this world, I need not speak much: the experience of all ages since the
beginning of the world confirms it, your own observation, I believe, can
seal to it; however, Scripture abundantly evinces it. The first murderer
that ever was, carries possessions in his very name: Cain signifies so much.
Genesis 4:8. Go on in the whole series of Scripture, and you shall find
Joseph persecuted by his brethren; Esau (as Rivet observes on Genesis 32),
advanced in the world for a time far above Jacob; go on, and you find the
Israelites, God's peculiar, in captivity, and Pharaoh on the throne; Saul
ruling, and David in a cave, or in a wilderness; Job upon the dunghill;
Jeremy in the dungeon; Daniel in the den, and the children in the furnace,
and Nebuchadnezzar on the throne. In the New Testament you have Felix on
the bench, Paul at the bar; Dives in the palace, Lazarus at his gate (Luke
16:19); he clothed in purple, Lazarus in rags and overspread with sores; he
banqueted and fared deliciously every day, the other desired but the crumbs
from the table, and could not have them; Dives beset with his rich and
stately attendance, Lazarus hath no other society but the dogs which came to
lick his sores; all which Austin and Tertullian against Marcion (lib. 4),
conceive to be a true history of what was really acted, though others think
it parabolical. Job tells us that "the tabernacle of robbers" sometimes
"prosper" (Job 12:6), which prosperity he at large describes (chapter 21
from verse 7 to 14); exalted in "power," verse 7; multiplied in their
posterity, verses 8, 11; safe at home, verse 9; increased abroad,
verse 10; have their fill of pleasure, verse 12, and wealth at will,
verse 13. David speaks his own experience of this. Psalm 37:35; 73:7. So
in the text, they enjoy not only common favours, as air to breathe in, earth
to walk on; their bellies are filled with his "hid treasure," and that not
for themselves only, but for their posterity too; they "leave the rest of
their substance to their babes;" in a word, "they have their portion in
this life."— John Frost, 1657.
Verse 14. A master or lord pays his servant his present wages, while he
cuts his son short in his allowance during his nonage, that he may learn
to depend upon his father for the inheritance. Thus doth God, the great
Lord of all, deal with his slaves, who serve him for the hire of some
temporal advantage; he gives them their present reward and wages; but though
his goodness hath determined a better portion to be a reward to the piety
and obedience of his children, yet he gives it them in reversion, little
in hand, that they may learn to live upon the promise, and by faith to
depend upon the goodness and faithfulness of their Father for their heavenly
inheritance; that they, walking not by sight but faith (which is a
Christian's work and condition here), may "not look at the things which are
seen," etc. 2 Corinthians 4:18. . . . . This discovers that rotten
foundation upon which many men build their hopes of heaven. Surely (are
many ready to argue) if God did not love me he would not give me such a
portion in the world. Deceive not thyself in a matter of so great
concernment. Thou mayest as well say God loved Judas, because he had the
bags, or Dives, because he fared deliciously, who are now roaring in hell.— John Frost.
Verse 14. The word which denotes the "belly" may have been fixed, by
the divine Spirit, to indicate the fact, that a very great proportion of the
sin of worldly and depraved characters is connected with the indulgence of
base and degrading lusts; and that they abuse the very bounty of heaven, in
riveting the chain of sense upon their unhappy souls. But let them
remember, that their sensual idolatries will, at last, be followed up by the
most fearful visitations of divine wrath.— John Morrison.
Verse 14. "Whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure." Wicked men
may abound in earthly things. They may have the earth and the fulness of
it, the earth, and all that is earthly; their bellies are filled by God
himself with hidden treasure. Precious things are usually hidden, and all
that's named treasure, though it be but earthly, hath a preciousness in it.
Hidden treasures of earth fill their bellies who slight the treasures of
heaven, and whose souls shall never have so much as a taste of heavenly
treasures: riches and honour are the lots of their inheritance who have no
inheritance among those whose lot is glory. They have the earth in their
hands (Job 9:24), who have nothing of heaven in their hearts; they bear sway
in the world who are slaves to the world; they govern and order others at
their will who are led captive by Satan at his will. Be not offended and
troubled to see the reins of government in their hands who know not how to
govern themselves, or to see them rule the world who are unworthy to live in
the world.— Joseph Caryl.
Verse 14. "Whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure." The hearts
of saints only are filled with the "hidden manna," but the bellies of the
wicked are often filled with hidden treasure; that is, with those dainties
and good things which are virtually hidden in, and formally spring out of,
the belly and bowels of the earth. The Lord easily grants them their wish
in such things, and gives them "their portion," which is all their
portion, "in this life." For as they are but common professors, so these
are but common mercies, such as many of his enemies receive, who are but
fatted as oxen for the slaughter, and fitted for destruction. True
happiness is not to be judged by lands or houses, by gold or silver. The
world is a narrow bound: unless we get beyond the creature, and set our
hopes above this world, we cannot by happy. As hypocrites desire, so they
obtain much of the world, but they shall attain no more, how much soever
they seem to desire it.— Joseph Caryl.
Verse 14. "Whose belly thou fillest." That is, their sensual appetite,
as oftentimes that term is used (Romans 16:18; Philippians 3:19), "with thy
hid treasures;" namely, the riches which either God is wont to hide in the
bowels of the earth, or lock up in the repository of providence, dispensing
them at his own pleasure.— John Howe.
Verse 14. "Whose belly thou fillest," etc.:—
Thou from thy hidden store,
Their bellies, Lord, hast fill'd;
Their sons are gorg'd, and what is o'er,
To their sons' sons they yield.
Richard Mant.
Verse 14. "They are full of children." So it appears by that which
follows, it ought to be read, and not according to that gross, but easy
(Greek) for (Greek) mistake of some transcribers of the seventy. As if in
all this he pleaded thus: "Lord, thou hast abundantly indulged those men
already, what need they more? They have themselves, from thy unregarded
bounty, their own vast swollen desires sufficiently filled, enough for their
own time; and when they can live no longer in their persons, they may in
their posterity, and leave not strangers, but their numerous offspring,
their heirs. Is it not enough that their avarice be gratified, except their
malice be also? that they have whatsoever they can conceive desirable for
themselves, unless they may also infer whatever they can think mischievous
on me?" To this description of his enemies, he ex opposito, subjoins some
account of himself in this his closure of the Psalm. "As for me," here he
is at his statique point; and, after some appearing discomposure, his spirit
returns to a consistency, in consideration of his own more happy state,
which he opposes and prefers to their, in the following respects. That
they were wicked, he righteous. "I will behold thy face in
righteousness." That their happiness was worldly, terrene, such only as
did spring from the earth; his heavenly and divine, such as should result
from the face and image of God. Theirs present, temporary, compassed
within this life; his future, everlasting, to be enjoyed when he should
awake. Theirs partial, defective, such as would but gratify their bestial
part, fill their bellies; his adequate, complete (the eudaimonia tou
ounetou . . . . . a happiness of proportion ), such as should satisfy the
man. "I shall be satisfied," etc.— John Howe.
Verse 14. "They are full of children." Margin, their children are
full. The margin probably expresses the sense of the Hebrew better than
the text. The literal rendering would be, "satisfied are their sons;" that
is, they have enough to satisfy the wants of their children. The
expression, "they are full of children," is harsh and unnatural, and is not
demanded by the original, or by the main thought in this passage. The
obvious signification is, that they have enough for themselves and for their
children.— Albert Barnes.
Verse 15. "I will behold thy face." I look upon the face of a stranger
and it moves me not; but upon a friend and his face presently transforms
mine into a lively, cheerful aspect. "As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth the
face of a man his friend" (Proverbs 27:17), puts a sharpness and a quickness
into his looks. The soul that loves God, opens itself to him, admits his
influence and impressions, is easily molded and wrought to his will, yields
to the transforming power of his appearing glory. There is no resistant
principle remaining when the love of God is perfected in it; and so
overcoming is the first sight of his glory upon the awaking soul, that it
perfects it, and so his likeness, both at once.— John Howe.
Verse 15. "I will behold," etc.—In the words we have, 1. The time
of his complete and consummate happiness— "When I awake." 2. The
matter of his happiness, and the manner of enjoying it; the matter and
object— "God's face, or likeness;" the manner of enjoying— "I will
behold thy face." 3. His perfect disposition and condition in the state
of happiness— "I shall behold in righteousness," having my heart
perfectly conformed to the will of God, the perfect and adequate rule of
righteousness. 4. The measure of his happiness— "I shall be
satisfied;" my happiness will be full in the measure, without want of
anything that can make me happy; all my desires shall be satisfied, and my
happiness in respect of duration shall be eternal, without a shadow or fear
of a change.— William Colvill.
Verse 15. He doth profess his resolution, yet notwithstanding all the
danger he was in, to go on in the ways of God, and expect a gracious issue;
but I , saith he, "will behold thy face in righteousness;" indeed, I
cannot behold the face of the king without danger to me; there are a great
many that run to kill me, and they desire his face; but though I cannot see
his face, yet, Lord, I shall behold thy face; "I will behold thy face,"
and it shall be "in righteousness;" I will still keep on in the ways of
righteousness, and "when I awake" —for I believe that these troubles
will not hold long—I shall not sleep in perpetual sleep, but I shall
awake and be delivered, and then "I shall be satisfied with thy
likeness:" there shall be the manifestation of thy glory to me, that shall
satisfy me for all the trouble that I have endured for thy name's sake, that
my soul shall say, I have enough.— Jeremiah Burroughs.
Verse 15. "I shall be satisfied," etc. The fulness of the felicity of
heaven may appear if we compare it with the joys and comforts of the Holy
Spirit. Such they are, as that the Scripture styles them strong
consolations (Hebrews 6:17); full joys (John 15:11); joy unspeakable and
full of glory (1 Peter 1:8); abounding consolations. 2 Corinthians 1:5.
And yet all the joy and peace that believers are partakers of in this life
is but as a drop to the ocean, as a single cluster to the whole vintage, as
the thyme or honey upon the thigh of a bee to the whole hive fully fraught
with it, or as the break and peep of day to the bright noontide. But yet
these tastes of the water, wine, and honey of this celestial Canaan, with
which the Holy Spirit makes glad the hearts of believers, are both far more
desirable and satisfactory than the overflowing streams of all earthly
felicities. And there are none who have once tasted of them, but say as the
Samaritan woman did, "Lord, give me that water, that I thirst not, neither
come hither to draw." John 4:15. So also the first and early dawnings of
the heavenly light fill the soul with more serenity, and ravish it with more
pure joy, than the brightest sunshine of all worldly splendour can ever do.
I have read of a devout person who but dreaming of heaven, the signatures
and impressions it made upon his fancy were so strong, as that when he