SERMON XVII.
PATIENT WAITING FOR PROMISES.

WHITSUNTIDE.

Ps. xlviii. 8.

"We wait for Thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple."

THESE words of the prophet and Psalmist seem to contain a short and plain account of the temper and behaviour of the friends and Apostles of our Lord, during those days of hope and patience, which came to an end on the morning of the first Whitsunday. Our Lord, on departing, told them, that as surely as John had baptized with water, they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days from that time. How many, He did not say; but He distinctly forbade their moving out of Jerusalem, or doing any thing in their great office of witnesses to Him, until they should be so endued with power from on high. They were to wait for the promise of the Father, which they had heard from Him. Accordingly, having solemnly worshipped Him on His departure, they "returned to Jerusalem with fear and great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God." Thus exactly did they fulfil the description, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David had so long before given in the text, of the temper and behaviour which He approves of in His Church, and in every member of the same, concerning His great and precious promises. We are to "wait for His loving-kindness in the midst of His temple." "He that believeth shall not make haste." There is "need of patience, that after we have done the will of God, we might receive the promise."

We naturally think the time long, while we are expecting any blessing, more especially when the Word of God is pledged to us for the blessing itself. And the blessing, which the Apostles were now waiting for, was both in itself, and to them, infinitely beyond all others that could be desired. It was the return of Him Who had just departed from them, not leaving them comfortless, but coming to them again by His Spirit. But so perfect had their faith now become, that they endured His absence, not only patiently, but with a holy and reverential joy; in this, as in other things, offering an instructive contrast to the behaviour of God's elder Church, the Church of the Israelites in the wilderness, when their mediator had been out of sight in the mountain for several days. They began to complain, "As for this Moses, we wot not what is become of him;" and their complaining ended, as you know, in profane idolatry. But the spiritual Israel, those out of whom God was about to complete the foundation of His Church, they waited patiently for the Lord. They had taken it on His word, however unaccountable it might sound, that it was expedient for them, His going away; and they were prepared to trust Him still further, and to abide in faith and quietness any length of time, during which the Comforter might delay His coming.

Further; observe the place where they waited. The prophecy had described God's people as waiting in the midst of His temple. Our Lord ordered His Apostles to tarry in the city of Jerusalem, and they were continually in the temple. And, as it is said in one of the oldest Prayer-books of the Church, it was "in an upper room of holy and glorious Sion," where they were assembled with one accord, when the windows of heaven were opened, and the unspeakable Gift poured forth; the same Upper-room, no doubt, which is mentioned in the first chapter of Acts, to which they had gone from Mount Olivet, immediately after our Lord's Ascension, where all the Apostles abode together, "with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren." There they continued, with one mind, in prayer and supplication: they were also continually, that is, at the services in the temple, praising and blessing God, until the great miracle of miracles happened, and the kingdom of heaven was opened to all believers.

Now, does not this teach us something as to the disposition and frame of mind, which God approves of and will bless in His Church, and in all to whom His promises are made? Does it not seem to shew, first of all, that patient waiting is the strength of God's people; that they greatly err if they pretend to fix His times, or to take His matters into their own hands; and, secondly, that they are to take things as they find them, and set out on God's work in their social callings from the present moment, and the present state of things, whenever and whatever it be? They are to make the best use they can of it, in doing or suffering their Maker's will: even as the Apostles did not separate themselves from the temple-worship, imperfect as they knew it to be, nor from the communion of the unbelieving Jews, though newly stained with their Master's Blood. They continued, as we have seen, in the temple; they solemnized the great day of Pentecost, which the Jews kept in remembrance of the giving of the Law, by assembling together with one accord at the third hour, which was one of the Jewish hours of prayer; an hour no where appointed in the Law, but ordained by the voluntary piety of God's ancient people, and so far approved by God's testimony, as that He several times answered the devotions of His people at that hour with great and signal blessings from Heaven.

In these and other instances, the holy Apostles shewed themselves the true followers of Him, Who came not to destroy the law but to fulfil; and they seem to set us an example, how we too should follow His steps. In other words, we are not to draw back, and let our time pass unimproved, or indulge in any sort of spiritual idleness, on the plea, that "really the state of things is so very bad, we would mend it if we could, but we cannot; and therefore we will just behave ourselves as the world does. If we had lived among the first Christians, or if our own families, or neighbourhood, or acquaintance, were more favourable to such efforts than they are, then the case would be different, we would try and do something; but, as it is, we are sure it would do no good; it is not for us to reform the world; we are not called to it; so we will even stay as we are for the present, and wait until God shall send us better opportunities."

