to Mr. Poole. 
 
 Ver. 27. Two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold] Margin : " Heb., ' yellow, or shining 
 brass, desirable as gold.' " " They may have been," says Canon Farrar, "of orichalcum, like 
 the Persian or Indian vases found among the treasures of Darius (Aristot. de Mirab. Ansciilt. )." 
 — Bibl. Diet. Keil speaks of them thus : " Two brazen vessels of fine golden brilliancy, precious 
 as gold." 
 
 Ver. 29. The chambers of the house of the Lord] (Comp. 1 Kings vi. 5 ; Neh. xiii. 5.) 
 
 Ver. 31. The river of Ahava] (See notes on ver. 15.) He delivered us from] &c. (Comp. 
 ver. 22.) 
 
 Ver. 32. Abode there three days] for rest after the fatigues and trials of their long journey. 
 (Comp. Neh. ii. 11.) 
 
 Ver. 33. Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest] He is mentioned again in Neh. iii. 4, 21 ; x. 
 5 ; xii. 3. Eleazar the son of Phinehas] is probably the person who is named in Neh. xii. 42. 
 Meremoth and Eleazar were priests. Jozabad the son of Jeshua] is mentioned in chap. x. 23 ; 
 Neh. viii. 7. Noadiah the son of Binnui] is not named in the subsequent history. Jozabad 
 and Noadiah were distinguished Levites. 
 
 Ver. 34. By number and by weight] &c. The vessels were both weighed and counted ; the 
 gold and silver were probably only weighed. And all the weight was written at that time] 
 " i.e. an authentic list was made at the deliver}' which then took place." — Keil. 
 
 Ver. 35. The children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the 
 captivity] i.e. those who had returned with Ezra. Offered burnt ofierings] &c. (Comp. chap, 
 vi. 17 ; and see notes on that verse.) 
 
 Ver. 36. The king's lieutenants] Keil: "The satraps of the king," He saj-s they "were 
 the military cliiefs of the province." Rawlinson says they "were the highest class of the 
 Persian provincial governors." The governors] were, according to Keil, " the heads of the 
 civil government." Rawlinson: "It denotes a lower grade of official." They furthered the 
 people] &c., or, " they supjiorted the people," &c. 
 
 The Assembly at Ahava. 
 
 {Verses 1-20.) 
 
 I. The long journey commenced, went up with me from Babylon," <fec. 
 
 " These are now the chief of their fathers, " Upon the first day of the first month " 
 
 and this is the genealogy of them that (chap, vii, 9) they set out from Babylon, 
 120 
 
HO MI LET 10 COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 .iTid continued their journey for several 
 days witliout any lengthened encamp- 
 ment. They entered upon their journey, 
 Ave conceive, with mingled feelings of 
 hope and fear. They were encouraged by 
 hopes of reaching their famous father- 
 land, and of there enjoying the precious 
 privileges of their religion ; but the plea- 
 sure of these anticipations was moderated 
 by the thought of the difficulties and 
 dangers of the long journey that lay 
 before them. Moreover, it is almost 
 certain that, in leaving Babylon, most 
 of them were sacrificing temporal advan- 
 tages, and breaking up treasured asso- 
 ciations, and severing themselves from 
 dear friends, and these things could not 
 have been done without much mental 
 suffering ; but at the summons of duty 
 and the invitations of sacred privileges, 
 they deliberately encountered these trials, 
 and went up from Babylon. Their de- 
 parture may be looked at as an illustra- 
 tion of the exodus of the soul from the 
 captivity of a life of sin and its setting 
 out on its upward pilgrimage. 
 
 II. An important inspection made. 
 " And I gathered them together to the 
 river that runneth to Ahava ; and there 
 abode we in tents three days ; and I 
 viewed the people and the priests." On 
 the ninth day of the first month they 
 encamped at Ahava, they remained there 
 "in tents three days" (ver. 15), and 
 then, " on the twelfth day of the first 
 month," they departed from the river of 
 Ahava to go unto Jerusalem (ver. 31). 
 This halt illustrates — 
 
 1. The need of seasons of rest. The 
 company with Ezra needed rest after 
 the excitement and trials of their depar- 
 ture, and the toils of the first stage of 
 their long journey. The Almighty re- 
 cognised and provided for man's need 
 of rest when He ordained the night to 
 succeed the day, and in the institution 
 of the Sabbath. Jesus Christ recog- 
 nised it, and said unto His disciples, 
 " Come ye yourselves apart into a desert 
 place, and rest awhile." In our life-pil- 
 grimage there are times when we need 
 to rest from our labours for awhile, and, 
 if possible, to lay aside our cares, (a). 
 
 2. Tlie use of seasons of rest. Ezra 
 employed the three days which were 
 
 spent at Ahava in such a manner that 
 great advantages to his company resulted 
 from them. He reviewed the assembled 
 people, &c. Rest time should not be 
 waste time. As individuals we should 
 use our seasons of rest in reviewing the 
 way in which the Lord hath led us, in 
 considering our present condition and cir- 
 cumstances, and in preparing ourselves 
 for future work. And if a cliurch has 
 comparative rest for a brief season, such 
 rest should be employed in equipping 
 its members for more vigorous service. 
 
 III. A grave deficiency discovered. 
 " I viewed the people, and tlie priests, 
 and found there none of the sons of 
 Levi." There were no Levites in the 
 company, except such as were priests, 
 and they had their own proper duties. 
 All the priests were "of the sons of 
 Levi," but all " the sons of Levi" were 
 not priests, but those only who were of 
 the family of Aaron. Of the Levites 
 proper, members of the other families 
 of the tribe of Levi, who ministered in 
 subordination to the priests, Ezra could 
 not find any in his company. None of 
 them was present. This was to their 
 discredit. They should have been most 
 eager to embrace the opportunity of 
 gonig to Jerusalem, and there entering 
 upon the duties of their sacred calling. 
 They who are in possession of sacred 
 privileges and engaged in the perform- 
 ance of sacred duties, are not always 
 characterised by personal zeal and de- 
 votedness in the cause of God. Minis- 
 ters of religion are sometimes slow in 
 making personal sacrifices and rendering 
 personal assistance even in a good enter- 
 prise. (6). Tliey should be leaders, &c. 
 
 IV. The supply of the deficiency 
 sought. " Then sent I for Eliezer, for 
 Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan," 
 ikc. (vers. 16, 17). Ezra was unwilling 
 to proceed until he had secured a band 
 of Levites to go with them. The means 
 which he employed to obtain them are 
 worthy of notice. He sought them — 
 
 1. By means of influential men. He 
 called for eleven leading men of his com- 
 pany ; nine of them are characterised as 
 " chief men," and the other two as " men 
 of understanding" or wisdom (ver. 16), 
 and sent them to seek for " ministers for 
 
 121 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 the house of God." Such men were 
 likely to succeed where men of an in- 
 ferior type would have failed. Important 
 affairs should be entrusted only to com- 
 petent men. 
 
 2. By sending them to the right place. 
 He " sent them unto the place Casiphia." 
 It has been conjectured that there was 
 at Casiphia a college "for the educa- 
 tion of priests, Levites, and Nethinim, 
 over which Iddo presided ; where they 
 had the free exercise of their religion, 
 and had so comfortable a support that 
 they were not inclined to remove. ' It 
 is very probable they had their syna- 
 gogues or other places where they met 
 for religious worship ; for we find the 
 people resorting to Ezekiel in their cap- 
 tivity, and him preaching to them the 
 Word of God, in many places of his 
 book (Ezek. xxxiii. 31), &c. And Ezra 
 in all likelihood was an instructor among 
 them.' " — Bisho]) Patrich. But, apart 
 from conjectures, it is clear that a con- 
 siderable number of Levites and Nethinim 
 dwelt at Casiphia, and that Ezra was 
 cognisant of the fact ; therefore to that 
 place he despatched his messengers. 
 
 3. By sending them to the right man. 
 Ezra " sent them with commandment 
 unto Iddo the chief," &c. Iddo was 
 probably a Levite ; for the Nethinim 
 being a lower order of Temple servants, 
 it is not at all probable that one of their 
 number would be " chief " over Levites. 
 Iddo was " the chief at the place Casi- 
 l^hia," was evidently disposed to further 
 the movement under Ezra, and, from his 
 sending a list of the names of those who 
 went from Casiphia (ver. 20), seems to 
 have been a man of methodical and 
 business-like habits. 
 
 4. By sending tliem with 'precise in- 
 structions. Ezra " told them what they 
 should say unto Iddo," &c. Margin : 
 "Heb., 'I put words in their mouth.'" 
 Thus this mission was admirably se- 
 lected and sent forth, and it deserved 
 success, (c). 
 
 V. The supply of the deficiency ob- 
 tained. " And by the good hand of 
 our God upon us they brought us a 
 man of understanding," &c. (vers. 18- 
 20). Notice— 
 
 1. The supply vjas sufficient. About 
 122 
 
 forty Levites and two hundred and 
 twenty Nethinim went from Casiphia 
 and joined the returning exiles under 
 Ezra. 
 
 2. The supply ivas various. There 
 were Levites, and Nethinim " for the 
 service of the Levites." Diflferent grades 
 of ministry are necessary for the various 
 spheres of service in the Church of God. 
 
 3. The sup2)ly was remarhahle for the 
 2Jrese7ice of at least one man of distin- 
 guished ability. " They brought us a 
 man of understanding, of the sons of 
 Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, 
 even Sherebiah." This man afterwards 
 rendered important service in the history 
 of the people, as we see from ver. 24 ; 
 Neh. viii. 7; ix. 4, 5 ; x. 12; xii. 24. 
 
 4. The supply tvas obtained by the 
 blessing of God. "By the good hand of 
 our God upon us they brought us," &c. 
 Thus Ezra traces the success of this 
 mission to the gracious assistance of 
 God. 
 
 " Except the Lord conduct the plan, 
 The best concerted schemes are vain, 
 
 And never can succeed ; 
 We spend our wretched strength for nought ! 
 But if our works in Thee be wrought 
 They shall be blest indeed." 
 
 — C. Wesley. 
 
 " If," says M. Henry, " where ministers 
 have been wanting, the vacancies are 
 well supplied, let God have the glory, 
 and His good hand be acknowledged as 
 qualifying them for the service, inclining 
 them to it, and then opening a door of 
 opportunity for them." 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 [a) It will be confessed bj"- all men, even by 
 the veriest slaves to their ever-driving ambi- 
 tion, that physical rest is sometimes needed. 
 The acliing limb asks for it ; the hand that is 
 so weary that it cannot any longer hold pen, 
 or tool, or weapon of war, says, in its trembling 
 weakness, "Let me rest awhile;" and the 
 fevered brain, over-driven, excited almost to 
 madness, says, in its sleeplessness and throb- 
 bing and heat, " Let me rest awhile." Well, 
 then, here is so much gained. AVe shall be 
 able to make our way from this low point to 
 a much higher phase of rest, and find our way 
 upward, from the cry of the feeble and ex- 
 hausted flesh, to the greater, more solemn, and 
 urgent wants of our over-excited spiritual 
 nature ; we shall understand, in some degree, 
 tiiat our highest, divinest faculties must occa- 
 sionally pause, rest, and recover themselves, if 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 they would fully, with completeness and per- 
 fectness, discharge all the duties and obliga- 
 tions which Almighty God has imposed upon 
 them. Ilest is as necessary as labour. He is 
 not a pl)ilosopher, but a madman, who lights 
 the candle of his life at both ends. — Joseph 
 Parka; D.D. 
 
 (h) There is an old proverb, " The temple 
 mouse fears not the temple idol." It is a 
 painful experience, present to the hearts of 
 most of us, how different is the awe of the 
 first service in which we ministered, and of 
 the fiftieth or hundredth. At first, the put- 
 ting on of the surplice was a dedication — the 
 entering of the vestry was a solemnity — the 
 opening Sentences, the Exhortation, the Con- 
 fession, read by our lips, seemed as though 
 they consecrated those lips themselves to a 
 new use and a new religion. So was it with 
 each function of the holy office. The first 
 reading of the Commandments — the first Ser- 
 mon — the first Communion in which we fol- 
 lowed with the Cup — the first baptism, the 
 first wedding — the first visit to a sick-room, 
 the first commendatory prayer beside the 
 dying, the first saying of the words, "Dust to 
 dust," by the open grave — each was an event, 
 each was an epoch, of the life within — it had 
 an effect, a spiritual effect, upon the conscious 
 immortal man. It may be that we relied upon 
 this — thought it needless to impress the feel- 
 ing, to turn emotion into principle, by prayer 
 and watching — felt confident that the repeti- 
 tion of the occasion would revive the effect 
 — trusted to this, and leit it there. A year 
 afterwards we could stand unmoved by the 
 grave, talk and laugh in the vestry, fall half 
 asleep as we read the Prayers. Even with the 
 best efforts made and persisted in, we could 
 never reawaken the solemnity of the begin- 
 ning. Duty becomes habit, habit becomes 
 familiarity, and familiarity, if it breeds not 
 contempt, at least forbids that kind of awe 
 which is more nature than gi'ace. 
 
 And some of us make the fatal mistake of 
 expecting our Profession to make or to keep 
 us spiritual. Living always in holy things, 
 what can we be but holy ? We learn a new 
 lesson as years advance — and although we can 
 give thanks still for the blessing of having 
 the inward and the outward life of one piece 
 and of one colour,occupied in the same thoughts 
 and the same studies, mutually helpful and sym- 
 pathetic witli each other — ^yet we feel more and 
 more that there is no security, in this harmony, 
 for holy living ; that there is no royal road, but 
 
 that which is open for all wayfarers, to the 
 saint's life and the saint's rest ; nay, that there 
 is even an added risk, for the priest of God's 
 tem{)le, lest he find that "common" to him 
 which is " holy " for all besides, just because 
 he must daily touch and daily handle, daily 
 prepare and daily dispense, that bread of life 
 which souls only can digest, and which his 
 soul ma_v, by the very having, liave not. There 
 is nothing for it but to say to ourselves, and 
 act upon it, " Like peojile, like priest." Just 
 what they want, I want — just what I bid 
 them do, I will do. I will prepare for my 
 work, I will do my work, not as though it 
 could sanctify, not as though it were (of itself) 
 either hither or thither as to my soul's state, 
 but as needing, like any commonest trade or 
 handicraft, a soul at peace with God before- 
 hand, a soul in fidl communion with God be- 
 forehand, a soul preoccupied by the Holy Spirit 
 sought and cherished, a soul setting God always 
 before it, by Him first quickened, then to Him 
 afterwards ministering. — C. J. Vauyhan, D.D, 
 
 (c) Ministers will not be found ready made, 
 and ministers cannot be made to order. There 
 is no royal road to the supply of the ministry. 
 There is no climate in which ministers are 
 indigenous. There is no patent by which 
 ministers can be manufactured. Ministry is 
 a gift, ministry is a growth, ministry is an 
 inspiration. It is not every educated man — 
 still less is it every uneducated man — who is 
 even capable of it. The minister is the ulti- 
 mate product of a long operation of Providence 
 and of grace, working individually, working 
 secretlj% and giving no account of itself, 
 AVhen our Lord looked upon the vast shep- 
 liei'dless multitudes. He had but one sugges- 
 tion to make for the ministerial supply : "Pray 
 ye the Lord of the harvest " — and He was there 
 Himself — "that He will send forth " — and the 
 word is a very strong one — "labourers into 
 His harvest." This is the one hope now. In 
 comparison with this, any other suggestion 
 must be timid and tentative. Yet something 
 perhaps might be done by a keen and practised 
 eye directed towards our schools and homes. 
 Young intelligence, young diligence, young 
 devotion, sought out by the loving watchful- 
 ness of master or minister, might be fashioned, 
 here and there, even from a humble stock, by 
 a wise influence and sometimes a generous 
 bounty, into an eventual aptitude for the 
 ministry. To foster this promise, but in one 
 or two cases, into performance, is a noble am- 
 bition for any one who cares for his Church's 
 future. — Ibid. 
 
 The Companions of Ezra on his Journey to Jerusalem. 
 {Verses 1-20.) 
 
 the salvation of the Gospel, they who 
 obey the gracious call stand recorded in 
 the Book »f Life, and will be honoured 
 by God Himself (vers. 1-14). 
 
 123 
 
 The following observations are sug- 
 gested by these verses : — 
 
 1. Whilst love of the world and fear 
 of the cross induce most men to neglect 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 2. When some of a family embrace 
 the Gospel, they who linger behind 
 may probably follow ; till sometimes, 
 in answer to fervent prayers, the very 
 last are brought in (ver, 13). 
 
 3. Alas ! that professed ministers, 
 vrho ought to take the lead in every 
 good work, are generally so backward 
 to labour, or venture, or suffer in the 
 cause of God, and need to be stirred up 
 by the example and exhortations even of 
 their lay brethren ! (ver. 1.5, last part). 
 
 4. But such as address them on these 
 occasions should be " chief men," or 
 "men of understanding;" lest they 
 should be irritated, instead of being per- 
 suaded (vers. 16, 17). They must not, 
 
 however, be left to their negligence : 
 and their superior brethren, having 
 given them a good example, may send 
 or speak to them, with more authority 
 and effect than others can ; and of teu 
 those who were before inattentive will 
 profit by meek and faithful admonitions. 
 5. When ministers for the work of 
 the house of our God are raised up, who 
 are men of piety and understanding, we 
 should acknowledge " the good hand of 
 our God upon us," and give Him the 
 praise ; as we ought at all times to lift 
 up our prayers to Him for this blessing 
 to His Church (vers. 18-20). — Arranged 
 from Scott's Coram. 
 
 Men of Understanding. 
 {Terse 18.) 
 
 " By the good hand of our God upoji 
 us, they hrouglit us a inan of understand- 
 ing . . . tSherebiah." 
 
 Sherebiah was not merely a man of 
 knowledge and intelligence, but of wisdom 
 and prudence. • Sechel, here rendered 
 "understanding," signifies moral excel- 
 lences as well as mental abilities, as 
 may be seen from its use elsewhere. 
 The word rendered " them of under- 
 standing" in Dan. xi. 35, and "they 
 that be wise " in Dan. xii. 3, comes from 
 the same verb as sechel, viz., sachal. 
 " The fear of the Lord is the beginning 
 of wisdom ; a good iinderstanding (sechel) 
 have all they that do," ifec. (Ps. cxi. 10). 
 " There is no solid wisdom but in real 
 piety." (a). 
 
 The text teaches that — 
 
 I. Men of understanding are the 
 gifts of God. Ezra traces the presence 
 of Sherebiah amongst them to " the 
 good hand of their God upon them." 
 Wise men are God's gifts, inasmuch as — 
 
 1. They derive their abilities from 
 Him. He bestowed upon them the 
 faculties and capacities of their mental 
 and moral nature. 
 
 2. Tliey rightly develo'p their abilities 
 hy His blessing. He inspires them to 
 every worthy purpose, and aids them in 
 its prosecution. 
 
 3. They attain their moral excellences 
 
 124 
 
 by His blessing. They " are His work- 
 manship," &c. (Eph. ii. 10). "By the 
 erace of God they are what they are " 
 (1 Cor. XV. 10). 
 
 II. Men of understanding are of 
 great worth amongst men. Ezra per- 
 ceived the value of Sherebiah to;hi3 
 company, acknowledged the goodness 
 of God in his arrival amongst them, re- 
 corded his quality and his coming, and 
 found him very useful subsequently. 
 Men of understanding are of great worth 
 in society because — 
 
 1. Understanding is essential to the 
 beneficent employment of other gifts and 
 jyowers. For example — (1.) Zeal with- 
 out understanding is a very perilous 
 thing. " Zeal without knowledge is like 
 expedition to a man in the dark." (2.) 
 Strength without understanding often 
 acts injuriously. " Wisdom is better 
 than strength. . . . Wisdom is better 
 than weapons of war ; but one sinner 
 destro3'etli much good." 
 
 " It is excellent 
 To have a giant's strength ; but it is tyrannous 
 To use it hke a giant." — Shakespeare. 
 
 (3.) Great gifts of any kind without moral 
 excellences are productive of great evils. 
 Without grace, great powers are great 
 engines of mischief and ruin, a curse 
 and not a blessing to society. " Good 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 understanding " is needful to ensure the 
 usefulness of great abilities. 
 
 2. The employment of understanding 
 itself confeis great benefits upon society. 
 (1.) In restraining from unwise and sin- 
 ful projects. We have an example in 
 Acts V. 34-40. (2.) In originating and 
 inciting to wise and good projects. 
 (3.) In devising appropriate methods 
 for the attainment of such projects. 
 (4.) And for direction in life and work 
 generally. " Wisdom is profitable to 
 direct." See how useful Sherebiah was 
 to the Jews (ver. 24 ; Neh. viii. 7 ; ix. 
 4, 5 ; X. 12 ; xii. 24). (b). 
 
 Conclusion : It behoves us — 
 
 1. To praise God for men of iinder- 
 standing. 
 
 2. To prize such men. Too often 
 they have been neglected, and frequently 
 cruelly persecuted while living, and 
 honoured after death. Let us value 
 them highly while they are yet with 
 us. (c). 
 
 3. To endeavour to become men of 
 understanding. " Wisdom is the prin- 
 cipal thing : get wisdom ; and with all 
 thy getting get understanding." "In 
 understanding be men." {d). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) The srreatest man is he who chooses 
 right with the most invincible resolution ; wlio 
 resists the sorest temptation within and with- 
 out ; who bears the lieaviest burdens cheerfully; 
 who is calmest in storms, and most fearless 
 under menaces and frowns ; whose reliance 
 on truth, on virtue, and on God is most un- 
 faltering. — Seneca. 
 
 Remember that he is indeed the wisest and 
 the liappiest man who, by constant attention 
 of thought, discovers the greatest opportunity 
 of doing good, and, wiih ardent and animated 
 resolution, breaks through every opposition 
 that he may improve these opportunities. — 
 P. Doddridge, D.D. 
 
 {h) We cannot look, however imperfectly, 
 upon a great man without gaining something 
 by him. He is the living light-fountain, which 
 it is good and pleasant to be near; the li;:lit 
 which enlightens, which has enlightened, the 
 darkness of the world ; and this, not as a 
 kindled lamp only, but rather as a natural 
 luminary, shining by the gift of Heaven ; a 
 flowing light-fountain, as I say, of native 
 original insight, of manhood and heroic noble- 
 
 ness, in whose radiance all souls feel that it is 
 well with them. — Thomas Caiijlc. 
 
 (c) Let us not forget that if honour be for 
 the dead, gratitude can only be for the living. 
 He who lias once stood beside tlie grave, to 
 look back upon the companionship which has 
 been for ever closed, feeling how impotent, 
 there, are the wild love and the keen sorrow, 
 to give one instant's pleasure to the pulseless 
 heart, or atone in the lowest measure to the 
 departed spirit for the hour of unkindness, 
 will scarcely for the future incur that debt to 
 the lieart, which can only be discharged to the 
 dust. But the lesson which men receive as 
 individuals, they do not learn as nations. 
 Again and again they have seen their noblest 
 descend into the grave, and have thought it 
 enough to garland the tombstone when they 
 had not crowned the brow, and to pay the 
 honour to the ashes which they had denied to 
 the spirit. Let it not displease them that they 
 are bidden, amidst the tumult and the dazzle 
 of their busy life, to listen for the few voices, 
 and watch for the few lamps, which God has 
 toned and lighted to charm and to guide them, 
 that they may not learn their sweetness by 
 their silence, nor their light by their decay. — 
 John Rushin, M.A. 
 
 {d) If you look at what keeps the world astir, 
 you will at once conclude that most men around 
 you are under the actuating influence of a very 
 different maxim from that presented in Prov, 
 iv. 7: "Wisdom is the principal thing : get 
 wisdom; and with all thy getting, get under- 
 standing." You might, without being at all 
 chargeable with a libel, read, ^^ Money is the 
 principal thing ; therefore get money ; and 
 with all thy getting, get a fortune." This, 
 alas! is the world's "one thing needful." All 
 else is postponed to this. The world's advice 
 to the young is, "Get money first. Secure a 
 competency," a word of which the limit is never 
 defined ; "and when that has been done, you 
 will have leisure to think about what good 
 folks call ' better things.' Mind you the main 
 chance. This world is the one with which we 
 have first to do, as we are placed first in it. 
 Tills 2vorld, then, first, and then the next." Ah! 
 what a delusion ! — Ralph Wardlaw, D.D. 
 
 Labour to be men of knowledge and sound 
 understanding. A sound judgment is a most 
 precious mercy, and conduces much to sound- 
 ness of heart and life. A weak judgment is 
 easily corrupted ; and if it be once corrupt, the 
 will and conversation will quickly follow. Your 
 understandings are the inlet or entrance to the 
 whole soul ; and, if you be weak there, your 
 souls are like a garrison that iiath open or ill- 
 guarded gates ; and if the enemy be once let 
 in there, the whole city will be quickly his own. 
 Ignorance is virtually every error ; therefore, 
 let the Bible be much in your hands and hearts. 
 — R. Baxter. 
 
 125 
 
CHAP. viir. 
 
 nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Ezra's Confidence in God. 
 {Verses 31-23.) 
 
 I. Confidence in God avowed. " We 
 
 had spoken unto the king, saying, The 
 hand of our God," tfec. (ver. 22). Here 
 is a declaration of faith — 
 
 1. In His providence. Ezra believed 
 that God was interested in human 
 affairs ; that " His eyes are upon the 
 ways of man, and He seeth all his 
 goings ; " and that His hand was work- 
 ing amongst men, directing and con- 
 trollinff, rewarding and punishing them. 
 
 («)• ^ . . . , 
 
 2. In His providence as efficiently/ 
 
 promoting the interests of His peojde. 
 " The hand of our God is upon all them 
 for good that seek Him." He regards 
 His people with approval, guides their 
 footsteps, guards them and their in- 
 terests, and makes "all things work 
 together for good to them." 
 
 3. In His providence as opposed to 
 those who forsake Him. " His power 
 and His wrath are against all them that 
 forsake Him." The power which works 
 for righteousness must be hostile to the 
 workers of iniquity. The government 
 of a holy God must set itself against 
 impiety and wickedness. 
 
 II. Confidence in God tested. A 
 long journey, which would involve 
 many difficulties and dangers, was be- 
 fore Ezra and his great company ; and 
 he was the responsible leader in that 
 journey. Can he trust in God and in 
 His providence now 1 His confidence 
 was tested — 
 
 1, £^ their need of guidance. The 
 journey they were entering upon was a 
 long one ; they required some one to 
 lead them in "a right \va,y." They had 
 no visible symbol of the presence of 
 God with them and guiding them, as 
 their fathers had in the pillar of cloud 
 by day and the pillar of fire by night. 
 Can Ezra and his companions trust the 
 invisible "hand of their God" in this 
 matter 1 
 
 2. By their need of p)rotection. The 
 journey that lay before them was a 
 perilous one. (1.) There was danger 
 from " the enemy in the way." The 
 
 126 
 
 country through which they had to 
 travel was infested with Arabian free- 
 booters. And it seems probable, from 
 vers. 22 and 31, that a plan had been 
 arranged by some of them for attacking 
 and plundering this company. (2.) 
 This danger was increased by the trea- 
 sures which they carried with them. 
 There was their own " substance," and 
 the gold and silver and precious vessels 
 for the Temple service ; the gold and 
 silver alone, according to one computa- 
 tion, being worth upwards of three 
 quarters of a million of our money, and 
 according to another, upwards of a 
 million and a quarter. What a temp- 
 tation this would be to " the enemy in 
 the way." (3.) Their danger was also 
 increased by the character and compo- 
 sition of their company. Amongst them 
 were many women and " little ones," 
 who in case of an attack would not be 
 able to assist in repelling it, but would 
 themselves require defence. Thus, if 
 they were assaulted, they would be able 
 to offer only a feeble resistance. Can 
 Ezra trust their defence to the hand of 
 their God upon them for good 1 Can 
 he go forward towards " the enemy in 
 the way," relying upon that power which 
 is against the wicked ? Or, will he 
 seek for help elsewhere 1 
 
 III. Confidence in God maintained. 
 Ezra considered their position and pros- 
 pects, their difficulties and dangers, and 
 their consequent needs, and he decided 
 to trust in God for all, and to give 
 practical proof of their confidence : 
 
 1. In not seeking guidance and defence 
 from the king. " I was ashamed to 
 require of the king a band of soldiers 
 and horsemen to help us against the 
 enemy in the way." The terms of the 
 khig's commission to Ezra leave no room 
 for doubt tliat if he had requested of 
 him a military escort, the request would 
 have been readily granted ; but he deter- 
 mined not to do so. He and his com- 
 panions might have adopted the words 
 of David, " The Lord will hear from 
 His holy heaven with the saving strength 
 
EOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. VIII, 
 
 of His right Land. Some trust in 
 chariots, and some in horses ; but we 
 will remember the Name of the Lord 
 our God " (Ps. XX. 6, 7). 
 
 2. In seelcing guidance and defence 
 from God. " Tlien I proclaimed a fast 
 there, at the river of Ahava," ifec. (ver. 
 21). See how they sought unto God 
 for what they needed — (1.) Humbly. 
 Tliey fasted and afflicted themsel7es 
 before their God, in deep self-abasement 
 and penitence on account of sin, and 
 Avith a view to its forgiveness. (2.) 
 Believingly. They not only fasted 
 before God, but they prayed unto Him 
 for a prosperous journey. Their confi- 
 dence in Him did not lead them to 
 neglect prayer to Him. True faith in 
 God and in His gracious providence is 
 not a substitute for prayer to Him, but 
 an incentive thereto. (6). (3.) Earnestly ; 
 as is indicated by their fasting and 
 })rayer, to which for a time they seem 
 to have entirely given themselves. " So 
 Ave fasted and besought our God for 
 this." 
 
 Thus Ezra's confidence in God, being 
 tested, did not fail, but was nobly main- 
 tained and manifested, (c). 
 
 IV. Confidence in God vindicated. 
 "And He was intreated of us." Their 
 faith was vindicated — ■ 
 
 1. In their inward assurance. They 
 had a firm conviction that their prayers 
 were heard and accepted, and that God 
 would secure to them a prosperous 
 journey. 
 
 2. In the outivard result. They were 
 led by a right way ; they were delivered 
 from the enemy that lay in wait for 
 them ; they had a prosperous journey, 
 and arrived safely in Jerusalem. The 
 confidence in God which they had avowed 
 and maintained was splendidly vindi- 
 cated by His hand upon them for good 
 in their journey. They who honour Him 
 with their hearty trust, He will honour 
 with His great salvation, {d). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) But what is to be the justification of 
 tliis implicit confidence ? It can only be jus- 
 tified upon the supposition that God is a being 
 having particular powers, and of a particular 
 character. Confidence in God, for instance, 
 
 would be entirely irrational if He were con- 
 ceived of as a destiny, as a force, as a soul of 
 the universe, — if He were not believed to be 
 a person distinct from the universe, its ruler, 
 and its sustainer, as well as its creator, acting 
 upon it in the perfection of His freedom, and 
 without any sort of limit to His power, except 
 sucli limits as His own moral nature may 
 impose. Again, confidence in God would be 
 misplaced if it were believed that He is the 
 personal, the free, tlie omnipotent creator ; 
 and yet if He were imagined to act, as we 
 sliould say in human words, capriciously, that 
 is, without reference to those eternal laws of 
 righteousness and truth, the traces, the echoes 
 of wliich we find witiiin ourselves, and which 
 are in their essence, and demonstrably, not 
 fruits of His arbitrary enactment, but consti- 
 tutive parts of His eternal nature. Our Lord, 
 therefore, reveals God as a Fatiier, a revela- 
 tion which assures us at oiice of His power 
 and His love. H is the combination of these 
 two facts, God's almightiness and God's love, 
 which taken together constitute or warrant 
 what we term His providence, His power, that 
 is, under the guidance of his love making pro- 
 vision for the good of His creatures generally, 
 but supremely and in particular of man, and, 
 among men, in a yet more eminent degree of 
 His servants. — Canon Liddon. 
 
 ib) " God's promises, by reason of His un- 
 changeableness, may be relied on ; what occa- 
 sion, then, of prayer, seeing the thing pro- 
 mised will come round of its own steady 
 accord, Avhetlier you open your lips or no ? " 
 Tiie answer is short and simple. These pro- 
 mises are made only to those who expect, and 
 desire, and ask for them. Tiiey are not pro- 
 mised indift'erentl}', and come out of their own 
 accord at all, but to sucli only who have medi- 
 tated them, and who value them, and desire 
 them, and earnestly seek them ; beuig, in 
 truth, too valuable to be thrown about to a 
 scrambling mob ; being the high and holy 
 attractions by which God intended to work 
 upon the nature of man, and lead it out of its 
 present low and sunken estate into glorious 
 liberty and unwearied ambition of every noble 
 excellence. They are prizes in the hand of 
 God to stimulate the soul's activities, — more 
 glorious prizes than laurel wreaths, or the 
 trumpetings of fame, or principalities and 
 thrones, — and they are yielded only to an 
 application of faculties, at the least, as intense 
 and ardent as is put forth in pursuit of human 
 ambition. God does not cheapen His promises 
 down to a glance at them with tlie eye, or a 
 mouthing of them with the tongue, but He 
 requireth of those that would have them an 
 admiration equal to that of lovers, an estima- 
 equal to that of royal diadems, and a pursuit 
 equal to that of Olympic prizes. — Ed. Irving. 
 
 (c) Suppose I were to set out on a pilgri- 
 mage to Jerfisalem, and before I started were 
 to go to Brown Brothers & Co., and obtain 
 letters of credit for the cities of London, 
 
 127 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY EZRA. 
 
 Jericho, &c. Then, with these papers, which 
 a child might destroy, which would be but 
 ashes in the teeth of flame, which a thousand 
 chances miglit take from me, I should go on 
 with confidence and clieer, saying to myself, 
 " As soon as I come to London 1 shall be in 
 funds. I have a letter in my pocket from 
 Brown Brothers & Co. which will give me five 
 hundred dollars there ; and in the other cities to 
 which I am bound I shall find similar supplies, 
 all at my command, througli the agency of 
 these magic papers and pen strokes of these 
 enterprising men." But suppose that, instead 
 of this confidence, I were to sit down on ship- 
 board, and go to tormenting myself in this 
 fashion — " Few, what am I to do when I get 
 to London ? I have no money, and how do I 
 know that these bits of paper which I have 
 with me mean anything, or will amount to 
 anything? What shall I do ? I am afraid 
 I shall starve in the strange city to which 
 I am going." I should be a fool, you 
 say ; but should I be half the fool that man 
 is who, bearing the letters of credit of the 
 Eternal God, yet goes fearing all his way, 
 cast down and doubting whether he shall ever 
 get save through his journey ? No fire, no 
 violence, nor any chance can destroy the 
 
 cheques of the Lord. When He says, " I will 
 never leave thee, nor forsake thee," and " My 
 grace shall be sufficient for thee," believe it; 
 and no longer dishonour your God by with- 
 holding from Him the confidence which you 
 freely accord to Brow'a Brothers & Co. — H. 
 W. JBeecker. 
 
 (d) A heathen could say, when a bird 
 scared by a hawk flew into his bosom, " I will 
 not betraj' thee into the enemy, seeing thou 
 fliest to me for refuge ; " how much less will 
 God yield up a soul to its enemy when it takes 
 sanctuary in his Name, saying, " Lord, I am 
 hunted with such a temptation, dodged with 
 such a lust ; either Thou must pardon it, or I 
 am damned ; mortify it, or I shall be a slave 
 to it ; take me into the bosom of Thy love, for 
 Christ's sake ; castle me in the arms of Thy 
 everlasting strength ; it is in Thy power to 
 save me from or give me up into the hands of 
 my enemy ; I have no confidence in myself or 
 any other ; into Thy hands I commit my 
 cause, myself, and rely on Thee." This de- 
 pendence of a soul will undoubtedly awaken 
 the almighty power of God for his defence. — 
 IF. Gurnall. 
 
