The past few months I’ve gotten into the practice of reading Mike Ratliff’s post as part of my morning routine. Sometime I post a comment to his site, which has many more views than I get!
Other times like this, I Reblog a link in my site. Often I will look up his scripture quotes in my KJV Bible and read the comments made by Old John Gill on the words and phrases. I do find Mike very consistent with what Gill wrote.
Wikipedia describes him accurately as..
John Gill (23 November 1697 – 14 October 1771) was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology. Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he attended Kettering Grammar Schoolwhere he mastered the Latin classics and learned Greek by age 11. He continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew, his love for the latter remaining throughout his life.
An Exposition of the New Testament (3 vols., 1746–48), which with his Exposition of the Old Testament (6 vols., 1748–63) forms his magnum opus
His commentary comes from the mid-18th Century..that’s approaching 300 years ago. Back in the days when interpretation was still very Biblically sound.
I consider referring to him for guidance as a contemporary form of staying on the Old Path, or Narrow way the Bible and another old guy John Bunyan (a hundred year prior to Gill) described it, in his Pilgrim’s Progress. In fact he even wrote a separate book about it: The Strait Gate.
Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
It is called a strait gate.
II. As it is called a gate, so it is called a strait gate—”Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
The straitness of this gate is not to be understood carnally, but mystically. You are not to understand it, as if the entrance into heaven was some little pinching wicket; no, the straitness of this gate is quite another thing. This gate is wide enough for all them that are the truly gracious and sincere lovers of Jesus Christ, but so strait, as that not one of the other can by any means enter in: “Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: this gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.” (Psa 118:19,20) By this word, therefore, Christ Jesus hath showed unto us, that without due qualifications there is no possibility of entering into heaven; the strait gate will keep all others out. When Christ spake this parable, he had doubtless his eye upon some passage or passages of the Old Testament, with which the Jews were well acquainted. I will mention two, and so go on.
Jeremiah 6:16-17 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
My mind really wandered down that path, I hope it was worthwhile.
Now back to Mike’s post, I was struck by the emphasis on God’s holiness. You can read the post here.
Often as I attempt to put myself to sleep, I will recite the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6 in my mind. Dwelling on individual words from that text. In Matthew 6:9-13 we see three connections to Mike’s commentary. Holiness, Forgiveness of our debts/sins, and Temptation.
Here are a few verses in the KJV and Gill’s commentary highlights.
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
hallowed, or sanctified be thy name
By the “name” of God is meant he himself, the perfections of his nature, and the several names by which he is known, and which we are to think and speak of with holy reverence. By sanctifying his name, is not meant a making him holy, but acknowledging, and declaring him to be holy, and a glorifying him, and all his perfections.
He is sanctified by himself, by declaring himself to be holy; by glorifying his perfections in his works; by implanting grace and holiness in the hearts of his people; by restoring the purity of his worship; by diffusing the knowledge of himself in the world; and by taking vengeance on the wicked: and he is sanctified by others, when they fear him, believe in him, call upon his name, use it reverently, submit to his will, acknowledge his mercies, regard his commands aud ordinances, and live a holy life and conversation; all which is earnestly desired by truly gracious souls.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And lead us not into temptation,….
that is, into the power of it, so as to be overcome by it, and sink under it; in which sense the phrase is to be understood here. We are not here taught to pray against temptations at all, or in any sense, for they are sometimes needful and useful; but that they may not have the power over us, and destroy us. There are various sorts of temptations.
There are the temptations of God; who may be said to tempt, not by infusing anything that is sinful, or by soliciting to it; but by enjoining things hard and disagreeable to nature, as in the case of Abraham; by afflicting, either in body or estate, of which Job is an instance; by permitting and letting loose the reins to Satan, and a man’s own corruptions; by withdrawing his presence, and withholding the communications of his grace; and sometimes by suffering false prophets to arise among his people: his ends in them are on his own account, the display of his power; grace, wisdom, and faithfulness; on account of his Son, that his saints might be like him, and he might have an opportunity of exercising his power and pity: and on his people’s account, that they might be humbled; their faith and patience tried; might see their weakness, and need of Christ, and be excited to prayer and watchfulness.
There are also the temptations of Satan; which lie in soliciting to evil, suggesting hard and blasphemous thoughts of God, and filling with doubts and fears; which are cunningly formed by him, and are very afflictive. There are moreover the temptations of the world, which arise from poverty and riches, from the men of the world, the lusts of it, and from both its frowns and flatteries: add to all this, that there are temptations arising from a man’s own heart.
Now, in this petition, the children of God pray, that they may be kept from every occasion and object of sinning; from those sins they are most inclined to; that God would not leave them to Satan, and their own corrupt hearts; nor suffer them to sink under the weight of temptations of any sort; but that, in the issue, they might have a way to escape, and be victorious over all
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And forgive us our debts,…. Nothing is more frequent in the Jewish writings than to call sins חובי, “debts”; and the phrase, of forgiving, is used both of God and men. Thus the prayer of Solomon is paraphrased (y) by the Targumist:
“and hear thou the petition of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make before this place; and do thou receive it from the place of the house of thy Shekinah, from heaven; and do thou accept their prayer ותשבק לחוביהון, “and forgive their debts”.”
Accordingly, by “debts” are meant sins here, as appears from Luk 11:4 where it is read, “and forgive us our sin”.
A good Biblical example of this prayer is found in the Parable.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Anyway, forgive me if I failed to proofread this well enough, it got longer than I intended. Hopefully it is useful.
Rainbow Trout 