his flock who willingly gave his life for his sheep who was obedient to his Father unto death served him in the work of Redemption and who in his office is approved and accepted of him and lost none of his Fathers respects by his afflictions for the Father acknowledges him my shepherd 4. Christ in one person is both God and man being true man as incarnate and true God in his divine nature dwelling by the personal union in the humane nature equal with the Father because of the same essence though in respect of his office and voluntary dispensation he be inferiour for he is the man that is my fellow equal or companion saith the Lord of hostes 5. The sufferings of Christ and consequently of all his followers are over-ruled by the effectual Providence of God so that nothing is done to him without the Fathers consent who yet is free of the sins of all instruments employed in afflicting him who were about another thing in that work then the Father approved of for it is God who commands the sword to awake and smite the shepherd 6. Christ is the Chieftain and Ring-leader of all the Churches fuflerers who in his own person hath paved the way to his followers and tried the swords and who by his interest and sympathie chiefly suffers in the sufferings of his people for the sword assayes him first Smite the shepherd 7. When the Lord sends troubles upon the visible Church the Pastors and Watchmen are to resolve for hardest measure as being Satans greatest eye-sores and they who ought to confirm others by their sufferings for as this was verified in Christ so also at other times trouble ordinarily begins at Smite the shepherd 8. Trouble is a very terrifying thing when it comes to a pinch and may affright those who thought themselves very stout and make them shrink if there be any way to shun it for so did appear in the accomplishment of this prophecie in the disciples flight 9. Albeit it be Satans policie to cause men to undervalue Pastors and look upon them as burdens which the Church would be the better to want yet their trouble prognosticates trouble to come on the Church their death exile or imprisonment scatters the visible society of the Church for this is of eternal verity as well as in the disciples flight Smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered 10. It is an especial presage of the Churches scattering by the losse of Pastors when they themselves have an hand in the persecuting of Pastors for so was this accomplished on the Church of the Jewes they smote Christ who was their shepherd and therefore were justly scattered themselves 11. Saddest afflictions do not seclude the elect and faithful from Christ and his Fathers care but that he will moderate and change his dealing toward them when afflictions are universal and sore for as while Christ was suffering in his humane nature he ceased not to work in his divine nature and to care for his own disciples and followers so in all ages he being raised from the dead and his Father with him doth turne his hand upon the little ones or give them a renewed proof of his love in recovering them after their scattering and in preserving them by his tender care under common calamities after they had been left to themselvs to get a proof of their own frailty 12. It is an evidence of Christs flock and of these that he cares for in trouble that they are humble and little in their own eyes and that their afflictions contribute to make them so more and more for they are the little ones Vers 8. And it shall come to passe that in all the land saith the LORD two parts therein shall be cut off and die but the third shall be left therein 9. And I will bring the third part thorow the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried they shall call upon my Name and I will heare them I will say It is my people and they shall say The LORD is my God In this next part of the Prophecie we have the further exposition of the flocks scattering in respect of the several sorts of dispositions in it there being a generality signified by two parts who are ordinarily naught these are to be cut off and destroyed and only a remnant or third part left who yet should not be free of affliction to purge away their drosse that they may be more fervent in Gods service and in getting prooss of Gods hearing their prayers and of his love intimated unto them they may increase in faith and confidence This was accomplished not only on the Nation of the Jewes but in all ages is to be seen in the visible Church when he sets up his fire in it Doct. 1. As the visible Church is for ordinary so mixed as that the generality thereof is unsound and not answerable to their obligations so it is righteous with God to send trials and judgements upon her whereby he purgeth her of such drosse and cuts them off who living in his house will not submit to his yoke for in all the land two parts shall be cut off and die 2. In times of Gods saddest judgements upon the visible Church as God will have a special care of his own children so useth he to preserve a remnant toward whom to shew mercy for the third part shall be left therein 3. Albeit the Lord reserve a remnant to himself yet he will not alwayes free them from tasting of so much affliction and calamity as may exercise them for I will bring the third part through the fire 4. The Lords end in letting our affliction upon his own is not to destroy them but to give them a proof of themselves and to purge them from their drosse and make them better and by this testifie his estimation of them 〈◊〉 I will refine them as silver is refined and try tham as gold is tried The meaning of which similitude is not that they shall be purged from all their drosse or that they can abide such a surnace as silver or gold Isa 4.10 but that as these precious mettals they have some drosse which cannot be discovered or purged but by some searching trialls that they shall not prove chasse stubble or drosse in the furnace but have some mettal which shall be preserved and shine the brighter and that God by taking this pains on them declares that he accounts them his treasure and precious mettal 5. It is a sweet evidence of a peoples profiting under the rod and being purged of drosse when their zeal in Gods worship their need of him and delight in calling on his Name is encreased for they shall call on my Name 6. When the Lord blesseth his people with fruitfulnesse under affliction and puts them to employ him much it is a pledge that God will heare their prayers and shed abroad the sense of
