And then Christ, what relation hath he taken on him ? He is our husband. What a world of promises is there in that ? What can a loving husband deny his spouse, that he hath given himself for ?
He hath taken upon him to be our head. What want of influence can there be from such a head, that hath taken all upon him for the body ? The head sees, and hears, and doth all for the body ; so Christ hears, and sees, and doth all for us. \Vhat a world of promises is in this relation of a head, if there wei'e no particular promise ?
Again, Christ styles himself sweetly om' brother. What a world of promises are in these relations ! God the Father is ours, Christ is ours. Here is the grand promise, ' I will be your God,' and wiU give you my Son.
And then, in the third place, he hath promised his Spirit. He will * give his Spirit to them that beg him,' Luke xi. 13. What a world of promises is in that promise of the Spirit ! It is a comforting Spirit, a sanctifying Spirit, a quickening Spirit, a strengthening Spirit, all is in the Spirit. As our soul doth all that the body doth, so it is by virtue of the Spirit, all the grace, and all the comfort we have. God hath promised himself, and Christ, and the Spirit, the whole Trinity. There is the grand promise : I will be your God, Christ shall be your Christ, and I will give you my Spirit. If we had not other promises, what a world of comfort have we in these !
406 COMMENTARY ON
Now in what relation stand wo to these ? Wo are children, we are heirs, wo aro ' temples of the Holy Ghost,' &c., 1 Cor. iii. IG. Put case our uiemories do not serve to call to mind particular promises, in the time of trouble, consider in Christ how (lod loves thee: he is thy God in Christ; how Christ loves thee : he hath lakcn thy nature on him to be thy hus- band ; he makes love to thee, and desires thee to bo reconciled. And the Spirit is given thee by Christ ; ho hath promised to give him if thou ask him : the Holy Spirit is the ' Spirit of promise,' Eph. i, 13. Think there- fore of the general, of the covenant of grace, and these relations that have the force of promises ; for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps, and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell, and against all particular temptations.
This course we ought to take, then, to feed our thoughts with the pro- mises. The promises are the food of faith. Let not our faith languish and famish for want, for want of meditations of God and Ckrist, what relations they have put upon them : and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds. How well-thriving might om* faith be, if we would oft think of these things ?
And to make us the more to think of these things, consider that all other things, alas ! what are they, when we have not a promise of them in Christ ? They are all vain, fading things ; they will all come to nothing. That which we have by promise, gi-ace, and comfort, and glory, they are ours for ever. God is ours for ever, Christ is ours for ever, the Spirit is ours for ever, the relations we are in are for ever. All other things are nothing, they will come to nothing ere long. This course we ought to take, then, ttat we may have comfort by the promises.
Again, in the next place, if we look to the kinds of the promises, whether to the promises for this life, or the promises of grace.
1. If they be promises of this life, take heed ire abuse not ourselves in them. There have been gross miscarriages even from the beginning of the world, and will be to the end of the world, in the false application of out- ward promises. We see the Jews cried, ' The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,' Jer. vii. 4, as if God had tied himself to that by a perpetual promise. ■' Trust not to lying words,' saith the prophet, Jer. vii. 4. You think you are God's people, and that he will always keep you out of captivity ; challenge not temporal promises without reservation and subjection to God's will, as he shall see good. Babylon saith, ' I sit as a queen, and I shall for ever.'
So mystical Babylon in the Revelation saith, ' I sit as a queen,' Rev. xviii. 7, till her judgment and destruction come in one daj ; because she trusted to her present temporal estate. Let no man promise himself that that God doth not promise in his word, immunity from the cross ; for whatsoever promise of protection and provision we have, all is with the exception of the cross ; remember therefore to construe the promises aright.
2. Then again, another rule about the promises is, that it is usual with God to jierfonn them in a wonderful manner, that men know not how. He doth perform them notwithstanding. Take that for a rule. How is that ? As Luther was wont to say, Ood's carriage is by contrary means; he performs them wonderfully.