the Divine purposes 'll•ere accomplished the nation could not be destroyed. Honce 1h(' Rublime assurance of his speech. The Jews had passed through a similar crisis hc:forn, wl~en Pharaoh pursued them through the Red Sea. Profane history abounds with hke mstRnces. The Greeks were about to be crushed by the iron heel of the inYadN when they won the battle of Marathon. The English nearly lost their inde- pendence throug;h the Spanish Armada, which the tempest scattered to the four winds o{ hrnnn. "' e should never be bowed down by calamities. If we are children of the great Father we need not fear. Above, beneath, and around us there are unseen powers which steadily carry out his eternal decrees. 3. That Providence is tlie refuge of the oppi·essed. To no other power could the Jews have appealed in their dire distress. The wealth, and rank, and influence of the greatest empire in the world wer<' against them. ,ve need not wonder if they gave way to despair. But the God of. AbrahaT1;1 had arr~n~red for their sure deliverance. The labours of legislators, ph1lanthrop1sts, and d1nnes had been powerless to release the negro race in the United States of America from their intolerable bondage. Their wrongs seemed to multiply, e.nd their fetters to be more securely fastened, as the years rolled on. But an incident as tc>rrible as it was unexpected-the civil war-led them to liberty. Let the oppressor trem hie, and the oppressed be encouraged ; for the triumph of might over right cannot be permanent. II. THAT PROVIDENCE AVAILS ITSELF OF HUMAN AGENCY. "But thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed : and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for Rueb a time as this?" Providence is not a synonym for fate. While it employs human agency, it never interferes with individual liberty; it leaves every man accountable for his conduct, whether of omission or commission. The words of Mordecai imply-1. That Provirlence places men in certain positions for de.finite end,s. " Vi'bo knowetb," &c. The supposition in this case was natural. 'fhe elevation of Esther, just before the threatened destruction of the Jews, was most significant. It pointed out to her the way of duty with unmistakable precision. Are we in difficulties as to what our own life-work may be ? If so, it must be due to want of reflection. Rulers and subjects, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, have their distinct spheres of action in reference to material interests ; their work is cut out for them, so to speak, by the very circumstances in which they are placed. In like manner we might nearly always answer the question, "Lord, what wilt thou have us to do?" by answering another question far less profound, "What can we do? " 2. That Providence cluutises men for their unfaithfulness. " But thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed." Mordecai felt certain that if Esther failed to do what lay in her power to avert the coming calamity she would be singled out for retribution. To be in a position of influence at the very time when that influence could be turned to such a noble account, and yet remain culpably inactive, would have been to invite the reproaches of men and the anger of God. Deliverance would doubtless hare arisen from another quarter, and in that case she might have persuaded herself that her own efforts were superfluous ; but the sophistry whlch so easily deluded her own mind would have been powerless to arrest the course of righteous punishment. The ways of Providence are very mysterious ; things come to pass in the most inexplicable manner ; but we need not be baffled thereby. What is to be will be, in spite of our negligence, in spite of our indolence, in spite of our opposition; but woe be to us, for all that, if we fulfil not the duties of our p06ition. In the checking of war, in the progress of civilisation, in the diffusion of knowledge, in the advancement of religion, we have each his allotted share, and there is a tribunal before which we must all answer for the manner in which we acquit ourselves. The Jews in the time of Deborah and Barak triumphed over their enemies, but Meroz wae not therefore excused for its cowardly inactivity. "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty."-R.
Ver. 16.-Esther's resolve. The absence throughout this book of any reference to God is a moet peculiar feature. Some have, on this ground, gone the length of deny- ing its Divine authority. But the religious spirit is so prominent in this verse as to deprive such an objection of its force. Note that the proof of piety should not be OR IV, 1-17.] THE BOOK OF ESTilER. 101