Part 43
We shall now consider how they are to be made use of in order to our direction and encouragement in prayer. And here it may be observed, that the promises either respect outward, or spiritual blessings, both of which we are to pray for: Thus the apostle says, in 1 Tim. iv. 8. _Godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come_; the former respects the temporal dispensations of providence; the latter, grace and glory, or the things that accompany salvation.
[1.] We shall consider the promises that respect temporal or outward blessings which we are obliged to pray for, as we stand in need of them. These are of various kinds;
_1st_, There are promises of health and strength, whereby our passage through this world may be made easy and comfortable, and we better enabled to glorify God therein: Thus it is said, in Prov. iii. 7, 8. _Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones._ And in Psal. ciii. 5. _Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles._
_2dly_, There are promises of food and raiment, or the necessary provisions and conveniences of life, in Psal. xxxvii. 3. _Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed._ And in Deut. x. 18. _He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment._
_3dly_, There are promises of comfort and peace in our dwellings, in Job v. 24. ‘Thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.’ And, in Psal. xci. 10. ‘There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.’ And in Psal. cxxi. 8. ‘The Lord shalt preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.’
_4thly_, There are promises of quiet and composed rest by night, on our beds, in Job xi. 18, 19. _Thou shalt take thy rest in safety: Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid._ And in Prov. iii. 24. _When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet._
_5thly_, There are promises of success, and a blessing to attend us in our worldly callings, in Psal. cxxviii. 2. _Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee._ And in Deut. xxviii. 4, 5, 12. ‘Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattle, and the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land, in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: And thou shalt lend unto many nations, and shalt not borrow.’ And in Psal. i. 3. ‘He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doth shall prosper.’
_6thly_, There are promises of an intail of blessings on our families, in Psal. cxxviii. 3. ‘Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive-plants round about thy table.’ And, in Psal. ciii. 17. ‘The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, upon them that fear him; and his righteousness unto children’s children.’ And, in Psal. cii. 28. ‘The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.’ And, in Psal. xlv. 16. ‘Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.’
I might have mentioned many more promises of outward blessings, which God will bestow on his people, though with this limitation, so far as it may be for his glory, and their real good, viz. such as respect riches, as in Psal. cxii. 3. ‘Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endureth for ever;’ or honours, as in 1 Sam. ii. 30. and these accompanied with long life; as, in Prov. iii. 17. ‘Length of days are in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.’ And, in Psal. xxxiv. 12, 13. ‘What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile;’ or, if God does not think fit to give them this, he will take them out of the world in mercy, and gather them into a better, to prevent their seeing the evil he designs to bring on the inhabitants thereof, Isa. lvii. 1. ‘The righteous is taken away from the evil to come.’ He has also promised some blessings that respect their good name, in Zeph. iii. 20. ‘I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth.’ And in Prov. x. 7. ‘The memory of the just is blessed.’ But that which I shall principally add concerning these and such-like outward blessings, is, that God has not only promised, that he will give them to his people, but that he will sanctify them to them for their spiritual advantage, and enable them to improve them aright to his glory, which will render them more sweet and desirable to them. Thus God has promised,
_1st_, That he will free his people, who enjoy outward good things, from the sorrow which is oftentimes mixed therewith, and tends greatly to imbitter them, in Prov. x. 22. ‘The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’ He has also promised to give them inward peace, together with outward prosperity, in Psal. xxxvii. 11. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’
_2dly_, He has promised to give them spiritual and heavenly blessings, together with the good things of this life, in Job xxii. 24-26. ‘Thou shalt lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver: For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.’ And in Psal. xxiii. 5, 6. ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest mine head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will, or, I shall, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
_3dly_, God has promised together with outward blessings, to give a thankful heart, whereby his people may be enabled to give him the glory thereof, in Deut. viii. 10. ‘When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God, for the good land which he hath given thee.’ And, in Joel ii. 26. ‘Ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be ashamed.’
_4thly_, He has not only promised that he will confer outward good things on his people, but that he will make them blessings to others, and thereby enable them to lay out what he gives them for their good, to support his cause and gospel in the world; and to relieve those that are in distress, in Gen. xii. 2. ‘I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.’ And, in Deut. xxvi. 11. ‘Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee and unto thine house, thou and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ These promises more especially respect those who are in a prosperous condition in the world.
