whether we understand it of the religious Iews both of Iudah and Israel that returned out of the captivity or of the devout Christians after them that are the true holy seed and the true Israel of God and were delivered from a greater bondage CHAP. II. 1. SAy ye unto your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ru-hamah 2. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight and her adulteries from between her breasts 3 Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day that she was born and make her as a wildernesse and set her like a dry land and slay her with thâ—â—st 4. And I will not have mercy upon her children for they be the children of whoredoms 5. For their mother hath played the harlot she that conceived them hath done shamefully for she said I will go after my lovers that give me my bread and my water my wool and my flax mine oil and my drink 6. Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths 7. And she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them and she shall seek them but shall not find them then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband for then was it better with me then now 8 For she did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oil and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baal 9 Therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wooll and my flax given to cover her nakednesse 10. And now will I discover her lewdnesse in the sight of her lovers and none shall deliver her out of mine hand 11. I will also cause all her mirth to cease her feast-daies her new Moons and her Sabbaths and all her solemn feasts 12. And I will destroy her vines and her fig-trees whereof she hath said These are my rewards that my lovers have given me and I will make them a forest and the beasts of the field shall eat them 13. And I will visit upon her the daies of Baalim wherein she burnt incense to them and she decked herself with her ear-rings and her jewels and she went after her lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. 14. Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speak comfortably unto her 15. And I will give her her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a door of hope and she shall sing there as in the daies of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt 16. And it shall be at that day saith the Lord that thou shalt call me Ishi and shalt call me no more Baali 17. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth and they shall no more be remembred by their name 18. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the earth and will make them to lie down safely 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercies 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. 21. And it shall come to passe in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall hear Jezreel 23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God CHAP. II. 1. YOu that are of the ten tribes say to your brethren those of the tribe of Iudah and Benjamin Ammi for now I acknowledge them for my people And say to your Sisters of those two tribes Ruchamah For my mercy shall watch over them 2. And when you have acknowledged their happinesse then every one of you may think of a quarrel a just quarrel you have to your own Mother i. to all the ten tribes For she hath not behaved her self like my Spouse Nor shall I answer her with the love of a Husband unlesse she make way for reconciliation of her self by a clean removal of her filthy pollutions and of her doting foolish demeanour in the idle love shewed to those imaginarie dieties that deserve it not 3. Which she had best to remove least by way of requital of her making her self gay for those her best beloved I strip her stark naked and expose her as bare as ever she was born to the injury of the weather in some open wildernesse or drie land where I may take that advantage to kill her with very thirst 4. When this severitie falls upon the Mother the whole nation the particular children have no reason to expect any mercy being no better then children of an adulterous bed and most foul Idolatrie 5. For their Mother hath played the harlot she that conceived them hath brought shame upon her self and them the rather because she hath not sticked to professe it openly that she would follow the example of her Paramours the Assyrian and Egyptian idolaters that give her forsooth a constant supplie of her bread and her water and her wool and her flax and her oyl and her drink and what not for all this she ascribes to their acquaintance and to the bountie of their gods 6. Therefore saith the Lord The time shall come when she shall brag of none of these courtesies received from them The time when her way thither shall be hedged in as with thorns and in everie corner so fenced about that there will be no evasion from the Assyrian slaverie to which she shall be led along in bonds and triumph 7. When her quondam-lovers have brought her to those hard embraces she will then strive to court them and wooe them but shall be able to work nothing upon their affections And finding by sad experience that she seeks in vain for what will not be found she will then fall if not too late upon this sad resolution I will now go and return to my right Husband He was the first and he was the best And I have since tasted of no such happinesse as I ever was sure of in the fruition of his favour 8. This she will then say But she should sooner have taken notice that I was the true Author of what she called her corn and wine
or any that have near reference unto him as first to besot him with his strong and inticing liquor and then to make use of that time of infirmitie for the discovery of his nakednesse and the disclosing of any secret which he knowes is best gotten out of him when the warm drink hath sweetly washed away the remembrance of his Duty 16. This wo is for thee O Chaldaean that art so ready to discover and deride the weaknesse of others For thou shalt be fuller of shame than glory when thou meetest with thy reward at last in a worse cup whereof thou shalt be forced to drink deeply when thy turn comes So shall thy nakednesse also come to be discovered when in the midst of thy Pride and Gallantry the right hand of the Lord which cannot be resisted shall hold out that cup unto thee and make thee drink it all off though thou art forced to cast it up again to thy further disgrace And so shall Divine Justice repay thee with that shame and affliction which thou hast abundantly deserved for thy insolent opprobrious dealing with others whom thou hast laid open and naked to all kinds of injury and reproach 17. And deserved again if thou hadst no other fault for thy base sacrilegious and scornfull abuses of the Temple to which the whole Forrest of Lebanon did contribute her best Timber and therefore gave it also the name of another more sacred Lebanon