Zechariah 3 commentary

The angel showed Joshua, the high priest, to Zechariah, in a vision. Guilt and corruption are great discouragements when we stand before God. By the guilt of the sins committed by us, we are liable to the justice of God; by the power of sin that dwells in us, we are hateful to the holiness of God. Even God's Israel are in danger on these accounts; but they have relief from Jesus Christ, who is made of God to us both righteousness and sanctification. Joshua, the high priest, is accused as a criminal, but is justified. When we stand before God, to minister to him, or stand up for God, we must expect to meet all the resistance Satan's subtlety and malice can give. Satan is checked by one that has conquered him, and many times silenced him. Those who belong to Christ, will find him ready to appear for them, when Satan appears most strongly against them. A converted soul is a brand plucked out of the fire by a miracle of free grace, therefore shall not be left a prey to Satan. Joshua appears as one polluted, but is purified; he represents the Israel of God, who are all as an unclean thing, till they are washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Israel now were free from idolatry, but there were many things amiss in them. There were spiritual enemies warring against them, more dangerous than any neighbouring nations. Christ loathed the filthiness of Joshua's garments, yet did not put him away. Thus God by his grace does with those whom he chooses to be priests to himself. The guilt of sin is taken away by pardoning mercy, and the power of it is broken by renewing grace. Thus Christ washes those from their sins in his own blood, whom he makes kings and priests to our God. Those whom Christ makes spiritual priests, are clothed with the spotless robe of his righteousness, and appear before God in that; and with the graces of his Spirit, which are ornaments to them. The righteousness of saints, both imputed and implanted, is the fine linen, clean and white, with which the bride, the Lamb's wife, is arrayed, Re 19:8. Joshua is restored to former honours and trusts. The crown of the priesthood is put on him. When the Lord designs to restore and revive religion, he stirs up prophets and people to pray for it.

All whom God calls to any office he finds fit, or makes so. The Lord will cause the sins of the believer to pass away by his sanctifying grace, and will enable him to walk in newness of life. As the promises made to David often pass into promises of the Messiah, so the promises to Joshua look forward to Christ, of whose priesthood Joshua's was a shadow. Whatever trials we pass through, whatever services we perform, our whole dependence must rest on Christ, the Branch of righteousness. He is God's servant, employed in his work, obedient to his will, devoted to his honour and glory. He is the Branch from which all our fruit must be gathered. The eye of his Father was upon him, especially in his sufferings, and when he was buried in the grave, as the foundation-stones are under ground, out of men's sight. But the prophecy rather denotes the attention paid to this precious Corner-stone. All believers, from the beginning, had looked forward to it in the types and predictions. All believers, after Christ's coming, would look to it with faith, hope, and love. Christ shall appear for all his chosen, as the high priest when before the Lord, with the names of all Israel graven in the precious stones of his breastplate. When God gave a remnant to Christ, to be brought through grace to glory, then he engraved this precious stone. By him sin shall be taken away, both the guilt and the dominion of it; he did it in one day, that day in which he suffered and died. What should terrify when sin is taken away? Then nothing can hurt, and we sit down under Christ's shadow with delight, and are sheltered by it. And gospel grace, coming with power, makes men forward to draw others to it.

Chapter 3

Zechariah 3:1, 2

1. And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

1. Et ostendit mihi Iehosuah sacerdotem magnum stantem in conspectu angeli Iehovae, et Satan stantem ad dexteram ejus, ut adversaretur illi.

2. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

2. Et dixit Iehova ad Satan, increpet te Iehova, Satan, et increpet (hoc est, iterum increpet) te Iehova, qui elegit Ierusalem: annon hic torris erutus ex igne?

We have said at the beginning that Zechariah was sent for this end — to encourage weak minds: for it was difficult to entertain hope in the midst of so much confusion. Some, but a small portion of the nation, had returned with the tribe of Judah: and then immediately there arose many enemies by whom the building of the city and of the temple was hindered; and when the faithful viewed all their circumstances, they could hardly entertain any hope of a redemption such as had been promised. Hence Zechariah labored altogether for this end — to show that the faithful were to look for more than they had reason to expect from the aspect of things at the time, and that they were to direct their eyes and their thoughts to the power of God, which was not as yet manifested, and which indeed God purposely designed not to exercise, in order to try the patience of the people.

This is the subject which he now pursues, when he says, that Joshua the priest was shown to him, with Satan at his right hand to oppose him To retain the alliteration of the Hebrew, the words may be thus rendered — “and the opponent standing on his right hand to oppose him,” or, “the accuser standing on his right hand to accuse him.” The word Satan is rendered here and in Job by the Septuagint, “the accuser,” or “the devil,” ὁ διαβολος. The station on the right hand was that of the plaintiff, or the accuser, or of the pleader, as Grotius thinks. See Psalm 109:6. The word [שטז], according to its use as a verb, participle, or a noun, means an opponent or adversary, rather than an accuser. See Psalm 38:20; Numbers 22:22; Genesis 26:21

Blayney, as well as Kimchi, thinks that Sanballat is meant by [השטז]; but the article [ה], as it has been observed by Marckius and Henderson, seems to point out the great enemy of God and man, as ὁ διαβολος in Greek. — Ed. God was, however, there also. But when Zechariah says, that the priest Joshua was shown to him as here represented, it was not only done in a vision, but the fact was known to all; that is, that Joshua was not adorned with a priestly glory, such as it was before the exile; for the dignity of the priest before that time was far different from what it was after the return of the people; and this was known to all. But the vision was given to the Prophet for two reasons — that the faithful might know that their contest was with Satan, their spiritual enemy, rather than with any particular nations — and also that they might understand that a remedy was at hand, for God stood in defense of the priesthood which he had instituted. God, then, in the first place, purposed to remind the faithful that they had to carry on war, not with flesh and blood, but with the devil himself: this is one thing. And then his design was to recall them to himself, that they might consider that he would be their sure deliverer from all dangers. Since we now perceive the design of this prophecy, we shall proceed to the words of the Prophet.

He says that Joshua was shown to him. This was done no doubt in a prophetic vision: but yet Zechariah saw nothing by the spirit but what was known even to children. But, as I have already said, we must observe the intentions of the vision, which was, that the faithful might understand that their neighbors were troublesome to them, because Satan turned every stone and tried every experiment to make void the favor of God. And this knowledge was very useful to the Jews, as it is to us at this day. We wonder why so many enemies daily rage against us, and why the whole world burn against us with such implacable hatred; and also why so many intrigues arise, and so many assaults are made, which have not been excited through provocation on our part: but the reason why we wonder is this, — because we bear not in mind that we are fighting with the devil, the head and prince of the whole world. For were it a fixed principle in our minds, that all the ungodly are influenced by the devil, there would then be nothing new in the fact, that all unitedly rage against us. How so? Because they are moved by the same spirit, and their father is a murderer, even from the beginning. (John 8:44.)

We hence see that the faithful were taught what was extremely necessary, — that their troubles arose from many nations, because Satan watched for their ruin. And though this vision was given to the Prophet for the sake of his own age, yet it no doubt belongs also to us; for that typical priesthood was a representation of the priesthood of Christ, and Joshua, who was then returned from exile, bore the character of Christ the Son of God. Let us then know that Christ never performs the work of the priesthood, but that Satan stands at his side, that is, devises all means by which he may remove and withdraw Christ from his office. It hence follows, that they are much deceived, who think that they can live idly under the dominion of Christ: for we all have a warfare, for which each is to arm and equip himself. Therefore at this day, which we see the world seized with so much madness, that it assails us, and would wholly consume us, let not our thoughts be fixed on flesh and blood, for Satan is the chief warrior who assails us, and who employs all the rage of the world to destroy us, if possible, on every side. Satan then ever stands at Christ’s right hand, so as not to allow him in peace to exercise his priestly office.

CHAPTER 3

Zec 3:1-10. Fourth Vision. Joshua the high priest before the angel of Jehovah; accused by Satan, but justified by Jehovah through Messiah the coming Branch.

1. Joshua as high priest (Hag 1:1) represents "Jerusalem" (Zec 3:2), or the elect people, put on its trial, and "plucked" narrowly "out of the fire." His attitude, "standing before the Lord," is that of a high priest ministering before the altar erected previously to the building of the temple (Ezr 3:2, 3, 6; Psa 135:2). Yet, in this position, by reason of his own and his people's sins, he is represented as on his and their trial (Nu 35:12).

he showed me--"He" is the interpreting angel. Jerusalem's (Joshua's) "filthy garments" (Zec 3:3) are its sins which had hitherto brought down God's judgments. The "change of raiment" implies its restoration to God's favor. Satan suggested to the Jews that so consciously polluted a priesthood and people could offer no acceptable sacrifice to God, and therefore they might as well desist from the building of the temple. Zechariah encourages them by showing that their demerit does not disqualify them for the work, as they are accepted in the righteousness of another, their great High Priest, the Branch (Zec 3:8), a scion of their own royal line of David (Is 11:1). The full accomplishment of Israel's justification and of Satan the accuser's being "rebuked" finally, is yet future (Re 12:10). Compare Re 11:8, wherein "Jerusalem," as here, is shown to be meant primarily, though including the whole Church in general (compare Job 1:9).

Satan--the Hebrew term meaning "adversary" in a law court: as devil is the Greek term, meaning accuser. Messiah, on the other hand, is "advocate" for His people in the court of heaven's justice (1Jo 2:1).

standing at his right hand--the usual position of a prosecutor or accuser in court, as the left hand was the position of the defendant (Psa 109:6). The "angel of the Lord" took the same position just before another high priest was about to beget the forerunner of Messiah (Lu 1:11), who supplants Satan from his place as accuser. Some hence explain Jude 9 as referring to this passage: "the body of Moses" being thus the Jewish Church, for which Satan contended as his by reason of its sins; just as the "body of Christ" is the Christian Church. However, Jude 9 plainly speaks of the literal body of Moses, the resurrection of which at the transfiguration Satan seems to have opposed on the ground of Moses' error at Meribah; the same divine rebuke, "the Lord rebuke thee," checked Satan in contending for judgment against Moses' body, as checked him when demanding judgment against the Jewish Church, to which Moses' body corresponds.

2. the Lord--Jehovah, hereby identified with the "angel of the Lord (Jehovah)" (Zec 3:1).

rebuke thee--twice repeated to express the certainty of Satan's accusations and machinations against Jerusalem being frustrated. Instead of lengthened argument, Jehovah silences Satan by the one plea, namely, God's choice.

chosen Jerusalem--(Ro 9:16; 11:5). The conclusive answer. If the issue rested on Jerusalem's merit or demerit, condemnation must be the award; but Jehovah's "choice" (Joh 15:16) rebuts Satan's charge against Jerusalem (Zec 1:17; 2:12; Ro 8:33, 34, 37), represented by Joshua (compare in the great atonement, Le 16:6-20, &c.), not that she may continue in sin, but be freed from it (Zec 3:7).

brand plucked out of ... fire--(Am 4:11; 1Pe 4:18; Jude 23). Herein God implies that His acquittal of Jerusalem is not that He does not recognize her sin (Zec 3:3, 4, 9), but that having punished her people for it with a seventy years' captivity, He on the ground of His electing love has delivered her from the fiery ordeal; and when once He has begun a deliverance, as in this case, He will perfect it (Psa 89:30-35; Php 1:6).

3. filthy garments--symbol of sin (Pr 30:12; Is 4:4; 64:6); proving that it is not on the ground of His people's righteousness that He accepts them. Here primarily the "filthy garments" represent the abject state temporally of the priesthood and people at the return from Babylon. Yet he "stood before the angel." Abject as he was, he was before Jehovah's eye, who graciously accepts His people's services, though mixed with sin and infirmity.

4. those that stood before him--the ministering angels (compare the phrase in 1Ki 10:8; Da 1:5).

Take away the filthy garments--In Zec 3:9 it is "remove the iniquity of that land"; therefore Joshua represents the land.

from him--literally, "from upon him"; pressing upon him as an overwhelming burden.

change of raiment--festal robes of the high priest, most costly and gorgeous; symbol of Messiah's imputed righteousness (Mt 22:11). The restoration of the glory of the priesthood is implied: first, partially, at the completion of the second temple; fully realized in the great High Priest Jesus, whose name is identical with Joshua (He 4:8), the Representative of Israel, the "kingdom of priests" (Ex 19:6); once clad in the filthy garments of our vileness, but being the chosen of the Father (Is 42:1; 44:1; 49:1-3), He hath by death ceased from sin, and in garments of glory entered the heavenly holy place as our High Priest (He 8:1; 9:24). Then, as the consequence (1Pe 2:5), realized in the Church generally (Lu 15:22; Re 19:8), and in Israel in particular (Is 61:10; compare Is 3:6; 66:21).

5. And I said--Here the prophet, rejoicing at the change of raiment so far made, interposes to ask for the crowning assurance that the priesthood would be fully restored, namely, the putting the miter or priestly turban on Joshua: its fair color symbolizing the official purity of the order restored. He does not command, but prays; not "Set," but "Let them set." Vulgate and Syriac version read it, "He then said," which is the easier reading; but the very difficulty of the present Hebrew reading makes it less likely to come from a modern corrector of the text.

angel of ... Lord stood by--the Divine Angel had been sitting (the posture of a judge, Da 7:9); now He "stands" to see that Zechariah's prayer be executed, and then to give the charge (Zec 3:6, 7).

6. protested--proceeded solemnly to declare. A forensic term for an affirmation on oath (He 6:17, 18). God thus solemnly states the end for which the priesthood is restored to the people, His own glory in their obedience and pure worship, and their consequent promotion to heavenly honor.

