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NATURE OF AN ABSOLUTE PROMISE.

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and given to him; yea, the children that Jesus Christ hath promised shall come to him. "All that the Father giveth me shall come.'

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4. These words, "shall come," engage Christ to communicate all manner of grace to those thus given him to make them effectually come to him. "They shall come;" that is, not if they will, but if grace, all grace, if power, wisdom, a new heart, and the Holy Spirit, and all joining together, can make them come. I say, this word, of promise, "shall come," being absolute, hath no dependence upon our own will, or power, or goodness; but it engageth for us even God himself, Christ himself, the Spirit himself. When God had made the absolute promise to Abraham, that Sarah should have a son, Abraham did not at all look at any qualifications in himself, because the promise looked at none; but as God had by the promise absolutely promised him a son; so he considered not his own body now dead, nor yet the barrenness of Sarah's womb. "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform." Rom. iv. He had promised, and had promised absolutely, "Sarah shall have a son.' Therefore Abraham looks that he, that is, God, must fulfil the condition of it. Neither is this expectation of Abraham disapproved by the Holy Ghost, but accounted good and laudable; it being that by which he gives glory to God. The Father also hath given to Christ. a certain number of souls for him to save; and he himself hath said, they shall come to him. Let the church of God then live in a joyful expectation of the utmost accomplishment of this promise; for assuredly it shall be fulfilled, and not one thousandth part of a tittle thereof shall fail. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me."

And now, before I go any farther, I will more particularly inquire into the nature of an absolute promise.

1. We call that an absolute promise that is made without any condition. Or more fully thus:-That is an absolute promise of God, or of Christ, which maketh over to this or that man any saving spiritual blessing, without a condition. to be done on our part for the obtaining thereof. And this we have in hand in such a one.

Let the best Master of

Arts on earth show me, if he can, any condition in this text depending upon any qualification in us, which is not by the same promise concluded shall be, by the Lord Jesus, effected in us.

2. An absolute promise therefore is, as we say, without if or and; that is, it requireth nothing of us, that itself might be accomplished. It saith not, they shall, if they will; but, they shall not they shall, if they use the means; but, they shall. You may say, that a will and the use of the means are supposed, though not expressed. But I answer, No; by no means, that is, as a condition of this promise. If they be at all included in the promise, they are included there as the fruit of the absolute promise, not as if it expected the qualification to arise from us. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Psalm cx. 3. That is another absolute promise. But doth that promise suppose a willingness in us, as a condition of God's making us willing? They shall be willing, if they are willing; or, they shall be willing, if they will be willing. This is ridiculous; there is nothing of this supposed. The promise is absolute as to us; all that it engageth for its own accomplishment is, the mighty power of Christ and his faithfulness to accomplish.

The difference therefore betwixt the absolute and conditional promise is this:

They differ in their terms. The absolute promises say, 'I will, and you shall:' The other, 'I will, if you will;' or, 'do this, and thou shalt live.' Jer. xxxi. 31-34; Ezek. xxxiv. 24-31; Heb. viii. 8-12; Jer. iv. 1; Ezek. xviii. 30-32; Matt. xix. 21.

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They differ in their way of communicating good things to men. The absolute ones communicate things freely, only grace; the other, if there be that qualification in us that the promise calls for, not else.

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The absolute promises therefore engage God; the others engage us; I mean, God only; us only.

Absolute promises must be fulfilled; conditional may, or may not be fulfilled. The absolute ones must be fulfilled, because of the faithfulness of God; the other may not, because of the unfaithfulness of men.

Absolute promises have therefore a sufficiency in themselves to bring about their own fulfilling; the conditional have not so. The absolute promise is therefore a pregnant promise, because it hath in itself a fulness of all desired things for us; and will, when the time of that promise is come, yield to us mortals that which will verily save us; yea, and make us capable of answering the demands of the promise that is conditional.

Wherefore, though there be a real, yea, an eternal difference in these things (with others) betwixt the conditional and the absolute promise; yet again, in other respects, there is a blessed harmony betwixt them, as may be seen in these particulars.

The conditional promise calls for repentance; the absolute promise gives it. Acts v. 30, 31.

The conditional promise calls for faith; the absolute promise gives it. Zeph. iii. 12; Rom. xv. 12.

The conditional promise calls for a new heart; the absolute promise gives it. Ezek. xxxvi.

The conditional promise calleth for holy obedience; the absolute promise giveth it, or causeth it. Ezek. xxxvi. 27.

And as they harmoniously agree in this, so again the conditional promise blesseth the man who by the absolute promise is endued with its fruit. As for instance:

The absolute promise maketh men upright; and then the

conditional follows, saying, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the way of the Lord." Psalm cxix. 1. The absolute promise giveth to this man the fear of the Lord; and then the conditional followeth, saying, "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord." Psalm cxxviii. 1.

The absolute promise giveth faith, and then this conditional follows, saying, "Blessed is he that believeth.” Zeph. iii. 12; Luke i. 45.

The absolute promise brings free forgiveness of sins; and then says the conditional, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." Rom. iv. 7, 8.

The absolute promise says, that God's elect shall hold out to the end; then the conditional follows with this blessing, “He that shall endure to the end shall be saved. 1 Pet. i. 4-6; Matt. x. 22.

Thus do the promises gloriously serve one another and us, in this their harmonious agreement.

Now the promise under consideration, is an absolute promise: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me."

This promise therefore is, as is said, a pregnant promise, and hath in itself all those things to bestow upon us that the conditional calleth for at our hands. They shall come! Shall they come? Yes, they shall come! But how, if they want those things, those graces, power, and heart, without which they cannot come? Why, Christ's "shall come," answereth all this, and all things else that may in this matter be objected. And here I will take the liberty to amplify things.

Object. 1. But they are dead, dead in trespasses and sins; how shall they then come?'

Answ. Why, Christ's "shall come" can raise them from this death. "The hour is coming, and now is, that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." Thus therefore by "shall come" is this im

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pediment removed out of the way. They shall hear, they shall live.

Object. 2. 'But they are Satan's captives; he takes them captive at his will, and he is stronger than they: how then can they come?'

Answ. Why, Christ's "shall come" hath also provided a help for this. Satan had bound that daughter of Abraham so, that she could by no means lift up herself; but yet "shall come" set her free both in body and soul. Christ will have them turned from the power of Satan unto God. But what! Must it be if they turn themselves, or do somewhat to merit of him to turn them? No; he will do it freely, of his own good will Alas! Man, whose soul is possessed by the devil, is turned whithersoever that governor listeth, is taken captive by him (notwithstanding its natural powers) at his will. But what will he do? Will Satan hold him when "shall come" puts forth itself?

Will he

then prevent him from coming to Jesus Christ? No; that cannot be! His power is but the power of a fallen angel, but "shall come" is the word of God. Therefore "shall come" must be fulfilled; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against him who said it.

There were seven devils in Mary Magdalen; too many for her to get from under their power. But when the time came, that "shall come" was to be fulfilled upon her, they give place, fly from her, and she comes (indeed) to Jesus Christ, according as it is written. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me."

The man that was possessed with a legion (Mark v.) was too much by them captivated, for him by human force to come (yea, had he had, to boot, all the men under heaven to help him) had he that said, "shall come," withheld his mighty power: but when this promise was to be fulfilled upon him, then he comes; nor could all their power hinder his coming. It was also this "shall come" that preserved

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