PlIIL. III. 3.] THE TRUE CIRCUMCISION. 35
such things as are destructive to his soul ? If a friend will take out of our hands the knife with which we would not only cut our fingers but our throats, is he to be blamed ? or is he your enemy who for- biddeth you to drink poison ? Forbidden fruit costs dear in the issue.
5. For those duties which concern our neighbour. To love all men, to do good to all men, it is a blessed and godlike thing to be giving rather than receiving, Acts xx. 35. The delight of doing good is much more than the cost ; it is to be as earthly gods among our neighbours. This work rewardeth itself, because it is such a contentment and satis- faction to our minds. For justice : To do as we would be done to ; what more pleasant ? We would have others bound by these laws, ' why not ourselves ? It is horrible to require one measure of dealing from them to us, and use a quite contrary ourselves. Would men hate, defraud, oppress others, and expect nothing but kind and righteous dealing from them ? this is a gross partiality. Therefore, as our interest calleth for justice, so doth our conscience, and it would be a trouble and an affront to reason not to do it. So for fidelity in our relations. These things maintain order of families, and conduce to our safety and private peace, as well as they belong to our duty to God ; so that on which side soever we look, we see what matter of joy there is in Christ.
I come now to show you : —
Thirdly, The reasons why Christians are not sound and sincere in their profession unless they keep up this rejoicing in Christ,
1. We do not else give Christ his due honour, if we do not esteem him who is so excellent in himself and so beneficial to us, even to a degree of rejoicing. The magnifying of Christ was intended by God in the whole business of our redemption and deliverance, that we might esteem him, delight in him, count all things dung and dross that we might gain him. Now we do not comply with this end, but have mean thoughts of his grace, if we be not affected with joy at it.
It argueth a double defect : —
[1.] That we are not sensible of our great misery without him ; nor —
[2.] Affected with the great love he hath showed in our deliverance, and the felicity accruing to us thereby.
[1.] We are not duly sensible of our great misery without him, Alas ! what could we have done without his passion and intercession ? If he had not died for sinners, what had you to answer to the terrors of the law, the accusations of your consciences, the fears of hell, and approaching damnation ? How could you look God in the face, or think one comfortable thought of him ? Had we wept out our eyes, and prayed out our hearts, and never committed sin again, this would not have made God satisfaction for sin past : paying new debts doth not quit old scores : long enough might we have lain in our blood ere we could have found out a ransom which God would accept ; besides him there is no Saviour. And then for his intercession : If he did not hide your nakedness and procure you a daily pardon, you would not be an hour longer out of hell. If he did not bring you to God, you could have no comfortable access to him ; your prayers would be cast back as dung in your faces, if the merit of his sacrifice did not make
36 A DESCRIPTION OF [PhIL. III. 3.
them accepted. And shall all this be told yon, and owned by yon for truth, and will you not rejoice that God hath found a ransom and pro- vided an intercessor for you ? Surely it cannot be imagined that you are sensible of your case if you be not thankful for your remedy.
[2.] You are not affected with the great love which Christ hath showed in your deliverance, nor the felicity accruing to you thereby. It is said, Epli. iii. 19, 'That you may know the love of God, which l)asseth knowledge.' Before he had pressed them to make it their study to comprehend the height, length, and breadth ; and when they have all done, the love of Christ passeth knowledge. Christ would pose men and angels with an heap of wonders in delivering us from misery and sin. Now should not we rejoice and make our boast of this ? Surely we vilify and bring down the price of these wonders of love, if we entertain them with cold thoughts, and without some considerable acts of joy and thankfulness. Shall angels wonder, and we, the parties interested, not rejoice? Certainly we are not affected with the great felicity accruing to us. Felicity cannot be sought after without the highest affections and endeavours. Now, if we can rejoice in trifles, and not rejoice in the love of God, how can we be said to mind these things ?
2. A man's joy distinguisheth him. There is a seeking joy and a complacential joy: Ps. cxix. 14, * I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.' It is good to observe what it is that puttetli gladness into our hearts : the love of God, and his good- ness in Christ. Every man is discovered by his complacency or dis- placency : Ps. iv. 7, ' Thou hast put gladness into my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased ; ' Rom. viii. 5, ' They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.' To rejoice in the creatures,. as accommodating or pleasing the flesh, is the joy of the carnal ; to rejoice in outward ordinances and privileges, without other things, is the joy of the hypocrite and common professors. Let us carry it a little farther. The devils and damned are out of all hope and possibility of joy ; the angels and glorified saints rejoice in the full fruition of God : tliere is gaudium vice and gaudium patriae ; there is the joy of the way, and the joy of our home at our journey's end. The latter is set forth, Ps. xvi. 11, ' In thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.' The other is in Christ, and the use of his healing and recovering methods, and the desires and hopes of the glory to come. This is the joy, or well-pleasedness of mind, which is proper to us in our journey: 1 Pet. i. 8, ' In whom be- lieving, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' The com- fort of travellers dilfereih from that which a man hath in heaven : it is a joy that he hath as he is going home ; and therefore how should the serious Christian be described, but by his rejoicing in Christ JesuR ?