For I am persuaded
These words with the following, express the strong persuasion,
and full assurance of faith the apostle had, that nothing
whatever could separate him and the rest of God's people, from
his love towards them in Christ Jesus. This persuasion not only
regards himself, but others; and is not conjectural, but certain;
and which did not arise from any special and extraordinary
revelation, but is founded upon the nature of the love of God
itself, the security of it in Christ, and of the persons of God's
elect in him; upon eternal predestination, and the unalterable
purposes of God; upon the promise and oath of God; upon adoption,
and the gracious witnessings, assistances, and inhabitation of
the Spirit; and is greatly increased by the consideration of the
death, resurrection, and intercession of Christ. The things
enumerated, which are not able to separate from the love of God,
are as follow:
death;
death separates men from the world, their worldly habitations and
substance; it separates the soul from the body, and one friend
from another; and in process of time, may take off all thoughts
and affections for departed friends, but it is not able to
separate from the love of God; it is so far from it, that it lets
the soul into the fullest enjoyment of it: and as corporeal
death, so no other kind of death can do it; for if the death of
the body cannot, the death of afflictions never can; and as for a
moral or spiritual death, and an eternal one, these shall never
befall the children of God:
nor life;
this natural and temporal life, which is frail and mortal; the
love of God is better than this life, and this itself is the
effect of divine favour; wherefore this can never separate from
the love of God, nor anything in it: the life of believers is
indeed filled up with troubles and exercises, and attended with
much imperfection and sin; but nothing does, or can alienate the
affections of God from his children; for though he exercises them
with the trials of life, and chastises them for their sins, yet
his loving kindness be does not take away from them:
nor angels;
by whom are meant evil angels, the devils; for as for good
angels, they never attempt to separate God and his people; they
rejoice at their good, minister to them, are their guardians
whilst here, at death they carry their souls to heaven, and at
the last day will gather all the elect together; but evil angels
do endeavour it, by temptations to sin, and accusations for it;
by stirring up heresies and persecutions, in order to destroy
them, but cannot succeed; for the saints are upon God's heart,
are in Christ's hands, and on him the rock; and the Spirit of God
is in them, who is greater than he that is in the world:
nor principalities:
civil magistrates; who though they may separate them from their
company, and cast them out as evil; may separate them in prisons
one from another; and separate soul and body, by killing the
latter, which is all they can do; yet they cannot separate
neither soul nor body from the love of God: the Jews often say,
that if all the nations of the world were gathered together, they
could not extinguish F14 or cause to cease F15, or
take away the love which is between God and his people Israel
F16:
nor powers;
either the same with the former; or false teachers who had the
power of working miracles in confirmation of their doctrines, by
which they deceived many; and if it had been possible, would have
deceived the elect of God, but that was impossible:
nor things present;
present evils, the afflictions of the present life; God does not
cease to love when he afflicts his people; yea, afflictions
spring from his love, and in them he afresh manifests his love to
them; they are overruled for their good, and issue in eternal
glory. Present temptations also may be meant. The best of saints
have been exposed unto them; Christ himself was not exempted from
them; these do not, nor cannot separate from the love of God;
which is manifest from the regard which God and Christ have to
tempted ones, by sympathizing with them, supporting and
succouring of them, rebuking the tempter, and delivering from
them. Present desertions, or the hidings of God's face, which
often is the case of his dear children, can have no such effect;
their relation to God still continues; they have great nearness
unto him, are engraven on the palms of his hands, are set as a
seal on his heart, and he bears a strong affection to them;
though, for wise reasons, he is pleased for a moment to hide
himself from them: yea, the present body of sin and death saints
carry about with them in this life, cannot separate them; sin has
separated the angels from God, who rebelled against him; it drove
Adam out of the garden of Eden, and will exclude the wicked from
the divine presence to all eternity; and it often separates
between God and his own people, with respect to communion, but
never with respect to union to him, or interest in him; for he
knew what they would be when he set his love upon them; his love
broke through all the corruptions of nature and sins of life in
their conversion; and appears to continue the same from the
strong expressions of his grace to them, notwithstanding all
their backslidings; could sin separate in this sense, no one
would remain the object of his love. Now this does not suppose
that God loves sin, nor does it give any encouragement to it; for
though it cannot separate from interest in God, yet it does from
the enjoyment of him. Again, present good things may be designed,
the good things of this life, temporal enjoyments; these are
given in love; and though they may be but few, they are in mercy,
and with a blessing; and the great mercy of all is, that these
are not their all, nor do they take off their value and esteem
for the love of God, which is better to them than all the things
of life; and though "the prosperity of fools shall destroy them",
( Proverbs
1:32 ) , the prosperity of the saints shall never be their
ruin:
nor things to come;
whether good or bad, prosperous or adverse; more afflictions,
fresh difficulties with the body of sin; an hour of temptation,
and time of distress that is to come upon all the earth; or the
evil days of old age; God will never leave, nor forsake his
people, or cause his loving kindness to depart from them, in
whatsoever state or condition they may come into: the Vulgate
Latin version adds, "nor fortitude"; and the Ethiopic version,
"nor powers"; and one copy adds it in the beginning of ( Romans 8:39 ) , "nor
power".