Affliction a School of Instruction
Bishop Brownrig. Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired you in the night; yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you early… I. Let us consider WHAT THAT IS WHICH MUST INSTRUCT US. Our sufferings and afflictions. And they are here described in a threefold notion. 1. In their nature and propriety; what, and whose they are. They are no other than God's "judgments." 2. By their time and season; that is implied in this particle of time, "when." 3. By the circumstance of place, where they are inflicted. That which God makes the school of correction; "the earth." Are our afflictions God's "judgments"?Then — 1. They are deserved by us; God doth justly inflict them upon us. 2. They are wisely ordained. 3. They are proportioned in a just and holy manner, with a due measure and moderation. II. THE LESSON WE MUST LEARN BY THEM. "Righteousness." 1. Who are the scholars? They are the inhabitants of the world. 2. What is their duty? They must be learners. 3. What is their lesson? They must learn righteousness. (Bishop Brownrig.) Parallel Verses KJV: With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. WEB: With my soul have I desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.