4, Abarbanel, one of their great masters, and chief among them
SECT. 3-5.] THE MESSIAH TO BE COME. 287
who invent pretences for their impenitence and unbelief, in his comment on this place, after he hath endeavoured his ptmost against the interpretations of the Christians, and made use of the reason- ings of former expositors, to apply the whole prophecy unto the second house, at least as it was restored by Herod, at length refers all that is spoken of the house here unto a third temple, prophesied of, as he fancieth, by Ezekiel, to be built in the days of the Messiah ; because he saw that if the second house was intended, it would be hard to avoid the coming of the Messiah whilst that house stood and continued. But we need not insist long in the removal of this fond imagination: for,—(1.) It is contrary to express redoubled affirmations in the text before insisted on: (2.) To the whole design of the context and prophecy, which is expressly to encourage the Jews unto the building of that house, which seemed so contemptible in the eyes of some of them: (38.) To the repetition of this prophecy, Mal. ii. 1, where the second temple is evidently expressed: (4.) To the prophecy of Ezekiel, wherein a spiritual and not a material temple is delineated, as we shall elsewhere demonstrate: (5.) To the time assigned to the glorifying of the house spoken of, NOS iy NT DYDD, “ yet a little while,” which in no sense can be applied unto a temple to be built longer afterwards than that nation had been a people. From the call of Abraham to the giving of this promise, there had passed about fourteen hundred and ten years; and it is now above two thousand years since this prophecy, which in what sense it can be called “a little while” is hard to imagine. This, then, is the sense that Abarbanel would put on these words, “ It is yet a little while, and I will fill this house with glory ;” that is, ‘A -very great while hence, longer hence than you have been a people in the world, I will cause another house to be built’! (6) It is contrary to the Targums, and all the ancient masters among the Jews themselves: (7.) To itself; for it is, by his own confession, promised that the Messiah should come to the temple that is pro- mised to be filled with glory, but the other third temple that he fancies, is, as he said, to be built by himself, so that he cannot be said to’ come unto it. So that this evasion will not yield the least relief to their obstinacy and unbelief. It is evidently the second temple, built by Zerubbabel, whose glory is here foretold.
5. The glory promised unto this house is nextly to be considered. This is expressed absolutely, Hag. ii. 7, “I will fill this house with glory;” and comparatively, with reference unto the temple of Solo- mon, which some of them had seen, verse 9, “ The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.’ To understand aright this promise, we must reflect a little upon the glory of the first house, which the glory of this second was to excel. It would not answer our present design to digress unto a particular descrip-
288 OTHER TESTIMONIES PROVING [EXERCO. XIII.
tion of Solomon’s temple; it is also done by others with great judo- ment, diligence, and accuracy. I shall therefore only give a brief — account of some of the heads of its excellency, which our present argument doth require.
6. First, then, It was very glorious from its principal architect, which was God himself. He contrived the whole fabric, and dis- posed of all the parts of it in their order; for when David de- livered unto Solomon the pattern of the house and the whole worship of it, he tells him, “ All these things the LoRD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern,” 1 Chron. xxviii. 19. God gave him the whole “in writing;” that is, divinely and immediately inspired him by his Holy Spirit to set down the frame of the house, and all the concernments of it, ac- cording to his own appointment and disposal. This rendered the house glorious, as answering the wisdom of Him by whom it was contrived. And herein it had the advantage above all the fabrics that ever were on the earth, and in particular the second temple, whose builders had no such idea of their work given them by inspi- ration.
7. Secondly, It was glorious in the greatness, state, and magnifi- cence, of the fabric itself Such a building it was as was never paralleled in the world; which sundry considerations will make evi- dent unto us, as,—
First, The design of Solomon, the wisest and richest king that ever was in this world, in the building of it. When he undertook the work, and sent to Hiram, king of Tyre, for his assistance, he tells him that “the house which he was to build was to be great, because their God was great above all gods,” 2 Chron. ii. 5. Nay, saith he, “The house which I am about to build shall be wonder- ful and great.” No doubt but he designed the structure to be magni- ficent to the utmost that his wisdom and wealth could extend unto. And “what shall he do that cometh after the king?’ What shall any of the sons of men think to contrive and erect, to enlarge that in glory wherein Solomon laid out his utmost? There can, doubtless, be no greater fondness, than to imagine that it could in any measure be equalled by what was done afterwards by Zerubbabel or Herod.