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النشر الإلكتروني

and what are your names?" They wisely and modestly plead the service of the God of Heaven, the decree of Cyrus; still persisting to build, as if the prohibition of Artaxerxes had died with the author.

The unpartial governors do neither claw nor exasperate; but, relating the humble and just answer of the Jews, move the king that search may be made in the rolls of Babylon, whether such an edict were made by Cyrus; and require his royal pleasure, concerning the validity of such a pretended decree. Darius searches, finds, ratifies, enlargeth it; not only charging his officers not to hinder the work, but commanding to levy sums of his own tribute, beyond the river, for the expenses of the building, for the furnishing of sacrifices; threatening utter ruin to the house of that man, and death to his person, who should offer to impeach this bounty; and shutting up with a zealous imprecation. The God of Heaven, that hath caused his name to dwell there, destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God, which is at Jerusalem: I, Darus, have made a decree; let it be done with speed.

Who would have looked for such an edict from a Persian? No Solomon, no David, could have said more. The Rule of all Hearts makes choice of his own instruments; and, when he pleaseth, can glorify himself by those means which are least expected. That sacred work, which the husband and son of an Esther crossed, shall be happily accomplished by a Darius.

In the sixth year of his reign, is the temple of God fully finished; and now, the dedication of it is celebrated by a joyful feast. A hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, in a meet proportion, smoke upon their altars. And now, the Children of the Captivity think this day a sufficient payment for all their sorrows. We have reason to think it the fairest day that ever shone forth to us, wherein the spiritual building of God's house is raised up in our souls. How should we shout at the laying of this foundation, and feast at the laying on of the roof! What other, what better sacrifice, can we offer up to God, in the sense of our joy, than ourselves? Let our hearts be, at once, the temple, the altar, the sacrifice. O God, be thou glorified in all these, who hast graciously honoured all these with thyself.

Every holy feast is now duly kept; the priests know their divisions, the Levites their courses; and the whole service of God is put into a settled order. But, as there can be no new beginnings without imperfection, nor long continuance without corruption, reformation is no less necessary than good institutions.

Artaxerxes Mnemon (the mindful) had learned of his father Darius, to befriend God's people, and strives to inherit his beneficence. Under his government is Ezra, the priest and learned

scribe, sent with a large commission from Babylon to Jerusalem, to inquire into the wants, and redress the disorders, of the Jews; with full power, not only to carry with him all the voluntaries of his nation, and the treasures contributed in all the province of Babylon, but to raise such sums, out of the king's revenues, as should be found requisite; and withal, to ordain magistrates and judges, and to crown the laws with due execution, whether to death, or banishment, or confiscation; and lastly, with a large exemption of the priests and Levites, and all the inferior officers of the temple, from all tolls, tributes, customs. Nothing wanted here, whether for direction or encouragement. It is a sign of God's great favour to any nation, when the hearts of sovereign governors are raised up, both to the choice of worthy agents, and to the commanding of pious and restorative actions.

Holy and careful Ezra gathers a new colony of Jews; takes view of them at the river of Ahava; and, finding a miss of the sons of Levi (without whom no company, no plantation can be complete), sends for their supply; and now fully furnished, he proclaims a Fast in the way.

I do not hear him say, "The journey is long and dangerous. The people have need of all their strength. I could well wish us all afflicted with a Religious Fast, were it not that the abatement of the courage and vigour of the multitude may endanger our success. But, without all these carnal consultations, he begins with this solemn act of humiliation. It is better to have God strong in our weakness, than to have flesh and blood strong in His neglect.

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Artaxerxes was a patron of the Jews, yet a Pagan by profession. Wise Ezra was afraid of quenching those sparks of piety, which he descried in this semi-proselyte. Rather, therefore, than he will seem to imply a distrust in the providence of that God, in whose service he went, by seeking a convoy of soldiers from the king, Ezra chooses to put himself upon the hazard of the way, and the immediate protection of the Almighty. Any death were better than to hear Artaxerxes say, "Is this the man that so confidently told me, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him? Doth he believe himself, that he thus doubts, ere he begin? Dare he not trust his God with his own businesses?"

The resolutions of faithful hearts are heroical. No heathen man shall stumble at Ezra's fear. He can find more assurance in his fast than in a Persian band. With a courageous reliance upon the hand of his God, he puts himself into the journey; and finds nothing but safety and success. The fidelity of the Almighty never disappointed the confidence of his servants. All the army of Artaxerxes could not have been so strong a guard to the Jews as their invisible protection.

In the space of four months, is Ezra, and his company, happily arrived at Jerusalem; where he joys to see the new temple and his old colleagues: and now, having delivered up the charge of his treasure by weight in the chambers of the house of the Lord, he applies himself to his work, and delivers the king's commission to the lieutenants and governors for their utmost assistance.

The princes of Judah do not, for ought I hear, repine at the large patent granted to this priest; nor say, "What doth a man of this robe meddle with placing or displacing magistrates? with executions of judgments to death, bonds, banishment! But rather, as congratulating this power to sacred hands, gladly present unto him all their grievances. Truly religious hearts cannot grudge any honour to their spiritual guides.

