ever looking and longing for the things promised. Our eyes are always looking to Heaven, which is the seat and solace of our happiness. David describeth his earnestness notably, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning; I say, more than they that watch for the morning" (Psalm cxxx 5, 6). The priests that officiated in their turns, never missed the performance of their daily offices there. So David was still awakening his desires, continuing his daily attendance on God, and renewing his longings and hopes.

2. It is a lively expectation: "Begotten again unto a lively hope" (1 Peter i. 2). It is called lively from the effect; such as will put life into us in our damps of spirit and greatest discouragements, quickeneth us to hasten home apace, being animated by some cheerful foretastes of what we expect.

3. It is a constant and unconquerable expectation, not broken with present difficulties, but sustaineth the soul, till our full and final deliverance cometh in hand: "As the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hands of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us" (Psalm exxiii. 2). They never give over waiting and looking, till God show mercy: 66 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter i. 13); and, " And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end" (Heb. vi. 11).

4. It is a sure and certain hope, as being built on God's truth and faithfulness; it is compared to an anchor sure and steadfast (Heb. vi. 18). Why? because of God's word and oath. God is the supreme verity, who can neither deceive nor be deceived; therefore we should rest satisfied with his promise. To a promise, that it be certain and firm, three things are required; that it be made seriously and heartily, with a purpose to perform it; that he that promiseth, continue in this purpose, without change of mind; that it be in the power of him that promised, to perform what is promised. Now, of all these things there can be no doubt, if we believe the Scriptures to be the word of God.

(1.) Certainly God meaneth as he speaketh, when he promiseth to give eternal life to the faithful servants and disciples of Jesus Christ. There is no question that he is so minded, when he who is truth itself, hath told the world of this; for what needed God to court the creature, or tell them of a happiness which he never meant to bestow upon them? If an honest man hath promised anything in his power, we look he should be as good as his word. Yea, we have his oath, which is πέρας αντιλογίας, and μεγίση παρὰ ἀνθρώποις πίσις. He sent his Son with a commission from Heaven to assure us he is "Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Rev. iii. 14). He wrought miracles to confirm his message, died, rose again, and revived: "Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God" (1 Peter i. 21). This message afterwards was confirmed by all kinds of signs and wonders wrought by them who went abroad in his name to assure the world of this. Not to believe God is serious, is to make him a liar.

(2.) That God doth continue his purpose, there can be no doubt in them who consider his unchangeable nature: he may change his dispensation,

but not his purposed will: "Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James i. 17); “I am the Lord, I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Mal. iii. 6). (3.) That he is able to perform it, since he can do what he will : "And being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom. iv. 21). So, "According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. iii. 21). The most difficult thing in our hope, is the raising of our bodies, after eaten by worms, and turned to dust. It is a thing incredible, and to flesh and blood wholly impossible; but nothing is impossible to God. It is within the reach and compass of Divine Omnipotency. Well then, the thing is sure in itself; let us labour and suffer reproach, wait with patience, renounce the desires and delights of the flesh, and with patience continue in well-doing, and then we may lift up our souls to it: our reward is sure.

The second point is from the incident weakness, because of the delay of help: "Mine eyes fail for thy word." He had his eyes fixed upon the promise, till they were quite wearied.

DOCTRINE II.—Though his people wait for him, yet God may so long delay and suspend the performance of the promises, till they count it a hopeless business.

1st, Suspend. The reasons are these:

1. Not because he is unwilling to give, but because he will have us better prepared to receive: "Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear" (Psalm x. 17). We understand it usually of preparing the heart for prayer; to ask the mercy: but it is also meant of preparing the heart to receive the mercy. "The high places were not taken away; for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers" (2 Chron. xx. 33). They were not fit to have a thorough reformation accomplished in their days: the baker watcheth when the oven is hot, and then puts in the bread. At another time it went on roundly; for God had prepared the people (2 Chron. xxix. 36). When we are in a posture, mercy will not be long a-coming. Heaven, the great mercy, is not given us, till prepared; as Heaven is prepared for us, so we for it: "That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory" (Rom. ix. 23); and, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. i. 12). So other mercies; our unpreparedness lieth as a block in the way, and hindereth the free passage of God's mercy to us, till he send his work before him, &c. "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him" (Isa. xl. 10).

