CHAPTER VIII. MESSIAH SHOWN FORTH FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE LAST OF THE PROPHETS IN A VARIETY OF FORMS. The proclamation of Cyrus. -Ezra i. At the time Cyrus became sovereign of the Medes, Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other nations, many of the seventy years' captivity had passed away. In the first year of his reign, he issued a proclamation that the Jews were now set at liberty, and should be protected in returning to rebuild their temple. "Many went of the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem." By the command of Cyrus, all the sacred vessels that had been providentially preserved were restored. Large contributions of silver, gold, and other valuable and precious materials, were willingly made. In a little more than a year after they left Babylon, they laid the foundation of the second temple, with songs of praise and thanksgiving, amidst the weeping of some and the rejoicings of others (Ezra iii. 8-13). After the death of Cyrus, many powerful enemies arose to hinder them in their work. Haggai sent to the Jews. Hag. i. As the Jews were comparatively few in number, and poor, they did not exert themselves to overcome the difficulties they had to contend with in the erection of the temple; they had therefore only an altar on which to offer sacrifices, and were contented with that until what they would consider a more favourable opportunity should arrive to complete it. Then the Lord of hosts sent his word to them by Haggai, to reprove them for their indolence and vain excuses. Although the rulers and the people were to blame, yet they were not so hardened as their fathers had been, and they obeyed the voice of the Lord by his messenger. Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua the high priest, and the remnant of all the people, immediately prepared the materials, and commenced to work in the house of the Lord of hosts their God. Some Jews who still lived had seen the first temple, and, from the preparations and progress of the work, the second appeared to them likely to be much inferior in richness and beauty. Lamenting this, they undervalued the labours of the people, and discouraged them in their work. The Lord sent his prophet to prevent these effects, by assuring them he was with them to prosper them; and, according to the covenant made with their fathers, "his Spirit" remained among them to direct, sanctify, and bless them as in the days of old. The Desire of Haggai was further charged to make known to them that whilst this house would be standing, and in but "a little while" compared with the centuries that had passed away since the first promise of Messiah, and as Sinai and its neighbourhood had been shaken by earthquakes and mighty convulsions at the voice of Jehovah when he gave the law, so he would "yet once more" shake the heavens as well as the earth, by changing the external form of his Church, and bringing in a new and more glorious dispensation which should endure to the end of the world: the ritual law and Mosaic dispensation would be abrogated, the national covenant disannulled, Jerusalem destroyed. Previous to these events, there would be great commotions and revolutions among the nations-all to prepare the way for the introduction of Messiah's kingdom; for in these times he would come who is the "Desire of all nations." Not that all nations at that time desired an humble, suffering, sin-destroying Saviour; but all nations were oppressed, guilty, dying, and they needed a deliverer; they were weary, hopeless, miserable-they longed for rest and happiness; but they knew not where to find them: but when Messiah came, he would give peace, joy, and holiness to all who received him, so that they would never hunger or thirst after the good earth had to bestow. All their desires would be fully satisfied in him: he would take away their sins, and make their dispositions like his own, and at length bring them to dwell with him for ever in perfect holiness and happiness, in mansions in his Father's house. By the intercourse the nations had with the Jews, they knew some most wonderful person was expected who could bless every one on earth; and they, too, longed for the coming of such a Being. At a later period of the world's history, when divine knowledge would be extended, and the Holy Spirit would convince it of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the nations would long for Christ to dwell in their hearts by faith; and then he would be in all respects the "Desire of all nations." As all riches are the Lord's, he could have furnished the builders of this edifice with abundance of the rarest and most costly materials the earth contained, as he did when Solomon erected it; but a higher glory was in store for it, when the infant Messiah would be brought in, conformably to the rites of the Jewish Church, and the worshippers beheld their salvation when they fixed their contrite, loving, and adoring eyes on the heavenly babe -when its walls would resound with the Divine instructions that fell from his lips-when the afflicted and diseased would come to him there, and he would heal them and send them away in peace of mind, determined to live in his happy service for ever. Again the word of the Lord came to Haggai (whose time of prophesying did not continue quite a year), to go to Zerubbabel, and declare to him his purpose of causing great revolutions in the state of the Church and of the world; but that he would keep Zerubbabel safe as his signet or seal-he would employ him to rule over his people as a ratification of his favour to them. These announcements to Zerubbabel were typical, and predictions of the time when the kingdom of Messiah would subvert and occupy the place of all those monarchies which have opposed his cause; and by union to him, his people are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and stamped with his image. Zerubbabel did not live many years after the finishing of the temple, and, therefore, Messiah must be here described under the name of Zerubbabel, as he elsewhere is under that of David; and at this period of the Church, it would realize his presence, and reveal him more strikingly to it, as he was living and amongst them. Zechariah began to prophesy a few months after Haggai-he was his coadjutor in encouraging the Jews to rebuild the temple. The population of the Jews was very thin after their return from captivity, and their enemies numerous in all the regions around; many visions were presented to Zechariah, and comforting promises to make known to the people, that they might be strengthened to persevere in their work. Visions and i. 7-16. One of the many visions with which he was types.-Zech. favoured, was of a man on a red horse, who was Messiah, in his warlike character, risen up to defend his Church; and he stood among the myrtletrees these myrtle-trees were in a low valley, and were emblematic of the members of the Church, which was then in a low state. There were other horses behind, with angelic riders upon them, attending to do Messiah's bidding. Again, the man that stood among the myrtle |