Jeremias 31:35-37

DISCOURSE: 1075
THE CHURCH’S SECURITY

Jeremias 31:35. Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which dirideth the sea when the wares thereof roar; The Lord of Hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also; hall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also east off all the seed of Israel for all that they hare done, saith the Lord.

THE study of the prophecies is most instructive. We are apt to read them as though they did not concern us: whereas in them we see the purposes of God unfolded to us; and, by a comparison of them with past and passing events, we see God so ordering every thing in heaven and earth, that all should be accomplished in their season. Into futurity, also, we gain au insight. And shall not that, which so interests Jehovah himself, as to be predicted by him in terms the most solemn that can possibly be imagined, interest us? Behold, how the Almighty here describes himself in all his majesty and glory; behold, too, the solemnity of his assertions, equivalent, in fact, to oaths; And to what has all this respect! It has respect to his Church and people, for whom he has the richest mercies in reserve, and to whom he pledges himself that these mercies shall be vouchsafed in due season. Let us contemplate, then,

I. The promises here made to God’s Church and people—

Certainly they refer,

1. To God’s ancient people, the Jews—

[To them he here promises, that, whatever they may suffer, they shall not be lost, as other nations have been, amongst their conquerors; but shall be preserved a distinct people, even to the end; and shall, notwithstanding all that they have done to provoke him utterly to cast them off, be restored once more to his favour, as in the days of old.
The manner in which these promises are made deserves particular attention, Who is it that pledges himself for the accomplishment of these things? It is no other than the Creator and Governor of heaven and earth. And what assurance does he give that they shall be fulfilled? He declares that the heavenly bodies shall sooner be annihilated, than his word be forgotten; and that never, till we had measured the highest heavens, and penetrated to the inmost recesses of the earth, should one jot or tittle of it fail.
And if we look into their history, we find every thing fulfilled hitherto. In their captivity in Babylon, their national character was still preserved; and after it, they were restored to their own land. So at this hour, though for above seventeen centuries they have been scattered over the face of the whole earth, they are still a peculiar people as much as ever: and if we knew for certainty where the ten tribes are, I think they also would be found to have retained so much of their original character, as clearly to distinguish them from all the people amongst whom they sojourn. Nor can we doubt for a moment but that God will again manifest himself to them, as in former days. He has not cast them off for ever: “they are still beloved of him for their fathers’ sakes:” and “his gifts and calling to them are without repentance [Note: Romanos 11:28.].” Forsaken as they are at present, it is but for a little moment: for as God, by the rainbow in the heavens, has given a pledge that his oath relative to any future deluge shall be fulfilled; so has he sworn that his kindness shall not ultimately depart from Israel, or his “covenant with them ever be dissolved [Note: Isaías 54:7.].”]

2. To the Christian Church—

[To apply the passage exclusively to the Church of Christ is shamefully to pervert it. Yet we must not withhold from her, her share of the blessings which God has promised to her. Throughout all the prophecies, the Church of God, previous to the coming of the Messiah, and subsequent to the establishment of his kingdom upon earth, is considered as one; that which first existed being the foundation, and that which was afterwards erected being the superstructure, of the same heavenly temple: and the promises made to it, so far as they respect it in its former state, will have a literal accomplishment; and, so far as they pertain to it in its latter state, a spiritual or mystical accomplishment. In this latter sense we may properly apply to the Christian Church the prophecy before us. For it has enemies, even as Israel of old; yet “shall not the gates of hell ever prevail against it.” Notwithstanding it has often been at a very low ebb in the world, yet is it preserved by the power of God: and though, for its degeneracy, God’s wrath might well break forth against it to destroy it, yet is it preserved for good, and shall at a future period be greatly honoured of the Lord; being extended far and wide, and being established over the face of the whole earth. For the accomplishment of this, we have the same security as the Jewish Church has for the fulfilment of the promises made to her, namely, the promise and the oath of Almighty God: and we may be as sure that the honour reserved for her shall be accorded to her in due time, as if we saw it imparted before our eyes. As sure as God himself is true, “all the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ;” and “the whole earth, both of Jews and Gentiles, shall be one fold under one Shepherd,” “there being only one Lord, and his name One.”]

But to enter fully into these promises, we should consider also,

II.

The use which is to be made of them by individual Believers—

They certainly may be applied by believers to themselves, for the comfort of their own souls. The promise that was made, in the first instance, to Israel, relative to the possession of the promised land [Note: Deuteronômio 31:6.], is represented by St. Paul as applicable to every believer, throughout all ages: “The Lord hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me [Note: Hebreus 13:5.].” And the confirmation of these promises by an oath [Note: See Note b.] was intended by God to administer consolation to us, no less than to those to whom they were immediately delivered; as St. Paul further assures us: “God, willing more abundantly to shew 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 [Note: Hebreus 6:17.].” Yet I must confess that they are to be used with caution. We should be careful,

1. As to the persons to whom they belong—

[It is the believer alone who is really interested in the promises of God. What part or lot in them has the unbeliever? None at all. It is “in Christ alone that they are made over to us:” and we must be “in Christ,” before they can truly belong to us. Before we take hold, then, on any particular promise as belonging to us, we should ask ourselves, whether we have really come to Christ, and are living by faith upon him? There are many who speak with extreme boldness on this subject, as though every promise in the Bible must be fulfilled to them, whilst yet they have never truly repented of their sins, nor over experienced a thorough change of heart and life. There are in some a surprising hardness, and boldness, and confidence, which, in my estimation, mark them as lying under a very desperate delusion: and the more confident they are, the more I tremble for their state. The promises of God’s blessed word are for the humble, the broken, the contrite: they are entitled to take to themselves every promise in the word of God: but, where these dispositions are wanting, faith is a mere phantom, and confidence a delusion. Let this, then, be well and clearly ascertained. “Examine carefully whether ye be in the faith.” “Prove and try your ownselves,” and, when that point is satisfactorily determined, then take to yourselves every promise of the Lord: and look upon all that he has promised, as your inalienable, everlasting inheritance.]

