Zechariah 14 commentary

The Lord Jesus often stood upon the Mount of Olives when on earth. He ascended from thence to heaven, and then desolations and distresses came upon the Jewish nation. Such is the view taken of this figuratively; but many consider it as a notice of events yet unfulfilled, and that it relates to troubles of which we cannot now form a full idea. Every believer, being related to God as his God, may triumph in the expectation of Christ's coming in power, and speak of it with pleasure. During a long season, the state of the church would be deformed by sin; there would be a mixture of truth and error, of happiness and misery. Such is the experience of God's people, a mingled state of grace and corruption. But, when the season is at the worst, and most unpromising, the Lord will turn darkness into light; deliverance comes when God's people have done looking for it.

Some consider that the progress of the gospel, beginning from Jerusalem, is referred to by the living waters flowing from that city. Neither shall the gospel and means of grace, nor the graces of the Spirit wrought in the hearts of believers by those means, ever fail, by reason either of the heat of persecution, or storms of temptation, or the blasts of any other affliction. Tremendous judgments appear to be foretold, to be sent upon those who should oppose the settlement of the Jews in their own land. How far they are to be understood literally, events alone can determine. The furious rage and malice which stir up men against each other, are faint shadows of the enmity which reigns among those who have perished in their sins. Even the inferior creatures often suffer for the sin of man, and in his plagues. Thus God will show his displeasure against sin.

As it is impossible for all nations literally to come to Jerusalem once a year, to keep a feast, it is evident that a figurative meaning must here be applied. Gospel worship is represented by the keeping of the feast of tabernacles. Every day of a Christian's life is a day of the feast of tabernacles; every Lord's day especially is the great day of the feast; therefore every day let us worship the Lord of hosts, and keep every Lord's day with peculiar solemnity. It is just for God to withhold the blessings of grace from those who do not attend the means of grace. It is a sin that is its own punishment; those who forsake the duty, forfeit the privilege of communion with God. A time of complete peace and purity of the church will arrive. Men will carry on their common affairs, and their sacred services, upon the same holy principles of faith, love and obedience. Real holiness shall be more diffused, because there shall be a more plentiful pouring forth of the Spirit of holiness than ever before. There shall be holiness even in common things. Every action and every enjoyment of the believer, should be so regulated according to the will of God, that it may be directed to his glory. Our whole lives should be as one constant sacrifice, or act of devotion; no selfish motive should prevail in any of our actions. But how far is the Christian church from this state of purity! Other times, however, are at hand, and the Lord will reform and enlarge his church, as he has promised. Yet in heaven alone will perfect holiness and happiness be found.

chapter 14

Lecture One Hundred and Sixty-fifth

Zechariah 14:1, 2

1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

1. Ecce dies venit Iehovae, et dividentur spolia tua in medio tui.

2. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

2. Et congregabo omnes gentes contra Ierusalem in proelium, et capietur urbs, et diripientur domus; mulieres stuprabuntur; et exibit dimidia pars urbis in exilium, et residuum populi non excidetur ex urbe.

Zechariah pursues the same subject as in the preceding chapter: for having promised a joyful and happy state to the faithful, who despising their indulgences in Chaldea had returned to their own country, he now reminds them that their peaceful condition in Judea would not be without many trials and troubles; and therefore he exhorts them to patience, lest they should faint in their adversities, and repent of their return.

Some apply this chapter to the time of Antichrist, some refer it to the last day, others explain it of the destruction of the city which happened in the reign of Vespasian; but I doubt not but that the Prophet meant here to include the calamities which were near at hand, for the city had not yet been built, This was not done till the time of Nehemiah, who returned to Judea about ninety years after the first return under Zerubbabel, and several years, probably thirty or forty, after the date of this prophecy. — Ed. the Jews having been much harassed by their neighbors; and we also know how atrocious was the tyranny which Antiochus exercised: in short, there was a continued series of evils from the time the city and the temple began to be built till the coming of Christ. As then the Jews, who had preferred foreign countries to their own, might have boasted of their lot and despised their brethren, as though they had foolishly and thoughtlessly removed from foreign lands, and had been too precipitate in returning, God designed to declare by the mouth of Zechariah what evils were at hand, that the faithful might with a courageous mind be prepared to undergo their trials, and that they might never succumb under any evils, for the Lord had promised more to them than what they could have attained in Chaldea and other countries. Having now explained the meaning of the Prophet, I shall come to the words. Dathius truly says, that interpreters have toiled much in the explanation of this chapter, some taking the words in a spiritual sense, others maintaining that what is here said was fulfilled before the coming of Christ, and a third party holding that all is as yet unfulfilled. He was disposed on the whole to assent to the opinion of Grotius, the same in part with that of Calvin — that this prophecy, as well as some in the preceding chapters, were fulfilled in the times of the Maccabees. See 1 Maccabees 6:26, etc. He indeed admits that this theory does not remove all the difficulties, but leaves less than any other.

Marckius doubted not but that the beginning of this chapter is a prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and he quotes Jerome, Cyril, and Theodoret as having expressed the same opinion. Lowth, Scott, Adam Clarke, and Henderson take the same view. But the sequel of this chapter may be better explained by the events which followed the attacks of the Greco-Syrian kings on Jerusalem, (see 2 Maccabees 4,) than by the events which followed the ruin of that city by the Romans. Blayney viewed the contents of this chapter, and much of what is found in the preceding chapters, as yet unfulfilled: and so does Newcome in part.

Henry is doubtful whether this chapter and the preceding are to be understood of the whole period from the Prophet’s days to the days of the Messiah, or to some events during that time, or to Christ’s coming and the setting up of his kingdom upon the ruins of the Jewish polity. — Ed.

Behold, he says, the day shall come to Jehovah, and divided shall be thy spoils in the midst of the city. By the demonstrative particle Behold, the certainty of the prophecy, as it has been elsewhere said, is intimated; for the Prophet points out as by the finger what could not yet be comprehended by human minds. And he says, that the day would come to Jehovah, that they might know that they would suffer a just punishment when the Lord treated them in this manner; for men, we know, indulge themselves and seek pleasures, and when God seems not to deal kindly with them, they raise a clamor as though he were too severe. Hence the Prophet reminds them, that so great a calamity would not come without a cause, for God would then execute his judgment. He does not expressly describe it, but he speaks as though he summoned them before God’s tribunal. Now when we understand that we have to do with God, it avails us nothing to murmur. It is then better to be silent when God is set forth as being in the midst of us, for it is certain that he will not in chastising us exceed what is just.

But here is described a hard affliction; for Zechariah intimates that the city would be exposed to the will of enemies, so that they would divide at pleasure their spoils in the very midst of it. What conquerors snatch away, they afterwards in private divide among themselves; and we know that many cities have been plundered, when yet the conquerors have not dared to expose to view their spoils. But the Prophet means here that there would be no strength in the Jews to prevent their enemies from dividing the spoils at their leisure in the midst of the city.

CHAPTER 14

Zec 14:1-21. Last Struggle with the Hostile World-Powers:

Messiah-Jehovah Saves Jerusalem and Destroys the Foe, of Whom the Remnant Turns to the Lord Reigning at Jerusalem.

1. day of the Lord--in which He shall vindicate His justice by punishing the wicked and then saving His elect people (Joe 2:31; 3:14; Mal 4:1, 5).

thy spoil ... divided in the midst of thee--by the foe; secure of victory, they shall not divide the spoil taken from thee in their camp outside, but "in the midst" of the city itself.

2. gather all nations, &c.--The prophecy seems literal (compare Joe 3:2). If Antichrist be the leader of the nations, it seems inconsistent with the statement that he will at this time be sitting in the temple as God at Jerusalem (2Th 2:4); thus Antichrist outside would be made to besiege Antichrist within the city. But difficulties do not set aside revelations: the event will clear up seeming difficulties. Compare the complicated movements, Da 11:1-45.

half ... the residue--In Zec 13:8, 9, it is "two-thirds" that perish, and "the third" escapes. There, however, it is "in all the land"; here it is "half of the city." Two-thirds of the "whole people" perish, one-third survives. One-half of the citizens are led captive, the residue are not cut off. Perhaps, too, we ought to translate, "a (not 'the') residue."

3. Then--In Jerusalem's extremity.

as ... in ... day of battle--as when Jehovah fought for Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Ex 14:14; 15:3). As He then made a way through the divided sea, so will He now divide in two "the Mount of Olives" (Zec 14:4).

4. The object of the cleaving of the mount in two by a fissure or valley (a prolongation of the valley of Jehoshaphat, and extending from Jerusalem on the west towards Jordan, eastward) is to open a way of escape to the besieged (compare Joe 3:12, 14). Half the divided mount is thereby forced northward, half southward; the valley running between. The place of His departure at His ascension shall be the place of His return: and the "manner" of His return also shall be similar (Ac 1:11). He shall probably "come from the east" (Mt 24:27). He so made His triumphal entry into the city from the Mount of Olives from the east (Mt 21:1-10). This was the scene of His agony: so it shall be the scene of His glory. Compare Eze 11:23, with Eze 43:2, "from the way of the east."

5. ye shall flee to the valley--rather "through the valley," as in 2Sa 2:29. The valley made by the cleaving asunder of the Mount of Olives (Zec 14:4) is designed to be their way of escape, not their place of refuge [Maurer]. Jerome is on the side of English Version. If it be translated so, it will mean, Ye shall flee "to" the valley, not to hide there, but as the passage through which an escape may be effected. The same divinely sent earthquake which swallows up the foe, opens out a way of escape to God's people. The earthquake in Uzziah's days is mentioned (Am 1:1) as a recognized epoch in Jewish history. Compare also Is 6:1: perhaps the same year that Jehovah held His heavenly court and gave commission to Isaiah for the Jews, an earthquake in the physical world, as often happens (Mt 24:7), marked momentous movements in the unseen spiritual world.

of the mountains--rather, "of My mountains," namely, Zion and Moriah, peculiarly sacred to Jehovah [Moore]. Or, the mountains formed by My cleaving Olivet into two [Maurer].

Azal--the name of a place near a gate east of the city. The Hebrew means "adjoining" [Henderson]. Others give the meaning, "departed," "ceased." The valley reaches up to the city gates, so as to enable the fleeing citizens to betake themselves immediately to it on leaving the city.

Lord my God ... with thee--The mention of the "Lord my God" leads the prophet to pass suddenly to a direct address to Jehovah. It is as if "lifting up his head" (Lu 21:28), he suddenly sees in vision the Lord coming, and joyfully exclaims, "All the saints with Thee!" So Is 25:9.

saints--holy angels escorting the returning King (Mt 24:30, 31; Jude 14); and redeemed men (1Co 15:23; 1Th 3:13; 4:14). Compare the similar mention of the "saints" and "angels" at His coming on Sinai (De 32:2, 3; Ac 7:53; Ga 3:19; He 2:2). Phillips thinks Azal is Ascalon on the Mediterranean. An earthquake beneath Messiah's tread will divide Syria, making from Jerusalem to Azal a valley which will admit the ocean waters from the west to the Dead Sea. The waters will rush down the valley of Arabah, the old bed of the Jordan, clear away the sand-drift of four thousand years, and cause the commerce of Petra and Tyre to center in the holy city. The Dead Sea rising above its shores will overflow by the valley of Edom, completing the straits of Azal into the Red Sea. Thus will be formed the great pool of Jerusalem (compare Zec 14:8; Eze 47:1, &c.; Joe 3:18). Euphrates will be the north boundary, and the Red Sea the south. Twenty-five miles north and twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem will form one side of the fifty miles square of the Lord's Holy Oblation (Eze 48:1-35). There are seven spaces of fifty miles each from Jerusalem northward to the Euphrates, and five spaces of fifty miles each southward to the Red Sea. Thus there are thirteen equal distances on the breadth of the future promised land, one for the oblation and twelve for the tribes, according to Eze 48:1-35. That the Euphrates north, Mediterranean west, the Nile and Red Sea south, are to be the future boundaries of the holy land, which will include Syria and Arabia, is favored by Ge 15:8; Ex 23:31; De 11:24; Jos 1:4; 1Ki 4:21; 2Ch 9:26; Is 27:12; all which was partially realized in Solomon's reign, shall be antitypically so hereafter. The theory, if true, will clear away many difficulties in the way of the literal interpretation of this chapter and Eze 48:1-35.

6. light ... not ... clear ... dark--Jerome, Chaldee, Syriac, and Septuagint translate, "There shall not be light, but cold and ice"; that is, a day full of horror (Am 5:18). But the Hebrew for "clear" does not mean "cold," but "precious," "splendid" (compare Job 31:26). Calvin translates, "The light shall not be clear, but dark" (literally, "condensation," that is, thick mist); like a dark day in which you can hardly distinguish between day and night. English Version accords with Zec 14:7: "There shall not be altogether light nor altogether darkness," but an intermediate condition in which sorrows shall be mingled with joys.

7. one day--a day altogether unique, different from all others [Maurer]. Compare "one," that is, unique (So 6:9; Jr 30:7). Not as Henderson explains, "One continuous day, without night" (Re 22:5; 21:25); the millennial period (Re 20:3-7).

known to ... Lord--This truth restrains man's curiosity and teaches us to wait the Lord's own time (Mt 24:36).

not day, nor night--answering to "not ... clear nor ... dark" (Zec 14:6); not altogether daylight, yet not the darkness of night.

at evening ... shall be light--Towards the close of this twilight-like time of calamity, "light" shall spring up (Psa 97:11; 112:4; Is 30:26; 60:19, 20).

8. living waters--(Eze 47:1; Joe 3:18).

former sea--that is, the front, or east, which Orientalists face in taking the points of the compass; the Dead Sea.

hinder sea--the west or Mediterranean.

summer ... winter--neither dried up by heat, nor frozen by cold; ever flowing.

9. king over all ... earth--Is 54:5 implies that this is to be the consequence of Israel being again recognized by God as His own people (Da 2:44; Re 11:15).

one Lord ... name one--Not that He is not so already, but He shall then be recognized by all unanimously as "One." Now there are "gods many and lords many." Then Jehovah alone shall be worshipped. The manifestation of the unity of the Godhead shall be simultaneous with that of the unity of the Church. Believers are one in spirit already, even as God is one (Ep 4:3-6). But externally there are sad divisions. Not until these disappear, shall God reveal fully His unity to the world (Joh 17:21, 23). Then shall there be "a pure language, that all may call upon the name of the Lord with one consent" (Zep 3:9). The Son too shall at last give up His mediatorial kingdom to the Father, when the purposes for which it was established shall have been accomplished, "that God may be all in all" (1Co 15:24).

10. turned--or, "changed round about": literally, "to make a circuit." The whole hilly land round Jerusalem, which would prevent the free passage of the living waters, shall be changed so as to be "as a (or the) plain" (Is 40:4).

from Geba to Rimmon--Geba (2Ki 23:8) in Benjamin, the north border of Judah. Rimmon, in Simeon (Jos 15:32), the south border of Judah; not the Rimmon northeast of Michmash. "The plain from Geba to Rimmon" (that is, from one boundary to the other) is the Arabah or plain of the Jordan, extending from the Sea of Tiberias to the Elanitic Gulf of the Red Sea.

it shall be lifted up--namely, Jerusalem shall be exalted, the hills all round being lowered (Mi 4:1).

inhabited in her place--(Zec 12:6).

from Benjamin's gate--leading to the territory of Benjamin. The same as Ephraim's gate, the north boundary of the city (2Ki 14:13).

the first gate--west of the city [Grotius]. "The place of," &c. implies that the gate itself was then not in existence. "The old gate" (Ne 3:6).

the corner gate--east of the city [Grotius]. Or the "corner" joining the north and west parts of the wall [Villalpandus]. Grotius thinks "corners" refers to the towers there built (compare Zep 3:6, Margin).

tower of Hananeel--south of the city, near the sheep gate (Ne 3:1; 12:39; Jr 31:38) [Grotius].

king's wine-presses--(So 8:11). In the interior of the city, at Zion [Grotius].

11. no more utter destruction--(Jr 31:40). Literally, "no more curse" (Re 22:3; compare Mal 4:6), for there will be no more sin. Temporal blessings and spiritual prosperity shall go together in the millennium: long life (Is 65:20-22), peace (Is 2:4), honor (Is 60:14-16), righteous government (Is 54:14; 60:18). Judgment, as usual, begins at the house of God, but then falls fatally on Antichrist, whereon the Church obtains perfect liberty. The last day will end everything evil (Ro 8:21) [Auberlen].

12. Punishment on the foe, the last Antichristian confederacy (Is 59:18; 66:24; Eze 38:1-39:29; Re 19:17-21). A living death: the corruption (Ga 6:8) of death combined in ghastly union with the conscious sensibility of life. Sin will be felt by the sinner in all its loathsomeness, inseparably clinging to him as a festering, putrid body.

13. tumult--consternation (Zec 12:4; 1Sa 14:15, 20).

lay hold ... on ... hand of ... neighbour--instinctively grasping it, as if thereby to be safer, but in vain [Menochius]. Rather, in order to assail "his neighbor" [Calvin], (Eze 38:21). Sin is the cause of all quarrels on earth. It will cause endless quarrels in hell (Jas 3:15, 16).

14. Judah ... fight at Jerusalem--namely, against the foe: not against Jerusalem, as Maurer translates in variance with the context. As to the spoil gained from the foe, compare Eze 39:10, 17.

15. The plague shall affect the very beasts belonging to the foe. A typical foretaste of all this befell Antiochus Epiphanes and his host at Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 13:49; 2 Maccabees 9:5).

16. every one ... left--(Is 66:19, 23). God will conquer all the foes of the Church. Some He will destroy; others He will bring into willing subjection.

from year to year--literally, "from the sufficiency of a year in a year."

feast of tabernacles--The other two great yearly feasts, passover and pentecost, are not specified, because, their antitypes having come, the types are done away with. But the feast of tabernacles will be commemorative of the Jews' sojourn, not merely forty years in the wilderness, but for almost two thousand years of their dispersion. So it was kept on their return from the Babylonian dispersion (Ne 8:14-17). It was the feast on which Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:8); a pledge of His return to His capital to reign (compare Le 23:34, 39, 40, 42; Re 7:9; 21:3). A feast of peculiar joy (Psa 118:15; Ho 12:9). The feast on which Jesus gave the invitation to the living waters of salvation ("Hosanna," save us now, was the cry, Mt 21:9; compare Psa 118:25, 26) (Joh 7:2, 37). To the Gentiles, too, it will be significant of perfected salvation after past wanderings in a moral wilderness, as it originally commemorated the ingathering of the harvest. The seedtime of tears shall then have issued in the harvest of joy [Moore]. "All the nations" could not possibly in person go up to the feast, but they may do so by representatives.

17. no rain--including every calamity which usually follows in the East from want of rain, namely, scarcity of provisions, famine, pestilence, &c. Rain is the symbol also of God's favor (Ho 6:3). That there shall be unconverted men under the millennium appears from the outbreak of Gog and Magog at the end of it (Re 20:7-9); but they, like Satan their master, shall be restrained during the thousand years. Note, too, from this verse that the Gentiles shall come up to Jerusalem, rather than the Jews go as missionaries to the Gentiles (Is 2:2; Mi 5:7). However, Is 66:19 may imply the converse.

18. if ... Egypt go not up--specified as Israel's ancient foe. If Egypt go not up, and so there be no rain on them (a judgment which Egypt would condemn, as depending on the Nile's overflow, not on rain), there shall be the plague ... . Because the guilty are not affected by one judgment, let them not think to escape, for God has other judgments which shall plague them. Maurer translates, "If Egypt go not up, upon them also there shall be none" (no rain). Psa 105:32 mentions "rain" in Egypt. But it is not their main source of fertility.

19. punishment--literally, "sin"; that is, "punishment for sin."

20. shall there be upon the bells--namely, this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord," the same as was on the miter of the high priest (Ex 28:36). This implies that all things, even the most common, shall be sacred to Jehovah, and not merely the things which under the law had peculiar sanctity attached to them. The "bells" were metal plates hanging from the necks of horses and camels as ornaments, which tinkled (as the Hebrew root means) by striking against each other. Bells attached to horses are found represented on the walls of Sennacherib's palace at Koyunjik.

pots ... like ... bowls--the vessels used for boiling, for receiving ashes, &c., shall be as holy as the bowls used for catching the blood of the sacrificial victims (see on Zec 9:15; 1Sa 2:14). The priesthood of Christ will be explained more fully both by the Mosaic types and by the New Testament in that temple of which Ezekiel speaks. Then the Song of Solomon, now obscure, will be understood, for the marriage feast of the Lamb will be celebrated in heaven (Re 19:1-21), and on earth it will be a Solomonic period, peaceful, glorious, and nuptial. There will be no king but a prince; the sabbatic period of the judges will return, but not with the Old Testament, but New Testament glory (Is 1:26; Eze 45:1-25) [Roos].

21. every pot--even in private houses, as in the temple, shall be deemed holy, so universal shall be the consecration of all things and persons to Jehovah.

take of them--as readily as they would take of the pots of the temple itself, whatever number they wanted for sacrifice.

no ... Canaanite--no unclean or ungodly person (Is 35:8; 52:1; Joe 3:17). Compare as to the final state subsequent to the millennium, Re 21:27; 22:15. Maurer not so well translates "merchant" here, as in Pr 31:24. If a man would have the beginnings of heaven, it must be by absolute consecration of everything to God on earth. Let his life be a liturgy, a holy service of acted worship [Moore].

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh - This appears to be a prediction of that war in which Jerusalem was finally destroyed, and the Jews scattered all over the face of the earth; and of the effects produced by it.

