"Therefore wait upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I arise, &c."." O that all who profess the name of God, would wait so, and not offer to arise to worship without him! and they would feel his stirrings and arisings in them, to help, and prepare, and sanctify them. Christ expressly charged his disciples, they should not stir from Jerusalem, but wait till they had received the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, in order to their preparation for the preaching of the glorious gospel of Christ to the world". And though that were an extraordinary effusion for an extraordinary work, yet the degree does not change the kind. On the contrary, if so much waiting and preparation by the Spirit was requisite to fit them to preach to man; some, at least, may be needful to fit us to speak to God. §. XII. I will close this great scripture doctrine of waiting, with that passage in John, about the pool of Bethesda. "There is at Jerusalem, by the sheep-market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches; in these lay a great multitude of impotent folks, of blind, halt, and withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." A most exact representation of what is intended by all that has been said upon the subject of waiting. For as there was then an outward and legal, so there is now a gospel and spiritual Jerusalem, the church of God, consisting of the faithful. The pool in that old Jerusalem, in some sort, represented that fountain, which is now set open in the New Jerusalem. That pool was for those that were under infirmities of body; this fountain for all that are impotent in soul. There was an angel then that moved the water to render it beneficial; it is God's angel now, the great angel of his presence, that blesseth this fountain with success. They that then went in before, and did not watch the angel, and take advantage of his motion, found no benefit of their stepping in those that now wait not the moving of God's angel, but by the devotion of their own forming and timing, rush before God, as the horse into the battle, and hope for success, are sure to miscarry in their expectations. Therefore, as then, they waited with all patience and intention upon the angel's motion, that wanted and desired to be cured; so do the true worshippers of God now, that need and pray for his presence, which is the life of their souls, b Zeph. iii. 8. c Acts i. 4-S. John v. 2, 3, 4. as the sun is to the plants of the field. They have often tried the unprofitableness of their own work, and are now come to the sabbath indeed. They dare not put up a device of their own, or offer an unsanctified request, much less obtrude bodily worship, where the soul is really insensible or unprepared by the Lord. In the light of Jesus they ever wait to be prepared, retired, and recluse from all thoughts that cause the least distraction and discomposure in the mind, till they see the angel move, and till their beloved please to wake: nor dare they call him before his time. And they fear to make a devotion in his absence; for they know it is not only unprofitable, but reprovable: "Who has required this at your hands?" "He that believes makes not haste." They that worship with their own, can only do as the Israelites, turn their ear-rings into a molten image, and be cursed for their pains. Nor fared they better, that gathered sticks of old, and kindled a fire, and compassed themselves about with the sparks that they had kindled';" for God told them, "they should lie down in sorrow." It should not only be of no advantage, and do them no good, but incur a judgment from him: sorrow and anguish of soul shall be their portion. Alas! flesh and blood would fain pray, though it cannot wait; and be a saint, though it cannot abide to do or suffer the will of God. With the tongue it blesses God, and with the tongue it curses men, made in his similitude. It calls Jesus Lord, but not by the Holy Ghost; and often names the name of Jesus, yea, bows the knee to it too, but departs not from iniquity: this is abominable to God. §. XIII. In short, there are four things so necessary to worshipping of God aright, and which put its performance beyond man's power, that there seems little more needed than the naming of them. The first is, the sanctification of the worshipper. Secondly, the consecration of the offering, which has been spoken to before somewhat largely. Thirdly, what to pray for; which no man knows, that prays not by the aid of God's spirit; and, therefore, without that spirit no man can truly pray. This the apostle puts beyond dispute; "We know not (says he) what we should pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities." Men unacquainted with the work and power of the Holy Spirit, are ignorant of the mind of God; and those, certainly, can never please him with their prayers. It is not enough to know, we want; but we should learn, whether it be not sent us as a blessing: disappointments to the proud, losses to the covetous, and to the negligent e Isa. i, 12. ch. xxviii. 15. f Isa. 1. 11. Rom. viii. 26. stripes to remove these, were to secure the destruction, not help the salvation of the soul. The vile world knows nothing, but carnally, after a fleshly manner and interpretation; and too many that would be thought enlightened, are apt to call providences by wrong names. For instance, afflictions they stile judgments; and trials (more precious than the beloved gold) they call miseries. On the other hand, they call the preferments of the world by the name of honour, and its wealth, happiness; when for once that they are so, it is much to be feared they are sent of God an hundred times for judg ments, at least trials, upon their possessors. Therefore, what to keep, what fo reject, what to want, is a difficulty God only can resolve the soul. And since God knows, better than we, what we need, he can better tell us what to ask, than we can him: which made Christ exhort his disciples to avoid long and repetitious prayers; telling them, that their heavenly Father knew what they needed, before they asked: and therefore gave them a pattern to pray by; not as some fancy, to be a text to human liturgies, which of all services are most justly noted and taxed for length and repetition; but expressly to reprove and avoid them. But if those wants, that are the subject of prayer, were once agreed upon (though that be a mighty point) yet how to pray is still of greater moment, than to pray; it is not the request, but the frame of the