But there are others which are made to believers, in an afflicted state; and, indeed, there is scarce any affliction which they are liable to, but what has some special promises annexed to it. Accordingly,
(1.) There are promises made to them when lying on a sick bed, in Psal. xli. 5. ‘The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing; thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.’ And, in Deut. vii. 15. ‘The Lord will take from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt (which thou knowest) upon thee; but will lay them upon all that hate thee.’ And, in Exod. xxiii. 25. ‘I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.’
(2.) There are other promises made to believers, when poor and low in this world, in Psal. cxxxii. 15. ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.’
(3.) There are other promises that respect God’s giving a full compensation for all the losses which his people have sustained for Christ’s sake, in Matt. xix. 29. ‘Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit life everlasting.’ And, in chap. x. 39. ‘He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my name’s sake shall find it.’
(4.) There are other promises made to believers under oppression, in Psal. xii. 5. ‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise (saith the Lord) I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.’ And in Hos. xiv. 3. ‘In thee the fatherless findeth mercy.’ And, in Psal. lxviii. 5. ‘A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.’
(5.) There are other promises made to believers, when reviled and persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Matt. v. 11, 12, ‘Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.’ And, in 1 Pet. iv. 19. ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’
(6.) There are promises made to God’s people, when they are in distress, and, at present, see no way of escape: Thus when Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison, he had this promise given him, in Jer. xxxiii. 3. ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.’
(7.) God has made promises suited to the condition of his people, when their lot is cast in perilous times: Thus it is said, in Isa. xliii. 2. _When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee._
Now there are several mercies which God has promised to his people, under the various afflictions which we are exposed to, as,
(_1st_,) Sometimes he promises to prevent the afflictions which we are most afraid of, in Psal. cxxi. 7. ‘The Lord shall preserve thee from all evils; he shall preserve thy soul.’ And, in Job v. 19. ‘He shall deliver thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.’
(_2d_,) He has promised to preserve his people from, or defend them in, a time of trouble, in Gen. xv. 1. ‘Fear not Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’ And, in Ezek. xi. 16. ‘Thus saith the Lord; although I have cast them far off among the heathen; and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’
(_3d_,) He has promised to moderate their afflictions, in Isa. xxvii. 8. ‘In measure when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it; he stayeth his rough wind in the day of his east wind.’ And, in Jer. xlvi. 28. ‘Fear thou not, O Jacob, my servant, saith the Lord, for I am with thee, for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished.’
(_4th_,) He has also promised, that if need be, he will shorten the affliction, in Psal. cxxv. 3. ‘The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.’ And, in Mark xiii. 19, 20. ‘In those days shall be affliction such as was not from the beginning of the creation: And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh could be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.’
(_5th_,) God has also promised his people that he will enable them to bear those afflictions which he lays upon them, in Psal. xxxvii. 24. ‘Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ And, in 2 Cor. xii. 9. ‘He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’
(_6th._) He has promised to shew his people the particular sin that is the cause of the affliction, that they may be humbled for it, in Job xxxvi. 8, 9. ‘If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; then he sheweth them their work and their transgressions that they have exceeded.’
(_7th._) He has promised to bring good to them out of their afflictions, in Isa. xxvii. 9. ‘By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.’ And in Psal. xcvii. 11. ‘light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.’ And in Zech. xiii. 9. ‘I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, that it is my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.’ Thus concerning the promises that more especially respect outward blessings which God bestows on his people.
[2.] There are other promises contained in scripture, that relate more especially to spiritual blessings, which are of great use to us, when we are asking them of God in prayer.
_1st_, There are promises that relate more especially to the ordinances or means of grace: These are various,
1. Some respect the duty of prayer, and also the event and success that shall attend it, in God’s giving gracious returns, or answers thereof, in Psal. xci. 15. ‘He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.’ And in Jer. xxix. 12, 13. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ And, in Psal. l. 15. ‘Call upon me, in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’
2. Another ordinance to which promises are also annexed, is meditation about spiritual things, in Prov. xiv. 22. ‘Mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.’ And, in Josh. i. 8. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ There are also promises made to those who read the word of God, to wit, that he will make known his words to them, so that they may understand them, Prov. i. 23. ‘Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.’
3. There are promises made to those who attend on the public worship of God, in Psal. xxxvi. 8, 9. ‘They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.’ And, in Psal. cxxviii. 5. ‘The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion; and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.’
4. There are promises made to religious fasting on special occasions, as in Mat. vi. 17. ‘When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.’
