meditation and particular application and I hope and my hearts desire is that through the Grace of God some word or other may leave such deep impressions upon your heart both for instruction and consolation as that you may be better for them all your days Sect. 15. Duty 2. Be much in heartstudying 2. Be much conversant in the studying of your own heart It 's very needful to be well acquainted at home For this self-acquaintance and knowledg of a mans own heart is a very necessary knowledge and a profitable acquaintance This is a great business and an useful imployment for every one to busie himself in searching of his own heart and he that is thus imployed and makes it his business to know and understand himself will know more evil by himself than all the world can tell him of I have read of Heraclitus a weeping Philosopher who being askt what he studied he answered To know himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it was the saying of one of the wise men of Greece Know thy self And this knowledg we shall never attain unto unless we study our own hearts This was the resolution of the Church though at that time under hatches Let us search and try Jer. 3. 40. our ways and turn again to the Lord. First there must be searching and trying and then follows a turning to God And in this turning there are two terms one is from what we Terminus à quo terminus ad quem turn and this is from sin and the other is to whom we should turn and this is to God The heart is exceeding filthy and defiled and therefore frequent washings and cleansings are required So runs the word of command O Jerusalem wash thy heart Jer. 4. 14 from wickedness that thou maist be saved How long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee In the Levitical Law when a beast was slain for sacrifice there was a special command for the washing of the inwards and the legs Lev. 1. 9. These washings were typical and put us in remembrance of washing of our hearts and lives For both inward and outward pollution ought to be avoided and we ought to cleanse our selves from both For 2 Cor. 7. 1. saith the Apostle having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And both outward and inward purity ought to be endeavoured after It 's the Apostles command Let us draw near Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed wiâ—h pure water Now let the heart be washt first then the conversation will be purified The heart may be compared to a fountain if that be pure the conversation as so many streams flowing from that fountain will be pure The more we search our hearts the more pollution we shall find in them We shall find them to be a cage of unclean birds and a cinque of all manner of impurity Wherefore above all keepings we ought to keep our hearts for so saith the Wiseman Keep thy heart with all diligence for Prov. 4. 23. out of it are the issues of life Let it be therefore your greatest care and endeavour to approve your heart unto God in sincerity and in truth Sincerity is that which constitutes a Christian and distinguisheth a child of God from an hypocrite Look then especially to the inclination vergency frame and propension of your heart whether it tend directly towards God or obliquely toward the world The difference upon Scripture-record is very great between Asa and Amaziah although neither one nor other were without their failings Asa fail'd in several things yet the root of the matter was in him for his heart was upright toward God so it 's evidenced in the Scripture Nevertheless the heart of 2 Chron. 15. 17. Asa was perfect all his days As for Amaziah though he went a great way yet he came far short of the main thing requir'd for this brand of infamy is left upon record And he did that which was right in 2. Chron. 25. 2. the sight of â—â—â— Lord but not with a perfect heart It 's the common lot of Gods dearest children to have Infirmities yet notwithstanding they can take comfort in the integrity of their hearts So the Spouse confest I sleep but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. The sleeping of the Spouse imply'd that she had her Infirmities but her heart waking declar'd her sincerity Sect. 16. Duty 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Prov. 18. 1. 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Though separation from the Assemblies of Saints is unwarrantable yet there is a warrantable separation of which the Wiseman makes mention Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom There is a time for retiredness into our Closets of this our Saviour speaks But thou when thou prayest Mat. 6. 6. enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly For this retirement God Isa 26. 