Zerubbabels encouragement to finish the temple. A sermon preached before the honourable House of…

There is no mountain of opposition so great, ¹that can stand before Zerubbabel, (or Gods people) especially when he goes about to finish the Temple. (I might have made two Observations of it, but I put them both together.) You see how contemptuously he here speaks, of the opposition made; [Who art thou, O great mountain?] though great in their own eyes, yet as nothing in his: He speaks as a Giant unto a Pygmy, Who art thou? I will name one place more, suitable to this allusion, Isaiah 41. 14, 15. Fear not, thou worm Jacob: I will help thee, saith the Lord. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh [the mountains,] and beat them small, and thou shalt make the hills as chaff. He supposeth in these his expressions, the Church to be in the lowest, weakest, and most contemptible condition that might be; a [worm] which no man fears, for it cannot do the least hurt, and which no man loves; yea, thinks it no cruelty or oppression to tread upon, and kill. On the other side, he speaks of the enemies, all that might argue greatness, strength, and exaltation: he calls them [Mountains,] and [Hills:] And what an unequal match is this, for Worms to be set upon Mountains to overthrow them? Yet, says God, I will take this worm, (for it must be his power must do it) and make it as a new sharp threshing instrument with ⟨p. 25⟩teeth, (with which kind of instrument those Eastern Countries did use to mash in pieces their rougher and harder fodder for their cattle) which shall thresh these mountains even as small as chaff, which is scattered with the wind, as ver. 16. This is the Metaphor; the plain song you have in the 11. and 12. verses, Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall perish, and those that contended with thee, be as a thing of nought. But this is especially found true when Gods people go about to build the Temple; no mountain then can stand to hinder them: There stood in the way of laying the foundation of this Temple, the greatest mountain that was then (and well-night that hath been since) upon the earth, the Babylonish Monarchy; by the power of which these Jews were detained captives, and they would never have let them go: And therefore Isaiah 57. 14. this phrase is used, Cast ye up, cast ye up, take the stumbling block out of the way of my people. And more expressly, Jer. 51. 25