The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 45
SECT. XLV.
§. 1 NExt we come to the Prophet Zechary, who propheſied within two months at the ſame time that Haggy propheſied, Hag. 1.1. Zech. 1.1. (and therefore is commonly accounted as a co-partner with Haggy.) Both propheſying after Judah's return from Babylon, in the ſecond yeare of Darius (ſonne of Hiſtaſpis.) For Haggai reproves them chap. 1. ver. 2. for not re-building the Temple. And v. 6. declares that the ſcarcity upon them was for that neglect. Neither of which could have been rationall, if they had been then in Babylon. Zechariah likewiſe hints the ſame time, in chap. 1. ver. 6. in acknowledging that God had then fulfilled the judgement threatned upon them: And expreſſely in the 16 verſe ſaith; The Lord is returned to Jeruſalem with mercies, and his houſe ſhall be built.
§. 2 Theſe being premiſed, the firſt place we pitch upon in this Prophet is, chap. 2. ver. 6. &c. to the end of the chapter. Ver. 6. Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the North, ſaith the Lord. For I have ſpread you abroad as the four winds of the Heaven, ſaith the Lord. Verſ. 7. Deliver thy ſelfe O Zion, that dwelleſt with the daughter of Babylon. Verſ. 8. For thus ſaith the Lord of Hoſts; After the glory hath he ſent me unto the Nations, which ſpoiled you; for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. Ver. 9. For behold I will ſhake mine hand upon them, and they ſhall be a ſpoile to their ſervants, and yee ſhall know that the Lord of hoſts hath ſent me. Sing and rejoyce O Daughter of Zion; for lo I come, and I will dwell in the midſt of thee, ſaith the Lord. Ver. 11. And MANY NATIONS SHALL BE JOYNED UNTO THE LORD in that day; and ſhall be my people, &c. Verſ. 12. And the Lord ſhall inherit Judah, his portion, in the holy land, and ſhall chuſe Ieruſalem againe. Of which words, the introduction preceding in the §. 1. leades us into this ſence, that they look beyond the two Tribes, called Iudah, unto the returne of the ten Tribes called Iſreal.
§. 3 It hath been often very grievous in my eyes, to ſee how Authours commonly follow one another in expounding Scripture, as if they were rather led by humain example, then by divine reaſon. And let this goe for one inſtance: where they ſucceſſively vote, or dictate (not demonſtrate) that that great call to the Jewes in ver. 6. To come forth and flee from the land of the North, &c. relates to thoſe of the two Tribes that tarryed behind, when the reſt of them returned: I confeſſe, as to wipe off ſingularity, I am glad of the bare company in opinion, of them that are learned; but I had rather have one of their reaſons (if they give any) then an hundred of their names. Oecolampadius ſpeaking for us ſaith, Terram Aquilonis, &c. that is, the Prophet calls Babylon the land of the North, which is ſituated towards the Northern part, Eaſtwardly. And ſeeing that others were diſperſed into divers parts of the earth, according to the foure winds, and others oppreſſed with other ſervitude, all that are burdened, are called, &c. And Pellican likewiſe voting for us ſaith, the Prophet here foretels a double gathering of the Inhabitants, and cals unto them: for the diſperſion of the faithfull was two-fold, one of the people of Iudah in Babylon, who are called together with Nehemiah unto the building of Ieruſalem, whom the Prophet exhorts to goe forth out of the province of the Babylonians, and to beleeve the word of God, and to reſtore the divine worſhip in the Temple. The other was greater, and more general, of all Iſrael, whom God had ſcattered into the foure quarters, or climates of the world. All which the prophet cals and deſires to be congregated toward Zion, &c. But to leave men and words, and come to reaſon.
¶ 1. Tis clear that this place of Scripture is a propheſie of future things, by the language of it, ſpeaking all along from the fourth verſe to the end of the chapter in the future tenſe, that theſe and thoſe things ſhall come to paſſe; and ſuch things, and ſo, God will do.
