Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_500_p.lzh/5_588.TXT

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a degree, that the destruction of their city was in-
evitable, of which they were now sensible themselves;
yet now, notwithstanding{L}, for so it is ushered in; and
thus the words-may be rendered, thus saith the Lord,
the God of Israel; who is Jehovah, with whom no-
thing is impossible; and continues the covenant-God
of his own people, his spiritual Israel; for whose sake
he does great and wonderful things; he says, concern-
ing this city, the city of Jerusalem, now besieged by
the Chaldeans: whereof ye say, it shall be delivered into
the hand of the Icing of Babylon, by the sword., and by the
famine, and by. thepestilence; for, by these things, by
the consumption that was made by them, they saw
their case was desperate; and that there was no avoid-
ing falling ineo the hands of the Chaldeans; wherefore,
for the comfort of the Lord's own people among them,
the following things are said; most of which respect
the Gospel dispensation, either the beginning or latter
end of it.
   Vet. 37. Behold, I will gather them out of all coun-
tries, &e.] At the end of the seventy-years' captivity;
and which will have a greater accomplishment in the
latter day, when the Jews shall be converted, and ga-
thered from their present dispersion all over the earth:
whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my
fury, and in great wrath: or whither I shall drive them,
or shall have driven them {m}; for as yet they were not thus
driven and dispersed. A heap of words is made use
of to express the greatness of the Lord's indignation
at them for their sins, the cause of their expulsion out
of the land: and I will bring them again unto thisplace ;
the city of Jerusalem; as they were at the end of the
seventy-years' captivity; and when the promise was
fulfilled, that they should purchase and possess fields
and vineyards; and as they will likewise at the time
of their conversion in the latter day: and I will cause
them to dwell safely; which yet they did not for any
continuance after their return from Babylon; being,
as Jerom observes, often molested by the Persians, Ma-
cedonians, and Egyptians; and at last destroyed by
the Romans: their troubles in the times of the Mac-
cabees are very notorious; so that this refers either to
the first times of the Gospel, and to the Jews that then
believed in Christ; or rather to times yet to come, and
which are prophesied of from hence to ver. 43.
Ver. 38. And they shall be my people, and I will be
their God.] A comprehensive 'summary of the cove-
nant of grace, which shall be made known to the Jews
at the time of their conversion, and the blessings of it
applied to them, and bestowed on them; though now
a lo-ammi is written upon them; see ch. xxx. o,1. and
xxxi. 1,
Ver. 39. And f will give them one heart and one way,
&c.] One and the same heart; the same heart to one
as to another; gracious souls, truly converted pe. rsons,
be they Jews or Gentiles, have the same experience;
they have all, more or less, a sight and sense of sin, and
the evil of it; are brought off of their own righteous-
ness; are led to Christ alone for life and salvation; are
made partakers of precious promises; and all have
their temptations, afflictions, and trials, and can sym-
pathize with one another: and they have the same
things put into their hearts; the laws of God are writ-
ten there; the doctrines of the Gospel have a place
there; Christ is formed in them; the graces of the
Spirit are implanted, faith, hope, love, fear, humility,
and other graces. Their heart, given them at conver-
sion, is a sincere and upright heart, not a double one;
they become Israelites indeed; their faith is unfeigned;
their hope is devoid of hypocrisy; their love is with-
out dissimulation; their repentance is genuine; and
they serve God uprightly with true hearts. It is also
single and alone for God; he has the whole of it; their
understandings are enlightened with the knowledge of
him; their affections and desires are towards him:
their wills are subject to him; their eye is single to his
glory; their hearts are not divided between him and
another object of worship; and they are also one to-
wards another, as the first Christians were of one heart
and of one soul, Acts iv. 32. and such a heart is a new
heart, and the gift of God: one way is also promised:
one way of salvation, which is Christ; the one and
only way of access to God; of acceptance with him;
of justification before him; and of forgiveness of sin;
the only true way into a Gospel church-state, and to
eternal glory and happiness; and which is the more
excellent way; the good old way; the new and living
one: one way of worship may also be intended; one
Lord is to be obeyed and worshippeal; one doctrine
and scheme of faith to be received; one baptism to be
administered, in one and the same way, to one and the
same subjects, and in one and the same name; one true
spiritual manner of worship, all shall come into in the
latterday; and there will be no more parties among those
that are called Christians; the Jews, when converted,
will have no divisions nor different denominations
among them; see Ephes. iv. 4. Zech. xiv. 9: that they
may fear me for ever; both internally and externally;
the one heart will be given them to fear and reverence
him inwardly; and the one way of worship to fear or
serve him outwardly, and in which they shall always
continue; there will be no apostacy from the true
grace of God, and no defection from his worship to
superstition and idolatry: for the good of them, and of
their children after them; unity of heart; sincerity and
uprightness of soul; a walking in the way of the Lord;
having his fear before their eyes, and on their hearts,
will issue in their spiritual good here, and in their eter-
nal happiness hereafter; and even their posterity will
reap some advantage by their good instructions and
example.
Ver. 40. And I will malce an everlasting covenant with
them, &c.] Which is made known and manifest at
conversion; when the grace of it is applied; the bless-
ings of it bestowed; and the promises of it made good;
and therefore said to be made; for otherwise the cove-
nant of grace here spoken of was made from all eternity
with Christ, and his people in him; as appears from
his being set up as the Mediator so early, and from the
blessings and promises of it being of such a date. It
is founded on the everlasting love of God, and is ac-
cording to his eternal purpose; and is no other than

{l} \^Nkl htew\^ attamen num ideo,Schmidt.
{m} \^Mv Mytxdh rva\^ quo dispulero eos, Schmidt; quo depulero
ipsos, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.