SO disagree from the text as to make the gladsome tidings spoken of in it more disputed and questioned in the thoughts of the unbelieving world than before. It is an error, I confess, and that a gross one, which the Papists teach, that we cannot know the Scriptures to be the word of (lod, but by tlie testimony of the church ; yet it is none to say, that a practical testimony from the saints' lives hath great authority over the consciences of men, to convince them of the truth of the gospel. Now they will believe it is good news indeed the gospel brings, when they can read it in your cheerful lives ; but when they observe Christians sad with this cup of salvation in their hands, truly they suspect the wine in it is not so good as the preachers commend it to them for. Should man see all that trade to the Indies come home poorer than they went, it would be hard to persuade others to venture thither, for all the golden mountains said to be there. O Christians, let the world see you are not losers in your joy, since you have been acquainted with the gospel ; give them not cause to think by your uncom- fortable walking, that when they turn Christians, they must bid all joy farewell, and resolve to spend their days in a house of mourning. Secondly, Is the gospel a message of glad tidings? Do not, then, for shame. Christian, run on the world's score by taking up any of its carnal joy; thou needest not go out of God's house to be merry ; here is joy enough in the glad tidings of the gospel, more than thou canst spend, though thou shouldst live at a higher rate than thou dost or canst here on earth. Abraham would not take so nuich as a thread or shoe-latchet from the king of Sodom, Gen. xiv., ' lest he should say that he made Abraham rich.' A Chi'istian should deny himself of the world's joy and delights, lest they sa}'. These Christians draw their joy out of our cistern. The channel is cut out of the Spirit of God, in which he would have his saints' joy inin. ' If any be merry, let him sing psalms.' Let the subject of his mirth be spiritual ; as on the other hand, ' If he be sick, let him pray,' James iii. 13 : a spiritual vent is given to both aifections of sorrow and joy. Aliter ludet ganeo, aliter princeps. A prince's recreation must not be like a ruffian's, nor a Christian's joy like the carnal man's. If ever there was need to call upon Christians to feed the lamp of their joy with spiritual fuel, holy oil, that drops from the gospel reservoir, now the time is, wherein professors do assimilate with the world in their outward bravery, junketings, fiishions, pastimes, and are so kind to the flesh, in allowing of, yea, pleading so much for a carnal liberty in these things, that shews too plainly the spiritual joy to be drawn out of these wells of salvation does not satisfy them, or else they would not make up their draught from this dirty watei-, which was wont to be thirsted after only by those that had never drunk of Christ's cup. Oh, what is the reason that those who would pass for Christians forsake this pure wine of gospel joy, for the sophisticated stuff which this whore, the world, pr^esents in her golden cup to them ? Is it because the gladsome message of the gospel is grown stale, and so its joy (which once sparkled in the preaching of it, as generous wine doth in the cup, and cheered the hearts of believers with strong consolations,) hath now lost its spirits ? Or can that pure stream of spiritual joy, which hath run so long through the hearts and lives of the saints in so many generations, without mingling with the brackish water of the world's sensual pleasures, at last fall in with them, and be content to lose its own divine natvn-e and sweetness in such a sink ? O no ! the gospel is the same as it was ; the joy it brings as sweet and brisk, as spiritual and pure, as ever it was, and will be as long as God and Christ continue to be the same, out of whose bosom of love it first flowed and is still fed : but the professors of this gospel now are not the same with those holy men and women of primitive times. The Avorld grows old, and men's affections with it chill and cold ; we have not our taste so lively, nor our spirits so chaste and pure, as to relish the heavenly viands dished forth in the gospel. The cheer is as good as ever, but the guests are worse ; we are grown debauched in our judgments, and corrupt in our principles ; no wonder then if carnal in our joys. Error is a whore, it takes away the heart from Christ and his spiritual joys. The head once distempered, soon affects the heart, and by dropping the malignity of its principles upon it, poisons it with carnal affections ; and carnal affections cannot fare with any other than gross and carnal joys. Here, here is the root of the misery of our times. Hath not, think you, tlie devil played his game cunningly among us, who, by his instruments, (transforming them into the likeness of
352 ^^^^ GOSPEL OF PEACE.