ways been reckoned honourable for a woman to be defired and loved by the men, fo to be neglect. ed and overlooked hath been ever esteemed a dif honour and a reproach. It must be fo; for by the law of nature, and by divine conftitution, the man is the covering and honour of the woman with whom he is connected, and by whom she hopes to fee her own offspring, whom the confiders as her greatest treasure. The celibacy of young women, therefore, is claffed, by Afaph, among the calamities which befell the people of Ifrael: Their maids were not given in

marriage*. Such was the deplorable condition of Judah, after the terrible flaughter made among them by the Affyrians, as appears from what is recorded, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17. where we read, "That the king of the Chaldees flew their young men with the fword, in the house of their fanctuary, and had no compaffion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that flooped for age.' On this account the virgins of Jerufalem are described, by the prophet Jeremiah, as hanging down their heads to the-ground with forrow Let us then, my friends, adore the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, who, in his kind providence, commonly proportions the number of males and females, fo that, as he himself directs, every man may have his own wife, and every woman her own hufband. And when we hear of the dreadful defolations made upon mankind by the fword, and their lamentable confequences, let us cautiously avoid thofe tranfgreffions which expofe to fuch awful judgments, and endeavour to be thankful to God for the ineftimable bleffings of peace.

2 In that day fhall the BRANCH of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth fhall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

In that day. This expreffion must not be interpreted here in its ftrict and literal fignification, but in its enlarged and more extenfive meaning; in which fenfe it is often used in prophetic language. Thus in Hofea ii. 15. where God fpeaks comfortably to Ifrael, he promises, 'to give her, her vineyards from 'thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope, ' and the fhall fing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when the came up out of the land of Egypt.' The Hebrew words, as fome writers have obferved, may be tranflated after that time, which feems to be the true meaning of the expreffion. The prophet does not foretel what fhould come to pass immediately after the return of Ifrael from captivity; but paffing over in filence intermediate events, and looking forward by the fpirit of prophecy, he is enabled to defcribe the felicity of the people of God in the time of the Meffiah; though, at first view, he may appear to treat only of Zerubbabel, who typified our Saviour in fome respects.

The branch of the Lord, is a figurative defcription of the great Meffiah, whom the prophet Zechariah, (who frequently alludes to the prophecies before us), plainly informs us, is the perfon intended by this character, Thus faith the Lord of hofts, Behold, I bring forth my fervant the Branch*.' And again, Thus fpeaketh the Lord of hosts, faying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch, and he fhall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lordt. By this title he is foretold by Ifaiah, in this paffage, and in Chap. xi. 1. The fame defignation was given him by Jeremiah, in these remarkable words; Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that I will raife unto David a righteous 'branch, and a king fhall reign and profper, and 'fhall execute judgment and juftice in the earth .' It must be evident to the impartial reader of these

* Zech, iii. 8. + Zech. vi. 12.

Jer. xxiii, 5.

prophetic

prophetic fcriptures, that they do not refer to Zerubbabel, or to any other perfon than our glorious Redeemer, who, with refpect to his human nature, fprung from the royal line of David, and root of Jeffe; and who, in way of eminence, was called the Servant, and Branch of Jehovah, as he, in a manner peculiar to himself, proceeded forth, and came from God. Like a branch, his beginning upon this earth was fmall, his appearance was mean, his growth was progreffive; for he grew up before God as a tender plant, waxing greater and greater, until his fhadow filled the whole earth, and men repofed themselves under it with great delight, and found his fruits fweet unto their taíte. On these accounts we conclude, that the promised Meffiah is the perfon intended by the Branch of the Lord; which is here foretold,