in reality all that they prefigured therefore Joshua the High Priest and his fellowes that sit before him are all called to hear Christ being the substance of all their ministration not only employed in the Churches eminent affaires as the High Priest was but one who condescends to meanest employments about her and the naile upon whom the meanest vessel hangs 4. As the Lords servants must not consult with flesh and blood but undertake services to which God calls them though they should be admired as monsters in so doing so it is the special encouragement of such that they have Christ to look to to whom they have relation in that work and to whom the promise is made and who will have the honour of doing that wherein they are instruments Thus may we joyne a twofold interpretation of these words They are men wondered at to wit admired in being chief in undertaking the work of the Temple and that for their encouragement they were to look on themselves as types of Christ who indeed carried on the work of that Temple and who would build his own Church and therefore they behoved to continue and the work go on not only because Christ had chief hand in it but that the type might resemble the thing typified 5. It is the Scripture-character of the true Messiah that according to the flesh he is to spring out of obscure and contemptible beginnings and to execute his offices especially his Priesthood and accomplish the work of Redemption in the forme of a servant coming humbly to serve and not to be served and becoming obedient to his Father till having finished his work he ascend to glory and then the branch will spring out and flourish beyond all probabilitie and fill the earth with fruit and glory all which is the comfort of the Church that she hath such a lowly Saviour in whose abasement and obedient sufferings she is exalted and saved and in whose sympathie flowing from the experimental essaying of her case she findes a shelter in trouble for here it is both a character of him and a comfortable promise to the Church concerning him Behold I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH Vers 9. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua upon one stone shall be seven eyes behold I will engrave the graving thereof saith the LORD of hostes and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day In the next place Christ is promised as he who is represented by the Temple and who is the ground and corner stone of his own Church and the Rock on which she is built bearing all the burden of the fabrick which is signified by some stone solemnly laid in the building by the Priests or in their sight concerning whom is promised that Gods infinite providence shall be about him and his Church himself endued with perfect wisdom to see to and care for all his members and that by the effects and rayes of the glory of God shining in him he shall draw all eyes to him and keep them on him as also that he shall be so polished and adorned by God as shall be marvellous to the world Doct. 1. Christ the Mediatour is not only a part of the spiritual building making up one Christ mystical with all his members and the eminent and most excellent part of it but the very foundation of his Churches being upon whom all the Church and every particular member thereof is and must be built and without whom they cannot subsist for he is the stone laid before Joshua 2. As Christ in his office of Mediation is a meanes of the Fathers appointment by him to derive happinesse to the Church and establish her in it so whoever despise and reject him yet the Father will have him high and eminent in that building for I have laid the stone before Joshua saith the Lord See Matth. 21.42 3. As Christ hath all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge employed for seeing to the condition and finding out the way of happinesse for his people in every case and exigent signified by seven eyes which is a number of perfection engraven on that one stone and as the vigilant Providence of God is alwayes intent upon Christ as Mediatour and for his sake upon the welfare of his Church and Kingdome as being his chief delight signified also by seven eyes over that one stone so also is Christ as Mediatour God-man revealing the Father in himself and as the support and upholder of his Church so glorious and excellent as may draw all to admire him and to fix their expectation on him as the only choice and resuge of lost sinners and will do so to all the elect which is also signified by seven or many eyes fixed on that one stone admiring him and having all their expectation from him 4. The beauty excellency and furniture of Christ the Mediatour is divine and rare and he is the ornament glory and store-house of all the spiritual building being as God the brightnesse of his Fathers glory and the expresse image of his person Heb. 1.3 his Humanity also being adorned with the gifts of the Spirit without measure for his calling and with all divine persections in so far as the humane nature is capable John 1.14 withal his sufferings for his people as so many curious engravings speak not a little his beauty to these who have interest therein This is signified by the Lords engraving the graving of this stone polishing it as a precious jewel and adorning it by his Art Two benefits are promised to flow from Christ the Priest to his people the first whereof is remission and purging away of fins by the sacrifice upon the crosse once for all which needs not to be repeated as the Jewish sacrifices were Heb. 9.12 and 10.12 14. This is promised to the whole elect and mystical body of Christ figured by the Jewes and their promised land beside what peculiar relation it may have to them and their land that their sins being taken away by Christ should not hinder him to savour them nor the land for their sake but should be looked on in due time not as polluted and spewing them out for sin not possessed and over-run by enemies Doct. 1. Remission and removall of sinne is the choice mercy of Christs people and the rise of other mercies I will remove iniquity is the fruit of Christs coming to the world and of his glory as Mediator 2. Sinne is pardoned and removed onely by the merit and vertue of Christs one sacrifice only once offered and not to be repeated on what pretext soever for iniquity is removed in one day 3. Christs own peculiar and given people of the Father are they upon whom the priviledge of pardon and sanctification is conferred and on whose behalfe Christ offered up himselfe to procure these benefits for it is the iniquity of that land a type of the elect Church that is removed Vers 10. In
