The Saints Encouragement in Evil Times, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
2. Of the Promises.
CHristians have many and great Promises, 2 Cor. 7. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 4. whereby are given to us,Rom. 9. 4. foreign, great and precious promises.
1. God makes them, they are the Promises of a great God: Great persons make great promises.
2. They are made to Gods people, his elect: a King will not bestow mean things upon his Favourites.
Reasons,
Why God makes great Promises to his people.
1. Hereby God sets forth his love to them, Tit. 1. 2.
2. That we might have ground for our faith and hope: here in this world we are in a state of expectation, Heb. 11. 39, 40.
3. That hereby he might support them in their many troubles, Gen. 15. 1. Heb. 10. 35, 36. This is a mercifull administration of the Lord, Adam had all his good things in possession, he soon lost them, by the Promises they are as certain as if we had them already, Though 1. The matter was exceeding great, yet God made good his Promise, as in that of Christ, Gen. 3. 15. who was more worth than heaven and earth, yet in the fulnesse of time Christ came. 2. Though it exceeded all humane reason as the Promise of a childe to Abraham and Sarah when so old. 3. Though it was a cluster of good things, and that to a nation. 4. Though he hath taken a great time to make it good. 5. Though humane policies have stood in the way, as in the case of the people of Israel and David.1 Pet. 1. 3.
The Promises are sure and certain,
God hath confirmed them,
1. By the Sacraments.
2. By oath, the strongest confirmation that may be, Heb. 6. 17, 18.
The faith of Gods people is built upon two pillars, his power and faithfulnesse resembled by those two pillars, 1 King. 7. 21. Bo… in it is strength, Jachin, he will establish.
1. Gods power, that is often given as a prop to uphold our faith in his Promises, Mat. 22. 21, 29. Rom. 4. 20. & 11. 23.
2. His faithfulnesse, Heb. 10. 23. 1 Pet. 4. 19.
When Gods Promises come to be fulfilled to his people, they finde twice as much in them as they expected, 1 Cor. 2. 9. The Promise is the shell wherein the kernell is contained, Ephes. 1. 20. 2 Pet. 1. 4. That Promise in the covenant of grace That God will be our portion, there is a great deal more in it then we can understand; God will put his fear in his peoples hearts, Job 28. 16, 17. Prov. 3. 13. They shall enjoy eternall life with him in heaven,2 Cor. 12. 4 Psal. 16. when this Promise comes to be accomplished, it will be farre greater then we can now imagine. They finde the mercies of this life double many times to what they expect.
Reasons,
1. From our weak capacity, we are not able to understand how much is laid up in a Promise, the experience of Gods people is a great proof of this, the longer they chew the Promise the sweeter it is.
2. The infinite goodnes and bounty of God joyned with his omnipotency and all-sufficiency, because God hath set his heart on his people he will give them abundantly more then they think of.
The Promises of God are of two sorts.
1. Absolute, those which the Lord hath undertaken to perform of his own free grace, not only citra meritum, but also citra conditionem, without all supposed or pre-required conditions in us: of this kinde are all those great promises of the new covenant, Genesis 3. 15. and 17. 7. Isaiah 43. 25. Ezekiel 11. 19. Jeremy 31. 33. Hosea 14. 4. Joel 2. 18.M. Strong on 1 Sam. 2. 30. I will be thy GOD, I will give my Sonne,Gods promises are of two sorts, such as are absolutely, and such as doe run conditionally according unto the nature of that good thing which he promiseth; some good things promised are absolutely good for us, as pardon of sinne, grace. Thus Gods promise is made absolute to the elect in Christ: some good things are but conditionally good for us, as degrees of grace, comfort and outward blessings: and concerning these Gods promise is made conditionally, which condition if he break, he is at liberty. M. Bridge on Lam▪ 5. 2. Numb 14 34 q…d I have p…omised to bring you into the land of Canaan upon such and such conditions, if you doe not perform the condition I am free. I will pour out my Spirit, I, even I am he who blot out your iniquities for my Names sake, I will take away the heart of stone, and I will give an heart of flesh, I will put my Law in your inward parts, and write it in your hearts; I will heal your backesliding, and love you freely, for mine anger is turned away.
2. Conditional, which shews what God will do upon the performance of such duties and conditions by the creature, which conditions without Gods grace he is never able to perform; Ier. 17. 8, 9, 10. These are made for the encouragement of the creature in the waies of obedience, and to shew a mans inability, that he may flie to Christ for strength, but they doe not alwaies shew the purpose of God to give the condition or reward.
When once God makes a Promise, though it may be a long time before it be fulfilled, yet it yeelds comfortable fruit from the day of his making of it.
All agree that a Promise is a certain pledge of performance in due time.
Four other fruits grow from a Promise before it come to be accomplisht.
1. It is a certain evidence of Gods love,Promises are a manifestation of the covenant of grace, the covenant of love. a declaration of his heart and good will; outward administrations come all from Gods hand, but his Promises come all from his heart, his affection is set on them who have an interest in the Promises.
Reason,
All the Promises are made in and thorow Christ, to Christ and then to those who are united to him.
