THE GOSPEL IN A
MAP
A view of the exceedingly great and precious Promises
by Joseph Alleine
O all you inhabitants of the world dwelling on the earth,
come; see and hear; gather yourselves together unto the proclamation of the
Great King. Hear, you who are afar off and you who are near! He who has an
ear to hear, let him hear. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
"Prepare the way of the Lord. Let every valley be exalted, and every
mountain be made low, for the glory of the Lord is to be revealed." Go
through, go through the gates, prepare the way, cast up, cast up the
highway; gather out the stones, lift up the standard for the people; for the
Lord proclaims salvation to the ends of the earth. Tidings! tidings, O you
captives!
Hear, all you who look for salvation in Israel. Behold, I
bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. Blessed
news! Prepare your ears and hearts! The Lord has commanded me, saying, "Go
unto the people, and sanctify them; let them wash and be ready; for the Lord
is coming down upon Mount Zion in the sight of all nations; not in
earthquakes and fire, not in clouds and darkness, not in thunderings or
burnings, rending the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces." He speaks
not to you out of blackness, darkness, and tempests. You shall say no more,
"Let not God speak to us lest we die." He comes peaceably; the law of
kindness is in His mouth. He preaches peace; peace to him who is afar off
and to him who is near. Behold, how He comes, leaping upon the mountains. He
has passed Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 11:20; 27:12-13); no more wrath or
cursing. He is come to Mount Gerizim, where He stands to bless the people.
As Mordecai to his nation, He writes "the words of truth and peace, seeking
the welfare of His people, and speaking peace to all His seed."
Behold how He comes! Clothed with flames of love, with a
heart of compassion, plenteous redemption, and multiplied pardons.
Hearken therefore, O you children, hearken to me. To you
it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time you
hear the joyful sound, the trumpet of jubilee, the tidings of peace, in the
voice of the everlasting gospel, you fall down before the throne, and
worship Him who lives forever and ever.
Arise and come away; prepare, prepare yourselves. Do not
hear with an uncircumcised ear; you are not looking upon a common thing.
Behold, the throne is set, the throne of grace, where majesty and mercy
dwell together. From there the Lord will meet you; from there He will
commune with you; from the mercy seat, from between the cherubim, upon the
ark of the testimony. Lo, the Lord comes out of His pavilion, the mighty God
from Zion. His glory covers the heavens, the earth is full of His praise. A
fire of love goes before Him; mercy and truth round about Him; righteousness
and peace are the habitation of His throne. He rides on His horses and
chariots of salvation; the covenant of life and peace is in His mouth.
Rejoice, you heavens; make a joyful noise to the Lord,
all the earth. Let the sea roar, the floods clap their hands, and the
multitudes of the isles rejoice. Stand forth, the host of heaven; prepare
your harps, cast down your crowns, be ready with your trumpets; bring forth
your golden vials full of odors, for our voice will jar, our strings will
break, we cannot reach the note of our Maker's praise.
Yet, let those who dwell in the dust arise and sing. Bear
your part in this glorious service, but consider and attend. Call out your
souls, and all that is within you. Lift up your voices, fix your eyes,
enlarge your hearts, extend all their powers. There is work for them all. Be
intent and serious, you cannot strain too high.
Come forth, you graces, set the way; be all in readiness.
Stand forth, faith and hope. Flame, O love! Come, you warm desires, and
break with longing. Let fear, with all veneration, do its obeisance. Joy,
prepare your songs; call up all the daughters of music to salute the Lord as
He passes by. Let the generation of the saints appear and spread the way
with boughs and garments of salvation, and songs of deliverance. You stand
this day, all of you, before the Lord your God, your captains, your elders,
your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and
the stranger that is within your camp, from the hewer of wood to the drawer
of water, that you should enter into covenant with the Lord your God
(Deuteronomy 29:10-13), and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes
with you unto Himself and, that He may be unto you a God, as He has said
unto you, and as He has sworn.
I have done my errand. The messenger of the morning
disappears when the Orient Sun comes forth out of His chambers. I vanish, I
put my mouth in the dust. The voice of the Lord! The soft and still voice! O
my soul, wrap your face in the mantle, bow yourself to the ground, and put
yourself into the cleft of the rock while Jehovah proclaims His name, and
makes all His goodness to pass before you.
THE VOICE OF THE LORD
Hear, O you ends of the earth; the mighty God, the Lord
has spoken: Gather My saints unto Me, those who have made a covenant with Me
by sacrifice (Psalm 50:1, 5). Behold, I establish My covenant between Me and
you (Genesis 17:7). By My holiness have I sworn that I will be your covenant
Friend. I lift up My hand to heaven. I swear I live forever, and because I
live you shall live also (John 14:9). I will be yours (Jeremiah 32:38-40),
your for all intents and purposes, your refuge and your rest (Jeremiah 50:6;
Psalm 90:1; Psalm 46:1), your patron and your portion (Psalm 73:26; Isaiah
25:4-5), your heritage and your hope, your God and your guide (Psalm 48:14).
While I have, you shall never lack; and what I am to Myself, I will be to
you (Psalm 34:9-10). You shall be My people, a chosen generation, a kingdom
of priests, a holy nation, a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people
(Exodus 19:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9). I call heaven and earth to witness this day
that I take you for Mine forever. My name shall be upon you, and you shall
be pillars in the temple of your God, and shall go out no more (Revelation
3:12).
My livery shall you wear, and the stamp of My own face
shall you carry (Ezekiel 36:25-26; Ephesians 4:24); and I will make you My
witness and the epistles of Christ unto the world (2 Corinthians 3:3). You
shall be chosen vessels to bear My name before the sons of men. And that you
may see that I am in earnest with you, lo, I make with you an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure (2 Samuel 23:5). And I do here
solemnly deliver it to you as My act and deed, sealed with sacred blood (1
Corinthians 11:25), and ratified with the oath of a God (Hebrews 6:17) who
cannot lie, and who knows no place for repentance (Titus 1:2).
Come, you blessed ones, receive the instrument of your
salvation: take the writings, behold the seals; here are the conveyances of
the kingdom. Fear not, the donation is full and free. See, it is written in
blood, founded on the all-sufficient merits of your Surety (Hebrews 9), in
whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:7), whose death makes this testament
unchangeable forever; so that your names can never be put out, nor your
inheritance alienated, nor your legacies diminished. Nothing may be altered,
nothing added, nothing subtracted, no, not forever (Galatians 3:15-17).
Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like unto you, O people (Deuteronomy 33:29)!
Only believe, and know your own blessedness. Attend, O My children, unto the
blessings of your Father; hear and know the glorious immunities and the
royal prerogatives that I here confirm upon you.
Here I seal to you your pardons. Though your sins are as
many as the sands and as mighty as the mountains, I will drown them in the
deeps of My bottomless mercies (Micah 7:19). I will be merciful to your
unrighteousness. I will multiply your pardon (Hebrews 8:12; Isaiah 55:7);
where your sins have abounded, My grace shall superabound; though they be as
scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though red like crimson, they shall be
as wool (Isaiah 1:18). Behold, I declare Myself satisfied and pronounce you
absolved (Job 33:24). The price is paid, your debts are cleared, your bonds
are canceled (Isaiah 43:25; Colossians 2:13-14).
Whatever the law, conscience, or the accuser has to
charge upon you, I here exonerate and discharge you. I even I, am He who
blots out your transgressions for My name's sake. Who shall lay anything to
your charge when I acquit you? Who shall impeach you when I proclaim you
guiltless (Romans 8:33-34)? Sons, daughters, be of good cheer; your sins are
forgiven you (1 John 2:12; Mark 9:2). I will sprinkle your consciences, and
put the voice of peace into your mouths (Ezekiel 36:25; Hebrews 9:14; Isaiah
57:19), and they shall be your registers in which I will record your pardon,
and the voice of guilt, wrath, and terror shall cease (Hebrews 10:22; Isaiah
27:4-5).
