And therefore it is an hard thing to be a good Christian, another thing than the world taketh it to be. For mark, I beseech you, what is between us and heaven, that we must go through, if ever we will come there. Be- tween us and heaven, the thing promised, there be many crosses to be met Avithal, and they must be borne, and borne as a Chiistian should do. ' Through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of heaven,' Acts xiv. 22. Besides crosses, there be scandalous offences, that be enough to drive us from profession of religion, without gi'ace. Sometimes good men by their failings, and fallings out, they fall into sin, and fall out ; and that is a scandal to wicked men. Oh, say they, who would be of this religion, when they cannot agree among themselves ? This is a great hindrance and stop. It is a scandal and rub in the way, not so much in themselves. We are full of scandal ourselves, catch at anj'thing that we may except against the best ways. There is a root of scandal in the hearts of all, because men will not go to hell without reason.
Now because we are easy to take offence, rather than we will be damned without reason, it is not easy to hold out. .Besides this, Satan plies it v/ith his temptations from affliction, and from scandal ; he amplifies these things in the fancy. Who would be a Christian ? You see what their profession is. And so he maketh the way the more difficult.
And then again, look at our own disposition to suffer, to hold out, to fix. There is an unsettledness, which is a proper f infirmity in our natures since the fall. We love variety, we are inconstant, and cannot fix ourselves upon the best things, and we are impatient of suffering anything. We are not only indisposed to do good, but more indisposed to sufier any iU. The Spirit must help us over all this, which must continue all our life long. Till we be in heaven, something or other will be in our way. Now the Spirit of God must help us over all these afflictions. We shall never come to heaven to overcome afflictions, and scandals, and temptation, which Satan plies us here -svithal. And then to overcome the tediousness of time, this needeth a great deal of strength. Now this grace of expectance doth all. And there- fore it is so oftentimes stood upon in Scripture. In Isaiah, and in the Psahns, how often is it repeated ; Ps. xxxvii. 7. ' Wait on the Lord; if he tany, vrait thou.' The Lord will wait for them that wait for him ; and it is tke character in Scriptm'e of a Christian. Moses, he saith, such as waited for the consolation of Israel, Gen. xlix. 18, before Christ came in the flesh, such a one is one that ' waiteth for the consolation of Israel,' Luke ii. 25. To have a gracious disposition, and a gi'ace of waiting was the character ol * That is, ' long continuance." — G. t That is, ' natural.' — G.
504 THE MABRIAGE FEAST [SeRMON VIII.
good people. Now since the coining of Chi-ist, the character of the New Testament is, to wait for Christ's appearance. ' There is a crown of glory for me, and not only for me, but for all them that love his appearance,' 2 Tim. iv. 8. That is an ingredient in waiting, when we love the thing we wait for. And so Titus ii. 12, ' The gi-ace of God that teacheth to deny ungod- hness and worldly lusts, and to live holily, and justly, and soberly ia this present e^al world, looking for and waiting for this glorious appearing of Jesus Christ.'
So that looking with the eye of the soul partly on the first coming of Christ, which was to redeem our souls, and partly upon the second, which is to redeem our bodies from corruption, and to make both soul and body happy, it makes a man a good Christian. For the grace of God on the first, teacheth us to deny ungodliness ; and looking for Christ's appearing, maketh us zealous of good works. You have scarce any epistle, but you have time described for looking for the coming of Chi'ist, as Jude, ' Pre- serve youselves in the love of God, and wait for the coming of Christ.' So that as there be gracious promises, and a long day for them, God vouchsafeth grace to wait for the accomplishment of them.
Now as God giveth grace to wait, so he wiU perfonn what we wait for; as they say here, * We have waited.' That is the speech of enjoying. God will at length make good what he hath promised ; and what his truth hath promised, his power will perform. Goodness inclineth to make a promise, truth speaks it, and power performeth it, as you shall see here.
' We have waited,' &c.
In God there is a mouth of truth, a heart of pity, and an hand of power. These three meeting together, make good whatsoever is promised. ' He will fulfil the desires of them that fear him,' Ps. cxlv. 19. The desires that God hath put into his children, they be kindled fi'om heaven ; and he will satisfy them all out of his bowels of pity and compassion. He will not suffer the creature to be always under the rack of desii'e, under the rack of expectation, but he will fulfil the desire of them that fear him. And there- fore learn this for the time to come.