REYNER BABYLONS ruining Earth-quake and the restauration of ZION Haggai 2.6 7. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Hosts THE Prophet Haggai lived and flourished after the returne from the Captivity of Babylon His prophecy is spent partly in reproving the people of the Jewes for their negligence in not building the Temple of the Lord appointed for his worship partly in declaring Gods hand against them for the same in their Corne Cattell and otherwise because they came to build and even to siele their owne house and let Gods House lye waste partly in exhorting and encouraging them unto the building This last he doth diversly First he tels them the Lord was with them chap. 1. ver 13. chap. 2. ver 4. And that therefore they need not feare the oppositions of their enemies who formerly so often as ever they began to build did by their complaints to the Kings of Persia still stop the worke and that his spirit did remaine among them now this was to be done not by might not by power but by the spirit of the Lord as Zec. his contemporany Prophet tels them Zech. 4.6 even against might and against power and this according to the Covenant he made with them when they came out of Aegypt chap. 2. ver 5. Next he assures them that the disire of all Nations should come to this house and that he would fill it with glory And whereas this house might seem to be a despicable and contemptible thing compared with the sumptuous Temple of Salomon that was before it which made the old men weepe when they saw the foundations of it first laid Ezra 1.12 he comforts them against that and tels them that the silver and gold are his so that if true glory had consisted in them he could have given them in aboundance for the adorning of this second Temple but he had a greater glory to bestow upon it namely Christ and in this place he would give peace viz. by Christ the Prince of peace unto his people The words may be divided into two parts First a Commination against the Nations as an antecedent or a thing that in act and execution should goe before Secondly a consolation unto the Church as a consequent or a thing that in accomplishment should follow after the Commination The Commination is in these words I will shake the Heavens and the Earth c. I will shake all Nations the Consolation in the words following and that consists of a double promise First The desire of all Nations shall come Secondly God will fill this house with glory Both these are set out by two circumstances First of the person that saith these things secondly of the time First the person Who is it that saith this Answ He that is able to make good what he saith thus saith the Lord of Hosts and this to make all more sure is put both before and after the Commination and Consolation Secondly we have the circumstance of time and that is double First Quoties how often shall this be before Christ come Answ Once Secondly Quando or quam diù when or how long is it before it be Answ ere it be long yet a little while The sense of the Words The Prophets living in the Easterne regions did frequently use the phrase and stile of the Easterne Nations they did not alwayes in a plaine down-right manner declare things as they be as we for the most part doe but did use many high phrases tropicall speeches and other figurative exornations many continued metaphors or allegorie's aenigma's and darke riddles hyperbolees and excessive speeches many emblematicall and hieroglificall expressions these puzzle us when we read them but were familiar to the people of those times and places Heavens were used not onely for the coelestiall bodies above but sometimes to set forth a State of dignity and prosperity Earth a state of mediocrity hell of adversity Againe sometimes heavens were used to set forth things appertaining to the Church or ecclesiastick State earth things appertaining to the Common-Weale or civill State as we shall heare afterwards Seas and dry Land making up the whole Orbe of the universe are put comprehensively and extensively to signifie the extent of this shaking so as it should be of all the world round about as it is interpreted even in the next Words I will shake all Nations see further verse 22. By shaking we are to understand the raising of great stirres in those Nations among all estates whereby great alterations should follow and desolations That such a sense is not insolent in the Scriptures we may see in an instance or two Isa 14.12 13 14 15. