John Trapp on Zechariah 13:8

Verſe 8. Two parts therein ſhall be cut off and die] q.d. they ſhall, they ſhall, how ſtrange or incredible ſoever this ſad tidings ſeem to you: it ſhall be even ſo, take my word for it. Behold the ſeverity of God, Rom. 11.22. In the Greek it is the Reſection or Cutting off, as a Chirurgion cutteth off proud and dead fleſh. The Juſt Lord is in the middest thereof: [non-Latin text not transcribed]. he will not do iniquity, &c. Zeph. 3.5. Fiat juſtitia, ruat coelum may ſeem to be his Motto. In point of juſtice he ſtands not upon multitudes, Pſal. 9.17. It is all one to him whether againſt a Nation or againſt a man only, Job 34.29. National ſins bring national plagues: heinous ſinnes, heavy puniſhments. In the univerſal deluge God ſwept away all: as if he had blotted out that part of his title, The Lord, the Lord, gracious, merciful, &c. and had taken up that of Attilas, Orbis flagellum, The worlds ſcourge, Sodoms ſinnes were multiplyed above meaſure: therefore God took them away as he ſaw good, Ezek. 16.49, 50 and hath thrown them out, as St. Jude ſpeaketh, for an example, ſuffering the vengeance of eternal fire. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Jude 7. Herodotus a Heathen Hiſtorian ſaith the very ſame of the deſtruction of Troy, viz. that the ruines and rubbiſh thereof are ſet forth for an example of that noted Rule, that God greatly puniſheth great offences, and that hainous ſinnes bring hideous plagues. Here we have two parts of three cut off in the land of Judea: as it fell out at the laſt deſtruction thereof by the Romans: at which time more then a million of men periſhed, ſee Matth. 24.21. with the Note. And what think we ſhall become of Babylon the great? Her ſinnes reach up to heaven, whereunto they are even glewed and faſtened as the word ſignifies, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Rev. 18.5. therefore ſhe ſhall be brought down to hell with Capernaum (for flagitium & flagellum ſicu[illegible: 1 letter] acus & filum) therefore ſhall her plagues come in one day (to confute their fond conceit of an eternal Empire) death, and mourning, and famine, and ſhe ſhall be utterly overthrown with fire: for ſtrong is the Lord God who judgeth her, full able to effect it,Rev. 18.18: ſeem it to Babels brats never ſo improbable, or impoſſible. It was never beſieged ſince it became Papal, but it was taken: whereas before, it was held invincible. Sinne that lyeth at the bottom, will eaſily undermine and overturn the walis, though never ſo ſtrong built: as the voice from heaven told Phocas the Murtherer. The bloud of that innocent Lamb of God lyes heavy upon the whole Nation of the Jews to this day. Their laſt devaſtation and preſent diſmal diſperſion is ſuch, as that one of their own Rabines concludes from thence, that their Meſliah muſt needs be come: and they muſt needs ſuffer ſo much for killing him.

but the third ſhall be left therein] A holy remnant kept for a reſerve. Good huſbands caſt not all their corn into the oven, but keep ſome for ſeed.Eſa. 6.13. But yet in it ſhall be a tenth, ſaith another Prophet:Eſ. 17.6. there ſhall be 'two or three berries in the top of a trce, four or five in the outmoſt branches. Gods Elect are ſo very few, that the world ſhall wonder; Eſay 8.18. and even hoot to ſee Chriſts flock ſo very little, little, 1 Kin. 20.27. as our Saviour ſpeakes, Luke 12.22. as Iſrael ſtood like two little flocks of kids, when the Syrians filled the countrey. There were but a few names in Sardis: and many bad in the beſt Churches: as at Philippi, Chap. 3.18. Chriſt wondered at one good Nath. nacl, as rara avis in terris: and when he comes; ſhall he find faith? How many (think you) ſhall be ſaved in this City? ſaith (Chryſoſtom in his fourth ſermon to the people at Antioch. It will be a hard ſpeech to you, but I will ſpeak it: Though there be ſo many thouſands, yet there cannot be ſound an hundred, that ſhall be ſaved. And I doubt of them too, &c. And again in his third Sermon upon the Acts, he breaks out into this ſpeech, Non arbitror inter ſacerdores, multos eſſe qui ſàlvi ſiant, I do not think that there are many, no not among the Miniſtery, that can be ſaved, ſith many are called, but few are choſen: like as all the people were called together by Samuel, but Saul only was choſen king. Only the called according to purpoſe are elected, and ſhall be gloriſied, Rom. 8.28, 29. Chriſt at laſt day will do as Joſhuah did to find out who had ſtolen the Babyloniſh garment: there were many brought together, and all to finde out one. So, all ſhall then appeare: out of them a ſmall number deducted, that have heard of Chriſt.Joſh. 7. Out of them, thoſe that have profeſſed him, and out of them, thoſe that have profeſſed him, in ſincerity, and theſe will be Mithe miſpar, a ſmall few indeed. They are as a fold in a wide field: as a garden in a wild waſt. Juvenal. P. de exculp. Hence they are called pearls, which are but few to the number of pibbles: Jewels which are but little to the lumber: ſtrangers that are nothing ſo many as home-dwellers: ſons of God, and of the bloud royal; and of ſuch there are but a few to common ſubjects. Rari quippe boui, ſaith the Poet. And Pauci ſunt qui Philoſophantur ſaith UIpian the Lawyer; &c.