Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 25
SERMON XXV.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 5. — And in his Word do I hope.
I Told you, that as the two former Verſes ſpeak to one of the excellent Priviledges of the godly man, to wit, the remiſſion of ſins. So the 5, and 6. ſpeak to a moſt neceſſary, though a moſt difficult taſk of the godly man to wait for God, that godly men give a proof of their ſubjection to him, and faith in him, by their waiting for him, notwithſtanding they meet with ſo many delays and diſappointments.
Somewhat hath been ſpoken to three principal Heads of Doctrine in theſe Verſes, 1. The Pſalmiſts exerciſe, he is a waiting man, he is put to wait, and he doth wait; where ye heard, that if God delay the Saints, and put them to wait, it is their duty to wait, not only not to be haſty, but if they hing on, they would look their waiting be not poiſoned with fre…fulneſs, paſſion and bitterneſs, but ſeaſoned and adorned with meekneſs and patience. I ſpoke 2. to the object of his exerciſe, I wait for the Lord; where ye heard, that the eyes of the wai…ing man muſt be taken off all things, and ſet on God, not only when all ſecond cauſes forſake him, but when theſe things that ſeemed to promiſe relief ſeem to be againſt him, he muſt notwithſtanding wait on God, and keep his way, and have all his expectation in God, or God himſelf muſt be his expectation, and he will be no loſer by this; if God himſelf be his great expectation, he will eaſily make up the want of all other things. In the third place I ſpoke to his affection in waiting, my ſoul doth wait; where beſide that general, that we ſhould be able to give an account what we are doing in difficulties, when we are exerciſed with delays: Ye heard, that true waiting lyes in the midſt, betwixt bitterneſs, paſſion, haſte, fretfulneſs on the one hand, and ſtupidity and indifferency on the other hand. The right waiter for God, as he is not fretful and paſſionat, ſo neither is he ſleeping and careleſs; he ſo waits, as his ſoul doth wait, his affections are aloft, prizing and looking out for theſe things he is waiting for.
Now in the 4. place, I proceed to conſider his ſupport in waiting; What made him thus wait affectionatly, confidently, and patiently? He Anſwers, and in his word do I hope: He hoped in the word of God, and therefore he waits for God. It's not to great purpoſe to trouble you here with an exact diſtinction betwixt Faith and Hope; Faith looks to the promiſe, and gives a preſent ſubſiſtence to the thing promiſed, as the word is, Heb. 11.1. Faith is the ſubstance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not ſeen. Hope looks to the performance of the good things promiſed; Faith cloſes with the promiſe as true, and is comforted in that which is contained in it. Hope looks out till God come and make out what Faith ſees and cloſes with in the word of promiſe. In this place Faith and Hope may be taken promiſcuouſly or indifferently, in his word do I hope; that is, I wait till God make out to me that he hath promiſed in his Word; or take it a little more diſtinctly, in his word do I hope: It will import, that having cloſed by Faith with the good things in the word of promiſe, he looks out for the accompliſhment of them; ſo that he hath not only Faith bene, believing and cloſing with the Word, but he hath hope looking out till God make his Word good to him. I might here take notice of this, that waiting on God, though a man had no other, evidence, is ground of hope, when a man is in a difficulty, and ſore put at, and yet he is born up in waiting on God for an out-gate, he cannot quite nor give over, he cannot go to another door for relief, that's a good evidence that there is ground of hope in ſuch a mans lot; For certainly Pſal. 9.18, the needy ſhall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor ſhall not periſh for …ver. And he that never ſaid, to the ſeed of Jacob, ſeek ye me in vain, Iſai. 45.29. he never engages a heart to wait on him in vain. Their very waiting on, and not giving over, is, if they could but diſcern it, a ſufficient refutation of their temptation to diffidence and deſpondency.
But I ſhall leave this, and look on the words another way; and theſe two principal Doctrines are obvious from them to any capacity.
1. That waiting on God needs the ſupport of Faith and Hope.
2. That Faith or Hope muſt have the Word of God for its ground.
The firſt of theſe is clear, in that he ſays, I wait, becauſe I hope. The other is clear from that he ſays, in his word do I hope.
For the firſt of theſe, That waiting on God needs the ſupport of Faith or Hope; Patience and On-waiting will never be gotten well, cheriſht without Hope or Faith; a man that would keep waiting on God, would keep Faith and Hope on foot: So doth the Pſalmiſt here, while he tells that he waits, becauſe he hopes. And hence it is, that in Scripture we find a frequent conjunction of Faith and Patience, as Heb. 6.12. The followers of them, who through faith and patience have inherited the promiſes. Rev. 13.10. Here is the faith and the patience of the Saints, they muſt go together. Rom. 8.25 If we hope for that we ſee not, then do we with patience wait for it. It's hoping for that which is not ſeen, that draws along a patient waiting for it. 1 Theſſ. 1.3. True patience is called, the patience of hope, that patience which is the product of hope. And (to add no more) ye have them conjoyned, Heb. 10.35, 36. Where in the firſt place, the Apoſtle ſays to them, Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath a great recompence of reward; and then he adds to good purpoſe, Ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promiſe: Intimating, it is to no purpoſe to ſpeak of patience, if folk caſt away their confidence; thus ye ſee how theſe two, Faith and Patitience, or Patience and Hope are linked together in Scripture, to tell, that patient waiting on God, hath need of the ſupport of Faith and Hope: And if we ſhould follow out this a little more diſtinctly, we will find that the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts Patience ſhort; when a mans Faith or Hope fails, he gives over waiting on God, his Patience is gone, as in that wicked King,, 2 King. 6.33 Who when God by the Prophet had promiſed delivery, would not believe it, but ſays, This evil is of the Lord, what ſhould I wait for the Lord any longer? Fra… once he caſt off confidence, he gave over waiting on God: And to clear this further, ſee Jer. 2.25. and 18 12. In the one place, when the Lord is perſwading his people to keep his way, they ſay, There is no hope; and what follows on that? They ſay, We have loved ſtrangers, and after them will we go. And in the other place, when they ſay,, There is no hope, they add, But we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. Thus ye ſee, how on the one hand the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts the throat of patient waiting for God; and on the other hand, Faith and Hope entertained, keeps life in patience, to wait ſtill on God, Ye know what is ſaid of Hezekiah, 2 King. 18.5 He truſted in the Lord God of Iſrael, ſo that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Judah, nor any that was before him. Truſt in God made him ſingular; and in nothing doth the ſingularity of a Chriſtian appear more than in this, the drawing forth of his Faith in patient waiting on God in difficulties, 1 Sam. 27.1. When David gives over confidence, he gives over patience and waiting, and goes down to the Land of the Philiſtines; but look upon him again as a Believer, holding faſt co…fidence, what ſays he? Pſal. 27.13. I had fainted, unleſs I had believed to ſee the goodneſs of the Lord in the land of the living. Nothing but Faith kept me from giving over: But now (as Pſal. 116.10. I believed, therefore have I spoken) attaining to believing, he dare ſubjoyn, as v. 14. Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and he ſhall ſtrengthen thy heart; wait I ſay on the Lord.
Thus ye have the point generally cleared, that patient waiting on God, needs the ſupport of Faith and Hope; To break it a little ſmaller, and bring it nearer you, I ſhall branch it out in theſe two.
1. That the trials of the people of God may be ſuch, as only Faith can ſee an out-gate.
And 2. When they are ſo, Faith will ſee an out-gate, and enable a man to wait on God for the out-gate.
