Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_000_p.lzh/5_025.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-10 | 7KB | 129 lines

is God's writing, it is his act and deed, the act of God
the Father, and an eternal one, flowing from his sove-
reign will and pleasure, and is sure, certain, and infrus-
trable; what is written is written, and can never be al-
tered; and election being signified by writing names
in a book, shews it to be particular and personal, not
of nations, churches, and bodies of men, but of parti-
cular persons; and that it is irrespective of faith, holi-
ness, and good works, and entirely unconditional; it
is of naked persons, and not as so and so qualified;
and that it is distinguishing of some, and not others,
whom God has an exact knowledge of, and calls by
name: and this writing is %unto life%, or %lives%, as in the
original text; not to a temporal life, but to a spiritual
and eternal one; in consequence of which, such be-
come living, holy, and persevering Christians in Jeru-
salem, in the church of God, and shall be admitted into
the New Jerusalem, and none else, \\#Re 21:27\\ and
so Jarchi interprets it, every one that is written to the
life of the world to come, or to eternal life, shall be in
Jerusalem; and the Targum adds, \*"and he shall see
"the consolation of Jerusalem;"\* from hence it appears
that election is the source and spring of holiness, and
the security of the saints final perseverance, \\#Ro 8:30\\
and is not a licentious doctrine, but a doctrine ac-
cording to godliness; holiness is a fruit and evidence
of it; whoever are written or ordained to life become
holy; and these being brought to Zion, remain there,
and persevere unto the end.
\*Ver. 4. \\When {n} the Lord shall have washed away the
filth of the daughters of Zion\\, &c.] By Zion is meant
the church of Christ in general, his mystical body, the
general assembly and church of the first born, written
in heaven, \\#Heb 12:22\\ and by her %daughters% parti-
cular churches, that go by the name of Christian
churches, who are called the reformed churches, being
such as are separated from the church of Rome; among
whom there is a great deal of %filth%, and which will be
removed in the latter times of the Gospel dispensa-
tion; by which are designed all false doctrines, such
as are contrary to the deity and sonship of Christ,
and the personality of the Holy Spirit; which dero-
gate from the grace of God in election, justification,
pardon, and salvation; which detract from the blood
of Christ, and deny his imputed righteousness and sa-
tisfaction; and which exalt the power and free will of
man, and tend to impurity and licentiousness; these
will all be removed, and the true doctrine, which se-
cures the glory of each divine Person, asserts the free
grace of God, salvation by Christ, the operations of the
Spirit, and influences and engages to holiness of life,
will take place. This filth likewise includes all false
worship; all ordinances and institutions of men; all
corruptions in the ordinances of Christ, baptism, and
the Lord's supper; all forms and modes of worship that
are not of God; all offices and officers, except bishops
and deacons, which are of the man of sin; and all im-
morality and profaneness; and all wicked men, even
all that offend and do iniquity, shall be taken out of
Christ's kingdom and churches; there will be a
thorough  clearing of his floor of all filth, dirt, and
chaff.  \*\\And shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem
from the midst thereof\\; that is, of the daughters of
Jerusalem, particular churches, of which the Jerusalem
above is the mother; for this is not to be understood
literally of the city of Jerusalem, nor of the blood of
Christ, and his servants, shed in it, purged away by
the burning of it by the Romans; but of the blood-
shed and persecution in Protestant churches; for a
spirit of persecution has prevailed in some of them,
but this shall be no more seen in the latter day;
Christ's kingdom will be a peaceable kingdom, and of
the peace of it there will be no end; as there will be
no war in a civil sense, so neither in a religious sense;
all animosities, disputes, and contentions, will cease;
see \\#Isa 9:7 11:6-8,13\\?? and much less will
there be any effusion of blood on account of religion,
nor any that shed it; as the Targum paraphrases the
words, \*"and they that shed innocent blood in Jeru-
"salem shall be removed out of it:"\* it is added, \*\\by the
spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning\\; the
Targum is, \*"by the word of judgment, and by the
"word of consummation or perfection;"\* by the former
is meant a judicious spirit, which the Lord will give
to his churches and ministers; a set of ministers will
be raised up, having the everlasting Gospel, which they
shall freely, fully, and openly preach unto all men; by
which means the churches will be cleared of all false
doctrines; clear and distinct light will be given to all
the preachers of the word; the watchmen shall see eye
to eye; and all Zion's children be taught of God; and
this shall be universal all the world over; there will
be a discerning of spirits of men and doctrines, whe-
ther of God, or no; by which good doctrines will be
distinguished from bad ones, and good men from the
wicked; and this will be part of the judgment which
will be given to the saints of the most High, and will
proceed from the Spirit of God; who will be poured
out in a plenteous manner to guide the churches into
all truth, as it is in Jesus; and by the latter, %the spirit
of burning%, is meant a burning flaming zeal; a zeal ac-
cording to knowledge, against all false doctrine and
worship, and for the pure doctrine and worship of
Christ; which will appear in Christian ministers and
churches, and also in Christian magistrates, who will
hate the whore, and burn her flesh with fire; and who
will be stirred up by the preachers of the Gospel to
pour out the plagues on the antichristian states,
\\#Re 15:6,7 17:16\\ and when the fire of God's word
will burn up all the wood, hay, and stubble, which the
day will declare; and then will be the trying win-
nowing time, and those that are left will be holy unto
the Lord.
\*Ver. 5. \\And the Lord will create on every dwelling-
place of Mount Zion\\, &c.] That is, on every particu-
lar church of Christ in Gospel times, and especially in
the latter day; which are the dwelling places of Fa-
ther, Son, and Spirit, and of believers in Christ. The
word {o} used signifies a place well fitted up, and pre-
pared, and established, and settled; and such will be

{n} Or, %for the Lord shall wash away%; so Noldius, in Ebr. Concord.
    Part. p. 88. No. 428. which gives a reason why he %that is left in
    Zion, &c shall be called holy"; because "the Lord, &c." so the
    Septuagint version,  \~oti ekplunei\~; and Aben Ezra observes,
    that \^Ma\^, %if%, is used for \^yk\^, %because.%

{o} \^Nwkm\^ a \^Nwk\^ %paravit, disposuit.%