And when that day is come, you see how their hearts are enlarged, they will say, ' This is the Lord, we have waited for him.'
When' God meaneth to perform his promise, either in this world or in the world to come, the world to come specially, when there shall be con- summation of all promises, God shall enlarge the hearts of his people. ' This is the Lord ; we have waited for him.' ' This is the Lord.' He repeats it again and again.
Our soul is very capable, being a spiritual substance ; and then God shall fill the soul, and make it comprehend misery, or comprehend happi- ness, when every corner of the soul shall be filled ; and then having bodies too, it is fit they should have a part ; so the whole man shall express forth the justice or mercy of God.
For the nature of the thing, it cannot be otherwise. Every member of the body shall be fit to glorify God. What the psalmist saith of his tongue,
* Awake, my glory,' he may say of every member. Do thy office in glorifying the Lord, and rejoicing in the Lord. Pectus facit cUsertos. The heart makes a man eloquent and full. So the performance of any promise fills the heart so full of aftections, the afiections are so enlarged; and therefore we must not have afiections to a court-kind of expressions, as they in old time, and the like court-eloquence, when men might not speak fully. But when joy possesseth the heart to the full, there be full expressions. ' This is the Lord, this is the Lord ; let us rejoice in him.' And therefore there seemeth so many tautologies in the Psalms, though they be no tautologies, but mere exuberances of a sanctified aftection.
Oh ! beloved, what a blessed time will that be when this large heart of ours shall have that that will fiJl it ; when the best parts of us, om* under- standing, will, and afiections, shall be canied to that which is better and larger than itself, and shall be, as it were, swallowed up in the fulness of God. And that is the reason of the repetition of the word, ' This is the Lord, this is the Lord.'
And it followeth, ' We will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.' When a gracious heart is fall of joy, how doth he express that joy? A wicked heart, when it is full of joy, is like a dirty river that runs over the banks, and cameth a deal of filth with it, dirty expressions. But when a gracious heart expresscth itself, being fall of joy, it expresseth itself in thanks and praises, in stirring up of others. ' Lo, this is our God ; we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.' ' Is any merry ? ' saith the apostle Saint James,
* let him sing,' James v. 13. God hath afiections for any condition. 'Is a man in misery ? let him pray.' This is a time of mourning. Doth God perform any promise, and so give cause of joy ? let him sing. There is action for every afiection, afiection for every condition. And this may stir us up to begin the emplo\Tnent in heaven on earth here. We shall say so in heaven, ' Lo, this is the Lord; we have waited for him.'
For every performance of promises, be much in thankfulness. ' Our con- versation is in heaven,' saith the apostle, Philip, iii. 10. And what is the greatest part of a Christian's conversation, but in all things to give thanks. Here the holy church saith, their matter of praise was too big for their soul,
512 THE MAKRIAGE FEAST [SeRMON IX.
and therefore they brake out in this manner. And so oftentimes a child of God. His heart is so full, that it is too big for his body in the expression of matter of praise. But it is his comfort that in heaven he shall have a large heart, answerable to the large occasion of praise. I w^ill not enlarge myself in the common-place of thanksgiving.
In this condition we can never be miserable ; for it springs from joy, and joy disposeth a man to thankfulness, and upon thankfulness there ia peace, and can we be miserable in peace of conscience ? Therefore, saith the apostle, ' In all things give thanks, and let your requests be made known to God,' Philip, iv. 6 ; and what will follow upon that, when I have made known my requests, and paid my tribute of thanks ? ' Then the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guide your mind,' Phihp. iv. 7. When we have paid to God the tribute we can pay him, then the soul, as having discharged a debt, is at peace. I have prayed to God, I have laid my petition in his bosom, I am not in arrearages for former favours, ' therefore the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds.' Hannah had prayed once, went not away, but prayed again, 1 Sam. ii. 1, seq. The happiness of heaven followeth the actions of heaven. Praisings being the main employment of heaven, the happiness and comfort of heaven followeth.
And howsoever these promises be fulfilled in heaven, yet they have a gradual performance on earth. For he speaks certainly of the state of the Jews yet to come, wherein there shall be accomplishment of all these promises.