THE next thing I shall observe in the text is the nature of faith, how it works in and upon the promises. Here are several properties of it: it eyes blessings promised, is firmly persuaded of them, and embraceth and huggeth them; and all this was observable in these patriarchs, though they went to the grave without any experience of the fulfilling of them. Here I shall observe something from the general view of the text, and then from the several actings of faith.
First, From the whole, observe this doctrine -
Doct. Faith is contented with the promise, though it cannot have actual possession. It is enough to faith to see things at a distance, as these patriarchs did: it constantly adhereth to God, though it findeth not what it believeth; yea, though it see no probability and reason for it. For this also was the case of these patriarchs. Canaan was promised to them, which was now possessed by the Canaanites; and God hath told them of the calamity that should befal their posterity in Egypt, and yet that they should be a glorious nation, and have a temple and a city. These were very unlikely things, yet they went to the grave, and saw these blessings afar off, and embraced them. Usually God exerciseth his people in this kind; so it was in the first believer - the Lord had made a promise of a blessed seed to Adam. Now for a great while there was no likelihood of the accomplishment of it - Abel was slain, Cain was a wicked man, and Adam was an hundred and thirty years old before Seth was born, Gen. v. 3, who was appointed instead of Abel, in whom God would continue the blessed line and race. And so it has been all along, there has been a time between the promise and the accomplishment; therefore the apostle saith, Heb. vi. 12, 'Be ye followers of them, who though faith and patience inherit the promises.' Never any came to possess the things promised, but there was something to exercise their faith and patience; there was some distance of time for the exercise of their faith, and the inconveniences of the present life to exercise their patience. But yet faith constantly adheres to God, notwithstanding all this. Now faith worketh thus partly because of the advantages it hath in the promises, and partly because of the work it putteth forth upon the heart of a believer.
1 Because of the advantage it hath in the promises; for consider what the promises are in three things.
[1.] They are the eruption and overflowings of God's love. God's heart is so big with love to his people, that it cannot stay till the accomplishment of things; but his love breaks out and overflows in the promise before the mercy be brought about: Isa. xlii. 9, 'Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.' God's purposes are a sealed fountain; his promises are a fountain broken open. As when a river swells so high that the channel will not contain it, it breaks out and overflows; so the love of God is so great that the purposes of God, and the fountain of eternal grace towards a believer, swell and break out into actual promises, that we may know what he hath provided for us before they be accomplished. God might have done us good, and given us no promise of it; but love concealed would not be so much for our comfort. Now faith that hath such a testimony of God's love counts itself bound to be contented; for as God counts our purposes to be obedience, so should we count God's promises to be performance. When there is a purpose in the heart to do anything for God, God counts it as actually done. Abraham purposed to sacrifice his son, and it is said, Abraham offered Isaac, Heb. xi. 17. And God takes notice of David's purpose: 1 Kings viii. 18, 'And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.' Now as our purposes are the first issues of our love to God, so God's promises are the first issues of his love to us.
[2.] They are the rule and warrant of faith. The promises show how far God is to be trusted, because they show how far he is engaged. So far as the Lord hath promised, so far he hath made himself a debtor, and so hath given the creature a holdfast upon him, something for faith to lay hold upon. God's purposes are unchangeable, therefore the apostle speaks of the 'immutability of his counsel,' Heb. vi. 17; and his promises are his purposes declared, therefore here faith hath something to work upon, it can boldly challenge God upon his word. The word that is gone out of his mouth he will make good, as he hath said: Ps. lxxxix. 34, 'My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.' The promises are a means whereby God tries our faith. God will try of what credit he is with men, whether we will depend upon his word or no, and besides they are a security put into our hands. We have now something to urge to God, and may challenge him by his promise: Ps. cxix. 49, 'Remember thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.' They are as so many bonds wherein God is bound to us, and God loves to have his bonds put in suit. A usurer thinks himself rich, though it may be he hath little money in the house, because he hath bonds and good security; he that hath a thousand pounds in bonds and good security is in better case than he that hath only a hundred pounds in ready money. A christian though he hath little in his purse, yet he hath much in bonds; he is rich in promises, by which he hath a boldfast upon God, and therefore he is contented to wait.
