62 lines
4.6 KiB
XML
62 lines
4.6 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Neh.i" n="i" next="Neh.ii" prev="Neh" progress="92.54%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Neh.i-p0.1">Nehemiah</h2>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Neh.i-Page_1067" n="1067"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Neh.i-p0.3">
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<p id="Neh.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Neh.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Neh.i-p1.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Neh.i-p1.3">OF THE BOOK OF</h5>
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<h2 id="Neh.i-p1.4">N E H E M I A H.</h2>
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<hr style="width:75pt"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Neh.i-p2">This book continues the history of the
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<i>children of the captivity,</i> the poor Jews, that had lately
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returned out of Babylon to their own land. At this time not only
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the Persian monarchy flourished in great pomp and power, but Greece
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and Rome began to be very great and to make a figure. Of the
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affairs of those high and mighty states we have authentic accounts
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extant; but the sacred and inspired history takes cognizance only
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of the state of the Jews, and makes no mention of other nations but
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as the Israel of God had dealings with them: for the Lord's portion
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is his people; they are his peculiar treasure, and, in comparison
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with them, the rest of the world is but as lumber. In my esteem,
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Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the tirshatha, though neither of them
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ever wore a crown, commanded an army, conquered any country, or was
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famed for philosophy or oratory, yet both of them, being pious
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praying men, and very serviceable in their day to the church of God
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and the interests of religion, were really greater men and more
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honourable, not only than any of the Roman consuls or dictators,
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but than Xenophon, or Demosthenes, or Plato himself, who lived at
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the same time, the bright ornaments of Greece. Nehemiah's agency
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for the advancing of the settlement of Israel we have a full
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account of in this book of his own commentaries or memoirs, wherein
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he records not only the works of his hands, but the workings of his
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heart, in the management of public affairs, inserting in the story
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many devout reflections and ejaculations, which discover in his
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mind a very deep tincture of serious piety and are peculiar to his
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writing. Twelve years, from his twentieth year (<scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.1" osisRef="Bible:Neh.1.1" parsed="|Neh|1|1|0|0" passage="Ne 1:1"><i>ch.</i> i. 1</scripRef>) to his thirty-second year
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(<scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Neh.13.6" parsed="|Neh|13|6|0|0" passage="Ne 13:6"><i>ch.</i> xiii. 6</scripRef>), he was
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governor of Judea, under Artaxerxes king of Persia, whom Dr.
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Lightfoot supposes to be the same Artaxerxes as Ezra has his
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commission from. This book relates, I. Nehemiah's concern for
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Jerusalem and the commission he obtained from the king to go
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thither, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Neh.1.1-Neh.2.20" parsed="|Neh|1|1|2|20" passage="Ne 1:1-2:20"><i>ch.</i> i.,
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ii.</scripRef> II. His building the wall of Jerusalem
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notwithstanding the opposition he met with, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:Neh.3.1-Neh.4.23" parsed="|Neh|3|1|4|23" passage="Ne 3:1-4:23"><i>ch.</i> iii., iv.</scripRef> III. His redressing
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the grievances of the people, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:Neh.5.1-Neh.5.19" parsed="|Neh|5|1|5|19" passage="Ne 5:1-19"><i>ch.</i> v.</scripRef> IV. His finishing the wall,
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<scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:Neh.6.1-Neh.6.19" parsed="|Neh|6|1|6|19" passage="Ne 6:1-19"><i>ch.</i> vi.</scripRef> V. The
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account he took of the people, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.7" osisRef="Bible:Neh.7.1-Neh.7.73" parsed="|Neh|7|1|7|73" passage="Ne 7:1-73"><i>ch.</i> vii.</scripRef> VI. The religions
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solemnities of reading the law, fasting, and praying, and renewing
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their covenants, to which he called the people (<scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.8" osisRef="Bible:Neh.8.1-Neh.10.39" parsed="|Neh|8|1|10|39" passage="Ne 8:1-10:39"><i>ch.</i> viii.-x.</scripRef>). VII. The care he
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took for the replenishing of the holy city and the settling of the
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holy tribe, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.9" osisRef="Bible:Neh.11.1-Neh.12.47" parsed="|Neh|11|1|12|47" passage="Ne 11:1-12:47"><i>ch.</i> xi.,
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xii.</scripRef> VIII. His zeal in reforming various abuses,
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<scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.10" osisRef="Bible:Neh.13.1-Neh.13.31" parsed="|Neh|13|1|13|31" passage="Ne 13:1-31"><i>ch.</i> xiii.</scripRef> Some
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call this <i>the second book of Ezra,</i> not because he was the
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penman of it, but because it is a continuation of the history of
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the foregoing book, with which it is connected, <scripRef id="Neh.i-p2.11" osisRef="Bible:Neh.1.1" parsed="|Neh|1|1|0|0" passage="Ne 1:1">ver. 1</scripRef>). This was the last <i>historical</i>
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book that was written, as Malachi was the last <i>prophetical</i>
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book, of the Old Testament.</p>
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</div2>
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