Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_200.lzh/6_261.TXT

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the strength and grace of Christ, from whom they have
all their fruits of every kind, Hos. xiv. 8. Phil. i. 11:
it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months ;-or,
first-fruits °; that is, every one of these trees, or every
true believer, shall be continually in the exercise of
grace, and the performance of duty;they shall be
constant and immovable, always aboundlug in the
work of the Lord; they shall never cease from yielding
fruit, or doing. good; they shall still bring it
even in old age; see Paul. xcii. 14. Jer. xvii. 8: because
their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; because
the waters, which issued out of the sanctuary, ran by
these trees, and watered them, and made them fruitful,
and therefore called their waters: the fruitfulness of
these trees, true believers, is not owing to themselves,
to their free will and power; to their own industry,
diligence, and cultivation; but to the supplies of grace
they receive by means of the Gospel, and the doctrines
of it; which bring forth, or cause to bring forth fruit,
wherever they come with power, Col. i. 6: and the
fruit thereof shall be.for meat; not for saints them-
selves, who live not, neither on their graces, nor their
works; though indeed they do eat the fruits of their
doings, Isa. iii. 10. that is, enjoy good things, conse-
quent on their works, through the free favour and
good will of God; but for meat for others; for their
fruit, which appears in their words and actions, are
very beneficent to others; their fruit is a tree of life,
Prov. xi. 30. and their lips feed many, Prov. x. 2l.
with knowledge and understanding; with the Gospel,
and the doctrines of it; and with the comfortable ex-
perience they have of its truths and promises: yea,
their fruit are meat and food for Christ himself; wlho
comes into his garden, and eats his pleasant fruits,
feeds and feasts, and delights himself with his own
grace in his people, and the exercise of it, Cant. iv. 9,
10, 16. and v. 1: and the leaf thereof for medicine; or,
for bruises {p}; for the healing of them, which is only
done by the blood of Christ; who is the only physician,
the sun of righteousness, that rises with healing or
pardon in his wings; and the whole language of this
passage is borrowed from hence by John, and applied to
Christ the tree of life, Rev. xxii. 2. and the Gospel pro-
fessed by true believers directs to him for healing, or
for the remission of sin, and is the means of applying
it, Psal. evil. 20. and a cheerful constant profession of
Christ and his Gospel, which is the Christian's leaf,
does good like a medicine, both to the Christian him-
self, and to others; who are animated and encou-
raged thereby to go on with pleasure in the ways of
God.
Ver. 13. Thus saith the Lord God, this shall be the
border, &c.] Of the !and of Israel, as described in the
following verses; which being different from, and
much larger, and more extensive, than it was in the
times of Moses or Joshua, or than it was either before
or after the captivity in Babylon, shewsthat this must
be understood either of the land of Canaan, as it will be
when possessed and inhabited by the Jews, upon their
conversion in the latter day; or rather of the church of
Christ, which is far greater than it was under the
former dispensation; and especially it will be still
more extensive hereafter, when Christ's kingdom will
be from sea to sea, and his dominion from the river to
the ends of the earth; and from the risingof the sun to
the setting of the same, his name shall be great among
the Gentiles. 'Fhis subject is reassumed from ch. xlv.
1---8. after the insertion of various things of moment
and importance there, a reserve upon the division of
the land is made of a holy portion of it, for the sanc
tuary; tbr the priests, the ministers of it; for the
Levitea, the ministers of the house; and for a posses.
siou of the city, and of the prince; and the rest to be
given to the house of Israel, the boundaries of which,
are here.fixed: whereby ye shall inherit the land, accord.
ing to the twelve tribes of Israel; by which are meant,
not literal Israel, or according to the flesh, these being
not all Israel, or the children of God, and so not heirs,
and shall not inherit; but spiritual Israel, or the special
people of God, that shall dwell in the church, and enjoy
all the privileges of it; these are the sealed ones of all
the tribes of Israel, an equal number out of each tribe;
see Rev. vii. 4--8. Joseph shall have two portions for
his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and in virtue of
the birth-right which fell to him on the forfeiture of it
by Reuben; he was an eminent type of Christ, with
whom the saints are joint heirs; and who has two por-.
tions, one for himself as Mediator, and another for
them.
Ver. 14. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another,
&c.] That is, the twelve tribes shall equally inherit it;
one tribe shall not have more, and another less, but
each alike: this was not the case, at the division of the
land, in the times of Moses and Joshua; for to suctt
tribes as were very numerous a greater inheritance
was given; and to those that were fewer in number a
lesser inheritance, Numb. xxvi. 54. and xxxiii. 54. and
upon the return from the Babyionish captivity, as the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin were the largest, and in-
deed the only tribes that returned as such, they had the
share of the land; but as this respects the
dispensation, it signifies, that those who are
true Israelites indeed shall share in the same Gospel
church-state, the privileges and immunities of it al'ike,
with all the blessings of grace and eternal glory; they
being all one in Christ Jesus, Ga!.,iii. 28: concerning
the which I lifted up my hand to give it unto your fa-
thers; that is, swore that he would give unto them
the land of Canaan; typical of the Gospel church-state
and the heavenly glory; which are as sure to all the
seed, by the word and oath of God, as that was: a,d
this land shall fall unto you for inheritance; by lot, by
the appointment of God, and a goodly one it is, Paul.
xvi. 6. and xlvii. 4.
Ver. 15. And this shall be the border of the land to-
ward the north side, &c.'] The description of the bor-
ders of the land begins 5n the north side; because the
Gospel, and the interest of Christ, would be, as they
now are, chiefly in the northern part of the world, be-;
fore the latter-day glory takes place, and from thence
spread into the other parts of it: from the great sea, the
way of Hethlon, as men. go to Zedad ; the line of this

{o} \^rkby\^ afferet primitiva, V. L. Vatablus; primogenita, Starckius. So
Ben Melech.
{p} \^hpwrtl\^ ad contritionem, vel ad sanitatem contritionis, Vatablus;
ad fractionem sanandam, Pagninus. So Ben Melech.