Were my affliction. never· {o gre.at, yet if I find set G1d with!' dr:,ming ~irn[df from me.J hope 1 CON/d·be ce?Jte~t 'lrith my ajflic- ·M, bu~ J-oannot fi'nd the prrfn~ce of God witb me in this 11r_ jltotion, 4"/8metirnes J have fcund ~"d it is thttt that trouble; me, and mak.n me to be in fttch a C9~dition' .u J ..,,.~ . Now to that · 1 anfwer _thus,_ Fjrfl it is a·very evil thing for men and vvom-en upon their affhctJon to ctndude that God is departed from them, it may be when it comes to be c:x1mined there is no other rea(on why thou tl:Ji,.ke!l that God is wi~hdravvn and departed, but becaufe he dotb -afflict tfuee, now for thee to make fuch a co~clufion t~at every time God Iaies an affiiction upon thee ~e 1s depme,d,rbis is a finful difiemper of thy heart, and is very difhonorable to God, and grievous to his fpi- · rir. In the I 7. of E~·od. 7, vert e. you may fee hem God was difpleafed there with fuch ,a kind of difiemper as this is, Aml he cn.l!ed the n11me of the pi Me Maffab aml Meribah, becAu[e of the chiding of the C hildrenof JCrael, ~rnd btcAu{~ thfy umpud the Lord, faying, iJ tke Lord llr»ongft 111, o; not? Mark they did murmur becaufe they were brought into afflictions, but fee what the text faith, therefore the place was cal1edMaflfl,h andMerib~th becaufe· they tempted the Lord, faying is thf Lord amongjl1u, or not? This vvas to tempt God; Somtimes we are afraid God is departed from us, and it is meerly becaufe we are affiiCl:ed. I befeecb you obfetve that Scripture, God caJls it a tempting of him when he afflicts any, for them to conclnde and fay God is departed from tbem : if a caiid Jhould cry Gut of' his Father, and fay, that his Father is tumed w be an enemy to him, becauft: he doth cOtrect him,tbis WGuld be t~ken ill. J befeech you confider t>fthis one plrce, it may be of very gteat ufe to you,that you may not be ready to think t~at God is departed, becaufe you are afflicted. · Secondly, if God be depart~d, .the greatelHign of ~od~ departing is becaufe you are f~ dJfqu1et,. y~u make your difqu1~t to _be the fruit of Gods departmg,_ a11d 1f1t,cQmes to be exammed your difguiet is the c~ufe ofGods depnting from you, if you could but cure your difguiet, if you could but quiet your own hearts and get them into a better frame of contentednefs under Gods band in afflicting of you, then you would find Gods pref~nce
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