7. God's choice of Jerusalem (Zec 3:2) was unto its sanctification (Joh 15:16; Ro 8:29); hence the charge here which connects the promised blessing with obedience.

my charge--the ordinances, ritual and moral (Nu 3:28, 31, 32, 38; Jos 1:7-9; 1Ki 2:3; Eze 44:16).

judge my house--Thou shalt long preside over the temple ceremonial as high priest (Le 10:10; Eze 44:23; Mal 2:7) [Grotius]. Or, rule over My house, that is, My people [Maurer] (Nu 12:7; Ho 8:1). We know from De 17:9 that the priest judged cases. He was not only to obey the Mosaic institute himself, but to see that it was obeyed by others. God's people are similarly to exercise judgment hereafter, as the reward of their present faithfulness (Da 7:18, 22; Lu 19:17; 1Co 6:2); by virtue of their royal priesthood (Re 1:6).

keep my courts--guard My house from profanation.

places to walk--free ingress and egress (1Sa 18:16; 1Ki 3:7; 15:17), so that thou mayest go through these ministering angels who stand by Jehovah (Zec 4:14; 6:5; 1Ki 22:19) into His presence, discharging thy priestly function. In Eze 42:4 the same Hebrew word is used of a walk before the priests' chambers in the future temple. Zechariah probably refers here to such a walk or way; Thou shalt not merely walk among priests like thyself, as in the old temple walks, but among the very angels as thine associates. Hengstenberg translates, "I will give thee guides (from) among these," &c. But there is no "from" in the Hebrew; English Version is therefore better. Priests are called angels or "messengers" (Mal 2:7); they are therefore thought worthy to be associated with heavenly angels. So these latter are present at the assemblies of true Christian worshippers (1Co 11:10; compare Ec 5:6; Ep 3:10; Re 22:9).

8. Hear--On account of the magnitude of what He is about to say, He at once demands solemn attention.

thy fellows that sit before thee--thy subordinate colleagues in the priesthood; not that they were actually then sitting before him; but their usual posture in consultations was on chairs or benches before him, while he sat on an elevated seat as their president.

they are--From speaking to Joshua He passes to speaking of him and them, in the third person, to the attendant angels (compare Zec 3:9).

men wondered at--Hebrew, "men of wonder," that is, having a typical character (Is 8:18; 20:3; Eze 12:11; 24:24). Joshua the high priest typifies Messiah, as Joshua's "fellows" typify believers whom Messiah admits to share His Priesthood (1Pe 2:5; Re 5:10). This, its typical character, then, is a pledge to assure the desponding Jews that the priesthood shall be preserved till the great Antitype comes. There may be also an indirect reproof of the unbelief of the multitude who "wonder" at God's servants and even at God's Son incredulously (Psa 71:7; Is 8:18; 53:1, &c.).

behold--marking the greatness of what follows.

my servant--the characteristic title of Messiah (Is 42:1; 49:3; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11; Eze 34:23, 24).

the Branch--Messiah, a tender branch from the almost extinct royal line of David (Zec 6:12; Is 4:2; 11:1; Jr 23:5; 33:15). Lu 1:78, where for "day spring," "branch" may be substituted (Mal 4:2, however, favors English Version). The reference cannot be to Zerubbabel (as Grotius thinks), for he was then in the full discharge of his office, whereas "the Branch" here is regarded as future.

9. For--expressing the ground for encouragement to the Jews in building the temple: I (Jehovah) have laid the (foundation) stone as the chief architect, before (in the presence of) Joshua, by "the hand of Zerubbabel" (Zec 4:10; Ezr 3:8-13), so that your labor in building shall not be vain. Antitypically, the (foundation) stone alluded to is Christ, before called "the Branch." Lest any should think from that term that His kingdom is weak, He now calls it "the stone," because of its solidity and strength whereby it is to be the foundation of the Church, and shall crush all the world kingdoms (Psa 118:22; compare Is 28:16; Da 2:45; Mt 21:42; 1Co 3:11; 1Pe 2:6, 7). The angel pointing to the chief stone lying before Him, intimates that a deeper mystery than the material temple is symbolized. Moore thinks the "stone" is the Jewish Church, which Jehovah engages watchfully to guard. The temple, rather, is that symbolically. But the antitype of the foundation-stone is Messiah.

upon one stone shall be seven eyes--namely, the watchful "eyes" of Jehovah's care ever fixed "upon" it (Zec 4:10) [Maurer]. The eye is the symbol of Providence: "seven," of perfection (Re 5:6; compare 2Ch 16:9; Psa 32:8). Antitypically, "the seven eyes upon the stone" are the eyes of all angels (1Ti 3:16), and of all saints (Joh 3:14, 15; 12:32), and of the patriarchs and prophets (Joh 8:56; 1Pe 1:10, 11), fixed on Christ; above all, the eyes of the Father ever rest with delight on Him. Calvin (perhaps better) considers the seven eyes to be carved on the stone, that is, not the eyes of the Father and of angels and saints ever fixed on Him, but His own sevenfold (perfect) fullness of grace, and of gifts of the Spirit (Is 11:2, 3; Joh 1:16; 3:34; Col 1:19; 2:9), and His watchful providence now for the Jews in building the temple, and always for His Church, His spiritual temple. Thus the "stone" is not as other stones senseless, but living and full of eyes of perfect intelligence (1Pe 2:4, "a living stone"), who not only attracts the eyes (Joh 12:32) of His people, but emits illumination so as to direct them to Him.

engrave ... graving--implying Messiah's exceeding beauty and preciousness; alluding to the polished stones of the temple: Christ excelled them, as much as God who "prepared His body" (He 10:5; compare Joh 2:21) is superior to all human builders.

remove ... iniquity of that land in one day--that is, the iniquity and its consequences, namely the punishment to which the Jews heretofore had been subjected (Hag 1:6, 9-11). The remission of sin is the fountain of every other blessing. The "one day" of its removal is primarily the day of national atonement celebrated after the completion of the temple (Le 23:27) on the tenth day of the seventh month. Antitypically, the atonement by Messiah for all men, once for all ("one day") offered, needing no repetition like the Mosaic sacrifices (He 10:10, 12, 14).

10. under ... vine ... fig tree--emblem of tranquil prosperity (1Ki 4:25). Type of spiritual peace with God through Christ (Ro 5:1); and of millennial blessedness (Mi 4:4).

And he showed me Joshua the high priest - The Angel of the Lord is the Messiah, as we have seen before; Joshua, the high priest, may here represent the whole Jewish people; and Satan, the grand accuser of the brethren. What the subject of dispute was, we perhaps learn from Jde 1:9. Michael and Satan disputed about the body of Moses. This could not refer to the natural body of the Jewish lawgiver, which had been dead about owe thousand years; it must therefore refer to that body of laws given to the Jews by Moses, for the breach of which Satan, who was their tempter to disobedience, now comes forward as their accuser; that, exciting the justice of God against them, they may be all brought to perdition. There is a paronomasia here: -

Satan standing at his right hand to resist him - שטן Satan signifies an adversary. לשטנו lesiteno, to be his adversary, or accuser.

Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? - The Jews were nearly destroyed because of their sins; a remnant of them is yet left, and God is determined to preserve them. He has had mercy upon them, and forgiven them their sins. Wouldst thou have them destroyed? It is God that hath justified them; who art thou that condemnest them? The Lord rebuke thee! God confound thee for what thou hast done, and for what thou desirest farther to do! It is evident that Jde 1:9 relates to this circumstance - the very same phraseology which occurs here. See the notes on Jde 1:9, where the subject is largely considered. With difficulty has this remnant escaped, and God will not permit fresh evils to fall upon them, by which they might be totally consumed. This was Satan's design, who accuses the followers of God day and night. See Rev 12:10.

Joshua was clothed with filthy garments - The Jewish people were in a most forlorn, destitute, and to all human appearance despicable, condition; and besides all, they were sinful, and the priesthood defiled by idolatry; and nothing but the mercy of God could save them.

Take away the filthy garments - The Jews wore sackcloth in times of public calamity; probably the filthy garments refer to this. Let their clothing be changed. I have turned again their captivity; I will fully restore them, and blot out all their iniquities.

A fair mitre upon his head - To signify that he had renewed to him the office of the high priesthood, which had been defiled and profaned before. The mitre was the bonnet which the high priest put on his head when he entered into the sanctuary, Exo 28:4, etc.

Clothed him with garments - Referring to the vestments of the high priest. The true high priest, who is over the house of God, will establish his office among them, when they shall acknowledge him as their Messiah, and seek redemption in the blood of the sacrifice which he has offered for their sins; and not for theirs only, but for the sins of the whole world.

If thou wilt walk in my ways - If ye, Israelites, priests and people, now restored to your own land, will walk in my ways, etc., ye shall be a part of my family; and have places - mansions - in eternal glory, with all them that are sanctified.

O Joshua - thou, and thy fellows - Thy countrymen, who have now returned from your captivity, in a very wonderful manner. אנשי מופת anshey mopheth, figurative men, men whose office and ministration prefigured the Lord Jesus Christ; and therefore it is immediately added, "I will bring forth my servant The Branch." Abp. Newcome thinks this means Zerubbabel, so called because he was the grandson of Jehoiakim, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, Mat 1:12, and heir to the throne of Judah. The Chaldee has, "My servant the Messiah." See the note on Isa 4:2 (note). I think the word cannot apply to Zerubbabel, except as a type of Christ; in that sense it may be understood of him. See Zac 6:11, Zac 6:12.

For behold the stone that I have laid - Alluding no doubt to the foundation stone of the temple: but this represented Christ Jesus: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried stone, a precious Corner Stone, a Sure Foundation," Isa 28:16. This means Christ, and none other; on him his whole Church rests, as a building does on its foundation.

Upon one stone shall be seven eyes - This is supposed to mean the providence of God, as under it all the work should be completed.

There may be an allusion to the seven counsellors, which stood always about the persons of the Asiatics sovereigns; and those who were the governors of provinces were termed the eyes of the king. To this there is an allusion in Rev 1:4. In Christ there is a plentitude of wisdom, power, goodness, mercy, truth, love, and compassion, to direct, protect, save, uphold, purify, govern, and preserve all the souls that trust in him.

I will engrave the graving thereof - This is an allusion to engraving precious stones, in which the ancients greatly excelled. Heads, animals, and various devices were the subjects of those engravings. But what was this engraving? Was it not the following words? I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day;" and was not this when Jesus Christ expired upon the cross? This was the grand, the only atonement, satisfaction, and sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Does not our Lord refer to this place, Joh 6:27 (note)? Him hath God thy Father sealed; and on the inscription there was, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." See the note on the above passage.

Shall ye call every man his neighbour - See on Isa 36:16 (note). Every one shall be inviting and encouraging another to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; and thus taste and see that God is good. See on Isa 2:2 (note), Isa 2:3 (note). And there shall be the utmost liberty to preach, believe on, and profess the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And he - The Lord represented to me in a vision. Standing - Ministering in his office. The angel - Christ.

The Lord - Christ, as a mediator, rather chuses to rebuke him in his father's name, than in his own. Is not this - Joshua.

With filthy garments - The emblem of a poor or sinful state. The angel - Christ.

And he - Christ. Unto those - Ministerial angels. I have caused - What angels could not take away, Christ did; he removed the filth of sin, the guilt and stain of it. With change of raiment - Clean and rich, the emblem of holiness.

I said - Zechariah takes the boldness to desire that for Joshua, which might add to his authority, and he asks the thing of Christ. A fair mitre - The proper ornament for the head of the high - priest. With garments - All the garments which appertained to the high priest. The angel - Christ.

Protested - Solemnly declared.

My charge - The special charge and office of the high - priest. Judge - Be ruler in the temple, and in the things that pertain to the worship of God there. Keep - Not as a servant, but as the chief, on whom others wait, and at last thou shalt have place among my angels.

Thy fellows - Thy associates in the priestly office. That sit - As assessors in a council. Wondered at - The unbelieving Jews wonder at them; at their labour and expense in attempting to build such a house. Bring forth - God the Father will bring forth a much more wonderful work. The Branch - The Messiah.

Behold - Behold (pointing to a particular stone) that stone which I have laid in the sight of Joshua. Upon one stone - On that stone are seven eyes, probably so placed, that they may look many ways; so it was a more exact emblem of Christ, and of his perfect knowledge and wisdom. I have removed - I have pardoned the iniquity of this land at once. The temple, founded on such a corner - stone, guarded and watched over by all - seeing Providence, is the blessing and honour of that people, whose sins are all forgiven.

In that day - Of removing the sins of my people. Shall ye call - Ye shall invite one another to refresh yourselves with the sweet fruit of the vine and fig - tree. When iniquity is taken away, we receive precious benefits from our justification, more precious than the fruits of the vine or fig - tree. And we repose ourselves in sweet tranquillity, being quiet from the fear of evil.

1 AND he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan f standing at his right hand to resist him .

The Lord of hosts, whose Servant Zechariah was, and in whose name he spake.

In vision represented to me Zechariah.

For that office was by hereditary right descended on him, and how mean so ever his state was, yet still he was that great Officer of the Church,

Either as accused, and to make his defence; or rather Ministring in his office, according to his Duty.

This Angel was Christ, whose Minister, or Servant the High Priest was, as well as Type of him.

Either because the accusation was true, or to hold his working hand from its work.

Ioshua.

That Adversary, as we might render the word, either Satan the Devil, or some instrument of his stirr'd up by him, Sanballat, or &c.

Marginal references: Hag. 1.[illegible: 1 letter].; That is, an adversary.; Heb. be his adversary.

2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan: even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire ?

i. e. Christ the great Redeemer, Restorer, Lord and Mediator of the Church.

The Great God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ▪ who as Mediator rather chooseth to rebuke him in his Fathers Name, then in his own; though this he could have done.

He who was accused, was Gods High Priest, and to minister in the Temple at Ierusalem the City which God had chosen, in which respect it was sure that God would take cognisance of the Matter and Judge aright. He would prohibit Satan's attempts.

This man, this Ioshua.

Like a brand half burnt, or all smutty with long lying in the fire of Affliction? Reject him not for this

Marginal references: Jude 9.

3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel .

At the time Zechariah saw this Vision he saw also in what a mean▪ dirty, and totter'd garb he was, who represented the High Priest.

It was the Hieroglyphick of Ioshua, not Ioshua himself.

Emblem of a poor or sinful state, or both.

Vid. ver. 1. let. d.

The Lord Christ called, The Angel.

4 And he answered , and spake unto those that stood before him , saying, Take away the filthy garments from him . And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee , and I will clothe thee with change of raiment .

The Lord Christ who purifieth his Church, who purgeth away her sin, and clothes her with rich and clean garments.

