An Expository Comment on 2 Corinthians 1, Exposition · Sermon 126
SERM. CXXVI.
How all the Promiſes are confirmed in Chriſt.
2 COR. 1. 20.
For all the promiſes of God, in him are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
HAving diſpatched the Subject in this Propoſition, we proceed to the Predicate, that which is affirmed of the promiſes of God; and that is their ſtability and immutability; they are Yea and Amen: with the meritorious or fundamental cauſe, [In him] that is, Chriſt. Some indeed take the latter clauſe, viz. in him they are Amen, with relation to the final cauſe, and ſo explain it of our duty, that we are to ſet our Amen to the truth of Gods promiſes.
In the former expreſſion is denoted the certainty and firmneſſe of the promiſes, when they are ſaid to be Yea.
In the latter our duty, and what obligation lieth upon us in reference to them, viz. that we ſhould ſet to our ſeal of Amen, giving our aſſent of confirmation; and this will greatly redound to Gods glory. Calvin goeth in this latter explication, as being moſt congruous and adapted to the Apoſtles meaning: Though he confeſſeth he will not be contentious, if the common path be trodden in. I ſhall therefore follow our Tranſlators, which ſeem to go the genuine way. It is affirmed of Gods promiſes, that they are Yea; by that you heard the Apoſtle meaneth a conſtant affirmation, and verity. Hath God promiſed any good thing to an humbled ſoule? This will alwayes be Yea; God will alwayes grant it, he will ſay Yea, yea. How comfortable would this meditation be to a gracious heart? How often doth thy trembling, deſponding ſoul go into his preſence, fearing that God will give a Nay to thee? Becauſe thou art apt to change, and to be mutable, therefore thou feareſt God will be ſo alſo.
Now the Apoſtle for the greater certainty ſake, doth double his expreſſion to the ſame ſenſe, [In him they are Amen, In him they are Yea,] In him they are Amen.] The one is a Greek word, the other Hebrew: and it is to ſhew, that both to Jew and Greeke the promiſes are confirmed in Chriſt. For whereas the Jewes perſwaſion was, That the Meſſias ſhould come onelyonly to their Nation; therefore the Apoſtles dared not to preach Chriſt to the Gentiles, till Peter was confirmed by a viſion from above. By Chriſt, this partition wall is broken down: ſo that the promiſes of grace are made to the believing Gentile, as well as the believing Jew. To the Gentile the promiſes are Yea: to the Jewes they are Amen. To this purpoſe the Apoſtle alſo, Galat. 4. 6. ſpeaking of the Spirit of Adoption, which is ſent into the hearts of believers, addeth, That thereby we are enabled to call him Abba, Father. Father for the Gentile, Abba for the Jew. So that whereas the believing Gentile might have doubted, whether he being as a dog, the childrens bread ſhould belong to him: Hereby is certified, that Chriſt is a Chriſt to them, the promiſes are promiſes to them as well as to the Jewes. The word Amen is uſed ſometimes nominally. Thus Chriſt is called the Amen, Revel. 3. 14. Theſe things ſaith the Amen; well then may the promiſes be Amen in Chriſt, ſeeing Chriſt is the Amen. Sometimes it is uſed adverbially, and ſo is to be underſtood by way of deſire and wiſh, Let it be ſo; or by way of atteſtation and confirmation, It is ſo. Hence tranſlated by the Interpreters of the Old Teſtament, ſometimes foreign, and ſometimes foreign. When it beginneth a ſpeech, it is a note of affirmation, as often our Saviour, Amen, Amen, I ſay unto you, &c. When it concludeth, then it is a note of confirmation; and in this ſenſe Calvin and others take it, as our duty by way of conſent, confirming: the promiſe, as you heard. The Rabbines ſpeak of a two-fold Amen, a perfect Amen, and an imperfect. The imperfect Amen, they make three-fold, Amen Pupillum, when one ſaith Amen to the prayer he doth not underſtand. Amen ſubreptitium, when a man ſaith it before the end of a prayer. Amen ſectile, when a man ſaith Amen, but diſtracted and divided in his thoughts, ſo that he doth not attend to what he ſaith Amen. And certainly this latter Amen, moſt are guilty of that uſe to ſay it. The words being thus explained, the Obſervation is,
That in Chriſt alone all the promiſes of God are confirmed, and made In Chriſt alone are all the promiſes of God confirmed and made good.good.