and salvation of his Elect because of the perversity of many in the visible Church therefore notwithstanding their quarrelling chap. 2.17 Christ is here promised 2. Convincing evidences of Christs Godhead do appear in this Prophecie as first that he was before his Incarnation keeping intercourse with and making promises to his Church Behold I will send c. Secondly that he authorizeth and sendeth messengers into his Church in his Name and upon his errands I will send my Messenger to prepare my way Thirdly that he is Lord of the Temple of Jerusalem and he to whom homage was payed there It is his Temple Fourthly that when he appears in the forme of a servant a worme and not a man Davids son and a small twig out of Jesse's root yet he is under all that vaile The LORD and above all Fifthly that he and his Father are about one and the same work speaking in the same promise as being one in essence though distinct persons Doct. 3. As Christ when he comes to any person or people must be received as a King for Kings have their Harbingers going before them so men are by nature unprepared for the receiving of Christ having so many obstructions laid in his way being so unworthy of such a mercy and having in their own conceit so little employment for such a Saviour and men would still continue so unlesse Christ who freely gives himself do also freely prepare his own way so much doth this promise I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me import 4. It is a sweet fore-runner of Christs coming when he sends a Ministery amongst a people and causeth the Ministery to take place especially in convincing of sin and shewing the necessity of repentance for thus was John in his Ministery a fore-runner of Christs Incarnation 5. Christs Incarnation and dwelling in our flesh and his presence hereby in his Church is the sweet and refreshful encouragement of his people the riches whereof will not be seen at first view therefore is the promise doubled and men called to consider it The Lord shall come behold he shall come saith the Lord of hostes 6. As it is the high priviledge of the Church to be singled out among all the world to enjoy Christ and the fruits of his coming so it behoved the true Messiah to be incarnate while the second Temple stood and to come and preach there for the Lord shall come to his Temple is a Prophecie of his being present in the material Temple as a type of his Church to which all his special manifestations are 7. As it is a double mercie when the Lord makes great dispatch in performing promises considering the long attendance others have been put to so where the Ministery of the Word and repentance have place it is a token the Lord is hasting to manifest more of himself The Lord shall suddenly come partly in respect the time betwixt this Prophecie and his exhibition was to be short considering how long he had been expected before and partly after Johns preaching and its having place he should come upon a sudden 8. Albeit Christ be God over all blessed for ever yet he took upon him the office of Mediatour and Ambassadour of his Father to the Church and having obtained of his Father by the Covenant of Redemption that a Covenant of reconciliation should be betwixt God and man he came into the world to make offer thereof in preaching the Gospel and to confirm it by his own blood and he it is who from time to time perswades the Elect to embrace the conditions of the Covenant and doth make the Covenant sure to them who flee to him as Mediatour for that end and confirmes the faith of such as rest on the Covenant with many proofes of his love This Lord who comes is even the messenger of the Covenant and in all these respects he proves himself so 9. As Christ ought to be and is unto his peculiar people their chief desire and joy and his presence or hope of future manifestations of him their life so many may pretend much respect to Christ at a distance in hope of satisfaction to some lusts by him and may be so impatient in expectation that if God delay his coming they will scarcely have hope to see him at all and yet mistake him when he comes for Christ is the Lord whom they sought and delighted in who were not only the godly among them whose hearts longed for his Incarnation but even the wicked as hoping to get temporal felicity by him and who therefore quarrelled God for delaying to send him These the Lord promises to make liars but little to their advantage Vers 2. But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope Followes a prediction of the effects of Christs coming which was begun when he came in the flesh to the material Temple and is verified daily when he comes to his Church in the power of the Gospel to reform it and to governe and rule in it In general it is declared that Christ will be quite another thing then hypocrites dream he will be such a winnower and purger as it will be hard to abide his trial which will be as fire to purge drosse and as sope to wash away filth Thus was his fan in his hand Mat. 3.12 and his scourge John 2.14 16 and his axe laid to the root of the tree Doct. 1. Christ manifested in the flesh and coming even in his low estate is a terrible sight to his enemies and will be a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to many for who may abide the day of his coming and who may stand c. 2. Christs coming to his Church in the Ministery of his Gospel and to carry on a Reformation makes a time prove very winnowing and a trying time and so hard to be endured that it is a wonder to see any get through in it and no wonder if we consider the many hypocrites in his Church and the great hypocrisie and drosse of his Saints which he cannot endure the great vicissitudes and shakings that attend a time of Reformation the many errours and delusions that usually are aloft then the efficacie of the Ministery of the Gospel in discovering of sin by which if men be not amended they grow worse the civil turne prophane the formal loose and the prophane insolent and how speedily a people under the Gospel fill up the measure of their sin and ripen for many judgements for these causes it is that Christs coming is held out as so terrible a day Who may abide who shall stand 3. Not only is there much unsoundnesse to be found in Christs Church but this is ill to discern till Christ discover it and it cleaves close to men that it is ill to remove for no lesse then a refincers fire and fullers sope can