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ZECHARIAH.

1. 5 Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live for ever?

Your fathers are dead: It is true, you say; and so are the prophets too both of them were men; it was not for them to live here, for ever.

1. 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

But though my prophets died, yet the words, both of counsels and menaces, which they delivered to your fathers, live still; and were acknowledged by those your fathers, to be justly verified in and upon them; while they freely confessed to God's glory, and to their own shame: Right so as God threatened to deal with us according to our doings, even so hath he done; we are sinful and miserable, and he is just.

I. 7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, &c.

In the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which was the month of our January, &c.

I. 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled and white.

I had a vision by night: Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, represented himself to me as a man riding upon a red horse; by that fiery colour implying his readiness to be revenged on the enemies of his Church: and he stood among the myrtle trees, that were in the valley; to signify the low and depressed condition of the Jews, in their Babylonish captivity; and behind him were several angels, that were ready to attend his commands, furnished with great power for that purpose.

I. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. Then said I to the angel, which shewed me this vision; O my lord, what are these? And the same angel answered me, I will shew thee what these be.

I. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

And the great Angel of the Covenant, Christ Jesus, who stood among the myrtle trees, as taking the answer out of the mouth of that angel who spake to me, answered, and said; These are ministering spirits, whom the Lord hath sent to take view of all the parts of the world, and to give an account of the estate of earthly affairs.

I. 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

And those ministering spirits accordingly gave answer unto Christ, the Son of God; We have, according to our charge and commission, passed to and fro, through the world: and, behold, all the earth is now free from wars and open hostilities; for the Babylonian, having tyrannically spoiled thy people and his neighbours, is now at rest, and finds no opposition.

I. 12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

Then Christ, the Mediator of his Church, answered, and said; 0 Lord of Hosts, how long will it be, ere thou shew mercy to thy chosen people, to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; whom thou hast now, these seventy years, afflicted with a miserable captivity? I. 14 I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

I am much affected with the miseries of Jerusalem and of Zion; and conceive great and just indignation against the enemies thereof.

I. 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

I am highly offended with these Chaldees, which are now at ease, and take their pleasure: for, I was indeed displeased with the sins of my people, and intended to chastise them for their offences; but these Chaldees prosecuted their own malice and ambition, and aggravated their afflictions to their utmost.

I. 16 And a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be built again, after so long ruin and desolation.

I. 18, 19 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

And, behold, four horns of iron were represented unto me. Then said I to the angel, who shewed me this vision, What be these, or what do they signify? And he answered me, These are the enemies of my Church, which, from all the four coasts of heaven, have set upon and spoiled Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

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I. 20, 21. And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. Then said I, What came these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scat ter it.

As those horns represented the enemies of the Church, which should push down all the cities of Judah and Israel; so these car

penters represent the friends and favourers of my Church, which come to repair that which the despiteful heathen have demolished, and to redress all that mischief which those four horns have done.

II. 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:

And said unto him, Make haste, speak thus to Zechariah, saying, Jerusalem shall not only be re-inhabited, but shall so abound with people, as that the walls thereof shall not be able to contain the multitude of them, which shall dwell there:

II. 5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

For I, saith the Lord, will be a sure protection unto her, against her enemies; and with my presence will encompass her, as with a wall of fire, which none dare approach: and, as I will be her safety without, so I will be her glory within; for I will be known to be her God, and manifest my presence there.

II. 6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.

Say then to the Jews; Ho, all ye my people, come away out of that land of your captivity, saith the Lord; for now I have enlarged you, and blessed you both with liberty, and such increase, that ye shall spread yourselves abroad all the world over.

II. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

Make haste therefore, O ye the ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem, which dwell as yet in Babylon, and come out of that your exile and servitude.

II. 8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

For thus saith the Lord of Hosts: after the restoring of glory to thee, O Jerusalem, I will not rest there; but will call unto reckoning, by him who is the Mediator and King of my Church, those nations, which have spoiled you; and I will let the world know, how tenderly I am affected to you; and they shall find, that he, that toucheth you, doth, as it were, touch the apple of mine eye. II. 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants.

