2. Herein it is intense, earnest, and urgent; which was the second thing observed. It is no time now to be slothful. The soul's all, its greatest concernments are at the stake. Dull, cold, formal, customary applications to God will not serve the turn. Ordinary actings of faith, love, fervency; usual seasons, oi^portunities, duties, answer not this" condition. To do no more than ordinary now is to do nothing at all. He that puts forth no more strength and activity for his de-
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Ver.1,2.] EARNESTNESS IN APPLYING TO GOD. S53
liverance when he is in depths, ready to perish, than he doth, or hath need to do, when he is at Hberty in plain and smooth paths, is scarcely like to escape. Some in such conditions are careless and negli- gent; they»think, in ordinary course, to wear off their distempers; and that, although at present they are sensible of their danger, they shall yet have peace at last: in which frame there is much contempt of God. Some despond and languish away under their pressures. Spiritual sloth influenceth both these sorts of persons. Let us see the frame under consideration exemplified in another. We have an instance in the spouse, Cant. iii. 1-3. She had lost the presence of Christ, and so was in the very state and condition before described, verse 1. It was night with her, — a time of darkness and disconsola- tion ; and she seeks for her beloved : " By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth," Christ was absent from her, and she was left unto depths and darkness upon that account; wherefore she seeks for him. But, as the most are apt to do in the like state and condition, she mends not her pace, goes not out of or beyond her course of ordinary duties, nor the frame she was usually in at other times. But Avhat is the issue? Saith she, " I found him not." This is not a way to recover a sense of lost love, nor to get out of her en- tanglements. And this puts her on another course; she begins to think that if things continue in this estate she shall be undone. " I go on, indeed, with the performance of duties still ; but I have not the presence of my beloved, — I meet not with Christ in them. My dark- ness and trouble abides still. If I take not some other course, I shall be lost." Well, saith she, " I will rise now," verse 2 ; — " I will shake off all that ease, and sloth, and customariness, that cleave to me." Some more lively, vigorous course must be fixed on. Resolutions for new, extraordinary, vigorous, constant apphcations unto God, are the first general step and degree of a sin-entangled soul acting towards a re- covery. " I will rise now." And what doth she do when she is thus resolved? "I will," saith she, "go about the streets, and in the broad ways, and seek him whom my soul loveth;" — " I will leave no ways or means unattempted Avhereby I may possibly come to a fresh enjoyment of him. If a man seek for a friend, he can look for him only in the streets, and in the broad ways, — that is, either in towns, or in the fields. So will I do," saith the spouse. " In what way, ordi- nance, or institution soever, in or by what duty soever, public or private, of communion with others or solitary retiredness, Christ ever was or may be found, or peace obtained, ' I will seek him,' and not give over until I come to an enjoyment of him." And this frame, this resolution, a soul in depths must come unto, if ever it expect deliver- ance. For the most part, men's " wounds stink, and are corrupt, be- cause of their foolishness," as the psalmist complains, Ps. xxxviii. 5. VOL. VL 23
354 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM cxxx. [Ver.1,2.
They are wounded by sin, and through spiritual sloth they neglect their cure; this weakens them, and disquiets them day by day: yet they endure all, rather than they will come out of theh caraal ease, to deal effectually with God in an extraordinary manner. It was otherwise with David: Ps, xxii. 1, 2, " Why," saith he, " art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day-time, and in the night season, and am not silent." What ails the man? Can he not be quiet night nor day? never silent, never hold his peace? And if he be somewhat disquieted, can he not contain himself, but that he must roar and cry out? Yea, must he "roar" thus "all the day long," as he speaks, Ps. xxxii. 3, and " groan all the night," as Ps. vi. 6? What is the matter, Avith all this roaring, sighing, tears, roaring all the day, all night long? Ah! let him alone, his soul is bitter in him; he is fallen into depths; the Lord is withdrawn from him; trouble is hard at hand; yea, he is full of anxiety on the account of sin; there is no quietness and soundness in him; and he must thus earnestly and restlessly apply himself for re- lief Alas! what strangers, for the most part, are men now-a-days to this frame ! How little of the workings of this spirit is found amongst us! And is not the reason of it, that we value the world more, and heaven and heavenly things less, than he did? that we can live at a better rate, without a sense of the love of God in Christ, than he could do? And is it not hence that we every day see so many withering pro- fessors, that have in a manner lost all communion with God, beyond a little lip-labour or talking; the filthy savour of whose wounds are offensive to all but themselves? And so will they go on, ready to die and perish, rather than with this holy man thus stir up themselves to meet the Lord. Heman v/as also like unto him, Ps. Ixxxviii. 11, 12. What sense he had of his depths he declares, verse 3 : " My soul," saith he, " is full of troubles ; and my life draweth nigh unto the grave." And what course doth he steer in this heavy, sorrowful, and disconsolate condition? Why, saith he, " O LoED God of my salva- tion, I have cried day and night before thee : let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry," verses 1, 2. Day and night he cries to the God of his salvation, and that with earnestness and impor- tunity. This was his business, this was he exercised about all his days. This is that which is aimed at : — If a gracious soul be brought into the depths before mentioned and described, by reason of sin, Avhen the Lord is pleased to lead him forth towards a recovery, he causeth him to be vigorous and restless in all the duties whereby he may make application to him for deliverance. Now, wherein this intenscness and earnestness of the soul, in its applications imto God, dolli princi- pally consist I shall briefly declare, when I have touched a little upon some considerations and grounds that stir it up thereunto : —