I. The Lord's time of

and heard my cry," Pfal. xl. 1. giving out covenant-mercies, is the due time, the only time, the belt time, the fittest time. Thro' haftinefs of fpirit you may think it is more than time, that the promifed outgate, or promifed mercy were given; but thou art not a competent judge, in this cafe. If we get our mercies or outgate in our time, God would lofe the glory, and we would lofe the advantage he defigns thereby: he hath made every thing beautiful in his time, not in ours. Let nothing therefore hinder your waiting on him, in the way of his judgments. "He is a God of judgment, and bleffed are all they that wait for him," Ifa. xxx. 18.

We now proceed to offer fome directions, for the right management of this duty of waiting on the Lord in the way of his judgments.

Say you, I cannot wait for God, being of an unbelieving fretful fpirit. What help would you offer?

ANSW. In general, without a change of nature, by regenerating grace; and without ftrength, by the affifting grace of the Spirit, it is impoffible this duty can be performed. Be fenfible of this. And more particularly,

1. Labour to fee the infufficiency and vanity of all things befide God; and to have a right uptaking of his fufficiency, and graciousness through Chrift, to be forthcoming for thee in thy worft condition: without this, a foul will never wait for God. While people expect relief from the creature; and from this and the other mean; and fee not the infufficiency of all things befide God, and how unprofitable and unfuccefsful every courfe will prove, without him, they will never look to God and wait for him. And while people have no fpiritual uptaking of the fufficiency of God, for their upmaking in every condition, and of his gracioufnefs to make that fufficiency forthcoming through Chrift, but entertain jealous thoughts of God, they will not wait upon him: but if men had once a view of creature-infufficiency, and of God's all-fufficiency, and of his gracioufnefs to make it forthcoming, this would marvelloufly help to wait for him, and cry, "Afhur fhall not fave us, neither will we fay any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods," Hof. xiv.

3.

2. Frequently call up your fouls to this duty, refolutely effaying it, over the belly of all obftructions and difficulties; as in Ifa. viii. 17. Micah vii. 7. Pfal. iii. 5. Such refolutions would put the foul in a waiting and watching pofture.

3. By faith bring ftrength from Chrift, who can eafily impower you, Phil. iv. 13.; for, "Without him we can do nothing;" and bring all encouragement from the covenant, where there are promifes made of waiting, and to waiting. Pfal. xxvii. 14. "Wait on the Lord and be of good courage:" Object. But I cannot: why then it is added, "He will strengthen thine heart." There are alfo fweet promifes to waiting, Ifa. xl. 31. xxx. 18. lxiv. 4. "But they that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their ftrength: they fhall mount up with wings as eagles, they fhall run and not be weary, and they fhall walk and not faint. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment; bleffed are all they that wait for him.-For fince the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye feen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Lam. iii. 25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the foul that feeketh him."

Go

3. Be much in prayer for a waiting frame, and against the distempers, of the fpirit that hinders it. and tell God of your wants, and of your ills; and pray him to give that patience, faith, hope, and holy fubmiffion, and a waiting spirit; Their heart fhall live that

feek God."

5. Let it be a deed of the foul; My foul doth wait, faith the Pfalmift. (1.) Let it be a knowing diftin&t deed of the foul; Truly our foul waitetb for bim, Pfal. lxii. 1. (2.) A voluntary deed of the foul; not of neceffity, but of choice, and with delight, Mic. vii. 7. "I will wait for the God of my falvation." (3.) An earneft deed of the foul; Rom. viii. 19. "The earneft expectation of the creature, waiteth for the manifeftation of the fons of God;" as the weary watch waits and longs for the morning, Pfal. cxxx. 6. (4.) An humble deed of the foul. VOL. V. +Kk Wait

66

Waiting properly takes in the diftance that is between an inferior and fuperior, the perfon waited on, and the perfon waiting; As the eyes of the fervants look to the hands of their mafiers, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her miftrefs; fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us," Pfalm cxxiii. 2. Confider the great diflance between God, your heavenly Mafter, and you. (5.) Let it be a refolute deed like that, "I have fworn, and I will perform."--Pfalm xxvii. 4. "One thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." (6.) Let it be a fixed and conftant deed of the foul, notwithstanding of one disappointment on the back of another, during the whole way of his judgments, "Wait on thy God continually, Hof. xii. 6. I am weary of my crying, my throat is dried; mine eyes fail, while I wait upon thee," Pfal. Ixix. 3. Wait on God in the way following the text; "The defire of our foul is to thy name."

