VeR. 107.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 95
think to go to heaven upon a bed of roses, hut sometimes their way is strewed with thorns, and they have fiery trials : 1 Peter iv. 12, ' Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though Bome strange thing happened unto you;' no more than you would to see a shower of rain fall, or a cloudy day succeed a fair : we would laugh at one that should be troubled to see a shower fall. So some- times by sickness under God's immediate hand. In the 3d epistle of John, the apostle saith of Gains, ' I wish that thou mayest prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.' It seems he had a healthfnl soul in a very sickly crazy body. And Paul's thorn in the flesh notes some racking pain, stone or gout, which he alludes to thrusting up a stake in the body of slaves. The inward man, that hath its affliction too, anguish, sorrow of heart, sometimes by reason of God's desertion. Christ Jesus drunk of this cup : Mat. xxvii. 46, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? ' And the cup goes round; his people pledge him in this bitter cup, and often complain of a withdrawing God, that they cannot find God as they were wont formerly. Many times perplexing lusts and prevalency of sore dis- tempers: '0 wretched man,' &c., Piom. vii. 24, so Paul groans ; and sometimes from temptations and assaults from Satan : Luke xxii. 31, 32, ' Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat ; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' Christ did not pray to exempt him from it, but to preserve him in it.
If you ask why God's children are thus afflicted, I answer — It is not heaven we now enjoy.
1. We are not in our eternal rest, therefore here we must be exer- cised, tried, afflicted. The world is a middle place between heaven and hell, therefore hath somewhat of both ; their principles and actions are mixed, so their condition is mixed, intermixed with sorrows and joys, until they come there where they shall rest from all their labours. So it must be.
2. God doth it to purge out sin : Isa. xxvii. 9, ' By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.' Gold is cast into the fire. Why ? To have its dross consumed. Corn is beaten with the flail. Why ? To be severed from its chaff, husks, and straw ; and iron is filed to get off its rust ; so this is the fruit of all — the taking away sin. Afflictions are a necessary cure for sin : John xv. 2, ' Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.' Look, as in a vine there are certain suj)erfluous luxuriant leaves and branches that grow up with the fruit, and hindereth the increase of it, which the vine-dresser pares oif, not to destroy the vine, but to cultivate and manure it, so it is with no ill intent ; so corruption grows up with our graces, and hindereth us that we cannot bear fruit, when we are in a flourishing condition ; there- fore these need to be purged away.
3. God doth it to humble us. This was that which God aimed at in all his afflictive dispensations towards the people of Israel, Dent, viii. 2. God's eminent servants need affliction to humble them. David had many things to puff him up, his royal dignity, the gift of pro- phecy, familiarity with God, great opulency, many victories, pride of life, &c. ; and he needed many afflictions to keep him humble, Ps. cxxxii. 1. Paul, he was apt to be lifted up with abundance of
96 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXYI.
revelations, therefore God liumbleil him with 'a thorn in the flesh,' 2 Gor. xii. 7.
Use 1. If wo be ont of affliction, let us provide for a time of exer- cise. David, a saint, is afflicted. God's bosom-friends may feel his liand sore upon them. David, a king, is afflicted ; those in the highest station have their incident cares and troubles. David, an Old Testa- ment believer, saith, ' I am afflicted.' I observe this, because God then dispensed himself to his people in and by temporal promises, and yet even then they had great mixtures of trouble, to show that which they had in the world was not all they had to expect from God. The promises now in the New Testament, now life and immortality is brought to light, they run to us in another strain, not of" temporal, but spiritual things ; therefore we must expect our portion of sorrow before we go to heaven. Be not of such a woman-like nature, and so delicately brought up, as never to see evil days ; for aught I see, we are entering u[)on our trial. The strain of our ministry is mainly con- solatory usually, but there comes a time of expense and laying out, ■when such comforts are to be laid up in our heart, therefore let us be provided.