Use 1. It informeth us of the goodness of God, that he is willing to receive us upon any terms. When afflictions drive us to liim, he doth not turn away his face from us. Those very prayers that are extorted from us by necessity, he accepts as a piece of worship done to him, provided we do not neglect him upon other occasions, for that is hypocrisy : Job xxvii. 10, ' Will he delight himself in the Almighty ? let him always call upon God.' We ought not therefore to be dis- couraged if our acquaintance with God begin in the time of our afflic- tions, and these set us a-work to think of him. Man will say, You come to me in your necessity ; but then God is willing to receive us. Christ had never heard of many, if their necessities had not brought them to him — palsy, possession, deaf, dumb, fevers. Long would God sit upon the throne of grace unemployed if he did not send trouble and secret rack with it to bring us into his presence ; so that that which in appearance doth drive us off from him, doth in effect make us draw near to him.
2. It informeth us of the folly of them that neglect God in their troubles : Dan. ix. 13, ' All this is come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God.' You defeat the dispensation ; now you should make up your former negligence. When we are pressed hard on all hands it should put an edge upon our prayers, otherwise our afflictions will turn to a sad account ; when God sendeth a tempest after us, and this will not bring us back to him ; we are summoned to make our appearance, and will not come. Joab would not come till Absalom set his barley-field on fire.
Use 2. To encourage us to come to God in our afflictions. Now is a time to put the promises in suit, to begin an interest if we have none, to make use of it if we have any ; then our weakness and nothingness is discovered, that we may more apply ourselves to God ; and a time of need will be a time of help : Ps. xlvi. 1, ' God is a refuge for us, a very present help in trouble ;' that is, when trouble is trouble indeed, then therefore we should call for it most earnestly ; a necessitous crea- ture is a fit object for mercy. You expound providences amiss if you
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think afflictions are a casting off. No ; they are God's voice calling j'ou, nay, his hand pulling you to him. Blessed seasons to bring God and us together ; then God's aim is accomplished : Hosea v. 15, ' I will go, and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early;5 Isa. xxvi. 16, ' Lord in trouble have they visited thee ; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.' Afflictions do not work thus simply, for then they would work upon all, but as accompanied with some drawings of the Spirit. Every condition is blessed when it bringeth you nearer unto God ; though crosses be great trials to any, yet if they chase us to the throne of grace, God is not wholly gone, but hath left somewhat behind him to draw us to him. It is desertion in point of felicity, but not in point of grace.
Doct. 3. One great request of the children of God in prayer is that he would consider their affliction.
This David promiseth in the first place. So elsewhere : Ps. cxxxii.
I, ' Kemember David, 0 Lord, and all his afflictions.' He beggeth God to take notice of his person and condition. So also Ps. xxv. 18, ' Look upon my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.' He beggeth that his groans might not be passed over. So Hezekiah, Isa. xxxvii. 17, where many words are used to this effect : ' Incline thine ear, 0 Lord, and hear ; open thine eyes, and see, and hear all the words that Sennacherib hath sent to reproach the living God.' If God would but take notice, hear, and see, all would be well. And as for personal calamities, so in public and church cases : Ps. lxxx. 14, 'Eeturn, we beseech thee, 0 Lord God of hosts; look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine.' If God will but come and see, it is enough. So in the Lamentations, chap. i. 9, < 0 Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy hath magnified himself.' So again, ver.
II, 'See, 0 Lord, and consider, for I am become vile.' Yet again, ver. 20, ' Behold, 0 Lord, for I am in distress.' Thus do the chil- dren of God lay open their miseries before him, in confidence of his pity.
But why do the children of God press this point so earnestly, as if they did doubt of his providence and omnisciency ? God knoweth all things, and can forget nothing. I answer —
1. Though God be not ignorant and unmindful of our condition, yet we are to put him in remembrance : Isa. lxii. 6, ' Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.' Christ is the advocate, we are solicitors and remembrancers for others, and humble supplicants for ourselves. Indeed, in so doing, we do not put God in mind, but put ourselves in mind of the providence of God, which is most graciously conversant about us in our afflicted condi- tion, which is a great comfort and support to us. The moving of God to consider begets faith in us that he will consider ; and so we wrestle with God, that we may catch a heat ourselves.