THE SAINT'S POSTURE IN DARK TIMES.  
Showing what peaceable spirits they should have under dark and unexpected dispensations.  
SET FORTH In a SERMON Preached in the Cathedral in Gloucester, on the 17 th'. of March. 1649.  
Being the Lord's day, and the time of the public Assize.  
By A. PALMER. M.A.  Isa. 30.18. 
Blessed are all they that wait for him.  
LONDON: Printed for Tho: Vnderhill at the Blue Anchor in Paul's Churchyard, near the little North-door. 1650.   

Viro multis nominibus colende JOHANNI wild, Capitali Scacarii Baroni Judici sanè aequissimo Concionem hanc De Deo expectando Gratitudinis & officii impensè Debiti pignus, humilitèr, & devotè. D. D. D.  
A. Palmer.   

TO MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND READERS, SPECIALLY of the County of Gloucester.  
SOme of you, the ear-witnesses of what is here (with a little enlargement) presented to your view, were pleased in a serious judgement to protest my obligation to publish these notes, as they might be useful towards the quieting and composing the spirits of the godly in the complaining times we live in; upon this account you have them; Now, on the contrary, some may fall a judging me for this attempt; but I shall not insist upon the preventing their objections; If God have the least glory, and any soul helped forward in his blessed ways, by what he hath here taught me, 'twill, with men, abundantly bear down what ever prejudice or misprision can raise.  
Only, if any will say, What make I among the Prophets? Let him answer himself, that grace is free and boundless, and then I shall only beg this prayer from him, that, To whom much it forgiven, he may love much: The Lord keep all his people waiting for him, and guide them in straight paths, which is the main import of this weak discourse, and the prayer of  
Yours in the Lord Jesus: A.P. Bourton on the water, 26. Marc: 1650.   

THE SAINT'S POSTURE IN DARK TIMES.  ISAIAH Chap. 26. ver: 8. 
Yea in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee, etc.  
THis Evangelicall Prophet having in the former Chapter declared the great, and blessed deliverances both spiritual, & temporal of Jesus Christ to his people, the glorious propagation of the Gospel, ver: 6. of that chapter, His removing the face of the covering, and the vail from off all people. v: 7. The taking away the rebuke of his people from off the face of the earth: v: 8. His band resling upon the mountain of his people, and his enemies trodden down under him: v: 10. At this chap: he hath composed a song for the Saints and people of God, magnifying the strength, protection, and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, ascribing all the glory unto him; set forth indeed in a most sweet and admirable holy eloquence as any Scripture we meet with.  
In this letter these deliverances, for which this song and exaltation of the Lord is calculated, may refer either to that burden of the Moabites, described so full of woes, Chap: 15. and 16. or to that famous deliverance by the hand of Cyrus, and so this song may be conceived to be one of those which the Babylonians so sharply taunted them with in the captivity, Sing us one of your songs of Zion, Psal. 137. this the chief of those Songs. But as all that was typical of Jesus Christ, and the Gospel-times; so this is a song for any people saved by the Lord, when the times of Christ's refresh are near, and so it may be more than conjectured that the consummation of that glorious rest of the Saints, set forth, Rev: 22.14. Blessed are they that have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the City, may refer to the two first verses of this chapter and Song.  

1. Here then briefly you have the Church set forth in a very glorious metaphor, As a strong City, God appointing salvation f●… bulwarks, ver: 1.  
2. The Citizens, the Saints entering into it, described by a most excellent character. The righteous nation keeping truth. ver: 2.  
3. Their most choice and glorious privilege at the 3d: verse, Kept in perfect peace.  
4. Their lifting up of the name of the Lord as their everlasting strength. v: 4. the rock of ages as the original.  
5. The strange revolutions and turn of things upside down, v: 5, 6. He bringeth down them that dwell on high; and the lofty City, and the poor, the feet of the poor shall tread i● down.   
At the 7 th'. their adoring the righteousness of God in all his ways and dispensations, we have several readings of that Scripture, The way of the just is uprightness: Via justo rectitudines, as the most proper and genuine, that is, The way of God to the just is uprightness, and thou weighest the path of the just, thou makest it to appear to be an exact regular way of righteousness; And under all the varieties of his righteous dispensations, they waited upon him in them: Yea in the way of thy judgements have we waited for thee, etc.  
In which words you have them minding themselves of that blessed posture, and frame of spirit the Lord put them into, under all his various deal; We waited for thee; which with the context may be thus analysed.  
Thine, and our enemies charge thy ways to be anxious, implicate, and irregular, and thence break forth and murmur, yea blaspheme. But to us whose minds were stayed on thee, Complanas' viam, thou clearest up all thy ways, as beautiful and regular; and we have waited upon thee, for thee, in them.  
Whence this plain, and I hope seasonable observation:  
That when God walks in strange and various dispensarions towards his people, and towards his enemies, his people are to wait upon him, to wait for him.  
In the handling of which, I shall first open the duty, showing the excellency of this frame of spirit; lay down the grounds and reasons of the point; and so bring it down to the dispensations we live under; Now to make up this frame of spirit, you have these choice ingredients.  
1. It is a posture of reliance and rolling upon God, making him alone our rock, our salvation, our defence, our refuge; as you have David sweetly giving forth this part of it, Psal. 62. A renouncing of all other refuges whatsoever, no calling to Egypt, or Assyria for aid and secure; but strengthening themselves in the rock of ages, and thence reasoning themselves into an assured safety; therefore we shall not be greatly moved, v: 2. of that Psalm: and we shall not be moved: v. 6. not moved at all, as David's faith there gets ground upon God.  
This is the venture, and resolved recumbency upon the All sufficiency of Jehovah, given forth in so many clear and steadfast promises, wherein he stands recorded the unchangeable rock of his people, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is against the wall, v: 4. of the former Chapter; and as excellently given forth in that bottom promise, The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms. Deut. 33.27. Now while the great God is fulfilling those upon the face of the earth, in the beginnings of revenges upon his enemies, Deut. 32.42. his right hand teaching him terrible things, and appearing the God of his people, under all his various dispensations his people shall trust in him at all times: Psal. 64.8. they shall still gather in their spirits, and answer all their fears, with this, we will wait upon him, who is our Rock, mighty and able to save. This is the first ingredient in this frame of spirit, 'tis to have our minds stayed upon God.  
2. 'tis a posture of expectation; Psal. 62.5. My soul wait thou upon God, for my expectation is from him. A watching for God. Psal. 130.6. A standing still to see the salvation of the Lord. Not running before the Lord, not prescribing unto him, or limiting him unto our ways or seasons; laying aside our own counsels, and inventions, and waiting for the counsel of the most wise God, having our eyes fixed, and our expectation clear and pure upon him. Though he tarry yet to wait for him: Hab. 2.3. This the second ingredient to make up this frame of spirit, to have our expectation clear upon God.  
3. 'tis a posture of submitting unto the Lord; putting our months in the dust, yielding unto him, even when he writes bitter things against us; when he puts a cup of trembling into our hands, humbling ourselves, under his mighty hand. Deut. 33.3. Yea he loved the people. And all his Saints are in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet. At the feet of God, submitting to the teachings of God, and the outward dispensations of God. Jerome reads, we waited, Sustinuimus te, we have sustained God, we have yielded unto thee, we have nothing to plead against thee, out lives, our all are in thy hand. And therefore glorify thy greatness upon us as is good in thine own eyes. This the third thing, a submission unto God in his various dispensation.  
4. Not only a submission but higher, 'tis a posture of contentation; thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, ver: 3. A composed contentedness with all the ways of God, that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that tranquillity and clearness of spirit which gives a man the possession of his own soul; A spirit freed from reasonings, frettings, complain and contendings with God, but fetched down, and subdued by the mighty working of God, to be contented with all his various dispensations and changes, how cross soever to our contrivements. This the 4 th'. thing, A contentedness under God's dispensations.  
5. Yea farther. Fifthly, 'tis a posture of admiration; so, Isa. 25.1. Thou art my God, I will exalt thee; I will praise thee, for thou hast done wonderful things; All the ways of God are full of wonders, and he delights to have them sought out of all that fear him, to be admired in them. So Psal. 65. Praise waiteth for thee in Zion: his people wait to praise, and admire him in all his deal towards them. I might instance in more particulars, but these take in the main of the duty; Every grace of the spirit having its peculiar acting to make up this harmony of a waiting posture; Take them then together.  
