The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 4 · Section 11
SECT. XI.
6. IF God be your God in Covenant, and you be his people, then all the promiſes If God be ours then all the promiſes are ours.of God are alſo yours. As you are the children of God, ſo you are the children of promiſe; and as you are the heirs of God, ſo you are the heirs of promiſe; and as your title is clear unto you, ſo your poſſeſſion is ſure; you ſhall certainly inherit all the good comprehended in them.
I have diſcourſed largely of the promiſes in general, and ſhall God willing (in the proſecution of this diſcourſe of the Covenant) ſpeak more of the promiſes in particular; and therefore I ſhall at this time only touch at two things, viz.
1. The real ſtatings of the promiſes upon all who have God to be their God in Covenant.
2. Their ſingular happineſſe thereby, that all the promiſes of God are theirs.
1. The promiſes do belong to all who are in Covenant with God; They The promiſes do belong to all who are in Covenant with God.are ſtated and ſettled upon them; They are the heritage of the ſervants of the Lord; the childrens bread; Ʋnto us are given exceeding great and precious promiſes, 2 Pet. 1. 4.
The very nature and conſtitution of the Covenant do evince this, which is a very cluſter of promiſes, I will be merciful to your tranſgreſſions, I will cleanſe you from all your Idols, and from all your uncleanneſſes, I will put my Spirit within you, I will bleſſe you, I will do you good, I will hear you, and deliver you; He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly; In hope of eternal life which God hath promiſed unto them that love him, &c.
Again, which way Chriſt goes, that way the promiſes go; Now Chriſt belongs to every believer; therefore the promiſes alſo belong &c.
This truth no man can queſtion, but he who will queſtion the Scriptures themſelves; or a diſtreſſed ſinner who queſtions his relations unto God, and thereupon queſtions the relation of the promiſes unto himſelf; nevertheleſſe ex parte Rei, it is certain if God be yours, then his promiſes are yours, &c.
2. But now let us ſee the happineſſe and comfort from this, that all the promiſes Comfort from this, that the promiſes are ours.of God are ours.
There are twelve things which we may confidently affirme of the promiſes of God, all which afford ſweet comfort unto the people of God.
1. They are bonds of love; They are every one of them the draughts of The promiſes are bands of love.Gods ſpecial love unto you. God doth not firſt make promiſes, and then love us; but he firſt loves us, and therefore draws his bonds of promiſes; God doth not enter into theſe Bonds by force againſt his will unwillingly, but, &c. The promiſes do plainly tell you how great the love of God is to you, how great his goodneſſe is to you; they are the tranſcript of his minde and heart; Becauſe I love you, I will therefore do all this good for you, and in theſe I bind my ſelf unto you.
2. They are ſuſceptions of grace; whatſoever promiſe God makes to you, They are ſuſceptions of grace.grace is the foundation of it, and grace is in the performance of it. It is freely made, and as freely made good; nothing moved God to make the promiſes, but his own grace; and there is no reaſon why we enjoy the good of them, but Gods own grace, I will do you good, and all this good I will do for my own ſake; you ſhall have it as freely as ever child had kindneſſe from a father.
3. They are full treaſures. All my springs are in thee, ſaid David, Pſal. 87. 7. They are full treaſures.So may we ſay of the promiſes, All my helps, all my goods are in you. The promiſes as they depend for their conſtitution upon the love and goodneſſe of God, ſo likewiſe upon the preſcience and wiſdome of God; God foreſaw all the exigences a…d wants, and ſtraits of his people, and drew up the promiſes with ſufficient proviſions and ſupplies, and helps, to anſwer all their conditions. There is not any good whatſoever which you do actually want, or can poſſibly want, but there is a full ſtock, and a peculiar ſupply for it in the promiſes.
4. They are the best ſecurity. All the promiſes are the word of a God, and They are the beſt ſecurity.given upon the honour of a God that they ſhall be made good. The al-ſufficiency of God, the Omniſcience of God, the loving kindneſſe of God, the omnipotency of God, and the faithfulneſſe of God, yea, and the oath of God, are full ſecurity, ſufficient pawnes and earneſts for all the good which God promiſeth un…o you.
5. They are ſure payments. We ſay when an honeſt man paſſeth his word for They are ſure payments.a little money, O, it is a ſure as if it were in the purſe; Gods word of promiſe is much more ſure: for as his nature or being is eternal, ſo his word of promiſe is unchangeable. The viſion will ſpeak, it will ſurely come, ſo Hab. 2. 3. I will pl…nt them in this land aſſuredly. Jer. 32. 41. My Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips, Pſal. 89. 34. Therefore the promiſes are many times ſaid to be performed before they be performed; and the things promiſed are ſaid to be given and done, before they be given and done, becauſe, when God promiſeth to do his people any good, it is as ſure as if it were already done.
