Faith Makes Both Past and Future Mercies Present to the Soul

“Religion offers a gift subsistence, to forepast¹ works as recorded, and future mercies as promised, to help the soul in an evil day.”²

The apostle tells us, that “religion is the substance of issues hoped for, the proof of issues not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

1. “Of issues hoped for”: it appears to be like ahead to the guarantees, and so offers the substance of them in current possession, so confirming our minds and hearts, that they might have a subsistence because it had been inside us, although not truly made out unto us.¶³

2. It’s “the proof of issues not seen”: it extends itself not solely to issues promised, however taking for its object the entire phrase of God, it makes evident, and current, issues which might be previous additionally.¶

The religion recommended, is of issues lengthy since finished, even the making of the “issues which might be seen” of the “issues that don’t seem” (Heb. 11:3). “Abraham noticed my day,” says our Savior (John 8:56). He noticed it as Habakkuk noticed the tents of Cushan in affliction (Hab. 3:7). Religion made it current to him: all of the ages between him and his promised seed had been as nothing to his keen-sighted religion. Therefore the apostle places the mercies of the promise, multi function kind and rank as already wrought, although a few of them had been loved and a few of them on this life can’t be. “Whom he hath justified, them he hath glorified” (Rom. 8:30): he has finished it for them already, as a result of he has made them consider it, and that provides it a gift subsistence of their spirits. And for forepast works, they’re nonetheless talked about by the saints, as if that they had been finished of their days, earlier than their eyes. Elisha calls as much as remembrance a former miracle, to the effecting the like (2 Kings 2:14).

There be three issues, up to now, or future mercies, which religion makes current to the soul, giving within the substance of them, (1) their love, (2) their comfort, (3) their use and profit.

(1) The love of them: the love that was in former works, and the love that’s in promised mercies, that religion attracts out, and actually makes ours. The love of each recorded deliverance, is given to us by religion. It appears to be like into the goodwill, the free grace, the loving-kindness of God, in each work that ever he did for his, and cries, “But that is mine: that is the kernel of that blessing, and that is mine: for a similar good-will, the identical kindness he has in direction of me additionally. Had been the identical outward actings needful, I ought to have them additionally.” The free love of each mercy is religion’s correct object. It makes all Joshua’s nice victories, current to each one in every of us. The promise that had the love and beauty in it which ran by way of all of them, is given him: “I shall be with thee, I cannot fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Josh. 1:5). Now the apostle tells us, that the reality and love of this promise is ours (Heb. 13:5). Religion might, does guarantee itself, that what goodwill soever, was in all the nice mercies which Joshua acquired upon that promise, is all ours. All of the goodwill and selection love of, “I’ll by no means depart thee nor forsake thee,” is mine and thine, if we’re believers. He that has this current, has all Joshua’s victories current. The very glory of the saints in heaven is ours within the love of it. We take pleasure in that love, which gave them glory, and can crown us additionally in due time.

He that believes in Christ, by that believing receives Christ, he turns into his.

(2) Of their comforts and refreshments. “Thou gavest leviathan to be meat to the individuals within the wilderness” (Ps. 14).⁴ They fed their souls stuffed with the sweetness of that mercy, the destruction of their oppressing tyrant: we chew the cud upon the blessings of former ages. Who has not with pleasure, delight, and raised affections, gone over the outdated preservations of the church in former years? How does David run them over with admiration, closing each cease with, “His mercy endureth for ever”? Psalm 136. And for issues to return, as but within the promise solely, whether or not common to the entire church, because the calling of the Jews, the approaching in of the fullness of the Gentiles, the breaking out of sunshine, magnificence and glory upon the church buildings and saints, the confusion of countries not subjecting themselves to the usual of the gospel, and many others. or particularly, farther assurance of affection than presently loved, nearer communion with Father and Son, being with Christ, free of distress and corruption, dwelling with God for ever, how does religion act over these and the like issues within the coronary heart, leaving a savor and relish of their sweetness frequently upon the soul? O how candy are also the issues of the world to return unto poor believers! Christ leads the soul by religion, not solely into the chambers of presently loved loves, but additionally into the foreprepared eternal mansions in his Father’s home.⁵ Thus it offers poor mortal creatures, a candy relish of everlasting joys: brings heaven right into a dungeon, glory into a jail, a crown right into a cottage, Christ right into a slaughterhouse.

Two Causes for This Commentary

Cause 1. From the character of religion: although it don’t make the factor believed to be (the act can not create its personal object), but making use of it, it makes it the believer’s. It’s the bond of union between the soul and the factor promised. He that believes in Christ, by that believing receives Christ (John 1:12), he turns into his. It’s a grace uniting its topic and object, the individual believing, and the factor believed. There wants no ascending into heaven or descending, the phrase of religion makes all issues nigh, even inside us (Rom. 10:6–7). Some glasses will current issues at an important distance very close to: religion wanting by way of the glass of the gospel, makes essentially the most distant mercies to be not solely in a detailed distance, however in union. It “is the subsistence of issues hoped for,” that which they haven’t in themselves, it offers them within the full-assured minds of believers.

Cause 2. From the intendment of all mercies: they’re for each believer. All issues are theirs, world, life, demise, issues current, issues to return (1 Cor. 2:22).⁶ All guarantees being made to each believer, and all mercies being the fruit of those guarantees, they need to all belong to each believer. Now if all these must be stored from us at that distance whereby they fail of their accomplishment in respect of time, what would they avail us? God due to this fact has appointed that they shall have an actual, although not a pure presence and subsistence always, to all believers.

Two Makes use of from This Commentary

Use the Previous to Remodel the Current Use

Use 1. See therefore what use you make of previous mercies, deliverances, blessings, with promised incomings: carry them about you, by religion, that you could be use them at want: “The place is the God of Elijah”:⁷ “Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord,”⁸ and many others. “I noticed the tents of Cushan”: take retailer mercies together with you in each trial. Use them, or they’ll develop rusty, and never cross in heaven. Study to eat leviathan a few years after his demise. Neglect not your pearls, scatter not away your treasure, be wealthy in a heap of mercies, religion will make you so. The love, the consolation, the advantage of all former and future blessings are yours, if you understand how to make use of them. Oh how have we misplaced our mercies in each hedge and ditch! Have none of us talent to put up the final eminent deliverance in opposition to a wet day?

Use the Future to Remodel the Current

[Use] 2. Learn to make the poorest and most situation, comfy and stuffed with pleasure. Retailer your cottage, your sickbed, by religion, with all kinds of mercies. They’re the richest furnishings on the planet. Collect up what’s already solid out, and fetch the remaining from heaven. Carry the firstfruits of glory into your bosom. See the Jews known as, the residue of opposers subdued, the gospel exalted, Christ enthroned, all of your sins pardoned, corruption conquered, glory loved: roll your self in these golden streams day by day. Let religion fetch in new and outdated: historic mercies, on your supportment, eternal mercies, on your comfort. He that has religion, has all issues.

This text is customized from Sermons and Tracts from the Civil Wars (1646–1649) (Volume 18) by John Owen.

---

---

Associated Articles

---