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Saturday, November 22, 2014

 

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Brethren In Christ
BY ALAN EYRE


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Nathanael Homes
On The Promises To Abraham

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PAGE 142

 

Wherein the Promises God made to Abraham, paralleled with other promises to his posterity are discussed, and with the Apostles' explications and applications of those Promises.

There are three aspects of the promises to Abraham:

1. A spiritual, yet visible salvation, delivered in express terms in the form and tenor of a covenant of grace, an everlasting covenant, with the plain expression of faith and of righteousness of faith, and of God's accounting faith to the believer for righteousness, and of blessing and with such a blessing as comes only through the one, and only one, seed of Abraham.

2. A happy and blessed possession, upon the face of the whole earth, saying that Abraham and his seed should be heir and possessors of the whole world.

3. A numerous multiplication of the seed of Abraham both of Jews and Gentiles, who through that salvation should attain to that possession. Yea, all the nations of the earth to be blessed in Abraham, and to be blessed in his seed.

Consonant to this Old Testament platform, do the excellent master-builders the apostles rear the superstructure with distinct reference to the places and particulars of the Old.

1. For salvation, they often express it under the notion of the righteousness of faith, and of imputing faith for righteousness, and of being blessed through faith.

2. For possession, it is expressed by the apostles that Abraham and his family leaving Mesopotamia, their own native country, and never returning though they might, and after that their sojourning in Canaan as strangers and pilgrims, though it was promised to them for an inheritance, did argue that they sought a country, an heavenly one, a city that hath foundations prepared by God. All of which, how can we better expound than by the Scriptures which tell us that we shall reign with Christ on earth a thousand years? (Rev. 20). In the next chapter (Rev. 21) they show us the

PAGE 143

place and state where and how -- viz. in the new heaven and earth, in the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, where God Himself shall be with them and be their God, and all tears shall be wiped away. Which cannot be meant of the highest heaven, but of a state on earth. The like whereof we have in 2 Peter 3:13 that the saints shall enjoy a new earth according to God's Promise, which promise (Isaiah 65:17) will not endure to be interpreted but of a state on earth.

3. For multiplication, the apostles' exposition of the Promises holds forth that they that are of the faith of Abraham are the children of Abraham, that God would justify the heathen through faith, according to the gospel preached to Abraham, that the blessing of Abraham shall come upon the Gentiles.

4. For the sealing of all these three, Christ is called the Mystery of Godliness (1 Timothy 3:16) because in his flesh is the glorious representation of God (Hebrews 1:2) and the effectual communication of the excellencies of God to us, by union with him and us (John 17:2; John 1:16). He is the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12); the meaning of all types (John 1:17), the fulfilment of all Promises to us. Thus Christ is a seal of our salvation, the true or antitypical Abraham, or Isaac, the everlasting father of all to be saved (Isaiah 9:6), the seed of Abraham made like unto his brethren.

As Christ is the seal or sealed One, of all those three, so also the Holy Spirit, Baptism and the Lord's Supper are seals of all three. The Spirit is a seal of all the Promises, therefore it is called

"The Spirit of Promise" (Ephesians 1:13, 14). The Spirit dictated to the Penmen of the Scriptures to leave us those promises, and thus brings home and applies those promises to every man's particular heart (2 Corinthians 3:3).

Next, baptism is a seal, as of salvation, so of possession, in bringing us to the Land of promise. Lastly, the Lord's supper, doth not only in the elements typify our spiritual nourishment and cherishment by Christ, but in the posture of sitting signifies our reigning and judging with Christ, the whole earth, as ruling

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and judging is oft expressed in Scripture by sitting (Matthew 19:28; Rev. 4:4; Luke 22:29-30). Eating and drinking at a table with Christ is put as a sign of a Kingdom and sitting on thrones or seats, a sign of judicature.119

 


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