Yea, but at least a man's sense of his state and condition, with his acknowledgment of it, is needful to precede his closing with the promise. It is so as to his receiving of it, — this oftentimes being the fruit and work of the promise as given itself. But as to the tender of the promise, and Christ in the promise, unto us, it is not so. When did God give the great promise of Christ to Adam ? was it when he was sorrowing, repenting, qualifying his soul ? No ; but when he was flying, hiding, and had no thoughts but of separation from God. God calls him forth, and at once tells him what he had deserved, pro- nounces the curse, and gives him the blessing. K I raised thee up," saith Christ, " under the apple-tree ; there thy mother brought thee forth," Cant. viii. 5. From the very place of sin Christ raiseth up the soul. So Isa. xlvi. 12, " Hearken to me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness." Here are two notable qualifications,
THE STRENGTH OF FAITH. 49
stout-heartedness, and remoteness from righteousness. What saith God to them ? Verse 1 3, He discourses to them of mercy and sal- vation; and, chap. lv. 1, " Buy," saith he, " wine and milk." " Yea, but I have nothing to buy withal, and these things require a price." Indeed, so they do; but take them "without money, and without price." " But he calls on them only who are ' thirsty/ " True ; but it is a thirst of indigency and total want, not a thirst of spiritual desires ; for in whomsoever that is, they have already tasted of this wine and milk, and are blessed, Matt. v. Nay, we may go one step farther. Prov. ix. 4, 5, Christ invites them to his bread and wine who have no heart ps1?!!}. This, commonly, is the last objection that an un- believing heart makes against itself, — it hath no mind to Christ. Indeed he hath no heart for Christ. " But yet," saith Christ, " thou shalt not thus go off,— I will not admit of this excuse ; you that have no heart, 'turn in hither/""
Now, I say, this obviating of all objections by unexpected appear- ances of love, mercy, and compassion in the promises, is a strong inducement unto steadfastness in believing. When a soul shall find that God takes for granted that all is true which it can charge itself withal; that its sin, folly, unbelief, heartlessness, is so as he appre- hends it, and unconceivably worse than he can think ; that he takes for granted all the aggravations of his sins, that lie so dismally in his eye, — his backsliding, frowardness, greatness of sin, impotency, cold- ness at the present, not answering in affection to the convictions that are upon him ; and notwithstanding all this, yet [says,] " Come, let us agree; accept of peace, close with Christ, receive him from my love;" — surely it cannot but in some measure engage it into a rest and ac- quiescence in the word of promise.
(2.) The second part of this motive is taken from the suitableness of the promises to every real distress and cause of staggering what- ever. My meaning is, that whereas we are exercised with great variety of doubts and fears, of pressures and perplexities, God hath tempered his love and mercy in Christ, as prepared in the promises, unto every one of these wants and straits whatever. Had God only declared himself to us as God almighty, God all-sufficient, he might justly require and expect that we should act faith on him in every condition. But, moreover, he hath, as it were, drawn out his own all-sufficiency in Christ into numberless streams, flowing in upon all our particular wants, distresses, and temptations whatever. When God gave manna in the wilderness, it was to be gathered and ground in mills, or beat in mortars, and fried in pans, before it could be eaten, Numb. xi. 8 ; but the bread which came from heaven, the manna in the promises, is already ground, beaten, baked, ready for every one's hunger. It is useful, if you have a well about your house,
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whither you may repair to draw water; but when you have several pipes from a fountain, that convey water to every room, for every particular business, you are greatly to blame if your occasions are not supplied. We have not only a well of salvation to draw water from, but also innumerable streams flowing from that well into every emjDty vessel.
I shall give one or two instances of this kind : —
Isa. xxxii. 2: Here are four joressures and troubles mentioned, whereunto we may be exposed: — [1.] The wind; [2.] A tempest; [8.] Dearth; [4.] Weariness. And unto all these is the man in the promise— the Lord Jesus Christ, the King that " reigns in righteous- ness," verse 1 — suited as a supply in them, or against them.
[1.] The first proposed evil is the ivind; — and in respect hereof Christ is a u hiding-place." He that was ready to be cast from the top of a rock with a strong wind, would desire nothing more than a hiding-place until the strong blast were over. When fierce winds have driven a vessel at sea from all its anchors, so that it hath no- thing to keep it from splitting on the next rock whereunto it is driven, a safe harbour, a hiding-place, is the great desire and expectation of the poor creatures that are in it. Our Saviour tells us what this wind is, Matt. vii. 25. The Avind that blows upon and casts down false pro- fessors to the ground, is the wind of strong and urging temptations. Is this the condition of the soul? [do] strong temptations beat upon it, which are ready to hurry it down into sin and folly, — that it hath no rest from them, one blast immediately succeeding another, — that the soul begins to faint, to be weary, give over, and say, "I shall perish ; I cannot hold out to the end?" Is this thy condition? See the Lord Christ suited unto it, and the relief that is in him in this promise, — he is " a hiding-place." Saith he, " These temptations seek thy life ; but with me thou shalt be safe." Fly to his bosom, retreat into his arms, expect relief by faith from him, and thou shalt be safe.