Second case. How may a Christian be supported in waiting upon God, whilst Providence delays the performance of the mercies to him, for which he hath long prayed and waited?
Two things are supposed in this case. That Providence may linger and delay the performance of those mercies to us, that we have long waited and prayed for. That during that delay and suspension, our hearts and hopes may be very low, and ready to fail.: -, a
1. Providence may long delay the performance of those mercies we have prayed and waited upon God for..:
For the right understanding of this, know that there is a twofold term, or season, fixed for the performance of mercy to us. One by the Lord our God, in whose hand times and seasons are, Acts 1. 7; another by ourselves, who raise up our own expectations of mercies, sometimes merely through the eagerness of our desires after them, pd and sometimes upon uncertain conjectural grounds and appearances of encouragement, that lie before: us. SE -
Now, nothing can be more precise, certain, and punctual, than is the performance of mercy at the time and season which God hath appointed, how long soever it be, or how many obstacles soever lie in the way of it. There was a time prefixed by God himself for the performance of that promise of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt; and it is said, At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self-same day, 1t came to pass that all the host of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt,” Ixod. xii. 41. Compare this with Acts vii. 17, and there you have the ground and reason why their deliverance was not, nor could be, delayed one day longer, because the time of the promise was now come.”” Promises must accomplish their appointed time, and when they have so done, Providence will fulfil them, and not one of them shall miscarty.
But for the seasons, which are of our own fixing and appeintment, as God is not tied to them, so his providences are not governed by them, and hence are our disappointments. We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of health, and behold trouble,” Jer. viii. 15. And hereupon is it that we fret at the delays of Providence, and suspect the faithfulness of Ged in their performance. «« But his thoughts are not our thoughts,” Isa lv 8. «The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as men count slackness,” 2 Pet. ii. 9. It is slackness, if you reckon by our own rule and measure, but it is not so if you reckon and count it by God’s. The Lord doth not compute and reckon his seasons of working by our arithmetic.
You have both these rules compared, and the ground of our mistake detected in this Scripture: “” The vision is yet for an appointed time, but, at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry,” Hab. ii. 3.
God appoints the time: when that appointed time is come, the expected mercies will not fail; but, in the mean time, though it tarry,” saith the prophet, wait for it, for it will not tarry.” Tarry, and not tarry, how shali this be reconciled? The meaning is, it may tarry much beyond your expectation, but not a moment beyond God’s appointment. oo
2. During this delay of Providence, the hearts and hopes of the people of God may be very low, and much discouraged. This is very plain from what the Scriptures have recorded of others, and every one of us may find in our own experiences. We have an instance of this in Isa. xlix. 13, 14. In the 13th verse you have God’s faithful promise, that he will comfort his people, and have mercy upon his afflicted;”” enough, one would think, to raise and comfort their hearts. But the mercy promised was long in coming, they waited from year to year, and still the burden pressed them, and was not removed. And therefore Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me,” ver, 14, as if she had said, It is in vain to look for such a mercy, God hath no regard to us, we are out of his heart and mind, he neither cares for us, nor minds what becomes of us.
So it was with David, after God had made him such a promise, and in the time thereof so faithfully performed it, that never was mercy better secured to any man; for they are called the sure mercies of David,” Isa. lv. 8, yet Providence delayed the accomplishment of them so long, and suffered such difficulties to intervene, that he not only despairs to see the accomplishment of them, but even concludes God had forgotten them too. “How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever?” Psal. xiii. 1. And what he speaks here by way of question, he elsewhere turns into a positive conclusion: All men are liars; I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul,” Psal. cxvi. 11. And the causes of these despondencies and sinkings of heart are partly from ourselves, and partly from Satan. If we duly examine our own hearts about it, we shall find that these sinkings of heart are,