3. It drives us to God in prayer —
[Those who never called upon God in the time of their prosperity, are often stirred up to seek him in a season of adver- sity. " In their affliction," says God, " they will seek me early '^ :" and to the same effect the Prophet testifies, *' Lord, in trouble have they visited thee ; they poured forth a prayer when thy chastening was upon them^." In the 107th Psalm this effect of troubles is marked in every instance : " Then cried they unto the Lord in their trouble^:" and in every instance this was the prelude to their deliverance. Who then that experiences this effect from his trials has not reason to be thankful for them ? Let it only be said of us, " Behold, he prayeth ;" and we shall have no cause for complaint, though we should have been struck
blind,
•'Job xxxvi. 8 — 10. " Hos. v. 15.
" Isai. xxvi. I6. * ver. 6, 13, ig, 28.
424.] THE BilNEFIT OF A l- ^LleTI0^7. 417
blind, like Saul, and had our blindness continued to the latest hour of our lives ^]
4. It brings us to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus —
[Of itself, affliction cannot eftect this; but when accom- panied by Divine grace, it often does. Indeed where a willing- ness to receive instruction, and a desire after spiritual blessings are excited in the soul, and issue in fervent prayer to God, there we may reasonably hope that all spiritual blessings will flow into the soul. God will not suffer any to seek his face in vain. Even though, like Manasseh, we may have brought down God*s wrath upon us by the most heinous ini([uities, yet if we humble ourselves under his chastisements, and implore mercy at his hands, we shall, like him, be heard, and be made stupendous monu- ments of his power and graced. Did he ever regret the sufferings by which he was thus brought to enjoy peace with God ? Neither shall we, whatever trials may be made subservient to this blessed end.]
But will the end really compensate for the means used to effect it ? Yes : and to prove that it will, we shall proceed to shew,
II. The blessedness of knowledge, though gained by affliction — Such knowledge as we are speaking of, the know- ledge of God in Christ Jesus, is indeed inestimable. Let us view it,
1 . As compared with the price paid for it —
[It is said by Solomon, " Buy the truth, and sell it not.'* Now as we have before spoken of affliction as the means of bring- ing us to the knowledge of the truth, we may, in popular lan- guage, call it. The price paid for knowledge. Whatever then the affliction be, we do not hesitate to say that it is richly recompensed by the fruit which it produces.
Suppose the affliction to be of a temporal nature: we have been bereaved of our dearest friends and relatives ; we have suf- fered the loss of all our property, and been reduced to very em- barrassed circumstances ; our health also has been destroyed, so that we are sinking under an accumulation of woes. Suppose our case as distressing as that of Job himself: still, if it liave been sanctified to our eternal good, we can call it by no other name than, A blessing in disguise. Did Job, when brought to a deeper view of his own depravity, and to a richer discovery of the
Divine
. ^ Acts ix. 3, 4, 8. ^2 Chron. xxxiii. 11—13.