Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/mhcc21/v22600

Text File | 1994-03-02 | 9KB | 158 lines

22600
 #8-14 We have here the improvement which the people of God are
 to make of his glorious and gracious appearances for them. Let
 our faith in the word of God be hereby confirmed. Let our hope
 of the stability of the church be encouraged. Let our minds be
 filled with good thoughts of God. All the streams of mercy that
 flow down to us, must be traced to the fountain of His
 loving-kindness. Let us give to God the glory of the great
 things he has done for us. Let all the members of the church
 take comfort from what the Lord does for his church. Let us
 observe the beauty, strength, and safety of the church. Consider
 its strength; see it founded on Christ the Rock, fortified by
 the Divine power, guarded by Him who neither slumbers nor
 sleeps. See what precious ordinances are its palaces, what
 precious promises are its bulwarks, that you may be encouraged
 to join yourselves to it: and tell this to others. This God, who
 has now done such great things for us, is unchangeable in his
 love to us, and his care for us. If he is our God, he will lead
 and keep us even to the last. He will so guide us, as to set us
 above the reach of death, so that it shall not do us any real
 hurt. He will lead us to a life in which there shall be no more
 death.
22607
 * A call for attention. (1-5) Folly of worldlings. (6-14)
 Against fear of death. (15-20)

 #1-5 We seldom meet with a more solemn introduction: there is no
 truth of greater importance. Let all hear this with application
 to ourselves. The poor are in danger from undue desire toward
 the wealth of the world, as rich people from undue delight in
 it. The psalmist begins with applying it to himself, and that is
 the right method in which to treat of Divine things. Before he
 sets down the folly of carnal security, he lays down, from his
 own experience, the benefit and comfort of a holy, gracious
 security, which they enjoy who trust in God, and not in their
 worldly wealth. In the day of judgment, the iniquity of our
 heels, or of our steps, our past sins, will compass us. In those
 days, worldly, wicked people will be afraid; but wherefore
 should a man fear death who has God with him?

22612
 #6-14 Here is a description of the spirit and way of worldly
 people. A man may have wealth, and may have his heart enlarged
 in love, thankfulness, and obedience, and may do good with it.
 Therefore it is not men's having riches that proves them to be
 worldly, but their setting their hearts upon them as the best
 things. Worldly men have only some floating thoughts of the
 things of God, while their fixed thoughts, their inward
 thoughts, are about the world; that lies nearest the heart. But
 with all their wealth they cannot save the life of the dearest
 friend they have. This looks further, to the eternal redemption
 to be wrought out by the Messiah. The redemption of the soul
 shall cost very dear; but, being once wrought, it shall never
 need to be repeated. And he, the Redeemer, shall rise again
 before he sees corruption, and then shall live for evermore, #Re
 1:18|. This likewise shows the folly of worldly people, who sell
 their souls for that which will never buy them. With all their
 wealth they cannot secure themselves from the stroke of death.
 Yet one generation after another applaud their maxims; and the
 character of a fool, as drawn by heavenly Wisdom itself, #Lu
 12:16-21|, continues to be followed even among professed
 Christians. Death will ask the proud sinner, Where is thy
 wealth, thy pomp? And in the morning of the resurrection, when
 all that sleep in the dust shall awake, the upright shall be
 advanced to the highest honour, when the wicked shall be filled
 with everlasting shame and contempt, #Da 12:2|. Let us now judge
 of things as they will appear in that day. The beauty of
 holiness is that alone which the grave cannot touch, or damage.

22621
 #15-20 Believers should not fear death. The distinction of men's
 outward conditions, how great soever in life, makes none at
 death; but the difference of men's spiritual states, though in
 this life it may seem of small account, yet at and after death
 is very great. The soul is often put for the life. The God of
 life, who was its Creator at first, can and will be its Redeemer
 at last. It includes the salvation of the soul from eternal
 ruin. Believers will be under strong temptation to envy the
 prosperity of sinners. Men will praise thee, and cry thee up, as
 having done well for thyself in raising an estate and family.
 But what will it avail to be approved of men, if God condemn us?
 Those that are rich in the graces and comforts of the Spirit,
 have something of which death cannot strip them, nay, which
 death will improve; but as for worldly possessions, as we
 brought nothing into the world, so it is certain that we shall
 carry nothing out; we must leave all to others. The sum of the
 whole matter is, that it can profit a man nothing to gain the
 whole world, to become possessed of all its wealth and all its
 power, if he lose his own soul, and is cast away for want of
 that holy and heavenly wisdom which distinguishes man from the
 brutes, in his life and at his death. And are there men who can
 prefer the lot of the rich sinner to that of poor Lazarus, in
 life and death, and to eternity? Assuredly there are. What need
 then we have of the teaching of the Holy Ghost; when, with all
 our boasted powers, we are prone to such folly in the most
 important of all concerns!
22627
 * The glory of God. (1-6) Sacrifices to be changed for prayers.
 (7-15) Sincere obedience required. (16-23)

 #1-6 This psalm is a psalm of instruction. It tells of the
 coming of Christ and the day of judgment, in which God will call
 men to account; and the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgement.
 All the children of men are concerned to know the right way of
 worshipping the Lord, in spirit and in truth. In the great day,
 our God shall come, and make those hear his judgement who would
 not hearken to his law. Happy are those who come into the
 covenant of grace, by faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice,
 and show the sincerity of their love by fruits of righteousness.
 When God rejects the services of those who rest in outside
 performances, he will graciously accept those who seek him
 aright. It is only by sacrifice, by Christ, the great Sacrifice,
 from whom the sacrifices of the law derived what value they had,
 that we can be accepted of God. True and righteous are his
 judgments; even sinners' own consciences will be forced to
 acknowledge the righteousness of God.

22633
 #7-15 To obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our
 neighbour better than all burnt-offerings. We are here warned
 not to rest in these performances. And let us beware of resting
 in any form. God demands the heart, and how can human inventions
 please him, when repentance, faith, and holiness are neglected?
 In the day of distress we must apply to the Lord by fervent
 prayer. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God's hand,
 must drive us to him, not drive us from him. We must acknowledge
 him in all our ways, depend upon his wisdom, power, and
 goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him
 glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting him with
 prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances. A
 believing supplicant shall not only be graciously answered as to
 his petition, and so have cause for praising God, but shall also
 have grace to praise him.

22642
 #16-23 Hypocrisy is wickedness, which God will judge. And it is
 too common, for those who declare the Lord's statutes to others,
 to live in disobedience to them themselves. This delusion arises
 from the abuse of God's long-suffering, and a wilful mistake of
 his character and the intention of his gospel. The sins of
 sinners will be fully proved on them in the judgment of the
 great day. The day is coming when God will set their sins in
 order, sins of childhood and youth, of riper age and old age, to
 their everlasting shame and terror. Let those hitherto forgetful
 of God, given up to wickedness, or in any way negligent of
 salvation, consider their urgent danger. The patience of the
 Lord is very great. It is the more wonderful, because sinners
 make such ill use of it; but if they turn not, they shall be
 made to see their error when it is too late. Those that forget
 God, forget themselves; and it will never be right with them
 till they consider. Man's chief end is to glorify God: whoso
 offers praise, glorifies him, and his spiritual sacrifices shall
 be accepted. We must praise God, sacrifice praise, put it into
 the hands of the Priest, our Lord Jesus, who is also the altar:
 we must be fervent in spirit, praising the Lord. Let us
 thankfully accept God's mercy, and endeavour to glorify him in
 word and deed.