6. They are preſent ſtayes; Though you have not friends alwayes preſent They are preſent ſtayes.with you to ſtay you; and though you have not as yet the things promiſed preſent with you to ſtay you, yet you have the promiſes of your God ſtill preſent with you, to ſtay your hearts, and to uphold them.
There are four things ſtill preſent with the people of God to ſtay their hearts. 1. A good God. 2. A good Chriſt. 3. The good Spirit of God. 4. The good promiſes of God; Either God doth you good, gives it into your hands, or ſaith he will do good, which is enough for faith to ſtay and reſt your hearts upon.
7. They are living and laſting fountains; Wells ſtill full of waters; and ſtars They are living and laſting fountains.ſtill full of ligh; Could you …ve a thouſand years, or to thouſands of generations, there would be no diminution in the promiſes; They are as full of mercy as ever, and as ſure a word of truth as ever; though your wants be more or leſſe, higher or lower, it is all one; One promiſe hath as much mercy in it as will laſt as long as you ſhall live; and another promiſe hath as much grace, and another hath as much comfort as will ſerve you all your dayes; and the ſame abundance ſtill remaines for all the people of God, as long as the world laſts.
8. They are the quickeſt dispenſations. God comes not off ſlowly, or hardly, They are the quickeſt diſpenſations.or unwillingly, or ſparingly, in the performance of them. Op…n thy mouth wide and I will fill it, Pſal. 81. 10. Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, Pſal. 50. 15. Before they call I will anſwer, and whiles they are yet speaking I will hear, Iſa. 65. 24. One prayer many times melts theſe clouds; as in Jacobs caſe, one act of faith many times gets your ſupplies. As in Jehoſaphats caſe, when you look by faith upon the promiſes, you are then trading with the good and kind God, by your mighty Advocate Jeſus Chriſt, In whom all the promiſes of God are Yea and Amen.
9. They are ſeaſonable helps. The promiſes do contain our beſt good; and They are ſeaſonable helps.They do alwayes diſpenſe it in the beſt time. Jer. 5. 29. Let us feare the Lord our God, who giveth rain, both the former and the latter in his ſeaſon; He reſerveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest; Thus doth God with his promiſes unto his people; they ſhall be made good in their ſeaſon; they are as the appointed weeks of the harveſt; Every week is not a harveſt week; when the corn is ripe, then is that time come to put in the ſickle, and to reap with joy. As yet thou haſt not ſuch a mercy, ſuch an help, ſuch a deſired and promiſed bleſſing; the reaſon is becauſe it is not the ſeaſon for the rain to fall; it is not yet the week of thy harveſt: therefore ſtill ſeek, and truſt, and wait; for there is an appointed week for the harveſt, and then thou ſhalt reap all the good which thy God hath promiſed, and which thy ſoul hath deſired.
10. They are ſufficient inducements and encouragements to pray unto God, They are ſufficient encouragements to pray to God and to depend on him.and to depend upon God. May you not come to your God who is good in himſelf, and who hath promiſed to do you good? May you not truſt him who is faithful in all his promiſes? 2 Sam. 7. 28. O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou haſt promiſed this goodneſſe unto thy ſervant. Ver. 29. Now therefore let it pleaſe thee to bleſſe the houſe of thy ſervant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou O Lord God, haſt ſpoken it, and with thy bleſſing let the houſe of thy ſervant be bleſſed for ever. So David; The promiſes as they are Gods aſſurances to help us, ſo they are ſecret inducements to us to depend upon his help.
11. They are powerful pleas; The beſt and the ſtrongeſt Arguments to plead with God. Your worthineſſe is no argument to uſe with God; your neceſſity They are powerful pleas.is an argument to move him (we know not what to do, ſaid Jehoſaphat, &c.) But Gods promiſes are your beſt and ſtrongeſt pleas; Do me good, O Lord, though I deſerve it not; but yet do me good, becauſe thou haſt promiſed to do me good; Thou ſaydſt I will ſurely do thee good, ſaid Jacob, Gen. 32. 12. Remember thy word upon which thou hast cauſed thy ſervant to hope, ſaid David, Pſalme 119. 49. Remember, break not thy Covenant with us, ſaid the Church, Jer. 14. 21.
12. They are ſatisfying anſwers. To all our fears, to all our thoughts, to all difficulties, to all improbabilities, to all ſilences, to all contrary times, to all They are ſatisfying anſwers.delayes, yet God hath promiſed to hear, and help, and do me good. Iſa. 50. 10. He that ſits in darkneſſe, and feeth no light, let him trust on the Name of the Lord, and ſtay upon his God. Pſal. 73. 26. My fleſh and my heart faileth, but God is the ſtrength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Though you do not know when God will do you good; though you do not know what way God hath to do you good; though you ſee no pro…ability in all the world for your good; though you ſee every thing ſtill contrary to your good; yet if God hath promiſed you any needful good, it ſhall certainly fall into your poſſeſſion, even becauſe God hath promiſed it; He alone is ſufficient to make all good to be yours, whatſoever he hath promiſed unto you.