Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_200.lzh/6_245.TXT

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which saints obtain in Christ by lot, Ephes. i. 11.
which the earthly Canaan was' a type; though some in
this way interpret it: but since the whole vision re-
spects the church of Christ on earth, it must be meant
mystically and spiritually of the kingdom of Christ,
and the settlement and establishment of it throughout
the whole world, according to the allotment and de-
termination of God; and they are a distinct and special
people that are admitted into this state; it is by the
distinguishing grace of God that they are taken into
the Gospel church, and have a part and share in all the
rariviieges and immunities of it. Ye shall offer an ob-
lion unto the L,,rd, an holy portion of the !and; which
should be lifted up as the heave-offering was, and de-
dicated to the Lord: this designs such persons who
are separated from the world, and sanctified by the
spirit of God, who shall be brought by the ministers
of the word to the Lord, as trophies of his efficacious
and victorious grace, ascribing the .whOle glory of their
conversion to him; and these shall present themselves,
souls and bodies, a holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice
to him; see Isa. lxvi. 20. Rom. xv. 16. and xii. 1. The
length shah be the length of five-and-twenty thousand
reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand; the kind of
measure is not expressed in the original, so that it is a
question whether reeds or cubits are meant; some think
the latter, and the rather, because mention is made of
them, yet. 2. and 'tis added, and of this measure shall
thou measure the length of five-and-twenty thousand;
which, if.understood of cubits, will greatly reduce the
length and breadth of this holy portion of the la. nd;
wherefore it is best to,take the largest measure, since
that seems better to answer the design of the Holy
Ghost in ,this. passage; and the rather, since this mea-
sure · is.more proper tomessure land with, and is that
whichthe measurer is said to have in his hand, ch. xl.
5. and besides, the measure of the sanctuary, said to be
five hundred square, yet. 2 was measured with the
measuring-reed, and not the cubit, ch. xlii. 16--20.
and which therefore must be supplied here; and a
measuring-reed being six cubits, by a cubit and a
hand's breath, ch. xl. 5, makes this portion of land to
be more than six times larger than if it was supposed
to be measured by.the cubit; and twenty-five thousand
of this measure, according to Cornelius a Lapide, made
five hundred miles, which was three times as large as
the land of Canaan; that being, as Jerom" says, a
hundred and sleety miles long, and forty-six broad; and
is a proof, that the land of Canaan literally taken is
not here meant; but the whole is designed to set
forth the amplitude and large extent of the church of
Christ in the world, in the times the vision refers to.
This shall be holy in aH the borders thereof round about;
that is, -this portion of land measured out, and distin-
guished from the rest: holiness of heart and life shah
appear in all the subjects of Chrisfs kingdom, and
members of his church, which becomes his house for
ever.
Ver. 2. Of this there shah be for the sanctuary, &c.]
Or temple, the house before described in the preceding
chapters: five hundred in length,. and five hundred in
breadth, square round about: that is,. five hundred reeds
square, as ,s manafest from ch. xlii. l6--e0. and this
denotes the largehess, perfection, and stability of the
church of Christ, which the sanctuary was a type of:
and fift.V cubits round about for the suburbs thereof;
which were a void place of fifty cubits round about the
sanctuary, measuring from the wall to that; this was
done in reverence to the holy place, and to shew that
we should not rush hastily into the house of God, and
church of Christ, but first pass through the suburbs or
void place._ Cubits being here mentioned, shew that
reeds are to be understood where the kind of measure
is not expressed.
Ver. 3. And o.f this measure shatt thou measure the
length' of five-and-twenty thousand, and the breadth of
ten thousand, &c.] Not that the sense is, that of and
according to the cubit measure last mentioned, this
length and this breadth should be measured; but after
this measure, as Starckius renders it, and as the particle
is rendered, Dan. xi. e& see also Neh. xiii. 21. and
which Sanctius mentions; and Jerom seems to have
understood it in this light: and the sense is, that after
he had finished the measure of five hundred reeds
square, and fifty cubits round, he should proceed to
measure the rest of the twenty-five thousand in length,
and ten .thousand in breadth: and in it shall be the
sanctuary, and the most holy place ; that is, in the midst
portion of land, consisting of the above measures,
be the holy place, and the holy ofholies; this
is, but a further explanation of the two preceding
verses,
Ver. 4. The holy portion of the land shah be for the
priests, the ministers of the sanctuar!/, &c.] That is,
the rest of it, which is not for the sanctuary, shall be
for the use of the priests that minister in holy things
in the sanctuary; either the ministers of the Gospel,
who shall have a sufficient maintenance from the
churches of Christ, as the priests had under the law:
or it may be meant of all the saints, who are priests
unto God, and serve and worship him in his sanctuary;
who shall all be satisfied with the goodness and fat-
· ness of his house, the word and ordinances, and the
blessings of grace conveyed by them: which shall come
near to minister unto the Lord.; these. sons of Zadok,
these faithful ones, in the worst.of times; see ch. xlivo
15, 16. and xlviii. 10, 11: and it shall be a place for
their houses; in thislarge spot shall be re.any congre-
gated churches, houses of the living God, w-here his
priests and people dwell, and will be serving and
praising him :. and an holy place for the sanctuary;
which may denote the church of God in general, aa
houses may do particular churches.
Vet.. 5. And the five-and-twenty thousand, of length,
and ten thousand of breadth, &c.] This seems to be
another portion of the land, distinct from the former,
though of the same measure; see ch. xlviii. 13: shall
also the Levitea, the ministers of the house, have for them-
selves ; separatefrom the priests, to whom they,mini-
atered, and were as numerous; or more numerous, than
they; this is still designed to set forth the largehess of
the church, and the great numbers of its metubers,
who will all be accommodated and supplied with good
things: for a possession for twenty chambers; which

{u} Ad Dardanum, tom. 3. fol. 21. I. K.