Shall be beautiful and glorious; or, as you read in the margent of fome of your Bibles, fhall be beauty and glory. Beauty chiefly confifts in the just proportion of the feveral parts which belong to the object to which it is afcribed: it alfo frequently denotes fome peculiar excellence which attracts admiration and efteem. With the greatest propriety is beauty afcrib ed to the branch of the Lord, in as much as the illuf trious perfon spoken of under this figure, is fully poffeffed of all thofe amiable excellencies which excite admiration and love, and displays them in their higheft perfection in his perfon and performances. God is love, and whatever is lovely in him is to be feen in the express image of his perfon, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead. The divine beauty of the Lord cannot be any where contemplated to fuch advantage as in the Branch of the Lord, nor can the attractive beauties of human nature be any where view. ed fhining with fuch luftre as in the righteous Branch, which God raised up unto David, who was altogether lovely, and fairer than the children of men; in contemplating whom, we ought to exclaim in the words of the admiring prophet, How great is his goodnefs,

'nefs, how great is his beauty * It is alfo foretold, that this branch fhall be glorious. Glory confifts in the fplendour, pomp, and magnificence of the perfon to whom it belongs; and in this fenfe, I fuppofe, it is afcribed to the bleffed Redeemer, who afforded the most wonderful manifeftations of the divine presence, power, and goodness, in the redemption of finners from among all nations. How incomparably grand were the exhibitions he gave of his grace and ability for effectuating this great end, first upon earth, and afterward from heaven! Having difplayed in this world the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, he was exalted to the right hand of the Majefty on high, from whence he gave forth the most convincing proofs of his grandeur and magnificence, for the benefit of his church. Thus we fee this prediction eminently fulfilled in Jefus Chrift, who is indeed beautiful and glorious.Let us ever highly esteem him, who from everlasting was the delight of the Almighty; who in every age is precious, is an honour to them that believe, and who is effentially neceffary to our happiness and falvation.

And the fruit of the earth fhall be excellent and comely. By the fruit of the earth, we may understand, with fome interpreters, the human nature of the Branch of the Lord, which was derived from this earth. At the time to which this prophecy refers, it appeared incomparably excellent and comely, when it was rendered perfectly glorious, that it might be elevated to the throne of God, as the complete model after which the bodies of the living in Jerufalem fhall at laft be fashioned. What a magnificent defcription does the apostle John give, in the first chapter of the Revelation, of the view with which he was favoured of this illuftrious Perfon! Or by the fruit of the earth, as others are of opinion, may be meant, the bleffed effects refulting from the amiable aspect af

* Zech. ix. 17.

fumed

1

fumed by the Branch of the Lord, and the confequent gift of the Holy Spirit, when the gofpel was diffused through the earth, and the kingdom of God was eftablished among men, who abounded in every divine grace and good work, which adorned the doctrine of God our Saviour. Then, as foretold, 'The earth did • yield her increase' with the utmost profufion; and God, even our own God, did blefs us and our Lord's obfervation was verified, Except a corn of ⚫ wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit +.' How excellent and comely were the fruits which fprung up on earth, in confequence of the exaltation of Jefus Chrift to his glory! How illuftrious was the meeknefs difplayed by his difciples, in patiently fuftaining the many injuries they received, whilst they never offered any violence to others! How amiable that humility whereby they contemned worldly riches and grandeur, which commonly poffefs the hearts of mankind, and engage their most strenuous purfuits. How glorious was the fortitude and magnanimity they dif covered, in their discourses and actions, in their afflic tions and perfecutions, by living in obedience to Jefus Chrift, and dying for his teftimony, who was defpifed and rejected of men! So excellent and comely were their fruits, that, in profperity, they allured the world by the beauties of holinefs; and, in affliction, they excited admiration by the splendour of their inno cence, and their invincible patience.

For them that are efcaped of Ifrael. Thefe beautiful fruits of the earth greatly advanced the honour, the intereft, and reputation of the happy perfons who are here described, in reference to the efcape made by fome of the Jews, when the army of the Babylo nians befieged Jerufalem. At that time, in the day of the Lord's anger, faith the prophet Jeremiah, 'None escaped or remained ‡.' These words are not to be ‡ Lam. ii. 22.

Pfal. lxvii. 6.

+ John xii. 24.

under