¶. 2. And the exhortation in the ſixt verſe (the thing in controverſie) is expreſly there extended not only unto the Jews in the North, viz. Babylon; but to all of them diſperſed in the foure quarters of the world; as they are to this day. Where marke the connexion, For I will gather you from the four winds: making this the meaning of coming out of the North. Compare alſo Zech. 8.7. a conſiderable place, viz. Thus ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, behold I will ſave my people from the Eaſt Country, and from the Weſt Country; and I will bring them, and they ſhall dwell in the midſt of Jeruſalem. Accordingly the Septuagint reads this of Zech. 2.6. thus, Ω foreign i. e. Ho, ho, fly from the land of the North, ſaith the Lord; Becauſe I WILL GATHER you from the foure winds of Heaven, ſaith the Lord.
¶. 3. The ſaid two Tribes had been, even now (when Zechariah preached this Sermon) returned from Babylon into Iudea, near this ſixteen years. For (as the beſt Chronologers caſt up the account) they returned from Babylon in the year of the world 3435. And Zechary began his propheſie in the year of the world three thouſand foure hundred fifty one. A faire time, for the moſt of the Jewes of the two Tribes to take heart to returne, that are mentioned in the beginning of their deliverance by Cyrus, to have lingered behind the reſt, 1 Chron. 4. if feare of the Kings ſincerity in diſmiſſing them had remorated them; and to have been incouraged by their fore-runners proſperity in Iudea, if any conſiderable number ſtaid in Babylon for feare of ſucceſſe. And therefore doubtleſſe by this time moſt of the people of Iudah were returned. Ioſephus boldly affirmeth *, and Sanctius approves the account, that there returned of the Tribes of Iudah and Benjamin forty ſix hundred thouſand,Lib. 11. Cap. 4 and twenty eight thouſand, which may appear to have ſome truth in it, if we compare Ezr. 2.61, 62, 63, 64, 65. and Nehem. 13.3. And truly the great work they did in re-building the Temple, repairing the City wals, and their bountifull offerings at the dedication, ſpeake aloud that they were a very numerous people. And therefore tis very unlikely that the Prophet in that exhortation, verſe the ſixt, ſhould mainly mind a gleaning of a few lingerers in Babylon.
¶. 4. This exhortation ver. the ſixt calling for ſeparation, and to come out of Babylon, is carryed downe by the Apoſtles unto the latter, if not to the laſt times of this world. For St. Paul in the 2 Cor. 6.17, 18 brings it down to his time; which is far beyond any occurrences in Zecharies time; who propheſied five hundred and eighteen yeares (plus minus, thereabouts) afore Chriſts birth. And Paul pens this Epiſtle at leaſt fifty two years after the birth of Chriſt (for about that year he wrote his firſt Epiſtle to Corinth) his words are theſe; Come out from among them, and be yee ſeparate, SAITH THE LORD (marke his quotation of the old Teſtament) &c. and I will receive you, and be a father unto you. Juſt to the ſame effect as Zecharie in the ſaid ſixt verſe. Come forth, flee from the land of the North, &c. Deliver thy ſelfe O Zion, that dwelleſt with the daughter of Babylon, &c. Lo I come, and I will dwell in the midſt of thee, ſaith the Lord. Thus far St. Paul extends it. But St. Iohn Revel. cha. 18. ver. 2, 3, 4. extends it much further, and that in a propheticall way; viz. to the time nearly preceding the fall of Babylon. I ſaw another Angell come down from Heaven, having great power, &c. and he cryed mightily with a ſtrong voyce ſaying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, &c. (i.e. ſhall ſurely fal) And I heard another voice from heaven ſaying, come out of her my people, that yee be not partakers of her ſins, and that yee receive not of her plagues. Which two laſt clauſes being of a future tenſe, and ſence, clearly ſhew that [is fallen, is fallen] ſignifies it ſhall fall; and that in regard thereof the people of God muſt timouſly come out thence.
