his field near the Temple of the Lord. 14. Then it pleased God to proceed to the breaking of the second staff and to say I will even break asunder my other Shepherds staff too to which I gave the name of Bands and so dissolve the unity and brotherly concord that formerly had been between Iudah and Israel the two tribes and the ten tribes as the Sons of one father coming all out of the loins of Iacob 15. Then said the Lord unto me yet we will have somewhat more of the Shepherd Go and get thy self the poor habit and furniture of some silly Shepherd such as he useth to carry abroad with him 16. For this is my meaning by that silly Shepherds provision that for the sins of the people I will often send amongst them silly Shepherds and Governors in the land that shal neither have skill nor will to attend any thing but the advancement of their own advantages They shall not do their office to take care for the reducing of that which is lost and stragled from the company nor seek after the weak lamb that is left behind because it cannot hold out the pace of the rest nor heal that which is hurt and wounded by some evil accident nor feed that which continues healthful and free from hurts But providing rather for themselves then their flock they shall feed upon the fattest and so hurry many of their sheep up and down at their pleasure as if they longed to wear out their very clams that they might not be able to stir about for that which their Shepherds will not provide for them 17. Wo to such Shepherds no Shepherds that will have the name and place of Shepherds and Governors but nothing else that is requirable in good Shepherds Such carelesse Shepherds as these leave their flock to look to themselves but my curse shall attend them Such a Shepherd will I strike with a bright and sharp sword that shall break his arm and dazle his right eye so that his arm shall wither and be unfit for action because he would be lazy where he should not and his right eye shall not be able to see any thing that tends to his own good because he he would not look after that which was for the good of his flock CHAP. XII 1 THe burden of the word of the Lord for Israel saith the Lord which stretcheth forth the heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within him 2 Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Iudah and against Jerusalem 3 And in that day will I make Ierusalem a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in piece though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it 4 In that day saith the Lord I will smite every horse with astonishment and his rider with madness and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Iudah and will smite every horse of the people with blindnesse 5 And the governours of Iudah shall say in their heart The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God 6 In that day will I make the governours of Iudah like an hearth of fire among the wood and like a torch of a fire in a sheaf and they shall devour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Ierusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place even in Ierusalem 7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Iudah first that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Ierusalem do not magnifie themselve against Iudah 8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Ierusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the angel of the Lord before them 9 And it shall come to passe in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem 10 And I will pour upon the house David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Ierusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon 12 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart 13 The family of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart the family of Shimei apart and their wives apart 14 All the families that remain every family apart and their wives apart CHAP. XII 1. ANother Prophesie that carries a burden in it to be laid upon Israel by the command of the great Iehovah Thus saith the great Iehovah that stretched out the heavens like a curtain and fixed the vast globe of the earth upon nothing and created the breath of life which he breathed first into Adam and placed within him i. who made all and therefore governed all from the beginning 2. You will wonder at the time when you see all things so brought about by my providence that Ierusalem shall become like a drunken cup of giddinesse and astonishment to all the nations about her not so much that others which would greedily swallow her up shall tast of that cup which will work their own shame and confusion but in reference to her self that she shall do the actions of a giddie-headed people Therefore upon all Iudah there shall fall great tribulation by occasion of that punishment which shall light first upon Ierusalem 3. But about the close of that time when I have so punished my own people I will make Ierusalem prove like a huge weighty stone to all people that shall go about to disturb her All that lift hard at her shall sooner show their strength in breaking of their own veins in pieces then in removing her from that loyalty towards me and that state of tranquillity wherein I shall place her And this difficulty of so moving Jerusalem shall be thus though all the people of the earth should be mustered up against her And this may be a figure of what shall afterward happen to the fierce and ventrous opposers of the mystical Jerusalem and such as are Jews within They that will be lifting at them and heaving at the true Messias their corner stone will have but ill successe in their vain attempts but on whomâ—soever that stone falls it shall bruise him to powder 4. For at that time saith the Lord if