[3.] They are a pawn of the thing promised, and must be held till performance come. God's truth and holiness lie at stake, and the Lord will set them free and recover his pawn again. God, when he leaves his promise in his people's hands, he leaves his glory, his truth, his holiness, and his justice there, and they are to remain as pledges with the creature till God sets them free again by performing his promise. This is the meaning of that solemn expression so often used - 'As I live, saith the Lord.' He plights his essence; count me not a living God if I do not fulfil my word. So the saints plead with God, that he would free his attributes left in pawn by fulfilling his promises: Ps. cxv. 1. 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake.' As if they should say, Lord, we do not plead for ourselves, for our own profit, but for thy attributes; for thy mercy and truth. When mercies come according to the promise, God doth not only deliver us, but he delivereth his mercy and truth from calumny and reproach. Now upon all these advantages faith is as good as fruition; it is the 'substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen,' Heb. xi. 1; it maketh absent things present; it sets up a stage in the heart, and sees God acting over his counsels, and looks upon things to come as already accomplished or now a-doing. It doth not require the existence and presence of the thing we believe, but only the promise of it. Thus the patriarchs had Christ, and saw Christ, and embraced Christ - viz., in the figure and in the promise; therefore it is said, Heb. xiii. 8, 'Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' As our faith looketh backward, so did their faith look forward, and they are said to eat and to drink Christ: 1 Cor x 3 4, 'And they did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.' They had the promise, and so a believer hath heaven in the promise: John viii 36, 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,' Titus iii. 5, 'According to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost As soon as we are regenerated we are saved. They have the love of God in the promise, they have an holdfast upon God by his promise, and they have the promise as a pawn till the performance, and they keep it by them, and this is as good as fruition to a believing soul.
2 Because of the work of faith upon the heart of a believer. There is not only a work of faith upon the promise, but a work of faith upon the heart of a believer.
[1.] It calms the affections and deadeneth the heart to present enjoyments. Carnal affections must have things present and pleasing to sense - 'Demas hath forsaken us, having loved the present world,' 2 Tim. iv. 10; but faith causeth the soul to look within the veil, and acquaints us with better things than are to be seen in the world; and so the affections are altered: 2 Cor. iv. 18, 'While we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.' Faith carries the soul into heaven, above the clouds and mists that are here below, and causeth it to see the glory of the world to come; and when it looks to things not seen, things that lie within the veil and curtain of heaven, the soul is weaned from such things as are pleasing to sense. As a man that hath been looking on the sun, his eyes are so dazzled with the lustre of it, that he cannot for a while see anything else. Faith is ever accompanied with weanedness from the world, or else it could never do its office; it gets the heart up to heaven, and then all things are easy. Worldly cares and worldly fears arise from the affection of carnal sense, that is all for the present; but faith looketh to things that are to come, and so purifieth the heart from worldly affections; it acquainteth us with better things in Christ, and so spoileth the taste of other things.
[2.] It worketh patience and waiting the Lord's leisure. That is another effect upon the heart of a believer. Faith and patience are inseparable, and therefore they are often coupled together: Heb, vi. 12, 'Be followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises;' so Heb. x. 35, 36, 'Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.' Faith always worketh waiting, and quiet submission, balancing our sufferings with our hopes. It tarrieth the Lords leisure, the promise is sure, therefore faith is satisfied with the promise, and quietly hopeth for the performance of it; and the promise is good, and will make amends for all; and therefore faith is contented to wait, notwithstanding present inconveniences. There is longing and looking, yet tarrying and waiting; the mercy is in sure hands, and when it comes it will make amends for all your waiting; and if the blessing be deferred, there will be more glory to God and comfort to us when it cometh. It is but fit we should tarry the Lord's leisure. They are wicked heirs that desire the inheritance before it falleth, and wish the death of their parents; and so they are carnal, that must have all things for the present and cannot wait, that would have blessings before they are ready for them. God is not slack, but we are hasty, and therefore the work of faith is to calm the affections and to subdue us to a quiet waiting upon the Lord, till he accomplish all his pleasure. As Naomi said to Ruth: Ruth iii. 18, 'Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not be at rest until he have finished the thing this day.' So faith says to a believing soul, Be still; he that hath begun will not rest till he hath brought this matter to pass.
