sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun; but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many; all that cometh is vanity"? You know the common proverb, "What can't be cured must be endured." I want you to go on further than this. I want you to have enlightened and sanctifying views of this subject: I want you to see enough to lead you to exclaim with Job, "Though HE slay me, yet will I trust in Him." "It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good." Do you not see enough in your afflic tions, and of their alleviations, to see that God designs them for your benefit? O ye sons and daughters of affliction, cannot you bless God that though called to suffer, God moderates your afflictions, and that He intends that you should be purged thereby? Natural man is only concerned to obtain deliverance from them, but the real Christian desires that when God hath tried him, he may "come forth as gold;" and he wishes for deliverance only in God's time and in His way. Affliction in Scripture is compared to a prison, and when God puts us there we are not to get out of the window or over the wall, but must cry with David, "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name." "The righteous shall compass me about, for Thou shalt deal bountifully with me."

Here is another reference to be drawn from this point of our subject. You see what, as a sufferer, you should be concerned for. It is that the end may be accomplished; it is not only lamentable, but awful, to come out of afflictions as you go in. Indeed you cannot; but you will come out of the furnace nearer God, or farther from Him-more hardened, or more softened. When food fails, you have recourse to medicine; and when medicine fails, the case begins to look hopeless. You pity a fellow-creature when he has suffered a painful operation: perhaps he has had to sustain the loss of a limb, or been excoriated with the stone, but his sufferings after all are but short. But how awful to think of a man after having been deprived of health, of his substance, his friends and connections, after all these losses for him to be lost for ever! Pray therefore this may not be your case. Pray that your iniquity may be purged, and that your affliction may be the fruit to take away your sin, that it may destroy all the idolatry of your heart; this is the way to obtain a blessing. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptations; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."

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XXIII.

WAITING UPON GOD.

(Delivered on Thursday Evening, April 3rd, 1845.)

"And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.”ISAIAH XXX. 18.

HERE you see God waiting, and man waiting: God waiting to give, man waiting to receive; God waiting from condescension; man waiting from necessity.

I. We consider, first, THE CHARACTER of God: "The Lord is a God of judgment."

Judgment here means what we understand by prudence, which is wisdom applied to knowledge. We therefore read that "by Him actions are weighed." He sees all things in their causes and in their issues, however remote or contingent. Observe His own challenge, "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor, hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge; and showed to Him the way way of understanding?"

The judgment of God in the Scriptures is also associated with justice and righteousness. We therefore read that "Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne," even when "clouds and darkness are round about Him." It is connected also with this power of God. Thus Eliphaz says, "He is wise in heart, mighty in strength." So Job says, "Thou canst do everything, no thought can be withholden from Thee." And it is also connected with the satisfaction and comfort of His people. This renders it so interesting. "Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding; His understand

ing is infinite." Let us, therefore, never charge Him foolishly, but let us feel persuaded that God is a rock, that "His work is perfect, and that no unrighteousness is in Him." O Christians, what a consolation is it for you to know that you are not only preserved by an Almighty arm, but guided also by unerring wisdom; that "the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him."

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He is a God of judgment," therefore able to teach His family, and they are all trained up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord. All the children of the Church shall be taught of the Lord; for none teacheth like Him.

And as "He is a God of judgment," He knows how to correct. Jeremiah therefore prays, "O Lord, correct me, but in judgment; not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing." When He employs a rod, He never errs as to the time, the manner, or the continuance of it. He knows all your dangers; He knows all your walking through this great wilderness; He knows your souls in adversity, and He is able, if you refer it to Him, to choose your inheritance for you. You know not what is best for you in this vain life which you spend as a shadow, but He does, for He sees the end from the beginning. He can distinguish between your wants and your wishes. You frequently confound these. He times His blessings. He knows the fittest and most beneficial opportunity for doing you good; He is always ready with His blessing, if you are ripe for it, only He will not suffer a child to stretch forth his hand to gather the fruit before it be ripe, but will keep it till it has a finer appearance, more delicious taste, and possesses a more nutritious quality.

