4. Fourthly, I answer, Tlud the joy of the saints is chiefly and mainly an inward joy, a spiritual joy, a joy that lies remote from a carnal eye. The joy of a Christian lies deep, it cannot be expressed, it cannot be painted. Look, as no man can paint the sweetness of the honey- comb, nor the sweetness of a cluster of grapes, nor the fragrancy of the rose of Sharon ; so no man can paint out the sweetness and spiritual- ness of a Christian's joy, it lies so deep and low in a gracious heart. And look, as the life of a Christian is ' hid with Christ in God,' Col. iii. 3 ; so the joy of a Christian is ' hid with Christ in God.' As their life is a hidden life, so their joy is a hidden joy. The joy of a Christian is ' hidden manna,' it is the ' new name and white stone, that none knoweth but he that has it,' Rev. ii. 20 ; Prov. xiv. 10, ' The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.' The joy of a saint is a jewel that falls not under a stranger's eye. Look, as the greatest terrors and torments of the wicked are inward, so the greatest joys and comforts of the saints are inward ; and look, as the heart of man is deep, so holy joy is a treasure that lies deep, and it is not every man that has a golden key to search into this treasury, Jer. xvii. 9, 10. As a man standing on the sea-shore sees a great heap of waters, one wave riding upon the back of another, and making a dreadful noise, but all this while, though he sees the water rolling, and hears it raging and roaring, yet he sees not the wealth, the gold, the silver, the jewels, and incredible treasures that lie buried there ; so wicked men they see the wants of the saints, but not their wealth, they see their poverty, but not their riches, their miseries, but not their mercies, their conflicts, but not their comforts, their sorrows, but not their joys, 1 Cor. ii. 14. Oh, the blind world cannot see the joys and rejoicings, the comforts and consolations of the saints, that lie at the bottom of their souls. Their joys are inward and spiiitual^
252 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
and so must the eye be that discerns them. The joy of the saints is like ' a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed,' Cant. iv. 12 ; and as the glory of the church is inward, Ps. xlv. 13, so the joy of the church is inward. The waters of consolation lie deep in the wells of salvation, Isa. xii, 3. The richest veins of ore lie deepest under ground ; and so does the strongest and the choicest joys of the saints lie deep. The moon is often dark to the world, when yet that part which faceth the sun is very lightsome, beautiful, and glorious ; so many times, if you look upon the outside of a Christian, which is his dark side, you may see his countenance clouded, and his carriage and behaviour as to the world either damped or obscured ; but if you could but now look upon his inside, which is his best side, and which faces the Sun of righteousness, oh, then you should see the light of joy and comfort sweetly and gloriously shining forth. 0 sirs, look, as there are many rich men in the world, who make no show of it by their garb, or table, or attendance, &c., so there are many Christians that are rich in divine consolations, who yet don't shew it in such or such an outward carnal way as the men of the world do usually express their joy in : and look, as many a wicked man has heaviness in his heart when he has laughter in his face, as the wisest of princes has long since observed, in Pro v. xiv. 13, ' Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness.' The heart often weeps when the mouth laughs. Every laughter is not hearty, for laughter being but a sign of joy, the sign may be where the substance is not. Many wicked men are inwardly sad when they are outwardly glad, 2 Cor. v. 12. The false apostles did glory in the face,i and not in the heart ; they set a good face on it, and seemed to be upon a merry pin, and yet all their smiles were but counterfeit smiles, all their joys were but skin deep ; the joy that was in their faces was nothing to the terrors, horrors, and torments that were in their hearts ; so the godly many times rejoice in heart, when sadness and blackness seems to cover their faces : 2 Cor. vi. 10, ' As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing,' &c. It is very observable that the apostle brings in the sorrow of the godly with a quasi, as it were sorrow, not that it is sorrow indeed, but ' as sorrowful,' as if their sorrow had been rather a painted sorrow than a real sorrow ; but when he speaks of their joy, there is no quasi, but true joy; he does not say ' as rejoicing,' but ' always rejoicing.' Their joy was a real joy, but their sorrow was but a seeming sorrow, to the weak and childish opinions of vain men. When a Christian is at worst, as to the eye of the world, he may say of his joy, as Christ speaks of his meat, &c., when he said, ' I have meat to eat that you know not of,' John iv. 33 ; so he may say, I have joy, I have great joy, that the world knows not of. Look, as there is life and sap and juice in the root of the tree, even in the winter season, when there is no leaves, nor blossoms, nor fruit hanging on the tree ; so there is joy and comfort and peace in the heart of a saint, when there are no outward visible discoveries of it to others ; and you may as rationally conclude that there is no life, sap, and juice in the root of the tree, because the tree has no leaves, blossoms, or fruit on it, as you may conclude that the saints have no joy in their hearts, because they do
^ iy Trpoffwvu, in the face.
SeB. XIL 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 253
not express it in such outward visible acts as may convince the world thaiii they have it, &c. But,