Faith Makes Both Past and Future Mercies Present to the Soul
“Faith gives a present subsistence, to forepast1 works as recorded, and future mercies as promised, to support the soul in an evil day.”2
The apostle tells us, that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
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“Of things hoped for”: it looks forward to the promises, and so gives the substance of them in present possession, so confirming our minds and hearts, that they may have a subsistence as it were within us, though not actually made out unto us.¶3
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It is “the evidence of things not seen”: it extends itself not only to things promised, but taking for its object the whole word of God, it makes evident, and present, things that are past also.¶
The faith commended, is of things long since done, even the making of the “things that are seen” of the “things that do not appear” (Heb. 11:3). “Abraham saw my day,” says our Savior (John 8:56). He saw it as Habakkuk saw the tents of Cushan in affliction (Hab. 3:7). Faith made it present to him: all the ages between him and his promised seed were as nothing to his keen-sighted faith. Hence the apostle puts the mercies of the promise, all in one form and rank as already wrought, though some of them were enjoyed and some of them in this life cannot be. “Whom he hath justified, them he hath glorified” (Rom. 8:30): he has done it for them already, because he has made them believe it, and that gives it a present subsistence in their spirits. And for forepast works, they are still mentioned by the saints, as if they had been done in their days, before their eyes. Elisha calls up to remembrance a former miracle, to the effecting the like (2 Kings 2:14).
Sermons and Tracts from the Civil Wars (1646–1649)
John Owen, Martyn C. Cowan
Volume 18 includes 5 sermons that Owen delivered at a time of civil war, addressing matters such as providence and toleration. It has been edited for modern readers by Martyn C. Cowan.
There be three things, in the past, or future mercies, which faith makes present to the soul, giving in the substance of them, (1) their love, (2) their consolation, (3) their use and benefit.
(1) The love of them: the love that was in former works, and the love that is in promised mercies, that faith draws out, and really makes ours. The love of every recorded deliverance, is given to us by faith. It looks into the goodwill, the free grace, the loving-kindness of God, in every work that ever he did for his, and cries, “Yet this is mine: this is the kernel of that blessing, and this is mine: for the same good-will, the same kindness he has towards me also. Were the same outward actings needful, I should have them also.” The free love of every mercy is faith’s proper object. It makes all Joshua’s great victories, present to every one of us. The promise that had the love and grace in it which ran through them all, is given him: “I will be with thee, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Josh. 1:5). Now the apostle tells us, that the truth and love of this promise is ours (Heb. 13:5). Faith may, does assure itself, that what goodwill soever, was in all the great mercies which Joshua received upon that promise, is all ours. All the goodwill and choice love of, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” is mine and thine, if we are believers. He that has this present, has all Joshua’s victories present. The very glory of the saints in heaven is ours in the love of it. We enjoy that love, which gave them glory, and will crown us also in due time.
He that believes in Christ, by that believing receives Christ, he becomes his.
(2) In their comforts and refreshments. “Thou gavest leviathan to be meat to the people in the wilderness” (Ps. 14).4 They fed their souls full of the sweetness of that mercy, the destruction of their oppressing tyrant: we chew the cud upon the blessings of former ages. Who has not with joy, delight, and raised affections, gone over the old preservations of the church in former years? How does David run them over with admiration, closing every stop with, “His mercy endureth for ever”? Psalm 136. And for things to come, as yet in the promise only, whether general to the whole church, as the calling of the Jews, the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles, the breaking out of light, beauty and glory upon the churches and saints, the confusion of nations not subjecting themselves to the standard of the gospel, etc. or in particular, farther assurance of love than presently enjoyed, nearer communion with Father and Son, being with Christ, freed from misery and corruption, dwelling with God for ever, how does faith act over these and the like things in the heart, leaving a savor and relish of their sweetness continually upon the soul? O how sweet also are the things of the world to come unto poor believers! Christ leads the soul by faith, not only into the chambers of presently enjoyed loves, but also into the foreprepared everlasting mansions in his Father’s house.5 Thus it gives poor mortal creatures, a sweet relish of eternal joys: brings heaven into a dungeon, glory into a prison, a crown into a cottage, Christ into a slaughterhouse.
Two Reasons for This Observation
Reason 1. From the nature of faith: though it do not make the thing believed to be (the act cannot create its own object), yet applying it, it makes it the believer’s. It is the bond of union between the soul and the thing promised. He that believes in Christ, by that believing receives Christ (John 1:12), he becomes his. It is a grace uniting its subject and object, the person believing, and the thing believed. There needs no ascending into heaven or descending, the word of faith makes all things nigh, even within us (Rom. 10:6–7). Some glasses will present things at a great distance very near: faith looking through the glass of the gospel, makes the most remote mercies to be not only in a close distance, but in union. It “is the subsistence of things hoped for,” that which they have not in themselves, it gives them in the full-assured minds of believers.
Reason 2. From the intendment of all mercies: they are for every believer. All things are theirs, world, life, death, things present, things to come (1 Cor. 2:22).6 All promises being made to every believer, and all mercies being the fruit of these promises, they must all belong to every believer. Now if all these should be kept from us at that distance wherein they fail in their accomplishment in respect of time, what would they avail us? God therefore has appointed that they shall have a real, though not a natural presence and subsistence at all times, to all believers.
Two Uses from This Observation
Use the Past to Transform the Present Use
Use 1. See hence what use you make of past mercies, deliverances, blessings, with promised incomings: carry them about you, by faith, that you may use them at need: “Where is the God of Elijah”:7 “Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord,”8 etc. “I saw the tents of Cushan”: take store mercies along with you in every trial. Use them, or they’ll grow rusty, and not pass in heaven. Learn to eat leviathan many years after his death. Forget not your pearls, scatter not away your treasure, be rich in a heap of mercies, faith will make you so. The love, the comfort, the benefit of all former and future blessings are yours, if you know how to use them. Oh how have we lost our mercies in every hedge and ditch! Have none of us skill to lay up the last eminent deliverance against a rainy day?
Use the Future to Transform the Present
[Use] 2. Learn how to make the poorest and most afflicted condition, comfortable and full of joy. Store your cottage, your sickbed, by faith, with all sorts of mercies. They are the richest furniture in the world. Gather up what is already cast out, and fetch the rest from heaven. Bring the firstfruits of glory into your bosom. See the Jews called, the residue of opposers subdued, the gospel exalted, Christ enthroned, all your sins pardoned, corruption conquered, glory enjoyed: roll yourself in those golden streams every day. Let faith fetch in new and old: ancient mercies, for your supportment, everlasting mercies, for your consolation. He that has faith, has all things.
Notes:
- I.e., bygone.
- In the text: faith gives a present, &c.—Owen. 107
- The ¶ symbol indicates that a paragraph break has been added to Owen’s original text.
- The correct reference is Ps. 74:14.
- John 14:2.
- The correct reference is 1 Cor. 3:22.
- 2 Kings 2:14.
- Isa. 51:9.
This article is adapted from Sermons and Tracts from the Civil Wars (1646–1649) (Volume 18) by John Owen.
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