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ful pleasures. Try the most dejected, mournful Christian, whether he would change states and comforts with the best and greatest of the ungodly. The soul of man is so active and comprehensive, that it can at once both rejoice and mourn. While they mourn for sin, and feel affliction, believers can have some rejoicing taste of everlasting life.

8. Yea, the godly sorrow of a believer is the matter of his joy. He is gladder when his heart will melt for sin, than he would be to be your partner in your carnal pleasures. He would not change the comfort that he findeth in his penitent tears for all your laughter.

9. The joy of a believer is intimate and solid, as I said before, according to the object of it, and not like the fleering of a fool, or the laughter of a child, or the sensual mirth that Solomon called madness. And therefore it is not so discernible to others as carnal mirth is. And therefore you think that the servants of Christ are void of pleasure when they have much more than you. It is little ridiculous accidents and toys that make men laugh; but great things give us an inward, sweet content and joy, which scorns to shew itself by laughter. And what can be a fitter object of such great content, than to be a member of Christ, and an heir of heaven?

10. Moreover, this sorrow of the godly is but medicinal, and a preparative to their after joys. It doth but work out the poison of sin, which would mar their comforts, and drive them to Christ, and fit them to value him, and taste the sweetness of his love and grace.

11. And as it is not the state and life of a Christian, but his fasting-days, or time of physic, so the comforts of the godly ordinarily do far exceed their sorrows, at least in weight, if not in passionate sense. They have their hours of sweet access to God, and of heavenly meditation, and delightful remembrance of the experiences of his love, and perusal of his promises, and communion with his people; and of the exercise of faith, and hope, and love. And with those Christians that have attained stability and strength, these comforting graces are predominant; and their life is more in love and praise, than in vexatious fears and sorrows. And it should be so with all believers. Love is the heart of the new creature. It is a life of love, and joy, and praise, that Christ calls all his people to; and forbids them all unnecessary

doubts and sorrows; and keepeth them up so strictly from sin, that he may prevent their sorrows. And if you will judge whether holiness be a pleasant course, you must go to the prescript, and consider the nature and use of holiness, and look at those that live according to the mercies of the Gospel; and not look at the dejections and sorrows of those that grieve themselves by swerving from the way of holiness; as if you would judge that health is unpleasant because you hear a sick man groan. And yet even these weak and mournful Christians usually have more joy than you. The very preservation of their souls from that despair which sin would cast them into if they had not a Christ to fly to, and the little tastes of mercy which they have felt, and the revivings that they find between their sorrows and the hopes they have of better days, are enough to weigh down all your pleasures, and all their own sorrows.

12. Lastly, consider that this is not the life of perfect joy, and therefore some sorrows will be intermixed. Comfort will not be perfect till holiness be perfect; and till we arrive at the place of perfect joy. What is wanting now while we live in a troublesome, malignant world, shall shortly be made up in the heavenly Jerusalem, when we have admittance into our Master's joy. And then all the world shall be easily convinced, whether sin or duty, a fleshly or a holy life, hath the greater pleasures and contents.

Object. But it is not only the weakness of professors, but the very way that is prescribed them, that must bear the blame. For they are commanded to fast, and weep, and

mourn.'

Answ. 1. That is but with a medicinal necessary sorrow, for preventing of a greater sorrow. As bitter medicines and bloodletting, and strict diet, are for the prevention of death. God first commandeth them to take heed of sin, the cause of sorrow. But if they will fall and break their bones, they must endure the pain of setting them again.

2. And doth not Christ command his servants also to rejoice? and again rejoice, and always to rejoice? Phil. iii. 1. iv. 4. 1 Thess. v. 16. Doth he not command them to live in the most delightful works of love and joy, and thankful mention of his mercies? I tell you, if Christians did but live as God requireth them, and by his plenteous mercies doth encourage them to live, they would be the wonder of the world

for their exceeding joy; they would triumph as men that are entering into rest, and make the miserable, ungodly princes and great ones in the world observe their low, contemptible condition, and see by the comfort of believers, that there are far higher joys than theirs to be attained. Did Christians live as God would have them, according to their dignity and felicity, they would make the world admire the spirit, and hopes, and comforts that do so transport them. They would be so taken up in the love and praise of their Redeemer, that they would scarce have leisure to observe whether they be rich or poor, or to regard the honours or dishonours of the world. These little things would scarce find room in their affection, they would be taken up so much with God. If they were sore with scourging, and their feet were in the stocks, they would there sing forth the praise of him that hath assured them of their deliverance and everlasting joy, as Paul and Silas did, Acts xvi. They would rejoice in poverty, in disgrace, in pain, and nothing would be able to overcome their joy. They would pity the tyrants and sensual epicures that have no sweeter pleasures than those that the flesh and this deceitful world affords. O the joy that believers would have in their secret prayers! in their heavenly meditations! in their holy conference! in the reading of the promises! and much more in their public praises and communion, if they did but follow more fully the conduct of that Spirit that hath undertaken to be their comforter! What makes believers slight this world, and take all your pleasures to be unworthy of their entertainment or regard, but that they have had a taste of sweeter things, and by faith are overgrown these childish vanities? If God and his favour be better than such worms as we, and the heavenly glory better than these transitory toys, you may well conceive that the believer's joy, that is fed by these, must be greater (at least in worth and weight), than all the pleasures of this sublunary world. If therefore you love a life of pleasure, come over to Christ, and live a holy, heavenly life; and believe one that hath made some trial, yea believe the Lord himself, that holiness is the only pleasant life.

