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God hath made an Act against them, their judgment is fealed, they have nothing but vanity and lyes to fupport their staggering and reeling eftate of temporal felicity; God is not in all their wayes, nor the direction of God to manage them, and therefore not the protection of God to defend them; he leads them into temptation, but he doth not deliver them from evill.

But God is a Rock for foundation, and a Castle for defence to all fuch as put their trust in him.

3. The patient expectation which he requireth in the Prophet for the peformance of this promife;

Though it parry, wait for it.

We must not not think long to tarry the Lords leafure; it is Doctr. the Prophets rule, He that beleeveth fhall not make haste; and it Ifa.18.16, is Davids precept, Wait on the Lord, and keep his way.

And we have Jobs example, All the dayes of my appointed

time Will I wait.

The promise of the Meffiah was made in Paradife, The feed of the woman fhall braife the head of the Serpent.

This was the Gospel that God himself preached to the Serpent, and all the sacrifices of the old law, and all the Prophecies of former ages, and all the Types in the Old Testament, were Commentaries upon this text; the Fathers in all ages of the Church before Chrift, rested on this; the Apostle faith of them,

Thefe all died in faith, not having received the promifes, but having feen them a far off and were perfwaded of them, and embraced

them.

1. Because this doth best fit the constant decree of God, that we do reft in it; for it were in vaine for us to ferve a God whom we might not truft, and upon whose word we could not build asfurance. It is the Apostles reft, Scio cui credidi, I know whom I have beleeved. "

PL.37.34.

Heb.11.13

Real. 1.

2. Because this doth beft declare our faith, for faith being of Real. 2, things not feen in themselves, the Apostle faith here, we fee in aglaffe; faith is a Chriftian mans Prospective,through which he beholdeth all things far off as if they were near at hand.

3. Because this is an exercise of our patience; for ye have need Reaf 3. of patience, that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive Heb. 10.36 the promise,

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For

Verf. 37.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come and will not tarry.

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Reaf, 44. This alfo doth exercife our hope; for hope is nourished and fed with future objects as fenfe is with prefent, and hope hath that wife forecast,chat as foon as the feed is caft into the ground, hope is at work to gather in the harvest.

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Rejoyce in hope...

Saint. Bernard doth teach us to make use of this doctrine, of awaiting Gods leafure; for firft he dayeth a good foundation Tua confidero in quibus tota spes mea confiftit ;*

1. Charitatem adoptionis :

2. Veritatem promiffionis.

3. Poteftatem redditionis; upon this he buildeth.

1.8.Dicit fides, parata funt magna inexcogitabilia bòwa à Deo fideli bus fuis.

Dicit fpes, mihi illa fervantur.

Dicit charitas,curro ego ad illa.

We must be very tender how we do invade the royalties of God; Chrift faith, that his Father hath kept the times and feafons in his own power, he will have the alone managing of them. 2. They that cannot tarry the Lords leasure, do commonly fall into one of these two evils.

1. Either they murmure impatiently at God, and quarrel his delay, as Ifrael did when they came out of Egypt.

Start doit à 12. Or elfe they feek unlawful means to accomplish theirdefires, fo the woman of Endor gets cuftomers.

Jam.1.4.

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Against thefe, Let patience have ber perfect work, that yë may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

This work is thus perfected.

1. Let us not be too bufie to fearch into the wayes of God, to know things to come.

It pleafed God before the coming of Chrift in the flesh,to reveale much of his purpofe concerning the time to come by the miniftry of his Prophets; and the Devill finding men taken with this defire of the knowledg of future events,did erect his oracles, whofe giddy and dubious predictions did to infatuate the world, that few did undertake any matter of moment, without confulting the oracle; the Devill grew rich by the offerings and pre

fents

fents that were given him for divination, when the fucceffe forted, and he loft nothing of reputation or belief, when it failed, because all his oracles were of ambiguous fenle, for to carry if need were, contrary conftructions.

And it is a thing admirable which the wisdome of observation hath recorded to the honour of Chrift, that at his coming into the world all oracles grew fpeechleffe, to fhew that he that fhould diffolve the works of the Devill was come.

The head of this Serpent being now by his coming bruised, the way to establish our hearts,is to reft in theLord,and not to be too bufie with the Key of his Closet, and to content our felves with fo much knowledge of things to come, as either

1. The wisdome of forefight may read in the volume of rea fonable difcourse.

2. Or the faith of Gods holy ones may read in the written word of holy Scripture.

3 Or the judgment of thofe Sholars of nature may finde by fearching the great book of the creatures; for thefe open things are for us, and here,qui poteft capere capiat, he that can let him receive it.

