captivity in Babylon, found themselves exposed to the attack of various enemies, both at a distance, (who endeavored to injure their cause with the court of Persia) and in their own neighbourhood, among the Samaritans, and the remnants of the heathen nations. They would also in future experience still more formidable attacks. He lifted up his eyes, which had been attentively fixed on the preceding vision, being now called to notice a new scene. And so he saw four horns, belonging to beasts, whose bodies were concealed by a dark cloud or mist, possibly; it being designed not to give a full and minute discovery of future events, but only a general hint. They had many enemies; some known, some concealed, some present, some future. God, however, knew and foreknew all; and could easily frustrate them. Horns are a usual emblem of power, and used in the book of Daniel, as well as in the Revelations, to denote powers hostile to the church. Or, these horns might appear not as belonging to living animals; but in the hands of evil angels, being perhaps horns of iron, like those made by Zedekiah, the false prophet. 1 Kings xxii. 11.

These

horns are said to be they that scattered, fanned, or tossed Judah, like wanton bullocks, which toss about their fodder; or attack the weaker cattle, and drive them from their food. Ezek. xxxiv. 21. They scattered them, so that no one could lift up his head; the power of the Jews was no match for them, without diviné interposition. But the Lord

showed him four carpenters, or smiths, workmen; a very general term, probably smiths may be the fittest; with significant instruments, hammers, saws, or files, to knock them out of the hands which held them, or saw them off the heads which bare them. They were prepared to fray them, overawe them, and cast them out. Let us then,

FIRST, Inquire more particularly into the immediate and primary design of the vision.

It may indeed be questioned, whether the design of the vision is more general, though referring primarily to the Jewish church. Or, whether these four horns and four carpenters relate to four specific hostile powers, and four correspondent instruments of deliverance.

The horns must denote the more formidable enemies of the Jews, stirred up by the powers of darkness to attack and injure them, and having power and inclination to scatter them and keep them down. While the smiths denote the special agents of Providence, in either preventing or repelling the attack; by whose means the designs of the enemies were defeated, and their labor frustrated. While the divine goodness was to be acknowledged in raising up such instruments, and giving them their commission and success. Some suppose the four horns to refer to the four great monarchies, (like Daniel, ii. 7.) The Babylonian, the Mede and Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman. But this vision was later, and the first monarchy had been sometime destroyed. The second was favorable in the general; so was the third, through the interposition of Providence, till after it was divided; and the fourth was not overawed, nor cast out, but fully ejected the Jews from their own land, and dispersed them all the world over to this day.

Venema, (who published a Latin Commentary on this Prophecy in 1787, being then 90 years old,) thus explains them. "First: The first horn refers to the Babylonian, not as having carried the Jews captive in the time of Nebuchadnezzar; but as the Jews still bore some traces of that calamity, not having fully recovered, and as at this very time the Babylonians were attempting to recover their former power; which, had they regained, would have rendered them again formidable to the Jews, and to other neighbouring nations. Darius

Hystaspis was the first smith, in whose second year this prophecy was delivered, against whom Babylon revolted a few years afterward; and being taken after a siege of twenty months, through the craft of Zopyrus, he ordered its hundred gates to be pulled down, and walls demolished; three thousand impaled; the Jews escaping the calamities of this seige by warning. Zech. ii. 6, 7.

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Secondly: The Persians cannot be reckoned a scattering horn, absolutely considered, as to the habitual pursuit of the emperors; but some of their kings, as Cambyses and Xerxes, under the influence of the Governors of the provinces, stirred up by the Samaritans, Arabians, Ammonites, and

Philistines, who repeatedly interrupted their re-building the city and temple; as they had done before this prophecy, (Ezra iv. 5, 6, 7. 24.) and afterward. Neh. i. 3. But Nehemiah himself was raised up to frustrate their designs, and the wall was fully repaired, and their prosperity established, and the horns of the Gentiles cast out.

"Thirdly: Another horn which threatened the destruction of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, was that wicked Haman, whose history is so well known to you all, who hoped to gore the nation to the heart, and push all the Jews out of the world. Mordecai, however, was the instrument of Providence to knock this tool of the devil out of his hands. "Fourthly: Antiochus Epiphanes is reckoned the fourth horn, whose violent attacks were foretold by Daniel, viii. 34. xi. 36; and are recorded in Maccabees. Mattathias and his sons are prefigured by the fourth carpenter."

