Exposition of Haggai Zechariah and Malachi, Title page – Publishers note
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE Prophecies OF Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
BY GEORGE HUTCHESON Miniſter at EDENBURGH.
EZRA 5.2.
Then roſe up Zerubbabel the ſonne of Shealtiel, and Joſhua the ſonne of Jozadak, and began to build the houſe of God which is at Jeruſalem: and with them were the Prophets of God helping them.
2 PET. 1.19.
We have alſo a more ſure Word of Prophecie, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that ſhineth in a dark place, until the day dawne, and the day-ſtar ariſe in your hearts.
April the 29th. Imprimatur, EDMUND CALAMY.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. and E. M. for Ralph Smith, at the Bible in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange. 1654.
CHRISTIAN READER,
THe former Undertaking of this Reverend and learned Author, hath found ſo much acceptance, and hath been received with ſuch a general Approbation, both by Miniſters and other godly Chriſtians, as that it hath emboldened him to make a further Eſſay in the ſame kinde. This enſuing Treatiſe preſents to thy view a brief Explication of, and choice Obſervations upon three other of the Leſſer Prophets. All that I ſhall ſay to encourage thee to reade it, is, That it is written by the ſame Maſter Hutcheſon, that it is as elaborate and as uſeful as the former, that it will fully ſatisfie expectation, and tend much to thy ſpiritual edification.
Imprimatur, EDMUND CALAMY.
To the Right Honourable JOHN EARLE of Caſſillis, LORD KENNEDY, &c. Grace, Mercy and Peace, through Jeſus Chriſt be multiplied.
Right Honourable,
SUch is the tender kindneſſe and rich bounty of our all ſufficient and gracious God to his Church and people, whom he hath choſen from among the loſt poſterity of Adam, as that in wrath he ſtill remembreth mercy; and when his diſpenſations ſeem to ſpeak greateſt diſpleaſure, and to render them moſt miſerable: yet upon ſerious conſideration they will finde cauſe to ſay, that he is good, and his mercy endureth for ever. He doth not deny to them the ſure mercies of David, when for wiſe reaſons he cuts ſhort their outward delights, and their afflictions when they need them, are taken in as Articles and Priviledges of his unchangeable Covenant with them, Pſal. 89.30, 31, 32, 33, 34.
In particular, it is a mercy never enough acknowledged, that the Lord vouchſafes upon his people his Word written in holy Scriptures, which as it was a ſpecial favour to Iſrael of old, Pſal. 147.19, 20. ſo the riches thereof, and the advantages to be had thereby are not ſoon pondered; for herein is held forth the true and ſaving knowledge of God, and an impartial diſcovery of our ſelves; herein we have the offer of the ſalvation purchaſed by Chriſt, and by it is the infallible way of attaining true happineſſe pointed out. It is to the Word we are directed by the righteouſneſſe of faith, to know the minde of God concerning loſt ſinners, Rom. 10.6, 7, 8. It is the Word the Lord employes to be the ſeed of regeneration, and which the regenerate man ſhould eſteem more then his neceſſary food, for promoving his growth: By the Word the Lord doth quicken his people when they are dead, reclaime them when they are wandring, comfort them when they are afflicted, and point out their way unto them. Hereby we are directed to try the ſpirits, when deluſions are aloft, and Satan is tranſformed into an Angel of light. By the light thereof we may infallibly know what is right, and what is wrong in the world, when all things are to ſenſe wrapped up in clouds and miſts, and may know what to think of ſad times and lots, and what iſſue to expect of them. And in a word, the Scriptures are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inſtruction in righteouſneſſe, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furniſhed unto all good works, 2 Tim. 3.16, 17.
As this great and ineſtimable favour ought to engage all Chriſtians to be much in ſearching the Scriptures, and converſant with God ſpeaking therein, (eſpecially in times when the Lord's letting out many ſtrong deluſions, proclaims our negligence, and not receiving the love of the truth; and when his chaſtiſements call on us to ſeek teaching out of his Law.) And as it doth call on Miniſters in their publick ſtations, to be inſtant in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, inculcating this Word of truth: ſo it hath invited me to eſſay how I might be inſtrumental, through the Lords aſſiſtance and bleſſing, in opening up ſome parts of this Charter, for the more general uſe and help of the Lords people: And having met with ſuch acceptance of my former Eſſay, as hath encouraged me to make this further progreſſe, upon theſe three laſt of the Leſſer Prophets; I do humbly crave leave to preſent it to the world under your Lordſhips Honourable name, who have obtained mercy of the Lord, to taſte that he is gracious, as is daily evidenced by your deſiring the ſincere milk of the Word, and by your cordial reſolution and ſincere endeavour to cleave to the Law and Teſtimony, and follow the revealed Will of God in your wayes. Which as it hath made your Lordſhip precious in the hearts of the godly who know you; ſo I judge my ſelf bound in a ſpecial way, to take hold of this opportunity to expreſſe my ſenſe of the ſame, who have had more frequent oceaſion for many yeares, (both during my ſervice in the Miniſtery in that part of the countrey, where your Lordſhips intereſt and reſidence is, and ſince my removal from thence) to be a witneſſe and obſerver of the grace of God in you, and have met with ſuch undeſerved reſpects, for the truthes cauſe, from your Lordſhip, as requires a more worthy teſtimony and acknowledgement of my obligations, and bound dutie to honour you, then is this piece, as to what is my part in it. Yet ſuch as it is, I make bold to offer it to your Lordſhip, and being an Expoſition of holy Scriptures, and of ſuch places, as do hold forth much of the Lords minde, concerning his publick work, and ſtate of his Church; I hope it ſhall not be unacceptable to your Lordſhip, whoſe care and diligence in ſeeking light from God, and cleaving to it, and whoſe following the publick work of God in ſingleneſſe of heart, (even to the prejudice of your particular intereſt) hath convinced and put to ſilence, even ſuch as were enemies thereunto.