I will gather all nations - The Romans, whose armies were composed of all the nations of the world. In this verse there is a pitiful account given of the horrible outrages which should be committed during the siege of Jerusalem, and at its capture.

The residue of the people shad not be cut off - Many were preserved for slaves, and for exhibition in the provincial theatres.

Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations - Against the Romans, by means of the northern nations; who shall destroy the whole empire of this once mistress of the world. But this is an obscure place.

And his feet shall stand - He shall appear in full possession of the place, as a mighty conqueror.

And the mount of Olives shall cleave - God shall display his miraculous power as fully in the final restoration of the Jews, as he did when he divided the Red Sea that their forefathers might pass through dry-shod. Some refer this to the destruction of the city by the Romans. It was on the mount of Olives that Titus posted his army to batter Jerusalem. Here the tenth legion that came to him from Jericho was placed. Joseph. De Bello, lib. 6 c. 3. It was from this mountain that our Lord beheld Jerusalem, and predicted its future destruction, Luk 19:41, with Mat 24:23; and it was from this mountain that he ascended to heaven, (Act 1:12), utterly leaving an ungrateful and condemned city.

And half of the mountain shall remove - I really think that these words refer to the lines of circumvallation, to intrenchments, redoubts, etc., which the Romans made while carrying on the siege of this city; and particularly the lines or trenches which the army made on Mount Olivet itself.

Ye shall flee to the valley - Some think this refers to the valley through which Zedekiah and others endeavored to escape when Nebuchadnezzar pressed the siege of Jerusalem: but it appears to speak only of the Jewish wars of the Romans.

Azal - This, as a place, is not known. If a place, it was most probably near to Jerusalem; and had its name from that circumstance.

The light shall not be clear, nor dark - Metaphorically, there will be a mixture of justice and mercy in all this; or a bright light and darkness. Mercy shall triumph over judgment. There shall be darkness - distress, etc.; but there shall be more light - joy and prosperity - than darkness.

At evening time it shall be light - At the close of this awful visitation, there shall be light. The light of the glorious Gospel shall go forth from Jerusalem; and next, from the Roman empire to every part of the earth.

Living waters shall go out - There shall be a wide diffusion of Divine knowledge, and of the plan of human salvation, which shall go out by apostles and preachers, first from Jerusalem, then to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, the isles of the sea, Britain, etc.

The former sea, and - the hinder sea - The Dead Sea and the Mediterranean; see on Joe 2:20 (note). These are metaphors.

In summer - In time of drought; or in the countries where there was no knowledge of God, there shall these waters flow. The stream shall never cease; it shall run in summer as well as winter. These are living waters - perennial, incessant, and waters that shall preserve life. See Joh 7:37.

And the Lord shall be King - When this universal diffusion of Divine knowledge shall take place. Wherever it goes, the laws of God shall be acknowledged; and, consequently, he shall be King over the whole earth.

One Lord, and his name one - There shall be in those blessed days, only one religion, and one form of religion. There shall not be gods many, and lords many. All mankind shall be of one religion, the essence of which is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength; and thy Neighbor as thyself."

All the land shall be turned as a plain - Or rather, "He shall encompass the whole land as a plain." He shall cast his defence all around it; from Geba, in Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, (Jos 21:17), to Rimmon in Judah, to the south of Jerusalem, Jos 15:32.

It shall be lifted up - The city shall be exalted.

And inhabited in her place - Jerusalem, shall be rebuilt In the very place in which it originally stood. From Benjamin's gate, which was probably on the north side of Jerusalem, unto the place of the first gate, supposed to be that called the old gate, Neh 3:6; Neh 12:39, placed by Lightfoot towards the southwest.

Unto the corner gate - See 2Kgs 14:13.

The tower of Hananeel - This tower and the corner gate seem to be placed as two extremities of the city.

Unto the king's wine-presses - Near to the king's gardens, southward. - See Newcome.

There shall be no more utter destruction - After this final restoration of Jerusalem it shall never more be destroyed; but as this was the first city of the living God upon earth, so shall it be the last; it shall be safely inhabited. It shall see war no more.

And this shall be the plague - All her enemies shall be destroyed.

Their flesh shall consume away - These are the effects of famine which are described in this verse.

A great tumult from the Lord - Among those enemies of his Church, who shall engage and destroy each other.

And Judah also shall fight - They shall have little else to do than take the spoil, the wealth of all the heathen round about; gold, silver, and apparel.

So shall be the plague of the horse, and the mule - There shall be plagues on the substance of the enemies of the Church, as there were on the cattle and goods of the Egyptians.

Shall even go up from year to year - The Jews had three grand original festivals, which characterized different epochs in their history, viz.: -

1. The feast of the passover, in commemoration of their departure from Egypt.

2. The feast of pentecost, in commemoration of the giving of the law upon Mount Sinai.

3. The feast of tabernacles, in commemoration of their wandering forty years in the wilderness.

This last feast is very properly brought in here to point out the final restoration of the Jews, and their establishment in the light and liberty of the Gospel of Christ, after their long wandering in vice and error.

Upon them shall be no rain - Those who do not worship God shall not have his blessing; and those who do not attend Divine ordinances cannot have the graces and blessings which God usually dispenses by them. On such slothful, idle Christians, there shall be no rain!

If the family of Egypt - This may allude to those Jews who, flying from the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, settled in Egypt, and built a temple at Heliopolis, under the direction of Onias, son of the high priest. Josephus Antiq. lib. xiii., c. 6, and War, lib. vii., c. 36. If these do not rejoin their brethren, they shall have no rain, no interest in the favor of God.

This shall be the punishment - of all nations that come not up - God will have his public worship established everywhere, and those who do not worship him shall lie under his curse.

Upon the bells of the horses - They appear, formerly, to have had bells on horses, camels, etc., as we have now, to amuse the animals, and encourage them in their work. In some very fine Asiatic paintings now before me, I see bells both on horses, mules, and camels; little bells tied to their legs, and larger ones about their necks, particularly in the representation of a caravan passing through the valley of serpents, in the island of Serendib, now Ceylon. The margin reads bridles.

Holiness Unto The Lord - As the Gospel is a holy system, preaching holiness and producing holiness in those who believe, so all without, as well as within, shall bear this impress; and even a man's labor shall be begun and continued, and ended in the Lord; yea, and the animals he uses, and the instruments he works with, shall be all consecrated to God through Christ.

The pots - "The meanest utensil in the house of God, Neh 10:29, shall be as the vessels of silver, and gold used in solemn sacrifice; they shall be like the bowls before the altar." - See Newcome.

Yea, every pot in Jerusalem - "The utensils of the Jews shall be treated as holy, and the worshippers shall use them reverently. The idea of preparing food in them (they that - seethe therein) is taken from the custom of feasting after sacrifice. And no trafficker (see Eze 18:4) shall pollute the house of God, as was the custom when our blessed Lord cleansed the temple." - See Newcome. This is what is called the Canaanite in the house of God. The Canaanite is the merchant; and where such are tolerated in a place dedicated to Divine worship, that is not the house of the Lord of hosts. In churches and chapels, collections may be made for the simple purpose of supporting and extending the worship of Jehovah; but for no other purpose, especially on the Lord's day. Amen.

The day - Of vengeance, Joel 2:1,2, cometh, or will soon overtake you, O sinful, unthankful! bloody! Jews. Thy spoil - All thou hast, O, Jerusalem, shall become a prey to thine enemy.

All nations - The Romans who at that time had the rule over all the nations of that part of the world. The residue - That small number of the Jews who were spared by Titus. Shall not be cut off - Were not forbidden to dwell about the city.

Then - After he hath sufficiently punished the Jews. As when he fought - As in those days when he fought for his people.

Shall cleave - Sinai melted, at the presence of the God of the whole earth. Great valley - So rich shall be a plain access from the place of the feet of the Lord unto Jerusalem.

The valley of the mountains - A place provided of God for their safety. O Lord my God - As if it were said, though it will, O Lord, put us into fear; yet without such wonderful works we shall not see thy salvation; therefore, O Lord my God come, and bring thy holy ones with thee.

In that day - While God is fighting with the enemies of his church, the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Nor dark - There shall be some mercy to allay the bitterness of judgment, and some judgment with our mercy.

One day - One continued day, no setting of the sun to make it quite night: God will always act in order to the full salvation of his spiritual Jerusalem. Known unto the Lord - The Lord knows when it shall begin, and how, and when it shall end.

In that day - When the days of ignorance, and idolatry shall end. Living waters - The quickening, saving truths of the gospel, with all its ordinances in purity. From Jerusalem - The church of Christ, the true Jerusalem. The former sea - Or eastern sea. The hinder sea - Or western sea. In summer and in winter - Perpetually, without intermission, these waters shall never dry away, or lose their healing virtue.

In that day - All men shall agree in worshipping one God, in one way of spiritual worship, and hearty obedience.

All the land - The whole land of Judea, a type of the whole earth, shall be filled with the knowledge of God. As a plain - All high, uneven places, all rocky and barren grounds, shall be changed into fruitful vineyards. So the church of Christ shall be fruitful, humble and lovely. Geba - The north boundary of the land. Rimmon - The south boundary of Judea. Jerusalem - Which taken mystically, is the church of Christ, and by the repair of all to this Jerusalem, is shadowed out of the compleat building of the church on all sides, north, south, west and east. Lifted up - Raised out of the dust. Benjamin's gate - Benjamin's gate north - east, corner - gate north - west; Hananiel's tower south, wine - presses north; that is in brief, compleatly around the city.

And men - Many for number, eminent for worth. Utter destruction - There may be afflictions but no utter wasting of Jerusalem; the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

A great tumult - Confusion. Shall rise up - From murmurs one against another they shall at last run into civil wars, and so destroy themselves, and revenge Jerusalem.

Judah - The Jews, and possibly Judas Maccabeus might be intended.

The horse - Those creatures which the enemy in the wars made use of, shall by the hand of God be suddenly and strangely destroyed.

That is left - That escapes the stroke. To worship - By a ceremonial usage which shadowed out a better worship, the prophet foretells the constant zeal of the converted Gentiles to worship the Lord. The feast of tabernacles - One solemn festival is by a figure, put for all the days consecrated to God for holy worship.

Shall there be - Written as it were on every common thing. Holiness unto the Lord - Their persons shall bear the dedicating inscription of holiness to the Lord, and by their study of holiness they shall make good their motto. The pots - Which were used in the kitchens of the temple, and were not accounted so sacred as the utensils near the sacrifices, and altar. The bowls - Which received the blood of the sacrifices, were esteemed more holy; so shall thy holiness in these days exceed the holiness of those former days.

Every pot - The utensils of private houses shall be all dedicated to God's service. That sacrifice - So the prophet expresses all religious affections, practice, and worship, which shall be as pleasing to God, as were the sacrifices of his people offered up with divine warrant and approbation. Seethe therein - That part of the sacrifice which pertaineth to the priests, and to the offerer to feast on. The Canaanite - Any of the accursed nation, or one who makes merchandise of religion. But all shall know that the Lord hath the greatest pleasure in upright, and sincere love and holiness.

1 BEhold , the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee .

Here are things of very great importance, and of very misterious nature, proposed by the Lord to us, and therefore we are called upon to attend to them.

The day which the Lord hath appointed for punishing the sins of his antient people, day of his Sacrifice, Zeph. 1.8. let. t. of vengeance Ioel 2.1, 2. cometh, hasteth, or will soon overtake you, O sinful, unthankful! bloody! Iewes, who first despised and next murther'd the Messiah.

All thou hast, O Ierusalem, shall become a prey to thine Enemy.

Thy conquering Enemies shall be such absolute Ma[illegible: 1 letter]ters of thee, that in greatest security they shall divide among themselves what they take from thee, in the very place where they take it, Ierusalem is their own, and all in it, and where they find their own they will take it, so they reckon.

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battel , and the city shall be taken , and the houses ri[illegible: 1 letter]led , and the women ravished , and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not [illegible: 1 letter]e cut off from the city .

This gives not the Reason why, but introduceth an[illegible: 1 letter] account how, this thing shall be done.

God will summon, and bring together his Army, they do it themselves by their own counsels, for their own works and ends: God also hath his work for them to do, and by his counsel, and at his call they shall come.

The Romans with the Power of their Empire which at that time had the Rule over all the known world, or over all the Nations of that part of the World.

To make War with the Iewes which lasted some years and cost many thousand lives and ended at last as our prophet foretold.

By assault and force whereby all lay at mercy of the Souldiers who shew'd little to those who first refused the mercy of their God, and justly given up by God to their own blind obstinate wills, refused the mercy of their Enemy also.

All houses pillaged, and all in them worth taking was taken away.

Wives, Widows, and Virgins barbarously violated.

That small number of the Iewes, which fled to Pella, and who were spared by Titus.

Literally were not forbidden to dwell in, or about the City, mystically were not cut off from the Church, not ceased to be a Church, this the more likely, for Titus utterly ruin'd the City.

A certain part for uncertain, or in common speech, many, were it one half precisely it would be but a sixth part of what were before the Wars. Two thirds being cut off, as chap. 13.8. and one third remaining, of which one half is for Captivity.

Marginal references: Isa. 13.16.

3 Then shall the LORD go forth , and fight against those nations , as when he fought in the day of battel ?

After that he hath sufficiently punished Ierusalem and the rest of the Iewes.

Out of his holy place (spoken after the manner of men) as a warriour prepared for battel.

Which had sack'd Ierusalem, and opprest his people.

As in any of those dayes past, when God fought [illegible: 1 letter]or his people and gave them great Victories.

4 ¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives , which is before Jerusalem on the east , and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east, and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley ; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south .

Ver. 3. the Lord is said to come forth to fight for his people, this 4th. verse tells us where he will take his Post, or make a stand, viz. on Mount Olivet, which for its scituation, in its height, and nearness to Ierusalem, and the Temple might appear a convenient post for succours to post themselves on, God (speaking after the manner of men) promiseth succours to his Church, and assureth her of his nearness to her, and of the prospect he hath over all that is about her, or in her▪ that she might be encouraged to wait on God, who is so near to her.

A Geographical description of the scituation of this Mountain with respect to Ierusalem.

As if it were sensible of the Majesty of God, who stands upon it, this cleaves, [illegible: 1 word] melted, at the presence of the God of the whole Earth.

The consequent of this dividing of the Mountain, a mighty valley appears running strait from East to West; so there should be plain and easie access from the place of the feet of the Lord unto Ierusalem.

As if it knew how to comply with the design of God, and withdraw on each hand far enough out of the way, and be no hindrance to the intended relief of the Church. So I Judge (if these things were not by Vision represented to the Prophet, which I will not avow though I may think so) the Prophet doth Parabolically set forth the future preservation and deliverance of the Church of Christ, and suppose we then what wonderful effects the Presence of God wrought of old when ever he appear'd to rescue his people; how mountains fled, or melted, or sunk into plains, or as here is said divided, and made a deep, and large valley, i. e. how every obstacle removed, that the relief might be sure and easie; so shall it be with the Church of Christ, the Gospel-Ierusalem in all times of its troubles, and though Iewish-Ierusalem, that antient City be ruin'd, never to be built, yet a more excellent City, the Christian Ierusalem, shall be built, guarded, rescued, and never ruin'd; for the feet of the Lord shall stand so near to her, as Olivet to Ierusalem, and the way plain and easie before him on purpose to save her. In this manner I understand somewhat of the Text, but I cannot suit it with particular accommodation of the events here mention'd, if I look on it as a prediction of what shall be done, according to the letter, or be matter of History. Nor do I meet with any that do tell me any such thing hath been done between the time of Zechariahs prophesying, and Titus wasting and sacking Jerusalem, nor shall any such thing ever be if material Jerusalem never be built.

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the dayes of Uzziah king of Judah, and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

You that are members of the Church, and whom God doth in wonderful power, and majesty come to save.

Fill'd with apprehensions of such strange things, and troubled at the convulsions, and struglings of Nations against God, and you; shall as in a great fear fly to some place of safety, and repose; you will fly the valley it self which God maketh; by terrible things in righteousness doth God answer, and his people tremble before him when he cometh to save them; so here are represented to us a people wonderfully saved, and astonished at the methods of it, God makes valleys in the midst of Mountains, and they (for whose good they are made) fly those valleys. So the words were better read, our Marginal readings and the Gallic Version do so read it.

Or although, or notwithstanding, this valley reach to Azal, which speaks say some a separate place, i. e. provided of God for their safety, a Zoar for Lot, or Pella for the Citizens of Jerusalem. They shall as is usual in great frights and consternation of mind not see how safe they are, or whither to go, but some will run for a while from or beyond their Refuge.

This was some dreadful Earthquake, and put the People into a mighty fear, and made them fly in all haste, 'tis mentioned Amos 1.1. and the Prophet tells us, that when God shakes the Kingdoms of his Enemies, to make a plain, and level way for his ransom'd ones it shall make them fly for fear too.

As thus rendred it gives reason of this commotion of mind and this hasty flight. But it would be plainer if it were as it may be (I think) read. And or, yet O Lord my God come, and bring all the Saints with thee. As if 'twere said, Though 'twill, O Lord, put us into such fears; yet without such wonderful works we shall not have our hopes, nor see thy Salvation; therefore, O Lord my God come, and bring thy Saints, holy ones, Angels with thee, and so will this be like tha[illegible: 1 letter] of St. John, Rev. 22.20. shutting up the Visions of the New Heaven, and the New Earth, and the Appendages of them with, Come Lord Jesus.

Marginal references: Or, [illegible: 1 span]; Or, [illegible: 1 span]

6 And it shall come to pass in that day , that the light shall not be clear , nor dark .

Whilest God is fighting with the Enemies of his Church, the Nations that fought against Jerusalem.

Good Estate, Peace and Welfare.

Unmixt good, all light, 'twill not be so well with the Church.

Not so sad as all darkness, there shall be a temper of both, some peace with some trouble; some prosperity with some adversity; some mercy in midst of Judgment to allay the bitterness of Judgment, and some Judgment with our Mercy to allay their sweetness.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 paragraph]; [illegible: 1 paragraph]

7 But it shall be one day which shall be known unto the LORD , not day nor night: but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light .

One continued day, no setting of the sun to make it quite night, God will alwayes act in order to the full Salvation of his spiritual Jerusalem.

The Lord knows when it shall begin, how long last, and how, and when it shall (not as other dayes end in a night, but) end in glorious light, till then 'tis enough for us that our God knows this day that is mixt of trouble and of peace.

When other days end.

This shall be all light and glory, Isa. 58.8. Psal. 97.11.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 letter]he day [illegible: 1 word] o[illegible: 1 letter]e.; [illegible: 1 word] 22.5.; [illegible: 1 word] 6[illegible: 1 letter].19. [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 letter]1.23.

8 And it shall be in that day , that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem : half of them toward the former sea , and half of them toward the hinder sea : in summer and in winter shall it be .

When the Gospel shall be preached, and the dayes of dark Ceremonies among the Jews, and darker Ignorance, and Idolatry among the Heathens, shall end.

Not only such as springs and fountains afford, living waters in opposition to standing, muddy and dead waters; but such as Ezek. 47.1, 6, 7. give life. The quickning, saving Truths of the Gospel, with all its Ordinances in Purity.

Spread themselves or flow down as currents from good springs.

The Church of Christ▪ the true Jerusalem.

Or Eastern Sea, so far Eastward, as the Sea will give leave, and who knows that Sea.

Or Western Sea. Synechdochically 'tis both East, West, North and South so from Jerusalem, i. e. the Church, the Doctrine of the Gospel is preached abroad, and runs down as doth living water.

Perpetually without intermission or interruption, these waters should never drie away, nor ever lose their healing vertue.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] 3.18. [illegible: 1 word] 22.1.; [illegible: 1 paragraph].

9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth ; in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

God, Father, Son and Spirit.

Acknowledged to be, Men shall confess, that as he onely is, so he ought to be owned onely true God, and King of his Church.

Over the Heathen, the Gentiles or Roman Empire, as well as once over the Jewish State.

Of deposing Idols, and advancing the true God, all his Churches shall cast off Idolatry, and agree in worshipping one God, in one way of Spiritual Worship, and hearty obedience.

10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem , and it shall be lifted up , and inhabited in her place : from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the cornergate, and from the tower of Hananiel unto the Kings wine-presses.

The whole land of Judea, here is, Type of the whole Earth, seat of the Catholick Church, filled with the knowledge of God, and abounding in multitudes of Converts.

All high, uneven places, all high thoughts, and Imaginations, all Rocky, and barren ground, changed into fruitful vineyards. So the Church of Christ shall be fruitful, humble and lovely, as pastures rich in sheep, and rich for sheep.

North boundary of the land.

The South boundary of Judaea.

Which taken here not literally but mystically, is the Church of Christ in Gospel dayes, and by the repair of all parts of this Jerusalem, as here described, is shadowed out the full, and compleat building of the Church on all sides North, South, West and East.

Raised out of the dust and rubbish to which Enemies had brought her, through Gods permission, but never should be able to keep her in that low state since God was resolved to raise her.

Still 'tis Emblematical of the Christian Church.

Benjamins Gate North-East, Corner-gate North-West▪ Hananiel's Tower South, Wine-presses North; that is in brief, compleatly round the City.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] passed.; Or, shall abide.

11 And men shall dwell in it , and there shall be no more utter destruction , but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

i. e. Many for number, or eminent for worth.

As 'twas Type, this was verified, say some, when in League with Bacchides, and succeeding Kings. But in the Antitype, to which Zechariah looks, 'tis now, as it hath been, fulfilled, and more fully shall be, when the fulness of the Gentiles cometh in.

There may be afflictions and troubles, but no utter wasting of Jerusalem; the gates of Hell shall not prevail.

