Volume I Part 16 (1/2)
Many reflections occur upon reading this n.o.ble panegyric. Nothing is so conducive to the true glory of a monarch, and the real interests of his people, as an entire self-devotement to the proper business of government.
He who avoids the splendid course of ambition, to cultivate the arts of peace, and to promote, by judicious regulations, the internal welfare of his dominions, may not always glitter upon the page of history; but will live in the hearts of his people, and be embalmed in their grateful recollections. He will have the satisfaction, when commanded by Providence to lay aside his crown, to leave to his subjects what is infinitely better than extended empire, an _example_ worthy of their imitation.
It becomes us to recognize a superintending providence in the appointment of rulers to their stations--to remember that ”promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south; but G.o.d is judge, he putteth down one, and setteth up another”--and that the gift of a good king is a mark of favour, and ought to excite a people's grat.i.tude. It was because ”the Lord loved Israel forever,” that Solomon was placed upon the throne. Confining our attention solely to second causes, and the limited horizon of the political theatre, we may frequently perceive nothing but confusion--the struggles of ambition--the uproar of pa.s.sion--the ravings of impiety--the clash of arms--the subversion of thrones--the desolation of provinces--the flow of human blood--and an interminable series of changes, both unexpected and mysterious;--but when the light of Scripture breaks upon the dark and troubled scene, it discloses the footsteps of Deity walking in the midst of the storm, regulating all human affairs, and rendering every occurrence subservient to his own omniscient purposes.
With these discordant elements he is moulding future events, and preparing to exhibit to the admiration of the intelligent universe, ”a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Comparing, further, the situation of the servants and courtiers of Solomon, with that of others in Pagan countries, we cannot help uniting in the congratulations of his n.o.ble visiter, and remarking the advantage of religious connexions in general. Wicked a.s.sociation is the bane of human society, and fatally conducive to the confirmation of evil habits and principles, or to the excitement of them. Such persons, therefore, as are connected with the people of G.o.d, who have pious parents or friends, or who are servants in religious families, cannot be too grateful to Providence, or too solicitous of improving their advantages. Let them be attentive to the instructions they receive, and anxious to understand and join in the devotions which are offered on the domestic altar.
But this congratulatory strain of the queen of Sheba may be applied to the Christian age, and to ”a greater than Solomon.” Jesus Christ is ”king in Zion,” and happy are his servants which stand continually before him, to hear his wisdom; happy they who have ”the glorious Gospel” in their possession, and, by means of the evangelical historians of the New Testament, witness the actions and hear the words of this divine Instructor! The intelligence that distinguished the king of Israel was but a single beam of light from the ”Sun of Righteousness,” by whom all spiritual knowledge is communicated to the world--who is the fountain of all wisdom, and whose glory will for ever irradiate and beautify a redeemed universe. When believers ascend above this inferior state of existence into the presence of G.o.d and the Lamb, notwithstanding all the communications of inspired penmen in the sacred page--owing to the imperfection of human language, and the circ.u.mstances of man, which, in some cases, render further instructions _impossible_, in others _improper_--such will be their discoveries of the glory of Jesus Christ, that the language of the queen of Sheba will prove peculiarly descriptive of their feelings, ”behold, the half was not told me.” And even here experienced piety exclaims, ”whom having not seen we love; in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY.”
The queen of Sheba did not return to her country till she had given Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, besides a great quant.i.ty of spices and precious stones; a present, for which the king made suitable acknowledgments, by giving her ”all her desire; whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.” Harmer remarks, ”this appears strange to us; but is perfectly agreeable to modern Eastern usages, which are allowed to be derived from remote antiquity.
”A reciprocal giving and receiving royal gifts has nothing in it strange; but the supposition of the sacred historian, that this Arabian queen _asked_ for some things she saw in the possession of king Solomon, is what surprises us. However, the practice is very common to this day in the East--it is not there looked upon as any degradation to dignity, or any mark of rapacious meanness.
”Irwin's publication [39] affords many instances of such a custom, among very considerable people, both in Arabia and Egypt, though not equal in power to the queen that visited king Solomon. They demanded from time to time, such things as they saw, and which happened to please them; arms, vestments, &c. What the things were that so struck the queen of Sheba, as that _she asked_ for them, and which Solomon did not before apprehend would be particularly pleasing to her, the sacred historian has not told us, nor can we pretend to guess.
”Many other travellers have mentioned this custom, and shown that the great people of that country not only expect presents, but will directly, and without circ.u.mlocutions, ask for what they have a mind to have, and expect that their requisitions should be readily complied with; while, with us, it would be looked on as extremely mean, and very degrading to an exalted character.” [40]
This reciprocation of presents may be considered as ill.u.s.trative of that homage which it becomes every heart to render to the Son of G.o.d, and of those divine communications of grace with which he will ever enrich the believer. We cannot indeed enhance his glory by the most splendid liberalities, or the most costly offerings; but he solemnly requires, and graciously deigns to accept our penitence and our obedience. ”The sacrifices of G.o.d are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O G.o.d, thou wilt not despise.” Whatever be the present state of the world, it is pleasing to reflect that an omnipotent Providence is hastening the triumphs of Christ; and to this wise and glorious King of Israel, all the tribes of the earth shall ultimately present their best offerings and their united affections. ”The kings of Tars.h.i.+sh and of the Isles, shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him.”