their phancy rarely well If a man would use to vapour amongst them like one that walks after every uncertain wind and is led by every new spirit If he would discourse non-sense and lies and say I will preach or prophesie to thee for a little wine or strong drink or any smal reward This were the onely Prophet for this people He would fit their turns as well as heart could wish 12. Me thinks I see such a goodly Prophet in one of his Prophetical raptures and thus he prophesies to Jacob as from God himself I will surely assemble thee O Iacob all of thee I will not fail to gather into one the remnant of Israel like many sheep into one flock a fair flock like those in the rich pastures of Bozrah and Moab and that flock into one fould and they shall have no further trouble then good store of Shepherds more men then ordinary to wait upon them 13. But in earnest for all this goodly prophesie of our cheap and upstart Prophet the rough souldier shall be the man to break way before them not his imaginarie Shepherd and he shall lead this people whither they would not go as you shall see when they have broken out and passed quite through the gates of Jerusalem Then shall the King of this people passe along as a prisoner before those Souldiers and God himself in the head of them to prosper and succeed the designes of the enemie as of an army that himself will own CHAP. III. 1 ANd I said Hear I pray you O heads of Iacob and ye Princes of the house of Israel is it not for you to know judgement 2 Who hate the good and love the evil who pluck off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them and they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pat and as flesh within the caldron 4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord but he will not hear them he will even hide his face from them at that time as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings 5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their mouthes they even prepare war against him 6 Therefohe night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine and the sun shall go down over the prophets and the day shall be dark over them 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed and the diviners confounded yea they shall all cover their lips for there is no answer of God 8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord and of judgement and of might to declare unto Iacob his transgression and to Israel his sin 9 Hear this I pray you ye heads of the house of Iacob and princes of the house of Israel that abhor judgement and pervert all equity 10 They build up Zion with blood and Ierusalem with iniquity 11 The heads thereof judge for reward and the priests thereof teach for hire and the prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field and Ierusalem shall become beaps and the mountains of the house as the high places of the forrest CHAP. III. 1. AFter that sad and true Prophetical contemplation that I closed withall desirous to show the reason of the severity of that judgement I said Give ear awhile to me now you Princes of Jacob and other subordinate Governors in the house of Israel You that pronounce the sentence of judgement against other offenders must not you needs know what heavy punishment belongs to your selves if you had your due 2. Yet are you the men that hate doing of good and love the practise of what you know to be naught And you use such oppression over those that are under you that you leave no skin on their backs nor flesh on their bones you pick and scrape away all that can be gained out of them 3. And I may say more of these cruel extortioners When they have thus eaten the flesh of my people and flayed the skin off the bones then as if they longed for the very marrow or loved to hear their bones crack they break and divide the bones into several pieces as the Cooks use to chop and cut out their meat into several joynts before they put it into the pot or sit it for the table 4. There will come a time when these men will cry to the Lord but he will not hear them that had no ears for the sad complaints of the oppressed In that time of need will he hide his face from them that turned their faces away from the poor afflicted And as they behaved themselves extreme ill in their doings So will he show himself very just in the punishment which they are to suffer 5. And after this said to the Magistrates somewhat saith the Lord I have to say to those titular Prophets that lead my people into much error by their false predictions These men according as their teeth are plied with good meat by their kind gossips so do they frame their mouths to prophesie of peace and plenty but if they observe a man that cares not for so providing for their mouths against him they will be sure to prepare tidings of war and destruction 6. Therefore I will bring so dark and dismal a night of affliction upon you that you shall be able to discover no probable visions of peace It shall be so dark and gloomy that you shall not discern how to pick out any clear divinations of comfort And the Sun shall set upon those Prophets you may bid them good night for all the peace they shall be able to foretel The day shall be so dark over them that they shall be able to foresee nothing that is good either for themselves or you 7. Then shall those Seers be ashamed to be seen and those Diviners confounded with their own divinations And all of them may put a covering upon their upper lips and cry I am unclean I am unclean as being in greater danger to infect the people then any leaper to whom that was enjoyned For none of their answers will prove to be divine oracles but mere fancies of their own 8. But I am no Prophet of that stamp I may truely say that I am furnished with those abilities and filled with that divine Spirit that should be in a Prophet I am endued with courage to fear no mans person and with judgement and discretion that I may seasonably tell Iacob of his sins and Israel of his transgressions and not think it enough to
