3. The next thing is, that God icill stir up in his children a dispiosition suitable. That is, the gi'ace of waiting. As gi'eat things were promised before, so the soul hath a grace fit for it. ' We have waited for thee.'
4. And as they wait for them, while they are in perforqaing, so they shall enjoy them. ' We have waited for thee, and we will be glad in thy salva- tion.' We shall so enjoy them, that we shaU joy in them. Good things, when they be enjoyed, they be joyed in.
5. Again, ' we shall rejoice in our salvation, we shall glory in our God.* VOL. u. I i
498 THE MAKEIAGE FEAST [SeRMON VII.
After they be a while exercised in waiting, then cometh perfonnance, then they be enjoyed, and theij he enjoyed icith joy, in glorying in God. For that is the issue of a Christian, when he hath what he would enjoy, when he enjoyeth it with joy, when the fruit of it is that God hath his glory, and therefore the heart can rejoice in his salvation.
Then there is a day, as for the exercising of his people here by waiting, so there is a day of performing promises. ' In that day.' That is, a day of all days. When that day cometh, then all prophecies and promises shall be accomplished to the uttermost.
But before that great day, there is an intei-mediate performance of pro- mises assisted by waiting, to drop comfort to us by degrees. He reserveth not all to that day. There be lesser days before that great day. As at the first coming of Christ, so at the overthrow of antichrist, the conversion of the Jews, there will be much joy. But that is not that day. These days make way for that day. Whensoever prophecies shall end in performances, then shall be a day of joying and glorying in the God of our salvation for ever. And therefore in the Revelations where this Scripture is cited. Rev. xxi. 4, is meant the conversion of the Jews, and the glorious estate they shall enjoy before the end of the world. ' We have waited for our God,' and now we enjoy him. Aye, but what saith the church there ? * Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.' There is yet another, ' Come, Lord,' till we be in heaven. So that though intermediate promises be performed here, yet there is another great day of the Lord to be performed, which is specially meant here.
6. The last thing considerable in the words is the manner of expression. They are expressed full of life, and with repetition, to make them sure and more certain, ' In that day it shall be said, This is our God ; we have waited for him ; he shall save us.' He bringeth them in speaking these words of aflection.
Indeed, when we come to enjoy the performance of God's gracious pro- mises, if we should live to see the fulness of the Gentiles come, and Jews called, we should speak of it again and again. Affections are large, and few expressions will not serve for large affections. It wiU be no tautology to say, * This is our God ; we have waited for him.'
Beloved, times are yet to come which may much affect the hearts of the children of God. Howsoever we may not live to sec the performance of these things, yet we shall all live to see that day of judgment, and then we shall say, ' This is our God ; we have waited for him.' We now see God in the promises, and then we shall see him ' face to face,' whom we have waited for in the promises, and we shall see him in heaven for ever.
* Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him.' While we hve here we are in state of waiting, we are under promises, and a condition under pro- mises is a waiting condition ; a condition of performance is an enjoying condition. We are in a waiting condition till our bodies be raised out of the grave ; for when we die ,we wait for the resurrection of our bodies. We may say as Jacob when he was dying, ' I have waited for thy salvation.' We are in a waiting condition till body and soul be joined together at the day of judgment for ever.
And there we ^hould labour to have those graces that are suitable for
this condition. The things we wait for are of so transcending excellency,
as glory to come, that they cannot be waited for, but* the Spirit, by the things
waited for, fitteth us to wait for them. A man cannot wait for glory of souJ
* That is, < unless.'— Ed.
IsA. XXV. 8, 9.] BETWEEN CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH. 499
and body, but the Spirit that raiseth up faith to beHeve, and hope to wait, will purge, and fit, and prepare him for that glorious condition. ' He that hath this hope purifieth himself, as he is pure,' 1 John iii. 3. Oh, it is a quickening waiting, and a purging waiting. It is efficacious by the Spirit to fit and purify his soul suitable to that glorious condition he waits for. Where that is not, it is but a conceit. A very slender apprehension of the glory to come will make men better. He that hath hope of heaven and ""ippiness under glory, it will make him suitable to the place he looketh for.