Use 1. It presseth us to such a faith as will be contented, though it do not come to enjoyment - such a faith as can see that made up in the promise that is wanting in sense and actual feeling. In outward wants get such a faith; it was the apostle's riddle: 2 Cor. vi. 10, 'As having nothing, and yet possessing all things;' all things are in the promise, though nothing in actual possession. Now can you live upon a promise, and fetch life and encouragement and protection and maintenance from thence? Ps. xc. 1, 'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.' When was this said? When they were wandering in the wilderness without house or home; for it was a prayer of Moses, the man of God: they found a habitation in God, when they had none in the wilderness. If we want house, food, raiment, faith can see all this in the promise. The life of faith cometh nearest to the life of heaven. In heaven, God is all in all without the intervention of means; when we can see all in the promise, it is some kind of anticipation of the life of heaven, because the promise shows us what we shall find in God. Can you fetch thence house, food, raiment, life, deliverance, a legacy and blessing for your children, when you die, and are in deep poverty?
Again, in spiritual distresses, though you feel no comfort and quickening, yet you have his word. Men cast anchor in the dark, and a child takes his father by the hand in the dark; can you stick to God in the dark? Though you see nothing, yet can you cleave close to him, and wait and stay upon his name? In the absence of the blessing there is room for faith; can you take your father by the hand when you cannot see him? And when there is nothing appears to sense, can you stay upon the name of God? Christ may be out of sight, and yet you may not be out of mind. Sense makes lies of God: Ps. xxxi. 22, 'I said in my heart I am cut off from before thine eyes; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplication when I cried unto thee.' When to sense and feeling all is gone, God may be very nigh, if we had but an eye of faith to see him. In the midst of the miseries of the present world canst thou comfort thyself with thy right in the promises of the world to come? Though thou hast not possession, thou hast the grant, and the deed is sealed; a man may buy lands that he never saw, if he be well informed about them. Thus heaven and earth differ; heaven is all performance, and here is very little performance; here we have the first-fruits and the earnest, enough to bind the bargain; thou hast the conveyances to show, and it is not nudum pactum, a naked bargain, there is earnest given in lieu of a greater sum; now can you wait?
Use 2 It informs us how much the happiness of a believer excels that of a worldling. A worldling hath much in hand, but he hath nothing in hope; he hath fair revenues and ample possessions, but he hath no promises; here they have their portion: Ps. xvii. 14, 'From men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure; they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes;' and when they come to die, there is an end of all; Luke xvi. 25, 'Son, remember, that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things.' But now look upon a believer: Ps. cxix. 111, 'Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever.' His portion lies in God's promises, and God's promises concern the present life, as well as that which is to come: 1 Tim, iv. 8, 'Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.' For the present life all that he has comes with a blessing out of the womb of the promise, and as a fruit of the covenant; and a share he shall have as long as the Lord will use them and employ them; he will give them maintenance and protection as long as he expects service from them: and in the life to come he enters upon his heritage. Oh, it is a sad thing to hate our portion here, and to look for no more; to have all in hand and nothing in hope. A christian is not to be valued by his enjoyments, but by his hopes. Do not look upon the children of God as miserable, because they do not shine in outward pomp and splendour, for they have meat and drink which the world knows not of - estate, lands and honours which lie in another world. It is better to be trained up in a way of faith, than to have our whole portion here. A worldly man hath his present payment, that is all he cares for; but a christian hath an ample portion - all the testimonies of God, and all his promises concerning this life and a better. And therefore he is a rich man, though stripped of all; his estate lieth in a country where there is no plundering, no sequestration, no alienation of inheritances. So that if he be stripped of all that the world can take hold of, he is a happier man than the greatest monarch of the world, that hath nothing but present things; because he is rich in bills and bonds, such as lie out of the reach of the world.. Turn him where you will, yet still he is happy; turn him into prison, the promises bear him company, and revive and cheer him there; turn him into the grave, still God goes along with him, and will revive and raise him up again; his riches stand him in stead at death; then is the time to put his bonds in suit. 'When God comes to demand his soul, he gives it up cheerfully; for then he comes to enjoyment, and to possess that which he expected; the best is behind. So much for the general, view of the text.
Secondly, More particularly, I shall speak to the several acts of faith, and they are three -
1. Apprehension - They saw them afar off
2. Firm assent - They were persuaded of them.
3. Affection - They embraced them.
First, The first act of faith is apprehension of the blessings - 'They saw them afar off.' Hence I observe -
Doct. It is the property of faith to eye the blessings promised at a distance.