I ſhall not inſiſt on this ſubject, which I know your Lordſhip takes no pleaſure to hear of, nor is it my way to dwell much upon; nor ſhall I trouble your Lordſhip with any account concerning my part in this work; only this I may ſay, that the ſubject-matter is divine; being a part of that light which ſhined in a dark place in the dayes of the Old Teſtament; many paſſages thereof need an Interpreter and threed of Expoſition as much as any, and the doctrine therein contained is uſeful for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world are come. We may reade herein the true cauſes of Judahs captivity, the ill uſe they made of deliverance, which drew new plagues upon them out of Gods hand, and their conceit of external performances, when yet they neglected the weighty matters of the Law. We will finde God ſo reproving them for ſin, as yet encouraging them to duty, and richly comforting them when they are engaged in it; we will ſee them declining after a reformation, and this to be the cauſe of the many calamities that enſued. We will alſo finde here many ſweet Predictions concerning the Meſſiah, in the accompliſhment whereof, the Goſpel-Church ought to rejoyce, and predictions concerning the various diſpenſations of God toward his ancient people the Jewes; partly, in their rejection and diſperſion after the coming of the Meſſiah, in the accompliſhment whereof, we ſhould reade the ſeverity of God; and partly, in their future converſion and recollection, which we ſhould be much in prayer to God for, that he would haſten it. Theſe and many other precious truths, are expreſſed in theſe Prophecies, and briefly hinted at in the Expoſition and Notes: Which that they may prove uſeful to the Church of God, and in parricular to your Lordſhip, is the prayer of
My Lord, Your Lordſhips obliged Servant in the Goſpel, GEO. HUTCHESON.
TO THE Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
THy Acceptance of my former endeavours upon ſome of the Leſſer Prophets, hath encouraged me to go on in this work, and to offer unto thee alſo this Expoſition of theſe three Prophets who lived in the Church of the Jewes, after their return from the captivity of Babylon. My aime and deſire herein hath been, and is the promoving of thy ſpiritual good, by holding forth, as briefly as I could, the ſenſe and uſe of this part of Holy Writing; And I deſire that accordingly, thy care may be to make right uſe of this, as of other meanes which God in theſe times (notwithſtanding the thick clouds of errours and deluſion that now abound) offereth unto thee. And that it may be ſo, it is requiſite that thy ſcope in reading be not to ſatisfie curioſity, or to judge of mens abilities and parts in accompliſhing what they undertake, (which is the moſt that many in this nauſeating and wanton age propound to themſelves in reading) but that thou be one, who indeed art making earneſt in working out thy own ſalvation, and of honouring God in thy ſtation and generation; In which caſe only the Scriptures will reliſh with thee, as being driven thereunto, for reproofe, conſolation and direction as thou needs them. Nor is it to be expected, that what is here gathered from the Scripture, and preſented to thy view, will have due weight, till firſt thou learne in thy heart to magnifie the truth, and certainty of the written Word, and ſee God, who cannot lie, ſpeaking to thee in it, and by it, and then thou may diſcern much more in it, and in every ſentence of it, then our weakneſſe can dip into or comprehend, and that thou art bound to deny thy ſelf, thy corrupt ſenſe and reaſon, and ſimply truſt God ſpeaking in it, bleſſing him for ſo ſure a ground whereupon thy ſoule may leane its weight. I ſhall adde nothing concerning this peece in particular, wherein are expounded many dark places, by the obſcurity whereof the Lord would exerciſe and humble us, and the ſubject whereof is of uſe to the Church, under variety of conditions and revolutions. Only recommending it to thy favourable acceptance, and thy ſelf in making uſe of it, to the Lords bleſſing, who teacheth his people to profit. I am
Thine to ſerve thee in the Goſpel, GEO. HUTCHESON.
BOOKES Printed by RALPH SMITH.
Maſter Dickſons Expoſition on the whole Book of the Pſalmes, in three Volumes.
Mr. Hutcheſons Expoſition on Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah.
The Chriſtians Charter, ſhewing the Priviledge of Believers in this life, and in the life to come, by Mr. Watſon, Miniſter at Stephen Walbrook, the third Edition much enlarged.
Alſo Mr. Watſons Art of Divine Contentment, the ſecond Edition.
A SERMON of Mr. Simeon Aſh, at the Funeral of Mr. Jeremiah Whitaker, together with a Narrative of his pious life.
An Expoſition on the whole Book of Eccleſiaſtes, by that late learned and pious Divine Mr. John Cotton, Paſtor of Boſtock in New-England.