This passage was applied by himself, Matt. xxvi. 31; Mark xiv. 37, when he, as the Shepherd, was smitten, and his disciples were scattered as sheep. The particulars are very remarkable, especially as preserved by the Jews; for their sin in crucifying the Lord of life and glory is the more aggravated, when it is considered that they possessed such clear predictions, uttered by one of the last of their prophets, who had been so instrumental in forwarding the work of building that temple, in which they conspired to destroy Him of whom the prophet spoke. In the concluding chapter is a very remarkable prediction of the latter days, when there "shall be one Lord, and his name one.' Thus, in Zechariah, we have an evangelical prophet, one scarcely less so than Isaiah, to whom that epithet is often given. We are encouraged to look forward to that day when all shall be "Holiness to the Lord," and also to apply the words of truth uttered by Zechariah, for our individual instruction and comfort: see Zech. xiv. 7. At evening time let there be light: At evening time let there be light: Dews, birds, and blossoms cheered the way; At evening time let there be light. At evening time there shall be light; THE MAGIANS-THEIR DOCTRINES-ZOROASTERDARIUS HYSTASPES PROTECTS THE JEWS. Ir is thought that Darius Hystaspes protected the Jews during the remainder of his reign, which, in the whole, lasted thirty-six years, from B.c. 521 to B.C. 485. He was not quite a blind idolater, being a follower of Zoroaster, who was a reformer of the religious system that prevailed among the Persians. Zoroaster and his religious creed may be briefly noticed here. Prideaux gives a full account of him. At this time the idolatry of what was then considered the civilized world, was divided between the Sabians, who were worshippers of images, and the Magians, who worshipped fire, or the sun, the great source of light and heat. These wrong notions of the Deity may have proceeded, in some degree, from the sense which is in all mankind, of their vileness and sinfulness, even 128 THE MAGIANS-THEIR DOCTRINES. as expressed by the prophets, Isaiah, liii. 6, and Jeremiah, xvii. 9. These views being entertained, though not duly acknowledged, they considered God as too holy to be approached by such creatures as themselves; they looked out for a mediator, or a means whereby they might approach the Most High, according to the anxious inquiry with which Balak addressed Balaam, Micah vi. 6: Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the high God. The Saviour, the Son of God, Christ Jesus, was not then so clearly revealed as he is set forth in the gospel, mankind did not know in "the times of this ignorance," that we may "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need," Heb. iv. 16. They therefore sought out mediators of their own choosing; the earliest, and it may be said, the most obvious, were the heavenly bodies; and probably the attempt to impress more forcibly the mass of the people, led to the representing of the planets by images; for the heavenly bodies evidently were meant by the first idols that were worshipped as gods by the ancient nations in general. The number of these false deities was increased by heroes and celebrated characters, who were considered as having been exalted after death into gods and demigods. But to pursue the subject of pagan idolatry, that chosen work of the devil, would require a volume in itself; our present object is to notice the worshippers of fire, who abominated images. We shall find them equally opposed to Scripture truth. Their leading doctrine was, that there were two principles in existence, one the cause of all good, the other the cause of all evil; the power of light, and the power of darkness. Between these, they considered there would be unceasing opposition to the end of the world, when the good god, Oramasdes, would over come the evil god, Arimanes. Fire, or light, was the symbol of the former; as such, it was kept burning in all their temples. It is easy to perceive that these views were derived from the patriarchal theology; but the errors respecting good and evil, and as to their limiting the power of the Almighty, show their wide departure therefrom. One who entered into the views of the Magian system, as Darius, would be interested in the Jews, whose faith, grounded on revelation, alone could present to him a way of escape from the mazes of such a false belief as that of the Magians. He regarded the Jews with favour, and was interested in their welfare; he therefore gave orders in accordance with those of Cyrus, that their house should be builded, and their interest as a people protected. This confirmation, or re-issuing the decree of Cyrus by Darius Hystaspes, may be considered as the full re-establishment of the Jewish state. The date of the completion of the temple, by the powers of this decree, was B.c. 516, seventy years from the destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar, B.c. 586. A sort of reformation took place about this period among the Magians, which seems likely to have been connected with the intercourse of the Jews with Babylon. Zoroaster, or Zerdusht, was the author, or the main instrument of this reformation. He was skilled in the learning of the East, and evidently had become well acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures; but he wrested them to his own destruction, seeking to build up a system of fraud, though, in some respects, preferable to that of his countrymen. Zoroaster is said to have been the servant of a prophet, from whom he became well acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures. His master probably was Daniel. It is likely that Zoroaster was of Jewish origin, or he would hardly have been retained by a Jew, and instructed so as to become thoroughly versed in the Jewish learning. It is expressly said he was a native of Palestine. His object was to revive or restore the Magian religion, then 130 DOCTRINES TAUGHT under a cloud by the political disgrace in which it was involved by the usurpation of the false Smerdis, and the proneness of the people to run after the more corrupted and grosser Sabian idolatry. He improved the Magian religion, by teaching the belief of a Supreme Being, superior to those conflicting powers of good and evil, originally taught by this faith or superstition. He might ground this on the sublime declaration, Isa. xlv. 5—7, already quoted in the account of Cyrus. Prideaux states at length the principles which Zoroaster taught; they need not be given here. It is sufficient to say, that he united the recognition of ONE Supreme Being with the worship of the sun and of the sacred fires. That worship he caused to be offered in temples, with care in the selection of fuel, and other. particular observances evidently derived from the Jewish worship. Another proof of the source from whence he derived his views, is found in the sacred books which he prepared, in imitation of the Hebrew Scriptures. These are called Zendavesta. When first presented to Darius, they were written in twelve books, each containing a hundred skins of vellum. The word Zendavesta signifies a firekindler, implying that the contents would kindle true religion in all who read therein. Much of these contents evidently are derived from the Old Testament, the history of the creation and the deluge. Abraham is described as the author of the Magian religion in its original purity, to which it was said to be brought back by Zoroaster. Many precepts of the Levitical law are urged, many devotional expressions of the Psalms are copied, Particulars of the life and actions of the false prophet take up part of the book, with precepts for the life and conduct of his followers. In some instances the customs and views of the Persians are allowed, showing evidently the earthly and defective origin of the system. The doctrines and proceedings of Zoroaster were more dangerous from their simulation of what is right, and their approximation thereto. Hales considers these books as spurious, and of much later date, but this question does not inter |