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer sonne of the morning c. Thou saidest I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God c. Yet thou shalt be brought downe to hell c. Who was this Lucifer Answ None other but the King of Assyria as appeares by the context What were the Heavens and Starres he exalted himself above Answ The great estates and Princes of the world compared thereto What Heaven was he fallen from Answ from his high Soveraigne Dignity and Majesty To what hell was he brought downe Answ To utter confusion and ruine for not long after this an hundred eighty five thousand of his Army were slaine by the Angell of God in one night himself shortly after killed by his owne sonnes in his Idols Temple and a little while after this his whole Kingdome brought to destruction and the Soveraignity transferred to another Family viz. that of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and that Kingdome at length also ruined Look upon another instance Jer. 4.23 24. I beheld the earth and be hold it was without forme and voyd and the Heavens and they had no light I beheld the Mountaines and loe they trembled and all the Hils moved lightly c. Did the Prophet Jeremy indeed see any such thing was the earth like an old confused Chaos without all forme and voyd so as no Grasse nor Tree did grow upon it had the Heavens so lost their light as that neither Sun Moon or Startes did shine Did Jeremy see the Hils to skippe and leap No such matter surely but this was all the meaning that there was a great confusion in the Land among all estates both in Church and Common-weale as appeares in the verses following which tell us that the fruitfull places were even become a Wildernesse the Cities broken downe and the whole Land desolate Let us goe on in the interpretation And the desire of all Nations shall come Some understand this of Beleevers the desirable people of all Nations others of other things but no doubt
when it was in its glory and in the earth-quake not in the fall of the City for the earth-quake is to shake down the whole Kingdome of the Beast throughout the world in the earthquake I say were flaine of men seven thousand that is thousands upon thousands and so the second woe made up of Popiâ—h idolatry and Turkish cruelty passeth away ver 14. Now immediately upon this the seventh Angell sounds a Jubilee and then there be great proclamations and acclamations in Heaven that the Kingdomes of the World indefinitely set downe that is all the Kingdomes are become Christ's Kingdomes And whereas before the Divell Dragon Beast his hornes have reigned now Christ takes to himselfe his great power and reignes for which the whole Church under the type of 24. Elders praise him though the Nations be angry as they ever are when Christ puts forth his just power ver 15 16 17 18. He now gives rewards unto his servants the Prophets c. and destroyes them that destroyed the earth that is he ruines the wicked and idolatrous generations of Antichrist who wasted his Church before ver 18. His Tabernacle is now opened in Heaven and the Arke of his Testament seene ver 19. that is Christ represented by the Arke is clearly manifested before that wicked generation had forbidden men to read the Scriptures had kept them in unknowne tongues had involved the mysteries of Christ in Masses and rude heaps of other superstitions and ceremonies but now he and all his excellencies shall be fully manifested to the Nations The other place is Rev. 16.17 c. where Antichrist having by his emissaries that is the uncleane spirits like Frogs drawne the Kings of the earth into (a) A militiae or confoederation subiect to the divine Anathâ—ma Hormageddon i. e. into a cursed and crafty warre for herein I assent to Graserus sodainly the Angell finding them in that state powrs out the seventh Viall upon them upon which follow thundrings lightnings and an earth-quake such as was not since men were upon earth so mighty an earth-quake and so great it is called the greatest earth-quake that ever was haply in regard of the sodainnesse and violence of it or either else in regard of the extent of it as being to shake all the world 1. The effects are the great City is divided into three parts by which understand probably that the Kingdome of the Beast shall be rent in peeces by fractions and devisions ver 19. 2. The Cities of the Nations or Gentiles fall by which no doubt we are to understand the false Christians that filled the visible Church all Antichrists reigne that is Papists and false professors for it is said that these Gentiles or Nations for the word is the same should tread down the holy City that is the visible Church Rev. 11.2 Peradventer these two effects of the earth-quake are now in fulfilling ver 19. 