And therefore all is not kept for time to come ; we have something be- ginning here besides promises. There is some little degrees of performance. So that the state between us and heaven is a state mixed of good and im- perfection.
Now God hath fitted graces suitable to that condition, and that is ex- * That is, ' born again.' — G.
502 THE MAEEIAGE FEAST [SeRMON VIII.
pectation or waiting, a fit grace and a fit disposition of soul from* imperfect condition, that is afterwards to be perfected ; for fruition is the condition of perfect happiness, not of waiting ; for waiting implieth imperfection.
This waiting cavrieth with it almost all graces. Waiting for better times in glory to come, it hath to support it. It is a carriage of soul that is sup- ported with many graces. For, first, we wait for that we believe. We have a spirit of laith to lead to it. And then we hope before we wait, and hope is the anchor of the soul, that staj-eth the soul in all the waves and miseries of the world. It is the helmet that keeps off all the blows. This hope issues from faith ; for what we believe, we hope for the accomplish- ment of it.
So that all graces make way for waiting, or accompany it. The graces that accompany the waiting for good things in time to come are patience, to endure all griefs between us and the full possession of heaven ; then lonf^- sufferlng, which is nothing else but patience lengthened, because troubles are lengthened, and the time is lengthened. So there is patience, and patience lengthened, which we call long-sufiering ; and then, together with patience and long-suffering, there is contentment, without murmuring at the dispensation of God ; something in the soul that he would have it to be so. He that hath a heart to rise, because he hath not what he would have, he doth not wait with that grace of waiting that issueth from a right spring.
God reserveth joy for the time to come, for our home. We should be content to have communion with God and the souls of perfect men ; and not murmur though God exerciseth us with many crosses here. And there- fore the Scripture calleth it a silence, ' In silence and in hope shall be your strength,' Isa. sxx. 15. The soul keepeth silence to God in this waiting condition, and this silence quells all risings in the soul presently ; as David, ' My soul kept silence unto the Lord,' Ps. xxxix. 2. It will still all risings of the heart, issuing from a resignation of the soul to God, to do as he will have us to do. So it implieth patience and longsufferiug, contentment, holy silence, without murmuring and repining.
And then it implies tvatchfulness over ourselves, till we come to the fuU accomplishment of the promises, that we earn,' not ourselves unworthily in the mean time ; that we should not spend the time of our waiting in wickedness, to fetch sorrow from the devil, and the world to comfort us, or to be beholden to Satan. This is no waiting, but murmuring and rebel- hon, when in crosses and discomforts we cannot be content, but must be beholden to the devil, so there must be watchfulness ; and not only so, hvAj fruitf Illness in waiting. For he waits that waiteth in doing good, that waiteth in observance. He waiteth for his master's coming, that is doing liis duty all the time in a fruitfnl com-se of observance and obedience ; else it is no waiting. Waiting is not merely a distance of time, but a filling up of that time with all gracious carriage, with obedience, and with silence, with longsufferiug and contentment, and watchfulness [that] we take not any ill course, and observance, and with fruitfulness, that w^e may fill up times of waiting till performance, with all the graces, that we may have communion with God.
It is another manner of gi'ace than the world thinks. What is the reason of all the wickedness of the world, and barrenness, and voluptuousness, but because they have not learned to wait ? They hear of good things, and precious things promised ; but they would have present payment, they will have something in hand. As Dives, ' Son, son, thou hast had thy good
* Qu. 'for?'— Ed.
IsA. XXV. 8, 9.] BETWEEN CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH, 503
things here,' Luke xvi. 25, they will have their goods things here. And what is the reason of wickedness, but because they will have present pleasures of sins ? We must prefer the afflictions of Christ before the pleasures of sin, Heb. xi. 25. Now that shortness of spirit to have reward here is the cause of all sin. They have no hope, nor obedience, nor expectation to endure the continuance of diuturnity.* Where then is patience, and hope, and contentment ?
The character of a Christian is, that he is in a waiting condition, and hath the grace of vraiting. Others will have the pleasures of sin, their pro- fits and contentments, else they will crack their consciences, and sell Christ, God, heaven, and all.
A Chiistian, as he hath excellent things above the world, so he hath the grace of expectation, and all the graces that store up and maintain that expectation till the performance come.