Thus to rely, to expect, to submit to, to be contented, to admire, and magnify the wise and holy God, in all his dark and various dispensations, is a covenant frame of spirit whereby God entitles himself to any soul, to any people; 'tis, in a word, to have the Lord for our God.  
Now having opened the duty itself; the next thing is to clear the point, and the grounds of it; That his people are thus to wait upon him, to exercise these graces, when God is in a way of various and secret dispensations towards them.  
I might show you the people of God frequent in this blessed posture, when God was making bare his arm unto them; A Scripture or two to clear it. See 2 Chron. 20.12. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us: neither know we what to do, what then? why, our eyes are upon thee, we wait upon thee.  
Thus when God walked in such hidden paths to his people, and brought them into such sad depths, Lament. 3.26. we know not what to do; the Prophet at last, in the name of the Church, resolves all their lamentations, complaints, and sinkings into this posture of spirit; It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. In how many Psalms have you David in behalf of himself and the Church, working his heart into this posture: Psal. 62.1. Truly my soul waiteth upon God, or notwithstanding, as the original; abruptly breaking forth from the reasonings of his own spirit, and the apprehensions of the depths he was in, Be it so, notwithstanding my soul waiteth upon God; it shall trust, and hope, and submit, and be contented with all his ways.  
First, the ways: of God are secret ways, 
Reas. 1.  therefore his people are to wait upon him in them. A way full of depths. See sa. 40.12. Who hath measured the waters? or weighed the mountains in a balance? So who hath taught him in the path of his judgements? that is, who is of his counsel, who can search them out? He walks in the waters, and his paths are in the Sea, and his footsteps are not known: Psal. 77. Thy judgements are a great depth. Psal. 36.6. As in the Psalms, so you have many full and excellent Scriptures speak to this in the book of Job. Touching the Almighty, who can find him out? Why dost thoustrive against him? for he giveth no account of his matters. Job 33.13. And this puts Paul himself to his, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Rom. 11.33. sometimes he walks as tous, antipodes to his promises (although no providence but is reconcileable to a promise) 'tis hard to reconcile providences and promises, when he walks in such depths of wisdom and judgement that his people cannot discern him, he leaves no footsteps behind him; And in such ways he delights to walk in, that his people may wait for him in them; This the first; God's way in his dispensations, is a secret way, therefore to wait upon him in them.  
2. The way of God, though it be a secret way full of involutions, as to us; yet it is an exact regular way of righteousness, mercy, and truth. Deut. 32.4. His works are perfect, and all his ways are judgement. When Jeremy would plead with God as to his judgement, first he lays down this as most unquestionable, that God was righteous in them all: Jer: 12.1. His walkings may seem to us as cross paths thwarting one with another; yet take them together, and they are all rectitudines, all conspiring to a most regular, wise and holy end; Though he walks in a cloud as to us, yet he shines in the light of his own righteousness; let men find out to themselves what crooked paths they please, as you may see Isa. 49.13. Yet God puts on righteousness as a breastplate, and can use a crooked tool to bring about a regular work; God withdrawing his light, he is not bound to give; and so he leaves the creature to his own ways, and he order a glorious end out of them: man through reasonings, darkness, unbelief of his heart sees it not, yet still his ways are deliberately ordered, therefore his people to wait upon him in them; that's the second ground.  
3. When God gives great mercies, when his hand is open and ready to pour them forth, he puts his people in a waiting posture for such mercies. See Isa. 30.18. 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 judgement. Blessed are all they that wait for him. So you have the Church moving him to be gracious upon this account: Isa. 33.2. O Lord, be gracious unto us, we have waited for thee: yea the most glorious promise that our eyes are upon, hath in its fulfilling respect unto thy posture: Isa. 49.23. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. It may be more than guest, what design God hath towards his people, by the posture they are in. He raiseth up the spirits of his people to an expectation of the mercy he gives; This might be abundantly discovered by the experiences of God's people, had I time to show it.  
4. God reveals great secrets to those who wait upon him, and for him; this another special ground of the point. There is nothing but I will make known to my servants the Prophets.  
As the eye of the handmaid, etc. Psal. 123. The servant that waits closely and diligently on his master, knows much of his master's mind and secrets; So the soul that waits closely upon God, knows much of the mind of God. Many a precious secret hath a soul, that truly waits for him.  