So the Heb. and so this Prophet speaks, though no question went before. It is an Idiom of that Language.

Commanded.

Some of the attendants, those Ministerial Angels, who were Christs Servants, and as such are represented standing before him.

Remove, or cause them to be removed, from him as altogether unbeseeming his Person, Office and employment; These filthy Garments those Angels took away, but another hand takes away what is signified by this Emblem.

From this High-priest Ioshua.

Christ the Lamb of God.

What Angels could not take away, Christ did, he removed the filth of Sin, the guilt and stain of it.

Adorn and beautifie.

O Ioshua.

Clean and Rich, Emblem of Graces, and spiritual Excellencies given to him.

5 And I said Let them set a fair mitre upon his head: So they set a fair mitre on his head and clothed him with garments, And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Zechariah takes the boldness to desire that for Ioshua, which might adde to his Veneration, and Authority, and he asks the thing of Christ, or rather Christ commandeth this be done.

Who Minister before Christ.

A rich and beautiful ornament for the head of the High Priest, not a Crown, which is for Royal heads, but a Tire, a Pontifical Ensign.

As they were commanded by Christ at the request of the Prophet.

All the Garments which did appertain to the High Priest, of which you read Exod. 28.4. which probably were put on though they are not expresly mention'd here.

The Angel who is the Lord Christ himself.

Withdrew not till all this was done.

Marginal references: chap. [illegible: 1 letter] ▪

6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying.

The Lord Christ.

Solemnly declared, and averr'd it, gave him to know.

7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts , If thou wilt walk in my wayes , and if thou wilt keep my charge , then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

The Father whose will Christ reveals to us.

Io[illegible: 1 letter]hua.

Obey the Precepts and holy commands of the Law.

The special charge, and office of the High Priest.

Be chief, and Ruler in the Temple, and in the things that pertain to the worship of God there.

Not as a door-keeper or Servant, but as the Chief, on whom others may wait, and give attendance, and at last shalt have place among glorious Angels, Heb. 12.22

Marginal references: Or, [illegible: 1 word]; He[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 word]

8 Hear now , O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows , that sit before thee: for they are men wondred at : for behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

Hitherto thou hast been entertained with Emblems and Hieroglyphicks, but now O Ioshua, hear what these mean

The other Priests, thy Associates in the Priestly Office, tho' inferiour to thee.

As Assessors or Coadjutors in a Council, or Assembly, the High Priest as President, the other as Members of the Council sate with him, to let them know what these Types mean.

The worldly, prophane, unbelieving and ignorant sort of Iewes wonder at them, and their hopes; at their labour and expences in attempting to build such a house, with so little helps to raise such a Structure out of Rubbish.

God the Father

will bring forth a much more wonderful work.

Christ Messiah, the Branch, Isa. 4.2. and 11.1. Ier. 33.15.

Marginal references: Ps[illegible: 2 letters] [illegible: 1 span] Isa. [illegible: 1 letter].1[illegible: 1 letter]; Heb. [illegible: 1 span]; Isa. 42.1[illegible: 1 letter] 52.13▪; Jer. [illegible: 1 span] chap. 6.[illegible: 2 letters] Luk. 1.[illegible: 2 letters]

9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon one stone shall be seven eyes, behold, I will engrave the graving thereof; saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

Here is an Ellipsis, and to make it up we must repeat that of the 8th. ve[illegible: 1 letter]se, Hear now, &c. For behold, (pointing to a particular stone) that stone which I have laid, saith God, in the sight of Ioshua, or which he saw laid in the building of the Temple.

On that one stone are seven eyes, and Ioshua and his fellows are commanded to observe it, the meaning of which the Angel will suggest to them presently, it is not improbable this one stone might be a corner stone, and a principal corner stone, and the Eyes Engraven on it, so placed, that they might look many wayes; so 'twill be a more exact Emblem of Christ the chief corner stone, and of his perfect knowledge and wisdom, fitting him to govern his Church, and provide for it.

The Engraving Engraved, i. e. most artificially, lively, and with excellent contrivance.

Or, and I have removed, I have pardoned the iniquity of this Land at once. Thus the Emblem or Type, which I shall once more set before you in plainer words, then those of our Version. Hear now, O Ioshua, thou and thy fellowes, for behold there is one stone, and on that stone seven eyes, most curiously Engraved, and this laid in thy sight, and in the sight of thy fellowes; This learn by it, that the Temple, founded on such a corner stone, built by the wisdom of the chief Builder, guarded and watcht over by all-seeing Providence, is the blessing and honour of that people, whose sins are all forgiven. The farther spiritual meaning discovers the Messiah, the chief corner stone, the Gospel Church founded thereon, guided by perfect Wisdom, and preserved by never erring Providence, and blest with the pardon of all her sins, taken away in one day, by the Meritorious death of her Redeemer.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span] Isa. 2[illegible: 1 letter].[illegible: 2 letters]; chap. [illegible: 2 letters] Rev. 5.[illegible: 1 letter].

10 In that day saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine , and under the fig-tree.

Of Building my Temple, when 'tis finisht, and in the day of removing the sins of my people, literally referring to the returned captive Iewes, Mystically, to the whole Church in Gospel dayes, when Christ the chief corner stone, shall have purged away sin, and establisht his Church.

Invite with love and peace, such as becomes Neighbours, who are partakers of the same Grace of God, and Blessings of a Redeemer.

To feast or refresh themselves under the pleasing shadow, and with the sweet delicious fruit of the Vine and Fig-tree, of both which there were ever greatest store, and of choicest taste, when the people of God; the Iewes did obey, worship and fear the Lord, and long for the Messiah, and loved each other.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] 4.4.

Zec 3:1-4

In this and the following visions the prophet is shown the future glorification of the church of the Lord. Zec 3:1. “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan stood at his right hand to oppose him. Zec 3:2. And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan; and Jehovah who chooseth Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand saved out of the fire? Zec 3:3. And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. Zec 3:4. And he answered and spake to those who stood before him thus: Take away the filthy garments from him. And he said to him, Behold, I have taken away thy guilt from thee, and clothe thee in festal raiment. Zec 3:5. And I said, Let them put a clean mitre upon his head. Then they put the clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of Jehovah stood by.” The subject to ויּראני is Jehovah, and not the mediating angel, for his work was to explain the visions to the prophet, and not to introduce them; nor the angel of Jehovah, because he appears in the course of the vision, although in these visions he is sometimes identified with Jehovah, and sometimes distinguished from Him. The scene is the following: Joshua stands as high priest before the angel of the Lord, and Satan stands at his (Joshua’s) right hand as accuser. Satan (hassâtân) is the evil spirit so well known from the book of Job, and the constant accuser of men before God (Rev 12:10), and not Sanballat and his comrades (Kimchi, Drus., Ewald). He comes forward here as the enemy and accuser of Joshua, to accuse him in his capacity of high priest. The scene is therefore a judicial one, and the high priest is not in the sanctuary, the building of which had commenced, or engaged in supplicating the mercy of the angel of the Lord for himself and the people, as Theodoret and Hengstenberg suppose. The expression עמד לפני furnishes no tenable proof of this, since it cannot be shown that this expression would be an inappropriate one to denote the standing of an accused person before the judge, or that the Hebrew language had any other expression for this. Satan stands on the right side of Joshua, because the accuser was accustomed to stand at the right hand of the accused (cf. Psa 109:6). Joshua is opposed by Satan, however, not on account of any personal offences either in his private or his domestic life, but in his official capacity as high priest, and for sins which were connected with his office, or for offences which would involve the nation (Lev 4:3); though not as the bearer of the sins of the people before the Lord, but as laden with his own and his people’s sins. The dirty clothes, which he had one, point to this (Zec 3:3).

But Jehovah, i.e., the angel of Jehovah, repels the accuser with the words, “Jehovah rebuke thee;... Jehovah who chooseth Jerusalem.”The application made in the Epistle of Jude (Jud 1:9) of the formula “Jehovah rebuke thee,” namely, that Michael the archangel did not venture to execute upon Satan the κρίσις βλασφημίας, does not warrant the conclusion that the angel of the Lord places himself below Jehovah by these words. The words “Jehovah rebuke thee” are a standing formula for the utterance of the threat of a divine judgment, from which no conclusion can be drawn as to the relation in which the person using it stood to God. Moreover, Jude had not our vision in his mind, but another event, which has not been preserved in the canonical Scriptures.

The words are repeated for the sake of emphasis, and with the repetition the motive which led Jehovah to reject the accuser is added. Because Jehovah has chosen Jerusalem, and maintains His choice in its integrity (this is implied in the participle bōchēr). He must rebuke Satan, who hopes that his accusation will have the effect of repealing the choice of Jerusalem, by deposing the high priest. For if any sin of the high priest, which inculpated the nation, had been sufficient to secure his removal or deposition, the office of high priest would have ceased altogether, because no man is without sin. גּער, to rebuke, does not mean merely to nonsuit, but to reprove for a thing; and when used of God, to reprove by action, signifying to sweep both him and his accusation entirely away. The motive for the repulse of the accuser is strengthened by the clause which follows: Is he (Joshua) not a brand plucked out of the fire? i.e., one who has narrowly escaped the threatening destruction (for the figure, see Amo 4:11). These words, again, we most not take as referring to the high priest as an individual; nor must we restrict their meaning to the fact that Joshua had been brought back from captivity, and reinstated in the office of high priest. Just as the accusation does not apply to the individual, but to the office which Joshua filled, so do these words also apply to the supporter of the official dignity. The fire, out of which Joshua had been rescued as a brand, was neither the evil which had come upon Joshua through neglecting the building of the temple (Koehler), nor the guilt of allowing his sons to marry foreign wives (Targ., Jerome, Rashi, Kimchi): for in the former case the accusation would have come too late, since the building of the temple had been resumed five months before (Hag 1:15, compared with Zec 1:7); and in the latter it would have been much too early, since these misalliances did not take place till fifty years afterwards. And, in general, guilt which might possibly lead to ruin could not be called a fire; still less could the cessation or removal of this sin be called deliverance out of the fire. Fire is a figurative expression for punishment, not for sin. The fire out of which Joshua had been saved like a brand was the captivity, in which both Joshua and the nation had been brought to the verge of destruction. Out of this fire Joshua the high priest had been rescued. But, as Kliefoth has aptly observed, “the priesthood of Israel was concentrated in the high priest, just as the character of Israel as the holy nation was concentrated in the priesthood. The high priest represented the holiness and priestliness of Israel, and that not merely in certain official acts and functions, but so that as a particular Levite and Aaronite, and as the head for the time being of the house of Aaron, he represented in his own person that character of holiness and priestliness which had been graciously bestowed by God upon the nation of Israel.” This serves to explain how the hope that God must rebuke the accuser could be made to rest upon the election of Jerusalem, i.e., upon the love of the Lord to the whole of His nation. The pardon and the promise do not apply to Joshua personally any more than the accusation; but they refer to him in his official position, and to the whole nation, and that with regard to the special attributes set forth in the high priesthood - namely, its priestliness and holiness. We cannot, therefore, find any better words with which to explain the meaning of this vision than those of Kliefoth. “The character of Israel,” he says, “as the holy and priestly nation of God, was violated - violated by the general sin and guilt of the nation, which God had been obliged to punish with exile. This guilt of the nation, which neutralized the priestliness and holiness of Israel, is pleaded by Satan in the accusation which he brings before the Maleach of Jehovah against the high priest, who was its representative. A nation so guilty and so punished could no longer be the holy and priestly nation: its priests could no longer be priests; nor could its high priests be high priests any more. But the Maleach of Jehovah sweeps away the accusation with the assurance that Jehovah, from His grace, and for the sake of its election, will still give validity to Israel’s priesthood, and has already practically manifested this purpose of His by bringing it out of its penal condition of exile.”

After the repulse of the accuser, Joshua is cleansed from the guilt attaching to him. When he stood before the angel of the Lord he had dirty clothes on. The dirty clothes are not the costume of an accused person (Drus., Ewald); for this Roman custom was unknown to the Hebrews. Dirt is a figurative representation of sin; so that dirty clothes represent defilement with sin and guilt (cf. Isa 64:5; Isa 4:4; Pro 30:12; Rev 3:4; Rev 7:14). The Lord had indeed refined His nation in its exile, and in His grace had preserved it from destruction; but its sin was not thereby wiped away. The place of grosser idolatry had been taken by the more refined idolatry of self-righteousness, selfishness, and conformity to the world. And the representative of the nation before the Lord was affected with the dirt of these sins, which gave Satan a handle for his accusation. But the Lord would cleanse His chosen people from this, and make it a holy and glorious nation. This is symbolized by what takes place in Zec 3:4 and Zec 3:5. The angel of the Lord commands those who stand before Him, i.e., the angels who serve Him, to take off the dirty clothes from the high priest, and put on festal clothing; and then adds, by way of explanation to Joshua, Behold, I have caused thy guilt to pass away from thee, that is to say, I have forgiven thy sin, and justified thee (cf. 2Sa 12:13; 2Sa 24:10), and clothe thee with festal raiment. The inf. abs. halbēsh stands, as it frequently does, for the finite verb, and has its norm in העברתּי (see at Hag 1:6). The last words are either spoken to the attendant angels as well, or else, what is more likely, they are simply passed over in the command given to them, and mentioned for the first time here. Machălâtsōth, costly clothes, which were only worn on festal occasions (see at Isa 3:22).; They are not symbols of innocence and righteousness (Chald.), which are symbolized by clean or white raiment (Rev 3:4; Rev 7:9); nor are they figurative representations of joy (Koehler), but are rather symbolical of glory. The high priest, and the nation in him, are not only to be cleansed from sin, and justified, but to be sanctified and glorified as well.

