Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_200.lzh/6_242.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-18 | 7KB | 127 lines

and is thought to be the reason why it is forbidden in
the preceding verse; and so this girdle must be dif-
ferent from the priest's girdle under the law, for that
had wool in it: sweat is of an ill smell, and very offen-
sive; and may denote unsound doctrine and immo-
rality in life and conversation, which give offence, and
cause the ministry to be blamed, to which is opposed
the girdle of truth and holiness, Ephes. vi. 14. The
Talmudic doctors interpret this of the place of girding,
which is liable to sweat; and they say °, "they used
· ' not to gird neither below the loins, nor above the
"arm-holes; but over-against, or about the arm-
" holes ;" which is observed by Jarchi and Kimchi on
the text; and the Targum is, "they shall not gird upon
"or about the loins, but about the heart ;" that is, about
the breast or paps; hence Christ our great High-priest
is described as girt about the paps with a golden girdle,
Rev. i. 13. so these are girt that are made priests by
him; denoting their hearty zeal and affection for the
truths of his Gospel, and the honour of his name, and
their readiness to serve and glorify him: or, they shall
not gird themselves looselyP; in a negligent manner,
Which is both indecent, and hinders business.
Ver. 19. And when they go forth into the utter court,
&c.] Out of the inner court where they minister,
when they have done their service: even into the utter
court to the people; out of the church into the world,
where the people are, doing their business, whether
good men or bad: they shall put off their garments
wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy cham-
bers; the north and south chambers; see the note on
ch. xlii. 13, 14: and they shall put on other garments;
which are their outward conversation-garments, which
are proper to appear in before men, for the honour of
religion; though 'not sufficient to appear in before
God, and render acceptable unto him: and they shall
not sanctify the people with their garments; the gar.
merits of the priesthood were reckoned holy,
whatsoever was holy, that which it touched
· accounted holy also; and therefore, to preserve a dif-
ference between the priests and the common people,
they were not to wear their holy garments but in the
time of service; or lest. any superstitious notion should
obtain. among the people, that they were sanctified by
touching their clothes; as the Papists give out, that
if a man is buried in a monk's' cowl, he shall be saved:
or the sense is, that they should not possess the minds
of the people with a notion of any real sanctity in their
garments; or that their conversation-garments, or good
works, can be of any service to them: this may be
opposed to works ofsupererogation.
Vet. 90. Neither shall they shave their heads, &c.]
As the priests and worshippers of Isis and Serapis did,
as Jerom on the text observes; and as the Romish
priests now do, from whom the Lord's faithful mini-
sters must be distinguished: nor suffer their locks to grow
long; as the Nazarites, that a aistinction might be
preserved between those who were and were not
such; or rafter, after the manner of women, their
locks hanging down, and flowing about their shoulders,
as a token of levity, wantonness, effeminacy, pride, and.
vanity; see 1 Cor. xi. 14, 15: they shall only poll their
heads; observe a medium between both; neither shave
their heads close, nor let their hair grow long, but
keep it in an even moderate length; for which reason
godly men of the last age among us were called
round-heads.
Ver. 21. Neither shall any priest drink wine, &c.]
That is, to excess, iramoderately, so as to be inebri-
ated with it, Lev. x. 9, 10, 11. should not be given
to it, and greedy of it, and drink it so as to disguise
themselves: this is reckoned among the qualifications
of a Gospel minister, 1 Tim. iii. 3. otherwise it is not
forbidden good men, or ministers of the word, to drink
wine, for health's sake, and for the refreshment of na-
ture, provided it is done in moderation, 1 Tim. v. 23.
and particularly care should be taken that they drink
it in such a manner, when they enter into the inner court:
to attend divine service, since immoderate drinking
affects the memory; and such may forget the law and
doctrines of the Lord they are to deliver or hear; and
.may put them upon saying and doing that which is
improper and indecent: drunkenness in any Christian
professor is abominable, especially in a minister of the
word; and when it appears in his ministration, it is
scandalous to the last degree.
Ver. 22. Neither shall they talce for their wives a
widow, &c.] Who has been not only another man's,
but at her own will, and done her own pleasure, and
been her own mistress, and so not easily brought into
subjection, and to behave as becoming her station:
or her that is put away; or, thrust forth{q}; out of
doors; whose husband has given her a bill of divorce;
since she may be suspected of having done some ill
thing: · but they shall take maidens of the seed of the
house of Israel; virgins, and not of the families
of unconverted persons, who have .been brought up
in an irreligious way, but of godly famSlies, and
who have had a religious education: or a widow that
had a priest before: and so used to religious exercises,
and to the manner of living of such persons. All good
men should be careful whom they marry, and especially
ministers of the Gospel; who are here supposed and
allowed to marry, contrary to the church of Rome,
which forbids her priests to marry. It is observed by
some, and with great propriety, that in the latter days
antichristian churches will be disowned; and that
godly faithful ministers will become pastors, and take
the care of such churches, who are like a chaste virgin
espoused to Christ, and such who have had faithful
pastors over them before. This seems to refer to the law
concerning the marriage of the high-priest, Lev. xxi..
13, 14. and what is there enjoined him is here enjoined
e priests of the Lord; and therefore, as Kimchi
r observes, this is a new rule respecting future
rues.
Ver. 23. And they shall teach roy people the difference
between the holy and the profane, &c.] Persons and
things; not in a ceremonial, nor merely in a moral,
but in an evangelical sense, between truth and error;

{o} T. Bab. Zevachim, fol. 18. 2. and 19. 1.
{p} \^ewyb wrgxy al\^ non cingent seipsos modo instabili, nempe neglectim
circumponendo cingulum nimis laxum, Gussetius, p. 315. The Tigu-
rine version is, quae non adstringent arctius.
{q} \^hvwdg\^ expulsam, Montanus, Heb.; ejectam, Piscator.