So Abraham: John viii. 56, 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.' Faith hath an eagle eye; it is the perspective of the soul, by which it can see things at a distance. There were many ages between Abraham and Christ, and yet he saw Christ's day. So Moses, Heb. xi. 26, 'He had respect,' epiblepe he had an eye to the recompense of the reward.' As the devil showed Christ the glory of the present world in a map or representation;' so doth faith, which is the evidence of things not seen, represent to the soul the glory of the world to come; there is a view of heaven and happiness. Let me show you what there is in this view of faith.
1. It apprehends the blessing as a real thing, which without faith we can never do. The promises are but as a golden dream to a carnal man; they hear of these things as if they were in a dream, and do not look upon them as real objects: 2 Peter i. 9, 'He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off' - tuflos kai muoopazoon, - the word signifies short-sighted. Fancy and reason cannot out-look time, and see beyond death; men have a guess and general traditional knowledge but there is no serious apprehension of the reality of these great blessings; heaven doth not come in view to them, as it doth to a believer. Carnal men may have a dream of such things as Elysian fields, and happy mansions in another world, but they have not an eye open to see God and Christ at his right hand; as Stephen's eyes were opened: Acts vii. 55, 'He being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.' There might be something of special dispensation there, but it is temperately done by faith. The sight of faith differeth from that of fancy and reason, as the sight of the eye doth from report. A man that hath seen a foreign country is more affected at the mention of it than he that knows it only by a map, or by the report of others. Carnal men's hearts are only possessed with an empty notion of heaven; but they do not see it as a real thing, worthy of their choice and pursuit.
2. It pondereth the worth of the blessings. Faith is a considerate act, it takes a view of heaven; as Abraham was to travel through the land of promise, and take a view of it, and Moses from Mount Pisgah was to take a view of the land of Canaan. As the prophets of old not only believed that Christ was to come in the flesh, but they diligently inquired into the salvation that was to come: 1 Peter i. 11, 'Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you ' so doth faith employ the thoughts, and sends them out as spies into the other world to bring tidings of the state of the other country. Faith languisheth for want of meditation; for the promises are the food of faith, and meditation is, as it were, the chewing and the digesting of our food. View them then often, let us be creating images and suppositions of our future happiness. If a poor man were adopted into the succession of a crown, he would be pleasing himself with the thoughts of it; so should we mind and ponder on the things that are above, thinking beforehand what a welcome there will be between us and Christ, when the angels shall bring us to Christ; and in what a manner we shall be brought by Christ, and presented to the Father, as the fruits of his purchase; what a pleasure it will be to see their fellow-saints with crowns of righteousness upon their heads. Faith is a steady view.
3. There is actual expectation. Faith, having a promise, looketh out after the blessing. This the scripture expresseth by apokaradokia, a lifting up the head; as a man looks after the messenger he hath sent about some business, to see if he be coming back again: Rom. viii. 19, Apokaradokia tès ktiseoos, &c., 'The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God.' So David, Ps v. 3, 'In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up,' that is, to see if I can spy the blessing coming. Faith not only looks up in prayer, but it looks out to see if anything be coming from God in a way of answer; as Elijah when he had prayed earnestly for rain, sent his servant to look towards the sea, whether the rain was a-coming: Hab. ii. 1, 'I will stand upon my watch, and set me on the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me,' He was resolved to wait for an answer of grace, withdrawing the mind from things visible, and elevating it to God, and looking above the mists and darkness of inferior accidents. So faith, as from a watch-tower, looks and sees if it can spy the mercy afar off: 2 Peter iii. 12, 'Looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God.' Faith, or meditation on the certainty of the promise (for that is faith), doth thus erect the soul, and sets it in a posture of expectation, to behold if there be any tokens of God's coming, if they can hear the soundings of his feet, any approach of the mercy they look for. As a man that hath bills or bonds due at such a day, waits for the time when they will come due; so is faith watching when the time will expire, that he may come to the fruition of that he looks for. So much for the first act of faith, apprehension.
Secondly. The second act of faith in and upon the promises in firm assent, peisthentes, - 'They were persuaded of them.' From hence I observe -
Doct. Faith is persuaded of the certainty of the blessings which it beholdeth in the promises.