This is no uncommon way of speaking, as might be shewn by many familiar instances. Did you never, for example, know a father or a mother of a family, who delayed to come to the Holy Communion, until their children had left off vexing them? Or a person who refused to come to Church, because he could not find a sitting exactly to his mind, or because he had something to say against the minister? Did you never know a person in service, or in some other situation in life, who avowedly put off serious thought and turning to Almighty God, with this sort of speech, "Bye and bye I shall get a quieter place, or more leisure, or a home nearer Church, or companions who will not laugh at me, and then I will be more serious; but, for the present, it is no use to ask me?"

Surely, whenever we hear or see such things, we hear and see what must forfeit the blessing and favour of that God, Who rewarded the devotion of His Apostles, while they had only the temple to worship in, and only Jews to worship with, by the gift of the indwelling Spirit. It is His will that people should set out from the spot whereon His providence has placed them, be it favourable or be it unfavourable, and ask the way to heaven with their faces thitherward; sure to find it, if they ask with obedient hearts. Let us depend on it, when we have said our worst against the times we live in, the Church or state we belong to, the companions among whom God has cast our lot, still our worst enemy and our most perilous struggle will be found at last within our own hearts. Let us patiently seek God's favour on our diligent use of all the means of grace which He has put within our reach, abiding in Jerusalem in the temple, and not seeking new ways for ourselves, and see (to use His own words by His Prophet), if He "will not open the windows of heaven, and pour us out a blessing, that there will not be room enough" in this world "to receive it:" it will overflow into eternity.

Certainly, there can be no such encouragement besides to earnest repentance, to serious improvement, to patient continuance in well-doing, as the answer which God gave to those prayers, in which our Lord's disciples and His Mother continued during the ten days from His Ascension to Pentecost. The return of those prayers was, the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, Jesus Christ coming by His Spirit, to save us, one by one, from the power of sin for the future; as He had before come in His own Person to oifer Himself an all-sufficient Sacrifice for us, and so save us, one and all, from the punishment of sins past. As S. Paul speaks, in the Epistle to the Romans, "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life," by that heavenly life of His, which He communicates to us as Christians by His Holy indwelling Spirit.

This should be very deeply considered; for it brings the mystery of Whitsunday much nearer home to us, than we are perhaps in general used to imagine it. Think of it in this way: that the most Holy and Divine Spirit, God the Holy Ghost, is come down, not only to enable the Apostles to preach the Gospel in all nations, whereby, as our Church thankfully confesses in the Communion Service for this day, "we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of God and of His Son Jesus Christ:" not only is the light of Christ thus made to shine upon us by the coming of the Holy Spirit, but we are also made, inwardly and spiritually, partakers of the life which is in Christ. We now know that the Comforter is come to abide in the Church, so as that He dwells, personally and really, in every one whom He Himself by Baptism shall have first made a member of Christ.

This is the constant doctrine taught by the Holy Spirit Himself in the writings of the Apostles. "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ:" "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." And again, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." S. Peter describes it as the very condition of Christians, that they are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ." As much as to say, the Spirit was to sanctify them, that is, to renew the image of God in them, abiding in them, so as to make them "partakers of the Divine nature:" so might their obedience and good works be a sacrifice well-pleasing to God, being sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus Christ. Thus also S. John makes the presence of the Spirit the very token of the abiding of Christ among Christians, according to His own gracious promise, when about to depart from among them. "Hereby we know that He abideth in us, by His Spirit which He hath given us." The visible coming of the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pentecost, was the outward pledge of His invisible Presence, and Christ's invisible Presence by Him. Christians are thereby assured, to all generations, that their Lord has not left them comfortless, but is perpetually coming unto them; once for all in the Sacrament of Baptism, to make them members of Himself, and from time to time in the other blessed Sacrament, to nourish and perfect in them that sacred Communion.

Such was the loving-kindness, with which the Lord of old crowned His people, patiently waiting for it in the midst of His temple; and though that precious and unspeakable gift be no longer to be waited for, though it be come already, and we dwell in the midst of it, yet, even in this more perfect Temple, the Church and Household of the living God, we still have to wait for our perfection. "We walk by faith, not by sight." We cannot yet be fully like Christ, for we do not yet see Him as He is, but only through a glass, darkly. This very blessing, for which we are giving thanks, the indwelling of the Spirit, is altogether matter of faith; there are no open miracles to assure us of it, no inward feelings on which we can positively rely: the Word of God sealing His Sacraments is our only warrant for quite depending on it.

This being so, the same graces which the disciples of our Lord were called on to exercise between the Ascension-day and Pentecost, must ever be part of our special trial as Christians; a trial, of which we shall be more sensible in proportion to our faith and seriousness. God keeps us waiting for His loving-kindness, for the full revelation of His glorious mercies, for the day when we shall know even as also we are known: and this our time of waiting will seem the longer to us, will practise us the more severely in patience and resignation, the more earnestly we are used to think of God, and to lay up our treasure in heaven.

