An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

For if God hath not his purpose in bringing the first affliction, we shall be spoken to in a whirlwind a second time. We are apt to wonder and think it strange, that God should speak terribly to us so often, that he should renew our afflictions, and make us new crosses. We think, if we do but make a light confession of our sins, and say, we are vile, presently the storm should cease, and the affliction be removed. Let us not deceive our selves, Job had said he was vile; yet God continued the storm, because he was not yet low enough. 'Tis not enough for us that we are truly humbled. As there must be truth in our humiliation, so there must be depth in it; for questionless, when Job said before, I am vile, he did not dissemble with God, he was hearty in it, and spake his heart; what he spake was from his very soul, and in sincerity, he did not complement with God, he did not flatter God with his mouth, nor lie unto him with his tongue, as the Israelites did (Psal. 78.36.) his heart was right with God, as theirs was not (ver. 37.) yet, because his spirit was not come down as it should, therefore he must be awakened and humbled more with another whirlwind, he must be further schooled, that he might give further glory to God in his own abasement.

For if God hath not his purpose in bringing the first affliction, we shall be spoken to in a whirlwind a second time. We are apt to wonder and think it strange, that God should speak terribly to us so often, that he should renew our afflictions, and make us new crosses. We think, if we do but make a light confession of our sins, and say, we are vile, presently the storm should cease, and the affliction be removed. Let us not deceive our selves, Job had said he was vile; yet God continued the storm, because he was not yet low enough. 'Tis not enough for us that we are truly humbled. As there must be truth in our humiliation, so there must be depth in it; for questionless, when Job said before, I am vile, he did not dissemble with God, he was hearty in it, and spake his heart; what he spake was from his very soul, and in sincerity, he did not complement with God, he did not flatter God with his mouth, nor lie unto him with his tongue, as the Israelites did (Psal. 78.36.) his heart was right with God, as theirs was not (ver. 37.) yet, because his spirit was not come down as it should, therefore he must be awakened and humbled more with another whirlwind, he must be further school'd, that he might give further glory to God in his own abasement.