The
Promise of Temporal Benefits
From “A View of the Covenant of Grace” by Thomas Boston.
Thomas Boston (1676-1732) was a pastor of God's flock in
Ettrick,
Scotland, whose preaching God abundantly
blessed in the saving of many souls. The son of a Presbyterian who knew the
Lord and was imprisoned for non-conformity, Boston
was raised in times of murderous persecution. Nevertheless, he lived to see
God’s people flourish and multiply, as “the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved” (Acts
2:47). He is perhaps best known for his part in the reprinting of “The
Marrow of Modern Divinity”, a book which distinguishes the Covenant of Works
from the Covenant of Grace.
In
the fifth and last place, the promise of eternal life to the elect, considered
in this period, comprehends a promise of temporal benefits to be conferred on
them, and every one of them, being united to Christ;
and that in such measure, as God sees meet for his own glory and
their good. This promise stands embodied with the spiritual promises in the
covenant: Ezekiel 36:29, “I will also save you from all your uncleannesses;
and I will call for the corn, and will increase it.” Hosea
2:22, “The earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall
hear Jezreel.” Indeed, this is
not the principal thing contained in the promissory part of the covenant: but
it is a necessary addition thereto; as the present state of the saints, while
in this world, doth require, Matthew 6:33. And thus godliness, as the apostle
observes, 1 Timothy 4:8, “hath promise of the
life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
When
God took man into the first covenant, he made provision in it for his
temporal, as well as for his spiritual and eternal welfare. He gave him a
right to, and dominion over the creatures in the earth, sea, and air; giving
and granting unto him full power, soberly to use them, and to dispose of them,
for God’s glory and his own comfort: and this lordship to be holden of him
as Sovereign Lord of all, firm and irreversible, by the tenor of that
covenant, as long as he should continue in his obedience; but to be forfeited
to all intents and purposes, in case he should by transgression break the
covenant, Genesis 1:28, and 2:16, 17. But man continued not in this honour: he
brake God’s covenant, and so fell from that his
right to, and dominion over the creatures. By his transgression he forfeited
life itself; and consequently lost his covenant-right to all the means and
comforts of life. And in this condition are all natural men, with respect to
these things. They have no covenant-right to the means and comforts of life,
whatever portion of them they are possessed of. All the right that they have
to them, is a mere providential, precarious right;
such as a condemned man hath to his food, during the time his execution in
delayed at the pleasure of the prince. This is a most uncertain and
uncomfortable holding: nevertheless
it so far avails, that they are not, properly speaking, violent possessors of
temporal benefits; having just the same right to them, as to their forfeited
life, while it is left to them by the disposal of providence. Wherefore the
worst of men may lawfully eat and drink, and take the benefit of other
necessaries of life, whatever Satan may suggest to the contrary in the hour of
temptation; yea, they ought to do it, and they sin against God egregiously if
they do it not; because he hath
said, Thou shalt not kill.
But
the second Adam having undertaken to bear the curse, and to give perfect
obedience to the law, in the name of his spiritual seed; there was thereupon
made a promise of restoring to them the forfeited life, with all the means
thereof; and particularly, a promise of the good things requisite for the
support and comfort of their temporal life in this world, till at death they
be carried home to heaven. And the performance of this promise to them,
is begun immediately upon their uniting with Christ: then their
covenant-relation to the first Adam is found to be lawfully dissolved; the
forfeiture is taken off; and a new covenant-right to the creatures is given
them; 1 Corinthians
3:22
, 23. “All are yours; and ye are Christ’s.” And it goes on, all along
till death; so much of this their
stock being from time to time put into their hands, as the great Administrator
sees needful for them. And whether that be little or much, they do from that
moment possess it by a new title: it
is theirs by covenant.
Now
this promise is grafted upon the promise made to Christ, of his inheriting all
things. For they that are his, are joint-heirs with him, Romans 8:17. To
inherit all things too, through him, Revelation 21:7. The estate and honour
which the first Adam lost for himself and family,
by his disobedience in breaking of the first covenant, was, in the second,
made over by promise to Christ the second Adam for him and his, upon the
condition of his obedience. The which obedience
being performed, the whole ancient estate of the family was recovered,
together with the honours thereunto belonging. The ancient dominion was
restored, in the person of Christ as
second Adam: and all his mystical
members partake thereof in him. This the Psalmist teacheth: Psalm 8:4, “What
is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son
of man, that thou visitest him?” verse
5, “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned
him with glory and honour.” Verse
6, “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands
: thou hast put all things under his feet:” verse 7, “All sheep and
oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field:” verse 8, “The fowl of the air,
and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the
seas.” Though there is here a manifest view to the first Adam and all
mankind in him, as they were happily and honourably stated at their creation;
yet we are infallibly assured by the apostle, that this passage
is meant of Christ the second Adam,
Hebrews 2:6–9, and his mystical members in him, verse 6. Accordingly,
Abraham had the promise, that he should be the heir of the world: and he had
it through the righteousness of faith, i.e.
the righteousness which faith apprehends, Romans 4:13. Now, Abraham was a type
of Christ, and the father of the faithful, who are all blessed as he was.