Here I sign your release from the house of bondage
(Romans 6:17-18; 1 Corinthians 7:22). Come forth, you captives; come forth,
hope; for I have found a ransom (Job 33:24). I proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Isaiah 61:1;
42:7). Behold, I have broken your bonds, shaken the foundations of your
prisons, and opened the iron gates (Luke 4:18). By the blood of the covenant
I have sent forth the prisoners out of the pit wherein there is no water
(Zechariah 9:11). Arise, O redeemed of the Lord; put off the clothing of
your captivities, arise and come away.
The dark and noisome prison of sin shall no longer detain
you (John 8:34-36). I will loosen your fetters and knock off your bolts. Sin
shall not have dominion over you (Romans 7:14). I will heal your
backslidings, I will subdue your iniquities (Micah 7:19; Jeremiah 3:12), I
will sanctify you wholly (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24), and will put My fear in
your hearts so that you shall not depart from Me (Jeremiah 32:40). Though
your corruptions are strong and many, yet the aids of My Spirit, the
cleansing virtue of My Word, and the medicine of My corrections shall so
work together with your prayers and endeavors that they shall not finally
prevail against you, but shall surely fall before you (Ezekiel 36:37;
Ephesians 5:26; Isaiah 27:9).
From the strong and reeking jail of the grave I deliver
you. O death, I will be your plague. O grave, I will be your destruction
(Hosea 13:14). My beloved shall not ever see corruption (Psalm 16:10). I
will change your rottenness into glory, and make your dust arise and praise
Me (Daniel 12:2-3; Isaiah 26:19). What is sown in weakness, I will raise in
power; what is sown in corruption, I will raise in incorruption; what is
sown a natural body, I will raise a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
This very flesh of yours, this corruptible flesh, shall put on incorruption;
and this mortal flesh shall put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). Death
shall be swallowed up in victory and mortality of life (1 Corinthians 15:54;
2 Corinthians 5:4).
Fear not, O children. Come, and I will show you the enemy
that you dreaded. See, here lies the king of terrors, like Sisera in the
tent, fastened to the ground with a nail struck through his temples. Behold
the grateful present, the head of your enemy on a platter. I bequeath to you
your conquered adversary, and make over death as your legacy (1 Corinthians
3:22). O death, where is your sting? Where now is the armor in which you
trusted (1 Corinthians 15:55)? Come, My people, enter into your chambers
(Isaiah 26:20). Come to your beds of dust and lay down in peace; let your
flesh rest in hope (Isaiah 57:2); for even in this flesh shall you see God
(Psalm 16:9; Job 19:25-27). O you slain by death, your carcasses, now as
loathsome as the carrion in the ditch, I will redeem from the power of the
grave (Psalm 49:5), and fashion those vile bodies like unto the glorious
body of your exalted Redeemer (Philippians 3:21). Look, if you can, on the
sun when it shines in its strength; with such dazzling glory. I will clothe
you, O you of little faith (Matthew 13:43).
From the terrible dungeon of eternal darkness I do hereby
free you. Fear not, you shall not be hurt by the second death (Revelation
2:11; Romans 8:1); you are delivered from the wrath to come, and shall never
come into condemnation (1 Thessalonians 1:10; John 5:24). The flames of
Tophet shall not be able to singe the hairs of your heads, no, nor the smell
of the fire pass upon you. Stand upon the brink and look down into the
horrible pit, the infernal prison, from where I have freed you. Do you see
how the smoke of their torment ascends forever (Revelation 14:11)? Do you
hear the cursings and ravings, the roarings and blasphemies (Matthew 25:30)?
What do you think of those hellish fiends? Would you have been willing to
have had them for your companions and tormentors (Matthew 25:41)? What do
you think of those chains of darkness? Of the river of brimstone, of the
instruments of torment of both soul and body, of the weeping, wailing, and
gnashing of teeth? Can you think of everlasting banishment, of hearing "Go
you cursed ones"? Could you dwell with everlasting burnings? Could you abide
with devouring fire (Isaiah 33:14)? This is the inheritance you were born to
(Ephesians 2:3). But I have wrought for you a great salvation. I have not
ordained you to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), but My thoughts towards you are
thoughts of peace (Jeremiah 29:11).
Here I deliver to you your protection. From all your
enemies I will save you (2 Kings 17:39). I grant you a protection from the
arrests of the law. Your Surety has fully answered it (Galatians 3:13;
Romans 5:10). My justice is satisfied, My wrath is pacified, and My honor is
repaired (Daniel 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20). Behold, I am near Him
justifies you; who is he who shall condemn you?
From the usurped dominion of the powers of darkness I
will deliver you. I will tread Satan shortly under you, and will set your
feet in triumph upon the necks of your enemies (Romans 16:20). Let not your
hearts be troubled; though you are to wrestle with principalities and
powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12); for
stronger is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). He
may bruise your heel, but you shall bruise his head (Genesis 3:15). Behold
your Redeemer leading captivity captive, spoiling principalities and powers,
triumphing over them openly through His cross (Colossians 2:15). See how
Satan falls like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18), and how the Samson of
your salvation bears away the gates of hell, posts and all, upon His
shoulders, and sets them up as trophies of His victory; how He pulls out the
throat of the lion, lifts up the heart of the traitor upon the top of His
spear, washes His hands, and dyes His robes in the blood of your enemies
(Isaiah 63:1-3).
From the victory of the world I will deliver you (1 John
5:4; Galatians 1:4). Neither its frowns nor its flatteries shall be too hard
for your victorious faith. Though it raises up Egypt, Amalek, Moab, and all
its militia against you, yet it shall never keep you out of Canaan. Be of
good comfort, your Lord has overcome the world (John 16:33). Thought its
temptations are very powerful, yet this, upon My faithfulness, I promise
you: nothing shall come upon you but what you shall be able to bear. But if
I see such trials, which you fear would be too hard for your grace and would
overthrow your soul, I will never allow them to come upon you. No, I will
make your enemy to serve you (1 Corinthians 10:13), and I bequeath the world
as part of your dowry to you (1 Corinthians 3:22).
From the curse of the cross I will deliver you (Psalm
119:71). Afflictions shall prove a wholesome cup to you; your Lord has drunk
the venom into His own body, and what remains for you is but a healthful
potion which I promise shall work for your good (Romans 8:28). Do not be
afraid to drink, nor desire that the cup should pass from you. I bless the
cup before I give it to you (Job 5:17). Drink all of it and be thankful; you
shall find My blessing at the bottom of the cup to sweeten the sharpest
afflictions to you (James 1:12; Psalm 94:12). I will stand by you in all
conditions, and be a unchanging Friend to you in every change (Isaiah 43:2).
In the wilderness I will speak comfortably to you, and in the fire and water
I will be with you (Hosea 2:14). I will be a strength to the poor and a
strength to the needy in his distress; a refuge from the storm, and a shadow
from the heat, when the blast of terrible ones is as a storm against the
wall (Isaiah 25:4). Your sufferings shall not be a cup of wrath, but a grace
cup; not a curse, but a cure; not a cup of trembling, but a cup of blessing
to you (Hebrews 12:6-8). They shall not hurt you, but heal you (Psalm
119:67). My blessing shall attend you in every condition (Genesis 26:3). I
say not only "Blessed shall you be in your basket, and blessed in your
store," but "Blessed shall you be in your poverty (Genesis 28:15), and
blessed shall you be in your straits"; not only shall you be blessed in your
cities and in your fields, but blessed shall you be in your beds and your
banishments (Mark 10:29-30). Blessed shall you be when you are persecuted,
and when you are reviled and your name is cast about as evil; yes, then
doubly blessed (Matthew 5:10-12). My choicest blessings, greatest good, and
richest sweets will I put into your evil things (1 Peter 4:13-14; Luke
6:20-22). These happy immunities, these glorious liberties of the sons of
God, by this immutable charter I forever settle upon you. And I do, in and
with my covenant, unalterably, irrevocably, and everlastingly convey them
unto you and confirm them upon you.
Yes, I will not only free you from your miseries, but
will confer upon you ROYAL PRIVILEGES and prerogatives, and instate you into
higher and greater happiness than every you have fallen from. Lo, I give
Myself to you, and all things with Myself.
Behold, O you sons of men! Behold and wonder. Be
astonished, O heavens! Be moved, O strong foundations of the earth! For you
shall be My witnesses. This day I do, by covenant, bestow Myself upon My
servants (Genesis 17:7). I will be your God forever and ever (Psalm 48:14;
Jeremiah 32:38; Revelation 21:3). Your very own God (Psalm 57:6; 16:2).
Nothing in the world is so much yours own as I am. The houses that you have
built, or the ones you have bought, are not so much yours as I am. Here you
are but tenants; but I am your eternal inheritance (Psalm 16:5; 73:26).
These are loans for a season, but I am your dwelling place in all
generations (Psalm 90:1). You have nowhere so great a propriety, so sure and
unalterable a claim, as you have here. What do you count your own? Your
bodies, your souls? No, these are not your own; they are bought with a price
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). But you may boldly make your claim to Me; you may
freely challenge an interest in Me (Jeremiah 3:19; Isaiah 63:16). Come near
and fear not; where could you be free if not with your own? Where could you
be bold if not at home? You are never in all the world so much at home as
when you are with Me. You may freely make use of Me, or of any of My
attributes, whenever you need (Psalm 50:15; Jeremiah 49:11; Psalm 145:18).
I will be all to you that you can wish. I will be a
FRIEND to you (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:2-3). My secrets shall be with you
(Psalm 25:14; John 15:15), and you shall have free access to Me, and liberty
to pour out all your hearts into My bosom (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:16).
I will be a PHYSICIAN to you. I will heal your
backslidings and cure all your diseases (Hosea 14:4; Psalm 103:3). Fear not,
for never did a soul miscarry that left itself in My hands, and would follow
My prescriptions.
I will be a SHEPHERD to you (Psalm 23:1; 80:1). Do not be
afraid of evil tidings, for I am with you. My rod and My staff shall comfort
you. You shall not lack, for I will feed you; you shall not wander or be
lost, for I will restore you. I will cause you to lie down in green
pastures, and will lead you beside the still waters (Psalm 23). I will
gather you with My arm, carry you in My bosom, and will lead on as softly as
the flock and the children are able to endure (Isaiah 40:11; Genesis
33:13-14). If officers are careless, I will do the work Myself. I will judge
between cattle and cattle. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again
that which was driven away. I will bind up that which was broken, and
strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong,
and will feed them with judgment (Ezekiel 34:16-17 compared with verses
2-4). I will watch over My flock by night (Isaiah 27:3). Behold, I have
appointed My ministers as your watchmen, as overseers who watch for your
souls (Hebrews 13:17; Acts 20:28). Yes, My angels shall be your watchers,
and shall keep a constant guard upon My flock (Daniel 3:17, 23; Psalm 34:7).
And if the servants should sleep (Matthew 13:25, 27), My own eyes shall keep
a perpetual watch by night and by day (Psalm 34:15; 33:18; 2 Chronicles
16:9). The Keeper of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-5), nor
withdraws His eyes from the righteous (Job 36:7). I will guide you with My
eye. I will never trust you out of My sight (Psalm 32:8).
I will be a SOVEREIGN to you. The Lord is your Judge; the
Lord is your Lawgiver; the Lord is your King (Isaiah 33:22). Do not fear the
unrighteousness of men, for I will judge your cause and defend your rights
(Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 140:12 and 9:4). You shall not stand at man's bar;
you shall not be cast out by their vote (1 Corinthians 4:3-5; 2 Corinthians
10:18). Let them curse; I will bless. Let them condemn; I will justify
(Isaiah 50:9; Genesis 12:3).
When you come upon trials in your lives, such as will
decide your eternal state, you shall see your Friend and your Father upon
the bench (Psalm 80:9; Ecclesiastes 3:16-17). Into My hands shall your cause
be cast, and you shall surely stand in judgment and be found at the right
hand among the sheep. You shall hear the King say, "Come, you blessed;
inherit the kingdom" (Matthew 25:33-34).
I will be a HUSBAND to you (Isaiah 54:5). In
loving-kindness and mercy I will betroth you unto Myself forever (Hosea
2:19-20). I will espouse your interest, and will be as one with you, and you
with Me (Matthew 25:40, 45; Acts 9:4-5). You shall be for Me and not for
another; and I also will be for you (Hosea 3:3). Though I found you as a
helpless infant, exposed in its own blood, all your unworthiness did not
discourage Me. Lo, I have looked upon you, and put My loveliness upon you.
Moreover, I swear unto you, and enter into covenant with you, and you shall
be Mine (Ezekiel 16:4-10). Behold, I do, as it were, put Myself out of My
own power, and do here solemnly, in My marriage covenant, give away Myself
to you (Jeremiah 24:7; 30:21-22; 31:33-34), and with Myself all things
(Revelation 21:7). I will be an everlasting portion to you (Ezekiel 54:28;
Jeremiah 51:19; Psalm 119:57). Now lift up your eyes to the east, to the
west, to the north, and to the south. Have you not a worthy portion, a
goodly heritage? Can you fathom your riches or count your own happiness? Can
you grasp immensity, reach omnipotence, or comprehend eternity? All this is
yours. I will set open all My treasures to you, and will keep back nothing
from you.
All the ATTRIBUTES in the Godhead, and all the persons in
the Godhead, do I hereby make over to you. I will be yours in all My
essential perfections and in all My personal relations.
In all My essential perfections: My ETERNITY shall be the
date of your happiness. I am the eternal God, and while I am, I will be life
and blessedness to you (Psalm 90:1-2 compared with 48:14; 1 Timothy 1:17
compared with 1 Peter 5:10). I will be a never-failing fountain of joy,
peace, and bliss unto you (Psalm 36:7-9; 16:11; Isaiah 35:10). I am the
first and last, who was and is and is to come. And My eternal power and
Godhead shall be bound to you (Jeremiah 32:40).
I will be your God, your Father, and your Friend as long
as I have any being (Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 10:10). I have made My everlasting
choice in pitching upon you (Psalm 132:13-14; Hosea 2:19). Fear not, for the
eternal God is your refuge, and underneath you are the everlasting arms
(Deuteronomy 33:27). My unsearchable riches and righteousness shall be yours
(Proverbs 8:18). Though all should forsake you, yet will I not forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 27:10). When the world, and all that is therein, shall
be burned up, I will be a standing portion for you. When you are forgotten
among the dead, I will remember you with everlasting loving-kindness (Isaiah
54:10).
My UNCHANGEABLENESS shall be the rock of your rest (Psalm
62:6-7). When all the world is like a tumbling ocean round about you, here
you may fix and settle. I am your resting place (Jeremiah 50:6; 2 Chronicles
14:11). The immutability of My nature, of My counsel and of My covenant, are
sure footing for your faith, and a firm foundation for your strong and
everlasting consolation (2 Timothy 2:19; Hebrews 6:17-18). When you are
afflicted, tossed with tempests (Isaiah 54:11), and not comforted, go to Me.
