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216

SERMON

LXX.

The prefence of the Meffias, the glory of the second temple.

HA G. ii. 6. 7. 8. 9.

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For thus faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the Lord of bofts. filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of hofts. The glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than of the former, faith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hofts.

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HE author of this prophecy was the first of the three Prophets which God fent to the people of Ifrael after the captivity; and this prophecy contains feveral meffages from God, to the princes, and elders, and people of Ifrael; in which he reproves their flacknefs and negligence in the building of the temple, and encourageth them thereto, by the promise of his affiftance; and tells them, that however in refpect of the magnificence of the building, and the rich ornaments of it, it fhould be incomparably fhort of Solomon's temple, (which fome that were then alive had feen in its glory); yet, in other refpects, it fhould far excel it for the time would come, that this fecond temple fhould be graced with the prefence of the Meffias; which would be a greater glory to it, than all the riches of Solomon's temple.

And this is fully expreffed in the words which I have read unto you: Thus faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations fhall come, and I will

fill this houfe with glory, faith the Lord of hofts. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of hofts. The glory of this latter houfe Jhall be greater than of the former, faith the Lord of hofts and in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hofts.

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Now, that it is fome very great thing which is here foretold and promised for the honour of this fecond temple, no man can doubt, that confiders in what a solemn manner it is here expreffed; this great and glorious title, THE LORD OF HOSTS, being no lefs than five feveral times used within the compass of these four verfcs; the like instance whereto is not perhaps in the whole Bible: Thus faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, ỷ 6. And I will fill this house with glory, faith the Lord of hosts, 7: The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of hosts, y 8. And twice, y 9. The glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than of the former, faith the Lord of hosts : and in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hofts. So that by the folemn manner of expreffing it, we may imagine, that it is fome very great thing which is fpoken of, and fuch as the like had never been before. And fuch was the incarnation and coming of the Meffias.

I know that the modern Jews will by no means have this text to be understood of the Meffias: and not without caufe; for he that is spoken of in the text, was to come into the fecond temple, which hath now been deftroyed above 1600 years ago; and they do not believe the Meffias to be yet come: and therefore, whatever fhift they make, they must interpret this text of fome other person than the Meffias. But then it is plain for what reason they do fo; it being evident from their own Talmud, that the ancient Jews did understand it of the Meffias; but being hardened in their unbelief, they pervert all thofe texts whereby they might be convinced, that Jefus our bleffed Saviour was the true Meffias.

And indeed whoever carefully confiders the several expreffions and circumstances of this prediction, cannot understand it of any other. To make this evident, I fhall explain the feveral expreffions in the text. Thus VOL. IV.

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faith

faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is a little while. Yet a little while; fo it is in the Hebrew. Yet once more; fo the LXX render it; and fo it is quoted from the LXX in the New Teftament, Heb. xii. 26.; and this fense the Hebrew word may likewife bear; and our translation of the text takes them both in, Yet once, it is a little while.

If we take the words in the first fenfe, Yet a little while, they fignify, that God was then beginning those changes in the world, which were to precede and make way for the coming of the Meffias. This indeed was not till about 400 years after: but, a great while before that time, God began thofe changes in the world, which were to prepare the way for his coming; and, confidering the long time which was paffed from the first promife made to Abraham, 400 years, in comparison of that, may feem but a little while. But I rather chufe the latter fenfe of this phrafe, Yet once more; because the Hebrew will bear it, and because it is fo quoted in the New Teftament; as if the Prophet had faid, that God had before done a great thing in the world, and accompanied with great miracles; viz. the giving of the law by Mofes, which was attended with great commotions, both in Egypt, by bringing the people of Ifrael out from thence with a mighty hand, and by deftroying the nations before them, whofe land God gave them for a poffeffion: but now he would do one greater thing more, the fending of the Meffias, and the planting of his religion in the world; in order whereunto, there fhould be much greater, and more univerfal commotions and changes in the world, and more and greater miracles wrought; Yet once more, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land, and I will shake all nations. From which words the Apostle to the Hebrews argues the abolishing of the Jewish difpenfation, and the bringing in of another that should be unalterable, Heb. xii. 27. And this word, Yet once more, (fays the Apostle), fignifies the removing of those things that are fhaken, that thofe things which cannot be shaken may remain. And this I fhall have occafion to explain more fully in the following parts of this difcourfe.

