- Cote Aturaloſer and Byl, by Heb. and anſwers to part of our Ofober and November, ewo Months after Haggat began to en- courage the Fews to build the Temple. 5 Son of Hyftaſpis, and the third Perſian Monarch, vid. Hag. I. I. let. 4. and again chap. I. 15. let. f. at large. c Here is his Warrant and Divine Call, the Lord communicated to him what he was to communicate to others. d His Name befpeaks him a remembrancer of God, or ir may ſpeak God remembring him and the reſt of this People. dd The Fews call'd the Deſcendents in right Line Sons, tho' they were Grand-ſons, or, Great Grand-ſons ; in this Senſe ſome ſay Zechariah is the Son of Baruch and the Son of Iddo. This Zechariah is not he that 1s menti- oned 2 Chron. 24. 20. this is too early by many Years; nor is this Zechariah the Facher of Fohn Baptiſt, this 1s as much too late 3 but moſt likely, *tis that Zechariah whom the Fews ſlew between the Temple and the Altar, Matth. 23. 35. & This Name is expreſly men- tioned Matth. 23. and his time exaRly ſutes the rime pointed at by the Evangeliſt. f One of this Name you have 2 Chron. 9 .29. but this is too old to be this in the Text, for there will be found ( as Wolphius in Exram notes) 450 Years diſtance berween 14d the Seer, and this 14d» mentioned in the Text. g Whether Zechariah, or 1d-
do, I determine not.
i 2 The LORD f hath been t fore diſpleaſed g with
ne. your tathers h. _ .
| f The Holy, the Mighty One, your God, the juſt Governour of the World. 2 So long provoked, that his diſpleaſure at laſt enkind- led within. his Breaſt, and broke out into that Flame which hath conſumed your Land, City, and Temple. h All that were Proge- nitors, Fore-fathers to the rerurn'd Captives, from their entrance into Canaan, bur ſpecially ſince the Apoſtacy in Feroboam's time, for many hundred Years your Predeceffors have provoked God by their notorious Sins, even to the Days of their Caprivity.
3 Therefore i ſay & thou unto them /, Thus ſaith the
5s: LORD of hoſts m, * Turn ye unto me 7. faith the LORD "of hoſts o, and I will turn unto you p, faith the LORD ' of hoſts 9.
7 And, Heb. þ Command and require. 1 Of the Captivity, who arereturned totheir own Land. m1 In my Name, by the Authori- ty 1 have over them as Lord of Hoſts, require they hear avd obey. 1Repent ye of all your Sins, leave them, ſet your hearrs on my Law to obey it, on my Worſhip to give me it, on my Temple to re-edifie It. 0 Who can puniſh your Refuſal, who can prote& you 1n your Return, and reward-your Obedience. p With Blefſings, with all Bleſſings, which my Preſence brings to a repenting People, It was wo with you and your Fathers when I departed from them, but it ſnall be as well with them when I return unto them. q That you may be affured hereof, I promiſe it to you, and will be engaged co pertorm as Lord of Hoſts, as having all things at my diſpoſal.
{ 2 be yer notas your fathers, to whom rhe for- . Mer s prophets have cried z, ſaying, Thus ſairh the ' LORD of hoſts, * Turn ye now from your evil ways z, and from your evil doings x : but they did not hear y, 29 hearken unto me 2, taith the LORD.
7 You who have ſcen the Sorrows of along Captivity, who are rorderfully brought back , who are under the teachings of Rod and Saf, 's All the former Prophets, 2 Chron. 36. 15,15. # Preach- cd crneftly, frequently aud compaſſionately, u Now to Day, yet
\
a Is
\
before 'tis too late : O! turn from vitious, finful Courſes and Ways ; from your Atheiſm, Idolatry, Murders, Oppreſſions and Adulteries. x Ir 15repeated thar it might be more impreſſive upon them. The Prophets importunately intreated them to ceaſe from Evil, Iſz. t. 16. and 31.6. Jer. 3. 12. Ezek. 18.30. and Hoſ. 14-1. y They did not, becauſe they would not, chey regarded not whar I ſaid by my Prophets, neither could they be perſwaded to it. 4 This obſtinate Diſobedience is twice togerher charged on them, to make their Sin appear in its greatneſs,
5 Your tathers, where are they a? and the pro-
phets 6, do they live for ever ? a But where are your diſobedient Fathers? Are they not buried in a ſtrange Land? Did they not die of thoſe Diſeaſes ? Were they not conſumed with Famine, and the Sword, as was menaced againſt them? b Some apply this to the falſe Prophets who pro- mifed Peace, hut where are they now ? But 'tis better underſtood of the true Prophets, who died as others; they do not,nor muſt live always to warn you. |
' 6 But my words f, and my ſtatutes g which I com-
manded þ my ſervants the prophets, did they not [| Or,
|| take hold 7 of your fathers ? and they returned and 9rtale- {aid &, * Like as the LoRD of hoſts thought to do unto Spa " us according to our ways, and according to our doings, '
{o hath he dealt with us /.
f The dreadful Menaces which I ſpake by my Prophets. ; The de- creed Judgments which my provoked Juſtice reſolved to execute on them. h Which by my Prophets, as my Heralds, I proclaimed and publiſhed. 7 Overtake as a purſuing Enemy overtakes and ſeizech on his Enemy and ſpoileth him; have not my Judgments thus raken hold both on your Fathers and on you ? & By this it ſhould ſeem thar Zechariah gave them time to conſider what anſwer to give. / It 15 true, as God ſaid he would do, ſo he hath done againſt us, our Fa- thers, our Families, our Citics and Temples. God's Words have not failed, they died not, though our Fathers did : This may be an Ab- ſtra& of their Repentance.
7 < Upon the four and twentieth day of the ele- venth month, which zs the month Sebar m7, in the ſe- cond year of Darius 7, came the word of the LORD » unto Zechariah, the ion of Barachiah, the ſon of Iddo the prophet p, faying,
m Which anſwers to part of our January. n Vid. Haz. 1. 1. let. a, b. and ver, 15. let. f. o See wer. 1. let. c. p Vid. ver. t. let. d, e,f, &. The firſt Sermon Zechariah preach'd, was three Months be- fore this, and that Sermoa was Reproof, which probably had good effeR, as ver. 6, ler. þ, /l.
s I ſaw g by night 7, and behold.s, a * man 7 * oh. 5. riding z upon a red horſe x, and he ſtood among the 13- myrtle-trees y that were in the bottom 2, and be- hind him @ were there * red horſes 6, || ſpeckled c and * Chaps, white d. ny -