The promises are our inheritance, yea, our best inheritance in this life. Though the Lord should strip us naked, and take away all things else, yet if the promises remain ours, we are rich men, and may say with the psalmist, ' My lot is fallen into a good ground ; thy testimonies are better unto me than thousands of gold and silver,' Ps. xvi. 6. For the promises are as so many obligations, whereby God is bound to his poor creature. And if wretched men think themselves as rich as they have bonds, though they have never a penny in their purses, much more may a true Christian, who hath the promises of Christ for his security, esteem himself a wealthy per- son ; as having many bonds whca'eby not man, but God, is engaged to him, and that not only for temporal good things, but for heavenly favours and spiritual blessings, for all which he may sue God at his pleasure, and desire him to make good his word of truth.
There is little difterence betwixt a poor Christian and him that abounds in this world's riches ; only this, the one hath wealth in his own possession, the other hath it in God's bond ; the one hath it in hand, the other in trust. As for the worldling, he hath but a cistern when he hath most ; whereas every faithful soul hath the spring-head, even God himself to fly unto in all
12G YEA AND AMEN ; OR,
distresses, who will never fail him, but be a * sun and a shield,' to defend us from all evil and preserve us in all goodness all our days. But I go on.
' Now be which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath also anointed us, is God,'
Ohs. 1, Here observe, that the Christian needs not only converting hut estahUshinif grace. He that hath begun any good work in us must perfect it. The God of strength must give up his promise to support our weakness, without which we cannot stand. Peter was in the state of grace, and yet when God did not stablish him, we see how he fell. The weakest believer with the establishing grace of God will stand ; and the strongest Christian, without divine assistance, will sink and fall away.
Ohs. 2. Whence this may be fui'ther considered, that the life of a Chris- tian is a 2)crpeti(al dependent life. He not only lives by faith in his first conversion, but ever after. He depends upon God for protection and strength throughout his whole course. God doth establish us in Christ. The ignorance of this makes men subject to backsliding. For when we ti'ust to grace received, and seek not for new supply, we are straight of Peter's condition, ' Though all forsake thee, yet will not I,' Luke xxii, 83, which occasioned his shameful fiiU. He had too much confidence in grace received.
God is therefore fain to humble his children, to teach them dependence. And usually where any special grace is bestowed upon sinners, God joins something therewith to put them in mind that they do not stand by their own strength. Peter makes a glorious confession, ' Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God,' Mat. xvi. 17, 18, 19 ; and Christ honoured him exceedingly, saying, ' Upon this rock will I build my church.' But yet by and by we see he calls him, ' Satan, get thee behind me,' Mat. xvi. 23, to teach us that we stand not by our own power. When we are strong, it is of God ; and when we are weak, it is of ourselves. Jacob wrestled with the Almighty, and was a prevailer, but he was fain to halt for it. Though he had the victory, and overcame at last, yet he was stricken with lameness all his days. God did this to mind him that he had that strength whereby he prevailed out of himself.
Use. A Christian then shoidd set upon nothing in his oicn strength. Hannah saith comfortably, ' No man shall be strong in his own might,' 1 Sam. 2, 9. God is all our sufiiciency . Man naturally affects * a kind of divinity, and ■will set upon things in confidence of his own abilities, without prayer and seeking of God's help. He thinks to compass great matters, and bring things to a good issue by his own wit and discretion. Oh ! delude not yourselves. This cannot be. ' Acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall direct thy paths, Prov. iii. 6. Seek unto the Lord in every enterprise thou goest about ; acknowledge him in the beginning, progress, and issue of all thy employments. What do we but make ourselves gods, when we set upon business without invocation and dependence ? A Christian is wondrous weak, even vanity of himself ; but take him as he is built upon the promises, and as he is in God, and then he is a kind of almighty person, ' He can do all things through Christ that strengthens him,' Philip, iv. 13. A Christian is in sort omnipotent whilst he commits his ways to God, and depends upon the promise ; otherwise he is weakness itself, the most impotent creature in the world.
Let God, therefore, have all the glory of our establishing, and depend on him by prayer for the same. As all comes of his mere grace, so let all * That is, ' pretends ' = chooses to appear. — G.