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more of his favour than of a kingdom? If thou rejoicest in the favour and loving countenance of God, and his kindness, this is an argument, that thou hast that true comfort which cannot be taken from thee. For proof whereof, look Psalm 4. There is a man who saith, "Who will show us any good?" Every man doth wish good things, and what a great estate would I have? Well, suppose thou wert put to thy choice. What then? I know thou wilt say, I desire riches. But David saith, If I might have my wish, I would say, "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me.'

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Here we may try whether our joy be sound. That if it were put to our hearts' desires and choice, whether we would have all the wealth in the world come upon us, our barns and wine-presses filled with corn, wine, and oil; or the Lord to kiss us with the kisses of his mouth, to have his gracious countenance to look upon us, preferring his favour before a world of wealth; if we choose rather to have the light of his countenance to shine upon us, than the troublesome abundance of the wicked, this is an argument, that our joy is sound and good. Thus you see, if the streams of grace, the narrow way, the house of mourning, the love of God, be the cause and ground of our joy, preferring it before all things, then assure thyself to be in good estate, and thy rejoicing to be true joy.. And thus, when we find our joy to be good, we must likewise labour,

How to keep this joy.

For certainly there are many of God's children, who although they have cause to rejoice, yet many times they grieve and sit in sorrow, because they keep not that great treasure committed to them. Well then, what is the ground of this joy? Trust in God: rejoice ye righteous. Now when God's children forget the ground of true joy, their resting upon God, when they repose not themselves upon him, it is no marvel, it is no marvel, if they forget and lose their joy for a time; for look, in what moment of time

thou diminishest the least part of thy trust, so also perisheth thy joy; and as thy trust in God increaseth, so shall thy joy. Some object and say, What is the cause that God's children mourn so, and will not be comforted? I answer, sure it is, when they look for comfort in themselves, they cannot choose but then miss thereof. When we shall say, I am a miserable and wretched man, I find nothing in myself answerable to that perfect obedience, sanctification, and holiness of life, which the Lord requireth, and therefore fear, lest the Lord should not be merciful unto me. Now when as men make the perfection of their own goodness, or the virtues within themselves, to be the motives which move God to be merciful unto them, no marvel, if they take away for the time true joy. For the foundation of true joy is, when without anything in ourselves, we repose and trust ourselves in Almighty God. Therefore so long as, like importunate beggars, we will not be beaten back, nor take our nay say, but the rather, the more miserable we are ourselves, will take so much the faster hold on Christ, apprehending the several parts of his precious redemption unto our sick souls, and apply the same, following him along from his birth to his second coming; so long as we can (losing good manners) thrust in boldly, thirsting after the water of life, so long shall we be sure, whatsoever our feeling be, to keep joy, and no longer, so soon as a man slacks in this, so soon goes away his joy. And so much the rather ought we to trust in God thus to maintain our joy, because God is the founder of this banquet, he makes this feast for us. Well, we must then labour to be thankful and respective to the Benefactor, we must labour to please God; for as it is a property in his children to trust in him, so also is it a property in them to please him, that he may take delight in the showering down his blessings upon them. If otherwise thou beginnest to walk careless of the service of God, negligent in thy profession and slack in using the outward means of thy salvation, why then it is no marvel that thou doest as the world doth, even taste of the bitter cup together with them. But contrary, if thou beest continually upon the

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watch, walking often with God, as Enoch did, assure thyself thou shalt have joy and comfort in this life. But if otherwise thou wilt do as I have said, do as the world doth, thou must then have as the world hath, thou must be content to do as they do, to have thy joy taken from thee. When the testimony of the Spirit will fail thee what canst thou do, if thou hast not learned betimes to cast up an anchor within the Holy of holies, to rely upon God for this keeping of joy, that thereby thou mayest find true peace and rest, it being a sure haven for thee to repose in, in all tempests. But if following the world (as I have said) thou wilt needs be guided by sense and reason, believing no more than thou seest and feelest, no marvel thou mourn, grieve and want comfort.

