and become the temples of the Holy Ghost, where he with the Father and the Son, three persons and one God, may dwell and be praised'.

I. P. L. C. D2.

My earnest love to God hath pined me away, because my enemies have forgotten thy words. Psalm cxix.

I have been earnestly zealous for the Lord God of hosts, because they have forsaken thy covenant. 1 Kings xix.

[In the first edition, 1560, it is added:

Among many other things that I, a poor workman in God's house, would have said to encourage other workmen, and specially those that should be the chief builders and pillars of his church, these few things at this time shall serve, because the printer makes haste, and I have not leisure.

James Pylkynton, Maister of S. John's Colledge in Cambridge, to the readers.

Then follow the two verses quoted above. ED.]

[These letters need explanation. In the first edition, on the title page immediately after the passage from Numbers, followed the initials, I. P. L. C. and the Preface was signed by the Author as Master of St John's College, Cambridge. See the preceding note. Here we find, in the second edition, the Preface signed like the title page of the former edition, only with the addition of D.-the Author having in the mean time removed from the Mastership of St John's to the Bishoprick of Durham. It seems therefore, the initials are to be interpreted: James Pilkington, Lancastriensis, (he was a native of Lancashire,) Cantabrigiensis, Dunelmensis. ED.]

THE PROPHET AGGEUS3.

CHAP. I.

v. 1. In the second year of king Darius, in the sixth month, and the first day of the month, the word of the Lord was sent by the hand of Aggeus the prophet unto Zerubabel, the son of Salathiel, ruler of Juda; and unto Josua, the son of Josedec, the chief priest, saying.

circum

token that

true which

this The defer

ring of God's

ment de

long suffer

slothfulness

INASMUCH that the year, month and day, when this pro- Noting of phecy was spoken, be so diligently noted of the prophet; stances is a and also that in which king's days, by whom and to whom the thing is it was preached, is so diligently mentioned, it makes much is telled. for proving the truth of the prophecy, and that we should the rather believe it. For they that will teach lies, use not so exactly to declare the circumstances wherein things were done, lest, in examination of the same, things be proved contrary, and they found liars. But chiefly long time here appointed of forty years teacheth us the punishpatience and long sufferance of God, who will not punish so clareth his soon as we do a fault, but tarry and look for our repent- ing and our ance and amendment, as he did here so long bear the Jews. in well And also it setteth before us the unthankful disobedience and slothful negligence of God's people, which after so merciful a deliverance, and bringing them home again from Babylon to their own country, (from whence they were led prisoners by Nabuchodonozor,) had so long and many years left off the building of that house, which God willed them so straightly to restore, and the good king Cyrus had given Ezra i. them liberty to do the same, and restored their old ornaments to do it withal. And in them also we learn our own slothfulness to the fulfilling of God's laws: for of ourselves we be no better than they, nor more diligent in well doing, except God stir us up by his undeserved grace.

[Aggeus and Abdias (sometimes written Obdias) are the Greek forms of the Hebrew names, Haggai and Obadiah, which the Bishop uses according to the practice of his day. So Micheas, Esdras, for Micah, Ezra, &c. ED.]

doing.

Jere. xi.

was de

not obeying

but after re

turned.

The Jews for their disobedience to God and his prophets preaching his word, according to the prophecy of Jeremy, had their country spoiled, their city Jerusalem burned, their Jerusalem temple destroyed; they themselves were many killed, some stroyed for for hunger in the besiege of the city did eat their own the prophet, children or dung, and the rest were led prisoners to Babylon by Nabuchodonozor, and there kept threescore and ten years in great bondage. After these years ended, by the good king Cyrus they had licence in the first year of his reign to go home and build their temple, as many as would, and all other might freely aid them with money toward that great costly work. Some good amongst them (but few in comparison) as Zorobabel, Josua, Nehemia, Mardocheus, and other whose names are reckoned in Esdras, took in hand to be captains of this worthy work: and after they came to Jerusalem, they builded an altar to serve for to make their offerings and their sacrifices on, until the time that the Ezra iii. iv. temple was builded. The first and second years of their coming home to Jerusalem, they were something diligent about their building, and laid the ground-work of the temple. But after, partly for complaints of the rulers in the country (which were strangers, and placed there long afore by

Ezra ii.

V.

2 Kings xvii. Salmanasar, and had accused them to the king, saying, “if they were suffered to build their city, they would rebel, as they were wont, and pay no more taxes;") and partly for slothful negligence of themselves, they left off building unto now, this second year of Darius, God sent this his prophet to stir them up to their work.