The Antitype, the Gospel Church.

Not secure from troubles, but secure enough from total destruction.

Marginal references: Or, shall abide.

12 ¶ And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people, that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their feet , and their eyes shall consume away in their holes , and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth .

Maliciously to destroy, and waste, and extirpate Jerusalem; the Ringleaders, especially such as Antiochus, Herod, &c.

When they are fat, fleshy and strong, their flesh or strength shall utterly perish.

Either in Armes ready to fight, or so suddenly they shall not have time to sit down, a very sudden death is threatned to them.

A dreadful and exemplary blindness shall seise them.

In which Member, by strange judgments on them som persecutors also have felt Gods hand.

13 And it shall come to pass in that day , that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them , and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

When God punisheth those that invaded and wasted Jerusalem, his Church.

Con[illegible: 1 letter]usion, Vexation and inclination to turn all upside down.

From the just displeasure of God, and in revenge on them for troubling his People,

The bloody, cruel, and insatiable Enemies of Jerusalem.

From Murmurs and Grudgings one against other they shall at last run into Civil Wars, and fight one with another, and so destroy themselves, and revenge Jerusalem. As did &c. Judg. 7.22. and 9.23.

Marginal references: 1 Sam. 14.15, 20.

14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem , and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold and silver, and apparel in great abundance.

The Jewes, and particularly those of the Tribe of Judah, and possibly Judas Maccabeus might be intended too, as those who in that day were valiant Warriours, and successful against the Churches Enemies. And many such have been among the Christians too since those dayes.

With courage, good conduct and success.

Both in the Land of Judaea and also at Jerusalem.

Nations round about them, who having by forreign War peeled and rob'd many Nations, had brought it home, and now God gave it to the Jewes, and in like manner have many Christians spoiled those that spoiled them.

Marginal references: Or thou also, O Judah, shalt.; Or, against.

15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

Those creatures which the Enemy in the Wars made use of against the Church shall by the hand of God be suddenly and strangely either destroyed or made useless, neither fit to annoy the Church, nor to benefit their owners. As God destroy'd much of the cattel of the Egyptians by hail, and murrain, &c. So now shall it be with the cattel of these Persecutors they shall perish with their masters; The Horses, as the Horsemen, were drown'd in the Rà Sea.

16 ¶ And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles .

Such as escape the stroke, and are by mercy reserved, very many of them, among all the Nations, shall consider Gods hand, repent, and submit themselves to his Law, they shall (as many did) on sight of Gods hand for the Church, and against the Churches Enemies, convert became Proselytes and Christians.

By a ceremonial phrase and usage, which shadow'd out a better worship, the Prophet foretells the constant Zeal and care the converted Gentiles should have to worship the Lord.

One solemn Festival, by a figure, put for all the dayes consecrated to God for holy Worship, and this perhaps with an eye to Christ's Tabernacling with us, and may point to the Christian Sabbath.

Marginal references: Isa. 66.23.; Lev. 23.34, 43. Hos. 12.9. Joh. 7.2.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the King the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain .

If there be any more remiss than they ought herein, and neglect to worship the Lord.

They shall be punished with want of Rain, and with want of the blessings which plentiful and seasonable Rain produceth, their land shall be barren.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain : there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Egypt should think though they had no rain they should not be much losers by that, having Nilus to water their ground and make it fruitful. God by his Prophet answers them, They shall fall under Penury and Famine, the very self same punishment which shall fall on other Nations, if they neglected his worship; the Lord hath more wayes than one to with-hold the fruits of the Earth, and send Famin among People.

Marginal references: Heb. upon whom there is not.; Deut. 11.10.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations, that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

And what he saith of Egypt, he saith of all contemners of his Law and Worship, their sin is the same, their punishment shall be the same, for with God is no respect of Persons.

Marginal references: Or, Sin.

20 ¶ In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses , HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORDS house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

When the Nations are converted to God, as 'tis ver. 16.

Written as 'twere on every common thing; such as the Bells, Bridles or Collars, or Stables of Horses, in these very things, i. e. the use of them they should make it appear they were for God, and for his worship, wheresoever these things may serve, or promote it.

This was the inscription on the rich Mitre of the Iewish High Priest, denoting the great holiness of his Office, and how he was dedicated to God, and that he ought to keep himself holy in all things, especially in things of Divine Worship. Now in these days of the Gospel when Gentiles are converted to Christ, made Priests unto God, are made holy Nations, a Royal Priesthood, the grace of God shall so abound and prevail, that common ordinary things in the hands of Christians much more. Their persons shall bear the dedicating inscription of Holiness to the Lord, and by their study of holiness they shall make good their Motto.

Which were used in the Kitchins of the Temple, for the use of the Priests, and were not accounted so sacred as the Utensils nearer to the sacrifices, and Altar.

Which received the blood of the Sacrifices, and retain'd it, until the ministring Priest had finish'd his service, and sprinkled it as commanded, now these as appropriated to be used nearer to the Altar were more esteemed as more holy, so should holiness in these dayes spoken of exceed the holiness of those former dayes.

Marginal references: Or, [illegible: 1 word]

21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be Holiness unto the LORD of hosts : and all they that sacrifice , shall come and take of them , and seethe therein : and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts .

The Utensils of private houses shall be so dedicated to Gods service that without scruple they shall on occasion be used, or might be used in the worship of God.

The Types, but the Gospel Church is the Antitype, in the times hereof every family shall be a Temple in which God shall be worshipped, and their house-pots in the Worship of God shall be in extraordinary Cases used without scruples.

See ver. 20. let. m.

In allusion to sacrifices, the Prophet expresseth all Religious affections, practice, and worship, which shall be as pleasing to God, as were the sacrifices of his People offered up with divine warrant and approbation.

Freely, without scruple.

Seeth that part of the Sacrifice which pertaineth to the Priests, and to the offerer to feast on, in their house Pots.

Any of the accursed Nation, or one who makes Merchandise of Religion. In a word, by allusion used here, we understand, That time will come, when scrupulous adhereing to Ceremonies, shall not be as formerly 'twas deemed, so necessary, so material in the worship.

But all shall know that the Lord hath greatest pleasure in upright, hearty, and sincere Love and Holiness.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 paragraph]

Zec 14:1-2

The judgment and the deliverance. - Zec 14:1. “Behold, a day cometh for Jehovah, and thy spoil is divided in the midst of thee. Zec 14:2. And I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to war, and the city will be taken, and the houses plundered, and the women ravished, and half the city will go out into captivity; but the remnant of the nation will not be cut off out of the city.” A day comes to the Lord, not inasmuch as He brings it to pass, but rather because the day belongs to Him, since He will manifest His glory upon it (cf. Isa 2:12). This day will at first bring calamity or destruction upon Israel; but this calamity will furnish occasion to the Lord to display His divine might and glory, by destroying the enemies of Israel and saving His people. In the second hemistich of Zec 14:1, Jerusalem is addressed. “Thy spoil” is the booty taken by the enemy in Jerusalem. The prophet commences directly with the main fact, in a most vivid description, and only gives the explanation afterwards in Zec 14:2. The Vav consec. attached to ואספתּי is also a Vav explicativum. The Lord gathers all nations together to war against Jerusalem, and gives up the city into their power, that they may conquer it, and let loose all their barbarity upon it, plundering the houses and ravishing the women (cf. Isa 13:16, where the same thing is affirmed of Babylon). Just as in the Chaldaean conquest the people had been obliged to wander into captivity, so will it be now, though not all the people, but only the half of the city. The remaining portion will not be cut off out of the city, i.e., be transported thence, as was the case at that time, when even the remnant of the nation was carried into exile (2Ki 25:22). It is obvious at once from this, that the words do not refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, as Theodoret, Jerome, and others have supposed.

Zec 14:3-5

This time the Lord will come to the help of His people. Zec 14:3. “And Jehovah will go forth and fight against those nations, as in His day of battle, on the day of slaughter. Zec 14:4. And His feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which lies to the east before Jerusalem; and the Mount of Olives will split in the centre from east to west into a very great valley, and half of the mountain will remove to the north, and its (other) half to the south. Zec 14:5. And ye will flee into the valley of my mountains, and the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel, and ye will flee as ye fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And Jehovah my God will come, all the saints with Thee.” Against those nations which have conquered Jerusalem the Lord will fight כּיום וגו, as the day, i.e., as on the day, of His fighting, to which there is added, for the purpose of strengthening the expression, “on the day of the slaughter.” The meaning is not “according to the day when He fought in the day of the war,” as Jerome and many others suppose, who refer the words to the conflict between Jehovah and the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exo 14:14); for there is nothing to support this special allusion. According to the historical accounts in the Old Testament, Jehovah went out more than once to fight for His people (cf. Jos 10:14, Jos 10:42; Jos 23:3; Jdg 4:15; 1Sa 7:10; 2Ch 20:15). The simile is therefore to be taken in a more general sense, as signifying “as He is accustomed to fight in the day of battle and slaughter,” and to be understood as referring to all the wars of the Lord on behalf of His people. In Zec 14:4 and Zec 14:5 we have first of all a description of what the Lord will do to save the remnant of His people. He appears upon the Mount of Olives, and as His feet touch the mountain it splits in half, so that a large valley is formed. The splitting of the mountain is the effect of the earthquake under the footsteps of Jehovah, before whom the earth trembles when He touches it (cf. Exo 19:18; Jdg 5:5; Psa 68:8; Nah 1:5, etc.). The more precise definition of the situation of the Mount of Olives, viz., “before Jerusalem eastwards,” is not introduced with a geographical purpose - namely, to distinguish it from other mountains upon which olives trees grow - but is connected with the means employed by the Lord for the salvation of His people, for whom He opens a way of escape by splitting the mountain in two. The mountain is splitמחציו מזרחה וימּה, from the half (i.e., the midst) of it to the east and to the west, i.e., so that a chasm ensues, which runs from the centre of the mountain both eastwards and westwards; so that the mountain is split latitudinally, one half (as is added to make it still more clear) removing to the south, the other to the north, and a great valley opening between them.

Into this valley the half of the nation that is still in Jerusalem will flee. גּיא הרי is the accusative of direction (Luther and others render it incorrectly, “before the valley of my mountains”). This valley is not the valley of the Tyropaeon, or the valley between Moriah and Zion (Jerome, Drus., Hofm.), but the valley which has been formed by the splitting of the Mount of Olives; and Jehovah calls the two mountains which have been formed through His power out of the Mount of Olives hârai, “my mountains.” Nor is it connected with the valley of Jehoshaphat; for the opinion that the newly-formed valley is merely an extension of the valley of Jehoshaphat has no foundation in the text, and is not in harmony with the direction taken by the new valley - namely, from east to west. The explanatory clause which follows, “for the (newly-formed) valley of the mountains will reach אל אצל,” shows that the flight of the people into the valley is not to be understood as signifying that the valley will merely furnish the fugitives with a level road for escape, but that they will find a secure place of shelter in the valley. 'El 'Atsal has been taken by different commentators, after Symm. and Jerome, in an appellative sense, “to very near,” which Koehler interprets as signifying that the valley will reach to the place where the fugitives are. This would be to Jerusalem, for that was where the fugitives were then. But if Zechariah had meant to say this, he could not have spoken more obscurely. 'Atsal, the form in pause for 'âtsēl, as we may see by comparing 1Ch 8:38 and 1Ch 9:44 with 1Ch 8:39 and 1Ch 9:43 (cf. Olsh. Gramm. §91, d), is only met with elsewhere in the form אצל, not merely as a preposition, but also in the name בּית־האצל, and is here a proper name, as most of the ancient translators perceived, - namely, a contracted form of בּית־האצל, since בּית is frequently omitted from names of places constructed with it (see Ges. Thes. p. 193). This place is to be sought for, according to Mic 1:11, in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and according to the passage before us to the east of the Mount of Olives, as Cyril states, though from mere hearsay, κώμη δὲ αὕτη πρὸς ἐσχατιαῖς, ὡς λόγος τοῦ ὄρους κειμένη. The fact that Jerome does not mention the place is no proof that it did not exist. A small place not far from Jerusalem, on the other side of the Mount of Olives, might have vanished from the earth long before this father lived. The comparison of the flight to the flight from the earthquake in the time of king Uzziah, to which reference is made in Amo 1:1, is intended to express not merely the swiftness and universality of the flight, but also the cause of the flight, - namely, that they do not merely fly from the enemy, but also for fear of the earthquake which will attend the coming of the Lord. In the last clause of Zec 14:5 the object of the coming of the Lord is indicated. He has not only gone forth to fight against the enemy in Jerusalem, and deliver His people; but He comes with His holy angels, to perfect His kingdom by means of the judgment, and to glorify Jerusalem. This coming is not materially different from His going out to war (Zec 14:3); it is not another or a second coming, but simply a visible manifestation. For this coming believers wait, because it brings them redemption (Luk 21:28). This joyful waiting is expressed in the address “my God.” The holy ones are the angels (cf. Deu 33:2-3; Dan 7:9-10; Mat 25:31), not believers, or believers as well as the angels. In what follows, Zechariah depicts first of all the completion secured by the coming of the Lord (Zec 14:6-11), and then the judgment upon the enemy (Zec 14:12-15), with its fruits and consequences (Zec 14:16-21).

Zec 14:6-7

Complete salvation. - Zec 14:6. “And it will come to pass on that day, there will not be light, the glorious ones will melt away. Zec 14:7. And it will be an only day, which will be known to Jehovah, not day nor night: and it will come to pass, at evening time it will be light.” The coming of the Lord will produce a change on the earth. The light of the earth will disappear. The way in which לא יהיה אור is to be understood is indicated more precisely by יקרות יקפאון. These words have been interpreted, however, from time immemorial in very different ways. The difference of gender in the combination of the feminine יקרות with the masculine verb יקפּאוּן, and the rarity with which the two words are met with, have both contributed to produce the keri יקרות וקפּאון, in which יקרות has either been taken as a substantive formation from קרר, or the reading וקרות with Vav cop. has been adopted in the sense of cold, and קפּאון (contraction, rigidity) taken to signify ice. The whole clause has then been either regarded as an antithesis to the preceding one, “It will not be light, but (sc., there will be) cold and ice” (thus Targ., Pesh., Symm., Itala, Luther, and many others); or taken in this sense, “There will not be light, and cold, and ice, i.e., no alternation of light, cold, and ice will occur” (Ewald, Umbr., Bunsen). But there is intolerable harshness in both these views: in the first, on account of the insertion of יהיה without a negation for the purpose of obtaining an antithesis; in the second, because the combination of light, cold, and ice is illogical and unparalleled in the Scriptures, and cannot be justified even by an appeal to Gen 8:22, since light is no more equivalent to day and night than cold and ice are to frost and heat, or summer and winter. We must therefore follow Hengstenberg, Hofmann, Koehler, and Kliefoth, who prefer the chethib יקפאון, and read it יקפּאוּן, the imperf. kal of קפא. קפא signifies to congeal, or curdle, and is applied in Exo 15:8 to the heaping up of the waters as it were in solid masses. יקרות, the costly or splendid things are the stars, according to Job 31:26, where the moon is spoken of as יקר הולך, walking in splendour. The words therefore describe the passing away or vanishing of the brightness of the shining stars, answering to the prophetic announcement, that on the day of judgment, sun, moon, and stars will lose their brightness or be turned into darkness (Joe 3:15; Isa 13:10; Eze 32:7-8, Mat 24:29; Rev 6:12). In Zec 14:7 this day is still more clearly described: first, as solitary in its kind; and secondly, as a marvellous day, on which the light dawns at evening time. The four clauses of this verse contain only two thoughts; each so expressed in two clauses that the second explains the first. יום אחד, unus dies, is not equivalent to tempus non longum (Cocceius, Hengst.), nor to “only one day, not two or more” (Koehler), but solitary in its kind, unparalleled by any other, because no second of the kind ever occurs (for the use of 'echâd in this sense, compare Zec 14:9, Eze 7:5, Sol 6:9). It is necessary to take the words in this manner on account of the following clause, “it will be known to the Lord;” i.e., not “it will be singled out by Jehovah in the series of days as the appropriate one” (Hitzig and Koehler), nor “it stands under the supervision and guidance of the Lord, so that it does not come unexpectedly, or interfere with His plans” (Hengstenberg), for neither of these is expressed in נודע; but simply, it is known to the Lord according to its true nature, and therefore is distinguished above all other days. The following definition, “not day and not night,” does not mean that “it will form a turbid mixture of day and night, in which there will prevail a mongrel condition of mysterious, horrifying twilight and gloom” (Koehler); but it will resemble neither day nor night, because the lights of heaven, which regulate day and night, lose their brightness, and at evening time there comes not darkness, but light. The order of nature is reversed: the day resembles the night, and the evening brings light. At the time when, according to the natural course of events, the dark night should set in, a bright light will dawn. The words do not actually affirm that the alternation of day and night will cease (Jerome, Neumann, Kliefoth); but this may be inferred from a comparison of Rev 21:23 and Rev 21:25.

Zec 14:8-11

Zec 14:8. “And it will come to pass in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; by half into the eastern sea, and by half into the western sea: in summer and in winter will it be. Zec 14:9. And Jehovah will be King over all the land; in that day will Jehovah be one, and His name one. Zec 14:10. The whole land will turn as the plain from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem; and this will be high, and dwell in its place, from the gate of Benjamin to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Chananeel to the king’s wine-presses. Zec 14:11. And men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse (ban); and Jerusalem will dwell securely.” The living water which issues from Jerusalem, and pours over the land on both sides, flowing both into the eastern or Dead Sea, and into the hinder (i.e., western) or Mediterranean Sea (see at Joe 2:20), is, according to Joe 3:18 and Eze 47:1-12, a figurative representation of the salvation and blessing which will flow out of Jerusalem, the centre of the kingdom of God, over the holy land, and produce vigorous life on every hand. According to Joel and Ezekiel, the water issues from the temple (see at Joe 3:18). Zechariah adds, that this will take place in summer and winter, i.e., will proceed without interruption throughout the whole year, whereas natural streams dry up in summer time in Palestine. To this blessing there is added the higher spiritual blessing, that Jehovah will be King over all the land, and His name alone will be mentioned and revered. כּל־הארץ does not mean the whole earth, but, as in Zec 14:8 and Zec 14:10, the whole of the land of Canaan or of Israel, which is bounded by the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. It by no means follows from this, however, that Zechariah is simply speaking of a glorification of Palestine. For Canaan, or the land of Israel, is a type of the kingdom of God in the full extent which it will have on the earth in the last days depicted here. Jehovah’s kingship does not refer to the kingdom of nature, but to the kingdom of grace, - namely, to the perfect realization of the sovereignty of God, for which the old covenant prepared the way; whereas the old Israel continually rebelled against Jehovah’s being King, both by its sin and its idolatry. This rebellion, i.e., the apostasy of the nation from its God, is to cease, and the Lord alone will be King and God of the redeemed nation, and be acknowledged by it; His name alone will be mentioned, and not the names of idols as well.

The earthly soil of the kingdom of God will then experience a change. The whole land will be levelled into a plain, and Jerusalem will be elevated in consequence; and Jerusalem, when thus exalted, will be restored in its fullest extent. יסּב (imperf. kal, not niphal; see Ges. §67, 5), to change like the plain, i.e., to change so as to become like the plain. הערבה is not a plain generally, in which case the article would be used generically, but the plain, so called κατ ̓ ἐξοχήν, the plain of the Jordan, or the Ghor (see at Deu 1:1). The definition “from Geba to Rimmon” does not belong to כּערבה (Umbreit, Neum., Klief.), but to כּל־הארץ; for there was no plain between Geba and Rimmon, but only an elevated, hilly country. Geba is the present Jeba, about three hours to the north of Jerusalem (see at Jos 18:24), and was the northern frontier city of the kingdom of Judah (2Ki 23:8). Rimmon, which is distinguished by the clause “to the south of Jerusalem” from the Rimmon in Galilee, the present Rummaneh to the north of Nazareth (see at Jos 19:13), and from the rock of Rimmon, the present village of Rummon, about fifteen Roman miles to the north of Jerusalem (see Jdg 20:45), is the Rimmon situated on the border of Edom, which was given up by the tribe of Judah to the Simeonites (Jos 15:32; Jos 19:7), probably on the site of the present ruins of Um er Rummanim, four hours to the north of Beersheba (see at Jos 15:32). To וראמה וגו we must supply as the subject Jerusalem, which has been mentioned just before. ראמה is probably only an outwardly expanded form of רמה from רוּם, like קאם in Hos 10:14. The whole land will be lowered, that Jerusalem alone may be high. This is, of course, not to be understood as signifying a physical elevation caused by the depression of the rest of the land; but the description is a figurative one, like the exaltation of the temple mountain above all the mountains in Mic 4:1. Jerusalem, as the residence of the God-King, is the centre of the kingdom of God; and in the future this is to tower high above all the earth. The figurative description is attached to the natural situation of Jerusalem, which stood upon a broad mountain ridge, and was surrounded by mountains, which were loftier than the city (see Robinson, Palestine). The exaltation is a figurative representation of the spiritual elevation and glory which it is to receive. Moreover, Jerusalem is to dwell on its ancient site (ישׁב תּחתּיה, as in Zec 12:6). The meaning of this is not that the exaltation above the surrounding land will be the only alteration that will take place in its situation (Koehler); but, as a comparison with Jer 31:38 clearly shows, that the city will be restored or rebuilt in its former extent, and therefore is to be completely recovered from the ruin brought upon it by conquest and plunder (Zec 14:1). The boundaries of the city that are mentioned here cannot be determined with perfect certainty. The first definitions relate to the extent of the city from east to west. The starting-point (for the use of למן, see Hag 2:18) is Benjamin’s gate, in the north wall, through which the road to Benjamin and thence to Ephraim ran, so that it was no doubt the same as Ephraim’s gate mentioned in 2Ki 14:13 and Neh 8:16. The terminus ad quem, on the other hand, is doubtful, viz., “to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate.” According to the grammatical construction, עד־שׁער הפּנּים is apparently in apposition to עד־מקום שׁער הר, or a more precise description of the position of the first gate; and Hitzig and Kliefoth have taken the words in this sense. Only we cannot see any reason why the statement “to the place of the first gate” should be introduced at all, if the other statement “to the corner gate” describes the very same terminal point, and that in a clearer manner. We must therefore assume, as the majority of commentators have done, that the two definitions refer to two different terminal points; in other words, that they define the extent both eastwards and westwards from the Benjamin’s gate, which stood near the centre of the north wall. The corner gate (sha‛ar happinnı̄m is no doubt the same as sha‛ar happinnâh in 2Ki 14:13 and Jer 31:38) was at the western corner of the north wall. “The first gate” is supposed to be identical with שׁער היּשׁנה, the gate of the old (city), in Neh 3:6 and Neh 12:39, and its place at the north-eastern corner of the city. The definitions which follow give the extent of the city from north to south. We must supply מן before מגדּל. The tower of Hananeel (Jer 31:38; Neh 3:1; Neh 12:39) stood at the north-east corner of the city (see at Neh 3:1). The king’s wine-presses were unquestionably in the king’s gardens at the south side of the city (Neh 3:15). In the city so glorified the inhabitants dwell (ישׁבוּ in contrast to going out as captives or as fugitives, Zec 14:2, Zec 14:5), and that as a holy nation, for there will be no more any ban in the city. The ban presupposes sin, and is followed by extermination as a judgment (cf. Jos 6:18). The city and its inhabitants will therefore be no more exposed to destruction, but will dwell safely, and have no more hostile attacks to fear (cf. Isa 65:18. and Rev 22:3).