Then, again, as to the other caution suggested by the words of the text: if the disciples were to wait for the Comforter in Jerusalem, in or near the visible temple, much more ought we to take care how we wander in any way, even in thought, beyond the bounds of the spiritual temple, "the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." As Christians, we hope and expect great mercies, God's Holy Scriptures are full of promise and encouragement to us, both as to blessings in store for the whole Church, and as to what we may look for ourselves, as individual souls, redeemed by Christ's Blood, and made members of Him by His Spirit. Let us so long and strive for these mercies, as never to forget the sort of persons to whom they are promised.

For example, with respect to those which concern the whole Church; every year shews more and more how great need there is of patience, since every year we seem to become better acquainted with the disorder and decay which so sadly prevail in Christ's kingdom; every year we may well fancy the saints' voices crying out more and more sorrowfully, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not avenge us of them that dwell on the earth?" And there are persons, and as it should seem, sincere ones, who are tempted by these appearances of disorder to take or encourage irregular ways of forwarding the good and holy cause.

Thus, whereas our Lord appointed that His Apostles only should send forth others to minister in His Church in His Name, many persons seem to think it wrong for this to be insisted on, in times and countries where there are many heathenish persons. They say, " Why, when the call is so urgent, may not any person, that feels sincere in heart, take on himself the work of the ministry?" If they were really as considerate, as I doubt not they are often well-meaning, it ought to be enough to answer them, that such means as they recommend do not answer to the inspired direction; that we must wait patiently for God to send His blessing, not expect to draw it down, like Saul or Balak, or other heathenish characters, by any enchantments or divinations of our own.

Other instances of like disorder might be given; to all which the saying of the father of the faithful may be applied: "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering." His hand is not waxed short; He has means enough to accomplish His purposes in His own good time; He has no need of the irregular, disobedient, disorderly, any more than of the sinful man.

Pray then, and look, and long, and strive for the promised blessing and triumph of God's Holy Church; pray, and look, and long for the time, when "the kingdoms of this world" shall "become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ," and when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea;" when all the Church's "m children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of her children." But yet I say, do all that you do in the ways of the Church herself; for surely they are the ways of God, and to depart from His ways must be evil; and no appearance, nay, no seeming certainty of profiting ever so many of our brethren, should ever tempt us to break God's commandment, seeing how aweful the censure is on those who say, "Let us do evil, that good may come."

In conclusion, I may just say, that, as to particular individual blessings, which Christians, however unworthily, may venture to hope for, considering that God has made them partakers of this most unspeakable gift, His Spirit abiding in them: first of all, it would be well to consider seriously with ourselves, how little right we can have, knowing all the evil we do against ourselves, to look for any peculiar grace and comfort; next, that God's offers, how large and gracious soever, are all held out to those who shall approach Him in His ordinances. Persevere in them, not so much caring whether they bring comfort at the time or no, and in time you will find your reward. The seed so thrown into the ground, though that ground might seem unkindly at first, will spring and grow up, you know not how, bringing forth "first the blade, then the ear, after that, the full corn in the ear."

Persevere; in private and secret prayer, however little good you seem to yourself to feel by it. Do not leave it off for fear of becoming formal. If it be but accompanied with keeping of the commandments, it will do you good beyond the knowledge of man; just as a river, which seems to part with nothing of its waters, and makes no immediate difference in the look of the ground just about it, may yet, in a silent and gradual way, feed and cherish the whole country round.

The same may be said of going to Church, and even of receiving the Holy Communion. It is not in any wise necessary, that persons should be able distinctly to feel and point out a certain good effect on their minds and feelings, occasioned by such and such a service or Communion. Only let them attend decently and devoutly, and strive to be exact in all their conduct; and though they "now go on their way weeping," yet "bearing forth such good seed, they will doubtless come again with joy, and bring their sheaves with them," in the last great harvest-day. Only look for one moment to the warnings of past experience. Seek in the Book of the Lord, or in the records of His Church, and see whether any one thing has done so much harm as impatience: in making people heretics, or dissenters, or heathenish churchmen. Has it not been generally so, that they wished to do good, but became impatient of waiting, and of the wholesome restraint of the temple? While Angels, on the contrary, stooping from heaven, are content to wait God's time; they desire to look into the secrets of our redemption, but they cheerfully put back the desire, and quiet it until it shall please God to fulfil it; and, in the mean time, they at once obey, and that for love's sake, whatever He would have done. May His will, by the might of His Spirit and for the love of His Son, be so done here on earth, as it is by them in heaven!

Project Canterbury