II. VOL." thou not conquer? Shall the business be yet "done?" See what he tells them in this reply of his; It is not for you to know the times or the feafons which the Father hath put in his own power. What kindness (as if he had faid) Go D hath for Ifrael, in that refpect you intimate, it belongs not to you to know; it becomes you not to inquire. In the mean time there is another work for you to do. You shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you fhall be witnesses to me in Jerufalem, &c. He answers them first with a rebuke, and then with a promise. With a rebuke of that curiosity and carnality, which they betrayed in their question. As if he had said, you meddle with things that concern you not; you too bufily pry, and with an eye too daring and adventurous, into matters which God hath purposed to referve and hide from you. But unto this mild rebuke he adds also a gracious promife. There is a work for you to do that is properly yours, and which you have been defigned to, and you shall be fitted and qualified for it; and pray let that content Your work and buff you, and ferve your turn. work. work. You shall receive power after that the Holy SER M Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses IX. unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. You fee then the occafion and drift of the words, which I have defigned at present to speak to; and these two things, (that we may not lofe more time in any thing previous) we may obferve from them. FIRST, That there are times and feafons respecting the Church of GoD in the world, which the Father doth referve and conceal in his own hand and power from men. And SECONDLY, That they are not concerned to be folicitous or make inquiry touching thofe times and seasons, but are to be patient of igno rance in reference thereunto. Thefe I fhall briefly open, and affert feverally; and then apply them jointly together. FIRST, That there are fuch times and feasons, that have reference to the ftate of the Church of GOD upon earth, which the Father doth referve and hide from men, in his own power. Now here concerning this we are to inquire, what these times and feasons are; and then what the hiding of them in GoD's own power doth import, which will serve for the explication of this truth. And then we shall let you fee upon what accounts the bleffed GOD is thus referved towards men in this matter, hiding the events of fuch times and seasons in his own hand and power; and therein VOL. you may have fome account of the reasons of what II. is afferted in this point. As to the explication of it, two things are to be fpoken to; namely, I. what these times and feasons àre; and II. what the hiding of them in GoD's hand and power is, or the putting them there, as it is here expreffed. As to the former, I. THE times and feafons which he doth fo hide, we may fay concerning them that he doth conceal, firft the final and concluding feafon of time, the period and upfhot of time; and then, of each man's own particular time. He hides 1. THE period of all time from men. We know not when the season shall be, that shall shut up time. It is a thing determined, that there fhall be fuch a feason, beyond which time shall be no more. As that great Angel is brought in fwearing by him that liveth for ever and ever, that there should be time no longer 1. But we are elsewhere told, that of that day knoweth no man, no, not the fon (as man we muft understand it) but the Father. And, 2. THE period of our own times also he hides, and keeps in referve; as a thing put in his own power, and not into ours. No man bath power over the Spirit, to retain the spirit, nor bath be power in death; and there is no difcharge in that war. The measure of our own days he hath not put in our own power. If any would hold the spirit in that day, or detain the foul in the body in which they live, they cannot do it. No * Rev. x. 6. Matth. xxiv. 36. Ecclef. v111. 8. man man hath power over the fpirit, to retain the fpi- SER M. rit; he must resign it when GoD commands it IX. away; and that time is a thing he hath kept in his own power. You have that expreflion of Isaac remarkable to this purpofe; I am old, and know not the day of my death. Though he was grown a very old man, and very near to death, yet he could not know the time: though it were so very near that he might be fure it could not be very far off, yet he profeffeth ignorance concerning the time still. My times are in thy hand, faith David. And into his hands he commits his fpirit, as you have it in the fifth verfe of the fame pfalm. That life which he knew he could not command, he very willingly commits; he is well pleased that the measuring of it fhould be in the hands wherein it was. As if he had faid, I defire not to have it in mine own hand; I commit my fpirit into thy hand; let it lodge here in this tabernacle as long as thou wilt, and let it go forth when thou wilt; this power is better lodged in thy hands than mine. Moreover, THERE are contained within this compass of time in general, or of our own time, the feafons of good or evil unto the Church in general, and the especial members of it in particular; which are for the most part unknown, and reserved in the hand and power of Go D. THE good seasons feem to be more especially referred to here; for it was a certain good to the Church of GOD that the Apostles were inquifitive I 4 II. VOL. fitive about. It is not for you to know the times. GOD hath his fet time, an appointed time, wherein to favour Sion, that may feem inftant and at hand now and then; as they fpeak in the 1024 pfalm (we may well fuppofe as they would have it) The time to favour Sion, yea the fet time is come. Methinks it fhould be come; why fhould not the full time be accomplish'd? If one may make an estimate from the affections of the well-wishers of Sion, it should be come. Thy fervants take pleasure in her ftones, and favour the duft thereof. But this could not be peremptorily faid; he had ftated the time of it with himfelf; the appointment of it was a matter in his own hand and power. And by confequence THE ill times, the people of GoD are more afflictive times of the hand and power too. |