Then after his desire, he lays forth his grief, ' My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me. Where is thy God ?' ver. 3. Grievances never come alone, but as Job's messengers, they come one after another, even to God's children. When he is disposed to correct them, they are multiplied. Therefore, here is not only a grief of want, that he was debarred of those sweet comforts which he had before in the taber- nacle, but here is likemse a grief from the reproach of his enemies, that took occasion from his disconsolate estate to upbraid him, ' Where is thy
* This opening paragraph is very nearly identical with the commencement of the ' Soul's Conflict.'— G.
106 THE SWOED OF THE WICKED.
God ?' ' My tears have been my meat day and night, while they conti- nually say unto me, Where is thy God ?' He dissolves the cloud of his grief into the shower of tears, ' My tears have been my meat.' They were so plentiful that they did feed his soul as it were.
Then he sets do'wn another groimd of his grief, from the remembrance of his former happiness ; as usually, that doth make the grief raw and more sensible, iorfelix miser, maxime miser, he that hath been happy in former time and now is miserable, is most miserable of all, because his former happiness makes him most sensible. Therefore, of all men in hell, the torment of great men is most, because they had most sense of comfort in this world ; mighty men shall be mightily tormented, that is all the pri- vilege they shall have in hell. Therefore, to aggravate his gi'ief, 0, saith he, when I remember what comfort I had formerly in the house of God, I pour out my soul. It was not enough that he poured out his tears, or words, but I pour out my soul, for in former times, ' I went with the mul- titude to the house of God,' ver, 4, and led a goodly train to the house of God, the pictm-e of a good magistrate, and a good master of a family ; he goes not alone to the house of God, but he leads his train, he is attended on by his servants. David went not alone into the house of God, but with the multitude, ' with the voice of them that kept hohday,' ver. 4. Well, he had grief enough, his heart was full of grief. Now in the next verse he takes up his soul, and expostulates with himself, ' "Why art thou so sad, 0 my soul ? and why art thou disquieted in me ? hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance,' ver. 5. So you see here, he is not so flat in his grief that he gives over-long way to it, but he even falls a chiding of his soul, ' Why art thou cast do^vn, 0 my soul ? why art thou disquieted within me ?' 0 ! but yet grief will not be so stilled ! affliction is not quelled at the first, nor grief stilled and stayed at the first. Therefore it gathers upon him again in the next verse, ' 0 my God, my soul is cast down within me, when I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Heiinonites, from the hill Mizar.' When I remember thee from these places, my soul is cast down again, and my afflictions are multiplied ; though he had fallen out with his soul before, for his impatience. ' One deep eaUs to another,' deep calls upon deep, ' as the noise of the water- spouts,' ver. 7. He compares affliction to water- spouts, as it is in Scripture. ' All thy waves and billows have gone over me,' ver. 7. Even as one deep calls to another, so one affliction calls to another. Then when he had given a httle way again to his grief, and complained to God, he takes up his soul another time ; yet, saith he, * The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and I will pray to the God of my life,' ver. 8. He presents to himself the goodness of God, to comfort his soul. And he presents to him in the next verse his own resolution, ' I will say to God (for the time to come) my rock, why hast thou forgotten me ? and why go I mom-ning, for the oppression of the enemy,' ver. 9. So here he stays his soul once again ; he presents to his Boul the lovingkindness of God, with renewing his resolution to seek God : an efiectual way to stay the soul, by considering God's love and mercy, and by renewing our resolutions and purposes to cleave to God, ' I will say to God my rock, why hast thou forgotten me ?'
Aye, but here is a third assault of grief again, for there is a spring of corruption in us, and such a principle in us as will yield murmuriiigs and discontent again and again ; therefore in the verse I have read to j'ou, he comes again to complain, ' As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies