A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 4
Ezra CHAP. IV.
THIS Chapter Relateth the Obſtruction and Impediment of carrying on this Begun-Building of the Temple.
Remark the Firſt; The Perſons that obſtructed the Building were the Samaratans, ver. 1, 4. of whom the Jews ſtood in fear of ſome Miſchief, Chap. 3.3. and now probably incenſed by hearing their loud Acclamations and Outcries, Chap. 3.12, 13. Theſe Samaratans ſay to Zerubbabel [We Worſhip God as ye do], ver. 2. ſo offer'd their Service and Aſſiſtance in the Work, but being Worſhippers of God only after a Mongre… manner, 2 Kin. 17.26, &c. 32, 33, 34. they, fearing God not filially, but for his Lions only, had an implacable Hatred againſt the True Worſhippers of God, and thereupon they craftily endeavour to mingle with them (ſaith Flaocherus) that they might the better ſet them together at Variance among themſelves, and ſo put a ſtop to the Work. N. B. Juſt as the Jeſuites do now Act in pretending to be Converts to the Lutheran Church, but intending (by their Building with them) to nouriſh thoſe Animoſities unhappily kindled betwixt the Calviniſts and Lutherans.
Remark the Second; The Prince Zerubbabel and the High-Prieſt Jehoſhuah do moſt prudently refuſe their Aſſiſtance either of Coſt or Pains, ver. 3. to prevent their Projected Plot: Lyra, Vatablus, &c. Render ſundry Reaſons of this Refuſal; 1. Becauſe they were Hereticks and Idolaters: 2. Leſt by their being in Fellowſhip with them, they might either be Deceived, or Damnified by them: 3. Leſt thoſe Samaratans ſhould afterwards challenge the Temple to be theirs (as built by them) or ſome part of it wherein to Worſhip Idols. However, they receive this Reaſon for their Refuſal here, [Lo lakem ue lanu] Nihil Vobis & Nobis. Ye are Men of Heterogeneous Manners, &c. of another Nation and Religion, therefore can never kindly Congregate with us, [pares cum paribus quàm facillimè congregantur] like with like (ſaith the Philoſopher) love beſt to be together: Hence Wolphius excellently obſerveth, N. B. 1. How vain are the pretended Preſcriptions of Antiquity in the falſe Church, as theſe pleaded a long Preſcription ever ſince the Days of Eſarhaddon, ver. 2. namely, 200 Tea…s. N. B. 2ly. Saith the ſame Wolphius, Let ſuch as are for Reconciling us of the Reformed Religion to the Romiſh, conſider this Inſtance: Were theſe Reconcilers and Moderators the Wiſeſt under Heaven (ſaith another Learned Man) they would-be brought to their Wits end, before they could accompliſh that Works end of making a Reconciliation betwixt Rome and the Reformed. They have nothing to do with us to build an Houſe unto our God; ſtand off, 1 Tim. 6.3.4▪ 5. N. B. 3ly. Theſe Godly Governours plead the Power of King Cyrus (ſaith Wolphius) his Royal Grant; they had good Authority for what they did, doing nothing but according to the King's Command, which was confined to the Jews and Iſraelites, the Worſhippers of the True God, and 'twas doubtful whether their conjunction with Strangers, Samaratans, in that Work might not Diſpleaſe the King, therefore the next Royal Grant from Darius, Ezra 6.7. ran thus, That thoſe Strangers ſhould not meddle with them nor make any Diſturbance to their Work: How much better may we plead the Command of Chriſt the King of Saints?
