But, for further satisfaction, take these rules: — [1.] That where we have a certain promise, we must no way doubt of his will ; for the doubt nmst either proceed from a suspicion that this is not the word or will of God, and that is atheism ; or from a jealousy that God will not make good his word, and tliat is blasphemy ; or a fear that he is not able to accomplish his will, and that is downright distrust and unbelief. Therefore, where we have a clear sight of his will in the promise, we may have a confidence towards him, 1 John v. 14.
[2.] Where we have no certain assurance of his will, the work of faith is to glorify and apply his power. Unbelief stumbleth most at that,
JaS. I. 6.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 49
i-athcr at God's can than icill ; as appeareth partly by experience. — Fears come upon ns only when means ftiil and the blessings expected are most unlikely ; which argueth that it is not the uncertainty of God's will, but the misconceit of his power, that maketh u» doubt. The pre- sent dangers and difficulties surprise us with such a terror that we cannot comfortably use the help of prayer out of a faith in God's power : — partly by the testimony of the scriptures. Search, and you shall find that God's power and all-sufficiency is the first ground and reason of faith. Abraham believed, because ' God was able to per- form,' Eom. iv. 21. And that unbelief expresseth itself in such language as implieth a plain distrust of God's power ; as Ps. Ixxviii. 19, ' Can the Lord prepare a table in the wilderness ?' It is not loill, but can : 2 Kings vii. 2, ' If the Lord should open the windows of heaven, how can this be ?' So the Virgin Mary : Luke i. 34, ' How can these things be ? ' and so in many other instances. Men deceive themselves when they think they doubt because they know not the will of God : their main hesitancy is at his power. Look, as in the case of conversion, we pretend o. cannot, when indeed we loill not;^ so, oppositely, in the case of faith, we pretend we know not God's will, when we indeed doubt of his can. Therefore the main work of your faith is to give him the glory of his power, leaving his will to himself. Christ putteth you, as he did the blind men (Mat. ix. 28), to the question, ' Am I able ?' Your souls must answer, ' Yea, Lord,' And in prayer you must come as the leper : Mat. viii. 2, ' Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' Whether he grant you or not, believe ; that is, say in your thoughts, Lord, thou canst.
[3.] In these cases, his power is not only to be glorified, but also his love. But you will say, in an uncertain case, How must we glorify his love H I answer — Two ways ; faith hath a double work. (1.) To compose the soul to a submission to God's pleasure. He is so good, that you may refer yourself to his goodness. Whether he grant or not, he is a wise God and a loving father, and will do what is best ; so that, you see, in no case we must dispute, but refer ourselves to God, as the leper was not troubled about God's will, but said, 'Lord, thou canst.' Cast yourselves upon his will, but conjure him by his power ; this is the true and genuine working of faith. When you dare leave your case with God's love, ' let him do what seemeth good in his eyes,' good he will do ; as in scripture the children of God in all temporal matters do resign themselves to his disposal, for they know his heart is full of love, and that is best which their heavenly Father thinketh best, and this taketh off the disquiet and perplexity of the spirit : Prov. xvi. 3, ' Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.' They wait with serenity when they have committed their works to God's will with submission. (2.) To incline and raise the soul into some hope of the mercy prayed for. Hope is the fountain of endeavours, and we should neither pray nor wait upon God were it not that we may look up to him because there is hope. Lam. iii. 29. The hypocrite's prejudice was, ' It is in vain to seek God,' Job xxi. 15. There are some particular promises, you know, concerning preservation in times of pestilence, oppression, ^ ' Non posse prsetenditur, non velle iu causa est.' — Seneca.
VOL. IV. D
50 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. I. 6.
famine, &c. (Mai. iii. 14), wliicli, though they are not always made good in the rigour of the letter, yet they are in a great measure ful- tilled, and eVt roTrXeiarov, for the most part take ])lace. I -say, though they are to be expounded with tlie exception and reservation of the cross (for God is no further obliged than he is obliged by the covenant of grace, and in the covenant of grace he hath still ke[)t a liberty of ' visiting their iniquity with rods,' Ps. Ixxxix. 33), yet because the children of God liave many experiences of tlieir accumi)lishment, they cannot choose but conceive some hope towards God, and incline rather to think that God will grant. The least that these promises do is to beget some loose hope, they being so express to our case, and being so often accomplished. Nay, how can we urge these in i)rayer to a good God, and not say, as David, ' Remember thy word unto thy servant, wherein thou hast caused me to hope,' Ps. cxix. 49 ? I do not say we should prescribe to God, and limit his will to our thoughts, but only conceive a hope with submission, because of the general reservation of the cross.