BOOK 2. FROM ETERNITY.
CHAPTER 2.
2.2.5. Of Believing in Jesus in that Respect.
Of Believing in Jesus in that respect.
We must believe in Jesus, as carrying on that great work of salvation for us in that eternity. It is not enough to know, and consider, and desire, and hope: but we must believe. Now, this is the nature and property of faith, to apply all these ancient and future doings and dealings of God to ourselves, as if they were now present. Some difference there is betwixt hope and faith; as hope hath respect to that which the word promised!, rem verbi: but faith respects the word itself, verbum rei; hope eyes chiefly the mercy and goodness of the promise, but faith eyes mainly the authority and truth of the promiser; hope looks upon its object as future, bat faith only looks upon the object as present; both make a particular application to themselves, but hope in a waiting for it, and faith in a way of now enjoying it. Hence faith is called, "the substance of things hoped for," Heb. xi. 1. It is the substance or confidence of things hoped for, as if we had them already in hand: faith gives the soul a present interest in God, in Christ, in all those glorious things in the gospel of Christ, even in the things of eternal life. Faith is an appropriating, an applying, an uniting grace. It is a blessed thing to have the sight of God, there is much power in it; but to see God in his glory as my God: to see all the majesty, greatness, and goodness of God, as those things that my soul have an interest in; to see how the eternal councils of God wrought for me, to make me happy; why this is of the nature of faith: and herein lies the sweetness of faith: in that we believe not Christ only to he a Saviour, and righteousness, but my Saviour, and my righteousness; and therefore Luther affirmed, that the sweetness of Christianity lay in pronouns; when a man can say, "My Lord, and my God, and my Jesus. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," Gal, ii. 20.
O my soul! believe for thyself; believe, and be confident of it, that those eternal projects, councils, love, purpose, decree, and covenant betwixt God and Christ, were all for thee; hast thou not a promise? Nay, was there not a promise before the world began? and that very promise of eternal life? Mark the words, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began," Tit. i. 2. Here is a promise, and a promise of eternal life made by God, by God that cannot lie, and that before there was a world, or any man in the world. If thou inquires!, to whom then was this promise made? Sweet soul, it was made to Christ for thee: many promises thou hast in scripture made more immediately to thyself; but this was the grand promise, and all the other promises they are but a draught of that grand promise, that God the Father made to his Son before the world began.
O cries the soul, I cannot believe. What, is it possible that God in his eternity should have any thought of me? What, of me, "being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil?" Rom. ix. 11. What, of me, born in these last times of the world, the least of saints, the greatest of sinners, less than the least of all God's mercies? That of such an one the great God, the majesty of heaven and earth, should have a thought, a project, a counsel, a knowledge of approbation, a purpose, a decree: nay, enter into a covenant with his Son for my salvation? I cannot believe it. Alas! what am I to God? or what need hath God of me? If "all the nations of the earth are to him, but as a drop of a bucket, and as the small dust of the balance," Isa. xl. 15. Oh what a minim am I of that drop? or what a little little atom am I of that small dust? And is it probable that the greatness of God, the goodness of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God, the eternal councils of God, should work for me, to make me glorious, blessed, happy? to make me one with himself, and one with his Son, and one with his Spirit? What care take I of every dust of the earth or every sand of the sea-shore? and yet these are my fellow-creatures: there is a thousand times more disproportion betwixt God and me, and would God take care of me before I was, or before the world was? What, would he busy himself and his Son about such a worthless wretched worm? Would he decree Christ to come from the Father for me, to be my Redeemer, my Jesus, my Saviour? I cannot, I dare not, I will not believe.
O stay, my soul; and be not faithless, but believing, I will take thy argument in pieces; As,
1. Thou, sayest, "Hath God any thoughts of me?" Yes, saith God, I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil," Jer. xxix. 11. And before the world was, my thoughts and "my delights were with the sons of men," Prov. viii. 31.
2. Thou sayest, "I have no thoughts, no care of my fellow creatures as of the dust, or sand, or atoms?" And what then? "My thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts," Isa. lv. 8. What if thou hast no thoughts or care of the smaller creatures; yet God extends his thoughts, and care, and providence not only to thee, but even to them, "Neither can a sparrow fall to the ground, nor an hair from thy head, nor a leaf from the tree with out the providence of our heavenly Father," Matt. x. 29 , 30.
