Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_239.TXT

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the honour of his justice, and the glory of his name;
see Rev. xviii. 20. and xix. 1, 2. or because of the word
of God, the precepts, ordinances, and doctrines of it,
which are all righteous; for his knowledge of them,
and for the benefit and comfort received from them;
see ver. 7, 20.
Ver. 165. Great peace have they which love thy law,
&c.] The Targum adds, "in this world." Great
prosperity, especially prosperity of soul, inward peace,
peace of conscience, peace in Christ, and from him,
flowing from his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice,
and a view of interest therein; which is usually enjoyed
in a way of believing, and frequently had in the ways,
worship, and ordinances of God. Such as love the law
of God, his word, precepts, and doctrines, have a large
share of it; a peace so great, that it passes the under-
standing of unregenerate men, and cannot be fully ex-
pressed by the saints themselves; there is none to the
wicked, it is peculiar to them that love the Lord, and
what belong to him: the Arabic and Ethiopic versions
render it, which love thy name. And nothing shall
offered them; the Targum is, "in the world to come."
Nothing shall disturb their minds, and break their
peace; nothing from without, though sin, temptations,
and desertions do; not outward afflictions, the re-
proaches and persecutions of wicked men, nor the
reproof of good men; nor what God does to them in
a providential way: though in the world they have
tribulation, in Christ they have peace, which the world
. can neither give nor take away. There is no stumbling-
block unto them {l}, as it may be rendered; nothing that
shall cause them to be offended and depart out of the
good ways of God, which is the case of carnal formal
professors, Matt. xiii. 21. such stumble not at the
word, as others do, at any of the doctrines of it; and
the true light shining in them, and the word without
being a light unto them, there is no occasion of stum-
bling in them; they see their way, and what lies in it,
and so avoid that at which they might stumble, 1 John
ii. 10. Moreover, such do not easily either give or
take offence; they are possessed of that charity or love,
which is not suspicious or easily provoked; and they
endeavour to give no offence to any, but live without
it, in the midst of a perverse generation, 1 Cot. xiii.
5, 7. and x. 30. Phil. ii. 15.
Ver. 166. Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, &c.]
F/ether temporal salvation and deliverance from ene-
mies, and from afflictions, which God had. promised,
and therefore he had reason to hope for; or spiritual
and eternal salvation, resolved on i-n the mind of God,
provided in covenant, promised to be wrought out by
Christ, and which since has been accompl.ished; and
therefore there is a sufficient foundation to hope for it.
And done thy commandments: this was not the cause,
ground, and foundation of his hope; for then it would
not have been like an anchor, sure and steadfast, but as
the hope ofthe hypocrite, which is as the spider's web;
but this was the effect of his hope; because he had a
good hope of salvation, therefore he was studiously
concerned to do the commandments of God; h.is. hope
prompted him to it, and encouraged him in it; see
I John iii. 2, 3, Kimchi's note here is a good one; and
done thy commandments, not for hope of reward; but I
have done them as thy commandments are with me
and I know that I shall have salvation, .and I have
hoped for it.
Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies, &c.].
The word of God, which he kept cordially and heartily;
and in his heart, laid it up there; and with his
whole soul observed the doctrines and kept the pre-
cepts of it. And I looe them exceedingly; and
kept them from a principle of love, and not with mer-
cenary and selfish views; and this love was exceeding
great, not cold nor lukewarm, but ardent and fervent,
love in the superlative degree.
Vet. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies,
&c.] Both the precept;re and doctrinal part of the
word, he preserved and observed both; this is repeated
for the certainty of it, and to shew his great affection
to them. For all my ways are before thee; this is either
an appeal to God .for the truth of what he had said,
who saw and knew all the ways in which he walked,
and which he had endeavoured should be conformable.
to the word of God; or it is a reason why he kept the.
precepts and testimonies of the Lord, because he knew
his-eyes were upon him; the omniscience of God had
an influence over him, and caused him to be more.
attentive to the word, as the rule of Iris actions; see
Psal. cxxxix. 1, 2, 3. Gen. xvii. 1.
     \^t\^, ~'~, Txv.--Tlze Twenty-second and last Part.
Ver. 169. Let my cry come near before thee, 0 Lord,.
&c.] Not my praise, as the Syriac version; but my
prayer, put up in great distress, and with great ve-
hemence and importunity; see ver. 145, 146. and when
it is desired it might come near before the Lord,. it does
not so much suppose distance of place between the peti-
tioner and the petitioned as earth is from heaven, as
Aben Ezra observes, as distance of state and condition;
the petitioner being a creature, and a sinful creature..
and whose sins had separated between God and. him :'
and now the only way of access is by Christ; prayer
can only pass to God through him, who  is. the only
Mediator between God and man; by whom persons
and services are brought near unto, him with accept-
ance. The sum of this request is, that his prayer might
not be rejected and shut out; but that it might be ad-
mitted, might come up before God, and into his ears,
and be regarded by him, and accepted with him. Give
me understanding according to thy word; meaning not
natural, but spiritual understanding ; not that he was
without any, as natural menare, whose understandings
are darkened; for he had a large share of understand-
ing of spiritual things; bu,t he wanted more, he desired.
ta know more of himself, of his wants and weaknesses;
to know more of God in Christ, and of Christ,. his
person, offices, and grace; to know mor. e of the doc-
trines of the word, and of the duties of religion; and par-
ticularly that he might have a better understanding of
the business of prayer,. and might know both what to
pray for, and how to pray as he ought; all which is a '
gift from God :. and he desires in. all. to be directed ac-
cording to the word of God,. the means of' enlightening
the understanding,, and of increasing spiritual know-

{l} \^lwvkm wml Nya\^ non est ipsis offendiculum, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.