but thy violent profane Army have now turned it again into the likenesse of a ruder Forrest that the wild Beasts have had to do withall That open injury to Lebanon that spoil and havock made there to the very laying it in the dust shall beat those Beasts thy rude Souldiers into dust that behaved themselves there like wild Beasts indeed rather than like men That Impiety in the desolation of my holy house saith the sacred Oracle shall overwhelm thee with a worthy punishment and thy own Houses and fair structures shall therefore be laid as waste and desolate as that which is the openest and vastest Habitation of the wild Beasts of the Forrest The rather because of thy imitation of those savage Creatures in the effusion of blood and ransacking of so many Persons and Places as do now in their ruines give a testimony of thy barbarous proceeding against them all 18. All which Sacriledge and cruell Barbarisine was accompanied with other waies of Irreligion and Idolatry and what fruit and advantage did any of them gain What profit can be shewed from the graven and molten Images He that made them and he that preached them up for Deities were both of them Inventers and Dispersers of Lies Yet could that Maker and Raiser of them adde this folly to the other to trust and repose a confidence upon such mute and false Gods as could not so much as make answer unto their Prayers 19. And this calls for another wo upon that sinfull nation Wo to him that commenceth his Prayer for releif to a piece of wood and calls to the dumb Idol of stone to awake and give him audience The Idol it self might teach him that another Deitie would be looked after if he look for help For who cannot see that though it be fairly guilded over with silver and gold to seem glorious to the eie yet there is not so much breath and spirit within it as can adde life and vigour to that glittering outside 20. But the Lord is not so Heaven is the glorious Temple wherein he dwells and whereof all other Temples are but figures And the Reverence we show in them is a Copy of that Fear and Reverence that is due to Him from all the ends of the Earth CHAP. III. A Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth 2 O Lord I have heard thy speech and was afraid O Lord revive thy work in the midst of the years in the midst of the years make known in wrath remember mercy 3 God came from Temon and the holy one from mount Paran Selah His glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise 4 And his brightnesse was as the light he had horns coming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power 5 Before him went the pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet 6 He stood and measured the earth he beheld and drove asunder the nations and the everlasting mountains were scattered the perpetuall hills did bow his waies are everlasting 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction and the curtains of the land of Midiâ—n did tremble 8 Was the Lord displeased against the rivers was thine anger against the rivers was thy wrath against the sea that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation 9 Thy bow was made quite naked according to the oathes of the tribes even thy word Selah Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers 10 The mountains saw thee and they trembled the overflowing of the water passed by the deep uttered his voice and lift up his hands on high 11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation at the light of thine arrows they went and at the shining of thy glittering spear 12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation thou didst thresh the heathen in anger 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine anointed thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation unto the neck Selah 14 Thou didst strike thorough with his stâ—ves the head of his villages they came out as a whirl-wind to scatter me their rejoycing was as to devour the poor secretly 15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses through the heap of great waters 16. When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble when he cometh up unto the people he will invade them with his troups 17 Although the fig-tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the olive shall fall and the fields shall yeild no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls 18 Yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation 19 The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places To the chief singer on my stringed instruments The Sum of the third CHAPTER THe third Chapter in a devout Prayer or divine Hymne set to an Instrument of Musick admires the Justice and Providence and Goodnesse of Almighty God And teacheth us by the holy Prophets example to trust and repose our selves in the will and mercy of God whatsoever it pleaseth him to bring upon us Wherein we cannot but observe that the devout Prophet made
were expired Whether the Citizens would so long persevere in their repentance and if they did not whether Justice would then be showed upon them whom God seemed now willing to spare upon their present conversion and reformation of life 6. Now when the thin slight materials of Jonah his booth began to wither and fade with heat the Lord prepared a gourd or some shrub that used to grow in those parts to come over Ionah like a Canopie to shadow and defend his head from the heat of the Sun which seemed not a little to afflict him And with this refreshment under the gourd Ionah was much delighted 7. But that ease and pleasure was not long to be indulged unto him For the next day betimes in the morning God prepared also a worm which by gnawing at the lower parts of his gourd and so extracting the moisture was the cause that it quickly withered away 8. Moreover at the rising of the Sun God sent a soft and still wind the East that had little or no motion or cooling quality which was the thing that Jonah desired Besides this warm breath the son also with some violence of heat did beat upon the head of Jonah and became so troublesom that it made him ready to faint and show himself wearie of his life plainly professing that it was better for him now to die then to live Which seems to be spoken in a passion as if he thought it an injurie to be deprived of that benefit of the gourd which was gratiously afforded him for a time and considered not that this variety of means might be used to bring him to the acknowledgement of the truth of Gods judgments and the sight of his own offences and demerites 9. Therefore God said unto Jonah Is this well done of thee to discover so much anger and disturbance of thy self for a poor little gourd To which question he gives a rash impatient answer confessing that he was extreamly angry even unto death and did well to be so 10. Whereupon the Lord said again Art thou so affected at the withering of a poor vile