Chap, z9. An Expo f iti o n upon the Book o f J OB. Verf7, r 9.__-- dn anfwer of prayer, that wecan pray, thoughunheard, and unanfwered. Secondly, Obferve; A godly man is under agreat tryall a fircng temptatifn,when he cryes out to Clod, and is not heard. As when Satan tempts us, there is a great conflia between G raw e,l b,ft: the flefh and the Spirit, about the doing ofgood, and the relu- A hiranrú rarm ging of evill, fo about our receiving good, and the removing of 6. expett- ofev ill, when we cry to God, and he is pleafed to tempt us by antis fpirnm. deferring to heare us. Then the Spirit hopes, and.theálefh doubts, Mr'1. the Spirit labours tomaintain beleeving thoughts, and.the Beth labours to raife defponding, yea defpairing thoughts. David was fo hard put to it upon this account, that though hemade no conciufions againit the gratiaulneffeof God, yet hecould not avoyd the putting, no nor the doubling, and more then trebling of the Qaeflion about it.( Pfal.77.7,8,9.) will the Lord calf of for ever ? and rai/1 he befavourable no more ? is his mercy cleanegonefor ever ? doth his promi/e fai/e for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracioua ? &c. Hot;4full ofQzeries was the fpirit of David when he could get no anlwersí? And though faith lay all this while in the bottome of `David' heart, yet that which lay at the bottome ofthefe Querieswas his infirmitie ; as him- felfe difcovers,ver. i o. And Ilaid, this is my infirmitie. It argues a great degree, and much ftrength ofgrace, when we maintain high thnughts of God, and fetled refolves that he is good, when he not only let's us fall low into trouble, but let's us lye unheard in the dayof our trouble. Such was the-ftrength of Davids faith, or rather of Chrills, of whofe fufferings that Pfalme is a Prophecy, who as {bone as he-ire had Paid ; O my god, I cry in the day time,.but thouhearef not,&c.(Pfal.22 z.) adds in the next verfe ;But thouare hólJ,O thou that inhabitefl the prayfes ofIfrael ; As if he had laid ;Iwill not have an evill, oran uncomely thought of thee, though thou refufef'to hear,I know thou art holy, and therefore canal not but be jufl,andgood,what- foever thou art pleafed to doe with me. Every foule arrives not at this freedome offaith. Thedeniall of an anfwerto. pray- er, puts moil upon complaints and queries ; And fo it doth, elpecially while they confider, how explicitly and clearly the Lord
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