Chap. 9. Ax Expofition upon the Bookof J O B. Ver,f i6. 275 the Saints judge their own voices harth and unharrnonicall, they are apt to think their prayers jarrings and di (Cords, at the heft but a rude noire, not a compofed air in the car of God. Faith makes our prayers melodious,becaufe it carries us out ofour (elves. A beleiver lives not in the found ofhis own prayers,but ofCh rifts intercefíion. What are we that we fhould expe.â any acceptance upon our own account ? or fay,this Wehave gained, this We have obtained, thus God bath heard us, or thus we have waffled it out withGod ? as when we have performed all our duties , we muff fay, We are unprofitablefervants ; fowhen we have obtained all our futes, wemutt fay, We are unprofitable petitioners ; 1 will not beleive that God hathhearknedunto my voice. What's man. voice, that God fhould hear it ? Obferve, Fifthly, That agodly man f metimes cannot be'eive his prayer is heard, when it is beard. Though he calls and God anfwers,yet(like Job)he belcivec not that God hath hearkn'd tohis voice ; he cannot think his prayer is heard, though one fhould come and tell him it is heard. When the Jews returned fromBabylon, the mercy was fo Great, that they could not beleive theyhad it,when they had it ; When thou orfanbot di . didlt turnour captivity, we were as them that dream (Kai. 126.2.) c ut Jo' e Thedeliverance was incredible, they could not think they were ritfanoncredi delivered.Their return to Jeru(alemwas fufpedfed for a dream of nos verum ejj it in Babylen.The Church prayed without ceafing for Peter, when quad maxim& he was in prifon(Ali.12. 5.)yet when the Lord brought hint out vurm . f of prifon,& he was knocking at the door of the houle where they, were aflembled, while they were knocking at the door of heaven for his deliverance, yet they would not beleive the report ofthe damfell,who faid he flood before the gate',they tell her the is mad, and when the affirm'd it with fobriety, as well as vehemency, then, they have another help for their unbelief , It was not Peter but bis Angel. Thus it is to this day with the Saints, in their great perfonal lutes and petitions, both. about fpiritual things and temporal, they are fo overcome, aftonithcd and amazed at the goodnefs of God, that though they fee the thing done , yet they can hardly beleive it is done. As if a Prince fhould fenda mefhage,to a poorman by fome.great Lord,ind tell him he hath bellowed honour and favour upon him,the poor man is ready. to fay, I cannot beleive it : the bleffng is too big for him todigeft, and let down into his narrow heart ; ,no, faith he, fure it is not fo. Though the people ofGod ever prefc rye a 1\i n 2 high
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=