But what shall be said to those who refuse submission to the authority of Jesus Christ, and reject the blessings of his salvation? How pungent was his address to the Jewish nation, and how applicable to such characters in the present age! ”The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” The queen of Sheba only had access to the wisdom of _Solomon_--but you have access to the wisdom _Christ_--she came from a _very distant region_--but ”the word is _nigh thee,_ even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach”--she came _uninvited,_ and upon the hazard of a favourable reception--but you are _requested_ and _urged_ to come to Jesus, and partake of the provisions which cover the well-spread table of his grace. His supplies are spiritual, and therefore invaluable. He does not promise gold, but dispenses ”grace and glory.”--He confers not the fading honours and transient distinctions of this life, but the joys of _salvation,_ the blessedness of _heaven_, the riches of ETERNITY!
The Shunammite
Chapter XIII.
Section I.
Characteristic Difference between profane and sacred History--the Shunammite introduced--her Hospitality--Proposes to her Husband to accommodate Elisha with a Chamber--the Grat.i.tude manifested by the Prophet in offering to speak for her to the King--her Reply expressive of Contentment--various Considerations calculated to promote this Disposition--Advantages of a daily and deep Impression of the transitory Nature of our Possessions, and of keeping another Life in view.
How strikingly different is the course of profane and sacred history! The former, searching out the most prominent characters that figure upon the stage of life, exhibits them in pompous language, and, by emblazoning their actions with the l.u.s.tre of high-wrought description and extravagant panegyric, conceals from view those moral blemishes which a nearer inspection, through the medium of a more dispa.s.sionate narrative, would discover in all their enormity. Hence the Alexanders and Caesars of the world, whose mighty ambition, in marching to take possession of unoffending empires, has trampled on the rights of man, the fruits of industry, and the comforts of domestic life, and whose laurels are died with the blood of humanity, have nevertheless had their names transmitted with loud applause from age to age. High station, n.o.ble birth, great talents, or marvellous exploits, though a.s.sociated with daring crime, const.i.tute a sufficient pa.s.sport to the historic page, which too often extols where it ought to censure: and instructs us to venerate a name which should rather be execrated.
Sacred history pursues a different course. It records, indeed, the actions of the unworthy as well as of the pious; not that we should be roused to rapturous admiration of their achievements, but, by tracing the dreadful outline of their characters, and the fatal consequences of their guilt, be incited to avoid their vices. In general, those individuals whom civil history overlooks, are found in the inspired records, while ”the mighty”
and ”the n.o.ble” remain unnoticed. Some few instances, indeed, of the lives of great men, in point of station and rank, furnish exceptions to this observation; but they are introduced, not because they were _great_, but because they were _pious_; or, if impious, because they stood connected with the church of G.o.d. Scripture does not so much furnish the history of the world as the history of the church and of human nature. It aims to instruct, not to amuse or astonish; and that, by the exhibition of characters remarkable in any respect for their efforts to oppose or to promote the purposes of eternal wisdom, or for the exhibition, in a private sphere, of those principles, the knowledge of whose diversified operations might prove useful to posterity.
Shunem, or Sunam, a city of the tribe Issachar, would have been scarcely noticed or known but for the residence of an opulent female, who is Herself rendered forever ill.u.s.trious in consequence of her friends.h.i.+p for the prophet Elisha, and the eminence of her religion: but, though ”a great woman,” her name is omitted in the narrative--of so little importance are those distinctions upon which mankind value themselves so highly! She is simply designated _the Shunammite_, after the name of her city.
[Sidenote: Years before Christ, about 835]
The inspired narrator notices, in the first place, the warmth of her hospitality, and its unabating continuance to Elisha. On a certain occasion, when he went to Shunem, she urged him to visit her, which issued in such a mutual esteem, that ”as oft as he pa.s.sed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.” Among the ancients, and in a simple state of society, where the accommodations of modern travelling were unknown, the entertainment of strangers was considered as one of the first of duties.
In all the Arab villages this necessary practice prevails. The sheikh, or princ.i.p.al person, generally invites strangers to his house, furnishes them with eggs, b.u.t.ter, curds, honey, olives, and fruit, when there is not sufficient time to dress meat: and, if they choose to remain during the night, they are treated with the utmost kindness. The Arabs value themselves highly upon their hospitality. ”How often,” says one of their poets, ”when echo gave me notice of a stranger's approach, have I stirred my fire that it might give a clear blaze. I flew to him as to a prey, through fear that my neighbours should get possession of him before me.”
[41]
The Scriptures furnish many examples of this duty. Abraham, in entertaining three strangers, is said to have ”entertained angels unawares;” Lot received two angels into his house, who appeared as strangers in the streets of Sodom: Job affirms of himself, ”The stranger did not lodge in the street; I opened my doors to the traveller;” a good widow, in the apostolic age, is described as was.h.i.+ng the saints' feet, relieving the afflicted, and _lodging strangers_; and Gaius is represented as receiving Christian ministers into his house as his own children.
Although a considerable difference of circ.u.mstances exists in more civilized countries, and in this age, so as to render such an extensive hospitality impossible, as well as in many cases unsafe; yet no change of custom and no lapse of time can preclude the duty itself, or diminish the force of the apostolic admonition, ”be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” If an indiscriminate admission of strangers into the domestic circle might, in our case, be productive of great inconveniences, benevolence requires that those acts of kindness should be shown to others which comport with our means and opportunities, and that we should aim at such moderation in our usual expenditure as shall enable us to discharge the obligations of Christian charity. How, otherwise, can we ”do unto others as we would that others should do unto us?” The wheel of Providence is perpetually revolving, and who knows but that he who is now at the summit of worldly prosperity, or in the full enjoyment of an easy competence, may soon be brought down to the level of the needy; and, though he may be in a condition to _confer_ kindness to-day, may have to _solicit_ it to-morrow?