gourd of a daies continuance which neither for the coming up nor the growth of it is any way beholden unto thee 11. And shall not I the creator and preserver of all things whose property it is to have mercy upon me above all my creatures shall not I be touched with compassion of so great and populous a City as Ninive wherein beside much cattle there are more then a hundred and twenty thousand innocent children so simple and weak that they cannot distinguish between their right hands and their left and therefore cannot be thought by any fault of theirs to call for this heavy destruction upon them Yet were they all ready to perish in the punishment of their Parents sins had not they timely repented What must you then guesse of the number of men and women of fuller growth that have appeased my wrath by amendment of life Which being done their death and ruine should not be rashly and uncharitably desired to make you seem the truer Prophet who was not to threaten any people but with this implicite condition if they forsook not their sins A Paraphrastical EXPLICATION Of the PROPHESIE OF MICAH CHAP. I. 1. THe word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the dayes of Iotham Abaz and Hezekiah kings of Iudah which he saw concerning Samaria and Ierusalem 2 Hear all ye people hearken O earth and all that therein is and let the Lord God be witnesse against you the Lord from his holy temple 3 For behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth 4 And the mountaines shall be molten under him and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters that are powred down a steep place 5 For the transgression of Iacob is all this and for the sins of the house of Israel What is the transgression of Iacob is it not Samaria and what are the high places of Iudah are they not Ierusalem 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field and as plantings of a vineyard and I will poure down the stones thereof into the valley and I will discover the foundations thereof 7 And all the graven Images thereof shall be beaten to pieces and all the hires thereof shall be burnt with the fire and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot and they shall return to the hire of an harlot 8 Therefore I will wail and howl I will go stript and naked I will make a wailing like the dragons and mourning as the owles 9 For her wound is incurable for it is come unto Iudah he is come unto the gate of my people even to Ierusalem 10 Declare ye it not at Gath weep ye not at all in the house of Aphrah roll thy self in the dust 11 Passe ye away thou inhahitant of Saphir having thy shame naked the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel he shall receive of you his standing 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Ierusalem 13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish bind the chariot to the swift beast she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee 14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel 15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee O inhabitant of Mareshah he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel 16 Make thee bald and poll thee for thy delicate children enlarge thy baldnesse as the eagle for they are gone into captivity from thee CHAP. I. 1. THe word of the Lord which was made known to Micah of Moreshah a City in Judaea in the dayes of Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Iudah and which he had revealed to him in a vision concerning Samaria and Ierusalem two eminent Cities by whose example the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel were drawn into many grievous sins and disorders 2. Hear all ye people of Judah and Israel Attend to this Prophesie of mine you that dwell in any part of this land how populous and of how great extent soever it is And for my faithfull delivery of what I am enjoyned to say let God himself that sees and hears all from his holy and glorious habitation in heaven hear witnesse against you if I be at any time accused or mistrusted for concealing any part of his will and pleasure 3. For I wish you all to take notice of this that God is now coming out of those high and holy places of his to show himself in the execution of his judgements upon your nation and the highest and strongest places with the
from the dayes of eternity for who can declare his generation 3. Therefore will he give to them of Judah what he hath promised i. a safe return out of their captivity and a place of abode again in their own Countrey till the time wherein she that is to bring forth the Messias shall bring forth that happinesse to the world and till the residue of his brethren for with that title shall he honour the lost sheep which he shall come to seek and reduce to his fold till they shall be converted and united to the rest of the children of Israel and so begin all to make one flock under one Shepherd 4. And he shall never cease to feed and govern that flock by no lesse than a divine power being advanced thereunto in no other name and authority then that of the great Iehovah his God as he shall then stile him when he hath humbled himself to that brother-hood which we named before under that care and government shall that flock of his dwell in joy and safety And good reason because from henceforth this our Prince and Messias shall be magnified and renowned not in Jurie onely but to all the ends of the earth 5. And this peace and prosperity of our nation shalt thou begin and not till then when the Assyrian shall have often entred into our land sometime of himself sometime as an auxiliarie of the Chaldaeans For he shall enter in a proud and hostile manner trampling down our fairest Palaces But this pride and malice shall be the occasion of his utter ruine and so of our more setled peace For we shall at last so far prevaile over the Assyrian by the assistance of Almighty God and his blessing upon our prayers and patience that we shall be the meanes of as great a tyranny over him to be exercised by many severall Governours great Princes and Commanders over men that shall lead them and rule them as easily as Sheep are by their Shepherds 6. And if these may be called Shepherds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as other Kings and Rulers are they shall be such as shall subdue and govern their stocks of Assyrians by the sword and the successors of Nimrod in Babylon with her own naked and terrible weapons Thus shall God punish them and give us a sure peace by delivering us from further fear of the Assyrian and letting us be revenged of him because he would needs enter so cruelly upon our land and so proudly trample us under him in our own borders 7. After this the remnant of Iacob being freed from all such tyranny shall be accounted by many other nations among whom they are seated as the dew which falls from heaven and as the drops of rain upon the