The Great Mystery of Godliness Opened, Exposition on verse · Verse 9
VERSE 9.
(For this is a word of promiſe, In the ſame time will I come, and Sarah ſhall have a ſon.)
OUr Apoſtle having delivered this for a certain truth, in the ſeventh Verſe, that Iſaac was the true and choſen ſeed of Abraham, in whom Abrahams ſeed ſhould be called, and to whom God intended to make his Covenant of grace, mercy, righteouſneſſe, life and ſalvation; why? becauſe he was the child of the Promiſe, begotten not by ſtrength of nature, but by the efficacy and power of the promiſe. Then in the eighth verſe our Apoſtle putteth this down in the general, That they onelyonly are the true children of Abraham, becauſe they are the children of the Promiſe. In this ninth Verſe he confirmeth it by a teſtimony of Scripture, that Iſaac was a child of the promiſe, taken out of Gen. 18.10. I will certainly come unto thee in the time appointed, and Sarah ſhall have a ſon; this the Apoſtle affirmeth to be the Word of promiſe.
So then in this ninth verſe, we have (for the general matter of it,) theſe two things to be conſidered:
Firſt, The ſpeech of God to Abraham, in Gen. 18.10 and in the ſubſtance here recorded by the Apoſtle, wherein God hath ſet down the time when Sarah ſhall have a ſon.
Secondly, the Apoſtles note upon this ſpeech of God, what kind of ſpeech this was to Abraham, namely a promiſſory ſentence, This is a word of promiſe, in the ſame time will I come, and Sarah ſhall have a ſon.
Come we now to the opening of the words.
This is a word of promiſe,] That is, this teſtimony of Scripture, (which now I alledge) which is the ſpeech of God to Abraham, it is a promiſſory ſentence, a word of promiſe, promiſing a ſpecial mercy, a ſpecial bleſſing, and a ſpecial good thing to Abraham.
In the ſame time will I come,] Or, as it is in Geneſis, I will come according to the time of life, his meaning is, when this time of the year ſhall come and revive, and come again, even in plain terms, this time twelve moneths, as in Gen. 17. where God ſaith, he will eſtabliſh his Covenant, and Sarah thy wife ſhall have a ſon, at this time the next year, the meaning is this time twelve moneths.
Sarah thy wife ſhall have a ſon.] That is, ſhe ſhall conceive and bear a ſon, of her own body and bowels, and none other womans child ſhall be for her: ſo the meaning in general is this, This ſentence that I alledge which is the ſpeech of God to Abraham, Gen. 18.10. it is a promiſſory ſentence, promiſing a ſpecial bleſſing unto Abraham, wherein God ſaith, when this time of the year ſhall revive, even this time twelve moneths ſhall thy wiſe Sarah have a child begotten and born of her own body.
Come we to the obſervations.
And in that the Apoſtle here alledging a ſentence and place of Scripture, doth not barely deliver the words of Scripture, but he putteth it out with this note, this is a word of promiſe. In that he telleth us plainly, that the ſpeech which God uſed to Abraham, (and here cited by himſelf,) is a promiſſory ſentence, which any man that looketh upon the text, and is able to judge of it aright, ſhall ſee it to be ſo, when God ſaith, at ſuch a time will I come, and Sarah thy wife ſhall have a ſon. And yet the Apoſtle pointeth it out, this is a word of promiſe. Hence we learn,
That it is juſtifiable, Doctrine. and a warrantable courſe in preaching the Word of God; for the Preacher to ſay unto his hearers, this is a point of doctrine, yea when he comes to make uſe and application unto the people, to ſay, this is a word of comfort, this is a word of terrour, this of Inſtruction, this of Exhortation, (and the like) we find it an uſual thing with the holy Prophets of God in the time of the Old Teſtament, when they did threaten Judgments, they did ſet this before, the burthen of the Lord: as the burthen of the Lord againſt Edom, the burthen of the Lord againſt Hieruſalem, and the like, as we may ſee in the Prophet Eſay, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other Prophets.