 Faith and Prudence. 
 {Verses 21-23.) 
 
 In the text we find Ezra about to re- 
 turn to Jerusalem, and ashamed to ask 
 the king for any military protection. 
 He had made certain statements to Ar- 
 taxerxes, and he was reluctant to act in 
 a manner which might bring those state- 
 ments into question. He felt, what 
 Christian people often feel, the conflict 
 between prudence and faith. Prudence 
 dictates one line of conduct, Christian 
 consistency seems to dictate another, and 
 the perjilexity is sometimes painful. 
 
 We observe — 
 
 I. That, as a grand rule in the 
 Christian life, faith and prudence must 
 go together. The Scriptures often i-elate 
 the marvellous helps which good men 
 have found in the days of peril, but they 
 give no countenance to presumptuous 
 reliance on supernatural intervention. 
 As the rule of life, the Scriptures bind 
 us to take all human precautions against 
 the various forms of mischief we have 
 reason to apprehend. In this unbeliev- 
 ing generation there is not much reason 
 to speak against excessive faith, but 
 there is some reason thus to speak. The 
 1-8 
 
 workman gave as his reason for not going 
 to church, " That religious people were 
 hypocrites, because they called the tem- 
 ple God's house, and yet put upon it a 
 lightning rod." This worldly workman 
 could not see that God's Church ought 
 to recognise God's law, and act agree- 
 ably thereto ; but he thought he saw a 
 glaring contradiction in this union of 
 prudence and piety. And some noble 
 men in the Church sympathise with this 
 workman, and reject the securities which 
 prudence would counsel. They will leave 
 their property uninsured ; in times of 
 disturbance they will not claim the pro- 
 tection of the magistrate ; and in time 
 of sickness they will not call the physi- 
 cian. This is, to a large extent, a serious 
 mistake. As a rule, we are to accept 
 the band of soldiers which Ezra, in pecu- 
 liar circumstances, rejected. We must 
 not rashly cast ourselves into peril on 
 the idea that " angels have charge con- 
 cerning us." We must " not tempt the 
 Lord our God." We must not, without 
 imperative reason, leave the ship and 
 step upon the sea, otherwise, with Peter, 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. viir. 
 
 ^ e must suffer disaster. If devout men 
 do not attend to the dictates of prudence, 
 tliey must suffer for it ; and not only 
 so, but they injure Christianity likewise. 
 The truth of religion is based on false 
 issues, and thus brought into suspicion 
 or contempt. " The good man guideth 
 his affairs with discretion." Yet there 
 are times — 
 
 II. When faith in God must super- 
 sede the provisions of ordinary pru- 
 dence. When faith and prudence gave 
 different counsel, Ezra chose to " walk 
 by faith, and not by sight," and we must 
 all feel that he did right. The question 
 is : When are we to go beyond merely 
 prudential considerations, and venture 
 all on the unseen power of God 1 An at- 
 tentive consideration of Ezra's situation 
 and conduct may throw some light on 
 this delicate question. We are "shut 
 up to faith" when — 
 
 1. Prudential action ivould most pro- 
 bably be construed as a denial of the 
 Divine government. Ezra had told the 
 king that "the hand of God was upon 
 all them for good who seek Him." And 
 now Ezra considered that to reveal any 
 anxiety for a guard of soldiers would 
 appear to the heathen king like a practical 
 denial of the overshadowing providence 
 of Jehovah. A band of soldiers would 
 have hidden the Shepherd of Israel ; 
 Artaxerxes alone would have been seen ; 
 and so Ezra, with a fine spiritual instinct, 
 saw the hour for simple trust had come, 
 and by declining the soldiers left open 
 the full view of God, and His gracious 
 and glorious government. A line of 
 action is here marked out for ourselves. 
 To remove the scruples of the few we 
 are not to take the lightning conductors 
 from our temples, and essay similar 
 reformations ; but we must seek so to 
 act that we satisfy the world generally 
 that we do believe in the Divine super- 
 intendence and care. A worldly man 
 believes only in the band of soldiers; 
 and, to let him know that we believe in 
 something beyond, we must sometimes 
 be willing to act without the band of 
 soldiers altogether. Are we not too 
 anxious about material helps and visible 
 securities? We have boasted of the 
 jjower of the Lord's good hand, and are 
 
 we then to resort to sorry shifts for our 
 safety and success 1 Has not the Church, 
 by clinging so feverishly to visible re- 
 sources, and helps, and defenders, given 
 some sanction to the world's unbelief? 
 When— 
 
 2. Prudential action ivoxdd cause us 
 to lean on worldly associations and re- 
 sources. Artaxerxes was an idolater, and 
 Ezra was anxious not to ask too much 
 at his hands. It seemed inconsistent to 
 Ezra that he should be soliciting a band 
 of pagan soldiers to protect God's people 
 and the treasures of God's Temple. 
 Here, again, we have a line of action 
 marked out for us. We are the con- 
 fessed servants of the Holy One of Israel, 
 and prudence must not lead us to worldly 
 alliances and dependence upon sinful 
 circles. In our personal life Ave must 
 observe this. We must beware of com- 
 promises with the world for the sake of 
 our personal safety and aggrandisement. 
 And in regard to God's Chnrch, we must 
 observe this. Policy would often direct 
 us to expect great things from the great- 
 ness, wealth, or wisdom of unregenerate 
 men for the Church's sake. So far from 
 seeking their assistance, we ought to be 
 shy of their gold and patronage. Thus 
 did Ezra. And thus acted Paul and 
 Silas (Acts xvi. 16-19). When pru- 
 dence would lead us to seek for much, 
 either for ourselves or for the Church, 
 at the hands of unbelieving men, we 
 must pause and follow the path faith 
 indicates. Let us dare anything, suffer 
 anything, rather than compromise our 
 own character and the character of God, 
 in the eyes of the world, by linking our 
 fortunes and the fortune of the Church 
 with those who are joined to idols. 
 When— 
 
 3. Prudential action migld emlarrass 
 the 2Jroff?-ess of God's Jcingdom. If Arta- 
 xerxes had detected any inconsistency 
 in Ezra, he might have ceased to be 
 favourable to his cause, and have pre- 
 vented or delayed the return to Jeru- 
 salem. Rather than endanger the popu- 
 larity and progress of the cause of God, 
 Ezra was prepared to run great risks. 
 Here another Hue of action is marked 
 out for us. If prudence would circum- 
 scribe, fetter, or destroy the work of 
 
 129 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY ■■ EZRA. 
 
 God, the time has come to appeal to 
 loftier considerations. Calculating, cau- 
 tious piety would condemn the act of 
 Ezra as imprudent, and no doubt, 
 speaking after the manner of men, it 
 was imprudent ; but many imprudent 
 things have been done, or there would 
 not have been so much Christianity in 
 the world as there is ; and many more 
 imprudent things will have to be done 
 before Christianity fills the world. The 
 practical, calculating spirit of our age 
 invades the Church, and in the adminis- 
 tration of its affairs we frequently ask 
 too anxiously about " ways and means," 
 and are afraid to venture to victories 
 beyond unless we can " see our way." 
 Let us remember that God's kingdom is 
 a supermitural one, and in its promotion 
 we must often act with a boldness which 
 could not be justified in the court of 
 prudence. There is a holy venture- 
 someness in evangelisation which carries 
 with it a far higher guarantee of success 
 than do the pondered schemes of a 
 rationalising statesmanship. Thus, then, 
 there are times — times which a true, 
 delicate, noble spirit will not fail to 
 recognise — when we must renounce the 
 counsellings of worldly wisdom, and, 
 stepping boldly into the darkness, cry, 
 with Ezra, " Help us, O Lord our God, 
 for we rest on Thee ! " 
 
 IIL The separation of faith from 
 prudence must be effected only in the 
 spirit of sincere and earnest depend- 
 ence upon Heaven (ver. 23). No pre- 
 cipitanc}', no levity, no presumption. 
 By fasting and prayer they obtained 
 the sweet assurance that God would 
 honour their faith and preserve them. 
 " He was entreated of us." Not lightly 
 must we discard ordinary defences and 
 helps. When we can do no other, we 
 must humbly, solemnly rest ourselves in 
 the hand of God. The times come to 
 us all when faith and policy give con- 
 tradictory counsel. When such times 
 come, let us not be found wanting to 
 our profession and our God. In many 
 circumstances simple trust in God will 
 prove the truest policy. . . . And, on 
 the contrary, policy, leading God's people 
 to rest on worldly men, and means, and 
 measures, finally demoralises and betrays 
 them. Hear how God reproaches Israel 
 for their lack of faith in the Unseen 
 Powers : "Woe to them that go down 
 to Egypt for help ; and stay on horses, 
 and trust in chariots, because they are 
 many; and in horsemen, because they 
 are very strong ; but they look not unto 
 the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the 
 Lord. . . . Now the Egyptians are men, 
 and not God," &c. (Isa. xxxi. 1, 3). — 
 W. L. Watkinson. 
 
 Ezra akd his Times. 
 {Verses 21-23.) 
 
 Let us see how much is included in 
 these words of Ezra, and endeavour to 
 ascertain their bearing on our position 
 and circumstances. 
 
 I. Ezra's language was in striking 
 contrast with the general state of 
 opinion around him. He says, not 
 egotistically, — great men have no ego- 
 tism, — but he says, because he cannot 
 heliJ living when there was a time to 
 speak, " I was ashamed ; others can take 
 their own course, but I could not ask 
 our heathen but noble king for a band 
 of horsemen and soldiers to help us in 
 the way." Others might, and ]irobably 
 did, feel that it would only be courteous 
 to accept the king's offer; others, that 
 l30 
 
 it would look more respectable ; others, 
 that it would be safer ; others, that they 
 would get through their journey quicker ; 
 and others, that Ezra was carrying things 
 rather too far, he might have a little 
 thought for timid women and children. 
 Such thoughts as these were very current, 
 depend upon it, amid that motley crowd. 
 He knows he is right, and can afford 
 to be singular ; and, as he can bide his 
 time, he knows the people will one day 
 thank him for what they may now 
 condemn. And here we see a guiding 
 principle for us. At particular crises of 
 public opinion, it devolves upon some 
 men to go into the land of the enemy, 
 that they may bring truth oat of cap- 
 
nOMlLETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA, 
 
 tivity. It is a perilous and generally 
 a tliiinkless task ; but it must be done, 
 that it may be brought out into 
 a glorious enlargement, before men 
 shall see its form or feel its power. 
 Such men have no ultimate fear for 
 truth ; they know its vitality depends 
 upcni no accidental prosperity, and can 
 be destroyed by no accidental adversity ; 
 such men never change sides; they 
 have sometimes sailed with truth under 
 sunny skies into a secure haven ; they 
 have also sailed with her through many 
 a " stormy wind and tempest," and they 
 have always come right at last. The 
 world wonders at their eccentricity, and 
 reconmiends them to beg or borrow a 
 band of soldiers and horsemen, to assist 
 them in their progress ; but they are 
 " ashamed " to think of such a thing ; 
 it hurts their consciences, and wounds 
 there are long in healing, and when 
 healed they leave ugly scars. If they 
 could make truth successful to-morrow, 
 they must do it with truth's weapons, 
 and her weapons onlj' ; but they cannot 
 advance the liberation of truth by any 
 unworthy means, or by any unnatural 
 alliance. " Christ for ever, and His 
 word," cried Luther, as he left Wittem- 
 berg with a penny in his pocket, and a 
 threadbare gowni upon his back. "Christ 
 for ever, and His word,' let every 
 modern Ezra and Luther say, until that 
 word shall enlighten every mind and 
 emancipate every heart ; and this it will 
 do, if we will let truth do its work, 
 without "soldiers and horsemen." 
 
 II. Ezra's situation aflForded him an 
 opportunity for asserting this great 
 principle under very trying circum- 
 stances. In reading the Old Testa- 
 ment, it is needful to call to mind the 
 peculiar political constitution of the 
 Jews. It was a pure theocracy. The 
 only one the world has ever seen, or 
 is likely to Fee. God was their King, 
 and their King was their God. God 
 would defend them ; He would be a 
 wall »i fire round about them ; He 
 would lead them forth to battle; He 
 would be their national safeguard. 
 This the Jews continually forgot. Their 
 crying sin was departure from the true 
 theocratic idea. They trusted in every- 
 
 thing but truth ; in every one but God. 
 Egypt and Assyria were, by turns, their 
 strongholds of confidence. Hence the 
 prophet's cry, "Woe to them tliat go 
 down to Egypt for help," ifec. (Isa. xxxi. 
 1, &c.). 
 
 But Ezra fell back upon the old prin- 
 ciple of the theocrac}'. What was true 
 in Judea, he took to be true in Babylon. 
 That v.-hich was true to Isaiah was true 
 to him now. He could not ^ee any clear 
 path of safety, except in the path of 
 duty ; and he would rather be there 
 than in the way of mere expediency. 
 Others might suggest that, under pre- 
 sent circumstances, they need not be so 
 very precise ; they had permission to re- 
 turn to Jerusalem, was not that enough 1 
 If the king, of his own goodness, chose 
 to help them with horsemen, they could 
 accept his offer up to the gates of Jeru- 
 salem ; they were not now in the land 
 of the theocracy, and allowance must be 
 made for their peculiar circumstances ; 
 and to be so strict about an abstract 
 principle was being righteous overmuch. 
 All that was perfectly incomprehensible 
 to Ezra ; he knew of no guiding star 
 but principle, and that alone he resolved 
 to follow. 
 
 And Christ's whole life illustrates this 
 principle of confidence in God and in 
 truth, once exhibited by Ezra under 
 circumstances of great temptation ; a 
 principle we seek to u[ihold, as consti- 
 tuting a very essential part of a free, 
 a spiritual Church state. " How often 
 was Christ urged by the impatient long- 
 ings, and the worldly spirit of the 
 Jews, to gratify their intense and long- 
 cherished hopes, and to establish His 
 kingdom in a worldly form, before the 
 last demand was made upon Him, as 
 He entered, in the midst of an enthu- 
 siastic host, the capital city of God's 
 earthly dominion, before His last re- 
 fusal, expressed in His submission to 
 those sufferings which resulted in the 
 triumph of God's pure spiritual king- 
 dom 1 " 
 
 Thus, oftentimes, the good man will 
 have to strive against the spirit of his 
 age ; but obeying Christ, and confiding 
 in Christy whilst doing so, his conflict 
 will lead to certain victory : he will not 
 
 l;3l 
 
CHAP. vm. 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 conquer by " a band of horsemen and 
 soldiers," but by the exhibition and en- 
 forcement of truth, by the use of weapons 
 that are not carnal, but spiritual ; wea- 
 pons mighty, nevertheless, to the pulling 
 
 down of strongholds, in the use of which 
 the Christian warrior says, "Now thanks 
 be unto God, who causeth us to triumph 
 in every place, by Jesus Christ." — W. 
 G. Barrett. 
 
 Ezra an Example in Business. 
 {Verses 21-23.) 
 
 The circumstances in which Ezra was 
 placed were as difficult as can be con- 
 ceived. He had to contend with the 
 scorn and opposition of pagans, and 
 with the corruptions of Jews. He bears 
 up under his difficulties : he labours 
 through them ; he endures as seeing 
 Him who is invisible. 
 
 I. His humiliation. 
 
 II. His faitL 
 
 III. His prayer. 
 
 IV. His holy jealousy. 
 
 V. His success. 
 
 -R. Cecil. 
 
 Contrasts. 
 {Verse 22.) 
 
 " The ha nil of our God is tipon all 
 them for good," &c. 
 
 I. A contrast of human character. 
 
 1 . Those that seek God. To seek God 
 implies — (1.) Faith in Him. Seekers 
 after God believe in the existence of 
 truth, righteousness, love ; in the exist- 
 ence of a Supreme and Perfect Being; 
 they believe that God is. (2.) Desire 
 after Him. Seekers after God believe 
 in Him as tbe Supremely Good and 
 Beautiful — not only the Almighty, but 
 the All-attractive. They do not simply 
 seek His blessing or His favour, but 
 Himself. The former may be mean ; the 
 latter must be noble. To seek Him is 
 to desire the highest truth and righte- 
 ou.sness, goodness and beauty, &c. (3.) 
 Prayer to Him. They who come to 
 God believe not only that He is, but 
 that " He is a rewarder of them that 
 diligently seek Him." Out of the faith 
 and longing of their heart they petition 
 Him for His favour and His presence. 
 Their attitude and inclination is to- 
 wards God. 
 
 2. Those that forsalce God. Sin is 
 frequently represented as forsaking God, 
 departure from Him, distance from Him 
 (Isa. lix, 2; Jer. i. 16, ii. 13; Luke 
 XV. 13 ; Eph. ii. 13; Cob i. 21, 22). For- 
 saking God begins in the heart. Some 
 sinful thought or purpose has been che- 
 
 132 
 
 rished, and so God has been shut out of 
 the heart. Guilt has been contracted, 
 and the sinner has become afraid of God, 
 and tried to escape from Him. (Com p. 
 Gen. iii. 8-10.) This forsaking God 
 proceeds from the heart to the conduct. 
 God's commands may be outwardlj^ 
 obeyed for a time by one who has for- 
 saken God Himself ; but ere long the 
 commands also will be set at naught. 
 When the affections are estranged from 
 God, the actions will soon follow, &c. 
 
 Here then is the contrast of character : 
 The one seeks God, draws ever nearer to 
 Him, &c.; the other forsakes God, departs 
 ever farther from Him, <fec. Ask your- 
 self — Which is my character ? Am I a 
 seeker or a f orsaker of God % 
 
 II. A contrast of Divine treatment. 
 
 1. " Thie hand of our God is upon all 
 them for good that seek Him." His power 
 is exercised on their behalf ; His pro- 
 vidence watches over and secures their 
 true interests. But is this really the 
 case 1 Do we not sometimes find those 
 that seek God in poverty, privation, 
 and pain 1 Do they not sometimes 
 cry, "Thy hand is heavy upon me"] 
 not. Thy hand is upon me " for good " 1 
 Earthly parents see many things to be 
 for the good of their children, which 
 appear unmixed evils to the children 
 themselves. Does the sick infant see 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 that the nauseous medicine which heals 
 him is for his good ? Does the young- 
 schoolboy see that it is for his good to 
 master the declensions and conjugations 
 of grammar ? And 
 
 "What am I? 
 All infant crying iii the night : 
 An infant crying for the light : 
 And with no language but a cry." 
 
 — Tennyson. 
 
 Not by any hasty conclusions on the 
 results of human character and conduct j 
 not by an induction formed from a brief 
 and narrow observation of human ex- 
 periences, must our judgment of the 
 Divine procedure be determined ; but by 
 His own revelations of His character and 
 government, and by the testimonies of 
 the wise and good amongst men. These 
 unite in assuring us that " the hand of 
 our God is upon all them for good that 
 seek Him." (1.) For their good tem- 
 porally. Being perfectly acquainted 
 with the circumstances, temperament, 
 and tendencies of every man, He gives 
 to each one who seeks Him what will 
 really be for his good. " No good will 
 He withhold from them that walk up- 
 rightly." (2.) For their good spiritually. 
 Many and precious are the spiritual 
 benefits which He bestows upon His 
 people, e.g., pardon and peace, purity 
 and power, grateful recollections and 
 inspiring anticipations, &c. (3.) For 
 their good eternally. He is preparing 
 them for a glorious destiny, and endless. 
 Our Lord has gone to prepare a place 
 for us in His Father's house. And as 
 He was both guide and guardian to Ezra 
 and his company from Babylon to Jeru- 
 salem, so is He the guide and guardian 
 of all His people to their blessed and 
 abiding home. They enter heaven 
 through Him. 
 
 2. "//is fower and His ivraih are 
 against all them that forsake Him." A 
 sentimental theory which ignores the 
 stern aspects of the character of God is 
 very popular with some people. There 
 is a growing tendency to magnify the 
 love of God, and then deny His wrath, 
 &c. We rejoice in knowing that '• He 
 will have all men to be saved ; " that 
 He has "no pleasure in the death of the 
 wicked, but that the wicked turn from 
 
 his way and live ; " but we cannot ques- 
 tion His wrath. God is tender, without 
 weakness ; angry, without sin. He is 
 just, as well as merciful. Sin has been 
 punished by Him, is punished by Him, 
 and will be punished by Him. (Comp. 
 Prov. xi. 21; 2 Pet. ii. 4-9; Eev. vi. 
 16, 17). (a). "His power ;" who can 
 estimate it ? It is " against all them 
 that forsake Him." (6). Who can con- 
 ceive "His wrath" ? it is infinite as 
 His love. It is His love flaming forth 
 against the incorrigibly wicked, (c). 
 " He is mighty in strength ; who hath 
 hardened himself against Him, and hath 
 prospered 1 " 
 Conclusion : 
 
 1. How solemnly man's destiny is 
 ill his oivn hands, or, more correctly, in 
 his own choice ! " Deeds are destiny ; 
 character is fate." For our character 
 we are each responsible. Heaven or 
 hell is the result of man's own choice 
 and character. 
 
 2. In this world character may be 
 changed. Those who have forsaken God 
 may return to Him, assured of a joyous 
 welcome. By the grace of God sinners 
 may here and now be converted into 
 saints. " Seek ye the Lord while He 
 may be found," &c. (Isa. Iv. 6, 7). " O 
 Israel, return unto the Lord thy God," 
 &c. (Hos. xiv. 1, 2, 4), 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) It is very common to separate the ques- 
 tion of punishment from its strict relationship 
 to justice, and to argue it on infinite goodness. 
 Wliat is this proper view of God ? "Good is 
 the Lord." But is He good to restrain any 
 administration of government, or to impede 
 any exercise of law ? Does His goodness look 
 more indifferently on moral evil than His 
 justice? Is it not its peculiar province to 
 check the consequences of sin ? \\'eknow not 
 of the goodness which exists only lo pity and 
 to spare, — which is a misprison of right and 
 holy principle, wiiich is a connivance at every 
 moral perturbation of the universe. It is easy 
 to reduce this "awful goodness" to our de- 
 praved wish and idea. ..." Our God is a 
 consuming fire." "He is terrible out of His 
 holy place." "God shall destroy for ever." 
 "The enemies of tlie Lord shall be as the fat 
 of lambs." Those passages which speak of 
 His ire and wrath are many, reiterated, and 
 vehement. Do they tell of goodness, partial 
 and fond, as it is now presumed? A mere 
 indulgence ? A figure, most beautiful and 
 
 133 
 
HO MI LET W COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 frequent, does Holy Scripture present. God is 
 our Parent. "Have we not one Father?" 
 It is a figure, — " like as a father." It is argued 
 that, all punishment, txcept for the improve- 
 ment of the child, would be inconsistent with 
 that relation. But may not the case of the 
 son's disobedience be so heinous, that all, 
 under the influence of the most natural feel- 
 ing, would justify a treatment the most ex- 
 trume ? disownment ? disinheritance ? final 
 separation? The paternal relationship, though 
 nut as to its fact, yet, as to its exercise, may 
 be altered by the conduct of the oflTspring : 
 moral government cannot be altered. The 
 one might be renounced : the other is neces- 
 sary and insubvertible. May we not fear that, 
 in consequence of sin, the paternal favour is 
 withdrawn, and the filial privilege forfeited ? 
 Let tliat father be the magistrate. The child 
 is now under his jurisdiction as well as dis- 
 cipline. Tiiat child may be the transgressor 
 of social law. It is conceivable that his father 
 may be called to pass sentence upon him. 
 "Will not all, if it be his inevitable duty, see 
 in its discharge a title to their admiration? 
 Without any impeachment of his tenderness, 
 is not such bearing truly great? Does not 
 histoiy hallow it ? Has it not saved common- 
 wealths ? Why should not the same suffrage 
 be accorded to God ? He is the " righteous 
 Father." He sitteth King for ever. He reigns 
 not for a part, but for the whole. His good- 
 ness must agree with universal justice, or with 
 that which is the same thing, the protection 
 of universal claim and interest. . . . And if 
 this notion of goodness is to be entertained, 
 how frequently would it have been disap- 
 pointed ! Had earlier creatures than ourselves 
 been forewarned that our earth was soon to be 
 formed, and our race to be created, it would 
 have seemed improbable to them that aught 
 hut good could be admitted. The entire 
 scheme would have demanded this expecta- 
 tion. What evils do exist, moral and physical ! 
 Then their idea of that which goodness can 
 allow would have been disappointed. It would 
 have been false. When men have been threat- 
 ened with Divine judgments, they have ima- 
 gined a presumption against them in the 
 Divine goodness. To the antediluvian the 
 impending fate appeared most unreasonable ; 
 the men of Sodom derided the fear of over- 
 throw. If they thought of God at all, argu- 
 ments like those which we have considered were 
 ready. Goodness forbids it. A parent cannot 
 do it, &c. Then their idea of that wiiich 
 
 goodness can allow was disappointed. It was 
 false. So we may speculate concerning the 
 future state. Its punishment may ati'ect our 
 views .as exaggerated beyond all showing of 
 truth, of reason, of analogy. We may inter- 
 pose the Divine goodness. We may pronounce 
 tliat this state of things cannot be. But we 
 are not placed more favourably to give judg- 
 ment than they who have jialpably erred. 
 Our idea may be disappointed. It may be 
 false.— i2. W. llaniillon, LL.D., D.B. 
 
 {h) How miserable will all wicked rebels be 
 under this power of God ! ilen may break 
 His laws, but not impair His arm ; they may 
 slight His sword, but cannot resist His power. 
 If He swear that He will sweep a place with 
 the besom of destruction, "as He hatli thought, 
 so shall it come to pass ; and as He hath 
 purposed, so shall it stand " (Isa. xiv. 23. 24). 
 llebcls against an earthly prince may exceed 
 him in strength, and be more powerful than 
 their sovereign ; none can equal God, much 
 less exceed Him. As none can exercise an 
 act of hostility against Him without His per- 
 missive will, so none can struggle from under 
 His hand without His positive will. He hath 
 an arm not to be moved, a hand not to be 
 wrung aside. God is represented on His 
 throne "like a jasper stone" (Rev. iv. 3), as 
 One of invincible power when He comes to 
 judge ; the jasper is a stone which withstands 
 the greatest force. Though men resist the 
 order of His laws, they cannot resist the sen- 
 tence of their punishment, nor tlie execution 
 of it. None can any more exempt themselves 
 from the arm of His strength than they can 
 from the authority of His dominion. As they 
 must bow to His sovereignty, so they must 
 sink under His force. A prisoner in this 
 world may make his escape, but a prisoner in 
 the world to come cannot (Job x. 7) : " There 
 is none that can deliver out of Thine hand." 
 There is none to deliver wlien He tears in 
 pieces (Ps. 1, 22). — S. Charnocke, B.D. 
 
 (c) Wicked men hereafter will feel the full 
 weigiit of God's wratli. In this world they 
 have the wrath of God abiding on them, but 
 then it will be executed upon them ; now they 
 are the objects of it, but then they will be the 
 subjects of it. Now it liangs over them, but 
 then it shall fall upon them in its full weight, 
 without any alleviation, or any moderation or 
 restraint. — President Edwards. 
 
 Seeking the Lord, and its Advantages 
 {Verse 22.) 
 
 " The hand of our God is upon all 
 them for good that seek Him," &c. Our 
 text contains a great scriptural truth, 
 applicable to all ages, countries, and 
 persons. It is a truth which is cor- 
 134 
 
 roborated by many parallel passages, 
 and therefore expresses a subject of 
 more than ordinary importance. There 
 are two things clearly exi)ressed in the 
 text, — man's resDonsibility, and the 
 
HOMILETIC COM ME NT A R Y : EZRA . 
 
 different results of piety and sin. God's 
 liand sl)all be upon all those who seek 
 Him, and that for good, and His wrath 
 is against those who forsake Him. 
 Observe, we are directed — 
 
 I. To seeking God, and its advan- 
 tages. Seeking God denotes — 
 
 1, A consciousness of our need of 
 Ilim. Men in general do not regard 
 God, He is not in all their thoughts. 
 Many feel as Pharaoh did when lie 
 exclaimed, " Who is the Lord 1 " &,c. 
 But the enlightened, convicted sinner, 
 and the true Christian, feel that God is 
 the fountain of their existence, and the 
 only source of their peace and happi- 
 ness. " Whom have I in heaven but 
 Thee," &c. God is all and in all to 
 the pious mind ; and their need of Him 
 is every moment's experience. 
 
 2. Earnest and fervent pr'^V^^' ^^ 
 God (ver. 23.) Seeking and praying 
 are synonymous. Thus Christ taught 
 His disciples. " Ask, . . . seek, . . . 
 knock," &c. Thus, too, Job says (xxiii. 
 3), " Oh that I knew where I might 
 find Him ! " &c. We cannot find God 
 but by earnest prayer and supplication, 
 and He is ever near to all who call upon 
 Him. "Whosoever shall call upon the 
 name of the Lord," itc. 
 
 3. To seeJi the Lord is to come to Him 
 in the uxiij of His ajypointment. We 
 may seek anxiously and fervently, but 
 what will it avail if we seek in the 
 wrong way ? Thus heathen philo- 
 sophers laboured to know the true God. 
 Thus, too, many anxious pagans. Many 
 are like the devotional eunuch, they read, 
 &c., but understand not. The Word 
 of God is, however, explicit and full on 
 this subject. Christ is "the way, the 
 truth, and the life." "One God, and 
 one Mediator," ifec. "No man conieth 
 to the Father but by " Christ. 
 
 4. I'o labour in all things to have His 
 ap2~>rohation. To commit all to Him ; 
 to refer all to Him ; to acknowledge 
 Him in all ; and seek His blessing upon 
 all our steps. To set the Lord always 
 before us, and to labour to walk well- 
 pleasing in His sight. 
 
 Notice the advantages arising to those 
 who thus seek Him, " The hand of our 
 God is upon all," &c. 
 
 (1.) Tlie hand of His pardoniiig mercy. 
 To those who thus seek Him, He says, 
 *' I, even I, am He who blotteth out your 
 iniquities." "Seek ye the Lord," &c. 
 Then it follows, " Let the wicked forsake 
 his ways, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts," &c. 
 
 (2.) The hand of His delivering power. 
 He delivers the souls of His people, 
 raises them from the horrible pit, &c. 
 Translates them from the kingdom of 
 darkness, brings their spirits out of the 
 prison of sin, and from the domiiuon 
 of Satan. Rescues from "the gall of 
 bitterness, and the bond," &c. 
 
 (3.) 71ie hand, of His providing good- 
 ness. They that seek the Lord shall 
 not want any good thing. He is their 
 Shepherd, and they shall not want. 
 He leads them into green pastures, &c. 
 " My God shall supply all your need," 
 &c. 
 
 (4.) The hand of His heavenly guid- 
 ance. The Lord leads and guides His 
 people. " He led them by the right 
 way," &c. " The Lord shall lead thee 
 continually," &c. "Thou shalt guide 
 me with Thy counsel, and afterward 
 receive me to glory." 
 
 (5.) Tlie hand of His sustaining grace. 
 The Christian is weak and feeble ; of 
 himself, insufiicient : exposed to many 
 enemies and perils. The saints of the 
 Lord are therefore oidy absolutely secure 
 in His hand. He keeps them by His 
 mighty power; He preserves them for His 
 kingdom and glory. There is often — 
 
 (6.) The hand of His 'tnanifesl j^rovi- 
 dence. How clearly do we see this in 
 the history of His Church and people ! 
 It is said of one, " So long as besought 
 the Lord, the Lord made him to prosper." 
 How many thousands have experienced 
 that " godliness is profitable to all 
 things," »fec. 
 
 II. Forsaking God, and its atten- 
 dant evils. To forsake God is tlie op- 
 posite course to that we have described 
 in seeking the Lord. It is refusing Him 
 homage and veneration. It is to disobey 
 Him ; to live without His fear ; to turn 
 from the way of righteousness ; to with- 
 draw our hand from the Gospel plough ; 
 to dra\r back ; to make shipwreck, &c. 
 Now, against these, His power and 
 
 135 
 
EOMILETIG COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 wratli are declared. Power to punish, 
 wrath to inflict a fearful and eternal 
 doom. Power and wrath of God to 
 cast both body and soul into hell fire. 
 (See Heb. x. 22, &c._) " A certain fear- 
 ful looking for of judgment and fiery 
 indignation, which shall devour the 
 adversaries." 
 
 Application. We learn : 
 
 1. The value of true religion. The 
 good hand of the Lord upon us. 
 
 2. The awfulness of apostasy from 
 the Lord. 
 
 3. The necessity of botli vigilance 
 and perseverance. (See Heb. iii, 12 ; 
 iv. 10-13.) 
 
 4. Urge the unconverted to seek the 
 Lord, and live. — Jabez Burns, D.D. 
 
 The Guardianship of the Sacred Treasures. 
 {Verses 24-30.) 
 
 Having sought the Divine guidance 
 and protection in their journey, Ezra 
 proceeds to make wise arrangements for 
 the safe conveyance of the offerings for 
 the service of the Lord at Jerusalem. 
 True prayer will always be followed by 
 earnest effort in the same direction. 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The treasures to be guarded. 
 " The silver, and the gold, and the ves- 
 sels, the offering of the house of our 
 God," &c. (vers. 25-27). These trea- 
 sures were — 
 
 1. Valuable in themselves. " Six 
 hundred and fifty talents of silver," &c. 
 (vers. 26, 27). (We have already stated 
 the estimated value of these things : see 
 Explanatory Notes on ver. 26, and homily 
 on " Ezra's confidence in God," vers. 
 21-23.) 
 
 2. Vahiahle as being consecrated to 
 God. Mark how Ezra speaks of them : 
 " The offering of the house of our God : 
 . . . the vessels are holy also; and the 
 silver and the gold a freewill offering 
 unto the Lord God of your fathers." 
 To every pious mind the fact that they 
 were designed for sacred uses would 
 greatly enhance their worth. 
 
 3. Valuable as being the spontaneous 
 gifts of friends and ivell-ivishers. " The 
 king, anil his counsellors, and his lords, 
 and all Israel there present, had offered 
 ... a freewill offering unto the Lord 
 God of your fathers." As expressions 
 of the good will and kind feeling of the 
 donors to the returning exiles and to 
 their religion, these treasures were very 
 precious. They were well worthy of 
 the most watchful care. 
 
 IL The guardians of the treasures. 
 136 
 
 " Then I separated twelve of the chief 
 of the priests," &c. (ver. 24). These 
 guardians were — 
 
 1. Adequate in number. There were 
 twenty-four of them in all ; twelve 
 priests and twelve Levites. It was well 
 to have a goodly number for the weighty 
 responsibility. 
 
 2. A2Jpropriate in official character. 
 They were priests and Levites. Ezra 
 " said unto them, Ye are holy unto the 
 Lord ; the vessels are holy also." The 
 consecrated things were intrusted to 
 consecrated persons. This was in har- 
 mony with Divinely-appointed usage 
 amongst them (see Num. iii. 5-10). It 
 was also in accordance with the charge 
 of God by Isaiah the prophet : " Be ye 
 clean that bear the vessels of the Lord" 
 (Isa. Iii. 11). The principle is of uni- 
 versal application, that holy things 
 should be committed to the charge of 
 holy persons. 
 
 3. Distinyuislied amongst their bre- 
 thren. Ezra selected " twelve of the chief 
 priests ; " and Sherebiah and Hashabiah 
 were eminent amongst the Levites (see 
 on vers. 18, 19). By selecting eminent 
 men for this trust Ezra acted prudently ; 
 for they would be the more likely to 
 keep it with fidelity than untried men. 
 He also acted religiously ; fer he thus 
 honoured in the eyes of the people the 
 Lord God, to whom these treasures had 
 been offered. 
 