Thus you have alſo at another time aſſerted by the Apoſtle, Rom. 15. 8. I ſay that Jeſus Chriſt was a Miniſter of circumciſion for the truth of God, to confirme the promiſes made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy. This is a notable place, which the Apoſtle affirmeth with much vehemency. This I ſay (and the matter is this) that by Chriſt all promiſes both to Jewes and Gentiles are confirmed. The Jewes they were apt to thinke, that by their own workes the promiſes were confirmed. Yea, how ſecretly doth this Phariſaical ſinne lodge in our breaſts, as if the promiſes were performed not for Chriſts ſake, but our own ſake? This is that Ivy-ſinne, which adhering ſo cloſe to our natures, doth ſecretly conſume and devour all. Inſomuch that we may ſay, the whole Goſpel conſiſteth in this truth, and that the whole treaſure of Chriſtian conſolation is bound up in this.
And therefore that we may both underſtand, and be affected with it, conſider theſe things:
Firſt, By the promiſes of God we mean the promiſes of grace onelyonly. There 1. By the promiſes of God here are meant only tis promiſes of grace.is no grace to a ſinner, but through Chriſt; and hereby we exclude the promiſes by works, or the Covenant of works, of which we ſpake the laſt day. Although the Law doth continue ſtill in its force to us Chriſtians; as it is a Rule to order our converſation by, yet as it is a Covenant, ſo it is aboliſhed: No man being able to plead eternal life, by a Doe this but by believing; and therefore the Law as a Covenant, is ſo farre from, being eſtabliſhed or made good by Chriſt, that it is directly oppoſite to him. So that the Law and the promiſe are made by the Apoſtle two contra-diſtinct wayes of juſtification: He that ſeeketh to be juſtified by the Law, falleth off from Chriſt, and maketh him to be of none effect. Thus the promiſe by workes is contrary to the promiſe of grace through Chriſt; yet there have been ſome alwayes in the Church, who have endeavoured to joyn thoſe things which God hath put ſo farre aſunder, and that is the Law and the Goſpel, the promiſe of works, and the promiſe of grace; by which confuſion they have made void the grace of God. For if Gods promiſe be not ſolely of the grace of God, and every way of grace, then it is not at all of grace, If of workes, then not of grace. It is the Apoſtles infallible argument, Rom. 11. 6. It cannot be of grace and workes alſo. Luther (Comment. in Geneſ.) maketh this properly Simony, when we would have Heaven for the workes we doe; and thereupon ſaith, Omnis homo naturaliter eſt Simoniacus. Now how neceſſary is this truth to be known by every humbled and afflicted ſinner? How difficultly is he brought to the promiſe of grace, as if it were the forbidden fruit, that he might not taſte of it? This was the precious gold that the firſt Reformers with much labour digged out of the mines of the Scripture: it was the oyl they poured into wounded hearts. In what a wilderneſſe doth the child of God wander, till he hath this pillar of fire to guide him? Peace and joy cannot be obtained, till he come to this promiſe of grace in Chriſt. How ſlaviſh, how ſervile is he; till he know that this onelyonly is the way of juſtification, this onelyonly is the way of pardon and acceptance with God? And Gods children, eſpecially while in the pangs of converſion, or at any time under deſerlions and black fears about their eſtate, are to flie unto this, as a City of Refuge. Many an heavy temptation, many an heart-breaking doubt would be overcome, wert thou once perſwaded, that in the matter of juſtification, thou muſt know nothing, live upon nothing, but the gracious promiſe of God in Chriſt.
