་ He fets before him his own glorious greatnefs, as manifested in the works of his power, that thereby, being convinced of his own ignorance, weaknefs and infinite distance in all things from him, he might humble his foul into the moft fubmiffive dependance on him, and waiting for him. And this he doth accordingly, chap. xlii. 6. I abhor (faith he,), myfelf, and repent in duft and afbès. His foul now comes to be willing to be at God's difpofal, and therein he found prefent reft, and a fpeedy healing of his condition. It is the high and lofty one that inhabitetb eternity, whose name is holy, Ifa. lvii. 15. with whom we have now to do: He that fitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants of it are as grafhoppers before him; yea, the nations are as the drop of the bucket, and are counted as the small duft of the ballance: He takes up the ifles as a very little thing; all nations before him are as nothing, they are counted unto him less than nothing, and vanity, Ifa, xl. 15, 17, 22: To what end doth the Lord fet forth and declare his glorious greatnefs and power? It is that all might be brought to trust in him, and to wait for him, as at large is declared in, the clofe of the chapter. For fhall grafhoppers, a drop of the bucket, duft of the balance, things lefs than nothing, repine against, or wax weary of the will of the immenfe, glorious and lofty One? He that taketh up all the ifles as a very little thing, may furely, if he pleafe, deftroy, caft and forfake one ifle, one city in an ifle, one perfon in a city; and we are before him but fingle perfons. Serious thoughts of this infinite all glorious Being, will either quiet our fouls, or overwhelm them. All our wearinefs of his difpenfations towards us, arifes from, fecret inaginations, that he is fuch a one as ourfelves; one that is to do nothing but what feems good in our eyes. But if we cannot comprehend his Being, we caunot make rules to judge of his ways and proceedings. And how fmall a portion is it that we know of God? The nearest approaches of our reafons and imaginations, leaves us ftill at an infinite diftance from him: And indeed what we Eee 2 fpeak fpeak of his greatnefs, we know not well what it fignifies, we only declare our refpect unto that which we believe, admire and adore, but are not able to comprehend. All our thoughts come as fhort of his excellent greatnefs, as our natures do of his; that is, infinitely. Behold the univerfe, the glorious fabric of heaven and earth; how little is it that we know of its beauty, order and difpofal? yet was it all the product of the word of his mouth; and with the fame facility can he, when he pleafeth, reduce it to its primative nothing. And what are we poor worms of the earth, an inconfie derable unknown part of the lower feries and order of the works of his hands, few in number, fading in condition, unregarded unto the refidue of our fellow creatures, that we should fubduct ourselves from under any kind of his dealings with us, or be weary of waiting for his pleasure? This he preffeth on us, Pfal. xlvi. 10. Be fill and know that I am God. Let there be no more repinings, no more difputings, continue waiting in filence and patience; confider who I am; Be fill, and know that I am God. Further, to help us in this confideration, let us a little alfo fix our minds towards fome of the glorious, effential, incommunicable properties of his nature diftinctly; as, (1.) His eternity. This Mofes propofeth to bring the fouls of believers to fubmiffion, truft and waiting, Pfal. xc. 1. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God. One that hath his being and fubfiftance not in a duration of time, but in eternity itfelf: So doth Habakkuk also, chap. i. 12. My Lord, my God, my holy One, art thou not from everlasting: And hence he draws his conclufion against making hafte in any condition, and for tarrying and waiting for God. The like confideration is managed by David alfo, Pfal. cii. 27. How unconceiveable is this glorious divine property unto the thoughts and minds of men? how weak are the ways and terms whereby they go about to exprefs it? One > fays, it is a nunc ftans; another, that it is a perpetual duration. duration. He that fays moft, only 'fignifies what he knows of what it is not. We are of yesterday, change every moment, and are leaving our ftation to-morrow. God is ftill the fame, was fo before the world was, from eternity. And now I cannot think what I have faid, but only have intimated what I adore. The whole duration of the world from the beginning unto the end, takes up no space in this eternity of God. For how long foever it hath continued, or may yet continue, it will all amount but to fo many thoufand years, fo long a time; and time hath no place in eternity. And for us who have in this matter to do with God, what is our continuance unto that of the world? a moment as it were in comparison of the whole. When mens lives were of old prolonged beyond the date and continuance of empires or kingdoms now, yet this was the winding up of all; fuch a one lived fo many years, and then he died, Gen. v. And what are we poor worms, whofe lives are measured by inches, in comparison of their fpan? what are we before the eternal God; God always immutably fubfifting in his own infinite Being? A real confideration hereof will fubdue the foul into a condition of dependance on him, and of waiting for him. (2.) The immensity of his effence, and his omniprefence is the fame confideration. Do not I fill heaven and earth, faith the Lord, Jer. xxiii. 