That there is a firmness of assent and persuasion in faith, these scriptures evidence: Phil. i. 6, 'Being confident,' or firmly persuaded, 'of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;' so Rom. viii. 38, pepeismai, 'I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creatures, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord;' 2 Tim. i. 12, 'I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.' Faith is not a moral conjecture, but a certain persuasion: and yet there may be many doubtings: Mat. xiv. 31, 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?' which is an argument of the weakness, not of the nullity, of faith; but, however, doubts do not get the victory; but of this hereafter.
Now this persuasion of the certainty of the blessing promised stands upon two feet, God's truth in keeping promises, and his power to bring them to pass.
1. On God's truth. God is very tender of the honour of his truth: Ps. cxxxviii. 2, 'Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.' When we have the word of a man of credit we rest satisfied. Now we have not only God's word, but his bond. The great work of faith is to rest upon the promise. God would cease to be God if he were not a true God, and the chiefest honour that we can give him is to rest upon his faith: Heb. xi. 11, 'She judged him faithful who had promised.' Faith is a sealing to God's truth: John iii. 33, 'He that believeth his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true;' whereas unbelief giveth God the lie, which is the worst reproach among men; I John v, 10, 'He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.' Now God's truth should be the more credited, -
[1.] Because when we trust God upon his word, God is doubly engaged; for there are not only promises made to invite faith, that we may trust in him, but promises made to faith, because we trust in him: Isa. xxvi. 3, 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.' God counts himself bound in honour to fulfil that which we are firmly persuaded of, upon the ground of his word. God will not disappoint a trusting soul. When the soul dares upon the warrant of God's word to stay and rest upon him, God counts himself bound to satisfy such a soul. An ingenuous man would not disappoint one that reposeth his trust in him; much less will God, who is a God of faithfulness.
[2.] Because of the form of God's engaging his truth to us. It is not only in the form of a promise, which is nudum pactum, a naked bargain; but in the form of a covenant, which is the most solemn way of transaction and engagement between man and man; nay, and this covenant is ratified by an oath, which is the highest assurance among men: Heb. vi. 16, 'An oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.' Barbarous nations have been always very tender of an oath; take away the obligation of an oath, and you destroy all commerce among men. Herod made conscience of his oath when he promised half the kingdom, Mat. xiv. 9. Now the Lord interposeth an oath, and in every oath there is not only an invocation of God as a witness, but an implicit imprecation: God is called upon as a judge and avenger in case of falsehood. So in God's oath, he lays all his glory at stake, as in that oath, - 'As I live, saith the Lord;' count me not a living God if this be not accomplished for you. So that not only is the word of God gone out of his mouth, but it is put into the form of a covenant, and that covenant is confirmed by the solemnity of an oath.
[3.] Because this covenant is ratified by the blood of Christ: 2 Cor. 1. 20, 'All the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us.' This gives us the more satisfaction, because the blood of Christ satisfies God's justice. All God's promises come from his mercy. Now that God's mercy might have a freer course, God represents himself as satisfied with the blood of Christ, which was a price to purchase our blessings. The covenant of grace is founded upon the covenant of redemption, which was made between God and Christ; so that God is not only engaged to us, but engaged to Christ; so some expound that text, Titus i. 2, 'In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began;' and 2 Tim. i. 9, 'According to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' It is clear that there was a covenant made-between God and Christ: Isa. liii. 10, ''When thou shalt make his soul. an offering for sin, he shall seek his seed; he shall prolong his days,. and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.'
[4.] Because of the many experiences of his faithfulness, the saints have been witnesses of God's fidelity: Ps. xviii. 30, 'The word of the Lord is tried.' Never any had to do with God, but they have been witnesses of his truth. There is more than letters and syllables in the promises; there is comfort, support, life and peace in them: it had been cast in the fire, and come out again. His promises are tried promises; believers have not only been tried with troubles and dark afflictions, but the promises have been put to trial, and all the saints. may come in as witnesses of God's faithfulness: Ps. xxii. 4, 5, 'Our fathers trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them, they cried unto thee and were delivered; they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.' Pray mark, how it is repeated, - 'They trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them,' they were willing to make trial of God; they trusted, and trusted, and trusted, and still they kept up their trusting, notwithstanding they were exercised with troubles. When the first trust was ready to be broken off they continued the act of their trust, and waited upon God, and he did deliver them. All that have made trial of God will come in for witnesses. Did God disappoint Abraham, or David, or any of the patriarchs? and God is where he was. Hitherto in the story of our own lives we may come in as witnesses for God against our own unbelief, and may plead our own experience, that not one word hath failed of all that he hath promised. Now no wonder if faith that is thus founded on God's truth and faithfulness grows up to firm persuasion.
