2. That hour which was determined and foretold in the prophecies. God doth all things in fit seasons ; he hath his days and hours. Daniel ' understood by books the number of the years,' Dan. ix. 2 ; Hah. ii. 3, ' The vision is for an appointed time.' It easeth the heart of much distraction when we consider there is a period fixed. There is a clock with which providence keej^eth time and pace, and God himself setteth it. It is good for us to wait the Lord's leisure. God himself waiteth as well as we : Isa. xxx. 18, ' He waiteth that he may be gracious.' He letteth the course of causes run on till the fit hour and moment of execution be come, when he may discover himself with most advan- tage to his glory and the comfort of his servants ; and God waiteth with as much earnestness as you do (I speak after the manner of men) : Isa. xvi. 14, ' But now hath the Lord spoken, saying. Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be con- temned,' &c. ; as the hireling waiteth for the time of his freedom, and when he is to receive his wages. Moab was a bitter enemy. Tlicre- fore let us wait : John viii. 7, ' Your times are always ready, but my time is not yet come.' We draw draughts of providence with the pencil of fancy, and then confine God to the circle of our own thoughts, as if he must be always ready at our hours.
3. The hour is come ; the sufferings of God's people are very short. To our sense and feeling they seem long, because carnal affections are soon tired ; but the word doth not reckon by centuries and years, but moments : Ps. xxx. 5, ' Weeping may endure for a night, but joy Cometh in the morning.' All temporal accidents are nothing com- pared to cternit)^ The sorrows of our whole life are but one night's darkness : ' This light affliction, that is but for a moment,' saith the apostle, 2 Cor. iv. 17. Set time against eternity, and we shall want words to declare the shortness of it. Our hour will be soon ended. Wait a while and we shall be beyond fears. The martyrs in heaven
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do not think of flames, and wounds and saws ; these were the suffer- ings of a moment : John xvi. 21, ' A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as soon as she is dehvered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the workl ;' John xvi. 16, ' A little while, and ye shall not see me ; and again, a little while, and ye shall see me.' To faith, the time between Christ's departure and his second coming is but as the time between his death and resurrection ; for of that Christ also speaketh, as is clear by the subsequent context. We measure all by sense, and therefore cry, How long, how long ; as men in pain will count minutes ; but look to the endless glory within the veil, and it is nothing. We should especially take this comfort to ourselves in sick- ness and death ; it is but an hour. Wink and thou shalt be in heaven, said a martyr.
4. The hour is come, saith Christ, and therefore prayeth. When the sad hour is come, the only remedy is prayer. We should not despond, but meet sorrows with a generous confidence. Now the only way is to pray. If we cannot look for a deliverance, we may pray for a mitigation, for shortening affliction : Mat, xxiv. 20, ' Pray that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath-day,' when it may be tedious to body or soul. Pray that you may glorify God in sufferings, as Christ sueth out support in this request. Usually when evils are unavoidable we give over all addresses ; yet our condition is capable of mercy. If the hour be come, beg that a spirit of glory may rest upon
5. Christ knew his hour. There was no traitor by ; Judas was not present ; the soldiers were not come to apprehend him ; all was yet in the dark, and kept secret in the bosom of the priests and elders. It confirmeth us in the belief of the omnisciency of Christ. He knew the moment of his suffering before there was any appearance of it : ' All things are open and naked before him with whom we have to do ;' and he ' seeth our thoughts afar off.'
6. Christ knew the hour was come, yet he seeketh not a hiding- place, or to avoid the storm by flight. How many natural and super- natural ways had Christ to escape! He could have smitten them with a beam of majesty. It noteth the willingness of Christ to suffer all tills trouble and danger for our sakes as our conqueror. When Christ was to grapple with our enemies, he did not decline the battle, but with courage and confidence entered into the lists with death and hell. As our sacrifice, he went willingly to the altar, not like a swine, but like a sheep ; not with howling and reluctancy, but with a ready patience.