I am a haven of hope. I am a harbor of rest for you. Here cast your anchors,
and you shall never be moved (Jeremiah 17:13, 17; Psalm 46:1-2, 5; 125:1).
My OMNIPOTENCE shall be your guard. I am God Almighty,
your almighty Protector, your almighty Benefactor (Genesis 15:1; 17:1). What
if your enemies are many? More are they who are with you than they who are
against you; for I am with you (2 Chronicles 32:7-8; 2 Kings 6:16). What if
they are mighty? They are not almighty. Your Father is greater than all, and
none shall pluck you (whatever else they might pluck) out of My hands (John
10:29). Who can hinder My power or obstruct My salvation (Isaiah 43:13;
Daniel 4:35)? Who is like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heaven
for your help, and in His excellency on the sky? I am the sword of your
strength and the shield of your excellency (Deuteronomy 33:26, 29). I am
your rock and your fortress, your deliverer, your strength, the horn of your
salvation, and your high tower (Psalm 18:2). I will maintain you against all
the power of the enemy. You shall never sink if Omnipotence can support you
(1 Peter 1:5). The gates of hell shall not prevail against you (Matthew
16:18). Your enemies shall find hard work of it. They must first overcome
victory, enervate Omnipotence, corrupt fidelity, or change immutability
before they can finally prevail against you; either they shall bow or break
(Revelation 3:19; Isaiah 66:24). Though they should exalt themselves as the
eagle, though they should set their nest among the stars, even there will I
bring them down (Obadiah 4; Jeremiah 49:16).
My FAITHFULNESS shall be your security (Psalm 89:33-35).
My truth, yes, My oath shall fail if ever you come to be losers by me
(Isaiah 54:9-10 compared with Mark 10:29-30). I will make you to confess,
when you see the results and upshot of all My providences, that I was a God
worthy of being trusted, worthy of being believed, worthy of being rested in
and relied upon (Psalm 34:4-6, 8; 84:12; 146:5; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Psalm
22:4-5). If you do not walk in My judgments, you must look for My threats
and frowns, yes, and blows too; and you will see that I am not jesting with
you, nor will I indulge you in your sins (Psalm 89:30-32; Amos 3:2; 2 Samuel
12-15; 1 Peter 4:7). Nevertheless, My loving-kindness I will never take from
you, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, nor
alter the thing that has gone out from My lips.
My MERCIES shall be your store (Isaiah 53:7; Psalm
119:41). I am the Father of mercies, and such a Father I will be to you (2
Corinthians 1:3). I am the fountain of mercies, and this fountain shall ever
be open to you (Psalm 36:9 compared with Revelation 21:6).
My mercies are very many, and they shall be multiplied
towards you (Nehemiah 9:17 compared with Isaiah 55:7); very great, and they
shall be magnified upon you (1 Chronicles 21:13 compared with Genesis
19:19); very sure, and they shall forever be sure to you (Isaiah 55:3); very
tender, and they shall be infinitely tender of you (Psalm 119:156 compared
with Psalm 103:4). Though the fig-tree does not blossom, nor the vine bear
fruit, nor the flock bring forth, fear not, for My compassions fail not
(Habakkuk 3:17; Lamentations 3:22). Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
you all the days of your lives (Psalm 23:6). Even to your old age I am He,
and even to hoary hairs will I carry you. I have made you, and I will bear
you, carry you, and deliver you (Isaiah 46:4). I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, that I will not turn away from you to do you good
(Jeremiah 32:40). I swear that I will show you the kindness of God (1 Samuel
20:14-17). I can as soon forget to be God as forget to be gracious (Psalm
87:9). While My name is Jehovah—merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant
in goodness and truth—I will never forget to show mercy to you (Psalm 102:17
compared with 34:6-7). All My ways towards you shall be mercy and truth
(Psalm 25:10). I have sworn that I would not be wroth with you nor rebuke
you; for the mountains shall depart and the hills removed, but My kindness
shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be
removed. Thus says the Lord who has mercy on you.
My OMNISCIENCE shall be your overseer. My eyes shall ever
be open, observing your needs to relieve them, and your wrongs to avenge
them (1 Peter 3:12; Exodus 3:7). My ears shall ever be open to hear the
prayers of My poor, and the cries of My oppressed, the clamors, calumnies,
and reproaches of your enemies (Psalm 34:5; Exodus 2:24-25; Zephaniah
2:8-10). Surely I have seen your affliction and know your sorrows. And shall
not God avenge His own elect? I will avenge them speedily (Luke 18:7-8). I
see the secret plots and designs of your enemies against you (Jeremiah
18:23), and will disannul their counsels (Isaiah 8:10 with 29:14-15; Psalm
33:10). I see your secret integrity, and the uprightness of your hearts
towards Me, while the carnal and censorious world condemns you as hypocrites
(Job 1:8-11; 2 Chronicles 15:17). Your secret prayers, fasts, and tears,
which the world knows not of, I observe and record them (Matthew 6:6, 18;
Acts 10:4). Your secret care to please Me, the secret pains within your
hearts, your secret self-searchings and self-denial, I see them all, and
your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward them openly (Matthew 25:34-36;
2 Chronicles 34:27).
My WISDOM shall be your counselor. If any lacks wisdom,
let him ask of Me, and it shall be given him (James 1:5). I will be your
deliverer. When you are in darkness, I will be a light to you. I will make
your way plain before you (Isaiah 48:19; 57:14). You are short-sighted, but
I will be eyes to you (Isaiah 52:6-7; 29:6)). I will watch over you, to
bring upon you all the good I have promised (Jeremiah 31:28 with 32:24), and
to keep off all the evil you fear, or at least turn it into good (Psalm
91:10, 14; Jeremiah 24:5). You shall have your food in its season and your
medicine in its season; mercies, afflictions, and everything suitable, all
in their season (Psalm 23:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6; Isaiah 27:7-9).
I will outwit your enemies and make their oracles to
speak but folly (Isaiah 19:11-15). The old serpent shall not deceive you. I
will acquaint you with his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). The deceitful
hearts you fear shall not undo you. I will reveal their wiles.
I know how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to
reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished (2 Peter 2:9).
Trust in Me with all your hearts, and do not lean on your own understanding
(Proverbs 3:5). I am God, who performs all things for you (Psalm 57:2). I
will forfeit the reputation of My wisdom if I do not make you to
acknowledge, when you see the end of the Lord (James 5:11) though at present
you wonder at and do not understand the meaning of My proceedings that all
My works are in weight, in number, in time, and in order (Ecclesiastes
3:14); if I do not cause you to cry out, "Manifold are Your works; in wisdom
have You made them all" (Psalm 33:4; 104:24; 145:10).
My JUSTICE shall be your revenger and rewarder (2
Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Timothy 4:8). Fear not to approach; fury is not in Me
(Isaiah 27:4). My justice is not only appeased towards you, but engaged for
you. I am so fully satisfied in the sacrifice of My beloved Son that justice
itself, which was as a flaming sword drawn against you, now greatly
befriends you; and that which was an amazing, confounding terror shall now
become your relief and consolation (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17; 5:8; Psalm
96:10-14; 97:1 with 99:1). Under all your oppressions, here shall your
refuge be (Psalm 6:9; 103:6). Let me know your grievances, and My justice
will right your wrongs and reward your services (Psalm 146:7; Hebrews 6:10).
