VVhen the time of the seuentie yeeres captiuitie prophecied by Ieremiah, was expired, God raised vp Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to comfort the Iewes and to exhort them to the building of the Temple, which was a figure of the spirituall Temple and Church of God, whose perfection and excellencie stood in Christ. And because that all were giuen to their owne pleasures and commodities, hee declareth that that plague of famine, which God sent then among them, was a iust reward of their ingratitude, in that they contemned Gods honour, who had deliuered them. Yet he comforteth them, if they wil returne to the Lord, with the promes of greater felicitie, for asmuch as the Lord will finish the worke that he hath begun, and send Christ whom he had promised, and by whom they should atteine to perfite ioy and glory.

1 The time of the prophecie of Haggai. 8 An exhortation to build the Temple againe.

¹ In the second yeere of King [Note: [a] Who was the sonne of Hystaspis, and the third King of the Persians, as some thinke. ] Darius, in the sixt moneth, the first day of the moneth, came ye worde of the Lorde (by the ministery of the Prophet Haggai) vnto [Note: [b] Because the building of the Temple began to cease by reason that the people were discouraged by their enemies: and if these two notable men had neede to be stirred vp & admonished of their dueties, what shall we thinke of other goueruours, whose doings are either against God, or very colde in his cause? ] Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, a prince of Iudah, and to Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, saying,

² Thus speaketh the Lorde of hostes, saying, This people say, The time is not yet come, [Note: [c] Not that they condemned the building thereof, but they preferred policie, and priuate profite to religion, being content with small beginnings. ] that the Lords House should be builded.

³ Then came the worde of the Lorde by the ministerie of the Prophet Haggai, saying,

⁴ Is it time for your selues to dwell in your [Note: [d] Shewing that they sought not onely their necessities, but their very pleasures before Gods honour. ] sieled houses, and this House lie waste?

⁵ Now therefore thus saith ye Lord of hostes, Consider your owne wayes in your hearts.

⁶ [Note: [e] Consider the plagues of God vpon you for preferring your policies to his religion, and because ye seeke not him first of all. ] Ye haue sowen much, and bring in litle: ye eate, but ye haue not ynough: ye drinke, but ye are not filled: ye clothe you, but ye be not warme: and he that earneth wages, putteth the wages into a broken bagge.

⁷ Thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, Consider your owne wayes in your hearts.

⁸ Goe [Note: [f] Meaning, that they should leaue off their owne commodities, and goe forward in the building of Gods Temple, and in the setting forth of his religion. ] vp to the mountaine, & bring wood, and build this House, and [Note: [g] That is, I will heare your prayers according to my promes, 1.King.8.21,29. ] I wil be fauourable in it, and I will [Note: [h] That is, my glory shall be set forth by you. ] be glorified, sayth the Lord.

⁹ Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to litle: and when ye brought it home, I did blowe [Note: [i] And so bring it to nothing. ] vpon it. And why, sayth the Lord of hostes? Because of mine House that is waste, and ye runne euery man vnto his owne house.

¹⁰ Therefore the heauen ouer you stayed it selfe from dewe, and the earth stayed her fruite.

¹¹ And I called for a drought vpon the land, and vpon the mountaines, & vpon the corne, and vpon the wine, and vpon the oyle, vpon all that the ground bringeth foorth: both vpon men and vpon cattell, and vpon all the labour of the hands.

¹² When Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, and Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest with all the remnant of the people, heard the [Note: [k] This declared that God was the authour of the doctrine, and that he was but the minister, as Exo.14.31. iudg.7.20. act.15.28. ] voyce of the Lord their God, & the wordes of the Prophet Haggai (as the Lorde their God had sent him) then the people did feare before the Lorde.

¹³ Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message vnto the people, saying, I am with you, sayth the Lord.

¹⁴ And the Lord stirred vp [Note: [l] Which declareth that men are vnapt and dull to serue the Lorde, neither can they obey his worde or his messengers before God reforme their hearts and giue them newe spirits, Iohn 6.44. ] the spirite of Zerubbabel,

the sonne of Shealtiel a prince of Iudah, and the spirit of Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came, and did the worke in the House of the Lorde of hostes their God.

Hee sheweth that the glory of the seconde Temple shall exceede the first.

¹ In the foure and twentieth day of the sixt moneth, in the second yeere of King Darius,

² In the seuenth moneth, in the one & twentieth day of the moneth, came the worde of the Lorde by the ministerie of the Prophet Haggai, saying,

³ Speake nowe to Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel prince of Iudah, and to Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

⁴ Who is left among you, that sawe this [Note: [a] For the people, according as Isa.32. 11.and Ezek.41.1. had prophecied, thought this Temple should haue bene more excellent then Salomons Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, but the Prophets meant the spiritual Temple, the Church of Christ. ] House in her first glory, and howe doe you see it nowe? is it not in your eyes, in comparison of it as nothing?

