Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_400.lzh/6_453.TXT

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take words, and return unto him; see ch. vi. 1. Jer.
iii. 22. Isa. lvii. 17, 18: I will love them .freely; this is
in answer to that petition, receive us ,4raciously; or re-
ceive good, or rather give it; not that the love of God
or Christ begins when sinners repent and turn to him,
or he applies his pardoning grace, since his love is
from everlasting; but that in so doing hc manifests his
love, and will continue in it, nor shall any thing sepa-
rate from it: and this love, as it is freely set upon the
objects of it, without any merits of theirs, or any mo-
tives in them, but flows from the free sovereign will
and pleasure of God in Christ; so it is as t'reely mani-
fested, and continues upon the same bottom, and is
displayed in a most liberal and profuse donation of
blessings of grace to them: this love is free in its ori-
ginal, and is liberal and bountiful in the effects of it;
and makes the objects of it a free, willing, and bounti-
ful people too : for mine anger is turned awa:! from
him: from Israel, which, under former dispensations
of Providence, seemed to be towards him, at least
when under his fi'owns, resentment, and displeasure,
as is the case of that people at this day; but when
they shall return to the Lord, anti he shall manifest
and apply his pardoning grace to them, his anger will
appear no more, and they shall be in a very happy and
comfortable condition, as Israel or the church declares,
Isa. xii. 1. which refers to the same times as these
words do; see Rom. xi. 26, 27. and compare Psal.
lxxxv. 2, 3. where a manifestation of pardoning grace
is called the Lord's turning himself from the fierceness
of his anger; and especially this suits with Gospel
times, satisfaction being made tbr sin by the sacrifice
of Christ.
Ver. 5. I will be as the dew unto Israel, &c.] To
spiritual Israel, to those that return to the Lord, take
with them words, and pray Unto him, whose back-
ill.clings are healed, and they are fi'eely loved; other-
wise it is said of apostate Israel or Ephraim, that they
were smitten, and their root dried up, and bore no fruit,
ch. ix. 16. These words, and the whole, context, re-
spect future times, as Kimchi observes; even the con-
version of Israel in the latter day, when they shall par-
take of all the blessings of grace, signified by the me-
taphors used in this and .the tbllowiug verses. These
words are a continuation of the answer to the petitions
put into the mouths of converted ones, promising
them many hvours, expressed in figurative terms; and
first by the dew, which comes from heaven, is a great
blessing of God, and is quickening, very refreshing
and fruitful to the earth: and tim Lord is that unto his
people as the dew is to herbs, plants, and trees of
the earth; he is like unto it in his free love and layout,
and the discoveries of it to them; which, like the dew,
is of and from himself alone; is an invaluable bless-
ing; better than life itself; and is not only the cause
of quickening dead sinners, but of reviving, cheering,
and refreshing the drooping spirits of his people; and
is indeficient, never fails, but always continues, Prov.
xix. 12. and so he is in the blessings of his grace, and
the application of them; which are in heavenly places,
in Christ, and come down from thence, and in great
abundance, like the drops of dew; and tidl silently,
insensibly, and unawares, particularly regenerating
grace; and are very cheering and exhilarating, as for-
giveness of sin, a justifying righteot, sness, adoption,
4'c. Deut. xxxiii. 13. and also in the Gospel, and the
doctrines of it, which disIll as dew; these are of God,
and come down from heaven; seem little in themselves,
but of great importance to the conversion of sinners,
and comfort of saints; bring many blessings in them,
and cause great joy and fruitfulness wherever they
come with power, Dent. xxxii. 2. The Targum is,
"my Word shall be as dew to Israel ;" the essential
Word of God, the Messiah; of wbose incarnation of a
virgin some interpret this; having, like the dew, no
father but God, either in his divine or human nature;
but rather it is to be understood of the blessings of
grace he is to his people as Mediator; being to them
wisdom, righteousness, sanctitication, and redemption,
and every other, even their all it, all: he shall grow as
the lily; to which the church and people of God are
sometimes compared, especially for their beauty and
comeliness in Christ, Solomon in all his glory not being
arrayed like one of these; particularly for their un-
spotted purity, being clothed with fine linen, clean
and white, the white raiment of Christ's righteousness,
and having their garments washed and made white in
his blood; see Cant. ii. 1, c2, 16. and here for its
growth. The root of the lily lies buried in the earth a
long time, when it seems as if it was dead; but on a
sudden it springs out of the earth, and runs up to a
great height, and becomes very flourishing; which is
not owing to itself, it toils not; but to the dew or' hea-
ven: so God's elect in a state of nature are dead, but,
beirig quickened by the grace of God, spring up on a
sndden, and grow very fast; which is not owing to
themselves, but to the dews 'of divine grace, the
bright shining of the sun of righteousness upon them,
and to the influences of the blessed Spirit; and so
they grow up on high, into their Head Christ Jesus,
and rise up in their affections, desires, faith and hope
to heavenly things, to the high calling of God in
Christ, and become frnitful .in grace, and in good
works. The Targum is, "they shall shine as the
"lily ;" see Matt. vi. 29: and cast forth his roots as Le-
banon; as the tree, or trees, of Lebanon, as the Tar-
gum; and so Kimchi, who adds, which are large, and
their roots many; or as the roots of the trees of Leba-
non, so Jarchi; like the cedars there, which, as the
word here used signifies, struck {} their roots tirm in
that mountain, and stood strong and stable, let what
winds and tempests soever blow: thus, as in the fol-
lowing, what one metaphor is deficien. t i.n, another
makes up. The lily has but a weak. root, and is easily
up; but the cedars in Lebanon had roots firm
and strong, to which the saints are sometimes com-
pared, as here; see Psal. xcii. l2. and this denotes
their permanency and final perseverance; who are
rooted in the love of God, which is like a root under
ground from all eternity, and sprouts fbrt, h in regene-
ration., and is the source of all grace; is itself immova-
ble, and in it the people of God are secured, and can
never be rooted out; and they may be said to strike
their roots in it, as the phrase here, when they exer-

{c} \^Kyw\^ "percutiet", Montanus, Tarnovius, Rivet, Cocceius; "figet",
Calvin, Pareus; "defiget", Zanchius; "& infiget", Schmidt; "incutiet",
Drusius.