3. Unto great Babylon the cup of God's wrath is given c. now shee shall be remembred and destroyed 4. Yea all parts of Antichrists monarchy shall fall Object Some Kingdomes are strong and invincible like mighty mountaines they will stand others are remote like the Islands they cannot be come at they will continue No saith the Text every Island fled away and the mountains were not found ver 20. nothing so remote as the Iland nothing so mighty as the mountains could stand And because this ruine of the Beasts Kingdome is one of the greatest things that ever did or ever shall fall out in the world and shall have the strangest consequents therefore the holy-Ghost is pleased after a description of the Beast and the Whore chap. 17. that we may know who they are the Beast to be the Pope and the Whore Rome The holy-Ghost is pleased I say to set downe these things particularly and at large First the destruction of the Whore chap. 18. then the destruction of the Beast himselfe and all the Kings his partakers chap. 19. after which followes the binding up of Sathan with its consequents chap. 20. and then the glorious restauration of the Church both of Jewes and Gentiles under the type of the new Jerusalem in the two last chapters In the next place let us consider such grounds and reasons as the Scriptures lead us unto why the Lord in the course of his administration and providence doth cause such great shakings of Nations before he doth reforme and refine his Church and we shall find these three in speciall First Reason 1 that he may plague and punish the persecutors and oppressors of his Church and so deliver his people from persecution and oppression I joyne these two together and we shall find them to be things the Lord hath alwayes aimed at in his concussions of States and Nations if there were a Church there Why did the Lord so terribly shake Aegypt but that he might plague the oppressing Egyptians and enlarge his persecuted people of Israel And why Babylon but that he might destroy the Babylonian tyrants and deliver captivated Judah These things the Lord Intended when he ruined the Dragons Kingdome the persecrting heathen Empire and which he now intends being about to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist take one place for all Jer. 50.33 34. The Children of Israel and the Children of Judah were oppressed together and all that tooke them captives held them fast they refused to let them goe their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his name He will thoroughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the Land and disquiet the Inhabitants of Babylon Marke here Gods people were oppressed their enemies held them hard as never minding to let them goo and deliver them no more did the enemies of God's Church now well who can help it B. L. in his Epist Ded. before his ans to Fâ—sheâ— they have no such strong assistance to back them for so one hath written Yes saith the Phophet they have a strong Redeemer what may his name be the Lord of Hosts is his name what will he doe for them He will thoroughly plead their cause and give rest unto them how will he doe that by disquieting the Inhabitants of Babylon it is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will disquiet that is he will destroy them Observe it wherefore would the Lord bring such a devastation upon Babylon but that he might redeeme his people by oppressing their oppressors That he may take away the impediments of his Churches restauration and namely these three Reason 2 That he may take away the scandall of great sinnes Imped 1 The visible Church is like a draw-net that takes in Fishes good and bad it so falls out often times that this Church is filled with grosse sins committed and permitted with blasphemy swearing cursing lying stealing Hosea 4.2 3. prophanation of Gods Ordinances and Sabbaths persecutions of the godly and all kinds of licentiousnesse open sins against the very letter of the Law and
their fore-fathers that kept them from blood which they did also shed in part and we see what they doe now But because they durst not it is I take it agreeable to the word it should be so besides there was a fatall concurrence of subordinate causes to hinder them therefore wonder not if you see an earth-quake begin upon it Signe 2 When the enemies of Religion make an attempt upon the whole Church together to ruine it It is with the Church as with a great City it is very molestious to have an Enemy-King lyes loofe off with a mighty Army to hinder all trade and traffique and to catch up and kill now one Citizen then another but if he hath once begirt it with a strong siege made many great breaches threatens to kill man woman and child if the King to whom that City belongs intend to save it he must now appeare to their rescue Even so the Lord can endure the enemies and persecutors of his people for a long time to destroy row one then another of his Saints though they shall at last heare of him for it but when once they determine and endeavour to cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance now the Lord must of necessity and will eft-soon's appeare for if he should suffer all his Church and people to be destroyed what should he doe to his great Name Josh 7.9 he must needes have a people to beare up his Name before the world Doth Pharaoh to all his other cruell persecutions adde this that he will destroy all the male-children of Israel for that strikes at the root of the Church why now have at Pharaoh you shall heare of some mischiefe upon Aegypt ere it be long Doth Hamon get