Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_742.TXT

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prophecy is, by the ancient Jews, applied to the
times of the Messiah.
Vet. 3. _And it shall come to pass, that when any shall
yet prophesy, &c,] Or attempt to prophesy, or pro-
pagate their idolatrous religion and principles after
this time, when they shal.l be abtmdantty detected and
exposed: then his father and his mother that begs, him;
of whom he is born, and who, as his parents, must be
,upposed to have the most tender regard unto him,
even to these the imposture will be so flagrant, that
they will not encourage him, but, on the contrary,
shall say unto him, thou shall not live; but die, ac-
cording to the law against the fidse prophet in l)eut.
xviii. 2O: for thou speakest lies in the name of the
Lord; which is the very character of the followers of
the ,nan of sin, who ,speak lies in hypocrisy, pretend-
ing that they are of God, and carrying a shew of truth;
religion, and holiness, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2 and his father and
his mother. that begat him shall thrust him through when
he prophesieth; so great will be their love to God, and
to his truth, that, notwithstanding the nearness of blood,
their hands will be upon him first, and either beat trim,
or put him to death; a son, according to the law, not
being to be spared in such a case, ])cut. xiii. 6---10.
Ver 4. And it sltall come to pass in that day, that the
prophets shall be asltamed, every one of his vision, wlten
he hath prophesied, &c.3 He shall be ashamed of the
doctrines he has delivered. they will appear to all men
so ridiculous and absurd; as the doctrines of merit,
and the works of supererogation; of transubstantiation
and purgatory; of pardons, penance, &c: neither shall
riley wear a rough garment to deceive ;' or, a hairy gar-
ment {q}; such as the ,first and ancient inhabitants of the
earth wore, who used the skinSof beasts for covering,
as Diodorus Siculus {} observes: and Pausanias {} says
of the it,st natives of Locris, not knowing how to
weave and make garments, used to cover their bodies,
to preserve them from the cold, with the undressed
skins of beasts, turning the hair outward, as more be-
coming: and such a hairy garment, or much like it,
Elijah wore; hence he is called a hairy man, £ Kings
i. 8. and John the Baptist, who came in the power and
spirit of that prophet, appeared in a like habit, .clothed
with camel's hair, Matt. iii. 4. and in like manner good
!hen,especially in tiaras of distress and trouble, used to.
wander about in sheepskins and goatskins, Heb. xi. 37.
which seem to be the same sort of raiment: and now, in
imitation ofsuchdike good men., and true prophets of
the Lord, particularly Elijah, the false prophets, as
Jarchi and Kimchi observe, in .order to deceive the peo-
ple, and pass for true prophets, put on such rough and
hairy garments, as if they were very humble and sell:
denying men. Braunins {t} thinks the prophet may
have respect to a custom among the idolatrous pro-
phets, who used to clothe themselves with the skins
of the ,sacrifices, and lie on them in their temples, in
order to obtain dreams, and be able to foretel fat.are
things; of which see the note on Amos it. 8. but it
seems to have respect to the habits of the monks and
friars, and of the different orders by which they are
distinguished as religious persons, and gain respect and
veneration among men; and under the g.uise of sanc-
tity and devotion, and of au austere and mortified life,
impose their lies and deceptions upon them; but p. ow
will lay their habits aside, as being ashatned of their
.profession antl principles.
'Ver. 5. But he s/tall soy, I am no propilot, &c.]
That he is not of the Romish clergy, or of any of the. it
religious orders, having laid aside his habit: I am an
husbandman; he shall put on the habit of a hasban,l-
man, and work for his bread; for he'll not be able to
support himself, as before, with the sale of pardons
and indulgences, and by praying souls on, 6f purga-
tory; for no man hereafter will buy of his merchandise,
gev. xviii. 11. and he'll be ashamed of his former
calling and traffic, and will not own that he was ever
concerned therein; but will affirm that he was nevcr
of the Romish clergy, bnt always a layman, and em-
ployed in husbandry: for man taught rite to keep cattle
from my !/oath; h'e will say he was brought up to hus-
bandry, .or in some mechanic business, from his youth,
and never was iu any convent or monastery, or of any
religious order: it may be rendered, .tbr man made me
to worlcfrom my youth {}; and is not to be restrained to
keeping cattle, or any pa.rticular employment.
Vet. 6. And one sholl sail unto him, what are these
wounds in thine hands ? &c.] That is, if thou art not
a prophet, what's the meaning of these wounds in thine
hands ? which design either those his father and mother
had given him, when they thrust him through for being
a false prophet, yet. 3. or the mark of the beast he re-
ceived in his right hand, which he was obliged to take
when he catered into holy orders, Rev, xiii. 9, 16, 17,
or the wounds and stripes he gave himself, in the ex-
ercise of his superstition and will-w0rship: then he
shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the
house ofmyfriends; he will pretend that these were
wounds he had privately in his father's.family, by way
of correction, for .not doing his civil and secular busi-
ness as he ought to have done; or-he shall be obliged
to confess the mark of the beast on him; or that these
were wounds he had given himself in the temples and
churches, dedicated to angels and saints, Iris patrons,
friends, and lovers; with whom he committed spi-
ritual adultery or idolatry, and before whose images
and shrines he had cut and given himself these wounds
and gashes, to the great dishonour of Christ, as if hi,
crucifixion and wounds were of no avail; wherefore his
sufferings and death are next spoken of: and some un-
derstand-these words of Christ, itttroduced after this
manner; the prophet having spoken of the false pr&
phet, thrust through by his parents, because that
Christ wouldbe reckoned a false proplaet and impostor
by his countrymen the Jews, and be crucified by them
as such, represents the Jews as upbraiding him with
his crucifixion, which they suggest he righteously suf-
feted, for seducing their nation: to which he replies,
.that indeed he was crucified, and thereby wounded
with the nails drove into his hands and feit; and this
usage he met with from those of his owu nation, and

{p} Zohar in Gen, fol. 53. 4. & 73. 1.
{q} \^rev trda\^ pallio pili, Montanus; piloso, Pagninus; chlamyde
pilosa, Munster; pallium ex pilis, Cocceius; pallium pili, Burkius.
{r} Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 21.
{s} Phocica, sive. l. 10. p. 685.
{t} De VestituSacerdot. Heb. l. 1. c. 4. sect. 9. p. 97.
{u} \^ynnqh\^ fecerunt me operari, Noldius; homo operari fecit me, De
Dieu, Burkius.