Abrabam was an humble man, that had much converse with God, and he revealed that great secret of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah unto him.  
1. He reveals directing secrets unto his people, in the 2 Chron. 18. good Micaiah, who waited humbly, and closely upon God, had a secret revealed unto him, that Ahab, if he went up to Ramoth Gilead, he should fall, and perish in it. When there were four hundred of the most eminent formal prophets of the land advised him to go up, and God would deliver it into the King's hand, ver: 10. So in that solemn waiting upon God, Chap. 20. of that book, when they were enquiring a right way of God, Jahaziel hide a secret that the people should go up and prosper: for God was with them. When his people are in great straits, and brought into low depths, than they wait for him, and are guided by his counsel; As their eyes upon him, so his eye upon them also to guide them in all their ways.  
2. He reveals strengthening, refreshing secrets to those that wait for him; Psal. 27.14. Wait on the Lord, and he shall strengthen thine heart. So another choice Scripture to this, Isa. 40. last. But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not be faint. To omit many curious glosses of some of the Fathers upon this Scripture, this I take to be the import of it; the Eagles do lose their feathers, and renew them, and so are said repuerascere, to wax young again; so the people of God under many faintings and finking of spirit, when God walks in a cloud towards them, they renew their strength by waiting upon God, when weary, and fainting by inward distresses of spirit, and the inundations and oppressions of enemies. Then the Lord comes in with a refreshing secret, to bear up their spirits in waiting upon him. Thus David, Psal. 130.1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee O Lord. But what relieved him in these depths, he would wait upon his God, I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord: ver. 5, 6. as he is there working and composing his spirit to that quieted posture. In a word, that infinite good God that reveals the greatest secret that ever was in heaven to his friends, the secret of the Covenant of his grace. Psal. 25.14. and Joh. 15.15. I have called you friends, for all that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. He, I say, that reveals that secret to a soul, will not deny any directing, strengthening, refreshing secret that is fit for that soul to receive.  
This is the 4th ground, God reveals great secrets to those that wait for him.  
5. It is of blessed example to all that fear God, it puts an excellency and beauty upon godliness. This use David makes of it. Psal. 52.9. I will wait on thy name, for it is good before thy Saints. It is good and comely before the Saints of God, to wait upon, to trust, to expect, to submit, to be contented with God's ways; that's the 5th. thing, the people of God encourage one another in keeping close unto God, by waiting on him.  
6. The Lords stay is not long to those who wait for him. See ver. 20 of the Chap: of my text: Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hid thyself but for a little moment, etc. So Isa 54.7, 8. for a small moment, etc. And in a little wrath, etc. The ready way to keep God off, is to murmur against his absence; but quietly to wait for him, is to bring him down with great mercies, and everlasting kindnesses, as that Scripture. This the last ground I shall propose to back the Argument I am upon, his stay in no condition or strait to his people is long, therefore to wait for him.  
Thus have I endeavoured to lay before you the nature, extent, and excellency of this frame of spirit of waiting upon God, with the grounds and reasons of the duty. Now I shall endeavour to meet with such evils that oppose this frame of spirit, and to draw forth such seasonable lessons, as may help in the practice of that duty.  
1. 
Appli: 1.  If such a precious duty be incumbent upon all the people of God thus to wait upon him under his various dispensations; it then meets with four great and abounding evils too rife among us. 1. Neglecting the dispensations of God. 2. Misapplying them. 3. Murmuring against them. 4. Our prescribings to God.  
1. Neglecting, regardlessly slighting the strange, and various judgements and deal of God with us. These you have described at the 10.11. and 12. verses of the chap. of my text, when the judgements of God are in the earth, they will not learn righteousness, neither the righteousness of God in the world, nor righteousness for themselves.  
That will not behold the Majesty of the Lord, breaking forth the glory of his judgements in the world: That when his hand is lified up, they will not see; they will not, they will not, denoting even an utter obstinacy, and obdurateness of spirit, hardening their faces against the mighty God. I might give many Scriptures to discover the wretched condition of such, need I more than what is said of them v: 14. They are dead, they shall not live; Though yet living, yet but as dead men in God's account; they are deceased, they shall not rise; rise no more, but visited, destroyed, and all their memory perish.  
