ing he preached to the Ninevites? What effect had it upon them? Did God spare the inhabitants of Nineveh? Was Jonah well pleased with this act of God's mercy? What did God do to convince him of the folly of his anger? What was the argument which God used with Jonah? What two things should we learn from the history of Jonah?

CHAPTER XX.

FROM ABOUT THE YEAR 518 TO THE YEAR 495, B.C.

Ahasuerus-Vashti-Esther-Mordecai, and Haman.

The book of Esther is an account of a plot laid against the Jews to cut them all off, and wonderfully disappointed by a concurrence of providences. Though the name of God be not found in this book, the finger of God is to be seen in it, directing many minute events for the bringing about of His people's deliverance. The whole story confirms the Psalmist's observation, "The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: he sees that his day is coming.”—Ps. xxxvii. 12, 13.

AHASUERUS.-Which of the kings of Persia this Ahasuerus was, the learned are not agreed. He is supposed by Dr Prideaux to be that second Artaxerxes, king of Persia, who was called Longimanus, and who, perhaps, being influenced by Esther and Mordecai, gave a decree for Ezra to promote the building of the temple at Jerusalem, after the captivity in Babylon.

Scripture informs us that he reigned over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces; that when he had made a most magnificent feast for all his nobles and princes, he gave orders to bring in Vashti, the queen, with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look But she refused to come; for which disobedience a royal decree was passed and sealed, that she should come no more before the king.

on.

ESTHER. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, who had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah. And he brought up Hadassah (that is Esther), his uncle's daughter for she had neither father nor mother alive, and the maid was fair and beautiful, and she obtained grace and favour in sight of the king; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

HAMAN. After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded: But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. And when Haman saw this he was full of wrath; and sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom. Having great favour with the king, he caused a decree to be made, and copies of the same posted off by the king's commandment, to be published in every province unto all people, that they should be ready against a certain day to massacre all the Jews. When Mordecai perceived all this, he made it known to the queen. Then spake the queen to Mordecai, saying, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night nor day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise: and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. And it came to pass on the third day, that Esther went in unto the king, and found favour in his sight. And he said unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. And Esther said, If I have found favour in sight of the king, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said. Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when he saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. Then said Zeresh, the wife of Haman, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou unto the king, that Mordecai may be hanged thereon; then go thou in merrily with the king into the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman well : and he caused the gallows to be made.

MORDECAI HONOURED. On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records; and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had given information of a conspiracy by two of the king's chamberlains against his life. And the king said,

What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. At this very time Haman had come into the court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king said unto Haman, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head; and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

Then the king said unto Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. Then Haman did as the king had commanded. And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered. And Haman told his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. And they said unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

HAMAN HANGED.-So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. And the king said again unto Esther, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Then the king said unto Esther, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. Then the king gave orders to hang Hanan on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. He put

Mordecai into Haman's place at court, and sent orders throughout all his dominions for the Jews to defend themselves.-See Esther vii., and viii. 15. And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. THE JEWS SLAY THEIR ENEMIES.-Now in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of the same, the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went throughout all the provinces. Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the sword, and slew upwards of seventy-five thousand of those that rose up against them. All the Jews agreed, by and with the authority of Esther and Mordecai, to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar every year, as days of rejoicing and of giving thanks in memory of this deliverance. These two days were called the days of Purim, from Pur, which signifies a lot; because Haman had cast lots in a superstitious manner, to find out what month or day was the most lucky to execute his bloody device against the Jews.-See Esther ix.

EXERCISES.

Of what is the book of Esther an account? Who was Ahasuerus? Over how many provinces did he reign? What was the name of his first queen? Why was she put away? Who did he take in her place? What relation was Esther to Mordecai? Name the man that was then in great favour with the king? Wherein did Mordecai offend Haman? How did Haman try to revenge himself? How did Mordecai then act? Did Esther and her maidens keep a fast? What was her first request to the king? What advice did Haman get from his wife? How was Mordecai honoured? When the king and Haman had come to the banquet of Queen Esther, what was her request to the king? What became of Haman? How did the Jews defend themselves on the day designed for their massacre? How was this deliverance kept in remembrance by the Jews? What were the two days of the festival called?

K

CHAPTER XXI.

BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS AND NEIGHBOURING NATIONS, CONNECTING THE NARRATIVE PORTIONS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.

The Jewish Affairs under the High-Priests-Alexander the GreatThe Ptolemies-Antiochus the Great-Seleucus Philopater-Antiochus Epiphanes-The Maccabees-John Hyrcanus-AristobulusAlexander Jannæus-Civil Wars-Herod the Great-His Character and Death.

After the death of Nehemiah, Judea was included in the prefecture of Syria, and its government administered by the successive high-priests. Darius Nothus was succeeded by Artaxerxes Mnemon (B. c. 405), and this latter prince by Ochus, in whose reign some of the countries of Western Asia revolted, and among them Judea; but the rebellion was speedily suppressed. In the 18th year of Ochus (B. c. 341), Johanan the high-priest died, and was succeeded by his son Jaddua. Three years afterwards Ochus was poisoned by Bagoas the eunuch, who placed his youngest son on the throne, but when he had reigned about three years, disposed of him also in a similar manner. Darius Codomannus, the last of the Persian emperors, succeeded, who turned Bagoas' treachery against himself, and apparently became firmly established in his empire.

At this time (about 334 B. c.) Alexander the Great invaded Asia with an army of 5000 horse and 30,000 foot, defeated the numerous army of Darius at the river Granicus, and made himself master of Asia Minor. The next year he gained a second victory over Darius near Issus, in Cilicia, besieged Tyre, and then marched into Judea, to punish the Jews for supplying the Tyrians with provisions, and refusing them to himself. While the Grecian conqueror was marching on Jerusalem, according to the account given by Josephus, the high-priest was directed in a dream to go out to meet Alexander with a solemn and gorgeous procession of the priests and people, which he did. The young Greek monarch, struck with sudden awe, presented his reverential salutations to the venerable Hebrew pontiff. For so doing he accounted to the spectators by a dream or vision he had had in Macedonia, of a man similarly attired, who promised him the empire of Persia. Entering the city, he offered sacrifices; and when Jaddua the high-priest had shewn