Ofttimes in it the whole work, as to the soul's apprehension, is gone over afresh. This the soul knows to have been a work of dread, terror, and trouble, and trembles in itself at its new trials. And, —
[3.] The Holy Ghost gives unto poor souls a fresh sense of their deep concernments, on purpose that it may be a means to stir them up unto these earnest applications unto God. The whole work is his, and he carries it on by means suited to the compassing of the end he aimeth at ; and by these means is a gracious soul brought into the frame mentioned. Now, there are sundry things that concur in and unto this frame: —
'[st. There is a continual ihoxightfulness about the sad condition wherein the soul is in its depths. Being deeply affected Avith their condition, they are continually ruminating upon it, and pondering it in their minds. So Da%dd declares the case to have been with him : Ps. xxxvhi. 2-6, 8, " Thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand
Yer.1,2.] earnestness in applying to god. 357
presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger ; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head : as an heavy bur- den they are too heavy for me. My Avounds stink and are corrupt because of my foohshness. I am troubled ; I am bowed down greatly ; I go mourning all the day long. I am feeble and sore broken : I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart." Restless- ness, deep thoughtfulness, disquietness of heart, continual heaviness of soul, sorrow and anxiety of mind, lie at the bottom of the applica- tions we speak of From these principles their prayers flow out; as David adds, verse 9, " Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from thee." This way aU his trouble wrought. He jyrayed out of the abundance of his meditation and grief Thoughts of their state and condition lie do-^ii with such persons, and rise with them, and accompany them all the day long. As Reuben cried, " The child is not; and I, whither shall I go ?" so doth such a soul; — "The love of God is not, Christ is not; and I, whither shall I cause my sorrow to go? God is provoked, death is nigh at hand, relief is far away,"darkness is about me. I have lost my peace, my joy, my song in the night. What do I think of duties ? Can two walk together unless they be agi-eed ? Can I Avalk -R-ith God in tliem, whilst I have thus made him mine enemy ? What do I tliink of ordinances ? "Will it do me any good to be at Jerusalem, and not see the face of the King ? to live under ordinances, and not to meet in them "\Aitli the King of saints ? May I not justty fear that the Lord will take his Holy Spirit fr'om me imtil I be left -^ith- out remedy?" With such thoughts as these are sin-entangled souls exercised, and they lie rolling in their minds in all their applications unto God.
2dly. We see the application itself consists in and is made by the jirayer of faith, or crying unto God. Now, this is done with in- tenseness of mind; which hath a twofold fruit or propriety, — (1st.) Importunity; and, {2dly.) Constanc}".
It is said of our blessed Saviour, that when he was in his depths about our sins, " he ofiered up prayers and supplications, with strong cries and tears," Heb. v. 7. " Strong cries and tears " express the utmost intension of spuit. And David expresseth it by " roaring," as we have seen before; as also by " sighing, groaning, and panting." A soul in such a condition lies down before the Lord with sighs, groans, mourning, cries, tears, and roaring, according to the various working of his heart, and its being affected with the things that it hath to do ; and this produceth, —
(ist) Importunity. The power of the importunity of faith our Saviour hath marvellously set out, Luke xi. 5-10, as also, chap.
358 AN EXPOSITION UPON rsALM cxxx. [Ver.1,2,
xviii. 1. Importunate praj^er is certainly prevailing; and importu- nity is, as it Avere, made up of these two things, — frequency of inter- position and variety of arguings. You shall have a man that is im- portunate come unto you seven times a-day about the same business; and after all, if any new thought come into his mind, though he had resolved to the contrary, he will come again. And there is nothing that can be imagined to relate unto the business he hath in hand but he will make use of it, and turn it to the furtherance of his plea. So is it in this case. Men will use both frequency of interposition and variety of arguings : Ps. Ixxxvi. 3, " I cry unto thee daily," or rather, all the da3^ He had but that one business^ and he attended it to the purpose. By this means we give God " no rest," Isa. Ixii. 7; which is the very character of importunity. Such souls go to God; and they are not satisfied with what they have done, and thev go again; and somewhat abideth still with them, and they go to hun again; and the heart is not yet emptied, they Avill go again to him, that he may have no rest. What variety of arguments are pleaded with God in this case I could manifest in the same David ; but it is known to all. There is not any thing almost that he makes not a plea of, — the faithfulness, righteousness, name, mercy, goodness, and kind- ness of God in Jesus Christ ; the concernment of others in him, both the friends and foes of God; his own weakness and helplessness, yea, the greatness of sin itself: " Be merciful to my sin," saith he, " for it is great." Sometimes he begins v.'ith some arguments of this kind ; and then, being a little diverted by other considerations, some new plea is suggested unto him by the Spirit, and he returas immediately to his first employment and design ; — all arguing great intension of mind and spirit.