Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_233.TXT

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the divine Persons in the Trinity; the person and grace
of Christ; the .wonderful love of God and Christ to-
wards men; the amazing blessings of grace through
him, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life by
him. Therefore doth my soul keep them; as a rich
treasure, which he laid up in the cabinet of his heart,
and preserved as what was most rare and valuable:
and such are the wonderful things in the word of God;
and such is the efficacy of its doctrines, and the in-
fluence the truths of it have upon the minds of gracious
persons; that these engage them to keep and observe
the precepts it enjoins, and that heartily and sincerely,
with their whole spirit and soul.
Vet. 130. The entrance of thy words giveth light,
&c.] The beginning of them; the first three chap-
ters in Genesis, what light do they give into the origin
of all things; the creation of man, his state of inno-
cence; his fall through the temptations of Satan, and
his recovery and salvation by Christ, the seed of the
woman ! the first principles of the oracles of God, the.
rudiments of religion, the elements of the world, the
rites of the ceremonial law, gave great light into
Gospel mysteries. As soon as a man enters upon
reading the Scriptures, if he has any degree of under-
standing of the things in them, they immediately
throw light into his mind; or, however, as soon as
ever the word has an entrance into the heart, and
through the spirit, power, and grace of God, makes its
way and has a place there, that being opened by the Lord
for that purpose, light arises in darkness. It maybe ren-
dered, the opening ofthy wordsgiveth light {p}; and may sig-
nify either the interpretation and explanation of the
word of God by the ministers of it, which is often of
singular use for enlightening and warming the. hearts
of men, Luke xxiv. 32. Acts xvii. 3. and to this sense
are the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions; the one
rendering it the declaration of thy words, the other, the
manifestation of them; and so the Ethiopic and Arabic
versions; and to this sense is the Targum; "the im-
"pression of thy words will enlighten those that are
"dark." Or it may intend the word that opens, as
well as is opened, since it is the means of opening blind
eyes; and so giving light to men to see their lost state
by nature, and the suitablehess of Christ as a Saylout,
his fulness and grace, ability and willingness; to behold
the wondrous things of the Gospel, the way they
should walk in, and the duties of religion they should
perform. It giveth understanding unto the simple: who
want understanding in the knowledge of divine and
spiritual things, as all men do; and who are sensible of
their want of it, ingenuously confess it, and are meek
and humble; and so not above instruction, as proud
and conceited persons are. Some render it babes {q}; and
it may design such who are but of weak parts, in com-
· purlSon of others, to whom the things of the Gospel
are revealed, when they are hid from the wise and pru-
dent: Christ by his spirit opens their understandings,
that they m. ay understand the Scriptures; and by means
of them gives them an understanding of himself, and
of those things which make them wise unto salvation,
and make for their spiritual peace and comfort, and
their eternal welfare; see Psal. xix. 7- Matt. xi. 25.
Vet. 131. I opened my mouth, and punted, &c.] As
a person out of breath does, through walking or running;
he stops and pants, and opens his mouth, to draw in
air to his relief: or as hungry and thirsty persons pant
for food and drink, and open their mouths to receive
it, before it can well be brought to them. So the
psalmist punted after God, and communion with him;
desired the sincere milk of the word; longed for the
breasts of ordinances, and even fainted for the courts
of the Lord, Psal. xlii. 1. and lxxxiv. 2. For I longed
for thy commandments; for an opportunity of waiting
upon God in the way of his duty; to hear his word,
and attend his worship.
Ver. 132. Look thou upon me, &c.] Not as in him-
self; a sinful creature will not bear looking upon by
the Lord, especially with the strict eye of justice; but
as in Christ, and clothed with his righteousness; and so
not merely in a providential way, though that is a
fayour, but in a way of special grace and mercy. It
may be rendered, turn unto me {r}; as it is in Psal. xxv.
16. and lxxxvi. 16' the Lord had turned from him, and
had hid his face, which had given him trouble; and
therefore he desires he would turn again to him, and
shew him his face and fayour. And be merciful unto
me; in forgiving his sins, and admitting him to com-
munion with him: he pleads mercy, and not merit
and this shews it was not any look but a look of grace
and mercy he prays for. As thou usest to do unto those
that love thy name; that is, himself: such as love the
Lord have favours shewn them; he shews mercy to
thousands of them that love him; he loves them that
love him; he manifests his love to them, and admits
them to great nearness to himself. David was one of
these; he loved him in sincerity, and above all others
and could appeal to him for the truth of it, and desires
no other nor better usage than such had; and indeed
a man need not desire better, since all things work for
their good now, and it is not to be conceived what
God has prepared for them hereafter.
Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy word, &c.] Or, by
thy word{s}, or according to it. Which is the rule of
practice and action, as well as of faith; and happy are
they who walk according to the directions of it; but
it is not in the power of man to order and direct his
steps: this is done by the Lord; and such who acknow-
ledge him in their ways, and apply to him for direction,
are and shall be thus favoured by him; see Jer. x.
Psal. xxxvii. 23. Prov. iii. 6. And let not any iniquity
have dominion over me; not only greater sins or pre-
sumptuous ones, very gross iniquities, as in Psai. xix.
l& but lesser ones, even the least of them. It is a
sad thing to be enslaved to any lust or sin, be it what
it will: sin reigns over wicked men even unto death;
and it oftentimes has great power over good men, puts
them upon doing that which is evil, and hinders them
from doing that which is good; it carries them captive,
and threatens to have the ascendant over them, and
rule in them, which they deprecate; and such a prayer.

{p} \^xtp\^ apertio, Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Vatablus, Mi-
chaelis; apertura, Cocceius, Gejerus; so Ainsworth.
{q} \^Myytp\^ \~nhpiouv\~, Sept. parvulis, V. L. so Arab. Ethiop. Musculus.
{r} \^yla hnp\^ convertere ad me, Michaelis; turn the face unto me,
Ainsworth.
{s} \^Ktrmab\^ eloquio tuo, Tigurine version; secundum eloquium
tuum, Musculus.