keep God and conscience friends ; do with your hearts as you do with your watches, wind them up every morning by prayer, and at night examine whether your hearts have gone true all that day, whether the wheels of your affections have moved swift- ly toward heaven. Oh call yourselves often to account ; keep your reckonings even, and that is the way to keep your peace.
OF JOY. Gal. v. 22. The fruit of the Spirit is joy.
THE third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is the setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle, 'tis the cream of the sincere milk of the word.
Quest. JVhat is this joy ?
Ans. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delight- ful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is sujjported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear.
1. It is a delighl'ul passion. So it is con- trarv to sorrow, which is a perturbation of mind, whereby the heart is pcrj)lexed and cast down. Joy is a sweet and pleasant affection, which eases the mind, exhilarates and comforts the spirits.
2. It ariseth from the feeling of some good. Joy is not a fancy, or bred of con- ceit ; but is rational, and ariseth from the feeling of some good, viz. the sense of God's love and favour. Joy is so real a thing that it makes a sudden change in a person ; it turns mourning into melody. As in the spring-time, when the sun comes to our horizon, it makes a sudden alteration in the face of the universe, — tlwj birds sing, — the flowers appear, — the fig-tree puts forth her green figs, — every thing seems to rejoice and put off' its mourning, as being revived with the sweet inllnence of the sun : so, when the Sun of Righteousness ariseth on the soul, it makes a sudden alteration, and the soul is infinitely rejoiced with the gold- en beams of God's love.
3. By it the soul is supported under pre-
sent troubles. Joy stupifies and swallows up troubles; it carries the heart above them, as the oil swims above the water.
4. The heart is fenced against future fear. Joy is both a cordial and an antidote ; it is a cordial which gives present relief to the spirits when they are sad ; and an an- tidote, it fenceth off foar of approaching danger, Ps. xxiii. 4., " I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me."
Quest. Hoiv is this joy wrought? Ans. 1. It ariseth partly from the pro- mise ; as the bee lies at the breast of the flower, and sucks out the sweetness from it, so faith lies at the breast of a promise and sucks out the quintessence of joy, Ps. xciv. 19., " Thy comforts delight my soul ;' that is, the comforts which distil from the limbeck of the promises.
A. 2. The Spirit of God (who is called the 'Comforter,' John xiv. 26.) doth some- times drop in this golden oil of joy into the soul; the Spirit whispers to a believer the remission of his sin, and sheds God's love abroad into the heart, Rom. v. 5., whence flows infinite joy and delight.
Quest. JJ'hat are the seasons 7vhen God doth iiswdly give his people these divine joj/s? Ans. Five seasons: 1st Season. Some- times at the blessed supper ; the soul oft comes weeping after ( lirist in the sacra- ment, and God sends it away weeping for joy. The Jews had a custom at their feasts, they poured ointment on their guests, and kissed them : in the Eucharist, God ofte
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pours the oil of gladness on tlie saints, and ing. Joy after desertion is like a resurrec-.
kisseth them with the kisses of his lips. There are two grand ends of the sacrament, the strengthening of faith, and the flourish- ing of joy. Here in this ordinance, God displays the hanner of his love ; here be- lievers taste not only sacramental bread, but hidden manna. Caution, not that God always meets the soul with joy. lie may give increase of grace, when not increase of joy; but oftentimes he pours in the oil of gladness, and gives the soul a privy seal of his love, as Christ made himself known in the breaking of bread.
2d Season. Before God calls his people to suffering, Acts xxiii. 11., " Be of good cheer, Paul." When God was about to give Paul a cup of blood to drink, he spiced it with joy, 2 Cor. i. 5., " As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth :" this made the martyrs' flames beds of roses, when Stej)hcn was stoning, he saw heaven open, and the Sun of Righteousness shined in his face. God candies our wormwood with sugar.