¶. 5. There are high ſtraines annexed to this propheſie, in this ſecond of Zecharie, which effectually evince that it is not yet fulfilled, as that ver. 5. I, ſaith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midſt of her. That is, a fence about the Church (conſiſting of Jewes and Gentiles) of abſolute defence to them, and of a devouring offence to the enemy: And that ver. 8, 9. Thus ſaith the Lord, after the glory hath he ſent me to the Nations, which ſpoiled you. For he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye. For behold I will ſhake mine hand upon them, and they ſhall be a ſpoile to their ſervants. And yee ſhall know that the Lord of hoſts hath ſent me. That is, after this glory of your famous return, and rebuilt Temple, the Lord hath ſent me the Meſsiah, to the Nations that ſpoiled you, that is, to your enemies, who in touching you to hurt you, did as it were thruſt their fingers into mine eyes. Therefore I the Meſsiah will ſhake mine hands upon them, as Pſal. 2.9. To break them with a rod of iron; and ſo to make them a ſpoile to their ſervants, that is, to you whom they rigidly made their ſervants. Laſtly, that in verſ. 10, 11, 12, 13. Sing and rejoyce O daughter of ZION, for lo I come, and I will dwell in the midſt of THEE, ſaith the Lord. And many NATIONS ſhall be joyned to the Lord in that day, and SHALL BEE MY PEOPLE; and I will dwell in the midſt of THEE, and thou ſhalt know that the Lord of hoſts hath ſent me unto thee. And the Lord ſhall inherit Judah in the HOLY LAND, and ſhall chuſe Jeruſalem AGAINE. Be ſilent, O all fleſh before the Lord, Becauſe he is [awakened concerning the habitation of his holineſſe foreign] That is, a joyfull time is yet to come, when the Meſsiah ſhall dwell in the midſt of the Jewes, they dwelling in the holy Land, many Nations being joyned unto the Lord, together with the Jewes into one Church, he dwelling in the midſt of them all (for dwelling in the midſt is againe repeated) ſo that then they ſhall effectually know not only that this Prophet was ſent of God to preach this to them; but alſo that the true Meſsiah ſhall be at the appointed time ſent to performe theſe things to them; to the putting of all fleſhly and carnall minds to ſilence, that doubted or diſputed againſt theſe thing, I ſay, to put them to ſilence by the appearance of Chriſt, awakened and beſtirring himſelfe in the behalfe of his holy habitation, or the habitation of his holineſſe; that is, the Church, in her pure ſtate and worſhip. Now, when were theſe high ſtraines, theſe ſublime expreſſions, ever yet fulfilled? We have a watchword in the twelfth verſe, that we muſt looke for the impletion …hereof, far beyond Zecharies time: For though he in his time of this Propheſie ſaw the returne of the Jews into the holy Land, yet ſaith, The Lord SHALL inherit Judah, his portion in the HOLY LAND, and SHALL chuſe Jeruſalem AGAINE. Surely if wee keep the propheſie together, as the Lord hath laid it, and left it together, there was never yet to this day, ſince their return from Babylon that time, and ſtate of the Church that is here limbed forth to the life, viz. that the Church ſhould conſiſt of Jews and Gentiles joyned to the Lord, and owned by him, as his people, even while the Jewes poſſeſſe the holy Land, and the Lord ſhould be as a wall of fire, protecting them, and devouring their enemies, and making the Jewes, of ſervants to the cruell Heathens, to be the ſpoilers of them, &c. and all theſe things to be carryed up to that height of glory, that all ſpirituall hearts ſhould ſing and rejoyce, and all fleſhly hearts ſhould bee ſtruck dumb or aſtoniſhed with ſilence, We have before repeated (uſ que ad nauſeam, foriè aliquibus) very often, how the Jewes ever ſince the return of the two Tribes have been little leſſe, or otherwiſe then in a captive condition, under three Monarchies; that when the Jewes (a few of them) imbraced Chriſt, Acts ſecond, third, and fourth chapters, the Gentiles were not converted. When the Gentiles began to be called, the Jewes fell off, Act. 13. Rom. 11. That the Maccabean conflict, in regard of the cataſtrophe and event is not worthy to be named with this Propheſie. And therefore this Propheſie is yet unfulfilled; and requires by the circumſtances of it, a time of fulfilling before the ultimate univerſall reſurrection.