This holy commissioner is soon welcomed with a sad bill of complaint, from some good peers of Israel; wherein they charge divers of the priests, Levites, people, not to have separated themselves from the idolatrous inhabitants of the lands, nor, therefore, from their abominations, even from Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, and the rest of those branded nations; that they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with those forbidden people; and (which made the matter so much more heinous, less remediable) that the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

O hypocritical Jews, did ye refuse to suffer your Samaritan neighbours to join with you in building a lifeless house unto God, and do ye now join affinity with a more accursed generation for the building of living houses unto posterity? for the pulling down of the lively house of God?

How could Ezra hear this with his clothes, his hair, his beard untorn? What grief, what astonishment, must this news needs bring to a zealous heart? And, were it not that the conscience of his sincere respect of God's glory relieved him, how could Ezra chuse but repent of his journey; and say, "Am I come from Babylon, to find paganism in Judah? Did I leave Persians, to meet with Canaanites? What do I here, if Jerusalem be removed? How much better were a clear captivity than an idolatrous freedom? Woe is me, that, having left many Jewish hearts in Babylon, I now am forced to find heathen blood in Jerusalem!"

As a man distracted with sorrow, Ezra sits down upon the earth, with his garments rent, with the hair of his head and beard plucked off, wringing his hands, knocking his breast, not moving from his place until the evening sacrifice. It is hard to be too much affected with the public sins of God's people. Those, who find themselves in the ship of God's Church, cannot but be much troubled with every dangerous leak that it takes. Com

mon cases are not more neglected by the careless, than taken to heart by the wise and godly.

There, and thus, Ezra sits astonied until the evening sacrifice. Others resorted to him the while, even all that trembled at the words of the God of Israel; but to help on his sorrow, not to relieve; neither doth any man wish a mitigation of his own or others' grief.

At last, he rises up from his heaviness, and casts himself upon his knees, and spreads out his hands unto the Lord his God. Wherefore was all that pensiveness, fasting, silence, tearing of hair and clothes, but to serve as a meet preface to his prayers? wherein he so freely pours out his heart, as if it had been all dissolved into devotion; professing his shame to lift up his face towards the Throne of God; confessing the iniquities of his people, which were increased over their heads, and grown up unto heaven; fetching their trespass far, and charging them deep; feelingly acknowledging the just hand that had followed them in all their judgments, and the just confusion wherein they now stand before the face of their God.

Tears and sighs and grovellings accompanied his prayers; the example and noise whereof drew Israel into a participation of this public mourning, For the people wept very sore. How can they chuse but think, "If he thus lament for us, how should we grieve for ourselves?"

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All Judah went away merrily with their sin, till this check of Ezra now they are afflicted. Had not the hands of the peers been in this trespass, the people had not been guilty had not the cheeks of Ezra been first drenched with tears, the people had not been penitent. It cannot be spoken, what power there is in a great example, whether to evil or good.

Prayers and tears are nothing, without endeavours. Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, puts the first life into this business. Having seconded the complaint of Ezra, he now adds, Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them. Arise, for this matter belongeth to thee; we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.

When mischief is once done, the chief care is, how to redress it. The best way of redress, is, the deliberate undoing of that, which we have rashly committed. The surest obligation to the undoing of an evil act, is, an oath or covenant made with God for the performance.

There is no man so wise, but he may make use of good counsel. There is no man so forward, but he may abide incitation. It is no small encouragement, to see a hearty assistance in an envious and difficult service: Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word.

It is half done, that is thus assured. There was need of a strong power to dissolve a matrimonial, though inordinate love. Doubtless, these men had married out of affection. Their hearts were no less set upon these wives, though heathenish, than if they had been of their own tribes; neither were their children, thus begotten, less dear unto them, than if they had lain in Jewish wombs. Nothing less than an oath of God, therefore, could quit these passions: that is both required and taken.

Now begins Ezra to conceive some hope of present redress; the comfort whereof, yet, cannot turn off his sorrow for the offence passed: he neither eats bread, nor drinks water; willingly punishing himself, because Israel had sinned. Now shall

his countrymen easily read in his face their own penance and just humiliation; and say, "This man takes no joy in our sufferings; he would not smart thus for us, if he did not descry more danger towards us, than we can apprehend."

Proclamation is made through Judah and Jerusalem, under pain of forfeiture of substance and excommunication from God's people, that all the children of the Captivity should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem. They are met accordingly.

The courts of God's house are thronged with penitents; and now, as if the heaven would teach them what to do, the clouds. rain down abundance of tears. What with those sad showers, what with their inward remorse, the people sit trembling in the open courts; and humbly wait for the reproof, for the sentence of Ezra. He rises up, and, with a severe countenance, lays before them their sin, their amends: the sin of their strange wives; the amends of their confession, of their separation: not sparing to search their wound; not neglecting the meet plaister for their cure. The people, as willing to be healed, yield themselves tiently to that rough hand, not shrinking at the pain, or favouring the sore; As thou hast said, so must we do; only craving a fit proportion of time, and a due assistance for the dispatch of so long and important a work.

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Ezra gladly hearkens to this, not so much request, as counsel of Israel. The charge is divided to men, and days. For two months' space, the commissioners sit close; and within that compass, finish this business, not more thankless than necessary.

Doubtless, much variety of passion met with them, in this busy service. Here, you should have seen an affectionate husband bitterly weeping at the dismission of a loving wife, and drowning his last farewell in sobs: there, you might have seen a passionate wife, hanging upon the arms of her beloved husband; and, on her knees, conjuring him, by his former vows and the dear pledges of their loves; and proffering with many tears, to redeem the loss of her husband, with the change of her religion. Here, you might

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