(3.) These absolute promises engage us to wait upon God till the}' be accomplished. God hath undertaken to take away the old heart ; so that we may say, as in Ps. cxxiii. 2, ' Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden are imto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.' They engage us to persevere with diligence in the use of means, though we do not know what will come of it. So Prov. viii. 34, ' Blessed is the man tliat heareth me, watcliing daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.' Though it be long ere God look upon us, long before we find any preparation towards this work, yet this engageth us to lie at the pool.
(4.) These absolute promises engage us to wait with hope, looking up still with confidence that he will accomplish the things promised. But you will sny, What hope can a man have of the absolute promises ? There is this hope, that I am not excluded, that I, as well as others, am invited to take hold of God's covenant; and there is the same
70 THE LIFE OF FAITH.
favour shown to me that there is to all ; and it is some hopeful presafje, tliat God hath inclined my heart to look after it ; that I am weary of my sins, that I am troubled with my lusts, though it be but a natural weariness, because of the inconveniency of them ; that I desire grace, though it be but a natural desire of ease and happiness; that I pray, though it be but literally, and not spiritually : ' Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord, and say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously,' Hosea xiv. 2. It is well that there is some affec- tion and natural fervency ; we are in grace's way, and lie more obvious to the Lord's grace. But, most of all, there is this hope, that we have a general confidence of God's all-sufficiency ; as the woman Hhat had an issue of blood twelve years. Mat. ix. 21, 'And came beiiind Christ, and touched the hem of his garment; for she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole.' When all remedies fail, and we are still troubled and burdened with our lusts, yet we have this general prepositional persuasion, that if we come to (Christ, and get into him, we shall be the better for him ; though we have tried many means, and have been nothing the better, but rather the worse, yet when we thus do, there is some hope. Thus these promises have their use ; for God doth not only proj)ound them to faith, but by them worketh faith : 2 Peter i. 4, ' Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and pi'ecious promises, that by these you might be ])artakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust ; ' enabling a graceless sinner to believe and apply the pardon, grace, and blessedness offered in them. So soon as a sinner gets grace to believe and ap[)ly them, the Lord worketh in the heart the things promised, and infuseth those divine qualities in which the life of grace consisteth.
(5.) There are many considerations as means which may uphold and encourage our hearts in waiting for this work of grace to be begun in us, and faith makes use of them. As —
Isf. That many that have been as vile and obstinate against God, and as much hardened in a way of sin as we are, yet the promise hath taken hold of them. Men that have been bond-slaves to the devil and their own lusts, yet they have been caught in their month, and the Lord hath wrought upon them ; as Zaccheus, who had formerly lived in a course of oppression, Luke xix. 8, 9 ; Mary Magdalen, wlio had lived in whoredom, Luke vii. 37; and Saul, a persecutor and blaspliemer, and an injurious person, 1 Tim. i. 13. Instances and examples encour- age faith as well as pi-omises, for they are patterns of what God will do: 1 Tim. i. 16, 'For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a jiattern to them 1 liat should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.' These instances are as masterpieces of gi-ace. As artists hang up tlieir masterj)ieces in their shops to draw customers, so God sets forth these instances to show what he will do for poor returning sinners.
2d. There is an encouragement that Christ hath purchased the spirit of grace for us, to promote this work in our hearts : John xvii. 19, ' For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also miglit be sanctified by the truth.' He hath set apart himself as a sin-off'ering, that we might be sanctified : all the m^ans of grace are sprinkled with the blood of Christ
'HIE LIFK OF FAITH. 71
that promote and hel{) on tlic work of grace in our hearts; Eph. v. 26, ' He gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.' Christ hatli given himself as a sacrifice and offering to God, that we might come to duty not only in obedience, but in faith, and thfit we may with the more comfort depend u[)on him in the use of the means of grace that he hath appointed,