20. calls upon his people Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past Wherefore in your short recesses and retirements which you must take frequently pour out your heart unto God and when you are remotest from company and from the hearing of men then be more earnest in wrestling with God in prayer and supplication Sometimes you may find a listlesness and indisposedness upon your spirit and by reason of such dulness and deadness you may be afraid of venturing upon any holy duty yet you must take heed of neglecting any duty For dulness deadness and indisposedness of spirit are no warrants to neglect any duty but you ought the rather to be more sollicitous unto the throne of Grace for quickning-vertue that God would raise and dispose your heart for his service Although at some time you may be so straitned in your spirit as you may not be able to utter a word yet you may sigh and mourn and groan and breathe after God and these sighings breathings groanings and mournings are all known to God and as for the compunctions of the heart God takes notice of them all We read that the Lord said unto Moses Why cryest thou unto me The Exod. 14. 15. time that Moses thus cryed was when Pharoah and his host pursued the Children of Israel A potent furious Enemy was behind them and the Red-sea before them and whether they went forward or backward their danger was exceeding great either to be drown'd in the Water or slain with the Sword of the Enemy It 's worth our observation that there is no particular word
be no more sorry for your sins If this be your condition as my hope it is you can pray better than you are aware of For saith the Apostle the Rom. 8. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onus vicissim attollit ex altera parte ne sub eo fatiscamus Beza spirit helpeth our infirmities The Original word is very Emphatical It follows For we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Herein consists the great duty to be importunate with God for the assistance of his holy Spirit and to apply the promises That God will give Mat. 7. 11. good things to them that ask him And what 's that good thing even the best of all things is promised Your heaven Luk. 11. 13 ly Father shall give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Object Object And whereas you complain of your barrenness and unprofitableness under the means of Grace and of your slippery and failing memory Answ Answ I answer that it 's a good sign to be sensible of your failings and to bewail them It 's a grand Duty incumbent on you to be heedful and vigilant It 's the Apostles caution Therefore we ought to give Heb. 2. 1. the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Original implys let them run out as leaking vessels do and let out precious liquor as soon as it is poured into them At for your unprofitableness if we all in particular reflect upon our selves all our faces will gather blackness and we have all cause to complain that when we have Luk. 17. 10. done all that we can we are unprofitable servants Wherefore being conscious to our selves of our great unfruitfulness under the means of Grace and notwithstanding fatning Ordinances we have lean souls let 's supplicate Isa 48. 17. unto the Throne of Grace Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way which thou shouldest go Object And whereas your misgiving heart injects many fears unto you as if none of the Promises appertain'd unto you Answ Answ I answer That it 's more than you know For a poor doubting trembling Christian may have the root of the matter in him and a right to the promises though at present he may want the manifestation of those consolations which the promises afford But do not you judg your self unworthy of eternal life Cast not away the Anchor of your hope let not go your hold on the Promises for they are a stay and a staff for you to support your soul upon when you apprehend your self even in a tottering condition Are you thirsty after Christ Apply your self to the Promises for they are as so many Wells of Salvation Therefore with joy shall Isa 12. 3. ye draw water out of the wells of salvation Do you desire a word of comfort to be spoken to your Soul Make hast to the Promises for they are the breasts of consolation which Isa 66. 11. can satisfie you Sect. 13. A few Questions I propound unto you and after your most serious and composed thoughts I expect your Answer Do not you love God Q. You cannot say but you do A. Then the Promise is your portion And we know that all things work Rom. 8. 28 Qui dicit omnia excipit nihil together for good to them that love God Observe that all things are promised and nothing is excepted Your present troubles of mind though for a time they may be grievous yet in Gods good time shall all work together for your good Do not you hate the ways of sin Q. and love the ways of holiness If so as I have no reason to think A. otherways then you are in a hopeful condition The Psalmist professeth his love to the Law of God and his utter hatred and abhorrency of every false way and especially lays down an evidence of his uprightness by keeping himself from bosom-sins for said he I was also upright Psâ— 18. 23. before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity Another Question I shall only propound to you Do not you love the Q. Children of God You dare not say otherways for those are the company with whom you converse and delight Hence you may evidence that you A. â—oh 13. 35 are a Disciple of Jesus Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another This is an evidence of regeneration to love the Brethren We know saith 1 John 3. 