It is mere weakness of faith that makes a man lie poring on the difficulties and seeming impossibihties that lie upon the promise. We think it our wisdom and our strength to consider, weigh, and look into the bottom of oppositions and temptations that arise against the promise. Perhaps it may be the strength of our fleshly, canial reason, but certainly it is the weakness of our faith. He that is strong in faith will not so much as debate or consider the things that cast the greatest seeming improbability, yea, impossibility, on the fulfilling of the promise : it Avill not afford a debate or dispute of the cause, nor any consideration. " Being not weak in faith, he considered not."
3. He was "fully persuaded," verse 21, '7rXi^f>o<popridiig, " persuasionis plenus." This is the third thing that is observed in the manner of his believing. He fully, quietly, resolvedly cast himself on this, that " he who had promised was able to perform it." As a ship at sea (for so the word imports), looking about, and seeing storms and Avinds arising, sets up all her sails, and with all speed makes to the harbour; A))raham, seeing the storms of doubts and temptations likely to rise against the promise made unto him, Avith full sail breaks through all, to lie down ([uietly in God's all-sufficiency.
AND SINFULNESS OF STAGGERING. SI 5
4. The last is, that " he staggered not/' verse 20. This is that which I have chosen to insist on unto you, as a choice part of the commendation of Abraham's faith, which is proposed for our imita- tion: " He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief."
The words may be briefly resolved into this doctrinal proposi- tion : —
Observation. All starjgering at the promises of God is from unbelief
What is of any difficulty in the text, will be cleared in opening the parts of the observation.
Men are apt to pretend sundry other reasons and causes of their staggering: The promises do not belong unto them, — God intends not their souls in them, — they are not such and such, — and this makes them stagger ; when the truth is, it is their unbelief, and that alone, that puts them into this staggering condition. As in other things, so in this, we are apt to have many fair pretences for foul faults. To lay the burden on the right shoulders, I shall demonstrate, by God's assistance, that it is not this, or that, but unbelief alone, that makes us stagger at the promises.
To make this the more plain, I must open these two things : —
I. What is the promise here intended. II. What it is to stagger at the promise.
I. The promise here mentioned is principally that which Abraham believing, it was said eminently that '•' it was accounted to him for righteousness." So the apostle tells us, verse 5 of this chapter. When this was, you may see Gen. xv. 6 ; there it is affirmed, that " he be- lieved the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." That which God had there spoken to him of, was about " the mul- tiplying of his seed as the stars of heaven, whereas he was yet child- less."
The last verse of chapter xiv. leaves Abraham full of earthly glory. He had newly conquered five kings with all their host, was honoured by the king of Sodom, and blessed by the king of Salem ; and yet, in the first verse of chapter xv., God, "appearing to him in a vision," in the very entrance, bids him " fear not ; " — plainly intimating, that notwithstanding all his outward success and glory, he had still many perplexities upon his spirit, and had need of great consolation and establishment. Abraham was not clear in the accomplishment of fomier promises about the blessed seed ; and so, though he have all outward advancements, yet he cannot rest in them. Until a child of God be clear in the main in the matter of the great promise,— the business of Christ, — the greatest outward successes and advantages will be so far from quieting and settling his mind, that they rather increase his perplexities. They do but occasion him to cry, Here ib
210 THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE PIIOMISES,
tliis and that ; here is victory and success; here is wealth and peace ; — hut here is not Cin-ist.
That this was Abraham's condition appears from verse 2 of that chapter; where God having told him that he was his shield, and his exceeding great reward, he replies, " Lord God, what Avilt thou give me, seeing I go childless?" As if he should have said. Lord God, thou toldest me when I was in Haran, now nineteen years ago, that in me and " my seeil all the families of the earth should be blessed," Gen. xii. 3, — that the blessed, blessing seed, should be of me: but now I wax old, all appearances grow up against the direct accomplishment of that word; and it was that which, above all, in following thee, I aimed at: if I am disappointed therein, what shall I do ? and what will all these things avail me ? — what will it benefit me to have a multitude of earthly enjoyments, and leave them in the close to my servant ?