BOOK 3. THE PROMISE.
CHAPTER 2.
3.2.8. Of Calling on Jesus in that Respect.
Of Calling on Jesus in that Respect.
We must call on Jesus, or on God the Father, in and through Jesus, in reference to this gracious covenant. Now, this calling on God contains prayer and praise.
We must pray, we must use arguments of faith challenging God, "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; Why? For thou art the Lord my God," Jer. xxxi. 18. This covenant is the ground on which all prayers must be bottomed: the covenant we know contains all the promises, And what is prayer but promises turned into petitions? Thus prayed the prophet Jeremiah, xiv. 21, 22. "Do not abhor us for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; remember, break not thy covenant with us. -- Why? art not thou he, the Lord our God." And thus prayed the prophet Isaiah lxiv. 9. "Be not wroth very sore, neither remember iniquity forever, behold we beseech thee;" and why so? "we are all thy people," q.d. Every one doeth for its own; the prince for his people, the father for his children, and the shepherd for his sheep; and will not God do for his own in covenant with him? Be thy soul in the saddest desertion, yet come and spread the covenant before God. A soul in the greatest depth, swimming on this covenant of grace, it keeps it from sinking; whence Christ in his blackest, saddest hour prayed thus, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Be thy soul in trouble for sin, and prevailing corruption; yet go to God and plead his promise and covenant; say as Jehoshaphat, "Lord, I am so borne down by the power of my sin that I know not what to do, only mine eyes are unto thee, O do thou subdue mine iniquities." Be thy soul troubled for want of strength to do this or that duty; yet go to God and Christ in the covenant of grace, and say, "Lord, thou knowest I have no strength of myself, I am a barren wilderness, but thou hast entered into a covenant of grace with me, that thou wilt put thy law into my inward parts, thou wilt cause me to keep thy judgments and do them," Ezek. xxxvi. 27. As sometimes thou saidst to Gideon, "I have sent thee, and therefore I will be with thee," Judges vi. 16 . Many are apt to set upon duties in their own strength; but, O my soul, look thou to the promise of grace, and of the Spirit, and put them in suit, and allege them unto Christ. Many are apt to work out their sanctifications, by their watchfulness, resolutions, vows, promises made unto God; but alas, were there not more help in God's promises which he makes to us, than in our promises which we make to him, we might lie in our pollutions forever. O here is the way, in every want, or strait, or necessity, flee to God and Christ, saying, "Thou art our Father, and we are thy people, O break not thy covenant with us." I confess strong expressions and affections are good in prayer; but surely strength of faith in the covenant of God, is the greatest strength of our prayers.
Object. Here it may be some soul will object, O if I were assured, that I were in covenant with God, thus would I pray; but, alas, I am a stranger, an alien, and so have been to this very day, I have no part in the covenant.
Answer. I answer. If thou art not actually in covenant, yet thou mayest be in covenant in respect of God's purpose and gracious intention. Howsoever to encourage all to seek unto God, consider these particulars, --
1. The freeness of the promise in this covenant of grace, "Come, and buy wine without money, or money worth," Isa. lv. 1. "Come, and drink of the waters of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17.
2. The extent of the promise in this covenant of grace, I "will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;" hence the gospel is compared to a feast, and God invites universally, "As many as you find, bid to the marriage," Matth. xxii. 9. As persons are in estate, so they invite, and so they feast: now Christ is a great king over all the earth; he hath one house that will hold all, he hath one table that will hold all; yea, he hath one dish that will serve all; and, answerably he invites all, "Ho every one that thirsteth."
3. The forwardness of Christ that gives to every one that asketh according to his promise. "Hadst thou but asked, (saith Christ to the Samaritan woman) I would have given thee living water," John iv. 10. Mark here the occasion of Christ's words; Christ being weary and thirsty by reason of his journey he asked of the woman a cup of water to drink, no great matter, he asks but a cup of water, and the woman stands at the well-side where was water enough; yet she gives not, but stands wondering that he, being a Jew, should ask water of her that was a Samaritan; well, saith Christ, thou deniest me a cup of cold water, being weary and thirsty: but hadst thou asked of me, I would have given thee water of life: wonderful! Christ is more ready to give water of life, the very Spirit of God, to a poor sinner, than we are to give a cup of common water to a thirsty soul: go then, thou that hast denied the least mercy and kindness to Christ in any of his members, yet seek grace from him, O look up unto Jesus! ask his Spirit, entreat him to make thy heart new within thee, plead the promise of his covenant, and wait in hope.
4. We must praise.
(a). If we would have the blessing let us seek it with the same mind that God offers it, i.e. with a purpose and desire to have grace exalted, thus Moses sought pardon for this very end, That his mercy might appear; "If thou wilt pardon their sin, thy mercy shall appear, and we shall be thankful unto thee for it," Exod. xxxii. 32. So the words are made out by our expositors, which, in the text, are either passionately or modestly suspended. These are prevailing requests with God, when we plead for the glorifying of his own grace, "Father, glorify thy name," saith Christ, and presently there comes a voice out of the cloud, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again," John xii. 28.
(b). If we have the blessing already, then be sure to ascribe the glory unto him that hath made good his promise unto us, "Who is a God like unto thee, who passest by the transgressions of the remnant of thine heritage?" Micah vii. 18. We should make the praise of his grace to ring through the world, that heaven and earth might take notice of it, and wonder at the grace that hath been showed unto us, "I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them, according to his mercies; and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses," Isa. lxiii. 7. See how the prophet mentions the kindnesses, the loving kindnesses, the multitude of his loving kindnesses: the goodness, and the great goodness of God: he could hardly get off it, he would have God and grace to have all the glory: O my soul, hath God entered thee into a covenant of grace? Why then, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name," Psalm ciii. 1. But of this more anon.