We now offer fome Motives to enforce a compliance with the duty. 1. Confider that God, and the good things you need, in your fad condition, are worth the waiting for, were it never fo long, Pfalm lxv. 5, 6, 7. My foul wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my falvation; he is my defence; I fhall not be moved. In God is my falvation and my glory: the rock of my ftrength, and my refuge is in God." Shall a hufbandman have patience for the fruit of the earth, and wait for the former and the latter rain; and the foldier wait for victory; the merchant for gain, and the watch for the morning; and yet fhall not fouls in trouble wait for God, their Rock, their Salvation, their Refuge, &c.? 2. The time of God's delaying promised mercies and relief, is God's waiting time, as well as ours, Ifa. xxx. 18. "He waiteth that he may be gracious." He expects a fuitable time to fhew mercy. Thou thinkeft thou waiteft long for God; but truly he waits as long for thee, and for a fit feafon to fhew mercy on the foul that waits for him, 3. Waiting for God in

trouble,

trouble, keeps from being taken away with the temptati on that attends the trouble. Satan takes the time of trouble to winnow poor fouls, with his temptations, and to drive them away from God to fome monftrous course or other, for relief: but when the foul is once got to a waiting pofture; they are much fecured against these temptations. I trufted in him, and am helped. Wait on the Lord, and he will firengthen thine heart." 4. God doth all things well; and maketh all things work together for good to them that love, and wait for him, Rom. viii. 28. They fhall all be brought to fay, that he hath dealt well with them, according to his word. Therefore, in the way of his judgments, let us wait on him. 5. Confider how complete he is; "Chrift is all and in all." Confider how defirable he is; "He is altogether lovely." Therefore wait on him even in the way of his judgments.

We have reafon to expect, that before good days. come, there fhall terrible days come. Why, God hath given fuch a commiffion as Ifaiah got, chap. vi. 10. “Go make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and fhut their eyes: left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and convert, and be healed." We cannot limit the Lord, nor fpeak of his time: but furely the fins of our day are greater than the fins of thofe in Ifaiah's time; for, we have finned against greater light, clearer gospellight, than ever they had. And the greater our privileges are, the greater our guilt in neglecting them: the greater our guilt, the more awful will our judgments be. Perhaps he is to fhake the nations before the Defire of all nations fhall come. Believe, watch, and pray, for your enemies are living and lively: corruption is not detroyed. Watch, and make not your watching your urden: but take up with it in a gospel-way, which is the cafy way, and the pleafant way. How? You know it is not the bufinefs of the watch to fight the enemies; but, whenever the enemy appears, to go and tell the captain-general: fo, your bufinefs in watching is not to go forth against the enemy; but whenever you fee him appearing, whenever Satan attacks, by any temptation, and upon the very first motion of the enemy, go and

tell

tell the Captain of falvation, faying, "Lord, here is the
enemy; Lord help me." See that you miftake not
Chrift, when you cry to him, and he feemeth not to
hear and answer. Miftake him not; the woman of Ca-
naan knew the mind of Chrift better; notwithstanding
all the repulfes fhe met with, fhe looked through them
all to his kind heart. Remember what David did
Pfal. lxxxv. 8. "I will hear what God the Lord wil
fpeak:" I will hear him. Satan, fin, and the world put
in their word; but they have never a good word to fay
of Chrift: therefore, I will not hear what they say, nor
what unbelief faith, nor whatever the enemy faith; but
"I will hear what God the Lord will fay; he will speak
peace," as a God in Christ reconciling the word to him-
felf: he speaks peace in the covenant of grace. He
fpeaks peace in his word; I will hear him, and liften to
his word. Come to Jefus,
Come to Jefus, faying, "Lord, help me."
However great the congregation is, yet there is room in
Christ for you all: therefore, I beg you will all come to
him, and wait on him; and come you muft to him, or
perish. Let the echo of your foul then be, We have
come unto thee, O Lord; Yea, in the way of thy judg-
ments, O Lord, bave we waited for thee.

END OF THE FIFTH VOLUME.

11 69487 AA A 30