grasse which expect not the power or pleasure of man or any son of man for their accesse or recesse from this or that place but are sent thither and blessed there by the sole power and favour of Almighty God 8. And in processe of time the posterity of this remnant of Iacob specially in the time of the Maccabies shall be in respect of their power and authoritie and command among the Gentiles and in the midst of many people as the Lion is among the beasts of the forrest and the young Lion among the flocks of the sheep who when he is pleased to passe thorough them doth tread them down and tear them in pieces without controule of any other that is able to rescue and deliver them in that distresse 9. Thus prosperously shall it fare with thy children and with thee O Israel when thy hand shall no sooner be lift up against thy enemies but they shall be cut off and fall before thee All which about the times of the Maccabies shall be but a figure of greater conquests that they shall have over all nations when after the dayes of the Messias they shall begin to subdue them and reduce them to his spirituall kingdom 10. This mention of Israels prosperity in these times must be accompanied with the Prophesie of thy ruine O Babylon For thus saith the Lord I will cut off the strength wherein thou makest thy boast the multitude of thy horses and chariots Them will I destroy with the riders that were so expert in managing of them both 11. And the best Cities of thy land will I lay waste and throw down all thy strong holds 12. And I will down with thy witch-crafts and thy magicall divinations And thy Soothsayers that were so cunning at them shall have no more to do within thee 13. Thy graven images and thy rich statues will I remove from the midst of thee so that thou shalt give no more worship to those vanities the workmanship of thy own hands 14. Thy superstitious groves and thy wealthy Cities will I utterly destroy 15. And in the fiercenesse of my anger will I revenge my self upon those nations which shall not then hear and obey those Conquerors and Governors which I shall please to set over the kingdom of Babylon CHAP. VI. 1. HEar ye now what the Lord saith Arise contend thou before the mountains and let the hills hear thy voice 2 Hear ye O mountains the Lords controversie and ye strong foundations of the earth for the Lord hath a controversie with his people and he will plead with Israel 3 O my people what have I done unto thee wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of servants and I sent before thee Moses Aaron and Miriam 5 O my people remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal that ye may know the righteousnesse of the Lerd 6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the high God shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a year old 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl shall I give my first born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul 8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God 9 The Lords voice crieth unto the City and the man of wisdom shal see thy name hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it 10 Are there yet the tresures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure that is abominable 11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances and with the bag of deceitfull weights 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth 13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee in
making thee desolate because of thy sins 14 Thou shalt eat but not be satisfied and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee and thou shalt take hold but shalt not deliver and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword 15 Thou shalt sow but thou shalt not reap thou shalt tread the olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with oyl and sweet wine but shalt not drink wine 16 For the statutes of Omri are kept and all the works of the house of Ahab and ye walk in their counsels that I should make thee a desolation and thē inhabitants thereof an hissing therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people CHAP. VI. 1. BUt now least the people of God should be puft up and forget themselves in the meditation of the ruine and destruction of their enemies Let tbem hear what the Lord saith to me concerning them Come my Prophet saith he Rouse up thy best courage and faculties and thou shalt plead my cause against those mountains of Iudaea against the highest and proudest of them all that are so highly seated as most of them are in that countrey and to that end command attention from them 2. According to that injunction given to me by God himself I do now in the power of my Propheticall function lay this charge upon all you Hills that you prepare your selves to hear what I have to say all you that are lift up so high and seem to have a stronger foundation than other parts of the earth Though you are so well nested and bear the name of Gods people and therefore should have been more observant of his will yet even with you hath God a controversie and he will notwithstanding his own height above all hnmane reach and capacity vouchsafe to argue and plead with you of the seed of Israel a poor people not considerable among other vast parts of the world 3. This plea and complaint I am to deliver to you in his name and his person and in these termes O my people my peculiar people that I have chosen out of all the world What have I done against thee that should provoke thee to so many sins against me wherein have I disturbed and offended thee or deserved so ill at thy hands Bring in thy answer I pray thee and thy accusation against me if any such can be found 4. Or if I have done well for thee and dealt graciously with thee make a thatkfull acknowledgement of that Confesse how I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt and delivered thee from the place of bondage and servitude where you lived no better than slaves And how I sent as three speciall guides before thee Moses to instruct thee in my law and direct thee by his good example Aaron to be thy Priest and offer up sacrifices and pray for thee and Miriam to be a pattern of modesty and pietie and gravitie to the weaker sex 5. Besides all this O my people remember I pray thee what Balak King of Moab contrived against thee and what answer I put into the mouth of Balaam the son of Beor of thy safety and security if thou didst not bring destruction upon thy self by thy own default And forget not what wonderfull things I did for thee in all the way from Shittim unto Gilgal on either side of Jordan Of these things thou shouldst do well to make a loving and gratefull recognition that thou mayst so appear to take notice of the Iustice and Goodnesse of God 6. And that acknowledgement would be made in such words as these Wherewith shall I appear before the Lord and make tendry of my humble duty and observance unto the high God Shall I present my self before him with whole burnt-offerings in testimony of his dominion over all his creatures or shall I come to him with young calves or any other kind of sacrifice prescribed in the law 7. Can it be thought that God will be appeased and pacified with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oyl Shall a man satisfie himself in giving his first-born for the transgressions or any fruit of his body as a satisfaction for the sins of his soule 8. No if I that am his Prophet may give answer to that question He hath showed thee O man whosoever thou art he hath sufficiently and plainly enough declared by his law and Prophets what he doth chiefly exact of thee as the best sacrifice and ransom that he wil accept And that is no other than to do justice and delight in shewing mercy and kindnesse to men and to demean thy self humbly and reverently in all thy addresses unto thy God 9. And now because the law and Prophets have not been herein observed the terrible voice of the Lord himself calls unto the City of Jerusalem to give her warning of what punishments her own sins have called for And when thou so callest O Lord it is true wisedom in him that will dread thy Majesty and fear thy name Give ear therefore you tribes of Israel and attend to him who hath appointed and decreed that which shall come upon you if you do not repent and bring forth the fruites of repentance 10. And when you examine your repentance let this question be asked Is there yet remaining to any one a house purchased by iniquity Hath any one yet by him treasures of wealth unjustly heaped together and the abominable false weight that wants much of what is justly to be allowed 11. And take another question with you as propounded by God himself who saith Shall I justifie and approve the unjust balances and the bag of deceitfull weights 12. Or shall I justifie that Citie whose wealthy Citizens are full of violence and oppression and her other inhabitants accustome themselves familiarly to speaking of lies and to have deceitfull tongues within their mouthes that deliver little or nothing from the heart 13. Therefore will I chastise thee O thou wicked Citie with such scourges as thou deservest with making thee poor and desolate because of thine offences that hast made others poor by thy violence and rapine 14. Thou shalt eat but thou shalt not be satisfied and thrive with it There shall be a kind of lanknesse and depression within thy belly for very famine For extremity whereof she that conceives shall not be able to bring forth or if she doth what she brings forth will I give up to the sword when that heavie siege comes wherein this scarcity and misery shall fall upon Jerusalem 15. And then what thou hast sowed thou shalt not reap the souldier shall doe it for thee Thou mayest tread the olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with the oyl And as much paines mayest thou take for thy sweet wine but in the end thou shalt have no wine to drink 16 And all this shall happen to thee O Israel because all
of my rest to prey upon you and disturb you of your rest For I am now resolved and have peremptorily decreed to gather some of other nations and kingdoms together specially the Chaldaeans and their auxiliaries and by them to pour out my indignation upon these Iews even all the fiercenesse of my indignation For no otherwise then in a kind of fierce zeal shall all the land of Judaea be destroyed 9. But after that affliction I will convert the people to a more penitent and devout and holy language that they may call upon the name of the Lord with more reverence then now is to be found amongst them and joyntly endevour to serve and obey him as they that willingly joyn their sholders together to bear that yoke that he laies upon them which easie yoke is no other then his service 10. And then from the remotest parts of their captivity from as far as those places about the rivers of Cush shall my suppliant and humble servants the off-spring of my people Israel and Judah far and wide dispersed over several nations from thence shall they bring offerings unto me in testimony of their hearty thanks for their joyful return into their own countrie 11. About that time will I take away the shame and grief which thou hadst conceived for thy former great sins and offences committed against me For then shall I by death and miserie have removed from thee those haughty and insulting Countrymen and Priests of thine And then shalt thou offend no more as thou hast done by pride and contempt of my holy places and my Sanctuarie in Mount Sion when those Masters of misrule and ringleaders to the proudest and most presumptious offences are taken away 12. In stead of them I will furnish thee with a meek and humble generation of men though poor which shall trust in the name of the Lord and not in the proud mistake of their own fortunes and abilities 13. This good remnant of my people that return from their captivity shall not return to their great and grievous sin their idolatry nor shall they so accustom themselves again to the speaking of lies and deceit Therefore in all peace and plenty shall they feed well at last and take their rest securely having none to fright or molest them 14. Rejoyce then O daughter of Sion sing and shout for joy O Israel Be merry and chearfull from the bottom of a thankefull heart O Daughter of Ierusalem 15. For God hath taken off those judgements wherewith thou wert afflicted for thy sins He hath removed thy enemies out of thy sight that they may trouble thee no more And instead of those Tyrants Iehovah the the God and King of Israel is in the midst of thee and thou shalt see no more of those calamities which thou hast seen heretofore 16. In those daies it shall be said to Jerusalem and to Sion Fear not nor be any way discouraged Let not thy bands faint or give over till they have raised an other City and Temple wherein to serve the Lord. 17 Iehovah thy God in the midst of thee is of great might and power and of as ready a mind and will to save and defend thee He will rejoyce over thee exceedingly He will acquiesce and solace himself in his love toward thee They that sing for joy shall not have more content and delight then he will take in thee 18. They that were the cause of removing thy merry Feasts and Solemnities will I remove far from thee For they have been but a burden and a disgrace unto thee 19. And take notice of it at that time will I undoe not them onely but all those that have any way troubled and afflicted thee And I will cure them amongst thee that are any way weakened in their fortunes and gather them dayly to their own homes that have been as good as ejected and banished from thence in the long time of their captivity And I will make them famous and renowned in those very places where they have been put to shame and disgrace 20. Again I say it to you all that shall then survive and serve me At that time will I reduce you to your own homes and gather you together to your own friends and acquaintance and I will make you famous and renowned among all the people of the earth so that your own eyes shall see with what advantage I have brought you back again from your captivity A Paraphrastical EXPLICATION Of the PROPHESIE OF HAGGAI CHAP. I. IN the second year of Darius the king in the sixth moneth in the first day of the moneth came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel governour of Iudah and to Ioshuah the son of Iosedech the high priest saying 2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts saying This people say The time is not come the time that the Lords house should be built 3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet saying 4 Is it time for you Oye to dwell in your cieled houses and this house lie wast 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts Consider your waies 6 Ye have sown much and bring in little ye eat but ye have not enough ye drink but ye are not filled with drink ye cloth you but there is none warm and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts Consider your waies 8 Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified saith the Lord. 9 Ye looked for much and lo it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it why saith the Lord of hosts because of mine house that is wast and ye run every man unto his own house 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit 11 And I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains and upon the corn and upon the new wine and upon the oyl and upon that which the ground bringeth forth and upon men and upon cattel and upon all the labour of the hands 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Ioshua the son of Iosedech the high priest with all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet as the Lord their God had sent him and the people did fear before the Lord. 13. Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message unto the people saying I am with you saith the Lord. 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirt of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel governour of Iudah and the spirit of Ioshua the son of Iosedech the high priest and the spirit of all the remnant of the people and they came and did work in
the building and adorning of your own private houses So your neglect of me and my service produced my neglect of you and your profit 10. That is the reason why the Heavens that are above you were prohibited to supply you with that dew which should help on the growth of those things that spring out of the earth And the earth that is under you had the like prohibition from affording her usual increase of fruit 11. And I commanded a drought and barrennesse to come upon all the land specially upon the mountainous and most eminent parts A barrennesse both of the corn and the new wine and the oyl And this barrennesse extended to all that which is brought forth of the ground or of men or of cattel and so to every thing that mny be esteemed as a fruit of the labour of your hands So that nothing that you went about did any way seem to prosper 12. These words of the Prophet wrought so with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Iosuah the son of Iosedech the High-Priest and the remnant of the Iews that returned out of the captivity that they readily obeyed what God had injoyned them to do and to what his Prophet Haggai had delivered to them they gave great attention and respect because the Lord their God had set him upon that message And so the people humbled themselves in the fear of the Lord and submitted to what had been said against them and to what was not required of them 13. Whereupon Haggai that had delivered the former message from the Lord spake again to them by vertue of a further commission and deputation from God himself and said I will be with you saith the Lord not onely to pardon all that is past but to prosper also what you readily undertake for the reedifying of my Temple 13. In prosecution of which promise the Lord stirred up the spirit i. the will and courage of Zorobabel the son of Shealtiel Governour of Iudah and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedec the High-Priest and the spirit of all the Jews that remained after the captivity of Babylon And they began to compose and prepare themselves for that work in the house of the Lord of Hosts their God 15. And what was thus resolved on was accordingly begun upon the 24. day of the sixth moneth which hath part of our August and part of September in the second year of Darius the King CHAP. II. IN the seventh moneth in the one and twentieth day of the moneth came the word of the Lord by the Prophet Haggai saying 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel governour of Iudah and to Ioshua the son of Iosedech the high-Priest and to the residue of the people saying 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory and how do ye see it now is it not in your eies in comparison of it as nothing 4 Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel saith the Lord and be strong O Ioshua son of Iosedech the high-Priest and be strong all ye people of the land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of hosts 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my spirit remaineth among you fear ye not 6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land 7 And I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hosts 8 The silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hosts 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of hosts 10 In the four and twentieth day of the nineth moneth in the second year of Darius came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet saying 11 Thus saith the Lord of hosts Ask now the Priests concerning the law saying 12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt do touch bread or pot age or wine or oyl or any meat shal it be holy and the Priests answered said No. 13 Then said Haggai If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean and the Priests answered and said It shall be unclean 14 Then answered Haggai and said So is this people and so is this nation before me saith the Lord and so is every work of their hands and that which they offer there is unclean 15 And now I pray you consider from this day and upward from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord. 16 Since those daies were when one came to an heap of 20 measures there were but ten when one came to the presse-fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press there were but twenty 17 I smote you with blasting with mildew with hail in all the labour of your hands yet ye turned not to me saith the Lord. 18 Consider now from this day and