The History of the Bible, Esther
ESTER.
Q. Why is this booke called Eſter?
A. Becauſe that a woman of that name is principally mentioned in it.
Q. What is the ſumme and ſubſtance of this booke?
A. A great danger whereinto the Iewes were brought by the wicked, and mercifully deliuered by the Lord.
Q. What is the end of it?
A. That wee through patience and comfort of the Scripture might hauehave hope.
Q. How is this booke deuided?
A. It may bee deuided according to the eſtate, either of one particular perſon, that is of Eſter: or of all the Iewes vnderunder the iuriſdiction of Ahaſhueroſh.
Q. How may it be deuided according to the eſtate of Heſter?
A. Into two parts: firſt the promoting of her from a meandamſel to be a Queene, wife to ſo great a Monarch.
Secondly, her actes after ſhe was Queene.
Q. How may it bee deuided according to the eſtate of the Iewes?
A. Into two parts: firſt, the afflictions and dangers whereinto they were brought. Secondly, their deliuerance out of theſe dangers.
Q. In ſetting forth the dangers, what things are to be obſerued?
A. 1. Firſt, that God prepared a meanes for their deiinerance. Secondly, the partie that brought them into dangers, & what thoſe dangers were.
Q. VVho was this partie propared by God to be the meanes of their deliuerances?
A. Eſter, a poore damſell exalted to be a Queene.
Q. In this promotion of Eſter, what is to be obſerued?
A. Firſt, the occaſions: ſecondly, her marriage.
Q. What were the occaſions?
A. Firſt, the remoouing of Vaſhtie the former Queene.
Secondly, the aduiſe of the kings officers.
Thirdly, the graces of Eſter.
Q. When was Vaſhtie remooued?
A. At a great feaſt kept at Shuſhan in the third yeare of the raigne of Ahaſhueroſh.
Q. Who made it, and to whome was it made?
A. Ahaſhueroſh who raigned ouer 127. prouinces, made it; firſt to all his princes, capraines, & gouernours: and afterward to the people of Snuſhan: and Vaſhtie feaſted the women likewiſe.
Q. What things are principally to be condemned in this feaſt?
A. Two: firſt, that he ſought his owne glorie and maieſtie. Secondly, that he continued it ſo long, ſeaſting eueryevery day for an hundred and foureſcore daies.
Q. What is principally to bee commended in it?
A. The holy Ghoſt notes there was no quaffing, and that no man ſhould bee compelled to drinke more then was for his good.
Q. Why was Vaſhtie remooued?
A. Becauſe ſhee diſobeyed her busband, and diſdained to come when he ſent for her.
Q. By whom was ſhee remooned?
A. By the ſeauen Princesof Perſia the chiefe of his counſell, who alſo decreed that wiues ſhould honour and obey their husbands.
Q. Ʋaſhtie beeing thus remooued, what was the aduiſe of the kings officers?
A. That all the beautifull virgins in all his dominions ſhould bee brought into his Pallace, and ſhee that pleaſed the king, ſhould be Queene; and amongeſt them was Eſter brought.
Q. What was Eſter?
A. A poore young damſel, borne and bredde a captiue, by kindred a Iewe, fatherleſſe and motherleſſe, brought vp by Mordecai her kinſman.
Q. What were the graces wherefore ſhee was preferred?
A. Shee was dutifull, beautifull, modeſt, and humble: andtherefore found fauour in the eyes of all, and was belooued of the king aboue all.
Q. Did he keepe her as a concubine?
A. No, he tooke her to wife and made her Queeue.
Q. With what ſolemnitie?
A. 1. He ſet the crowne of the kingdome vponupon her head.
2 He made a feaſt to his princes and ſeruants.
3. He gaue reſt to his prouinces and gifts according to the power of a king.
Q. Did Mordecai her gardian, when ſhee was taken into the kings houſe, leaue to take care for her?
A. No: for although ſhe was taken from him, yet hee would eueryevery day reſort to the court, and ſit in the kings gate to heare of her.
Q. What befell while he continued that courſe?
A. Two things fell out: the firſt, he diſcouered a practiſe of treaſon againſt the King: the traitours were found and hanged, and the preuention of it was recorded in the Chronicles as done by Mordecai.
Q. What was the ſecond?
A. A miſchieuous practiſe of the confuſion of the Iewes.
Q. By whom was it deuiſed?
A. By Haman a proud man, a great courtier, and highly in fauour with the King.
Q. Why did he enuie the Iewes ſo much as to ſeeke to bring them into ſuch danger?
A. Becauſe that Mordecai did not bow the knee to him, nor reuerence him.
Q. Why did not Mordecai yeeld th… reuerence to Haman, it beeing the kings commandement?
A. Becauſe that Haman was an Agagite of the ſtocke of the Amalechites, a people hated, forſaken, and curſed of God, becauſe they came firſt out to fight againſt Iſrael in the wilderneſſe, Exod. 17.8.1. Sam. 15.3.