Zec 3:5

At this moment the prophet feels compelled to utter the prayer that they may also put a clean mitre upon Joshua’s head, which prayer is immediately granted. The prayer appears at first to be superfluous, inasmuch as the mitre would certainly not be forgotten when the dirty clothes were taken away and the festal dress was put on. Nevertheless, the fact that it is granted shows that it was not superfluous. The meaning of the prayer was hardly that the high priest might be newly attired from head to foot, as Hengstenberg supposes, but is rather connected with the significance of the mitre. Tsânı̄ph is not a turban, such as might be worn by anybody (Koehler), but the headdress of princely persons and kings (Job 29:14; Isa 62:3), and is synonymous with mitsnepheth, the technical word for the tiara prescribed for the high priest in the law (Ex. and Lev.), as we may see from Eze 21:31, where the regal diadem, which is called tsânı̄ph in Isa 62:3, is spoken of under the name of mitsnepheth. The turban of the high priest was that portion of his dress in which he carried his office, so to speak, upon his forehead; and the clean turban was the substratum for the golden plate that was fastened upon it, and by which he was described as holy to the Lord, and called to bear the guilt of the children of Israel (Exo 28:38). The prayer for a clean mitre to be put upon his head, may therefore be accounted for from the wish that Joshua should not only be splendidly decorated, but should be shown to be holy, and qualified to accomplish the expiation of the people. Purity, as the earthly type of holiness, forms the foundation for glory. In the actual performance of the matter, therefore, the putting on of the clean mitre is mentioned first, and then the clothing with festal robes. This took place in the presence of the angel of the Lord. That is the meaning of the circumstantial clause, “and the angel of the Lord stood” (ritum tanquam herus imperans, probans et praesentia sua ornans, C. B. Mich.), and not merely that the angel of the Lord, who had hitherto been sitting in the judge’s seat, rose up from his seat for the purpose of speaking while the robing was going on (Hofmann, Koehler). עמד does not mean to stand up, but simply to remain standing.

Zec 3:6-10

In these verses there follows a prophetic address, in which the angel of the Lord describes the symbolical action of the re-clothing of the high priest, according to its typical significance in relation to the continuance and the future of the kingdom of God. Zec 3:6. “And the angel of the Lord testified to Joshua, and said, Zec 3:7. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, If thou shalt walk in my ways, and keep my charge, thou shalt both judge my house and keep my courts, and I will give thee ways among these standing here. Zec 3:8. Hear then, thou high priest Joshua, thou, and thy comrades who sit before thee: yea, men of wonder are they: for, behold, I bring my servant Zemach (Sprout). Zec 3:9. For behold the stone which I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold I engrave its carving, is the saying of Jehovah of hosts, and I clear away the iniquity of this land in one day. Zec 3:10. In that day, is the saying of Jehovah of hosts, ye will invite one another under the vine and under the fig-tree.” In Zec 3:7 not only is the high priest confirmed in his office, but the perpetuation and glorification of his official labours are promised. As Joshua appears in this vision as the supporter of the office, this promise does not apply to Joshua himself so much as to the office, the continuance of which is indeed bound up with the fidelity of those who sustain it. The promise in Zec 3:7 therefore begins by giving prominence to this condition: If thou wilt walk in my ways, etc. Walking in the ways of the Lord refers to the personal attitude of the priests towards the Lord, or to fidelity in their personal relation to God; and keeping the charge of Jehovah, to the faithful performance of their official duties (shâmar mishmartı̄, noticing what has to be observed in relation to Jehovah; see at Lev 8:35). The apodosis begins with וגם אתּה, and not with ונתתּי. This is required not only by the emphatic 'attâh, but also by the clauses commencing with vegam; whereas the circumstance, that the tense only changes with venâthattı̄, and that tâdı̄n and tishmōr are still imperfects, has its simple explanation in the fact, that on account of the gam, the verbs could not be linked together with Vav, and placed at the head of the clauses. Taken by themselves, the clauses vegam tâdı̄n and vegam tishmōr might express a duty of the high priest quite as well as a privilege. If they were taken as apodoses, they would express an obligation; but in that case they would appear somewhat superfluous, because the obligations of the high priest are fully explained in the two previous clauses. If, on the other hand, the apodosis commences with them, they contain, in the form of a promise, a privilege which is set before the high priest as awaiting him in the future - namely, the privilege of still further attending to the service of the house of God, which had been called in question by Satan’s accusation. דּין את־בּיתי, to judge the house of God, i.e., to administer right in relation to the house of God, namely, in relation to the duties devolving upon the high priest in the sanctuary as such; hence the right administration of the service in the holy place and the holy of holies. This limitation is obvious from the parallel clause, to keep the courts, in which the care of the ordinary performance of worship in the courts, and the keeping of everything of an idolatrous nature from the house of God, are transferred to him. And to this a new and important promise is added in the last clause (ונהתּי וגו). The meaning of this depends upon the explanation given to the word מהלכים. Many commentators regard his as a Chaldaic form of the hiphil participle (after Dan 3:25; Dan 4:34), and take it either in the intransitive sense of “those walking” (lxx, Pesh., Vulg., Luth., Hofm., etc.), or in the transitive sense of those conducting the leaders (Ges., Hengst., etc.). But apart from the fact that the hiphil of הלך in Hebrew is always written either הוליך or היליך, and has never anything but a transitive meaning, this view is precluded by the בּין, for which we should expect מבּין or מן, since the meaning could only be, “I give thee walkers or leaders between those standing here,” i.e., such as walk to and fro between those standing here (Hofmann), or, “I will give thee leaders among (from) these angels who are standing here” (Hengstenberg). In the former case, the high priest would receive a promise that he should always have angels to go to and fro between himself and Jehovah, to carry up his prayers, and bring down revelations from God, and supplies of help (Joh 1:51; Hofmann). This thought would be quite a suitable one; but it is not contained in the words, “since the angels, even if they walk between the standing angels and in the midst of them, do not go to and fro between Jehovah and Joshua” (Kliefoth). In the latter case the high priest would merely receive a general assurance of the assistance of superior angels; and for such a thought as this the expression would be an extremely marvellous one, and theבּין would be used incorrectly. We must therefore follow Calvin and others, who take מהלכין as a substantive, from a singular מהלך, formed after מחצב, מסמר, מזלג, or else as a plural of מהלך, to be pointed מהלכים (Ros., Hitzig, Kliefoth). The words then add to the promise, which ensured to the people the continuance of the priesthood and of the blessings which it conveyed, this new feature, that the high priest would also receive a free access to God, which had not yet been conferred upon him by his office. This points to a time when the restrictions of the Old Testament will be swept away. The further address, in Zec 3:8 and Zec 3:9, announces how God will bring about this new time or future.

To show the importance of what follows, Joshua is called upon to “hear.” It is doubtful where what he is to hear commences; for the idea, that after the summons to attend, the successive, chain-like explanation of the reason for this summons passes imperceptibly into that to which he is to give heed, is hardly admissible, and has only been adopted because it was found difficult to discover the true commencement of the address. The earlier theologians (Chald., Jerome, Theod. Mops., Theodoret, and Calvin), and even Hitzig and Ewald, take כּי הנני מביא (for behold I will bring forth). But these words are evidently explanatory of אנשׁי מופת המּה (men of wonder, etc.). Nor can it commence with ūmashtı̄ (and I remove), as Hofmann supposes (Weiss. u. Erfüll. i. 339), or with Zec 3:9, “for behold the stone,” as he also maintains in his Schriftbeweis (ii. 1, pp. 292-3, 508-9). The first of these is precluded not only by the fact that the address would be cut far too short, but also by the cop. Vav before mashtı̄; and the second by the fact that the words, “for behold the stone,” etc., in Zec 3:9, are unmistakeably a continuation and further explanation of the words, “for behold I will bring forth my servant Zemach,” in Zec 3:9. The address begins with “thou and thy fellows,” since the priests could not be called upon to hear, inasmuch as they were not present. Joshua’s comrades who sit before him are the priests who sat in the priestly meetings in front of the high priest, the president of the assembly, so that yōshēbh liphnē corresponds to our “assessors.” The following kı̄ introduces the substance of the address; and when the subject is placed at the head absolutely, it is used in the sense of an asseveration, “yea, truly” (cf. Gen 18:20; Psa 118:10-12; Psa 128:2; and Ewald, §330, b). 'Anshē mōphēth, men of miracle, or of a miraculous sign, as mōphēth, τὸ τέρας, portentum, miraculum, embraces the idea of אות, σημεῖον (cf. Isa 8:18), are men who attract attention to themselves by something striking, and are types of what is to come, so that mōphēth really corresponds to τύπος τῶν μελλόντων (see at Exo 4:21; Isa 8:18). המּה stands for אתּם, the words passing over from the second person to the third on the resuming of the subject, which is placed at the head absolutely, just as in Zep 2:12, and refers not only to רעיך, but to Joshua and his comrades. They are men of typical sign, but not simply on account of the office which they hold, viz., because their mediatorial priesthood points to the mediatorial office and atoning work of the Messiah, as most of the commentators assume. For “this applies, in the first place, not only to Joshua and his priests, but to the Old Testament priesthood generally; and secondly, there was nothing miraculous in this mediatorial work of the priesthood, which must have been the case if they were to be mōphēth. The miracle, which is to be seen in Joshua and his priests, consists rather in the fact that the priesthood of Israel is laden with guilt, but by the grace of God it has been absolved, and accepted by God again, as the deliverance from exile shows,” and Joshua and his priests are therefore brands plucked by the omnipotence of grace from the fire of merited judgment (Kliefoth). This miracle of grace which has been wrought for them, points beyond itself to an incomparably greater and better act of the sin-absolving grace of God, which is still in the future.

This is the way in which the next clause, “for I bring my servant Zemach,” which is explanatory of 'anshē mōphēth (men of miracle), attaches itself. The word Tsemach is used by Zechariah simply as a proper name of the Messiah; and the combination ‛abhdı̄ Tsemach (my servant Tsemach) is precisely the same as ‛abhdı̄ Dâvid (my servant David) in Eze 34:23-24; Eze 37:24, or “my servant Job” in Job 1:8; Job 2:3, etc. The objection raised by Koehler - namely, that if tsemach, as a more precise definition of ‛abhdı̄ (my servant), or as an announcement what servant of Jehovah is intended, were used as a proper name, it would either be construed with the article (הצּמח), or else we should have עבדּי צמח שׁמו as in Zec 6:12 - is quite groundless. For “if poets or prophets form new proper names at pleasure, such names, even when deprived of the article, easily assume the distinguishing sign of most proper names, like bâgōdâh and meshūbhâh in Jeremiah 3” (Ewald, §277, c). It is different with שׁמו in Zec 6:12; there shemō is needed for the sake of the sense, as in 1Sa 1:1 and Job 1:1, and does not serve to designate the preceding word as a proper name, but simply to define the person spoken of more precisely by mentioning his name. Zechariah has formed the name Tsemach, Sprout, or Shoot, primarily from Jer 23:5 and Jer 33:15, where the promise is given that a righteous Sprout (tsemach tsaddı̄q), or a Sprout of righteousness, shall be raised up to Jacob. And Jeremiah took the figurative description of the great descendant of David, who will create righteousness upon the earth, as a tsemach which Jehovah will raise up, or cause to shoot up to David, from Isa 11:1-2; Isa 53:2, according to which the Messiah is to spring up as a rod out of the stem of Jesse that has been hewn down, or as a root-shoot out of dry ground. Tsemach, therefore, denotes the Messiah in His origin from the family of David that has fallen into humiliation, as a sprout which will grow up from its original state of humiliation to exaltation and glory, and answers therefore to the train of thought in this passage, in which the deeply humiliated priesthood is exalted by the grace of the Lord into a type of the Messiah. Whether the designation of the sprout as “my servant” is taken from Isa 52:13 and Isa 53:11 (cf. Isa 42:1; Isa 49:3), or formed after “my servant David” in Eze 34:24; Eze 37:24, is a point which cannot be decided, and is of no importance to the matter in hand. The circumstance that the removal of iniquity, which is the peculiar work of the Messiah, is mentioned in Eze 37:9, furnishes no satisfactory reason for deducing ‛abhdı̄ tsemach pre-eminently from Isa 53:1-12. For in Zec 3:9 the removal of iniquity is only mentioned in the second rank, in the explanation of Jehovah’s purpose to bring His servant Tsemach. The first rank is assigned to the stone, which Jehovah has laid before Joshua, etc.

The answer to the question, what this stone signifies, or who is to be understood by it, depends upon the view we take of the words עינים ... על אבן. Most of the commentators admit that these words do not form a parenthesis (Hitzig, Ewald), but introduce a statement concerning הנּה האבן. Accordingly, הנּה האבן וגו is placed at the head absolutely, and resumed in על אבן אחת. This statement may mean, either upon one stone are seven eyes (visible or to be found), or seven eyes are directed upon one stone. For although, in the latter case, we should expect אל instead of על (according to Psa 33:18; Psa 34:16), שׂים עין על does occur in the sense of the exercise of loving care (Gen 44:21; Jer 39:12; Jer 40:4). But if the seven eyes were to be seen upon the stone, they could only be engraved or drawn upon it. And what follows, הנני מפתּח וגו, does not agree with this, inasmuch as, according to this, the engraving upon the stone had now first to take place instead of having been done already, since hinnēh followed by a participle never expresses what has already occurred, but always what is to take place in the future. For this reason we must decide that the seven eyes are directed towards the stone, or watch over it with protecting care. But this overthrows the view held by the expositors of the early church, and defended by Kliefoth, namely, that the stone signifies the Messiah, after Isa 28:16 and Psa 118:2, - a view with which the expression nâthattı̄, “given, laid before Joshua,” can hardly be reconciled, even if this meant that Joshua was to see with his own eyes, as something actually present, that God was laying the foundation-stone. Still less can we think of the foundation-stone of the temple (Ros., Hitz.), since this had been laid long ago, and we cannot see for what purpose it was to be engraved; or of the stone which, according to the Rabbins, occupied the empty place of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place of the second temple (Hofmann); or of a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest. The stone is the symbol of the kingdom of God, and is laid by Jehovah before Joshua, by God’s transferring to him the regulation of His house and the keeping of His courts (before, liphnē, in a spiritual sense, as in 1Ki 9:6, for example). The seven eyes, which watch with protecting care over this stone, are not a figurative representation of the all-embracing providence of God; but, in harmony with the seven eyes of the Lamb, which are the seven Spirits of God (Rev 5:6), and with the seven eyes of Jehovah (Zec 4:10), they are the sevenfold radiations of the Spirit of Jehovah (after Isa 11:2), which show themselves in vigorous action upon this stone, to prepare it for its destination. This preparation is called pittēăch pittuchâh in harmony with the figure of the stone (cf. Eze 28:9, Eze 28:11). “I will engrave the engraving thereof,” i.e., engrave it so as to prepare it for a beautiful and costly stone. The preparation of this stone, i.e., the preparation of the kingdom of God established in Israel, by the powers of the Spirit of the Lord, is one feature in which the bringing of the tsemach will show itself. The other consists in the wiping away of the iniquity of this land. Mūsh is used here in a transitive sense, to cause to depart, to wipe away. הארץ ההיא (that land) is the land of Canaan or Judah, which will extend in the Messianic times over the whole earth. The definition of the time, beyōm 'echâd, cannot of course mean “on one and the same day,” so as to affirm that the communication of the true nature to Israel, namely, of one well pleasing to God, and the removal of guilt from the land, would take place simultaneously (Hofmann, Koehler); but the expression “in one day” is substantially the same as ἐφάπαξ in Heb 7:27; Heb 9:12; Heb 10:10, and affirms that the wiping away of sin to be effected by the Messiah (tsemach) will not resemble that effected by the typical priesthood, which had to be continually repeated, but will be all finished at once. This one day is the day of Golgotha. Accordingly, the thought of this verse is the following: Jehovah will cause His servant Tsemach to come, because He will prepare His kingdom gloriously, and exterminate all the sins of His people and land at once. By the wiping away of all guilt and iniquity, not only of that which rests upon the land (Koehler), but also of that of the inhabitants of the land, i.e., of the whole nation, all the discontent and all the misery which flow from sin will be swept away, and a state of blessed peace will ensue for the purified church of God. This is the thought of the tenth verse, which is formed after Mic 4:4 and 1Ki 5:5, and with which the vision closes. The next vision shows the glory of the purified church.