Secondly, We are to diſtinguiſh of promiſes: they are either fulfilled in 2. Promiſes are fulfilled either in Chriſt or by him.him, or fullfilled by him. For according to this diviſion, ſo ſome doe differently underſtand the Text. For there are Interpreters that make this the meaning, All the promiſes, viz. which have of old beene fore-told by the Prophets, they were all Yea and Amen in him, that is, They were all fullfilled in him; and in this ſenſe all the promiſes are true, in him, ut ſubjecto. But then others, they ſay, not onelyonly the promiſes of the Old Teſtament, but of the New alſo, they are ſure in him, becauſe through his worth and dignity they are accompliſhed; and thus the promiſes of God are Yea in him, ut fundamento, & causâ meritoriâ. But we are not to oppoſe theſe interpretations. For if we take the promiſes of both kinds, they may well be applied to the Text: Yea the latter do neceſſarily ſuppoſe the former: The former is to ſupport our aſſenting faith; the other, our ſiducial faith. For the firſt, we read of many promiſes in the Old Teſtament, concerning a Meſſias to come: and theſe were all accompliſhed in that perſon, Jeſus of Nazareth. The firſt promiſe that was made concerning him, is Geneſ. 3. 15. where he is promiſed, As the ſeed of the woman that ſhould deſtroy the ſeed of the Serpent. Afterwards he is more particularly promiſed, As the ſeed of Abraham in whom all Nations ſhould be bleſſed; which the Apoſtle doth induſtriouſly apply to Chriſt, and to Chriſt onelyonly, Galat. 3. 16. So that we may ſay, the promiſe made to Adam, the promiſe made to Abraham, are fullfilled in Chriſt, they are Yea and Amen in him. Thus alſo the promiſe of a Shiloh, the promiſe of a great Prophet whom God would raiſe up, the promiſe of a King, who ſhould ſit upon Davids threne, and of his Kingdome there ſhould be no end. The promiſe of a Meſſias by the Prophet Daniel, were all yea in Chriſt. When he came into the world, we might truly ſay, Behold the ſeed of the woman, behold Abrahams ſeed, behold Davids King, Jacobs Shiloh, Daniels Meſſiah. Yea the Prophet Iſaiah, who is juſtly called the fifth Evangeliſt, becauſe he doth as plainly and clearly ſpeak of Chriſt, as the Evangeliſts doe, All his promiſes concerning him, eſpecially in Chap. 9. 6. To us a Childe is borne, to us a Sonne is given, and the Government ſhall be upon his ſhoulder. As alſo Chap. 7. 14. Behold a Virgin ſhall conceive and beare a Sonne, and ſhall call his Name Immanuel. But chiefly Chap. 53. where at large his ſufferings are fore-told for our ſinnes, That he was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, and bruiſed for our iniquities, and that by his ſtripes we are healed. All theſe are made evidently Yea and Amen in him. And not onelyonly the promiſes, but all the Levitical adminiſtrations, the Sacrifices, the Scape-Goat, the whole burnt Offering, the Paſchal Lamb, theſe were types of Chriſt, and were Yea in him; which made John the Baptiſt ſay, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the ſinnes of the world, John 1. 29. Now the conſideration of this ſerveth greatly to confirme our faith againſt Jewes, who blaſpheme the Lord Chriſt, cavilling that thoſe promiſes could not be applied to him, and therefore they doe expect another Meſſiah. Neither doth the uſefullneſſe of this truth ſtay there, but when it hath perſwaded us of the true dogmatical faith, then it further inclineth us to a fiducial recumbency and repoſing of our ſoules upon him, as our Prophet, and King, as our Chriſt, who is to bring us into reconciliation with God. And this ſenſe of the Text we are to acknowledge; but then the other, which floweth from this, is, That in Chriſt all the promiſes of God to his Church are confirmed, they have their vertue and efficacy from him. Without Chriſt there could not have been ſuch promiſes made, neither without him could they have been accompliſhed, as may appear in the third particular; which is,
