Governor of all things, hath had a particular concern for these His apostate, His degenerate, His rebellious creatures upon earth, and hath expressed it in such a wonderful manner, that all the world may justly stand amazed and astonished at it; for notwithstanding that all men have sinned, and therefore deserved to be cast down as the apostate Angels are, "into Hell, and delivered into chains of darkness, to 2 Pet. 2. 4. be reserved unto the judgment of the Great Day," yet nevertheless so great, so infinite was the love of God to them, that having from all eternity begotten a Son of the same nature or substance with Himself, He gave this His beloved, His Only-begotten Son, and sent Him among them, "that whosoever of them would believe in Him, should not John 3. 16. perish, but have everlasting life." And that they might have all the ground that could be to believe and trust in Him for it, God Himself was pleased in Him to promise them all the grace and favour that can be desired in order to it, and hath caused His said promises to be recorded, and, as it were, enrolled among His oracles in the Holy Scriptures, that were given by His inspiration, so that whatsoever is there promised, they have His own Word engaged for it, and therefore may be confident it will be punctually performed. Now all our hopes and expectations of any favour or kindness from Almighty God, being grounded wholly upon these promises which He hath been graciously pleased to make us, it highly concerns us all to be rightly instructed about them, that we may understand what use to make of them, and how to apply and improve them so as that we also as well as others, may receive the benefit of them, to His glory, and to our own everlasting comfort and happiness; but all that is necessary for us to know concerning the promises of God, is briefly contained in the words which I have now read, or may be easily collected from them when we fully apprehend the true sense and meaning of them. For which purpose therefore we must first observe, that the Apostle, some time before the writing this Epistle, had proposed to go to Corinth, but afterwards deferred his journey for a great reason, which he declares, and therefore ver. 23. XLIV. 66 SERM. would not have them impute it to any lightness in him, as John 3. 17. if in him there was yea, yea," and "nay, nay;" that is, as if according to the flesh or custom of the world, he altered his mind upon any light occasion, now saying "yea, yea;" and then "nay, nay," to the same thing; but, as may be frequently observed all over the Bible, when the Prophets or Apostles are speaking of some particular subject, the Holy Ghost, by whom they were inspired, takes occasion from thence to reveal some great truth that is generally necessary for all mankind to know; so here, while the Apostle is speaking of changing his mind about going to Corinth, "not out of lightness, but upon good reason." The Holy Ghost takes occasion from thence to speak of the certainty of His Word and promises in general, in the same terms that were before used concerning the Apostle's purpose to go to Corinth, assuring them, that the Word and doctrine of Jesus Christ which was preached to them, was not "yea, and nay," but in Him was yea." It was not sometimes one, and sometimes another; but always the same; and then he adds this remarkable sentence," For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." ver. 19. 66 I wonder that none of our expositors or critics have observed, that the words in the original, Όσαι ἐπαγγελίαι Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ναὶ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ̓Αμὴν, should be rather translated, As many promises of God as in Him are yea, in Him also are Amen.' This seems to express the force of the word "Ora, quotquot, and agrees with the scope and design of the place, as well, if not better than the other; but I shall not insist upon it, because, which way soever we take to interpret the words, it comes at last to the same thing, "Even, that whatsoever promises God hath made, are in Christ, both yea and Amen;" not "yea and nay;" sometimes affirmed, and sometimes denied; but "yea" and "Amen,” always the same, what God promiseth; and so as it were, saith "yea," to it; the same is always "Amen;" that is, as the word signifies, "So it is;" it is just so as God saith it shall be; it is not only true and certain, but certainty and Rev. 3. 14. truth itself in Jesus Christ, who Himself also is therefore John 14. 6. called "Amen," as being the faithful and true witness, "yea the truth itself." As God is called the God of "Amen" in the Hebrew, which we rightly translate "the God of truth," Isa. 65. 16. so that the meaning of the words in general is this, that all the promises of God are both affirmed and performed in Christ, or as St. Chrysostom expresseth it, iv aur yevéolar [Ad. loc. ἔχουσι καὶ πληρωθῆναι, 'In Him they have both their existence and completion;' they are both made and fulfilled in Him; and so all that are in Him yea, in Him also are "Amen;" being as certainly fulfilled as ever they were made in Him. I should not, contrary to my custom, have troubled you with such a critical exposition of the words, but that at first sight, at least to many, they may seem obscure; but now, I hope, they are plain to all, and all may easily observe these four things in them. I. That God hath made several promises, here called the 'Promises of God." II. These promises are all made in Christ, "In Him they are yea." III. As they are made, so they are fulfilled in Christ; "In Him they are also Amen.” IV. All this is for the glory of God. Under which four heads all is comprised that is necessary for us to know concerning the promises of God, and therefore I shall endeavour to explain them particularly, as they lie in order. As to the first, the promises of God in general, these things may be observed. Tom. x. p. 447. A. Ed. Ben.] 1. God might justly have dealt with fallen man as He did with the fallen Angels, by His absolute authority and dominion, without promising him any more kindness than He did the other; but howsoever to manifest His infinite goodness and truth, as well as His power and justice to the world, He was graciously pleased to give men "exceeding 2 Pet. 1. 