restrained? doubtless thou art my father, though Abraham be ignorant of me, and Israel acknowledge me not!."] This truth, glorious as it is, is far from comprehending the full extent of God's love to his people; for, II. He has communion with them in all their interests God considers himself as altogether one with his people [There is an union subsisting between him and them; yet not merely such as exists between a husband and wife, or a vine and its branches m, but one far closer; for he is the head, and his people are his members"; he dwelleth in them, and they in him; he is one with them, and they with him; in short, they are so united, as to be one body, and one spirit, with the Lord. And when our Lord himself was pleased to illustrate this subject, in order, if possible, to convey to us some adequate idea of it, he set forth the union of the different persons of the Godhead as the truest pattern of that which subsists between himself and his people.] Hence he participates in every thing which relates to them [Are any of them relieved? he acknowledges the kindness as shewn to him3. On the other hand, are they despised? he does not scruple to declare, that he will consider himself as the object of that contempt which is poured on them. We have a memorable example of this in the account which St. Paul gives us of his own conversion: he was going with a commission to Damascus to extirpate, if possible, the Christian name: and, if he had been asked, Who were the objects of his rage? he would doubtless have branded the Christians with some odious name, and affirmed, that he was treating them as they deserved. Little did he think that the Lord of Glory himself was the person at whom his shafts were hurled. But Jesus stopped him in his mad career, and asked, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME"?" Thus at this day every thing done to the Lord's people is done to God himself; or, as the text expresses it, "Whoso toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye."] Nor is his a mere inactive sympathy; for, III. He will avenge every injury inflicted on themOften has he interposed to rebuke and confound their enemies [What signal vengeance did he take on the Egyptians in ten successive plagues, and in the destruction of Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea! And with what righteous severity did he command the Israelites to blot out the very remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, on account of the cruelties they had exercised towards them forty years before *! Nor is it injurious treatment only that God notices, but even a neglect to succour them: he denounceth the bitterest curses against Meroz for refusing to help them, and bestows the highest encomiums on Jael for her exertions in their favoury. Indeed the Jews at this hour are a living monument of the indignation which God will manifest against all who hate his Christ, and persecute his people.] And he will still plead their cause against all that injure them [Doubtless "the blood of his saints is as precious to him" as ever. And he accounts his own justice and holiness as pledged to render tribulation unto their persecutors. Let those who revile and ridicule the Lord's people well consider this. He makes use of this as an argument why his people should forbear to avenge their own cause, namely, that vengeance will one day be executed on their enemies by himself, and that too in a more equitable and more effectual manner than it could be by an arm of flesh. Nor will he punish only the positive evils that may be inflicted on them; he will mark also an inattention to their wants, and treat as despisers of himself, those who did not actively administer to their necessities.] INFER 1. How low are our conceptions of God's love to man! [How little are any of us able to realize the idea in the text! how little can we comprehend the heights and depths of such unsearchable love! Still is he dealing with us as with his people of old. Yet we, like little infants, are almost unconscious of our Father's love. But O that every heart might "praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!"] x Deut. xxv. 17—19. y Judg. v. 23, 24. z 2 Thess. i. 6. b Matt. xxv. 41, 42. and Isai. lxiii. 9. G G 2. How tender ought to be our concern for God! [In general we think but little of his honour in the world. But shall he be so mindful of us, and we be forgetful of him? Shall he be so concerned for our welfare, and we be indifferent about his glory. Shall not sin, the accused thing which he hates, be a source of pain and anguish to our minds? Could we see the eye of an earthly parent pierced, and be unconcerned about it? Let "rivers of waters then run down our eyes because men keep not God's law." Let us especially weep over the sins of his professing people. And above all, let us lothe and abhor ourselves for all the evils of our hearts and lives. Let us feel, as it becomes us, our obligations to God, and labour to requite his kindness by a suitable deportment. Yes, while we entreat him to "keep us as the apple of his eyes, let us keep his "law as the apple of our eyeh," and, whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, do all to his glory i."] 66 3. How strong