Now, when he saith, Rejoice ye righteous in the Lord, one might object and think, that these words were an abridgment to God's children. What, may some say, may they not rejoice in anything, but in the Lord? May they not rejoice in seeing their friends, their children, or their blessings, but only in God? I answer, you must understand that this is no restraint to God's children from their joy, but it is added for a direction for them to moderate their joys. Thou mayest rejoice in thy friends and children, which God hath given thee; but also remember that that which setteth thine heart on work be thy joy in God. I rejoice in my children, my friends, my wealth, yet always I must have an eye unto God, as these are gifts coming from him. And of this there is good reason, because it is the power of God which maketh the joy to be; from him is the life of all good reason then that in all things we should have respect unto the giver. This should moderate all joy in this life, that always God be the founder of them, that he accompany us in our merry feasts, that he be the founder of them. And this I mark as a special point, because there are many who think this to be the utter destruction of joy; if a man at a merry meeting maketh mention of God, then they think all the sport is spoiled. And if the children of God be at a feast, cannot

man, which should take any such comfort in these outward things, as the children of God can they are their's and belong unto them; they are the owners of them, and have them under God's seal; whereas the wicked are but usurpers, and shall one day answer for abusing them.

But here is the point, if in a feast a righteous man talk of God, this puts his heart on work, this is the tune and string of the feast; there is no true joy so long as his tongue is out of tune. It is otherwise with the wicked, who may be censured as the wife was who loured always in her husband's presence, being joyful in his absence. What should we, I pray you, think of such a woman, but that she were not a good wife, and that all were not well betwixt her husband and she? So may we judge of these men, who think there can be no joy when God standeth by; talk of God, and then all mirth is destroyed: he is counted an indifferent man who, when we come to be merry, is always talking of God; which showeth their joy to be unsound, when the talk of God marreth the feast. It is a wicked thing when he who is our joy, procureth all our joy, without whom we cannot rejoice, should be he who marreth all our joy. Therefore we may so far only rejoice in earthly things as God is amongst us, one eye being always towards the giver. But if otherwise we rejoice with consideration of God's mercy, if we have an eye to God as well in our mirth as otherwise, this is a true sign that our joy is true. The apostle maketh this the ground of all: "Rejoicet in the Lord, again and again I say rejoice." There he doubles it as you see. Here he striketh the drum thrice, "Be glad, ye righteous, rejoice, shout for joy, all ye who are upright of heart." God's children yet, I confess, may be given too much to rejoice in these transitory things. Well, what do they now, when they are thus overtaken? Why where are they now? Surely in dreams; who, as we in dreams desire still the fruition of them, neither be awaked; so they whilst their hearts are affected and taken up with outward comforts, without re

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Phil. chap. 4. ver. 4.

spect to God, they have but dreams in the stead of the substance, embracing shadows and the like. Well, being awaked, they see the vanities of such illusions, flying to the true substance. Now because the Apostle would lift up those, therefore saith he again and again, Rejoice in the Lord; he biddeth us not always mourn, but to moderate our joy. It is therefore not a restraint but a direction to our joy.

You see, then, for use of this point, the prophet in this place maketh the estate of God's children to be comfortable, and calleth upon them thrice to rejoice; which showeth the slowness of his children to perform this duty. And this reproveth a great many of them, who are taken with the like faults that the spies were, who sent to view the Land of Canaan, brought back an evil report upon the country. Indeed they said, it was a good and fruitful land, but withal that there was difficulty in winning thereof: that they had better go back to their flesh-pots of Egypt; there being the sons of Anak, great and mighty men, ready to withstand their entrance, gates of brass and the like. The Lord therefore was angry with them. And, beloved, the land of Canaan is the kingdom of Heaven: every man would go that way, but many so estrange themselves, evermore crying, hanging down their heads, sorrowing in their dumps, and never enjoying a cheerful day, and the like, that they discourage the people and bring evil report of the way and entrance into that good land. O can they say there is indeed a good land, flowing with milk and honey, wine, and oil, and all things needful; but there are the sons of Anak, mighty people to be overcome; in this journey to our heavenly Canaan, many afflictions, crosses, trials, tentations and sorrows, hardness and narrowness of way (say they) that it is impossible to be overcome. In so much,

that when a wicked man would go, he is discouraged and saith, What, shall I go thus ? Must I come to heaven by these means, that I shall never joy? No such matter; no by no means; I will not lose my present joy for hopes. Is this the fault of religion, beloved? No, thou shouldest

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