Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_000.lzh/D_080.TXT

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80

OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.

BOOK

as they imagine, whereby he deceives them that dwell on
the earth; and therefore are called lying wonders, feigned
things, which have no truth in them, Rev. xiii. 13, 14.
2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. but the wonderful works of God are
true, and without deceit, as are all his judgments he
executes by the sword, famine, pestilence, &c.
(&) The works of grace done by him, Iris acts of grace,
both in eternity and time; his choice of persons to eternal
life, is true, firm, and real, the foundation of God, which
stands sure; the covenant of grace, made in Christ, full
of blessings and promises, faithfully performed; the mis-
sion of Christ into the world, and Iris incarnation, who
was really m_ade flesh, and dwelt among men; the truth
of which the apostle confirms by the various senses of
seeing, hearing, and handling, I 3 olin i. I. Justification
by his righteousness is really impnted to his people, and
by which they truly become righteous; and not in a pu-
tatire and imaginary sense; pardon by Iris blood, which
is not merely typical, as by the blood of slain beasts, but
real; atonement by the sacrifice of himself, which he
really and truly offered up to God; and sanctification by
the Spirit, which is the new man, created in righteousness
and true holiness; and not outward, typical, and cere-
monial, nor feigned and hypocritical: and adoption, by
which the saints are now really the sons of God; though
it does not yet appear what they shall be; and to which
the Spirit bears a true and real witness; and which is
unto an inheritance, real, solid, and substantial.
III. God is true in his words, in his essential Word,
Iris Son, who was in the beginning' with God; had a true
and real existence with him, and was God, really and truly
God; he is true in his person and natures, the true God
and eternal life, who took unto him a true body and a
reasonable soul; and 'whose human nature is the true
tabernacle God pitched, and not man: true in his offices
he bears; the true prophet raised up and sent of God,
the true light, that lightens meu in every sense; the true
priest, not of the order of Aaron, but of the order of
Melchizedek; the true and only Potentate, King of kings,
and Lord of lords; the true Mediator between God and
men, and not a typical one, as Moses.
God is true in his written word; the scriptures are the
· scriptures of truth, even the whole of them, Dan. x. 21.
they are given by inspiration from God, are the breath of
God, who is the God of truth, and therefore to be re-
ceived, not as the word of man, but as in. truth the word
of God, 1 Thess. ii. 13. the law-part of them is truth;
the apostle speaks of the truth in the law, known by men,
Rom. ii. o.0. there is not a precept in it but what is true
and right; The judgments of the Lord are true and righ-
teous altogether, Psalm xix. 9. And the gospel-part of
them is eminently the word of truth, Eph. i. 13. and all
the doctrines of it, which are pure words, as silver tried
in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, Psalm xii. 6.
And the truth and veracity of God appears in the ful-
filment of the predictions, promises, and threatenings con-
tained in his word, which is the same with his faithfulness;
which we shall particularly treat of in the next chapter,
being naturally led to it; the veracity of God is the foun-
dation of his faithfulness; and his faithfulness is a branch
of that; and they are often put one for the other, and
signify the same thing.

C H A P XXIII.

OF TIlE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.

FAITHFULNESS is an attribute that belongs to
God; from whence he is denominated the .faithJid Cool,
Dent. vii. 9. It is essential to him, and without which
he would not be God; to be unfaithfnl, would be to act
contrary to his nature, to deny himself, 2 Tim. ii. 13. an
tmfaithful God would be no God at all; it is a most glo-
rious perfection of his nature; it is great, like himself;
yea, it is infinite; Great is thy faithfulness, Lain. iii. 23.
it reaclies to all persons and things God has any concern
with; it is all around him; he is, as it were, clothed and
covered with it; and there is none in any creature like
unto it, Psalm lxxxix, 8. 'Fhere is faithfidness in the
holy angels, and in good men, bnt not like what is in
God; and therefore he puts no trust in them, Job iv. 18.
Iris faitlifidness is invariably the same; it has never failed
in any one instance, nor never will; it is established in
the heavens, and will continue to all generations, Psalm
Ixxxix. 2, '24, 33. and cxix. 90. Josh. xxiii. 14. otherwise
there would be no firm foundation for trust and confidence
in him; but he is the faithful Creator, and covenant
God and Father of his people; to whom they may safely
commit themselves, and depend upon him for all mercies
promised, both temporal and spiritual, 1 Pet. iv. 19.
1 Thess. v. 23, e4. for the faithfulness of God chiefly
lies in the performance of his word, which is certain, with
respect to all that is spoken by him; for hath he said,
and shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken, and shall he
not make it good? Verily he will, Numb. xxiii. 19. Luke
i. 45. And it appears,
First, In the performance of what he has said with
respect to teh world in general; as, that it shall never
more be destroyed by a flood, as it once was; and for a
token and confirmation of it, God has set the rainbow in
the cloud; and now four thousand years are gone since
the covenant was niade; and God has been faithful to it,
though the earth has been sometimes threatened with
destruction by violent storms, and sudden inundations;
see Gen. ix. 11--16. lsa. liv. 9. Also that the ordinances
of heaven, the sun, moon, and stars, shall not depart, but
always continue in their being, use, and influence; and
now they have kept their course, or station, and have done
their office, exactly and punctually, for almost six thou-
sand years; see Jer. xxxi. 35, 36. and xxxiii. 25. Like-
wise that the revolutions of the time, and seasons of the
year, should keep their constant course; that, while the
earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat,
and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not
cease Gen viii 22. and so it has always been, and still
is, in one part of the world or another, according to the
different climates. Remarkable was the faithfulness of
God to the JewislI nation, in that their land required rain
only at two seasons of the year, and God promised it to
them, and which they always had; though sometimes so
ungrateful as not to fear him who gave them rain, both
the former and the latter, in his season, and reserved for
them the appointed weeks of the harvest, Jer. v. 24. see
Dent. xi. 14, 15. and whereas God has given reason to