Zec 14:12-15

Punishment of the hostile nations. - Zec 14:12. “And this will be the stroke wherewith Jehovah will smite all the nations which have made war upon Jerusalem: its flesh will rot while it stands upon its feet, and its eyes will rot in their sockets, and its tongue will rot in their mouth. Zec 14:13. And it will come to pass in that day, the confusion from Jehovah will be great among them, and they will lay hold of one another’s hand, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbour. Zec 14:14. And Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the riches of all nations will be gathered together round about, gold and silver and clothes in great abundance. Zec 14:15. And so will be the stroke of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the cattle, that shall be in the same tents, like this stroke.” To the description of the salvation there is appended here as the obverse side the execution of the punishment upon the foe, which was only indicated in Zec 14:3. The nations which made war against Jerusalem shall be destroyed partly by the rotting away of their bodies even while they are alive (Zec 14:12), partly by mutual destruction(Zec 14:13), and partly by Judah’s fighting against them (Zec 14:14). To express the idea of their utter destruction, all the different kinds of plagues and strokes by which nations can be destroyed are grouped together. In the first rank we have two extraordinary strokes inflicted upon them by God. Maggēphâh always denotes a plague or punishment sent by God (Exo 9:14; Num 14:37; 1Sa 6:4). המק, the inf. abs. hiphil in the place of the finite verb: “He (Jehovah) makes its flesh rot while it stands upon its feet,” i.e., He causes putrefaction to take place even while the body is alive. The singular suffixes are to be taken distributively: the flesh of every nation or every foe. To strengthen the threat there is added the rotting of the eyes which spied out the nakednesses of the city of God, and of the tongue which blasphemed God and His people (cf. Isa 37:6). The other kind of destruction is effected by a panic terror, through which the foes are thrown into confusion, so that they turn their weapons against one another and destroy one another, - an occurrence of which several examples are furnished by the Israelitish history (compare Jdg 7:22; 1Sa 14:20, and especially that in 2Ch 20:23, in the reign of Jehoshaphat, to which the description given by our prophet refers). The grasp of the other’s hand is a hostile one in this case, the object being to seize him, and, having lifted his hand, to strike him dead. Zec 14:14 is translated by Luther and many others, after the Targum and Vulgate, “Judah will fight against Jerusalem,” on the ground that נלחם ב generally signifies “to fight against a person.” But this by no means suits the context here, since those who fight against Jerusalem are “all the heathen” (Zec 14:2), and nothing is said about any opposition between Jerusalem and Judah. ב is used here in a local sense, as in Exo 17:8, with נלחם, and the thought is this: Not only will Jehovah smite the enemies miraculously with plagues and confusion, but Judah will also take part in the conflict against them, and fight against them in Jerusalem, which they have taken. Judah denotes the whole of the covenant nation, and not merely the inhabitants of the country in distinction from the inhabitants of the capital. Thus will Judah seize as booty the costly possessions of the heathen, and thereby visit the heathen with ample retribution for the plundering of Jerusalem (Zec 14:2). And the destruction of the enemy will be so complete, that even their beasts of burden, and those used in warfare, and all their cattle, will be destroyed by the same plague as the men; just as in the case of the ban, not only the men, but also their cattle, were put to death (cf. Jos 7:24). Moreover, there is hardly any need for the express remark, that this description is only a rhetorically individualizing amplification of the thought that the enemies of the kingdom of God are to be utterly destroyed - namely, those who do not give up their hostility and turn unto God. For the verses which follow show very clearly that it is only to these that the threat of punishment refers.

Zec 14:16-19

Conversion of the heathen. - Zec 14:16. “And it will come to pass, that every remnant of all the nations which came against Jerusalem will go up year by year to worship the King Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zec 14:17. And it will come to pass, that whoever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King Jehovah of hosts, upon them there will be no rain. Zec 14:18. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, then also not upon them; there will be (upon them) the plague with which Jehovah will plague all nations which do not go up to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zec 14:19. This will be the sin of Egypt, and the sin of all the nations, which do not go up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” The heathen will not be all destroyed by the judgment; but a portion of them will be converted. This portion is called “the whole remnant of those who marched against Jerusalem” (בּוא על as in Zec 12:9). It will turn to the worship of the Lord. The construction in Zec 14:16 is anacolouthic: כּל־הנּותר, with its further definition, is placed at the head absolutely, whilst the predicate is attached in the form of an apodosis with ועלוּ. The entrance of the heathen into the kingdom of God is depicted under the figure of the festal journeys to the sanctuary of Jehovah, which had to be repeated year by year. Of the feasts which they will keep there every year (on מדּי, see Delitzsch on Isa 66:23), the feast of tabernacles is mentioned, not because it occurred in the autumn, and the autumn was the best time for travelling (Theod. Mops., Theodoret, Grot., Ros.), or because it was the greatest feast of rejoicing kept by the Jews, or for any other outward reason, but simply on account of its internal significance, which we must not seek for, however, as Koehler does, in its agrarian importance as a feast of thanksgiving for the termination of the harvest, and of the gathering in of the fruit; but rather in its historical allusion as a feast of thanksgiving for the gracious protection of Israel in its wanderings through the desert, and its introduction into the promised land with its abundance of glorious blessings, whereby it foreshadowed the blessedness to be enjoyed in the kingdom of God (see my bibl. Archäologie, i. p. 414ff.). This feast will be kept by the heathen who have come to believe in the living God, to thank the Lord for His grace, that He has brought them out of the wanderings of this life into the blessedness of His kingdom of peace. With this view of the significance of the feast of tabernacles, it is also possible to harmonize the punishment threatened in Zec 14:17 for neglecting to keep this feast, - namely, that the rain will not be (come) upon the families of the nations which absent themselves from this feast. For rain is an individualizing expression denoting the blessing of God generally, and is mentioned here with reference to the fact, that without rain the fruits of the land, on the enjoyment of which our happiness depends, will not flourish. The meaning of the threat is, therefore, that those families which do not come to worship the Lord, will be punished by Him with the withdrawal of the blessings of His grace. The Egyptians are mentioned again, by way of example, as those upon whom the punishment will fall. So far as the construction of this verse is concerned, ולע באה is added to strengthen תעלה and לא עליהם contains the apodosis to the conditional clause introduced with אם, to which יהיה הגּשׁם is easily supplied from Zec 14:17. The positive clause which follows is then appended as an asyndeton: It (the fact that the rain does not come) will be the plague, etc. The prophet mentions Egypt especially, not because of the fact in natural history, that this land owes its fertility not to the rain, but to the overflowing of the Nile, - a notion which has given rise to the most forced interpretations; but as the nation which showed the greatest hostility to Jehovah and His people in the olden time, and for the purpose of showing that this nation was also to attain to a full participation in the blessings of salvation bestowed upon Israel (cf. Isa 19:19.). In Zec 14:19 this thought is rounded off by way of conclusion. זאת, this, namely the fact that no rain falls, will be the sin of Egypt, etc. חטּאת, the sin, including its consequences, or in its effects, as in Num 32:23, etc. Moreover, we must not infer from the way in which this is carried out in Zec 14:17-19, that at the time of the completion of the kingdom of God there will still be heathen, who will abstain from the worship of the true God; but the thought is simply this: there will then be no more room for heathenism within the sphere of the kingdom of God. To this there is appended the thought, in Zec 14:20, Zec 14:21, that everything unholy will then be removed from that kingdom.

Zec 14:20-21

Zec 14:20. “In that day there will stand upon the bells of the horses, Holy to Jehovah; and the pots in the house of Jehovah will be like the sacrificial bowls before the altar. Zec 14:21. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to Jehovah of hosts, and all who sacrifice will come and take of them, and boil therein; and there will be no Canaanite any more in the house of Jehovah of hosts in that day.” The meaning of Zec 14:20 is not exhausted by the explanation given by Michaelis, Ewald, and others, that even the horses will then be consecrated to the Lord. The words קדשׁ ליהוה were engraven upon the gold plate on the tiara of the high priest, in the characters used in engravings upon a seal (Exo 28:36). If, then, these words are (i.e., are to stand) upon the bells of the horses, the meaning is, that the bells of the horses will resemble the head-dress of the high priest in holiness.It follows from this passage, that it was an Israelitish custom to hang bells upon the horses and mules as ornaments, and probably also for other purposes, as with us. This custom was a very common one in antiquity (see the proofs which have been so diligently collected in Dougtaei Analecta sacr. p. 296ff.).

This does not merely express the fact that the whole of the ceremonial law will be abolished, but also that the distinction between holy and profane will cease, inasmuch as even the most outward things, and things having no connection whatever with worship, will be as holy as those objects formerly were, which were dedicated to the service of Jehovah by a special consecration. In Zec 14:20 and Zec 14:21, the graduated distinction between the things which were more or less holy is brought prominently out. The pots in the sanctuary, which were used for boiling the sacrificial flesh, were regarded as much less holy than the sacrificial bowls in which the blood of the sacrificial animals was received, and out of which it was sprinkled or poured upon the altar. In the future these pots will be just as holy as the sacrificial bowls; and indeed not merely the boiling pots in the temple, but all the boiling pots in Jerusalem and Judah, which have hitherto been only clean and not holy, so that men will use them at pleasure for boiling the sacrificial flesh. In this priestly-levitical drapery the thought is expressed, that in the perfected kingdom of God not only will everything without exception be holy, but all will be equally holy. The distinction between holy and profane can only cease, however, when the sin and moral defilement which first evoked this distinction, and made it necessary that the things intended for the service of God should be set apart, and receive a special consecration, have been entirely removed and wiped away. To remove this distinction, to prepare the way for the cleansing away of sin, and to sanctify once more that which sin had desecrated, was the object of the sacred institutions appointed by God. To this end Israel was separated from the nations of the earth; and in order to train it up as a holy nation, and to secure the object described, a law was given to it, in which the distinction between holy and profane ran through all the relations of life. And this goal will be eventually reached by the people of God; and sin with all its consequences be cleansed away by the judgment. In the perfected kingdom of God there will be no more sinners, but only such as are righteous and holy. This is affirmed in the last clause: there will be no Canaanite any more in the house of Jehovah. The Canaanites are mentioned here, not as merchants, as in Zep 1:11; Hos 12:8 (as Jonathan, Aquila, and others suppose), but as a people laden with sin, and under the curse (Gen 9:25; Lev 18:24.; Deu 7:2; Deu 9:4, etc.), which has been exterminated by the judgment. In this sense, as the expression לא עוד implies, the term Canaanite is used to denote the godless members of the covenant nation, who came to the temple with sacrifices, in outward self-righteousness. As עוד presupposes that there were Canaanites in the temple of Jehovah in the time of the prophet, the reference cannot be to actual Canaanites, because they were prohibited by the law from entering the temple, but only to Israelites, who were Canaanites in heart. Compare Isa 1:10, where the princes of Judah are called princes of Sodom (Eze 16:3; Eze 44:9). The “house of Jehovah” is the temple, as in the preceding verse, and not the church of Jehovah, as in Zec 9:8, although at the time of the completion of the kingdom of God the distinction between Jerusalem and the temple will have ceased, and the whole of the holy city, yea, the whole of the kingdom of God, will be transformed by the Lord into a holy of holies (see Rev 21:22, Rev 21:27).

Thus does our prophecy close with a prospect of the completion of the kingdom of God in glory. All believing commentators are agreed that the final fulfilment of Zec 14:20 and Zec 14:21 lies before us in Rev 21:27 and Rev 22:15, and that even Zec 12:1-14 neither refers to the Chaldaean catastrophe nor to the Maccabaean wars, but to the Messianic times, however they may differ from one another in relation to the historical events which the prophecy foretels. Hofmann and Koehler, as well as Ebrard and Kliefoth, start with the assumption, that the prophecy in ch. 12-14 strikes in where the preceding one in ch. 9-11 terminates; that is to say, that it commences with the time when Israel was given up to the power of the fourth empire, on account of its rejection of the good shepherd, who appeared in Christ. Now since Hofmann and Koehler understand by Israel only the chosen people of the old covenant, or the Jewish nation, and by Jerusalem the capital of this nation in Palestine, they find this prophecy in Zec 12:1-14, that when Jehovah shall eventually bring to pass the punishment of the bad shepherd, i.e., of the imperial power, with its hostility to God, it will assemble together again in its members the nations of the earth, to make war upon the material Jerusalem and Israel, which has returned again from its dispersion in all the world into the possession of the holy land (Palestine), and will besiege the holy city; but it will there be smitten by Jehovah, and lose its power over Israel. At that time will Jehovah also bring the previous hardening of Israel to an end, open its eyes to its sin against the Saviour it has put to death, and effect its conversion. But they differ in opinion as to ch. 14. According to Koehler, this chapter refers to a future which is still in the distance - to a siege and conquest of Jerusalem which are to take place after Israel’s conversion, through which the immediate personal appearance of Jehovah will be brought to pass, and all the effects by which that appearance is necessarily accompanied. According to Hofmann (Schriftbeweis, ii. p. 610ff.), Zec 14:1. refers to the same occurrence as Zec 12:2., with this simple difference, that in Zec 12:1-14 the prophet states what that day, in which the whole of the world of nations attacks Jerusalem, will do with the people of God, and in ch. 14 to what extremity it will be brought. Ebrard and Kliefoth, on the other hand, understand by Israel, with its capital Jerusalem, and the house of David (in Zechariah 12:1-13:6), rebellious Judaism after the rejection of the Messiah; and by Judah with its princes, Christendom. Hence the prophecy in this section announces what calamities will happen to Israel according to the flesh - that has become rebellious through rejecting the Messiah - from the first coming of Christ onwards, until its ultimate conversion after the fulness of the Gentiles has come in.Kliefoth accordingly finds the siege of Jerusalem, predicted in Zec 12:2, fulfilled in the siege of that city by Titus. The besieging nations then drank the reeling-cup; for the subjection of Judah was the last act in the victory of the Roman empire over the Macedonian. Rome was then at the summit of its imperial greatness; and from that time forth it became reeling and weak. This weakening was indeed prepared and effected through the Christina church; but it was just the siege of Jerusalem which transferred the centre of the Christian church from Jerusalem to the Roman empire. The fulfilment of Zec 12:3 is to be found in the Crusades, the Oriental question, the Haute Finance, and the Emancipation of the Jews. Jerusalem has thus become a burden-stone for all nations, etc.

The section Zec 13:7-9 (the smiting of the shepherd) does not refer to the crucifixion of Christ, because this did not lead to the consequences indicated in Zec 13:8, so far as the whole earth was concerned, but to the “cutting off of the Messiah” predicted in Dan 9:26, the great apostasy which forms the beginning of the end, according to Luk 17:25; 2Th 2:3; 1Ti 4:1, and 1Ti 4:2 Time. Zec 3:1, and through which Christ in His church is, according to the description in Rev 13:17, so cut off from historical life, that it cannot be anything on earth. Lastly, ch. 14 treats of the end of the world and the general judgment.

Of these two views, we cannot look upon either as well founded. For, in the first place, the assumption common to the two, and with which they set out, is erroneous and untenable, - namely, that the prophecy in ch. 12ff. strikes in where the previous one in ch. 9-11 terminated, and therefore that ch. 12-14 is a direct continuation of ch. 9-11. This assumption is at variance not only with the relation in which the two prophecies stand to one another, as indicated by the correspondence in their headings, and as unfolded in Zec 12:1, Zec 12:2, but also with the essence of the prophecy, inasmuch as it is not a historical prediction of the future according to its successive development, but simply a spiritual intuition effected by inspiration, in which only the leading features of the form which the kingdom of God would hereafter assume are set forth, and that in figures drawn from the circumstances of the present and the past. Again, the two views can only be carried out by forcing the text. If the prophecy in Zec 12:1-14 started with the period when Israel came into power of the Roman empire after the rejection of the Messiah, it could not leap so abruptly to the last days, as Hofmann and Koehler assume, and commence with the description of a victorious conflict on the part of Israel against the nations of the world that were besieging Jerusalem, but would certainly first of all predict, if not the destruction of the Jewish nation by the Romans (which is merely indicated in ch. 11), at all events the gathering together of the Jews, who had been scattered by the Romans over all the world, into Palestine and Jerusalem, before an attack of the nations of the world upon Israel could possibly be spoken of. Moreover, even the difference between Hofmann and Koehler with regard to the relation between Zec 12:1-9 and Zec 14:1-5 shows that the transference of the whole to the last times cannot be reconciled with the words of these sections. The hypothesis of Koehler, that after the gathering together of Israel out of its dispersion, the nations of the world would make an attack upon Jerusalem in which they would be defeated, and that this conflict would for the first time bring Israel to the recognition of its guilt in putting Christ to death, is at variance with the whole of the prophecy and teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. For, according to these, Israel is not to be gathered together from its dispersion among the nations till it shall return with penitence to Jehovah, whom it has rejected. But Hofmann’s statement as to the relation between the two sections is so brief and obscure, that it is more like a concealment than a clearing up of the difficulties which it contains. Lastly, when Hofmann correctly observes, that “by the Israel of the heading in Zec 12:1 we can only understand the people of God, in contradistinction to the world of nations, which is estranged from God,” this cannot apply to the unbelieving Jews, who have been given into the power of the last empire on account of their rejection of Christ, or Israel according to the flesh, for that Israel is rejected by God. The people of God exists, since the rejection of Christ, only in Christendom, which has been formed out of believing Jews and believing Gentiles, or the church of the New Testament, the stem and kernel of which were that portion of Israel which believingly accepted the Messiah when He appeared, and into whose bosom the believing Gentile peoples were received. Ebrard and Kliefoth are therefore perfectly right in their rejection of the Jewish chiliasm of Hofmann and Koehler; but when they understand by the Israel of the heading belonging to ch. 12-14, which we find in Zec 12:1-9, only the unbelieving carnal Israel, and by that in ch. 14 the believing Israel which has been converted to Christ, and also introduce into Zec 12:1-9 an antithesis between Israel and Judah, and then understand by Jerusalem and the house of David in Zec 12:1-14 the hardened Jews, and by Judah, Christendom; and, on the other hand, by Jerusalem and Judah in ch. 14 the Christendom formed of believing Jews and believing Gentiles, - we have already shown at Zec 12:10 that these distinctions are arbitrarily forced upon the text.