2. The other foot that faith stands upon is God's power: 2 Tim. i. 12, 'I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.' This is the ground of our dependence on God, the Lord is able to make good his word to the full: so Rom. iv. 21, 'Being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform;' his sufficiency to make good his word was the ground of his faith. God hath made known his will in his promise; now all the doubt is about his power, and indeed unbelief stumbles there. How can this be? is the language of unbelief. But faith is persuaded of the absolute power of God, that God that made heaven and earth out of nothing can accomplish what he hath promised. And therefore it is notable, when the apostle in this chapter would lay down the strength of faith, first he begins with the creation: ver. 3, 'By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.' This one article of faith helps us to believe all the rest, for if we believe the creation, then we may easily believe that he is able to accomplish all we trust in him for.
Thirdly, The third act of faith in and upon the promises is aspasamenoi, 'They embraced them,' or saluted them, and hugged them, - Oh, these are dear precious promises! This will yield Canaan, this will yield a Messiah, this heaven; as a man maketh much of bills, and bonds, and conveyances, and keeps them charily. Now in this act of faith I shall observe several things: -
1. I observe that faith is an act of the will, as well as of the understanding. There is in faith adherence as well as assent, and embracing as well as persuasion. Faith looketh upon the promises not only as true, but as good; they are 'yea and amen,' 2 Cor. i. 20. They are 'great and precious promises,' 2 Peter i. 4. Faith in scripture is not only expressed by sight but taste. The promises are as food to the renewed soul, and faith is a spiritual taste; it is a feeding upon the promises with delight. The trial of the soul is by affection; they that are all notion, and have no affection have no faith. Certainly if you did believe the promises that are so good, and so true, you would be more affected with them, you would entertain the promises with respect and delight, though you do not receive present satisfaction; for where faith is, there is love and delight in the things believed. We think we are persuaded, but where is our love and comfort? for this necessarily follows, they saw them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them.
2. I observe the order and method here laid down by the Holy Ghost, for these things follow one another in a very natural order, sight makes way for persuasion, and persuasion for delight. Sailors at sea, when they see land afar off, shout and make towards it with joy; so when the soul sees that blessing at a distance, it stirs up actual rejoicing in God, because of his word. There would be no embracing if there were no sight; the eye affecteth the heart, and according to the strength of conviction and persuasion, so is the strength of affection to the blessings promised. Therefore if you would have more lively affections to the promises, you must oftener think of them and be more firmly persuaded of them. Think of them oftener, the oftener the soul is in heaven the more joy, a man cannot take comfort in that whereupon he doth not often meditate. The mind must engage the heart, and serious thoughts must make way for these embracings. God's method is first to enter upon our judgments and consideration, and then to ravish the heart, the great things of the covenant do enter upon the mind, and then they affect and ravish the heart. And be more firmly persuaded of the promises; if men were persuaded of them, they would not be so coldly affected as they are. We that are so dead-hearted to heavenly things, surely we do not judge them real. It may be we do not actually call them in question, but we have not a firm persuasion of the truth of them; if we had, we would more 'rejoice in hope of the glory of God,' Rom. v. 2. For we should find the scripture always maketh delight a fruit of faith: 1 Peter i. 8, 'In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.' Rejoicing is wrought in us by believing, and being persuaded of the reality, and worth of things that are come. So Rom. xv. 13, 'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.' This is the natural order: faith is wrought in the soul, then these affections, and embracings, and rejoicings in God are stirred up.
3. The affection that is exercised in this embracing is joy. There are other affections, I know, that are exercised, as hope and love, but chiefly our joy, as appears by that parallel place, John viii. 56, 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.' John Baptist did not only leap in the womb, because of Christ's day, when it was ready at hand, but Abraham, that lived at so great a distance. Joy is the affection proper to enjoyment, but faith behaveth itself as if it were already come to possession. This joy ariseth from the certainty of the promise, and the excellency of it, and our interest in it; they rejoice because such great and precious promises are made over to them in Christ, being assured they shall be made good to them in due time: so did the patriarchs, and so doth every believer.
4. This joy is manifested two ways, partly by the lively act of it in meditation, partly by the solid effects of it in our conversation.
