John Trapp on Zechariah 1:12

Verſe 12. Then the Angel of the Lord] That Advocate with the Father, Jeſus the Juft One, 1 John 2.2. who appeareth for his afflicted people, and feelingly pleads for them, as being afflicted in all their afflictions, even the Angel of his preſence that ſaveth them, Eſay 63.9. It much moved him, to hear that Gods enemies were in better caſe then his people: and this put him upon the following paſſionate expoſtulation.

O Lord of Hoſts, How long wilt thou not have mercy on Jeruſalem, &c.] Ʋſquequo Domine. Calvin had theſe words much in his mouth: thereby breathing out his holy deſires in the behalf of the afflicted Churches,Melch. Adam. in vita. with whoſe ſufferings hee was more affected then with any thing that befell himſelf. It is ſaid of Melan[illegible: 1 letter]thon, that the miſeries of the Church made him almoſt neglect the death of his deareſt children: and put him upon many prayers and tears; which,Idem in vita Melanch. like muſick upon the water, made a moſt melodious noiſe in the ears of God. When Luther in a certain Epiſtle checked him, and chod him for his exceeding great care of the Churches welfare, calling him pertinaciſſimam curarum hirudinem, &c. he meekly replied, Si nihil curarem, nihil orarem; If I ſhould not care ſo, I ſhould not pray ſo. God ſeemeth ſometimes to have loſt his mercy, (as here, How long wilt thou be unmercifull to Jeruſalem) and then we muſt find it for him. He ſeems to have forgot his people: we muſt remind him. He ſeems to ſleep, delay: we muſt waken, quicken him, with How long Lord? Thou ſhalt ariſe, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea the ſet time is come, ſaith Daniel, Pſal. 102.13, 14 who is (probably) held to be the Pen man of that excellent Pſal. 102. (Confer Dan. 9.2.) and he ſpeaks it with as much confidence, as if he had been in Gods bleſſed boſom the while. This alſo he ſpake, not now by a ſpirit of prophecy, or ſpeciall revelation; but by way of argumentation, or neceſſary demonſtration: For thy ſervants take pleaſure in her ſtones, and favour the duſt thereof; They pity her, and melt over her, therefore thou Lord much more: ſith all their tenderneſſe is but a ſpark of thy flame, a drop of thine Ocean.

againſt which thou haſt had indignation, theſe threeſcore and ten yeers] There is much ado among Interpreters about Jeremies 70 and Zacharies 70, whether one and the ſame: or different one from another. That of Scaliger is moſt unlikely, who reckoneth theſe yeers of the captivity, from the firſt year of Xerxes with his father Darius, unto the fourth year of Darius Nothus. Lib. 6. de Emend. Temp. How much better our countreyman Lydiat (whom yet Scaliger ſo much ſcorned, ſaying, Quis eſt ille ex ultima Britannia Canis, qui Ioſ. Scaligerum audeat allatrare?) who concludes it to be 70 years from the laſt deſtruction of Jeruſalem by the Chaldees,Lyd. Emend. Temp. Anno M. 3485. to this ſecond year of Darius Hyſtaſpes, wherein Zachariah prophecyed? That of A Lapide upon this Text, I cannot paſſe by, Moraliter idipſum dicamus, idipſum oremus & obſecremus pro Anglia, &c. Let us ſay the ſame, pray the ſame for England, Scotland, &c. that the Angel here doth for Jeruſalem; How long Lord wilt thou not have mercy upon England, where Hereſie hath prevailed now theſe hundred years and upwards? The Engliſh fugitives beyond-ſeas, write upon their Colledge and Church-doors, in great golden letters, Jeſu, Jeſu, converte Angliam: Fiat, Fiat. Jeſu convert England: Amen, Amen. Why, yet this is ſomewhat better then that of Pererius the Jeſuite, upon Geneſ. 15.16. If any man marvell ſaith He, why England continueth to flouriſh, notwithſtanding the over-flow of hereſie, and cruel perſecution of Catholikes, (juſt execution of Catholikes, he ſhould have ſaid) wee anſwer, becauſe their iniquity is not yet full, (God grant it, Ier. 28.6.) Sed veniet tandem iniquitat is complementum. But the time is not far off: and forbearance is no quittance, &c.