heavy hand, they will not be nuich in calling upon God ; this is con- trary to God's injunction, who expects now with earnestness they will seek him. God reckons upon it ; he could not hear from them before, but now they will pray hard, and will make up their former negli- gence. When God sends a tempest after you, as on Jonah, yet will you keep off from him ? It is contrary to the practice of the saints ; in their chastisements, troubles, and afflictions, they are much with God, opening their hearts to him. Nay, it is worse than hypocrites, for they will have their pangs of devotion at such a time, Job xxvii. 10, 11. In short, j'ou lose the comfort of your affliction. Seasons of affliction are happy seasons if they prove praying seasons ; when they bring you nearer to God, it is a sign God is not wholly gone, but hath left somewhat behind him, when the heart is drawn into him. This is the blessing of every condition, when it brings God nearer to you, and 3"0U are more acquainted with him than before.
Use 2. Then it takes off the discouragements of poor disconsolate ones, who mis-expound his providence when they think afflictions put us from God rather than call us to him. Oh no ! it is not to drive you from him, but to draw you to him. Do not think God hath no mercy for thee, because he leaves thee to such pressures, wants, and crosses. This is the way to acquaint yourselves with God, yea, though you have been hitherto strangers to him ; he hath invited you to call upon him in time of trouble, he is willing to have you upon any terms. A man will say, You come to me in your necessities ; God delights to hear from you, and is glad any occasion will bring you into his pre- sence ; and therefore be much with God.
Secondly, I observe, when this affliction was sore and pressing, yet then he hath a heart to pray, ' I am afflicted very sore, 0 Lord, quicken me.'
Doct. We must not give over prayer, though our afflictions be never so great and heavy. Why ? Because —
1. Nothing is too hard for God ; he hath ways of his own to save and preserve his people when we are at a loss. This was the glory of Abraham's faith, that he accounted God was able to raise up Isaac from the dead, Heb. xi. 19. Difficult cases are fit for God to deal in, to show his divine power. When means have spent their allowance, then is it time to try what God can do : Ps. cxlii, 4, 5, ' I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me : refuge failed me ; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, 0 Lord ; I said. Thou art my refuge, and my portion in the land of the living.' When all things fail, God faileth not.
2. We must still pray. Faith must express something above sense, or else living by faith and living by sense cannot be distinguished. In desperate cases then is the glory of faith seen : Job xiii. 15, ' Though he should kill me, yet I will trust in him,' In defiance of all dis- couragement, we should come and profess our dependence upon God.
Use. To condemn those that despond, and give over all treaty with God, as soon as any difficulty doth arise ; whereas this should sharpen prayer, rather than discourage us. This is man's temper, when troubles are little and small, then to neglect God ; when great, then to distrust God. A little headache will not send us to the physician.
102 SEltMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXVII.
nor the scratch of a pin to the chirurgcon ; so if our troubles be little, they do not move us to seek after God, but we arc secure and careless ; but when our troubles are smart, sore, and pressing, then we are dis- couraged, and give over all hopes ; so hard a matter is it to bring man to God, to keep an even frame, neither to slight the hand of God, nor to faint under it, as we have direction to avoid both extremes, Heb. xii. 5, to cherish a due sense of our troubles, with a regular confidence in God.
That he prays you have seen. Now what he prays for. He doth not say deliver me, but quicken me.
Doct. Strength and support under afflictions is a great blessing, to be sought from God, and acknowledged as a favour, as well as deliver- ance.
1. You shall see this is promised as a favour : Isa. xl. 31, 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; ' that is, shall not faint nor be weary, but mount up as it were with wings as eagles ; they shall have a new supply of grace, enabling them to bear and hold out till the deliverance cometh. They that wait upon the Lord do not always see the end of their troubles, but are quickened, comforted, and strengthened in them ; they shall renew their strength.