What do you now see this likely to be which you have begun in haste to raise up and cannot furnish with such wealth and ornaments as the other had by the beneficence of severall Kings of Judah Doth not this fabrick if it be compared with that seem to be of no great hope and expectation for state and glory 4. But yet be of good comfort O Zerubbabel saith the Lord and thou O Ioshua Son of Iosedech the High-Priest chear up thy self And let the rest of the People of the land be no way discouraged But go on chearfully with the work now in hand For I am with you to blesse and prosper you saith the Lord of Hostes whom all things serve and obey 5. Whatsoever I promised and covenanted to do for you when you came out of Egypt that will I make good in my mercifull protection of you and crowning your obedience unto me with all the blessings of that covenant And my Spirit shall be constantly with you by the ministery of my Prophets and other waies to direct you in this work or what else you shall take in hand for the like advancement of my service Therefore be not dismayed or discouraged at these little beginnings 6. For the time is coming on saith the Lord of Hostes and it is but a little while to be expected it shall be while this Temple is standing when I will once again make as great motions and alterations in the world in the Heavens and in the Earth and in the Sea and in the dry land as ever I did since I began to bring you out of Egypt And you shall find a great alteration and difference from my own workes then to be done and those done heretofore since your coming out of Egypt For the thunder and lightning from Heaven in Mount Sinai when I descended to give the law will be nothing to that opening of the Heavens wherein my holy Spirit shall visibly descend upon the Messias in Jordan and his Apostles in Mount Sion And again the bringing water out of the hardest and driest parts of the Earth or dividing the waters of the red Sea will be nothing to the Earth-quakes at the death of the Messias and his coming out of the grave and before that his walking upon the waters 7. And for the motions or commotions that I named before Those commotions and alterations in all nations shall be such by severall wars and tumults that they shall all be ready to shake and tremble at them But after the appeasing of those stirs the Messias himself the longing desire and expectation and the delight and sweet comfort of all people shall come in person And then will be the time when by his coming into my Temple who is the King of Glory I shall fill this house that you are building this second Temple with glory indeed saith the Lord of Hostes. 8. As for the outward splendour and rich offerings in the first Temple I prize them not so highly as you do And when I please to be honoured with them I can make this Temple as richly supplied as ever Solomon's was For all the silver is at my command and the gold is at my disposall saith the Lord of Hostes. 9. But in far higher respects than those of wealth and splendour shall the glory of this latter house exceed that of the former saith the Lord of Hostes. And the time of that glory shall be a time when I will give peace unto this place saith the Lord of Hostes. 10. In this second year of Darius upon the twenty fourth day of the ninth moneth which took up part of our November and December and by which time the materials being prepared the work began to be set forward with much alacrity the Lord spake again by Haggai the Prophet saying 11. Thus saith the Lord of Hostes Ask now the Priests a resolution of a case put in their own law wherein they are or should be able to decide any scruple in that kind proposed unto them and do it in these termes 12. If a man should carry any holy flesh that being offered up to God hath been sanctified by the altar and carrying it in the skirt of his garment should with that skirt touch any ordinary bread or pottage or wine or oyl or any kind of meat should that which is so touched by that wherein the holy flesh is be therefore holy To this quaere the Priests answered and said No. the common meat would not be sanctified by touching that wherein the sanctified meat was carried 13. Then again said the Prophet Haggai But if any one that is legally unclean by touching of a dead body should in that time touch any of these would that which he toucheth be unclean by the law And the Priests answer was that it would be unclean for the legall sanctity is not so easily communicated by one thing to another as the legall impurity is 14. To which the Prophet Haggai replied and said So is it with the impure and disobedient heart of this people that hath polluted whatsoever they offered upon their new altar which they made in Cyrus his time when they began to lay the foundation of the Temple and would not afterward so proceed in it as I gave them direction Therefore I account no otherwise of this disobedient nation than of a nation impure in my â—ight saith the Lord. And this uncleannesse sticks to every work of their hands and to what soever they have offered at that altar being so polluted with the bold sinne of the neglect of that command of mine to raise the Temple For neither can that which is sanctified impart holinesse to that which is profane neither can that which is unclean but derive the like uncleannesse to that which was holy which showes you a little light wherein you may see the power of your sins above your vertues if you had them 15. And now to see the fruit of your unclean hearts and hands consider seriously with your selves what hath happened to you and what punishment I laid upon you before you setled your selves to this work of re-edifying my Temple and the builders went on with the foundation of it for the promoting of my service 16. From those times of your negligence and disobedience till that time wherein the fabrick was chearfully undertaken When a man came to a heap of corn in which he hoped well to be supplied with twenty measures there he received but ten the half of what he expected according to the usuall proportion of the increase of his feed And when a man came to the presse-fat where he had thought to have drawn fifty vessels out of the presse there he drew but twenty he could never see that blessed increase that he was in hope of 17. The reason was because I turned that blessing into a curse I smote the labours
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
