some understand of twenty rows of chambers; by
which may be meant particular congregated churches,
as we have seen all along in this vision, erected for the
better use and conveniency of the saints in all places
and parts of the world, where they are called.
Ver. 6. And ye shall appoint the possession of the city,
&e.] Which is something distinct from the house or
temple, which was as the frame of a cit.y, being so
large, and consisting of so many parts, ch. xl. 2. and
seems also different from the city in oh. xlviii. 30, 35.
the measures of the one and of the other not agreeing.
Starckius thinks that this city prefigures the academies
that should be among Christians, in which the priests
or ministers of the word should teach those that came
out of all parts unto them; but I am rather of opinion
that the civil state of the people of God is here meant,
as it will be in the spiritual reign of Christ; when all
civil power and authority will not as yet be put down,
only it will come into the hands of the saints, and be
administered by Christian kings and princes. Five
thousand broad, andfive-and-twenty thousand long, over-
against the oblation of the holy portion; five thousand
reeds in breadth are allowed less for the civil than the
church state; and though they are contiguous, and
there is a connexion between them, yet are separate
from each other; the material temple was in the city
of Jerusalem; but the holy portion, in which the
sanctuary shall be, is without the city, and the city
over-against that; hence John seems, to have borrowed
his idea and language, I saw no temple therein, Rev.
xxi. 22, though speaking of another city: the church
and the world shall be no more mixed together;
Christ's kingdom is not of this world, nor to be fixed
on a civil establishment: it shall be for the whole house
of lsrael; they shall all be under one and the same
form of government; I don't say they shall be all
under one temporal king or prince; but all Christian
kings and princes shall exercise the same kind of rule
and government; so that, as their church-state will be
uniform, their civil state or polity will be alike.
Vet. 7- And a portion shall be for the prince, &c.]
Meaning not the civil magistrate; though he ought to
be supported in his dignity and authority, and in such
manner that he may be under no temptation to oppress
his subjects; and who ought to be, and at this time
will be, the protector of the Lord's people, both in
their civil and church state; but the Prince Messiah,
of whom see oh. xliv. 3. to whom God will divide a
portion with the great; Jacob shall be his portion, the
Heathen his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth his possession, Isa. liii. 12. Dent. xxxii. 9. Psal.
ii. 8, 9: on the one side and on the other side of the
oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the
city .; on each side, both of the holy portion, in which
are the sanctuary, the houses of the priests, and the
chambers of the Levites, and also of the city for the
house of Israel; so that his portion will lie, or he be
placed, on each side both of the church-state and civil
state of the Lord's people, and so be the protector of
both; he will be a wall of fire round about them, a
covert and a hiding-place for them; he will be near
them, and they to him; he'll be on every side of them,
and preserve them from persecuting enemies, and false
teachers; they shall enjoy his word, his ordinances,
and Gospel ministers, and be kept in the utmost peace
and prosperity of all kinds; he'll protect and defend
them, both in their civil and religious liberties, and
none shah make them afraid. Before the oblation of
the holy portion, and beJbre the possession of the city;
or rather, over-against them {w}, as it is rendered, oh.
xli. 15. so, as the possession of the city was over-
against the holy portion, the portion of the prince was
to be over-against them both: from the west side west-
ward, and from the east side eastward; which explains
on which sides of them it lay: and the length shall be
over-against one of the portions; that is, against every
one of the portions: f. rom the west border unto the east
border; now as .there is no measure given to the por-
tion of the prince, but the .whole space eastward and
westward is left for it, it shows the large extent of
Christ's kingdom; that his dominion shall be from sea
to sea, and from the river 'to the ends of the earth; his
Gospel shall be preached everywhere; the spirit shall
be poured down upon all flesh to make it success-
ful; multitudes shall be everywhere converted, and
churches set up in all places; the kingdories of the
world will become Christ's, even all the Pagan, Papal,
and Mahometan nations; Christ will be King over all
the earth, and his name shall be one; there will be
but one religion everywhere, Psal, lxxii. 8. Zecb.
xiv. 8, 9- Roy. xi. 15. Some of the Jewish writers
interpret this of the King Messiah, to whom they sup-
pose is here allotted the thirteenth part of the land:
so Kimchi says, "to Israel belong twelve parts or
" portions, and to the prince the thirteenth part; the
"portion of the prince is as the portion of one of
"the tribes in length and in breadth, excepting that
"within the inheritance of the prince should be an
"oblation," as in yet. 13. and Maimonides{x} says,
"the King Messiah takes out of all lands, subdued by
"the Israelites, one part out of thirteen; and this
"thing is a statute for him and his sons. for ever;"
which seems plainly to refer to this passage in Ezekiel;
though there are some who understand him of any
anointed king of Israel, as being his right: but the
learned Solden{y} is of opinion that he is speaking of
the King Messiah, and has respect to this distribution;
and rightly observes, from the same author{z}, that all
that was subdued by him was his own, and he could
dispose of it at his pleasure to his servants and soldiers.
Vet. 8. In the land shall be his possession in Israel,
&c.] Or, as for the land, it shall be his for a possession
in Israel {a}; the people of the land shall be a people for
possession, as in 1 Pet. ii. 9. or a peculiar people of Iris
throughout all Israel; all the spiritual Israel, whether
Jew or Gentile, shall be Christ's possession and inhe-
ritance: and my princes shall no more oppress my peo-
ple,; neither ecclesiastical princes, as the Scribes and
Pharisees formerly, nor civil magistrates; not the one
with false doctrines, carnal rites and ceremonies; nor

{w} \^ynp la\^ contra faciem, Vulg. Lat.
{x} Hilchot Melachim, c. 4. sect, 8.
{y} De Jure Naturae & Gentium, I. 6. c. 16.
{z} Maimon Hilchot Melachim, c. 4. sect. 10.
{a} \^hzxal lw hyhy Ural\^ de terra vel quod attinet ad terram, sive
terrae (illud) erit in possessionem in Israel, Starckius.