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Show upon them. Otherwife, though you m1y difcern our Lord and · Maller gone out of his houfe, out of his family, and School : yet as the certain knowkd;;e which the children have, that their Maller will by and by come in again, and which the childr<H and flrvants have, that their f'ather or Maller will by and by come in to his houfe again, keeps every under!landing child and fervant ill awe, that althoufbh their Father or Maller be abfent;yet they keep their {lations and at rend their work : fo let this certain knowledg rhatJou have that Chri}f wzU rflurn again to bif for(ak.!n Church an p•ople, keep you in awe while be is abfent, that you be doing the work, and keeping clofe in your fiation, waiting for him in the way of his Judgments. Let what you have heard refirain you from unwarrantable pro· phecying to yoHr felvrs the d•y and hour of Chri/ls caming. That he will come if mojl e<rt•in,and that it wiU not be long,both thefe things are clear enotrgh. Bur (faith our Savour) Ofth•t day a»d hoztr k,llaweth no man: For any Cbrillian to conclude, rhat God wm fend him peace, quic~ening, ftrengtbening inAuences by fuch a rime : that God will come to refcue his Church or any part, by fuch a time, that Chrifi will come to raign or judg the World by fi1ch a time; I know no ground for this, God hath in· Wifdom hid particular times and feafons from us, that we might Be always obferving, and watching, believing and wairipg, and praying. Some· times you !hall lind in Scripture God revealing the particuhr time when he would come, and help and deliver his people: but you !hall obferve, that be always lignified it by a fpecial Me!fenger; either (ent fame Angel; or !\irred up fame Prophet, to whom he did immediately reveal it. For ought I know ( the flcrm of the Lora being P(.lm25. with them that fear Gad.) God may> reveal fame fuch things : but certainly though to others they may be m1tters to ponder upon arld obferve, yet they cannot be obtruded upon them as matters of Faith, becaufe there can be no fufficient evidence to another, that the Revelation u divine. A man· may have a true imprdlion with fuch evidence as may be fuffici• enr te create an . extraordinary. pcrfwafion in him that hath It; but I fay, he cannot make his evidence clear untp another. wkeheed therefore of·reckoning without your Hoc\, 'tis a prefcribing to him thot knows his own time be!\ : And very often thefi= Aarlering hopes fOunded ·on thefe incertainries, \\'hen they prove· ltufirate, do much fink the Soul, and· caufc In it .defperate concluljons of unbelief. ' Lallly, Lafily, WiUChri/1 c•me? i< be. camint.? Oh let not the Ser ~ Vfl4· · vants of God then in any time of forfakJng, dtJPand, ar.d conclude Chrifi will never come to hefp his people, never Comfort, never .Strengthen, never Rcfcue them. Take heed of this, this is to give th.e lie to the God of truth, to fay Chrill will not come, when· Chrifl hath faid I miU come. Lift up your heads then you prifJ n-crs of hope; lift up your heads,and rejoyce in all your dark hours, the day of your Redemption draweth nigh. Let not Zion Ly tbe Lod bat/; fvrfok.!n , my God bJth f.r~attm me ; nor rhe houfe d 'f~c ob fay, my n»y is hid [rom the Lord, my j'tdgmmt p ·•(! over hy my Gad. God may dehy lm coming,but he is coming; it is tr ue witdom diretl:cth his !\cps, bJt how !low foever his march be, it is fur e. · Ah! B~tt wiBGadi peaple}•yfor o111,ht iJ ]aid it ma)' be ma>ry Y'""• maneths, da)ls,before heconzfl, thredcore and r ~ n years is to God OJ,j . but a while, !hartly; m~y nothir.g be done to h1fien his coming ? are there no figns of tbe Son of mall from which we may comforta-bly hope it will not be long? I anfwer, Gods times are fer by an eternal Counfel, which can-not be altered ; but for thy Comfort confider tl•efe few things. Sal. I .That forChrills coming in the returns ofCamfvrting,Stm:gtbming,~ ic~eniltg,Gract,thr timt if [eldom lang; indeed to a deferred• ~oul,a year, a month, a day,feem very long,and pnffibly fume particular Sou lsi( but they are rare examples) may be (orne years in a· de(erted State; bur ordinarily this time is very fhort, long ir cannot be, for when death comes, the Soul fhall go to him, if before that time or in that hour Chrill doth not come to it: Bdides, Cbrift ~ddom abfents l!imfdf lon11 as to all thefe difprnfations·of Grace; rfbe dot_hnot qurckly come to Comfort, be quickly comes· to llrengthen; tfbe removes not the Thorn in rhe flcfi, his Grace. !hall be fufficient for thee. ' \ ~. As for C~rifis coming ttl . 'fwJgmntt, though ther~ may b!• ~any years to I[ , yet they nun not feem long t.J thee; for yet a ltttle whrle, and thou (halt rell in thy bed in the Grave and after that the thne fhallnor feem long to rhec, wbcn thou a~akcll t!Jou; flJalt be fawfird wzth Gidi likmrji. 3· As for ~hri~s coming to.fave,deliver and refcue h~ people; though it be long, yet it is a great Comfort ro Gods people, tb'a• 11 fhaU br. How chearfufiy did the,Sainrs of the Old Teflamenr live and die having not received _the promi[<?.· Heb: 1 ,, 39· v. 13' they faw them P(~r off, and wm P•rf,,d,d aftbrm, and imbracd ' thtm . _ |