'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — July 11

By faith you can extract the comfort of a promise from most scriptures. There are innumerable types and implied promises that we can apply. A life of faith lives in the strength of a promise. Faith reasons with God on the basis of his promises with a holy kind of reasoning. A promise given to another can also be applied specifically to us if there is no special reason for its restriction. Types can be personally applied as promises: manna from heaven as spiritual nourishment by Christ. Temporal promises can be applied to spiritual, and spiritual to temporal. ‘If God gives his beloved food, will he let the soul famish? Will he deliver the soul from death, but not provide a few husks of the things of the earth?' Believers should also not hesitate to claim conditional promises because the condition is poorly met. It may be that grace has not broken into an outward flame, but it is smouldering. You may not have grown to the height of a cedar, but Christ delights in bruised reeds. This should not discourage you from applying the promises. He offers conditions at a low rate. Believing is more acceptable to God and gives a clearer title to the promise than the condition attached to it. Meeting the conditions cannot obtain the promise without faith. If you bring faith to a promise you bring that which is most pleasing to God. And claiming one promise gives you an interest in all. The first act of faith gives you an interest in Christ, and all who have Christ, have all. He that believes has a right to all the promises, and may confidently apply them all. God had you in mind when he made the promise. What a sweet encouragement is this! Act and live by faith, and consider that you were in the thoughts and eyes of God when he promised.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
David Clarkson, Works, I:187-193
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