You may conclude upon your pardons, conclude upon your crowns, conclude upon
reparation for all your injustices, and all from the sweet consideration of
My justice (1 John 1:9; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 2:23), the thought of which
to others is as the horror of the shadow of death. If you sin, despair not;
remember, I am just to forgive you. If you are at any pains or cost for Me,
do not count it as lost, for I am not unrighteous to forget you. I am the
righteous Judge who has laid up for you, and will set upon you, the crown of
righteousness. Are you reviled, persecuted, or defamed? Do not forget that I
am righteous to render tribulation to those who trouble you; and to you who
are troubled, rest in Me. Though all your services and sufferings do not
deserve the least good at My hands, yet as I have freely passed My promise
to reward them, so I will as justly keep it.
My OMNIPRESENCE shall be company for you (1 Chronicles
22:18; Joshua 1:5, 9; Isaiah 41:10). Surely I will be with you to bless you
(Genesis 27:24). No bolts, no bars, no bonds, nor banishment shall remove
you from Me, nor keep My presence and the influences of heaven from you
(Genesis 39:21, 23). I am always with you (Matthew 28:20); in your darkest
nights, in your deepest dangers, I am close at hand, a very present help in
the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1; 34:18). I am not a God who is afar off, or
asleep, or on a journey when you need My counsel, My ear, or My aid. I am
always near unto those who fear Me.
No Patmos, no prison shall hinder the presence of My
grace from you (Revelation 1:9-10; Acts 16:25-26). My presence shall perfume
the most putrid wards, and lighten the darkest dungeon where you can be
thrust (Acts 13:7; Isaiah 58:10).
My HOLINESS shall be a fountain of grace to you (John
1:16; 2 Peter 1:4). I am the God of hope (Romans 15:13), the God of love (2
Corinthians 13:11), the God of patience (Romans 15:5), the Author and
Finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2), the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10), and I
will give grace to you (Psalm 84:11). My design is to make you partakers of
My holiness (Hebrews 12:10). I will be a constant spring of spiritual life
to you (Galatians 2:20; John 14; John 8:12; 10:10). The water that I shall
give you shall be in you as a well of water, springing up into everlasting
life (John 4:14). The seed of life that I shall put into you shall be so fed
and cherished, and maintained by My power, that it shall be immortal (1 John
3:9; 1 Peter 1:23; Colossians 2:19). The unction that you shall receive from
the Holy One shall abide in you and teach you all things necessary for you;
and as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him (John 14:16-17; 1 John
2:20, 27). Only keep the pipes open, and apply the means which I have
prescribed, and you shall flourish in the courts of your God (Proverbs 8:34;
Psalm 92:13). Yes, I will satisfy your souls in drought and make your bones
fat, and you shall be like a watered garden. Lo, I will be as the dew unto
you, and you shall grow as the lily and cast forth your roots as Lebanon.
Your branches shall spread and your beauty shall be as the olive tree (Hosea
14:5-6). You shall still bring forth fruit in an old age; you shall be fat
and flourishing.
My SOVEREIGNTY shall be commanded by you (Genesis
32:26-28). You shall be My favorites, men of power to prevail with Me (Hosea
12:4; James 5:17-18). All My attributes shall be at the command of your
prayers (Isaiah 45:11).
In summary, My ALL-SUFFICIENCY shall be the lot of your
inheritance (Genesis 17:1; Lamentations 3:24; Psalm 16:5-6). My fullness is
your treasure (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9). My house is your home
(Psalm 91:1, 9). You may come as freely to My store as to your own cupboard
(Ephesians 3:12). You may have your hand as freely in My treasures as in
your own purses. You cannot ask too much; you cannot look for too much from
Me (Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 7:8). I will give you (or will be Myself to you
instead of) all comforts (Genesis 15:1; Psalm 84:11). You shall have
children, or I will be better to you than ten children (Isaiah 56:5). You
shall have riches, or I will be more to you than all riches (2 Corinthians
6:10).
You shall have friends, if best for you, or else I will
be your Comforter in your solitude (Isaiah 51:3; John 14:26; 2 Corinthians
1:3-4), your Counselor in your distress (Psalm 73:24). If you leave father,
mother, houses, or lands for My sake, you shall have a hundredfold in Me,
even in this time (Mark 10:30). When your enemies shall remove your
comforts, it shall be but as letting the cistern run and opening the
fountain, or putting out the candles and letting in the sun.
The swelling waters shall raise higher the ark of your comfort (Romans 5:3;
Hebrews 10:34; Acts 5:41). I will be the staff of bread to you, your life,
and the strength of your days (Deuteronomy 30:20; Isaiah 33:16). I will be a
house and a home to you; you shall dwell with me, yes, dwell in Me and I in
you (Deuteronomy 33:12; John 14:23; 1 John 3:24). I will stand and fall with
you (Psalm 37:17, 24; 54:4; Isaiah 41:10). I will repair your losses and
relieve your needs (Philippians 4:19; Mark 8:35; Matthew 19:27-29).
Can you put out the lamp of heaven, or empty the
boundless ocean with your hands? Why, the sun shall be dark and the sea dry
before the Father of lights, the Fountain of mercies shall be exhausted.
Behold, though the world has been spending upon the stock of My mercy ever
since I created man upon earth, yet it runs with a full stream still. My sun
diffuses its rays and disburses its light, and yet it shines as bright as
ever; much more can I dispense of My goodness and fill My creatures' brim
full and running over, and yet have never the less in Myself. And until this
self-sufficiency is spent, you shall never be undone. I am the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and whatever I was to them I will be to you.
Are you in need? You know where to go. I am ever at home;
you shall not go away empty from My door. Never distract yourselves with
cares and fears, but make known your requests by prayer and supplication to
Me (Philippians 4:6). I will help when all others fail (Psalm 73:26; Isaiah
63:5; Psalm 102:17). When friends and hearts fail; when your eye-strings and
heart-strings crack; when your acquaintances and souls leave you, My bosom
shall be open to you (Psalm 49:15; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Luke 16:22). I will
lock up your dust and will receive your souls.
And My infiniteness shall be the extent of your
inheritance. Can you by searching find out God? Can you find out the
Almighty to perfection? He is as high as heaven; what can you do? He is
deeper than hell; what can you know (Job 11:7-8)? This incomprehensible
height, this unfathomable depth, shall be all yours, forever yours.
I am your inheritance, which no line can measure, no
arithmetic can value, and no surveyor can describe (Ezekiel 44:28; Ephesians
3:8; 1 Timothy 6:16; Psalm 145:3). Lift up your eyes now to the ancient
mountains, to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills; all that you can
see is yours. But your short sight cannot perceive half of what I give you.
And when you see and know most, you are no less than infinitely short of the
discovery of your own riches (Job 26:14).
Yes, further, I will be yours in all My personal
relationships: I am the everlasting Father, and I will be a Father to you
(John 20:17). I take you for My sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18).
Behold, I receive you not as servants, but as sons to abide in My house
forever (John 8:35-36). Whatever love or care children may look for from
their father, that you may expect from Me (Matthew 6:31-32), and so much
more since I am wiser, greater, and better than any earthly parents. If
earthly fathers will give good things to their children, much more will I
give to you (Luke 11:13). If such cannot forget their children, much less
will I forget you (Isaiah 49:15). What would My children have? Your Father's
heart, His house, His care, His ear, His bread, and His rod? These shall all
be yours.
You shall have My fatherly affection. My heart I share
among you. My tenderest loves I bestow upon you (1 John 3:1; Jeremiah 31:3;
Isaiah 54:8).
You shall have My fatherly compassion. As a father pities
his children, so will I pity you (Psalm 103:13-14). I will consider your
frame, and not be extreme to mark what is done amiss by you, but will cover
all with the mantle of My excusing love (Psalm 78:39).