3. Thou sayest, "I dare not believe, I am astonished at, confounded in these thoughts of God's eternal love; It is too high for me, I cannot believe it. I answer. Herein thou sayest something: I know it is an hard thing to believe these great things in rererence to thyself: but see now, how God and Christ stoop and condescend to make thee believe: God stands much upon this, that the hearts of his saints should confide in him; he accounts not himself honoured, except they believe. And therefore mark, O my soul, how Christ suits himself to thy weakness; what is it that may beget this faith, this confidence in thy soul? What is it (saith God) that you poor creatures do one to another, when you would make things sure between yourselves? Why thus, --
1. We engage ourselves by promise one to another. And so will I, saith God: poor soul, thou hast my promise; my faithful promise; I have made a promise both to Jews and Gentiles, and thou art the one of these two sorts; "The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts ii. 39. Be only satisfied in that ground of thy hope, that thou art called of God, and then every promise of eternal life is thine, even thine? Thou mayest find a thousand promises scattered here and there in the book of God; and all these promises are a draught of that promise which was made from all eternity, and therefore it is so much the more sure: it is as if Christ should say, "Wilt thou have engagement by promise? This is past long ago; my Father hath engaged himself to me before the world began; yea, and I have made many, and many a promise, since the world began, Read in the volume, and thou wilt find here and there a promise, here and there a draught of that first copy of that great promise which my Father made unto me from all eternity."
2. When we would make things sure to one another, we write it down; and so will I, saith God, thou hast the scriptures, the holy writ, those sacred volumes of truth and life, and therein thou hast the golden lines of many gracious promises, are they not as the stars in the firmament of the scriptures? Thou hast thy Bible, and in the Bible thou hast many blessed, glorious truths; but of all the Bible methinks thou shouldest not part with one of those promises, no not for a world. Luther observing the many promises wrote down in scripture, expresseth thus, "The whole scripture doth especially aim at this, that we should not doubt, but hope, confide, believe that God is merciful, kind, patient, and hath a purpose and delight to save our souls."
3. When we would make things sure to one another, we set to our seals. And so will I, saith God; thou hast my seal, the broad seal of heaven, my sacraments, the seals of my covenant; and thou hast my privy seal also, the seal of my Spirit. "Grieve not the holy Spirit, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption," Eph. iv. 30.
4. When we would make things sure to one another, we take witnesses. And so will I, saith God; thou shalt have witnesses as many as thou wilt, witnesses of all sorts, witnesses in heaven, and witnesses on earth; "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood, and these three agree in one," 1 John v. 7, 8.
5. When we would make things sure to one another, we take an oath. And so will I, saith God: God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath," Heb. vi. 17. q.d. There is no such need of an oath; but I will be abundant to thee, because I would have thee trust me, and confide in me thoroughly; and as I swear (saith God) so will I swear the greatest oath that ever was, "I swear by myself," Heb. vi 13. God swears, "by God: he could swear by no greater, and therefore he sware by himself." And why thus, but for their sakes who are the heirs of promise? He knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust; and therefore to succour our weakness, the Lord is pleased to swear, and to confirm all by his oath.
6. When we would make things sure to one another, we take a pawn. And I will give thee a pawn, saith God, and such a pawn as, if thou never hadst anything more, thou shouldest be happy. It is a pawn of my Spirit. "Who also hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit into our hearts" 2 Cor. i. 22. q.d. I will send my Spirit into your hearts; and this Spirit shall be a pawn, an earnest in your hearts of all the good that I intend to do for you forever.
7. When we would make things sure to one another, something it may be is presently done, as an engagement of all that which is to come. And thus will I deal with thee, saith God, who livest in these last of times. Why, thou seest the greatest part of thy salvation already done: I made a promise from all eternity of sending my Son into the world, to be made a curse for sin: yea, and if thou believest, for thy sin; and this is the greatest work of all that is to be done to all eternity. Surely if I would have failed thee in anything, it should have been in this; it is not so much for me now to bring thee to heaven, to save thy soul, as it was to send my Son into the world, to be made a curse for sin: but when I have done so great a work, and have been already faithful in that promise, how shouldest thou but believe my faithfulness in making good all other promises? If a man should owe thee a thousand pounds, and pay thee nine hundred ninety and nine, thou wouldst think surely, he would never break for the rest. Why God hath paid his nine hundred ninety and nine; and all the glory of heaven is but as one in comparison of what he hath done: we may therefore well believe that he that hath done so much for ns, will net leave the little undone.
Come then, rouse up, O my soul, and believe thy interests in those eternal transactions betwixt God and Christ: is not here ground enough for thy faith? If thou art but called, the promise of God is thine: or if thou darest not rely on his promise (which God forbid) thou hast his indenture, his seal and witnesses of all sorts, both in heaven and earth: or if yet thou believest not, thou hast an oath, a pawn, and the greatest part of thy salvation already done to thine hand: nay, I will tell thee more, poor soul, than this; even Christ himself from all eternity hath engaged for thee, that thou shalt believe: O then put not Christ to be challenged of his engagement, by refusing the gospel! surely when thou believest, thou makest Christ's word good; He that believeth not, makes God a liar, though in another sense, and, for ought he knoweth even in this. That he frustrates Christ's undertaking in the covenant. And therefore believe; yea, and cry, "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief: increase my faith, till I come to full assurance of faith. Faith in this sense is the very eye of the soul, reading its name written in the book of life; it is an apprehension of our particular election. O believe, till thou comest up to this fulness of persuasion, of God's love in Christ.