 III. The charge to the guardians of 
 the treasures — 
 
 1. Points out the value of the things 
 committed to them. In three ways Ezra 
 does this — (1.) By weighing them so 
 carefully before delivering them into 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 their bands. He " weighed unto them 
 the silver," &c. (vers. 25-27). (2.) By 
 reminding them of their source. They 
 were the vohintary offerings of ''tlie 
 king, and his counsellors, and his lords, 
 and all Israel there present." (3.) By 
 reminding them of their destination. 
 They were designed for the service of 
 the Lord God of their fathers. 
 
 2. Enjoins watchful care of these 
 things. "' Watch ye, and keep them." 
 They were to see to it that they were 
 neither lost, nor stolen, nor intermingled 
 with the other possessions of this great 
 company during their long journey. 
 
 3. Indicates their resfjonsibility for 
 them. " Watch ye, and keep them, 
 until ye weigh them before tlie chief of 
 the priests and the Levites," <fec. (ver. 
 29). Thus Ezra gave them to under- 
 stand that they would be required to 
 deliver them up at the end of the jour- 
 ney safely and accurately. They would 
 have to account for them — (1.) Exactly : 
 " until ye weigh them." The same 
 weight which had been given to them 
 they must deliver up at the end of the 
 journey. (2.) Unto the chief men of 
 the nation : " the chief of the priests 
 and Levites, and chief of the fathers of 
 Israel." (3.) In the chief place of the 
 nation : " at Jerusalem, in the cham- 
 bers of the house of the Lord." Thus 
 Ezra impressed upon them the import- 
 ance and sacredness of the trust com- 
 mitted to them, and the greatness of 
 their responsibilit}'. 
 
 IV. The acceptance of the guardian- 
 ship of the treasures. The selected 
 priests and Levites did not seek to 
 excuse themselves from this trust and 
 its onerous obligations ; they do not 
 seem to have offered any demur in rela- 
 tion to it, but accepted it at once. " So 
 took the priests and the Levites the 
 weight of the silver," kc. (ver. 30). 
 
 Conclusion: 
 
 L Our subject speaJcs to ministers of 
 the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How pre- 
 cious and sacred is the trust committed 
 to them ! How solemn their responsi- 
 bility 1 (1 Cor. iv. 1, 2; Tit. i. 7, 9.) 
 By the Holy Ghost let them seek to be 
 faithful to their glorious, awful trust 
 (1 Tim. vi. 20; 2 Tim. i. 14). {a.) 
 
 2. 2^0 all tvho have charge of 2ncblic 
 funds or the properly of others. Let 
 them copy the scrupulous care and 
 fidelity of Ezra, that they may be able, 
 when called upon, to give a punctual 
 and exact account of the things com- 
 mitted unto them. 
 
 3. To all men. God has committed 
 some gift to every man to be used in 
 accordance with His holy will ; and He 
 will call every man to account for such 
 gift. Blessed are they who will be able 
 to render such an account as shall call 
 forth from Him the " Well done, good 
 and faithful servant ! " (Comp. Matt. 
 XXV. 14-30.) {b) 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Brethren, have we at all understood 
 what was done to us when we were ordained 
 — that it was an act of exchang'C and of inter- 
 change — we giving ourselves to Jesus Christ ; 
 He giving to us a trust of ministry, on the 
 definite basis of a Divine communication of 
 truth ? 
 
 How little have they realised the good de- 
 posit, who have regarded it as nothing more 
 than the reading of services or the preaching 
 of sermons, out of the resources of natural or 
 acquired knowledge, and as only a part of the 
 life, of which all other parts might be just as 
 earthlj', just as self-indulgent, just as frivolous, 
 as if no transaction at all had passed between 
 us and Jesus Christ ! How many must con- 
 fess, sorrowfully and with tears, tliat they were 
 not conscious then, if they have ever awakened 
 to the consciousness afterwards, of anyihing 
 whatsoever having been put into their hands 
 when they became ordained men ! Oh, we do 
 not blame them — still less would we let them 
 despair. But surely it is something to be 
 grieved for, that we thus undertook a sacred 
 office in utter ignorance of its sacredness ; 
 that we thus took it upon us to tell men the 
 way of salvation, when we scarcely so much 
 as knew what tliey needed to be saved from, 
 or what it was to be saved. 
 
 The good deposit. Let us first of all feel it 
 to be something. Let us try to touch and to 
 handle just one substantial ingredient of it. 
 Let us resolve, let us strucrgle, let us pray, 
 that this revelation, this self-manifestation of 
 God, which is enshrined in this volume called 
 holy, shall shine out of it upon us. It shall 
 7101 be a name, it shall not be a formula, it 
 shall not be a mere buzzing sound — it shall 
 be a voice. If we could make one verse speak, 
 if we could make one little sentence of the 
 Testament call us by our name, and tell us to 
 do something because of it, it might be " the 
 beginning of months" to us. It might be the 
 dawning of Che day — it might be the very 
 sunrising of an altered life ; for then, cer- 
 tainly, we never could rest till it had spoken 
 
 137 
 
HO MI LET 10 COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 again to us, and again, and again. Then we 
 should begin to turn to it as our adviser, as 
 our counsellor, as our friend. Then we should 
 never attempt to write or to preach till the 
 revelation had put a word in our mouth ; we 
 should listen for it in the night watches ; we 
 should kneel to it as we rose from our sleep, 
 God-sustained and God-commissioned. 
 
 How senous should we then be — how evi- 
 dently taken knowledge of as men that had a 
 trust, and were set and bent upon faithfulness 
 to it ! Jlen would come then to listen to us, 
 as to men who were in communication with 
 the world out of sight — as men who were 
 charged, each separate lime of ministering, 
 with something special to say, and with the 
 true way of saying it. — C. J. Vaughan, D.D. 
 
 (6) Obligation and capacity are commen- 
 surate. God does not desire to "reap where 
 He has not sown, nor to gather where He has 
 not strawed," but where He has " given much, 
 of them He will expect the more." He ex- 
 
 pects not from a brute the service of a man, 
 nor from a man the obedience of an angel ; 
 He expects not from him that has one talent 
 the results of five, nor from him that has five 
 the results of ten ; but He does expect every- 
 where, and from all beinus, that each shall 
 serve according to his actual and " several 
 ability." 
 
 With respect to the power to do some- 
 thing for Clirist, this differs in different men, 
 and in the same man at different times. There 
 are differences of talent, wealth, influence, 
 station, opportunity ; and there are very fre- 
 quently growth and accession in all these 
 things as Christians advance and succeed in 
 life. It will often be found, however, that 
 the most able and endowed classes do the 
 b'ast ; and of certain individuals it is some- 
 times true, that as their means increase their 
 doings diminish ; for it is diminution, if, 
 while Providence enlarges power, the service 
 rendered is only what it was. — T. Binney, 
 LL.D. 
 
 From Ahava to Jerusalem ; an Illustration of the Pilgrimage 
 
 OF the Christian. 
 
 ( Verses 
 
 Notice — 
 
 I. The setting out from Ahava. 
 
 "Then we departed from the river of 
 Ahava on the twelfth day of the first 
 month, to go unto Jerusalem." They 
 went forth — 
 
 1. From, captivity to liherti/. In 
 Babylon they were not in cruel bond- 
 age, as their fathers had been in Egypt ; 
 and in departing from Babylon they did 
 not go forth to civil or j^olitical freedom, 
 as their fathers did when they left 
 Egypt. But in Babylon they were cap- 
 tives. They could not leave the places 
 in which they were settled without per- 
 mission. Their departure is repeatedly 
 spoken of as a going " up out of the 
 captivity." And while they who de- 
 parted were still subject to tlie Persian 
 civil government, they were allowed full 
 religious freedom. The Christian pilgrim 
 is emancipated from the captivity of sin. 
 " Whosoever committeth sin is the ser- 
 vant of sin." Bat the believer in Christ 
 Jesus is " made free from sin ; " he is 
 delivered from " the bond of iniquit}'," 
 from the thraldom of evil habit.s, &c. 
 " Ye shall know the truth, and the 
 truth shall make you free. ... If the 
 Son shall make you free, ye shall be 
 free indeed." (a.) 
 138 
 
 31, 32.) 
 
 2. From exile to their ancestral home. 
 They were going forth to the land of 
 their fathers, which was sacred and dear 
 to them by many precious and glorious 
 memories aini associations. They were 
 going home. Christians are "strangers 
 and pilgrims on the earth. They desire 
 a better country, that is, an heavenly," 
 &c. " Here have we no continuing city, 
 but we seek one to come." "Our con- 
 versation " (rather, country or citizen- 
 ship) " is in heaven." We, too, are going 
 home. 
 
 3. From the land of idolatry to the 
 scene of true tvorshii^. The priestliood, 
 the altar, and the temple of the true and 
 living God were at Jerusalem. The chief 
 reason of their return to their own land 
 was that there they could more fully 
 and perlcctly worship Jehovah, the God 
 of Israel. We are travelling to the scene 
 of pure and perfect and perpetual wor- 
 ship. Our journey will end in lieaven, 
 and there every thought and affection, 
 every word and actiuii will be sacred. 
 (Comp. Bev. vii. 15, xxi. 2, 3.) (&). 
 
 " There God in Christ revealed 
 • In fulness of His grace 
 Shall we behold for ever. 
 And worship face to face." 
 
 II. The progress on the journey. 
 
UUMJLETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 *' And the band of our God was upon 
 us, and He delivered us from tlie liand 
 <if the enemy, and of such as lay in wait 
 by the way." They progressed — 
 
 1. Notwithstanding enemies. The path 
 of the Christian pilgrim is beset with 
 foes. His progress is opposed by: — (1.) 
 Invisible, spiritual enemies. He has to 
 contend against the wiles of the devil. 
 For we wrestle not " against flesh and 
 blood, but against principalities," &c. 
 (Epb. vi. 10-17). " Your adversary 
 the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh 
 about," &c. (1 Pet. v. 8, 9). (2.) Ene- 
 mies in human society. The allure- 
 ments of the world ; "the deceitfulness 
 of riches ; " the temptation to substitute 
 policy for princij)le, and to sacrifice the 
 spiritual and eternal for the material 
 and temporal, &c. (3.) Enemies in our 
 own nature. " The flesh lusteth against 
 the spirit," «fec. (Gal. v. 17). Carnal 
 appetites contend against spiritual aspi- 
 rations, &c. 
 
 2. By reason of the Divine blessing. 
 " The hand of our God was upon us, 
 and He delivered," &c. He was both 
 guide and guardian to Ezra and his 
 company. And He leads and protects 
 His people in their heavenward journey. 
 " We are more than conquerors through 
 Him that loved us." " Thanks be unto 
 God, which always causeth us to triumph 
 in Christ." " He hath said, I will never 
 leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that 
 we may boldly say. The Lord is my 
 helper," &c. (Heb. xiii. 5, 6). 
 
 III. The arrival at Jerusalem. 
 " And we came to Jerusalem, and abode 
 there three days." Their arrival was 
 characterised by — 
 
 1. Grateful rest. For three days they 
 rested after their long and toilsome 
 journey. The rest would be very wel- 
 come, &c. " There remaineth a rest to 
 the people of God." In heaven the 
 Christian pilgrims " rest from their 
 labours." (c.) 
 
 " Ivost more sweet and still 
 Than ever nightfall iiave, 
 Our weary hear Is shall fill 
 
 lu the land beyond the grave." 
 
 2. Joyful u'elcome. ]\Iany of the pil- 
 grims in Ezra's company had relatives in 
 Jerusalem, persons who had gone up there 
 
 with Zerubbabel, or the children of such 
 persons, and heartily would they wel- 
 come their newly-arrived kinsfolk. Have 
 we not kinsfulk in the " better country " 
 who wait to greet us on our arrival 
 there 1 We are not journeying to a 
 strange land, but to our "Father's 
 house." Many of our loving and be- 
 loved ones are already there, and wait 
 to welcome us into their shiidng ranks, 
 and sacred services, and delightful so- 
 ciety. And when once we are united 
 there, we shall part no more, (c/.) 
 
 " happy world ! glorious place ! 
 Where all who are forgiven 
 Shall find their loved and lost below, 
 And heai-ts, like meeting streams, shall flow, 
 For ever one, in heaven." 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (n) The work of grace shall conquer the 
 work of depravity ; the law of the Spirit of 
 life in Christ Jesus shall set free the soul from 
 the law of sin and death. Notliing else could 
 do it, nothing external to the soul ; no out- 
 ward law of excellence could do it, nothing 
 that did not work within the soul as a living 
 principle of life and action. By this new 
 principle introduced, this new determination 
 of the will in accordance with Divine grace, 
 the man is set free from the evil dispositions 
 of the unregenerate heart, from its inbred, 
 habitual, long-clierished, long-growing, and 
 powerful corruptions ; he is set at liberty to 
 serve God out of love, no longer bound iii 
 slavery to the law of sin and death in an evil 
 nature. This is the great deliverance ; this 
 is freedom indeed ; instead of the death of 
 sin, a death to sin, a redemption from its in- 
 dwelling power by the working of an opposite 
 power of Jioliness and life, which, as Christ's 
 own life, imparted to the soul, becomes the 
 habit of the soul. But it is too low an ex;)res- 
 sion when we say imparted to the soul, for in 
 order to work this freedom, this reireneration, 
 this new crtatureship in Christ, Christ Him- 
 self takes up His abode within the soul, and 
 works in it. So the man says, this freeman 
 of Christ, " I live, yet not 1, but Christ liveth 
 in me." This new life in the soul is not only 
 a life in Christ, but the life of Christ. *' Now 
 the Lord is that Spirit ; and where the Spirit 
 of the Lord is, there is liberty," — liberty from 
 the bondage of cnrruplion, from the law of 
 sin anil death, liberty of life, lilierty of holi- 
 ness, liberty to serve God, not as a slave but 
 as a child, not with the spirit of bondage to 
 fear, but with " the spirit of adoption, whereby 
 we cry, Abba, Father." — G. B. Cheever, 1>.D. 
 
 {b) All earthly shrines shall pass away. The 
 beautiful temples shall fade into oblivion ; 
 the fanes which utter their silver melody as 
 each Sabbath dawns, awakeninsr the sweetest 
 
 ^139 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 associations of the soul and calling man from 
 cares and sorrow to God and peace, — all, all 
 shall depart. The music, so subtle and deep 
 and elevating:, shall sink into silence ; the 
 prayers, so eloquent and importunate and 
 fervid, shall cease ; the call to dying sinners, 
 and neglecters and despisers of Jesus, shall no 
 lontrer be heard. Altars and priests shall be 
 no more. And instead shall come the holiest 
 worship and the purest homage, and tlie 
 cleansed heart and the immortal body, and 
 man shall walk in that region which sin can- 
 not enter, and death cannot shadow, and pain 
 cannot touch, amid scenes of beauty and un- 
 decaying swt etness, and in that realm whose 
 King is the Lord of hosts, and whose subjects 
 are the obedient servants of their lawful 
 Monarch, and the willing children of their 
 Royal Parent. And instead of temples for 
 the hymn of homage, and the prayer of faith, 
 and the voice of persuasion, there shall bo the 
 spiritual worship of redeemed souls, and an- 
 gelic beings uttering a deeper language than 
 ever was heard on earth, and breathing a more 
 liquid hymn of tenderness than ever rose from 
 an earthly pile, and the soft and exquisite ex- 
 pression shall be fully realised: "I saw no 
 temple therein." — J. W. Lester, D.D. 
 
 Sublime beyond the reach of words to ex- 
 press is the choral service of the heavenly 
 Temple. Inspiring and thrilling are the 
 strains that rise from that mysterious mount 
 on which stands the collective Church of the 
 First-born, and wliose praise swells and flows 
 triumphantly away, till the universe is filled 
 with the hiirmony which comes "rolling back 
 full on the throne of God. "—R. Ferrjuson,LL.D. 
 
 (c) Peace is the very highest mode of joy. 
 U is the joy of rest ; and this rest partakes 
 the repose of the Divine nature. It is on 
 God that the soul is fixed, and hence she can- 
 not but enjoy the calm and the quiet of Infinite 
 Perfection. 
 
 " As the wave a ray of light receives. 
 And rests unbroken ; " 
 
 so it is the fact of each nature being in im- 
 
 mediate union with God and of His fulness 
 flowing into it, which insures its everlasting 
 re'. In such a case, unrest is impossible. 
 Here we may see a ripple on the bosom of 
 the most placid lake, but there every breast 
 is soothed into unruffled peace. The gentle 
 words of the Saviour — Fear not — addressed 
 to the spirit as she was passing through the 
 waters of death, have there deepened into the 
 tranquillity of a sinless nature, and on the 
 bosom of her God she will recline for ever. 
 
 This deep repose of soul in the world of 
 glory is not incompatible with the loftiest and 
 the most unwearied activity. Rest is often 
 confounded with sloth, and repose with indo- 
 lence. But neither indolence nor sloth can 
 exist in heaven, where the purity of each 
 individual nature involves a corresponding 
 vitality, and the vitality a corresponding acti- 
 vity. It is true that the motion of the soul 
 there is ever towards rest ; but it is no less 
 true that the rest is ever towards motion. _ In 
 seeking the one only centre of her life, it is 
 that the soul may come back replenished and 
 filled unto the fulness of God, and thus be 
 prepared to enter on new and still higher 
 spheres of service. In her moments of most 
 profound quiet, her every power is on the 
 utmost stretch and reach of efibrt. — Ihid. 
 
 (d) Thy dead men shall live ; that decaying 
 dust shall rise again. Weep not as though 
 thou hadst cast thy treasure into the sea, where 
 thou couldst never find it ; thou hast only laid 
 it by in a casket, whence thou shalt receive it 
 again brighter than before. Thou shalt look 
 again wilh thine own eyes into those eyes 
 which have spoken love to thee so often, but 
 which are now closed in sepulchral darkness. 
 Thy child shall see thee yet again ; thou shalt 
 know thy child ; the selfsame form shall rise. 
 Thy departed friend shall come back to thee, 
 and having loved his Lord as thou dost, thou 
 shalt rejoice with him in the land where they 
 die no more. It is but a short parting ; it 
 will be an eternal meeting. For ever with 
 the Lord, we shall also be for ever with each 
 other. Let us comfort one another, then, 
 with these words. — C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 At Jerusalem : The Faithful SuRRE^^DER of Important Trusts. 
 
 {Verses 33-36.) 
 
 We have here — 
 
 I. A sacred trust faithfully dis- 
 charged. " Now on the fourth day 
 was the silver and the gold and the 
 vessels weighed in the house of our 
 God," &c. (vers. 33, 34). This trust 
 ■was discharged — 
 
 1. With minute accuracy and reverent 
 care. Notice — 1. The particular accu- 
 racy with which everything was ac- 
 counted for. Everything was — (1) 
 140 
 
 weighed. " The silver and the ^ gold 
 and the vessels were weighed," &c. 
 " By weight of every one." (2.) Num- 
 bered. "By number and by weight 
 of every one." (3.) Inventoried. " And 
 all the weight was written at that time." 
 2. The reverent care with which these 
 treasures were delivered up. This is 
 indicated— (1.) In the sacred place in 
 which they were delivered. "In the 
 house of our God." (2.) By the conse- 
 
HUMlhUTW LUDlMJilSTAHY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. Vltl. 
 
 crated persons to whom they were de- 
 livered. " By tlie hand of Mirenioth 
 the son of Uriah the priest," &c. It 
 appears from ver. 29 tliat " the chief of 
 the priests and Levites and the chief of 
 the fathers of Israel " were also present 
 at the time, (a.) 
 
 2. With a grateful sense of relief. It 
 seems to us that the twelve priests and 
 the twelve Levites, who had charge of 
 these treasures during the long and 
 perilous journey, must have felt relieved 
 and thankful when the journey was con- 
 cluded in safety, and the treasures were 
 surrendered entire and inviolate. Blessed 
 is he who, in relation to the trusts of life, 
 will be able to render as satisfactory an 
 account as this ! Blessed who at the 
 end of life's journey will be able to say, 
 " Lord, Thou deliveredst unto me five 
 talents," &c. (Matt. xxv. 20, 21). Or, 
 ■with St. Paul, "I have fought a good 
 fight," etc. (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). {h.) 
 
 II. Divine worsMp devoutly oflfered. 
 " The children of those that had been 
 carried away, which were come out of 
 the captivity, ofifered burnt offerings 
 unto the God of Israel," &c. In these 
 sacrifices there was — 
 
 1. An achioivledgvient of sin and of 
 the need of atonement icith God. They 
 " offered twelve he - goats for a sin 
 offering." 
 
 2. An expression of thanlfuliiess and 
 self -consecration. They " offered twelve 
 bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six 
 rams, seventy and seven lambs ; all this 
 was a burnt offering unto the Lord." 
 
 3. An indication of the unity of the 
 twelve tribes of Israel. A sin offering 
 and a burnt offering was offered for each 
 of the twelve tribes. " Offered burnt 
 offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve 
 bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six 
 (8 X 12) rams, twelve he-goats for a sin 
 offering." (For further notes on the 
 significance of these sacrifices, seehomilies 
 on chaps, iii, 1-3, vi. 16-18; and for 
 illustrations, see those accompanying the 
 above-mentioned homilies.) 
 
 III. The royal letters duly delivered. 
 "And they delivered the king's commis- 
 sions unto the king's lieutenants," kc. 
 
 1. The delivery of these letters was an 
 evidence of loyalty to the Persian govern- 
 
 ment. It was an acknowledgment of the 
 authority of Artaxerxes the king, and of 
 his ofiicers west of the Euphrates. The 
 same Word which commands us to "fear 
 God" commands us also to " honour the 
 king" (1 Pet. ii. 13-17). "Put them 
 in mind to be subject to principal ities 
 and powers, to obey magistrates." " Let 
 every soul be subject unto the higher 
 powers," &c. (Rom. xiii. 1-7). 
 
 2. The time of their delivery was an. 
 evidence of their supreme . regard for 
 Jehovah their God. First, they gave up 
 the sacred vessels and treasures for the 
 worship of Jehovah ; then they presented 
 to Him their humble and grateful sacri- 
 fices, and then they delivered the king's 
 commissions unto the king's officers. 
 Our loyalty to the earthly sovereign 
 must be subordinate to our reverence 
 for God. To Him must be given our 
 highest, holiest affections, and our con- 
 stant and complete obedience. 
 
 IV. Valuable help promptly ren- 
 dered. "The king's lieutenants and 
 governors on this side the river fur- 
 thered the people, and the house of 
 God." They carried out the behests of 
 the king expressed in tlie letters which 
 Ezra delivered to them. Thus the journey 
 of Ezra came to a very satisfactory and 
 successful issue, 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (or) Many fill their life with regrets for being 
 confined to such a narrow sphere of usefulness. 
 If tliey only were in the ministerial office, or 
 had millions of money, they would do so and 
 so ; hut what can an ordinary labourer, a poor 
 Sunday-school teacher, accomplish? Friend, 
 be content to serve God where He has placed 
 you ; for there precisely you can accomplish 
 the most. It is better to make the best of 
 what you have than to fret and pout for what 
 you have not. Tlie man with one talent is 
 never accountable for five ; but for his one he 
 must give as strict an account as the other 
 for his five. It may require more humility to 
 husband one talent than five ; and, so far as 
 the improvement or misimprovement of either 
 is concerned, they are both equally important 
 in the sight of God. The king's million and 
 the widow's mite are worth the same with the 
 Etei-nal.— Diet, of Illust. 
 
 yh) " Well done, good and faithful servant, 
 enter thou into the joy of tliy Lord." Oh 
 blissful sentence ! Words of unutterable, in- 
 conceivable infport ! Language of condescend- 
 
 141 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 ing grace, not now to be comprehended ! To the most obscure, and illiterate, and humble 
 
 be acknowledged before the assembled uni- Christians on earth. It is not the service of 
 
 verse, not only as His servants, but His good official station merely that is alluded to, but 
 
 and faithful servants. To be told that we the service of personal religion. Christ is as 
 
 have served Him faithfully, and told it from truly served by the most retired believer, 
 
 the throne of His glory ! To hear Him say though not as publicly, nor as extensively, as 
 
 "Well done!" and liave the plaudit rever- by the most popular and successful preacher, 
 
 berated in teti thousand times ten thousand It is the service of faith, patience, self-denial, 
 
 echoes from the lips of admiring and adoring suffering, mortification, that is to be rewarded ; 
 
 angels, till heaven rings with the sound, "Well the service of a devoted heart and a holy life 
 
 done, well done, thou faithful servant of tlie that is to be thus honoured and blessed, wlie- 
 
 Laml)!" Nor is tliis all. "Enter thou into ther the man wlio performs it follows Christ 
 
 tlie joy of tliy Lord." " Come into the same in the retirement of a private or the activities 
 
 place, yea, into tlie same joy. Come and of a public station. It is true the reward will 
 
 dwell with Me, and have one felicity common be in proportion to the service, and the degrees 
 
 to both." of glory according to the degrees of grace; 
 
 This reward will be bestowed on all His but all faithful servants will be rewarded by 
 
 faithful servants without exception. It belongs admission to the presence and service and 
 
 not to apostles merely, nor to martyrs, re- enjoyment of Christ in heaven. — J.A.James. 
 formers, missionaries, and ministeis ; but to 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Critical and Explanatory Notes.] \Ve now come to the social and religious reformation 
 effected by Ezra amongst the Jews who had previously returned to their own land (chaps, ix. 
 and X.). And in this chapter we have — (i.) The complaint of the princes to Ezra concerning 
 the mingling of the people of Israel with the idolatrous people of the lands (vers. I and 2). 
 (ii.) The great amazement and grief of Ezra because of this (vers. 3 and 4). (iii.) The con- 
 fession and prayer of Ezra for the people of Israel (vers. 5-15). 
 
 Ver. 1. Now when these things were done] Some time seems to have elapsed between the 
 events recorded in chap. viii. and those narrated in chap. ix. Ezra and his company arrived 
 in Jerusalem " on the first day of the fifth month " (chap. vii. 1^'), and on the fourth day of 
 that month they delivered up the treasures in the Temple, and oflered burnt offerings and sin 
 offerings unto the Lord God (chap. viii. 32-35). The next note of time is in chap. x. 9 : " It 
 was the ninth month and the twentieth day of the month "when the great assembly took place 
 at Jerusalem. This assembly had been summoned three days previously. So that tliere seems 
 to have been an interval of more than four months between the arrival at Jerusalem and the 
 events related in chaps, ix. and x. Probably some portion of this time was occupied in making 
 arrangements with the king's satraps and governors (chap. viii. 36). The people of the lands] 
 are the dwellers in the adjacent districts, who are afterwards mentioned. Doing according to 
 their abominations] It is better to omit "doing," which has been unnecessarily supplied by 
 the translators of the A.V. " Have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, 
 according to their abominations, (even) of the Canaanites," &c. Or, " in respect of their 
 abominations, (even) of," &c. The Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites.the Jebusites] were 
 descendants of the ancient Canaanites, whom Israel failed to exterminate, and who were not 
 carried into captivity with the Israelites, but remained in some parts of Palestine. The Am- 
 monites, the Moabites] dwelt on the east. The Egyptians and the Amorites] on the south. 
 
 Ver. 2. The holy seed] The expression is probably taken from Isa. vi. 13. By calling, by 
 covenant, and by profession the Israelites were a separate people, a holy people (see Exod. xix. 
 5-8 ; xxxiii. 16 ; chap. vi. 20, 21). Have mingled themselves with the people of the lands] 
 tluis violating an express command of the Lord their God (Dent. vii. 1-4}. Yea, the hand of 
 the princes and rulers have been chief] &c., i.e. the upper classes were the first to transgress 
 in this respect. 
 
 Ver. 3. I rent my garment and my mantle] As an indication of his great grief and horror, 
 he rent lioth bis outer and inner garments. The custom was a very ancient and a very common 
 one for expressing sorrow, and is frequentlv mentioned in the Bible (see Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34 ; 
 Josh. vii. 6 ; 1 Sam. iv. 12 ; 2 Sam. i. 11 ; 2 Kings ii. 12 ; Job i. 20, et al.) And plucked off 
 the hair of my head and of my beard] This also was expressive of grief, horror, and moral 
 indignation. To shave the head in great sorrow was not unfrequent amongst the Jews (Job i. 
 20) ; but this is the only example in the canonical Scriptures of a person plucking out his 
 own hair by the roots in grief and indignation. And sat down astonied] or "benumbed, 
 stunned." — Fuerst. 
 
 Ver. 4. Every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel] &c. They trembled 
 in their alarm because of the ]iuiiishments tlireatened in the law of God for such transgressions 
 as had been committed. I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice] Inasmuch as business 
 142 
 
nOMlLETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 is generally transacted in the mornins: in the East, the princes in all probability made their 
 complaint to K/ra in the forenoon, in which case he sat stunned and silent for several hours. 
 
 Ver. 5. I arose up from my heaviness] Rather, as in muririn : " aiHictioii." Fuerst : 
 " self-alHiciion." Keil : " niortilieatioii, or humiliation." And having rent my garment 
 and my mantle] This does not refer to the former reading (ver. 3). For the second lime 
 he expresses his s,n-ief and horror in this manner. , , , 
 
 Ver. 6. I am ^ashamed and blush to lift up my face] &c. Keil : "I am ashnmed, and 
 am covered with shame, to lift up," &c. The same words are used toirether m Isa. xlv. 16 ; 
 Jer. xxxi. 19 ; and other places. Our trespass is grown up unto the heavens] Margm : " our 
 cuiitiness." Keil : " our guiltiness is great, (reaching) unto the heavens." (Comp, 2 Chron. 
 
 ^^Ver 7 Since the days of our fathers] This expression may be taken as reaching back to 
 the time when their failiers came out of E-ypt ; but it seems probable that Ezra meant by it. 
 since the time when under their kinars idolatry and idolatrous customs were practised amonirst 
 them. To confusion of face] (comp. 2 Chron. xxii. 21 ; Dan. ix. 7, 8). As tt is this day] 
 Thev were then in suljection to Artaxerxes. , , , , - 
 
 Vtr 8 For a little space] or, a " little moment." The eighty years that bad elapsed since 
 the emancipation by Cvrus he speaks of as "a little moment," as compared either "with the 
 lon>' period of sufferiiig from the times of the Assyrians (comp. Neh. ix. 32) till the reign of 
 Cvrus" (Keil) or with"" the long enjoyment of Divine favour from Abraham to Zedekiah 
 (Kawlinson). ' A remnant to escape] Keil :" rescued remnant." Those who had returned to 
 the lind of their fathers were but " a remnant " as compared with the numerous population of 
 former dnys. And to give us a nail in His holy place] Margin : "or, a pin : that is a con- 
 stant and sure abode." Fuerst : " nn^ = a ycg, nail, driven into the wall (Isa. xxu. 25 ; 
 Ezek XV 3) • a tent pin, to which a tent [s fastened (Judg. iv. 21 ; Exod. xxvii. 19) ; the fasten- 
 iiicr bein- used as an imasre of being established (Isa. xxii. 23) ; of remaining (Kzra ix. 8). for 
 which -na stands in ix. 9." Ezra seems to have regarded the Temple as a pledge of their per- 
 manence, and a means of increased life and vigour ; for he goes on to say : that our God may 
 
 lighten our eyes] &e. „ mi t-n v„„t *r. 
 
 Ver 9 For we were bondmen] Rather, " we are bondmen." They were still subject to 
 the Persian kin- (Jnlv as leirards the exercise of their religion were they granted independ- 
 ence And to give us a wall] &c. This must be understood figuratively ; for the walls of 
 Jerusalem were not yet rebuilt (see Neh. i. 3 ; ii. 13). God had disposed the Persian kings, 
 Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, to protect them in the possession of their country and capital. 
 The wall is a fi'^-iire of defence, safety, and continuance. _ 
 
 Vers 11 12 Which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets, saymg, The 
 landl &c 'This is not a verbal quotation, but a statement which correctly represents many 
 passages of Scripture (see Exod. xxiii. 32, 33, xxxiv. 12-16 ; Lev. xviii. 24-30 ; Dent. vu. 1-4, 
 
 ""^Ver^'lS 'nast punished us less than our iniquities deserve] The last word is supplied 
 by the translatori of the A.V. Margin: " Heb. 'hast withheld beneath^ our iniquities. 
 Fuerst : " Thou hast delivered (us) bdow our iniquities, i.e. undervaluing our iniquity Keil: 
 
 "Thou hast spared us more than our iniquity deserved." Or, " 1 hou hast checked, hast 
 slopped, beneath our iniquities." Though not a close rendering of the Hebrew, the A.V 
 gives the meaning of it. And hast given us such deUverance as this] Rather, Thou hast 
 given us (such) a remnant as this." , . , , r n a +„ ^^„o„ 
 
 Ver 15. Thou art righteous] " Ezra appeals to the righteousness of God, . . . to rouse 
 the conscience of the community, to point out to them what, after this relapse into their old 
 abominations, they had to expect from the justice of God."-Ked. Or, he acknowledges the 
 justice of God in His dealin-s with them, by which they were reduced to a mere remnant. For 
 we cannot stand before Thee because of this] (comp. Ps. Ixxvi. 7 ; cxxx. 3). 
 
 The Good Man's Sorrow over the People's Sin. 
 
 (Verses 1-4.) 
 
 -^Qtlce • selves from the people of the lands, 
 
 I The painful communication made according to their abominations," &c. 
 
 to Ezra " Now when these thhigs The men of Israel had taken wives of 
 
 were done, the princes came to me, say^ the idolatrous Canaanites and other 
 
 inc" &c (vers 1,2). Information is heathen peoples. (1.) Ihis was a po.si- 
 
 heTe given to Ezra- tive transgression of a plain and oft- 
 
 1 Of a qreat sin committed. " The repeated command (see Exod. xxiii. 
 
 people of Israel, and the priests, and 31-33, xxxiv. 12-16 ; Dent. vu. 1-4; 
 
 the Levites, have not separated them- Josh, xxiii.- 12, 13). (2.) It was a pen- 
 
 1 •x<J 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 lous transgression. Every sin is peri- 
 lous. But this one was especially so. 
 The foreign and idolatrous wives were 
 likely to lead their husbands into their 
 sinful customs ; and yet more likely to 
 train up their children in them. This 
 was expressly pointed out to them by 
 Moses : " They will turn away thy son 
 from following Me. that they may serve 
 other gods," &c. (Deut. vii. 4). Their 
 ])revious history contained evidence pain- 
 fully abundant and conclusive of the 
 danger of these prohibited marriages. 
 Even Solomon, notwithstanding his great 
 wisdom and that he was so richly blessed 
 by God, erred greatly and sadly through 
 the influence of heathen wives. " His 
 ■^vives turned away his heart after other 
 gods" (1 Kings xi. 1-13). And this 
 sin the Jews who had returned to their 
 own land were guilty of. 
 
 2. Of the prevalence of this sin. No 
 ■class of the community was free from 
 it. " The people of Israel, and the 
 priests, and the Levites " (ver. 1) were 
 all guilty of it. The evil was general 
 in the community. 
 
 3. Of the aggravations of their sin. 
 (1.) " The priests and the Levites " (ver. 
 1), whose business it was to teach the 
 law and promote obedience to it, were 
 themselves guilty of violating it in this 
 respect. The law for the regulation of 
 the marriages of priests was particularly 
 strict (Lev. xxi. 7, 13, 14); and by 
 reason of this and of their sacred char- 
 acter and calling, their marriages with 
 heathen wives were especially reprehen- 
 sible. (2.) The princes and rulers were 
 foremost in the offence. " Yea, the 
 hand of the princes and rulers hath been 
 chief in this trespass." It was their 
 duty to have maintained and enforced 
 the observance of the law, yet they took 
 the lead in violating it. Other and 
 greater princes had done the same evil 
 thing; e.g., Solomon, Ahab, et al. 
 Again, the eminence of their position 
 would impart great force to their ex- 
 ample, and it was their duty to see that 
 the excellence of the latter corresponded 
 with the eminence of the former; but 
 it was the opposite of this. In this 
 matter, at least, their example was as 
 pernicious as it was influential, (a.) 
 