For, behold, I will but give a sign to those nations, by shaking my hand to them, that I have given way to the destruction of these your enemies; and they shall immediately become a spoil to those which lately were their tributaries and servants.

II. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

O all ye sons of men, be ye awfully affected to this great and just God; whom ye have thus seen to manifest his power from heaven, for the deliverance and preservation of his Church.

III. 1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

And he shewed me, in vision, Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, bearing the type of the Son of God who is the everJasting High Priest of his Church, standing before the Lord, to intercede for his people; and Satan, the adversary of God's Church, standing ready to resist him.

III. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Then Christ the Lord, who was here resembled and represented in both his natures, in his humanity by Joshua, in his deity by the Angel, said unto Satan; God, even the Eternal Father, rebuke thee, O Satan: the Lord, who hath chosen Jerusalem for the place of his worship, rebuke thee, for that malicious opposition, which thou makest to his Church, and to this faithful high priest thereof; whom yet thou shalt in vain strive to resist; for is not he as a brand plucked out of the furnace of Babylon? Dost thou not see God's good purpose to him, and to his Church, in his de livery?

III. 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, as the rags of his captivity; representing the High Priest of the New Testament, who took upon him our sins and infirmities.

III. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

And he said to those ministering spirits, that stood before him, Take away from him these filthy garments, the base and loathsome weeds of servitude and sorrow. And to Joshua himself he said, Behold, I have determined to restore thee to the glory, which pertains to thy great function; in token whereof, I have caused these rags, the monuments of that thy bondage, and of those sins which thou undertakest to expiate, to be put away from thee; and I will clothe thee gloriously, instead of these nasty garments.

III. 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And, accordingly, I command you to set a fair mitre upon his head: let him be endowed, with all those graces and abilities, that may be fit for the discharge of his office, and for his own or nament and glory.

III. 7 Then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Then shalt thou, and thy sons after thee, rule over my house, as chief priest; and have the prime oversight and command of my courts: and, at last, I will give thee a place in everlasting glory; so, as thou shalt walk gloriously in white, amongst these blessed angels.

III. 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

And now, O Joshua the high priest, hearken thou, and those thy assistants in thy sacred function, that sit before thee: they are, by their places, men, whose persons do portend future things to the Church; being made the signs of things to come, and therefore fit to know and foreshew this great mystery: for, behold, I will exhibit unto the world Christ the Saviour; whom I have ordained to work that great business of mediation for my Church; whose visible presence shall grace that Temple, which ye are now to build.

III. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

In signification of which Saviour, I have laid before Joshua a stone, to resemble him who is the chief corner stone of his Church, whereon it shall be firmly built: behold, he shall be a stone of note; all eyes of angels and men shall be upon him; all the graces of my Spirit shall be poured on him, and he shall be polished and set forth with all the gifts thereof, above measure; and I will, for his sake, do away all the iniquity of my people, at once, so as it shall no more be imputed to them.

III. 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

In that day shall my servants enjoy a true spiritual peace, and a happy communion with each other, in the favours and blessings of God.

IV. 2 And behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thercon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which were upon the top thereof.

And behold a candlestick all of gold, resembling the Church of God; with a bowl upon the top thereof, whence the several lamps were deduced, resembling Christ, the Author of all the Spiritual Lights of his Church: seven lamps were thercon; resembling the teachers and governors of the Church: seven pipes appertained to those seven lamps; resembling those means and conveyances of grace, by which God enableth his servants to give light to his Church.

IV. 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

And two olive trees stood by it; resembling the plentiful graces of God's Spirit, and ever-flourishing doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles, which are always ready at hand, to furnish those holy lamps, with sufficient abilities and matter of instruction to his Church.

IV. 6 This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying,