Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Ver. 18. Then shall ye return and discern] You wicked blasphemers, that have slandered God's housekeeping, and brought up an evil report of his providence and justice; as if in managing the matters of the world he were less equal or less careful: you, I say, shall return, not to your right minds by a thorough conversion, by an entire change of the whole man, from evil to good (alas for your misery, it is past time of day with you for any such good works); but you shall alter your opinions when your eyes are once unsealed by the extremity of your sufferings (as the mole's eyes are said to be, when pangs of death are upon her), to see and acknowledge a sensible difference between the righteous (ever more "excellent than his neighbour," let him dwell where he will, Proverbs 12:26, because "sealed up to the day of redemption" Eph 4:30), and the wicked, who is but a vile person, an ουτος (let him be great as Antiochus Epiphanes the great King of Syria); between him that serveth God, accounting it the highest honour to be his vassal, as Constantine, Theodosius, and Valentinian (the emperors) called themselves Daniel 11:21, Vasallos Christi repersentives of Christ (Socrat.), and him that serveth him not, but casteth off the yoke of his obedience, being a son of Belial; and counteth it the only liberty to live as he wishes, and not to be ruled by God.
Then shall ye return] Then, when it is too late, when the day of grace is past, the gales of grace gone over, the gate shut, the drawbridge taken up. Then shall ye, wretched lingerers and loiterers, Epimetheuses, experts in hindsight, wise after the fact, that come in at length with your fool's Had-I-know, return; not as the prodigal did, who seasonably and savingly came to himself, Luke 15:17, having been before utterly bestraught, and quite beside himself, by the deceitfulness of sin, called foolishness of madness, Ecclesiastes 7:25; nor as those true converts mentioned in Solomon's prayer, that bethink themselves and repent, and make supplication to their judge, 1 Kings 8:47; but as Judas, who, while he played alone, won all, but haunted with the furies of a guilty conscience, which would needs make one with him, he repented after a sort, with a poenitentia sera Iscariotica, as Pareus calleth it, had some after thoughts, but not to a transmentation; μεταμεληθεις, Matthew 27:3; some inward wamblings, but they boiled not up to the full height of a godly sorrow, and therefore came to nothing. Or, is James Abbes, with his hideous All too late, all too late; so these wicked ones in the text, when they shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, and themselves thrust out; Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, and themselves in the burning lake; Christ's poor despised fellow sufferers shining "forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," and themselves cast out into outer darkness, Matthew 13:43; then shall they change both their mind and their note; then shall their odious blasphemies be driven back again down their throats, and then made to say, with Pharaoh, Exodus 9:27 "The Lord is righteous," and so are all his people, Isaiah 60:21, but I and mine associates are wicked, and therefore deservedly wretched. We once counted the proud happy, but now we see that of David verified which erst we believed not: "Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed," for that they "erred from thy commandments,"Psalms 119:21. We looked upon the righteous as calamitous, as worms and no men; as the nullificamen populi (Tertullian's expression), fit to be set with the dogs of the flock, and as the offscouring of all things; but now we can vote with that man of God and say, "Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and the sword of thine excellency? and thine enemies are now found liars unto thee, for thou treadest upon their high places," when they are trodden underfoot as unsavoury salt, Deuteronomy 33:29. Woe unto us spoilers! for now we are spoiled. "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who can abide with everlasting burnings?" Isaiah 33:1; Isaiah 33:14 Jeremiah 4:13. Behold, the day is come that burneth as an oven, Malachi 4:1, and we are now "as stubble fully dried," that it may burn the better, Nahum 1:10. We are put away (even all the wicked of the earth) like dross, Psalms 119:119, thrust away as thorns, 2 Samuel 23:6, placed as vile things under Christ's feet, Psalms 110:1. When the righteous shine as bright as silver upon the celestial shelf (as that martyr, John Careless, said), and surpass us as far as the lily doth the thorns, Song of Solomon 2:2, or as the gold doth the coals in the goldsmith's shop; yea, they are the throne of Christ, Exodus 17:16, his jewels, Malachi 3:17, his ornament, the beauty of his ornament, and that set in majesty, Ezekiel 7:20, a royal diadem on the head of Jehovah, Isaiah 62:3; and so they shall one day appear to be, though now they do not, 1 John 3:2; it shall be no hard matter to discern them.
Between the righteous and the wicked] Here they are together in the Church militant, and ever have been. "Sinners in Zion," Isa 33:14 sacrificing Sodomites, Isaiah 1:10, a devil in Christ's family, John 13:10. All men have not faith, 2 Thessalonians 3:2, all the Lord's people are not holy, Numbers 16:3, that any are it is a just wonder. "What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?" Job 15:14. None are so but such as are arrayed with that fine white linen and shining, the righteousnesses of the saints, Revelation 19:8, that twofold righteousness, imputed and imparted, of justification and of sanctification. See both, 1 Corinthians 6:11, and seek after both by Christ's merit and Spirit, by his value and virtue. He is Jehovah our righteousness, Jeremiah 23:5, and of his fulness ye all receive, John 1:16. He it is that makes us to differ from the wicked of the world, that have hearts full of hell, and are ever either hatching cockatrice's eggs, or, at best, weaving spider's webs; vanity or villany is their whole practice. The best among them would serve God, and yet retain their lusts too; as Solomon thought he could follow sinful pleasures, and yet keep his wisdom. And with such we must converse while in this world. Tares will be with the wheat, goats among the sheep, righteous and wicked together. God permits it so to be for the glory of his free grace, and for the trial and exercise of his people. Our care must be the greater; for evil men endanger good men, as weeds do the corn, as bad humours the blood, or an infected house the neighbourhood. We must resolve, as Joshua, to serve the Lord, howsoever; because a difference shall be one day set between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Where we see, that not serving of God, not sacrificing, is a sin, Ecclesiastes 9:2. Not robbing only, but the not relieving of the poor was the rich man's ruin. Not gluttony only, but overmuch abstinence may overthrow the body. Omission of diet breeds diseases; so doth omission of duties; and makes work for hell, or for the Physician of our souls. "Let us therefore have grace, whereby we may serve God with reverence and godly fear," Hebrews 12:28. Serve him as old Zechariah in his canticle saith we should do, Luke 1:74,75. First, out of sense of his dear love in our deliverance by Christ; whereinto the deeper we dive the sweeter. This will make us love to be his servants, Isaiah 56:7 "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," Romans 12:12, Servati sumus ut serviamus. Secondly, serve him without fear, slavish fear; serve him with a holy security, in full assurance of his gracious assistance and acceptance; yea, though through infirmity we miss or mar his work, yet he will spare us, Malachi 3:17. Thirdly, serve him in holiness and righteousness, in all parts and points of duty; show your integrity both for subject and object; not picking or choosing your work, nor sticking at anything, but willing in all things to please God. He doth not God's, but his own will, that doth no more than himself will. Fourthly, serve him sincerely, in holiness and righteousness (before him, or, as in his presence). Set the Lord ever at your right hand; look him full in the face, approve your hearts and lives unto him, do him but eye service, and it sufficeth. Fifthly, serve him constantly, all the days of your lives, hire yourselves to him for term of life; why should you desire to shift or fleet? where can you mend yourselves, either for fairness of work or fulness of wages? "Can the son of Jesse give you vineyards," &c., said Saul to his servants; so may God say, Can the world do for you as I both can and will if you cleave to me with full purpose of heart? Sure it cannot, &c.