Q. Was his pride ſuch, that for enuie to one man, he ſought to deſtroy the whole kindred of the Iewes?
A. Yea.
Q. By what meanes did hee bring them into this danger?
A. He vſed two reaſons againſt them: the firſt was, that they were troubleſome, not keeping the kings law. The ſecond, it ſhould be for the kings profit, for there ſhould be ten thouſand talents of ſiluer paid to the king to deſtroy them.
Q. Did Haman preuaile by theſe reaſons?
A. Yea, the King gaue conſent to Haman to doe as he pleaſed: the edict was written, ſealed with the kings ring, ſent by poſts into al his prouinces, to kill and deſtroy all the Iewes in one day, and eſpecially he prepared a paire of gallowes for Mordecai.
Q. This beeing concluded, how is it regarded?
A. It is taken diuerſly: The King and Haman ſit feaſting and drinking. The people fall to mourning and crying.
Q. Thus wee hauehave gone thorough the firſt part of the booke, and hauehave ſeene the danger deuiſed, concluded and appointed to be executed, and we are come to the ſecond part of the booke concerning the auoiding of the danger.How many things hauehave we in this part of the booke to conſider?
A. Two: firſt the meanes vſed to preuent this danger: ſecoudly the euent, and ſucceſſe of the ſame.
Q. For the firſt, who are the parties who doe ſeeke meanes?
A. The parties who firſt heard of it, as Mordecai and Eſter ſpecially; or the people of the Iewes generally.
Q. VVhat doth Mordecai?
A. Hee doth firſt humble himſelf before the Lord by faſting, and ſeeketh helpe of him.
Secondly, he maketh the cauſe knowne to Eſter, that ſhe might be an interceſſour to the king for them.
Q. Doth Eſter follow the cauſe?
A. At the firſt ſhee is feareful, doubteth the kings fauour, and maketh excuſes.
Q. How are theſe remooued?
A. Mordecai with an inuincible faith in Gods promiſes, aſſureth himſelfe of the deliuerance of Gods people: but threatneth deſtruction to her & to her fathers houſe, for deſtituting the cauſe and the people of God.
Q. What meanes doth ſhee and the people then vſe?
A. Firſt, ſhee commandeth a faſt to all the Iewes three daies and three nights: ſecondly, ſhe promiſeth that ſhe and her maides wil doe the like: thirdly, thus prepared, ſhe reſolueth to goe to the king, ſaying: If I periſh, I periſh.
Q. Theſe meanes beeing vſed to God, what meanes doth ſhee vſe to the king?
A. Shee banketted the king and Haman day after day, becauſeſhe knew that he delighted in bankets, and in his company.
Then ſhe deliuered her petition, laying open her danger, and crauing ayd.
Q. What ſucceſſe and euent follweth hereof?
A. God turneth all to the beſt, for hee bringeth ſhame and confuſion to his enemies, and deliuerance to his people.
Q. How is this brought to paſſe?
A. God cauſeth the King to remember how hee was deliuered from treaſon by Mordecaies meanes, and therefore commanded that in royall rayment vponupon the Kings horſe with a crowne vponupon his head, Haman ſhould lead him about the citie.
And this was the beginning of Hamans ſhame and Mordecaies honour.
Q. What doth afterward ſucceede?
A. Eſter hath her petition graunted, and Haman is hanged vponupon the gallowes which he had prepared for Mordecai.
Q. Doth this ſatisfie Eſter to ſee Mordecai thus honoured, and Haman ſhamed and hanged?
A. No, ſhee obtaineth letters from the king into all his prouinces, for the comfort & freedome of the Iewes, and for the deſtructiō of their enemies, amongſt whome the tenne ſonnes of Haman were hanged.
Q. How many of their enemies were executed.
A. In Shuſnan 3000. in allthe prouinces, 75000.
Q. The Iewes hauing receiued this merciemercy from God, how doe they ſhew themſelues?
A. By Mordecai a feaſt was appointed to teſtifie a remembrance of Gods mercies, and their thankfulneſſe to God for their deliuerance, and the people made acouenant to obſerue the ſame.
Q. What became of Mordecai?
A. He was ſet ouer the houſe of Haman, was ſecond in the kingdome to the king, and procured the wealth of his people.
Finis.