off of their necessary and lawful employments; and
that the ministers of the word may have sufficient time
to prepare in their studies for their ministerial service:
but on the sabbath it shall be opened; by which is meant,
not the Jewish sabbath now abrogated in the times
this vision refers to; but the Lord's day, called by this
Jewish name: and this being opposed to the six work-
ing days, shews that it ought to be kept by abstinence
from all civil, corporeal, and servile works, as well as
from dead works or sins, and in the exercise of all re-
ligious duties, private and public; and particularly in
attendance on the ministry of the word, the gate now
opened; and which is sometimes expressed by opening
the door of faith, and is called an open door; and may
be said to be so when ministers have an opportunity
without, and great freedom within themselves, to
preach it; and when the doors of men's hearts are
opened to attend to it, and many souls are gathered to
Christ, and into his churches, by it; see Acts xiv. 27.
1 Cot. xvi. 9. 2 Cor. if. 12: and in the day of the new
moon it shall be opened; on stated monthly days, in
which the churches-of Christ meet together for re-
ligious service: the new moon, which is an emblem of
new light, and an increase of it, is very suitable to ex-
press the Gospel dispensation; in which, as Cocceius
observes, there are some particular seasons that may
be called so; as the coming of Christ into the world;
his resurrection from the dead; the pouring forth of
the spirit on the day of Pentecost; the destruction 9f
the temple, and temple-service; the peace and pro-
sperity of the Christian churches in the-times of Con-
stantine; the morning-star of the reformation; and
the call of God's people out of Babylon at the destruc-
tion of it; at all which times there has been, or will
be, an opening of this eastern gate, or a free,
and glorious ministration of the Gospel. Som
these six working-days design_ this life, which is the
time of working, after which there will be none but
aneternal sabbath or rest; and that, for the present,
saints live and walk by faith, and not by sight; divine
and heavenly things are greatly shut up, and out of
sight; but then it will be new moon, as well as sabbath,
and all things will be seen clearly; but the former
sense I think is.best, which yet I leave to the judgment
of others. This Kimchi says is a new thing, that will
be in time to come.
Ver. 2. And the prince shall enter by the way of the
porch of that gate without, &c.] That is, by the way
of the porch of the eastern gate, even the outermost
gate of the porch; for, as every gate had a porch, so
every porch had two gates, one at one end, and the
other at the other; now this was the outermost gate
of the porch, which looked to the outward court, and
not that which led into the inner: and shall stand by
the post of the gate; this denotes the presence of
Christ, the Prince with his people waiting at Wisdom's
gate, and watching at the posts of her door. The al-
lusion seems to be to the king's pillar in the temple,
where he used to stand, 2 Chron. xxiii. 13. Some
understand this of Christ's incarnation, of his entrance
into the world, and his standing before his father, and
praying for his people, as he did in the garden, and a
little before his death, recorded John xvii: and the
priests shah prepare his burnt-offerings, and his peace-
offerings; that is, shall offer them. The meaning is,
that the ministers shall preach Ch fist and him crucified,
who, by his sacrifice, has made atonement tbr sin, and
peace for his pe.ople; though some interpret this of the
concern the priests had in the crucifixion and death
of Christ: and he shall worship at the threshold of the
gate; of the other gate that led into the inner court,
and where he could see all that was done in it: or
bow i; which it is observed he did, when he fell pro-
strate in the garden, and when he expired on the cross,
and was at the threshold of the gate of heaven launch-
mg into eternity: worship and adoration, or bowing,
be ascribed to Christ as man; see John iv.
shall he g'oforth; out of this world to his father,
and be seen no more, until the restitution of all things;
though this and the preceding may be understood of
Christ's mystical worshipping; or of his people, who
are one with him; and of their departure from public
worship, when it is over: but the gate shall not be shut
until the evening; of the sabbath, or new moon; or the
evening of the world, the second coming of Christ; the
Gospel ministry and ordinances will continue till then,
and no longer; and this is owing to his powerful-and
prevalent intercession in heaven, whither he is gone
then the door will be shut, and not before, Matt.
xxv. 10.
Ver. 3..Likewise the people of the land shall worship
at the door of this gate before the Lord, &c.] Publicly,
and in a spiritual manner; attending the ministration
of the word and ordinances with constancy and fer-
vency; praying to God, praising Iris name, and hearing
his word with attention; and performing all the duties
of religious worship. The allusion is t0 the people of
Israel meeting at the door of the tabernacle of the con-
gregation, Exod. xxix. 42: in the sabbaths, and in the
new moons; at their stated weekly and monthly meet-
ings; see Isa. ixvi. 23.
Ver. 4. And the burnt-offering the prince shall offer
unto the Lord in the sabbath-day, &c.] In the preceding
chapter, ver. 17, it is said to be the prince's part to
give and prepare sacrifices in the feasts, new moons,
sabbaths, and all solemnities; and there follows an ac-
count of them, for New-year's Day, and for the feasts of
passover and tabernacles; and here an account is given
of those for the sabbaths and new moons; which is
very properly reserved for this place, to follow the ac-
count of the opening of the eastern gate at those sea-
sons: and the burnt-offering for the sabbath shall be
six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish ;
according to the law of Moses, only two lambs were
the burnt-offering for this day, besides the continual
one, Numb. xxviii. 9, lo. here Jarchi confesses his
ignorance; and Kimchi says it is a new thing; and
indeed it is, and is a proof of the ceremonial law being
now abolished. These seven denote the perfect sacri-
fice of Christ, by which he has perfected for ever them
that are sanctified; and being without blemish, the
purity and holiness of it; and as the people of God on
the six working-days commit much sin, and contract
much guilt, the sacrifice of Christ is signified by six

{i} \^hwxtvh\^ incurvaverit se, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; incurvato 
se, Piscator.