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2. To awaken fervency of prayer, and that the blessing may be the moree arnestly sought after, and highly valued. A thing easily come by doth not stir up such a desire after it. Τὸ ἕτοιμον εἰς ἐξεσίαν ἀργὸν εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν. We despise easy-gotten favours; but that which is long and earnestly sought, is the dearer to us. Therefore the Lord, to commend his favours to us, and to set a price upon them, will have us pray much and long: "For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him" (1 Sam. i. 27).

3. God doth it, to prove and exercise our faith. have gone to the grave, and his promises not yet

Many of his servants accomplished, and yet

have gone to the grave in hope: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises [that is, things promised], but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them" (Heb. xi. 13). Then is faith tried, when we can wait for the fulfilling of the promises; when we have no present enjoyment, and know not when we shall have; yea, likely never to see it in our days. The patriarchs lived and died believers: delay and non-enjoyment did not break their hearts; nor could death itself extinguish their faith. Death might bereave them of their friends, and their temporal estate, and all their earthly comforts; but of faith it could not.

4. That patience may have its perfect work. It is marvellous patience, that can yet wait for the word; when it will yield us the expected comfort, though our eyes fail in waiting. Then is the greatest discovery of its perfection, when difficulties are many, hope long delayed: it hath but a part of its work before, to still the mind under lesser or shorter evils. The perfection of a thing is never discovered, till it be put to a full trial. Patience is seen in waiting as well as suffering. To bear a little while, is but the imperfect work of patience, some lesser degree of it; as to know a letter or two in the book, is but an imperfect kind of reading: but to bear much and long, that is the perfect work. To lift up some heavy thing from the ground, argueth some strength; but to carry it for an hour, or all day, is a more perfect thing.

5. God delayeth the accomplishment of his promises, because many times the frame of his providence requireth it. All God's works have their appointed hour and time; and God will not disturb the order of causes, or work sooner or later, but as the beautiful frame of his providence doth permit : Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come" (John ii. 4). Our time wherein we would have him work, and his time wherein he will work, are often very different; for he will not manifest his help when it will please us best, but when his glory in working may be best seen: "My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready" (John vii. 6).

II. The other branch is, that God may delay so long, till they be disheartened, and give it over as a hopeless business. David saith his eyes failed for the word. When a man is disappointed of the things he looketh for, then his eyes are said to fail. So the captive Jews complained: "As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching, we have watched for a nation that could not save us" (Lam. iv. 17).

1. God may delay so long, till his enemies wax high and proud, as if above the reach of all evil, and God had forgotten them, or approved their ways: "I kept silence, thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thyself" (Psalm 1. 21). So long till all their fears are over: "Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them" (Job xxi. 9). And their oppressions are multiplied: "His ways are always grievous;" for "he hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved" (Psalm x. 5, 6).

2. God may delay so long, till a land be wasted by sundry successive common judgments that light upon good and bad. After the complaint of the prosperity of the wicked, the Prophet subjoineth, "How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither?" (Jer. xii. 4.) When they relent not, the land may fare the worse for them; and the godly, among the rest, suffer in these general calamities. God may plague the

nation with dearth and famine, plague and pestilence, war and sword, fire and burning; and all this while no ceasing of their iniquities or oppressions.

3. God may delay so long, till his people be strangely perplexed, and know not what to make of his providence. They wonder how his justice can endure it: "Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments. Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" (Jer. xii. 1.) "Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity; wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" (Hab. i. 12, 13.) They cannot reconcile his attributes and providences. We that are short-sighted and short-spirited creatures, see not God's reasons; yea, God may delay so long, till their hearts faint and their eyes fail, as in these two verses: till their faith and patience be quite spent, and they have left looking for it: "Shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke xviii. 8.) God loveth to show his people their infirmity, and to weaken all their courage, before he will do anything for them.

