We have to build ourselves round, in this world, with other things than the ‘wall of fire,’ but in all our building we have to say, ’Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.  Except the Lord keep the city, the watchers watch in vain.’  But yet neither Jerusalem nor the Church, nor the earthly state of that believer who lives most fully the life of faith, exhausts this promise.  It waits for the day when the city shall descend, ’like a bride adorned for her husband, having no need of the sun nor of the moon, for the glory ... lightens it.’  Having walls, indeed, but for splendour, not for defence; and having gates, which have only one of the functions of a gate—­to stand wide open, to the east and the west, and the north and the south, for the nations to enter in; and never needing to be barred against enemies by day, ‘for there shall be no night there.’

A VISION OF JUDGEMENT AND CLEANSING

’And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2.  And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee:  is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3.  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. 4.  And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him.  And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5.  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.  So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments.  And the Angel of the Lord stood by. 6.  And the Angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, 7.  Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by, 8.  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee:  for they are men wondered at:  for, behold, I will bring forth My servant The BRANCH. 9.  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes:  behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10.  In that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree.’—­ZECHARIAH iii. 1-10.

Zechariah worked side by side with Haggai to quicken the religious life of the people, and thus to remove the gravest hindrances to the work of rebuilding the Temple.  Inward indifference, not outward opposition, is the real reason for slow progress in God’s work, and prophets who see visions and preach repentance are the true practical men.

This vision followed Haggai’s prophecy at the interval of a month.  It falls into two parts—­a symbolical vision and a series of promises founded on it.