2. A Promise from the day of the date of it is a sufficient pledge to the soul to whom it is made, that God will never doe them hurt, but his purposes and thoughts to them are alwaies good, notwithstanding the outward administrations.
3. It brings preservation to the soul, 1 Pet. 1. 5. It will preserve it from the assaults of the devil, and the world.
4. It brings present consolation to the soul: in Peter, The consolations of the Gospel differ from all other comforts, 1 They are unutterable, 1 Pet▪ 1. 8, Phil. 4 5. 2. Real, Ioh. 14 27. 3 Great & strong, Ephe. 6. 18 4 Reach to the inward man, 5 Comfort in the saddest distresses. Mic. 5. 5. 6. Are everlasting, 2 Thess. 2. 18.where the Apostle speaks of great and precious promises, he saith, We rejoyce with joy unspeakable.
An ingagement of God in a Promise is a speciall means to support Christians in times of distresse.
God was ever wont to bear up the spirits of his people rather by Promises then providences.
First, A great part of the Bible is spent in reporting Gods ingagements to his people by promise, and the exemplification of his people in performing his Promises.
Secondly, The Saints of God were wont to live by faith, Ps. 56. 4. They ever fetcht consolation from the Promises, as Jacob, Hast thou not said? and Jehosaphat, 2 Chron. 2.
Reasons,
1. The end of God in making the Promises was to give security.
2. They are a ray of his power for the creating of help: he that hath a promise hath a blessing in the root of it.
3. Promises issue from the love, the grace and goodnesse of God, and are as unchangeable as his love, they are founded upon the truth and Allsufficiency of God.
That in Heb. 13. 5. is as full a promise as any is in the Bible, it is applicable to particular cases, made in the hazards of warre and difficulties of reformation, it is double to shew it is a fixed truth, and for time to come in the future tense, in the Hebrews there is more said then is to Ioshua. Josh. 1. 5.God saith, He will not leave him nor forsake him, Heb. 13. 5. there are five negatives in that little sentence.
All the subjects of Christs Kingdome of grace inherit all the Promises of the Covenant, they are their portion.
1. It is a great priviledge to be the heirs of Gods Promises, and the Saints have gloried in it, David saith, Thy Promises have I claimed as mine heritage, by faith they imbraced the Promises, Heb. 11.
2. Every childe of God hath a right to all the promises, 1 Tim. 4. 8. Gal. 3. 16. Rom. 9. 4. 2 Pet. 1. 4.
1. They are all made in and through Christ, as branches of the Covenant of grace.
Objection,
Particular Promises were made to this or that man in a speciall case.
Answer,
No particular Promise was ever made to any for his own sake, but for Christs; Therefore those Promises which at first uttering of them were made to some particular person on a particular occasion, were after pressed on all Gods people, as that, Josh. 1. Heb. 13.
This is a peculiar priviledge to Gods people, none but those under Christs dominion have interest in the Promises.
We should therefore,
1. Study the Promises, and know for what use and time they serve.
2. Beware of weighing them by our own carnall sense and reason.
3. Set faith awork, let the heart rest on Gods Alsufficiency, his truth, wisdome, faithfulnesse.
A good man fetcheth contentment▪ and satisfaction to his soul in all conditions.
1. From the Covenant of grace in generall, 2 Sam. 23. 5. This Covenant of grace, which God hath made with his people is Gods assurance office, and the Saints in all their fears may and ought to go to the Covenant to assure all things to them, to assure their estates and their lives.
2. For particular Promises in the Covenant of grace,Those that are driven frō their houses, spoiled of their goods, should remember the hundred fold promise, and that Mic 4. 6, 7 a gracious heart looks upon every Promise as coming from the root of the Covenant of grace in Christ. See Psal. 34. 10. and 37. 6. and Isa. 58. 10. and elsewhere… where there are divers Promise… which may bring Christian contentment.
It is the greatest honour that … creature is capable of to be taken in…to Covenant with God, Levit. 26. 18, 19. Jer. 11. 11. Zach, 11. the staffe of beauty, that is the Covenant, and you sin against offers of a second Covenant which the devils never did.
Those who are in Christ and have their covenant changed are in a happy condition.
1. By this means God and thou art reconciled, thy covenant is a covenant of…peace, Ezek. 37. 26.
2. Being once taken into the covenant thou hast interest into glorious relations; God is become thy Father, thy Husband, thy Friend, 2 Cor. 6. 16.
3. Thou hast interest into a most glorious inheritance by becoming the son of a free woman.When David was driven from house and harbour, he incouraged himself in the Lord his God Tolle meum & tolle Deū. Aug.
4. Thou hast a foundation for thy faith and a ground of all thy praiers, the covenant contains all the priviledges a beleeving soul can expect, it is the ground of all thy praiers, Jer. 31. 18. Isa. 64. 9. The people of God still plead it, it upholds the soul from sinking. When David came to dy, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant. So Christ, My God my God, Psal. 89. 26.
5. It is a covenant that can never be broken, 2 Chron. 13. 5. Isa. 50. 7.