ment equal to a Colossus, yet be ignominious ; inscribed on tlie hospital gates, yet go to hell ; written in the front of his own house, yet another come to possess it. All these are but writings in the dust, or upon the waters, where the characters perish so soon as they are made ; they no more prove a man happy than the fool could prove Pontius Pilate happy because his name was written in the creed ; but in real sancti- fication a man may see his name so written in the book of God's elec- tion, as that it shall remain legible to all eternity. ^ But,
[2.] Secondly, If thou art a holy person, if thou hast that real holi- ness, without which there is no happiness, then know for thy comfort, that the Lord takes singular plea^sure, delight^ and complacency, both in thy holiness and in thy person : Ps. cxlix. 4, 5, ' For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people ; he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory ; let them sing aloud upon their beds.' The Hebrew word rotseh, that is here rendered pleasure, is from ratsah, that signifies pleasure, delight, complacency, content, &c. Oh ! God takes singular pleasure, singular delight, singular complacency, and singular content in all his saints, in all his sanctified ones. Holi- ness is the express image of God, and therefore he cannot but take pleasure in it, and in all those that bear it: Zeph. iii. 13, ' The rem- nant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies ; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.' Well ! here are glorious characters of their holiness; but what pleasure, what delight, &c., doth God take in these holy ones ? Why, certainly very much, as you may see in ver. 17, ' The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty : he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.' Look, as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, Isa. Ixii. 4, 5, so will the Lord rejoice over his holy ones ; and look, what delight, complacency, and content the bridegroom takes in his bride, the same, yea, greater, God takes in all his sanctified ones. Yea, look, as a fond father joys over his dear child that he carries in his arms, or dandles upon his knee with singing : so God will joy over all his holy ones, which are his fondlings, with singing ; such is the singular delight, satisfaction, and content that he takes in them. Look, as the husbandman delights much in that ground that was once barren, but is now fruitful ; and as the captain takes a great deal of pleasure in that soldier that once run from his colours, but is now returned, and fights valiantly and resolutely against all opposers and adversaries ; and as the father takes a great deal of joy, content, and satisfaction in the return, reformation, and amendment of his prodigal son, Luke xv., even so a holy God is wonderfully delighted, pleased, enamoured, and even overjoyed, when such as brought forth nothing but the thorns and briers of wickedness, Heb. vi, 7, 8, do now bring forth the pleasant fruits of righteousness and holiness, Heb. ii. 10 ; and when such as have run from Christ the captain of their salva- tion, and run from their profession, and run from their principles, and run almost from everything that is good, shall now return to the cap- tain of their salvation, and fight it out most valiantly and resolutely
^ The preceding paragraph is inadvertently unaccredited by Brooks to Thomas Adams ; from his ' Happiness of the Church' it is almost verbally taken. Works, vol. ii. 493, teq. — G.
414 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
against the world, the flesh, and the devil ; and when such as have proved prodigals, and spent all that portion, all that stock, and all that treasure that they have been intrusted with, shall now break off their sins, and humble themselves, and reform their lives, and mend their ways; God is so infinitely pleased and delighted in these, that he records their names in heaven : Luke x. 20, ' Bejoice not in this, that the spirits are subjects unto you ; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' It is matter of the greatest joy in the world, for a man to have his name enrolled in heaven. Look, as it is the sinner's hell that his name is engrossed in the book of perdition, so it is the believer's heaven that his name is engrossed in the book of election.
I have read of a senator i who, relating to his son the great honours that were assigned to some soldiers whose names were written in a certain book, whereupon the son was very importunate to see that book. His father shews him the outside, and it seemed so glorious that he earnestly desired him to open it. No, saith the father, by no means, for it is sealed by the council. Then saith the son, pray tell me if my name be written there : his father replies no ; because all the names of those soldiers were kept secret in the breasts of the sena- tors. The son, studying how he might get some satisfaction, desired his father to acquaint him with the merits of those soldiers whose names were written in that book. The father relates to him their noble achievements, and worthy acts of valour, wherewith they had eternized their names. Such are written, said he, and none but such must be written in this book. Whereupon the son, consulting with his own heart that he had no such trophies to shew, but had spent his time in courting of ladies, rather than in encountering of knights, and that he was better for a dance than for a march, and that he knew no drum but the tabret, nor no courage but to be drunk and rant ; here- upon he presently retired himself, repented, entered into a combat with his own lusts and affections, and subdued them, and became temper- ate, continent, valiant, and virtuous. Now, when the soldiers came to receive their wreaths, their crowns, their honours, &c., he steps in and challenges a wreath, a crown for himself. But being asked upon what title his challenge was grounded, he answered, If honours be given to conquerors, then they must be given to me too, for I have gotten the noblest conquest of all. And it being demanded wherein, he answered, These have subdued strange foes, and conquered their outward enemies, but I have subdued myself, I have conquered the enemies that were in my own bosom. 0 sirs, there are no men's names written in the book of life but theirs who by grace and holiness have subdued and brought under their sinful selves, and who have conquered the cor- ruptions that be in their own bosoms, that is, in respect of love and dominion. Many there be who are exceeding inquisitive to know whether their names are written in heaven or no. I would say to such, there is no such way to know this as by your holiness. Hast thou broke off thy sins by sound repentance ? Hath the gospel changed thy inside and thy outside ? Hath it made thee a new creature, and turned thee from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to