round about those that fear him, to deliver them. (Psalm xxxiv. 7)

"He shewed me Joshua."] Israel returned but from two captivities, from Egypt, and from Babylon; and in both we find a Joshua employed; one, to possess them of Canaan; another, to re-edify the temple. It was not without a great mystery, to note unto us that there is no deliverance without a Jesus: no name but that under heaven by which we can be saved. (Acts iv. 12) He alone delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. i. 10) "Joshua the High-Priest."] He is seldom mentioned alone without Zerubbabel. (as Ezra iii. 2, 8, and iv. 3, and v. 2. Nehem. xii. 1. Hag. i. 1, 12, 14, and ii. 2, 4) As in their return out of Egypt, they were led by Moses and Aaron; (Psalm lxxvii. 20) so in their return out of Babylon, they were led by Zerubbabel and Joshua; and being returned, these two were to engage themselves in the work of building the temple. (Ezra v. 2) And indeed temple-work doth never go prosperously on, but when the ministry of the priest is backed and encouraged with the authority of the magistrate :- -as it was by Nehemiah, Hezekiah, and other good princes.

And, therefore, they are enemies to the building of God's house, who go about to persuade the magistrate that he hath nothing to do with matters of religion; that it belongs not either to his power or duty, to take care that purity of truth and worship be preserved within his territories: of whom notwithstanding it is prophesied, that they should be nursing fathers' to the church. (Isai. xlix. 23) And truly they are none of the best nurses, that suffer their children to have poison as freely offered them, as milk or wholesome meat.

There is something in it, that we find Joshua here alone. Satan would do mischief to any one, whom God honours and employs but his notable malice is against religion, and the building of the temple. If there be any more special instrument of that than other, him in special manner he opposeth: the more spiritual the service, the more resisted by the devil. The true Jesus, whereof our Joshua was a type, was no sooner called by God to build his house (for it was said of him that he should do, Zech. vi. 13) but we find him assaulted by the tempter. (Matth. iv. 1) Of all works, this is the

work which Satan most desires to oppose, as the apostle intimates. (1 Thess. ii. 18)

"Standing."] Both tanquam Servus,' and tanquam Reus.' 1. As a servant to minister unto the angel. So much the word standing frequently importeth, attending upon a ministry; (Deut. x. 8, and xvii. 12. 1 Kings xvii. 1. Heb. x. 11) whereby is noted, (1) reverence to the Lord whom he served. (2) readiness to receive his commands. 2. As a defendant, who, being accused, stands up to answer for himself: the judge sat, and the people stood, Exod. xviii. 13. Actor and Reus were wont to stand together before the judge. "Who will contend with me? Let us stand together;" (Isai. 1. 8) to intimate possibly in either the confidence of a just cause therefore it is said of the ungodly, that they shall not stand in judgement.' (Psalm i. 5)

Joshua was in filthy garments; yet God employed him, and Satan accused him. How low soever our condition be, God thinks not scorn to use us in his service. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings he hath ordained praise." He will be served as well in rags as in robes. And how low soever our condition be, Satan, would have us lower, from robes to rags, from rags to nakedness. His malice is like hell, without any bottom. The truth is, it is not robes or rags that trouble him; but that whether in the one or the other, we do any way stand before the Lord and minister unto him,

namely, the angel of angel of the covenant.' house, and Joshua his

Before the angel of the Lord;"] God's presence; (Isai. Ixiii. 9) the (Mal. iii. 1) He is the Lord of the servant. (Heb. iii. 6. Matth. xxiv. 45) He is the Judge over the house, (Acts x. 42) and Joshua his subject. And, in both capacities, he stands before him, to execute the commands of his Lord, to answer the accusations of his adversary.

"And Satan standing at his right hand."] The right hand seems to have been the place of the accuser. (Psalm cix. 6, 7) And it is the hand of action. A wise man's heart is at his right hand; (Eccles. x. 2) he doth what he doth, heartily, as to the Lord. Satan hopes, if he speed not at accusing, he shall at resisting; that he shall prevail either as an adversary or as a tempter. But here is Joshua's comforts; though Satan be at his right hand to tempt, God also is at his right

hand to support him. (Psalm xvi. 8) He is an accuser at our right hand, and Christ an advocate at God's right hand. (1 John ii. 1, 2)

"To resist him,"] or to accuse him. To resist him in his ministry, to accuse him for his failings. What these failings were, we may guess by the story. 1. He ministered not in the priests' robes, but in filthy garments, ver. 3. 2. He delayed the building of the Temple, till pressed thereunto by the prophets. (Ezra v. 1) 3. His sons were, some of them, defiled with strange wives. (Ezra x. 18)

What a white devil have we here! Satan transforming himself into an angel of light; zealous for God's worship; which is the thing that he chiefly maligneth. Even the haters of religion will pretend zeal for it, so they may do it mischief: and when they rejoice at the failings of good men, will yet seem greatly offended for them. They did so here: they would fain have had a hand in building the Temple, the building whereof they most earnestly maligned. (Ezra iv. 1, 2) Delilah will take Samson on her knee to cut off his hair. Judas will kiss his master, that he may betray him. Christ's enemies will court him, that they may entrap him; (Matth. xxii. 16) and Paul's enemies will preach Christ, to add afflic tion unto him. (Phil. i. 16) We find Satan one while tempting Christ; another while, confessing him; denying him in the Pharisee; (John vii. 52) acknowledging him in the man possessed; (Mark i. 24) but with a mischievous purpose in both; as if it were learning to deny him, as if it were madness to confess him ;-one while leading him to the Temple, another while shewing him the world. He hath Temple-temptations, and secular temptations. It is all one to him, the serpent's skill or Samuel's mantle, so he may, either way, be doing mischief.

