John Trapp on Zechariah 4:7

Verſe 7. Who art thou O great mountain?] So the enemies ſeemed to themſelves, ſet aloft, and overtopping the low and poor eſtate of thoſe feeble Jews, as they called them Neh. 4.2. But the Virgin daughter of Zion deſpiſeth them here,Eſay 37.22. and laugheth them to ſcorn: ſhe ſhaketh her head at them, and ſaith, whom haſt thou reproached and blaſphemed &c? It is good for thee to meddle with thy match, and not to exalt thy ſelf againſt the holy One of Iſrael, Pſal. 76.4, 5. Jer. 51.25. Babylon is called a deſtroying mountain ſated upon a rock: yet Gob will level, and lay it low nough. 26. Melch. Ad. who is more gloririous and excellent then thoſe mountains of prey. The ſtout-hearted are ſpoiled, they have ſlept their ſleep (ſuch as Siſera did) and none of the men of might have found their hands when once they fell into the puniſhing hands of the living God. He will ſoon level theſe lofty mountains.

they ſhall become a plain A champiagne that before ſeemed unpoſſible, inacceſſible. Chriſts enemies ſhall be in that place that is fitteſt for them, the loweſt; that is, the footſtool of Chriſt: when the Church, as it is the higheſt in Gods love and favour, ſo ſhall it be higheſt in it ſelf Gaudeo quòd Chriſtus Dominus eſt: alioqui totus deſperaſſem, writes Miconius to Calvm upon the view of the Churchs enemies. Glad I am that Chriſt reignes: for elſe I had been utterly hopeleſſe. O pray, pray ſaith another Saint: for the Pope of Rome, and his Conventicle of Trent are hatching ſtrange buſineſſes. The comfort is that he that ſitteth in heaven ſeeth them: the Lord above hath them in deriſion. For in the thing wherein they deal proudly, God is above them: and his will ſhall ſtand when they ſhall dung the earth with their dead carcaſſes. Sciat Celſitudo Tua &c. Let your Highneſſe know (ſaith Luther in a letter to the Duke of Saxony) that things are otherwiſe ordered in heaven then they are at Ausborough: where the Emperour Charls the fi[illegible: 1 letter]t had madea decree to root out the Reformed religion out of Germany. But ſoon after, the Turk broke into Hungary, and the borders of Germany: ſo that Ceſar had ſomewhat elſe to do then to perſecute the Proteſtants. So the primitive perſecutours fondly inſcribed upon the publike pillars Deleto Chriſtianorum nomine &c. that they had blotted out the name of Chriſt and his religion from under heaven: but this they could never effect with all the power of the whole Empire. They found and complained that the Church might be ſhaken and not ſhivered: concuti non excuti as 2 Cor. 4.8, 9. Faecundi ſunt Martyrum cineres, the very aſhes of the Martyrs were fruitful, and their blood prolifical. The Church conquers even when ſhe is conquered: as Chriſt overcame as well by patience as by power. The people of Rome (ſaith One) ſaepè praelio victus, nun juam bello, they loſt many battels, but were never overcome in a ſet war: at the long run they cruſhed all their enemies. Bellarmine ſomewhat boaſteth the like of the Church of Rome, that ſhe was never worſted in any ſet battel by the Proteſtants. But if he had lived till theſe late yeers, he would have known it otherwiſe: And indeed he could not be ignorant of that famouss Bellum Huſſiticum as they called it in Germany, and the many fields fought and won by the Huguenots in France &c. And if at any time the Church loſe the day, Victa tamen vincet. Chriſt hath his ſtratagems as Joſhuah had at Ai: he ſeems ſometimes to retire, that he may return with greater advantage. Certain it is, he will threſh the mountains and beat them ſmal before his Zorobabels: he will make the hills as chaff, Eſay 41.15.

and he ſhall bring forth the head-ſtone thereof with ſhoutings ſaying, Grace, Grace, unto it] i. e. He ſhall hold out to lay the very laſt ſtone of this new building with joy, and with general acclamations and wel-wiſhes. There was a promiſe for it long before Eſay 44.28. This Zorobabel was not ignorant of: as neither of that which followeth Chap. 45.1, 2. that, for the effecting of that promiſe, God would go before him to make the crooked place ſtreight, to break in pieces the gates of braſſe and cut in ſunder the bars of iron, i.e. to take away all rubs and impediments. There it the like promiſe in the New Teſtament, and it may be a ſingular incouragement to thoſe that go on to build the tower of Godlineſſe, to prepare a tabernacle intheir hearts for the holy One of Iſrael, that he may dwell in them and walk in them &c. the gates of hell ſhall never prevail againſt them, ſith Chriſt, as another Sampſon, hath flung them off their hinges, hath deſtroyed the Devils works, and laid the topſtone of his ſpiritual temple with ſhouting ſaying, Grace, grace, unto it. The meaning is, ſaith an interpreter, that the Angels, the faithful, and all creatures, rejoycing at Chriſts kingdom eſtabliſhed in the world, ſhall deſire God the Father to heape all manner of bleſſing and happineſſe upon it:Diodat. See Pſal. 118.26. Or, they ſhall acknowledge and preach, that the Father hath laid up in him all the treaſures of his grace and gifts of his ſpirit. It is the obſervation of another Reverend man, preaching upon this text, that when we preach of humane wiſdom and foreſight, we ſhould fall down and cry (as we are here taught) Grace, Grace, unto it, Mr. Tho. Goodwin Faſtſerm. before Parl. Apr. 27.1642. we are not to cry up Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel, any man or means whatever: but to exalt the free grace of God the work of which alone it is and hath been. Zerubbabel ſhould bring forth the head-ſtone (as maſter-builders uſed to do the firſt and laſt ſtone) and the people ſhould magnifie Gods meer free-grace: and acknowledge that he was marvellous in their eyes. Thus that learned Preacher: who alſo by the lighted Candleſtick here, underſtandeth full perfecting, and finiſhing of the Temple, and reſtoring the worſhip of God within it unto its full perfection of beauty and brightneſſe. By the two Olive-trees. Zerubb abel with the elders and Ioſhua High-prieſt with the other prieſts that ſat before him, as Chap. 3.8. wite Ezra. 6.14. confer Pſal. 52.8. Theſe are ſaid to empty golden oyl, that is, their eſtates and pains for the finiſhing of coſtly work: and likewiſe becauſe it was done in fincerity of heart, therefore it is called golden or pure cyl. Further, theſe eminent ranks and ſorts of perſons that ſhould give their affiſtance to this work are called ſons of oyl verſe 15. As being fruit ful and affording plenty of it. Thus Eſay 5 1. a fruitful hill and fertile ſoyl, is in the Original (as here) called a ſon of oyl &c.