And we may know that we are God's peculiar by some peculiar thing that we can do. What peculiar thing canst thou do ? To speak a little of that by the way. Thou lovest and art kind ; but, saith Christ, what pecuHar thing canst thou do ? A heathen man may be kind and loving, but canst thou overcome revenge ? Canst thou spare and do good to thine enemies ? Canst thou trust in God when all means fail ? What is the power of the Spirit in thee ? Doth it triumph in thee over thy natural con-uption ? Canst thou do as Abraham did ? He left all at God's com- mand ; canst thou do that if need should be ? Canst thou leave children, and wife, and life, and all at God's command ? Canst thou sacrifice Isaac as he did ? Canst thou more trust in the promise of God than in the dearest thing in the world, yea, than in thy own feeling of grace ? What- soever is not God, canst thou be content to be without ? Canst thou rely upon God when he appeared* to be an angry God ? Abraham knew that there was more comfort in the promise than in Isaac. If thou have com- fort in the promise more than in anything else, then thou art one of Abraham's seed, thou hast sacrificed thy Isaac. Never talk of Abraham else ; never think that thy portion is great in God, be what thou wilt by profession, if there be no particular thing in thee which is not in a natural man. If thou art covetous, as gripplef for the world, as very a drudge in thy calling, as licentious in thy course as carnal men are, thou art none of * Qu. ' appeareth ' '? — En. | That is, ' greedy, rapacious,' — G.
THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER. 21
God's peculiar ones, thou art none of Abraham's seed. God's people have somewhat peculiar that the world hath not. It is a peculiar covenant.
Thus you see the qualities of this covenant. It is a free covenant ; a sure covenant, established in the blessed seed, the Messiah ; it is an everlasting covenant ; and it is a peculiar covenant.
To make some use of this, in a word.
Here, then, you see is another spring of blessed comfort opened to a Christian. If he findeth God, though his assurance be little, to be his God in regard of peculiar favours, let him remember it is an everlasting favour. His love is everlasting. The foundation is everlasting ; the graces of the Spirit are an everlasting spring, always issuing from Christ our head. Grace is never drawn dry in him. God is our God to death, in death, and for ever. All things in the world will fail us : friends will fail us ; all comforts will fail us ; life will fail us ere long ; but this is an everlasting covenant, which will not fail.
It is a point of comfort in the loss of friends, in the loss of estate in this world. If I lose friends, yet I cannot lose God ; if he be mine, he is mine for ever ; a friend now, and a friend ever ; my portion now, and my portion for ever. Whatsoever God takes away, he never takes away him- self ; and in him I have all that is taken away. All the comfort that he doth still derive* to me by friends, he resumeth to himself. It is not perished with the party.f He can immediately, by himself, convey what- soever comfort was derived to me by others. He is God all-sufficient ; that is, put the case all the world were taken away ; not only friends, but the sun, the hght, the earth, food and raiment, all, as it shall be at the day of judgment ; if all be taken away, yet I have him ; yet I have him that made all, that supporteth all. Cannot he do all in a more excellent manner ? Is not he all-sufficient, though I lose all things else ? It is a point of wondrous comfort. God knew it well enough. Therefore he laboureth to establish the heart of the father of the faithful, good Abraham, here, with this instead of all, ' I am God all-sufficient, and I will be thy God.'
Again, If this be so, that God will be a God to us for ever, let us comfort ourselves hence in all the unjaitliful dealings of men. They are friends to-day and enemies to-morrow ; but God is my God ; and whom he loveth he loveth to the end, John xiii. 1. An ingenuous spirit certainly esteemeth it the greatest cross in the world ; and if anything will whet a man to heaven, this is one, that those whom he trusteth will prove false, and at length deceive him. Man is but man ; in the balance he is lighter than vanity ; but he that is in covenant with God, his promise, and love, and faithfulness never faileth. A Christian in all the breaches of this world hath this comfort, that he hath a sure God to trust to. He that hath not God to trust to, and is unfaithfully dealt withal in the world, what a wretched man is he ! This was David's comfort. When he was beset with calamities and miseries, all took from him, and the people were ready to stone him, he trusted in the Lord his God. I come to the extent of it. * To thee and to thy seed after thee.'