14. the Apostle that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death I knew one upon his death-bed who took great comfort in this evidence of loving the Children of God A Third Impediment to be avoided 3. Imped Too much retiredness and respectiveness is too much retiredness and reservedness Do not feed and nourish a melancholly humour by separating your self from the society of such who would gladly administer comfort to you The society of experienced Christians and frequent conference with them may be of great advantage to you for the establishment of your heart by giving seasonable and suitable Answers to those doubts which trouble you One Coal may inkindle another and one Iron may sharpen another and so one Christian may be instrumental both for inkindling and quickning the Graces of Gods Spirit in another I advise you to be very seldom alone during your Troubles and Temptations unless in two special cases As first when God is speaking to you in his Word when you read the Word of God and faithful Writers and Expositors thereof Which read you must labour to digest by Prayer and Meditation and make of all particular application unto your own Soul And secondly When you are speaking to God in Prayer and Supplication then is a fit season to be alone and in your secret recesses to pour out your heart unto the Lord. My further advice unto you in love is That you would beware of idleness and sloth Although I suspect you not nor can accuse you yet in love to your precious soul I cannot but premonish you both to avoid the sin of idleness and the miserable consequences thereof For if the Devil can prevail by his temptations to gain you to idleness and sluggishness and to the neglect of your duties which concern both your general and particular calling then he will get ground of you and lay his Snares and Gins to intrap you and so go away Conqueror That therefore you may prevent the mischievous designs of Satan I counsel you to be industrious in your particular calling and imployment with diligence and care provided that you above all
regard your general calling as a Christian I am not ignorant that every thing is beautiful in its season sometimes retiredness and sometimes conversing with others have their peculiar season As for retiredness there is an allowable separation in some cases as the wise man informs us Through desire a man having separated Prov. 18. 1. himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom For the gaining of Wisdom and improvement thereof when so gain'd we must sequester our selves from Company and hide our selves for a time in our Closets that so we may have better conveniencies for the exercise of Prayer and Meditation There is a time when God calls for retiredness for so we read Come my people enter thou into sa 26. 26 thy Chambers and shut thy dores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Such a retiredness as this is both necessary and comfortable For a Christian to pour out his Soul in Prayer to God when no eye of man seeth him nor any ear of man heareth him and so meditate on the Word of God by such a retiredness he gains a sacred communion and acquaintance with God such a one as Eliphaz exhorts Job 22. 21. Job to get But as for any retiredness and reservedness to nourish a melancholly and dumpish humour and to sequester your self from profitable soul-friends that kind of retiredness I advise you against altogether Likewise there 's a fit season for spiritual conference This was much practised by the ancient Servants of God for we read * Propheta non tantum dicitquemque privatim tactum fuisque resipiscentia sed inter se loquutos quò significat debere studium nostrum extendi ad fratres nostros Calv. Then they that Mal. 3. 16. feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name God sometimes manifests himself in one Ordinance and sometimes he manifests himself in another though we are tyed and bound to wait on God in every Ordinance yet he is a most free Agent and as the Wind blows where it listeth so he works where he pleaseth Sometimes we may not get comfort by the Word or by Prayer or by receiving of the Lords Supper yet we may receive abundant comfort by godly conference Therefore be sure that you neglect not the Society of such who are able and willing to build you up in your holy faith and to speak a word of comfort in due season unto your Soul Sect. 14. 3d. Head In the third place in pursuance of my method I shall make it my business to exhort you to the practice of some particular Duties and they are these six especially Be frequent and serious in reading Duty 1. Be frequent and serious in reading of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 5 of the holy Scriptures for they alone can make you wise unto salvation The Scriptures in some places are so plain as some observe that a Lamb may wade and in other places so deep that an Elephant may swim The Scriptures * Quae nullis non convenit annis Lacte rigans pueros pane cibans validos Prosper Psal 119. 