afflicted that in their affliction they may pray.] Jonah was asleep in
fear, dropping down in many places. Affliction is a sacred eye-salve, it clears our eye-sight. The rod gives wisdom.
Affliction brings those sins to remembrance which we had buried in the grave of forgetfulness. Joseph's brethren, for twenty years, were not at all troubled for their sin in selling their brother; but when they came into Egypt, and began to be in straits, their sin came to their remembrance, and their hearts smote them. "They said one to another, we are truly guilty concerning our brother!" Gen 42:21. When a man is in distress, his sin comes fresh into his mind; conscience makes a rehearsal-sermon of all the evils which have passed in his life; his waste of precious time, his slighting of the Word, come to remembrance, and he goes out with Peter and weeps bitterly. Thus the rod gives wisdom, shows the hidden evil of the heart, and brings former sins to remembrance.
2. Affliction quickens the spirit of prayer. [the righteous are afflicted that in their affliction they may pray.] Jonah was asleep in the ship—but at prayer in the whale's belly. Perhaps in a time of health and prosperity we prayed in a cold and formal manner, we put no coals to the incense; we scarcely minded our own prayers, and how should God mind them? God sends some affliction or other to stir us up to take hold of him. When Jacob was in fear of his life by his brother, he wrestled with God, and wept in prayer, and would not leave him until he blessed him. Hos 12:4. It is with many of God's children as with those who formerly had the sweating sickness in this land, it was a sleepy disease, if they slept they died; therefore, to keep them waking, they were smitten with rosemary branches. Just so, the Lord uses affliction as a rosemary branch to keep us from sleeping, and to awaken a spirit of prayer. "They poured out a prayer, when your chastening was upon them;" now their prayer pierced the heavens. p 26:16. In times of trouble we pray feelingly, and we never