the branch of the Lord be bee.utiful," etc. And a.gain, "Behold, the dl\ys come, Bllith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch," etc. Indeed, the men who are here spoken of as those who "sit before" Joshua, '' men wondered at," are -typical men. This, indeed, is the meaning of the expression," men wondered at," which some translate," men appointed" (Isa. viii. 18), that is, typical men. Literally, the reference is to the members of the subordinate priesthood; and as the high priest, .foshua, was the type of Christ, these men were the types of his disciples in every age, I shall take the words as presenting the world's wants and Go,J;s pi·ovisions. l. THE WORLD WANTS A MORAL HELPER, AND IN THE GOSPEL ONE IS PROVIDED. Morally, man is ensla-,,cd, diseased, exiled, lost to the great uses a.nd purposes of his being. God has provided a great Helper, here called his "Servant the BRANCH." In Isaiah (xlii. 1) we h11ve these words, "Behold my Servant whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth." He is the" Branch," God is the Root, and all holy souls are branches, deriving their life, beauty, and fruitfulness from him; but Christ is the "Branch," the oldest Branch, the largest Branch, the strongest Branch, the most fruitful Branch, et.c. He is the Branch on which there hang clusters of perennial fruits for the "healing of the nations." : II. THE woRLD w A1'"'TS DIVINE GUARDIANSHIP, "Behold t.he stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes." What is here meant by the ••stone"? Not the foundation-stone of the temple, which was now being rebuilt, for that had been laid long before. "The stone," says Keil," is the symbol of the kingdom of God, a.nd is laid by Jehovah before Joshua, by God's transferring to him the regene- ration of his house a.nd the keeping of his courts (before, liphne in a spiritual sense, as in 1 Kings ix. 6, for example). The seven eyes which watch with protecting care over this stone are not a figurative representation of the all-embracing providence of God; but, in harmony with the seven eyes of the Lamb,' which are the seven Spirits of God' (Rev. v. 6), and with the seven eyes of Jehovah (eh. iv. 10), they are the seven- fold radiation of the Spirit of Jehovah (after Isa. xi. 2), which show themselves in vigorous action upon this stone, to prepare it for its destination." Perhaps the meaning is that upon the kingdom of Christ, here symbolized by the stone, God's eyes are fix.ed ( engraven) with deep and settled interest. "The eye is the natural hieroglyphic for knowledge; e.nd 'seven,' as every reader of the Bible is aware, is the number used. to denote completeness, perfection. Seven eyes denote the perfection of observant know- ledge; and as the' eyes of Jehovah' mean Jehovah's observation and knowledge, his ' seven eyes' express the perfection of both--omniscient observation." Two thoughts are suggested. 1. God ha,; a special, interest in Ghrist and his followers. His eyes are on the "stone," there in all their completeness-seven. He has a general interest in the universe, but a special interest here. His eyes, which " run to and fro through all the earth," glance with a wonderful tenderness upon the "stone." 2. God has a settled interest in Ghrist and his f olwwers. The eyes are said to be engraven on the swne, not written in ink, not painted with colour which time would erase, but cut into its verv heart; the stone itself must moulder before the engraving is destroyed. "Who shall s~parate us from the love of Christ?" "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed," etc. fil '.J.'HE WORLD WANTS MORAL PURIFICATION, AND IN THE GOSPEL IT IS PROVIDED. "I will remove the inquity of that [this] land [that is, Palestine] in one day." The "iniquity of that land," the land of the Jews, was m~ltiform, aggravated, immeasur- able; but in one day provision should be made f?r its remo'!al, the day on which Christ died upon the cross. "The work of the Messiah had a primary respect to Israel. 'l'he offer of salvation was to the Jew first." "Unto you first, God, having raised up •his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his ,iniquities" (Acts iii. 36). These words of Peter to the Jews of his day are a com• mentary on those before us. The great want. of man. is mo~,al purification. 'fhank Goci, "Christ came to put away sin by the sacnfice of himself. JV. THE WORLD WAKTB SPIRITUAL REPOSE, AND IN THE GOSPEL IT IB PROVIDED. "Iu that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neigh hour under the v:in~ and under the fig tree." "When iniquity is taken away," says Matthew Henry, "(1) We reap precw\18 benefits and privileges from our justification, rnor~ precious thau the products of the vine or the fig tree (Rom. v. 1). (2) We repose ma sweet Oil, IV, 1-14,] THE BOOK: OF ZECHARIAH. 89
~ro.nquillity, nnd aro quiet/rom the feo.r. of evil. ~hat should terrify_ us when iniquity 1s taken 11,w11,y, when notbmg can hurt us? We sit down under Christ's shadow with delight, nnd by it o.re sheltered from. t_he scorching beat of the curse of the Law, We live 11B Ismel in the peaceable reign of Solomon (1 Kings iv. 24, 25), for he is the Prince of Peace."-D. 1'.