afflictions, and they would be light to you. The prevailing strength of all afflictions is from sin: this is the first thing to shew sin is the evil of all evils.
Secondly, Not only the prevailing strength, But the bitterness, the sting of Affliction, that which makes it bitter to the Spirit, is sin; Sin makes it come like an Armed man with power: And be∣sides, Sin makes it inwardly gaul at the very heart, sting like a Serpent, as the Apostle 1 Cor. 15 56. saith of death, The sting of Death, is sin, saith the Apostle: so that which he saith of death, it is true of all evils, of all afflictions, that are but makers of way to death; the sting of a sickness, the sting of the loss of your estates, the sting of discredit, the sting of imprisonment, the sting of all afflictions, and that which makes them bitter to the soul is sin: you have a notable place; Jer. 4. 18. Thy waies, and thy doings have procured these things unto thee, this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thy heart: In the Greek it is, This is thy wickedness, and because it is bitter it reacheth unto thy heart, that interprets the word: saith he, thy wickedness hath procured this, and the punishment to thy wickedness is bitter, and reacheth to thy heart; because it comes as a punishment of thy wickedness, so it comes to be bitter, and reacheth to thy very heart. Oh when sin is in affliction, it comes to the heart, and is very bitter: were the guilt of sin taken away in any affliction, the soul might be able to make use of that expression of Agag in a better way than he did, and come joyfullie