Venema remarks, that the same mighty power and attentive care of God has appeared for his church, under the Christian dispensation; and especially for the reformed church, since its deliverance from mystical Babylon. Three very critical times and seasonable deliverances he mentions, and seems to expect a fourth to complete the historico-prophetical parallel. He notices,

"1. That soon after the death of Luther, Charles V. threatened to overthrow the Reformation, had not his designs been defeated, chiefly by the instrumentality of Maurice, of Saxony, and the liberty of the reformed church decreed by the treaty of Passau. In England, the protestants were severely goaded five years longer, till the death of Queen Mary.

"2. The House of Austria seemed on the very point of suppressing the Protestant cause, about 1620, had not Providence raised up Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, to defeat the designs of the enemies of the Reformation.

"3. Lewis XIV. was a dreadful horn. He made a terrible attack on Holland in 1672, and overran great part of it; and in 1685, revoked the Edict of Nantz, and cruelly gored and scattered the French protestants; while James II. was driving on toward popery here. But William III. was the instru

ment of Providence for delivering us, and defeating the designs of France against the Protestant cause, and liberties of Europe."

Whether these events, and any other yet future, are directly pointed out, by any typical analogy, they certainly accord with what we proposed to do.

SECONDLY: Notice the general import of the vision, and make a practical improvement of it.

First: The church of God has room to expect a succession of formidable opposers, even to such, as to all appearance, would threaten its utter ruin. The enemies of the church often seem powerful, merciless, and mischievous; bent upon scattering the people of God, and so oppressing them, that no one can lift up the head. Pagans, Mahometans, Papists, carnal persecuting Protestants, have scattered, fanned, and oppressed the church; but they have never been able to destroy it, or to suppress evangelical truth. And if any infidel power should attempt it, that attempt also shall be frustrated: it shall only serve to sift the chaff from the wheat.

Secondly: Whatever enemies may threaten the scattering or the ruin of the people of God, he is never at a loss for adequate instruments to overawe them, and cast them out. Yes, if instruments, of whatever kind, are needful, he can soon find them, and often uses those in checking the external enemies of his church, who mean nothing less than the promotion of his spiritual kingdom. However, the main benefit to his church arises, not from warriors or statesmen, but from the faithful preaching of his word, and the holy and exemplary lives of his people.

He that cares for the external welfare of his people, and who delivers them from oppressors and persecutors, is no less sufficient and faithful to deliver them from the attacks of the patrons of error, and the promoters of unchristian contests among themselves. Let us, then, abound in prayer, follow the things that make for peace, and whereby one may edify another. Remember, what the Chief Shepherd has said, in Ezekiel xxxiv. 12; and also in Isaiah liv. 17. We may often think the church is in imminent danger; gates of hell shall not prevail. Zech. ii. 5. ix. 10.

but the See also

Mic. v. 7, 8; and Ps. xlvi. throughout. When Luther heard any alarming tidings, he used to say, "Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm, and let our enemies do their worst." Zech. xii. 3. The gates of hell shall never prevail; but all the craft and force of Abaddon shall be utterly confounded and discomfited.

XLIX.

BELIEVERS, MEN WONDERED AT.

ZECH. iii. 8.

For they are men wondered at.

ZECHARIAH, in the former part of the chapter, relates a vision, wherein he saw Joshua, the high priest of the Jews, standing before the angel of the Lord. Ver. 1-7. Perhaps he was herein to be considered as the representative of all the remnant of the people, who were returned from captivity. Nor would it be improper to view his case as an emblem of all true believers. But we must waive enlargement here.

This verse begins an address to Joshua and his companions ; the other priests and leaders of the people, his intimate associates; perhaps not excluding the people in general, who had been his fellow-captives, and were now returned to Jerusalem, where they had been thus far prospered in their undertaking. This address is introductory to a promise of the coming of the Messiah, on which account these late mercies had been granted them.

But what we are to confine our attention to, at this time, is an assertion, or observation made by the way, respecting Joshua and his associates; viz. "They were men wondered at.”

FIRST Let us inquire into the import and ground of this declaration, as it respects those to whom it was primarily addressed. Joshua and his associates were

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men wondered at," by themselves, and one another, and by the very heathen around The 136th Psalm immediately refers to these very persons, and is a sort of comment on the text.

First: Their marvellous deliverance from Babylonish captivity made them wondered at. That after they had