Joshua resisted and Upheld; Joshua Purified from Pollution; Joshua Reinstalled in His Office. (b. c.  520.)

1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord , and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. 6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

There was a Joshua that was a principal agent in the first settling of Israel in Canaan; here is another of the same name very active in their second settlement there after the captivity; Jesus is the same name, and it signifies Saviour; and they were both figures of him that was to come, our chief captain and our chief priest. The angel that talked with Zechariah showed him Joshua the high priest; it is probable that the prophet saw him frequently, that he spoke to him, and that there was a great intimacy between them; but, in his common views, he only saw how he appeared before men; if he must know how he stands before the Lord, it must be shown him in vision; and so it is shown him. And men are really as they are with God, not as they appear in the eye of the world. He stood before the angel of the Lord, that is, before Christ, the Lord of the angels, to whom even the high priests themselves, of Aaron's order, were accountable. He stood before the angel of the Lord to execute his office, to minister to God under the inspection of the angels. He stood to consult the oracle on the behalf of Israel, for whom, as high priest, he was agent. Guilt and corruption are our two great discouragements when we stand before God. By the guilt of the sins committed by us we have become obnoxious to the justice of God; by the power of the sin that dwells in us we have become odious to the holiness of God. All God's Israel are in danger upon these two accounts. Joshua was so here, for the law made men priests that had infirmity, Heb. vii. 28. And, as to both, we have relief from Jesus Christ, who is made of God to us both righteousness and sanctification.

I. Joshua is accused as a criminal, but is justified. 1. A violent opposition is made to him. Satan stands at his right hand to resist him to be a Satan to him, a law-adversary. He stands at his right hand, as the prosecutor, or witness, at the right hand of the prisoner. Note, The devil is the accuser of the brethren, that accuses them before God day and night, Rev. xii. 10. Some think the chief priest was accused for the sin of many of the inferior priests, in marrying strange wives, which they were much guilty of after their return out of captivity, Ezra ix. 1, 2; Neh. xiii. 28. When God is about to reestablish the priesthood Satan objects the sins that were found among the priests, as rendering them unworthy the honour designed them. It is by our own folly that we give Satan advantage against us and furnish him with matter for reproach and accusation; and if any thing be amiss, especially with the priests, Satan will be sure to aggravate it and make the worst of it. He stood to resist him, that is, to oppose the service he was doing for the public good. He stood at his right hand, the hand of action, to discourage him, and raise difficulties in his way. Note, When we stand before God to minister to him, or stand up for God to serve his interests, we must expect to meet with all the resistance that Satan's subtlety and malice can give us. Let us then resist him that resists us and he shall flee from us. 2. A victorious defence is made for him (v. 2): The Lord (that is, the Lord Christ) said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee. Note, It is the happiness of the saints that the Judge is their friend; the same that they are accused to is their patron and protector, and an advocate for them, and he will be sure to bring them off. (1.) Satan is here checked by one that has authority, that has conquered him, and many a time silenced him. The accuser of the brethren, of the ministers and the ministry, is cast out; his indictments are quashed, and his suggestions against them as well as his suggestions to them, are shown to be malicious, frivolous, and vexatious. The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan! The Lord said (that is, the Lord our Redeemer), The Lord rebuke thee, that is, the Lord the Creator. The power of God is engaged for the making of the grace of Christ effectual. "The Lord restrain thy malicious rage, reject thy malicious charge, and revenge upon thee thy enmity to a servant of his" Note, those that belong to Christ have him ready to appear vigorously for them when Satan appears most vehement against them. He does not parley with him, but stops his mouth immediately with this sharp reprimand: The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan! This is the best way of dealing with that furious enemy. Get thee behind me, Satan. (2.) Satan is here argued with. He resists the priest, but let him know that his resistance, [1.] Will be fruitless; it will be to no purpose to attempt any thing against Jerusalem, for the Lord has chosen it, and he will abide by his choice. Whatever is objected against God's people, God saw it; he foresaw it when he chose them and yet he chose them, and therefore that can be no inducement to him now to reject them; he knew the worst of them when he chose them; and his election shall obtain. [2.] It is unreasonable; for is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Joshua is so, and the priesthood, and the people, whose representative he is. Christ has not that to say for them for which they are to be praised, but that for which they are to be pitied. Note, Christ is ready to make the best of his people, and takes notice of every thing that is pleadable in excuse of their infirmities, so far is he from being extreme to mark what they do amiss. They have been lately in the fire; no wonder that they are black and smoked, and have the smell of fire upon them, but they are therefore to be excused, not to be accused. One can expect no other than that those who but the other day were captives in Babylon should appear very mean and despicable. They have been lately brought out of great affliction; and is Satan so barbarous as to desire to have them thrown into affliction again? They have been wonderfully delivered out of the fire, that God might be glorified in them; and will he then cast them off and abandon them? No, he will not quench the smoking flax, the smoking fire-brand; for he snatched it out of the fire because he intended to make use of it. Note, Narrow escapes from imminent danger are happy presages and powerful pleas for more eminent favours. A converted soul is a brand plucked out of the fire by a miracle of free grace, and therefore shall not be left to be a prey to Satan.

II. Joshua appears as one polluted, but is purified; for he represents the Israel of God, who are all as an unclean thing, till they are washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Now observe here, 1. The impurity wherein Joshua appeared (v. 3): He was clothed, not only in coarse, but in filthy garments, such as did very ill become the dignity of his office and the sanctity of his work. By the law of Moses the garments of the high priest were to be for glory and for beauty, Exod. xxviii. 2. But Joshua's garments were a shame and reproach to him; yet in them he stood before the angel of the Lord; he had no clean linen wherein to minister and to do the duty of his place. Now this intimates, not only that the priesthood was poor and despised, and loaded with contempt, but that there was a great deal of iniquity cleaving to the holy things. The returned Jews were so taken up with their troubles that they thought they needed not complain of their sins, and were not aware that those were the great hindrances of the progress of God's work among them; because they were free from idolatry they thought themselves chargeable with no iniquity. But God showed them there were many things amiss in them, which retarded the advances of God's favours towards them. There were spiritual enemies warring against them, more dangerous than any of the neighbouring nations. The Chaldee paraphrase says, Joshua had sons who took unto them wives which were not lawful for the priests to take; and we find it was so, Ezra x. 18. And, no doubt, there were other things amiss in the priesthood, Mal. ii. 1. Yet Joshua was permitted to stand before the angel of the Lord. Though his children did not as they should, yet the covenant of priesthood was not broken. Note, Christ bears with his people, whose hearts are upright with him, and admits them into communion with himself, notwithstanding their manifold infirmities. 2. The provision that was made for his cleansing. Christ gave orders to the angels that attended him, and were ready to do his pleasure, to put Joshua into a better state. Joshua presented himself before the Lord in his filthy garments, as an object of his pity; and Christ graciously looked upon him with compassion, and not, as justly he might have done, with indignation. Christ loathed the filthiness of Joshua's garments, yet did not put him away, but put them away. Thus God by his grace does with those whom he chooses to be priests to himself; he parts between them and their sins, and so prevents their sins parting between them and their God; he reconciles himself to the sinner, but not to the sin. Two things are here done for Joshua, representing a double work of divine grace wrought in and for believers:—(1.) His filthy garments are taken from him, v. 4. The meaning of this is given us in what Christ said, and he said it as one having authority, Behold, I have caused thy iniquity to pass from thee. The guilt of it is taken away by pardoning mercy, the stench and stain of it by peace spoken to the conscience, and the power of it broken by renewing grace. When God forgives our sins he causes our iniquity to pass from us, that it may not appear against us, to condemn us; it passes from us as far as the east is from the west. When he sanctifies the nature he enables us to put off the old man, to cast away from us the filthy rags of our corrupt affections and lusts, as things we will never have any thing more to do with, will never gird to us or appear in. Thus Christ washes those from their sins in his own blood whom he makes to our God kings and priests, Rev. i. 5, 6. Either we must be cleansed from the pollutions of sin or we shall, as polluted, be put from that priesthood, Ezra ii. 62. (2.) He is clothed anew, has not only the shame of his filthiness removed, but the shame of his nakedness covered: I will clothe thee with change of raiment. Joshua had no clean linen of his own, but Christ will provide for him, for he will not let a priesthood of his own instituting be lost, be either contemptible before men or unacceptable before God. The change of raiment here is rich costly raiment, such as is worn on high days. Joshua shall appear as lovely as ever he appeared loathsome. Those that minister in holy things shall not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; God will make them wise, and humble, and diligent, and faithful, and examples of every thing that is good; and then Joshua is clothed with change of raiment. Thus those whom Christ makes spiritual priests are clothed with the spotless robe of his righteousness and appear before God in that, and with the graces of his Spirit, which are ornaments to them. The righteousness of saints, both imputed and implanted, is the fine linen, clean and white, with which the bride, the Lamb's wife, is arrayed, Rev. xix. 8.

III. Joshua is in danger of being turned out of office; but, instead of that, he is reinstalled and established in his office. He not only has his sins pardoned, and is furnished with grace sufficient for himself, but, as rectus in curia—acquitted in court, he is restored to his former honours and trusts. 1. The crown of the priesthood is put upon him, v. 5. This was done at the special instance and request of the prophet: I said, "Let them set a fair mitre upon his head, as a badge of his office. Now that he looks clean, let him also look great; let him be dressed up in all the garments of the high priest." Note, When God designs the restoring or reviving of religion he stirs up his prophets and people to pray for it, and does it in answer to their prayers. Zechariah prayed that the angels might be ordered to set the mitre on Joshua's head, and they did it immediately, and clothed him with the priestly garments; for no man took this honour to himself, but he that was called of God to it. The angel of the Lord stood by, as having the oversight of the work which the created angels were employed in. He stood by, as one well pleased with it, and resolved to stand by the orders he had given for the doing of it and to continue his presence with that priesthood. 2. The covenant of the priesthood is renewed with him, which is called God's covenant of peace, Num. xxv. 12. Mr. Pemble calls it the patent of his office, which is here declared and delivered to him before witnesses, v. 6, 7. The angel of the Lord, having taken care to make him fit for his office (and all that God calls to any office he either finds fit or makes so), invests him in it. And though he is not made a priest with an oath (that honour is reserved for him who is a priest after the order of Melchisedek, Heb. vii. 21), yet, being a type of him, he is inaugurated with a solemn declaration of the terms upon which he held his office. The angel of the Lord protested to Joshua that, if he would be sure to do the duty of his place, he should enjoy the dignity and reward of it. Now see, (1.) What the conditions are upon which he enters into his office. Let him know that he is upon his good behaviour; he must walk in God's ways, that is, he must live a good life and be holy in all manner of conversation; he must go before the people in the paths of God's commandments, and walk circumspectly. He must also keep God's charge, must carefully do all the services of the priesthood, and must see to it that the inferior priests performed the duties of their place decently and in order. He must take heed to himself, and to all the flock, Acts xx. 28. Note, Good ministers must be good Christians; yet that is not enough: they have a trust committed to them, they are charged with it, and they must keep it with all possible care, that they may give up their account of it with joy, 1 Tim. vi. 14. (2.) What the privileges are which we may expect, and be assured of, in the due discharge of his office. His patent runs, Quamdiu se bene gesserit—During good behaviour. Let him be sure to do his part, and God will own him. [1.] "Thou shalt judge my house; thou shalt preside in the affairs of the temple, and the inferior priests shall be under thy direction." Note, The power of the church, and of church rulers, is not a legislative, but only a judicial power. The high priest might not make any new laws for God's house, nor ordain any other rites of worship than what God had ordained; but he must judge God's house, that is, he must see to it that God's laws and ordinances were punctually observed, must protect and encourage those that did observe them, and enquire into and punish the violation of them. [2.] "Thou shalt also keep my courts; thou shalt have oversight of what is done in all the courts of the temple, and shalt keep them pure and in good order for the worship to be performed in them." Note, Ministers are God's stewards, and they are to keep his courts, in honour of him who is the chief Lord and for the preserving of equity and good order among his tenants. [3.] "I will give thee places to walk among those that stand by, among these angels that are inspectors and assistants in this instalment." They shall stand by while Joshua is at work for God, and shall be as a guard to him, or he shall be highly honoured and respected as an angel of God, Gal. iv. 14. Ministers are called angels, Rev. i. 20. Those that walk in God's ways may be said to walk among the angels themselves, for they do the will of God as the angels do it that are in heaven, and are their fellow-servants, Rev. xix. 10. Some make it a promise of eternal life, and of a reward of his fidelity in the future state. Heaven is not only a palace, a place to repose in, but a paradise, a garden, a place to walk in; and there are walks among the angels, in society with that holy and glorious company. See Ezek. xxviii. 14.

