another place, Psal. cii. The title of the psalm is, ‘A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed.' And he describes that condition in the psalm itself, ver. 3, 4, &c. My days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burnt as an hearth. My heart is smitten and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.' To be overwhelmed is to be under a confluence of all manner of distressing calamities. Psal. cxlii. 3, 4. he describes again what it is to be overwhelmed: When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, I looked on the right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me, refuge failed me: no man cared for my soul.' So that to have a confluence of manifold distresses, with an eye to the indignation of God, as the spring of those distresses, until the spirit sink and faint under it, is to have the heart overwhelmed. This is his state and condition.

Secondly, The course he takes in this state, as we have already observed, is also doubly expressed.

1. In the manner of it: cried,' saith he, ' unto thee.' The word is frequently used in this case in Scripture; and it is naturally expressive of the principal actings of faith in a distressed condition.

There are four things that faith will do in a condition of distress in believers; and they are all of them comprised in this expression: 'I cried.'

(1.) It will make the heart sensible of the affliction. God abhors the proud and the stubborn, that think by their own spirits to bear up under their pressures. Isa. xlvi. 12. Hearken, ye stout-hearted, who are far from righteousness.' Persons that think to bear themselves up, when God dealeth with them, by their stout heart, are such, whom of all others God most despises and abhors: they are far from righteousness.' Now crying doth include a sense of evils and pressures the soul is exercised withal, and that we do

not despise God when we are chastened, as well as that we do not utterly faint, but cry unto the Lord.

(2.) The next act of faith is a holy complaint unto God in such a state and condition. So the psalmist tells us, Psal. cii. A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.' He often mentions his complaint, coming with his complaint unto the Lord.' And God takes nothing more kindly, than when we come to him with our complaints, not repining at them, but spreading them before the Lord, as from whom alone we expect relief: for it declares we believe God concerns himself in our state and condition. There is no man so foolish, whatsoever he suffers, as to go unto them with his complaints whom he supposes are not concerned in him, nor have any compassion for him. It is a professing unto God, that we believe he is concerned in our condition, when we cry unto him, and pour out before him our complaints. (3.) There is in it an endeavour to approach unto God. As you do when you cry after one whom you see at a distance, and are afraid he will go farther from you. It is the great work of faith to cry out after God at a distance, when you are afraid lest at the next turn he should be quite out of sight. Crying to the Lord, supposes him to be withdrawing or departing.

(4.) There is earnestness in it. It is expressive of the greatest earnestness of spirit we can use, when we cry out in any case.

Thus he behaves himself during the condition described. He had a sense of his distress; he makes his complaint unto the Lord; he cries out after him for fear he should withdraw himself; and that with earnestness, that God might come in to his help.

2. The matter of it is, That God would lead him to the rock,' that is, that God would give him an access unto himself by Jesus Christ, in whom God is our rock and our refuge in all our distresses: that he would but open a way through all his dark and overwhelming entanglements, that he might come unto himself, there to issue the troubles and perplexities that he was exercised withal.

That which I would speak to you from the words thus opened, is this:

Observation. In the most overwhelming, calamitous distresses that may befall a believing soul, faith still eyes a reserve in God, and delights to break through all to come unto him; though at the same time, it looks upon God as the author of those calamities.

I have told you before in the opening of the words, what I intend by these overwhelming distresses. They are of two sorts, inward and outward.

First, Inward, in perplexities upon the soul and conscience about sin. When the soul is in darkness, and hath no apprehension of any ground upon which it may have acceptance with God; when it is pressed with the guilt of sin, and abides in darkness upon that account, and hath no light.

Secondly, Outward; and these are of two sorts.

1. Private, in afflictions, losses, sickness, pains, poverty, either as to ourselves, or those who are near unto us, and wherein we are concerned. These may sometimes have such an edge put upon them, as to prove overwhelming.

2. Public, in reference unto the church of God; when that is in great distress, when there is no prospect of relief, no beam of light; when the summer is past, and the harvest ended, expectations come to an issue, and no relief ensues: this is an overwhelming distress to them, whose hearts are in the ways of God, and have a concern in his glory.. When Zion is in the dust, and the bones of the children of Zion lie scattered like wood upon the face of the earth.

