Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_000_t.lzh/4_085.TXT

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Col. ii. 8.  Christ himself may be said to be spoiled,
when he was stripped of his clothes by the Roman
soldiers, who also parted his garments, casting lots on
his vesture; when they that passed by his cross, as he
hung upon it, reviled him, and robbed him of his good
name, and of his kingly and priestly offices; and he is
also spoiled by false teachers, who rob him of his deity,
his divine and eternal sonship, and of his satisfaction
and righteousness, by whom he is trodden under foot,
and his blood counted as an unholy thing; and so the
Targum, "all that pass by the way tread upon him ;"
see Heb. x. 29. these are they that walk not in the
right way ;. but go out of it, and choose their own
way; they are such as pass over the right way, or cross
it; they are they that transgress, and abide not in the
doctrine of Christ, that so use him, 2 John, 9. he is a
reproach to his neighbouts ; his name and character
were reproa. ched by the Jews, his countrymen, who
called him a glutton and a wine-bibber; and repre-
sented him as a notorious sinner; his miracles as done
by the .help of Satan; his doctrine as hard sayings,
novel opinions, contrary to common sense and reason,
and tending to licentiousness; and his followers and
members as the off-scouring of all things: but all this
has been or will be rolled off, and is no objection to
the glory promised him.
Ver. 42. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adver-
saries, &c.] Suffered them to become powerful, and
to prevail against him; as the wicked Jews, and Satan,
and his principalities and powers, at the time of Christ's
apprehension, crucifixion, and death; for then were
their hour, and the power of darkness, Luke xxii. 53.
death also had dominion over him, and held him under
the power of it for awhile: the enemies of his interest,
Rome Pagan, and Rome Papal, have, in their turns,
had their right hands set up, and have had power, and
prevailed over it; and the latter will again, at the slay-
ing of the witnesses: all which, though it seems con-
trary to ver. 2l, 22, 23, 25, 27. yet is not; for Satan,
though he bruised Christ's heel, yet Christ bruised his
head, destroyed his works, and him himself, and that
by dying; and spoiled his principalities and powers;
and death could not hold him long, nor has it now any
dominion over him, and is abolished by him; and
antichrist, and all the antichristian powers, will be de-
stroyed by him ere long: thou hast made all his enemie$
to rejoice; as they did when they had got him on the
cross; and especially when he was laid in the grave,
Psal. xxii. 7, 8. and xli. 8. and as the antichristian
~arty will when his witnesses are slain, Rev. xi. 10.
ut as the joy of the former was shortlived, and was
soon turned into sorrow, so will be that of the lotten
Ver. 43. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword,
&c     Or the sharpness {a} of it' blunted it, so that it
could do no execution: the disciples of Christ were
not allowed the use of the temporal sword to defend
their master; and his house, his kingdom, not being of
this world, Matt. xxvi. M, 52.. John xviii. 36. other
weapons were put into their hands; the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God; and the edge of this
was blunted, with respect to the Jews, being of little
or no efficacy among them; it was turned off by them,
and put away from them; but then it was turned to-
wards  the Gentiles, and was powerful and effectual
among them; Christ girt it on his thigh, and rode
forth in his glory and majesty, conquering, and to con-
quer, and by it subdued many, who fell under him,
and gave up themselves unto him; see Ephes. vi. 17.
Heb. iv. I2. Psal. xlv. 3, 4, 5. and ere long, with the
two-edged sword, which proceeds out of his mouth,
will he smite the antichristian nations; and the rem-
nant of those that escape at the battle of Armageddon
shall be slain with it, Rev. xix. 15, 2l. and hast not
made him to stand in the battle; but to fall in it, being
delivered up into the hands of wicked men, of justice,
and death; and yet, by dying, he put away sin, finished
it, made an end of it, and destroyed it; he conquered
Satan, and led him captive; overcame the world, the
spite and malice of it, and its prince; and abolished
death itself.
  Ver. 44. Thou hast made his glory to cease, &c.] The
glory of his deity, though it did not properly cease,
yet'it seemed to do so, being covered, and out of sight,
and seen but by a very few, whilst he appeared in the
likeness of sinful flesh; and the glory or' his humanity
was made to cease, in which he was fairer than the
children of men, and his visage was more marred than
any man's, and his form than the sons of men; and the
glory of his offices, prophetical, priestly, and kingly,
which were reproached and viiifled, and disputed and
contradicted by the Jews, Matt. xxvi. 68. and xxvii.
42. it may be rendered, his purity {}, which seemed to
cease when he was clothed with our filthy garments;
or had all our sins laid upon him, and imputed to him,
by his father; and he was made sin for us, who knew
none: the Targum is, "thou hast made the priests to
"cease who sprinkle upon the altar, and purify his
"people :" and cast his throne down to the ground; this
seems contrary, and is an objection, to ver. 29, 36. but
is not; for notwithstanding the usage of Christ by the
Jews, who rejected him as the King Messiah, see the
note on ver. 89. yet he is now upon the same throne
with his father, and will sit upon a throne of glory
when he comes to judge the world, and so in the New-
JeruSalem church-state, and to all eternity.
  Vet. 45. The days of his youth hast thou shortened,
&c.] _ His days of joy and pleasure; such as days of
youth are, in opposition to the days of old age, which
are evil, Ecci. xi. 9. and xii. 1. these were short-
ened when his sorrows and sufferings came on, and
God hid his face from him; and indeed he was a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief all his days.: the
Vulgate Latin version renders it, the days of his time;
and the Arabic version the days of his years; for he
did not live out half the time of man s age, which is
threescore years and ten, Psal. xc. 10. he dying at the
age of three or four and thirty; but, notwithstanding
this, he lives again, and lives for evermore; he has
length of days for ever and ever, Psal. xxi. 4. Rev.
i. 18. though his days were in some sense shortened,
yet in another sense they are and will be prolonged,
even his own, and those of his spiritual seed, accord-
ing to the promise of God, Isa. liii.. 10. thou hast co-
vered him with shame. Selah.; see Psal. lxix. 7. when


{a} \^rwu\^ acumen, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{b} \^wrhjm\^ puritatem ejus, Montanus, Michaelis.