ness in God, and the establishment and consolation he found in waiting on him, he calls upon, and encourageth others to the same duty, ver. 7, 8.

The propositions laid down, I shall briefly pass through; still with respect unto the state and condition of the soul, represented in the psalm. Many things that might justly be insisted on in the improvement of these truths, have been anticipated in our former general rules. To them we must therefore sometimes have recourse; because they must not be again repeated. On this account, I say, we shall pass through them with all briefness possible; yet so as not wholly to omit any directions that are here tendered unto us, as to the guidance of the soul, whose condition, and the working of whose faith, is here described. This, therefore, in the first place is proposed.

The first proper fruit of faith's discovery of forgiveness in God unto a sin-distressed soul, is waiting in patience and expectation.

This the psalmist openly and directly applies himself unto, and expresseth to have been as his duty, so his practice. And he doth it so emphatically, as was manifested in the opening of the words, that I know not that any duty is any where in the Scripture so recommended and lively represented unto us.

You must, therefore, for the right understanding of it, call to mind what hath been spoken concerning the state of of the soul inquired into; its depths, entanglements, and sense of sin, with its application unto God about those things; as also remember what hath been delivered about the nature of forgiveness, with the revelation that is made of it unto the faith of believers; and that this may be done, where the soul hath no refreshing sense of its own interest therein. It knows not that its own sins are forgiven, although it believes that there is forgiveness with God. Now the principal duty that is incumbent on such a soul, is that laid down in the proposition, namely, patient waiting and expectation.

Two things must be done in reference hereunto. First, The nature of the duty itself is to be declared: and secondly, The necessity and usefulness of its practice is to be evinced and demonstrated.

For the nature of it, something hath been intimated giving light into it, in the opening of the words here used by the psalmist to express it by. But we may observe, that these duties as required of us, do not consist in any particular acting of the soul, but in the whole spiritual frame and deportment of it, in reference unto the end aimed at in and by them. And this waiting, as here and elsewhere commended unto us, and which is comprehensive of the especial duties of the soul, in the case insisted on and described, comprehends these three things. 1. Quietness, in opposition to haste and tumultuating of spirit. 2. Diligence, in opposition to spiritual sloth, despondency, and neglect of means. 3. Expectation, in opposition to despair, distrust, and other proper immediate actings of unbelief.

1. Quietness. Hence this waiting itself is sometimes expressed by silence. To wait, is to be silent. Lam. iii. 26. 'It is good both to hope, and to be silent for the salvation of the Lord;' that is, to 'wait quietly,' as we have rendered the word. And the same word we render sometimes 'to rest,' as Psal. xxxvii. 7. Rest on the Lord, be silent unto him;" where it is joined with hoping or waiting, as that which belongs unto the nature of it; and so in sundry other places. And this God in an especial manner calleth souls unto in straits and distresses. 'In quietness and confidence,' saith he, shall be your strength;' Isa. xxx. 15. And the effect of the righteousness of God by Christ, is said to be quietness and assurance for ever;' Isa. xxxii. 17. First, quietness, and then assurance. Now this silence and quietness which accompanieth waiting, yea, which is an essential part of it, is opposed first to haste; and haste is the soul's undue lifting up itself, proceeding from a weariness of its condition, to press after an end of its troubles, not according to the conduct of the Spirit of God. Thus when God calleth his people to waiting, he expresseth the contrary acting unto this duty, by the lifting up of the soul; Hab. ii. 3, 4. Though the vision tarry, wait for it. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith.' God hath given unto the soul a vision of peace, through the discovery of that forgiveness which is with him; but he will have us wait for an actual participation of it unto rest and comfort. He that will not do so, but lifts up his

soul, that is, in making haste beyond the rule and method of the Spirit of God in this matter, his heart is not upright in him, nor will he know what it is to live by faith. This ruins and disappoints many a soul in its attempts for forgiveness. The prophet, speaking of this matter, tells us that ‘he that believeth shall not,' nor will not, make haste;' Isa. xxviii. 16. Which words the apostle twice making use of, Rom. ix. 33. x. 11. in both places renders them, 'Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed,' or confounded. And that because this haste turns men off from believing, and so disappoints their hopes, and leaves them unto shame and confusion. Men with a sense of the guilt of sin, having some discovery made to them of the rest, ease, and peace, which they may obtain to their souls by forgiveness, are ready to catch greedily at it, and to make false, unsound, undue applications of it unto themselves. They cannot bear the yoke that the Lord hath put upon them, but grow impatient under it, and cry with Rachel, 'Give me children or I die.' Any way they would obtain it. of such a soul is to apply itself unto waiting; so the first entrance into waiting consists in this silence and quietness of heart and spirit. This is the soul's endeavour to keep itself humble, satisfied with the sovereign pleasure of God in its condition, and refusing all ways and means of rest and peace, but what it is guided and directed unto by the word and Spirit.

