with reſpe, partly ro the Hebrew, partly to the twelfth Verſe, 4 Diſtreſs, or Straitneſs and Want, through ſuch great Barreaneſs as attended all their Labour. e God juſt and holy. f Let our, or took oft the Reſtraincs which kept Men in ſome order ; & when they were thus let out, they did diſcompoſe all, fell into Seditions, and taking of Parties, and breaking their own and others Peace,
11 But now g I w2/! not be unto the refidue of this people Þ, as in the former days z, ſaith the LOR D of hoſts #.
g Since this People go about building the Temple, and reſtoring my Worſhip with ſome Cheerfulneſs. h God changeth not; his not being what he was to this People is a change of his Providence and his Dealings wich them. Our Afffairs will be to us as God is to uss 7 See ver. Ic. let.a. kh See ver. 7. let. f.
12 For the ſeed / {hall be F proſperous, the vine + Heb, ſhall give her fruit 7, and the ground ſhall give her of peace. increaſe 7, and the heavens ſhall give their dew o, and [ will cauſe p the remnant of this people to pollets 7 all theſe rh:ngs.
E Which before brought nothing, or very little forth, ſhall n»w proſper into a plentiful Harveſt, ſuch as Mal. 3. 10. m This was very
thing, &c,
Gen-18+ 59 theſe days c, * ſhould it alſo be marvellous din mine
eyes? faith the LORD of hoſts e.
7 Theſe things promiſed may perhaps ſeem very ſtrange and dithculr, if nor impoſſible. @ In the Judgment and Opinion, or ra- ther, to the Unbelief of this People. b Few in number, exceeding- ly poor, and perpetually ſurrounded with dangers, c Which are Days of ſmall things. d Impoffible, or ſo much as difficult to me. e The Almighty God will do this.
7 Thus ſaith the L OR D of hoſts, Behold z, I will Fe). coun- Tave Þ my people from the eaſt-country 7, and from
f the the F weſt-country K. (own F Here again God engageth his Almighty Power to make.good his Su Promiſe. g Conſider well what Power is to do this. h Bring them Tate. 7 Perſia and Media, which lay Eaſt from Feruſalem, and being now Maſters of Babylon, and the captive Jews, they are ſaid to be brought our of the Kaft, though otherwhiles they are brought out of the North; both very confiftenr. & No doubt ſome of the Jews were carricd weſtward, the Trade of ſelling Men was known in thoſe Days, and Tyrws 15 noted and threatned for it, by Ezeh. 27. 13. beſide other Sea-Towns Weſt of Canaan, which would be ready to buy captive Jews, and convey them weſtward, Bur if this Promiſe ſhould look to the Roman Empire, and ſecure the Jews a return from that Captivity, it is plain how their Empire lay Weſt from the Jews. Or perhaps 'tis a Synechdoche, theſe two Parts of the World mention'd, bur all Parts intended, as Pſalm 50. 1. 8& 113. 3. and Mal. 1. 11,
$ And I will bring / them, and they ſhall dwell in the midſt of Jeruſalem, and they ſhall be my peo- ple z, and I will be their God o in truth and in righte- oulnels p.
| Though many things interpoſe to hinder, none ſhall keep them from returning ;z I will lead the way, I will guard them in ir, I will {upply their Neceffities, I will give ſtrength to the weak, and cheer up the dejeRed, I will gather and carry too. m Settle their Habita- tionin Feruſalem. n A peculiar People to obey and honour me, it contains very much, Fer. 30. 22. and 31. 33. and 32. 37, 39. Egch. 11. 20. 0 I will own them, perform all my. Promiſes to them. þ Both on God's part, and on their part; on God's in Truth, on theirs in Righteouſneſs, in obedience to God's righreous Law,
9 T Thus faith the LORD of hoſts, * Let your hands be ſtrong 9, ye 7 that hear s in theſe days 7 theſe words z by the mouth of the prophets x, which were In the day that the foundation of the houſe of the ORD of hoſts was laid y that the temple might be
uilt 2,
. 9 Be of good Courage, and hearten on cach other to the expeta- tion of Gods Promiſe, and the doing your Duty. r You returned Captives. s This is an argument to revive their Courage, they hear God by his word very fairly propofing great things. # In theſe days of Darius Hyſtaſpis, ſome 12 or 15, or perhaps 18 Years fince the time I poinrat. In theſe days of hope from Darius favourably help- 1g, but moſt from God aſſiſting and bleſſing. # Promiſes, Exhorta- 0ns and Counſels. x Haggai and Zechariah. . y In the ſecond Year of Cyrus, which ( if reckoned from his ſucceeding of is Father Cambyſes in the Perſian Crown, and his Father-in-law Cyaxares in the : _— of Media, which happened near about Anno M. 3457, unto wy econ of Darius Hyſtaſpis, Anno M. 348 5. that is 18 Years agon ) YU! make it likely that Haggai and Zechariah are intended here: CY it ſo that this re-edifying of the Temple be in the ſecond _ —_ Nothus, is ro make theſe two Prophets either to be filent
We ears together, or to preach with litrle Succeſs, and leſs Com- Plaine, for I do not remember that either of them chargeth this
p.2.4,
gates mm,
you do it. Belide building the Temple, aud reſtoring publick Wor- ſhip in Sacrifices, theſe things ye muſt do. þ Be true of your word, and lie not one to another, as becomes ſuch a People, Pſilm 24. 4. Prov. 12. 19. Ho. 4+ I. Fathers, they have lied, deceived and cheated, not Strangers but Bro- thers and Neighbours, but do not ye ſo; every one you deal with is your Neighbour, do you ſpeak Truth to every ſuch one. 'k Vid. ch.7. ver.9. let. m. 1 That may reſtore, ſettle and promote Feace among you, as righteous Judgments will do. m Either referring to the places of Judicature where the Judges fat z or more generally and compre- henſively through the whole Land, Exod. 20. 19.
much the Wealth and Support of that Yeople, this had been blaſted,
jas Hag. 1.9, Io. now it ſhall be bleſs'd, and bring torch her expeRed