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in building , aud hired counsellors against them te frustrate their pur-? ose , all the days of Cyrus king of ' ersia , even until the reign of Dariua king of Persia . " Ezra iv . 1 , 4 , 5 . < c And they wrote letters of accusation to the kings of Persia against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem ,
both in the days of Ahasuerus C ( S and of Artaxerxes , " vers . 6 , 7 » o the work ceased until the second year of thfi reicrn of D Darius . " " ver . 24 . In that the reign of arius ver . 24 . In that
, year , however , they resumed the work of building the house of the Lord under the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zecliariah the « on of Iddo , who helped them , v . 1 . Their adversaries also renewed their
opposition , and Tatnai , the governor of Samaria , and Shethar-boznai , and their companions , wrote another letter of accusation against them to Darius , ——vers . 3 , 6 , and following . Upon this , Darius , having commanded search to be made in the house of the rolls , and
finding the decree of Cyrus , confirmed it , and by a decree enforced the carrying of it into effect by the building of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem , and by which he compelled the adver ~ saries of Judah , Tatnai and
Shetharboznai , and their companions , not only to desist from their opposition , but also to render the people of the Jews every possible assistance in carrying on the work , —eh . vi . throughout . Thus was this dispute terminated
and thus , by the means of Cyrus and of Darius , who were his agents , instruments and ministers , did the Lord effectually rebuke Satan , the adversary , and carry into effect his own designs respecting Judah and
Jerusalem-This interposition of the Lord in favour of the people of Judah and Jerusalem , is the subject of the vision in the third chapter of Zecliariah > the scenery of the vision is taken from a Court of Judicature and its proceedings . " The vision in this chapter , " says Matt . Henry , " concerns their church state , and their ecclesiastical
interests , and assures the u * that they should be put into a good posture again . " That Jerusalem should ri&e up out of its ruins , like a brand plucked out of the lire ; that the temple should be built , und that the Jewish Church , with the priesthood and ttie worship of God , should be restored :
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signified by taking away the filthy garments of Joshua , and clothing him with change of raiment , and putting a fair mitre on his head . In this vision , Zecliariah is shewn € ( Joshua , the high-priest , the representative of the Jewish people ( for
such the high-priests always were ) y he was " standing before the angel of the Lord , " as their advocate to plead their cause : before the angel , L e ., before the prince of Persia , or before him , as we learn from the history , were the accusations preferred , and 5
" counsellers hired ' to plead against the people of Judah , in order to frustrate their design of restoring the Jewish church and worship . By him the cause was heard and b y him judgment upon it was given . He was pro perly , therefore , the angel , or
messenger of the Lord , his servant , raised up , anointed and sent to perform his purpose of delivering his people from their captivity , and restoring them te their own land . Rulers and magistrates are in the Scriptures denominated Gods , ( Ps . Lxxxii . 1—6 ,
compared with John x . 35 , ) aud also , an * gels of God ( comp . Ps . xcvii . with Heb . i . 6 ) - P " > and aul says , that they are the ministers of God for good , " Rom . xiii . 4 . " And Satan , " an
adversary , the representative of the adversaries of Judah , standing at his right hand ; " the situation in which accusers and witnesses were generally placed in law courts , at the right hand of the accused . Satan is here ,
therefore , to be considered as a legal adversary 5 hence the LXX . have here , not Satan , but diabolos , devil , i . e . calumniator , false accuser , Le Clerc , as quoted by Mack-night , ** by Satan , in Zechariah ' s vision , and diabvlos in
Jude , understands Tatnai and Shethar-boznai , the King of Persia ' s lieutenants , who opposed the restoration of Jerusalem , and who on that account might be called Satan , or the adversary of the Jews , in the same manner that Peter was called Satan
by his Master for opposing his suffering at Jerusalem / ' " According to this interpretation , " says Macknight , " Jude ' s meaning is , that the angel of Zachariah ' s vision brought no railing accusation against the adversaries of the Jewd y But reproved them with modesty , on account of their being
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74 $ Attempt to illustrate Jude , ver . 9 . Letter III .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1822, page 740, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2519/page/20/
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