But indeed it is thought by ſome, that are utter enemies to the plain teaching of the Word, that this is needleſſe: And they do find fault with this manner of teaching, and deride it, and ſay, it is a baſe and contemptible manner of preaching; why (ſay they) this is all one as if a man ſhould draw the picture of a man and paint it out in colours, and then to write in Capital letters by him, this is his head, this his armes, this his noſe, and the like; were not this ridiculous, ſay they?
Thus you ſee theſe ſons of Belial, theſe men, they deride that which is warranted by the holy Prophets, and holy Apoſtles, and that which doth moſt good in all experience, 2 Tim. 3.16. The Scripture is given by inſpiration, and is profitable to teach, to correct, to improve; now may not the Scriptures be applyed to this end and purpoſe? and being ſo applyed, may not the people be told that this is matter of Doctrine, and that this is a word of comfort? or a word of Inſtruction, or a word of Confutation, confuting the Papiſts, or other enemies? doubtleſſe they may, Becauſe indeed by this means the people ſhall be the better able to go along with the Preacher, and more diſtinctly to take notice of the things delivered what ſerveth for information of Judgement, in matters of faith? what for reformation, of their hearts and lives in doing of good, and avoiding of evil, and the building of them up in the wayes of holineſſe, therefore let others mock and ſcoffe what they will, yet Miniſters of God, that make conſcience of their duty, have no cauſe to be aſhamed of it, it is the moſt powerful and profitableſt kind of preaching, and doth build up the people in faith, and encourage them in every good duty.
Again, the Apoſtle having ſaid, This is a word of promiſe, he then ſubjoyneth the promiſe of a temporal bleſſing, that Sarah ſhould have a ſon.
Hence we ſee, that the Promiſes of God in Scripture are of two ſorts, Doctr. either principal promiſes, or of a lower degree; principal Promiſes touching Chriſt, mercy, grace, life and ſalvation; and of a lower degree, as to have food, and apparel, and outward good things, and children: Now the promiſes of God that are of a lower degree, they do depend upon thoſe principal promiſes, and we cannot apprehend the Promiſes of God with true comfort, for our good, unleſſe we firſt lay hold on the promiſes of God in Chriſt; Abraham did firſt believe the promiſes of mercy, of righteouſneſſe, and ſalvation, for his juſtification, and then he believed the promiſe that he ſhould have a ſon in his old age, as appeareth, Rom. 4.9, 19, 20. And that holy Father, Noah, firſt he was by faith made the heir of righteouſneſſe, and then did he believe the Promiſes of God for his preſervation in the Ark, Heb. 11.7.
Therefore deceive not thy ſelf in any particular; Ʋſe. we cannot truſt God with any true comfort for any temporal good thing, unleſſe we be able to reſt upon his promiſe and mercy in Chriſt, for ſalvation; unleſſe we reſt upon the main promiſe of Chriſt, we cannot reſt upon him for outward good things, with any comfort, for the promiſes of God, whether of this life, or the life to come, they are yea and amen, 2 Cor. 1.20. in Chriſt they are ratified and confirmed.