24. Vers 50. suit all ages and all sexes and all conditions as is observed Tertullian an ancient Father saith I adore the fulness of the Scriptures The Psalmist declares Thy Testimonies also are my delight and my Counsellors And when he would raise to himself a ground of comfort he fastned upon the Word of God and there stay'd This saith he is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me And unless he had received comfort from the Word he was sensible that he had been utterly undone Vnless thy Law had been my Vers 92. delights I should then have perished in mine affliction Questionless all Scripture is precious and the Lord would let none of Samuel's words much less would he let any of his own words fall to the ground and every part and parcel of the Holy Scripture is of the same piece of pure Gold and more to be valued than the gold of Ophir or the gold of Parvaim yet considering your present condition I advise you to the serious perusal of these ensuing Scriptures as most suitable unto your particular case One Scripture is mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah Who is among you Isa 50. 10. that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Another Scripture is Light is sown for the Psal 97. 11. righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Between Seed-time and Harvest there is a considerable interval of time yet what hath been sown will come up in the appointed season Add hereunto a third Scripture homogeneous to the former Vnto the upright there ariseth light in Psal 112. 4. darkness To these Scriptures I shall add some others which have abundantly supported the afflicted Servants of God One is Return Psal 116. 7. unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee A second is of the Prophet Isaiah For Isa 57. 15. thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones A third Scripture is I came not to call the righteous Matt. 9. 13 but sinners to repentance A fourth is Come unto me all ye that labour Matt. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 25. and are heavy laden and I will give you rest A fifth is This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief A sixth only which I shall mention is in the Revelations And Rev. 22. 17 the Spirit and the Bride say come And let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely There are peculiar Psalms which I commend to your frequent and deliberate perusal and meditation viz. Psal 16. 18. 23. 25. 27. 32. 34. 42. 61. 62 and 63. Any one of these Psalms if you ponder them in your heart and pray that God would write them in your heart O! how abundantly may you profit thereby Read frequently and to reading add prayer and meditation Christ's incomparable Sermon Preached in the mount Matt. 5 6 7. and likewise Christs farewell-Sermon contain'd in Joh. 14. 15 16 17. Add hereunto a serious reading and meditating on Rom. 8. Though I exclude not other Scriptures for all are precious yet considering that many Christians have gain'd so much good by reading of those Scriptures I commend them to your reading
accompanies the Word and makes it effectual And the Word quickned by the Spirit 2 Cor. 10. 5. works wonderful things For it 's mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds * Eis comparat ratiocinationibus Philo sophorumquae Evangelio opponebantur Grot. casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knâ—wledg of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ The Word of God is one piece of our Spiritual armour And Eph. 6. 17. take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God A sword is both an offensive and a defensive weapon And the Word is a two-edged sword Heb. 4. 12. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword * Leviticus culter pervenit ad minimâ— quales sunt nerve in junctur is ad intima quales sunt medullae sic sermo Dei intima minima animi penetrat inque ea agit Grot. Isa 51. 21. De calamitatibus loquutus est nempe dubitent ut fideles non quin parata sit eis a Domino consolatio tametsi extrema quaeque patiantur Calv. in loc piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart The Word of God powerfully preacht may through the blessing of God meet with your particular condition and speak comfort to you For there is a particular and suitable word which frequently God directs his Ministers to preach and so to reach the hearts and conditions of the hearers One only Scripture I shall mention of the Prophet Isaiah Therefore hear now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine The meaning is that notwithstanding fore pressures and afflictions which they endured yet they should not doubt nor despair of Gods comforts there is a This i. e. a word of God to comfort the afflicted Keep close to the Word and be frequent in meditating of what you hear and in applving of it particularly to your own soul Sect. 19. 