for his prosperity's sake. God turneth not his> favour from man for trouble, but for sin. The world for trouble sake will not know the most dear and honest friend; but let the most wicked that liveth by breath have prosperity, and wicked people will not fail to know him with beck and regard, if he come into company; yea rather than fail, the most wicked man alive shall be narrowly sought: out, that wicked men may have acquaintance of him. But he that hath God to his friend, is sure of a Saviour as well in adversity as in prosperity; as the Prophet here declareth, which can in troubles send ease, and in quietness continue joys for ever. To him therefore be all laud and praise, world without end. Amen.

4

The fourth thing to be noted in this second part, is the continuance of the faithful afflicted in prayer unto God. For the Prophet saith, that he lifted up his hands all night, and waxed not weary. Of this continuance in prayer we learn two things: the one, perseverance in prayer; and the other, patient expectation and willing sufferance until God send redress and ease. To the first the Scripture exhorteth us, that we pray both heartily and conti-, nually unto God, not because he is ignorant of our troubles, but because we should thoroughly be brought to understand that there is none can help us out of trouble but he; and also that by continu ance in prayer we may the better know, and more earnestly repent our sins, that be the cause of our troubles: thirdly, that by often remembrance and divers rehearsals of our iniquity unto God, we may the sooner bring both our souls and bodies into the service and homage of Almighty God, whom we have by sin most grievously displeased.

The second virtue, patient expectation in troubles, declareth that we be much bound unto God, that

and deferreth not our pains in the world to

But

chasteneth us in this life, punishment to the eternal come. Also it maketh the mind of men to understand the wisdom of God, and also the foolishness of man, that many times, for lack of patient expectation and thankful sufferance, waxeth weary of his cross and punishment, and also murmureth against God, because he helpeth not when man's wisdom judgeth most meet to be holpen. patient expectation prescribeth God no time when to help, nor yet means how to help; but saith, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." (Matt. vi.) Also, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst deliver me.” (Matt. viii.) As the Prophet useth here in this Psalm, he called and cried upon the Lord all the night, and attended patiently when God would help, leaning altogether to his blessed will and pleasure, to do or not to do, as him best pleased.

THE THIRD PART.

WHAT GREAT AND PERILOUS DANGERS THE MAN THAT IS TROUBLED SHALL SUFFER FOR THE TIME OF HIS TROUBLE.

Ver. 2. My soul refused comfort.

Ver. 3. When I am in heaviness, I will think upon God: when my heart is vexed, I will complain. Selah.

Ver. 4. Thou haldest mine eyes waking: I am so feeble, I cannot speak.

Ver. 5. I have considered the days of old, and the years that be past.

Ver, 6. In the night I called to remembrance my song, and communed with mine own heart; and my spirit searched diligently.

Ver. 7. Will the Lord absent himself for ever? and will he be no more entreated?

Ver. 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? And is his promise come utterly to an end for evermore? Ver. 9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? and will he shut up his loving kindness in displeasure? ›

Here in these verses it appeareth what terrible and fearful things a man that is in trouble shall suffer and be vexed withal; and the first that the Prophet mentioneth is in the end of the second verse, and it is this, "My soul refuseth comfort."

Of this adversity and anguish of the soul we may learn many things; first, that as long as sin appeareth not, nor is felt, the mind of man is quiet, jocund, and pleasant; and the mirth and pleasure of the mind rejoiceth the body, and maketh it lusty and pleasant; not feeling at all the breach of God's commandments, neither passing any thing at all of sin nor evil conversation, but rather delighting in things that displease God, than in any virtue or honesty. (2 Sam. i. Rom. viii. Acts, ix.) But when trouble, sickness, or death cometh, then most commonly, though men see not the horror of their sins to repent, yet feel they the horror thereof to desperation; and that once felt in the soul, all the joys of the world cannot comfort the troubled person: as Adam, with all the solace of Paradise, could not rejoice when his soul felt the abomination of his offence towards God: Cain could never pluck up a merry countenance for the cruel killing of his brother Abel (Gen, iii. iv.): Peter could not stint weeping for his denial of Christ, until Christ looked upon him (Matt. xxvi.): Mary Magdalen could not pull up her head from under the table, for shame of her sm, until Christ had forgiven her (Luke, vii.) : nor the poor woman that was taken in adultery, until her offences were pardoned (John, viii.); neither yet could this Prophet's spirit take any con

solation, as long as his sins were felt and not pardoned. Whereof followeth this saying,-a small trouble of conscience putteth away all joy and mirth of the world. Wherefore it is wisdom, and also the duty of all Christian people, to avoid sin and the enmity of Gri, which only troubleth the conscience, and to put the body to all pains possible, yea, and to death itself, rather than to put the soul in danger towards God: as St. Paul writeth to Timothy his disciple, and not without cause. (1 Tim. i.) For as the spirit that contemneth God, and feeleth (for his contempt) God's displeasure, cannot take comfort, but is full of anguish and heaviness inward, and in the outward man full of pain and sorrow (Isaiah, lxvi.) so likewise shall the soul in the life to come inwardly feel unspeakable grudgings and sorrows, and outwardly the unquenchable and everlasting fire of hell. (Rev. xiv.) And here is to be noted, that the very elect and dearest friends of Christ be not free from trouble and anguish of mind for their sins perpetrated and committed against God. But this is a consolation, that the elect, as they find anxiety and anguish of mind for sin in this life; so in this life is the conscience that is troubled by grace quieted, that it may after this life find eternal rest. And it is a common order and ordinary way, where. by God useth to bring the sinner to acknowledge and repent his sin; and so from knowledge and repentance to the forgiveness of his sin, to shew. and set before the conscience of the sinner, his sin; as the example of King David and others doth declare:

My sin (saith David) is always before, me." (Psalm li.) As though he had said, In case I could hide mine iniquity from all the world, yet can I not excuse it before God, nor hide it from mine own conscience. And every man's sins thus open before God, and known and felt in his own conscience,

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bring the soul into this discomfort and heaviness, that it refuseth all consolation and comfort; as this Prophet Asaph saith marvellously in this second verse of his Psalm.

-There is to be noted out of this comfortless spirit of the Prophet Asaph, another most necessary doctrine for every Christian creature, which is this: that there is two manner of discomforts, or two sorts of heaviness in the word of God, that is appointed to lead us in the time of this wretched life: as there is in it also two manner of consolations. There is two manner of brightness and clearness, and two manner of darkness and obscureness in it; as it shall appear in the treatise of this Psalm hereafter and because the diversity is not marked, the word of God doeth many times, and in many places and persons, no good at all.

There is a discomfort inwardly, and a discomfort outwardly, in the Scripture. The discomfort inwardly is, when the sinful man or woman seeketh and suffereth the same discomfort in his soul, that the law of God doth open and proclaim against him for his sins committed against God and his law: so that, as the law.commandeth after this sort: "Repent ye" (Matt. v. Mark, i.); so the man that is commanded by the law to be sorry and heavy for his sins, is sorry and heavy indeed, by the working of God's spirit: as we may see in Adain, what ins ward fear and discomfort he had, when he heard the voice of God after the doing of his sin: Cain the like, David the same, with Peter, Paul, and others in the word of God. (Gen. iii. iv. 2 Sam. xi. Matt xxvii. Acts, ix.)

This discomfort inwardly is felt of all God's elect, that be able to learn and know the nature of God's law, and the damnation and curse of God upon sin for this is a general commandment to all flesh börn