Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_100_p.lzh/5_139.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-09 | 7KB | 127 lines

the whole of salvation to his love and free favonr; the
Son, by ascribing deity to him, by making use of him
in all his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, and by
· giving him the glory of salvation wrought out by him;
the Spirit, in his person, and the operations of his
grace. Christ, in particular, will be exalted in this
.state as King of saints, and because of his having taken
to himself his reigning power, Rev. xi. 15, 17. and xv.
4: I will praise thy name; celebrate his perfections,
confess him before men, praise him for all his benefits;
this is one way of exalting him, and is the great work
of New-Testament saints, and especially 'in the latter
day; see Rev. xix. 1--6: for thou hast done wonderful
.things; this respects not so much the wonderful things
m nature and grace, either in creation and providence,
or in redemption and effectual vocation; but what
will be done in the latter day; as the conversion of the
Jews and Gentiles, the destruction of antichrist, and
the glorious appearing of the kingdom of Christ: thy
couns_els of old are faithfulness and truth; the -decrees
and purposes of God, which are from eternity, are all
truly and faithfully performed; this is an amplification
of the wonderful things which are done according to
the counsel of the divine will; not only the choice of
men to salvation, the redemption of them by Christ,
and their effectual vocation; but the calling Of the
Jews and Gentiles, in particular, in the latter day, and
all things relating to the church to the end of time;
which, as they were fixed in the eternal purpose of
 God, they are punctually and exactly brought about
in time; these are the true and faithful sayings of God,
Rev. xix. 9. and xxi. 5.
Ver. 2. For thou hast made of a city an heap, &c.]
Which is to be understood, not of Samaria, nor of
Jerusalem; rather of Babylon; though it is best to
interpret it of the city of Rome, as Jerorn says the
Jews do; though they generally explain it of
many cities, which shall be destroyed in the times
of Gog and Magog, as Aben Ezra and Kimehi;
and so the Targum has it in the plural number i
perhaps not only the city of .Rome, but all the an-
tichristian states, the cities of the nations, all within
the Romish jusisdiction are meant; which shall
all fall by the earthquake, sooner or later. and become
· a heap: of a defenced city, a ruin; or, for a fall {c};
the same thing is meant as before: it designs the
fall of mystical Babylon or Rome, called the great and
mighty city, Rev. xviii. 2, 10: a palace of strangers;
which Kimchi interprets of Babylon, which, he says,
was a palace to the cities of the Gentiles, who are
called strangers; and it is said, that that city was
originally built for strangers, that dwelt in tents, in
Arabia Deserts; but it is best to understand it of
Rome, as before, which is the palace of such who are
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel-, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, who have introduced a
strange religion, and are the worshippers of strange
gods, Dan. xi. 38, 39. The Targum renders it," the
·  house of the gods of the people in the city of Jeru-
"salem ;" and this will be made to be no city, it shall
never be built; any more, when once it is destroyed,
signified by the angels casting a millstone into the sea,
which shall never be taken up again, or found more,
Rev. xviii. 21.
Ver. 3. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee,
&c.] To whom the Lord is strength, as in the fol-
1ow,ing verse; who are strong in the Lord, in the
power of his might, and in the grace that is in him;
or such of the antichristian party as shall be awakened
and convinced by the judgments of God on antichrist,
and shall be converted, these shall give glory to the
God of heaven, Rev. xi. 13: the city of the terrible na-
tions shall fear thee; or such who have belonged to
the city or jurisdiction of Rome, and have been ter-
rible to the people of God, yet now shall be aftrighted
themselves, and shall fear the Lord, either with a
servile fear, or some, at least, with a truly filial fear;
see Rev. xi. 13. and xv. 4.
Ver. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a
strength to the needy in his distress, &c.] The people
of God, who are poor and needy, both in a literal and
in a spiritual sense; and especially when under afflicted
circumstances, in times of desertion, temptation, bodily
afflict. ion, and persecution from men, which may be
here chiefly intended ; to whom the Lord is a strength:
he strengthens their hearts, and his own grace in them .;
he sheds abroad his love in their hearts, whi.ch makes
their mountain .to stand strong; he directs them to
Christ, in whom is strength, as well as righteousness
he strengthens them by his spirit, his promises, word,
and ordinances. Christ may be more especially meant
and it may refer to the strength and power he'll give
to his people in the latter day; when a small one shall
be a strong nation; when the feeble shall be as David,
and the house of David as the angel of the Lord; when
they shall have got the victory over the beast, his mark
and image, Isa. Ix. 21. Zech. xii. 8. Rev. xv. 2:
refuge from the storm; or tempestuous rain, or over-
flowing flood; as Christ is a refuge from the tempest
and storm of divine wrath and vengeance, by his satis-
faction and righteousnesS, ha. xxxii. e. so from' the
flood of persecution, by his power and providence,
Rev. xii. 15: a shadow from the heat; which gives
refreshment and rest, and is a protection from the
scorching beams of the sun. Christ, as he is the sha-
dow from the beat of a fiery law, from the flaming
sword of justice, from the wrath of God, and the
fiery darts of Satan's temptations; so from the violence
of persecution, which heat shall now be no more, an-
tichrist being destroyed, Rev. vii. 15, 16: when
blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall
these terrible ones are either Satan and his principally.
ties, who are very terrible to the 'Lord's people; and
whose temptations are like a strong wind, which beat
against them as against a wall, but they stand, the
Lord being their strength, refuge, and shadow; see
Isa. xlix. 24. or rather antichrist and his persecuting
princes, the kings of the earth, that have joined him,
and persecuted the saints, and have been terrible to
them; and whose persecutions have been like a blus-
tering strong wind, threatening to carry all herore
them; but the Lord has been their protection, and
made them to stand as a wall, firm and immovable,
against them. The Targum is," so the words of thg

{c} \^hlpml\^ in lapsum.