2. Receive the Lords Supper 2. To the diligent hearing of the Word of God you must join the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper this is a great strengthning supporting and comforting Ordinâ—nce and you ought not to deny your self so great a priviledg which belongs to you As it 's a fault and a great one in many presumptuously and unpreparedly to come to the Lords Supper so it may be a fault in you who have knowledg to discern the Lords Body and your life is holy to debar your self of that choice Ordinance As you may not come unpreparedly without serious self examination so you may not stay away after due preparation For after a thorough exâ—mination follows 1 Cor. 11. 28. participation But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Neither should such who have right to this sealing Ordinance content themselves with seldom receiving but they should embrace frâ—quent opportunities for Communicating at the Lords-Table they will find many things wanting in their faith and love and repentance and therefore they should come frequently to strengthen their faith and love and to renew their repentance and to renew their covenants with God and to walk more humbly and holily in all manner of conversation The Text saith For as Vers 26. often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come The Adverb there used is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that implys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Pemble on the Sacrament often that shews that we ought to do it often At other times we ought to have an habitual preparation but for receiving of the Lords-Supper we ought to have an actual preparation we ought to act faith love repentance and other graces Now because you find sin to be burdensome and loathsome and you account your self unworthy therefore you should not deny your self the Lords-Supper you ought the rather to come and to make haste unto Christ beseeching him to prepare you for the receiving of the Ordinance and to make it effectual unto you I shall give a distinction which I hope may give you satisfaction There is a Legal and an Evangelical Righteousness As for Legal righteousness to be exact and to perform the whole Law to a tittle none could do it but Christ alone and in a legal sense none of us can come worthily to the Lords-Supper for we all come short of our duty and when we have done all we can we must confess that we are unprofitable Luk. 17. 10. Isa 64. 6. servants and that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags But there is an Evangelical righteousness and through Christs righteousness imputed to us we are accounted righteous and accepted of God and notwithstanding infirmities which we are sensible of and mourn for them if our hearts be sincere towards God we may expect a blessing of God upon the Ordinance For though we are not as of our selves any ways worthy of receiving so great an Ordinance yet the God of the Ordinance will be pleased to accept of the uprightness of our hearts Let us then make our addresses to God as Hezekiah did for the people concerning their failings about receiving of the Passover The good Lord pardon 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. every one that prepareth his heart to seek the God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people 3. Labour to the utmost to be 3. Labour to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath Exod. 20. 8 9 10 11. conscientious and strict in the observation of the Sabbath day The fourth Commandment preâ—ixeth a peculiar Memento for the observation of the Sabbath day Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the sevenâ—h day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy stranger that is within thy gates The Sabbath was to be observed the seventh day of the week from the Creation to the Resurrection of Christ since we are to observe the first day of the week in memory of Christs Resurrection and this is the Christian Sabbath commonly called the Lords-day On this day Christ rose from the dead on this day collection was to be made 1 Cor. 16. 1. Act. 20. 7. Rev. 1. 10. for the Saints on this day the Disciples came together to break bread and St. John was in an especial manner ravisht in the Spirit * Diem Dominicam vocat primam â—ebdomadis feriam qua Dominus a mortuis
resurrexerit c. Pareus in loc I was in the spirit on the Lords day This day is the souls market-day the souls harvest-day the souls rejoiâ—ing-day Prepare for this day before it comes meditate of the duties of the day and sanctifie your souls for the sanctification of the Lords own day The word Remember necessarily implys prepartion and a previous consideration of performing the works of the day in its own day This day ought seriously to be remembred before it comes and the heart ought to be prepar'd and sequestred from all worldly intanglements On this day we should rise earlier in a morning than other days Mary rose early that day and had a joyful sight of the Lord Jesus Shake off sloth and drowsiness and beware of idleness for spiritual idleness on this day is as bad as bodily labour give unto God his own day a whole day and imploy your soul in the works of the day and the works are works of piety mercy and necessity and beg of God a Sabbath-frame and temper of spirit As for such works as concern our secular calling though they are lawful and necessary on other days of the week yet on this day they are neither necessary nor lawful much less are corporal-recreations as games or sports c. to be allowed on this day On this day double diligence ought to be used for the performing of double duties to hearing of the Word in publick add reading in private and to reading add secret prayer and to prayer add meditation and to meditation add conference as next is to be mentioned Sect. 20. Duty 5. Communicate your Doubts to experienced Christians Mal. 2. 