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…

Thirdly, Even the most eminent, who are in any trouble, they cannot so bear ¹it, but they are subject to unbelief, to discontent, to frowardness, to many sad exercises of soul. And therefore no wonder, if they need the help of others to allay that evil spirit in them, as Martha said, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died: So mayest thou say, Oh if such a Christian, such a Minister had been with me, I had not been so impatient, I had not been so dejected! We cannot be in exercises, especially in spiritual desertions, and the sense of Gods wrath; but withal there will arise much sin, there will be froth and mud that our hearts will send forth. In this boiling of the soul there will arise some scum. It is true in Christ, although he was under those disconsolate desertions destitute of comfort, yet all the while there was no sin in him, no grace was weakened, though his comfort was abated, his soul was like a glass with pure water in it, all the moving and tossing of it up and down, could not cause any filth or mud in it; but it is otherwise with us, our souls have mud, a sinful sediment in the bottom, and no sooner are we tossed and moved up and down, but this cometh to the top, our corruption showeth it self presently; and therefore we need the prayers, the advice of others, yea rebuke sometimes, because like Rachel, We refuse to be comforted.

Thirdly, Even the most eminent, who are in any trouble, they cannot so bear ¹it, but they are subject to unbelief, to discontent, to frowardnesse, to many sad exercises of soul. And therefore no wonder, if they need the help of others to allay that evil spirit in them, as Martha said, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died: So mayest thou say, Oh if such a Christian, such a Minister had been with me, I had not been so impatient, I had not been so dejected! We cannot be in exercises, especially in spiritual desertions, and the sense of Gods wrath; but withall there will arise much sinne, there will be froth and mud that our hearts will send forth. In this boiling of the soul there will arise some scumme. It is true in Christ, although he was under those disconsolate desertions destitute of comfort, yet all the while there was no sinne in him, no grace was weakned, though his comfort was abated, his soul was like a glass with pure water in it, all the moving and tossing of it up and down, could not cause any filth or mud in it; but it is otherwise with us, our souls have mud, a sinfull sediment in the bottome, and no sooner are we tossed and moved up and down, but this cometh to the top, our corruption sheweth it self presently; and therefore we need the prayers, the advice of others, yea rebuke sometimes, because like Rachel, We refuse to be comforted.