For the firſt, I ſay, The trials of the people of God may be ſuch, and ſo ordered for their greatneſs, ſharpneſs, darkneſs, and continuance, that an out-gate will be the object of Faith only, and not of Senſe nor Reaſon. A mans trials may be ſuch, that if he will betake him to Senſe and carnal Reaſon, to ſee if there will be an end of the Lord, he will give it over if Faith ſtep not in, and take him off the hand of both: A waiter for God here under difficulties muſt be a hoper, elſe he will not wait on; we are generally called in the whole courſe of our life to walk by Faith, 2 Cor. 5.7. We walk by faith, and not by ſight; but eſpecially in great and eminent trialls and difficulties, when they are of a long continuance, to prove that we are among the juſt, that live by faith, Hab. 2.4. with Heb. 10.38 I might inſtance this, both in the greatneſs, and in the long continuance of trials. In the greatneſs of trials, which may be ſuch as Faith only can ſee an iſſue, 3 Cor. 1.8 — In the trouble that came to us in Aſia, we were preſſed out of meaſure, above ſtrength, in ſo much that we d…spaired even of life, and had the ſentence of death in our ſelves; And why? That we ſhould not truſt in our ſelves but in God that raiſeth the dead: We were put to it, to imploy Faith in our deadly difficulties, elſe we had been gone. So Jonah 2.4. is put to ſay, I am cast out of ſight, till Faith holding a grip of God, bids him look again towards his holy Temple. S… Abram, Rom. 4.19.— hath all probabilities, his own dead body, and the deadneſs of Sarahs womb, againſt the thing promiſed; and what gave the iſſue? only this, he was not weak in the faith, he ſtaggered not at the promiſe through unbelief, but was ſtrong in faith giving glory to God. And Paul, Rom. 8.24. when he had told that we are ſaved by faith, adds, but hope that is ſeen is not hope, for what a man ſeeth, why doth he yet hope for. Hope and Faith are only for things inviſible to any other ſenſe or faculty. And for the continuance of trials, it is clear, that it's Faith muſt ſee the iſſue; as Hab 2.2.— with Heb. 10.37. Write the viſion, and make it plain on tables, that he may run that readeth it, ſpeak out my promiſe; why? For the viſion is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it ſhall ſpeak, and not lie, though it tarry (to ſenſe) wait for it, &c. And how ſhall this be done? The juſt ſhall live by faith. If it be enquired, how it comes to paſs, that the Lord puts the mercies of his people ſo far out of ſight, by the greatneſs and long continuance of trouble? That it is only Faith that can diſcern the iſſue. I ſhall briefly clear this to you in four words, 1. He doth it, that he may acquaint his people with the ſolid truth of his promiſes, that he may let them ſee, and bring them to know experimentally, that his promiſe is not a bla…lume; but though all things in the world were againſt us, it's a true word, it's a tryed word, like ſilver purified ſeven times in the furnace, Pſal. 12.6. and ſhall have an accompliſhment. The longer folk reſt on the Bible, and the more they try it, they will eſteem of it the more: It's of Divine Authority, (to which I ſhall ſpeak a word afterwards, when I come to that of the Pſalmiſt, where he calls it his Word.) 2. For this end the Lord gives this work to the faith of his people, that he may acquaint them more and more with himſelf, in whom they believe; that when they are put to the Bible, to live by faith in his Word, they may ſtudy his Divine Attributes, his Veracity, that cannot lie, his Omnipotency, that in greateſt difficulties, can commad deliverance to his people; his infinite Wiſdom, that can by contraries bring out his Wiſdom about their delivery; and by this means they have a great advantage, when they are brought to know God the Author of the Promiſes better: Hence Pſal. 9.10 …t's ſaid, They that know thy Name, will put their truſt in thee; They that know him, will put their confidence in him: And Paul, 2 Tim. 1.12. ſaid, For the which cauſe I ſuffer theſe things, nevertheleſs I am not aſhamed. How is that? For I know whom I have believed, and am perſwaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him to keep, againſt that day; therefore I am not aſhamed, therefore my confidence ſuccumbs not. 3. The Lord by giving Faith, this work brings his people experimentally to know the worth of Faith, and that's a neceſſary Leſſon; we will not …y get Sailing near the Shore, within ſight of Land, but muſt Lanch forth into the deep, that Faith may be put to it; and in this caſe, what advantage is it to know the worth of Faith, Pſal. 27.13. I had fainted, unleſs I had believed to ſee the goodneſs of the Lord in the land of the living. What had become of me if I had not believed? And that gave him to know the worth of Faith, which had an excellent advantage: And Pſal. 28.7. My heart trusted in him, and I was helped; I never tryed Faith, but it brought me ſome eaſe and relief, though not a compleat out-gate. And 4. The Lord give faith this work, that he may get much glory of his people, by their dependance, hoping and believing: Thus Rom. 4.20. Abraham was ſtrong in the faith, giving glory to God. Thou thinks it would honour God much, if thy mouth were filled with ſongs for deliveries, ſweet comforts, love-blinks, &c. I grant theſe are ſweet, and ſpeaks his praiſe; but God is more honoured by believing, when thou wants theſe, and hath only his naked word to lean to, thou then glorifies God more eminently, though not ſo ſatisfactorily to thy ſelf, when thou ſticks by believing in continued difficulties, when thou art tempted to caſt away confidence.
