Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_684.TXT

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salvation, honour, and glory, to God, Rev. xix. 1, c2-.
All this is true, in an evangelic sense, of such as are re-
deemed byChrist, and broughtout of mystical Babylon,
and are effectually called by the grace of God; to these
the Lord brings forth the righteousness of Christ,
which he makes their own, by imputing it to them;
and he brings it near to them, and puts it upon them;
it is revealed unto them from faith to faith; it is applied
to them by the Spirit of God, and put into their hands
to plead with God, as their justifying righteousness;
and which is brought forth by him on all occasions, to
free them from all charges exhibited against them by
law or justice, by the world, Satan, or their own
hearts, Rom. viii. 33. and it becomes such persons to
declare in Zion, in the church of God, the works of
the Lord; not their own, which won't bear the light,
nor bear speaking of; but the works of God, of creation
and providence; but more especially of grace, as the
great work of redemption by Jesus Christ; and parti-
cularly the Spirit's work of grace upon their hearts,
which is not the work of men, but of God; being a
new creation-work; a regeneration; a resurrection from
the dead; and requiring almighty power, to which man
is unfit and unequal: this lies in the quickening of men
dead in trespasses and sins; in enlightening stlch as are
darkness itself; in an implantation of the principles of
grace and holiness in them; in giving them new hearts
and new 'spirits; and in bringing them off of their own
righteousness, to depend on Christ alone for salvation;
and which work, as it is begun, will be carried on,
and performed in them, until the day of Christ; and,
wherever it is, should not be concealed, but should be
declared in the gates of Zion, publicly, freely, and
filly and faithfully, to the glory of the grace of God,
and for the comfort of his people, to whom every such
declaration is matter of joy and pleasure; see Psal.
lxvi. 16. Mark v. 19.
Ver. 11. Make bright the arrows, &c..'] Which were
covered with rust; scour them of it; anoint them with
oil, as armour were wont to be; make them neat,
clean, and bright, that they may pierce the deeper;
hence we read of a polished shaft, or arrow, one made
bright and pure, Isa. xlix..o. agreeably to this some
render the word sharpen the arrows {k}.; so the Targum.
The word has the signification of choosing; but, as Gus-
setius observes {l}, whether the direction be to choose the
best arrows, or to scour clean and polish them, the end
is the same; namely, to have such as are most fit for use.
Joseph Kimchi derives the word from another, which
signifies a feather; and so renders it,feather the arrows {m};
that they may fly the swifter. These and what follow
are either the words of God, or of the prophet; or, as
some think, of the Jews about to return to Judea,
whose words are continued, exhorting the Medes and
Persians to go. on with the war against the Chaldeans;
but they rather seem to be addressed to the Chaldeans
themselves, putting them upon doing these things;
and suggesting, that when they had done all they
could, it would be to no purpose: gather the shields;
] which lay scattered about and neglected in time of
peace: or, fill them; fill the hands with them; or
bring in a full or sufficient number; since there would.
be now occasion for them, to defend them against the
enemy. The Targum, and several versions, render it,
fill the quivers {n}; that is, with arrows; and so Jarchi:
or, fillthe shields°; that is, with oil; anoint them, as
in Isa. xxi. 5. The Lord hath raised up the spirit of the
kings of the Medes; of Cyaxares, or Darius the Mede,
and of Cyrus, who succeeded his uncle as king of
Media; and indeed the army that came against Babylon
was an army of Medes joined by the Persians, Cyrus
being employed as general of it by his uncle. The
Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read it, the
spirit of the kingof the 1tiedes ; with which the following
clause seems to agree: for his device fs against Babylon,
to destroy it; the device of the king of the Medes,
Darius; or rather the device of the Lord, who stirred
up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; put it into
their hearts to fultil his will; and gave them wisdom
and skill, courage and resolution, to do it; and as he
will to the kings of the earth against mystical Babylon,
Rev. xvii. 16, 17: because it is the vengeance of the
Lord, the vengeance of his ten, ple ; his vengeance oa
Babylon, for the destruction of his temple, and the
prothnation of it; see oh. 1. 28.
Vet. 12. Set up the standard upon the walls of Ba-
bylon, &c.] This is not said to the Medes and Per-
sians, to put up a flag on the walls of Babylon, as a
sign of victory, as Kimchi, Abarbinel, and others think;
for as yet the city is not supposed to be taken by what
follows; but rather to the Babylonians, to set up an
ensign on their walls, to gather the inhabitants toge-
ther, to defend their city, and the bulwarks of it;
which, with what follows, is ironically spoken: make
the watch strong; to guard the city; observe the mo-
tions of the enemy, and give proper and timely notice;
increase and double it: set up watchmen; meaning the
keepers of the walls; place them upon them, to keep
a good look out, that they might not be surprised: this
seems to respect the great carelessness and security
the whole city was in the night it was taken; being
wholly engaged in feasting and revelling, in rioting
and drunkenness, having no fear of danger, or concern
fobr their safety; with which they are tacitly upbraided:
prepare the ambushes; or, liers in wait P; to second or
relieve those on the wails upon occasion; or seize
unawares the besiegers, should they attempt to scale
the walls, and enter the city: for the Lord hath devised
and done that which he spoke against the inhabitants of
Babylon; or as he hath devised, so hath he done, or
will do: his purposes cannot be frustrated, his counsel
shall stand; and therefore had the Babylonians been
ever so industrious in their own alefence, they could
never have prevented their ruin and destruction, which
was resolved upon, and accordingly effected.
Vet. 13. 0 thou that dwellest upon many waters, &c]
Here Babylon is addressed, either by the Lord, or by
the prophet, or the godly Jews; who is described by

{k} \^Myuxh wrbh\^ acuite sagittas, Vulg. Lat. Castalio; exacuite, Mon-
tanus.
{l} Ebr. Comment. p. 148.
{m} Ponite pennas in sagittis, so some in Vatablus.
{n} \^Myjlvh walm\^ \~plhroute tav faretrav\~, Sept.; implete pharetras,
Vulg. Lat. Castalio, So Syr. this version is prefered by Gussetius, Ebr.
Comment. p. 860, 945.
{o} Implete scuta, scil. oleo, Stockius, p. 1098.
{p} \^Mybrah\^ insidiatores, Montanus, Junius &; Tremellius, Piscator,
Cocceius, Schmidt.