You shall have My fatherly instruction. I will cause you
to hear the sweet voice behind you, saying, "This is the way" (Isaiah
30:21). I will be tender to your weaknesses, and inculcate My admonitions,
line upon line, and will feed you with milk when you cannot digest stronger
food (Isaiah 28:13; 1 Corinthians 3:2). I will instruct you and guide you
with My eyes (Psalm 32:8).
You shall have My fatherly protection. In My fear is
strong confidence, and My children shall have a place of refuge (Proverbs
14:26). My name shall be your strong tower, to which you may at all times
fly and be safe (Proverbs 18:10). To your stronghold, you prisoners of hope
(Zechariah 9:12). I am an open refuge, a near and inviolable refuge for you
(Psalm 48:3; Deuteronomy 4:7; John 10:29).
You shall have My fatherly provision. Do not be afraid of
need; in your Father's house there is bread enough (Psalm 34:9; Luke 15:17).
I will care for your bodies. Do not worry about what you shall eat, drink,
or put on. Let it suffice you that your heavenly Father knows that you have
need of all things (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-32). I will provide for your
souls: food for them, mansions for them, and portions for them (John
6:30-59; Lamentations 3:23).
Behold, I have spread the table of My gospel for you,
with privileges and comforts that no man can take from you (Isaiah 25:6;
Matthew 22:4; Proverbs 9:2). I have set before you the bread of life,
the tree of life, and the water of life (John 6:48; Revelation
2:7 and 22:17). Eat, O friends; drink abundantly, O beloved!
But all this is but a taste of what I have
prepared. You must have but smiles and hints now, and be content with
glimpses and glances here. But you shall be shortly taken up into your
Father's bosom and live forever in the fullest views of His glory (1
Thessalonians 4:17).
You shall have My fatherly correction. I will chasten you
because I love you, so that you may not be condemned with the world (1
Corinthians 11:32; Proverbs 3:11-12).
I give My Son unto you in a marriage covenant forever
(Isaiah 9:6; 2 Corinthians 11:2). I make Him over to you as wisdom for your
illumination, righteousness for your justification, sanctification for
curing your corruptions, and redemption for deliverance from your enemies (1
Corinthians 1:30). I bestow Him upon you with all His fullness, all His
merits, and all His graces. He shall be yours in all His offices.
I have anointed Him for a PROPHET. Are you ignorant? He
shall teach you. He shall be eye salve to you (Isaiah 49:6 and 42:16;
Revelation 3:18). I have sent Him to preach the gospel to the poor and to
recover sight for the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised (Luke
4:18).
I have established Him by oath as a PRIEST forever (Psalm
110:4). If you sin, He shall be your advocate. He shall expiate your
guilt and make the atonement (1 John 2:1-2; Zechariah 13:1). Have you any
sacrifice, any service to offer? Bring it to Him, and you shall receive and
answer of peace (1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 13:15). Present your petitions to Me
by Him, for He will I accept (John 16:23-24). Having such a High Priest over
the house of God (Hebrews 10:19-22), you may come to Me with boldness, you
may come and be welcome.
I have set Him up as KING upon My holy hill of Zion. He
shall rule you and defend you (Isaiah 9:6-7). He is the King of
righteousness, the King of peace; and such a King He shall be to you
(Hebrews 7:2; Jeremiah 23:6; Ephesians 2:14). I will set up His standard for
you (Isaiah 49:22). I will set up His throne in you (Psalm 110:2). He shall
reign in righteousness and rule in judgment, and He shall be a hiding place
from the wind, a covert from the tempest, and the shadow of a great rock in
a weary land (Isaiah 32:1-2). He shall hear your causes, judge your enemies
(Isaiah 11:3-5), and reign until He has put all under His feet (Psalm 110:1;
1 Corinthians 15:25), yes, and under your feet; for they shall be as ashes
under you, and you shall tread them, said the Lord of hosts (Malachi 4:3).
Yes, I will undo those who afflict you, and all those who despised you shall
bow themselves down at the soles of your feet (Isaiah 60:14; Zephaniah
3:19). And you shall go forth and behold the carcasses of the men who have
trespassed against Me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their
fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh (Isaiah
66:24).
My SPIRIT I give unto you as your Counselor and Comforter
(John 16:7; Romans 8:14). He shall be a constant Indweller with you, and
shall reside in you and abide with you forever (Ezekiel 36:27; John
14:16-17). I consecrate you as temples to His holiness (1 Corinthians
3:16-17 and 6:19). He shall be your guide. He shall lead you into all truth
(Galatians 5:18; John 16:13). He shall be your Advocate to indite your
prayers and make intercession for you; and He shall fill your mouths with
the arguments that He knows will prevail with Me (Romans 8:26-27). He shall
be oil to your wheels, strength to your ankles, wine to your hearts, marrow
to your bones, and wind to your sails. He shall witness your adoption
(Romans 8:16). He shall seal you up to the day of redemption, and be to you
the earnest of your inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession (Ephesians 4:30; 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22).
And as I give you MYSELF, so much more all things with
Myself (Romans 8:32): earth and heaven, life and death, things present and
things to come (1 Corinthians 3:22).
Things PRESENT are yours. Lo, I give you Caleb's
blessing, the upper springs and the nether springs. I will bless you with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). To you
pertains the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the service of God, and the
promises (Romans 9:4). To you I will give the white stone and the new name
(Revelation 2:17), access into My presence (Ephesians 3:12), the acceptance
of your person (Ephesians 1:6), and audience to your prayers (1 John
5:14-15).
PEACE I leave with you. My peace I give unto you (John
14:27). I will undertake for your perseverance, keep you to the end, and
will then crown My own gift with eternal life (Jeremiah 32:40; John
10:28-29; 1 Peter 1:5; Philippians 1:6). I have made you heirs of God and
coheirs with your Lord Jesus Christ; and you shall inherit all things
(Romans 8:17; Revelation 21:7).
I have granted you My ANGELS as your guardians. The
courtiers of heaven shall attend upon you; they shall be all ministering
spirits for your good (Hebrews 1:14). Behold, I have given them charge over
you, upon their fidelity to look after you, and, as tender nurses, to bear
you in their arms and keep you from coming to any hard (Psalm 91:11-12).
These shall be as careful shepherds to watch over My flock by night and to
encamp round about My fold (Psalm 34:7).
My MINISTERS I give as your guides (Ephesians 4:11).
Paul, Apollos, Cephas, all are yours (1 Corinthians 3:22). I am always with
them, and they shall be with you always, to the end of the world (Matthew
28:20; Ephesians 4:13). You shall have pastors after My own heart (Jeremiah
3:15 and 23:4). And this shall be My covenant with you: "My Spirit which is
upon you, and My words which I have put into your mouth, shall not depart
out of your mouth, nor the mouth of your seed, nor of your seed's seed,'
says the Lord, from henceforth and forever"(Isaiah 59:21). In short, all My
officers shall be for profiting and perfecting you (Ephesians 4:12).
All My ORDINANCES shall be for edifying and saving you
(Acts 10:33; Romans 1:16). The very severities of My house, admonitions and
censures, and the whole discipline of My family, shall be for preventing
your infection, curing your corruption, and procuring your salvation (1
Corinthians 5:5-7; Matthew 18:15).
My WORD I have ordained for converting your soul,
enlightening your eyes, rejoicing your hearts, cautioning you of danger,
cleansing your defilements, and conforming you to My image (Psalm 19:7-9;
Ephesians 5:26; 2 Corinthians 3:18). To you I commit the oracles of God
(Romans 3:2). Here you shall be furnished against temptations (Matthew 4:4,
7; Ephesians 6:17); hence you shall be comforted under distresses and
afflictions (Psalm 119:92-93). Here you shall find My whole counsel (Acts
20:27). This shall instruct you in your way, correct you in your wanderings,
direct you into the truths to be believed, and detect to you the errors to
be rejected (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:105).