a motive have we to beneficence! [If God be so sensible of any injuries we receive, surely he cannot be regardless of any benefits conferred upon us: if he avenge the one, surely he will also reward the other. Nor is this an uncertain deduction of human reason: he himself tells us, that at the last day every kindness that was shewn to us shall be recorded as shewn to himself, and a suitable recompence be awarded for it; nor shall even a cup of cold water given to one of his disciples lose its reward'. Shall not then this thought stimulate us to acts of beneficence? Has "Christ so pitied us as to give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour," and shall not we endeavour to shew love to himm? Can I, in administering to the poor, relieve him who is my LORD and my GOD? Can I assist him, who, as my great High Priest, is yet daily and hourly touched with the feeling of all my infirmities"? O let no opportunity then be lost; nor let me ever think much of any thing that I can do for such a tender Friend, such an adorable Benefactor!] d See the conduct of Moses, Exod. xxxii. 11-13. and of Joshua, Josh. vii. 9. e Ps. cxix. 136. h Prov. vii. 2. 1 Matt. x. 42. f Phil. iii. 18. i 1 Cor. x. 31. m Eph. v. 1, 2. 8 Ps. xvii. 8. k Matt. xxv. 34, 35. n Heb. iv. 15. MCCXLII. THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWISH CHURCH PREDICTED. Zech. iii. 1-5. And he shewed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by. THE prophecies of Zechariah are by no means easy to be understood: but by attending to the general scope of his subject, we shall generally get an insight into their true meaning. It is not any one particular expression that will give us the best clew to the meaning of the prophet: on the contrary, we may, by laying an undue stress on some word or form of expression, involve the whole in insurmountable difficulty. For instance; if, because it is said, "The Lord hath chosen Jerusalem," we suppose Joshua to represent Jerusalem, and the whole people of the Jews; or, because "Satan is said to stand at Joshua's right hand," (the place of the accuser in a court of justice,) we interpret the whole as a judicial process, we shall never acquire a just and consistent view of the prophecy: we must bear in mind the prophet's main object, and then every part of his prophecy will appear easy, natural, and clear. It shall be my endeavour to set before you, I. Its primary and prophetical import The prophet was sent on purpose to encourage the Jews to rebuild their temple, and restore the whole worship of the temple as it had been prescribed by Moses. The former of these objects he had already GG? attempted, by assurances that Jerusalem should be restored to a great measure of its former splendour and prosperity: and the latter he now endeavours to promote, by declaring to them a vision with which he had been favoured, wherein it had been shewn him, that, however improbable such an event might be, it was ordained of God, and should surely and speedily be accomplished. [Joshua the high priest is here represented as ministering before the Lord Jesus Christ, in the regular exercise of his priestly office. What the precise state of Joshua's mind was at the time, we are not certainly informed: but, from the whole of the vision, it appears, that he was bemoaning his own sins, and the sins both of the priests and people, and entreating God to interpose for the restoration of his own worship among them. To obstruct his efforts, Satan put forth all his power. Satan is peculiarly active when the honour of God and the interests of immortal souls are to be opposed. He knew how greatly the restoration of divine worship would advance both the one and the other of these objects, and therefore he set himself instantly to counteract the designs of Joshua. It is probable that the means he used for this end were, first, by representing to God the greatness of the people's sins, to alienate the mind of God from them (in this way it was that he resisted Jobb ;) and then by similar representations to discourage the heart of Joshua, and to fill him with despondency. In support of Joshua, "the Angel of the Lord," that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, rebuked Satan, saying, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." In this form of speaking, a distinction of Persons in the Godhead is clearly marked, as it is also in many other places. The Angel of the Lord is here exercising the unalienable prerogative of Jehovah in forgiving sins; yet refers it to the Father to rebuke Satan, because he is acting the part of an Advocate with the Father in behalf of Joshua and the Jewish Church: and in the rebuke itself, he assures Satan, that all his attempts against Joshua shall fail. "The Lord had chosen Jerusalem;" and would not suffer his own eternal purposes to be defeated. Besides, Joshua, and the Jewish Church whom he represented, were "as a brand plucked out of the fire." This Satan could not but know and acknowledge: could he think therefore that they had been plucked out of the fire in order to be cast back again into it? Was this ever the wa The priests stood to minister. See Deut. x. 8. b Job i. 6-12. and ii. 1-6. c Gen. xix. 24. Ps. cx. 1. |