Come we now to the Promiſe it-ſelf, In the ſame time will I come, and Sarah ſhall have a ſon, or at this time twelve moneths, ſhall thy wife Sarah have a child: Here we ſee, that God doth promiſe to Abraham, a temporal thing, and limiteth and ſetteth down a certain time, when he would accompliſh his promiſe, and the time ſet down he broke not the day with him, as appeareth in Gen. 21.2. where the text ſaith, that Sarah conceived and bare a ſon in her old age, according to the very time of God that he had appointed, did Sarah conceive and bear Abraham a ſon: hence the Doctrine is this,
Doctrine. That the Promiſes of God that are made to his, concerning good things of this life, or the life to come, are fulfilled and made good, in Gods own time, in the time that God hath appointed, hath God fulfilled, and will fulfill his promiſe: I ſhewed you a point formerly, (like unto this,) That Gods Promiſes are firm and ſtable. But now the point is, That God doth perform his promiſe in his appointed time, he keepeth his time ſtrictly, in the very nick and point of time will he accompliſh it, Gen. 15.13, 14. God told Abraham, that his ſeed ſhould be a ſtranger in a land not theirs, and ſhould be in bondage and thraldome for a long time, but when that time ſhall come to an end, I will judge that nation, and they ſhall come out with great riches; how was this fulfilled? read Exodus 12.41. when that the very time was expired, in the ſame day, in the very ſelf-ſame day all the power of Pharaoh and Egypt could not hold them, but they were delivered, and Pharaoh and his hoſt deſtroyed: So the Lord threatened that Iſrael ſhould be in Babylon 70 yeares, as we read Jer. 25.11, 12. they ſhould be in thaldome there ſo long. But when the time was come, and the very day, Daniel underſtanding it by books, he goeth unto God by prayer, Dan. 9.23. and in the very beginning of his humiliation, and ſupplication unto God, did the decree come forth in the peoples deliverance in the very day that the time was expired; and in Habbac. 2.3. ſaith the Prophet, The Viſion is for an appointed time, the time ſhall come, and not lye, though it tarry long: and (not to heap up many places) indeed all the Promiſes of God are of an appointed time, and when that time is come, God doth fulfil and make them good to his children; what is the ground of this?
Reaſon. Becauſe the Lord is moſt wiſe, and he knoweth the fitteſt time for the fulfilling and accompliſhing of his Promiſes, and what in his decree he hath ſet down, not all the power in earth, or hell, can hinder him from performing it, in the very ſeaſon.
Ʋſe. This ſerveth as a ground of Inſtruction to all that are Gods children, (for the Promiſes are made unto them,) and it ſerveth to teach us, that we are to believe the promiſes of God, not only in the general in the matter and ſubſtance of them, but we are to believe them, with the particular circumſtance of the time, that there is a ſet and an appointed time of God, for the accompliſhing of all his Promiſes, and we are to wait untill that time come: when we are under any diſtreſſe of body or mind, we muſt not onelyonly believe that God hath promiſed eaſe, and comfort, and refreſhing, and deliverance, but that he hath promiſed an appointed time for their deliverance; Not onelyonly to ſay, I am a child of God, and God hath promiſed me deliverance, why doth he not deliver me, but let me lye under the affliction? ſurely God hath forgotten his promiſe? No, no, the Lord hath ſet his time; yea conſider alſo, that not onelyonly dayes, and minutes of comfort, are not onelyonly known to the Lord, but are moſt ſtrictly and preciſely known, and kept of the Lord; and as we cannot come in particular to any comfort for our bodies, or ſoules, till the time come, ſo when the time is come, we may aſſure our ſelves, God will not paſſe one minute of an hour, he will not break with thee, but will give it thee in his time; therefore wait untill that time come, Heſter 4.16. when Heſter denyed to go unto the King, ſaith Mordecai, breathing and deliverance ſhall come, but thou and thy fathers houſe ſhall periſh: Mordecai was ſure deliverance ſhould come, in his appointed time.
Oh learn we then in time of trouble and diſtreſſe, to carry the Lords leiſure, till the good hour be come; Gods good hour is not yet come, when he will ſend deliverance to his people; certainly deliverance will come, and take heed that thou doſt not limit the Lord, nor tye him to thy time, and find fault that God hath forgotten thee, and reſpecteth thee not, take heed of this, ſeek unto the Lord earneſtly by prayer, and if the Lord ſeem to deny thy prayer, and will not hear thy prayer though thy throat be hoarſe and dry, yet do thou believe that God will fulfil his promiſe, Eſay 28.16. he that believeth maketh not haſte; he that believeth not onelyonly the Promiſe in general, but the particular time, that when the Lord ſeeth it fit he will perform it. Oh this is an excellent comfort, to conſider that the Lord will make his Promiſe good, in his time, when we are under Afflictions, to conſider, oh Gods time is not yet, when his time is come he will ſend eaſe, refreſhing, and deliverance, and will not paſſe a minute of his time.