First. What are those things that make a season of providence dark and difficult?
I find four things in Scripture that make a dark season of provi- dence; and, if I mistake not, they are all upon us: —
1. The long-continued prosperity of wicked men. This you are sensible is the most known case of all the Old Testament, Ps. lxxiii •
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Jer. xii. 1-3; Hab. i. 4, 13, and many other places. The holy men of old did confess themselves in great perplexity at the long-continued prosperity of wicked men, and their long-continued prosperity in ways of wickedness. Give hut this one farther circumstance to it, — the long-continued prosperity of wicked men in their wickedness, when the light shines round about them to convince them of that wicked- ness, and God speaks in and by the light of his word against them ; that is a trial. When all things were wrapped up in darkness and idolatry, it is no wonder at the patience of God ; but when things come in any place to that state that many continue prosperous in wicked- ness when the day is upon them that judges them, — it is a difficulty.
2. It is a difficult season of providence, when the church is con- tinued under persecution and distress in a time of prayer, when they give themselves to prayer. The difficulty seems mentioned, Ps. lxxx. 4, " 0 Lord, how long wilt thou smoke against the prayer of thy people?" This made it hard, that God should afflict his church, and keep her under distresses, and suffer the furrows to be made long upon her back, and continue her under oppression from one season to another. There may be evident reason for that. But saith God, " Call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will hear." God hath promised to hear the church : Will not God avenge the elect, that call upon him day and night? He will do it speedily. Now, when God seems to be angry with the prayers of his people, that is a diffi- cult season : when they cry and shout, and God shuts out their prayers, that makes a dark providence.
As the other difficulty is evidently upon us, so I hope we have this difficulty to conflict withal, that the anger of God continues to smoke against the prayers of his people, as having stirred up many a blessed cry to himself; for there is a time when he will hear and an- swer their prayers.
3. It is a dark and difficult dispensation of providence, when the world and nations of the world are filled with confusion and blood, and no just reason appearing why it shoiild be so. When our Saviour foretells a difficult season, Matt. xxiv. and Luke xxi., he says, " There shall be terrible times, such as never were ; nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be wars, bloodshed, and earthquakes; and the very elect shall hardly escape." Therefore God calls such a time, " a day of darkness," yea, of " thick darkness," Joel ii. 2, a dark, gloomy day. There is nothing to be seen in all the confusions that are in the world at this day, but that the frogs or unclean spirits are gone forth to stir up the lusts of men to make havoc of one another.
4. It adds greatly to the difficulty of a season, when we have no prospect whither things are tending, and what will be their issue.
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There are two ways whereby we may have a prospect of things that are in being: — by the eye of God's providence, when we perceive which way that looks; and by Scripture rule. The truth is, we are in a time wherein no man can discern a fixed eye of providence look- ing this way or that way. What will be the issue of these things ; whether it will be the deliverance of the church, or the desolation of the nation and straitening of the church; whether God will bring good out of them in this generation, or any other time, none knows : this makes it difficult. Ps. lxxiv. 9, " We see not our signs," — have no tokens what God intends to do ; " neither is there among us any to tell us how long."
There is none of these things but make a season difficult, and pro- vidence dark ; but when all of them concur together, they cannot but greatly heighten it : and I think they are all upon us.
Secondly. What are the open signs of the coming and passing of such a season over us?
There are three tokens or outward evidences of a difficult season. It is so, —
1. When God's patience is abused. You know that place, Eccles. viii. 11, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Things pass thus : — men fall into wickedness, great wicked- ness; their consciences fly in their faces, and they are afraid; the power of their lusts carries them into the same wickedness again, and their consciences begin to grow a little colder than they were : no evil comes of it, and judgment is not speedily executed; and so their hearts at last come to be wholly set to do evil. Hence others that look on say, " Here are men given up to all wickedness; surely judg- ment will speedily come upon these men." Judgment doth not come, — God is patient ; and so they themselves turn as wicked as the former. Abusing of God's patience is an evident sign of a dispensation of the displeasure of God in his providence : and if ever it was upon any, it is upon us; and men learn it more and more every clay. Every one talks of other men's sins ; and seeing no judgment falls upon them, they give up themselves to the same sins.