David comforts himself in this, that he should praise God, which shews he had inm'ed himself well before to this holy exercise, in which he found such comfort, that he could not but joy in the forethoughts of that time, wherein he should have fresh occasion of his former acquaintance with God. Thoughts of this nature enter not into a heart that is strange to God.
It is a special art, in time of misery to think of matter of joy, if not for the present, yet for the time to come ; for joy disposeth to praise, and praise again stirs up joy ; these mutually breed one another, even as the seed brings forth the tree, and the tree brings forth the seed. It is wisdom, therefore, to set faith on work, to take as much comfort as we can from fature promises, that we may have comfort and strength for the present, before we have the fall possession of them. It is the natui-e of faith to antedate blessings, by making them that are to be performed hereafter, as present now, because we have them in the promise. If God had not allowed us to take many things in trust for the time to come, both for his glory and our good, he would never have left such rich promises to us. For faith doth not only give gloiy to God, for the present, in a present be- lieving of his truth, and relying upon him, but as it looks fora^ard, it sees an everlasting ground of praising God, and is stirred up to praise him now, for that futm-e matter of praise, which it is sm-e to have hereafter. The very hopes of fatm-e good made David praise God for the present. If the happy condition we look for were present, we would embrace it with pre-
250 THE soul's conflict.
6ent praises. Now, 'faith is the evidence of things not seen,' Heb. xi. 1, and gives a being to that which is not ; whereupon a true beheving soul cannot but be a praising soul. For this end God reveals beforehand what we shall have, that beforehand we should praise him, as if we possessed it. For that is a great honour to his truth, when we esteem of what he speaks as done, and what he promiseth as already performed. Had we not a per- petual confidence in the perpetuity of his love to us, how is it possible we should praise him ?
Obj. But we want those grounds for the time to come which David had ; he had particular promises, which we want.
Ans. 1. Though we want Urim and Thummim and the prophets, to fore- tell us what the times to come shall be, yet we have the canon of Scripture enlarged ; we live under a more glorious manifestation of Christ, and under a more plentiful shedding of the Spirit, whereby that want is abundantly supplied. We have general promises for the time to come, that ' God will never fail nor forsake us,' Deut. xxxi. 6 ; ' that he will be with us in fire and in water, that he will give an issue to the temptation, and that the issue of all things shall be for our good, that we shall reap the quiet finiit of righteousness,' Heb. xii. 11 ; ' and no good thing will he withhold from them that lead a godly life,' &c., Ps. Ixxxiv. 11. If we had a spirit of faith to apply these generals, we should see much of God's goodness in particular.
2. Besides general promises, we have some particular ones for the time to come ; of the confusion of antichrist, of the conversion of the Jews, and fulness of the Gentiles, &c., which, though we perhaps shall never live to see, yet we are members of that body, which hereafter shall see the same; which should stir up our hearts to praise God, as if we did enjoy the pre- sent fulfilling of them oui'selves, for faith can present them to the soul as if they were now present.
3. Some that have a more near communion with God, may have a particular faith of some particular deliverances, whereupon they may ground particular prayer. Luther praying for a sick friend [Frederick Myco] who was very comfortable and useful to him, had a particular answer for his recovery, whereupon he was so confident, that he sent word to his friend, that he should certainly recover. Latimer prayed with gi-eat zeal for three things. 1. That Queen Elizabeth might come to the crown. 2. That he might seal the truth with his heart's blood. 3. And that the gospel might be restored * once again, once again,' which he expressed with great vehemency of spirit ; all which three, God heard him in. But the privileges of a few must not be made a general rule for all. Privileges go not out of the persons, but rest there. Yet if men would maintain a nearer communion with God, there is no doubt but he would reveal himself in more familiar manner to them, in many particulars, than usually he doth. Those particular promises in the 91st Psalm and other places, are made good to such as have a particular faith, and to all others, with those limitations annexed to promises of that nature, so far forth as God seeth it will con- duce- to their good and his own glory, and so far forth as they depend upon him in the use of means ; and is not this sufiicient to stay a gi'acious heart ?