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

But did not Ephraim know his affliction? or did not Job know his? what is it to know, or who may be said to know an affliction?

I answer, they only know their afflictions, or that God is visiting in his anger,

First, who labour to find out the cause of Gods visitation. If we feel the afflicting hand of God upon us, and enquire not, whence is this? why is it so? what hath moved or provoked the Lord to this manner of proceeding with us? If, I say, we make not such enquiries, we are visited in anger, and know it not. And therefore in that case, the Prophet Jeremiah exhorts the afflicted, captivated ⟨p. 131⟩Church of the Jews in Babylon, to search and try their ways, (Lam. 3.41.) that is, to consider why it was so with them, what was the cause of their captivity. Till we sit down and make diligent search, why we are visited, why any affliction or calamity is upon our Persons and Families, or upon the Kingdoms and Nations respectively where we live, we know neither the day of our visitation, nor what our visitation is. Then only we know Gods visitation, when we are studying the causes of it;¹ To know a thing is to know it in the causes of it.

First, who labour to find out the cause of Gods visitation. If we feel the afflicting hand of God upon us, and enquire not, whence is this? why is it so? what hath moved or provoked the Lord to this manner of proceeding with us? If, I say, we make not such enquiries, we are visited in anger, and know it not. And therefore in that case, the Prophet Jeremy exhorts the afflicted, captivated