4. God may delay so long in some cases, that there is no hope that God will do anything for them in this life; but all reasons for patience are only taken from the general judgment: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord;" and "stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James v. 7, 8). They are put off till then, till the general harvest and restitution of all things; and, in the mean time, they must be content to sow in tears, that they may reap the fruit of their labours and sufferings at that time, and have their cause judged at his tribunal. He useth the similitude of a husbandman: "Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain." In some cases, there may be no hope of our release till then, as the husbandman hath no profit by his seed until the harvest.

Secondly, I shall speak of this failing of the eyes.

1. Certainly the failing of the eyes is a fault, because it argueth the limiting of God, which is a great sin: they "limited the Holy One of Israel" (Psalm lxxviii. 41). They limit God to times, means, instruments, present likelihood; and, when these fail, their hearts fail. God cannot endure that his people, who ought wholly to depend upon him and submit to him, should prescribe to him how or when he should help, as if they had a power of God, or could set bounds to his wisdom, mercy, omnipotency; all which are, as if he could do no more than what they conceive probable, or should act when they conceive fitting; and, if he doth not then, that he never will or can do it. They prescribe to his wisdom, control his power, question his love and truth.

2. As it is a fault, so it is a punishment. punishment. Though David here saith, "Mine eyes fail," with waiting for that salvation and mercy which thou hast promised in the word; yet it is the usual judgment of the wicked, one of the curses of the law. It is said, " Thy sons and daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long" (Deut. xxviii. 32). They should look

and long for some help, for the rescuing of their children, even till their eyes did fail in waiting; but all in vain. So, "The eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost" (Job xi. 20). They may look for good, but never get the sight of it. Again, "The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart and failing of eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 65). But, though failing of eyes be a curse of the law, yet Christ became a curse for us. It is said in his name (for that psalm belongeth to Christ), "Mine eyes fail which wait for my God" (Psalm lxix. 3). And so it is altered to us: it is a correction to humble us, and fit us for better things.

3. Though it be a sin and punishment, yet the fault is not in God's delay, but in the weakness and faintness of our hope. There was a fault in our first resolution for faith and patience. The children of God usually set to themselves a shorter period than the Lord doth; and so God is not slack, but we are hasty: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter iii. 9). And there is a weakness in the exercise of our faith and patience. They that look long for good, and the succour of his promises, the delay is troublesome to them: " Hope deferred maketh the heart sick" (Prov. xiii. 12). Hope bolongeth to love; and the affections of pursuit and love, make absence tedious, when afflicted in the interim; but faith and dependence upon God should keep us waiting, and patience should enable us to tarry his leisure: "I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple" (Jonah ii. 4). There is our fault, that we give over hope and calling upon God, and depending on him, and holding fast on his covenant and promise, which we should not do. When God seemeth to turn his back on the saints, yet they will not forsake him.

4. The hopes of God's children fail them long, though not for ever. He many times bringeth his children to a low ebb, and doth for a long time withhold his aid, yet he doth not altogether forsake them: "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer" (Isa. liv. 7, 8).

USE.-Well then, let us not be over-troubled at the delay of the promised and expected blessings.

1. We are hasty for mercy, slow to duty: "When I call, answer me speedily" (Psalm cii. 2). We cry, How long? But how justly may God cry, How long? We complain of the delay of the promise; God may more justly complain of the delay of our obedience. How long do we make God stay and wait till our leisure come! "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?" (Jer. iv. 14;) and, "O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?" (Jer. xiii. 27.) Today, now, is the time we set God for mercy; to-morrow, for duty. God must tarry our sinful leisure, and we will not tarry his holy leisure. God is our sovereign, we are debtors to him. Ours is a debt, his a free gift. If God had been as quick with you as you with him, where had you been?

2. It argueth weakness: a short walk is a long journey to the weak