My SACRAMENTS I give you as the pledges of My love. You
shall freely claim them; they are children's bread. Lo! I have given them as
seals to certify all that I have here promised you (Romans 4:11); and when
these sacred signs are delivered unto you, then know and remember and
consider in your hearts that I therein pledge you My betrothal, set to My
hand, and thereby ratify and confirm every article of these indentures, and
do actually deliver into your own hands this glorious charter, with all its
immunities and privileges as your own forever (1 Corinthians 11:25; Genesis
17:10).
And since I have shown to you so largely in spiritual
blessings, shall you not much more reap the temporal? Do not be of a
doubtful mind; all these things shall be added unto you (Luke 12:29-31). My
creatures I grant for your servants and supplies (Psalm 8:3-9). Heaven and
earth shall minister to you. All the stars in their courses shall serve you,
and, if need be, shall fight for you (Judges 5:20). I will make My covenant
for you with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven; and you
shall be in league with the stones of the field, and all shall be at peace
with you (Job 5:23; Hosea 2:18). I will undertake for all your necessities.
Do I feed the fowls and clothe the grass, and do you think I will neglect My
children (Matthew 6:25-34)? I hear the young ravens when they cry, and shall
I not much more fulfill the desires of those who fear Me (Psalm 145:19 and
147:9)? Fear not, you shall surely lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10); and you
would not desire riches, pleasures, or preferment to your harm. I will give
food to those who fear Me. I will be ever mindful of My covenant (Psalm
111:5).
My PROVIDENCES shall cooperate for your good (Romans
8:28). The cross winds shall blow you sooner and more swiftly to your
harbor. You shall be preferred when you seem most debased, and be the
greatest gainers when you seem to be the deepest losers. I will most
effectually promote your good when you seem most to deny it (2 Corinthians
4:17; Mark 10:29; Philippians 1:29).
THINGS TO COME are yours: the perfecting of your souls,
the redemption of your bodies, and the consummation of your bliss. When you
have glorified Me for awhile on earth, and finished the work I have given
you to do, you shall be caught up into paradise and rest from your labors,
and your works shall follow you (Revelation 14:13; Luke 23:43). I will send
My own lifeguard to bring home your departing souls (Luke 16:22), and will
receive you among the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews 12:23). And
you shall look back upon Pharaoh and all his host, and see your enemies dead
upon the shore. Then shall be your redemption from all your afflictions, and
all your corruptions (Luke 21:28; Ephesians 4:30). The thorn in the flesh
shall be pulled out and the hour of temptation shall be over, and the
tempter out of work forever.
The sweat shall be wiped off your brows, the day of
cooling and refreshing shall come, and you shall sit down forever under My
shadow (Acts 3:19; Hebrews 4:9). For the Lamb who is in the midst of the
throne shall feed you, and lead you to the living fountains of water
(Revelation 7:17).
The tears shall be wiped away from your eyes, and there
shall be no more sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain;
for the former things are passed away, and, behold, I make all things new
(Revelation 21:4-5). I will change Marah into Naomi, the cup of sorrow into
the cup of salvation; and the bread and water of affliction I will change
into the wine of eternal consolation (John 16:20-22; Luke 6:21). You shall
take down your harps from the willows, and I will turn your tears into
pearls, and your penitential psalms into songs of deliverance. You shall
change your Ichabods into hosannas, and your laments of sorrow into
hallelujahs of joy (Revelation 19:1, 4, 6).
The cross shall be taken off your backs, and you shall
come out of your great tribulations and wash your robes, making them white
in the blood of the Lamb; and you shall be before the throne of God, and
serve Him night and day in His temple. He who sits on the throne shall dwell
among you, and you shall hunger and thirst no more, neither shall the sun
light upon you, nor any heat (Revelation 7:14-16).
The load shall be taken from your consciences. Sins and
doubts shall no more defile or distress you (Revelation 22:17; Hebrews
12:23). I will make an end of sin, and will knock off the fetters of your
corruptions. And then you shall be a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish.
Thus shall you be brought to the King all glorious in
clothing of needlework and clothing of gold; with gladness and rejoicing
shall you be brought, and enter into the King's palace (Psalm 45:9, 13-15).
So shall the beloved of the Lord dwell safely by Him, and you shall stand
continually before Him, beholding the beauty of the Lord and hearing His
wisdom (1 Corinthians 13:12). Then will I open in you an everlasting spring
of joy, and you shall break forth into singing. You shall never cease nor
rest, day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy" (Revelation 4:8; Psalm
16:11).
Thus shall the grand enemy expire with your breath, and
the body of death be put off with your dying body. The day of your death
shall be the birthday of your glories (Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43).
Have faith in God (Mark 11:22). Wait but a little, and
sorrow shall cease and sin be no more. And then a little longer and death
shall be no more (Revelation 20:14 and 21:4). You last enemy shall be
destroyed and your victory completed. Yet a little while and He who shall
come will come, and you also shall appear with Him in glory (Hebrews 10:37;
Colossians 3:4). This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, shall
so come as He went up into heaven (Acts 1:11); and, when He comes, He will
receive you to Himself, that where He is there you may be also (John 14:3).
Behold His sign: He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory; and every eye shall see Him, and all the tribes of the earth shall
mourn because of Him (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30); but you shall lift up
your heads because the day of your redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). Then
He shall sound His trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and
make you hear His voice in your dust (John 5:28), and shall send His mighty
angels to gather you from the four winds of heaven (Matthew 24:31), who
shall carry you in the triumphant chariot of the clouds to meet your Lord (1
Thessalonians 5:17). And you shall be prepared for Him, and presented to
Him, as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 2:2). And as you have
borne the image of the earthly, so you shall bear the image of the heavenly;
and you shall be fully conformed both in body and spirit to your glorious
Head (Philippians 3:21; Hebrews 12:2-3). Then shall He confess you before
His angels (Revelation 3:5), and you shall receive your open absolution
before all flesh, and be owned, approved, and applauded in the public
audience of the general assembly (Matthew 10:32 and 25:32-35). And you shall
be, with all royal solemnities, married unto the King of glory, in the
presence of all His shining courtiers (Revelation 19:7-8; 2 Corinthians
4:14; Matthew 25:31), to the envy, gnashing, and terror of your adversaries
(Luke 13:28).
So shall your Lord with His own hand crown you
(Revelation 2:10), and set you on thrones (Revelation 3:21; Matthew 19:28);
and you shall judge man and angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3), and you shall have
power over the nations (Revelation 2:26-27), and you shall set your feet
upon the necks of your enemies (Psalm 49:14).
Lo, I have set the very day for your installment (Acts
17:31). I have provided your crowns (2 Timothy 4:8), and have prepared the
kingdom (Matthew 25:34). Why do you doubt, O you of little faith? These are
the true sayings of your God (Revelation 19:9). Are you sure that you are
now are on earth? So surely shall you be shortly with Me in heaven. Are you
sure that you shall die? So surely shall you rise again in glory. Lo, I have
said it, and who shall reverse it? You shall see Me face to face, be with Me
where I am, and behold My glory (1 Corinthians 13:12; John 17:24). For I
will be glorified in My saints, and admired by all those who believe (2
Thessalonians 1:10); and all flesh shall know that I have loved you
(Revelation 3:9). For I will make you the examples of My grace (Ephesians
1:5-6 and 2:7), in whom the whole world shall see how unutterably the
Almighty God can advance the poor worm's food and dust of the ground. And
the despisers shall behold and wonder and perish (Acts 13:41), for they
shall be witnesses to the riches of My magnificence, and the exceeding
greatness of My power (Luke 16:23). They shall go away into everlasting
punishment, but you into life eternal (Matthew 25:46).
