2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 20. 411
Lord endures for ever.' How doth the word of the Lord endure for ever ? St John expounds it, 1 John ii. 17. A true Christian endures for ever by the word of the Lord. He that believes in the word, he endm-es for ever, because his comforts endure forever ; they are ' yea and amen.' His grace endures for ever. God's love endures to him for ever. Therefore by build- ing upon that which is certain, we make ourselves certain too. When the word is ingrafted (it is St James his phrase), when it is ingraffed into our hearts, it turns our hearts to be like itself, it is eternal itself, and it makes us eternal. ' He that doth the will of the Lord abides for ever, saith St John. ' The world passeth, and the lust thereof, but he that doth the will of the Lord abides for ever,' 1 John ii. 17. And ' the word of the Lord abides for ever,' as it is in another place, 1 Peter i. 25. The one expounds the other, that is, we, by believing, and doing the word of the Lord, abide for ever.
To stir us up to rely constantly upon this word, the promises, and the grace of God brought to us by the promises. As I said before, shall we have certain promises of God that never lie, and shall we not build on them ? What is there in the world to build on, if we cannot build on this ? And yet the froward heart of man will believe anything rather than God's truth. The merchantman he commits his estate, his goods, to the sea. He hath no promise that they shall come again. It is only in the providence of God. He hath made no promise for it. The husbandman commits his seed to the ground, though he have nothing left of his seed ; and though he sow in tears, yet he commits all to the earth in hope of a return ; and yet he hath no promise for this, but God's ordinary providence, that may sometimes fail.
Are we in such hope when we commit our seed to the ground, and when we commit our goods to the sea, to the waves, and yet have not a promise for this, but God's ordinary providence, which ofttimes fails, having not bound himself that it shall be alway so, because God will shew himself the God of nature, that he can command nature ? And shall we not trust him when we have his providence and his promise too ? when he is bound by his promise, when he hath made himself a debtor to us ? when the fi'ee God, who is most free, hath made himself a debtor by his promise, and hath sealed his promise by an oath and by sacraments ?
Alas ! God hath made all things faithful to us. Therefore we trust them. But we trust not him that hath made other things so, and is so faithful to us. Therefore let us build on these promises in Jesus Christ.
Now to direct us a little further, to train ourselves up to make use of the promises of God in Jesus Christ,
1. Observe every day, how God fulfils his j^^'omises in lesser niatters. Parents train up their children by education, that they may trust them for their inheritance. So God trains us up to believe his providence, that he will provide for us, without cracking our consciences by ill means. Will we believe his promises for these things, and will we not believe him for life everlasting ? No ! certainly we cannot. Therefore let us exercise faith to believe the promises for provision, that ' he will not fail us, nor forsake us,' but be with us in our callings, using lawful means for the things of this life.
2. Sometimes again take another method. When faith begins to stagger for the things of this life, quicken it ivith the (jmnd prornises. Will God give me life everlasting ? and hath he given me Christ ? are his promises in him ' yea and amen ? ' will he give me the greater, and will he not give
412 COMMENTARY ON
mo the less ? Sometimes by the lesser, be encouraged to hope for the greater ; SDiutitiiiuss quicken our doadness and dulness in believing the lesser, with the un(loul)t(Hl pcrtbi-maucc of the great. Will God give me life ever- lasting, and will he not give mo provision in my pilgrimage till I come there '? undoubtedly he will. ' Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's will to give you a kingdom,' saith Christ, Luke xii. 82. They were distrustful for the things of this life. Do you think, saith he, that he will not give you the things of this life, that keeps a kingdom for you ? * Fear not.'
3. Again, when we hear any promise in the word of God, turn it into a prayer, put God's bond in suit, as it were. His promises are his bonds. Sue him on his bond. He loves to be sued on his bond ; and he loves that we should wrestle with him by his promises. Why, Lord, thou hast made this and this promise, thou canst not deny thyself, thou canst not deny thine own truth ; thou canst not cease to be God ; thou canst as well cease to be God, as deny thy promise, that is, thyself. So let us put the promises into suit, as David, Ps. cxix. 49, if it be his (wwir), * Lord, remember thy promise, wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust,' as if God had for- gotten his promise ; ' Lord, remember thy promise,' I put thee in mind of thy promise, ' wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust.' If I be de- ceived, thou hast deceived me. Thou hast made these promises, and caused me to trust iu thee, and ' thou never failest those that trust in thee.'