Boston makes a final word about the time of lifting up. Certainly, this will come at the end of life. How then should we think of what God intends for us? 

We do not know the time. Can we say something more definite? When the work which God has appointed for us has been completed. The concept that God has appointed work, we can easily reach wrong conclusions. 

God appointed us to work. Adam was created, placed in a Garden, and told to tend and keep the Garden. (Gen. 2:15) 

We should not think that our work is a thing needed by God. The gods of pagans crave the sacrifices of mortals.^[1] Yet God who made all things from no-thing has no need for anything from us. We were created to join in God’s work and rejoice in God’s joy. Our work became burdensome when Adam fell (“By the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread” Gen. 3:19)

We should still think on our work as doing us good. One who has no work will starve, and if not starve will become muddled in discouragement and boredom. Our work does us good, because in doing those things God has set before us with diligence and thankfulness, we give honor to God. 

Secondly, A word to the due time of this lifting up. There is a particular definite time for it in every saint’s case, which is the due time, but it is hid from us. We can only say in the general,

1. Then is the due time for it, when our work we have to do in this world is over. God has appointed every one their task, fight, trial, and work; and, till that is done, we are in a sort immortal, John 9:4. and 11:9. That work is,

We can know no more of the length of our life, than God has appointed.

Take the time and earnestly consider I alive now. I will be as long as God appoints for my life. Your worry cannot add a single hour to your life. (Matt. 6:27) Boston makes the interesting observation that we are, in a manner, immortal until God determines to take our life.

Your life has been granted you by God. What sort of work has God appointed? He lists two: First, work for the honor of God:

(1.) Doing work; work set to us by the great Master, to be done for the honour of God and the good of our fellow creatures, Eccles. 9:10. We must be content to be doing on, even in our humbling circumstances, till that be done out. It is not the due time for that lifting up, till we are at the end of that work, and so have served our generation.

God has set work before you. On what ground should we complain of such work as has been appointed?

Are you content in your work?

Does your work do good for others?

Do you do you work with thankfulness and without grumbling?

Your work does not require that you are famous or “important”. We are important to God. We have not been troubled with fame. 

Do you realize this work will not last forever?

How long will it last? 

What must you do? Eccl. 9:10

Now we come to a mysterious and peculiar work: suffering.

He bases this on Colossians 1:24:

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

This verse entails a group for rejoicing which we would not think possible. In Philippians, Paul writes:

¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 

Philippians 3:10–11 (ESV)  God does not need our work—he created the world and all things in it. What could we add? Our suffering cannot benefit God. Not out suffering nor our work confer a benefit upon God. We do not earn anything by means of our suffering. And yet, God has given that we may share in suffering. 

But do consider how our suffering makes us like Christ. Suffering changes us. Maintaining faith and hope in the midst of suffering does us good—if for no other reason than we love this world too dearly.

The theme of this book has been that suffering is appointed by God. Here Paul says yes, it is a gift of God.

(2.) Suffering work. There is a certain portion of suffering that is allotted for the mystical body, and the head has divided to the several members of the proportions thereof; and it is not the due time for that lifting up, till we have exhausted the share thereof allotted to us. Paul looked on his life as a going on in that, Col. 1:24.

It would be better to be with Christ. But to be here means we have work appointed. We are here for others (“more needful for you”) and always for the glory of God:

2. When that lifting up comes, we will see it is come exactly in the due time; that it was well it was neither sooner nor later: for, though heaven is always better than earth, and that it would be better for us, absolutely speaking, to be in heaven than on earth; yet certainly there is a time wherein it is better for the honour of God, and his service, that we be on the earth than in heaven: Philip. 1:24. “Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” And it will be no grief of heart to them, when there, that they were so long in their humbling circumstances, and were not brought sooner.

USE 

Look at your circumstance. What if it is difficult, does that mean God has abandoned you? No. Are you crushed by life? This trial will not last forever. If comfort does not come today, it will come. This world can chase you no further than grave. Then sorrow and sin shall be laid aside. You will be out of Satan’s gunshot (as one Puritan said):

1. Let not then the humble cast away their confidence, whatever their humbling circumstances be: let them assure themselves there will come a lifting up to them at length; if not here, yet to be sure hereafter. Let them keep this in their view, and comfort themselves with it, for God has said it, Psal. 9:18. “The needy shall not always be forgotten.” If the night were never so long, the morning will come at length.

But the day of rest will not come quickly enough. I wish I could be relieved today—not that I want to die (though to be Christ is far better)—but I want to be relieved of this burden. 

What then must we do while we wait?

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 

James 5:7–11 (ESV) 

There is no way to acquire patience without the need for patience. We must be in a trying way to require patience.  We can no more hurry patience than a farmer can hurry the seeds to grow.

2. Let patience have her perfect work. The husbandman waits for the return of his seed, the sea-merchant for the return of his ships, the store-master for what he calls year-time, when he draws in the produce of his flocks. All these have long patience, and why should not the Christian too have patience, and patiently wait the time appointed for his lifting up?

And now the final word of this book:

Ye have heard much of the crook in the lot, the excellency of humbleness of spirit in a low lot, beyond pride of spirit, though joined with a high one: ye have been called to humble yourselves in your humbling circumstances, and assured in that case of a lifting up. To conclude, we may assure ourselves, God will at length break in pieces the proud, be they never so high; and he will triumphantly lift up the humble, be they never so low.

Thomas Boston, The Whole Works of Thomas Boston: Sermons, Part 1, ed. Samuel M‘Millan, vol. 3 (Aberdeen: George and Robert King, 1848), 585–590.

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^[1] Lucian of Samosta has a comic representation of the gods eager for the death: “If a sacrifice is going forward, all mouths are open to feast upon the smoke; like flies they settle on the altar to drink up the trickling streams of blood. If they are dining at home, nectar and ambrosia is the bill of fare.” (On Sacrifices Fowler, 1905) And while this is funny, to truly consider the evil of worshipping such ghastly beings who live of the death of others should make us shudder.