shown them by the kings of Persio. ho.d not have suffered, the loss of our independence, cho.nged this fo.ct. To r,-ve us a wall. The.t of our temple, and our city, the long and is to so.y, "o. shelter. • The city we.II still weary perioll of captivity and servitude in le.y in ruins (see N ah. i. 3 ; ii. 13, &c.). a foreign land, whicn should have bent our Ver. 11.-The land, unto which ye go stubborn spirits to obedience ; and after the to posseBB it, is an unclean le.nd, &c. These mercy shown us in the fact that thou hast exo.ct words do not occur elsewhere ; but the punished us lees than our iniquities de- "unclean" and corrupt character of the served, and given us a deliverance, or Canaanitish nations is constantly proclaimed rather a residue, such as this, which should in tho Law, and was the sole reason why have stirred us up to gratitude and love, their land was taken from them and given should we again break thy commitndmente, to the Israelites. On the special character and fall away, what can we expect but final of their "filthiness" and " abominations" abandonment, complete and entire destrnc- see Dcut. xii 2, 3 ; Levit. xviii. 6-27. tion ! If neither severity nor kindness avail Ver. 12.-Give not your daughters, &c. anything, what can God do more 1 must he Here Deut. vii 3 is plainly referred to, not view our case as hopeless, and so make though not verbally quoted. This is the an end of us altogether! (Compare Isa. v. sole place in the Law where the double 1-7 ; Luke xiii 6-9). injunction is given, Exod. xxxiv. 16 referring Ver. 15.-Thou art righteous: for we to the taking of wives only. Nor seek their remain yet escaped. Righteousness, in its peace or their wealth for ever. So Moses widest sense, includes mercy ; and so the had enjoined with special reference to the meaning here may be, " Thou art good and Moabites and Ammonites (Deut. xxiii. 6). gracious ; of which thy having spared us is With regard to the other idolatrous nations, a proof;" or tsaddik may have its more the exact command was " to make no cove- usual sense of "just," and Ezra may mean nant with them" (Exod. xxiii 32; xxxiv. 12), to say, "Thou art just, and therefore hast i. e. no terms of peace. Much the same brought us to the low estate in which we was probably meant by both injunctions. are to-day, and made us a mere remnant." The.t ye mo.y be st>rong. See Deut. xi. 8. We are before thee in our trespasses. We And eat the good of the land. These words are here, in thy presence ; here, before thy are to.ken from Isa. i. 19. And leave it for holy place (eh. x. 1); sinners, with all our an inheritance, &c. No single passage seems sins upon us, confessing our guilt ; for we to be referred to here, but the clause embodies cannot stand before thee-we cannot boldly the idea found in Deut. xi 9 ; Prov. x. 27 ; stand up and face thee (" Who shall stand Ezek. xx.xvii. 25, and elsewhere. in thy sight when Thou art angry?" Ps. Vers. 13, 14.-After all that is come upon lxxvi. 7), because of this our heinous trans- us, &c. After the punishments that we gression, for which there is no excuse.
HOMILETICS.
Vers. 1--4.-An astounding discovery. The previous chapter ended with every appearance of peace. The people already at Jerusalem, the new arrivals, the Per- sian authorities, seemed all of one mind. So far as the house and worship of Jehovah were concerned, and, therefore, so far as the welfare and prosperity of the returned remnant were concerned, there did not appear to be a cloud in the sky. Dut we have hardly begun this next chapter before we are in the midst of a storm. On the one side we hear the language of agitation and distress. On the other we see the silence of consternation and awe. Rightly to appreciate either we must dwell upon both. Let us ask-(1) What was the origin of this cry of distress; (2) what its exact nature ; (3) what its immediate results. I. THE ORIUlN OF THE CRY. This was traceable, we believe, in large measure, to Ezra's own arrival and influence. He had come to Jerusalem avowedly (see vii. 25) for the purpose of giving instruction, and, where need was, of administering correc- tion, in regard to that Law of Moses which he had studied so well. As we read the story, he had now been something more than three months in the holy city (comp. vii. 9, and x. 8, 9). During that time he certainly had not been sile!1t a~ to. the commands of that Law; but had doubtless both explained and enforced 1t~ directions and warnings with a clearness and force that made it in those comparatwely book- less days almost a new thing in Jerusalem. Consider all that is implied in this con- nection in Neh. viii. 8. In the case of many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem this would have a. twofold effect. It would at once enlighten their understanding (Rom. 14'.! THE BOOK OF EZRA. [CH, IX, 1-15,