II. GOD'S APPEARANCES ON ACCOUNT OF HIS PEOPLE ARE SOMETIMES DELAYED. This is clearly implied. "Blessed are all they that wait for Him."

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness." There is never any delay with regard to His purposes and His counsels. He has a time, a set time to favour Zion; and as He is never a moment before the time, so He is never too late. "God shall help us, and that right early "-not only early, but "right early." But without any authority from Him, and ignorant of His designs, we appoint seasons for His work and His coming, and when He does not appear according to our expectations then we think He delays, and "hope deferred maketh the heart sick." We all know that

momenst when we are expecting something of importance, and which seems exceeding desirable, pass away very slowly. So the believer sometimes finds it. Thus we hear him exclaim, “O Lord, how long?" "Make haste, O Lord, to deliver me; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death."

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God does not always immediately appear on behalf of His people, in four instances.

First, In answer to prayer, and this is often very perplexing. We read, "He is a God hearing prayer." He derives His name from it, and says, "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Yet says the man, "He keeps me at the door; He hears me not, or He will not open; and when He has opened it, He frowns and shuts it again and shuts out my prayer." That is, it seems so to the man. How was it with the Syro-Phenoecian woman who came to Our Lord on her daughter's behalf? At first He answered her not a word; then, in answer to her persistent prayer, He said, “It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs," seeming to reject her. And yet what said He immediately upon her continued importunity? "O woman, great is thy faith; be

it unto thee even as thou wilt."

Secondly, God does not always immediately appear on behalf of His people in relieving them in their afflictions. These are sometimes various and very oppressive. When the disciples were in a great storm at sea, He showed no concern for them. He was asleep in a ship, and they said, "Lord, carest Thou not that we perish ?" Does God sleep? "He that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth." No, but He apparently disregards His people; that is, He does not immediately exert Himself for their deliverance. How was it with Joseph ? He was thrown into a pit, and sold to the Ishmaelites; he was imprisoned and fettered, and for twenty-four years there seemed to be no accomplishment of the prophetical dreams with which he was favoured. God did not, you see, soon appear for him, and this is frequently the case. "The clouds return after the rain," and the storm seems to increase instead of subsiding.

Thirdly, God does not always immediately appear on behalf of His people in explaining Himself with regard to their afflictions. Therefore says Job, "Shew me wherefore Thou contendest with me." But this He does not always do immediately. "His way is in the sea, and His path in the great waters, and His footsteps are not known." Verily, He is a God that hideth Himself, though He is the God of Israel, the Saviour. So it was with poor Job. "Behold," said he, "I go forward,

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but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; on the left hand where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him." But this was his satisfaction: "But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

Fourthly, God does not always immediately appear in afford ing the joys of His salvation, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Hence they may suffer for a length of time from doubts and apprehensions. Hence they resemble the Jews whose souls were discouraged because of the way. They are discouraged from a sense of guilt, and the remains of corruption; and though they have seen the King in His beauty" they can hardly venture to call Him their Lord, and their God; and though they have seen the land of Canaan, yet it seems to them very far off.

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These are the instances in which God, in His appearances on behalf of His people, may seem to delay.

III. We proceed therefore to consider thirdly, YOUR DUTY IN THE MEANTIME. It is to wait for Him.

Wherein does this consist? It is not so much to be viewed in a single action as in the whole frame of the soul. It appears in four things. First, in calmness of mind, in opposition to hurry and haste, for you always find people when in difficulties. and dangers liable to confusion and haste, if they have not confidence in God. "He that believeth shall not make haste." No, he will not rush from one quarter to another, and run from one creature dependance to another in quest of deliverance; his strength will be to sit still. This is exemplified in the foregoing verses: "For thus saith the Lord God; the Holy One of Israel in returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee, till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign upon a hill." In opposition to this, the man will feel a composedness of mind, as David did, who said, "I was dumb; I opened not my mouth, because Thou didst it." And as Aaron, who, under his immense affliction, instead of complaining, raging, and running from creature to creature, held his peace. There will be a degree of this calmness of mind.

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