To enlarge this point a little. As there is a time of waiting, so there will be a time when God's people shall say, ' Lo, this is the Lord, we have waited for him.' Why ?
Reason 1. God is Jehovah. A full and pregnant word! A word of comfort and stay for the soul is this word Jehovah ! He is a God that giveth a being to all things, and a being to his word, and therefore what he saith he will make good. He is Lord of his word. Every man's word is, as his nature, and power, and ability is, the word of a man, or the word of an honest man, but being the word of a God, he will make all good.
Reason 2. And then he will make all good, because lie is faithful. God, he saith it, and he will do it.
Reason 3. You need no more reason than pitij to his pcoj^le, his bowels of compassion. The hearts of people would fail if he should stay too long.
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And therefore out of his bowels in his time, which is the best time, not only because he is faithful, but because he is loving and pitiful, he will make good all his promises. And then he will do it.
Reason 4. For what is grace, but an earnest of that fulness we shall haiv in heaven 1 What is peace here but an earnest of that peace in heaven ? And what is joy here but an earnest of fulness of joy for evermore ? And will God lose his earnest ? Therefore we shall enjoy what God hath pro- mised, and we expect, because we have the earnest. It is not a pledge only, for a pledge may be taken away, but an earnest, which is never taken away, but is made up in the full bargain. Grace is made up in glory, as beginnings are made up with perfection. Where God layeth a founda- tion, he will perfect it. Where God giveth the fii-st-fruits, he will give the harvest.
But it will be a long time before, because he will exercise all gi*ace to the uttermost. You see how Abraham was brought to the last. In the mountain God provideth for a sacrifice, when the knife was ready to seize on Isaac's throat, Gen. xxii. 12, 13.
We should answer with our faith God's deaUng ; that is, if God defer, let us wait, yea, wait to the uttermost, wait to death. He is our God to death, and in death, and for ever. If God perform his promise at the worst, then, till we are at the lowest, we must wait.
And, therefore, one character of a child of God from others is this. Give me the present, saith the carnal, beastly man, the world ; but God's people are content to wait. He knoweth what he hath in promise is better than what he hath in possession. The gleanings of God's people are better than the others' harvest. The other cannot wait, but must have pre- sent payment. God's child can wait, for he hveth by faith. And there- fore we should learn patiently to wait for the perfoniiance of aU God's promises.
And to direct a little in that, remember some rules, which every man may gather to himself, as,
1. God's time is the best time. Dens est optimns arbiter opportunitatis, the best discerner of opportunities. And ' in the mountain will God be seen.' Though he tarry long, he will come, and not tarry over long ; and then all the strength of the enemy is with God. Eobur hostium, apnd Deum. The strength of the enemy is in his hand ; he can suspend it when he pleaseth.
2. Then, though God seems to carry tilings by contrary ways to that hepro- miseth, which makes waiting so difficult, yet he wiU bring things about at last. He promiseth happiness, and there is nothing but misery. He pro- miseth forgiveness, and opens the conscience to cry out of sin. Aye, but Luther's rule is exceeding good in this case. Summa ars, the greatest art of a Christian is, credere credibiUa, &c., and sperare dilata, to hope for things a long time, and to believe God when he seemeth contrary to himself in his promise.
But though God doth defer, yet in that day he doth perfonn. It is set down indefinitely, for it is not fit we should be acquainted with the par- ticular time. And therefore he saith, ' in that day.' He sets not down a particular time, but ' in that day,' wherein he meaneth to be glorious in the performance of his promise. There is a time, and a set time, and there is a short time, too, in regard of God, and a fit time. If the time were shorter than God hath appointed, then it were too short ; if longer, too long. ' My times,' saith David, ' are in thy hands,' Ps. xxxi. 15. If they
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were in the enemy's hands, we should never be out ; if in our own, wo would never enter ; if in our friends', their goodwill would be more than their ability. ' But my times ;' — he saith not, ' my time,' but — ' my times are in thy hands ;' that is, my times of trouble and times of waiting. And it is well that they be in God's hands, for he hath a day, and a certain day, and a fit day to answer the waiting of all his people.