La.ying a.side a.ll idea of moving further in with zeal. Hagga.i's mission continued only the matter of the temple, they had turned for a very short space-from September, n.c. their energies to the practical object of estab- 520, to December of the same year; bu~ lishing themselves in good and comfortable before his work ea.me to an end God raised houses (ibid. i. 4, 9). The great revolution up e. second prophet--" Zechariah the son of in Persia., by which the Pseudo-Smerdis was Iddo "-who carried on his task, sustained dethroned and slain, Magism put down, and the spirit of the people and the rulers, and the (comparatively) pure religion of Zoroaster saw the happy accomplishment of the great re-established as the religion of the Persian undertaking, which he had previously an- sta.te, failed to stir their minds or raise nounced as near (Zech. iv. 9), in the sixth their hopes. A whole year was e.llowed to year of Darius, B.C. 516. elapse, and nothing was done, no fresh effort Ver. 1. - Zecha.ria.h the son of Idd~. ma.de. It was the second year of King Really the grandson (Zech. i. 1). But Bere- Darius (Ezra. iv. 24)-na.y, it was the sixth chia.h, his father, probably died while ho rrumt,h, of that year, the month Elul, corre- was a. child, and, being brought up by Irldo, he was ea.lied "the son of Iddo." Pro- sponding to our September, as we learn from phesied unto the Jews. The addresses of Haggai (i I)-and still no step was ta.ken. Haggai and Zecharia.h were only occasion- The na.tion was "ea.ting," and "drinking," ally "prophetic," as we now commonly un- and" clothing itself" (ibid. i 6), and making derstand the word. But in the language of foritself "cieled houses" (ibid. ver. 4), while the Biblical writers all religious teaching is " prophesying," and Ezra here refers mainly the house of God lay "waste" (ibid. ver. 9) to the exhortations addressed to the Jews by -in that unsightly condition always pre- Zecharia.h and Haggai. sented by works commenced and then sus- Ver. 2.-Then rose up Zerubbabel . . . pended for years. Even Zerubba.bel e.nd and J'eshua. Hagge.i's preaching was espe- J eshuar--the civil e.nd ecclesiastical rulers- cially addressed to these two leaders (Haggai i. I), and their spirit was especially "stirrecl acquiesced apparently in this miserable state up" (ibid. ver. 14) by his preaching. The of things-this tameness, sloth, indifference prophets of God-Haggai and Zechariah- to God's honour, and genera.I pursuit of mere were with them, throughout their work, carnal delights. Such was the situation, helping them ; a.nd that in various ways. when suddenly, unexpectedly, to the people's 1. By direct command to the people--" Go up to the mountain, e.nd bring wood, and consternation rather than their joy, a Pro- build the house" (Haggai i 8); 2. By warn. phet appeared upon the scene. " In the ings-" Because of mine house tha.t is wastB second year of Darius the king, in the sixth . . . therefore the heaven over you is stayeJ. month, on the first day of the month, ea.me from dew, and the earth is stayed from her the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet fruit" (ibid. vers. 9, 10); 3. By exhortations unto Zerubbabel." Prophecy hatl been in - " Be strong, 0 Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, 0 Joshua, son of J osedech, abeyance for sixteen years, since the '' third the high priest ; and be ye strong, all ye of Cyrus," when Daniel uttered his last people of the lo.nd, saith the Lord, and warning (Do.n. x. 1). It was now revived. work" (Hag?3i ii. 4); and 4. By encouraging Ho.ggo.i co.me forward, self-procle.i.med a. pro- prophecy-' The ho.nds of Zerubbabel h,m, phet of Jehovah (Haggai i. 13), and rebuked lo.id the foundation of this house ; his han,l~ aha.II also finish it" (Zech. iv. 9); and "tho the people in the old prophetic tone, and glory of this latter house shall be greater "stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and the than tha.t of the former, saith the Lord or spirit of Jeshua" (ibid. var. 14), and by Hosts: and in this place will I give pea,'e, exhortations, and warnings, and threats saith the Lord of Hosts" (Haggai ii. 9). By these and similar means the two proph<'t.s brought a.bout in little more than three aroused a spirit of enthusiasm, which caused weeks (ibid. var. 15) the resumption of the the work to make rapid progress, and was an Work, which was henceforth pressed forward invaluable assistance.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1, 2.-The work revived. How completely the work described in thrse verses wae o, revival of tlie previous work of building the tempie, as <lescrih,,.J in chaps. i.-iii., may be seen by the use of the word "began " in ver. 2. Even EZRA. ll' 66 THE BOOK OF EZRA. [OR. V. 11 2.