Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_400.lzh/4_401.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-15 | 7KB | 127 lines

expectation, either of riches, and honour, and p. leasu.re
in this world, or of a long life in it; or of happiness m
the other, and of escaping the wrath of God, and the
vengeance of eternal fire; all which, being grounded on
a wrong bottom, shall be frustrated; see Job viii. 13.
and xi. 2O. and xxvii. 8.
Ver. 29. The way of the Lord is strength to the up-
right, &c.] Who are upright in heart and life; who
have the uprightness or righteousness of Christ imputed
to them, and right spirits renewed in them; in conse-
quence of which they walk uprightly, ver, 9. To these
the way of the Lord is strength; both the way which
he himself takes, and the way which he prescribes and
directs his people to walk in: the way in which he walks
in providence towards them is the strength of them;
he is their shade on their right hand; he shews himserf
strong on their behalf; he is their fortress and strong
tower, as the God of providence, even a wall of fire
round about them: and the way he takes in the disco-
veries of his love; in the communications of his grace;
in the application of precious promises; by grant. lug
the influences of his spirit; and by leading to his
son, the than of his right hand, made strong for him-
self and them, is very strengthening unto them: so
likewise the way in which he leads his pc?pie, the way
of his word and ordinances; which, as it is pleasant, so
strengthening; the more they walk in them, the stronger
they are; they go from strength to strength, they grow
stronger an,l stronger by them; whilst they are Waiting
on the Lord in them, their spiritual strength is re-
newed: moreover, walking in the way of the Lord
gives them spirit and courage, and makes them bold
and intrepid; so that they fear no enemy, nor any
dangers and difficulties, but go on their way cheerfully
and pleasantly. But destruction shall be to the workers
ofiniqnity; not to all that do iniquity, for no man
lives without sin; but to those who give up themselves
to it, make a trade of it; whose course of life is sinful,
and do nothing else but sin; this their way leads to
ruin; destruction and misery are now in all their ways,
and will be the certain issue of them, even destruction
of both soul and body; which will be swift and sudden,
come upon them before they are aware, and will be
everlasting; it will continue for ever, and there will be
no deliverance from it. The Word {x} signifies terror
anti consternation; and such seize on a wicked man at
death, to whom death is the king of terrors; and which
will still more strongly possess him when in hell he
lifts up his eyes; and also at the day of judgment,
when he shall see the Judge coming in the clouds of
heaven, sitting on a fiery throne, and shall hear him
pronounce him Cursed. the clause may be rendered,
but the way of the Lord is terror to the worlcers of ini-
quity {y}; the way of the Lord in his works of provi-
dence, in which he oftentimes does terrible things in
righteousness; and' he is very terrible to men in his
judgments here, and will be more so in his awful pro-
cedure at the last judgment.
Ver. 30. The righteous shall never be removed, &c.]
They may be removed from place to place in this
world, through the persecutions of their enemies, or
through one providence or another, as they often are,;
they may be removed from a state of outward prospe-
rity to a state of adversity, as Job was; they may be
removed from spiritual and comfortable frames of soul
to carnal or uncomtbrtable ones; for good frames are
very precarious and uncertain things; and they will be
removed out of this world into another; here they have
no continuing city: but .they shall never be removed
from the love of God, nothing can separate them from
that; they are set as a seal on his heart, and are en-
graven on the palms of his hands, and there is no re
moving them from thence; they may be staggered
about their interest in the love of God; they may be
without the manifestations and discoveries of it to their
souls; they may .be under the hidings of God's face;
they may be at a distance from his house and ordi-
nances, or may not enjoy the presence of GOd in them
for a time; yet not separated from his affections; they
shall never be removed out of the hands of Christ, into
which they are put for security, and out of which none
can pluck them, men or devils; how should they, since
they are iu those hands that made the heavens and the
earth, support all in being, and hold the reins of go-
vernment? Was it possible they could be removed
from hence, it would impeach the wisdom of God, who
has put them there; argue weakness in Christ, an8
suppose danger to them. Nor can they be removed
out of the family of God; sons of God abide in his
house for ever; they are no more foreigners and
strangers; once children, no more servants; they may
be corrected and chastised, yet be children; they may
judge themselves unworthy of the relation, and be
ready to conclude that their spots are not the spots of
God's children, and fear they are none of them, and yet
the relation continues: nor will they ever be removed
from their state of justification, by which they are
denominated righteous, into a state of condemnation;
for frill satisfaction is given to law and justice for them;
their justification is complete, it is from all sin; the
righteousness by which they are justified is everlasting,
and even their faith which receives it shall never fail; to
which may be added, that they are secured from wrath
to come, and entitled to eternal life. In a word, they
are on the sure foundation of electing grace; they are
in the immovable covenant of grace; they are on the
Rock of ages, Christ Jesus; all the divine Persons and
perfections are on their side; they are kept by the
power of God, through ihith, unto salvation; see Psal.
Iv. 22. and cxxv. 1, 2. But the wicked shall not inhabit
the earth; but a very little while, as Getsore observes;
and the time of their abode on earth is so short, as
scarce to be called an inhabitation of it. Moreover,
they shall not inhabit the earth the righteous will, even
the new earth, which none but righteous persons shall
inhabit, 2 Pet. iii. 13. see Psal. xxxvii. 9, 11, 22, 29.
Ver. 31. The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom,
&c.] As the earth brings forth its increase, and a tree
brings forth its fruit; hence speech is called the fruit
of the lips; wisdom is good fruit; a good man is com-
parable tothe fruitful earth, and to a good tree; whose
mouth brings forth wise things in abundance, which are

{x} \^htxm\^ pavor, V. L. Pagninus, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Ge-
jerus; consternatio, Vatablus, Cocceius, Michaelis.
{y} So Mercerus, Gejerus.