that is, shall attend the public worship of God
in the church: and to pray before the Lord; join in
public prayer, and other ordinances of the Gospel.
This phrase, which is used also in the preceding verse,
signities that the Lord, and he only, is the object of
prayer: it is not to be made to a creature, or to
an idol made with hands, they had been used to pray
to before, but to the one only living and true God, Fa-
ther, Son, and Spirit; and that this is to be done as in
the presence of God, who is omniscient, who knows
all persons and their cases, and what are their ends
and views in their petitions to him, and whether these
come from a true heart and unfeigned lips; for all things
are naked and open unto him, with whom we haveto
do; that, under the Gospel dispensation especially,
men may come into the presence of God with great
freedom and liberty, and pour out their souls before
him, and with great boldness and confidence, through,
the blood of' Christ being shed, and a new and living
Way opened by it, in which they may come and ask in
faith whatever they want; though this should always
be performed with reverer, ce and godly fear, and with
all humility and submission to the will of God: and
though it may take in all sorts of prayer, and wherever
and by whomsoever performed, either mental or vocal,
in the closet or in the family, which is always to be
done in like manner before God; yet it seems chiefly
to design social and public prayer: which being put
up to God in the church, may be said to be before the
Lord, it being in the assembly of his saints, where he
more especially grants his presence, and shews' himself
.to be a God hearing and answering prayer; see Psal.
t'xv. 1, 2.
Ver. 23. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, &c.] For the
further confirmation and illustration of this prophecy:
in those days it shall come to pass; this shall be done in
the times of the preachingof the Gospel by Christ and h is
apostles: that ten men shall take hold out of all lan-
guages of the nations, even shall take bold of the skirt
of him that is a dew: which may be understood either
of our Lord Jesus Christ; who was a Jew by nation,
the Jews were his own people, and Judea his nation;
by descent, he springing from the tribe of Judah, and
the family of David; by religion, being made under
the Jewish law; by his habit and dress, by which, as
Well as by his language, the woman of Samaria knew
he was a Jew, John iv. 9. and very probably he wore
the fringe the Jews did on the border of Iris garment,
Matt. ix. 20. Mark vi. 56. and which the Jewish doc-
tors think is here meant t by the skirt; but this may
intend, in a spiritual sense, the skirt being put for the
whole garment, Ezek," xvi. 8, the robe of Christ's
righteousness, which sensible' sinners take hold of by
faith, and put it on as their justifying righteousness:
and ten men out of all nations being said to do it, and
this number signifying many, Lev. xxvi.26. 1 Sam.
i. 8. may denote that the number of them that be-
lieve in Christ for righteousness, and are justified
by it, are many, Isa. liii. 11. though they are but
few when compared with others; and that at God
has chosen, Christ has redeemed, so the Spirit calls
some out of all nationS; and God is the God of the
Gentiles as well as of-the Jews, since the one areins-
titled by him as well as the other, Rom. iii. 29, 30. or
this may be understood of any of the apostles of Christ,
who were all Jews; and especially the Apostle Paul.
who was the apostle of the Gentiles; who were sent
into all the world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles,
by which means they came to hear it; and many of
them out of every nation laid hold on the skirts of
these men; believed and embraced the doctrines they
preached; were greatly affected towards them; gave
up themselves to them; consorted with them; accom-
panied them, and cleaved unto them; did not care to
part with them, as children, that lay hold on their
parents; skirts, won't leave them, but go with them
where:they go, as follows: saying, we will go with you;
either with Christ, resolving to follow him whitherso-
ever hegoes; to hold to him the Head; to'abide by his
truths and ordinances; to walk on in his ways, what-
ever they suffer for his name's sake: or with his mini-
sters and people, determining to go along and join with
them in all religious exercises; see Ruth i. 16: for we
have heard that God is with you: with Christ, as he
always was; in the council and covenant of-grace
before time, and at the beginning of time to his incar-
nation; and during his state of humiliation, and iu his
sufferings and death; and now in his state of exalta-
tion; hence his name Ithiel, God with me, Prov. xxx.
1. see John i. 1. and viii. ,ø9. and xvi. 3c2.. or with h. is
ministers and people, which he has promised to be
unto the end of the world; and this the Gentiles heard
and understood, by the power that went along with
their ministry, to the conversion of multitudes of sin-
ners; and by the miracles which they wrought, for the
confirmation of the doctrines they delivered.
This chapter treats of the conversion of the Gen-
tiles, before spoken of in general, now particularly
named; of the coming of Christ into the world, and
the advantages of it to his church; of th'e preaching
of the Gospel by the apostles, and of their protection,
encouragement, and success. The Gentiles converted
are first the Syrians that dwelt in Hadrach, DamaScus,
and Hamath, the Lord's eye being upon them, ver. 1.
next the Phcenicians, the inhabitants of Tyre and
Zidon, who had a vain opinion of their wisdom, and
trusted in their riches, yet. 2, 3, 4. and then the Philis-
tines, the inhabitants of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and
Ashdod, guiltyof pride, murder, idolatry, and other
abominations, 'yet. 5, 6, 7. when the charch and peo-
pie of God should be safely protected, vet. 8. to whom,
for their joy and comfort, ts given forth a prophecy
concerning the coming of the Messiah; who is de-
scribed by his character as a King, just, having salva-

{t} T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 32. 2.