 144 
 
 This distressing communication was 
 made to Ezra by persons of unimpeach- 
 able credibility. They were in respon- 
 sible positions — " princes ; " — and in 
 making this statement, if they did not 
 impeach themselves, they certainly im- 
 peached their order. It is probable 
 that they had been stirred up to do so 
 by the influence of Ezra. During the 
 four months which had passed since his 
 arrival at Jerusalem, he had been in- 
 quiring into the condition of the people 
 (comp. chap. vii. 14), and the adminis- 
 tration of justice, and the measure of 
 their acquaintance with the law (comix 
 chap. vii. 25, 26) ; he had also pro- 
 bably been expounding and applying the 
 law ; and the result was, that the minds 
 of these princes were enlightened, their 
 consciences were aroused to a sense of 
 the sin which had been committed, and 
 they w^ent to Ezra and made known to 
 him the sin which was so general in the 
 comniuiiit}'. 
 
 IL The effect which this communi- 
 cation produced upon Ezra. " And 
 when I heard this thing, I rent my gar- 
 ment and my mantle," &,c. (ver. 3). 
 The statement caused Ezra — 
 
 1. Great amazement. "I sat down 
 astonied " — stunned. Domestic life in 
 the East is characterised by great pri- 
 vacy ; so that Ezra in making inquiries 
 into the state of the people might well 
 have been ignorant as to the occupants 
 of the apartments of the women. The 
 statement of the princes was quite a 
 revelation to him, and filled him with 
 bitter astonishment. The sins of reli- 
 gious people in our day might well utterly 
 amaze a really godly man. 
 
 2. Deep grief. " I rent my garment 
 and my mantle." The usual mode of ex- 
 pressing sorrow amongst Eastern peoples 
 was by tearing the garment. The tear- 
 ing both the outer and the inner garments 
 may betoken the intensity of Ezra's dis- 
 tress. The prevalence of iniquity is ever 
 a source of pain to the godly. It was so 
 to the Psalmist : " I beheld the trans- 
 gressors, and was grieved ; because they 
 kept not Thy word. Rivers of waters 
 run down mine eyes," &c. (Ps. cxix. 158, 
 136). And to Jeremiah : " Oh that my 
 head were waters," ifec. (Jer. ix. 1 ; xiv. 
 
II OM I LET 10 COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 17). Ill fares it with tlie sovil when we 
 can contemplate sin withont sorrow. 
 
 3. Intense moraliiidignaLion. "I rent 
 my garment and my mantle, and phicked 
 oti' the bair of my head and of my beard, 
 and sat down astonied." Thus he ex- 
 ])ressed not only his surprise and grief, 
 but also his utter abhorrence of the sin 
 of which they were guilty. God has 
 declared His hatred of sin (Jer. xliv. i); 
 and as His servants grow in likeness to 
 Him, their hatred of sin will also grow. 
 We may not hate the sinner ; while we 
 condemn we may also jjity him ; but it 
 behoves us to regard sin with repugnance 
 And anger. 
 
 III. The effect of Ezra's grief upon 
 others. "Then were assembled unto 
 lue every one that trembled at the words 
 of the God of Israel," &c. Thus the 
 •distress of Ezra — 
 
 1. Excited their alarm. They "trem- 
 bled at the words of the God of Israel, 
 because of the transgression of those 
 that had been carried away." They 
 were filled with fear lest the judgments 
 pronounced upon those who were guilty 
 of this sin should be inflicted upon them. 
 They could not do otherwise than regard 
 with consternation that which afflicted 
 Ezra with so much distress. 
 
 2. Attracted them unto Idm. Every 
 one who thus trembled at the words of 
 God assembled unto Ezra. Some might 
 have been drawn to him by curiosity ; 
 but certainly they who were alarmed 
 because of the threatened punishments 
 were not of the number. Tiiey came to 
 him moved by dee]3 concern on account 
 of the guilt contracted, and by sympathy 
 with his sorrow because of it. And he 
 <ind they remained apparently speechless 
 for a considerable time — probably for 
 three or four hours. Emotions are some- 
 times too deep to find expression in words. 
 At such times silence is more expressive 
 than even the most mighty and moving 
 words (comp. Job ii. 13). Mark the 
 power of one true and good man to in- 
 fluence others beneficially. The sorrow 
 of such a man is deeply impressive ; it 
 awakens serious reflection, &c. And 
 liis moral indignation goes far to carry 
 conviction of the sinfulness of that which 
 enkindles it. (6). 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 1. Separatio7i from the world is ohli- 
 fjatory XLpon the true Christian. We do 
 not by this mean neglect of the secular 
 duties of life. " Let every man abide in 
 the same calling wherein he was called." 
 " Diligent in business." In business the 
 Christian must associate with the worldly. 
 Nor do we mean separation from political 
 parties and pursuits. As citizens we 
 have duties which we may not neglect 
 without sin. Nor yet, retirement from 
 the world into seclusion. " I pray not," 
 said our Lord, "That thou shouldest take 
 them out of the world," &c. We mean 
 separation from the aims, principles, 
 siiirit, and society of the world. And 
 this not from any Pharisaic conceit of 
 our moral superiority, but for our own 
 safety and usefulness, and for the honour 
 of God. "Wherefore come out from 
 among them, and be ye separate," &c. 
 (2 Cor. vi. 14-18). (c). 
 
 2. Sin in others should be regarded by 
 the true Christian xvith xinfevjned sorrow, 
 and. reprobation of the sin. See how 
 Ezra grieved ! how our Lord wept over 
 guilty Jerusalem ! (d). 
 
 3. Sin in the avowed people of God is 
 especially heinous and mournful. Their 
 privileges are greater than those of the 
 world, consequently their obligations 
 also are greater, and their sin involves 
 a darker guilt. It is a greater dishonour 
 to God ; it checks the progress of His 
 cause and kingdom, tkc. 
 
 4. Therefore it behoves Christians to 
 give all diligence to walk holily and U7i- 
 blamably before God and before men. 
 " Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord." 
 Let us take heed that we be not found 
 false witnesses. " Ye are the salt of the 
 earth," &c. (Matt. v. 13-16). (e). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) If a man could be wicked and a villain 
 to himself alone, the mischief would be so 
 much the more tolerable. ]5ut the case is 
 much otherwise. The plague flies abroad and 
 attacks the innocent neighbourhood. The 
 guilt of tlie crime liglits iijton one, but the 
 example of it swaj's a multitude, especially if 
 the criminal be of any note or eminence in 
 the world. For the fall of such an one by any 
 temptation (l)e it never so plausilile) is like that 
 of a principal stone, or stately jjillar, tumbling 
 from a lofij' edifice into the deep mire of the 
 K 145 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 street : it does not only plunge and sink into 
 the black dirt itself, but it also dashes and be- 
 spatters all that are about or near it when it 
 falls. Was it not thus with Samson, who, of 
 a judge of Israel, and a terror to his enemies, 
 a man all made up of miracle, rendered him- 
 self both the shame of the former and the 
 contempt of the latter; a scolF and a by word 
 to all the nations round about him (as every 
 vicious and voluptuous prince must needs be); 
 and all this by surrendering up his strength, 
 his reason, and his royal trust to the charms 
 of a brutish temptation, which quickly trans- 
 formed and made him a more stupendous 
 miracle of folly and weakness than ever he 
 had been of strength ; and a greater disgrace 
 to his country than ever he had been a defence ; 
 or, in a word, from a judge of Israel, a woeful 
 judgment upon it ? And was it not thus also 
 with David? This was the worst and most 
 killing consequence of the temptation which 
 he fell by (2 Sam. xii. 14), that he had by that 
 enormous act "given great occasion to the 
 enemies of the Lord to blaspheme." And no 
 doubt the religion he professed, as well as the 
 sin he had committed, was thereupon made 
 " the song of the drunkards ; " and many a 
 biting jeer was obliquely cast at one, as well 
 as directly levelled at the other. — R. South, 
 D.D. 
 
 (6) The Christian ought to clear a space for 
 himself wherever he goes. Little children, 
 humble hearts, mourning souls, reverent, 
 noble, heavenly - minded persons ought to 
 come round him and say, " Welcome in God's 
 name. Don't leave us ; abide with us a long 
 while." But knaves and hypocrites, people 
 who are rolling iniquity under their tongue as 
 a sweet morsel — masked people — ought to feel 
 terribly uncomfortable when a Christian man 
 comes among them. They ought to know 
 him from afar. There should be surrounding 
 him a kind of atmosphere in which men that 
 are evil cannot breathe and live — the knave 
 should shrink away from liis sight ; the coward 
 should hide himself in the lowest and vilest 
 dust ; and- the man who was contemplating 
 some keen, clever stroke, in which there 
 should be dishonour and injustice, should feel 
 himself paralysed, disabled, half-damned, in 
 the presence of a man whose soul is afire with 
 Divine truth. — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (c) The Jewish law shadowed out an ever- 
 lasting truth. God's people are an exclusive 
 nation ; God's Church is for ever separated 
 from the world. This is her charter, " Come 
 out from among them, and be ye separate, 
 saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean 
 thing ; and I will receive you, and will be a 
 Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and 
 daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." God's 
 people may break that charter, but they do it 
 at their own peril. And we may be very sure 
 of this, when a religious person begins to feel 
 an inclination for intimate communion with 
 the world, and begins to break down that 
 146 
 
 barrier which is the line of safety, the first 
 step is made of a series of long, dark wander- 
 ings from God. We are to be separate, 
 brethren, from the world. Mistake not the 
 meaning of that word. The world changes 
 its complexion in every age. Solomon's world 
 was the nations of idolatry lying round Israel. 
 Our world is not that. The world is tliat 
 collection of men in every age who live only 
 according to the maxims of their time. The 
 world may be a profligate world, or it may be 
 a moral world. All that is a matter of acci- 
 dent. Our world is a moral world. The sons 
 of our world are not idolaters, they are not 
 profligate, they are, it maybe, among the most 
 fascinating of mankind. Their society is 
 more pleasing, more lively, more diversified 
 in information than religious society. No 
 marvel if a young and ardent heart feels the 
 spell of the fascination. No wonder if it feels 
 a relief in turning away from the dulness and 
 the monotxjny of home life to the sparklin<r 
 brilliancy of the world's society. . . . And 
 yet now, pause. . . . The Christian must 
 leave the world alone. His blessedness lies 
 in quiet work with the Israel of God. His 
 home in that deep, unruffled tranquillity 
 which belongs to those who are trying to 
 know Christ.— i^. W. Robertson, M.A. 
 
 (d) You must learn to be good haters — but 
 not of men. You do not need anything to 
 instruct you on that point. You are too good 
 in that already. You are to abhor evil. Ah ! 
 there are hundreds of men that know how to 
 hate men, where there is one that knows how 
 to love a man and hate evil. Because evil is 
 oflTensive to God, because it is repugnant to 
 the innate delicacy of every moral sentiment, 
 because it wastes you, because it wastes your 
 neighbour, because it is hurtful to society, 
 because every benevolent instinct requires that 
 you should hate that which is the common foe 
 of all mankind, therefore you should hate evil. 
 We are to hate all qualities and actions which 
 corrupt the individual, which injure manhood 
 in man; all that creates sorrow or suffering, 
 or tends to do it. In short, we are to take our 
 beginning in the law of God ; and being filled 
 with goodwill toward every living creature, 
 that spirit breathing itself like summer 
 throughout, we are to hate, come from what 
 quarter it may, everything that injures society, 
 that injures men in the mass, or that injures 
 men in their individual capacity. Whether 
 it be in their bodies, their souls, or their estate, 
 whatever works mischief to mankind, you are 
 to be its enemy. The want of this moral re- 
 bound, and of this indignation, will be found 
 to be ruinous. The presence of it is whole- 
 some. The absence of it is effeminating. It 
 destroys the individual to whom it is lacking, 
 and it is mischievous to the community in 
 which it is lacking. — //. W. Beecher. 
 
 (e) It is recorded of Alexander the Great, 
 that a soldier was reported to him as having 
 betrayed great cowardice on a particular occa- 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 sion, on which Alexander called him to him 
 and asked his name. On licaring tiiat his 
 name was Alexatuler, lie upbraided him with 
 the dishonour that he hrouLrht on such a 
 name, and entreated him either to change his 
 manners or to change his name, asking him 
 how he could dare, while known as Alexander, 
 to act unworthily ? And shall not the Chris- 
 tian remember the liigh and holy name by 
 which he is called, and dread encountering 
 
 the guilt and meanness of dishonouring his 
 Head, who was " lioly, harmless, undefiled, 
 separate from sinners " ? Tliat mime, in its 
 very signification, tells him tliat he is related 
 to the anointed One, and that (as tlie name 
 implies) all His members, in their measure 
 and degree, are anointed ones. How sliall 
 tliey who take this sacred unction upon them 
 dare to dishonour this name, and so sin against 
 Christ \—H. G. Halter. 
 
 The Good Man's Confession of the People's Sin. 
 
 {Verses b-\ 5.) 
 
 We have here — 
 
 I. Deep personal shame and sorrow 
 on account of tlie sins of the people. 
 
 These feelings Ezra expresses by — 
 
 1. A symbolical action. " And at the 
 evening sacrifice I arose up from my heavi- 
 ness, and rent my garments and my man- 
 tle." Thus before the assembled people 
 he proclaims the grief and moral indig- 
 nation with which he regarded their sin. 
 
 2. A suggestive attitude. " I fell upon 
 my knees, and spread out my hands 
 unto the Lord my God." The posture 
 indicates deep humiliation before God 
 and earnest supplication unto Him. 
 
 3. An explicit avoival. Ezra said, 
 " O my God, I am ashamed and blush 
 to lift up my face to Thee, my God." 
 In this avowal notice — (1.) The shame- 
 fulness of sin. " Sin is a reproach to 
 any people." It is an " abominable 
 thing." (2.) The good man is ashamed 
 because of the sin of others. He feels 
 the dishonour which is offered by it 
 to .God, and the ingratitude, folly, and 
 wickedness of those who commit it. 
 He cannot be an unmoved spectator of 
 the workers of iniquity. The know- 
 ledge of human wickedness affects him 
 as it did Ezra, or leads him to cry with 
 the Psalmist, " Horror hath taken hold 
 upon me because of the wicked that 
 forsake Thy law." (3.) The good man 
 is specially conscious of the shamefulness 
 of sin when he draws near to God in 
 worship. In the light of His presence 
 the exceeding deformity and heinous- 
 Mess of .sin are painfully clear ; and the 
 godly soul, burdened in feeling with the 
 iniquities of others, is ashamed to lift itp 
 his face to God. (Comp.Isa. vi. 1-5.) («). 
 
 II. Humble confession of the sins of 
 the people. Ezra confesses — 
 
 1. The great accumulation of their 
 sins. " Our iniquities are increased 
 over our head, and our trespass is grown 
 up into the heavens." The idea seems 
 to be that their iniquities, like waves 
 of the sea, rolled over them threatening 
 to overwhelm them; and their guilt 
 was piled up to the very heavens. The 
 confession of the Psalmist is similar : 
 " Mine iniquities are gone over mine 
 head," &c. (Ps. xxxviii. 4). " Mine 
 iniquities have taken hold upon me," 
 &c. (Ps. xl. 12). 
 
 2. The long contimiance of their sins. 
 " Since the days of our fathers have we 
 been in a great trespass unto this day." 
 From generation to generation they had 
 been a perverse and rebellious people. 
 A sad continuity in sin characterised 
 their history. 
 
 3. The sore aggravations of their sins. 
 (1.) That they had been committed not- 
 withstanding the Divine judgments. 
 " For our iniquities have we, our kings 
 and our priests, been delivered into the 
 hands of the kings of the lands, to the 
 sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and 
 to confusion of face, as it is this day." 
 God had visited them with heavy judg- 
 ments, but they had not turned from 
 their iniquities. He had severely re- 
 proved them, but they were not re- 
 formed. As a people they had sufiered 
 long and sorely for their sins, and yet 
 they were still guilty of those sins. 
 (2.) That they had been committed not- 
 withstanding the Divine mercies. Of 
 these several are mentioned by Ezra, 
 (i.) Mercy in the measure of the punish- 
 ment inflicted upon them. " Thou our 
 God hast punished us less than our ini- 
 quities ^deserve." God might justly 
 have entirely forsaken them, or have 
 
 147 
 
CHAP. IS.. 
 
 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 made an utter end of them ; but in Hirf 
 wrath He had remembered mercy, (ii.) 
 Mercy in disposing the Persian mon- 
 archs to treat them with so much gene- 
 rosity. "For we were bondmen, yet 
 our God hath not forsaken us in our 
 bondage, but hath extended mercy unto 
 us in the sight of the kings of Persia," 
 &c. " The Lord stirred up the spirit 
 of Cyrus king of Persia" (chap. i. 1) 
 to grant them permission to return to 
 their fatherland. He inclined the heart 
 of Darius to treat them so favourably. 
 And it was by His good. hand upon 
 Ezra that Artaxerxes "granted him all 
 his request" (chap. vii. 6). (iii.) Mercy 
 in bringing a rescued remnant to their 
 own land again. " And now for a little 
 space grace hath been showed from the 
 Lord our God, to leave us a remnant 
 to escape," &c. A considerable remnant 
 of the people had been safely restored and 
 comfortably settled in the country given 
 by God to their fathers, (iv.) Mercy 
 in enabling them to rebuild the Temple 
 of their God. " To give us a nail in 
 His holy place," &c. "To set up the 
 house of our God, and to repair the 
 desolations thereof." For a people in 
 their circumstances this was a great 
 achievement, and a great mercy from 
 the Lord their God. To the pious 
 amongst them it would be the crowning 
 . blessing that the Temple was restored, 
 and that the ordinances of their holy 
 religion were regularly and becomingly 
 celebrated, (v.) Mercy in granting them 
 security in their own land. Two ex- 
 pressions seem to suggest this : " To 
 give us a nail in His holy place." Mar- 
 gin : " Or, ' a pin ; ' that is, a constant 
 and sure abode." " And to give us a 
 wall in Judah and Jerusalem ; " not a 
 literal wall, for as yet the walls of Jeru- 
 salem were not restored ; but a shield 
 and shelter, peace and protection. Their 
 Samaritan enemies were restrained, and 
 did not trouble them. And the officers 
 of the Persian government favoured and 
 supported them and the house of God. 
 Yet despite all these mercies, they were 
 now living in the regular practice of sin 
 against their gracious God. How black 
 the ingratitude of such conduct ! And 
 how foolish, for their sins might lead 
 148 
 
 Him to withdraw His favour from them. 
 Neither judgments nor mercies had 
 availed to restrain them from heinous 
 transgression. (3.) That they had been 
 committed against plain and positive 
 commands. " And now, O our God, 
 what shall we say after this ? for we 
 have forsaken Tliy commandments, 
 which Thou hast commanded by Thy 
 servants, the propliets," &c. (vers. 10- 
 12, and see Explanatory Notes on them). 
 They could not plead ignorance or un- 
 certainty of the law as an excuse for 
 their evil doings. (4.) That they had 
 been committed against commands the 
 reasons of which had been clearly set 
 before them. It had been shown to 
 them that obedience to these commands 
 was necessary for — (i.) The maintenance 
 of their ]iower. " That ye may be 
 strong." (Comp. Deut. xi. 8.) As they 
 mingled with the heathen they lost 
 strength and courage, (ii.) Their en- 
 joyment of the produce of the land. 
 " And eat the good of the land." (Comp. 
 Isa. i. 19.) They should eat it, and not 
 strangers. They should eat it in peace 
 and happiness, (iii.) Their continued 
 possession of the land. "And leave it 
 for an inheritance to your children for 
 ever." (Comp. Deut. xi. 9 ; Prov. xiii. 
 22 ; Ezek. xxxvii. 25.) Their separa- 
 tion from the heathen was necessary to 
 their secure possession of their country. 
 Thus, these commands were not arbi- 
 trary, but reasonable ; and the reasons 
 for them were stated. Obedience would 
 have been both rational and advanta- 
 geous; it was both their duty and their 
 interest. Yet they transgressed these 
 commands. No obligation seemed strong 
 enough to bind them to their duty in 
 this respect ; no motive adequate to 
 constrain them to obedience. Most 
 persistent and most aggravated were 
 their sins. (6). 
 
 III. A solemn anticipation of the 
 consequence of the continuance of the 
 sins of the people. " And after all that 
 is come upon us for our evil deeds, 
 and for our great trespass," &c. (vers. 
 13-15). 
 
 1. Continuance in sin would lead to 
 their utter end as a community. " And 
 after all that is come upon us for our 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENT A R Y : EZRA . 
 
 evil deeds, and for our great trespass, 
 seeing that Thou our God bast punished 
 us less than our iniquities deserve, and 
 hast given us sucli deliverance as this; 
 should we again break Thy command- 
 ments, and join in affinity with the 
 people of these abt)minations, wouldest 
 not Tliou be angry with us till Thou 
 hadst consumed us, so that there should 
 be no remnant nor escaping ? " This in- 
 quiry does not denote doubt, but cer- 
 tainty. Looking at God's commands to 
 them, and His past dealings with them, 
 Ezra was convinced that if they persisted 
 in these sinful alliances God would bring 
 them to an utter end. 
 
 2. That such a consequence of cnntimi- 
 ance -in sin would be just. " O Lord 
 God of Israel, Thou art righteous," &c. 
 (ver. 15). In His past dealings with 
 them God had been just and merciful. 
 He would still be just towards them. 
 They Avere guilty before Him ; they had 
 nothing to plead in extenuation of their 
 sins, but must leave themselves in His 
 hands. 
 
 3. 27iat such a consequence of continu- 
 ance in sin ivas to he dreaded. This is 
 quite clear from the close of Ezra's 
 humble, appeal to God (vers. 13-15). 
 If sin be not truly repented of its con- 
 sequences will be found to be dreadful. 
 " Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth 
 death." " He that soweth to the flesh 
 shall of the flesh reap corruption." " The 
 wicked is driven away in his wicked- 
 ness." 
 
 Leabn : 
 
 1. The great evil of sin. It is evil in 
 itself ; it is a great wrong against God ; 
 it is terrible in its consequences, &c. (c). 
 
 2. The grand hope of the sinner. God 
 is merciful as well as just. The greatest 
 sinner, being penitent, may approach 
 unto Him, and, confessing his sin, may 
 obtain full and free forgiveness. " There 
 is forgiveness with Thee," &c. (Ps. cxxx. 
 3, 4, 7). " If we confess our sins," &c. 
 (1 John i. 9). (d). 
 
 3. The right relation of the good man 
 to sin. Like Ezra, he should hold it in 
 abhorrence, should be burdened in feel- 
 ing because of its prevalence in others, 
 should exhibit to them its heinousness, 
 and should humbly confess it before God. 
 
 When iniquity abounds, let God's faith- 
 ful people " weep between the porch and 
 the altar, and let them say. Spare Thy 
 people, O Lord," <fcc. (Joel ii. 17). (e). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Our whole lives present one unl)rokeii 
 series of duties neglected, of favours not 
 acknowledged. And, oh ! how do they appear, 
 when we review them in the light of God'.s 
 countenance ! When we .see before us our 
 Creator, our Preserver, our Benefactor, our 
 Sovereign, and our Heavenly Father ; when 
 we see in Him, to whom all these titles be- 
 long, infinite excellence, perfection, glory, and 
 beauty ; when we see with what profound 
 veneration, with what raptures of holy, grate- 
 ful afl'ection He is regarded and served by all 
 the bright armies of heaven ; — and then turn 
 and contemplate our past lives, and reflect 
 bow they must appear in His sight, can we 
 refrain from exclaiming with Job, " We have 
 heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but 
 now our eyes see Thee : wherefore we abhor 
 ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes "' ? 
 Must not each of us say with the Psalmist, 
 *' Innumerable evils have compassed me about; 
 mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so 
 that I am not able to look up ; they are more 
 than the hairs of mine head ; therefore my 
 heart failelh mc " ? Nay, more, when you ste, 
 what God is, and how He is worshipped in 
 heaven, and then look at the coldness, the for- 
 mality, the want of reverence with which you 
 have often approached Him in prayer, and 
 listened to His word, must you not feel con- 
 scious that should He call you into judgment 
 you could not answer for one in a thousand of 
 the iniquities which have stained your holy 
 things, your religious duties? — E. Fayson,D.D. 
 
 (b) The criminality of any sin is in propor- 
 tion to the motives and obligations which 
 opposed its commission. To sin against miiny 
 and powerful motives indicates greater de- 
 pravity, and is, of course, more criminal than 
 to sin against few and feeble motives. Sup- 
 pose a person is informed that if he commits 
 a certain crime he shall be imprisoned. If, 
 notwithstanding the threatening, he perpe- 
 trates the crime, he shows that he loves tlie 
 crime more than he loves liberty. Again, 
 suppose him to be assured that if he commits 
 the crime he shall be put to death. Should 
 he after tliat commit the crime, it would indi- 
 cate greater depravity than before, it would 
 show that he loved the crime more than life. 
 But the Word of God threatens sinners with 
 everlasting misery if they persist in sin, and 
 promises them everlasting hajipiness if they 
 will renounce it. I need not tell you that 
 what is everlasting is in one respect infinite, 
 viz., in duration. Here, then, are two in- 
 finitely^ powerful motives presented to the 
 sinner to deter him from sin — infinite happi- 
 ness and infinite misery. Every one, then, 
 
 149 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 who persists in sin, notwithstanding tliese 
 motives, shows that lie loves sin more tlian 
 everlasting happiness, that he hates holiness 
 more than he dreads everlasting misery. His 
 attachment to sin, and, of course, his depravity 
 and criminality, are therefore houndless or 
 infinite. — Ibid. 
 
 (c) Every sin is a violation of an infinitely 
 perfect law. It will readily he allowed that 
 to violate a good law is a greater evil than to 
 violate a law the goodness of which is doubt- 
 ful. It will also be allowed that if there were 
 any law made by human governments, on 
 obedience to winch the honour, the welfare, 
 and even the existence of a nation depended, 
 — to violate that law would be the greatest 
 crime which a subject could commit. Now 
 the law of God is perfectly holy, just, and 
 good. If it were universally obeyed, universal 
 and endless happiness would be the conse- 
 quence. But disobedience to this law tends 
 to produce universal and endless miserj'. Take 
 av/;iy the law and the authority of God, there 
 would be no right but that of the strongest; 
 violence, discord, and confusion would fill the 
 universe ; sin and misery would overspread 
 the earth, would ascend to heaven, subvert the 
 throne of Jehovah, and compel Him to live in 
 the midst of a mad, infuriated mob, the mem- 
 bers of which were continually insulting Him 
 and injuring each other. Now every violation 
 of God's law tends to produce this effect. — 
 •JUd. 
 
 Others may throw garlands tipon sin, 
 picturing the overhanging fruits which drop 
 in her pathway, and make every step graceful 
 as the dance ; but we cannot be honest with- 
 out presenting it as a giant, black with the 
 soot of the forges where eternal chains are 
 made, and feet rotting with disease, and 
 breath foul with plagues, and eyes glaring 
 Avith woe, and locks flowing in serpent fangs, 
 and voice from which shall rumble forth the 
 blasphemies of the damned. — T. De Witt 
 Talmage, D.D. 
 
 [d) Confession is a necessary basis of for- 
 giveness. Confession is not a simple act. 
 Confession is in reality a multitudinous act ; 
 it is many acts in one ; it is a convergence of 
 right judgment, right feeling, and right action. 
 There are kinds of confession which are 
 wholly unavailing. . . . This is not the con- 
 fession in which David poured out liis soul ; 
 his words are full of heart. His language 
 seems to be baptized with tears. Every word 
 is a groan from the soul ; and consequently 
 his confession comes within the assurance of 
 
 that world-enclosing and most blessed promise, 
 thnt if we confess our sins, God will erase 
 them from His book, and remember them no 
 more for ever. Think of God forgetting. 
 Think of the Infinite casting aught Ijehind 
 His back ! Back of the Infinite! Where is 
 tliat? He will put our sins away from Him, 
 as far as the East is from the West. "What 
 geometrician can set forth in lines that 
 distance, or tell in words the vastness of that 
 immensity? — Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (e) Abhorrence of evil is indispensable to 
 the purity of a man's own self who is in the 
 midst of "a perverse and crooked generation." 
 I do not believe any man can avoid the forma- 
 tion of feeling, and to a certain extent the 
 expression of it, and maintain himself in- 
 corrupt. It is unnatural. What would you 
 give for a man's humanity who could stand by 
 and see a little boy deliberately tortured, and 
 maintain a sweet and smiling face, and perfect 
 equanimity, saying, "It is neither my child, 
 nor the child of anybody that I know any- 
 thing about;" and saj'ing, "It is wrong; I 
 suppose it is wrong ; but there is no use of 
 being ^excited about it"? What would you 
 think of a man that could stand and look 
 upon wickedness and not feel all his nature 
 rebound at it ? You cannot see a man steal 
 (provided it is not yourself !) without the 
 utmost horror. You never see a mean thing 
 done (if it is only done by another) without 
 some sensibility in regard to it. 
 
 Now, the expressions of these feelings are, 
 by reaction, the modes in which moral sense, 
 the repugnance to wickedness, to evil, is 
 strengthened. And if you, for any reason, 
 forbear to give expression to the feeling, it 
 goes out for want of expression. It is like fire 
 that is smothered. And the man who is so 
 extremely prudent that he never does give 
 utterance to his feelings of indignation against 
 great wrongs, is a man that emasculates him- 
 self; and he becomes a moral eunuch. A 
 man is not worthy of the name of man who 
 has no power of indignation. A man is not 
 worthy of being ranked in the roll of manhood 
 who does not know how to issue soul-thunder. 
 Tlie feeling, and suitable exjiression, of in- 
 dignation, then, is not only salutary as a mode 
 of penalty, and of restraint to the wickedness 
 of society, but it is quite indispensable, also, 
 to the moral purity of the individual, the 
 spectator, himself. It is one of those exercises 
 by which the very moral sense itself, the judge 
 and test of all things right or wrong, is kept 
 in tone. — If. W. Bcecher. 
 
 Ezra's Humiliation for the Sins of his People. 
 (Ve7'ses 5-C.) 
 I. The reason of his sorrow. Many of other heathens around them. 
 
 the people had connected themselves in justly 
 marriage both with the Canaanites and evil. 
 150 
 
 recrarded as a most 
 
 This he 
 heinous 
 
IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 \. As hei)i{j a violation of an exp7'ess 
 command. Ezra himself speaks of it in 
 this view (comp. vers. 10-12 with Deut. 
 vii. 2, 3). It is possible that, whilst 
 the generality sought only the gratifica- 
 tion of their own corrupt appetites, 
 "the princes and rulers, who were chief 
 in this matter," justified their conduct 
 on the ground of policy. They might 
 urge that, being few in number, it was 
 desirable for their own preservation to 
 make alliances with those whose hostility 
 they feared. In this way many set their 
 own reasonings in opposition to God's 
 revealed will. But reason is altogether 
 out of place on such occasions. We are 
 not at liberty to sit in judgment on God's 
 commands, and to determine how far it 
 is expedient to obey them, &c. 
 
 2. As having an evident tendency to 
 bring the people back to idolatry. It 
 was for their idolatries that the nation 
 had been sent into captivity ; and a 
 recurrence of the same evil was likely 
 to result from so intimate a connection 
 with idolaters. (Comp. Deut. vii. 4.) 
 Their disregard of this danger showed 
 how little they had profited by the 
 judgments that had been inflicted on 
 them, or the mercies that had been 
 vouchsafed unto them. But thus it is 
 with all who seek the friendship of the 
 world : God has told them that " friend- 
 ship with the world is enmity with God " 
 (.Jas. iv. 4) ; that it is impossible to 
 maintain communion with both (Matt, 
 vi. 24; 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15); and that 
 therefore all who cultivate the friendship 
 of the world will be regarded and treated 
 as the enemies of God (1 John ii. 15-17) ; 
 yet they will run the risk, and for the 
 sake of gratifying their corrupt wishes, 
 will endanger the everlasting salvation 
 of their souls. 
 
 IL The expressions of Ms sorrow. 
 
 1. Tlie expression of his grief the instant 
 he was informed of their misconduct. 
 This was more violent than any of which 
 ■we read in the Holy Scriptures. Often 
 have men rent their mantle and their 
 garments; but of him alone we are told 
 that " he phicked oflf the hair of his head 
 and of his beard." He was almost dis- 
 tracted ; he was so overwhelmed as to 
 be incapable of speech or action ; " he 
 
 sat down astonied," &c. Shall we think 
 all this extravagant? No truly, if we 
 duly estimate the evil they had com- 
 mitted, and the danger to which the 
 whole nation was reduced. We are 
 told of David, that " horror took hold 
 upon him," and tliat " rivers of tears 
 ran down his cheeks," &c. St. Paul 
 appeals to God, that he had "great 
 sorrow and continual heaviness in his 
 heart," etc. 
 
 2. His humiliation before God more 
 particularly demands our attention. "At 
 the time of the evening sacrifice," as if 
 revived and encouraged by the considera- 
 tion of the great atonement, " he arose 
 from his heaviness, and fell upon his 
 knees," and confessed with shame and 
 anguish of heart both his own sins and 
 the sins of all the people. What a 
 just view had he of national transgres- 
 sion?. Many would have thought that 
 because he disapproved of the evils that 
 had been committed, he had no share 
 in the guilt, nor any occasion to humble 
 himself before God on account of them ; 
 but the members of the bod}' politic 
 are, in their corporate capacity, like the 
 members of the natural body, all to a 
 certain degree responsible for those evils 
 which generally, though not universally, 
 prevail among them. At the day of 
 judgment indeed, none will have to 
 answer for anything but what they 
 themselves were personally guilty of ; 
 but in this world, where alone nations 
 can be dealt with as nations, we should 
 consider ourselves as participating in 
 whatever relates to the nation at large. 
 Oh that we felt for our own sins as he 
 felt for the sins of others ! We are told 
 plainly enough what is that repentance 
 which godly sorrow will produce (2 Cor. 
 vii. 10, 11); let us therefore look to it 
 that we " approve ourselves to be clear 
 in this matter." 
 
 Application : 
 
 And now the evening sacrifice is just 
 offered; "now once in the end of the 
 world, hath Christ appeared," &c. (Heb. 
 ix. 26.) Let us spread before Him both 
 our national and personal transgressions; 
 not doubting but that " if we confess 
 our sin>, God is faithful," &c. (1 John i. 
 9). — C. Siineon, M.A. 
 
 151 
 
HO MI LET W COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Ezra's Address. 
 {Verse 8.) 
 
 Israel had often suffered for their sins, 
 especially for idolatry. Worsted by ene- 
 mies — latterly carried into captivity. 
 Now, after seventy years, restored. Now 
 Ezra relates his experience. Deep sorrow 
 and shame for their sins (ver. 2, &c.). 
 His distress, prayer, and confession, &c. 
 In the midst of this comes our text, full 
 of instruction, counsel, &c. The subject 
 shows — 
 
 I. The grace they had experienced. 
 
 Observe — 
 
 1. Inhondage. Not desert, but grace 
 — undeserved favour. 
 
 2. Grace from Jehovah, their covenant 
 God. 
 
 3. Grace to jyreserve. " A remnant." 
 Seventy years' captivity. Not all extin- 
 guished. Some kept, sustained — and a 
 remnant only. 
 
