u Foſhua, but in hearing of others, and in the Name of the Lord. x Confider throughly the imporc and meaning of this unuſual Cere- mony. y Thou Joſhua art the Type or Figure, bur he that is the Man Iiznified by thee, is that great Perſon God hath promiſed, and you do expett, and who ſhallcome. x Whom you know by the Name of the Branch, who was called ſo long ſince, Meffiah Ben David; this wonderful Perſon is the Man that is crowned, as King and Prieſt by Proxy, or in Effigy : Thou, O Foſhua, art the Pourtrait, he is the Branch it ſelf, ch. 3.8. a Though you may perhaps ſuſpe& the Reot dry or dead, yet afſuredly 'tis not, the Branch will ſpring up, diefſiah King and Prieſt ſhall be born in due time» 6 Of the ſame
2 and Family, and inthe ſame Place foretold. c He it is,though
Feruſalem. f Temple,which now half built began co be frequented by Prieſts and People, and where Haggat and Zechariah might be found true Prophets. g Irappears not who theſe were, but no doubt they were eminent in Dignity and Piety. h Train either of Friends that accompanied them; or, of Servarits that waited on them. 7 In moſt ſolemn manner, and with Sacrifices no doubr, for the Altar was ſer up long ago, Now theſe come to intreat the Face of the Lord by Prayer, in the Houſe of Prayer, for Pardon of what was pait, and Acceptance of them ar preſent, aud for Anſwer to their Inquiry,
3 And to ſpeak & unto the prieſts / which were in »2 the houſe of the LORD of hots, and ro the prophets z, ſaying, Should I weep o in tkz fifth month p, ſeparating my ſelf 9, as I have done 7 thee ſo many years sf
þ To conſult with. / They were to be the ordinary Caſuiits, and ought to be able and ready to anſwer ail Caſes of Conſcience, as Mal. 2. 79. m Had their reſidence in, or about the Temple. n Theſe were extraordinary Caſuiſts, who might be ſuppoſed able to fatisfte the Enquiry, if the Prieſts could not, Thefe Prophets were Hagga?
po
Chap
* Iſa. 58. g. * Ch.1.12. *See Rom. I4. 6s
{ Or, be nct ze they that, &c.
[| Or, are not theſe the words. + Heb.
by the hand of, &C..
* Mic. 6.C. Mat.23.23 tTHev. judge Jud ment of trth,
* Jer.5.28. * Ch.8.17.
T Heb. they
give da back (liding ſhoulaer, + Heb.
made heavy c
VII.
and Zechariah. 0 + e. Faſt, of which Weeping was a part, 1 Sam. I. 7.and Mat. 9.15. þ In ſad Remembrance ot the burning of the Temple on the ioth Day of that Month. q From worldly Cares and Deſigns, and affiiting my ſelf. r This intimateth their former Practice, and ſeems to include in it ſome little boaſting of it. s It had been eafie for them to have reckoned up the exat Number of Years, but they chooſe rather to expreſs it thus, to greaten their per- formance.
4 © Then 7 came the word z of the LORD of hoſts unto me, ſaying,
£ When theſe Men had propoſed their Caſe, and expetted the Prieſts Anſwer. # An Anſwer from God, which folloivs in the 7th and 8th Chapters of this Book at large.
5 Speak unto all the people x of the land y, and to the prieſts -, ſaying, When ye * faſted and mourned 2 in the fifth b and ſeventh c months, even thoſe * ſeventy years d, did ye at all faſt * unto me e, cven to me / *
x 7.e. Either by their Mefſengers who came in their Name, or to all the Jews that were at Jeruſalem. y By which it ſeems to be not the Loiterers in Babylon, but the returned in Fudea, that ſent. g Some of thele perhaps doubted ; and others might overvalue, and dote on theſe voluntary Services, and needed as well as deſerved a'Reproof. a Who preſcribed this your Faſt? and fince you needs would, (as it was at Liberty you might faſt and mourn) who was better for it? or did you do it to pleaſe me, when you diſpleaſed me by other your finful Courſes? 6 Sce ver. 3. let.p. c For the Murder of Gedaliah, ſlain by Iſhmael, Jer. 41.1. d So many they were ſince Gedaliah's death to this time of Erquiry, which 1s made now as many Years at. ter the return as Gedaliah was ſlain after the beginnin:g of the Captt- vity. e Whatever ws in it, there was very little 1a it from me, no Command, no Hoaour, as you ordered it, you pleaſed your ſelves in it, not me; you wept more for the Inconvenicnces of the thing, than the Sinfulneſs of it. Had you taſted to me, you would have abſtained more from Sin, which I forbad, than from Meats which 1 did not forbid. f As if God had ſaid, I put it o0.ice more to you, did you indeed faſt to me ? . :
6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, | did ye not eat for your jelves, and diink for your
elves &
I was as little minded by you in your Faſts, as in your Feaſts, and I was as litt'e pleaied with your Faſts, as Feaſts ; fe)f was all in both, you look'd no higher. Such Faſting commends none to God, you had not bcen the worſe if you had torborn ſuch Faſts, nor arc you | the berter for ſuch illinanaged Abſtiner.ce. |
7 || Should ye not hear the words g which the LORD hath cried þ + by the former prophets z, when Jeruſa- lem was inhabited, and in proſperity #, and the cities thereof round about her, when mez inhabited the 1lourh
and the plain ?
2 You needed not have thus enquired, had yecu heeded the word written, ſhould you not remember ? Or have you not read what 1/a. 58. 3, 4» 5, 6, 7. determines in this very Caſe ? bh Openly and loudly ſpoken. 7 Who have given you the true Value of Obedience to the great and niomentous Precepts of the Laiy,who have called for Repen- tance, and fincere Love to God and Man, and have on juſt Ballance ſhewed how light and under Weight tormal Services have been, þ Did ſuch Obſervances preſerve Feruſalem in its Froſperity ? Did they prevent the Deſolation of the Cities round about her? Were they ſufficient ro ſave the Men, the Multitudes that inhabited the South of the Plain ? Did thev, or could they do no good when things were all fate and well? And do you tondly imagine they can profit you now a!l is in Ruines? Can fy reſtore a fallen State that could not ſupport it falling ?
s & And the word of the LORD came unto Lecha- 114h, faying.
V:d. wer. 4. fot. |
9 Thus ipeaketh / the LORD of hoſts, ſaying, * + Execute true judgment , and ſhew mercy z and compeilions o every man p 70 his brother g.