angel that talked with me Whither do these bear the ephah 11 And he said unto me To build it an house in the land of Shinar and it shall be established and set there upon her own base CHAP. V. 1. AFter this lifting up mine eyes again I discovered that which took me up with so much wonder that it may challenge another Ecce and it was a kind of flying book written all in one long scroul 2. And the angel that I mentioned before said unto me What seest thou And I said I see a flying roul containing so much in that one volume that the length of it seems twenty cubits and the breadth ten cubits 3. Then said he unto me This roule or volume is a book of curses or dire punishments and it is gone out to fly through the whole land so far as the children of Iudah or Israel do inhabit For every one of this nation that is guilty of stealing and hath his name for that fault on one side of the book is accordingly to be emptied of his ill-gotten goods and suffer the losse of all in his house besides and every one that forswears and hath his name for that fault upon the other side of the book is emptied of what he got by his perjurie acrording to the evidence of the fault there 4. This roul will I produce saith the Lord of Hosts and it shall come into the house of him that steals and into the house of him that swears falsly by my name And it shall continue in the midst of his house till it have quite consumed it like a fierce and raging fire that consumes or disperseth the very stones as well as the timber 5. Then the Angel that used to discourse with me as my Interpreter and Director for the understanding of these mysteries having gone out for a while returned again unto me to explain a new Vision and said Lift up now thine eyes and observe that which seems to be coming forward towards us 6. At the sight of it I demanded of the Angel what it might be And he replied This is the full measure of an Ephah that now seems to move forward and discover it self an embleme of their heavy sins that have now filled up their measure and therefore must lie no longer concealed and winked at as a great while they did in expectation of their repentance before they brought them up to this height And he added withal that this might serve for a fit resemblance of those sins or sinners through the whole land whose full measure of sin brought that full measure of punishment which you see was visibly inflicted upon the whole nation in this last captivity 7. And you would wonder what a strange sight immediately appeared with it the likenesse of a huge massie weight of lead that was brought thither to be laid upon it And this other sight withal a woman sitting upon the middest of the Ephah impudent enough and no whit ashamed or afraid to own such a weight of iniquity 8. And while I was looking upon her and observing the pride and shamelessenesse of her posture the Angel informed me who it was This is the lively portraicture of the Jewish Impietie saith he from whence all those robberies and perjuries that we named before had their rise and their growth till they called to heaven for vengeance And at that word he took her and thrust her into the midst of the Epha and laid a great weight of lead upon the mouth of the Ephah to exclude her from getting out from that which she seemed so ready to return to as to a creature of her own 9. No sooner had I withdrawn my eyes from this sight to look up again but I perceived there two women coming forward suppose the two nations the Assyrian and the Babylonian by which God was pleased to revenge himself of this so great a measure of sin And they came with such speed as if they had come upon the wings of the wind which figured the sodain execution of Gods wrath that accordingly came upon our nation for our many offences And the wings seemed to be like the wings of a stork another expression of that sodain transmigration and deportation out of our Country And these two flying women lift up this Ephah we spake of between heaven and earth as we lift up a burden that is presently to be removed from where it is 10. Then I asked the Angel that discoursed with me whither they intended to remove that heavy weight of impiety to what place of punishment and execution of Justice 11. The place saith he which they are going to provide for that purpose is the land of Babylon where they shall be set fast upon their own basis the sure footing which themselves were the cause of sure enough for stirring thence till God of his own mercy make way for their removal And this Vision and representation of what they have suffered already may be a fair warning that the like sins or sins in the like measure bring not the like punishment upon their heads again CHAP VI. 1 ANd I turned and lift up mine eyes and looked and behold there came four chariots out from between two mountains and the mountains were mountains of brasse 2 In the first chariot were red horses and in the second chariot black horses And in the third chariot white horses and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me What are these my Lord 5 And the angel answered and said unto me These are the four spirits of the heavens which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth 6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north-countrey and the white go forth after them and the grisled go forth toward the south-countrey 7 And the bay went forth and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth and he said Get ye hence walk to and fro through the earth So they walked to and fro through the earth 8 Then cryed he upon me and spake unto me saying Behold these that go toward the north countrey have quieted my spirit in the north-countrey 9 And the word of the Lord came unto me saying 10 Take of them of the captivity even of Heldai of Tobijah and of Iedajah which are come from Babylon and come thou the same day and go into the house of Iosiah the son of Zephaniah 11 Then take silver and gold and make crowns and set them upon the head of Ioshua the son of Iosedech the high priest 12 And speak unto him saying Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts saying Behold the man whose name the BRANCH and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the temple of the Lord. 13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord and he shall bear the glory and and