Remark the Third; When thoſe Adverſaries of the Jews ſaw their falſe Fawnings and flattering Inſinuations proved Ineffectual, then [Mebahalim, Hebr.] ver. 4. they troubled the Builders by their Brow-beating Frownings, and terrified them with their Thraſonical Threatnings. N. B. Tho' thoſe Samaratans, the preſent poſſeſſors of that Province at the Jews Return (called here the People of the Land) came neareſt unto a conjunction with the Jews in Matters of Religion beyond Chaldeans, Perſians, &c. yet being but Mongrels in Religious Matters as before, they harbour'd the deepeſt hatred againſt the Jews for outſtripping them in the Right Religion: Hence Luther lays down this Maxim, [Odia Religioſorum ſunt Acerbiſſima] Such as differ one from another in Points of Divinity, bear the bittereſt hatred one to another. Thus it is at this day (ſaith a Learned Man) a Jew hates a Chriſtian worſe than he doth a Pagan: So doth a Turk hate a Perſian worſe than he doth a Chriſtian, a Papiſt hates a Proteſtant worſe than he doth a Turk, and a mere Formaliſt-Proteſtant hates a Puritan worſe than he doth a Papiſt, and will ſooner be Reconciled to Rome, than to thoſe of the ſtricteſt Reformation: To ſay nothing of thoſe deadly Feuds and hot Animoſities that the envious one Satan hath ſown betwixt the Lutherans and Calviniſts, &c. The Devil is call'd [foreign] 1 Joh. 2.13. and 5.18, &c. which ſignifies a wicked Troubler of God's Iſrael; therefore no doubt but the Devil Satan did ſet thoſe Samaritans on work to Trouble God's Iſrael here, and to hinder them from Building God's Temple at this time. N. B. Smarting Experience of the Saints and Servants of God in all Ages, doth ſet a Seal to this great Truth, That Satan (the Enemy and envious one) doth not only Sow Tares among the Wheat, Matth. 13.25, 39. but alſo he ſets upon all ſuch as do begin to build the Tower of Godlineſs, Luke 14.28. and hinders them to the outmoſt, &c.
Remark the Fourth; When thoſe Adverſaries ſaw all their Artifices (in Hectoring the Builders, and in Reſtraining the Men of Tyre and Sidon from bringing ſuch Materials as were requiſite for the Building, as Sanctius ſaith) proved all Ineffectual, they took new Meaſures in bribing Counſellors, ſaith Wolphius, ver. 5. to bolster up their bad Cauſe and to outface a good one. Theſe Counſellors (ſaith Joſephus) were the King's Courtiers, or Toparchs, Deputites to King Cambyſes, who was a light, looſe and lewd Loſel, as one ſaith, eaſily prevailed with to hinder ſo good a Work all the days of his Father Cyrus, (who favour'd the Jews, but was now abſent, in his Warring abroad againſt the Lydians and then againſt the Scythians, leaving his Son Cambyſes to Reign at Home in his room) ſo that Cyrus knew nothing of this Obſtruction of his Royal Decree to the Jews, ſaith Menochius; but if he was informed of it and connived at the croſſing of his own Decree by his own Son whom he had left his Viceroy behind him, It was his Juſt Reward (ſaith Dr. Lightfoot) to meet with ſuch a fatal End by Tomyris the Scythian Queen, who Conquering him (ſaith Juſtin) cut off his Head, and caſt it into a Bowl full of Blood, ſaying, [Satia te Sanguine, Cyre, quem Sitiſti, cujuſque Inſatiabilis ſemper fuiſti] Now glut thy ſelf, O Cyrus, with Blood, which thou haſt ever thirſted after, and wherewith thou could never yet ſatiate thy ſelf.
Remark the Fifth; Thoſe Deputies and Officers of King Cambyſes beyond the River Euphrates, being profoundly bribed by the Samaritans, wrote a moſt Peſtilent. Epiſtle full of all Diabolical Accuſations, Hatch'd in Hell and Dictated by the Devil, (who ſharpen'd both their Tongues and their Pens); and all this was done to Hinder God's People from Building God's Temple, from ver. 6, to ver. 16.
Mark 1. This Poiſonful Epiſtle was directed to Cambyſes in the beginning of his Reign, ver. 5. or Viceroyſhip, immediately after his Father Cyrus went to his War abroad, theſe crafty Courtiers would loſe no time, well knowing, that tho' the Father was a publick Friend, pet the Son was a private Enemy to the Jewiſh Nation and Religion, ſo they take the fitteſt Seaſon for granting of Suits from a New King.
