A practical exposition on the 130th Psalm

Secondly, Perplexed thoughtfulness about their great and wretched ⟨p. 12⟩unkindness towards God, are another part of the Depths of sin-entangled souls. So David complains, Psal. 77. 3. I remembered God, saith he, and was troubled. How comes the Remembrance of God to be unto him a matter of trouble? in other Places he professeth, that it was all his relief and supportment. How comes it to be an occasion of his trouble? All had not been well between God and him; and whereas formerly in his Remembrance of God, his thoughts were chiefly exercised about his Love and Kindness, now they were wholly possest with his own sin and unkindness. This causeth his trouble. Herein lies a share of the entanglements occasioned by sin. Saith such a soul in its self; foolish creature, hast thou thus requited the Lord? Is this the return that thou hast made unto him for all his love, his kindness, his consolations, mercies? Is this thy kindness for him, thy love to him? Is this thy kindness to thy Friend? Is this thy boasting of him, that thou hadst found so much Goodness and Excellency in him and his Love, that though all men should forsake him, thou never wouldst do so? Are all thy Promises, all thy Engagements which thou madest unto God, in times of distress, upon prevailing obligations, and mighty impressions of his Good Spirit upon thy soul, now come to this, that thou shouldst so foolishly forget, neglect, despise, cast him off? Well! now he is gone; he is withdrawn from thee, and what wilt thou do? Art thou not even ashamed to desire him to return? They were thoughts of this nature, that cut Peter to the heart upon his fall. The soul finds them cruel as Death, and strong as the Grave. It is bound in the chains of them, and cannot be comforted, Psalm 38. 3, 4, 5, 6. And herein consists a great part of the depths enquired after. For this consideration excites, and puts an edge upon all grieving, straitening, perplexing Affections, which are the only means whereby the soul of a man may be inwardly troubled, or trouble it self; such are sorrow and shame, with that self-displicency and Revenge wherewith they are attended. And as their Reason and Object in this case do transcend all other occasions of them, so on no other account do they cause such severe and perplexing reflections on the soul as on this.

Secondly, Perplexed thoughtfulness about their great and wretched