Back to the index.
There was a promise made to Abraham that there should come out of his body, albeit it was almost dead, innumerable multitudes of people, who should be as the stars in the heaven for multitude, or as the sand upon the sea shore,1 so that it should be as impossible to number these who came out of his loins as to number the stars or the grains of the sand; and he believed this promise, notwithstanding all that deadness; and accordingly it came to pass. Beloved, we do great wrong, and deceive ourselves of many things, if so be we believe not the promise of God, or when we trust no other promise but of our redemption; but we should trust him also in the performance of all other promises. When you can do that, then you may say, my soul trusts in God who has promised other things to me, as well as he has promised redemption. When you trust in God for nothing but salvation, that is but presumption; no, rather say, “Why should not I take my worldly estate from God as well as life everlasting?” As God has made many promises to us, let us strive to believe them all. It may be we have ado to trust both a present providence of God, and an extraordinary providence also; therefore let us believe both: then may you say: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And I have none in earth beside thee.” Then may you say: “Come now what will come, I will believe the promise of God;” for he is all in all to the believer; and join to your help to get a full assurance of faith: and what you find deficient, that you of yourself cannot attain, pray to God to increase it.