Our prophecy treats in both parts - Zechariah 12:1-13:6 and ch. 13:7-14:21 - of Israel, the people of God, and indeed the people of the new covenant, which has grown out of the Israel that believed in Christ, and believers of the heathen nations incorporated into it, and refers not merely to the church of the new covenant in the last times, when all the old Israel will be liberated by the grace of God from the hardening inflicted upon it, and will be received again into the kingdom of God, and form a central point thereof (Vitringa, C. B. Mich., etc.), but to the whole development of the church of Christ from its first beginning till its completion at the second coming of the Lord, as Hengstenberg has in the main discovered and observed. As the Israel of the heading (Zec 12:1) denotes the people of God in contradistinction to the peoples of the world, the inhabitants of Jerusalem with the house of David, and Judah with its princes, as the representatives of Israel, are typical epithets applied to the representatives and members of the new covenant people, viz., the Christian church; and Jerusalem and Judah, as the inheritance of Israel, are types of the seats and territories of Christendom. The development of the new covenant nation, however, in conflict with the heathen world, and through the help of the Lord and His Spirit, until its glorious completion, is predicted in our oracle, not according to its successive historical course, but in such a manner that the first half announces how the church of the Lord victoriously defeats the attacks of the heathen world through the miraculous help of the Lord, and how in consequence of this victory it is increased by the fact that the hardened Israel comes more and more to the acknowledgment of its sin and to belief in the Messiah, whom it has put to death, and is incorporated into the church; whilst the second half, on the other hand, announces how, in consequence of the slaying of the Messiah, there falls upon the covenant nation a judgment through which two-thirds are exterminated, and the remainder is tested and refined by the Lord, so that, although many do indeed fall and perish in the conflicts with the nations of the world, the remnant is preserved, and in the last conflict will be miraculously delivered through the coming of the Lord, who will come with His saints to complete His kingdom in glory by the destruction of the enemies of His kingdom, and by the transformation and renewal of the earth. As the believing penitential look at the pierced One (Zec 12:10) will not take place for the first time at the ultimate conversion of Israel at the end of the days, but began on the day of Golgotha, and continues through all the centuries of the Christian church, so did the siege of Jerusalem by all nations (Zec 12:1-9), i.e., the attack of the heathen nations upon the church of God, commence even in the days of the apostles (cf. Act 4:25.), and continues through the whole history of the Christina church to the last great conflict which will immediately precede the return of our Lord to judgment. And again, just as the dispersion of the flock after the slaying of the shepherd commenced at the arrest and death of Christ, and the bringing back of the hand of the Lord upon the small ones at the resurrection of Christ, so have they both been repeated in every age of the Christian church, inasmuch as with every fresh and powerful exaltation of antichristian heathenism above the church of Christ, those who are weak in faith flee and are scattered; but as soon as the Lord shows Himself alive in His church again, they let Him gather them together once more. And this will continue, according to the word of the Lord in Mat 24:10., till the end of the days, when Satan will go out to deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth, and to gather together Gog and Magog to battle against the camp of the saints and the holy city; whereupon the Lord from heaven will destroy the enemy, and perfect His kingdom in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev).

So far as the relation between Zec 12:2-9 and Zec 14:1-5 is concerned, it is evident from the text of both these passages that they do not treat of two different attacks upon the church of God by the imperial power, occurring at different times; but that, whilst Zec 12:1-14 depicts the constantly repeated attack in the light of its successful overthrow, ch. 14 describes the hostile attack according to its partial success and final issue in the destruction of the powers that are hostile to God. This issue takes place, no doubt, only at the end of the course of this world, with the return of Christ to the last judgment; but the fact that Jerusalem is conquered and plundered, and the half of its population led away into captivity, proves indisputably that the siege of Jerusalem predicted in ch. 14 must not be restricted to the last attack of Antichrist upon the church of the Lord, but that all the hostile attacks of the heathen world upon the city of God are embraced in the one picture of a siege of Jerusalem. In the attack made upon Jerusalem by Gog and Magog, the city is not conquered and plundered, either according to Ezekiel 38 and 39, or according to Rev 20:7-9; but the enemy is destroyed by the immediate interposition of the Lord, without having got possession of the holy city. But to this ideal summary of the conflicts and victories of the nations of the world there is appended directly the picture of the final destruction of the ungodly power of the world, and the glorification of the kingdom of God; so that in Zechariah 14 (from vv. 6-21) there is predicted in Old Testament form the completion of the kingdom of God, which the Apostle John saw and described in Revelation in New Testament mode under the figure of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Persecution of the Church; Judgments and Mercies; Encouraging Prospects. (b. c.  500.)

1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord , not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

God's providences concerning his church are here represented as strangely changing and strangely mixed.

I. As strangely changing. Sometimes the tide runs high and strong against them, but presently it turns, and comes to be in favour of them; and God has, for wise and holy ends, set the one over against the other.

1. God here appears against Jerusalem; judgment begins at the house of God. When the day of the Lord comes (v. 1) Jerusalem must pass through the fire to be refined. God himself gathers all nations against Jerusalem to battle (v. 2); he gives them a charge, as he did Sennacherib, to take the spoil and to take the prey (Isa. x. 6), for the people of Jerusalem have now become the people of his wrath. And who can stand before him or before nations gathered by him? Where he gives commission he will give success. The city shall be taken by the Romans, who have nations at command; the houses shall be rifled, and all the riches of them taken away, by the enemy; and, to gratify an insatiable lust of uncleanness as well as avarice, the women shall be ravished, as if victory were a license to the worst of villanies, jusque datum sceleri—and crimes were sanctioned by law. One-half of the city shall then be carried into captivity, to be sold or enslaved, and shall not be able to help itself, such is the destruction that shall be made in the great and terrible day of the Lord.

2. He presently changes his way, and appears for Jerusalem; for, though judgment begin at the house of God, yet, as it shall not end there, so it shall not make a full end there, Jer. iv. 27; xxx. 11.

(1.) A remnant shall be spared, the same with that third part spoken of, ch. xiii. 8. One-half shall go into captivity, whence they may hereafter be fetched back, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off, as one would have feared, from the city. Many of the Jews shall receive the gospel, and so shall prevent their being cut off from the city of God, his church upon earth. In it shall be a tenth, Isa. vi. 13; See Ezek. v. 3.

(2.) Their cause shall be pleaded against their enemies (v. 3): Then, when God has made use of these nations as a scourge to his people, he shall go forth and fight against them by his judgments, as when he fought against the enemies of his church formerly in the day of battle, with the Egyptians, Canaanites, and others. Note, The instruments of God's wrath will themselves be made the objects of it; for it will come to their turn to drink of the cup of trembling; and whom God fights against he will be sure to overcome and be too hard for. And every former day of battle, which God has made to his people a day of triumph, as it is an engagement to God to appear for his people, because he is the same, so it is an encouragement to them to trust in him. It is observable that the Roman empire never flourished, after the destruction of Jerusalem as it had done before, but in many instances God fought against it.

(3.) Though Jerusalem and the temple be destroyed, yet God will have a church in the world, into which Gentiles shall be admitted, and with whom the believing Jews shall be incorporated, v. 4, 5. These verses are dark and hard to be understood; but divers good expositors take this to be the meaning of them. [1.] God will carefully inspect Jerusalem, even then when the enemies of it are laying it waste: His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, whence he may take a full view of the city and temple, Mark xiii. 3. When the refiner puts his gold into the furnace he stands by it, and has his eye upon it, to see that it receive no damage; so when Jerusalem, God's gold, is to be refined, he will have the oversight of it. He will stand by upon the mount of Olives; this was literally fulfilled when our Lord Jesus was often upon this mountain, especially when thence he ascended up into heaven, Acts i. 12. It was the last place on which his feet stood on this earth, the place from which he took rise. [2.] The partition-wall between Jews and Gentiles shall be taken away. The mountains about Jerusalem, and particularly this, signified it to be an enclosure, and that it stood in the way of those who would approach to it. Between the Gentiles and Jerusalem this mountain of Bether, of division, stood, Cant. ii. 17. But by the destruction of Jerusalem this mountain shall be made to cleave in the midst, and so the Jewish pale shall be taken down, and the church laid in common with the Gentiles, who were made one with the Jews by the breaking down of this middle wall of partition, Eph. ii. 14. Who art thou, O great mountain? And a great mountain the ceremonial law was in the way of the Jews' conversion, which, one would think, could never have been got over; yet before Christ and his gospel it was made plain. This mountain departs, this hill removes, but the covenant of peace cannot be broken; for peace is still preached to him that is afar off and to those that are nigh. [3.] A new and living way shall be opened to the new Jerusalem, both to see it and to come into it. The mountain being divided, one-half towards the north and the other half towards the south, there shall be a very great valley, that is, a broad way of communication opened between Jerusalem and the Gentile world, by which the Gentiles shall have free admission into the gospel-Jerusalem, and the word of the Lord, that goes forth from Jerusalem, shall have a free course into the Gentile world. Thus the way of the Lord is prepared, for every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and plain and pleasant valleys shall come in the room of them, Isa. xl. 4. [4.] Those of the Jews that believe shall come in, and join themselves to the Gentiles, and incorporate with them in the gospel-church: You shall flee to the valley of the mountains, that valley that is opened between the divided halves of the mount of Olives; they shall hasten into the church with the Gentiles, as formerly the Gentiles with them, ch. viii. 23. The valley of the mountains is the gospel-church, to which there were added of the Jews daily such as should be saved, who fled to that valley as to their refuge. This valley of the mountains is said to reach unto Azal, or to the separate place, that is, to all those whom God has set apart for himself. When God makes his mountains a way (Isa. xlix. 11), by making them a valley, the way shall be opened to all the way-faring men (Isa. xxxv. 8), and, though fools, they shall not err therein. Or, to those that are now separated from God this valley shall reach; for the Gentiles, who are afar off, shall be made nigh, with the Jews, who are a people near unto him, and both have an access, a mutual access to each other and a joint access to God as a Father by one Spirit, Eph. ii. 18. [5.] They shall flee to the valley of the mountains, to the gospel-church, under dreadful apprehensions of their danger from the curse of the law. They shall flee from the wrath to come, from the avenger of blood, who is in pursuit of them, to the church as to a city of refuge, or as doves to their windows, as they fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, Amos i. 1. Therefore the gospel reveals the wrath of God from heaven (Rom. i. 18) that we might be awakened to escape for our lives, to flee as from an earthquake, for we feel the earth ready to sink under us, and we can find no firm footing in it, and therefore must flee to Christ, in whom alone we can stand fast and be easy.

(4.) God shall appear in his glory for the accomplishing of all this: The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee, which may refer to his coming to destroy Jerusalem, or to destroy the enemies of Jerusalem, or his coming to set up his kingdom in the world, which is called the coming of the Son of man (Matt. xxiv. 37), or to his last coming, at the end of time; however, it teaches us, [1.] That the Lord will come; it has been the faith of all the saints, Behold, the Lord comes to fulfil every word that he has spoken in its season. [2.] When he comes all his saints come with him; they attend his motions and are ready to serve his interests. Christ will come at the end of time with ten thousands of his saints, as when he came to give the law upon Mount Sinai. [3.] Every particular believer, being related to God as his God, may triumph in the expectation of his coming and speak of it with pleasure, The Lord my God shall come, shall come to the comfort of all that are his; for, "Blessed Lord, all the saints shall be with thee, and it shall be their everlasting happiness to dwell in thy presence; and therefore come, Lord Jesus." And some think that this may be read as a prayer, Yet, O Lord my God! come, and bring all the saints with thee.

II. God's providences appear here strangely mixed (v. 6, 7): In that day of the Lord the light shall not be clear nor dark, not day nor night; but at evening time it shall be light. Some refer this to all the time from hence to the coming of the Messiah; the Jewish church had neither perfect peace nor constant trouble, but a cloudy day, neither rain nor sunshine. But it may be taken more generally, as designed to represent the method God usually takes in the administration of the kingdom both of providence and grace. Here is, 1. An idea of the usual course and tenour of God's dispensations; the day of his grace and the day of his providence are neither clear nor dark, not day nor night. It is so with the church of God in this world; where the Sun of righteousness has risen it cannot be dark night, and yet short of heaven it will not be clear day. It is so with particular saints; they are not darkness, but light in the Lord, and yet, while there is so much error and corruption remaining in them, it is not perfect day. So it is as to the providences of God that relate to his church; in general the affairs of the church are neither good nor bad in any extremity, but there is a mixture of both; we are singing both of mercy and judgment, and are uncertain which will prevail, whether it be an evening or a morning twilight. We are between hope and fear, not knowing what to make of things. 2. An intimation of comfort with reference hereunto: It shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord. This intimates, (1.) The beauty and harmony of such mixed events; there is one and the same design and tendency in all; all the wheels make but one wheel, all the revolutions but one day. (2.) The brevity of them; it is, as it were, but for one day, for a little moment; the cloud that darkens the light will soon blow over. (3.) The eye God has upon all these events, and the hand he has in them all; they are known to the Lord; he takes notice of them, and orders and disposes of all for the best, according to the counsel of his will. 3. An issue very joyful secured at last: At evening-time it shall be light: it shall be clear light, and no longer dark; we are sure of it in the other world, and we hope for it in this world—at evening-time, when our hopes are quite spent with waiting all day to no purpose, nay, when we fear it will be quite dark, when things are at the worst and the case of the church is most deplorable. As to the church's enemies the sun goes down at noon, so to the church it rises at night; unto the upright springs light out of darkness (Ps. cxii. 4); deliverance comes when the tale of bricks is doubled, and when God's people have done looking for it, and so it comes with a pleasing surprise.

Blessings Promised to the Church; Judgments Threatened. (b. c. 500.)

8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord , and his name one. 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine-presses. 11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. 14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

Here are, I. Blessings promised to Jerusalem, the gospel-Jerusalem, in the day of the Messiah, and to all the earth, by virtue of the blessings poured out on Jerusalem, especially to the land of Israel.

1. Jerusalem shall be a spring of living waters to the world; it was made so when there the Spirit was poured out upon the apostles, and thence the word of the Lord diffused itself to the nations about (v. 8): Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; for there they began, and thence those set out who were to preach repentance and remission of sins unto all nations, Luke xxiv. 47. Note, Where the gospel goes, and the graces of God's Spirit go along with it, there living waters go; those streams that make glad the city of our God make glad the country also, and make it like paradise, like the garden of the Lord, which was well watered. It was the honour of Jerusalem that thence the word of the Lord went forth (Isa. ii. 3); and thus far, even in its worst and most degenerate age, for old acquaintance-sake, it was made a blessing, and to be so is to be blessed. Half of these waters shall go towards the former sea and half towards the hinder sea, as all rivers bend their course towards some sea or other, some eastward, others westward. The gospel shall spread into all parts of the world, into some that lie remote from Jerusalem one way and others that lie as far off another way; for the dominion of the Redeemer, which was thereby to be set up, must be from sea to sea (Ps. lxxii. 8), and the earth must be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, and as the waters that in various channels run to the sea. The knowledge of God shall diffuse itself, (1.) Every way. These living waters shall produce both eastern churches and western churches, that shall each of them in its turn be illustrious. (2.) Every day: In summer and in winter it shall be. Note, Those who are employed in spreading the gospel may find themselves work both winter and summer, and are to serve the Lord therein at all seasons, Acts xx. 18. And such a divine power goes along with these living waters that they shall not be dried up, nor the course of them be obstructed, either by the droughts in summer or by the frosts in winter.

2. The kingdom of God among men shall be a universal and united kingdom, v. 9. (1.) It shall be a universal kingdom: The Lord shall be King over all the earth. He is, and ever was, so of right, and in the sovereign disposals of his providence his kingdom does rule over all and none are exempt from his jurisdiction; but it is here promised that he shall be so by actual possession of the hearts of his subjects; he shall be acknowledged King by all in all places; his authority shall be owned and submitted to, and allegiance sworn to him. This will have its accomplishment with that word (Rev. xi. 15), The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. (2.) It shall be a united kingdom: There shall be one Lord, and his name one. All shall worship one God only, and not idols, and shall be unanimous in the worship of him. All false gods shall be abandoned, and all false ways of worship abolished; and as God shall be the centre of their unity, in whom they shall all meet, so the scripture shall be the rule of their unity, by which they shall all walk.

3. The land of Judea, and Jerusalem, its mother-city, shall be repaired and replenished, and taken under the special protection of Heaven, v. 10, 11. Some think this denotes particular favour to the people of the Jews, and points at their conversion and restoration in the latter days; but it is rather to be understood figuratively of the gospel-church, typified by Judah and Jerusalem, and it signifies the abundant graces with which the church shall be crowned, and the fruitfulness of its members, and the vast numbers of them. (1.) The church shall be like a fruitful country, abounding in all the rich products of the soil. The whole land of Judea, which is naturally uneven and hilly, shall be turned as a plain; it shall become a smooth level valley, from Geba, or Gibeah, its utmost border north, to Rimmon, which lay south of Jerusalem and was the utmost southern limit of Judea. The gospel of Christ, where it comes in its power, levels the ground; mountains and hills are brought low by it, that the Lord alone may be exalted. (2.) It shall be like a populous city. As the holy land shall be levelled, so the holy city shall be peopled, shall be rebuilt and replenished. Jerusalem shall be lifted up out of its low estate, shall be raised out of its ruins; when the land is turned as a plain, and not only the mount of Olives removed (v. 4), but other mountains too, then Jerusalem shall be lifted up, that is, shall appear the more conspicuous; she shall be inhabited in her place, even in Jerusalem, ch. xii. 6. The whole city shall be inhabited in the utmost extent of it, and no part of it left to lie waste. The utmost limits of it are here mentioned, between which there shall be no ground lost, but all built upon, from Benjamin's-gate north-east to the corner-gate north-west, and from the tower of Hananeel in the south to the king's wine-presses in the north; when the churches of Christ in all places are replenished with great numbers of holy, humble, serious Christians, and many such are daily added to it, then this promise is fulfilled. (3.) This country and this city shall both be safe, both the meat in the country and the mouths in the city: Those that dwell in it shall dwell securely, and there shall be none to make them afraid; there shall be no more of that utter destruction that has laid both town and country waste, no more anathema (as some read it), no more cutting off, no more curse, or separation from God to evil, no more such desolating judgments as you have been groaning under, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; there shall be no danger, nor any apprehension of it; neither shall its friends be fearful to disquiet themselves nor its enemies formidable to disquiet them. That promise of Christ explains this—that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church; and so do the holy security and serenity of mind which believers enjoy in relying on the divine protection.

II. Here are judgments threatened against the enemies of the church, that have fought, or do fight, against Jerusalem; and the threatening of these judgments is in order to the preservation of the church in safety. Men that read and hear of these plagues will be afraid of fighting against Jerusalem, much more when these threatenings are fulfilled in some will others hear and fear. Those that fight against the city of God, and his people, will be found fighting against God, against whom none ever hardened his heart and prospered (v. 12): This shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; whoever they are, God will punish them for the affront done to him, and avenge Jerusalem upon them. 1. They shall waste away under grievous and languishing diseases: Their flesh shall consume away, and they shall be miserably emaciated, even while they stand on their feet, so that they shall be walking skeletons; nothing shall remain but skin and bones. The flesh which they pampered and indulged, and made provision for, when they were fed to the full with the spoils of God's people, shall now consume away, that it cannot be seen, and the bones that were not seen shall stick out, Job xxxiii. 21. They keep their feet, and hope to keep their ground, crawling about as long as they can; but they must yield at last. The organs of sight, the outlets of sin, their eyes, shall consume away in their holes, shall sink into their heads or perhaps start out of them; their envious malicious, adulterous eyes, the eyes they had so often fed with spectacles of misery, these shall consume, which shall make not only their countenances ghastly, but their lives wretched. The organs of speech, the outlets of sin, their tongue, shall consume away in their mouth, whereby God will reckon with them for all their blasphemies against himself and invectives against his people. Thus their own tongues shall fall upon them, and their punishment shall be legible in their sin, as his was whose tongue was tormented in hell-flames. Thus Antiochus and Herod consumed away. 2. They shall be dashed in pieces one against another (v. 13): A great tumult from the Lord shall be among them. But are tumults from the Lord, who is the God of order, and not of confusion? As they are the sin of those that raise them they are not from the Lord, but from the wicked one, and from men's own lusts; but, as they are the punishment of those that suffer by them, they are from the Lord, who serves his own purposes, and carries on his intentions, by the sins, and follies, and restless spirits, of men. It is of themselves that they bite and devour one another, but it is of the Lord, the righteous Judge, that thus they are consumed one of another (Gal. v. 15); as Ahab was deceived by a lying spirit from the Lord, so Abimelech and the men of Shechem were divided, and so destroyed, by an evil spirit from the Lord, Judg. ix. 23. Note, Those that are confederate and combined against the church will justly be separated, and set against one another; and their tumults raised against God will be avenged in tumults among themselves. And they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, to hold him from striking, or to bind him as his prisoner; nay, his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour, to strike and wound him. Note, Those that aim to destroy the church are often made to destroy one another; and every man's sword is sometimes set against his fellow, by him whose sword they all are. Some think this was fulfilled in the factions and dissensions that were among the Jews, when the Romans were destroying them all; for they had fought against the spiritual Jerusalem, the gospel-church; and to that well enough agrees v. 14, Thou also, O Judah! shalt fight against Jerusalem; the Jewish nation shall be ruined by itself, shall die by its own hands; the city and country shall be at war with each other, and so both shall be destroyed. Suis et ipsa Roma viribus ruit—Rome was urged into ruin by its very strength. 3. The plunder of their camp shall greatly enrich the people of God, or the spoils of their country (v. 14): Judah also shall eat at Jerusalem (so one learned interpreter reads it); people shall come from all parts to share in the prey; as when Sennacherib's army was routed before Jerusalem there was the prey of a great spoil divided (Isa. xxxiii. 23), so it shall be now; the wealth of all the heathen round about, that had spoiled Jerusalem, shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance, that an equal dividend may be made among all the parties entitled to a share of the prize. Note, The wealth of the sinner is often laid up for the just, and the Israel of God enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians. 4. The very cattle shall share in the plague with which the enemies of God's church shall be cut off, as they did in divers of the plagues of Egypt (v. 15): All the beasts that shall be in the tents of these wicked men, when God comes to contend with them, shall perish with them, not only beasts used in war, as the horse, but those used for travel, or in the plough, as the mule, the camel, and the ass. Note, The inferior creatures often suffer for the sin of man and in his plagues. Thus God will show his indignation against sin, and will make the creature that is thus subject to vanity groan to be delivered into the glorious liberty of the children of God, Rom. viii. 21, 22.

Evangelical Predictions; Threatenings and Promises; Encouraging Prospects. (b. c.  500.)

