Jesus Christ? But will thy heart be more humbled by keeping from Christ; and shalt thou be a less sinner by keeping from him? No, certainly; but the longer you stay from Christ, the harder work it will be to venture upon Christ at the last. Wherefore, if there be ever a poor, drooping, doubting, fearing, trembling heart in all this congregation, know, that I do here in the name of the Lord, call out to you, and say, O soul, man or woman, venture, venture, venture upon Christ now; for you must come to this venturing work at the last, and if ever, it is true here, better at the first than at the last. Must you not venture upon Christ at the last; and if at last why not now? Thus ply and follow your own souls with these three questions. And, 8. If you would so trust in God as that you may not be discouraged whatever your condition be; then consider frequently and seriously, what a blessed thing it is for to wait on God and for God. Yea, what a reasonable thing it is that you should wait for him and on him. For, He hath waited on you and for your repentance. He waited in the days of Noah for the repentance of the old world, and he waited long, 1 Peter iii. 20, a long while also hath he waited for your repentance; and if he had not waited long, what had become of you? Yea, and he hath not only waited, but he doth still, and will wait to shew mercy, Isa. xxx. 18, he waiteth to shew mercy on them that wait for his mercy. Now shall God wait for us and for our repentance; and shall not we wait for him and his grace? Ye have waited on others and do still wait on others; who is there in all the world that you deal with, but you do wait upon; will ye instance in great men; must you not wait long to speak with them; yea, though it be for their own good? It is recorded of Henry, the emperor of Germany, that when he came to speak with the Pope, the Pope made him and his wife and eldest son, stand waiting three days in the cold winter season at his palace gates, before he would speak with the emperor. Will ye instance in your inferiors and such as are beneath you; must you not wait even for them that do wait on you? Your servants, if you bid them do a thing, you must wait till it be done; and if you bid them come, you must wait till they come. stance in other creatures? Do you not wait Or will ye inon the sun for light; on the water for coolness; on the fire for heat? Now if we wait on the creatures, all the creatures, is it not reasonable that we wait on the Creator? Yet further, do ye not sometimes wait on the lusts of men? Yea, ye have sometimes waited on your own lusts, "The adulterer waiteth for the twilight," saith Job. And how often have you waited for an opportunity of sinning? Now will ye wait on men, your inferiors, other creatures, yea, on the wills and lusts of men; and will you not wait on the grace of God? Look when you give over waiting then may deliverance come; and if it come then how will you be filled with shame and confusion? 2 Kings vi. 33, the king said, "It is a vain thing to wait on God any longer." And if ye look into the next chapter, at verse 1, ye shall find that deliverance came in the next words. No sooner had the King said, "It is a vain thing to wait on God any longer," but the prophet in the next words saith: "To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gates of Samaria." chap. vii. 1. So that deliverance doth sometimes come when men give over waiting. And if deliverance do thus come to you, what shame and grief will this be to you; how will you befool yourself and say, Oh, what a fool was I that I could not wait a little longer? I have given over waiting, and lo, now deliverance is come and I have no comfort in it. When you give over waiting, then you lose all your former labours; though you have performed many duties, yet if you do not wait upon God therein, you do lose all your prayers. It is said of Saul, 1 Sam. xxviii. 6: "That he inquired of the Lord, who answered him not ;" and so he sought unto a woman that had a familiar spirit, ver. 7. Yet 1 Chron. x. 14, it is said that "he inquired not of the Lord." He inquired and he inquired not; how doth this agree? Well, for though he did inquire of the Lord, yet because he did not wait upon God therein, but gave over waiting, his inquiring in scripture phrase is said to be no inquiring; prayer without waiting, in scripture phrase, is no prayer. Look when a man doth give over waiting, then doth he lose all his labour; his former prayer is nothing, his former duty nothing; it shall not once be remembered or imputed to him. On the other side: if you wait on God he will not alway وو forget your work of faith; though he may seem to forget you, yet "the patient abiding of the meek, shall not be forgotten for ever." Psal. ix. 18. God will come and visit you in due time, "He that doth come, will come, and will not tarry; yea, and your very waiting (that I may speak with reverence) will make him come the sooner. It is not so with men; if you expect a friend, you do go forth to meet him; but it is not your expecting, waiting, that will make him come. But so it is with God; your very expecting of him and waiting for him will make him come; and therefore the holy men in scripture use this argument with God for mercy: "Let me not be ashamed, for I have waited on thee;" yea, and if God do come, he will come with a recompence, and pay you all your forbearance money, Is. xxxv. ; yea and when he doth come, you shall be able to triumph in his appearing, and say, "Lo this is our God, we have waited for him :" if you have not waited, you cannot triumph in his appearance; but if you wait, you shall say when he comes, Lo this is my God and I have waited for him; yea, the Lord will not only come, but he will come with a blessing, for "Blessed are all those that wait on him ; " yea, he will not only bless you upon your waiting, but he will strengthen you therein, Isa. xl.: "Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." Oh, what a blessed thing is it then for to wait on God; who would not hope, trust, wait on the Lord? Is there anything to be gotten by your 'sad discouragements, "O ye of little faith?" Are you able to alter one hair of your condition by all your thoughtfulness? Is it not much better now, for to wait on God? Why then do you not call your own heart aside, and say, Come O my soul, why hast thou limited the Holy One of Israel thus long; why hast thou dishonoured Christ thus long by thy vain fears? "Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope, trust, wait on God; for he is the health of my countenance and my God." 66 And thus now I have done with this great argument: ye have had the patience to hear it, the Lord give you grace to practise it. I conclude all with the words of my commission : "Ye that are of a fearful spirit, be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come, even God with a recompence, he will come and save you.” Is. xxv. 3. |