 4. To be restored to their land — nation 
 
 — city — worship — inheritances — and 
 home. 
 
 II. The exalted position to which 
 they had been raised. 
 
 1. "^ nail," 07- pin — these were in- 
 serted in the building of the place. De- 
 signed — (1.) For ornament. (2.) For use- 
 fulness. (3.) For permanence. So Christ, 
 the Messiah (Isa. xxii. 23). Levites were 
 nails, pins. The priests — the high priest 
 — an exalted place. The musicians. 
 
 2. hi the " holy place " of God. Taber- 
 nacle — Church of the old covenant. Not 
 in palaces — schools of learning — halls of 
 science — academies of philosophy ; but 
 in the far higher, holier Church of the 
 living God. Observe this is expressive 
 
 — (1.) Of their honour — true dignity. 
 (2.) Of their security. (3.) Of their 
 privileges and favours. 
 
 III. The blessings connected with 
 these privileges. 
 
 And here there is reference — 
 
 1. To spiritiial illumination. "Goc^ 
 may lighten," &c. (Ps. xiii. 3 ; xxxiv. 5). 
 (1.) Eyes to see their own unworthiness. 
 (2.) Their own helplessness. (3.) The 
 Lord's goodness. (4.) The Lord's will 
 and ways. 
 
 2. Spiritual reviving. Rekindling of 
 the fire — stirring up — re-inspiring — re- 
 strengthening — reviving. Faith — hope 
 — zeal — love- — obedience. 
 
 3. Gratefulness for deliverances. In. 
 our bondage — that God should show 
 grace. Deliverance from it, &c. And 
 now gratefully reviewed, &c. 
 
 4. The brevity of these signal mercies 
 — " a little space." For working — fight- 
 ing — building up ourselves. Also the 
 Church — "a little space." We are re- 
 minded of this — (1.) By those who have 
 passed away. The fathers, &c. Those 
 we have known — succeeded. (2.) By 
 the advance we have made in life. Look 
 back to childhood — youth, &c. How 
 changed ! (3.) By the uncertain, frag- 
 mentary remains, we can only possess. 
 " Time is short," &c. " We spend our 
 years as a tale that is told." The Judge 
 at the door, " I must work the works 
 of Him that sent me while it is day," 
 tfec. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to 
 do," &c. Let the subject be — 
 
 1. A test of character. Are we of 
 the remnant % Called — the chosen — 
 the faithful. 
 
 2. An apioeal as to our p)Osition. Li 
 the Church, "a nail" or pin — some- 
 where. 
 
 3. A question as to our desires. Are 
 we seeking the reviving 1 
 
 4. An exhortation. Appeal to those 
 outside the Church to come with us, &c. 
 — Jabez Burns, D.D. 
 
 Forbidden Marriages. 
 
 {Verse 12.) 
 
 "Give not your daughters unto their 
 sons, neither take their daughters unto 
 your sons." The Israelites were prohi- 
 152 
 
 bited from taking heathen women for 
 their wives, and from giving their 
 daucjhters in marriage to the heathen. 
 
EOMILETia COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 And true Christians are connnanded 
 not to marry tliose who are not Chris- 
 tians. What are the reasons wliy such 
 marriages should not be contracted ? 
 Because — 
 
 I. They are opposed to the express 
 command of God. " Be ye not unequally 
 yoked together with unbelievers," &c, 
 (2 Cor. vi. 14). "There is," says 
 Barnes, " a diflerence between Chris- 
 tians and those who are not so great 
 as to render such unions improper and 
 injurious. The direction here refers, 
 doubtless, to all kinds of improper con- 
 nections with those who were unbe- 
 lievers. It has been usually supposed 
 by commentators to refer particularly 
 to marriage. But there is no reason 
 for confining it to marriage. It doubt- 
 less includes that." And M. Henry : 
 " Those relations that are our choice 
 must be chosen by rule ; and it is good 
 for those who are themselves the chil- 
 dren of God to join with those who are 
 so likewise ; for there is more danger 
 that the bad will damage the good than 
 hope that the good will benefit the bad." 
 Again, St. Paul writes that Christians 
 are to marry " only in the Lord " (1 Cor. 
 vii, 39) ; which Alford explains thus : 
 "i.e., within the limits of Christian con- 
 nection — in the element in which all 
 Christians live and walk — * let her marry 
 a Christian.'' So Tertull., Cypr., Am- 
 bros., Jerome, Grot., Est., Bengel, 
 Eosenm., Olsh., Meyer, De W." Whit- 
 by: "She must marry a believer, one 
 who is in Christ by faith and profession." 
 And Barnes : " That is, only to one who 
 is a Christian, with a proper sense of her 
 obligations to Christ, and so as to pro- 
 mote His glory." (a). 
 
 n. They are inconsistent with the 
 most sacred aspects and ends of mar- 
 riage. Marriage was instituted by God 
 (Gen. ii. 20-24 ; Matt. xix. 4-6) ; and 
 it was intended by Him to be a union 
 of persons not merely as regards their 
 temporal interests, but in their spiritual 
 sympathies. In its best aspect marriage 
 is a union of souls. (6). They who are 
 thus united have sympathy with each 
 other in their deepest, highest, and 
 holiest experiences. They are one in 
 soul, one in Christ, and one for ever. 
 
 The marriage which is not a union of 
 souls is defective, and it degrades the 
 Divine institution. One of the ends 
 contemplated in the institution of mar- 
 riage was that they who are joined in 
 this relation should be mutual helpers. 
 Woman was created to be " an help 
 meet for " man. And this must surely 
 hold good in relation to the highest and 
 most important concerns of life, viz., the 
 salvation of their souls, o"r their life, 
 health, and progress as spiritual beings. 
 Husbands and wives should aid each 
 other in their upward and heavenward 
 path. But how can they do this if the 
 genuine Christian is mated with one 
 who is not a Christian 1 (c). The ab- 
 sence of this high and holy union is 
 sometimes mournfully manifest in mar- 
 ried life. How inexpressibly sad it is 
 when in the sore troubles of life hus- 
 band and wife look to different quarters 
 for relief, and consolation, and help ! 
 The true Christian looks to the Heavenly 
 Father, and obtains calmness and peace 
 and hope, to which the unbelieving part- 
 ner is a stranger. When their union 
 should be most closely and preciously 
 realised, the gulf which separates them 
 is most painfully felt. In like manner 
 the unbeliever is utterly unable to 
 enter into the tenderest, holiest, and 
 most cherished experiences — those of 
 the religious life — of the Christian 
 partner. 
 
 III. They imperil the salvation of 
 the soul. The believing husband or 
 wife may be successful in leading the 
 unbelieving partner to real trust in 
 Christ and hearty consecration to Him. 
 But in very many instances the actual 
 result is the opposite of this. " Did not 
 Solomon king of Israel sin by these 
 things? yet among many nations was 
 there no king like him, who was be- 
 loved of his God, and God made him 
 king over all Israel ; nevertheless even 
 him did outlandish women cause to sin " 
 (Neh. xiii, 2G). " There is far greater 
 ground of fear that they shall pervert 
 you, than there is ground of hope that 
 you shall convert them." The risk of 
 this kind which such marriages involve 
 is one whiclf no Christian is justified in 
 deliberately encountering. ((/). 
 
 153 
 
CHAP. TX. 
 
 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 " Maid, choosing man, remember this : 
 You take his nature with his name ; 
 Ask, too, what his religion is. 
 
 For you will soon be of the same." 
 
 IV. They are inimical to wise and 
 harmonious home government. In such 
 marriages there is a diiference of opinion 
 as to the ends to be sought and the 
 methods to be employed in the govern- 
 ment of the family ; and as to the spirit 
 ■which should pervade the home; and, 
 further, as to the course of life to be 
 pursued therein. Such differences must 
 militate against the order and harmony 
 which should characterise family life. 
 
 V. They are detrimental to the 
 best interests of the children of the 
 marriage. One of the objects contem- 
 plated in the institution of marriage was 
 the production of " a godly seed " (Mai. 
 ii. 15), and in the marriages which are 
 Divinely forbidden this object is likely 
 to be frustrated. The diversity of spirit, 
 principles, aims, and methods, which 
 exists where one parent is really a Chris- 
 tian and the other is not, must exert an 
 injurious influence upon the children, (e). 
 How many and forcible, then, are the 
 reasons why Christians should marry 
 " only in the Lord " ! 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (tf) They that enter, or think of entering, 
 into the married state, are required to do 
 it in the Lord, as an only thing. Marry they 
 may, "only in the Lord." But when they 
 neglect this, they leave out the only thing 
 that can make a blessed marriage; which 
 certainly must argue a very profane mind, 
 when men and women dare venture, and rush 
 upon a matter of so great importance as that, 
 and leave out the very only thing that con- 
 cerns them in it. — John Hoive. 
 
 (6) The relation of which we now treat, 
 instituted by the benevolent Creator Himself, 
 is the closest, the most intimate and tender, 
 of all earthly connections. Its closeness and 
 endearing intimacy were evidently meant to 
 be indicated by two circumstances : — (1.) The 
 manner of the formation of the first woman ; 
 not, as the man himself had been, from "the 
 dust of the ground," but from a bone of his 
 own body ; and that bone one of the safe- 
 guards of the most important and vital organs 
 of his frame, being part of the protecting 
 bulwarks of his heart— the fountain of life 
 to his whole frame, and the seat of all his 
 affections. I dare not for a moment doul|t 
 the emblematic significance of this remark- 
 154 
 
 able fact. It is as far as possible from being 
 fanciful. Adam himself perceived, and felt, 
 and expressed it, when, on the delicate and 
 lovely counterpart of himself being brought 
 to him by the Divine Maker, he exclaimed, 
 with new, and delightful, and sinless emotion: 
 "This is now bone of my bone, and flesh 
 of my flesh ; she shall be called woman, be- 
 cause she was taken out of man." In our 
 language the sentiment is not, and cannot 
 be, correctly transfused. In the original the 
 name for woman is simply that for man, with a 
 feminine termination, which, from the struc- 
 ture of our language, we cannot imitate. The 
 nearest approximation to it would be she-man; 
 but, unfortunately, it sounds too ludicrously to 
 be at all suS"erable. To this original forma- 
 tion of woman Paul beautifully alludes, when 
 he describes the very thing of which we have 
 been representing it as significant of the tender 
 care with which husbands should regard and 
 cherish the chosen partners of their lives. 
 " So ouQ;ht men to love their wives," &c. (Eph. 
 V, 28-30). (2.) The second thing by which 
 this was indicated was the pronouncing of this 
 relation, by Jehovah Himself, superior in its 
 imperative' requisitions to every other. The 
 relation of cliild to parent is specially tender 
 and powerful ; yet it must give way before 
 the obligation under which that child, when 
 he becomes a husband, is laid to the "wife of 
 his youth : " " For this cause shall a man 
 leave his father and his mother, and shall 
 cleave unto his wife." It is the only one of 
 life's relations that is represented as consti- 
 tuting a species of identity — a dual unit : 
 "Wherefore they are no more twain, but 
 one flesh. What therefore God hath joined 
 touether, let no man put asunder." — R. 
 Wardlaw, D.D. 
 
 (c) Husband and wife should be as the 
 milcli-kine, wliich were coupled together to 
 carry the ark of God ; or as the two cherubim, 
 that looked upon one another, and both upon 
 the mercy-seat ; or as the two tables of stone, 
 on each of which were engraven the laws of 
 God. In some families married persons are 
 like Jeremiah's two baskets of figs, the one 
 very good, the other very evil ; or like fire and 
 water, whilst the one is flaming in devotion, 
 the other is freezing in corruption. There is 
 a twofold hindrance in holiness : first, on the 
 right side ; secondly, on the left. On the right 
 side : when the wife would run in God's way, 
 tlie husband will not let her go : when the 
 fore-horse in a team will not draw, he wrongs 
 all the rest ; w4ien the general of an army 
 forbids a march, all the soldiers stand still. 
 Sometimes on the left : how did Solomon's 
 idolatrous wives draw away his heart from 
 heaven? A sinning wife was Satan's first 
 ladder, l)y wliich he scaled the walls of Para- 
 dise, and took awav the fort-royal of Adam's 
 heart from him. thus, she that should have 
 been the kelp of his flesh, was the hurt of his 
 faith: his vaturc's under propjxrhQComes his 
 grace's under miner ; and she that should be 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 a crown on the head, is ac?*oss on the shoulders. 
 Tlie wife is often to the husband as the ivy 
 is to the oak, which draws away his sap from 
 him. — ir. Seeker. 
 
 (d) Such unlawful unions have been usually 
 advocated thus : — The godly parly pretends to 
 make no doubt but that the other party may 
 l>e converted : " God can easily convert men 
 when He will ; and if there be but love, 
 persons are easily won over to the same mind 
 with those they love." Answer — (1.) Then it 
 seems because you love an ungodly person, 
 you will be easily turned to be ungodly. If 
 so, you are not much better already. If love 
 will not draw you to their mind to be ungodly, 
 why should you think love will draw tlicm to 
 your mind to be godly? Are you stronger in 
 grace than they are in sin ? (2.) If you knew 
 well what grace is, and what a sinful, unre- 
 newed soul is, you would not think it so easy 
 a matter to convert a soul. Why are there so 
 few converted, if it be so easy a thing 'i You 
 cannot make yourselves better by adding 
 higher degrees to the grace you have ; much 
 Jess can you make others better hy giving 
 them the grace which they have not. (3.) 
 It is true that God is able to convert them 
 when He will ; and it is true that, for aught 
 I know, it may be done. But what of that ? 
 Will you in so weighty a case take up with a 
 mere possibility ? God can make a beggar 
 rich, and for aught you know to the contrary, 
 He will do it ; and yet you will not therefore 
 marry a beggar ; nor will you marry a leper, 
 because God can heal him ; why then should 
 you marry an ungodly person, because God 
 can convert him ? See it done first, if you 
 love your peace and safety. — R. Baxter. 
 
 A consistent Christian young man became 
 attached to a pleasure-loving and gay young 
 
 lad\', and married her against the advice of 
 his bretliren. Her influence silenced his 
 prayers, estranged him from the house of 
 God, and led liim to her ways of pleasure. 
 Sickness called his attention back to religion. 
 Twice his wife had driven him from his duty. 
 Now, in agony and remorse, with a fearful 
 eternity before him, he gazed upon her and 
 cried, "Rebecca, Rebecca, you are the cause 
 of my eterlial damnation ! " and died. — Diet, 
 of Ulust. 
 
 ((.■) Hannah vows, if the Lord will give her 
 a Son, by bearing him, she will return that 
 son to the Lord by serving Him (1 Sam. i. 11). 
 A spouse should be more careful of her chil- 
 dren's breeding than she should be fearful of 
 her children's bearing. Take heed lest these 
 flowers grow in the devil's garden. Tliough 
 you bring them out in corruption, yet do not 
 bring tliem up to damnation. Those are not 
 mothers, but monsters, that whilst they should 
 be teaching their children the way to heaven 
 with their lips, are leading them tlie way to 
 hell with their lives. Good education is the 
 best livery you can give them living ; and it is 
 the best legacy you can leave them dying. You 
 let out your cares to make them great. Oh lift 
 up your ■prayers to make them good ; that 
 before you die/j-om, them, you may see Christ 
 live in them. Whilst these twigs are green 
 and tender, they should be bowed towards 
 God. Children and servants are in a family 
 as passengers are in a boat ; husband and 
 wife, they are as a pair of oars to row them to 
 their desired haven. Let these small pieces 
 of timber be hewed and squared for the 
 celestial building. By putting a sceptre of 
 gy-ace into their ha7uls, you will set a crown of 
 glory upon their heads. — W. Seeker. 
 
 Use of God's Diversified Dispensations. 
 
 (Verses 13, 14.) 
 
 I. God's diversified dispensations 
 towards us. God visited His people of 
 old with alternate mercies and judg- 
 ments ; and thus He has dealt with us 
 also. 
 
 1. He has visited our siyis with judg- 
 ments. Aiid it is of the utmost import- 
 ance that we should acknowledge the 
 hand of God in them. They spring not 
 out of the dust, &c. God uses men as 
 instruments, just as He did the Assyrians 
 and Chaldeans, to punish His people; 
 but still it is His hand alone that inflicts 
 the stroke (Ps. xvii. 13; Isa. x. 5-7, 
 13-15, xxxvii. 24-2G ; Gen. xlv. 8). 
 We must confess, however, that our 
 sufferings have by no means equalled 
 
 our deserts (Ps. ciii. 10). Take any 
 07ie of our national sins, &c. If God 
 had proceeded against us according to 
 the tremendous aggregate of our iniqui- 
 ties, we should have been made as Sodom 
 and Gomorrah. 
 
 2. He has also vouclisaved us a deliver- 
 ance. The " deliverance " granted to 
 the Jews on their return from Babylon 
 was not inferior to that which they had 
 formerly experienced in their departure 
 from Egypt. And has not ours also 
 been exceeding great ? ... In this too 
 must we view the hand of God. Who- 
 ever were the means, God was the author 
 of it. It is He who produces all the 
 changes in the state of individuals (1 
 
 155 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Sam. ii. 6-8), or of kingdoms (Jer. xviii, 
 6, 7, 9). And as the discerning of His 
 agency in our afflictions is necessary to 
 eflfect our humiliation, so the beholding 
 of it in our mercies is necessary to excite 
 our gratitude, 
 
 n. The effect they should have upon 
 us. If the destruction of sin be the end 
 which God proposes to Himself in all 
 His conduct towards us, then we should 
 endeavour to make everything subser- 
 vient to that end. The pointed interro- 
 gation in the text strongly shows in 
 what light we should view a renewed 
 violation of God's commandments, after 
 He has taken such pains to enforce the 
 observance of them. 
 
 1. Hoiv unreasonable would it he! No 
 man can read the account of Pharaoh's 
 obstinacy in the midst of all his suc- 
 cessive judgments and deliverances, and 
 not stand amazed at his more than 
 brutish stupidity. Yet it is thus that 
 we shall act, if we do not now put away 
 our sins, &c. And how irrational such 
 conduct would be God Himself tells us : 
 He even calls heaven and earth to ex- 
 press their astonishment at it, &c. (Isa. 
 i. 2, 3). And if we be guilty of it, He 
 will justly vent His indignation against 
 ns, as He did against His people of old: 
 "They are a perverse and crooked genera- 
 tion," kc. {Deut. xxxii. 5, 6). 
 
 2. How ungrateful! Ingratitude is 
 considered as one of the greatest aggrava- 
 tions that can be found in any offence 
 of man against his fellow-man ; and how 
 much more must it enhance the guilt 
 
 we contract in our disobedience to God!' 
 See what a stress God Himself lays upon 
 this in the transgressions of David (2 
 Sam. xii. 7-9), and Solomon (1 Kings 
 xi. 9), and Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxxii. 
 25) ; and will it not stamp a tenfold 
 malignity also on our offences % (Comp, 
 Jer. vii. 9, 10.) 
 
 3. How dangerous ! This is particu- 
 larly noticed by Ezra, in the words 
 following the text j and the state of the 
 Jews at this moment is an awful com- 
 ment upon it. God tells us that, as 
 the impenitence of the Jews was the 
 reason of His continuing to afflict them 
 (Isa. ix. 12, 17, 21 ; x. 4), so He will 
 " punish us seven times more for our 
 sins" (Lev. xxvi. 18, 21, 24, 28) if we 
 now continue in them. To what a state 
 of misery we may in that case expect to 
 be reduced, we may judge from what 
 was actually experienced by the Jewish 
 nation (Judg. x. 11-14). 
 Address : 
 
 Ptemember that God is not an in- 
 different spectator of our conduct. Sin 
 is that "abominable thing which His 
 soul hateth " (Jer. xliv. 4) ; and He 
 will surely destroy either it or him that 
 retains it. And if His judgments be 
 not inflicted on the sinner in this life, 
 there still is a future day of retribution, 
 when every man shall give account of 
 himself to God, and receive the just 
 recompense of all his actions. Let every 
 one of us shudder at the thought of ever 
 again breaking the least of God's com- 
 mandments. — C. Simeon, M.A. . 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Critical and Explanatory Notes.] In this chapter we have the f f °""\°^-(;-,;f ''^.f'iYl''^^'; 
 proposal to put away the strans^e wives (vers. 1-5). (u.) Ezra's fast because of ^^'^ P^'^P'^f ^"^ 
 Tver 6) (iii.) Tl>e proclamation calling upon all the Jews to assemble at Jerusalem witlnn 
 three days (vers. 7 8). (iv.) The comin| together of the people at Jerusalem, and their accept- 
 nee of the propos'al I put iway the strange'-wives (vers. 9-U). (v.) ^J- oppos.t.on of Jona- 
 than tlie son of Asahel and others (ver. 15). (vi.) The carrying out of the proposal (vers, lb, 
 17). (vii.) The names of the men who had taken stranire wives (vers^ 18-44). 
 
 Ver 1. Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed] Kath r ^ o^. wh 1st 
 Ezra prayed and whilst he confessed." Before the house of God] i.e. in the couit of the 
 
 '^'Te^r''2 Jehiell Perhaps the Jehiel whose name occurs in ver. 2r,, as having married a 
 heJthen wife nL there'^is hope in Israel] Rather, "for Israel." He came to th.s conclu- 
 sion because the people were sensible of their sin and sorrowmg by reason of i 
 
 Ver 3 Accordinff to the counsel of my lord] Keil : "the Lord. Ezia had given na 
 adSeintltmltter^s yef But Shechanfah might have inferred what Ezra would counsel 
 from his words and actions (chap. ix. 3-15). , rov, i -a. 
 
 Ver. 5. According to this word] i.e. according to the proposal of Shechaniah. 
 
 156 
 
 I 
 
nUMlLETlV UUMMEiSTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Ver. 6. Went into the chamber] (Comp, 1 Kincrs vi. 5; cliap. viii. 29; Neh. xiii. 4, 5.) 
 Of Johanan the son of Eliashib] Wo cannot arrive at any certain conclusion as to who thi.s 
 Johanan was. Acconlins^ to Mr. Aldis Wright, ho was one of the thief Levites (Noh. xii. 23). 
 From a comparison of Neh. xii. 22, 23, with vers. 10 and 11 of the same cliaptcr, Ilawlinson con- 
 cludes that he was the grandson of Eliashib the higli priest. Keil says, " Jolianan, the son of 
 Eliashib, cannot actually be Joiianan-ben-Eliashil) (Neh. xii. 23) tiie high priest. . . . For the 
 high priest Eliashib was a contemporary of Neheuiiali, and the high priest Johanan was not the 
 Bon, but, according to the definite statement (Neh. xii. 10), tlie grandson of Eliashib, and the 
 son of Joiada (tlio correct reading of Neh. xii. 11 being, Joiada begat Johanan an<l Jonathan). 
 Now a cliamber of the Temple could not in Ezra's time have been as yet called after a grandson 
 of Eliashib, the contemporary of Nehemiah ; and both Johanan and Eliashib being names 
 which frequently occur (comji. vers. 24, 27, 3G), and one of the twenty-four orders of priests 
 being called after the latter (1 Chron. xxiv. 12), we, with Ewald (Gesch., iv. p. 228), regard the 
 Johanan-ben-Eliashib here mentioned as an individual of wliom nothing further is known, — 
 perhaps a priest descended from the Eliashib of 1 Chron. xxiv. 12, and wiio possessed in the 
 new Temple a chamber called by his name." He did eat no bread nor drink water] He fasted 
 strictly. Fasts of this strictness were not common. A few cases are recorded (see Exod. xxxiv. 
 28 ; Dent. ix. 9, 18 ; Jon. iii. 7). 
 
 Ver. 7. And they made proclamation] &e. Lit., " And they caused a voice to pass through- 
 out." &c., i.p. they proclaimed by lieralds. (Comp. chap. i. 1.) 
 
 Ver. 8. Forfeited] Margin: " Heb., devoted," i.e. appropriated to the treasury of the 
 Temple. 
 
 Ver. 9. The ninth month] was named Chisleu, and nearly corresponds with our December. 
 In the street] 3in"l = a wide space, a large, open place. Probably here it means the great 
 court before the Temple. For the great rain] Chisleu was in the rainy season. " During 
 the months of November and Decern lier the rains fall heavily, but at intervals. "^ — Bill. Diet. 
 
 Ver. 10. Have taken strange wives] Lit., " Have caused strange wives to dwell," i.e. have 
 taken them to live with you. 
 
 Ver. 14. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand] or, as Keil, " Let then our rulers 
 stand for the wliole congregation," I.e. for the good of tlie congregation, and transact its busi- 
 ness. With them the elders of every city and the judges] as being acquainted with the several 
 ■ cases. For this matter] Margin: "Till this matter (be despatched)." Keil: "As long as 
 this matter lasts." The rulers were to continue to judge the accused as long as the matter 
 lasted. The latter part of the verse would run thus : " Until the fierce wrath of our God be 
 turned from us, as long as this matter lasts." The last words define more exactly the leading 
 idea of the verse. 
 
 Ver. 15. Were employed about this matter] Rather, "Stood up against this (matter)," as 
 in 1 Chron. xxi. 1 ; 2 Chron. xx. 23 ; Dan. viii. 25, xi. 14. Mcshullam is probably identical 
 with the Meshullam of ver. 29, who had taken a heathen wife. 
 
 A^er. 16. And the children of the captivity did so] Notwithstanding the opposition of 
 Jonathan and his CDmpanioiis, the people carried out the determination which they had ex- 
 pressed. With certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers] Keil translates, 
 " And men, heads of houses according to tlieir houses." Tlie meaning is, that each recognised 
 house or family was represented on the commission by its head. And all of them by their 
 names] or, "and they all by names." A list of their names was written (comp. chap. viii. 20). 
 Were separated] or, selected for this business. The tenth month] i.e. Tebeth, which nearly 
 answers to our January. 
 
 Ver. 17. The first month] i.e. Nisan, which nearly corresponded to our April. The com- 
 mi.=sion sat for three months, and at the end of that time they had completed their business. 
 
 Ver. 18. The sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak] This is Jeshua the high priest who came 
 up from Babylon with Zerubbabei. 
 
 Ver. 19. They gave their hands] i.e. "bound themselves by shaking hands, to put away 
 their wives, i.e. to dismiss them, and to sever them from the congregation of Israel." — Keil. 
 And being guilty they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass] The Heb. is simply, 
 " And guilty, a ram of the flock for their trespass ; " which is explained by Keil that they were 
 condemned to bring a ram as a trespass offering (Lev. v. 14-16). Fuerst : ''And the guilty 
 (gave their hands to bring) a ram for their trespass." 
 
 Vers. 20-22. Of the sons of Immer, Hanani] &c. "By comparing chap. ii. 36-39, we 
 perceive that not one of the orders of priests who returned with Zerubbabei was free from 
 participation in this transgression." — Keii. 
 
 Ver. 25. The singers and the porters] (Comp. chap. ii. 41, 42.) 
 
 Ver. 26. Moreover of Israel] " As distinguished from priests and Levites, i.e. of the laity," 
 — A'ei^. 
 
 Ver. 44. And some of them had wives by whom they had children] Rather, " And there 
 were among them wives who had brought forth .sons." This fact is mentioned probably to show 
 how thoroughly this reformation was effected. It would be more difficult, for several reasons, 
 to put away a wife who had given birth to children than to put, away a childless wife ; but the 
 •difficulties did not prevent the execution of the duty. 
 
 157 
 
nOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 The Reformation Proposed. 
 
 ( Verses 
 Three principal points require atten- 
 tion — 
 
 I. The proposal of reformation pre- 
 pared for. " Now when Ezra had 
 prayed, and when he had confessed, 
 weeping and casting himself down be- 
 fore the house of God, there assembled 
 unto him out of Israel," &c. (ver. 1). 
 Ezra's great distress, and humble con- 
 fession, and earnest appeal to God, had 
 influenced the people in such a manner 
 and to such an extent as to prepare them 
 for such a proposal as that made by 
 Shechaniah. The impression which Ezra's 
 condition and conduct by reason of their 
 sin produced upon the people was — 
 
 1. ^Sympathetic. His horror and self- 
 abasement on account of their sin aroused 
 their consciences to a sense of their own 
 guilt. His great sorrow awakened grief 
 in them, and they " wept very sore." 
 
 2. Extensive. It seems that the fact 
 of his grievous distress was widely made 
 known, and all the city was stirred by it. 
 Very many were moved by his grief and 
 penitence. " There assembled unto him 
 out of Israel a very great congregation 
 of men and women and children." The 
 fact that both men and women, and so 
 many of them, were much affected is 
 important as indicating preparedness for 
 reformation. 
 
 3. Deep. The people in the great 
 assembly before the house of God were 
 very much moved. The impression was 
 profound as well as extensive. "The 
 people wept very sore ; " or " wept a 
 great weeping." Ezra's influence for 
 good in this respect was very great. 
 The distress which he manifested was 
 contagious, and spread rapidly, widely, 
 and powerfully amongst the Jews at Jeru- 
 salem. Now this was indispensable as 
 a condition for the proposal of any real 
 reformation with a reasonable prospect 
 of success. Until the sinfulness of these 
 marriages was realised, and genuine con- 
 cern in relation to them was experienced 
 by the people, it would have been vain 
 to have suggested measures for their 
 abolition. But now this "very great 
 
 158 
 
 1-25.) 
 
 congregation " was in a condition to 
 consider such measures, and probably to 
 adopt and enforce them. 
 
 II. The proposal of reformation made. 
 " Then Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of 
 the sons of Elam, answered and said unto 
 Ezra," (fee. (vers. 2-4). In this wise and 
 brave address Shechaniah — 
 
 1. Frankly acknowledges the sin. 
 " We have trespassed against our God, 
 and have taken strange wives of the 
 people of the land." We do not find 
 his name amongst those who had sinned 
 in this thing ; but, like Ezra (chap. ix. 
 5-15), he includes himself amongst the 
 offenders. He does not attempt either 
 to extenuate or palliate or excuse the 
 sin, but ingenuously confesses it. Tliis 
 was important. The disease must be 
 discovered before it can be remedied. 
 The sin must be perceived and acknow- 
 ledged before it can be forgiven and done 
 away. There could be no true reforma- 
 tion without a clear perception and a 
 humble confession of the sin. (a). 
 
 2 Discovers reasons for ho2)e. "Yet 
 now there is hope for Israel concerning 
 this thing." As M. Henry observes : 
 " The case is sad, but it is not desperate; 
 the disease is threatening, but not in- 
 curable. There is hope that the people 
 may be reformed, the guilty reclaimed, 
 a stop put to the spreading of the con- 
 tagion ; and so the judgments which the 
 sin deserves may be prevented, and all 
 will be well. 'Now there is hope;' 
 now that the disease is discovered, it is 
 half cured. Now that the alarm is taken, 
 the people begin to be sensible of the 
 miscliief, and to lament it ; a spirit of 
 repentance seems to be poured out upon 
 them, and they are all thus humbling 
 themselves before God for it, ' now there 
 is hope ' that God will forgive and have 
 merc3\ ' The valley of Achor' (that is, 
 of trouble) is the ' door of hope ' (Hos. 
 ii. 15); for the sin that truly troubles 
 us shall not ruin us. There is hope now 
 that Israel has such a prudent, pious, 
 zealous governor as Ezra to manage this 
 affair." 
 
U ViVi ILETIU VUM MJiJS TAlil : EZRA . 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 3. Proposes the abolition of the sin. 
 " Now therefore let ns make a covenant 
 with our God," &c. (ver. 3). His pro- 
 posal was to the effect that they should 
 enter into a solemn covenant with God 
 to make an end of this sin, and to make 
 an end of it — (1.) Completely. " To 
 put away all the wives, and such as are 
 born of them." Marriage with idolaters 
 was prohibited as a preventive of ido- 
 latry and its associated abominations 
 (Exod. xxxiv. 11-17; Deut. vii. 1-6; 
 1 Kings xi. 1-8; Neh. xiii. 23-28); 
 and the presence of the idolatrous wives 
 was a continual temptation to the sin. 
 The Jews had done wrong in marrying 
 such women ; and Shechaniah would 
 have them undo that wrong as far as 
 possible by putting away such wives. 
 The true penitent abandons the sin for 
 which he grieves, even though its re- 
 nunciation be very painful. "If thy 
 right eye offend thee, pluck it out," <kc. 
 (Matt. V. 29, 30). It is better that the 
 surgeon should amputate the diseased 
 limb, than tliat we should retain it and 
 by so doing imperil the life of the body. 
 So must sin be renounced even at the 
 cost of sharp sufferings. Moreover, the 
 true penitent seeks to repair if possible, 
 and as far as may be, the injury he has 
 done. Repentance leads to restitution. 
 " What has been unjustly got cannot be 
 justly kept, but must be restored." It 
 is one of the sorest sorrows of the peni- 
 tent soul that complete restitution for 
 sin cannot be made ; that the evil done 
 can never be undone ; that the false or 
 malignant speech may be afterwards 
 contradicted by him who uttered it, but 
 he can neither unsay it, nor totally 
 annul its effects. Now, it was in this 
 spirit, which seeks to repair the wrong 
 done and to remove the temptation to 
 do it again, that Shechaniah proposed 
 " to put away all the wives and " their 
 children, (b). (2.) In accordance Avith 
 the counsel of the godly. " According 
 to the counsel of my lord, and of those 
 that tremble at the commandment of 
 our God." It does not appear that 
 Ezra and they who sympathised with 
 him had as yet advised this or any 
 other line of action ; but from their 
 distress Shechaniah inferred that his 
 
 proposal would commend itself to them. 
 Their recommendation of his measure 
 would contribute to its general accept- 
 ance. (3.) In accordance with the 
 commands of God. "And let it be 
 done according to the law." I am not 
 aware of any express command to put 
 away heathen wives, to which Shecha- 
 niah can refer; but the spirit of the 
 law, which repeatedly and solemnly pro- 
 hibited such marriages, seemed to require 
 their divorcement. " Divorces were per- 
 mitted to the Israelites, bi/ the Judicial 
 laiv, to prevent worse consequences ; " 
 but there could be no consequences 
 worse than the seduction of the husbands 
 and the training of the children to ido- 
 latry. Moreover, the law which com- 
 manded the Israelite to put to death 
 any one enticing him to idolatry, even 
 if the enticer were his "brother, the 
 son of his mother, or his son, or his 
 daughter, or the wife of his bosom, or 
 the friend, which was as his own soul " 
 (Deut. xiii. G-11), would surely sanction 
 the putting completely away of heathen 
 wives. If a Christian sin by marry in «• 
 an unbeliever, he may not adopt the 
 course recommended by Shechaniah. 
 The rule for him, or for her, as the case 
 may be, is laid down in 1 Cor. vii. 
 12-14. 
 
 4. Summons Ezra to take the lead in 
 abolishing it. "Arise; for this matter 
 belongeth unto thee," &c. (ver. 4). In 
 this appeal of Shechaniah to Ezra we 
 have — (1.) An assertion that the work 
 pertained to him. It was the business 
 of Ezra to take this matter in hand, for 
 two reasons : First, his .commission 
 authorised him to do it (see chap. vii. 
 26). He was sent by Artaxerxes to 
 enforce obedience to the law of God. 
 And, second, his character qualified him 
 for doing it. His acquaintance with 
 the law of God, his practical conformity 
 to that law, his position as a teacher of 
 it, and his great influence with the 
 people, all combined to qualify him for 
 taking the lead in effecting this reforma- 
 tion. (2.) A call to courage in respect 
 to this work. "Be of good courage." 
 Perhaps Ezra took too dark a view of 
 the case, and was too despondent con- 
 cerning it, and required this hopeful 
 
 159 
 
CEAF. X. 
 