⁵ Yet nowe be of good courage, O Zerubbabel, sayth the Lord, and be of good comfort, O Iehoshua, sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest: and be strong, all ye people of the land, sayth the Lorde, and [Note: [b] That is, go forward in building the Temple. ] doe it: for I am with you, sayth the Lord of hostes,

⁶ According to the worde that I couenanted with you, when ye came out of Egypt: so my Spirite shall remaine among you, feare ye not.

⁷ For thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, [Note: [c] Hee exhorteth them to patience though they see not as yet this Teple so glorious as the Prophets had declared: for this should be accomplished in Christ by whom al things should be renued. ] Yet a litle while, and I will shake the heauens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land:

⁸ And I will moue all nations, and [Note: [d] Meaning, Christ whome all ought to looke for and desire: or by desire, he may signifie all precious things, as riches & such like. ] the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this House with glory, sayth the Lord of hostes.

⁹ The [Note: [e] Therefore when his time commeth, he can make all the treasures of the world to serue his purpose: but the glory of this second Teple doeth not stand in material things, neither can be built. ] siluer is mine, and the golde is mine, sayth the Lord of hostes.

¹⁰ The glory of this last House shall be greater then the first, sayth the Lorde of hostes: and in this place will I giue [Note: [f] Meaning, all spirituall blessings and felicitie purchased by Christ, Phil.4.7. ] peace, sayth the Lorde of hostes.

¹¹ ¶ In the foure and twentieth day of the ninth moneth, in the second yeere of Darius, came the worde of the Lorde vnto the Prophet Haggai, saying,

²² Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Aske nowe the Priests concerning the Law, and say,

¹³ If one beare [Note: [g] That is, the flesh of the sacrifices: whereby he signifieth that that thing, which of it selfe is good cannot make an other thing so: and therefore they ought not to iustifie themselues by their sacrifices & ceremonies: but contrary he that is vncleane and not pure of heart, doeth corrupt those things and make them detestable vnto God which els are good and godly. ] holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, & with his skirt doe touch the bread, or the potage, or the wine, or oyle, or any meate, shal it be holy? And the Priests answered and said, No.

¹⁴ Then sayde Haggai, If a polluted person touch any of these, shall it be vncleane? And the [Page] Priests answered, and sayd, It shalbe vncleane.

¹⁵ Then answered Haggai, and sayd, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord: and so are all the workes of their hands, and that which they offer here, is vncleane.

¹⁶ And nowe, I pray you, consider in your mindes: from this [Note: [h] Consider howe God did plague you with famine afore you began to build the Temple. ] day, and afore, euen afore a stone was layde vpon a stone in the Temple of the Lorde:

¹⁷ [Note: [i] That is, before the building was begun. ] Before these things were, when one came to an heape of twentie measures, there were but ten: when one came to the wine presse for to drawe out fiftie vessels out of the presse, there were but twentie.

¹⁸ I smote you with blasting, and with mildewe, and with haile, in all the labours of your hands: yet you turned not to me, saith the Lord.

¹⁹ Consider, I pray you, in your mindes, from [Note: [k] Form the time they began to build the Temple, he promiseth that God would blesse them: and albeit as yet the fruite was not come forth, yet in the gathering they should haue plentie. ] this day, and afore from the foure & twentieth day of the ninth moneth, euen from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laide:

consider it in your mindes.

²⁰ Is the [Note: [l] He exhorteth them to patience and to abide till the haruest came, & then they should see Gods blessings. ] seede yet in the barne? as yet the vine, and the figtree, and the pomegranate, and the oliue tree hath not brought forth: from this day will I blesse you.

²¹ And againe the worde of the Lorde came vnto Haggai in the foure and twentieth day of the moneth, saying,

²² Speake to Zerubbabel the prince of Iudah, and say, I [Note: [m] I wil make a change and renue all things in Christ, of whom Zerubbabel here is a figure. ] wil shake the heauens and the earth,

²³ And I will ouerthrowe the throne of kingdomes, & I wil destroy the strength of the [Note: [n] Hereby hee sheweth that there shalbe no let or hinderance when God wil make this wonderfull restitution of his Church. ] kingdomes of the heathen, and I wil ouerthrowe the charets, and those that ride in them, and the horse and the riders shal come downe, euery one by the sword of his brother.

²⁴ In that day, saith the Lord of hostes, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel my seruant, the sonne of Shealtiel, sayth the Lorde, and wil make thee as a [Note: [o] Signifying that his dignitie should be most excellent, which thing was accomplished in Christ. ] signet: for I haue chosen thee, sayth the Lord of hostes.