An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

For the Apostle directed by the Spirit of God, which searcheth the deep things of God, speaketh far otherwise, making these troubles to be an effect of his love, and that if he did not deal thus with us, we might then conclude, we did not belong to him. Heb. 12. 6, 7, 8. If ye be without chastening, ye are bastards, and no children, for whom he loveth he chasteneth. It behoveth thee to make this difference in thy self, else thy destruction will come upon thee suddenly.

Secondly, The voice of flesh and blood also speaketh after this manner in ¹heavy troubles, That they will unto thee, that there can never come any good out of this to thy self; that it would have been far better for soul and body, if the Lords hand had not been in this manner upon thee. Here also that false and corrupt principle is a liar within thee. For David, who at sometimes is apt enough to be cast down, and exceedingly troubled, yet upon his recoveries can say, Out of very faithfulness thou hast afflicted me; and before I was afflicted I went astray, Psal. 119. 75, 67. Thou shouldest therefore do as the Apostle in another case, making objections against Gods dispensations, Rom. 3. 5. saith, Is God unrighteous? And then correcteth his speech, I speak as a man. Thus art thou also bound in all the unsavoury workings and discontents of thy soul, to rebuke thy self, saying, I think now as a man, I speak as a corrupt sinful man. Yea David, getting some power against these sinful motions within him, abhorreth himself in an higher degree, Psalm 73. 22. So foolish was I and ignorant, even like a […] before thee. Hearken not then to those tumultuous thoughts and reasonings within thee, which ⟨p. 275⟩