Therefore this promise was primarily to Christ, through the righteousness by him wrought; secondarily to
his members, through the same righteousness apprehended by faith.
This
promise of temporal benefits, carries believers’
possession of the same, as far as their need in that kind doth go, Philippians
4:19. Of which need, not they themselves, but their Father is the fit judge,
Matthew 6:32. Accordingly, there
are two chief branches of the promise, namely, a promise of provision, and a
promise of protection.
1.
A promise of provision of good things necessary for this life; upon which they
may confidently trust God for them, whatever straits they are at any time
reduced to: Psalm 34:10, “The
young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord, shall not
want any good thing.” Their meat and drink are secured for them in the
covenant: the which being perceived by faith, cannot miss to give them a
peculiar relish; however mean their fare be, as to
quantity or quality: Isaiah 33:16, “Bread shall be given him, his waters
shall be sure.” They shall be fed, though they be
not feasted: Psalm 37:3, “Verily
thou shalt be fed.” They shall have enough, they shall be satisfied, Joel
2:26
. And even days of famine shall not mar that their satisfaction:
Psalm 37:19, “In
the days of famine they shall be satisfied.” And as sleep for
their refreshment is necessary too, the promise bears it also:
Proverbs 3:24, “Thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”
They need clothing, and provision is made as to it:
Matthew
6:30
, “If God so clothe the grass of the
field,––shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
Having made them, by covenant, a new grant of life and of a body, which
are more than meat and clothing, he will not refuse them these lesser things
necessary for the support of the greater: verse 25, “Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment?” Thus our fallen first parents, having
believed and embraced the promise of life, had, with the new grant of life,
food and raiment provided for them, as is particularly taken notice of,
Genesis 3:15, 18, 21. A blessing also on their
labours is promised, and success in their lawful callings and affairs, Isaiah
65:21–23. In a word, the
covenant bears, that God will withhold no good thing from them that live
uprightly, Psalm 84:11.
2.
There is also a promise of protection from the evil things that concern this
life: Psalm 91:10, “There shall no evil befall thee;” verse 11, “For he
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
Together with the bread and the water provided by the covenant for them to
live on, the munitions of rocks are secured to them for a place of defence,
where they may safely enjoy them, Isaiah 33:16. The same Lord
who is a sun to nourish them, will be a shield to protect them, Psalm 84:11.
He will be a wall of fire round about them, to cherish them, and to keep off,
scare, and fright away their enemies, Zechariah 2:5. The covenant yields a
broad covert for the safety of believers: Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover thee
with his feathers.” The covert of the covenant is stretched out over their
bodies; over their health to preserve it, while it is necessary for God’s
honour and their own good: Proverbs 3:7, “Fear the Lord, and depart from
evil;” verse 8, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones;” over their lives, as long as God has any service for them in this
world: so in sickness they are carefully seen to:
Psalm 41:3, “Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness;” their
diseases healed, and they recovered, Psalm 103:3, 4. And they are delivered
from enemies that seek their life, Psalm 41:2. Yea, when death rides in
triumph, having made havoc on all sides of them, as by sword or pestilence,
they are found safe under the covert of the covenant, Psalm 91:6, 7. This
covert is stretched over their names, credit, and reputation: Job 5:21,
“Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue:” either the tongues of
virulent men shall not reach them; or else if they shall be permitted to make
it stick for a while, the covert of the covenant shall wipe all off at length,
and their righteousness shall be brought forth as the light, and their
judgement as the noon-day, Psalm 37:6. It is stretched over their houses and
dwelling-places: Psalm 91:10, “Neither shall any plague come near thy
dwelling.” It goes round about their substance, making a hedge about all
that they have, Job 1:10. Yea, and there is a lap of it to cast over their
widows and children, when they are dead and gone:
Jeremiah 49:11, “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them
alive, and let thy widows trust in me.”
Reference
“A
View of the Covenant of Grace” by Thomas Boston. Focus Christian Ministries
Trust, 1990. pp 552-558.