7. Isa 50. 4. A fifth Duty is to communicate your Doubts and perplexities to such experienced Ministers or people who are able and willing to administer spiritual comfort unto you The Prophet tells us For the Priests lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Impart your case to faithful Ministers to whom God hath given the tongue of the Learned and to other experienced Christians who through the Grace of God may speak both by way of counsel and comfort something for the settlement and establishment of your spirit Frequent the society of such who fear God and be a companion to such here on earth whose company you hope to enjoy to all eternity It was the saying of an eminent servant of Jesus Christ upon his Death-bed Mr. Robert Bolton I shall change my place but not my company Be therefore ready and willing to lay hold upon those opportunities which are offered for spiritual conference and be glad of the prayers and counsels of such as are Mnasons and old Disciples and experienced Christians and Practitioners of Religion Spiritual conference is no new practice for it is of great antiquity and I heartily wish that it were more revived and put in practice than it is now-a-days The Prophet Malachy makes mention of such Religious meetings Then they that feared the Lord spake Mal. 3. 16. often to one another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Upon perusal of those words it 's evident that the people of God met together and confer'd about each others spiritual estate And there ought to be a great deal of care and conscience in the managing of such meetings for God takes notice of all that 's done or spoken and puts them upon record O! how much and abundant soul-satisfaction may be gain'd by the society of such as are godly to such you ought to unbosom and unburthen your soul they may be instrumental for the good of your soul And as I advise unto conference and correspondence with godly Christians so I advise you to the making choice of godly Writers and to peruse them with diligence and seriousness of spirit Let the holy Scriptures always have the preheminence both in your judgment and affections Next to them I commend unto your frequent reading sound and orthodox Writers such as are Calvins Institutions Greenham Perkins Dod Dyke on the Deceitfulness of the heart Scudder Burroughs gracious spirit and in an especial manner because it 's very suitable to your condition I commend to your reading Dr. Sibs of the souls conflict The precious Author is dead but his memory is blessed and both the Author and his Works are like precious ointment poured forth The sixth and last particular Duty Duty 6. Wait upon God which I advise you unto is to wait silently patiently and submissively upon God Labour therefore to bring your will to Gods will God is infinite in Wisdom and knows what 's better for you than you know for your self and better than you can either ask or think And believe that Gods time is always the best time and therefore wait on God till he be pleased to speak a word of peace to you Let faith and patience hold out and joyn them both together and imitate those who Heb. 6. 12. through faith and patience have inherited the promises The Church of God though under hatches and in a very low condition yet did exercise faith and patience And I Isa 8. 17. will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him The Church of God was much afflicted and vexed with briers and thorns and was neither quiet at home nor abroad yet notwithstanding we read of an Heroical resolution of the Church Therefore I will look unto the Lord Mic. 7. 7. I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me In this verse Faith Patience and Assurance are all joyn'd together for looking implys that there was an eye of faith and waiting implys the exercise of patience and that God would hear was a strong ground of assurance that the faith and patience there mention'd were successful In Habbakkuks time the Vision was very dark For said Hab. 2. 3. the Prophet the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Waiting-Christians are exceeding much gainers by all their waiting so saith the Prophet The Lord is good to them that wait Lam. 3. 25 26. for him to the soul that seeketh him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Wherefore if God speak not comfort so soon as you desire and expect yet know that it is your duty to hold out and continue waiting and not in the least to presume to limit the holy one of Israel to any time or means Let God as an ancient Eligat opportunitatem qui libere dat misericordiam Aug. Father saith chuse the opportunity who freely gives thee mercy