2. As to the extent to which they are to be applied—

[A distinction must be made between that which, in the first instance, was personal or temporal, and that which was intended for the Church at Large. The promises are not to be applied to ourselves, any further than as our circumstances accord with those of the persons to whom they were made: and the accomplishment of them is to be expected chiefly, if not exclusively, in a spiritual view. Take, for instance, the promises made to Moses and to all Israel, under the peculiar difficulties to which they were reduced: it would be perfectly absurd to expect the fulfilment of them to ourselves at this day, any further than a correspondence of circumstances rendered them applicable to our own case, If this rule be not attended to, we shall both raise in ourselves the most unwarrantable expectations, and subject God himself to the imputation of violating his own word.]

3. As to the use that is to be made of them when so applied—

[Doubtless they are intended to comfort and encourage the Lord’s people, under all their trials. But they are not intended to supersede the exertions of any, or to foster in them any undue security. God will not work, but by means: and he expects us to use the means, as if we were labouring to accomplish every thing by our own unassisted efforts; whilst yet we renounce all confidence in ourselves, and rely only upon him. Take, for instance, the promises in our text. Are we to hope that God will keep us as a peculiar people, unless we “come out from the world [Note: 2 Coríntios 6:17.],” and endeavour to “keep ourselves unspotted from it [Note: Tiago 1:27.]?” Or are we to assure ourselves that “God will not cast us off for all that we have done,” if we never humble ourselves for our past sins, or endeavour to avoid sin in future? The great use of the promises is, to convey to us those blessings which in ourselves we are unable to attain: and, if we improve them not for these ends, we do but deceive ourselves, and betray to ruin our own souls.]

Lay down, therefore, for yourselves the following rules:
1.

Seek to gain Christ himself, as your portion—

[“The promise of life,” and of every thing pertaining to it, “is in Christ Jesus [Note: 2 Timóteo 1:1.].” And if we apprehend him, we become possessed of every thing that is good, in title at least, if not in actual possession; for “all things are ours, if we are Christ’s [Note: 1 Coríntios 3:22.]” In him all the promises of God are Yea, and in him Amen [Note: 2 Coríntios 1:20.],” sure, irreversible, eternal. Our first object, therefore, must be to obtain an interest in Christ. And I can never too strongly inculcate this: for if, “instead of entering into the fold by the door, you climb up some other way,” you will only deceive yourselves to your ruiu [Note: João 10:1; João 10:9.]

2. Embrace his promises with humility—

[By humility, I do not mean a hesitation whether you shall rely upon them, or a doubting whether you are worthy to embrace them. Those are the actings, not of humility, but of pride and unbelief. For who in the whole universe is worthy? Or what humility is there in questioning the truth of God? It is, as unworthy, that you are to lay hold of them, and to plead them before God in faith and prayer: and, provided only you embrace them as unworthy, and regard them as made to you only in Christ, and for Christ’s sake, you can never place too strong an affiance in them: “the stronger you are in faith, the more will you give glory to God [Note: Romanos 4:20.]”. “But that against which I wish to guard you, is, the hardness of which I before spoke. Truly, there is, amongst some professors of religion, a mode of speaking about their own interest in the promises which is disgusting in the highest degree, and, I really think, impious. Their want of reverence for God shews, that they are deluded by the devil, who has appeared to them under the semblance of “an angel of light [Note: 2 Coríntios 11:14.].” I wish not to rob you of one atom of joy: but I would have you always to “rejoice with trembling [Note: Salmos 2:11.]” and, however strong your faith may be, I would say, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall [Note: 1 Coríntios 10:12.]:” “Be not high-minded, but fear [Note: Romanos 11:20.].”]

3. Improve them all with care—

[What will be the effect of the promises on the Jews, in the day that they shall be restored to the Divine favour? “They will come with weeping; and with supplication will God lead them [Note: ver. 8, 9.].” Nor shall this frame be incompatible with joy: on the contrary, it. shall be a prelude to joy [Note: ver. 12, 13.],” even as the seed-time is to the harvest [Note: Salmos 126:5.]: and it will be followed with holiness as its never-failing attendant [Note: Ezequiel 36:25.]. Hear what St. Peter says: “God has given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by them we may be partakers of a divine nature, and escape the corruptions that are in the world through lust [Note: 2 Pedro 1:4.].” Only improve them to this end, and you can never rely on them too strongly, or plead them too confidently before God. To all of you, then, I would say, having so many and grant promises, Dearly beloved, let us use them to their proper end, even to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God [Note: 2 Coríntios 7:1.].”]