24. The heavens, even the heavens of heavens, the fupreme and most comprehenfive created being cannot contain him, faith Solomon. In his infinitely glorious Being, he is prefent with, and indistant from all places, things, times, all the works of his hands; and is no lefs glorioufly fubfifting where they are not. God is where heaven and earth are not, no less than where they are; and where they are not, is himself; Where there is no place, no fpace, real or imaginary, God is; for place and imagination have nothing to do with immenfity: And he is prefent every where in the creation; where I am writing, where you are reading; he is prefent with you, indiftant from you. The thoughts of mens hearts for the moft moft part are, that God, as to his effence, is heaven only; and it is well if fome think he is there, feeing they live and act as if there were neither God nor Devil, but themselves. But on thefe apprehenfions, fuch thoughts are ready fecretly to arife, and effectually to prevail, as they were expreffed, Job xxii. 13, 14. How doth God know? can be judge through the dark? Thick clouds are as a covering unto him, that he feeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of the heavens. Apprehenfions of God's distance from men harden them in their ways: But it is utterly otherwife; God is every where; and a man may, on all occafions, fay with Jacob, God is in this place, and I knew it not. Let the foul then, who is thus called to wait on God, exercife itfelf with thoughts about this immenfity of his Nature and Being. Comprehend it, fully understand it, we can never: But the confideration of it will give that awe of his greatness u pon our hearts, as that we fhall learn to tremble before him, and to be willing to wait for him in all things. (3.) Thoughts of the holiness of God, or infinite felf-purity of this eternal immenfe being, are fingularly ufeful to the fame purpose. This is that which Eliphaz affirms that he received by vifion, to reply to the complaint and impatience of Job, chap. xiv. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. After he hath declared his vifion, with the manner of it, this he affirms to the revelation that by voice was made unto him: Shall mortal man be more juft than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold he puts no truft in his fervants, and his angels he chargeth with folly. How much lefs on them that dwell in houfes of clay, whofe foundation is in the duft, who are crushed before the moth? If the faints and angels in heaven do not anfwer, this infinite holiness of God in their most perfect condition; is it meet for the worms of the earth to fuppofe, that any thing which proceeds from him is not abfolutely holy and perfect, and fo beft for them? This is the fiery property of the nature of God, whence he is called a confuming fire, and ever-> lafting burnings: And the law whereon he had im preffed preffed fome reprefentation of it, is called a fiery law, as that which will confume and burn up whatever is perverse and evil. Hence the Prophet, who had a reprefentation of the glory of God in a vifion, and 'heard the Seraphims proclaiming his holinefs, cried out, Wo is me, for 1 am undone, becaufe I am a man of unclean lips, Ifa. vi. 5. He thought it impoffible that he fhould bear that near approach of the holinefs of God. And with the remembrance hereof doth Joshua ftill the people with the terror of the Lord, chap. xiv. 19. Let fuch fouls then, as are under troubles and perplexities on any account, endeavour to exercise their thoughts about this infinite purity and fiery holiness of God; they will quickly find it their wifdom to become as weaned children before him, and content themfelves with what he fhall guide unto them, which is to wait for him. This fiery holinefs ftreams from this throne, Dan. vii. 10. and would quickly confume the whole creation, as now under the curfe and fin, were it not for the interpofing of Jefus Chrift. (4.) His glorious majefty, as the ruler of all the world. Majefty relates unto government, and it calls us to fuch an awe of him as doth render our waiting for him comely and neceffary. God's throne is faid to be in heaven, and there principally do the glorious beams of his terrible majefty fhine forth. But he hath alfo made fome reprefentation of it on the earth, that we might learn to fear before him. Such was the appearance that he gave of his glory in the giving of the law, whereby he will judge the world, and condemn the tranfgreffors of it, who obtain not an acquitment in the blood of Jefus Chrift. See the defcription of it in Exod. xix. 16, 18. So terrible was the fight hereof, that Mofes bimfelf faid, I exceedingly fear and quake, Heb. xii. 21. And what effect it had upon all the people is declared, Exod. xx. 18, 19. They were not able to bear" it, although they had good affurance that it was for their benefit and advantage, that he fo drew nigh, and manifested his glory unto them. Are we not fatisfied with Our |