 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 and earnest call to courage. The de- 
 spondent would never succeed in carry- 
 ing out such a reformation ; the business 
 imperatively required a brave and reso- 
 lute spirit. (3.) A summons to action. 
 "Arise, ... be of good courage, and 
 act." It was of the utmost importance 
 to "seize the present favourable oppor- 
 tunity for beginning the reformation. 
 In their present state of sore distress on 
 account of the sin, the people of this 
 great assembly would be ready to enter 
 upon any possible course for making an 
 end of that sin. Therefore it behoved 
 Ezra to arise from his deep grief, and 
 beo-in the reformation. Let his deep 
 feelings now impel him into earnest 
 action"^ and the deep feelings of the 
 people will impel them to unite with 
 him. The case demanded immediate 
 and resolute action (comp. Josh. vii. 
 
 10-15). . . 
 
 5. Promises co-operation m aboLislmig 
 it. "We also will be with thee." 
 Shechaniah thus takes the place of 
 spokesman for the " very great congre- 
 gation " assembled before the house of 
 God ; and pledges them to stand by 
 Ezra and to work with him in effecting 
 the great reformation. The co-operation 
 of such an assembly in this undertaking 
 would go far to guarantee its success, (c). 
 
 III. The proposal of reformation 
 accepted. " Then arose Ezra, and made 
 the chief priests, the Levites," &c. 
 
 (ver. 5). 
 
 1. It was accepted infl.aentially. ''The 
 princes, the priests, the Levites," the 
 men of the most eminent position and 
 commanding influence, gave in their 
 adhesion to the movement. 
 
 2. It ivas accepted extensively. "And 
 all Israel." All that great multitude 
 which had assembled unto Ezra out of 
 Israel, pledged themselves to co-operate 
 in carrying out the proposal of Shecha- 
 niah. The party of reformation was 
 strong both in the number and in the 
 power of its adherents. 
 
 3. It was accepted solemnly. Ezra 
 made them "to swear that they should 
 do according to this word; and they 
 sware." When the keenness of their 
 present distress had abated, if any of 
 them had been tempted to draw back, 
 
 IGO 
 
 they would have been prevented from 
 doing so by the solemnity with which 
 they had pledged themselves to the 
 undertaking. 
 
 Conclusion : 
 
 The lessons suggested by this subject 
 are many and important. Let us attend 
 to the {)rincipal ones. 
 
 L The manifestation of intense feeling 
 is sometimes commendable, and very in- 
 Jlaentialfor good (ver. I). 
 
 2. A deep feeling of the guilt of sin is 
 a strong encouragement to hope for for- 
 giveness, amendment, &c. (ver. 2). {d). 
 
 3. That repentance only is genuine 
 which leads to restitution and reforma- 
 tion (ver. 3). (e). 
 
 4. It is of the utmost importance to 
 translate religious feeling into corres- 
 ponding action without delay (vers. 3, 
 
 ^)-(-^)- , • ; // 
 
 5. Great leaders may receive valuable 
 
 aid from even their humblest followers. 
 Shechaniah, apparently an able man, 
 suggested the reformation and urged 
 Ezra to attempt it at once; but even 
 the obscurest person in that " very great 
 congregation," by swelling the tide of 
 penitent feeling, helped to set the pro- 
 ject of reformation well afloat. 
 
 6. It is sometimes wise to fortify good 
 resolutions by a solemn covenant with 
 God, or by a serious pledge to man 
 (vers. 3, 6). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Let us strive after God's view of sin. 
 To Him sin is infinitely hateful ; He cantiot 
 tolerate it with the least degree of allowance ; 
 it troubles His otherwise perfect and happy 
 universe; it despoils human nature; it over- 
 throws all that is Divine ni manhood ; it calls 
 into existence the worm that gnaws for ever ; 
 it is the cause of death and the source of hell. 
 To under-estimate the heinousness of sin is to 
 put ourselves out of the line of God's view ; to 
 understand sin is to understand redemption. 
 Sin interprets the Cross; sin shows what is 
 meant by God's love. We cannot be right in 
 our relation to Jesus Christ, we cannot be just 
 to His holy Cross, until we regard sin with 
 unutterable repugnance, until we rise against 
 it in fiery indignation, fighting it with all the 
 ener"-y of wounded love, and bringing upon it 
 the damnation of concentrated and implacable 
 ano-er I am not speaking of what are called 
 great sins ; I am not thinking of murder, of 
 commercial plunder, of adultery, drunkenness, 
 or theft; I am speaking of sin as sin, sin 
 
IIOMILETW COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 nestling secretly in the heart, sin rolled under 
 llie tongue as a sweet morsel, sin indulged in 
 f-eoret places, sin perverting the thought, sin 
 poisoning tlie love, sin sucking out the life- 
 liiood of ihe soul ; 1 am thinking of sin, not of 
 i-ms— of the fact, not of tiie details; and I ask, 
 with passionate yet well-considered pointed- 
 ness, Have we not been led to undcr-estimate 
 the guilt of sin t— Joseph Parker, D.D. 
 
 (b) Tliere is often, when men repent, the 
 necessity of a reparation. A man that in his 
 I'ast life has been inflicting wrong may not be 
 able to make all the reparation. A man whose 
 distributive gains have been flowing in from a 
 hundred sources, and varying every year, may 
 not be able to carry back the tribute and re- 
 bestow it where he fraudulently or wickedly 
 obtained it. Yet while this is the case fre- 
 quently in respect to gains, there are many 
 things which a man may repair. A man may 
 have wronged a fellow-man by his tongue, 
 and it is necessary, if he is going to be a 
 Ciiristian, that that shall be all repaired. A 
 man may have a quarrel on his hands, and if 
 he is going to be a Christian, that quarrel must 
 come to an end. A man may be high and 
 olistinate, and that man, if he is going to be a 
 Christian, must come down and confess, "I 
 was wrong, and I give up the transgression 
 •wholly, absolutely." It may be that a man 
 has lieen living on ill-gotten gains. It may be 
 orphan's property. No matter if it makes a 
 beggar of him, the man who is living on 
 fraudulent gains, if he is going to be a Ciiris- 
 tian, must make reparation, and give them 
 up. If, for proper and suitable reasons, he 
 finds that he cannot give them up, he must at 
 least confess; for although everybody knows 
 his sin, everybody does not know that he knows 
 it — at any rate they do not know that he knows 
 it in such " wa^ that he is willing to confess 
 it. Confession is a testimony to the power 
 of God, and to the power of the new-found 
 virtue in his soul. — //. W. Beecher. 
 
 (c) The social element in religious move- 
 ments — that which men often decry in revivals 
 — is apt to infuse a generous enthusiasm, a 
 largeness, into men's minds. There are times 
 when men cannot alone do noble things; but 
 if there be scores and hundreds of men that 
 seem at the same time to be filled with the 
 same influence, then they rise to heroic pro- 
 portions, and are able to do easily things that 
 would overtax their individual power. 
 
 This seems to have been one of those cases 
 where men were seized, not simply with a 
 conviction of sin and with a disposition to 
 repent; but with a disposition to repent in a 
 manner that should be heroic, and should stamp 
 both their sense of iniquity and transgression, 
 and their sense of the genuineness of their 
 repentance and conversion. — J bid. 
 
 [d) The essence of repentance is sorrow, 
 Borrow for our sin. Sorrow is painful, and we 
 shrink from pain ; we avoid it. To those that 
 
 have not felt the evil that repentance cures, 
 how dark and bitter a thing it is to be away 
 from God, homeless, fatherless, an orphan, 
 and made so by selfish ingratitude,— to those it 
 will not seem a good. It is a good only to 
 those who feel the evil it delivers them from, 
 the nobler peace it brings them to. We know 
 there is one thing worse than pain ; the paia- 
 less disease that kills; the slow, insidious, 
 fatal malady that eats away the springs and 
 energies of life, without giving the warnings 
 of bodily distress. To stop that, to heal that, 
 we gladly go in search of pain. We tell the 
 surgeon to hurt us that we may live. Physical 
 vitality is often undermined unconsciously. 
 To avert that process by a pang, by a period 
 of needful and saving agony, we account a 
 blessing. After the first stages of suflfocation, 
 the drowning, on their own testimony, pass 
 into a state of insensibility to suffering, or 
 even, as many maintain, of positive and ex- 
 quisite pleasure. Adam Clarke, who went 
 through it, says, in his autobiography, it was 
 like being borne gently through the most 
 luxurious tropical verdure, the keenest enjoy- 
 ment. And when this swift, easy passage 
 to destruction is interrupted, and friendship 
 applies restoratives, there are spasms, tortures; 
 the sufferer begs to be let alone, to die. It is 
 not otherwise with the spiritual sensibilities. 
 It is their coming back from death to life that 
 makes their distress. But no wise man, only 
 the demented man, regrets that distress. Paul, 
 with his singular exactness of expression, says 
 that the sorrow that is unto life, the price of 
 living for ever, needeth not to be repented of, 
 not to be sorrowed for. The pain that rescues 
 life is a good. — F. D. Huntington, D.D. 
 
 (c) Reformation is just as essential as re- 
 pentance. That is, it is just as essential that 
 you should, up to your power, do the deeds of 
 a good man or woman, as that you should take 
 the resolution to be a good man or woman. If 
 you are heartily sorry for misspent years, you 
 will make it your business to spend your future 
 years wisely. If you are called to renounce an 
 undevout heart, the same Lord calls you to 
 work with holy hands. In whatever the past 
 has bepn irreligious and mean, the future must 
 be sanctified and noble. Despisingyour selfish- 
 ness, you must go on to generosity. Eenounc- 
 ing a paltry ambition, you must serve humanity 
 and truth for their own immortal sake. The 
 invisible energy that makes the acorn vital is 
 nothing, unless you give it soil and air for 
 growth and expansion into the fair proportions 
 of the oak. 
 
 Thus, in fact, reformation becomes the test 
 of repentance, proving its sincerity and its 
 worth. We infer that a miser is penitent, 
 when we see him giving liberally to the poor, 
 or to spreading the Gospel. A sensualist may 
 profess to have repented ; but we are not sure, 
 till we see him forsaking dissipation, and living 
 temperately and chastely. A vain, frivolous 
 girl deserves small confidence as repenting, till 
 her whole ajfpearance reveals a constant life 
 
 161 
 
no MI LET I C COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 hidden with Christ in God, and the dignity of 
 a sober devotion to the welfare of others. It 
 is not to be believed that a sullen or angry 
 temper has been actually repented of, till the 
 countenance loses its unhallowed fire, and the 
 voice its asperity, and the words come gentlj', 
 like His, who, when He was reviled, reviled 
 not again. — Ibid. 
 
 (/) It is a perilous thing to separate feeling 
 from acting ; to have learnt to feel rightly 
 without acting rightly. It is a danger to 
 which, in a refined and polished age, we are 
 peculiarly exposed. The romance, the poem, 
 and the sermon teach us how to feel. Our 
 feelings are delicately correct. But the danger 
 is this : — feeling is given to lead to action ; if 
 feeling be suffered to awake without passing 
 into duty, the character becomes untrue. 
 When the emergency for real action comes, 
 
 the feeling is as usual produced : but ac- 
 customed as it is to rise in fictitious circum- 
 stances without action, neither will it lead ou 
 to action in the real ones. "We pity wretched- 
 ness and shun the wretched." We utter senti- 
 ments, just, honourable, refined, lofty ; but 
 somehow, when a truth presents itself in the 
 shape of a duty, we are unable to perform it. 
 And so such characters become by degrees like 
 the artificial pleasure grounds of bad taste, in 
 which the waterfall does not fall, and the grotto 
 offers only the refreshment of an imaginary 
 shade, and the green hill does not strike the 
 skies, and the tree does not grow. Their lives 
 are a sugared crust of sweetness trembling over 
 black depths of hoUowness ; more truly still, 
 " whited sepulchres"- — fair without to look 
 upon, " wittiin full of all uncleanness." — 
 F. W. Robertson, M.A. 
 
 True Loyalty. 
 
 [Verse 4.) 
 
 The word " loyalty " is much used in 
 these days. A picture here of the 
 thing. The spirit which was animating 
 many in Israel at this juncture finds 
 utterance here from the lips of one. He 
 speaks in the name of others. The 
 issue shows he had warrant for so doing. 
 We also see that he speaks well. By 
 examining his language we shall find 
 that true loyalty is marked — 
 
 I. By genuine respect. In the 
 commonwealth of Israel at that time 
 there was great need of reform. The 
 people had not long returned from cap- 
 tivity. They were powerless and few. 
 Yet the very evil wliich had previously 
 occasioned their captivity had begun to 
 reappear. Steps had been taken which, 
 if not retraced, would certainly bring 
 that evil about. Many in high places — 
 some of the speaker's own relatives — 
 were in fault (see ver. 26). The matter 
 therefore was pressing. He felt it so. 
 He desired reform very earnestly ; he 
 recommended it very strongly (see vers. 
 2, 3). Yet he would not take upon 
 him to be the first to move in this 
 matter. He would not set aside those 
 whose office it was to do this. " Arise ; 
 for this matter belongeth unto thee." 
 You see exactly the state of his mind. 
 Notwithstanding the depth of his zeal 
 and convictions, he would sooner do 
 nothing than be disrespectful to Ezra. 
 162 
 
 No change, in his judgment, would be 
 proper reform that should set proper 
 authority on one side. 
 
 II. By sincere sympathy. This is 
 shown here in the words that come 
 next : " We also will be with thee ; be 
 of good courage, and do it." It is 
 possible to defer to authority in a very 
 cold and unfriendly spirit, to leave too 
 much on the hands of our rulers, and to 
 fail in taking our proper share of odium 
 and labour in supporting them and their 
 measures. We do weU, therefore, to 
 note from this language that we owe 
 much to them in both these respects. 
 If we wish to be truly loyal, we are 
 bound to encourage them openly in their 
 righteous efi'orts. We are bound also 
 to promise them our support and assist- 
 ance. In fact, to do otherwise is covert 
 rebellion. Not to encourage is to hinder 
 in a taciturn way. Not to assist is, in 
 an indolent fashion, to oppose. How 
 could Ezra have moved at all in this 
 matter, how could he have moved to 
 good purpose, but for this language of 
 Shechaniah ? 
 
 We may apply these lessons — 
 1. To the laws of our land. Except 
 where religious principle is in question, 
 these should be the laws of our lives. 
 It is the object of the "criminal classes" 
 to try and evade them. It should be 
 the object of God-fearing persons to try 
 
nOMlLETW COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 and observe them. " Render unto Caesar 
 the things which are Caesar's" (Matt. 
 xxii. 21 ; see also Rom. xii. 1, 2, 7). 
 All this should be regarded by us as 
 part of our duty towards God. This 
 also should be applied by us carefully 
 to all the points it embraces ; e.g., our 
 income-tax returns; our action towards 
 contraband trade ; our respect for the 
 administrators of justice ; our support 
 of its officers, and so on. A bad citizen 
 ■will never make a good Christian. A 
 good Christian, in these matters, would 
 rather exceed than fall short, after the 
 example of Christ Himself (Matt. xvii. 
 24-27). 
 
 2. To the laws and officers of our 
 Church. Ezra was acting here ecclesi- 
 
 astically as much as politically ; of the 
 two, perhaps rather more so. So of 
 our Lord in paying the di-drachma, or 
 Temple tribute, as above (see also Matt, 
 xxiii. 2, 3). In all things, therefore, in 
 regard to which a Church hath power to 
 ordain, in all matters where its ministers 
 have a right to be consulted, let us not 
 only acquiesce, but encourage ; not only 
 encourage, but support. Yet let us 
 do it without interference, and without 
 taking their proper work from their 
 hands. The English word " leader " 
 .signifies both a commander and a guide. 
 Therefore never be many steps behind 
 your leader ; never be one step in front. 
 — W. S. Lewis, M.A. in The Clergy- 
 matins Magazine. 
 
 The Refokmation Decided Upon. 
 {Verses 6-12.) 
 
 Notice : 
 
 I. The summons to the people to 
 assemble at Jerusalem. Proclamation 
 was made throughout that part of the 
 country in which the returned Jews had 
 settled, requiring them to come to Jeru- 
 salem within a specified time, and 
 announcing severe penalties in case any 
 one failed to do so. Concerning this 
 summons, notice — 
 
 1. The circuynstances in which it 
 originated. When the proposal of She- 
 chaniah was adopted by the great con- 
 gregation assembled before the house of 
 God, " Then Ezra rose up from before 
 the house of God, and went into the 
 chamber of Johanan, the son of Elia- 
 shib ; and when he came thither, he did 
 eat no bread, nor drink water ; for he 
 mourned because of the transgression 
 of them that had been carried away." 
 Here in this chamber Ezra seems to 
 have consulted the chief men, the princes, 
 the elders, and the priests, as to the best 
 measures for carrying out the resolution 
 which had been so solemnly made. And 
 his consultations were in a spirit of 
 profound penitence and earnest piety, 
 which was manifested by his fasting and 
 mourning. 
 
 2, The persons to lohom it ivas ad- 
 
 dressed. " They made proclamation 
 throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto 
 all the children of the captivity." The 
 summons was issued to all the adult 
 male population of the Jews, who out 
 of exile had returned to their own land. 
 It applied to the entire Jewish com- 
 munity in Palestine. 
 
 3. The authority by ivhich it was 
 issued. " They made proclamation . . . 
 according to the counsel of the princes 
 and the elders." Not by Ezra alone 
 was the summons sent forth, but by 
 him in connection with the recognised 
 and rightful heads of the community. 
 The authority of the mandate was un- 
 questionable. 
 
 4. The speedy obedience ivhich it re- 
 quired. " That they should gather 
 themselves together unto Jerusalem 
 . . . within three days." " The limits 
 of Judea at this time," says Rawlinson, 
 " appear to have been Bethel on the 
 north, Beersheba on the south, Jericho 
 on the east, and the Mediterranean upon 
 the west. As the frontier was nowhere 
 much more than forty miles from Jeru- 
 salem, three days from tht day that they 
 heard the proclamation would be suffi- 
 cient time* to allow all the able-bodied 
 men to reach the capital." No time 
 
 1G3 
 
MO MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 was granted for hesitation or delay. 
 Resolute and quick obedience was de- 
 manded of all. 
 
 5. The penalties by which it was en- 
 forced. "And that whosoever would 
 not come within three days, according 
 to the counsel of the princes and the 
 elders," &c. (ver. 8). Should any one 
 prove a defaulter, he is here threatened 
 with a twofold penalty — (1.) The 
 forfeiture of his entire property to the 
 Church. " All his substance should 
 be forfeited ; " or, as in the margin, 
 " devoted " (comp. Lev. xxvii. 28). Ezra 
 was authorised by the Persian monarch 
 to inflict this penalty (comp. ciiap. vii. 
 26). (2.) Personal exclusion from the 
 conununity. " And himself separated 
 from the congregation of those that had 
 been carried away." He would be de- 
 prived of all the rights and privileges 
 which pertained to him as a member of 
 that community. 
 
 II. The assemhly of the people at 
 Jerusalem in obedience to this sum- 
 mons. Notice : 
 
 1. The universal attendance at the 
 assembly. '• Then all the men of Judah 
 and Benjamin gathered themselves to- 
 gether within three days." There seems 
 to have been no defaulters. If any were 
 inclined to disregard the summons, the 
 severe penalties proclaimed against ab- 
 sentees constrained them to obey it. And 
 all were present within the appointed 
 time. 
 
 2. The felt importance of the assembly. 
 The historian seems to have regarded it 
 as an epoch in the history of the com- 
 munity ; for he carefully records the 
 date of its occurrence. " It was the 
 ninth month, on the twentieth day of 
 the month." The importance of the 
 great and solemn meeting was doubtless 
 felt by most, if not by all the people. 
 
 3. The dep7-essed spirit of the assernbly. 
 " All the people sat in the street of the 
 house of God," &c. (ver. 9). They were 
 troubled and alarmed because of — (1.) 
 The sin by reason of which they had 
 been called together. " Trembling be- 
 cause of this matter." " The consciousness 
 of guilt distressed them, and made them 
 fearful. (2.) The extraordinarily heavy 
 rain which was falling at the time. 
 
 1G4 
 
 "And for the great rain." This great 
 gathering took place in the rainy season ; 
 but the showers at this time were evi- 
 dently of unusual severity, and were in 
 the mind of the people associated with 
 the fact of their grievous trespass. How 
 impressive and melancholy a spectacle 1 
 The vast multitude seated before the 
 Temple of God, tired, troubled, and 
 trembling, beneath the dark canopy of 
 heavy clouds, with the rain falling down 
 upon them in torrents ! 
 
 III. The address of Ezra to the 
 assembled people. "And Ezra the 
 ])riest stood u\>, and said unto them," 
 &.C. (vers. 10, 11). This address com- 
 prises — 
 
 1. A declaration of their sin. " Ye 
 have transgressed and have taken strange 
 wives, to increase the trespass of Israel." 
 A decided recognition of the sin was in- 
 dispensable to reformation. By these 
 marriages they had augmented greatly 
 the guilt of the comnumity. 
 
 2. An exhortation to repentance. He 
 calls upon them to discharge two of the 
 principal duties of repentance. (1.) Con- 
 fession of sin. "Now therefore make 
 confession unto the Lord God of your 
 fathers, and do His pleasure." Confes- 
 sion of sin is a relief to the penitent 
 soul. (a). It is also an essential con- 
 dition of forgiveness. (6). " Whoso 
 covereth his sins shall not prosper ; but 
 whoso confesseth and forsaketh them 
 shall have mercy." " If we confess our 
 sins, He is fixithful and just to forgive 
 us our sins," Arc. " I acknowledged my 
 sin unto Thee," &c. (Ps. xxxii. 5). (2.) 
 Abandonment of sin. " And separate 
 yourselves from the people of the land, 
 and from the strange wives." This is 
 an essential element in true repentance. 
 " Let the wicked forsake his way," «fec. 
 (Isa. Iv. 7). " Whoso confesseth and 
 forsaketh his sins shall have mercy." 
 " Repentance," says Shakespeare, " is 
 heart's sorrow, and a clear life ensu- 
 ing." (c). 
 
 IV. The declaration of the assem- 
 bled people. " Then all the congrega- 
 tion answered and said with a loud 
 voice. As thou hast said, so must we 
 do." Thus they announced their deter- 
 mination to follow the counsel of Ezra. 
 
nOMILETlC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 Notice — 
 
 1. 2'he tmanimity of their determina- 
 tion. " All the congregation answered 
 and said," &c. This augured well for 
 the success of the movement. 
 
 3. Tlie earnestness of their determina- 
 tion. "Answered with a loud voice." 
 This was not a half-hearted or reluctant 
 assent, but a free and whole-hearted 
 resolution. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) As the frank and dutiful child, when he 
 has committed a fault, does not wait till 
 another goes and tells his iathei', or till t!ie 
 father discovers by his frowning countenance 
 that it has come to his ear ; but freely, and 
 of his own accord, goes pleasantly to his 
 father, and eases his aching heart by a free 
 and full confession ; and this with such plain- 
 heartedness, giving his oS'ence the weight of 
 every aggravating circumstance, so tliat if the 
 devil himself should come after him, to glean 
 up what he hatli left, he should hardly find 
 wherewiilial to make the case appear blacker ; 
 — thus does the sincere soul to God ; adding 
 to his simplicity in the confession of his siii 
 such a flow of sorrow, that God, seeing His 
 dear child in danger of being carried down 
 towards despair, if good news from Him do 
 not speedily stay him, cannot but tune His 
 voice rather into a strain of comforting him 
 in his mourning, than chiding him for his 
 sin. — W. Gurnall. 
 
 (b) It is impossible for the Almighty Him- 
 self to forgive men unless men come to Him 
 with contrition, with repentance towards Him- 
 self, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Be- ^ 
 lieve me, there is no action so difficult as the 
 action of forgiveness. There is no action so 
 complicated as the action of pardon. It seems 
 a very simple thing to say, " 1 forgive you ; say 
 no more about it ; there is an end of the whole 
 affair : away you go." He who could speak 
 so, is immoral. He who could talk so, is not 
 to be trusted. If a man could treat the moral 
 relationships of life so, it would but prove that 
 his conscience had been drugged, that his 
 judgment had been hoodwinked, and that 
 there was nothing morally permanent in the 
 quality of his soul but corruptness.— Joseph 
 ParJcer, D.D. 
 
 (c) Convince a man that the only way to 
 eave his life is to part with his limb, and he 
 does not hesitate an instant between living 
 with one limb and being buried with two. 
 Borne into the operating theatre, pale, yet 
 resolute, he bares the diseased member to the 
 
 knife. And how well does that bleeding, 
 fainting, groaning sufferer teach us to {)art 
 with our sins rather than with our Saviour. If 
 life is better than a limb, how much better is 
 heaven than a sin ! 
 
 Two years ago a man was called to decide 
 between preserving his life, and parting with 
 the gains of his lifetime. A gold-digger, 
 he stood on the deck of a ship tliat, coming 
 from Australian shores, had — as some all 
 but reach heaven — ail but reached her har- 
 bour in safety. The exiles had been co:ist- 
 ing along their native shores ; and to-morrow, 
 husbands would embrace th«ir wives, children 
 their parents, and not a few realise the 
 bright dream of returning to pass the even- 
 ing of their days in happiness amid the 
 loved scenes of their youth. But as the 
 proverb runs, there is much between the cup 
 and the lip. Night came lowering down ; anil 
 with the night a storm that wrecked ship, and 
 hopes, and fortunes all together. The dawn- 
 ing light but revealed a scene of horror — death 
 staring them in the face. Tlie sea, lashed into 
 fury, ran mountains high ; no boat could live 
 in her. One chance still remained. Pale 
 women, weeping children, feeble and timid 
 men must die ; but a stout, brave swimmir, 
 with trust in God, and disencumbered of all 
 impediments, might reach the shore, where 
 hundreds stood ready to dash into the boiling 
 surf, and, seizing, save him. One man was 
 observed to go below. He bound round his 
 waist a heavy belt, filled with gold, the hard 
 gains of his life ; and returned to the deck. 
 One after another, he saw his fellow-passengers 
 leap overboard. After a brief but terrible 
 struggle, head after head went down — sunk 
 by the gold they had fought hard to gain, and 
 were loth to lose. Slowly he was seen to un- 
 buckle his belt. His hopes had been bound 
 up in it. It was to buy him land, and ease, 
 and respect — the reward of long years of hard 
 and weary exile. What hardships he had 
 endured for it ! The sweat of his brow, the 
 hopes of day, and the dreams of night were 
 there. If he parts with it, he is a btggar ; 
 but then if he keeps it, he dies. He poised it 
 in his hand ; balanced it for a while ; took a 
 long, sad look at it ; and then with one strong, 
 desperate eflbrt, flung it far out into the roar- 
 ing sea. Wise man ! It sinks with a sullen 
 plunge ; and now he follows it — not to sink, 
 but, disencumbered of its weight, to swim ; 
 to beat the billows manfully; and, riding on 
 the foaming surge, to reach the shore. Well 
 done, brave gold-digger ! Ay, well done, and 
 well chosen ; but if "a man," as the devil 
 said, who for once spoke God's truth, "will 
 give all that he hath for his life," how 
 much more should he give all he hath for his 
 soul ? Better to part with gold than with 
 God ; to bear the heaviest cross than miss a 
 heavenly crown ! — Thomas Guthrie, D.D 
 
 165 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 A Great and Troubled Assembly. 
 
 (Jerse 9.) 
 
 How much good one man may do 
 who has the grace of God in his heart 
 and the fear of God before his eyes ! 
 "One sinner destroyeth much good;" 
 one saint may accomplish much. He 
 may be a centre of gracious influences 
 to the Church and the world, a terror to 
 the bad, a tower of strength to the good. 
 The world owes much to its great men, 
 more to its good ones. Ezra was one of 
 these. He was the means of bringing 
 part of the Church out of captivity, and 
 of renewing the faded splendours of 
 holiness and devotion which it had lost. 
 He stood in the line of illustrious re- 
 formers, and was considered in the Jewish 
 Church a second Moses. 
 
 The Book of Ezra closes with an ac- 
 count of their national humiliation for 
 the sin of taking foreign wives, and the 
 measures taken for putting them away. 
 Public proclamation had been made for 
 this purpose. The text shows the re- 
 sult. It teaches — 
 
 I. That it is the tendency of sin to 
 produce sorrow and consternation of 
 soul. " All the people sat in the street 
 of the house of God, trembling because 
 of this matter, and for the great rain." 
 The matter spoken of was the sin of 
 marrying strange or foreign wives. It 
 was of great consequence that this evil 
 should be corrected at this time, that 
 their genealogies might be kept pure, 
 that their estates might descend in the 
 right direction, and, above all, that the 
 line of the Messiah might be preserved 
 in the chosen tribe. The deep grief of 
 Ezra and the ready submission of the 
 princes and people show its importance 
 in a national point of view. They all 
 partook of the feelings of shame and 
 consternation. They sat trembling in 
 the open street. " And for the great 
 rain." They probably thought there was 
 something ominous or judicial in this, 
 designed to put an accent of terror upon 
 God's displeasure at their sin. 
 
 Learn, then, that it is the tendency 
 of sin to produce sorrow, and that the 
 providences of God often give a voice 
 166 
 
 to conscience, and produce an inward 
 agony which none but the sinner him- 
 self can know. There is a scorpion 
 sting in remembered guilt, when out- 
 ward troubles and inward fears meet 
 together. Joseph's brethren : " We are 
 verily guilty concerning our brother," 
 &c. (Gen. xlii. 21). The sight of Elijah 
 agonised the mourning mother : " Art 
 thou come unto me to call my sin to 
 remembrance, and to slay my son ? " 
 (1 Kings xvii. 18). Sin often begins 
 with gladness and ends in terror. Grace 
 begins with tears and ends with triumph. 
 " The spirit of a man will sustain his 
 infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can 
 bear ? " The spirit can bear temporal 
 ills with much fortitude, and arm itself 
 against outward or inward affliction ; but 
 a wounded spirit, pierced and wounded 
 by those arrows of the Almighty's quiver, 
 which find their way to the heart, is in- 
 tolerable. By a wounded spirit — here 
 described as a spirit of "trembling" — 
 we apprehend a spirit convinced of sin 
 under the terrors of the law, led to a 
 full and just view of its own condition 
 and condemnation. This is the disposi- 
 tion to which, under the eflScacious influ- 
 ence of Divine grace, all " the vessels of 
 mercy" are sooner or later led, in a 
 greater or less degree, because the con- 
 viction of sin is the very beginning, lies 
 at the foundation of genuine godliness. 
 Sins overlooked and forgotten now ap- 
 pear in their true light. Conscience 
 once asleep is now awakened. The 
 thunders of the law are heard, and there 
 are fearful apprehensions of deserved 
 wrath. " The people wept very sore." 
 They could not " wash their hands in 
 innocency," and therefore they bathed 
 their eyes with tears. A deluge of ini- 
 quity in the heart may well produce a 
 deluge of grief in the conscience. Jere- 
 miah wished " that his head were waters, 
 and his eyes a fountain of tears," &c. 
 (Jer. ix. 1). And Ezra himself, though 
 not a partaker of the scandalous guilt of 
 those who had taken foreign wives, ex- 
 hibits much more earnestness and inten- 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 sity than many who had. The practice 
 of sin hardened their consciences ; the 
 sight of sin softened liis (chap. ix. 3-6). 
 II. That God marks with peculiar 
 interest the time in which repentance 
 unto life begins in the soul. " It was 
 the ninth month, on the twentieth day 
 of the month." No breath of prayer, 
 no exercise of faith, no sigh of repent- 
 iince can ever escape Him. God is 
 very attentive to times and dates. The 
 dates of the commencement of carrying 
 out the reformation and. of its comple- 
 tion are preserved (vers, 16, 17). The 
 day in which the three thousand were 
 converted is distinctly recorded : " When 
 the day of Pentecost was fully come " 
 (Acts ii. 1). The day in which the 
 foundation of the second Temple was 
 laid was memorised : " Consider now 
 from this day and upward, from the 
 four and twentieth day of the ninth 
 month, even from the day that the 
 foundation of the Lord's Temple was 
 
 laid, consider" (Hag. ii. 18). And is 
 He less attentive to the building of the 
 sjiiritual temple in the soul? The mo- 
 ment Saul of Tarsus began to pray was 
 a memorable season in the calendar of 
 Heaven (Acts ix. 11). And the prayer 
 of faitli and penitence does wonders. 
 
 III. That repentance, where it is 
 real, will be attended with its appro- 
 priate fruits. The people put away 
 the strange wives (vers. 1,1, 12, 16, 17). 
 " Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of 
 repentance," &c. (Luke iii. 8-14). 
 
 IV. That the names and persons of 
 genuine penitents are for ever pre- 
 cious to God and recorded in His book. 
 " And among the sons of the priests 
 there were found that had taken strange 
 wives : of the sons of Jeshua the son 
 of Jozadak," &c, (vers, 18-44). They 
 were held up as patterns of sin repented, 
 sin forsaken, and sin forgiven. — Samuel 
 Thodey. 
 
 The Reformation Effected. 
 {Verses 13-17.) 
 
 The great assembly having earnestly 
 decided that the strange wives should 
 be put away, the next consideration was 
 as to the mode by which this decision 
 might be carried out It is frequently, 
 and especially in a popular assembly, 
 much easier to resolve that a thing 
 shall be done, than to devise a pru- 
 dent and practicable method of doing 
 it. In the paragraph now before us 
 we see how the great reformation was 
 carried out. It was effected — 
 
 I, Notwithstanding difficulties. 
 Two difficulties are suggested in the 
 thirteenth verse : — 
 
 1. The g7-eatness of the undertalcing. 
 " Neither is this a work of one day or 
 two ; for we are many that have trans- 
 gressed in this thing." The cases being 
 numerous, considerable time would be 
 required to deal with them satisfac- 
 torily. Moreover, some of the cases 
 would probably need very careful con- 
 sideration. Amongst the foreign wives 
 some perhaps had become proselytes to 
 the Jewish religion; and amongst the 
 
 cliildren of these marriages some of the 
 sons had perhaps been circumcised, and 
 these wives and sons could not be put 
 away. It was necessary that an im- 
 partial and sufficient investigation of 
 each case should be made, and the cases 
 were many, so that the task to be per- 
 formed was not by any means a light 
 or easy one. 
 
 2. The inclemency of the iveather. 
 " But the people are many and it is a 
 time of much rain, and we are not able 
 to stand without." The reformation 
 could not be carried out by a great 
 popular assembly, such as that gathered 
 before the Temple ; and, even if it had 
 been practicable in other respects, the 
 drenching showers would have prevented 
 it. The assembly could not have con- 
 tinued to sustain those showers ; and 
 there was no building in the country 
 that could have sheltered so vast a 
 multitude. 
 
 Learn : To eradicate sin is a task of 
 the greatest dificidty. How hard it is 
 to overcome a sinful habit in ourselves ! 
 
 167 
 
HOMILETJC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 Only the most patient, persistent, 
 prayerful, and believing effort has any 
 chance of success in such an attempt. 
 How difficult it is to eradicate an evil, 
 whether of belief or of practice, from 
 the Church of God ! It is a task re- 
 quiring the zeal of an enthusiastic re- 
 former, the piety of a devoted saint, 
 and the wisdom of a profound sage. 
 Nothing is easier than the propagation 
 of moral evil ; but its eradication is 
 supremely difficult, (ft). 
 
