The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.
Ver. 19. The lips of truth shall be established for ever.] Veritas odium parit: Truth breeds hatred: a good mistress she is, but he that follows her too close at heels, may hap have his teeth struck out. He that prizeth truth, shall never prosper by the possession or profession thereof, saith Sir Walter Raleigh. a This is most true, for the most part, of "the truth of the gospel," Gal 2:5 "the doctrine according to godliness" 1Ti 6:3 - "sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly"; Rev 10:9 very pleasant in itself, but the publishing of it, whereby the fruit of it might come to the rest of the members, is full of trouble and anguish. How many faithful witnesses of the truth have lost their lives in the defence of it! All which notwithstanding, "the lips of truth shall be established," saith the Spirit here. ‘Great is the truth, and shall prevail.' He that loseth his life in Christ's cause, shall find it in heaven; "his name" also "shall be famous upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed."
The lying tongue is but for a moment.] As is to be seen in Gehazi, in Ananias and Sapphira, in Doeg, and others; - "God Psa 52:5 shall likewise destroy thee for ever, and root thee out of the land of the living." Did he not deal so by Julian, Ecebolius, Latomus, Bomelius, Pendleton, Harding, and others, both ancient and modern, renegades and apostates? "How are they brought into desolation as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terror." Psa 73:19
a Hist., lib. i. c. 1.