Are there not multitudes, multitudes to be found (much to be feared) even given up to such a deep sleep, such a senseless, stupid obduration of heart, while God is pouring forth his vials upon them.  
What heart in any measure affected with the honour of the great God, can choose but be astonished, and tremble to hear and observe their Atheistical dare of God, braving it out against him, and too many, alas, of the gallantry of our Nation, as they style themselves, men, as to a present discerning, resolved upon the pleasures of sin for a season, and will venture for eternity: that give not themselves the leisure to consider where they are, to reflect upon themselves, but pass from one dark delight to another, to stifle natural conscience, and to drown themselves in their lusts, that the fear of an avenging God may not seize upon them. Ah, oh fearless souls! seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read, Isa. 34.16. what vials of wrath are there stored up, and are now began to be poured forth; now the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, now he is come forth of his place, to Punish the inhabitants of the earth: ver: the last of the Chap. of my text. When no place for your excess of riot, what will you do in the day of God's visitation? what will you plead to the dreadful God? oh, fall down at his feet, and visit him, while he is visiting you, lest he tear you pieces, and there be none to deliver; These are yet so far from having any thing to do with the duty of the text, that 'tis but a derision with them; this the first thing utterly repugnant to the lesson in hand.  
2. It meets with our misapplying the judgements and dispensations of God, when the enemies of God, and his people shall seem to lean upon the Lord, Is not the Lord amongst us? Micha 3.11. Yea many that fear God have sure been too busy here, too busy with the sanctuary of God, with the secrets of his counsel, the depths of his walkings towards us; If we would serve providence intentionally and regularly, it must be in God's way, suitable to his revealed will; but when God walks in the waters, there we cannot follow him: we can only stand still, and admire him, and wait upon him. Though the depths of providence are to be wisely considered of, God, I say, to be admired in them, yet not to be too busy in unwarrantable pryings into, and determining of his counsel, and so misapplying his glorious dispensations.  
Thus, we should attend upon the Lord with less distraction, we should be more steady in our ways, than we are, yea we should more comfortably wait upon our God, than we do. This the second.  
3. It meets with our murmur against the strange and various dispensations of God, our repine, reasonings, aestuations of spirit, against his secret ways, some of a higher nature to be joined with the former rank of men, growing up to an Atheistical accusing the very righteousness of God, in his permissive ordering providence in the great revolutions that we have been under. But I leave such to what I have said before. I shall speak to these lesser mixtures of these murmur, even with those that fear God; Murmuring hath like a secret canker, even eat out of the spirits of many this submissive contented waiting upon God; how rife and abounding these are, our own mouths accuse us one to another. This is a very great distemper of spirit amongst us; oh what intemperate (to say no more) repine, reasonings, impatient frettings against the present dispensations of God towards us; and truly these do not terminate upon men, but break through men, and ere you are ware, fall foul upon God himself. See Exod: 16.8.  
Give me leave, I beseech you, a little to argue with you; What if there are strange turn of things upside down, the Lord staining the pride of all the glory of the Nation, whose glorious beauty is as a fading flower? Isa. 28.1. What if the ways of God be full of straits in the hands of men, cannot be traced by you? yea more, what if you say you cannot reconcile the exact righteousness of God, to the crooked paths of men? will you thence fret, and murmur, and charge God foolishly? Let me be bold to tell you, you do no better, by the impatient complaints you are still pouring forth; let me ask you; Is not every dispensation regular as to God, and wisely ordered by his counsel? why then do you not submit with contentation of spirit unto the Lord, laying your mouths in the dust, justifying him with silence, but thus countend with God? for the Judge of all the world, cannot but do justly.  
Yet further, I shall be more close with you; what's become of your tears and prayers that you mingled, and breathed up to heaven in the days of your hardship? what's become of the frequent renewings your strength in the Lord? Yea what's become of the magnified experiences of the presence of a gracious God with you? crying, let this God be our God even unto death; must all these be canceled and remembered no more; be all lost and misspent, because the Lord walks not in such ways that you would prescribe him, answers not your expectations?  
Yea what lookings back unto Egypt, and wishing ourselves there again, because we are kept so long in the wilderness, and meet with so many diversions we expected not?  
