ing to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm the second letter of Purim. And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, to confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry. And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book. And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed. CHAPTER III. THESE HEBREW RECORDS CREDIBLE. Precious Bible! "When yonder spheres sublime Pealed their first notes to sound the march of time, When wrapt in flames the realms of ether glow, IT is a remark of the late venerable Dr. Alexander that, "there never has existed upon earth a nation whose history is so deserving of our attention as that of the Jews." This is certainly true, for they are and always have been a peculiar people. An extraordinary providence has always been exercised toward them. Up to the carrying away into the Babylonish captivity, the history of the ancient Jews is contained in their sacred books, but subsequent to that event, we have nothing concerning them but fragments; and of these the Book of Esther is one of the most valuable During the period of their history between their captivity and the coming of Christ, many important prophecies were fulfilled; and in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, we find the origin of the moral condition and of the political and ecclesiastical state of things that prevailed when Christ was born. A knowledge of Hebrew history for five hundred years immediately preceding the Advent is necessary to understand the New Testament. It is not, then, merely because the Book of Esther is an interesting and true picture of the Persian court for thousands of years, but also because it is a chapter— a very remarkable chapter-of God's dealings with his people, and of his care for his church, that we invite you to study it. But our Chronicles of Ahasuerus, Esther and Mordecai, are they of canonical authority? I answer, we have the same authority for believing that the Book of Esther belongs to the Hebrew canon that we have for Ezra, Nehemiah, or any of their historical books. It is found in Hebrew just as we find them. For although several of the proper names of this book are of Persian origin, there is scarcely a doubt among scholars that it was written originally in Hebrew. Foreign names are found in the writings of Moses and in Daniel, as well as in other parts of the Old Testa ment, but no one denies on that account that Hebrew is their original. The Book of Esther is not found in Arabic, nor in any other ancient Oriental language, but the Hebrew, Syriac and Chaldee. Ancient copies differing more or less from each other, and from the Hebrew text, are found in Greek and Latin. The Chaldee copy, as given in the London Polyglott, contains five times more than the Hebrew text, but the book, as we receive it, has always been considered as a part of the canon of their holy writings by the Jews. And as THE AUTHOR OF ESTHER. 61 they were remarkably careful to preserve their sacred writings, and jealous of any change or interpolation, the presumption is very strong in favor of the authenticity of this book. The ancient Jews were made the keepers of the Oracles of God, and if they had not been true to this trust, our Lord and his apostles would certainly have charged them with neglect or corruption. But this they did not do. Our Lord reproved them for misinterpreting and for rendering of none effect the commandments of God by their traditions, but never with having been unfaithful in preserving the sacred text. There is some difference of opinion, both among ancient and modern writers, as to the author- of the Megilloth Esther. A majority, both of Hebrew and Christian interpreters, both ancient and modern, ascribe it to Mordecai. The Rabbins generally, and Clemens of Alexandria, tell us that Mordecai was its author. Some say it was composed by the great Synagogue. Others have attributed it to the high priest Joachim. This was the opinion of Philo, the Jew. Augustine thinks it was written by Ezra.* A few think that ix: 20, 23, prove it to have been the joint composition of Esther and Mordecai; but this reference is not conclusive proof of this, for the passage seems to speak, not of this memoir or history of Esther, but of the circular letters that were sent throughout the empire, or, at least, of them chiefly. Some Christian writers have doubted its claim to a place among canonical Scriptures; but their objections do not merit a labored reply. It may be true there is no prophecy in this book that it is not quoted in the *De Civ. Dei., lib. xviii: C. 36. New Testament—that there is no mention in it of any of the names or attributes of Jehovah, nor even of prayer or sacrifices to Him. But the singular fact that the name of God does not occur in the book, does not seem to me to have authorized some of the fathers to reject it from the canon. It is certainly one of the most striking illustrations of a superintending Providence to be found in any of the sacred narratives. And may not this omission have been designed? Perhaps the purpose was to prove to the Gentiles the fact that the God of the Jews was the Supreme Ruler of the universe, without exciting their prejudices by making a display of His name. The narrative tells its own story, and carries with it its own evidences. It implies clearly and necessarily the existence and presence of the God of Abraham. The Hebrews have never denied its authenticity. They esteem it everywhere, I believe, even to this day, as one of the best of their holy writings. They call it, by way of eminence, Megillah that is, THE VOLUME. And some of them believe that whatever destruction may attend their other sacred writings, that the Pentatuch and the Megilloth Esther will always be preserved by a special Providence. They have always placed it on a level with the law of Moses. The Jewish celebration of Purim, to commemorate their deliverance from the massacre intended for them by Haman, historically proven to have had its rise at that time; and its observance, from that time to the present day, by the Jews in every part of the world, is one of the simplest and strongest proofs that can be given of the truthfulness of its historical statements. It were certainly difficult to show how a national fes |