If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious.
] Reference is had to ( Psalms 34:8 ) , "O
taste and see that the Lord is good"; and the Syriac version here
adds, "if ye have seen": by the Lord is meant, the Lord Jesus
Christ, as the following words show, who is gracious and amiable,
and lovely in his person; who has a fulness of grace in him for
his people; has displayed his grace towards them, in engaging for
them as a surety, in assuming their nature, obeying, suffering,
and dying in their stead; he is gracious in his word and
promises, truths and ordinances, and in all his offices and
relations; and regenerate persons have tasted that he is so: an
unregenerate man has no spiritual taste; his taste is vitiated by
sin, and not being changed, sin is a sweet morsel in his mouth,
and he disrelishes everything that is spiritual; but one that is
born again savours the things of the Spirit of God; sin is
exceeding sinful to him, and Christ exceeding precious; he, and
his fruit, his promises, and blessings of grace, his word and
ordinances, are sweet unto his taste: and the taste he has is not
a mere superficial one, such as hypocrites may have of the good
word of God, and the powers of the world to come; but such a
taste of Christ, and of his grace, as, by a true faith, to eat
his flesh, and drink his blood, and so have everlasting life;
such have a saving and experimental knowledge of Christ, an
application of him, and his saving benefits to them, a revelation
of him in them, so that they find and feel that he dwells in
them, and they in him; such receive out of Christ's fulness, and
grace for grace, and live by faith upon him, and receive
nourishment from him; and of this the apostle made no doubt
concerning these persons, but took it for granted that they had
had such tastes of Christ, and therefore could not but desire the
Gospel, which is a revelation of Christ, and sets forth the glory
of his person, and the riches of his grace: and whereas, such as
have truly tasted of his grace cannot but desire to have more,
and fresh tastes of it; where should they have them, but in his
word and ordinances? and therefore, would they grow in grace, and
know more of Christ, and taste more of his goodness, it is their
interest, as it is their spiritual nature, to desire the Gospel,
in the purity and sincerity of it.