It hath been the fault of many, that they have been so anzioufly difcrutiated themselves with the folicitous inquisition of the future, that they have too much neglected the prefent, and defiring to know what God would do for them hereafter, both themfelves lofe the fenie, and God the thanks of that good that he was then doing.

God hath his wayes and his paths where his footsteps are not

feen.

2. Let us take the word of God for his promife and threat nings,whatsoever appearances do put in to counterfwade.

In the cafe of my text, The oppreffed Church must tarry; they have two promises

One of their own deliverance and reftauration,

Another of their enemies confufion and ruine. God hath pro mifed both; yet against this promife, the Church which hears of comfort, feels fmart, and their threatned enemies rejoyce and divide their spoyle; the affurance is, God cannot lye, and repentance is hid from his eyes,

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Why

Pet.3.20

Rom.2.4.

Why should man defire better affurance then the word of God to fix and establish his heart?feeing al things had their being from the word, and no man now in being doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God?

3. To perfect our patience, that we may wait the Lords leafure, we must beforehand confider that the Vilion may tarry; the promises of God which shall be fulfilled in their fulneffe of time may be foretold long before.

Chrift was promised in Paradise, some do think the first day of the world to man, i. e. in the day of mans creation, the eve of the first Sabbath; but he was not borne till almoft 4coo yeers af. ter; yet the faithful in thofe times waited for the coming of Christ, and tarried with patience till he came.

4. God himself waited 120 yeers for the repentance of the old world, all the while the Arke was preparing; it is the Apoftles phrafe,

The long-fuffering of God waited..

If God have the patience to wait on us for our good, this may perfect our patience in our waiting on him for our own good. Saint Paul calleth this The riches of his goodnesse and forbear. ance and long-fuffering, and faith that The goodneffe of God leadeth to repentance.

If we confider his provocation, and how our daily fins tempt him to repent that he either did make us, or do any thing for us; all which are in his fight, and all which his foule abhorreth; and if we compare this his patience with our paffionate bitterneffe upon the least provocation; and confider how ready we are to call for fire from heaven to confume them that anger us; we shall fee that God doth wait for our repentance with much patience; and who would not wait upon fuch a Lord?

5: Let us confider how willingly we do attend and obferve thofe that can do us any good; how early we rife to be sure to prevent their hours; how well our hopes do fupport us, and ftay our ftomacks, though many delays intèrpose their stop, and threaten failing: yet the fucceffe of expectation in things temporal depending on men is always uncertaine; for there are no bounds that can oblige humane favour, not merits, not rewards, not promifes, not oaths; but the promises of God are: Tea and Amen as he faith

The

The vision is yet for an appointed time; at the end it shall Speak and not lye: it wil furely come.

This affurance that we have from the Word doth make expeAtation eafie; it is no pain to tarry for that which shall not faile us...

Jacob thought the feven years a fhort time bestowed for Ra chel, because he loved her,though he ferved and was not his own man till he had fulfilled the time.

Neither doth that of Solomon discourage our tarrying the Lords leasure, because he faith, Hope deferred maketh the heart fick.

1. Becauie, if that hope be of fome things temporal,depending upon the favour of the times, or perfons of men, there may be a failing, therefore delay is a difcate in fuch cafes, and maketh the heart fick.

2. But hope in the promifes of God determined to their certain time,cannot be faid to be delayed; for his hope is in vain, who hopeth any thing before the time.

3. And again, where hope refteth in the Word and Promife of God; neither the alterations of perfons, nor the viciffitude of times, not the intercurrence of impediments can any way crofle the purpose, difable the means, or defeat the end of Gods

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Further, if we understand Solomon of hope rightly grounded on the promife and conftrue the deferring ir, not to any protraction beyond the time, but to the long expectation of it in tempore fuo, which defire of fruition doth make long, that that hope maketh the heart lick, we must not understand this fickneffe as a difeafe of the heart: for when the Church faith,

Pro.13.12

Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples, for I'am fick Cant.2. S. of love. Let no man think that this fickneffe was any disease in the Church; we may fay of it as our Lord did of Lazarus his ficknefle, This fikneffe is not to death.

This is but fervour of the Spiric, and earnestne ffe of defire, as Bern. faith; it is tedium quoddam impatientis defideris; he means and holy impatience,qua neceffe eft affiri mentem amator is abfente eo quod amat, dum totus in expectation quant amlibet feftinationem reputat tarditatem,

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