Israels prayer in time of trouble with Gods gracious answer thereunto, or, An explication…

Secondly, this serveth for an instruction unto us touching a sanctified use of Gods judgments, or threatenings: when we learn obedience (as Christ did) by the things which we suffer, Hebr. 5.8. when [Greek or Hebrew] are [Greek or Hebrew], that we are chastened and taught together, Psal. 94.12. when sufferings do quicken spiritual desires, and the more troubles we find in our way, the more love we have to our Country: when we can say, all this is come upon us, and yet we have not forgotten thee, ¹Psal. 44.17, 18. when we can serve God as well in ploughing and breaking the clods, as in treading out the Corn, Hos. 10.11. When with Jonah we can delight in him even in the Whales belly, and suffer not our love of him to be quenched with all the waters of the Sea. When we can truly ⟨p. 59⟩say to him; Lord love me, and then do what thou wilt unto me; let me feel thy r•d, rather then forfeit thine affection: when we can look through the Anger of his chastisements unto the Beauty of his Commands, and to the sweetness of his loving countenance, as by a Rain bow we see the beautiful Image of the Suns-light in the midst of a dark and waterish Cloud: when by how much the Flesh is the fuller of pain, by so much prayers are fuller of spirit; by how much the heavier are our earthly sufferings, by so much the stronger are our heavenly desires: when God threateneth punishments, and we pray for grace, this is a sanctified use of Gods judgments. And this we should all be exhorted unto in the times of distraction, to make it the principal argument of our prayers and study of our lives, to obtain spiritual good things; and the less comfort we find in the world to be the more importunate for the comforts of God, that by them we may encourage our selves, as David did in his calamity at Ziglag, 1 Sam. 30.6. when the City Shechem was beaten down to the ground, then the men and women fled to the strong Tower and shut that upon them,