These are the heads of overwhelming distresses. And I say, faith looks upon them as proceeding from God. Is the soul in distress upon the account of sin? They are God's rebukes, God's arrows, it is God that hath caused this darkness. Is it troubled or pressed upon the account of afflictions or dangers? Affliction,' saith faith, 'doth not spring out of the earth,' or troubles from the ground: these things are from God. Is it with respect unto the church of God, 'Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers?' Is it not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? It is therefore his wrath and indignation in all these things. Yet notwithstanding this, faith will look through all, and make a reserve in God himself.

I shall,

I. Give some instances of this.
II. Shew the grounds of it.

III. Come to that which I chiefly intend, namely, to discover what it is in God that in such an overwhelming condition faith can see and fix upon, to give it support and relief. IV. Shew how this differs from that general reserve which the nature of man is apt to take in his thoughts of God in distress.

I. I am to give some instances. And we have a very remarkable instance of this in Jonah, who tells us, chap. ii. 2. that he was in the belly of hell.' Hell in Scripture, when it is applied to the things of this world, doth intend the depth of temporal evils; as in Psal. xviii. 4. The sor rows of bell compassed me,' saith David, speaking of the time of his affliction and persecution under Saul. And 'the belly of hell' must needs be the darkness and confusion of all those calamitous distresses. Where did Jonah (viewing himself in this condition), look for the cause from whence it did proceed? He tells us, ver. 3. ' for thou hast cast me into the deep.' He knew the occasion of it was his own sinful frowardness; the instrumental cause, the mariners upon his own persuasion; but he refers it all to the principal cause, God himself: Thou hast cast me into the deep.' And how did this affect him? ver. 7. My soul fainted within me.' What relief then had he? ver. 5, 6. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottom of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever.' No manner of relief, support, or succour to be expected. What did he do in this case? He tells presently, My prayer came in unto thee,' saith he, looking upon God as he who had cast him into this condition; his eye was to him. David gives us several instances of it in himself. Once I acknowledge he was mistaken in his course. He tells us so, Psal. lv. 3-5. he had described the overwhelming condition wherein he was. And what course doth he take? ver. 6. 'O that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest; I would wander afar off, and be in the wilderness." O that I was gone from the midst of all these perplexities,

that I was rid of those that are ready to overwhelm me But this was not a right course. I might give innumerable instances of the contrary: Psal. xxxi. 8-10, &c. is a description of as sad a condition as any man can fall into, and which is accompanied with a great sense of God's displeasure, and of his own sin; ver. 10. My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.' What course doth he then take? ver. 14. But I trusted in thee, O Lord; I said, Thou art my God.' When my strength failed because of mine iniquities, and my bones were consumed; when there was nothing but distress round about me, and that from God; yet then I trusted in thee, and said, Thou art my God.' And this is what God himself invites us unto, Isa. xl. 27. There is a complaint made by Jacob; My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God.' We have but two things wherein we are concerned in this world, as we are professors of the gospel; and they are, our way, and our judgment. Our way, that is, the course of obedience and profession, which according to the truth we are engaged in; as believing in Christ is called a way.' My way of faith, my way of worship, my way of obedience is hid from the Lord; God takes no notice of it; which is as much as to say, my all in the things of God is at a loss, God takes no notice of my way. Should that be our condition, really we should be of all men most miserable. But there is also our judgment, that is, the judgment that is to be passed upon our cause, and way, which David doth so often pray about, when he begs that God would 'judge him in his righteousness.' Now saith the church here, God takes no notice of it, but hath put off the cause to the world; my judgment is passed over, determined for me no more, but he lets me suffer under the judgment of the world. And truly when our way and judgment is passed over, profession and obedience as it were hid from God, God takes no notice of them. And when he puts off the judgment and determination of our cause, what have we more in the world? What doth God now propose to them for their relief? What promises, what encouragements will he remind them of? Nothing but himself, ver. 28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the