Because we

cannot stir

By this we may learn that when we lie long on sleep up ourselves in sin, we cannot wake up ourselves, until God stir us up preaching is by his prophets, his word, or holy Spirit. For David,

to do good,

to be esteemed.

2 Sam. xii.

after he had committed adultery with Uria's wife, and caused her husband to be slain, lay without remorse of conscience, without repenting for his evil doings, or asking mercy, until the prophet Nathan came and rebuked him for the same. Therefore let us not lightly regard the warnings of God sent unto us by his preachers, but thankfully embrace them, praising his holy name, that not only he hath so patiently borne us so long, and not suddenly destroyed us wallowing in sin, and forgetting him without

repentance; but now lastly hath called us, by the preaching of his word and restoring his gospel by our gracious queen, to a new life, which God grant us for his Christ's sake.

The Jews had now lien after their coming home almost forty years, not regarding the building of the temple; wherefore God most lovingly sent his prophet to warn them of their duty, rebuke them of their negligences, and stir them up earnestly to go about that work. And although the counting of these years be hard to count, and are diversely reckoned of divers men, because they would make the Greek histories to agree with the scriptures; I shall let all other histories pass, because they be too troublesome, and follow that only which the scripture teacheth; for that is the easiest and plainest to understand, and without all doubt true.

was XLVI

building.

In John we read that the Jews asked our Saviour Christ John ii. what marvellous sign he would work to persuade them, that he might do such things as he did. And he said to them: "Destroy ye this temple, and in three days I will build it This temple again." He spake of his own body, which he would raise years in up the third day after they had put him to death: but they understood him of that great costly solemn temple of lime and stone, which now they were building, and therefore said: "Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou build it in three days?" Here we see how long this temple was in building: although some expound this place otherwise yet this is not meant that they were continually working on the same so long, (for partly they were forbidden and stopped by the kings that ruled after Cyrus, Ezra iv. and partly they were negligent and careless for it,) but that there were so many years from the beginning of that work unto the finishing of the same. In the second year of king Cyrus, which was also the second year of their returning home to Jerusalem from Babylon, they laid the foundations of the temple. In the second year of Darius, as this present place teacheth, they are willed by Aggeus to take in hand their work again; and in the sixth year of this same Ezra vi Darius they finish it: so that from the second year of Cyrus, unto the sixth year of Darius, must be forty-six years wherein they were building, as St John saith. This was a great negligence of God's people, and unthankfulness, so

us not every

forget him

and ourselves.

Philip. i.

:

If God rule long forgetting the building of the temple, and their duty minute, we to God, after so merciful and late restoring them to their country but this is all our crooked nature bent unto, except God do not only begin the good work in us, but also continually lead us in the same to the end. Therefore have we need to look diligently unto ourselves, and pray that God would not turn his merciful eyes from us for if he never so little withdraw his hand from us, and do not every minute guide all our doings, we fall into a forgetfulness of him and our duties.

Many doubt also which Darius this was, that is here named of the prophet, because the Greek histories make mention of divers of that name, as Darius Histaspis, and Darius Longimanus, with other more. But because the scripture makes mention of none after Cyrus' time, but this one, I will seek no further, nor trouble you with such hard shifts as many do, to make the scripture and those histories to Under what agree. The scriptures make mention of no more kings for temple was this building time, but of Cyrus, Assuerus, Darius and Ar

kings the

builded.

Ezra iv.

1 Esd. iv.

Ezra vii.

taxerxes therefore in their days must this whole history, and those six and forty years mentioned of St John, be fulfilled. Assuerus I take to be husband to Queen Ester, and this Darius to be her son; whereunto also the Hebrew commentaries agree and although other think otherwise, yet I see no scripture that they bring. Cyrus gave first licence to the Jews to go home and build this temple. Assuerus, moved by the accusations of the rulers, did forbid them to build any more. Darius brought up in the fear of God by his mother Ester, and seeing the wickedness of his father, made a vow, that if he ever reigned after his father, he would build the temple; and so in his second year he gave the Jews free liberty to go home and build their temple, renewed their commission, and gave them money liberally to do it withal. Artaxerxes in his seventh year sent Esdras home again with great gifts, and gave liberty to as many as would go with him; and so the work was finished.

Many do think probably, and to whom I can well agree, Artaxerxes. that the seventh year of Artaxerxes was the seventh year of this same Darius here named, and that Artaxerxes and Darius is both one man. For Artaxerxes was a common