And now as we have seen it plainly proved, that the life of holiness is the most pleasant life, so from hence we may see two sorts reproved, that (in different measures) are found to be transgressors.

The first is, those blind ungodly wretches, that can find no pleasure in a holy life, when they can find pleasure in their worldly drudgery, and in their sensual uncleanness, and their childish vanities. They have the God of infinite goodness to delight in; but to their impious hearts he seemeth not delightful. They have his power, and wisdom, and holiness, and truth to love, and admire, and trust upon, and his excellent works to behold him in, and his holy laws, and gracious promises to meditate on ; but they have small delight in any such employment. They have leave as well as any others to open their hearts to God in secret, and in prayer and praise to recreate their souls, and to hold communion with the saints of God, and to be exercised both in public and private in his worship, and to order their families in his fear, and to manage their affairs according to his word; but they find no pleasure in such a life as this, but are as backward to it as if it were a toilsome and unprofitable business, and are weary of that little outside worship which they do perform. They have heaven set before them to seek after, and to make their portion and delight, but they have small delight to think or speak of it. Their hearts are unsuitable to these high, holy and spiritual things. They are matters that they are strange to, and have no firm and confident belief of, but an uncertain, wavering, weak opinion: and therefore they are too far off to be their delight. "They say to God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy way. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?" Job xxi. 14, 15. If they do come to the public assemblies, and join there in the outward part of worship, they find little life and pleasure in it, because they are strangers to the reward and spiritual part, which is the kernel. They look more at the preacher's gifts, and the manner of his doctrine and delivery, than at the spiritual necessary matter that is delivered. They have some pleasure in a neat composed speech, that seemeth not to accuse them any more than others, and grateth not on their tender ears with plain and necessary truth; but suffers them to go home as quietly as they came thither. But if the preacher touch them to the quick, and endeavour faithfully to acquaint them with themselves; or if he have no eloquence or accurateness of speech to please them with, but be guilty of any unhand

someness of expression, or modal imperfections, they are weary of hearing him, and think it long till the glass be run, and perhaps instead of tasting the sweetness of wholesome truth, they make it the matter of their derision and contempt.

But let them be at cards or dice, at hawking or hunting, or at any idle sports and vanities, and they can hold out longer with delight. At drinking, or feasting, or idle talking, they are not so weary. Yea, in the labours of their calling, when their bodies are weary, their minds are more unwearied; and in their fields and shops they have more delight than in the spiritual, holy service of the Lord. They are never so merry as when there is least of God upon their hearts and in their ways. And it is one of the reasons that hindereth their conversion, lest it should deprive them of their mirth, and cause them to spend the remainder of their days in uncomfortable heaviness. If sin were not sweet to them, conversion would be more easy. The pleasure which they find in creatures by their sin, is the prison and fetters of their soul's captivity. If this be thy case that readest these lines, I beseech thee lay to heart these following aggravations of thy sin.

1. How blind and wicked is the heart that can find more pleasure in sin than holiness! Is the creature pleasant to thee, and God unpleasant? What a shame is this to thy understanding and thy will! It proclaimeth thy pernicious folly and impiety. If thou hadst no more wit than to be pleased more with stones than gold, with dung than meat, with shameful nakedness than clothing, thou wouldst not be judged wise enough to be left to thy own dispose and government. But the folly which thou dost manifest, is unspeakably great

er.

Darkness is not so much worse than light, and death is not so much worse than life, as sin is worse than holiness, and the world than God. And is the worst more pleasant to thee than the best? It is a fool indeed, to whom "it is a sport to do mischief;" (Prov. x. 23.) and so great a mischief as sin is: and yet hath no delight in understanding; chap. xviii. 2. "Delight is not seemly for such fools;" chap. xix. 10.

And how wicked is that heart as well as blind, that is so averse to God and holiness! Doth not this shew thee, 1. the absence of God's holy image? 2. And the presence of satan's image upon thy soul?

Nothing doth more certainly prove what a man is, than

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