An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

It is so often as to our spiritual estate, and it may be so, as to our outward state; hence those many complainings which we find in the Psalms, and those many deprecations, as to the hiding of Gods face; David would fain have kept sight of God, O how he desired to see him, to behold him! yet many times he did not, neither as to the assurance of his spiritual interest,¹ nor as to the comforts of his outward condition, (Psal. 13.1.) (Psal. 27.9.) (Psal. 30.7.) As God sometimes showeth himself in a kind of cloud or darkness, in fire and tempest, which is very terrible to the soul; so he at other times discovers himself only a little, or gives but a glimpse of himself clearly, to stir up further desi es of seeing him, and to make us weary of all we see in this world: in these cases we may be said not to see God when we see him. Many godly men are in such a dark condition, that they think God hideth his face from them in displeasure, when indeed he doth not, but only trieth them, to see what is in them, and whether they will obey him in hope and patience, and keep close to him in holy walkings, even when he seemeth to depart from them, and withdraw his presence.

It is so often as to our spiri•ual estate, and it may be so, as to our outward state; hence those many complainings which we find in the Psalmes, and those many deprecations, as to the hiding of Gods face; David would faine have kept sight of God, O how he desired to see him, to behold him! yet many times he did not, neither as to the assurance of his spiritual interest,¹ nor as to the comforts of his outward condition, (Psal. 13.1.) (Psal. 27.9.) (Psal. 30.7.) As God sometimes sheweth himself in a kind of cloud or darkness, in fire and tempest, which is very terrible to the soul; so he at other times discovers himself only a little, or gives but a glimpse of himself clearly, to stir up further desi es of seeing him, and to make us weary of all we see in this world: in these cases we may be said not to see God when we see him. Many godly men are in such a dark condition, that they think God hideth his face from them in displeasue, when indeed he doth not, but only tryeth them, to see what is in them, and whether they will obey him in hope and paience, and keep close to him in holy walkings, even when he seemeth to depart from them, and withdraw his presence.