When a person has received a temporal mercy, which he prayed for, how shall he know whether it is granted in answer to prayer, and comes to him as a covenant blessing?
(From Cases of Conscience, by S. Pike and S. Hayward; London, May, 1775.)
It ought to be the concern of every person, that has any regard for his own soul, to see that his temporal mercies come to him with a divine blessing. Such a pious concern as this excited a friend to put this question to me; and, seeing the importance of it, I have therefore ventured to take it under consideration, and shall do these three things:—1. State the question itself. 2. Give a solution to it. 3. Make an improvement of it.
I. As for the question itself, I conceive it to stand in the following light. A person who hopes he has experienced the love of God in a covenant way, is earnestly desirous to receive every mercy, as coming from the hand of a covenant God, with love in his heart, with a smile in his countenance, and with the addition of his blessing. The gracious soul is supposed to have been in earnest with God, for a particular, important favour of divine providence; the consequence of which has been, that God has been pleased to grant him the mercy he requested. He is therefore ready to hope that it comes in answer to prayer, and desires that his heart may be affected with it, not only as a providential favour, but likewise as an instance and token of God’s especial love. But he is desirous to know how he shall be assured that it comes as a token of the divine acceptance; and would be glad to be certified, whether he may venture to look upon the present providential favour in this encouraging light. He knows it is the very mercy he has prayed for; he knows likewise, it is such a favour as calls for special gratitude, and his conscience tells him that his soul was enlarged in prayer for it. These things then he is well assured of: but at the same time he sees he cannot from hence positively conclude, that the favour is sent in answer to prayer; and if it be, he cannot from hence be certain that it comes with a divine blessing. For he is ready to suspect, that he has been too eager in his supplications for a temporal blessing; that he has laid too great a stress upon it; and therefore fears, though it may be granted, it may be given to him not in love, but in anger. He is therefore very desirous to know in what manner, and upon what plan, he may judge in this affair; whether the favour comes in anger, or in love; and whether he may humbly depend upon a divine blessing, to make it turn out for his real and spiritual good. And doubtless nothing would be matter of greater joy and pleasure to a gracious soul, than to have reason to conclude, that a divine blessing will attend the providential mercy received; and, on the other hand, nothing can be a greater damp to a serious mind, than to have a prevailing suspicion, that what is granted will rather prove a snare and stumbling-block, than a covenant blessing. This is the question: but to amplify it a little, I would endeavour to make it familiar by an instance or two. You know that every Christian prays that God would give him day by day his necessary food. Now this temporal favour is what God gives unto those that do not pray for it, and have no sense of their dependence upon him for it: neither can we be sure that our daily provision is sanctified to us, merely because we pray for it, and God gives it. Again, perhaps in some special cases we pray for a deliverance out of some great trouble, as for the granting of some important favour in providence; and since it does not immediately follow, that these special mercies granted will be attended with a divine blessing, the question still remains, How shall we know whether they come in covenant love? I would therefore now proceed,
II. To give a solution to this serious and experimental question. And here let it be observed, that three or four things are previously necessary to assure us that what we receive comes to us in a covenant way.
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The person praying must be one in covenant with God. One who is destitute of saving blessings may be so far led into the knowledge of divine providence, as to be stirred up to pray for a temporal mercy; yea, and to be thankful for it, when he has received it: and yet this cannot assure him that it will be really blessed to him. God may hear the cries, and answer the requests, of an unregenerate person; and yet, after all, there is still a curse upon his basket and store: for we know, that, as to unrenewed persons, their very prosperity is cursed. Thus God heard Ahab, when he humbled himself; and yet it does not appear that he was ever savingly renewed. Thus the mariners in Jonah’s ship prayed every one to his god, and the Lord answered their request; but we have no reason to think that their deliverance came as a covenant blessing to them. Let not any therefore presume to infer that they are interested in God’s special love, merely because he answers their prayers with respect to temporal favours. But if thou art a person in covenant, and hast an interest in the blessings of grace, thou hast then the more reason to hope that what is granted comes with a blessing. For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, Rom. viii, 28. No temporal mercy can come as a covenant blessing to a person who is destitute of saving grace, unless it be made a means of bringing him to Christ; but it may be granted as such to one who is already in Christ by vital union to him.
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The mercy prayed for must be such as is lawful for us to ask at the hands of God. Sometimes the desires of the children of men, nay, and of the children of God too, are so wild and irregular, that they seek after what would rather be hurtful than helpful to them; and if we were allowed to choose for ourselves in all temporal cases, we should many a time make a wretched choice; yea, and if God was to answer such requests, he would do it, not in love, but in anger. Thus we find the Israelites asked flesh for their lusts, and he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls, Ps. cvi, 15.