Yet once more, I will shake the heavens and the earth,

&c.

&c. For the understanding whereof, we are to confider, that the Hebrews have no one word whereby to exprefs the world; and therefore they do it by an enumeration of the principal parts of it. So, Gen. i. when Mofes would exprefs the creation of the world, he fays, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And fo St. Peter, when he would express the revolution of all things after the univerfal conflagration of the world, calls it a new heaven and a new earth, 2 Pet. iii. 13. Nevertheless we, according to his promife, look for new heavens and a new earth; that is, a new world, a quite other frame and state of things than that which we now fec. And fo the Prophet here in the text, to exprefs the great commotions and changes that fhould be in the world before the coming of the Meffias, fays, that God will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land; that is, he would cause great revolutions in the world; there fhould be great wars and confufions, and the empires of the world fhould pass from one hand to another. And thus we find this very expreffion interpreted, y 21. 22. of this chapter, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will deftroy the Strength of the kingdoms of the nations. And to fhew, that by fhaking the heavens and the earth, is meant great changes in the world, and as it were an univerfal commotion of it, he adds in the text, by way of farther explication, And I will shake all nations.

And then it follows, And the defire of all nations shall come. This we (as the ancient Jews alfo did) take to be a plain character and description of the Meffias; he is the defire of all nations; he whom all nations had reafon to defire, because of those great bleffings and benefits which he was to bring to the world. Thus interpreters generally understand thefe words; and it is very true the Meffias was fo: but this does not seem to be the true importance of this phrafe; for the Hebrew word fignifies expectation as well as defire, and fo I fhould rather chufe to render it, The expectation of all nations fhall come; which fignifies, that about the time of the coming of the Meffias, not only the Jews, but other nations, hould be in a general expectation of fome great prince Ta

then

then to appear; which was most eminently accomplished in our bleffed Saviour, as I fhall fhew by and by.

And I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the Lord of hofts, fpeaking of the fecond temple, which was then in building; which, though it fell very much fhort of Solomon's, in point of state and magnificence, yet, by being honoured with the prefence of the Meffias, it should be much more glorious than Solomon's temple. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of hosts : not that God wanted the command of gold and filver to have made the fecond temple equal to Solomon's in outward glory and fplendor; he could easily have made it fo in that refpect; and Jofephus tells us, that not long before the time of our Saviour's coming, Herod had built and beautified it to that degree, that in some refpects it excelled Solomon's; and of this fome underftand the next words, The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former; namely, that this was accomplished in that beauty and magnificence which was added to it when it was re-edified by Herod the Great: but however that be, this is certain, that it was much more glorious in another refpect; namely, that it entertained the Meffias, the great expectation and bleffing of all nations.

And in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hosts. Some understand this of that univerfal peace which was throughout the world, when our Saviour was born, in the reign of Auguftus Cæfar. Others with great probability interpret this of the Meffias himself, who is called here by the name of peace; and fo fome of the ancient Jews-underflood it: In this place will I give peace, that is, the Meflias. For the Hebrew word fignifies all kind of happiness; and fo it includes all thofe bleflings and benefits, that happinefs and falvation, which the Meffias brought to the world. And this will appear very probable, if we confider, how frequently in fcripture this title is given to the Meffias. If. ix. 6. he is called the prince of peace; and Zech. ix. 10. it is faid of him, that he should speak peace to the nations and the Apofile to the Hebrews parallels him with Melchifedek in this particular, that he was king of Salem, that is, king of peace: and, which is very little different

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