Lastly, what's become of your ancient zeal for the Lord Christ, his Gospel, ordinances, and people? which was so fresh and lively, when you first vowed and professed yourselves to be the Lords people? what faintings and flagging to be found with such, whose zeal for the Lord of hosts was used to warm the hearts and affections of others; even to a giving up of the work of the Lord? Is this to wait upon our God? to have our expectations lively and pure upon him? truly, 'tis no more, nor less, then to live upon God no longer; not to wait upon him any longer, because we cannot discern nor find out the depths of his ways. Were the inside of our murmur opened, they would be discovered to have all these mixtures in them; oh what have we lost by these repine? how are they gone up like a cloud, and eclipse the light and beauty of the ways of God from us? yea how are they like to keep us in the wilderness, we being now at the waters of Marah, and that none of us, who came out of Egypt, should ever see the Canaan we expect? We are now indeed just in the condition as the people of God, set forth in Psal. 106. all those wilderness provocations to be charged on us; soon forgetting the works of God, and not waiting for his counsel. v. 13, 14. Provoking him with our inventions: v. 29. Going ill with Moses for our sakes, v. 32. Thus we have followed our own counsels and inventions, and have not waited for the counsel of the Lord. And this leads me to the 4 th'. evil, which is to be reproved; our prescribings to God; the next thing.  
How busy hath every one been, and now is, to prescribe to God in his deal towards us, even to mend every dispensation of God; it had been better thus, or 'ttwere better thus; Is not this to limit the holy one of Israel, to prescribe to him? Oh, how full of these inventions are we? As if we were to sit in counsel with the great God, or as if God were to give an account of his ways to us; plainly, every one, almost, hath a Church and State in this head; and if his way take not, all's lost. Thus what do we, but even call into question the government and sovereignty of God in the world, we would be instructors of God, or indeed God's to ourselves. And now let me demand of you, as in the presence of God, the discerner of all our hearts, whether all these evils may not in a great measure be charged upon us this day? and are not as a cloud witnesses against us? and than tell me, is not this the way to kindle the wrath of the Lord against his people, and to provoke him to abhor his own inheritance, v. 40. of Psal. 106. Oh, in a word, Is this to have our trust, our expectation, our submission, our contentation, our admiration towards our most wise and gracious God? Is this all the fruit of his owning us his inheritance, and our owning and attesting him, in the face of all the world, to be our God for ever? Surely the Lord looked for other things at our hands.  
Thus I have endeavoured to set before you the evils that eat out the heart and life of this grace, and duty of waiting upon God, and shall leave you to the searching and proving your own hearts and ways, and to bring them to the great refiner Jesus Christ, that they may be purged away; And indeed were all of us as busy about the depths of our own hearts, as we are about depths that are beyond, and above us, we should see more of the glory of God in all his dispensations than we do, the Lord would more delight in us, to reveal himself unto us.  
That which remains then will be an Exhortation, 
Exhort:  backed with some few directions, that may help us in the excercise and framing our spirits to the gracious posture of waiting upon him. Let us, as hath been showed, be convinced of all the evils that oppose it, that they bring a great deformity upon a Christian, and consider what a lustre and beauty this grace adorns our profession with; how suitable to the soveraginty of the Lord, and to the experiences we have had of him; and so laying ourselves humbly and composedly at his footstool, quietly waiting that he may be gracious unto us, I shall humbly offer some brief directions, and so leave it to the Lord to work it upon your spirits.  
1. What ever the ways of men appear to you to be, look beyond them, stay not in them; hence issueth much of our disquietness, that we look not beyond Instruments; but lifting up our eyes upon him, let us fall a justifying the righteous God, what ever the paths of men are; True and righteous are thy judgements, is the hallelujah of heaven, when the vials are pouring forth, and so it should be the return of the Saints on earth; let men do what they will, they do nothing but in God's hand, though their ends do run cross unto his; this the first.  
2. Let us not always go about to bring down God to us, I mean the heights and depths of God to our reasonings; this is it that looseth us before we are ware, and makes us at such loss with God; 'tis safer to say with David, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, I cannot attain it: Beware of being too busy with the sanctuary of God, 'tis the way to make him walk at a greater distance from us.  