 II. Notwithstanding opposition. 
 " Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and 
 Jahaziah the son of Tikvah stood up 
 against this ; and ^leshullam and Shab- 
 bethai the Levite helped them," that is, 
 in their opposition to this measure of 
 reform (see Explanatory Notes on ver. 
 15). It is not surprising that opposi- 
 tion should have been offered to this 
 matter. The severance of these mar- 
 riage ties must have been very painful 
 to most of the persons concerned there- 
 in. And very plausible objections might 
 liave been urged against their severance. 
 The examples of distinguished Israelites 
 might have been pleaded as precedents 
 in favour of such marriages. Joseph 
 had married an Egyptian (Gen. xli. 45) ; 
 Moses, a Midianite (Exod. ii. 16, 21), 
 and afterwards a Cushite (Num. xii. 1) ; 
 Boaz, Ruth, a Moabitess (Ruth iv. 9— 
 13) ; David, Maacah a Geshurite (2 
 Sam. iii. 3) ; Solomon, an Egyptian 
 princess (1 Kings iii. 1, vii. 8). These 
 cases might have been adduced and 
 urged as making against the rigorous 
 measure proposed at the present time. 
 It would have been passing strange if 
 there had been no opposition to this 
 unsparing reformation. It is surpris- 
 ing that the opposition was not more 
 extensive. 
 
 Learn : In effecting any great reforma- 
 tion opposition is to be expected. Such 
 reformations injure the secular interests 
 of some persons, run counter to the pre- 
 judices of others, make war upon the 
 ])ractices of others, and so awaken re- 
 .sistance. Great reformations are gene- 
 rally carried out despite determined op- 
 position, (b). 
 
 III. With exemplary wisdom and 
 fairness. " Let now our rulers of all 
 
 168 
 
 the congregations stand, and let all them: 
 which have taken strange wives in our 
 cities come at appointed times," &c» 
 (vers. 14, 16). Thus this reformation 
 was effected — - 
 
 1. By the proper authorities. The 
 " rulers of all the congregation," i.e., 
 the princes and elders of the people, 
 were proposed as a judicial commission 
 to conduct this matter. " And Ezra 
 the priest, with certain chief of the 
 fathers, after the house of their fathers, 
 and all of them by their names were 
 separated, and sat down to examine the 
 matter." The cases were investigated 
 and determined by the rightful judicial 
 authorities of the community, with Ezra 
 as their president. 
 
 2. With competent and reliable wit- 
 nesses. " And with them the elders of 
 every city, and the judges thereof." 
 " With the accused were to come the 
 elders and judges of every city, to fur- 
 nish the necessary explanations and 
 evidence." They would be likely to 
 possess the requisite information as to 
 the cases in their respective cities, and 
 their character and position would give- 
 increased weight to their testimony. 
 
 3. In the presence of the accused. 
 " Let all them which have taken strange 
 wives come at appointed times " to Jeru- 
 salem for trial. No one was condemned 
 in his absence, or without being allowed 
 an opportunity of pleading his cause if 
 he wished to do so. 
 
 4. With due regard for the conveni- 
 ence of the people. It was arranged 
 that the cases from each city or locality 
 should be taken by themselves " and 
 at appointed times," and not be mixed 
 with the cases from other localities. By 
 this plan the Jews from the provinces 
 would not be unnecessarily detained in 
 Jerusalem ; but having answered the 
 summons to appear there, the cases from 
 their locality would be taken consecu- 
 tively until they were all adjudicated, 
 and then they would be at liberty to 
 return to their homes and duties. 
 
 5. With careful inquiry. The time 
 during which the judicial commission 
 sat, and the probable number of cases 
 investigated, furnish evidence of patient 
 examination into the cases. The in- 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 quiry lasted for three months. They 
 " sat down in the first day of the tenth 
 month to examine the matter. And 
 they made an end with all the men that 
 had taken strange wives by the first day 
 of the first month." It is probable that 
 they sat for seventy-five or seventy-six 
 days, and it seems to us that they may 
 have investigated an average of three 
 oases a day. One hundred and thirteen 
 l)erson3 were found to have taken foreign 
 wives ; and, in accordance with the de- 
 cision of the judges, they put them 
 away. Evidently the examination was 
 not hurried and superficial, but patient 
 and thorough. 
 
 Learn : 
 
 The importance of combining prudence 
 of vietliod with earnestness of purpose in 
 carrying out great reformations. Zeal 
 in a good cause should be guided and 
 regulated by sound judgment. A noble 
 aim should be pursued by wise and 
 worthy methods, or it may never be 
 attained, or attained with needless loss 
 and trouble. " Wisdom is profitable to 
 direct." (c). 
 
 IV. Thoroughly. "And they made 
 an end with all the men that had taken 
 strange wives." They completely abo- 
 lished the evil from the community. It 
 was most desirable and important for 
 the people themselves that the wrong 
 should be courageously grappled with 
 and utterly done away. If a surgeon 
 has to remove diseased flesh from his 
 patient, he must cut it completely away, 
 or he is neither skilful in his practice 
 nor kind to his patient. Sin is very tena- 
 cious in its hold, and though checked 
 for a time, springs forth into new and 
 active development. Checking is not 
 enough, it must be killed. Notwith- 
 standing the complete abolition of the 
 foreign wives from the community at 
 this time, the evil reappeared and had 
 to be dealt with by Nehemiah (Neh. xiii. 
 23-28). 
 
 Learn : 
 
 The importance of making an end of 
 sin when we are battling loith it. Let 
 us put it utterly away, cut off all occa- 
 sions of it, and shun every temptation 
 to it. (d). And a yet more eff"ective 
 safeguard and surety against it, is the 
 
 cultivation of the opposite virtues. Let 
 the avaricious cultivate generosity, and 
 the proud man seek after humility, &c. 
 And let every one cry unto God, " II old 
 Thou me up, and I shall be safe." 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) Sometimes this separation from familiar 
 evil IS a struggle as between life and death, 
 shaking the whole soul, and tearing its shrink- 
 ing quick in torture. It is like the sword 
 that pierceth to the dividing -asunder of the 
 joints and marrow. And yet, such is the 
 power of the conviction of the Spirit of truth 
 when humility has once begun its holy and 
 honest work within us, how many even go out 
 to meet that saving sorrow ! Indeed, when 
 the heart has slept too long in the lap of in- 
 dulgence, there often creeps upon it, I believe, 
 an undefined feeling that before long this rest 
 must be ended ; the foreshadow of some darker 
 angel cast across the path. And if the ear of 
 our sympathy were quicker and finer than it 
 is, we should doubtless often overhear, in the 
 tones that breathe around us, the sadness and 
 the prayer of an unsatisfied spirit striving 
 against the evil in it ! Blessed is the mind 
 that springs with alacrity and thanksgiving 
 to its better ministry ! 
 
 For all true souls really touched with the 
 spirit, and consecrated to the fellowship, of 
 Christian obedience will be ready for this 
 sacrifice. Not all equally ready. The bonds 
 of past practice and attachment hang unequal 
 weights about our necks. But what awakened 
 soul will not willingly be drifted away from 
 the accustomed repose, if it is thereby brought 
 nearer to the righteousness and charity of 
 Christ ? This, in fact, is the test of the 
 sincerity of faith ; the willingness to give up 
 all that has been precious but not holy, and 
 launch out upon the future, trusting only to 
 the Unseen Hand — like the Patriarch, of 
 whom that beautiful thing is written, that 
 when he was called to go out into a place 
 which he should after receive, he obeyed, and 
 went out, not knowing whither he went, dwell- 
 ing in the land of " promise," and looking for 
 a city which hath foundations, whose builder 
 and maker is God. Great difficulties will 
 threaten every such obedient foot— the wilder- 
 ness before, tlie bondai^e to evil behind; but 
 God is mightier than they — a pillar of fire 
 for the night, and of bright cloud by day : 
 *' Greater He that is for us than they that are 
 against us." Outside our private battle, society 
 exposes gigantic wrongs to be redressed ; but 
 the right which is to redress them is sure, and 
 the prophetic ear of hope hears the sound of 
 its footsteps from afar. There are changed 
 faces, disappointed companions, an angry class 
 or denomination forsaken, sneers, imputations, 
 false charges, and criticisms — such feeble 
 weapons of the modern world's inquisitions as 
 betray the /cowardice of persecution, without 
 its positive creed or its power. But these are 
 
 169 
 
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 not a terror to him who hears the voice say, 
 "Awake, arise, and Christ shall give thee 
 light ! " — F. D. Huntington, D.D. 
 
 (6) It is a remarkahle, hut awful, fact that 
 liberty and religion both have arisen to pros- 
 perity in the world on successive stages of 
 blood. Blood nurtured the tree of Grecian 
 and of Roman freedom. With bloody swords 
 our fathers in the puritanic and covenanting 
 days gained our civil and religious victories. 
 Through a shower of blood came down, in 
 1789 and the after years, the genius of liberty 
 to the continental shores. Even while we 
 write (1859), the blood of John Brown of 
 Virginia is dropping into the dust, to rear a 
 glorious and a terrible harvest of freedom to 
 his black countrymen. And the religion of 
 Jesus, need we say, arises from the root of a 
 blood-sprinkled cross. This springs, doubt- 
 less, in part from the Divine plan and purpose, 
 but it augurs also something dreadfully wrong 
 in the present system of things. Through 
 the dominion of the evil power men's minds, 
 in every age, have been steeped in selfishness, 
 besotted with lies ; and when truth and good 
 try to stir them, they succeed, but the stir 
 they produce is that of rage and resistance. 
 The darkness comprehends them not, but 
 apprehends and' destroys their votaries, and 
 many of the followers of the prince of evil 
 perish in the strife, too, and thus "blood 
 toucheth blood." Nor can we conceive the 
 final contest of the world decided without a 
 "great slaughter" among the "multitudes — 
 the multitudes in the valley of decision ; " 
 and even the gorgeous Flora of the millennial 
 meadows shall derive its glory from transmuted 
 and transfigured blood. — 0. GUfiUan, M.A. 
 
 (c) The property of cords contracting their 
 length by moisture became generally known, 
 it is said, on the raising of the Egyptian 
 obelisk in the square facing St. Peter's, at 
 Rome, by order of Pope Sixtus V. The great 
 
 work was undertaken in the year 1586 ; and 
 the day for raising the obelisk was marked 
 with great solemnity. High mass was cele- 
 brated at St. Peter's ; and the architect and 
 workmen received the benediction of the Pope. 
 The blast of a trumpet was the given signal, 
 when engines were set in motion by an in- 
 credible number of horses ; but not until after 
 fifty-two unsuccessful attempts had been made, 
 was the huge block lifted from the earth. As 
 the ropes which held it had somewhat stretched, 
 the base of the obelisk could not reach the 
 summit of the pedestal ; when a man in the 
 crowd cried out, " Wd the ropes!" This 
 advice was followed ; and the column, as of 
 itself, gradually rose to the required height, 
 and was placed upright on the pedestal pre- 
 pared for it. — Biblical Treasury. 
 
 (d) Clip the hairs short, yet they will grow 
 again, because the roots are in the skull. A 
 tree that is but pruned, shred, topped, or 
 lopped, will sprout again ; root it up, and it 
 shall grow no more. What is it to clip the 
 outward appearances, and to lop tlie superfluous 
 boughs of our sins, when the root is cherished 
 in the heart ? — Thomas Adams, D.D. 
 
 How grand a thing to get a passion down 
 and hold it by the throat, strangling it de- 
 spite its struggles ! It is tine work to hang 
 up some old sin as an accursed thing before 
 the Lord, just as they hung up the Canaanitish 
 kings before the face of the sun ; or if you 
 cannot quite kill the lust, it is honourable 
 work to roll a great stone at the cave's mouth, 
 and shut in the wretches till the evening 
 comes, when they shall meet their doom. It 
 is a joyous thing when by God's grace under 
 temptation you are kept from falling as you 
 did on a former occasion, and so are made 
 conquerors over a weakness which was your 
 curse in past years. It is a noble thing to be 
 made strong through the blood of the Lamb 
 so as to overcome sin. — C. H. Spurgeon. 
 
 The List of Offenders. 
 
 {Verses 
 
 For what purpose is this catalogue of 
 names inserted herel The list is pro- 
 bably the final record or report of Ezra 
 and his fellow - commissioners, and 
 brought their duties in this matter to 
 an end. But why is it preserved here 
 in the sacred Book 1 Has it any moral 
 significance? Is it of any permanent 
 value? And if so, in what way is it 
 valuable 1 We suggest, in reply — 
 
 I. As a warning against sin. This 
 catalogue shows us — 
 
 1. Sin extending to all classes. Here 
 are the names of seventeen priests (vers. 
 170 
 
 18-44.) 
 
 18-22) who had committed the sin of 
 marrying foreign wives, and four of 
 them belonged to the family of the 
 high priest, " Jeshua the son of Jozadak." 
 They had transgressed in this matter 
 notwithstanding their sacred calling, and 
 that they had received commands im- 
 posing special restrictions as to their 
 marriages (Lev. xxi. 7). Again, we 
 have the names of ten Levites of three 
 different classes, viz., assistants of the 
 priests, singers, and porters (vers. 23, 
 24). And besides these there are the 
 names of eighty-six laymen. A sacred 
 
HO MI LET IC COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 calling, with its hallowed associations 
 and solemn obligations, affords no exemp- 
 tion either from temptation to sin or 
 from the liability to yield to temptation. 
 Let Christian ministers and teachers 
 heed well this fact. Sin is not confined 
 to certain classes or callings. It is 
 found amongst all classes — the rich and 
 the poor, the learned and the ignorant, 
 &c. " All have sinned." (or). 
 
 2. Sin injuring the reputation. The 
 names of these offenders " are here re- 
 corded to their perpetual reproach." 
 " Sin is a reproach to any people." Sin 
 has covered with infamy many a name, 
 which but for it would have been eminent 
 and illustrious for great gifts and noble 
 achievements. 
 
 3. Sin corrupting tht influence. This 
 must have been true of every one of 
 these offenders. The example of each 
 one would be morally pernicious, tending 
 to extend the offence of marrying these 
 foreign wives. But this was especially 
 true in the case of the priests. Their 
 participation in this sin would cause it 
 to appear in the eyes of, at least, some 
 of the people as no sin at all, but quite 
 consistent with duty and piety. In this 
 way their influence, which should have 
 been morally purifying and invigorating, 
 became corrupt and injurious. Thus 
 this catalogue remains as a warning 
 against sin. 
 
 II. As an example of genuine repent- 
 ance. Three characteristics of true re- 
 pentance marked the conduct of these 
 offenders — 
 
 1. They confessed their sin with sorrow. 
 " The people wept very sore. And 
 Shechaniah answered and said unto Ezra, 
 We have trespassed against our God, 
 and have taken strange wives of the 
 people of the land." When Ezra said 
 to the assembled people, " Now there- 
 fore make confession unto the Lord 
 God of your fathers ... all the con- 
 gregation answered and said with a 
 loud voice. As thou hast said, so must 
 we do." Sincere and sorrowful confes- 
 sion of sin is a mark of true repent- 
 ance, and a condition of Divine for- 
 giveness. '• I acknowledged my sin 
 unto Thee," &c. (Ps. xxxii. 5). " If 
 we confess our sins, He is faithful and 
 
 just to forgive us our sins," &c. (1 John 
 
 2. They offered sacrifice on account of 
 the sin. " And being guilty, they offered 
 a ram of the flock for their trespass." 
 This trespass offering, as Keil observes, 
 " was imposed upon them according to 
 the principle of the law (Lev. v. 14-19), 
 because they had committed a ?yp (tres- 
 pass) against the Lord, which needed 
 expiation." The presenta,tion of this 
 offering was not limited to the four 
 priests who "gave their hands" as a 
 pledge that they would make it. " The 
 same obligations, namely, the dismissal 
 of their strange wives, and the bringing 
 of a trespass offering, were imposed on " 
 all the other guilty persons ; but these 
 obligations, having been once stated, it 
 was not deemed necessary to repeat. 
 Every offender was required to bring his 
 sacrifice, and every one did so. And 
 now forgiveness is offered freely to the 
 penitent sinner through the blood of 
 Jesus Christ. " We have redemption 
 through His blood, the forgiveness of 
 sins." Repentance is the condition of 
 forgiveness, and the sacrifice of the Lord 
 Jesus is the medium through which it 
 is attained. (6). Where there is true 
 repentance the need of reconciliation 
 with God will be deeply felt, and the 
 sacrifice of the Cross will be accepted 
 with thankful joy. (c). 
 
 3. They forsook the sin. All the 
 offenders put away their strange wives. 
 Even when children had been born of 
 these marriages, rendering the removal 
 of the wives and mothers much more 
 difficult and painful, the difficulties were 
 overcome, the pain was borne, and the 
 wives were put away. True repentance 
 involves practical reformation — change 
 of conduct, (d). Thus the men whose 
 names are here recorded are examples of 
 genuine repentance. 
 
 III. As an encouragement to genuine 
 repentance. Their repentance was ac- 
 cepted by God, and as a result — 
 
 1. Their sin ivas forgiven. If the 
 sinner "turn from his sin, and do that 
 which is lawful and right ; " &c. (Ezek. 
 xxxiii. 14-16). 
 
 2. The Divine favour was vouchsafed. 
 The wrath of their God for this matter 
 
 171 
 
EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EZRA. 
 
 was turned from them (ver. 14). He 
 approved their penitence and blessed 
 them in their obedience. 
 
 Let sinners take encouragement to 
 seek true repentance. " Seek ye the 
 Lord while He may be found ; call ye 
 upon Him while He is near : Let the 
 wicked forsake his way, and the un- 
 righteous man his thoughts," &c. (Isa. 
 Iv. 6, 7). " There is forgiveness with 
 God. . . . With the Lord there is mercy, 
 and with Him is plenteous redemption." 
 " Who is a God like unto Thee, that 
 pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the 
 transgression of the remnant of His 
 heritage 1 He retaineth not His anger 
 for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. 
 He will turn again, He will have com- 
 passion upon us ; He will subdue our 
 iniquities ; and Thou wilt cast all their 
 sins into the depths of the sea." (e). 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 (a) The world over, in its serious hours the 
 heart longs, sig'hs, groans, and travails with 
 .sorrows that cannot be uttered, to be delivered 
 from the bondage of sin and death. The 
 Scripture has no other doctrine of the matter 
 on any of its pages, and scarcely one page 
 where this is not. Read the burning confes- 
 sions of the fifty-first Psalm, and of many 
 another before and after it, where the fire of 
 remorse, which is only the lurid reflection of 
 sin, almost visibly scorches the Psalmist's 
 he«irt ; read the terrible descriptions of that 
 state of man without his Eedeemer written 
 by Paul to the Romans ; or the tragic picture 
 of Paul's own fearful struggles with the law 
 of his members ; or the awful prophecies of 
 a society forgetting its Lord, given in Jude. 
 Recall the narratives of depravity in Scripture 
 history, and the denunciations upon it by pro- 
 phets, and the thrilling exhortations against 
 it by apostles. Remember that the Bible 
 begins with the first inroad of sin, and finishes 
 with warnings of its punishments. Above 
 all, remember that the first word of the new 
 dispensation was " Repent," and its consum- 
 mation was the cross built on Calvary to assure 
 forgiveness to "repentance toward God and 
 faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ ; " and 
 you will hardly need to multiply these con- 
 vincing tokens that all the ministrations of 
 our religion to the human soul presuppose 
 that we all have sinned, — are sinners still. 
 If any of you are disp&sed to complain that 
 there i« too much preaching against sin, apply 
 your criticism to the Bible. The Christ whom 
 we preach came to be a Saviour from sin, did 
 He not ? How much better to think and feel 
 thoroughly what sin is now, than when the 
 "space for repentance" is exchanored for the 
 172 
 
 determination of the judgment ! 
 Huntington, D.D. 
 
 F. D. 
 
 (6) Repentance is necessary to forgiveness 
 — a sine qua non — a condition, though not in 
 any respect in the sense of desert, yet in the 
 sense of indispensable existence or of being 
 something without which the blessing cannot 
 be enjoyed. This is a truth, a Bible truth. 
 But it is not the ground of pardon, or in any 
 way its meritorious cause. That is the atone- 
 ment. And, according to the Bible, instead 
 of repentance being the ground of forgivenesst 
 that which is the ground of forgiveness is 
 itself the motive, or inducement, or persua- 
 sive, to repentance. It is that consideratioa 
 by which the Spirit of God in the Word is 
 ever urging sinners to repent and turn unto 
 God. . . . Moreover, that repentance is suffi- 
 cient to obtain forgiveness, there is nothing 
 in the analogy of Providence that warrants us 
 to conclude. There is much to the contrary. 
 Repentance and reformation do not, in point 
 of fact, in the present experience of mankind, 
 place transgressors, with regard to the temporal 
 effects of their sins, in the same state as if 
 they never had offended. The ruined health 
 and fortune of the intemperate and profligate 
 are not retrieved the instant they repent and 
 reform. Nor is there anything in reason to 
 sustain the position. It is very manifest, that 
 present obedience can only fulfil present obli- 
 gation. There is, as has often been observed, 
 just as good ground for affirming that former 
 obedience atones for present sins, as there is 
 for affirming that present obedience atones 
 for former sins. Repentance neither alters 
 the nature nor obliterates the guilt of what is 
 past ; and present duty, even were it free from 
 all mixture and imperfection, can do no more 
 than answer for itself. It cannot possess, for 
 our former selves any more than for others, 
 aught of the nature or efficacy of works of 
 supererogation. Tiiere will be no such works 
 known at the bar of God. — Ralph Wardlaw, 
 D.D. 
 
 (c) Our want is deliverance from our evil, 
 including both forgiveness for the past and 
 strength now ; something to 
 
 " Be of sin the double cure, — 
 Cleanse us from its guilt and power." 
 
 Manifestly this cannot come from ourselves. 
 It must come from Him whom our ingratitude 
 has offi-^nded ; from the Ruler whom our sel- 
 fish wickedness has wronged. It must come 
 from God. Look closely at this want ; for it 
 is that vital spot in all humanity where sorrow 
 is most keen, and where relief is most joyful. 
 The sure result of evil is pain ; of persistent 
 sin is death. Hence the voluntary surrender 
 to pain, pain even unto the body's death, is 
 felt and has been ever felt, to be the natural 
 expression of a penitent soul. It is propitia- 
 tion ; not because God takes pleasure in His 
 children's sufi'ering, but because that is the 
 soul's fitting tribute to the just majesty of 
 
HOMILETIG COMMENTARY : EZRA. 
 
 goodness and the holy authority of RiiJjht. 
 Government without penalty is gone, and all 
 its blessed protections are dissolved. Hence 
 the honest heart cries out in its shame and 
 fear, "Let me suffer for my sin." Suflfering 
 for it there must be somewhere ; transgression 
 is a costly business ; so it must always be and 
 always look ; right must stand at any rate ; 
 law must be sacred, or all is gone ; and since 
 nothing is so dear as life, and blood is the 
 element of life, life itself must be surrendered, 
 and "without the shedding of blood is no 
 remission." Take the next step. Just be- 
 cause this life is so dear. He who loves us 
 infinitely, and to whom it is dearer than to 
 us, will be willing to lay down for us His 
 own. He will not even wait for our consent ; 
 but in the abundance of that unspeakable 
 compassion, in the irresistible freedom of that 
 goodness, He will do it beforehand — only ask- 
 ing of us that we will believe He has done it, 
 and, accepting our pardon, be drawn by that 
 faith into the same self-sacrificing spirit. 
 Herein is love indeed. Sufi'ering for our 
 peace ! Sacrifice, not that our service may 
 profit and pay Him, but that our transgres- 
 sion of a perfect law may be pardoned, 
 and the noble life of disinterested goodness 
 may be begotten in ourselves. — F. D. Hunt- 
 ington, D.D. 
 
 (d) Some confess their sins without so 
 much as intending to forsake them. Mar- 
 vellous delusion ! As if it were possible to 
 impose upon the Almighty Himself. As if 
 the hollow confession of the lips availed any- 
 thing against the stubborn impenitence of the 
 heart ! Very beautiful is that liturgy of the 
 Established Church. Yet how many are there 
 who have knelt in silks and satins to-day, and 
 found a certain anodyne for conscience in the 
 mere repetition of the cry, "0 God, the Father 
 of heaven, have mercy upon us miserable sin- 
 ners " ? Or, not to look abroad for examples 
 •which may be found at home, how many of 
 
 us within these walls have moved the lips and 
 bent the knee, while locked up inviolate in a 
 secure corner of the heart has lurked all the 
 while that evil thing which the lips have 
 professed to expel. Tliat is not rejientance. 
 kather, it resembles a contrivance for begin- 
 ning the world upon a new score, because the 
 old has grown inconveniently long. True 
 repentance has always an eve to the future as 
 well as to the past ; and to confess those sins 
 which you secretly intend to repeat, or which 
 it is not your settled purpose to abandon, is 
 to cheat conscience and to mock God. — /. G. 
 Pujcj, B.A. 
 
 [e) You cannot believe too much in God's 
 mercy. You cannot expect too much at His 
 hands. He is "able to do exceeding abun- 
 dantly above all that we ask or think." No 
 sin is so great but that, coming straight from 
 it, a repentant sinner may hope and believe 
 that all God's love will be lavished upon him, 
 and the richest of God's gifts granted to his 
 desires. Even if our transgression be aggra- 
 vated by a previous life of godliness, and have 
 given the enemies great occasion to blaspheme, 
 as David did, yet David's penitence may in 
 our souls lead on to David's hope, and the 
 ansTver will not fail us. Let no sin, however 
 dark, however repeated, drive us to despair of 
 ourselves, because it hides from us our loving 
 Saviour. Though beaten back again and 
 again by the surge of our passions and sins, 
 like some poor shipwrecked sailors sucked 
 back witli every retracing wave and tossed 
 about in the angry surf, vet keep your face 
 towards the beach where tliere is safety, and 
 you will struggle through it all, and though 
 it were but on some floating boards and broken 
 pieces of the ship, will come safe to land. 
 He will uphold you with His Spirit, and take 
 away the weight of sin that would sink you, 
 by His forgiving mercy, and bring you out of 
 all the weltering waste of waters to the solid 
 shore. —4iex. Maclaren, D.D. 
 
 173 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 " A book and an index are to be made on opposite principles. A good book cannot be too 
 concise. A good index can hardly be too prolix. Repetitions are to^be avoided iu the formei'. 
 In the latter they should abound. ' — Lord Brougham. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . 152 
 . 152 
 
 Address, Ezra's, ..... 
 i. The grace they had received, . 
 ii. The exalted position to which they 
 
 had been raised, 
 
 iii. The blessings connected with these 
 
 privileges, .... 
 
 Ahava, the assembly at (See Assembly), 
 
 Ahavato Jerusalem, from ; an illustration 
 
 of the pilgrimage of the Christian 
 
 (See Pilgkimage), .... 
 
 Altar and the foundation of the Temple, 
 
 the, 
 
 i. The true order, .... 
 ii. The mingled feelings. 
 Altar, the rebuilding of the : Exemplary 
 features in Divine worship (See 
 
 Worship), 
 
 Antagonism of the world to the Church, 
 the, 
 i. Persistent, 
 ii. Authoritative, 
 iii. Combined, 
 iv. Unscrupulous, 
 V. Plausible, 
 Arguments against sinning, . 
 i. Sin provokes God, 
 ii. It deprives the sinner of His pro- 
 tection, ..... 
 iii. It strips the sinner of power to 
 battle with his foes, . 
 Artaxerxes, the decree of (See Decree), 
 Artaxerxes to Ezra, the commission of 
 (See Commission), .... 
 Assembly, a great and troubled, 
 
 i. It is the tendency of sin to produce 
 
 sorrow and consternation of soul, 1G6 
 ii. God marks with peculiar interest the 
 time in which true repentance 
 begins in the soul, 
 iii. True repentance will be attended 
 
 with its appropriate fruits, 
 iv. The names and persons of genuine 
 penitents are precious to God 
 and recorded in His book. 
 Assembly at Ahava, the, 
 
 i. The long journey commenced. 
 
 152 
 
 152 
 
 120 
 
 138 
 
 51 
 51 
 51 
 
 36 
 
 63 
 63 
 63 
 64 
 64 
 64 
 80 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 81 
 115 
 
 110 
 
 1G6 
 
 167 
 167 
 
 167 
 120 
 120 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ii. An important inspection made, . 121 
 iii. A grave deficiency discovered, . 121 
 
 iv. The supply of the deficiency sought, 121 
 
 V. The supply obtained, . . . 122 
 
 Believer's Expenses, a (See Expenses), 89 
 Builders of the spiritual temple of God, 
 
 the true, . . . . .59 
 
 The true spiritual Israelites, because 
 
 they alone will build — 
 i. On the true foundation, . . 59 
 
 ii. With the true materials, . . 59 
 
 iii. In accordance with the true plan, . 59 
 iv. With the true aim, . . .60 
 
 V. In the true spirit, . . . .60 
 
 Building of the Temple, the, . . 49 
 
 i. What there was at that time to call 
 forth such strong and widely- 
 different emotions, . . .49 
 Laying the foundation of the 
 Temple was — 
 
 1. To some an occasion of exalted 
 
 joy, 49 
 
 2. Ti) others, of the deepest sorrow, 50 
 ii. How far similar emotions become us 
 
 at the present day, . . .50 
 
 1. There is great occasion for joy, . 50 
 
 2. There is abundant occasion for 
 
 grief also, . . . .50 
 
 Captivity, going up out of (See Going), 22 
 Captivity, the results of the (See Results), 19 
 Cause for great zeal, good (See Zeal), . 65 
 Cause of God, reasons for active devoted- 
 
 ness to the (See Devotedness), .114 
 Celebration of the Passover, the . . 97 
 i. The personal preparation for these 
 
 sacred festivals, . . .97 
 
 1. Asregardsthe priests and Levites, 97 
 
 2. As regards the people, . . 98 
 ii. The principal significance of these 
 
 sacred festivals, . . .98 
 
 1. The Passover was a memorial 
 of their covenant relation with 
 God, 98 
 
 2. That of unleavened bread was a 
 
 175 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 solemn recognition of their obli 
 gation to live holily unto God, 
 iii. The special joy in these sacred fea 
 tivals, .... 
 
 1. There were the ordinary reasons 
 for joy, . . . . 
 
 2. There were also special reason 
 for joy, .... 
 
 Celebration of the sacred festivals re 
 
 sumed, the, .... 
 
 i. The commemoration in Divine wor 
 
 ship of national experiences and 
 
 blessings, ..... 
 
 ii. The celebration in religious worship 
 
 of the natural divisions of time, 
 
 1. To impress them with the value 
 of time, ..... 
 
 2. To assist them to form a correct 
 
 estimate of their life upon earth, 
 
 3. To arouse them to make a wise 
 use of the time which remained 
 to them, ..... 
 
 iii. The presentation in Divine worship 
 of personal voluntary offerings, 
 Church, the antagonism of the world to 
 
 the (See Antagonism), . 
 Commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra, the . 
 i. The grant of this commission, 
 
 1. In answer to the request of 
 
 Ezra, 
 
 2. By the supreme authority of the 
 
 empire, ..... 
 ii. The articles of this commission, 
 
 1. Those addressed to Ezra, . 
 
 2. Those addressed to the Persian 
 
 treasurers, .... 
 
 iii. The spirit of this commission 
 
 1. Reverence for God, . 
 
 2. Respect for the law of God, 
 
 3. Regard for the worship of God, . 
 
 4. Appreciation of the character of 
 
 a good man, .... 
 Companions of Ezra on his journey to 
 Jerusalem, the, .... 
 
 Completion of the Temple, the, 
 
 i. The ready compliance of the Per- 
 sian officers with the royal com- 
 mands, ..... 
 ii. The satisfactory progress and ulti- 
 mate completion of the building 
 of the Temple, .... 
 
 1. The grand Authority for the 
 
 great work, .... 
 
 2. The royal promoters of the great 
 
 work, ..... 
 
 3. The worthy leaders of the great 
 work, . . . . , 
 
 4. The inspired inciters in the great 
 work, . . . . . 
 
 5. The ultimate completion of the 
 
 great work, .... 
 A figure of the building of the 
 Temple of God in — 
 
 1. The individual Christian, . 
 
 2. The world, . . . . 
 Confession of the people's sin, the good 
 
 man's, ...... 
 
 176 
 
 98 
 
 39 
 
 39 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 41 
 
 41 
 
 41 
 
 63 
 110 
 110 
 
 110 
 
 111 
 111 
 111 
 
 112 
 112 
 112 
 112 
 112 
 
 112 
 
 123 
 91 
 
 91 
 
 91 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 
 92 
 93 
 
 147 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. Deep personal shame and sorrow 
 on account of the sins of the 
 
 people, 147 
 
 Expressed by — 
 
 1. A symbolical action, . . .147 
 
 2. A suggestive attitude, . . 1 47 
 
 3. An explicit avowal, . . . 147 
 ii. Humble confession of the sins of 
 
 the people, . . . .147 
 
 1. The great accumulation of their 
 
 sins, ..... 147 
 
 2. The long continuance of their 
 
 sins, 147 
 
 3. The sore aggravations of their 
 
 sins, 147 
 
 iii. Solemn anticipation of the conse- 
 quence of the continuance of 
 the sins of the people, . .148 
 
 1. Their utter end as a community, 148 
 
 2. Such a consequence would be 
 just, 149 
 
 3. Such a consequence was to be 
 dreaded, . . . . .149 
 
 Learn — 
 
 1. The great evil of sin, . . 119 
 
 2. The grand hope of the sinner, . 149 
 
 3. The right relation of the good 
 man to sin, .... 149 
 
 Confidence in God, Ezra's . . . 126 
 
 i. Avowed, ..... 126 
 
 1. In His providence, . . . 126 
 
 2. As protecting the interests of 
 His people, .... 126 
 
 3. As opposed to those who forsake 
 
 Him, 126 
 
 ii. Tested, 126 
 
 1. By their need of guidance, . 126 
 
 2. And protection, . . . 126 
 iii. Maintained, ..... 126 
 
 1. In not seeking guidance and de- 
 
 fence from the king, . . 126 
 
 2. In seeking them from God, . 127 
 iv. Vindicated, . . . . .127 
 
 1. In their inward assurance, . 127 
 
 2. In the outward result, . . 127 
 Contrasts, . . . . . .132 
 
 i. A contrast of human character, . 132 
 
 1. Those that seek God, . . 132 
 
 2. Those that forsake Him, . .132 
 ii. A contrast of Divine treatment, . 132 
 
 1. God's hand is upon them for good 
 that seek Him, . . .132 
 
 2. His power and wrath are against 
 them that forsake Him, . . 133 
 
 Cyrus, the edict of (See Edict), . . 9 
 Cyrus, the proclamation of (See Proclama- 
 tion), 11 
 
 Darius, the decree of (see Decree), . 86 
 Day done in the day, the work of the (See 
 
 Work), 42 
 
 Decided upon, the reformation (See Re- 
 formation), 163 
 
 Decree of Artaxerxes, the, . . .115 
 
 i. In reference to the Jewish Church, 115 
 ii. In reference to the Church amongst 
 
 us 116 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Call for obedience to this mandate — 
 
 1. In a way of personal reforma- 
 tion, . . . . , 116 
 
 2. In a way of ministerial exertion, 116 
 
 Decree of Darius, the, 
 
 i. A prohibition, .... 
 ii. An injunction, .... 
 
 1. To allow the building of the 
 
 Temple, ..... 
 
 2. To assist the building of the 
 
 Temple, ..... 
 
 3. To assist the worship of God, 
 
 iii. A malediction, .... 
 
 1. Severe penalties are denounced, . 
 
 2. A stern imprecation is uttered, . 
 Dedication of the second Temple, the, 
 
 i. The occasion was one of joy, . 
 ii. They who took partintheservicehad 
 previously purified themselves, . 
 iii. There were burnt offerings as a 
 token of the consecration of the 
 people, ..... 
 iv. There were sin offerings, 
 V. There was the observance of the 
 Passover, ..... 
 vi. The feast of unleavened bread was 
 kept joyfully, .... 
 vii. The new national life thus inaugu- 
 rated had less of pomp and show 
 than were seen in the days of 
 Solomon, ..... 
 Dedication of the Temple, the, 
 Was characterised by — 
 i. Religious rejoicing, . . 
 
 ii. Devout gratitude, .... 
 iii. Deep humility, .... 
 iv. Appropriate arrangements for its 
 future use, • . , . 
 