For no sooner shall their doom be past but the bench
shall rise (Matthew 25:41, 46), and the Judge shall return with all His
glorious train; with sound of trumpet and incredible shouts He shall ascend,
and shall lead you to your Father's house (Psalm 45:14-15; Matthew 25:23;
John 142; 2 Corinthians 5:1). Then shall the triumphal arches lift up their
heads, and the everlasting gates shall open; the heavens shall receive you
all, and so shall you ever be with the Lord (John 12:26; 1 Thessalonians
4:17).
And then I will rejoice over you with singing, and you
will rest in My love. Heaven shall ring with joys and acclamations, because
I have received you safe and sound (Luke 15:20-27). And in that day you
shall know that I am a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Me (Hebrews
11:6), and that I recorded your words (Malachi 3:16), bottled your tears,
watched your wanderings (Psalm 56:8), and kept an account, even to a cup of
cold water, of whatever you said or did for My name (Matthew 10:42). You
shall surely find that nothing is lost (1 Corinthians 15:58), but you shall
have full measure, pressed down and running over, thousands of years in
paradise for the least good thought, and thousands and thousands more for
the least good word. And then the reckoning shall begin again, until all
arithmetic is exhausted. For you shall be swallowed up in a blessed
eternity; the doors of heaven shall be shut upon you, and there shall be no
more going out (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 3:12; Luke 16:26).
The glorious choir of My holy angels, the goodly
fellowship of My blessed prophets, the happy society of triumphant apostles,
the royal hosts of victorious martyrs- these shall be your companions
forever (Matthew 8:11-12; Hebrews 12:22-23). And you shall come in white
robes, with palms in your hands, everyone having the harps of God and golden
vials full of odors, and shall cast your crowns before Me, and strike in
with the multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying,
"Hallelujah! The Lord God omnipotent reigns (Revelation 7:9-12 and 19:5-6).
Blessing, honor, glory, and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb forever and ever" (Revelation 5:13).
In short, I will make you equal to the angels of God, and
you shall be the everlasting trumpets of My praise (Revelation 7:10-12, 15).
You shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of My house; and I will
make your drink of the rivers of My pleasures (Psalm 36:8). You shall be an
eternal excellency (Isaiah 60:15); and, if God can die and eternity run out,
then, and not else, shall your joys expire. For you shall see me as I am (1
John 3:12), and know Me as you are known (1 Corinthians 13:12); you shall
behold My face in righteousness, and be satisfied with My likeness (Psalm
17:15). And you shall be the vessels of My glory, whose blessed use shall be
to receive the overflowings of My goodness, and to have My infinite love and
glory poured out into you to the brim, running over forevermore (Romans
9:23; 2 Timothy 2:20; Revelation 22:1).
And blessed is he who has believed, for there shall be a
performance of the things that have been told him (Luke 1:45). The Lord has
spoken it. You shall see My face, and My name shall be written on your
foreheads. You shall no longer need the sun nor the moon, for the Lord God
shall give you light, and you shall reign forever and ever (Revelation
22:3-5).
And as I give Myself to you as your God, and all things
with Myself, so I take you for My covenant people (Hebrews 8:10; Isaiah
43:1). And you shall be Mine in the day when I make up My jewels; and I will
spare you as a man spares his own son who serves him (Malachi 3:17). The
Lord shall declare, "Surely they are My children" (Psalm 87:6).
I do not only require you to be Mine, if you would have
Me to be for you, but I promise to make you Mine (Leviticus 20:26; Ezekiel
36:28), and to work in you the conditions which I require of you. I will
circumcise your hearts to love Me (Deuteronomy 30:6). I will take the heart
of stone out of you (Ezekiel 36:26), and My laws I will write within you
(Jeremiah 31:33).
Yet you must know that I will be sought for all these
things (Ezekiel 36:37). And if ever you expect to partake of these mercies,
I charge you to lie in the pool, wait for My Spirit, and be diligent in the
use of the means (Proverbs 2:3-5 and 8:34; Luke 11:13).
I am content to abate the rigor of the old terms (Romans
4:6). I shall not insist upon satisfaction (Luke 7:42). I have received a
ransom, and only expect your acceptance (Revelation 22:17; 1 Timothy 2:6). I
shall not insist upon perfection (1 John 1:8-9). Walk before Me and be
upright, and sincerity shall carry the crown (Proverbs 11:20; Genesis 17:1;
Psalm 97:11). Yes, both the faith and obedience that I require of you are My
own gifts (Ephesians 2:8).
I require you to accept My Son by believing; but I will
give you a hand to take Him (Philippians 1:29; John 6:65), and to submit to
and obey Him. But I must and will guide your hand to write after Him, and
cause you to walk in My statutes (Ezekiel 36:27). I will take you by the
arms, and teach you to go (Hosea 11:3-4). I will order your steps (Psalm
37:23, 31). Yes, those things I will accept from you as the conditions of
life which, viewed in the strictness of My justice, would deserve eternal
death (Ephesians 3:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 5:5, 9; Ecclesiastes
7:20). Grace! Grace!
THE VOICE OF THE REDEEMED
Amen, hallelujah! Be it to Your servants according to
Your Word. But who are we, and what is our Father's house that You have
brought us here? And now, O Lord God, what shall Your servants say unto You?
For we are silenced with wonder and must sit down in astonishment; for we
cannot utter the least note of Your praises. What does the height of this
surpassing love mean? And why is this unto us, that the Lord of
heaven and earth should condescend to enter into covenant with His dust, and
take into His bosom the viperous brood, that has so often spit their
venom in His face?
We are not worthy to be as the handmaids, to wash the
feet of the servants of our Lord. How much less worthy are we to be Your
sons and heirs, and to be made partakers of all those blessed liberties
and privileges which You have settled upon us? But, for Your goodness' sake,
and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things. Even
so, Father, because it seemed good in Your sight.
Wherefore You are great, O God, for there is none like
You, neither is there any God besides You. And what nation on earth is like
Your people, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make
Himself a name, and to do for them great and terrible things? For You have
confirmed them to Yourself to be a people unto You forever, and You, Lord,
have become their God (2 Samuel 7:18) to the end.
Wonder, O heavens, and be moved, O earth, at this great
thing (Revelation 21:4)! For, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and
He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall
be with them, and shall be their God. Be astonished and ravished with
wonder, for the infinite breach is made up. The offender is received; God
and man are reconciled; a covenant of peace is entered; and heaven and earth
are agreed upon the terms, and have struck their hands and sealed the
indentures. Oh, happy conclusion! Oh, blessed affiliation! Shall the stars
dwell with the dust, or the wide, distant poles be brought to mutual
embraces?
But here the distance of the terms is infinitely greater.
Rejoice, O angels! Shout, O seraphim! Oh, all you friends of the Bridegroom,
prepare a wedding song; be ready with the marriage song. Lo, here is the
wonder of wonders: Jehovah has betrothed Himself forever to His hopeless
captives, owns the marriage before all the world, and has become one with us
and we with Him. He has bequeathed to us the precious things of heaven
above, and the precious things of the earth beneath, with the fullness
thereof, and has kept nothing back from us.
And now, O Lord, You are that God, and Your words are
true. You have promised this goodness unto Your servants, and has left us
nothing to ask at Your hands but what You have already freely granted. All
we ask is this: the Word which You have spoken concerning Your servants,
establish it forever; do as You have said, and let Your name be magnified
forever, saying, "The Lord of Hosts, He is the God of Israel." Amen, and
hallelujah!