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord 's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

Three things are here foretold:—

I. That a gospel-way of worship being set up in the church there shall be a great resort to it and a general attendance upon it. Those that were left of the enemies of religion shall be so sensible of the mercy of God to them in their narrow escape that they shall apply themselves to the worship of the God of Israel, and pay their homage to him, v. 16. Those that were not consumed shall be converted, and this makes their deliverance a mercy indeed, a double mercy. It is a great change that the grace of God makes upon them; those that had come against Jerusalem, finding their attempts vain and fruitless, shall become as much her admirers as ever they had been her adversaries, and shall come to Jerusalem to worship there, and go in concurrence with those whom they had gone contrary to. Note, As some of Christ's foes shall be made his footstool, so others of them shall be made his friends; and, when the principle of enmity is slain in them, their former acts of hostility are pardoned to them, and their services are admitted and accepted, as though they had never fought against Jerusalem. They shall go up to worship at Jerusalem, because that was the place which God had chosen, and there the temple was, which was a type of Christ and his mediation. Converting grace sets us right, 1. In the object of our worship. They shall no longer worship the Molochs and Baals, the kings and lords, that the Gentiles worship, the creatures of their own imagination, but the King, the Lord of hosts, the everlasting King, the King of kings, the sovereign Lord of all. 2. In the ordinances of worship, those which God himself has appointed. Gospel-worship is here represented by the keeping of the feast of tabernacles, for the sake of those two great graces which were in a special manner acted and signified in that feast-contempt of the world, and joy in God, Neh. viii. 17. The life of a good Christian is a constant feast of tabernacles, and, in all acts of devotion, we must retire from the world and rejoice in the Lord, must worship as in that feast. 3. In the Mediator of our worship; we must go to Christ our temple with all our offerings, for in him only our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God, 1 Pet. ii. 5. If we rest in ourselves, we come short of pleasing God; we must go up to him, and mention his righteousness only. 4. In the time of it; we must be constant. They shall go up from year to year, at the times appointed for this solemn feast. Every day of a Christian's life is a day of the feast of tabernacles, and every Lord's day especially (that is the great day of the feast); and therefore every day we must worship the Lord of hosts and every Lord's day with a peculiar solemnity.

II. That those who neglect the duties of gospel-worship shall be reckoned with for their neglect. God will compel them to come and worship before him, by suspending his favours from those that keep not his ordinances: Upon them there shall be no rain, v. 17. Some understand it figuratively; the rain of heavenly doctrine shall be withheld, and of the heavenly grace, which should accompany that doctrine. God will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon them. Note, It is a righteous thing with God to withhold the blessings of grace from those that do not attend the means of grace, to deny the green pastures to those that attend not the shepherd's tents. Or we may take it literally: On them there shall be no rain, to make their ground fruitful. Note, The gifts of common providence are justly denied to those that neglect and despise instituted ordinances. Those that neglected to build the temple were punished with the want of rain (Hag. ii. 17), and so were those that neglected to attend there when it was built. If we be barren and unfruitful towards God, justly is the earth made so to us. Many are crossed, and go backward, in their affairs, and this is at the bottom of it—they do not keep close to the worship of God as they should; they go off from God, and then he walks contrary to them. If we omit or postpone the duties he expects from us, it is just with him to deny the favours we expect from him. But what shall be done to the defaulters of the land of Egypt, to whom the threatening of the want of rain is no threatening, for they have no rain at any time; they need none; they desire none; the river Nilus is to them instead of the clouds of heaven, waters their land, and makes it fruitful, so that what is a punishment to others is none to them? v. 18, 19. It is threatened that if the family of Egypt go not up, that have no rain, yet God will find out a way to meet with them, for there shall be, in effect, the same plague wherewith other nations are smitten for their neglect. God can, and often did, restrain the overflowing of the river, which was equivalent to the shutting up of the clouds; or if the river did its part, and rose as high as it used to do, God had other ways of bringing famine upon them, and destroying the fruits of their ground, as he did by several of the ten plagues of Egypt, so that this (that is, the same) shall be the punishment of Egypt that is the punishment of other nations who come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. Note, Those who think themselves least indebted to, and depending on, the mercy of heaven, cannot therefore think themselves guarded against the justice of Heaven. It does not follow that those who can live without rain can therefore live without God; for not the heavens only, but all other creatures, are that to us that God makes them to be, and no more; nor can any man's way of living enable him to set light by the judgments of God. This shall be the punishment—margin, This shall be the sin of Egypt, and the sin of all nations, that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. The same word signifies both sin and the punishment of sin, so close and inseparable is the connexion between them (as Gen. iv. 7), and sin is often its own punishment. Note, Omissions are sins, and we must come into judgment for them; those contract guilt that go not up to worship at the times appointed, as they have opportunity; and it is a sin that is its own punishment, for those who forsake the duty forfeit the privilege of communion with God.

III. That those who perform the duties of gospel-worship shall have grace to adorn their profession by the duties of a gospel-conversation too. This is promised (v. 20, 21), and it is necessary to the completing of the beauty and happiness of the church. In general, all shall be holiness to the Lord.

1. The name and character of holiness shall not be so confined as formerly. Holiness to the Lord had been written only upon the high priest's forehead, but now it shall not be so appropriated. All Christians shall be living temples, and spiritual priests, dedicated to the honour of God and employed in his service.

2. Real holiness shall be more diffused than it had been, because there shall be more powerful means of sanctification, more excellent rules, more cogent arguments, and brighter patterns of holiness, and because there shall be a more plentiful effusion of the Spirit of holiness and sanctification, after Christ's ascension than ever before.

(1.) There shall be holiness introduced into common things; and those things shall be devoted to God that seemed very foreign. [1.] The furniture of their horses shall be consecrated to God. "Upon the bells of the horses shall be engraven Holiness to the Lord, or upon the bridles of the horses (so the margin) or the trappings. The horses used in war shall no longer be used against God and his people, as they have been, but for him and them. Even their wars shall be holy wars, their troopers serving under God's banner. Their great men, who ride in state with a pompous retinue, shall reckon it their greatest ornament to honour God with their honours. Holiness to the Lord shall be written on the harness of their chariot-horses, as great men have sometimes their coat of arms with their motto painted on their coaches; every gentleman shall take the high priest's motto for his, and glory in it, and make it a memento to himself not to do any thing unworthy of it. Travellers shall have it upon their bridles, with which they guide their horses, as those who desire always to be put in mind of it, by having it continually before them, and to guide themselves in all their motions by this rule. The bells of the horses, which are designed to quicken them in their journey and to give notice of their approach, shall have Holiness to the Lord upon them," to signify that this is that which we ought to be influenced by ourselves, and make profession of to others, wherever we go. [2.] The furniture of their houses too shall be consecrated to God, to be employed in his service. First, The furniture of the priests' houses, or apartments adjoining to the house of the Lord. The common drinking cups they used shall be like the bowls before the altar, that were used either to receive the blood of the sacrifices or to present the wine and oil in, which were for the drink-offerings. The vessels which they used for their own tables shall be used in such a religious manner, with such sobriety and temperance, such devotedness to the glory of God, and such a mixture of pious thoughts and expressions, that their meals shall look like sacrifices; they shall eat and drink, not to themselves, but to him that spreads their tables and fills their cups. And thus, in ministers' families especially, should common actions be done after a godly sort, however they are done in other families. Secondly, The furniture of other houses, those of the common people: "Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness to the Lord. The pots in which they boil their meat, the cups out of which they drink their wine (Jer. xxxv. 5), in these God's good creatures shall never be abused to excess, nor that made the food and fuel of lust which should be oil to the wheels of obedience," as had formerly been, when all tables were full of vomit and filthiness, Isa. xxviii. 8. "What they eat and drink out of these shall nourish their bodies for the service of God; and out of these they shall give liberally for the relief of the poor;" then are they Holiness to the Lord, as the merchandise and the hire of the converted Tyrians are said to be (Isa. xxiii. 18); for both in our gettings and in our spendings we must have an eye to the will of God as our rule and the glory of God as our end. Thirdly, When there shall be such an abundance of real holiness people shall not be nice and curious about ceremonial holiness: "Those that sacrifice shall come and take of these common vessels, and seethe their sacrifices therein, making no distinction between them and the bowls before the altar." In gospel-times the true worshippers shall worship God in spirit and in truth, and neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, John iv. 21. One place shall be as acceptable to God as another (I will that men pray every where); and one vessel shall be as acceptable as another. Little regard shall be had to the circumstance, provided there be nothing indecent or disorderly, while the substance is religiously preserved and adhered to. Some think it intimates that there should be greater numbers of sacrifices offered than the vessels of the sanctuary would serve for; but, rather than any should be turned back or deferred, they shall make no difficulty at all of using common vessels, as the Levites in a case of necessity helped the priests to kill the sacrifices, 2 Chron. xxix. 34.

(2.) There shall be no unholiness introduced into their sacred things, to corrupt them: In that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. Some read it, There shall be no more the merchant, for so a Canaanite sometimes signifies; and they think it was fulfilled when Christ once and again drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple. Or though those that were Canaanites, strangers and foreigners, shall be brought into the house of the Lord, yet they shall cease to be Canaanites; they shall have nothing of the spirit or disposition of Canaanites in them. Or it intimates that though in gospel-times people should grow indifferent as to holy vessels, yet they should be very strict in church-discipline, and careful not to admit the profane to special ordinances, but to separate between the precious and the vile, between Israelites and Canaanites. Yet this will not have its full accomplishment short of the heavenly Jerusalem, that house of the Lord of hosts, into which no unclean thing shall enter; for at the end of time, and not before, Christ shall gather out of his kingdom every thing that offends, and the tares and wheat shall be perfectly and eternally separated.

CHAP. XIV.

Verſe 1. BEhold the day of the Lord commeth] Jeruſalem had her day, and knew it not Luke 19.42. (Jeruſalem was not Jeruſalem: the viſion of peace, ſaw not the things that belong'd to her peace) God therefore will have his day of vengeance, as ſhe had of viſitation. He hath his ſeaſon, his harveſt for judgment Mat. 13.30. and when wickedneſſe is ripe in the field, he will ſuffer it to grow no longer, leſt it ſhed and ſpread: but cuts it up by a juſt and ſeaſonable vengeance. Theſe Jews were by their own confeſſion the children of them which had killed the Prophets:Act. 2 23. and, by killing the Lord Chriſt with wicked hands, they had filled up the meaſure of their fathers Mat. 23.31, 32. what could therefore the Lord do leſſe to a nation ſo incorrigibly flagitious, then bring wrath upon them to the utmoſt 1 Theſſ. 2.16? then ſend forth his armies and deſtroy thoſe murtherers, and burn up their cities? When God did this execution here mentioned, is hard to ſay:Mat. 22.7. Whether by Antiochus Epiphanes (or rather Epimanes, as ſome truly called him,Act. 26.11. Gal. 1.13. for that being exceedingly mad againſt the Jews, he perſecuted the Church of God and waſted it) Or by the Roman ſpoilers at that laſt devaſtation under the command of Titus. Or by Coſroes the Perſian, and Homar the Arabian, who ſucceſſively haraſed and raſed Jeruſalem, rifling the houſes, raviſhing the women, killing whom they pleaſed, and making the reſt pay deare for the very heads they wore: which ſervitude laſted till Godfrey of Bullin ſet them at liberty: ſo the Gloſſe here ſenſeth it. Or laſtly by Gog and Magog, that is, by the great Turk (for Magog is the Scythian nation from whom came the Turks, Lords of Meſhec and Tubal, that is, of Cappadocia and Iberia where they firſt began to raigne) as is before hinted; I take not upon me to determine. The moſt underſtand it of the laſt overthrow of the Romans. The Spirit might have an eye to the Antichriſtian perſecutions of the Orthodox Profeſſours of the Romiſh Edomites.

and the ſpoile ſhall be divided in the middeſt of thee] Freely and feareleſly, none riſing up to make them afraid, the vanquiſhed ſhall be ſo diſabled and diſpirited. Thus the ſilly doves are glad to ſave themſelves by flight, not fight; ſometimes they ſit in their deve-coats, and ſee their neſts deſtroyed, and yong ones killed, not daring once to reſcue or revenge.

Verſe 2. For I will gather all nations] The Romans that ſtiled and held themſelves Lords of all nations, and who had levied a mighty army out of all nations to fight againſt Ieruſalem. See Joſeph. lib. 3. belli Iud. chap. 1. and 3. Or Gog and Magog with all his armies and aſlociates Ezek. 37.4, 5, 6. ſhall compaſſe the beloved city Rev. 20.8, 9. See Verſe 1. with the Note. Would any man take the Churches picture?Lec. com. then let him, ſaith Luther, paint a ſilly poor maid ſitting in a wood or wilderneſſe, and compaſſed about with hungry lions, wolves, boares and beares &c. and in the middeſt of a great many ſurious men aſſaulting her every moment: Let him give her ſay I, that of Martial for her Motto.

In me omnis terraeque, aviumque, mariſque rapina eſt.

and the city ſhall be taken] Non tamen ad exitium, ſed ad exercitium. I have forſaken mine houſe: I have leſt mine heritage (ſaith the Lord Ier. 12.7.) I have given the dearely beloved of my ſoule into the hand of her enemies. At which times there is uſually, as at Athens when taken by Sylla [non-Latin text not transcribed] a bloody butchery.

and the houſes riſled] As at the ſack of Conſtantinople by the Turks: where the ſouldiers are ſaid to have divided money among themſelves by whole hat-fuls: and were therewith ſo enriched, that 'tis a proverb amongſt them at this day, if any grow ſuddenly rich, to ſay, he hath been at the ſacking of Conſtantinople.Turk. biſt. 347 The Emperour had in vaine many times with teares requeſted to have borrowed money of his covetous ſubjects, to have been employed in the defence of the city;Hid. 345. but they would ſtill ſweare that they had it not: as men grown poor for want of trade. Which in few dayes after, their enemies found in ſuch abundance, that they wondred at their wealth, and derided their folly, that poſſeſſing ſo much they would beſtow ſo little in the defence of themſelves and their countrey.

and the women raviſhed] Theſe are the common calamities of war: in the in the lawleſſe violence whereof thoſe three commandements, Thou ſhalt not kill, Thou ſhalt not commit adultery, Thou ſhalt not ſteale: as they are ranked together in the law, ſo they are uſually violated together, Hence Iſa. 13.16. Their children alſo ſhall be daſhed to peeces before their eyes, their houſes ſhall be ſpoiled, and their wives raviſhed. The Iriſh rebels bound the husband to the bed-poſt, whiles they abuſed his wife before his face. In the time of K. Edward the third,Donec mulier fatigata ſpiritum exhalare[illegible: 1 letter]. Walſing. the French ſouldiers at Winchelſey in Suſſex took their luſtfull turns upon a beautifull woman in the Church, and at the time of divine ſervice, untill they had turned her out of the world, as a learned man phraſeth it.

and half of the city ſhall go forth into captivity] An evill, an onely evill, threatened Deut. 28. and ſulfilled to the utmoſt upon this nation, ſo ſhameleſly, ſo lawleſly wicked, as can hardly be peered or parallelled. I have noted before, that this their laſt captivity and diſperſion is ſuch, as that one of their own Rabbines concludeth from thence, that their Meſſiah muſt needs be come, and they muſt needs ſuffer ſo much for killing him. They uſe to ſay that there is ſtill an ounce of the golden calf in all their publike calamities. There is another thing lieth more heavily upon them to this day, were they but ſenſible of it. Let us be ſending up, and ſighing out for them that of the Pſalmiſt, O that the ſalvation of Iſrael were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob ſhall rejoyce, and Iſrael ſhall be glad. Pſa. 14.7.

and the reſidue of the people ſhall not be cut off from the city] A remnant ſhall be reſerved as it were for royall uſe: whether a third part as chap. 13.8. or an half, as here, 'tis not much materiall: in numeris non eſt anxiè laborandum, ſaith Calvin here; for the direct number, it is neither here nor there as we ſay. God ſhall reſerve unto himſelf a ſet and ſelect number. He who comforteth thoſe that are caſt down, ſpeaketh this to his, for encouragement. The Church may be ſhaken, not ſhivered: perſecuted, but not forſaken: caſt down, but not deſtroyed 2 Cor. 4.9.

Verſe 3. Then ſhall the Lord go forth, and fight againſt thoſe nations] Some read it, Among thoſe nations: He ſhall be the Archiſtrategus, the Commander in chief of thoſe Armies, which he hath brought together againſt Ieruſalem, to revenge upon her the quarrel of his Covenant. But I like the other way better: becauſe it is purpoſely ſpoken for the comfort of Saints in evill times. When therefore there is dignus vindice nodus, & periculum par animo Alexandri, as he was wont to ſay, when it is time for God to ariſe, that his enemies may be ſcattered, and thoſe that hate him, fly before him; he will ariſe and have mercy upon Zion; he will awake as in the dayes of old: he will come forth from his holy place to the relcue of his praying people. There brake he the arrowes of the bow, the ſhield, and the ſword, and the battel, Selab. Pſal. 76.3, 4. There he appeared more glorious and excellent then the mountaines of prey. There he did, and there he will: for this is a common and currant Scripture-medium. Eſay 10. God ſhall fight againſt thoſe nations, the very rod of his wrath: which after he hath worn to the ſtump, he will caſt it into the fire. The wicked are called Gods ſword Pſal. 17.13. But it will fall out with them, as with that ſword which Hector gave Ajax; which ſo long as he uſed againſt his enemies, ſerved for help and defence: but after he began to abuſe it to the hurt of hurtleſſe beaſts, it turned into his own bowels.

as when he fought in the day of battel] with his own bare hand as it were, Eſay 52.10. and in a miraculous manner, as he did for Iſrael at the red ſea, for Ioſhua, Iehoſhaphat, Hezekiah &c. and as he ſhall do at that laſt great battle againſt Antichriſt and his Adherents Rev. 20.8, 9, 10. which is here (haply) pointed at. Let the Lord but ariſe only and his enemies ſhall be ſcattered: but if he once take hold of ſhield and buckler, (for defence) he draw out the ſpear and ſword (thoſe weapons of offence) and appear as a man of warr Exod. 15.3. or as a Lord and Victour of warrs (ſo the Chaldee there hath it) he will charge thorough and thorough, he will burn them together Eſay 27.4. and in the ſame place 2 Sam. 23.7.

Verſe 4. And his fcet ſhall ſtand in that day upon the mount of Olives] that is, he ſhall ſo put forth his power for defence of his people, as if he did viſibly appear amongſt them, and beheld the fight from the top of a mountain: like as Zerxes uſed to pitch his tent on high, and ſtand looking on his army when in fight, to encourage them, and to ſend out orders. From this Mount it was, that God departed after many former removes, from Ieruſalem Ezech. 11.23. And what wonder, when as Har Hamiſcha the mount of Unction was become Har Hamaſchith the mount of Corruption 2 King. 23.13? the bold lews having let up their Idol in this mount Olivet, even in the ſight of the Lord: ſo that he never looked out of the Sanctuary,Iohn 18. Mat. 26.30. but he beheld that vile hill of abominations. From this mount it was that our Lord Chriſt aſcended into heaven, Act. 1.11. There he was apprehended by the Jews: there therefore it is prophecied that he ſhall ſtand againſt them by the Romans, ſay ſome, out of Joſep. de Bello Jud. lib. 6. cap. 3. And that when theſe things ſhould come to paſle the Jews might know that their utter deſtruction was neer at hand. So God ſhewed unto the Ninivites on what ſide their city ſhould be taken: and what at that time ſhould be the power and the attempts of the enemy againſt them, Nah. 2. and 3. and yet neither of theſe repented for all this. Others (more probably) hold that here is promiſed ſuch a powerfull preſence of God for the relief of his people, as ſhall farr exceed the glory that appeared at the promulgation of the law, when the mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs:Pſal. 114.6. Heb. 12.21. ſo terrible alſo was the ſight, that Moſcs ſaid, I exceedingly fear and quake. I alſo ſee and tremble at the reſemblance (ſaid an holy man) betwixt that giving of the law, and the requiring of it at the laſt day. In the one Mount Sinai only was on a flame: all the world ſhall be ſo in the other. To the One, Moſes (that climbed up that hill, and alone ſaw it) ſayes, God came with ten thouſand of his Saints. In the other, thouſand thouſands ſhall miniſter to him, and ten thouſand thouſands ſhall ſtand before him. Hereunto ſome refer that obſcure paſſage in the next verſe, The Lord my God ſhall come, and all the Saints with thee: and that at the day of judgement Chriſt ſhall deſcend with all his Angels into mount Olivet, which hangs over the valley of Jehoſhaphar, that there he may plead with all nations, for his people, and for his heritage Iſracl, whom they have ſcattered, and parted their land Ioel. 3.2. Further they ſay, that mount Olivet ſhall then be ſhaken with a very great earthquake: ſo that it ſhall cleave in the middeſt, and leave a very great valley: it ſhall enlarge the valley of Iehoſaphat, that it may be able to receive thoſe that are there to be judged by Chriſt. Thus Leſſius, Sa, à Coſta, à Lapide, who alſo citeth for his purpoſe Clemens Romanus lib. 7. Conſtit. Ap. cap. 33. ſpeaking thus, Mons ipſe Oliveti gloriae venientis cedet & in quaetuor partes diſſectus longiſſimè diffugiel, ut tribunali judicis theatrum totius orbis aſſiſtat. i. e. Mount Olivet ſhall give place to the glory of Chriſt when he commeth; and being cleſt into foure parts, it ſhall flie far afonder, to the end that the theatre of the whole world may ſtand before the tribunall of the Judge. Thus He. and ſurely the following verſes, 6, 7, 8, &c. ſeem to favour this interpretation, and to have relation to the laſt Day. But in Propheſies not yet fulfilled (as this may be one) it is better and more ſure to expect and ſtay for the explication by the event, then to give it without any certain ground.

