of the literal kind, and it was literally and most exactly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. No other king, with these characteristic marks about him, ever thus came to Sion before him; and since the Jews rejected him, they have lost their temple, their city, and their country; nor has there been any Sion to which their king might come. Jerusalem would not rejoice on the day when the prophet had enjoined her to rejoice, and therefore she hath cause to mourn from that day to this. The rulers of Sion were vex-. ed and chagrined at beholding a scene which would have excited them to shout aloud for joy. The disciples, indeed, exulted, and sang Hosannah to the Son of David. Could Messiah enter his capital unacknowledged? That was impossible. Had men been silent upon this occasion, the buildings and pavements of the city must have supplied the defect, and bore their attestation to the promised and longexpected King of Israel. "I tell you," replied our Lord to the Pharisees, who desired him to rebuke his disciples-" I tell you, that if these should hold "their peace, the stones would immediately cry "out."

That we may perceive the full force and beauty of the prophecy before us, it will be necessary to show its connexion with the preceding part of the chapter wherein it stands.

In this ninth chapter of his prophecy, Zechariah denounceth some of the divine judgements, which were executed by that scourge of heaven, Alexander the Great, when he overran Syria, took Damascus, burnt Tyre, destroyed Gaza, and, in imitation of his

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favourite hero, dragged the governor thereof at his chariot wheels. "The burden of the word of the "Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall "be the rest thereof. And Hamath also shall bor"der thereby; Tyrus, and Sidon, though it be very "wise. And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, " and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as "the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast "her out, and he will smite her power in the sea, " and she shall be devoured with fire. Askelon shall 66 see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and shall "be sorrowful; and Ekron, for her expectation, "shall be ashamed, and the king shall perish from "Gaza, and Askelon shall not be inhabited." The prophet next foretelleth the mixture and incorporation of the Philistines, when thus humbled by Alexander, with their old enemies the Jews: "And a "bastard," or an alien generation (aλλoyeves, say the LXX,) "shall dwell in Ashdod; and I will cut off "the pride of the Philistines; and I will take away "his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations "from between his teeth; but he that remaineth,

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even he shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah and Ekron as a Jebusite." Amidst these revolutions and alterations of affairs in the world, God promiseth, in the next verse, to preserve his temple, while so many castles and strong holds about Jerusalem were overturned, so many cities swept of their inhabitants by the besom of destruction: "And I will encamp about mine house, "because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no

oppressor shall pass through them any more; for now have I seen with mine eyes." Then followeth the prophecy in my text-" Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; "behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, "and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an and a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut "off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from "Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and "he shall speak peace unto the Heathen; and his "dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from "the river to the ends of the earth." As if the pro

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ass,

And

phet had spoken in more words to Jerusalem thus"Thine eyes, in the generations following, shall be"hold the flourishing pride of sundry nations, each "endeavouring to overtop others in height of glory "and temporal state; each striving to keep others under, by human policy, or strength of war. "whilst the sight of their mutual conquests shall possess thy thoughts, thou wilt be ready, in the pride of thine heart, to say, Jerusalem and Judah "one day shall have their turn, and in that day shall "the sons of Jacob, the seed of Abraham and Da

vid, be like the monarchs of Greece and Persia, "far exalted above the kings of other nations; every "one able to bear arms, glistering with his golden "shield, and leading the princes of the Heathen, as

prisoners, bound in chains, and their nobles in "fetters of iron. The beauty and riches of their costly temples shall deck the chariots of my child

ren, which their captives shall draw in triumph. "But thou shouldest remember, that the promised

"Prince of peace, of benignity, and justice, should "not be sought among the tumultuous hosts of war:

nor canst thou hope that He, who is the Desire of "all nations, should be thy Leader or General, to destroy those nations. It is glory and honour "enough for thee, glory and honour greater than the greatest conqueror on earth could ever compass, "that the King of kings and Lord of lords shall be "anointed and proclaimed King upon the hill of "Sion: that the inviolable decrees of everlasting

justice shall be given to all the nations under "heaven from thy courts. And, therefore, while "horses and chariots, and other glorious prepara"tions of war, shall present themselves to thy view, "suffer them to pass as they come; and rest as"sured, that thy King, of whose coming thou hast "often been admonished by the prophets, is not (6 among them. The manner of his coming to thee, so thou wilt mark it, bodes far better tidings to "thee, and all the nations besides, than can accompany the prosperous success of wars, or any victory stained with blood. What king of Judah or "Israel did ever levy an army, though in just de"fence of their country and people, on so fair terms, "that no poor amongst them were pinched with "taxes for the supply? What victory did they ever "obtain so cheap, that many of their children were "not forced to sit down with loss, many wounded, "others maimed, and some always slain? But, lo, "now I bring thee unusual matter of exultation and

joy. For, behold, thy King cometh unto thee, "whensoever he cometh, attended with justice for

"his guide, and salvation for his train. He shall execute judgement without oppression: he shall save thee, so thou wilt be saved, without destroy"ing any, being able to make thy lame to go, to "give life to thy dead, without hazard either of life "or limb to any that rests within thy territories. "Such shall be the manner of his coming, and such "his presence, that the poorest wretch among thy "children may think himself more happy than any

king of Judah or Israel which was before him, so "he will but conform himself to the temper and demeanour of his Saviour. For he cometh unto "thee, poor and lowly, riding upon an ass, to wean "thee from the vain hopes of the Heathen, from "which the prophets have so often dehorted thy "forefathers. Some put their trust in horses, and "some in chariots; but thy confidence must be in "the Lord thy God, who will always be thy King, "to defend thee, to protect thee, to strengthen thee "through this weakness"."

Having thus taken a general view of the prophecy, proceed we to make some observations and reflections upon the several parts of it, in the order in which they lie.

Beautiful and striking is the manner in which it is introduced. The prophet doth not coldly inform Jerusalem, that her King should come to her, and that, when he did come, she ought to rejoice. Rapt into future times, he seems to have been present at the glorious scene. Standing upon mount Olivet,

a Dr. Jackson-vol. ii. p. 845.