and wait patiently upon him." That is, cast thyself upon him; be contented, and wait for him to help thee in thy wants; thou canst not think how near he is to help those that wait upon him: O try and have faith. Yet again, he bids us, "Wait upon the Lord, and keep his way." (Psalm xxxvii. 34.) Behold the reason why so few profit! they are out of his way; and such can never wait rightly upon him. Great reason had David for what he said, who had with so much comfort and advantage met the Lord in his blessed way. XI. The prophet Isaiah tells us, that though the chastisements of the Lord were sore upon the people for their backslidings, yet in the way of his judgments, in the way of his rebukes and displeasure, they waited for him, and the desire of their soul, that is the great point, was to his name, and the remembrance of him. (Isaiah, xxvi. 8.) They were contented to be chid and chastised, for they had sinned; and the knowledge of him so was very desirable to them. But what! did he not come at last, and that in mercy too? Yes, he did, and they knew him when he came, a doctrine the brutish world knows not, "This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us." (Isaiah, xxv. 9.) O blessed enjoyment! O precious confidence! here is a waiting in faith which prevailed. All worship not in faith is fruitless to the worshipper, as well as displeasing to God: and this faith is the gift of God, and the nature of it is to purify the heart, and give such as truly believe victory over the world. Well, but they go on: "We have waited for him; we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation." The prophet adds, "Blessed are all they that wait upon God:" and why? for "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;" they shall never faint, never be weary: (Isaiah, xxx. 18; xl. 31:) the encouragement is great. O hear him once more: "For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God! besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." (Isaiah, lxiv. 4.) Behold the inward life and joy of the righteous, the true worshippers; those whose spirits bowed to the appearance of God's Spirit in them, leaving and forsaking all it appeared against, and embracing whatever it led them to. In Jeremiah's time, the true worshippers also waited upon God: (Jer. xiv. 22:) and he assures us, that "The Lord is good to them that wait for them to the soul that seeketh him." (Lam. iii. 25.) Hence it is, that the prophet Hosea exhorts the church then to turn and wait upon God. "Therefore turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually." (Hos. xii. 6.) And Micah is very zealous and resolute in this good exercise: "I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." (Mic. vii. 7.) Thus did the children of the Spirit, that thirsted after an inward sense of him. The wicked cannot say so; nor they that pray, unless they wait.