kindly affected and afflicted with their sins as the meritorious cause
observes that Daniel chose rather to run the hazard of his life than to
lose his prayer. Well! this is the second thing. A holy silence doth not
exclude prayer; but,
3. Thirdly, A holy, a prudent silence doth not exclude men's being
kindly affected and afflicted with their sins as the meritorious cause
of all their sorrows and sufferings. Lam. 3:39, 40, 'Wherefore doth a
living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sin? Let us
search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord;' Job 40:4, 5,
'Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon
my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but
I proceed no further;' Micah 7:9, 'I will bear the indignation of the
Lord, because I have sinned.' In all our sorrows we should read our
sins; and when God's hand is upon our backs, our hands should be
upon our sins.
It was a good saying of one, 'I hide not my sins, but I shew them; I
wipe them not away, but I sprinkle them; I do not excuse them, but
accuse them. The beginning of my salvation is the knowledge of my
transgression.' When some told Prince Henry,3 that deliciæ generis
humani, that darling of mankind, that the sins of the people brought
that affliction on him, Oh no! said he, I have sins enough of my own
to cause that. 'I have sinned, saith David, but what have these poor
sheep done?' 2 Sam. 24:17. When a Christian is under the afflicting
hand of God, he may well say, I may thank this proud heart of mine,
this worldly heart, this froward heart, this formal heart, this dull
heart, this backsliding heart, this self-seeking heart of mine; for that