That the promiſes being the ſignes of Gods grace and favour, there could 3. There could have been no promiſes without Chriſt.neither have beene the exiſtency of promiſes, or the fullfilling of them without Chriſt. And the reaſon is, becauſe of that infinite holineſſe which is in God, whereby he cannot but loath ſinners, and his glorious Attribute of Juſtice, whereby he is carried out to puniſh every ſuch offender. This Juſtice of God cauſeth ſuch a great gulfe between us and God, that neither a gracious promiſe can come to us, or we to it, till by the blood of Chriſt, this juſtice be atoned, and a ſufficient expiation made by his blood. No wonder then if all Goſpel-promiſes are ſaid to be made in him, becauſe the leaſt good thing promiſed could never be vouchſafed to us without Chriſts mediation: There could not be remiſſion of ſin, there could not be accepting of our perſons, there could not be the leaſt drop of any bleſſing communicated to us, had not Chriſt as our Surety interpoſed. Therefore it is not the promiſe, but Chriſt in the promiſe, that the ſoul is by faith to receive. The Ens incomplexum, not Complexum, is Objectum fidei, ſaith the learned. The promiſe or propoſition is onelyonly Objectum quo; Chriſt, or the matter promiſed, is the Objectum quod. In all promiſes then we are ſtill to have our eye upon Chriſt, as without whom they could not have any efficacy at all. So that as it is with the creatures, they all ſubſiſt by his power, In him we live, and move, and have our being: And if God ſhould withdraw his arme, they would all fall into nothing. Thus it is with the promiſes recorded in the Scripture, they all move and act (as it were) in him; They all live, and worke in him; were it nor for his merit, and his Spirit, they would be but as empty words, or as a tinkling cymball. Therefore
In the fourth place, The Covenant of Grace, which is virtually all the 4. And therefore is the covenant of grace called a teſtament.promiſes of God, it is not onelyonly called a Covenant, and a Promiſe, but a Teſtament likewiſe. And that for this end, becauſe it doth neceſſarily relate to the death of the Teſtatour: So that Gods promiſe is not to be conceived, as when one man maketh a promiſe to another abſolutely, and without any thing intervening. For here we have God indeed promiſing from his meer abſolute goodneſſe and mercy: but then the execution of this cannot be without the blood of Chriſt: ſo that all the force of the promiſe ariſeth from the death of Chriſt. The Apoſtle therefore argueth the validity of this Covenant from that, which is amongſt men, Galat. 3. 15. A mans testament when it is confirmed, cannot be diſanulled or added unto; how much rather then muſt the teſtament of Chriſt be confirmed for ever? The Apoſtle doth excellently conſider this, Heb. 9. 15. For this cauſe Chriſt is a Mediatour of the New Teſtament, that by meanes of death,—they which are called might receive the promiſe of eternal inheritance. For where a teſtament is, there alſo muſt of neceſſity be the death of the teſtatour. By which it appeareth, that the promiſes of God are eſtabliſhed upon a ſure and unchangeable foundation, even the blood of Chriſt: and therefore as ſure as Chriſt died, ſo ſure will thoſe promiſes of God be made effectual to thee. Indeed if Gods promiſes were Yea and Amen, according to thy workes, to thy worth and dignity, woe would be unto thee. Yea, though God doth require faith and repentance, yet the promiſes are not ſetled upon theſe, as a foundation, but on Chriſt; and therefore it is, that our hopes, our comforts can never be ſhaken. The promiſes then of God have two Pillars to bear them up, though one be enough: The firſt is, The immutability and verity of Gods Nature; he cannot change, he cannot lie. The other is, From the Merit and Efficacy of Chriſts death, whereby the things promiſed are deſerved, and that at a dear rate, even Chriſts blood. Now then can any godly ſoule, give way to unbeliefe, to ſinfull dejections, ſeeing that God cannot lie, and the blood of Chriſt cannot but obtaine, God cannot deny himſelfe, neither can he deny his onelyonly Sonne? Therefore let the godly ſoule remember this, Gods promiſe is not onelyonly a bare promiſe, but Chriſts Teſtament alſo: Inſomuch that all ſpirituall benefits are the fruit of his death; and ſhall we thinke that blood will be ſhed in vain? Shall we give no more to Chriſts Teſtament, then we will to a mans? But this Doctrine deſerveth further enlarging.