3. Let us be still a casting either way as to events, and be contented that God may glorify himself upon us, as is his own pleasure; So David, 2 Sam. 15.26. If thus, or thus, here am I; as that Scripture is excellently opened by 
* Mr. Vines.  one whose praise is in the Gospel; if he make us an ark of safety, honour, glory, and praise waiteth for him; but if he shall come with a full wind, and scatter the wheat and the chaff together over the face of the earth; there we are; we shall be ready to justify God in all he shall bring upon us.  
4. To be humble and diligent in enquiring a right way of God, now things are difficult before us, and full of straits; we had need closely to wait upon him, for directing & strengthening secrets, that we may keep his way; The truth is, the distance that the godly keep at, and the several ways we pursue, do sufficiently witness against us, that we have not been a waiting people, else we should sure have had such communications of the counsel of the Lord, that should have kept us, at least, in love and peace; there would be no such waters of Marah troubling, and over flowing our spirits; the divisions of Reuben would not be so great; oh that the Lord by me would set something home upon your spirits, that might quicken you to this diligent enquiring a right way of God; that we go not into crooked paths, not to go aside from the revealed rule; but waiting upon God, we may still keep his way. Psal. 37.34.  
5. To consider the absolute sovereignty and independency of God; this will keep down our spirits from rising up against him; you have David (on whose spirit the beauty of this grace shines forth almost in every Psalm) much in this contemplation, when he was at a loss; God hath spoken once, twice have I heard it, that all power belongs unto God. Psal. 62.11. Be still, and know that I am God; I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it: He had heard and considered so, that all power belonged unto God, therefore, still, dumb, not opening his mouth; not a word to say, against God's dispensations: so mightily was he overawed with the sovereignty of the Lord.  
6. To be much in contemplation of the wisdom of God, there is the light and glory of his wisdom, even in a chaos and confusion of things as we apprehend them, could we discern the several motions and concamerations, their several orderings, and their end in which they centre; see 1 Sam. 2.3. Talk no more so exceeding proudly, let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. How hasty and inconsiderate soever men may be in their transactions, yet by him those very actions are wisely weighed.  
7. To concentre, and gather in all our wand'ring discussions into this period, that the Almighty sovereignty and wisdom of the Lord are both engaged to work in a way of mercy, goodness and love for his people, to all that thus wait upon him; may we reason thus? what? a people in covenant with God, and have hard thoughts of him, and be reasoning against his methods of providence? weigh that Scripture, Ezek. 14. v: last: You shall know that I have not done without cause, all that I have done in it. Oh could we thus wait, as a people in covenant, we should at last discover that God hath not done without cause, all that is done upon us; that he had weighty reasons for all his various and unexpected dispensations towards us; all in order to the fulfilling of excellent promises upon us.  
And now, to close all in a word or two; what a lustre and excellency would this grace, the exercise of it, derive upon all that fear God; And at what a deplorable distance doth the want of it set us at with our God, that we know not what to do: we fear a snare where ever we tread. Oh there is nothing in the world but this will bring down the Lord to delight and dwell with us, to make us his inheritance, to go before us in the wilderness we are in, till we shall be at his feet in this posture, and willing to follow him where ever he shall lead us.  
The spirits of those in the Nation who have owned the Lord for their God, do cast different aspects, some for great and glorious things, ready for a new Jerusalem, even full of expectation to sing the song of the chapter of the text, We have a strong City, and God is appointing salvation for bulwarks: others, (and 'tis sad to mention you in such distinct characters) that we are like to pass through another fire to it, if ever at all we have it.  
I dare not calculate the secret dispensations we lie under, but, as to the symptoms that are at present upon us, surely the holy God will some way or other purge out, in some measure, the self seekings, heart burn, animosities, murmur, reasoning he will bring us into straight paths, and raise up our spirits quietly to wait for the mercies he will give forth, as hath been showed. What ever the Lord hath to do upon us (now he is come out of his place, surely to bring about a work, a strange work: Isa. 28.21.) I say, what ever it be, 'twill be our wisdom to have our loal girt, and our lamps burning. Which is the waiting posture held forth by our blessed Lord in the Gospel, strengthened in the Lord, and shining in the beauty of holiness; that we may enter. Arighteous nation keeping truth, with our minds stayed upon him, making him our everlasting strength, having quietly and contentedly waited for him; and then we shall sing, Lo this is our God, we 〈◊〉 waited for him, and he will save us: This is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will rejoice, and be glad in his salvation. Isa. 25.9.  
FINIS.