Mark 2. This Cambyſes the New King is call'd here Ahaſuerus, ver. 6. which was his Chaldean Name, and Artaxerexes, ver. 7. which was his Perſian Name, the two common Names of the Chaldean and of the Perſian Monarchs, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptian, and Caeſar of the Roman; thus ſay Lyra, A. Lapide, Sanctius, Wolphius, Oſiander, Grotius, &c. all unanimouſly: Ahaſuerus or Achaſueros (ſay they) is derived of Achas, ſignifying a great (V. Hebr. And) and Ros or Reſh, Hebr. Head, to ſignifie that he was a great Prince; and Herodotus ſaith, Artaxerxes, ſignifies an Excellent Warrior; both which Cambyſes was, being ſucceſsful in his Wars, adding Egypt and other Countries to the Perſian… Monarchy: He was a great Head indeed.
Mark 3. The Compoſers of this Satanical Suggeſtion are here named, ver. 7, 8, 9. the firſt that is named is Biſhlam, which Maſius takes Appellatively, Reading it [Be-ſhalom] in peace, or in a time of peace; ſo Onkelos, &c. implying that this miſchievous Letter was written, when the Jews thought all things were in peace: Or it was ſome Congratulatory Phraſe [In peace be the King] but moſt Read it as a proper Name with the reſt of his Crafty Colleagues; yea and Rehum the Chancellor, Preſident of the Council, was Maſter of this Miſrule, and with him a whole Rabble of Rebels againſt God and his People, all concurring in this curſed Confederacy, not unlike that which David complain'd of, Pſal. 8….5, 6, &c. Thoſe named here were of Obſcure Nations, no where Recorded in Scripture, ſuch as Aſnapper, ver. 10. ſome great Aſſyrian Officer brought from India and Armenia (ſaith Wolphius) to Inhabit Samaria, 2 Kin. 17.24.
Mark 4. As the Character wherewith this Letter was writ, was ſuch (ſaith Schindler) as might be underſtood at the Perſian Court without an Interpreter, ſo the Contents of it were ſundry Lyes ſowed cunningly together, ver. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. all an entire hodg-podg of falſe and ſcandalous Accuſations. N. B. 'Tis true, wicked Zedekiah had once Rebell'd, &c. (as before of him) but Error Perſonae non Arti Imputandus, his Perſonal Treachery ought not to Denominate the City and Nation Rebellious. Theſe falſe Informers ſay [they had ſet up the Walls, &c.] had they done ſo before the Temple was built, the Prophet Haggai would have Reprov'd them for it, as he did for preferring their own Houſes before the Houſe of God, Hag. 1.4. the contrary appeareth, Neb. 1.3. Nor was that old Device of the Devil and his Imps any better in ſlandering God's People, that they are Anarchical, againſt Government and Diſturbers of the publick Peace, Deniers of Toll, &c. pretending they certified all this for the King's Honour and Advantage, when it only gratify'd their own Malice.
Mark 5. The Effects of this Letter follow from ver. 17, to ver. 24. No ſooner had King Cambyſes received it, but he order'd to have it Read publickly before his Council: This was ſo far well done, had he kept one Ear free, and heard both Parties, he had done better: However, he returns an Anſwer to this Letter readily, becauſe it did ſo exactly gratifie his malignant Humour of Enmity againſt the Jews; and that it might appear a more plauſible piece of publick Iuſtice, the Book of Records is ſearched, (as the Officious Letter Requeſted) and enough was found from, 2 Kings 24, 1, 19, 20. of former Rebellion, to palliate the iſſuing out of a Royal Decree for forbidding the farther Building of God's Temple. N. B. Yet this Humane Decree did but carry on the Divine Decree Thus while Perſecutors preſs backward from God's Command, they ſtill ſtep forward to fulfill God's Decree: Thus the Building was cauſed to ceaſe until the Days of Darius Hiſtaſpis, v. 5, 24.