Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_200.lzh/6_258.TXT

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though of ever so mean a capacity: or it may intimate
the small spread of the Gospel at first in Judea, Samaria,
and Galilee.
Ver. 4. And again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through the waters; the waters were to the
knees, &c.] The man with his line measured another
thousand cubits straight on from the first; and then bid
the prophet cross and ford them again, and then they
were knee deep: again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through; the waters were to the loins; a
third time he measured a thousand cubits still onward,
and ordered the prophet to wade through them, when
they were risen so high as to reach his loins. The wa-
ters to the knees and loins may signify the greater know-
ledge of the Gospel, and the mysteries of it,the apostles
had after the spirit was poured forth; and the. greater
spread of it iu the world, among Jews and Gentiles: or
else may design those doctrines of the Gospel, and
mysteries of grace, which are more sublime, and more
difficult to understand; which require some pains
to search into, and get the knowledge of; as concern-
ing predestination, election, the covenant of grace,
.and the eternal transactions between the Father and
the Son, &c. which are meat for strong men, who
have their senses exercised to discern between good
and evil.
Ver. 5. Afterward he measured a thousand, &c.] A
fourth time a thousand cubits. Some think these four
measurings respect .the preaching of the Gospel in the
four parts of the world; but rather they refer to four
remarkable seasons of the ministry of it; as in the
times of John the Baptist, and the disciples of Christ
before his death; in the primitive churches of the
three first centuries; at the time of the Reformation;
and in the latter-day glory, which is the fourth and
last measuring: and it was a river that I could not
pass over; the prophet could not set his foot on the
bottom, and wade through it, and cross over it, as he had
done before: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in;
not to walk in: a river that could not be passed over ; by
any man, on his feet; only by swimming, and per-
Imps not by that, at least not without difficulty: this
may signify the large spread of the Gospel in the latter
day, when the earth shall be filled with it, as the
waters cover the sea; and the great light into it, and
knowledge of it, that men shall then have, Isa. xi. 9.
and xxx. e6. and yet that there are some doctrines ex-
ceeding deep, out of the reach and penetration of men,
called the deep things of God, which human reason
cannot attain, and where it cannot fix its foot, I Cot.
ii. 9, 10, 14. and which are only to be reached and
embraced in the swimming arms of faith; and, though
believed, can't be accounted for, as to the modus of
them, and are not to be dived into; such as the trinity
of Persons in the Godhead, and the distinct manner
of their subsisting in it; the generation of the Son;
the procession of the Spirit; the incarnation of Christ;
the union of the two natures in his person; the resur-
rection of the dead, &c.
Ver. 6. And he said unto me, son of man, hast thou
seen this ?" &c. That is, the man that measured the
waters said to the prophet, hast thou carefully observed
all this ? from. whence the waters flowed ? from what
small beginnings they rose, and gradually increased ?
how they first issued forth, as out of a vial; and now,
in the space of about two or three miles, are become a
deep river, and impassable ? it is right and profitable to
observe the rise and progress of the Gospel; w. hat a
spread it has had in the world, and what it will have:
then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink
of the river; there to stand and observe the nature of
the waters, and the course of them; the multitude of
fish in them; and the trees which grew upon the
banks of them; of all which some account is given in
the following verses.
Ver. 7- Now when I had returned, &c.] To the brink
of the river: behold, at the bank of the river were very
many trees on the one side, and on the other; here was a
new wonder observed, which had not been before; and
therefore this note of admiration, behold ! is prefixed;
on a sudden sprung up trees on each side of the river,
:a perfect stature, and full of fruit; which the pro-
had not seen when he went along with the man
on the bank of it, as he measured the waters; but now
being returned, sees this wonder/hi sight; an emblem
of true Christians, believers, and regenerate persons,
who are trees of righteousness, planted by the river of
divine love; watered with the grace of God, and doc-
trines of the Gospel; whereby they become fruitful in
good. works, and are to be seen wherever the Gospel
comes with power and efficacy; see Psal. i. 3. Isa. lxi. 8.
or, an exceeding large tree {e}; so John saw but one tree,
which was on each side of the niver,. which he calls
the tree of life, Rev. xxii. 2. but her. e it seems to be
put fbr many, as appears from vet. 12...
Ver. 8. Then said he unto me, &c.] The man that
measured the waters spoke to the prophet again, and
shewed him the course of the waters; the quickening
and healing virtue of them, and the multitude of fish
in them: these waters issue out toward the east country;
the Gospel was first preached in the eastern parts of
the world; see the note on ver. 3. or towards the first,
or east Galilee f; in Galilee Christ began to preach, and
wrought his first miratie; here he called his disciples,
and chiefly conversed; and here he had the greatest
followers, and some of the first Christian churches
were formed here after his ascension, Matt. iv. l2,
18, 23. Acts ix. 31: and go down into the desert; or
wilderness, the wilderness of the people, the Gentiles;
to whom the Gospel was carried when rejected by the
Jews, and who before were like a desert, but now be-
came as a fruitful field, Isa. x, xxv. 1, e. and xlii. 1, 11..
The Jews {g}interpret this of the plain, or the sea of
Galilee or Tiberins, at which Christ called his disci-
ples; near to this he delivered his discourses concern-
ing himself, the bread of life, and eating his flesh, and
drinking his blood; here he met with his disciples after
his resurrection, and enjoined Peter to feed his sheep
and lambs; see Matt. iv. 18. John vi. 1. and xxi. 1.15:
and go into the sea; the Dead sea, or sea of Sodore, the

{e} \^dam br Ue\^ arbor multa admodum, Cocceius, Starckius.
{f} \^hnwmdqh hlylgh la\^ in Galileam prinam, Junius & Tremellius;
ad Galileam anteriorem, Cocceius, Piscator, Starckius; Galileam ori-
entalem, Munster; so some in Vatablus, Tigurine version; so the
Targum.
{g} Tosaphta Succa in Jarchi & Kimchi in loc.; so in Ben Melec.