4. great and precious promises, by which they might be partakers of the Divine nature," and so be restored to their first estate again. That as they all fell in their first parents, by not believing the threatening which He denounced in case they did not observe what He commanded; so they might rise again if it was not their own fault, every one in his own person, by believing the promises He made them, in case they did. This is that which is called the New XLIV. Tit. 1. 2. 18. SERM. Covenant, and the Covenant of Grace, because it is founded and established upon many gracious promises, and so is distinguished from the Old Covenant which was a Covenant of Works. There the condition was, "Do this and live:" here it is, "Believe this and live;" for upon our believing the promises which God hath made us to that purpose, we are enabled to do all that is required in order unto life; and we have all the reason that can be, to believe what He hath said and promised, "who cannot lie." And yet "to shew more abundantly unto the heirs of promise, the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." It was not for His own sake therefore, nor to make His Word or promise stronger in itself, that He confirmed it by an oath; His Word being always as much as His oath; but it was for our sakes only, that we who usually among ourselves lay greater weight upon a man's oath than upon his word, might more firmly believe His promises, and so have stronger consolation in them, when we flee for refuge from the wrath of the Lord God of Sabaoth, the Almighty Governor of the whole world, whom we cannot look upon as in Himself, but as a consuming fire, ready every moment to burn up such rotten stubble as we are, and destroy us for ever and whither can we flee for refuge? How can we shelter ourselves from these everlasting burnings? No way certainly, but by laying hold upon the hope that is set before us in the promises which He hath made us, which He Himself hath made us, and so hath given us the surest ground that can be to fasten the anchor of our hope in them. 2. We must observe also, that all the promises that God hath made us are recorded in the Holy Scriptures, given by His inspiration, and nowhere else. This first draught of them, as we there find, was brought by His Holy Angels, as His Ambassadors or Messengers, (as they are called in the original languages) sent by Him on purpose to do it; they always came in His Name, and what they said was not their own, but His Word, speaking in them, insomuch, that whensoever they appeared and spake, as they often did to the Patriarchs of old, God Himself is always said to appear and speak. Thus it was that He delivered His promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others before the Law was given by the ministry of the same Angels; but afterwards He was pleased to repeat, explain, and enlarge His promises by His Prophets and holy men, speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, so that it was God that spake by them also, as He did at last also, by His Son and His Apostles; and whatsoever promises He had thus given to mankind, either by His Angels or holy men, He caused to be written down, and kept upon record in that Holy Writing, which we call the Bible, that men in all ages might know where to find them, and might be fully assured they were given to him, seeing they are all registered in that Holy Scripture which was given by His inspiration, and nowhere else; for we know of no promises that God ever made to the other world, but what are there written; but what is there written, we are sure is His Word, and therefore have infinite cause to prize that Divine Writing, and to magnify His Holy Name for it; in that we there find not only what He would have us to do, but likewise what promises He hath made us both in and for the doing of it. 3. Hence we may next observe, that the first promise that God made to mankind, was made to all mankind in their first parents, for they having eaten of that fruit, of which God had said to Adam, "In the day thou eatest thereof, Gen. 2. 17. thou shalt surely die," and having by that means corrupted their whole blood, and destroyed both themselves and all that should ever proceed from them as their fountain or spring head, and all this being done by the instigation of the "old serpent the Devil," tempting woman first to do it, [Rev.12.9.] God said to the serpent, "I will put enmity between thee Gen. 3. 15. and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This was spoken to the serpent as a threatening to him, but designed also as a great promise to mankind, even that one should be born of the "seed of the woman that should bruise the serpent's head," where all the subtilty and strength lay, whereby he had outwitted and overcome our first parents, |