SoN OF Goo. The more fully we regulate our conduct by the spirit of hie life, the more influential for good will be our own life-example (eee Matt. xvi. 24; John xiii. 16; 1 Pet. ii. 21).-D. Ver. 19.-Penalties. In connection with the penalty imposed on Vashti the following remarks may be made:- 1. PENALTIES ARE INTENDED TO ENFORCE LAWS, or, in other words, to deter men from crime. With many law would have little power apart from the penalties attached to the transgression of it. Those who e.re not governed by virtue, or the lo,·e of God and truth, may be commanded by fear. II. PENALTIES OUGHT TO BE EQUITABLE. As the servants of justice, they should ha,e some real proportion to the trespass committed. Even supposing Vashti to have failed in temper or in wisdom, her punishment was out of all proportion to her fault-most cruel and unjust. Excessive penalties are themselves an injustice, and, as all experience testifies, rather encourage than repress crime. III. PENALTIES, while being adequate to the offence, SHOULD CONTEMPLATE 1'HE IMPROVEMENT OF THE OFFENDER. The king's decree against Vashti gave no room for explanation, repentance, or amendment. When penalties do nothing more than inflict pain and privation, they are likely to harden transgressors in evil, and thus to prepare new and weightier scourges for the society which they are designed to protect. JV. PENALTIES SHOULD NEVER BE THE INSTRUMENTS OJ!' VENGEANCE OR WRATH, They should be the award of impartial and unimpassioned justice. Of the punish- ment of Vashti a burning anger was the spring. V. PENALTIES SHOULD NEVER BE INFLICTED EXCEPT WREN GUILT RAS BEEN CLEARLY PROVED. In the action of our law courts the maxim is recognised that it is better to let the guilty escape than to allow punishment to fall on the innocent. The benefit of any doubt is given to the accused. VJ. PENALTIES FURNISH A MOTIVE J!'OB THE AVOIDANCE OJ!' CRIME ONLY TO THE ETIL-DISPOSED. The good honour and love the principles on which just laws are founded, and freely live by them. If all men were governed by a pure conscience and the love of God there would be no need for penal codes. Vil. PENALTIES .ARE ATTACHED TO DIVINE AS WELL AS TO RUMAN LEGISLATION, No law of God can be broken with impunity. In the cross of Jesus Christ mercy and justice meet, and through that sacrifice an infinite mercy is justly offered to all men. As to the future punishment of the impenitent we can say little, because little is revealed ; that we must leave trustfully with him whose judgments are truth and whose ways are righteous. It should be the prayerful aim of all Christians so to eut.er into the love of God in Christ as to be raised above the fear of the law. "Fear bath torment;" "but perfect love cast.eth out fear" (1 John iv. 18).-D.
EXPOSITION. § 2. these circumstances the officers of his court CHAPTER II. would become alarmed. Vashti's disgrace THE QU.EST FOR MAIDENS, AND THE had been their doing, and her return to CHOICE OF ESTHER TO BE QUEEN INVABHTJ"s power would be likely to be followed by their PLACE (eh. ii.1-18). Va.shtihaving ceased to own dismissal, or even by their execution. be queen, A.basuerus appears to have been in They therefore came to Aha.suerus with a no haste to 888ign her dignity to any one else. fresh piece of advice : "Let there be fe.ir Probably there wa.s no one among his other young virgins sought for the king ; let (secondary) wives of whom be wes specially officers be appointed in every province to fond, or who seemed to him pre-eminent select fitting damsel.I!, and send them up to above the rest. And he Jll.11,y even have the court, for the king to choose a wife from begun to relent in Veshti's favour (es seems among them." So sensual a monnrch as to be somewhat obscurely intimated in ver. Xerxes (Herod., ix. 108) would be strongly 1), and to wish to take her back. Under , tempted by such a proposal (vers. 2, 3), on. u. t-18.) THE BOOK OF ESTBER. 39