 Dedication of the Temple, the, 
 
 i. The captivity was designed to teach 
 
 the Jews an important truth, . 
 
 ii. They showed that they had learned 
 
 this truth by their conduct on 
 
 their return, .... 
 
 iii. Their great work was crowned with 
 
 success — the Tempi e was finished, 
 
 iv. It was meet that the opening ser 
 
 vices should be marked by de 
 
 monstrations of religious joy, 
 
 V. The spirit and principle of this dedi 
 
 cation may be applied to the 
 
 opening of any building for reli 
 
 gious purpose.' 
 
 vi. "We are rearing a temple of living 
 
 souls. 
 
 Desire of a sovereign and the duty of 
 subjects, .... 
 
 i. The desire of a heathen prince, 
 
 1. It was just and reasonable, 
 
 2. It was wise and politic, 
 ii. The duty of a Christian people, 
 
 1. To offer sacrifices to our Heavenly 
 King, ..... 
 
 2. To pray for our earthly sovereign, 
 Devotedness to the cause of God, reasons 
 
 for active, ..... 
 i. Reasons for active devotedness to the 
 
 86 
 86 
 86 
 
 86 
 
 86 
 87 
 87 
 87 
 87 
 100 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 95 
 95 
 96 
 
 96 
 
 101 
 
 101 
 
 101 
 
 101 
 
 101 
 
 102 
 
 102 
 
 90 
 90 
 90 
 90 
 91 
 
 91 
 91 
 
 114 
 
 M 
 
 PAGE 
 
 cau.se of God and truth in the 
 world, ..... 114 
 
 1. The Divine authority by which 
 
 it is enjoined, .... 114 
 
 2. The urgent necessity for your 
 exertions, , . . .114 
 
 3. The fearful consequences of the 
 neglect of this duty, . . 114 
 
 4. The success which has attended 
 
 • its fulfilment, . . . .115 
 ii. Suggestions as to the spirit and mode 
 in which this work should be 
 carried on, . ,. . .115 
 
 1. Earnestly, without remissness, , 115 
 
 2. Prayerfully, without pride, , 115 
 
 3. Speedily, without delay, . . 115 
 Discovery, a thorough search and an im- 
 
 important (See Search), . . .84 
 Dispensations, use of God's diversified, . 155 
 i. God's diversified dispensations to- 
 wards us, . . . .155 
 
 1. He has visited our sins with judg- 
 ments, . . . . .155 
 
 2. He has vouchsafed us deliverance, 155 
 ii. The effect they should have upon us, 156 
 
 They should restrain us from renewed 
 disobedience, as being — 
 
 1. Unreasonable, .... 156 
 
 2. Ungrateful, .... 156 
 
 3. Dangerous, . . . .156 
 Distinguished, Ezra the (See Ezha), . 104 
 Duty of subjects, the desire of a sove- 
 reign and the (See Desire), . . 90 
 
 Edict of Cyrus, the, .... 9 
 i. The devout acknowledgment of 
 
 God's sovereignty, ... 9 
 
 1. In the bestowment of His 
 favours, ..... 9 
 
 2. In the authority of His com- 
 mands, ..... 9 
 
 ii. The magnanimous emancipation of 
 
 God's people, .... 9 
 
 1. The spirit in which it was made, 9 
 
 2. The purpose for which it was 
 made, 9 
 
 iii. The generous exhortation to assist 
 
 God's people, .... 9 
 
 1. The purport of this exhortation, 9 
 
 2. The persons to whom it was ad- 
 
 dressed, 10 
 
 3. The pattern by which it was en- 
 
 forced, 10 
 
 Effected, the Reformation (See Reforma- 
 tion), 167 
 
 Erection of God's spiritual temple, the 
 subserviency of a faithful ministry to 
 
 the, 94 
 
 i. The building of the Temple, . . 94 
 
 1. Was obstructed by many diffi- 
 
 culties, . . . . .04 
 
 2. Through the preaching of the 
 
 prophets these difficulties were 
 overcome, . . . .94 
 
 ii. The subserviency of a faithful raini- 
 s^y to the erection of God's 
 Bpiritual temple, . . .94 
 177 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The erection of this is — 
 
 1. Connected with the same diffi- 
 culties, ..... 
 
 2. Carried on and perfected by the 
 same means, .... 
 
 Esenipluy features of Divine worship 
 
 (See WousniP), 
 Exemplary praise (See Praise), 
 Exiles, tlie return of the (See Keturn), 
 Expenses, a believer's, . 
 i. What are our expenses ? 
 ii. Where s^iall we hud means to meet 
 them ? . . . . 
 
 iii. How shall we act in the presence of 
 such abundance ? 
 Ezra and his times, 
 
 i. The principle which Ezra asserted 
 was in striking contrast with the 
 general state of opinion around 
 him, ..... 
 
 ii. Ezra's situation afforded him an op- 
 portunity for asserting this great 
 principle under very trying cir- 
 cumstances, .... 
 
 Ezra an example in business, . . 
 
 i. His humiliation, .... 
 
 ii. His faith, ..... 
 
 iii. His prayer, ..... 
 
 iv. His holy jealousy, .... 
 
 V. His success, ..... 
 
 Ezra on his journey to Jerusalem, the 
 companions of, .... 
 
 Ezra's address (See Address), 
 Ezra's confidence in God (See Confi- 
 dence), ...... 
 
 Ezra's humiliation for the sins of the 
 
 people (See Humiliation), 
 Ezra, introduction to the Book of, 
 
 Analysis of its contents, . . , 
 
 Its authorship, ..... 
 
 Its canouicity, ..... 
 
 Its date, ...... 
 
 Its design, ...... 
 
 Its nature, ...... 
 
 Ezra the distinguished, .... 
 
 A man of distinguished — 
 
 i. Ancestry, ..... 
 
 ii. Attainments, ..... 
 
 iii. Favour, ...... 
 
 iv. Influence, ..... 
 
 V. Success, ..... 
 
 vi. Aim, ...... 
 
 vii. Blessing, ..... 
 
 94 
 94 
 
 36 
 
 117 
 16 
 89 
 89 
 
 89 
 
 90 
 130 
 
 130 
 
 131 
 
 132 
 132 
 132 
 132 
 132 
 132 
 
 123 
 152 
 
 126 
 
 150 
 1 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 
 104 
 
 104 
 104 
 105 
 105 
 105 
 105 
 106 
 
 Faith and prudence, .... 128 
 i. As a grand rule in the Christian 
 life, faith and prudence must go 
 
 together, 128 
 
 ii. Yet there are times when faith in 
 God must supersede the provi- 
 sions of ordinary prudence, . 129 
 E.g. when prudential action — 
 
 1. Would probably be construed as 
 
 a denial of the Divine govern- 
 ment, 129 
 
 2. Would cause us to lean on worldly 
 
 associations and resources, . 129 
 
 178 
 
 3. Might embarrass the progress of 
 God's kingdom, . . . 129 
 
 iii. The separation of faith from pru- 
 dence must be effected only in 
 the spirit of dependence vipon 
 
 Heaven 130 
 
 Foundation of the Temple, laying the, . 46 
 i. The work already done, . . . -16 
 
 1. Something was already accom- 
 
 plished, . . . . .46 
 
 2. Arrangements were made for 
 carrying on the work, . . 47 
 
 ii. The worship offered, . ... 47 
 
 1. Its manner, . . . .47 
 
 2. Its character, . . . .47 
 
 3. Its occasion, . . . .47 
 
 4. Its spirit, 47 
 
 iii. The emotions excited, . . .47 
 
 1. Great joy, . . • . 47 
 
 2. Great sorrow, . . . .47 
 
 3. Great joy and great sorrow 
 
 mingled, . . . . -48 
 
 Foundation of the Temple, the altar and 
 
 the (See Altar), . . . .51 
 
 Fulfilment of the Word of the Lord, the, 5 
 
 i. The regard of God for his Word, . 5 
 
 ii. The mercy of God to His people, . 5 
 
 1. In the design and effect of the 
 
 captivity, .... 5 
 
 2. In their release from captivity, . 6 
 iii. The influence of God upon the spirit 
 
 of man, ..... 6 
 
 1. Its nature, .... 6 
 
 2. Its subject, .... 6 
 
 3. Its design, .... 6 
 iv. The suitable response of man to the 
 
 influence of God, ... 6 
 
 God's diversified dispensations, use of 
 
 (See Dispensations), . . . . 155 
 
 God, the supremacy of (See Supremacy), 78 
 
 God with us, ..... 12 
 
 i. The devout wish expressed, . . 12 
 
 1. Personal relation to God, . . 12 
 
 2. Realisation of the presence of God, 12 
 ii. The kind expression of the wish, . 13 
 
 1. Indicates reverence towards God, 13 
 
 2. And kindness towards the captives, 13 
 Going up out of captivity, . . .22 
 
 i. The deliverance from captivity . 22 
 
 1. Originated in the favour of God, 23 
 
 2. Was effected by an unlikely agent, 23 
 
 3. Was permissive, not compulsory, 23 
 ii. The journey home, . . .23 
 
 1. Was a restoration, . . .23 
 
 2. A restoration to their own home, 23 
 
 3. And to religious privileges, . 23 
 iii. The subordination to leaders, . . 33 
 
 1. Was needful for maintaining order, 23 
 
 2. For insuring progress, . . 23 
 
 3. And because of the differences in 
 
 the characters and abilities of 
 men, ..... 23 
 Gospel, resemblance between the procla- 
 mation of Cyrus and the (See Resem- 
 blance), ..... 8 
 Guirdiauship of the sacred treasures, the, 136 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. The treasures to be guarded were 
 
 valuable— .... 136 
 
 1. In tlieniselves, .... 136 
 
 2. As being consecrated to God, . 136 
 
 3. As being the free gifts of friends 
 
 and well-wishers, . . . 136 
 
 ii. The guardians of the treasures 
 
 were ...... 136 
 
 1. Adequate in number, . . 136 
 
 2. Appropriate in official character, 136 
 
 3. Distinguished amongst their bre- 
 thren, 136 
 
 iii. The charge to the guardians of the 
 
 treasures , . . . .136 
 
 1. Points out the value of the 
 
 things committed to them, . 136 
 
 2. Enjoins watchful care of these 
 things, ..... 137 
 
 3. Indicates their responsibility for 
 them, 137 
 
 iv. The acceptance of the guardianship 
 
 of the treasures, . . . .13/ 
 
 Hostility of the Samaritans to the Jews, 
 the, ...... 
 
 i. The tactics of the wicked, 
 ii. The venality of the wicked, 
 iii. The temporary triumph of the 
 wicked, • . . . . 
 
 iv. The freedom allowed by God to the 
 wicked, ..... 
 
 Humiliation for the sins of his people, 
 Ezra's, ...... 
 
 i. The reason of his sorrow, 
 The marriages of the Jews with the 
 Canaan ites, which was — 
 
 1. A violation of an express com- 
 
 mand, ..... 
 
 2. Had a tendency to lead the Jews 
 
 back to idolatry, 
 ii. The expressions of his sorrow, 
 
 1. The violent and instantaneous 
 
 expression of his grief, 
 
 2. His humiliation before God, • . 
 
 61 
 61 
 61 
 
 62 
 
 62 
 
 151 
 
 151 
 151 
 
 151 
 151 
 
 liiPORTANCE of a clear spiritual pedigree, 
 
 the (See Pedigree), . . .29 
 
 Investigated and continued, the work 
 
 (See Work), 73 
 
 Jerusalem, at : the faithful surrender 
 
 of important trusts (See Surrender), 110 
 
 Letter to the king concerning the work, 
 
 the, 75 
 
 L The inquisition of the Persian 
 
 authorities, . . . .75 
 
 1. The observations which they 
 
 made, . . . . .75 
 
 2. The inquiries which they pro- 
 
 posed, . . . . .75 
 
 ii. The reply of the Jewish leaders, . 76 
 That the work was — 
 
 1. Not a mere human enterprise, 
 b\it a Divine commission, . . 76 
 
 2. Not an innovation, but a resto- 
 ration, . , . . • 76 
 
 3. Not in a spirit of presumption 
 and pride, but of obedience and 
 humility, . . ... 76 
 
 4. Not in opposition to, but in con- 
 formity with, royal authority, . 76 
 
 5. Not political, but religious in its 
 character, . , . .76 
 
 iii. The ai)peal of the Persian authori- 
 ties to the king, . . .76 
 
 1. To ascertain wiiether Cyrus au- 
 thorised the work, . . .77 
 
 2. To issue instructions for their 
 guidance, ... . .77 
 
 Lord and its advantages, seeking the (See 
 
 Seeking), 134 
 
 Loyalty, true, . . . . .162 
 
 i. Ls marked by genuine respect, . 162 
 
 ii. By hearty sympathy, . , . 162 
 
 Apply these lessons — 
 
 1. To the laws of our land, . .162 
 
 2. To the laws and officers of our 
 Church, 163 
 
 Marriages, forbidden . . . .152 
 Between Christians and those who are 
 
 not Christians, because — 
 i. They are opposed to the express 
 
 command of God, . . .153 
 
 ii. They are inconsistent with the most 
 sacred aspects and ends of mar- 
 riage, . . . , .153 
 iii. They imperil the salvation of the 
 
 soul, . . . . .153 
 
 iv. They are inimical to wise and har- 
 monious home government, . 154 
 V. They are detrimental to the best 
 interests of the children of the 
 marriage, ..... 154 
 Men of understanding, .... 124 
 i. Are the gifts of God, . . .124 
 
 1. They derive their abilities from 
 Him, 124 
 
 2. They rightly develop their abili- 
 ties by His blessing, . . . 124 
 
 3. They attain their moral excel- 
 lences by His blessing, . .124 
 
 ii. Are of great worth amongst men, . ] i;4 
 
 1. Understanding is essential to the 
 beneficent employment of other 
 gifts and powers, . . . 124 
 
 2. The employment of understand- 
 ing itself confers great benefits 
 upon society, .... 125 
 
 Ministry, tbe Christian, . . . .109 
 
 Essential characteristics of the ministry 
 
 are — 
 i. Devotedness to God's Word, . . 109 
 
 ii. Personal religion, .... 109 
 iii. Public instruction, . . .110 
 
 Ministry to the erection of God's spiritual 
 temple, the subserviency of a faithful 
 (See Erection), . . . .04 
 
 Offenders, the list of , . . . ' ^1^ 
 
 i. A warning against sin, . . . 170 
 
 1. ^n extending to all classes, . 170 
 
 2. Sin injuring the reputation, . 171 
 
 179 
 
ANALYTTCAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 3. Sin corrupting the influence, . 171 
 
 iu An example of genuine repentance, 171 
 
 1. They confessed their sin with 
 sorrow, ..... 171 
 
 2. They offered sacrifice for their 
 sin, ...... 171 
 
 3. They forsook their sin, . .171 
 iii. An encouragement to genuine re- 
 pentance, . . . .171 
 
 1. Their sin was forgiven, . .171 
 
 2. The Divine favour was vouch- 
 safed, 171 
 
 Offerings, possessions and (See Posses- 
 sions^, 32 
 
 PAGK 
 
 Passover, the celebration of the (See 
 
 Passover), 97 
 
 Pedigree, the importance of a clear spi- 
 ritual, 29 
 
 i. The doubtful pedigree amongst the 
 people an illustration of uncer- 
 tainty as to our spiritual state, . 29 
 1. It may consist with association 
 
 with the people of God, . . 29 
 -. It must involve spiritual loss, . 29 
 ii. The doubtful pedigree amongst the 
 priests an illustration of uncer- 
 tainty as to our ministerial call- 
 ing and condition, . . .30 
 
 1. A ministerial pedigree may be 
 lost by worldliuess, . . 30 
 
 2. The loss of ministerial pedigree 
 involves a corresponding loss of 
 ministerial power and reward, . 30 
 
 3. The final decision as to the stand- 
 ing of a minister of uncertain 
 pedigree must be given by God 
 Himself, 30 
 
 Pilgrimage of the Christian, from Ahava 
 
 to Jerusalem, an illustration of the, 138 
 i. The setting out from Ahava, . .138 
 
 1. From captivity to liberty, . .138 
 
 2. From exile to their ancestral 
 home, ..... 138 
 
 3. From the land of idolatry to the 
 scene of true worship, . .133 
 
 ii. The progress on the journey, . .138 
 
 1. Notwithstanding enemies, . . 139 
 
 2. By reason of the Divine blessing, 139 
 iii. The arrival at Jerusalem — charac- 
 terised by, . . . .139 
 
 1. Grateful rest, . . . .139 
 
 2. Joyful welcome, , . .139 
 Possessions and offerings, . . .32 
 
 i. The completion of their journey, . 32 
 ii. The extent of their possessions, . 32 
 iii. The presentation of their offerings, 32 
 
 1. The object of their offerings, . 32 
 
 2. The spirit of their offerings, . 33 
 
 3. The measure of their offerings, • 33 
 iv. The settlement in their cities, . 33 
 
 1. Home after exile, . . .33 
 
 2. Rest after a long and tedious 
 journey, ..... 33 
 
 Praise, exemplary, . . .117 
 
 i. The true offerer? of praise, . . H7 
 
 180 
 
 1. Are characterised by unaffected 
 
 humility, ..... 
 
 2. Sincere piety, .... 
 
 3. Practical religiousness, 
 ii. The grand object of praise, 
 
 1. The Supreme Being, 
 
 2. In covenant relation with His 
 worshippers, .... 
 
 3. And whom our fathers wor- 
 
 shipped, ..... 
 iii. Good reasons for praise, . 
 
 1. God inspires the worthy pur- 
 poses of men, .... 
 
 2. He beneficially influences the 
 moral judgments of men, . 
 
 3. He invigorates the heart and 
 life of His servants, . 
 
 Preparations for rebuilding the Temple, 
 the, ...... 
 
 i. The great work yet to be accom- 
 plished, ..... 
 
 An illustration of — 
 
 1. The incompleteness of human 
 
 joys, 
 
 2. The incompleteness of human 
 works, ..... 
 
 3. The obligation of the Church of 
 
 God, 
 
 ii. The prompt preparations for the 
 accomplishment of this work, . 
 
 1. The variety of service and the 
 
 unity of design, 
 
 2. The co-operation of Jews and 
 
 Gentiles, ..... 
 
 Proclamation of Cyrus and the Gospel, 
 
 resemblance between the (See 
 
 Resemblance), .... 
 
 Proclamation of Cyrus, the, . 
 
 i. In a way of literal interpretation, . 
 
 1. The person by whom it was 
 issued, ..... 
 
 2. The proclamation itself, 
 
 ii. In a way of spiritual improvement, 
 
 1. What a sad state men of the world 
 
 are in, .... . 
 
 2. What an invaluable blessing the 
 
 Gospel is, . 
 
 3. What is necessary to obtain what 
 
 it offers ? . 
 
 4. What is our duty when it has 
 
 become effectual for our good ? 
 Proposal of the Samaritans to the Jews, 
 
 the, 
 
 i. The proposal made by the Samari- 
 tans, ..... 
 
 1. Plausible in its form, 
 
 2. Evil in itself, .... 
 ii. The proposal rejected by the Jews, 
 
 1. An exclusive obligation in rela- 
 tion to the work is asserted, 
 
 2. The alleged similarity of worship 
 
 is denied, ..... 
 
 3. The command of King Cyrus is 
 adduced, . . . . . 
 
 4. The rejection of the proposal was 
 unanimous, . . . . 
 
 5. It was prompt and decided, 
 
 117 
 117 
 117 
 117 
 117 
 
 117 
 
 117 
 118 
 
 118 
 
 118 
 
 118 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 45 
 
 11 
 11 
 
 11 
 11 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 54 
 54 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 55 
 
ANALYTfCAL INDEX. 
 
 Proposals of the wicked and how to treat 
 
 them, the, . . . . .57 
 
 i. The wicked often propose to enter 
 
 into alliance with the good, . 57 
 ii. These proposals are often supported 
 
 by plausible reasons, . . .57 
 
 iii. These, proposals are always perilous 
 
 to the good, . . . .57 
 
 vi. These proposals should always be 
 
 firmly rejected, . . .58 
 
 Proposed, the reformation (See Refor- 
 mation, ...... 153 
 
 Prudence, faith and (See Faith), . . 128 
 
 Rebuilding the Temple, the preparations 
 
 for (See Preparations), . 
 Record, a suggestive, .... 
 i. The significance of the fact of the 
 record, ..... 
 
 1. It was an honour to those who 
 returned, ..... 
 
 2. It is an illustration of the Divine 
 record of God's spiritual Israel, 
 
 iggests that every one of His 
 jle is precious in the sight of 
 
 significance of the contents of 
 1 record, .... 
 
 nificant persons, . 
 
 2. A significant place, . 
 
 3. Significant numbers, . 
 Redemption of man from sio, the release 
 
 of the Jews from Babylon an illustra- 
 tion of the, ..... 
 
 i. The subjects, ..... 
 
 ii. The agents, ..... 
 
 1. Both were called of God, . 
 
 2. Both efi"ected this work by over- 
 
 coming the oppressors, 
 iii. The source, ..... 
 iy. The extent, ..... 
 
 1. It is ofiered to all, 
 
 2. It is accepted only by some, 
 
 V. The object, ..... 
 
 1. The universal realisation of the 
 
 presence of God, 
 
 2. The universal presentation 
 worship to God, 
 
 Reformation decided upon, the, 
 
 L The summons to the people 
 assemble at Jerusalem, 
 
 1. The circumstances in which it 
 
 originated, . . . . 
 
 2. The persons to whom it was 
 addressed, . . . . 
 
 3. The authority by which it was 
 
 issued, . . . . . 
 
 4. The speedy obedience which it 
 required, ..... 
 
 5. The penalties by which it was 
 enforced, ..... 
 
 ii. The assembly of the people at Jeru- 
 salem in obedience to this sum- 
 mons, . . . . . 
 1. The universal attendance at the 
 assembly, ..... 
 
 of 
 
 to 
 
 44 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 25 
 25 
 25 
 
 14 
 14 
 14 
 14 
 
 14 
 14 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 15 
 
 15 
 163 
 
 163 
 
 163 
 
 163 
 
 163 
 
 163 
 
 164 
 
 164 
 
 164 
 
 2. The fplt importance of the 
 
 .assembly, ..... 164 
 
 3. The depressed spirit of , the 
 
 assembly, . . . .164 
 
 iii. The address of Ezra to the assem- 
 bled people, .... 164 
 
 1. A declaration of their sin, . . 104 
 
 2. An exhortation to repentance, . 164 
 iv. The declaration of the assembled 
 
 people, . . . . .164 
 
 1. The unanimity of their determi- 
 
 nation, . . . . .165 
 
 2. The earnestness of, their deter- 
 mination, .... 165 
 
 Reformation effected, the, . . .107 
 
 i. Notwithstanding difficulties, . . 167 
 
 1. The greatness of theundertaking, 167 
 
 2. The inclemency of the weather, 167 
 ii. Notwithstanding opposition, . .168 
 
 iii. With exemplary wisdom and fair- 
 ness, ..... 168 
 
 1. By the proper authorities, . 168 
 
 2. With competent and reliable wit- 
 
 nesses, ..... 168 
 
 3. In the presence of the accused, . 168 
 
 4. With due regard for the conve- 
 
 nience of the people, . .168 
 
 5. With careful inquiry, . . 168 
 iv. Thoroughly, . . . .169 
 
 Reformation proposed, the, . . .158 
 
 i. The proposal of reformation pre- 
 pared foi-, .... 158 
 This was by the impression which 
 Ezra's conduct produced, which 
 was — 
 
 1. Sympathetic, .... 158 
 
 2. Extensive, . . . .158 
 
 3. Deep, 158 
 
 ii. The proposal of reformation made, . 153 
 
 1. It frankly acknowledges the sin, 158 
 
 2. Discovers reasons for hope, . 158 
 
 3. Proposes the abolition of the sin, 159 
 
 4. Summons Ezra to take the lead 
 
 in abolishing it, . . . 159 
 
 5. Promises co-operation in abo- 
 
 lishing it, . . . .100 
 
 iii. The proposal of reformation accepted, 160 
 
 1. It was accepted influeutially, . 160 
 
 2. Extensively, . . . .160 
 
 3. Solemnly, . . . .160 
 Release of the Jews from Babylon an 
 
 illustration of the redemption of man 
 from sin (See Redemption), . . 14 
 Religious service (See Service) . . 27 
 Resemblance between the proclamation 
 of Cyrus and the Gospel, ... 8 
 i. In the disposition from which it ori- 
 ginated, '"..... 8 
 ii. In the deliverance which it an- 
 nounced, ..... 8 
 iii. In the terms which it specified, . 8 
 iv. In the universality of its offers, . 8 
 V. In the aids it promised, ... 8 
 Restoration of the sacred vessels, the, . 19 
 i. The preservation of the sacred ves- 
 sels 19 
 
 ii. The numeration of the sacred vessels, 20 
 181 
 
ANAL YTICAL INDEX. 
 
 iii. The restoration of the sacred vessels, 20 
 
 1. A fulfilment of prophecy, . . 20 
 
 2. Au illustration of the restorcation 
 
 of perverted things to their true 
 uses, ..... 20 
 
 Results of the captivity, the, , . .19 
 
 i. The lesson of the kingdom was com- 
 pleted by it, . . . . 19 
 ii. It was both the punishment and the 
 
 limit of their idolatry, . . 19 
 
 iii. The organisation of the outward 
 Church was connected with the 
 purifying of doctrine, and served 
 as the form in which the truth 
 might be realised by the mass, . 19 
 iv. The bond by which the people was 
 held together was felt to be reli- 
 gious, not local, nor even pri- 
 marily national, . . .19 
 Eesumed, the great work (See Woek), . 71 
 Return of the exiles, the, . . .16 
 i. The company who returned, . . 16 
 
 1. They were of various classes, . 16 
 
 2. Of noble character, . . .17 
 
 3. Exalted in purpose, . . .17 
 
 4. Comparatively few in number, . 17 
 ii. The assistance which they received, 17 
 
 1. Was general, . . . .17 
 
 2. Spontaneous, . . . .17 
 
 3. Honourable to both givers and 
 receivers, . . . . .17 
 
 Samaeitans, the success of the subtle 
 scheme of the, or the temporary 
 triumph of the wicked (See Teiumph), 68 
 
 Samaritans to the Jews, the hostility of 
 
 the (See Hostility), . . .61 
 
 Samaritans to the Jews, the proposal of 
 
 the (See Peoposal), . . .54 
 
 Scriptures, studying, practising, and teach- 
 ing the (See Studying), . . . 107 
 
 Search, and an important discovery, a 
 
 thorough, . . . . .84 
 
 i. The search for the decree of Cyrus, 84 
 
 1. Was thorough, . . . . 8i 
 
 2. And successtul, • . .84 
 Honest|and thorough investigation 
 
 promotes the interests of religion, 84 
 
 ii. The discovery of the decree of Cyrus, 84 
 
 1. That the Temple should be re- 
 built, 84 
 
 2. That the expenses be granted from 
 the royal revenues, . . .85 
 
 3. That the sacred vessels be restored, 85 
 The advantages of written history, 85 
 
 Seeking the Lord, and its advantages, . 134 
 
 i. Seeking God, and its advantages, . lo5 
 
 1. What seeking God denotes, . 135 
 (1.) A consciousness of our need 
 
 of Him, . . . .135 
 
 (2.) Earnest prayer to Him, . 135 
 (3.) To come to Him in the way 
 
 of His appointment, . .135 
 
 (4.) To labour in all things for 
 
 His approbation, . . 135 
 
 2. What areithe advantages of seek- 
 ing God, . . . . .135 
 182 
 
 page 
 
 His hand upon us for our good, 135 
 
 ii. Forsaking God, and its evils, . .135 
 
 1. What it is to forsake God, . 135 
 
 2. AVhat are the evils of so doing, . ] 36 
 Sequence, Divine, . . . . .110 
 
 i. Diligent searching for the law of 
 
 God, 110 
 
 ii. A hearty doing of the discovered 
 
 will, 110 
 
 iii. Then may we teach the law of the 
 
 Lord, 110 
 
 Service, religious, . . . . .27 
 
 i. There are various spheres of service 
 
 in the Church, . . . .27 
 
 ii. The humblest of these is a place of 
 
 privilege and honour, . . 28 
 
 iii. The privilege of this service is not 
 limited to any particular races or 
 classes of men, . . . . 28 
 
 Sin, the good man's confession of the 
 
 people's (See Confession), . . 147 
 Sin, the good man's sorrow over the 
 
 people's (See SoREOw), . . . 143 
 
 Sinning, arguments against (See Aegu- 
 
 MENTS), 80 
 
 Sorrow over the people's sin, the good 
 
 man's . . . . . .143 
 
 i. The painful communication made to 
 
 J:zra 143 
 
 1. Of a great sin committed, . .143 
 
 2. Of the prevalence of this sin, . 144 
 
 3. Of the aggravations of the sin, . 144 
 ii. The effect of this communication 
 
 upon Ezra, .... 144 
 
 1. Great amazement, . . . 144 
 
 2. Deep grief, . . . ,144 
 
 3. Intense moral indignation, . 145 
 iii. The effect of Ezra's grief upon 
 
 others, . . . , .145 
 
 1. It excited their alarm, . .145 
 
 2. It attracted them to him, . . 145 
 Sovereign and the duty of subjects, the 
 
 desire of a (See Desire), . . .90 
 Studying, practising, and teaching the 
 
 Sacred Scriptures, .... 107 
 i. The acquisition of Divine truth for 
 
 himself, 107 
 
 ii. The embodiment of Divine truth in 
 
 his life, 107 
 
 iii. The communication of Divine truth 
 
 to others, .... 108 
 
 Suggestive record, a (See Record), . 2.'> 
 
 Supremacy of God, the, . . .78 
 
 i. The supremacy of God, . . .78 
 
 1. Its ground, . . . .78 
 
 2. Its extent, . . . .78 
 ii. The obligation of man, . . .79 
 
 To obey Him — 
 
 1. Completely, . . . .79 
 
 2. Perpetually, . . . .79 
 
 3. Heartily, 79 
 
 4. Joyously, ..... 79 
 iii. The privilege of man, . . .79 
 
 Surrender of important trusts, the faith- 
 ful, . . . . . . 140 
 
 i. A sacred trust faithfully dis- 
 charged, ..... 140 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1, With minute acoui-acy and rever- 
 ent care, . . . . ,140 
 
 2. With a grateful sense of relief, . 141 
 ii. Divine worship devoutly offered, . 141 
 
 1. An acknowleiignient of sin, . 141 
 
 2. An expression of thankfuliie^s, . 141 
 
 3. An indication of the unity of the 
 twelve tribes, . , . .141 
 
 iii. The royal letters duly delivered, . 141 
 
 1. An evidence of loyalty to the 
 Persian government, . , 141 
 
 2. An evidence of their supreme re- 
 
 gard for Jehovah, . . .141 
 
 IV. Valuable help promptly rendered, . 141 
 
 Teaching the Scriptures, studying, prac- 
 tising, and (See Studying), . . 107 
 
 Temple, laying the foundation of the (See 
 
 P'oundation), . . . .46 
 
 Temple of God, the true builders of the 
 
 spiritual (See Builders), . . 59 
 
 Temple, the building of the (See Build- 
 ing), 49 
 
 Temple, the completion of the (See Com- 
 pletion), 91 
 
 Temple, the dedication of the (See Dedi- 
 cation), 95, 101 
 
 Temple, the dedication of the second 
 
 (See Dedication), .... 100 
 
 Temple, the preparations for rebuilding 
 
 (See Preparations), . . .44 
 
 Temple, the subserviency of a faithful 
 ministry to the erection of God's 
 spiritual (See Erection), . . 94 
 
 Times, Ezra and his (See Ezra), . . 130 
 
 Triumph of the wicked, the temporary, 
 the success of the subtle scheme of 
 the Samaritans, or, ... 68 
 
 i. The letter of the kine, . . .68 
 
 1. Suggests that the subtlety of the 
 wicked frequently obtains a tem- 
 porary triumph over the good, . 68 
 
 2. That one generation frequently 
 suffers through the sins of an- 
 other, ..... 63 
 
 3. That the cause of God is fre- 
 
 quently reproached and hindered 
 by the evil conduct of some of 
 its adherents, . . . .68 
 
 ii. The action of the Samaritans, . .68 
 
 1. Was prompt, . . . .69 
 
 2. Personal, 69 
 
 3. Powerful, 69 
 
 Understanding, men of (See Men), . 124 
 
 Vessels, the restoration of the sacred 
 
 (See Restoration), . . . .19 
 
 Wicked, and how to treat them, the pro- 
 posals of the (See Proposals), . 57 
 Word of the Lord, the fulfilment of the 
 
 (See Fulfilment), .... 5 
 
 Work investigated and continued, the 
 
 great, ...... 73 
 
 L The sacred work investigated by the 
 
 secular authorities, . . .73 
 
 1. The nature of the investigation, 73 
 
 2. Tlie spirit of the investigation, . 73 
 ii. The sacred work carried on througli 
 
 the Divine blessing, . . .74 
 
 1. The Divine interest in the work, 74 
 
 2. The Divine oversight of the 
 work, . . . . .74 
 
 3. The Divine inspiration of the 
 
 workeis, . . . . .74 
 
 4. The Divine protection of the 
 
 workers, .... .74 
 
 Work of the day done in the day, the . 42 
 
 Applicable to — 
 
 i. Lite in gerieral, . • . . .42 
 
 ii. Prosperity, . . . . .42 
 
 iii. Adversity, . . . , .43 
 
 iv. The Sabbath, .... 43 
 
 v. To every day, . . . .43 
 
 Work resumed, the great . . .71 
 
 i. The inciters to the work, . . 71 
 
 1. Want of interest in tlie work is 
 
 implied, ..... 71 
 
 2. Obligation to perform the work 
 
 is implied, . . . .71 
 
 3. Exhortations to resume the work 
 
 are given, . . . .71 
 
 ii. The leaders in the woik, . .71 
 
 1. They resumed the work readily, 71 
 
 2. They led the work appropriately, 71 
 iii. The helpers in the work, . . .72 
 
 The prophets assisted by — 
 
 1. Exhortations to vigorous prose- 
 
 cution of the work, . . .72 
 
 2. Assurances of the presence of 
 
 God with them, ... 72 
 
 3. Promises of blessings from God 
 
 to them, . . . . .72 
 
 iv. The great first cause of the work, . 72 
 Work, the letter to the king concerning 
 
 the (See Letter), . . . .75 
 Worship, exemplary features of Divine ; 
 
 the rebuilding of the Altar, . . 36 
 
 i. Unanimity and zeal, . . .36 
 
 ii. Sacrifice, ..... 36 
 
 1. Man's need of atonement with 
 
 God 36 
 
 2. Man's duty of self-consecration 
 
 to God, 37 
 
 iii. Respect for precedent, . . .37 
 
 iv. Conformity to Scripture, . . 37 
 
 v. Fear of enemies, . . . .37 
 
 1. Should not intimidate us from 
 
 worship, ..... 37 
 
 2. Should impel us to worship, . 37 
 vi. Regularity, . . . . .37 
 
 1. Our daily need of atonement 
 with God, .... 37 
 
 2. Our daily need of renewed con- 
 secration, . . . . .38 
 
 3. And of renewed blessings, . . 38 
 
 Zeal, good cause for great, . . .65 
 
 i. We acknowledge a gracious fact, . 65 
 
 ii. A duty recognised, . . . .66 
 
 iii. A course of action pursued, . . 67 
 
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