A93248:357
The glorious feast of the Gospel. Or, Christs gracious invitation and royal entertainment of…The glorious feast of the Gospel. Or, Christs gracious invitation and royall entertainment of…
The glorious feast of the Gospel. Or, Christs gracious invitation and royal entertainment of believers. Wherein amongst other things these comfortable doctrines are spiritually handled: Viz. 1. The marriage feast between Christ and his Church. 2. The veil of ignorance and unbelief removed. 3. Christs conquest over death. 4. The wiping away of tears from the faces of Gods people. 5. The taking away of their reproaches. 6. The precious promises of God, and their certain performance. 7. The divine authority of the holy scriptures. 8. The duty and comfort of waiting upon God. / Delivered in divers sermons upon Isai.25 chap.6,7,8,9 verses, by the late reverend, learned and faithful minister of the Gospel, Richard Sibbs, D.D. Master of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge, and preacher at Gray's-Inn, London. Perused by those that were instructed to revise his writings.The glorious feast of the Gospel. Or, Christs gracious invitation and royall entertainment of believers. Wherein amongst other things these comfortable doctrines are spiritually handled: Viz. 1. The marriage feast between Christ and his Church. 2. The vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe removed. 3. Christs conquest over death. 4. The wiping away of teares from the faces of Gods people. 5. The taking away of their reproaches. 6. The precious promises of God, and their certaine performance. 7. The divine authority of the holy scriptures. 8. The duty and comfort of waiting upon God. / Delivered in divers sermons upon Isai.25 chap.6,7,8,9 verses, by the late reverend, learned and faithfull minister of the Gospell, Richard Sibbs, D.D. Master of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge, and preacher at Grayes-Inne, London. Perused by those that were instructed to revise his writings.
London: printed for John Rothwell, 1650
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The third thing is,1 that as there be promises, and these promises are not presently fulfilled, which put us in a state of waiting: so God giveth grace to uphold in waiting. Waiting is not an empty time, to wait so long, and no grace in the mean time; but waiting is a fitting time for that we are to receive afterwards.
The third thing is,1 that as there be promises, and these promises are not presently fulfilled, which put us in a state of waiting: so God giveth grace to uphold in waiting. Waiting is not an empty time, to wait so long, and no grace in the meane time; but waiting is a fitting time for that we are to receive afterwards.
- 1Waiting not an empty thing.
We see in nature,1 In the winter, which is a dull time to the spring, and harvest, and the times are very cold; yet it ripens and mellows the soil, and fits it for the spring. There is a great promotion of harvest in winter, it is not a mere distance of time: so between the promise and heaven it self, it is not a mere waiting time, and there is an end; but it is a time which is taken up by the spirit of God in preparing the heart in subduing all base lusts, and in taking us off from our selves, and whatsoever is contrary to heaven. The time is filled up with a great deal of that which fits us for glory in heaven. The gracious God that fits us for heaven,2 and heaven for us, fits us with all graces necessary for that condition. As faith to believe, patience to wait for, and to depend on that which he seeth not to be above sense; a grace of hope to wait for that which he believeth to be an anchor to his soul in all conditions whatsoever: And then a grace of patience to wait meekly all the while: And then longsuffering patience lengthened out. As the tediousness is long between us and heaven, so there be lengthening graces. We would have all presently, How long Lord, how long. We are so short, even David and others, and therefore God giveth grace to hold out and lengthen our spiritual faith, and hope and perseverance, and constant courage to encounter with all difficulties in the way. When the spirit of a man beholds heaven, and happiness, and God, it makes him constant in some sort, as the things he beholdeth, for the spirit transformeth him to the object. Now he beholds a constant Covenant: And as faith looks upon a constant God, constant happiness, and constant promises, it frameth the soul suitable to the excellency of the object it layeth hold upon.