5. There are promises made to alms-giving, in Prov. xi. 25. ‘The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.’ And, in Eccl. xi. 1. ‘Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.’—And in 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7, 8. ‘He which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully: God loveth a cheerful giver, and is able to make all grace abound, _&c._’
6. There are promises made to believers, when they appear in the behalf of truth, at those times when it is opposed and perverted, that by this means it may not be run down, nor they confounded, or put to silence by its enemies, Luke xxi. 15. ‘I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay, nor resist.’
7. There are promises made to the religious and strict observation and sanctification of the Lord’s day, Isa. lvi. 2. ‘Blessed is the man that doth this; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.’
_2dly_, There are promises, contained in scripture, which respect God’s giving his people special grace, together with that joy, peace and comfort that flows from it, which will be of great use to them, in order to their engaging aright in the duty of prayer.
1. There are promises of the grace of faith, and others that are made to it; as it is said, in John vi. 37. ‘All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ And, in Eph. ii. 8. ‘By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.’
2. There are promises of the grace of repentance, in Rom. xi. 26. ‘There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’ And, in Ezek. xx. 43. ‘Ye shall remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils that ye have committed.’
3. There are promises of love to God: Thus in Gal. v. 2. ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love.’ And, 2 Tim. i. 7. ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind.’ And, in Rom. v. 5. ‘Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ And, in 2 Thes. iii. 5. ‘The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.’
4. Another grace promised is an holy filial fear of God, in Jer. xxx. 39, 40. ‘I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear them for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.’ And, in Hos. iii. 5. ‘They shall fear the Lord and his goodness.’
5. Obedience to God’s commands, which is an indispensable duty, is also considered as a promised blessing, in Deut. xxx. 8. ‘Thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.’
Moreover, as there are promises of the graces of the Spirit, so the comforts that flow from thence are also promised: Thus it is said in Isa. li. 12. _I, even I, am he that comforteth you._ And, in chap. xl. 1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people: Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem_, &c. more particularly,
(1.) There are promises of peace of conscience, which is a great branch of those spiritual comforts which God gives his people ground to expect: Thus it is said in Isa. lvii. 18, 19. ‘I will restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord.’ And, in chap. xxvi. 4. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.’
(2.) God has promised a good hope of eternal life, in 2 Thes. ii. 16. ‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts.’ And, in Rom. xv. 4. ‘Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning; that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.’
(3.) God has promised spiritual joy to his people, in Psal. lxiv. 10. ‘The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.’ And, in Psal. xcvii. 11, 12. ‘Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.’
Here we shall consider a believer, when drawing nigh to God in prayer, as depressed and bowed in his own spirit, and hardly able to speak a word to him in his own behalf, as the Psalmist says, in Psal. lxxvii. 3, 4. _I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. I am so troubled that I cannot speak_; and how he may receive great advantage from those promises which he will find in the word of God; as,
(_1st_,) When he complains of the wickedness, hardness and perverseness of his heart; in this case God has promised, in Ezek. xi. 19. ‘I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh.’ And, in Jer. xxiii. 29. ‘Is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.’
(_2d_,) When a believer is sensible of his ignorance, or, at least, that his knowledge of divine truths bears no proportion to the means of grace, which he has been favoured with, and that he is often destitute of spiritual wisdom, to direct his way, and carry him through the difficulties he often meets with, as to what concerns his temporal or spiritual affairs: There are promises suited to this case, in Prov. ii. 3-6. ‘If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her, as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; and find the knowledge of God.’ And in James i. 5. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’
(_3d_,) If they complain of the weakness of their memories, that they cannot retain the truths of God when they hear them; Christ has promised, in John xiv. 26. that the Holy Ghost shall _teach_ them _all things, and bring all things to their remembrance_.
(_4th_,) If they complain of their unthankfulness, or that they have not hearts disposed to praise God for the mercies they receive, he has promised, in Isa. 21. _This people have I formed for myself, they shall shew forth my praise._ And, in Psal. cxl. 14. _Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name, the upright shall dwell in thy presence._
(_5th_,) There are many who are not altogether destitute of hope that they have the truth of grace, but yet are filled with trouble, as apprehending that they do not make those advances, in grace, as they ought, but seem to be at a stand, which they can reckon little other than going backward, and they dread the consequences thereof; such may take encouragement from those promises that respect a believer’s growing in grace; as it is said, in John viii. 7. _Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end shall greatly increase._ And, in Isa. xl. 29, 31. _He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint._ And if they complain of their unprofitableness under the means of grace, and not receiving any spiritual advantage by the various dispensations of providence which they are under; there is a promise adapted to this case, in Isa. xlviii. 17. _Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, the holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go._