upward from the four and twentieth day of the ninth moneth even from the day that the foundation of the Lords temple was laid consider it 19 Is the seed yet in the barnâ— yea as yet the vine and the fig-tree and the pomegranate and the olive-tree hath not brought forth from this day will I blesse you 20 And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four twentieth day of the moneth saying 21 Speak to Zerubbabel governour of Iudah saying I will shake the heavens and the earth 22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen and I will overthrow the chariots and those that ride in them and the horses and their riders shall come down every one by the sword of his brother 23 In that day saith the Lord of hosts will I take thee O Zerubbabel my servant the son of Shealtiel saith the Lord and will make thee as a signet for I have chosen thee saith the Lord of hosts CHAP. II. 1. IN the seventh moneth which consisted of part of our September and part of October and in the twenty first day of the moneth the Lord spake again to the Prophet Haggai and by him to the people of the Jewes to this effect 2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the Son of Shealtiel Governour of Iudah and to Ioshua the Son of Iosedech the High-Priest and to the People that are returned from the captivity of Babylon and say unto them 3. If there be any of you left of the captivity that hath seen the Temple which was formerly built in this place in the rich and glorious state and beauty which then it had being a work of much time and cost
accordingly in sign of a confirmation of him in his great and sacred office notwithstanding all that his greatest enemy could have objected against him And they clothed him all over with new and comely apparel and set a fair mitre upon his head while that great Angel of the Lord was pleased to stay there and see all this done as he had commanded 6. After which that great Angel of the Lord protested also unto Ioshuah thus consecrated for the High-Priest of the Jews and said 7. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts unto thee If thou wilt walk in those good waies which I have commanded and diligently observe that charge of divine service that I have entrusted thee withal then thou shalt judge and determine and give commands concerning all that belongs to the sacrifices and ceremonies of my house and to the custodie of the several Courts of my Temple And in due time thou shalt have more honour and liberty then to make use of the walks and galleries about the Temple when for thy walking here in my waies I shall admit thee to those places where thou shalt walk and converse with these Angels that stand all about to attend me this is the reward of them that here walk with God 8. And now give ear O Ioshuah the High-Priest to the ground of that promise Thou maist hear it and so may thy friends the Prophets and other my good servants that use to sit with thee to advise of setting forward that which belongs to my service They are fit Auditors of such mysteries as these because being miracles of piety in respect of other men they may be accounted the more worthy to have miracles and signs of things to come imparted unto them And such are these which I shall now relate For Behold I will at last bring forth my servant the BRANCH I will make the root of Iesse bud out of the earth and appear the Messias of whom Zorobabel is now the type and figure and that comes out of the same stock 9. And there is another mysterie worth an Ecce For you may observe the plummet which Zorobabel made use of when he laid the foundation of the Temple and which I caused to be given him in the presence of thee Ioshuah the High-Priest Vpon this one plummet there appeared the figure and representation of seven eyes to show my watchful providence over this and all other places devoted to my service and withall the wisdom and other graces which should be eminent in the Messias the chief corner stone of all the mystical Churches of God The engraving of those seven eyes in the plummet was not cut out by any Art of man but I my self by my extraordinarie power made the engraving of it appear as there it did saith the Lord of Hosts And for that Messias his sake I will take away the sins of this wicked world in one day by virtue of his death and passion upon that day or at one time in that once offering of himself for sinne 10. In those daies of your deliverie from the bondage of sin there shall be a time of peace and mutual amity when men shall be easily disposed to invite their neighbours to come and sit with them every man under his vine and under his fig-tree saith the Lord of Hosts which is a figure of that inward peace they shall have and that true love they shall bear to others who shall feel the benefit of that daies passion and the love and mercy of Him that died for them CHAP. IV. 1 ANd the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is wakened out of his sleep 2 And said unto me What seest thou and I said I have looked and behold a candle-stick all of gold with a bowl upon the top of it and his seven lamps thereon and seven pipes to the seven lamps which were upon the top thereof 3 And two olive-trees by it one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof 4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me saying What are these my Lord. 5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me Knowest thou not what these be and I said No my Lord. 6 Then he answered and spake unto me saying This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel saying Not he mightâ— not by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts 7 Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shourings crying Grace grace unto it 8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house his hands shall also finish it and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you 10 For who hath despised the day of small things for they shall rejoyce and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven they are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth 11 Then answered I and said unto him What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof 12 And I answered again and said unto him What be these two olive-branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oyl out of themselves 13 And he answered me and said Knowest thou not what these be And I said No my Lord. 14 Then said he These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth CHAP. IV. 1. NOt long after these Visions I was rapt into another extasie wherein the Angel that had conference with me before seemed to come again and awake and rouse me up as one out of a deep sleep and transe that I might be the more attent and observant of other mysteries that were then to be revealed unto me by way of vision 2. And he said unto me what seest thou Zacharie And I said there is another sight presented to my eyes which takes me up with such admiration that I cannot deliver it without an Ecce Methinks I see a Candlestick all of gold one of the great ornaments of the house of God and the bowl belonging to the top of it whence the oyl was conveyed as out of a fountain and his seven lamps thereon and seven several pipes which emptied the oyl out of the bowl and bestowed it the in match or wick of the seven lamps which pipes were upon the top of the shaft 3. And by this fair Candlestick stood two olive-trees one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left-side thereof which gave a continual supply of oyl to the bowls and might signifie the two sons of oyl as we call them i. the two sacred persons that have holy unction the King
