Quest. But how comes God to be the salvation of our countenance ?
Ans. I answer, God only graciously slimes in the face of Jesus Christ, which ive with the eye of faith beholding, receive those beams of his grace, mid reflect them back again. God shineth upon us first, and we shine in that light of his countenance upon us. ' The joy of salvation,' Ps. U. 12, especially of spiritual and eternal salvation, is the only true joy : all other salvations end at last in destruction, and are no further comfortable than they issue from God's saving love.
God will have the body partake with the soul. As in matter of grief, so in matter of joy, the lantern shines in the light of the candle within.
2. Again, Oocl brings forth the joy of the heart into the comitenance, for the further spreading and nmltiplying of joy to others.
Next unto the sight of the sweet countenance of God, is the beholding of the cheei'ful countenance of a Christian friend, rejoicing from true grounds. Whence it is that the joy of one becomes the joy of many, and the joys of many meet in one ; by which means, as manj' Hghts together make the greater light, so many lightsome spirits make the greater light of spirit : and God receiveth the more praise, which makes him so much to delight in the prosperity of his children. Hence it is, that in any deliverance of God's people, ' the righteous do compass them about,' Ps. cxlii. 7, to know ' what God hath done for their souls ;' and keep a spiritual feast with them in partaking of their joy. And the godly have cause to joy in the deUver- ance of other Christians, because they suflered in their afflictions, and it may be in their sins the cause of them, which made them somewhat ashamed. Whence it is, that David's great desire was, that ' those who feared God might not bo ashamed because of him,' Ps. Ixix. 6 : insinuating
THE SOUL'S CONFLICT. 2G1
that those who fear God's name are ashamed of the falls of God's people. Now when God delivers them, this reproach is removed, and those that had part in their sorrow have part in their joy.
3. Again, God will have salvation so open, that it shall appear in the countenance of his people, the more to daunt and vex the enemies. Cainish hypocrites hang down their heads, when God lifts up the countenance of their brethren. When the countenance of God's childi-en clears up, then their enemies' hearts and looks are cloudy. Jerusalem's joy is Babylon's sorrow. It is with the church and her enemies as it is with a balance, the scales whereof, when one is up, the other is down. Whilst God's people are imder a cloud, carnal people insult over them, as if they were men deserted of God. Whereupon they hang down then- heads, and the rather, because they think that by reason of their sin, Christ and his religion will suffer with them. Hence David's care was, that the miseries of God's people * should not be told in Gath,' 2 Sam. i. 20. The chief reason why the enemies of the church gnash their teeth at the sight of God's gracious deal- ing, is, that they take the rising of the church to be a presage of their ruin : a lesson which Haman's wife had learned, Esther vi. 13.
This is a comfort to us in these times of Jacob's trouble and Zion's sorrow. The captivity of the church shall return, * as rivers in the south,' Ps. cxxvi. 1. Therefore the church may say, ' Rejoice not over me, 0 my enemy; though I am fallen, I shall rise again,' Mic. vii. 8. Though Christ's spouse be now as black as the pots, yet she shall be as white as the dove, Ps. Ixviii. 13. If there were not great dangers, where were the glory of God's great deliverance ? The chui'ch at length will be as * a cup of trembling,' and as ' a burdensome stone,' Zech. xii. 2. The blood of the saints cry, their enemies' \'iolence cries, the prayers of the church ciy, for deliverance and vengeance upon the enemies of the church ; and as that ' importunate widow,' Luke xi. 5, will at length prevail. Shall the importunity of one poor woman prevail with an unrighteous judge, and shall not the prayers of many that cry unto the righteous God take effect ? If there were armies of prayers, as there are armies of men, we should see the stream of things turned another way. A few Moseses in the mount would do more good than many soldiers in the valley. If we would lift up om' hearts and hands to God, he would lift up our countenance. But alas ! we either pray not, or cross our own prayers, for want of love to the truth of God and his people.
It is we that keep anticlirist and his faction alive, to plague the un- thankful world. The strength he hath is not from his own cause, but from our want of zeal. We hinder those hallelujahs by private brabbles,* coldness and indiiferency in religion. The church begins at this time a httle to lift up her head again. Now is the time to follow God with pray- ers, that he would perfect his work, and plead his own cause ; that he would be revenged not only of ours, but his enemies ; that he would wholly free his church from that miserable bondage. These beginnings give our faith some hold to be encouraged to go to God, for the fulfilling of his gracious promise, that the church may rejoice in the salvation of the Lord. God doth but look for some to seek unto him ; Christ doth but stay m^itil he is awaked by our prayers. But it is to be feared that God hath not yet perfected his work in Zion. The church is not yet fully prepared for a full and glorious deliverance. If God had once his ends in the humiliation of the church for sins past, with resolution of reformation for the time to come, then this age, perhaps, might ' see the salvation of the Lord,' which the * That is, ' sauabbles.' — G.