All I ſay from this Branch, and come to the 2d. ſhall be to tell you, that were theſe things believed, we would not be ſo ready to ſtumble, whatever our difficulties were, when ſenſe and carnal reaſon were laid by and non-pluſs'd, with want of all appearances and probabilities of an iſſue. But who are they who when they are left on a word of God, do not find themſelves at a loſs, and as ye uſe to ſpeak, at the next beſt; whereas, if we conſidered that this were God: way to exerciſe his people, with ſuch great and continued Trials, that their Iſſues and Out-gates from them, may be the Object of Faith, and not of Senſe or carnal Reaſon; and particularly were this ſtudied, our being holden long at work, hinging on would not tempt folk to weary, and give over waiting on God; a thing which many of us have cauſe to mourn for; and many fear, that if God refine us with ſilver, we will diſcover more than we thought had been in us. O conſider it, that ye ſtumble not, weary not, fret not, quite not your confidence; in great continued troubles, it is an evil not ſo much to be dung from your confidence, as to take the pet, to caſt it away, and give way to diſcouragement, and lie down and die.
But to preſs this, I come to the ſecond Branch in the Point, That as the Tryals of Gods people may be ſuch as only Faith can ſee an out-gate; ſo when they are ſo, Faith if it be chearfuly employed, will apprehend a promiſed delivery in greateſt difficulties; it will make a man wait on God in the ſaddeſt exerciſes without ſuccumbing, and to ſay this with the Pſalmiſt, I wait, &c. for I hope in his word: If a man be living by Faith, and ſo a juſt man, Though the Viſion tarry to ſenſe, it will make him wait for it, and expect it, becauſe at the appointed time it will ſpeak and not lie: And for the grounds on which this truth is founded, amongſt others, take theſe three: 1. That let Tryals be never ſo great and long continued, they alter not the ground of Faith, the ground that Faith goes on ſtill continues the ſame. Whatever befal the people of God they get not a new Bible, or a new God; all the gloomy days that paſt over them, has not blotted out one Promiſe or Attribute of God; and theſe things they ſee in God, and his Promiſes in a fair day, they may ſee them to be the ſame in a foul day; now if the ground be the ſame, if the Promiſes be the ſame, if God be the ſame, if our Rock have not ſold us; Faith cloſing with that ground, muſt wait for a delivery; were the Tryal never ſo great and long continued. 2. As the ground that Faith goes on, does ſtill continue the ſame; ſo obedience to the Command of Believing is never diſpenſed with; There is never a time wherein God ſays, I will diſpenſe with you to Believe; he ſays not, believe when the waters are at the ancles, and I will diſpenſe with you when they overflow the banks; but go things as they will, Faith is ſtill a commanded and indiſpenſible duty, ye have this clear, Luke 8.50. and the parallel places, when that Ruler came to Chriſt about the curing of his ſick daughter, he is encouraged to believe, while ſhe is ſick and not dead, but when ſhe is dead, one comes from his houſe, and ſays to him, Thy daughter is dead, trouble not the Maſter, thou and we might have believed the more before ſhe was dead, but now the caſe is deſperat, therefore it is needleſs to thee to employ him any more: But doth Chriſt homologat ſuch a principle? no; but when he heard it, he ſays to the man, Fear not, believe only, for ſhe ſhall be made whole; when ſhe is ſick, and when ſhe is dead, he is bidden, believe only. And, 3. Conſider, That not only does the ground of Faith continue the ſame, and the command of Believing indiſpenſible; but Trials eminent, ſharp, and of long continuance, are opportunities of eminent work for Faith. He is not counted a man of courage, that in a Muſter, will vapor and