a cruell decree against the Jewes to destroy them altogether upon one day and so to cut off the necke of the whole Church as it were at one blow and that upon a pretence that their lawes differ from all other Nations and that they keepe not the Kings lawes and that it was not for the Kings profit to suffer them an ordinary accusation against the Saints Hester 3.8 9. Well now beware Hamon if we read forward we shall find him hanged anon upon his own gallow's made for another Hest 7.10 When Gog will needs come against the Land of Israel then shall Gods fury come up in his face Ezek. 38. from the 18. ver to the end Surely in that day the Lord will make a great shaking in the Land so that all Creatures shall shake at his presence the mountains shall be thrown down and every wall shall fall to the ground he will call for a sword against him throughout all his mountain every mans sword shall be against his brother he wil plead against him in pestilence blood hailstones fire and brimstone c. When Gog and his Armies doe compasse about the Campe of the Saints and the beloved City intending to ruine all for that I take to be the Emphasis of this word compasse about and this by the way is the last enemy that ever the Church of Christ shall conflict withall here upon earth then suddenly fire comes down from God out of heaven and devoures them Rev. 20.9 The adversaries of Religion have now of late made desperate attempts upon the whole Church plotted the ruine of it every where and had as they imagined a compleat victory both here and else-where they rode in triumph The great Whore began to sing and to say shee was now a Queen againe was no widow and should see no sorrow c. but whilest the meat was yet in their mouthes the heavy wrath of God fell upon them Loe even in the middest of their triumph an hand-writing upon the wall that tels them God hath numbered their Kingdome and finished it An earth quake takes them and hath already shaken thousands of them downe into the pit themselves had digged for others and the earth at this present doth terribly tremble under their whole Kingdome When the Lord ariseth to the succour of his people upon their sufferings and supplications Signe 3 For the oppression of the poore and the sighing of the needy I will now arise saith the Lord. I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him Psal 12.5 and these words are as pure and true as refined silver ver 6. When the blood of the Saints cryed Rev. 6.10 and their prayers also Rev. 8.3 4 5 6. instantly the Censâ—r that brought up their prayers is filled with fire â—ed that cast down upon the earth and immediatly follow thunderings lightenings and an earth-quake fâ—ure Angels with Trumpets sound a desiance against the World and upon that follow foure plagues that utterly ruine the Roman Empire Now God is risen upon the prayers and teares of his people groaning under the intollerable oppressions of Hierarchy Praelates High-commission c. who Lorded it over their faith and consciences and tyrannized over their bodies and estates crying unto him day and night for helpe For I am confident there was scarce ever the like crying of that nature in the world as of late yeares there hath been in England why should it not still be continued The Lord therefore being up will not sit downe againe till he have done his worke and hath made his enemies his owne and his peoples footstoole And whereas the enemies doe consult with hell digging deepe and in the duke for Gods people in these quarrels doe not wrestle with flesh and blood onely but with principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesses yea and whereas they doe with force and fury with fire and sword goe about to propugne their idolatries and persecutions and to withstand the Lord comming with power for the vindication of his inheritance they in so doing doe nothing else but accerse and draw downe upon themselves the more certaine utter and irrecoverable destruction even as the Canaanites of old were hardned in their hearts of the Lord to come against Israel in battell that they might have no favour but be destroyed utterly Jos 11. â—0 For the Lord will not be alwayes bearded and out-braved by man but will even strike through Kings in the day of his wrath he shall iudge among the heathen he shall fill the places wâ—th the dead bodies he shall wound the heads over many Countries he shall drinke of the brooke in the way like a chafed Conquerour pursuing his flying enemy unto perdition therefore shall he lâ—fe up his head Psal 110.5 6 7. When God causeth judgement to be heard from heaven he makes the earth feare and be still when he ariseth to judgement to save all the meeke of the earth sarely the wrath of man shall praise him the remainder of wrath shall he restraine Psa 76.8 9 10. If the unjust Judge that neither feared God nor man would avenge the Widdow because of her troublesome importunity and our Saviour bids