Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_400.lzh/4_442.TXT

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

dition, and circumstances; thy wants and necessities;
seek and ask for a supply of him, make known thy re-
quests to him; for though he is not ignorant of the
affairs of Iris people, yet he will be songht unto to do
the things for them he intends to do, and they stand
in need of. And thy thoughts shall be established; when
a man has, by faith and in prayer, committed himself,
his case, his ways and works, to the Lord, his mind is
made easy, his thoughts are composed and settled, and
he quietly waits the issues of things; he says, the will
of the Lord be done; he knows that he causes all things
to work together for good; and whatever is for his
good and God's glory shall be brought to pass; and
this makes him calm, sedate, and easy; and he is in
a fair way of having his designs, desires, and endea-
rours accomplished; see Psal. xxxvii. 5.
Ver. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself,
&c.] This is true of the Lord with respect to the
creation of all things by him. All things are made
by him, the heaven, earth, and sea; and all that are
in them, angels, men, beasts, birds, fishes, and all
creatures: and these are made for himself, and not
another; not for the pure or good men, as Aben Ezra,
though all things are for the elect's sake; but for God
himself, besides whom there was no other before the
creation, nor is there any other God but him, who is
the first cause and last end of all things: nor were
those all things made for him, through any want he
had of them, being God all-sufficient and blessed for
evermore, but to shew his greatness, and communicate
his goodness; they are made for his service, which all
creatures are obliged unto, and whom all in their way
obey, and for his honour and glory. It is also true of
his works of providence, and of his ordering and dis-
posing of all things in the course of that, to answer
ends of his own glory; his kingdom of providence
rules over all; there is a general providence, which
respects all creatures and things; and there is a parti-
cular providence attending the Lord's own people;
and in all the glory of his wisdom,justice, truth, and
goodness, is conspicuous: but this is chiefly, if not
solely, to be understood of God's decrees and purposes;
and of his ordering and appointing all things.to bring
about his own glory. Every thing is appointed of
God; he has fore-ordained whatever comes to pass;
there is a purpose for every thing under the heavens,
and a time fixed for the execution of it. Junius re-
strains it to all men; but it is true of all creatures and
things, though especially men: all things are appointed
by the Lord, respecting the temporal estate of men;
their birth, and the time of it, with all the circum-
stances attending it; the place of their abode, their
calling, station of life, and usefulness; all adverse and
prosperous dispensations; their death, with all the
events leading to it: and so likewise all things respect-
ing their spiritual and eternal estate; the choice of
them to salvation; their redemption by Christ; the
time of his coming, sufferings, and death, and the cir-
cumstances thereof; the conversion of God'select, the
time, place, and means; these are all according to the
purpose of God; as are also all their times of affliction,
temptation, desertion, and of joy and comfort. In a
word, the final state of all men, good and bad, is fixed
by the Lord; and all this is for himself, which some ren-
der, to answer to himself{c}; all creatures are made to
answer to his original design in making them, to the
laws of their creation, and to answer his ends and pur-
pos.es; and which is ultimately his own glory: orfor his
praise, as Jarchi; for his will and pleasure, as R. Isaac;
for the thing in which he is well-pleased, as R. Jonah
or for his own sake, as Kimchi; and all which agree,
as with the sense of the words, so with Rev. iv. 11.
The Targum and Syriac version very wrongly render
them, "all the works of God, or the Lord, are for
"them that obey him." Yea, even the wicked for the
day ofevil; this is added to illustrate the general pro-
position in the preceding clause, and to obviate an ob-
jection, that might be taken from the destruction of the
wicked, against all things being for the glory of God; for
even the destruction of the wicked, which is under a di-
vine appointment, is for his glory. It is not the sense of
this text, nor of any other passage of Scripture, that God
.made man to damn him; nor is this to be inferred from
the doctrine of predestination: God made man, neither
to damn him, nor to save him, but for his own glory;
and that is secured, whether in his salvation or dam-
nation; nor did or does God make men wicked; he
made man upright, and he has made himself' wicked;
and, being so, God tnay justly appoint him to damna-
tion for his wickedness, in doing which he glorifies his
justice. The day of evil, or evil day, is the day of
wrath and ruin, unto which wicked men are reserved
by the appointment of God, agreeably to the Targum,
Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions. This is true
of wicked angels, wicked men, and particularly of that
wicked one, the man of sin and son of perdition, an-
tichrist; the word here used is in the singular number.
Vet. 5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomi-
nation to the Lard, &c.] Though he may dissemble
his pride, and not discover it in his looks, by his words
and gestures; yet the Lord sees and knows the heart,
the naughtiness of it, and the pride that is in it: and
only a proud look, but a proud heart, is abominable
: every one that is so arrogant as to arraign
the decrees of God,and quarrel with him about them,to
whom the apostle says, Nay, but, 0 man, 0 proud vain
man, who art thou, that repliest against God ? Rom. ix.
19--21. every proud Pharisee, that trusts in himself
that he is righteous, and despises others, that justifies
himself before men, is an abomination in the sight of
God, Luke xviii. 9. and xvi. 15. particularly antichrist,
who has not only a proud look, a look more stout than
Iris fellows, but a proud heart; exalts himself above.
all that is called God; and not only speaks big words
against the most High, but has it in his heart to change.
times and laws; and proudly imagines he shall always
continue in his grandeur and prosperity, Dan. vii.
25. 2 Thess. ii. 4. Rev. xviii. 7. Though hand .join.
in hand, he shall not be unpunished ; though he endea-
yours with both hands, with all his might and main,
to secure himself and prevent his ruin, he shall not be
able to do it; though he enters iuto confederacy with,

{c} \^whneml\^ ad responsum suum, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis; ad
responsum proprium ejus, Gussetius, p. 623. ad responsum sui
Schultens.