play the gallant; but who in the Chock of the Battle kythes his ſtoutneſs and reſolution, as a famous Spartan ſaid, when it was told him the Perſians arrows were ſo thick, that they would cover the Sun, all the better of that, ſaid he, for us, we ſhall fight the better in the cool; ſo it is with Faith. Eminent Trials, and difficulties of long continuance, gives to it opportunities of eminent ſervice and work: What is it to believe, while thou art ſailing alongſt the ſhore, but when thou lancheſt out into the deeps, and meets with a ſtorm, and neither Sun, Moon, nor Stars for many days appear, when the tryal is hightned and lengthned, and ſome falls off on that hand the day, and others fall off on this hand the morrow, and thou art like to be left alone; that is an opportunity of eminent ſervice and work for Faith: And thou would remember that there is a favour conferred on thee, when thy Faith is put to it, at ſuch a time, what will thou do? If thou will caſt thy ſelf, and all thou haſt, over upon God put all in his reverence, and wait upon him for an iſſue.
From theſe things that I have but ſuperficially touched, be exhorted to ſtudy the life of Faith better, that ye may be fixt and ſtrong in the Faith; ye muſt not content your ſelves with putting out ſome acts of Faith, but ye muſt learn to live by it, to make it your food and ſubſiſtence; which, if well ſtudied, many a tentation and ſnare, in ſnary times, would be broken, and God would be waited upon patiently. It is true, when ye are ſurcharged with bitterneſs, ye will get enough of things to father it on; your difficulties are many and great, your delays are protracted, but ye light not on the root of your diſtemper, the weakneſs of your Faith; O thou of little faith, wherefore didſt thou doubt? where is thy faith? for Iſai. 28.16. He that believes ſhall not make haſte; and conſequently, he that makes haſte, does not believe, or is at a low pace, as to the exerciſe of faith, when impatience and bitterneſs prevails; and therefore guard againſt your cankering fretfulneſs, wearineſs, fainting. Do not tempt God to give you a relief by a change of your condition, and being ſeen on the mount; but rouze up your faith to exerciſe, ſay, how is it that I am ſo fearful? how is it I have no Faith? ſeek the iſſue of all your preſſures, by rouzing up your Faith; it will diſcover to you Hagars well at hand, when ye are caſting down your Iſhmaels to die for thirſt; it will bring noon day at night; and of weakneſs it will make you ſtrong; when ye are faint and have no might, it will bring in power to you, and renew your ſtrength; when ye ſee no appearance of an iſſue, it will bid you look again (as Elijah ſaid, 1 King. 18.43.) Till ye ſee the cloud that will rain. When that holy man Ezra is laid by in confeſſing and mourning over the ſins of the people, Chap. 9. There is a good man, who Chap. 10 2. bids him look again, ariſe from his heavineſs and fall about a work of Reformation, For there was hope in Iſrael concerning that thing: So Jonah, when he ſaid, I am caſt out of thy ſight,; rouzing up his Faith, ſaith, Yet will I look again towards thy holy temple: and that man, Pſal. 77.7. When he begins to queſtion, Whether the Lord will caſt off for ever, and will be favourable no more, if his mercy be clean gone, if his mercy doth fail for ever, if he hath forgo…ten to be gracious, and in his anger he hath ſhut up tender mercies, and is laid by with that work; he rouzes up his Faith, and looks again: And Verſe 10. ſaith, This is my infirmity, I will remember the years of the right hand of the moſt high; So would thou do, when thou looks on the ſadneſs of thy condition, and many preſſures, and art tempted to give over; rouze up thy confidence, and that will give thee a ſatisfactory account of that which thou counted deſperat and hopeleſs. The Lord bleſs his Word.