Advent of Christ Predicted; Prediction Relating to Christ. (b. c. 520.)

8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

As the promises made to David often slide insensibly into promises of the Messiah, whose kingdom David's was a type of, so the promises here made to Joshua immediately rise as far upward, and look as far forward, as to Christ, whose priesthood Joshua's was now a shadow of, not only in general, as it kept up the line of Aaron's priesthood, but especially as it was the reviving of that happy method of correspondence between heaven and earth, to which a great interruption had been given by the iniquity and captivity of Israel. Christ is a high priest, as Joshua was, for sinners and sufferers, to mediate for those that have been under guilt and wrath. And it was fit that Joshua should understand the priesthood of Christ, because all the virtue of his priesthood, its value and usefulness to the church, depended upon and was derived from the priesthood of Christ. See,

I. To whom this promise of Christ is directed (v. 8): "Hear now, O Joshua! Thou hast heard with pleasure what belongs to thyself; but, behold, a greater than Joshua is at hand. Hear now concerning him, thou and the rest of the priests, thy fellows, who sit before thee, at thy feet, as learners, but whom thou art to look upon as thy fellows, for all you are brethren; let the high priest, and all the inferior priests, take notice of this, for they are men wondered at." They are set for signs, for types and figures of Christ's priesthood. What God now did for Joshua and his fellows was a happy omen of the coming of the Messiah promised, and would be so interpreted, with a pleasing wonder, by all that had understanding of the times. Or they are men wondered at for their singularity, hooted at as strange sort of people, because they run not with others to the same excess of riot (1 Pet. iv. 4), or for their strange afflictions and surprising deliverance out of them, as Ps. lxxi. 7, I am as a wonder unto many. They are men of wonder; they are a wonder to themselves, are amazed to think how happily their condition is altered. God's people and ministers are, upon many accounts, men wondered at. The high priest and his fellows here (as the prophet and his children, Isa. viii. 18) are for signs and for wonders. But men's wonder at them will cease when the Messiah comes, as the stars are eclipsed by the light of the sun; for his name shall be called Wonderful.

II. The promise itself, which consists of several parts, all designed for the comfort and encouragement of Joshua and his friends in that great good work of building the temple, which they were now engaged in. An eye to Christ, and a believing dependence upon the promises relating to him and his kingdom, would carry them through the difficulties they met with in that and their other services. 1. The Messiah shall come: Behold, I will bring forth my servant the branch. He has been long hid, but the fulness of time is now at hand, when he shall be brought forth into the world, brought forth among his people Israel. God himself undertakes to bring him forth, and therefore, no doubt, he will own him and stand by him. He is God's servant, employed in his work, obedient to his will, and entirely devoted to his honour and glory. He is the branch; so he was called Isa. iv. 2, The branch of the Lord. Isa. xi. 1, A branch out of the roots of Jesse. Jer. xxiii. 5, A righteous branch; and Jer. xxiii. 15, The branch of righteousness. His beginning was small, as a tender branch, but in time he should become a great tree and fill the earth, Isa. liii. 2. He is the branch from which all our fruit must be gathered. 2. Many eyes shall be upon him. He is the stone laid before Joshua, alluding to the foundation or chief corner-stone, of the temple, which probably was laid, with great solemnity, in the presence of Joshua. Christ is not only the branch, which is the beginning of a tree, but the foundation, which is the beginning of a building; and, when he shall be brought forth, seven eyes shall be upon him. The eye of his Father was upon him, to take care of him, and protect him, especially in his sufferings; when he was buried in the grave, as the foundation-stones are under ground, the eyes of Heaven were still upon him, buried out of men's sight, but not out of God's. The eyes of all the prophets and Old-Testament saints were upon this one stone; Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day, and he saw it and was glad. The eyes of all believers are upon him; they look unto him and are saved, as the eyes of the stung Israelites were upon the brazen serpent. Some understand this one stone to have the seven eyes in it as the wheels had in Ezekiel's vision, and think it denotes that perfection of wisdom and knowledge which Jesus Christ was endued with, for the good of his church. His eyes run to and fro through the earth. 3. God himself will beautify him, and put honour upon him: I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts. This stone the builders refused, as rough and unsightly; but God undertakes to smooth and polish it, nay, and to carve it so that it shall be the head stone of the corner, the most beautiful in all the building. Christ was God's workmanship; and abundance of his wisdom appears in the contrivance of our redemption, which will appear when the engraving is perfected. This stone is a precious stone, though laid for a foundation; and the graving of it seems to allude to the precious stones in the breast-plate of the high priest, which had the names of the tribes graven upon them, as the engraving of a signet, Exod. xxviii. 21, 22. In that breast-plate there were twelve stones laid before Aaron, and for aught that appears those were lost; but there shall be one worth them all laid before Joshua, and that is Christ himself. This precious stone shall sparkle as if it had seven eyes; there shall appear a perfection of wisdom and prudence in the oracles that proceed from the breast-plate of judgment. And God will engrave the engraving thereof; he will entrust Christ with all his elect, and he shall appear as their representative, and agent for them, as the high priest did when he went in before the Lord with the names of all Israel engraven in the precious stones of his breast-plate. When God gave a remnant to Christ, to be brought through grace to glory, then he engraved the graving of this precious stone. 4. By him sin shall be taken away, both the guilt and the dominion of it: I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. When the high priest had the names of Israel engraven on the precious stones he was adorned with he is said to bear the iniquity of the holy things (Exod. xxviii. 38); but the law made nothing perfect, Heb. x. 1. He bore the iniquity of the land, as a type of Christ; but he could not remove it; the doing of that was reserved for Christ, that blessed Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world; and he did it in one day, that day in which he suffered and died; that was done by the sacrifice offered that day which could not be done by the sacrifices of ages before, no, not by all the days of atonement which from Moses to Christ returned every year. This agrees with the angel's prediction (Dan. ix. 24): He shall finish transgression and make an end of sin. And some make the engravings wherewith God engraved him to signify the wounds and stripes which were given to his blessed body, which he underwent for our transgression, for our iniquity, and by which we are healed. 5. The effect of all this shall be the sweet enjoyment which all believers shall have of themselves, and the sweet communion they shall have with one another (v. 10): In that day you shall call every man his neighbour under the vine and the fig-tree, which yield most pleasant fruit, and whose leaves also afford a refreshing shade for arbours. When iniquity is taken away, (1.) We reap precious benefits and privileges from our justification, more precious than the products of the vine or the fig-tree, Rom. v. 1. (2.) We repose in a sweet tranquillity and are quiet from the fear of evil. What should terrify us when iniquity is taken away, when nothing can hurt us? We sit down under Christ's shadow with delight, and by it are sheltered from the scorching heat of the curse of the law. We live as Israel in the peaceable reign of Solomon (1 Kings iv. 24, 25); for he is the prince of peace. (3.) We ought to invite others to come to partake with us in the enjoyment of these privileges, to call every man his neighbour to come and sit with him, for mutual converse, under the vine and fig-tree, and to share with him in the fruits he is surrounded with. Gospel-grace, as far as it comes with power, makes men neighbourly; and those that have the comfort of acquaintance with Christ themselves, and communion with God through him, will be forward to court others to it. Let us go unto the house of the Lord.

CHAP. III.

Verſe 1. ANd he ſhewed me Jehoſhuah the High-Prieſt] In a viſion doubtleſſe; and that for this end, that both the Prophet, and by him the people alſo, might be advertiſed, that they wreſtled not againſt fleſh and blood, men like themſelves, but againſt ſpirituall wickedneſſes, or wicked ſpirits, who did act them and agitate them againſt the Church; ride them and ſpur them to do miſchief: as he did that bloody Farneſius one of the Popes Champions,Scito perſecutorem tuum ab aſcenſore daemone perurgeri. Bern. who coming with an army into Germany, ſwore that he would ride his horſe up to the ſpurrs in the blood of Proteſtants. It was the devill that ſtirred up the ſpirit of Tatnai, Shether-Boznai, Sanballat &c. to hinder the good work now in hand: like as he did Eckius, Cajetan, Cochlaus, Catharinus and many other great ſchollars (beſides the two kings of England and Hungary) to write againſt the Reformation begun by Luther, and Charles the fifth with all the ſtrength of the Empire to withſtand and hinder it. But all in vaine. Here he bends his acculation chiefly againſt the chief Prieſt: but thorough his ſides, he ſtrikes at the welfare of the whole Church. Miniſters are the maine object of his malice; a ſpeciall ſpite he beares to ſuch: ſingling them out and ſifting them to the bran, as he deſired to do Peter: ſtirring up unreaſonable and wicked men againſt them, as he dealt by Paul when he fought with beaſts at Epheſus, with breathing divels where ever he came, being in deaths often. When the viper hung upon his hand Act. 28. the devill doubtleſſe thought to have diſpatcht him: but he was deceived. So he is ever, when he attempts as an Accuſer of the Brethren: he is ſure to be non-ſuted, and his plea to be caſt out of the court by our Advocate with the Father Jeſus Chriſt the righteous, who appears for us (as he did here for Jehoſhua) to put away ſin. Heb. 9.24, 26. and to take away the iniquities of their moſt holy things.

ſtanding before the Angel of the Lord] i. e. before Chriſt, his beſt friend, and doing his office as an High-Prieſt. Such is Satans malice and impudency (ſaith an Interpreter here) to hurt and hinder us moſt in our beſt imployments: and to accuſe the Saints even to their beſt Friend Chriſt Jeſus. He knowes well, that as Sampſons ſtrength lay in his hair, ſo doth a Chriſtians ſtrength lie in his holy performonces, perfumed and preſented by Chriſt. Hence his reſtleſneſſe in ſeeking to ſet a difference, and to breed bate. Hence alſo, as the foules ſeiſed upon Abrahams ſacrifice, and as the Pythoniſſe interrupted Paul and his company when they were praying and well-doing Act. 16.16, 17. ſo deales he ſtill by Gods beſt ſervants: and that ſometimes ſo, that if after duty, they ſhould put that queſtion to their own heart, as God did to Satan, Ʋnde venis? whence comeſt thou? it would return Satans anſwer, [illegible: 2 letters]om compaſſing the earth.

and Satan] That Adverſary the devill, as St. Peter. calleth him: the Accuſer of the brethren Rev. 12.9. that trots betwixt heaven and earth as a teaſer, and makes a trade of it. Once this name Satan is applyed to an holy Angel going forth as an adverſary to wicked Balaam, Satans ſpelman as One calleth him.

ſtanding at his right hand] why there? Becauſe, ſay ſome, the Accuſation was as true as vehement: and ſo Satan had the upper hand. For Ioſhua was cloathed with filthy garments verſe 3. and there was cauſe enough why his own cloaths ſhould abhorr him, as Iob hath it chap. 9.31. what his particular ſin objected to him by Satan, was, is hard to ſay. Some will have it to be one thing, ſome another. It is plain by Ezra 10.18. the ſome of his ſons and allies had taken ſtrange wives which he might have hindered; but that himſelf had taken a harlot to wite,Dialog. com. Tryphon. as Juſtin Martyr affirmeth, is no way likely. I ſhould ſooner beleeve with Thedoret and Sanchez, that the ſins here alledged by Satan againſt Ioſhuah and laid to his charge were, not ſo much his own perſonall ſins, as the ſins of the whole people: quodammodo enim totus populus eſt in ſacerdote, & in ſacerdote peccat: for the whole people is, after a ſort, in the Prieſt &c.

to reſiſt him] Heb. To Satan yet againſt him, to do his kind, by fruſtrating his prayers and interceſſions for the people, by laying his and their ſins in his diſh, and by laying claime to them for his. Carried on ſtill by like helliſh hatred of God and his people, he ſins that ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt, every moment: As Pliny ſpeaks of the ſcorpion, that there is not one minute wherein it doth not put forth the ſting. Our comfort is, that 1. We have an Advocate with the Father &c. and he is the propitiation for our ſins, the Patron as well as Judge of his Saints. 2. that as Satan ſtands at our right hand to moleſt us in holy duties, ſo do the holy Angels ſtand there to withſtand him Luke 1.11. whence it was that the Curtains of the Tabernacle were wrought full of Cherubins within and without. 3. That if we reſiſt the devill, ſteadfaſt in the faith, and ſtrong in the Lord, he will fly from us, Iam. 4.7. For this old ſerpent, having his head already bruiſed and cruſhed by Chriſt, cannot ſo eaſily thruſt in his mortall ſting, unleſſe we dally with him: and ſo lay open our ſelves unto him. He ſhall in vaine ſtrike fire, if we deny tinder. He may knock at the dore, but if we anſwer him not at the window he cannot get in.