Verſe 5. And ye ſhall ſlee to the valley of the mount ains] Or, ye ſhall flee the valley of the mountains, ſc. of mount Olivet, made by God (verſe 4.) by whom the Romanes were ſet awork to garriſon Mount Olivet againſt the Jews: and,Joſeph. lib. 6. cap 13. by digging down a great part of it, to fill up the brook Cedron or the town-ditch, and to bring a wall (wherewith they compaſſed about the whole city) thorow the middeſt of this mount: whereby the city was greatly preſſed, and much annoyed. This Mountain ye ſhall flee (as many of you as are Azal; that is ſeparated: confer Exod. 24.11. Eſay 4[illegible: 1 letter].4.) and repair to Pella, a place of reſt provided for you. Not without ſome perturbation of ſpirit (though cauſeleſſe) as in common calamities it falleth out; and the like ſhall befall the very Elect alſo at the laſt day, till they have recollected themſelves, till they remember that now their redemption draweth nigh.

And ye ſhall flec] ſc. with utmoſt haſt and fright j death being that terrible of terribles, as the Philoſopher calleth it, Natures ſlaughterman, Hells Purveyour, &c.

like as ye fled from before the earthquake] which might be as ſad and as ſuddain as that at Pleures in Rhetia, Anno 1618. Aug. 25.Alſt. Chronol. the whole town was overcovered with with a mountaine, which with its moſt ſwift motion oppreſſed 1500. people.

in the dayes of Ʋzzaah king of Juda] Whether this earthquake fell out juſt at that inſtant time when Ʋzzaah offered incenſe, and was therefore ſmitten with leproſie (as the lewiſh Doctors affirm) i have not to ſay. But of the horror of it (beſides Am. 1.1. Joſcphus relateth, that a mountain towards the Weſt cleft in ſunder and removed from its proper place the ſpace of four furlongs, or half a mile: and farther it had proceeded, had not a great mountain towards the Eaſt ſtayed its courſe. Camden reporteth the like hereunto to have fallen out in Hereſord hire, Anno 1571. Cal. Martij 12. about ſix of the clock in the evening, a great hill lifted up it ſelfe with a huge noiſe, and aſcending into an higer place, carryed along with it trees,Camd. Britan. flocks of cattle, ſheep-coates, walked about from Saturday night till Monday noon, overturned a certain Chappell that ſtood in its way, &c. This kind of earthquake Philoſophers call Braſmatia.

and the Lord my God ſhall come] q. d. Let ſcoffers doubt and deride, ſaying, where is the promiſe of his coming? My God will effect with his hand what he hath ſpoken with his mouth, he will, he will, Habac. 2.3. There is an Emphaſis in the word My (q.d. The God whoſe I am, yea [non-Latin text not transcribed] wholly his, as Ariſtotle ſaith of a ſervant) and another in the following Apoſtrophe.

and all the ſaints with thee] The Prophet in an holy indignation at his hearers obſtinacy and untractableneſſe, turns him thus to God: like as doth old Jacob, Gen. 49.18. and our bleſſed Saviour tyred out with the peoples perverſeneſſe, Mat. 11.25, 26. See the Note on both places.

Verſe 6. And it ſhall come to paſſe in that day] that is, ſaith Diod uc, after the deſtruction of Antichriſt ſhall the ſon of God come in, who ſhall bring the Church into its glory: where, without any viciſſitude or variation of day and night, of calamity and proſperity, of knowledge and ignorance, it ſhall enjoy eternall light by the ſight of God, Iſai. 16.19, 20. Rev. 21.23. and 22.5. Thus he. Betwixt this fall of Antichriſt and the Conſummation of all, ſome place the full and finall reſtauration of the Iews, and make this a deſcription of that glorious Church they ſhall then erect. There ſhall be no darkneſſe, but perpetuall light. It ſhall not be ſaith our Prophet here, ſometime clear, ſometimes miſtie, (variable and uncertain weather, now fair, now foule) but one day, not of day and night: for in the evening when night is wont to come it ſhall be light: as if he ſhould ſay, it ſhall be alwaies day and no night [non-Latin text not transcribed] a nightleſſe day, a morning without cloudes, a clear ſhining after raine, as David in another caſe, 2 Sam. 22.4.Hereſ[illegible: 1 letter]ath d[illegible: 1 letter] re ruſt. and as[illegible: 1 letter]vith the Hyperborians the whole halfe year is ſaid to be but one continuate day; ſo that they ſowe and reape in a day.

Verſe 7. Which ſhall be known to the Lord] And that ſhould ſuffice us, without further curious enquiries,Calvin. de re nobis & toti mundo abſcondita, concerning the ſet times and the ſeaſons which the Father hath put in his own power, Act. 1.7. The Muſcovites uſe to ſay in a darke point, in a difficult queſtion, God and our great Duke know all this; Heyl. Geor: And in other talk, all we enjoy health, and life, & all from our great Duke: therefore let us leave all to him. hould not we much more to God? Time hath already confuted thoſe learned men, who from Dan. 12.11. pitched their calculation for the Jewes reſtauration upon the year 1650. Thoſe that ſhall live a few years longer ſhall ſee what will become of their confidence? who have undertaken to prove out of Daniel and the Revelation, Clavis Apocalypt p. 134.136. that the Prophetical numbers come to an end with the year of our Lord 1655. becauſe then the ſeventh Trumpet ſhall ſound; and then the ſix thouſand years from the Creation of the world do expire as they compute.

Verſe 8. Living waters ſhall go out from Jeruſalem] i.e. Abundance of ſpirituall graces frequently in ſcripture compared to waters, for their cooling, cleanſing, quicke ning property, Iſai. 44.3. Ezek; 36.25. and 47.1. John 7.38.. And of theſe waters without all doubt, our baptiſm ordeined of God is a figure and ſacrament. Living waters they are called: that is running as a Spring, not ſtanding as a poole. The godly eſteeme of life by that ſtirring they find in their ſouls, Iſa. 38.15, 16. In all theſe things is the life of my ſpirit: elſe they lament as over a dead ſoule. "O live,D. H[illegible: 1 letter]rris. live (ſaith a Reverend man) live quickly, live much, live long. Many live more in a day then others in a year: for life conſiſteth in action: and ſo much every man liveth, as he acteth graciouſly. Up therefore and be doing ſomething of worth: whereof ye may teſtifie that ye have lived. And for this, get a principle of life, the ſpirit of life which is in Chriſt Jeſus, and then, if ye live in the Spirit, y[illegible: 2 letters]hall alſo walk in the ſpirit, Gal. 5.25. and not fulfill the luſts of the ſieſh, verſe 16. The waters of the ſea, though by their natural courſe they follow the center, yet by obedience to the Moon they are ſubject to her motion; and ſo turn, and return, ebbe and flow, and are kept in continual motion, to keep them from corruption: ſo thoſe that are ſpiritual, though naturally they are carried downward, and the beſt that of themſelves they can do is but dead work: Yet ſo farre as they are ſpiritualized, heavenlized, they are acting for God, and all their deeds are wrought in him, John 3.21. It is their great care to weare out, not ruſt out: to burn out, not to be blown out: yea to flame out, not to ſmother out: to ſerve out their generation, as David did not to idle it out: to live their utmoſt, and not (as Job. 27.15. with 23.) to be buried, before half dead.

in ſummer and winter ſhall it be] ſuch is the perennity and perpetuity of true grace: it ever flowes—more perennis aquae. As it is not like the River Araris of which Ceſar ſaith,C[illegible: 1 letter]ſ de bel. Gal. l. 1. that it cannot with eyes be diſcerned whether it flow forward or backward (ſo ſlow and ſtill is its motion:) ſo neither is it like the brook Cherith, that dryed up before the Prophet,1 Kin. 17.7. becauſe there had been no raine in the Land: or like the River Novanus in Lombardy which (ſaith Plinie) at every Midſomer ſolſtice ſwelleth and runneth over the banks; but at mid-winter, is clean dry. But as the waters of the Sanctuary,Lib. 2. cap. 130 Ezek. 47.4, &c. And as the poople of Siloe, which ſerved all Jeruſalem, and was for every uſe to the citizens: or Hezakiah's watercourſes, 2 Kin. 20.20. Neh. 3.15, 16. whereunto ſome think that the Prophet here alludeth. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath ſaid, out of his belly ſhall flow Rivers of living waters. But this he ſpake (ſaith the Evangeliſt) of the ſp[illegible: 1 letter]rit which they that believe on him ſhould receive, John 7.38, 39.

Verſe 9. And the Lord ſhall be King over all the carth] At the ſounding of the ſeventh Angel, the Kingdoms of this world ſhall become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chriſt: and he ſhall reigne for ever and ever, Rev. 11.15, 17. Coſmographers tell us, that if we divide all the known world into thirty parts, the Heathens part is as nineteen of this thirty: the Mahometans as ſix, the Chriſtians as five only. And of thoſe that profeſſe the name of Chriſt, three parts at leaſt of thoſe five are poſſeſt by Idolatrous Papiſts; who ſay they believe in one only true God, but indeed ſet up many He-ſaints and She-ſaints, whom they adore with divine worſhip: and therein are no better then Pagans. Hence they are called Gentiles, Rev. 11.2. and are ſaid to worſhip Divels, R[illegible: 1 letter]v. 9.20 with 1 Cor. 10.20. Cardinal Bombus ſaith of their Saint Franci[illegible: 1 letter], that he was in numcrum Deorum ab[illegible: 1 letter] Eccleſia Rom. relatus. At Ruremund in Gelderland, a play was acted by the Jeſuites,In Hist. Ven. Anno Dom. 1622. under the title of the Apotheoſis of St. Ignatius the founder of that Order. In the year 610. Boniface the fourth ordained the feaſt of All-ſaints, after that he had obtained of the Emperour the Idol-temple at Rome called the Pantheon; Jac. Ren. de vit. Pont. 309. wherein he placed the Virgin Mary in the roome of Cybcle the Mother of the Heathen Gods. Now the time is yet to come (and oh that it were come!) that, all falſe worſhip laid aſide and abandoned, the fulneſſe of the Gentiles ſhall be brought in: and from the Jews (as ſome gather from this Text compared with others) ſhall the Goſpel go out to all Nations of the world, Iſay. 2.3. who with one conſent ſhall ſubmit themſelves to Chriſt. Aſhur and Egypt, all thoſe large and vaſt Countries, the whole tract of the Eaſt and of the South ſhall embrace the faith of Chriſt and be converted, Iſa. 19.23, 24, 25. and 27.12, 13. Mich. 7.11, 12. Pſal. 68 31. and 72.9, 10, 11. Rev. 21.14. O dieculam illam! Neither need we think it incredible: God can hiſſe for them and fetch them in 'ſuddenly: he can cauſe a Nation to conceive and bring forth in one day, Eſay 66.8, 9. A Text that Cardinall Poole in a letter to Pope Julius the third abuſed: by applying it to the bringing in of Popery again ſo univerſally and ſuddainly in Queen Maries dayes.

ſhall there be one Lord] Be the Gods of the Heathen good-fellows ſaith One, the true God is a jealous God, and will not ſhare his glory with another. Be it that to Pagans and Papagans there are Gods many and Lords many: to us there is but one God, and but one Mediatour betwixt God and man, the man Chriſt Jeſus. As for all others, ſay we of them, as that Heathen once did, Comemno minutos iſtos Deos modò Jovem propitium habeam, I care not for thoſe petty-deities, ſo long as Jehovah favoureth me. Heare O Iſrael (ſaith Moſes, Deut. 6.4.) Jehovah thy God, Jehovah is one. The Hebrew word there uſed for One hath Daleth the laſt letter (which alſo ſtands in number for [illegible: 1 letter]our) extraordinary great in the Originall: to ſignifie ſay the Jew-Doctors, that this one God ſhall be worſhipped in the foure corners of the earth.

and his Name one] that is, One way of worſhip; all Superſtitions being aboliſhed, ſee Mich. 4.5. Or, his Name, that is, his glory as Pſal. 8.1. his tranſcendent excellency ſhall be ſupereminent: He ſhall have a name above all names, that at the name of Jeſus every knee may bow. Thus the word Name is uſed both in Divine and Humane Authors, Gen. 6.14. Men of Name, that is, of Renown: ſo Numb. 1.16. and 16.2. Acts 1.15. the number of Names, that is, of the chieſtaines that were fit to act in the Election. Contrary whereunto is men without name, Job 30.8. men written in the earth, Jer. 17.30. ſhrouded in the ſheet of ſhame,—ingloria vita recedit. and whoſe happineſſe it is to be forgotten in the City, Eccleſ. 8.10. So the Poets call Eminent and famous men Nomina, as Ovid doth Auguſtus: Vive tibi, & longè No nina magna fuge.

And ſpeaking of ſome famous perſon he ſaith Claros inter habens nomina clara viros.

Verſ. 10. All the land ſhal be turned as a plain.] Or, ſhal be compaſſed about as a plain, ut aquore plano, ſo the Tigurine tranſlation. Godſhal enlarge the bounds of his Church; he ſhall lay all level, that people may come in amain from all parts. Every valley ſhall be filled, and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked ſhall be made ſtraight, and the rough-wayes ſmooth, Luk. 3.5. The wilderneſſe, and the folitary place ſhall be glad for them, and the deſert ſhall rejoyce and bloſſom as the roſe: It ſhall bloſſom abundantly, and rejoyce even with joy and ſinging. The glory of Lebanon ſhall be given unto it; the excellencie of Carmel and Sharon, they ſhall ſee the glory of the Lord, and the excellencie of our God, Eſa. 35.1, 2. The Prophet here ſheweth that all the land ſhall be inhabited from one end unto another; From Geba the North-confine, to Rimmon, the South-[illegible: 1 letter]order, Joſh. 15.32, 57. And from Benjamins gate unto the place of the firſt (or old) gate, Neh. 3.6. which ſtood Weſtward, unto the corner gate (See 2 Chron. 26.9. & 25.23.) or the gate that looketh Eaſtward. The limits of the Church ſhall be greatly enlarged; the rough and rugged mountains being made as the ſmooth and pleaſant champions. The ſaithful ſhall paſs from Geba to Rimmon, Cant. 4.6 from the mountains of Myrrh and hils of Frankincenſe, to the Pomgranates (for ſo Rimmon ſignifieth, and from the plenty of that fruit there,Maſius in Joſh. 19.13. this place ſeemeth to have taken its name) that is, from Humiliation and Supplication for pardon and power againſt corruption, to Love and good Works, looking up, and preſſing hard toward the high prize propoſed unto them; as the many grains within the caſe of the Pomgranate do point, and as it were all look up together unto the crown or circle that is without, upon the head of it. To the kings wine-preſſes] which were on the Weſt-ſide, where the ſo rmer two half-compaſſes did meet to make up a whole compaſs. Certain it is, that Jeruſalem was a very large and ſpacious city, comprehending thirty furlongs at leaſt, ſay thoſe that have written of it. There was in it the upper and the nether town,Vide typ. Jeroſol. ap. Adricho. whence it is called, Iie-ruſhalaiim in the dual. There was afterwards the old town and the new, called Boretha, or Caenopolis. But Ezech. 40.41, 42. &c. God ſheweth the Prophet a new Temple bigger then all the old Jeruſalem put all together: and a new Jeruſalem bigger then all the land of Canaan; by theſe very dimenſions ſhewing, that theſe things cannot be underſtood but ſpiritually. And the new Jeruſalem in the Revelation as it lieth four ſquare, looking every way to the four corners of the earth (like as Conſtantinople doth,Turk. Hiſt. which is thereſore ſaid to be a city fatally founded to command) ſo the meaſure of it is twelve thouſand furlongs:Rev. 21.16. which (according to ſome) make no leſs then 1500 miles.

Verſ. 11. And men ſhall dwel in it.] Heb. They ſhall dwel in it, ſc. Multitudes of men. The new Jeruſalem, the Church gathered by the preaching of the Goſpel ſhall not be thinly inhabited, as the wilderneſſe of Judea was: it ſhall not lye waſte for want of people, as divers parts of Turkey do. It ſhall not need to call in the countrey,Neh. 11 as in Nehemiahs dayes, to repleniſh it: but it ſhal be ful thruſt as an hive is with bees, where they hang out on heaps through want of room within or as Jeruſalem was wont to be at the three ſolemn feaſts; or laſtly, as the Temple was at thoſe feaſts where the people were ſo crowded, that they were glad to ſtand and pray, for kneel or bow they could not. See Eſay 51.3. Jer. 31 38, 39, 40. Obad. 19.20. And there ſhall be no more utter deſtruction.] Heb. Cherem, which the vulgar Interpreter rendreth, Anathema; There ſhall be no more curſe, no execrable or accurſed thing; no caſting out by excommunication; no cauſe to do ſo. (See the ſame, Rev. 22.3. No Canaanite in the Lords houſe, as verſe 21. Then ſhall Jeruſalem be holy, and there ſhall no ſtranger paſs thorow her any more, Joel 3.17. ſuch ſhall be her ſanctity. Others expound it of her ſafety and ſecurity (as in the following words, Jeruſalem ſhall be ſafely inhabited. See the like, Jer. 23.6. & 33.16. In thoſe dayes ſhall ludah be ſaved, and Ieruſalem ſhal dwel ſafely: and this is the name wherewith ſhe ſhall be called, Iehovah tſidkenu, The Lord our righteouſneſs. A ſtately name indeed, and that which carries ſafety in the front of it. In Ezekiel the Church is called, I[illegible: 1 letter]hovah Shamma, The Lord is there: and the Pſalmiſt gives the notation, and this note upon it, God is in the midſt of her, ſhe ſhall not be moved: God ſhal help her, and that right early. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Mat. 1.21 Pſal. 130.8 But the Lord our righteouſneſſe is a more Auguſt name. It is Chriſts own name: and imports that Chriſt will ſave his people from their ſinnes (which would lay them naked to the wrath of God, and rage of enemies) he will redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities, and then he need not fear what man can do unto him. It was ſaid of Achilles, that he was Styge armatus: But every childe of the Church is, Coelo, Chriſto, Deo armatus: he hath the peace of God within him, and the power of God without him; and therefore cannot but be ſafe as in a tower of braſs, or town of war. Pſ. 90.1.

Verſe 12. And this ſhal be the plague where with the Lord wil ſmite, &c] The precedent promiſes that were ſo great and glorious, the Prophet doth now farther enlarge, and illuſtrate in the following verſes: and firſt the conqueſt of the enemies, verſe 12, 13, 14, 15. Next, the profeſſion of Chriſt among all nations of the world, verſe 16, 17, 18, 19. And laſtly, the ſanctity of the Church, verſe 20, 21. The conqueſt of the enemies is ſet forth, Firſt by Gods ſtrange judgements upon them, verſe 12. Secondly, By the means, both they ſhal diſpatch one another; and Judah ſhall fight bravely againſt them, verſe 13, & 14. Thirdly, their wealth and ſubſtance ſhal become a prey, verſe 14. Fourthly, their horſes of ſervice, and all the beaſts they bring with them ſhalbe as ſtrangely plagued as the men themſelves, verſe 15. That have fought againſt Ieruſalem.] God will go forth and fight againſt them, verſe 2 ſo that they ſhall wiſh they had never medled. Haec erit plaga qua plagabit. God hath a mighty hand, Iam. 4.9. and it is a fearful thing to fall into it, Heb. 10.31. for, who knoweth the power of his wrath? Pſal. 90.11. One ſtroke of this hard and heavy hand, broke the angels backs, and caſt them into chains of darkneſs, to be reſerved unto judgement, 2 Pet. 2.[illegible: 1 letter]4. Iob felt but his little finger, as it were, and yet cryes out for help, Have pitty upon me, have pitty upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me, Iob 19.21. It had but lightly tonched him, and yet he was hardly able to endure it. Oh the bloody wails that Gods hand hath left upon the backs of his beſt children! Wo then to his enemies when he comes forth to fight againſt them. Their fleſh ſhall conſume away, whiles they ſtand upon their feet.] They ſhall pine away in their iniquities, Levit. 26.30. their beauty ſhall conſume away like a moth. Pſal. 39.11. they ſhall melt as wax before the ſun, or as the fat of lambs before the fire. God if he be not unto them as a lion to tear the kell of their hearts in ſunder, yet he will be as a moth, and as a worm, inſenſibly to conſume them, Hoſ. 5.12, 14. If he break not their teeth in their mouths by ſmiting them upon the cheek-bone, yet he will make them to melt away as waters which run continually; as a ſnail which melteth, and as the untimely birth of a woman that never ſeeth the ſun, Pſa. 58.6, 7, 8. God hath ſecret wayes to waſt his enemies, and to bring them on their knees when they are beſt under-ſet. He can trip up their heels when they are ſtanding upon their feet, and lay them low enough in the ſlimy valley where are many already like them, and more ſhal come after them, Iob 21.31, 32. God hath a Maraſmus, an evil meſſenger for a malicious perſecutor; as he had for Antiochus Epiphanes; for both the Herods; for Maximinus the Tyrant;1 Machab. 6. Joſeph. Antiq. l. 12. c. 11. for Philip the ſecond of Spain, Charles the ninth of France, Queen Mary of England, Steven Gardiner, Arch-Biſhop Arundel, Neſtorius, Arrius, and other odious Hereticks, and enemies of the Church: amongſt whom à Lapide the Ieſuit reckons here Calvin, and ſaith, That like another Hered, he died a lowſie lothſom death: and for his authority thinks it enough to ſay, uti refert Bolſecus in ejus vita. But it muſt be underſtood, that the lives of Calvin and Beza were ſpitefully written by this Bolſecus their ſworn enemy, that twice baniſhed and thrice runnagate Friar (liar I might have ſaid) and Phyſician: for thoſe names his often changes and hard chances have given him. This man being requeſted by the popiſh ſide (and its likely hired by them) to write thus,Spec. Eur is in all their writings alledged as Canonical. And their eyes ſhal conſume away in their holes.] Phyſicians tell us of two thouſand diſeaſes that annoy mans body, two hundred whereof affect the eyes: All theſe are part of Gods hoſts, which are as much at Gods command as the Centurions ſervants and ſouldiers were at his, when he ſaid but, Go, or come, and they did accordingly. He can make mens eyes drop and ceaſe, not without any intermiſſion, as Lam. 3.49. till they melt out, Mat. 8.9. as the Hebrew here hath it; even the very ſame word as before. he can ſmite men with ſudden blindneſs (as he did the ſinful Sodomites, that had eyes full of adultery) ſuch as tormented their eyes, as if they had been pricked with thorns, as the Hebrew word ſignifieth, Gen. 19.11. Failing of eyes, and ſorrow of minde, is threatned as a judgement, Deut. 28.65. yea thou ſhalt be mad for the fight of thine eyes, which thou ſhalt ſee is another piece of the curſe, verſe 34. See 1 Sam. 2.33. And their tongue ſhal conſume away in their mouth.] As did the tongue of Neſtorius the Hereſiarch eaten out of his mouth with worms: Tho. Arundel, and Steven Gardiner, two bloody perſecutors, died of a like diſeaſe. Diodate underſtands all this to be a deſcription of hel-torments. Their fleſh ſhall conſume, yet never be conſumed; for they ſtill ſtand upon their feet, or ſubſiſt, that they may ſtill ſuffer; having no end, that their pain may be endleſs. Their eyes ſhal conſume, &c, that is, ſaith he, though they be alive and can ſee, yet ſhall they be deprived of light in infernal darkneſſe: having neither eyes nor underſtanding, but onely to ſee and judge of their extream miſery. Their tongue ſhal conſume away, &c. as did the rich gluttons, Luke 16.24. M. Calvin obſerveth here, that all is delivered in the ſingular number; his fleſh ſhal conſume; his eyes ſhal melt; his tongue, &c. (for ſo runs the Original) to note that every of Ieruſalems enemies ſhal taſte of Gods wrath; though ſome of them may haply hold themſelves out of the reach of his rod. And, Secondly, that God can as eaſily deſtroy them all, as if he had to do but with one fingle man.

