to8 ?'1,9e Cofpei- Iflc'y area. XI. to God, and to the means of his appointment, who requires, that we fliould be doers of the word, and not hearers Only, " deceiving ourfelves," James i. 2.2. And that we fliould come in to the fpiritual feaft, Luke xiv. 23. and not only stand at the door, or fit under the droppings of the houfe of God, left Chrift repute us no better than eve droppers. That holy waiting on the Lord commended to us in fcrip- ture, is ever accompanied with believing and hop- ing in the Lord, and dependeth thereon : " I had fainted, unlefs I had believed to fee the goodnefs " of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the QC Lord; be of good courage, and he Litail flrength ss en thine heart;, wait, I fay, on the Lord, Pfalni. Le xxvii. 13, 14. It is good that a man fhould both hope and quietlywaitfor thefalvationof the Lord," Lanz. iii. 26. What is it that thef'e deluded ones wait for, before they perform the duty of believing ? Is it for more knowledge of the gofpe! ? The way to increafe thy knowledge, as well as any other ta- lent, is, to make ufe of what thou halt received a1- ready. Believe heartily on Chrift for all thy falva- tion, according to that little knowledge of the gof pel which thou haft, and thou wilt have an intereft in the promife of knowledge contained in the nest covenant.: "They fhall all knowme, from the leafs to 64 thegreateft of them, faith the Lord," Jer. xxxi.34. Ia it for the appointed tinned thyconverfion that thou waitett? Then thou waiteft as thofe impotent folk that lay at the pool of Bethefda, waiting for the feafoti when the angel will 'cone down and move the water. Know then, that .if you enter into Chrift now by faith, thou fhalt find in him waters of life, and the Spirit moving them for the healing and quickening of thy foul. God hath appointed by his word, that it {hall be thy duty to endeavour, that the prefent time thould be the time of thy converfion : As 4' the Holy Ghoft faith, To-day, if thou wilt hear liis voice, harden. not thy heart," Fleb. iii. y, a,.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=