[1.] By the lively act of it in meditation, it doth our hearts good to think of it. Thus they hugged the promises, O sweet promises! A man cannot think of a little pelf, or any petty interest in the world without comfort, when he knows he has a right to do it; and can a man think of the promises, and not be affected with them? Carnal men may think and think again, they have no spiritual appetite, and therefore they feel no savour, their joy is intercepted and prepossesed with vanity and carnal delights, and therefore the promises to them are as a dry chip, or withered flowers. Swine do not value pearls; but now to believers their hearts leap within them to think of the promises, and what God hath provided for them in Christ: Luke vi. 23, 'Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for behold your reward is great in heaven.' Whatever our condition be in the world, this maketh us full of comfort; there is an actual rejoicing, a hugging our happiness, as if we were in the midst of the glory of the world to come. A carnal man feeleth contentment, sudden rapt motions of joy every time he doth actually think of his bags, riches, and honours; and shall not a christian find contentment, when he thinks of the heavenly glory? What? an heir of God, and co-heir with Christ, and be no more affected? 1 Sam. xviii. 23, 'Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law?' We should 'rejoice in hope of the glory of God,' Rom. v. 2. In meditation faith and hope is acted.
[2.] By the solid effects of it in our conversation. It is not a joy for a pang or fit, the practical joy is the best sign. The solid effects of it are these, cheerfulness in duties, comfort and support in afflictions, and weanedness from worldly pleasures.
(1.) Cheerfulness in duties. When we go cheerfully about our work, because we have heaven in our eye, it is a sign we have embraced the blessings made known to us in the promises: 1 Cor. xv. 58, 'Be ye stedfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.' It will quicken us to obedience. A christian is persuaded that whatever he does will turn to a good account, and therefore he cheerfully holds on his course in holiness. You know a horse goes cheerfully, when he goes homeward; so a christian that is hastening to God, and every day draws nearer his home, goes cheerfully on in his work. So far as you are backward in God's work, so far is your delight in the promises weakened. Therefore a christian is cheerful, and holdeth on his journey to heaven with delight, because he looketh upon grace as a bud of glory, and upon duty as the way to heaven.
(2.) Comfort and support in afflictions. There is not only an extra-mission of acts of faith, but an intromission of comfort and strength to support the heart. As the heart acteth towards the promise, so doth the promise work upon the heart. David professeth his experience in this kind, Ps. cxix. 50, 'This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.' True faith draweth life, comfort and quickening out of the word of promise; so ver. 81, 'My soul fainteth for thy salvation, but I hope in thy word.' Faith looking to the word gathereth strength and hope. This is no disparagement to the Spirit of God, for faith is the instrument, the word the means, and the Spirit the author of all this grace which we receive. This is God's established order, the Spirit by the word, through our faith conveyeth strength and support to us. God doth not cast in comfort and quickening into the soul whilst we are idle; it is by his grace, but upon the acting of our faith: Ps. cxix. 92, 'Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine afflictions.' The worth of the word and the excellency of faith would not have been known unless God had cast into afflictions; then is the time to make trial of the virtue of the word, the excellency of faith, and the comforts of another world.
(3.) This joy is manifested by a weanedness from worldly pleasures. There cannot be such an affectation of worldly greatness, because by embracing the promises the affections are diverted and prepossessed. The affections are the most active faculties of the soul, and they cannot remain idle; as water in the pipe must needs run, so must our affections have some vent and oblectation. Now when the promises have taken up our delight, when we have chosen them for our heritage, then the relish of other things is marred and spoiled: Ps. cxix. 3, 'Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.' Our choice is a tie upon our hearts. Till we are acquainted with better things we take up with the world, but when we are once acquainted with the sweetness of the promises, we look no further; when a man hath embraced the promises, and taken them for his portion, and resolved to adhere and stick to them, that ties up his heart from other things. Garlic and onions may be pleasing to him that hath tasted no better food, but who can relish aloes that hath tasted honey? so when the heart is acquainted with better things, with the delights of another world, with the sweetness of God in Christ, it is withdrawn from outward comforts and carnal pleasures. As the woman of Samaria left her water-pot when she was acquainted with Christ: John iv. 28, 'The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city,' &c. And Zaccheus, when he came to Christ, then saith he, 'Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by any false accusation, I restore him fourfold,' Luke xix. 8.
Hebrews
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