Verſe 13. A great tumult from the Lord ſhal be among them.] He ſhall fright them as he did the Philiſtines by a ſound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, 2 Sam. 5.24. and the Syrians by a hurry noiſe in the air, cauſing a Pannick terror, 2 King. 7.6. Therefore ſome render it, Erit ſtrepitus vel fragor Domini magnus in eis, ut 1 Sam. 7.10. with 1 Sam. 2.10. Or, he ſhall exaſperate and imbitter them one againſt another; as he did Abimelech, and the men of Shechem, by ſending an evil ſpirit between them, Judg. 9.23. that is by letting looſe Satan upon them, that old man-ſlayer, that kindle-coal and make-bate of the world: and this in a way of juſt revenge for their treacherous conſpiracy againſt the houſe of Gideon. Thus God firſt divided, and then deſtroyed the Midianites by ſetting every ones ſword againſt his fellow, Judg. 7.23. So he dealt by the Philiſtims, 1 Sam. 14.15, 20. So the Kings of Syria and Egypt that ſucceeded Alexander, and were enemies to the Jews, deſtroyed one another: So did the Primitive Perſecutors, the Turk and the Perſian, the Spaniard and the French. In the year 1526. Charles the fifth Emperour of Germany, ſet at liberty his priſoner Francis King of France, Scultet Annal. Dec. 2. pag. 2 upon this condition (among others) that they ſhould joyne their forces and do their utmoſt to ſuppreſſe and root out the Lutheran Hereſie; that is, the truth of the Goſpell, out of both their Dominions. But ſoon after they fell at variance amongſt themſelves, (the Pope blowing the bellowes) whereby the Church had her Halcyons, ſic canes lingunt ulcera Lazari.

ſhall take the hand of his neighbour] as thoſe yonkers of Helcath-hazzurim did, that ſheathed their ſwords in their fellows bowels, 2 Sam. 2.16.

Verſe 14. And Iudah alſo ſhall fight at Ieruſalem] Shall fight like a lion, and do great exploits for his countrey; as Judas Maccabeus did: as Hunniades, that Maul of the Turks, and Scanderbeg, who killed 800. Turks with his own hand, and fought ſo earneſtly ſometimes, that the very blood burſt out at his lips. So did Ziſea, and the reſt of Chriſts worthy warriours: who by faith, (and yet by force of arms too) waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, ſubdued kingdomes, fought the Lords battles, Heb. 11.32, 34. They ſaw by faith, what is on the other ſide of the ſhore of this mortality: and that put mettle into them. The valour of the Gauls was admired by the Romans: it proceeded from that inſtruction they had from their Druides, The life of the K of Sweden by M. Clark. of the immortality of the ſoul. The Swedes upon the ſame ground ſhewed incredible courage in the late German warres: running into apparent danger, like flies into the candle (ſaith One) as if they had not ſeen it. Faith fears no colours. What brave ſpirits hath God raiſed up amongſt us alate, fighting as it were in blood to the knees for Religion and liberty, reſolved either to vanquiſh or die, as the Black Prince; [non-Latin text not transcribed], with that Lacedemonian, either to live with the Goſpel, or to die for it? And how valiant the reſtored Jews ſhall once be upon their enemies the Turks, who now hold their countrey till their iniquities be full, who can tell? Sure it is that Iſrael after their victory over Gog, ſhall ſpoil thoſe that ſpoiled them, and rob thoſe that robbed them, ſaith the Lord God, Ezek. 39.10. And then perhaps it is, that the wealth of all the heathen round about ſhall be gathered together (as a prize or booty) gold, and ſilver, and apparell in great abundance] Look how Abraham ſtripped the four kings of their plunder, Gen. 14.16. Gideon, the Midianites, Iudg, 8. David, the Amalekites, 1 Sam. 30.18. Iehoſaphat, the Ammonites, (they were three dayes in gathering the ſpoil it was ſo much, 2 Chron. 20.25.) ſo it may fall out one day with their poſterity. The Jew Doctours, as they have a ſaying, that whatſoever befell unto the Fathers is a figne unto the children: ſo of Abrahams victory over the four kings, they write, that it befell unto him, to teach that four kingdomes (thoſe kingdomes ſpoken of in Daniel) ſhould ſtand up to rule over the world: and that in the end his children ſhould rule over them, and they ſhould all fall by their hand,R. Menachem on Gen. 14. and they ſhould bring again all their captives, and all their ſubſtance.

Verſe 15. And ſo ſhall be the plague of the horſe, of the mule, of the camel] All the beaſts of ſervice, made uſe of by the enemy, ſhall conſume in like ſort, as their maſters. Firſt, for a puniſhment to their owners, who muſt needs ſuffer loſſe thereby. Hence Saul was ſo ſedulous in ſeeking the loſt aſſes. Secondly, to ſhew how God is diſpleaſed with, and will ſeverely puniſh all that are inſtrumentall to the Churches calamities, or ſerviceable to their ſinne. The ſerpent is curſed, cut ſhorter by the feet, and made to wriggle upon his belly, yea confined to the duſt for his diet. So God curſeth and abhorreth all inſtruments of idolatry, Eſay 30.22. Num. 31.22, 23. Deut. 7.25. The graven images of their gods ſhall ye burn with fire: the very viſible heavens, becauſe defiled with mans ſinne, are to be purged by the fire of the laſt day.

Verſe 16. Every one that is left of all the nations] i.e. that hath eſcaped the plague, verſe 12. and is beaten into a better mind: as thoſe Hunnes, that, vanquiſhed by the Chriſtians, concluded that Chriſt was the true God, and became his ſubjects. God had promiſed before to ſubvert the Churches enemies, but here to convert them, which is farre better. And it ſhall appear to be ſo (as converſion cannot be hid; you cannot turn a bell, but it will make a ſound: and report its own motion. See Gal. 1.23.)

for they ſhall even go up] ſc. to the Temple, which ſtood upon mount Moriah:

to worſhip the king the Lord of Hoſts].Eſay 16.1[illegible: 1 letter] to ſend a lamb (or an homage peny) to the Lord of the whole earth.

and to keep the feaſt of Tabernacles] In a due manner, which had not been rightly done (a marvellous thing) all along during the reigne of David, Solomon, and all thoſe ſucceeding Reformers, till about theſe times; as appears Neb. 8.16, 17, 19. The ſence of this text is, that the converted Gentiles ſhall joyn with the Jews, in the ſincere ſervice of God according to his will, and not according to their own brains and fancies: that they ſhall worſhip him with the ſame rites, in the ſame places and aſſemblies which they do: that Jehovah may be one, and his name one amongſt them, as verſe 9. that there may be no more Jew, and Gentile, Barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, but Chriſt may be all, and in all.Col. 3.11 That thoſe two ſticks being joyned into one, Ezek. 37.16. all Iſrael may be ſaved, Rom. 11.26. and raiſed as from the dead, verſe 15. the Gentiles alſo may have their part in the ſame reſurrection. All this is here ſet forth in ſuch termes, and under ſuch types as were then moſt in requeſt: as of going up to the Temple, keeping the feaſt of Tabernacles, &c. All which expreſſions are parabolicall, ſymbolicall, and enigmaticall: framed to the capacity of the Jews, much addicted to theſe legall rites and ſhadows, then in uſe, but now done away, Col. 2.17. Heb. 10.1. whatever the Jews conclude from this text for their continuance under Meſſias his kingdome. Chriſtians have their feaſts or holy-dayes too, 1 Cor. 5.8. yea their feaſt of Tabernacles in a myſtieall ſence, 1 Pet. 2.11. Heb. 11.1, 9.

Verſe 17. Even upon them ſhall be no rain] i. e. Nullam miſericordiam aſſequentur, ſaith Theodoret: They ſhall get no good at Gods hand. Judaea was ſumen totius orbis, as One ſaith, a very fat and fertile countrey: but yet ſo, as that her fruitfulneſſe depended much upon ſeaſonable ſhowres, the former and latter rain: and the Prophet ſeemeth here to allude to that of Moſes, Deut. 11.10, &c, If God did not hear the heaven, and the heaven the earth, the earth could not hear the corn, wine, and oil, nor thoſe hear Jezreel, Hoſ. 2.19. Judaea was not like that countrey in Pliny, ubi ſiccitas dat lutum, imbres pulverem, where drought made dirt, rain made duſt: but if the heaven were iron over them, the earth would ſoon be braſſe under them, and not yeeld her increaſe, (See Pſal. 65.9. Eſay 30.23.) and then where would they be quickly? ſith Animantis cujuſque vita in fuga eſt, life would be loſt, if not maintained by daily food. Rain is in Scripture put 1. Properly, for water coming out of the clouds, Deut. 11.11, Prov. 16.15. nouriſhing the herbs and trees. 2. Metaphorically for Chriſt, his Goſpel, and his graces, wherewith the ſouls of men are made fruitfull in good works, Eſay 45.8. Deut. 32.2. Hoſ. 6.3. The want of rain is on the contrary made here, and Rev. 11.5. a ſigne of a curſe. It waiteth not for the ſonnes of men, Mic. 5.7. but it accompliſheth what God appointeth, Eſay 55.10, 11. Why it falleth here, and now, we know not, and wonder.

Verſ. 18. And if the family of Egypt] So called from one Aiguptos, a King there. In the Hebrew it is called, (moſtly) Mizraim, from one of that name, Gen. 10.6. ſometimes, for its power and pride, it is called, Rahab, Pſal. 87.4. and 89.11. Eſay 51.9. The family of Egypt is here put for the whole Nation (ſee the like Amos 3.1.) becauſe, after the confuſion of tongues eſpecially, Nations took their originall and denomination from the head of ſome family; as did the Egyptians from Mizraim, Chams ſecond ſonne.

go not up, and come not] But they did receive the Chriſtian religion with the firſt: had Chriſtian ſchools, Doctours, and Profeſſours, after that Saint Mark had there planted a Church at Alexandria, now called Scanaeroon. This was fore-prophecred, Eſay 19.21. The Lord ſhall be known to Egypt, &c And the Lord ſhall ſmite Egypt, he ſhall ſmite and heal it; &c. he ſhall cauſe them to paſſe under the rod, and to b[illegible: 2 letters]g them into the bond of the covenant, as it is Ezek 20.37

th[illegible: 2 letters] have no rain] Others read it thus, It ſhall not rain upon them. For they alſo needed rain in ſome meaſure, as well as other nations. See Pſal. 105.32. though not ſo much, by reaſon of the overſlowings of the river [illegible: 1 word]: which if it ariſe to a juſt height, [illegible: 1 span] ſc. of fifteen or ſixteen cubits, as Pliny [illegible: 1 letter]ells us, it [illegible: 1 word] the land very fruitfull: ſo that they do but throw in the ſeed, and have [illegible: 1 letter]our [illegible: 1 word] harveſts in leſſe then four moneths.S. H. Blant[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 word] Indeed where the Nile arrives not, [illegible: 1 word] nothing, they ſay, in Egypt, but a whitiſh fand, bearing no graſſe, but two [illegible: 1 letter]tile weeds, colled Su[illegible: 1 letter]it and Gazul: which, burnt to aſhes, and conveyed to Venice, make the fineſt thryſtall-glaſſes. The Chal[illegible: 1 letter]ee [illegible: 1 letter]enders it, Non creſ[illegible: 1 letter]et ejus N[illegible: 1 letter]ns. God loves to confute men in their confidences, to dry up their Niluſſes, (See Ezck. [illegible: 3 letters], [illegible: 1 span] 9. Iſa[illegible: 1 letter]. 19.5, 6.) as he did for two yeers together in the time of Cloopatra, a little before Chriſts birth: and once before for nine years ſpace.

there ſhall be the plague] q.d. If they eſcape the forethreatened evil, a worſe thing abides them: their preſervation from famine is but a reſervation to thoſe everlaſting burnings Verſe 12. And though here they abound even to ſatiety, and ſurfet (the Egyptians were wont to boaſt that they could feed all men, and feaſt all the gods, without any ſenſible diminution of their proviſion) yet at the laſt day they ſhall be cut ſhort enough, eat fire, drink brimſtone, God himſelf uttering thoſe or the like words Eſay 65.1[illegible: 1 letter], Behold, my ſervants ſhall cat, but you ſhall [illegible: 1 letter]e hurgry, [illegible: 1 letter]ehold, myſervants ſhall drink, but you ſh[illegible: 1 letter]ill be thirſty: behold, my ſervants ſhall rejoice, but none ſhall be aſhamed. Behold, my ſervants ſhall ſing for joy of heart, but ye ſhall cry for ſorrow of heart, and ſhall howl for [illegible: 1 letter]exation of ſpirit.

Verſe 19. This ſhall be the puniſhment of Egypt, and the puniſhment] Or ſin: Indeed the ſin of ſins to ſlight Gods Ordinances and offers of grace; and to neglect ſo great ſalvation as is tendred in and by Chriſt. This very ſin is it: own puniſhment. This is condemnation, or hell aſorehand, John 3.19. This brought Capernaum down from heaven to hell, Mat. 11.23. Pagans that never heard of Chriſt ſhall havean eaſier judgement then ſuch, Mat. 10.23. for they ſhall have a double condemnation. One from the law which they have broken, wherein Chriſt found them: another from the Goſpel for rejecting Chriſt, and the bath of his blood, to the which even the Prin[illegible: 1 letter]es of Sodo[illegible: 1 letter] are invited, Eſai 1.10. See Iohn [illegible: 1 letter]2.48. Mat. 21.44. It is with ſuch as with a malefactour that being dead in law, doth yet refuſe a pardon. Danaeus obſerveth here that mention is made of the feaſt of Tabernacles eſpecially. 1. Becauſe this leaſt was now moſt ſolemnly kept among the Jews, Neh. 8. And ſecondly, becauſe it was a moſt evident teſtimony of the firſt gathering together of the people of Iſrael. that is of a free ordained Church. Therefore it was better liked of the people, and a more evident ſign of their uniting or knitting together within themſelves, as is unto us the holy ſupper of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.

Verſe 20. In that day ſhall there be upon the bels of the horſes] hang'd upon their heades, or about their necks: as Iudg. 8.26. the Midianitiſh camels [illegible: 1 letter]ad rich collars and chains about their necks, for ornament ſake. It was a witty conceit of a modern Divine,D [illegible: 1 span]. that many deal with their Miniſters, as carriers do with their horſes; lay heavy burthens upon them, and then hang bels about their necks: they ſhall have har[illegible: 1 letter] work and great commendations: but eaſy commons, good words, but ſlight wages. This was better then that bald conceit of Theodoret [illegible: 1 word] others,Lib. 1. hiſt. cap. 18. Ruff. in lib. 1. c. 8. Soc[illegible: 1 letter]at. 1.1. that this Propheſie was then fulfilled when as Conſtantine the Great (or h[illegible: 2 letters] mother [illegible: 1 word] for him) cauſed the bits of his horſe-bridle to be made of the nailes of the croſſe of Chriſt. I confeſſe the word is by ſome rendred bridles, by others trappings, Frontals, collars. 'Tis [non-Latin text not transcribed] read only here: and hence this variety of interpretations. Calvin renders it ſtables of horſes: which although they are but contemptible places and uſually ſtink: yet the Prophet ſaith, they ſhall be [illegible: 2 letters]ly to the Lord. Hereby the Prophet teacheth, ſaith He, that God ſhall ſo be king of the world; as that all things ſhall be applied to his worſhip: neither ſhall any thing be of ſo common and ordinary uſe that ſhall not change its nature, and be ſanctified to Gods ſervice. The compariſon here is made betwixt things profane, and the inſcription on the high-Prieſts mitre, which was Holineſſe to the Lord. This is a manifeſt teſtimony of a godly mind, when godlineſſe runs thorough a mans whole life, as the wooſe doth thorough the web: whenordinary actions are done from a right principle, and to a right purpoſe: according to that old and good Rule, Quicquid agas, propter Deum agas, Whether ye eate or drink, or what ſoever ye do, 1 Cor. 10.31. 1 Tim. 4.14. Holineſſe must be written upon our bridles when we warr, upon our cupps when we drink Dr. Harris. de all to the glory of God. Receive every creature with thank ſgiving: in ſerving men, ſerve the Lord Chriſt: exerciſe your general calling in your particular: do earthly buſineſſe with heavenly minds: Content not your ſelf with a naturall uſe of the creature, as bruit beaſts do, but taſt the ſweetneſſe of God in all: and in all thy wayes acknowledge Him, depending upon him for direction and ſucceſſe, conſulting with him, and approving thine heart and life unto him. This is to go the upper way Pro. 15.24. which indeed is both cleaner, ſhorter, and ſafer. This is to be of that royall Prieſt-hood, that hath for its poſy, Holineſſe to the Lord. This is to be harmeleſſe, and blameleſſe, the ſons of God; known by their holineſſe as Davids children were by their garments of diverſe colours. For as he that hath called them is holy, ſo are they alſo holy, and that in all manner of converſation and communion too, even when they deale with carnal men, and in common matters.

and the pots in the Lords houſe ſhall be like the bowles before the Altar] All this muſt be underſtood of the ſpirituall ſervice, which ſhould be in the Chriſtian church: deſcribed by the ancient ceremonial ſervice, as Iſa. 60.7. and 66.23. Mal. 1.11. And it is to ſhew, that the efficacy, force, and operation of the holy Ghoſt, ſhall be far more plentifull through Chriſt in the Church of the Goſpell, then it was in times paſt, under the law. See Heb. 8.6. Eph. 3.5. Iſa. 44.3, 4.

Verſe 21. Yea, every pot in Ieruſalem &c.] That is, ſaith Danaeus, God ſhall as God-like be worſhiped of every faithfull perſon in his own houſe, as he was of old in his Temple by the Jews. Calvin adds, ut quicquid aggrediantur homines ſit ſacrificium, ſo that whatſoever good men enterprize, ſhall be a ſacrifice. God ſhall ſmell a ſavour of reſt from them, they of life and peace from him.

there ſhall be no more the Canaanite] The merchant, ſaith the vulgar after Aquila, and the Chaldee; that is, the Simoniack, the Church-chopper, ſuch monymerchants as Chriſt whipt out of the Temple Mat. 21.12. Ioh. 2.15. But better render it Canaanite, The Phenicians thoſe great merchants were Canaanites. who were indeed great Merchants Hoſ. 12.7. Ezek. 17.4. but here it ſtands for a wicked man, an hypocrite, that botch of Chriſtian ſociety. Pura erit Eccleſia ab omnibus inquinamentis, ſaith Calvin: the Church ſhall be purged of all ſuch Peſts. See Rev. 22.27. no ſuch owles ſhall be ſeen flying in the Churches welkin. God will, by the due exerciſe of diſcipline, and otherwiſe, be daily purging out all ſcandals, as ſuch men are called Mat. 13.41. and cauſing the unclean ſpirit to paſſe out of the land Zach. 13.2. I conclude with Theodoret, Dominus Omnipotens hanc vocem veram eſſe hoc tempore praeſtet &c. God Almighty make good this promiſe unto us at this time: that there may be no curſed Canaanite found amongſt us; but that we may all live according to the doctrine of the Goſpell, and expect that bleſſed hope and comming of the great God our Saviour Jeſus; to whom with the Father and holy Spirit be glory for ever. Amen.