petitioner's spirit. The what may be proper. but the how defective. As I said, God needs not be told of our wants by us, who must tell them to us; yet he will be told them from us, that both we may seek him, and he may come down to us. But when this is done," To this man will I look, saith the Lord, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my wordi:" To the sick heart, the wounded soul, the hungry and thirsty, the weary and heavy laden ones; such sincerely want an helper. §. XIV. Nor is this sufficient to complete gospel-worship; the fourth requisite must be had, and that is faith, true faith, precious faith, the faith of God's chosen that purifies their hearts, that overcomes the world, and is the victory of the saints. This is that which animates prayer, and presses it home, like the importunate widow, that would not be denied; to whom Christ (seeming to admire) said, "O woman, great is thy faith." This is of highest moment on our part, to give our addresses success with God; and yet not in our power neither, for it is the gift of Mat. vi. 7, 8. 1 Isa. lxvi. 2. * 1 Tim. i. 5. Acts xv. 9. Tit. i. 1. Mat. xv. 28. 2 Pet. i. 1. 1 John v. 4. : God from him we must have it; and with one grain of it more work is done, more deliverance is wrought, and more goodness and mercy received, than by all the runnings, willings, and toilings of man, with his inventions, and bodily exercises. Which, duly weighed, will easily spell out the meaning, why so much worship should bring so little profit to the world, as we see it does, viz. True faith is lost. They ask, and receive not; they seek, and find not; they knock, and it is not opened unto them": the cause is plain their requests are not mixed with purifying faith, by which they should prevail, as good Jacob's were, when he wrestled with God, and prevailed. And the truth is, the generality are yet in their sins, following their hearts' Justs, and living in worldly pleasures, being strangers to this precious faith. It is the reason rendered by the deep author to the Hebrews, of the unprofitableness of the word preached to some of those days; "not being (says he) mixed with faith in them that heard it." Can the minister. then preach without faith? No, and much less can any man pray to purpose without faith, especially when we are told, That the just live by faith." For worship is the supreme act of man's life; and whatever is necessary to inferior acts of religion, must not be wanting there. §. XV. This may moderate the wonder in any, why Christ so often upbraided his disciples with, "O ye of little faith!" yet tells us, that one grain of it, (though as little as that of mustard, one of the least of seeds) if true and right, is able to remove mountains. As if he had said, there is no temptation so powerful, that it cannot supply: wherefore those that are captivated by temptations, and remain unsupplied in their spiritual wants, have not this powerful faith that is the true cause. So necessary was it of old, that Christ did not many mighty works where the people believed not, and though his power wrought wonders in other places, faith opened the way: so that it is hard to say, whether that power by faith, or faith by that power, wrought the cure. Let us call to mind what famous things a little clay and spittle, one touch of the hem of Christ's garment, and a few words out of his mouth did, by the force of faith in the patients: "Believe ye that I am able to open your eyes?" Yea, Lord, say the blind, and see. To the ruler, "Only believe;" he did, and his dead daughter recovered life. Again, "If thou canst believe:" "I do believe," says the father, "help my unbelief";" and the evil spirit was chased away, and the child recovered. He said to one," Go, thy faith has made thee whole;" "Jam. iv. 3. "John ix. 6. Luke viii. 47, 48. Mat. ix. 29, 30. Mat, ix. 23. and to another, "Thy faith hath saved thee; thy sins are forgiven thee"." And to encourage his disciples to believe, that were admiring how soon his sentence was executed upon the fruitless fig-tree, he tells them, "Verily, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this, which is done to the fig-tree; but also, if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and cast into the sea, it shall be done; and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive "." This one passage convicts Christendom of gross infidelity; for she prays, and receives not. §. XVI. But may some say, it is impossible to receive all that a man may ask. It is not impossible to receive all that a man, that so believes, can ask. The fruits of faith are not impossible to those that truly believe in the God that makes them possible. When Jesus said to the ruler, "If thou canst believe," he adds, "all things are possible to him that believeth." Well, but then some will say, it is impossible to have such faith: for this very faithless generation would excuse their want of faith by making it impossible to have the faith they want. But Christ's answer to the infidelity of that age, will best confute the disbelief of this. "The things that are impossible with men, are possible with God." It will follow then, that it is not impossible with God to give that faith; though, it is certain, that "without it, it is impossible to please God;" for so the author to the Hebrews teaches. And if it be else impossible to please God, it must be so to pray to God without this precious faith. §. XVII. But some may say, What is this faith, that is so necessary to worship, and that gives it such acceptance with God, and returns that benefit to men? I say, it is an holy resignation to God, and confidence in him, testified by a religious obedience to his holy requirings, which gives sure evidence to the soul of the things not yet seen, and a general sense and taste of the substance of those things that are hoped for; that is, the glory which is to be revealed hereafter. As this faith is the gift of God, so it purifies the hearts of those that receive it. The apostle Paul is witness, that it will not dwell, but in a pure conscience: He therefore in one place, couples a pure heart and faith unfeigned together in another, faith and a good conscience. James joins faith with righteousness, and John with victory over the world: "This, says he, is the victory which overcomes the world, even your faith "." • Mark x. 52. Luke xviii. 27. 'Heb. xi. 6. Luke vii. 49, 50. P Mat. xxi. 20, 21, 22. ¡9 Mat. xviii. 19. "Mat. xix. 24, 25, 26. Luke xviii. 25, 26, 27. ch. i. 5. James ii. 1 John v. 4. |