Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_000_t.lzh/4_083.TXT

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them, as to that itself, though sometimes the mani-
festations of it are withdrawn from them; but the love
of God itself is invariable and unchangeable; see Rom.
viii. 38, 39. nor is it removed when God afflicts and
chastens his people; ibr his chastenings are from love,
and in love; the reason why he chastens them is be-
cause he loves them, and he loves them whilst he is
chastening them; he visits and comforts them, sym-
pathizes with them, supports them, and suppli.es them,
and makes all things work together for their good,
Rev. iii. 19. nor suffer re,y faithfulness to fail; in making
good his engagements to Christ, in keeping the cove-
nant made with him, and in fulfilling his promises to
his people; and even when he afflicts them, it is in
faithfulness to' them; nor will he suffer them to be
afflicted above what they are able to bear, and will
support them under it, and deliver out of it, Psai. cxix.
75. 1 Cor. x. 13. or I will not falsify in my truth i; or
falsify his word; he is faithful that has promised, who
will do it, yea, notwithstanding the unbelief of his
people, Heb. x. 23. 2 Tim. it. 13.
Vet. ;34. My covenant will I not break, &c.] Not the
covenant at Sinai, as Aben Ezra, but the covenant of
grace made with Christ, and which stands fast with
him, ver. 3, 28. which is firm, sure, and stable, and as
immovable as mountains and hills, and more so, 2 Sam.
xxiii. 5. Isa. liv. 10. or profane = it,, though his people
profane his statutes, ver. 31. he won't profane his cove-
nant; though they violate his laws, he's a God keeping
covenant with them, and wilt not break his word with
them: nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips;
any promise of his, respecting either the temporal,
spiritual, or eternal welfare of his people: or not
change"; as he changes not in his nature and perfec-
tions, nor in his love and affections, nor in his counsels
and purposes; so neither in his covenant and promises,
they are always the same, and have a certain and un-
changeable accomplishment; there is a performance of
whatsoever is spoken by the Lord, Luke i. 45.
Ver. 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness, &c.]
Swearing is ascribed to God after the manner of men,
and is done in condesce.nsion to the weakness of his
people, and to remove doubts and hesitations from
them, relating to things spiritual and eternal; as to his
everlasting love to them, his covenant with them in
Christ, and their perseverance in his grace; and it is
made by himself, or one or other of his perfections, as
here by his holiness; see Amos iv. 2. and indeed his
holiness being his nature, is no other than he himself,
the holy God; and because he could swear by no
greater, he sware by himself, that as sure as he was,
and was holy, just, and true, he would make good
what he promises, Heb. vi. 13. and this is done but
once, once for all, that being sufficient; it need not be
repeated, nor is it ever revoked; when he swears, he
never repents of it, nor changes his mind; and it is to
shew the iramutability of his counsel that he swearsat
all, Psal. cx. 4. Heb. vi. 17. that I will not lie unto
David; he will not lie to any, he cannot, it is impos-
sible he should; it would be to deny himself, it is con-

trary to his being as God, he is not aman that he shoula
lie; it is contrary to his character as the God of truth;
he will not lie, neither in his counsel nor covenant, in
his purposes nor promises ; these are the two immu-
table things, in which it is impossible he should lie:
and he has swore to it that he will not lie to David, to
David's son the Messiah, with whom the covenant is
made, and stands fast; all the prophecies concerning
him he has fulfilled; and all the promises made to him
of help and assistance, as man and Mediator, in his
work, and of the reward of it, a glory with him, he has
made good.
Ver. 36. His seed shall endure for ever, &c.] This
is a confirmation by his oath of what he had before
said, ver. 29- which may be understood either of the
perseverance of particular believers, of every one of
the spiritual seed of Christ; or of the duration of the
church in general, throughout all ages, as before ob-
served; and these being matters of moment and im-
po.rtance, and of which there are sometimes doubts in
the minds of the Lord's people about them, and that
they may be tirmly believed by them, he confirms
them with an oath; for God never swears to trivial
things; and when he does swear, it is to remove the
doubts of his people, and make their minds easy: and
his throne as the sun before me; that is, shall continue
a_s long as it does; see yet. 29- and Psal. lxxii. 17. ot
shall be bright, splendid, and glor:,ous as the sun, so
the Targum, "and Iris throne light as the sun before
"me ;, meaning his church and kingdom, of which the
throne is an emblem, and which became so in Gospel
times, clear and lucid as the sun, Cant. vi. 10. when
day was made by the rising of the sun of righteousness,
and by the bright shining of the Gospel ministry; and
at particular periods since, as in the times of Constan-
tine, when the church was clothed with the sun, and
at the Reformation, when Christ appeared with a rain-
bow on his head, and his face was as the sun, Rev. xii.
1. and x. 1. and especially this will be the case of the
church in the latter day, when the light of the moon
will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun
seven-fold, as the light of seven days; and when the
city, the church, will stand in no need of the sun, nor
of the moon; and also in the ultimate glory, when the
saints will shine as the sun in the kingdom of God;
see Isa. xxx. 26. Rev. xxi. 23. Matt. xiii. 43. This
passage is applied to the Messiah by the Jews a.
Ver. 37. It shall be established for ever as the moon,
&c.] Either Christ's seed, or throne, which comes to
much the same sense; for by both are meant his church
and people, his kingdom and interest in the world;
the moon is as perpetual as the. sun, and is used as
elsewhere to signify the continuance of the people,
church, and interest of Christ, Psal. lxxii. 5, 7. for
though the moon has its spots, and is changeable,
sometimes in the full, and sometimes in the decline,
yet always is, and always continues, and ever will; and
so though the people of God have their spots and im-
perfections, and are sometimes on the decline in the
frames and dispositions of their minds, in the exercise

{l} \^ytnwmab rqva alw\^ neque faciam mendacium ( neque fallam,
Montanus) in veritate mea, Pagninus; neque mentiar aut fallam in
veritate mea, Michaelis.
{m} \^llxa al\^ non prophanabo, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine
version, &c.
{n} \^hnva al\^ non mutabo, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version,
Junius & Tremellius, &c.
{a} Zohar in Gen. fol. 30. 1.