John Trapp on Zechariah 11:7

Verſe 7. And will I ſeed the flock of ſlaughter, even you, O poor of the flock.] Or, as M[illegible: 1 letter]ntanus readeth it, for you, for your ſakes, O poor of the flock, i.e. O ye that are poor in ſpirit, pure in heart, my little little flock, as our Saviours expreſſion is in Luke. Even for your ſakes will I yet for a time ſpare the reprobate goates, feeding them by my Prophets, and provoking them to repentance. The word and Sacraments, and all Gods common temporal favours are, in reſpect of external participation, communicated to Reprobates by way of Concomitancy onely: becauſe they are intermixed with the Elect. Thus tares mingled among wheat, partake of the fat of the land, and moyſture of the manure, which was not intended for them.

and I took unto me two ſtaves] viz. That I might therewith do the office of a ſhepheard: and yet in more then an ordinary manner. For ſhepheards commonly carry but one ſtaffe, or crook: or, at moſt, but a ſtaffe on their ſhoulders, and a rod in their hands, as David ſhews in his Paſtoral Pſal. 23.3. But here are two ſtaves taken: to ſhew, ſaith Mr. Calvin, that God would ſurpaſſe all the care and pains of men, in governing that people.

the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands] What theſe two ſhould mean, much adoe is made among Interpreters. Some are for the two Governants: Others for the two Teſtaments: Others for the order of Chriſts preaching, ſweet and mild at firſt, terrible and full of threatnings at laſt, as appeareth in Ma. 24.24, 25. But what a wilde conceit was that of Anth[illegible: 3 letters] Arch-Biſhop of Florence, who underſtood the words of Dominick and his Order; conſtruing them thus: I, that is God took unto me two ſtaves vir. Beauty, that is, the Order of Preachers,Hiſt. Proph. 3 tit. 23. and Bonds, that is, the Order of Minorites, who are girt with a cord? The ſounder ſort of lixpoſitours make it to be a figure, of the two wayes which Chriſt uſeth at all times in feeding of his Church; the one by love, guiding them by his word and Spirit: the other by ſeverity, puniſhing them by the cruel hand of their enemies. See Eſay 10.5. Thus Va[illegible: 1 letter]ai lus, D[illegible: 1 letter]odue &c. And that this is the true ſenſe, ſaith A Lapide, it appeareth: Firſt, becauſe this oracle of the Prophet is of the time to come, and not of the time paſt. Secondly the event, (that beſt interpreter of prophecies) maketh for it. For firſt Gods government of the common-wealth of Iſrael was beautiful, and gentle in the time of the Maccabees, and of Chriſt: and then terrible and deſtructory, in the time of the Romans, of Nero, Veſpaſian, Adrian &c. Thirdly becauſe that a little after the Prophet ſaith, that he brake both the ſtaves, that is, he utterly rejected the Jews, and brought his wrath upon them to the utmoſt, which cannot be meant of any other time then that of Chriſt, and of Titus. Eſpecially ſince (in the fourth place) the Prophet declareth Verſe 13. that the ſt[illegible: 1 letter]ff of Beauty was broken at the death of Chriſt, for their unworthy ſelling and ſlaughtering of him, as if he had been ſome ſlave or baſe perſon,

and I fed the ſlock] q. d. I did my part by them. Thy deſtruction therefore is of thy ſelf, O Iſrael. England is a mighty Animal (ſaith a Politician) which can never die, except it kill it ſelf. The ſame might be much more ſaid of the Jeſish Common-wealth, which Ioſephus truely and trimly calleth a Theocratia, or a God-government for the form and firſt conſtitution of it: and Moſes in this reſpect, magnifieth that nation above all other Deut. 4.6, 7.