long outward or inward trouble is fit for every one; and, where the less will serve, will not use the more; knows what need some spirits have to be bruised and broken beyond others, either under disgrace and poverty, or the proper pressures of the Spirit within, apprehensions of wrath, or withdrawments, at least of comforts, and hath set his days for deliverance of his church, and of every believer under affliction. So the style of the prophet, In that day, speaking as of a certain prefixed day, and which no power or wit of man can disappoint. And it is so chosen, as it shall be evident to be the fittest, that it could not so well either have been sooner or later all things concurring to make it most seasonable to his people, and honourable to his own name. "The vision for the appointed time, (Hab. ii. 3,) though it tarry, wait for it, it shall come, and shall not tarry." That is strange, though it tarry, it shall not tarry. But in the original there are two words, the one importing an undue slowness, or constrained retardment, that cannot be so. "It shall not tarry, though it tarry," that is, though it stay itself, and come not till the appointed time: so the other word signifies. Thus Ps. cii. 13: "He will arise, and have mercy upon Zion; for the set time is come." Now, for this the Lord waits: it is not want of love, but abundance of wisdom that he delivers not sooner: hath chosen the fittest time, in his all-discerning wisdom; yet there is in his love an earnest kind of longing that the time were come. Thus here," He waits to be gracious," and will be exalted, will cheerfully and gladly raise up himself, and appear to shew mercy to his people, and bring his enemies low; coming forth, as it were, to judgment, and sitting down on his throne, in which posture he was not seen while they prevailed and triumphed, and his church was under their oppression; but when the time of their restoring and consolation comes, he then is to sit on his throne, and so is exalted to shew them mercy. Hence the Psalmist so often desires, that the Lord would arise, (Ps. lxxvi. 10, xiv. 22,) and utters predictions, assuring that he will arise; and exciting his people to rejoice in that. Ps. ix. 7, 8, and Ps. xcvi., xcvii., xcviii. Thus the church in her saddest condition ought hopefully to remember and rest on it, that the day is determined and cannot fail. Our salvation is in God; he laughs at his enemies, when they are at the top of prosperity and pride-sees that their day is coming. Now certainly the firm persuasion of this would much stay our minds; but either we do not believe, or do not improve, and use these truths, and draw that comfort from them, that abounds in them. Our God loses no time; "He is waiting, till his appointed time;" and if he wait, it becomes us so to do: that is our duty here, to wait on him; this faith does, and so makes not haste, neither goes out to any undue means, nor frets impatiently within, at the deferring of deliverance, but quietly rests on God, and waits for him. This, as it is our duty, so our happiness, and so it is here expressed. Upon consideration, that the Lord waits to be gracious, and will be exalted to shew mercy, the prophet is carried to that acclamation, to the happiness of believers: O! blessed they that wait for him! Their thoughts fall in, and meet with his: for he is waiting for the same day they wait for; and if he be not disappointed, they shall not. We are naturally irregular in our affections and notions; and the only ordering of them, is by reducing them to a conformity with the ways and thoughts of God, that keep an unalterable, fixed course, as the heavens. The way, I say, to rectify our thoughts is, to set them by his; as clocks and watches, that so readily go wrong, too slow or too fast, are ordered by the sun, that keeps its course. Oh! that we were more careful to set and keep our hearts in attendance on God, winding them up in meditation of him, and conforming them in their motions and desires to his disposal in all; for all that concerns us, and for the times of all, being quiet, yea, glad in this, that the Psalmist makes his joy, My times are in thy hands, O Lord; and sure that is the best. Were I to choose, they should be in no other hands, neither mine own, nor any others'. Alas! what silly poor creatures are we! How little do we know what is fit for us in any kind; and still less what time is fit for any mercy to be bestowed upon us! When he withholds mercies or comforts for a season, it is but the due season; it is but to ripen them for us, which we in childish haste would pluck green, when they would neither be so sweet nor so wholesome. Therefore it is our wisdom and our peace to resign all things into his hands, to have no will nor desires, but only of this, that we may still wait for him all shall be well enough, if we be but rid of the vain hopes and expectations of this world. None who indulge them are so well, but they are still waiting for somewhat further. Now, amidst all that, our soul may say with David, and speak it to God, as known to him, that it is so indeed: "And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee." My expectation, or waiting, the same word that is here, is all placed upon thee. Is it so, my brethren? Are our hearts gathered in from other things, to this attendance, while the most about us are gaping for the wind? Have we laid all up in God, to desire and wait for him, and pretend to nothing besides him? : I would do so (may a soul think); but can I hope that he will look on me, and bestow himself on such a one as I am? To that I say nothing but, look on his word if thou thinkest that warrant good enough, here it is for thee, that they are certainly blessed who wait for him. This is assurance enough. Never was any that waited for him miserable with disappointment. Whosoever thou art that dost indeed desire him, and desirest to wait for him, sure thou resolvest to do it in his ways, wherein he is to be found, and wilt not willingly depart from these; that were foolishly to deceive thyself, and not be true to thine own end; therefore look to that; do not keep company with any sin; it may surprise thee sometimes as an enemy, but let it not lodge with thee as a friend. And mind this other thing-prescribe nothing to God. If thou hast begun to wait, faint, not, give not up, wait on still. It were good reason, were it but upon little hope, at length to find him ; but since it is upon unfailing assurance, that in the end thou shalt obtain, what folly were it, to lose all, for want of waiting a little longer! See Ps. xl. 1: "In waiting, I waited, waited and better waited," but all was overpaid; he did hear me: so Ps. cxxx.: "I wait and wait, until the morning." These two joined are all, and may well go together-earnest desire, and patient attendance. These words, as others of the prophet's we call consolations, I. conceive, look beyond the deliverances from outward troubles, to the great promise of the Messias. Sure I am, the strain of something following is too high for that, and cannot but have an aspect to the days of the gospel, as that, ver. 26. Now, the Lord hath set his time, that fulness of time for the coming of the blessed Son in the flesh, and till that time came, the Lord was waiting to be gracious, to open up his treasures more fully than ever before; which when he did, then was he exalted to shew mercy, and exalted in shewing mercy. Christ himself was lifted up on the cross, there to shew that rich mercy that is for ever to be admired; lifted up, to shew his bowels, as the word is here. Did he not let us see into his heart, there to read that love which can no otherwise be uttered? And in that the Lord was most eminently manifested a God of judgment; wisdom, and justice, and mercy, all shining brightest in that contrivance. There He was lifted up, and then after that lifted up into glory, who is the desire of the nations, the salvation and joy of all ages, both before and after. Before he came, they were from one age to another waiting, and more particularly at the time of his coming; God stirred up the expectation of believers to welcome him, being so near. Luke ii. 25, 38. And in all times, before and after that, he is the happiness of souls, and they only are blessed that wait for him. Whether you do, or do not believe it now, the day is coming, when all the world shall know it to be so. SERMON VIII. JEREMIAH Xiv. 7—9: O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee. O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a way-faring man, that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. If we look backwards and forwards in this chapter, we find the three great executioners of God's anger in the world foretold, as having received commission against this people. In all troubles felt or feared, this is still the great recourse of them that are acquainted with it, and can use it, PRAYER. And their labour in it is not altogether lost, even where the judgment is determined and unalterable, as here it was; for some mitigations of time and measure are desirable, and by prayer attainable: and whatsoever there is of that kind, the prayers that have been made long before, have had a concurrence and influence in it, and always at the least, prayer carries the personal good of them that present it; if it return unto their bosom, as David speaks, without effect for others, it returns not thither |