The forgiveness of sin by John Owen. Rule number three, continuance and waiting necessary to peace and consolation, whatever your condition be and your apprehension of it. yet continue waiting for a better issue and give not over through weariness or impatience. This rule contains some of the great example given us in this psalm. Forgiveness in God being discovered, no sense of a particular interest or in us yet has been obtained. that which a soul applies itself to is diligent, careful, constant, persevering, waiting, which is variously expressed in the fifth and the sixth verses. The Holy Ghost tells us that light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm 97 verse 11. Delight and gladness are the things now inquired after. Deliverance from darkness, misapprehensions of God, hard and misgiving thoughts of its own condition, is that which a soul in its depths reaches towards. Now, saith the Holy Ghost, these things are sown for the righteous. Does a husbandman, after he casts his seed into the earth, immediately the next day, the next week, expect that it will be harvest? Does he think to reap so soon as he has sown, or does he immediately say, I have labored in vain, here is no return? I will pull up the hedge of this field and lay it waste, or see a little grass and a blade, but no corn. I will give it to the beast to devour it. No. His God, as the Prophet speaks, doth instruct him to discretion and teaches him, namely, what he must do and how he must look for things in their season. And shall not we be instructed by him? Behold, the husbandman, says James, waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it until he receives the early and latter rain. James 5 verse 7. And is light sown for them that are in darkness, and shall they stifle the seed under the clods, or spoil the tender blade that is springing up, or refuse to wait for the watering of the Spirit? that may bring it forth to perfection, waiting is the only way to establishment and assurance. We cannot speed by our haste. Yea, nothing puts thee in so far away as making too much haste and speed in our journey. The ground hereof is that a sense of a special interest and forgiveness and acceptance is given in to the soul. by a mere act of sovereignty. It is not. It will not be obtained by or upon any rational conclusions or deductions that we can make. What we can do is but to apply ourselves to the removal of hindrances for the peace and rest sought for. comes from mere prerogative, when he gives quietness, and then who can make trouble? And when he hides his face, who then can behold him? Job 34, 29. Now, what is the way to receive that which comes from mere sovereignty and prerogative? Does not the nature of the thing require humble waiting? If then either impatience casts a soul into forwardness or weariness make us lawful, which are the two ways whereby waiting is ruined, let not such a one expect any comfortable issue of his contending for deliverance out of his depths, and let not anything to make out their difficulties any other way. Their own reasonings will not bring them to any establishing conclusion. For they may lay down propositions and have no considerable objections to lie against either of them, and yet be far enough from that sweet consolation, joy, and assurance which is the product of the conclusion, when God is not pleased to give it in. Yea, a man may sometimes gather up consolation to himself upon such terms, but it will not abide. So David, Psalm 36 and 7, he thus argues with himself, he whose mount is made strong, to whom God is a defense, he shall never be moved nor be shaken. But I am thus settled of God, therefore I shall not be moved. And therein he rejoices. It is an expression of exaltation that he uses, but what is the issue of it? In the midst of these pleasing thoughts of his, God hides his face and he is troubled. He cannot any longer draw to sweetness of the conclusion mentioned. It was in him before from the shinings of God's countenance and not from any arguings of his own. No disappointment, then, no tediousness, nor weariness, should make the soul leave waiting on God if it intend to attain consolation and establishment. So deals the Church. Lamentation 3 verse 21. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope. What is that she calls to mind? This. That. It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassions fell not. Verse 22. I will yet hope, I will yet continue in my expectation, upon the account I never fell in compassion, of endless mercies in Him, whatever my present condition be. And then she makes a blessed conclusion. Verse 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And this is our third rule. It is good to hope and wait, whatever our present condition be, and not to give over, if we would not be sure to fail. For until I speak no more, because the close of the psalm insists wholly on this duty, which must be further spoken to.