"And the Lord said unto Satan ;"] the Lord Christ; the angel before whom Joshua stood the mediator and intercessor for his servant.

"The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan."] Restrain thy pride; silence and muzzle up thy mouth; cast out thy bill of complaint; throw thee over the bar, that thou mayest not rise against his servant any more: and if thou be still clamouring, then once again,

The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee."]

Must God's holy tribunal be still troubled with the obstreperous malice of a common barrater? Canst thou hinder the adoption, or alter the immutable election, of God?-We see hereby the rage of Satan: he never gives over accusing, till God silence him. And we see the love of God: be Satan never so clamorous, God never gratifies him with a hearing, but answers all his accusations with his own free love, and gracious election." The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee."

"Is not this a brand, plucked out of the fire?"] Hath he not suffered enough already, except he be quite burnt up? Have I begun to deliver him, and shall I not perfect it? Did I bring him out of the furnace of Babylon sore against thy will, that I might gratify thy malice in destroying him here? Can I be weary in shewing mercy, when thou art unwearied in doing mischief? I have delivered him to build my temple, and to set up my worship; and the mercy begun, I will finish, maugre all thy malice.

The words contain a vision of a special mercy to Joshua, set forth in the manner of a juridical process. Wherein we have,

1. Joshua's ministry and defence. He stood Servus. tanquam Reus.

2. The adversary, Satan and his work against Resist.

Joshua, to

3. The advocate. The Lord.

4. The victory over Satan.

5. The foundation thereof.

Accuse.

" The Lord rebuke thee.'

God's election of Jerusalem,

and his compassion to Joshua.

"He shewed me Joshua."] That which the prophet saw, was only in a vision and representation, not really and in effect. For where was the priest to minister, but in the Temple and at the altar? And these things were yet but in consultation, nothing finished: yet, in a vision, the prophet seeth it all done.

With God, promises and threatenings give a kind of being unto things, before they are produced 1. They exist in 'Decreto Dei,' in God's decree; and so are known only unto himself. (Acts xv. 18) 2. They exist in Verbo,' in the

word; and so are known only to faith, which is úπóσTασıç TüV ¿λgoμévæv, the very present subsistence of things, which to hope are but future. (Heb. xi. 1) 3. They exist really in ' opere et effectu,' in the work done, visible to the sense of all beholders: and so wicked men know the works of God in execution, which they knew not in denunciation: as our Saviour tells us, (Matth. xxiv. 38, 39) though Noah had threatened the deluge, yet they "knew not till the flood came and took them all away." When there was no Temple, the prophet sees Joshua ministering. When Ahab was not yet gone to Ramoth Gilead, the prophet saw all Israel scattered. (1 Kings xxii. 17) When there was no natural strength, Abraham saw Sarah conceiving. (Rom. iv. 19, 20, 21) Whatever the faith of a prophet can see in a vision, the faith of a believer can see in a promise.

When therefore we have God's promise, how cross soever it may appear to sense or reason, we should, with David, encourage ourselves in the Lord our God," (1 Sam. xxx. 6) and rest upon his name, I AM, who calleth the things which are not, as if they were. He that gave being to the world out of nothing, to make good his decree of creation, can give to any man comfort out of nothing, to make good a promise of mercy and deliverance. He can command his loving-kindness; (Psalm xlii. 8) He can create peace. (Isa. lvii. 19) When all second causes, vines, olives, fig-trees, fields, herds, stalls, do wholly miscarry, we may rejoice in God, and glory in his salvation. (Habak. iii. 17, 18) When our flesh and our heart fail, we have him for our strength, and our portion for ever. (Psalm 1xxiii. 26)

b

We live in failing times: we have found men of low degree vanity, and men of high degree a lie: We have leaned on our house, but it did not stand; we have leaned on our staff, and it hath gone into our hand. We trusted too much in parliaments, and they have been broken; in princes, and they have given up the ghost: Nec vitia nec remedia ferre possumus.' We have been afflicted both with our diseases and with our remedies; fear, and the pit, and the snare have been upon us; we have been changed from vessel to vessel, and we break every vessel we are put into. Our ships have

b Job viii. 15. 2 Kings xviii. 21. Exek. xxix. 6. d Jer. xlviii. 11.

c Isai. xxiv. 17.