Verſe 2. And the Lord ſaid unto Satan] The Lord Chriſt that dyed, yea rather that is riſen againe, who is even at the right hand of God, who alſo maketh interceſſion for us. Who then ſhall condemne us? who ſhall lay ought to our cha[illegible: 1 letter]ge?Rom. 8.33.34, 35. who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt? Satan may attempt it, but can never effect it. We know that whoſoever is born of God ſinneth not, ſc. unto death: but he that is begotten of God keepeth himſelf (ſc. in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt unto eternal life Ind 21.)1 Ioh. 5.18. and that Wicked one or that Troubler of the Saints, toucheth him not, viz. with a deadly touch, ſo as to poyſon him and undoe him. Chriſtus nobiſcum, ſtate. The Prince of Perſia cannot ſtand before Michael the King of Saints.Dan. 10.13, 21.

the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord] Chriſt argueth not the caſe with Satan, but cuts him off ſhort with a vehement check and reproof; turns him over to his father to give him his due, Inhoneſtum enim eſt (ſaith Cyryſoſtom) honeſtam matronam cum meretrice litigare, It is not fit for a matrone to ſcold with a ſtrumpet. Admit the accuſation wi[illegible: 2 letters] true, yet it was maliciouſly and unreaſonably urged. Doeg ſpoke nothing but truth againſt David and Abimalech; yet he heareth; What ſhall be given upto thee? or, what ſhall be done unto thee, thou ſalſe tongue? Sharp arrowes of the mighty, that pierce deep, wound, deadly;Pſal 120.3, 4. with coales of Juniper, that ſhall burn fierce in reſpect of thy ſelf, and ſweet, in regard of others; for men are wondrous well pleaſed when ſuch ill members are puniſhed.

even the Lord that hath choſen Jeruſalem] He choſe her for his loves: and now loves her for his choiſe. He loveth her and waſheth her with his blood, that he may preſent her to himſelf holy and without blemiſh. Eph. 5.26, 27. The Perſian maids were firſt purified and perfumed, before Ah[illegible: 1 letter]ſuerus made his choiſe Eſth. 2 Not ſo here: A fountain of free grace is opened for ſin and for uncleanneſſe to the houſe of David and to the inhabitants of Jeruſalem Zach. 13.1. And Uranople, or the new Jeruſalem hath its foundation garniſhed with all manner of precious ſtones, Reu. 21. Now the fundation of God ſtandeth ſure, ſo that the gates of hell cannot prevail againſt it. Satan muſt know that God hath choſen Ieruſalem, and will not caſt away his people which he foreknew. Rom. 11.2.

is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire] Titio ex igne ereptus? newly ſnatcht out of the Babyloniſh furnace:Pſal. 68.12. where they have long lain among the pots, where they have been not only ſullied, but ſcorched and half-burnt: ſhould they then be cruelly caſt again into the flames, which they have ſtrangely ſcaped like as the barbarous Perſecutours ran Polycarp through the bowels with a ſword, when the beaſts would not devour him, nor the fire burn him. Or as the bloody Papiſts in Queen Maries dayes,Act. & Mon. fol. 1392. caſt the woman of Garneſeys babe again into the fire, that ſprang and ſprawled out of his mothers womb, as ſhe was in burning. This was clean contrary to that Apoſtolical precept, Of ſome have compaſſion, pulling them out of the fire. Jude 21. Ean. 3.30. And far ſhort of Nebuchadnezzars practiſes, who taking the three worthies out of the burning fiery furnace promoted them to great honour and offices.

Verſe 3. Now Joſhuah was clothed with filthy garments] The tottered rags of the old Adam, the naſty filthyneſſe and ſuperfluity of naughtineſſe that yet remained in him (though in part regenerate) and intermingled with his beſt works. Sin is the Devils excrement: it defiles the ſoul worſe then any jakes can do the body (as the Hebrew word here ſignifieth, and as our Saviour ſhews Mar. 7.20. or then the Sanies of a plague-ſore doth a garment. Hence that of the Church, We are all as an unclean thing, Eſay 64.6. and all our righteouſneſſes are as filthy rags. And that of Job, If I waſh my ſelf with ſnow water, and make my hands never ſo clean, yet ſhalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own cloathes ſhall make me to be abhorred, Job. 9.30.31.1 Cor. 4.5. this is the ſame in effect with that of Paul, I know nothing by my ſelf, yet am I not hereby [illegible: 1 letter]uſtified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord: who when he coms to turn up the bottom of the bag, as the ſteward did Ben[illegible: 1 letter]amins, he will manifeſt the hidden things of darkneſſe, finde out our thefts that we dreamt not of, open all fardles on that great fair-day,Sacc[illegible: 1 letter] ſoluto [illegible: 1 word] argentum Ambr. the day of judgement. As in the meanwhile, ſhould Lord but break open that filthy ſink of ſin that is in the very beſt of us, we ſhould not onely be lothſome to God Zach. 11.8. and to good men Prov. 29.27. but even to our own ſelves alſo, as Job was (hap. 42.6. Judas was not able to abide is own ſtench Mat. 27.4, 5. Yea and ſome holy men (as Mr. Lever, for one) when they have deſired to ſee their utmoſt uncleanneſſe, their corruptions in the moſt ugly colours, God hath heard them. But yet his hand therewith was ſo heavy upon them, that they went alwayes mourning to their graves; and thought it fitter to leave it to Gods wiſdom to give them a ſight of their ſins, and to mingle the the potion of ſorrow, then to be their own chooſers. See that excellent text Iob 15.14, 15, 16. And then ſtand aloof with the Leper and ſay, I am unclean, I am unclean: yet, Lord, if thou wilt thou canſt make me clean.

and ſtood before the Angel] His filthy garments notwithſtanding: Though we cannot ſay our hearts are pure, and our performances perfect: yer if we wallow not in ſin, allow it not, if with the daughters of Zion, we look upon our former neatneſſe as naſtineſſe, and fineneſſe as filthineſſe, if we be in any meaſure purged from the love and liking of ſin by the ſpirit of judgment, and by the ſpirit of burnning Iſai. 4.4. Chriſt will neither abhor our preſence, nor reject our ſervices. Aaron was to bear the iniquity of the holy offerings Exod. 28.38. Chriſt is this Aaron &c. And though there be an inequality of expreſſions in duty quoad nos in us; yet there is a conſtancy of interceſſion by Chriſt propter nos, for us.

Verſe 4. And he anſwered and ſpake to thoſe that ſtood before him] i. e. to the Angels that waited upon him. Eſt autem hoc humanitùs dictum ſaith Iunius. This is [illegible: 3 letters]ken after the manner of men: for properly men are waſhed, juſtified and ſanctified by the Merit and Spirit of Chriſt alone. 1 Cor. 6.11. But the Lord Chriſt ſpeaketh thus to the created Angels his Miniſters; to ſhew that He who onely hath power to for give ſins, doth yet therein imploy the holy miniſtery for an inſtrument. See 2 Cor. 9.18. and Iob 33.33, 24.

take away the filthy garments Thoſe ſymbols of his ſinfulneſſe, (ſee the Note on verſe 3. ſo his ſins were pardoned in heaven. But becauſe it is ſmall comfort to a condemned perſon to have a pardon granted him, unleſſe he know it, and be aſſured of it: therefore it followeth.

and unto him he ſaid behold] By whatthou haſt ſeen in the Angels ſtripping of thee.

I have cauſed thine iniquities to paſſe from thee] Tranſtuli peccatum as he once ſaid to David, I have taken away thy ſin, I have tranferred it upon my ſelf: ſpeaking to my Father for thee, as once Paul did to Philemon for his ſon Oneſimus, Philem. 18, 19. if he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account, I will repay it. This is the greateſt happineſſe that can befal a man in this world Pſal. 32.1, 2, and could not but be a ſingular comfort to theſe poor Jews, prieſt and people amidſt their manifold afflictions. A man that hath got his pardon is not troubled though he loſe his glove, or hankercheife, nor though it ſhould prove a rainy day. Being [illegible: 1 letter]uſtified by faith we glory in tribulation Rom. 5.1.3. Feri domino, eri: nam a peccatis abſolutus ſum, ſaith Luther: Strike Lord, ſtrike, while thou wilt: my ſins are pardoned. I thank thee, O Lord (ſaid Another in his great extremity) for all my pain: and I beſeech thee, if thou think good, to adde to it an hundred-fold. But behold a further honour; as mercies ſeldom come ſingle.

and I will cloath thee with change of raiment] i. e. I will change thy rags into robes, thy ſtained clouts into clean cloathing. Thou ſhalt be arraied with the righteouſneſſe of the ſaints Rev. 19.8. that twofold righteouſneſſe, imputed and imparted: that of juſtification, and this other of ſanctification: that as an undercoat, this as an upper: that clean and pure, this white and bright: both muſt be had from Chriſt, who is made unto us of God not onely wiſdom, but righteouſneſſe, ſanctification, and redemption 1 Cor, 1.30. 2 Cor. 5.19. Surely as our apparrel is not bred of us, neither grows out of our bodies: ſo neither doth this change of raiment in the Text. But the bleſſed Lamb of God cloatheth us with his own fleece, which is long enough and large enough to cover all our defects and deformities, and to ſet us forth to the admiration of Angels. As he taketh upon him our ſins, ſo he putteth upon us his righteouſneſſe. This is a bleſſed exchange indeed, a ſure pledge of our peace with him, and with God by him. We read in our own Chronicles, that Edmund furnamed Ironſide (in whom England was loſt) and Knute the firſt Daniſh King, after many incounters and equal fights, at length imbraced a preſent agreement:Daniels hiſt. lib. 1. which was made by parting England between them two, and confirmed by oath and Sacrament, putting on each others apparel and Arms, as a ceremony to expreſſe the Atonement of their minds, as if they had made tranſaction of their perſons each to other; Knute became Edmund, and Edmund, Knute. Even ſuch an exchange I may ſay of apparrel is betwixt Chriſt and the pardoned ſinner &c. Chriſt puts upon his Church his own comlineſſe, decks his ſpouſe with his own jewels, as Iſaac did Rebecca: cloath her with needle-work, and makes her more glorious within then Eſther ever was in all her beauty and bravery: rejoyceth over her, as the bridegroom over his bride, yea is raviſht in his love to her, with one of her eyes lifted up to him in prayer or meditation, with one chain of her neck, that chain of his own graces in her Cant. 4.

Verſe 5. And I ſaid, let them ſet a fair mitre upon his head] Who ſaid this? The Prophet, grounding his ſpeech on the laſt gracious words of the Angel, taketh the boldneſſe to enterpoſe this his requeſt for the beſtowing of the prieſtly ornaments upon Joſhua, and accordingly it is done. This the prophet knew would be a comfort to the whole people, and a confirmation to Ioſhuas faith, for the pardon of his ſins: like as it was to Peter and the reſt of the Apoſtles,Mat. 28.19. Joh. 20.21. that Chriſt after his reſurrection reſtored them to their office, after they had all ſhamefully forſaken him.

let them ſet a fair mitre upon his head] Not a diadem, as the old Tranſlation hath it (that's for a kings head) much leſſe a triple crown with the word Myſtery (Babylons motto Rev. 17.5.) engraven in it, as Brocard and many other eye-witneſſes affirm of the Popes crown but a Mitre or tiar. It hath its name from compaſſing about, be cauſe it invironed the High-prieſts head. It had a holy crown with it Exod. 29.6. ſignifying the Deity and dignity of Chriſt. It had alſo upon the fore-front of it a plate of pure gold with this caelature, Holineſſe to the Lord. Hence it was not lawful for the High prieſt, (ſay the Jews) to put off his mitre to whomſoever he met, were he never ſo great a man: leſt the name and glory of God (whoſe perſon he ſuſtained) ſhould ſeem to ſubmit to any living: With this Myſterious mitre upon his head, with other prieſtly Ornaments and veſtments it was, that Alexander the greatmet the High-prieſt Iaddus (Nephew and ſucceſſour to Ichoſhuah in the text) as he was ma[illegible: 1 letter]ching againſt Jeruſalem with hoſtile intent: and adoring that God whoſe name was ſeen written on the golden plate of his Mitre, he entered the city peaceably, offered ſacrifice in the Temple, as the Prieſts directed him,Dan. 8.7, 20, 21. & 11, 13. and having ſeen there the propheſie of Daniel concerning himſelf, he granted the Jews many immunities and priviledges, and ſo departed. Parmenio, one of his favorites, asked him the reaſon of his friendly dealing with the Jews, [illegible: 1 letter]ſeph. lib. 11. Cap. vlt. who by denying him help and tribute had highly diſpleaſed him: He anſwered, that while he was yet in Macedonia, and but thinking of the conqueſt of Aſia, a certain man appeared unto him in the habit of that High-prieſt encouraging him to ſet upon the work, and aſſuring him of good ſucceſſe therein.

and the Angel of the Lord] that is Chriſt, the Maſter of theſe Ceremenies, the effect of this Levitical office.

Verſe 6. And the Angel of the Lord proteſted] Either with an oath or ſome deep aſſeveration, or both; as 1 Sam. 25.26. As the Lord liveth, and as thy ſoul liveth &c. The former is an oath, the latter an aſſeveration or obteſtation only, conjoyned with that oath. Among the Heathens Ex animi ſeu ſententia was inſtead of an oath: And rather then ſwear or ſay more, in a matter of no great moment, Chinius the Pythagorean would undergoe a mulct of three talents. Others render it Teſtified, or called witneſſe upon his words, the Angels and the prophet there preſent, for the more aſſurance. Thus, though Chriſts word be ſufficient (for he is Amen, the faithful and true witneſſe) yet for his ſervants better ſettlement,Rev. 3.14. he hath bound his promiſes to them with an oath, and taken heaven and earth to witneſſe; which is dignatio ſtupenda, a wonderful Condeſcenſion.

