Ver. 17. All your confidence will break down. You will be utterly
ruined. It will be as when a great power collapses. So shall it be
with sinners (Ps. lii.; Jer. xvii. 5, 6). So with sinners who reject
the Gospel. There will be--1. _Complete failure._ You will be left in
your original helplessness; at the mercy of the enemy: at the mercy
of your sins. 2. _Signal punishment._ For the criminality is most
aggravated. You will have insulted God by flinging back His offered
hand. Mark _the means_ by which punishment will come. By the very
things you have trusted. Mark _the manner_ in which punishment will
come. It will be utter ruin. Mark _the end_ your punishment will
serve. It will be a beacon to warn others against your fate. Instead
of trusting in any other help, fly to Jesus. Believe in Him. He gives
the weary rest. You shall be saved, now and for ever.--_J. Rawlinson._