whole year ; and then in succession to be admitted to the king for one night, and never afterwards to see him, unless called for by name^ Four years had the succession continued, before Esther's turn for admission to him arrived ; and she, pleasing him beyond all the rest, was appointed Queen *^. How incre- dible does all this appear ; that such a state of things should ever exist ; that the parents should ever suffer it ; and that the females should ever endure it ! Were it reported in any other history than that which we know to be divine, we should never believe that the whole female sex would ever be reduced to such a state of horrible degradation as this.
But from this the Gospel raises them. By the restriction in our text, they are again elevated to the rank which the first woman sustained in Paradise. Though still inferior to the man in power and dignity s, they possess equal rights with him. He has no more power to repudiate them, than they him. The wife has now the same property in her husband as he has in her** : nor can any thing but a wilful alienation of it by in- fidelity on her part deprive her of it. If in one single instance he transfer to another those regards which by his nuptial vows were exclusively assigned to her, he shall be condemned for it by God, as certainly as she would be, if she were guilty of a similar transgression.]
II. It moderates the tempers and passions of men —
[Every one knows that power is a snare ; and that it is difficult to possess unlimited authority without being some- times led to exercise it in an unbecoming manner. Suppose a man at liberty to put away his wife whenever he chose, and to take whomsoever he would to fill her place ; is it not pro- bable that he would presume upon that power to tyrannize over her and oppress her ? Is it not to be expected also that he would be easily captivated by youth and beauty, as soon as ever sickness or age shovild have robbed his wife of her former attractions ? Under such circumstances, little could be hoped for, but inconstancy in affection, irritability in temper, licen- tiousness in manners, and cruelty in conduct. But by the restriction in our text all occasion for these things is cut off; and a necessity is imposed of cultivating dispositions directly opposite. A man when first he plights his troth to a virgin, knows that he takes her for better and for worse. He is aware that the knot can never be untied ; and that his connexion with her forbids even a desire after any other. Hence then he sees the necessity of patience and forbearance towards her : he feels the importance of gaining her affections by kind usage :
e Esth. ii. 3, 12, 13, 14. i Esth. ii. 15—17.
P 1 Cor. xi. 3, 7—10. ^ 1 Cor. vii. 2—4.