and the Priest and might intimate unto us that a Prince and Priest we should have till the times of the Messias according to the Prophesie of Iacob Though these mysteries both here and in the Temple might have a farther light in this Candlestick to show us the ecclesiastical function in the greater Church of God wherein the several Ministers like several and clear lamps should shine forth in their doctrine and conversation that others by their good light may be brought to glorifie their father which is in heaven 4. But these things at the first representation of the Vision I did not so discover but being wholly taken up with admiration I proceeded and said further to the Angel that discoursed with me what is the meaning of these things my Lord. 5. To which that Angel that had pleased so to talk with me replied and said Dost thou not conceave what is meant by the Candlestick and the Olive-trees and the other parts of the Vision and I said I do not indeed my Lord therefore I desire that you would vouchsafe to explain the mysterie of them 6. Then saith he to me by way of answer Thou maist gather part of the meaning out of those words which thou art commanded to deliver unto Zorobabel that takes so great care and pains about your sacred Fabrick For thus you are commanded by God himself so say unto Zerubbabel This building shalt thou be able to raise and fit for my service not by any wealth or power of your own for who sees not how poor and weak your nation is at this time but by my spirit saith the Lord of Hosts by the vertue and courage that I shall infuse into you all and the means and friends that I shall raise up for you while your own poor abilities contribute as little to the finishing of so great a work as you do to the supply of oyl for those lamps which are fed by olive-trees raised up miraculously by me on purpose for that intent 7. And who can hinder that which the Lord of Hosts will do Canst thou O Babylon Alas what art thou that vaunts thy self and thy Empire to overtop that of Zerubbabel and his little Jury as far as a high Mountain appears above a little mole-hill Did not I lay that high and mighty empire as low as a pore plain in the sight of Zerubbabel who carried in his very name a good omen of the confusion of Babel and the dispersing of her several Provinces Shall I not do the like against any other Potentates that oppose my poor Church in any age Yes and now to begin with Iurie and her Ierusalem and her Temple there maugre all opposition I inabled Zerubbabel to appear strong and powerful iu the work I made him the man that laid the first stone thereof accompanied with the acclamations and good wishes of all the people that cried out Let God ever favour let his mercy ever support it He blesse and succeed and maintain this great work so happily begun 8. Moreover the word of the Lord came to me his Angel saying 9. As the hands of Zerubbabel laid the foundation of this house so when his hands have finished it i. by his care at his command and direction and in his time the whole work be perfected as I foretold then shall you by that accomplishment of my prediction be able to conclude that I came with commission from the Lord of Hosts to encourage you in this businesse 10. But if any man slight and mistrust the time of these little beginnings of the Fabrick and think it promiseth but little for the conclusion If any such there be they will rather have cause to rejoyce and chear up themselves when they consider what was said of the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel and of those seven eyes that were so miraculously engraven in it by the immediate power of Almighty God For that is an embleme of the eyes of God that run thorough the whole world i. of his infinite providence and care that extends it self over all things and specially over his own people 11. Then said I further to him What is mean by those two olive-trees whereof one stands upon the right the other upon the left side of the Candlestick 12. And he deferring his answer I presumed to propose the same question again unto him and said What are those two branches of the olives hanging over the golden pipes thence emptying their pretious oyl as pure and cleare as gold 13. Then he replying said unto me Knowest thou not yet what is meant by them And I said I must confesse to my Lord I do not fullie conceave the meaning of them 14. He answered These are the two Sons of Oyl as you use to speak i. the two sorts of sacred persons annointed with holy oyl the Prince and the High-Priest who attend as two principal servants upon the Lord of the whole earth and whose vigilant care over the Temple and the whole Church of God in their respective places is here figured by those two branches of the olive that impart a continual supply of oyl to all the lamps i. of comfort and assistance to all those that shine as clear lights in the Church of God CHAP. V. 1 THen I turned and lift up mine eyes and looked and behold a flying roll 2 And he said unto me What seest thou and I answered I see a flying roll the length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits 3 Then said he unto me This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it 4 I will bring it forth saith the Lord of hosts and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsly by my name and it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof 5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth and said unto me Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth 6 And I said what is it and he said This is an ephah that goeth forth He said moreover This is their resemblance through all the earth 7 And behold there was lift up a talent of lead and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah 8 And he said This is wickednesse and he cast it into the midst of the ephah and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof 9 Then lift I up mine eyes and looked and behold there came out two women and the wind was in their wings for they had wings like the wings of a stork and they lift up the ephah between the earth and the heaven 10 Then said I to the