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The views of the mind in asking the blessing must likewise be lawful. Perhaps we may desire a particular favour in order to gratify our pride, to indulge our lusts, or to be at a greater liberty to enjoy ourselves, without bringing any glory to God. Now when a person prays for a temporal favour with such views, he has no reason to expect it will be granted him; or, if granted, that it will be a blessing to him. For it is a mocking of God to ask a temporal favour with such a view: and it would be rather a mercy than a judgment, for God to deny such a request, James iv, 3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, to consume it upon your lusts. We should therefore look well to our aims and ends in praying for a providential mercy, if we hope to have it granted in love.
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The methods taken to obtain the mercy sought likewise be lawful. For however valuable the favour may be in itself; yet, if it be obtained in an unlawful manner, we have no reason to expect the divine blessing upon it. It is true, God may, and sometimes does, bring good out of evil, as in the case of Jacob’s obtaining his father’s blessing by fraud. But this must be no pattern to us: nor can we expect that God should smile upon unlawful means; and though they should prove successful, it is a thousand to one but what is obtained becomes a snare, a trap, a stumbling-block, and a recompense to us, Rom. xi, 9.
These four things, I say, must be previously supposed; otherwise we can have no reason to think that the mercy received will be a real blessing to us. And I farther apprehend, that supposing we are right in these four particulars, yet these of themselves are not sufficient to ascertain the present important point. For some other thoughts must be added, in order to give us ground to conclude that what we receive comes in a covenant way.
Are you then earnestly desirous to know whether a special temporal mercy comes with a divine smile and blessing? I must beg you to make the following inquiries.
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Inquire whether you have prayed for it as a covenant blessing. If our hearts are right with God, and our minds in a proper frame, when engaged in the duty of prayer, we do not ask for any mercy whatsoever, but with a higher view than as a temporal favour. We seek such a mercy, that God may be glorified, that our souls may be endeared to him, that we may be rendered more capable to honour him by what he gives us. We desire to receive it from Christ, not only as King of providence, but likewise as King of grace. We are willing to forego the mercy, if God sees it will not be for his glory and our good to grant it; and we dread the thoughts of receiving any favour merely as a temporal one. It is in the nature of true prayer in such a case to look abundantly above and beyond the mercy sought, however desirable it may be to flesh and blood. True prayer teaches us to seek such a favour as a branch of the covenant; as a mercy that would subserve the glory of God’s name and our spiritual good. We desire that the Father may be glorified in it, not only as a God of providence, but as a God of grace. We desire that the Son may be glorified by it, as a fruit of his redeeming love and grace. We desire that the Holy Spirit may be glorified in it, by making it effectual for quickening, humbling, and endearing purposes. Now, if these are our real views in seeking after a temporal mercy, we have the highest reason to think, that when it is granted, it comes from a covenant of God, attended with the blessing of Christ, and the influences of his Spirit.
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Inquire whether you received it as a covenant blessing. When it came into your hands, or when it was bestowed upon your persons or families, be solicitous to observe with what frame of spirit you received it. Was it merely as a temporal favour? Was it merely with thankfulness, because God had been so good to you, as thereby to increase your substance, your family, or reputation? If this was all, you have reason to fear, that it has not come in a covenant channel. But if, on the contrary, you have been made to see something of the connexion between temporal mercies and spiritual blessings, and have received the present mercy as a token of God’s love; and, if in its reception, it made such an impression upon your souls, as endeared your hearts to a God of grace, and stirred up your desires to spend and employ it for God in Christ; this is a happy token, that God has granted it as a real blessing.
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Inquire whether you enjoy it as a covenant blessing. Now you have the mercy, doubtless you rejoice in it, and are thankful for it; but how do you enjoy it? Oh, there is a great deal of difference between the enjoyment that a believer has of a mercy when in a right frame, and that enjoyment of it which others have. Unrenewed persons can taste a natural sweetness in a temporal mercy, and can enjoy it with a natural pleasure; but the believer in a right frame can take a spiritual pleasure, and taste a spiritual sweetness in the enjoyment of it. It is the real desire of a true believer, in the want of all things to enjoy all in God, and in the fulness of all things to enjoy God in all.
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Inquire whether you endeavour to improve the mercy as a covenant blessing. You have now got what you prayed for; and what do you desire now to do with it? Are you for making the best of it only in a natural way, and upon carnal principles? Or, are you for improving it in a way of gratitude to the God of grace, who has freely given you his Son, and has in him, and with him, freely given you this and every other mercy you are partakers of?
If you can conscientiously and seriously give an answer in the affirmative to the foregoing questions upon a close examination, you may then with the utmost certainty conclude, that what you have received comes to you in a covenant way, and will be blessed to you and yours to answer the most desirable and spiritual purposes.