Verſe 7. If thou wilt walk in my wayes, and keep my charge] That is, if thou wilt walk in all the Commandements (moral) and ordinances (Levitical) blameleſſe as holy.Luk. 1 6. Act 20.28. Zachary did, and ſo approve thy ſelf righteous before God, by taking heed to thy ſelf firſt, and then to all thy flock, which is thy charge, the Holy Ghoſts depoſitum, and the purchaſe of Chriſt's own blood. God lineſſe is the high-way to happineſſe: the good old way that hath been ever beaten by all thoſe ſaints, that now finde reſt to their ſouls. The very firſt ſteps in this way are Repentance from dead works, and Faith toward God in Chriſt Jeſus. By theſe, men return to God from whom they have departed: are brought neare to him, and ſet in the way of his ſteps Pſal. 85.13. We are his workmanſhip (ſaith the Apoſtle) created in Chriſt Ieſus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we ſhould walk in them. Eph. 2.10. not without good advice, and due direction. Eph. 5.15. Walk circumſpectly, walk by rule and by line, Gal. 6.16. Lift not up one foot till you finde ſure footing for the other, as thoſe Pſal. 35.6. Chriſtians, (and eſpecially Miniſters) are funambulones, ſaith Tertullian: if they tread but one ſtep awry, they are gone, and may draw many with them.

then thou ſhalt judge mine houſe, and ſhalt alſo keep my courts] i. e. Thou ſhalt rule in my Temple, and wait at mine altar. The Pope and his Prelates catch at the former, but let go the later: where Chriſt ſaith Feed my ſheep, Bellarmine ſaith, the meaning is, Rule like a king; Baronius, Take to thy ſelf the ſupream government of the Church. But a preaching Biſhop is a juſt wonder among them, a Vir portenti, as thoſe prieſts in the next verſe are called.

and I will give thee places to walk among theſe that ſtand by] i.e. Among the Seraphims (as the Chaldee here interprets it,) thou ſhalt walk arm in arm (as it were) with Angels Mat. 22.30. Heb. 12.22. He ſeems to allude to the walks and Galleries that were about the Temple. Heaven is the reward of walking in the way that is called Holy: the end of mens faith, the ſalvation of their ſouls. Chriſt tells us that in his Fathers houſe are many manſions for us, Joh. 14.2. (ſuch as have farre better gardens, and Galleries then Mahomet fondly promiſeth his ſwordmen in his fools-paradiſe) And it is a part of his joy, that we ſhall one day bee where he is, attended with innumerable Angels, John 17.24. who will be glad of our company. How much better cauſe have we then that Heathen to cry out, O praeclarum diem, cum ad illud animorum concilium coetumque preficiſcar: Cic. de ſeneclute. & cum ex hac turba & colluvione diſcedam, &c. O what a brave and bright day will that be, when wee ſhall go to that Congregation-houſe of bleſſed ſpirits: and walk no longer in the way of this world, which is (like the land of Chabul) dirty and dangerous, like the vale of Siddim, ſlimy, and ſlippery,1 Sam 2. full of lime-pits, and pitfalls, ſnares and ſtumbling-blocks, laid by Satan to maime, or miſchieve us! O happy they that walk humbly with God, who keepeth the feet of his Saints, and hath charged his Angels to bear them up in their hands, leſt they daſh their feet againſt a ſtone! This whiles they are here:Pſal. 90.12. and when they go hence, to convey them thorow the air (whereof the devil is the prince) as thorow the enemies countrey, into the heavenly habitations: and there to entertain and welcome them with ſweeteſt varieties, felicities, eternities, ſitter to be beleeved then poſſible to be expreſſed.

Verſe 8. Hear now, O Ioſhua the high Prieſt] Hear a ſermon of Chriſt, the Fountain of all this mercy beſtowed upon thee, and yet further promiſed unto thee. Hear for thy ſelf, hear for thy whole Society. Thou and thy fellows, thy fellow-friends, the reſt of the prieſts, thy fellows in ſervice, though inferiour in Office (for there was a ſubordination of prieſts, both before the Temple, Num 3. and 1 Chron. 23.4, 5. and under the Temple, 2 Chron. 35.8, 9.) Types alſo of Chriſt, and partakers of the benefit, 1 Tim. 6.2.

for they are men wondered at] Erant omnibus probroſi, ſaith Calvin, They departed from evil, and thereby made themſelves a prey, Eſay 59.15. they were for ſignes and for wonders in Iſrael, Eſay 8.18. hiſſed and hooted at, Pſal. 71.7. as thoſe that affected to be ſingular, and ſeraphicall, They think it ſtrange, ſaith Saint Peter to his holy converts, that you run not with them to the ſame exceſſe of riot: ſpeaking evill of you, as if you were no better then mad-men, Eſay 59.15.1 Pet. 4.4. robb'd of your right minds as the word ſignifieth. It is a French proverb, He that would have his neighbours dog hang'd, gives out that he is mad. The primitive perſecutours uſed to put Chriſtians into bears and dogs skins, or ugly creatures, and then bait them: ſo graceleſſe perſons put the ſaints of God into ugly conceits, look upon them as ſtrange creatures, and then ſpeak and act againſt them. In our wretched dayes (as the Turks count all fools to be ſaints, ſo) people account all ſaints to be fools; and the more zealous among them monſters and miſcreants.Holy Stat[illegible: 1 letter]. As for Athanaſius, and Marcellus who have impiouſly blaſphemed againſt God, and have lived as wicked miſcreants, and are thereupon caſt out of the Church, and condemned, we cannot receive them to the honour of Epiſcopacy, ſaid thoſe fourſcore Biſhops in the mock-Synod of Sardis. And Bede teſtifieth of the ancient Brittains immediatly before their deſtruction by the Saxons, that they were come to that height of wickedneſſe, as to caſt reproach upon the profeſſours of religion, as upon the worſt of men. Doth not Saint Paul ſay as much, 1 Cor. 4.9. We are made a theatre, or are ſet upon the ſtage for a laughing-ſtock unto the world, and to Angels, and to men, &c?

For behold, I will bring forth my ſervant the BRANCH.] The ſame that grew out of the root of Jeſſe, when that goodly family was ſunk [illegible: 1 letter]o low, as from David the King, to Joſeph the Carpenter. See Eſay 4.2. and 11.1. and 45.8. and 53.1. Ier. 33.15. where the Chaldee for Branch rendreth it Meſſiah, as here alſo he doth: And ſome have obſerved that themagh, a Branch, is by tranſpoſition of letters, the ſame with Maſciach, Meſſias: Samech and tſade, being neer akin; and of the ſame ſound almoſt. A ſervant Chriſt is called by reaſon of his Mediatorſhip, taking upon him the form of a ſervant; yea, of a faulty ſervant that was to be beaten: yea, that being cruelly beaten was brought forth to the people with an Ecce homo, Behold the man. Behold, ſaith God here,Joh. 19.5. I will bring forth my ſervant the Branch: bring him forth, out of the boſom of his Father, out of the womb of his Mother, out of the types of the Law, &c.

Verſe 9. For behold the ſtone, &c.] Another title given to Chriſt, who is the foundation and chief corner-ſtone of his Church; and another Behold, prefixed as a ſtarry Note, or as a hand pointing to a remarkable matter. All the Prophets pointed to Chriſt, who is therefore called, the Branch, the Stone, &c. that in theſe creatures (every where obvious) as in ſo many optick glaſſes, wee may ſee him, and be put in continuall remembrance of him; It being as neceſſary to remember Chriſt, as to breathe, ſaith a Father. See Pſal. 118.22. Eſay 28.16. 1 Pet. 2.6, 7, 8.

that I have laid, and that I will engrave] The Church is Gods building, and we are his workmanſhip, this artificiall manufacture, created in Chriſt Jeſus unto good works: [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Epheſ. 2.10 there being not ſo much of the glory of God in all his works of creation and providence, as in one gracious action that a Chriſtian performeth. As for the glorious work of our redemption by Chriſt, it was a plot of Gods own contriving, a fabrick of Gods own erecting: it was the Lords own doing, and it is juſtly marvellous in our eyes.

Ʋpon one ſtone ſhall be ſeven eyes] That is, Chriſt ſhall draw all eyes and hearts to him: as the ſtones of the Temple did the Diſciples eyes, Mat. 24.2. and Mar. 13.1. Maſter, ſay they to Chriſt, ſee what manner of ſtones, and what buildings are here. Thus ſome ſence it. I ſhould rather by theſe ſeven eyes underſtand the Spirit in his ſeverall operations upon Chriſt, as Eſay 11.2. for he received not the Spirit by meaſure, as others; but had as much of it as a creature could poſſibly have. See the Note on Rev. 1.4. where the holy Ghoſt, for his manifold good gifts and perfect givings, is called The ſeven Spirits; like as he is alſo ſtiled the ſeven golden pipes, Zech. 4.2, 3. There are that by theſe ſeven eyes upon one ſtone, underſtand the Providence and Wiſdome of Chriſt in the Government of his Church. Hee is indeed, as One ſaith [non-Latin text not transcribed], All-Eye, Sic ſpectat univerſos quaſi ſingulos: ſic ſingulos quaſi ſolos; like a well-drawn picture hee eyeth all. Chriſt as he is a living, ſo he is alſo a looking ſtone: he looketh at the miſeries and matters of his Church,Exod. 3.7 and ſaith as once, I have ſeen, I have ſeen the afflictions of my people in Egypt, &c.

Behold, I will engrave the graving thereof] Hae coelaturae dona & ſtigmata Chriſtirepraeſentant, ſaith A Lapide. Theſe gravings repreſent the gifts and wounds of Chriſt,Lib. 4. in alluſion to the poliſhed corners of the Temple. Coelum dictum eſt quod coelatum, id eſt ſignatum ſideribus, ſaith Varro. Heaven hath its name in Latine from its being enameled and beſpangled with gliſtering ſtarres, as with curious workmanſhip, or coſtly furniture. Of the third heaven, the habitation of Saints and Angels,Heb. 11.10 God is ſaid to be by a ſpecialty the builder and maker, or (as the Greek hath it) the cunning Artificer, and publike Architect. A great deal of skill and workmanſhip he laid out upon it: but nothing ſo much as upon the Humane nature of Chriſt, wherein, as in a Temple, dwelt all the fulneſſe of the Godhead bodily, Col 2.9 that is, perſonally, by vertue of the Hypoſtaticall Union. For the Word was made fleſh, and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory (the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth, John 1.14 full, full to the very brimme, full with a double fulneſſe. Vaſis & Fontis, of the Veſſell, and of the Fountain. Hence, He was fairer (much fairer, double fairer (as the Originall importeth) then the ſonnes of men, ſc. with the beauty of wiſdome and holineſſe: grace was poured into his lips, God had anointed him with the oil of gladneſſe above his fellows, Ezek. 28.7 Pſal. 45.2, 7. The Prieſts in the Law were conſecrated firſt with oil, compounded and confected of diverſe precious ſpices: ſo was Chriſt with gifts and graces of the Spirit, Act. 10.38. and 4.27, Eſay 61.1. not by meaſure, as we are, Epheſ. 4.7. but without meaſure, as much as a finite nature was capable of: particularly, he was furniſhed and poliſhed with wiſdome, as a Prophet, againſt our ignorance; with holineſſe, as a Prieſt, againſt our guilt; and with power, as a King, againſt our corruptions: Theſe and all other endowments, he had well heapt, preſſed down, and running over, poured into his boſome. Next, as the Prieſts under the Law were alſo conſecrated with blood, ſo was the Lord Chriſt with his own blood, when his Father engraved him with graving; or, as the Hebrew hath it here, opened him with opening in his bloody paſſion, baptized him in his own blood, ſtewed him in his own broth, as it were; when in a cold winters-night hee ſweat great clods of blood; which thorow clothes and all fell to the very ground. When after this they digged his hands and his feet, Pſal. 22.16. and made his heart melt in the middeſt of his bowels, verſe 14. Wounded he was in the head, to cure our vile imaginations: In the hands, to expiate our evil actions: in the heart, and feet, for our baſe affections, and unworthy walkings. Tormented he was for our tranſgreſſions, bruiſed for our iniquities, the chaſtiſement of our peace was upon him, tanquam pulcherrima corporis caelatura, and by his ſtripes or bloody wails, we were healed. Adam ſignifieth Man, red-earth, or Bloody. Eſay 53.[illegible: 1 letter] Chriſt was Man in his Incarnation, and bloody all over in his paſſion. This death of Chriſt therefore look on (ſaith Maſter Bradford Martyr) as the very pledge of Gods dear love towards thee: ſee the very bowels of it as in an Anatomie. See, Gods hands are nailed, they cannot ſtrike theo; his feet alſo, he cannot runne from thee: his arms are wide open to embrace thee: his head hangs down to kiſſe thee: his very heart is open, ſo that therein look, nay even ſpie, and thou ſhalt ſee nothing therein but love, love, love to thee, &c.

Cernis ut in toto corpore ſculptus amor.

and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day] I will remove, i. e. remit and pardon, the iniquity, both guilt and puniſhment. Of that land, i. e. Of the Church, that pleaſant land, more dear to God then all the earth beſides. In one day, i. e. together and at once, ſuddenly and in an inſtant. See Eſay 66.8.

Verſe 10. In that day, ſaith the Lord of hoſts, ſhall yee call, &c.] i. e. Yee ſhall have peace, Regionis & Religionis. of countrey and of conſcience. Chriſtus auferet iniquitatem, afferet pacem. Chriſt, as he ſaveth his people from their ſinnes; ſo from the hands of them that hate them. When this Prince of peace was born, in the dayes of Auguſtus, Ʋniverſa gentium erat aut pax, aut pactio: Luc. [illegible: 1 letter]lor. l. [illegible: 1 letter]. there was a generall either peace, or truce among all Nations. And this man ſhall be the peace, when the Aſſyrian ſhall come into the land—thus ſhall he deliver us from the Aſſyrian, &c. Mic. 5.5, 6. But behold a better thing: This Shiloh, this Tranquillator, Pacificator, by removing iniquity, createth peace of conſcience: like as after Jonah was caſt over-board, the ſea became calme. Of the encreaſe of his government and peace there ſhall be no end, Eſay 9.7. Where Chriſt ruleth there is peace, peace, Eſay 26.3. that is, perfect, ſheer, pure peace, with God, our ſelves, and others: and the more Chriſts government increaſeth in the ſoul, the more is peace renued, continued, multiplied.Pſal. 119.16[illegible: 1 letter] Great peace have all they that love thy Law and nothing ſhall offend them, ſaith David. And thou haſt been a ſtrength to the poor, a refuge from the ſtorm, a ſhadow from the heat, &c. (Eſay 25.4.) better then that of the broad-leaved Vine, and fig-tree, very cooling and comfortable in thoſe hot countreys. See this in righteous Noah: who being juſtified by faith, had peace with God, and therefore was medijs tranquillus in undis. How ſecurely doth he ride out that uproar of heaven, earth, and waters! He hears the pouring down of rain above his head, the ſhrieking of men, the bellowing of beaſts on both ſides him, the raging and threats of the waves under him. He ſaw the miſerable ſhifts of diſtreſſed unbeleevers, & in the mean time ſits quietly in his dry cabbin, not feeling, nor fearing evil. How happy a thing is pardon of ſinne, and peace with God! what a quiet ſafety, what an heavenly calme doth it lodge in the ſoul! what earneſt pantings, and ſtrong affections to the ſalvation of others. Ye ſhall call, &c.