Now as the first duty

2. As it is opposed unto haste, so it is unto tumultuating thoughts, and vexatious disquietments; the soul is silent. Psal. xxxix. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it.' He redoubles, the expression, whereby he sets out his endeavour to quiet and still his soul in the will of God. In the condition discoursed of, the soul is apt to have many tumultuating thoughts, or a multitude ofperplexing thoughts of no use or advantage unto it. How they are to be watched against and rejected, was before declared in our general rules. This quietness in waiting will prevent them. And this is the first thing in the duty prescribed.

2. Diligence, in opposition unto spiritual sloth, is included in it also. Diligence is the activity of the mind in the regular use of means, for the pursuit of any end proposed. The end aimed at by the soul, is a comforting refreshing in

terest in that forgiveness that is with God. For the attaining thereof, there are sundry means instituted and blessed of God. A neglect of them through regardlessness or sloth, will certainly disappoint the soul from attaining that end. It is confessedly so in things natural. He that soweth not, must not think to reap; he that clotheth not himself, will not be warm; nor he enjoy health, who neglects the means of it. Men understand this as to their outward concerns. And although they have a due respect unto the blessing of God, yet they expect not to be rich without industry in their ways. It is so also in things spiritual. God hath appointed one thing to be the means of obtaining another; in the use of them doth he bless us, and from the use of them, doth his glory arise, because they are his own appointments. And this diligence wholly respecteth practice, or the regular use of means. A man is said to be diligent in business, to have a diligent hand; though it be an affection of the mind, yet it simply respects practice and operation. This diligence in his waiting David expresseth, Psal. xl. 1. p mp. Werender it, 'I have waited patiently; that is, waiting I have waited; that is, diligently, earnestly in the use of means. So he describes this duty by an elegant similitude, Psal.cxxiii. 2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters; and as the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until he have mercy on us.' Servants that wait on their masters, and look to their hands, it is to expect an intimation of their minds as to what they would have them do, that they may address themselves unto it. So, saith he, do we wait for mercy; not in a slothful neglect of duties, but in a constant readiness to observe the will of God in all his commands. An instance hereof we have in the spouse, when she was in the condition here described, Cant. iii. 1, 2. She wanted the presence of her beloved, which amounts to the same state which we have under consideration; for where the presence of Christ is not, there can be no sense of forgiveness. At first she seeks him upon her bed: By night upon my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.' She seems herein to have gone no farther than desires; for she was in her bed, where she could do no more; and the issue is, she found him not. But doth she so

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satisfy herself; and lay still, waiting until he should come there unto her? No, she says, she will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth.' She resolves to put herself into the use of all means, whereby one may be sought that is wanting. In the city, streets, and fields, she would inquire after him. And the blessed success she had herein is reported, ver. 4. she found him, she held him, she would not let him go.' This then belongs unto the waiting of the soul: diligence in the use of means, whereby God is pleased ordinarily to communicate a sense of pardon and forgiveness, is a principal part of it. What these means are, is known. Prayer, meditation, reading, hearing of the word, dispensation of the sacraments; they are all appointed to this purpose; they are all means of communicating love and grace to the soul. Be not then heartless or slothful; up and be doing; attend with diligence to the word of grace; be fervent in prayer, assiduous in the use of all ordinances of the church, in one or other of them, at one time or other, thou wilt meet with him whom thy soul loveth; and God, through him, will speak peace unto thee.

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3. There is expectation in it, which lies in a direct opposition to all the actings of unbelief in this matter, and is the very life and soul of the duty under consideration. So the psalmist declares it, Psal. lxii. 5. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is only from him.' The soul will not, cannot, in a due manner wait on God, unless it has expectations from him; unless, as James speaks, he looks to receive somewhat from him; chap. i. 7. The soul in this condition regards forgiveness, not only as by itself it is desired, but principally as it is by God promised. Thence they expect it. This is expressed in the fourth proposition before laid down; namely, that sin-distressed souls wait for God with earnestness, intention of mind, and expectation. As this ariseth from the redoubling of the expression; so principally from the nature of the comparison that he makes on himself, in his waiting with them that watch for the morning. Those that watch for the morning do not only desire it, and prepare for it, but they expect it, and know assuredly that it will come. Though darkness may for a time be troublesome, and continue longer than