promises are the saint's poi-tion, saith one, but I cannot find them performed to nie, therefore I am not a saint; many a prayer I have sent to heaven, but I hear no news of them ; the saints are conquerors over their hists, but I am often foiled and worsted by mine ; there is a lieaven of comfort in tlie promise, but I am, as it were, in the belly of hell, swallowed up with fears and terrors. Such are the reasonings of poor souls in the distress of their spirits ; whereas all this trouble they put themselves to might be prevented if they had faith to believe this one principle of undoubted truth — that God performs not his promises all at once ; and what they want in hand, they may see on the way coming to them.
Section II. — ^V^len God stays long before he makes payment of the pro- mise, then it is the believer's duty to wait for it : ' Though it tarry, wait for it,' Hab. ii. 3. He is speaking there of the good of the promise which God in- tended to perform in the appointed time : because it might tarry longer than their hasty hearts would, he bids them wait for it. As one that promiseth to come to a friend's house sends him word to sit up for him, and though he tarry later than ordinary he will come at last. What ! wait, when we have stayed so long, and no sight of God's coming, after this prayer and that sermon, so many long looks given at the window of his ordinances and providences, and no tidings to be heard of his approach in mercy and comfort to my soul ; and after this, still am I bid wait? This is hard work. True, to flesh and blood it is ; 3'ea, weak faith is often out of breath, and prone to sit down or turn back, when it hath gone to meet God in the returns of his mercy, and misseth him ; and therefore the apostle ushers in this duty with an affectionate prayer, 2 Thess. iii. 5, ' The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.' He hath laid down a strong ground of consolation for them in the preceding chapter, in that ' they were chosen to salvation, and called by the gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,' ver. 13, 14, and assured them that God, who is faithful, would establish them and keep them ' from evil,' ver. 3 : he means, they should not miscarry, and at last fall short of the glory promised ; but being sensible how difficult a work it was for them, amidst their own present weaknesses, the apostacies of others, and the assaults of Satan upon themselves, to hold fast the assurance of their hope unto the end, he turns himself from them to speak to God for them, — ' The Lord direct your hearts ;' and as if he had said. It is a way you will never find, a work you will never be able to do of yourselves thus to wait patiently till Christ come and bring the full reward of the promise with him, ' the Lord,' therefore, ' direct your hearts' into it. Moses, before he ascended the mount, had a fear and jealousy of what afterwards proved too true, that the Israelites' unbe- lieving hearts would not have the patience to wait for his return, when he should stay some while with God out of their sight; to prevent which he gave ex- press command, before he went up, that they should tany there for him, Exod. xxiv. 14. Indeed, a duty more contrary to our proud hearts than this, of waiting quietly and silently on God, I know not. We can make the great God bear our misconduct, and run after us, before we do what he commands : but if the promise comes not galloping full speed to us, we think it will never be with us. But why doth God, when he hath made a promise, make his peoj)le stay so long? I shall answer this question by asking another : Why doth God make any promise at all to his creatures ? This may he well asked, considering how free God was from owing any such kindness to his creature, till, by the mere good pleasure of his will, he put himself into bonds, and made himself, by his promise, a debtor to his elect; and this proves the former question to be imper- tinent and over-bold. As if some rich man should make a poor beggar that is a stranger to him his heir, and when he tells him this he should ask. But why must I stay so long for it? Truly, any time is too soon for him to receive a mercy fi-om God, who thinks God's time in sending it too late. This hasty spirit is as grievous to God as his stay can be to us. And no wonder God takes it so heinously, if we consider the bitter root that bears it. First, It proceeds from a selfishness of spirit, whereby we prefer our own content and satisfaction be- fore the glory of God ; and this becomes not a gracious soul. Our comfort flows in by the performance of the promise, but the revenue of God's honour is paid unto him by our humble waiting on him in the interval between the promise
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530 AND TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION.