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

the Prophet calls Babel a destroying mountain, I am against thee, oh destroying mountain: and for strength of situation he compares it to a mountain seated upon a rock, which is a farther addition of fortification to it. Yet says God, I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and make thee a burnt mountain, so as they shall not take from thee a stone for a corner, or for foundations: ver. 26. Whereas thou didst unbuild Jerusalem and my Temple, I will unbuild thee, so as not so much as a stone of thee shall serve for any other building, but my Zion shall ⟨p. 26⟩be built again. For to what end was this mountain thus removed? even that poor Jerusalem and Gods Temple there might be built again. Thus Isai. 44. last, and the 45. 1. and 2. verses compared, Thus saith the Lord of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Cyrus and his Army were the workmen whom God hired to cast up (as Essays phrase is) or throw down (as Jeremies) this rubbish that lay in his peoples way, & of their building this Temple. And all the victories that Cyrus obtained, and hidden treasures that through spoils he acquired, were all that Jerusalem might be built: So it follows in the 45. Chap. 1, 2, 3, and 4. verses, and so on, Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus, whose right hand I have strengthened to subdue Nations before me, and I will loose the loins of Kings: He was to overcome other Nations and Kings, before he could come at Babylon: as Croesus, that rich King of Lydia, &c. And God threw down all afore him. I will go before thee; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron, (all difficulties flew open, and nothing could stand in his way) and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, the hidden riches of secret places. And why did God do all this for him? For Jacob my servants sake, and Israel mine elect. For (otherwise) says God of this Cyrus) thou hast not known me, so ver. 4. All this which God did for him, was, that he might perform Gods pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, Be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be ⟨p. 27⟩laid, as you had it out of the last ver. of the foregoing Chapter.