Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_400.lzh/4_433.TXT

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hearts are full of it, and their mouths proclaim it, ch.
xii. 23.
Ver. 5. The e.Ves of the Lord are in every place, &c.]
Which are expressive of his omniscience, of the full,
clear, distinct, and perfect knowledge, which he has
of all creatures and things; so that nothing is hid from
him, but all open and manifest to him; as they are to
Christ the essential Word, Heb. iv. 13. and also of the
providence of God with respect to all persons in gene-
ral, and to his own people in particular; and as he is
infinite and immense, omnipresent and in all places of
the world, so his omniscience and providence reach
everywhere, to places most distant and secret, and
to persons in them, who cannot be concealed from him,
since he fills heaven and earth, Jet. xxiii. 23, 24, be-
holding the evil and the good; meaning not evil things
and good things, though that is true; the one he be-
holds with dislike, the other with pleasure; but evil
men and good men: he beholds them as from a watch-
tower, as the word {u} signifies, from above, from heaven,
where he is; see Psal. xxxiii. 13. 14. By evil men
may be meant both profane sinners and carnal pro-
fessors; such as are more openly wicked, and de-
clare their sin, as Sodore, or more secretly so; he
sees into all the wickedness there is in their hearts, all
their secret devices against his people_; the works done
by them in the dark, as well as their more open ones;
and Iris eyes are upon all of them, to bring them into
judgment at the last day: his eyes are particularly on
the proud, to abase them; such as are under a dis-
guise of religion, and have a form of godliness, he has
his eyes upon; he sees through all their disguises; he
knows on what foot they took up their profession; he
discerns between that and true grace; he sees how
they retain their lusts with their profession; observes
the springs and progress of their apostacy; and will
fix Iris eyes on the man without a righteousness, not
having on the wedding-garment, and order him into
outer darkness. He also behelds good men; he sees
all their bad things, their sins, and corrects them for
them; their good th;,ngs, their graces, and the ex-
ercise of them; the:,r good works, the fruits of his
own grace; their weaknesses, and supports and
strengthens them; their wants, and supplies them;
their persons, and never withdraws his eyes from them:
these are on them continually, to protect and defend
them; nor will he leave them till he has brought them
safe to heaven; see 1 Chron. xvi. 9-
Ver. 4. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, &c.] A
tongue that delivers out salutary instructions, whole-
some advice and counsel; a healing tongue {w}, as it may
be rendered, which pacilies contending parties, and
heals the divisions between them; to have the benefit
of such a man's company and conversation is like being
in paradise. Such is the tongue of a Gospel minister,
which delivers out the wholesome words of our Lord
Jesus Christ; sound speech and doctrines, which can-
not be condemned; healing truths to wounded con-
sciences, such as peace, pardon, righteousness, and
atonement by the blood of Christ. These are the
means of quickening dead sinners, reviving aud corn-
forting distressed ones, and shew the way of eternal
life unto them. But perverseness therein is a breach in
the spirit; impure, unchaste, unsavoury, and corrupt
language, does mischief to the spirits of men; evil com-
munications corrupt the heart and manners, defile the
soul and the conversation; thlse and unsound doc-
trines eat as a canker; and as they make the heart of
God's people sad, whom he would not have made sad;
so they bring distress and despair into the spirits of
others, and make sad wounds and breaches there,
which are never healed, and that both in the spirits of
speaker,s and hearers; for damnable heresies bring
swift destruction on the propagators of them, and them
that receive them.
Ver. 5. A fool despiseth his fathcr's instruction, &c.]
They are fools that despise any instruction that is
wise, good, and profitable; and especially a father's in-
struction, whose love, tender affection, and care, will
not suffer him, knowingly, to give any but what is
good and wholesome: wherefore to despise it is not
only a contempt of his authority, but a slight of his
love; which are both very aggravating, and suffi-
ciently demonstrate iris folly; and of which he may be
himself convinced when it is too late, and say, how
have I hated instruction and despised reproof? He is
a fool that despises the instruction of any one superior
to him in years and experience; of ministers of the
word; and especially of our Father which is in heaven,
declared in the sacred Scriptures, which are written for
instruction in righteousness. But he that regardeth re-
proofis prudent; the reproof of a father, whose correc-
tions are to be submitted to, and received with reve-
rence; and especially of the Father of spirits, whose re..
bukes are in love, and ibr profit and advantage; yea,
he is a wise man that regards the reproof of the word
of God, and the ministers of it; and indeed of any
Christian, whether his superior, equal, or inferior, as
David did, Psai. cxli. 5.
Vet. 6. In the house of the righteous is' mch treasure,
&c.] God sometimes blesses the righteous with great
riches, as he tlid Abraham; or, however, if they have
but little, it is better than the riches of many wicked;
because they have what they have with a blessing, and
they are content with it: and they have abundance of
spiritual treasure; they have God for their portion;
Christ, and all good things along with hitn; the rich
graces of the Spirit; a rich experience of the grace of
God; and aH this is but a pledge and earnest of what
they shall possess hereafter. But in the revenues of the
wicked is trouble; they have much trouble in getting
their riches, by which they pierce themselves through
with many sorrows; they have much trouble in keep-
ing them; cannot rest nor sleep because of their abun-
dance, test it should be taken away from them; and
they have much trouble in parting with them,whenthey
are, by one providence or another, stripped of them;
and, besides, they have them with a curse, and are ever
artended with uneasiness, on one account or another.
Yet. 7. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, &c.]
Scatter it about for the benefit of others; they are
communicative and diffusive of it unto others, that

{u} \^twpwu\^ prospectantes velut a specula, Michaelis; speculatores,
Schultens; speculantes, Montanus, Junius  Tremellius, Piscator;
speculantur, Cocceius.
{w} \^aprm\^ sanans, so some in Vatablus.