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EXPOSITION OF
bound to give them joy, God justly denies such that which they pre- sume of.
In the second phace : Pnni that ifour joij may he full . See this in most of David's psalms. At the first he complains for the want of God's presence, of God's wrath and anger, but comes olT with a large portion of comfort. * Depart from me, ye wicked, for the Lord hath heard my prayer,' Ps. vi. 8. In the use of all means, therefore, join prayer : pray for faith, for hope, and such graces as may bring joy. Though at first thou findest thyself to be cold, to have little or no comfort at all, yet give not over ; thou shalt at length find plenty thereof. Remember the woman of Canaan : at the first despised and called dog, but what did her constancy gain ? A gracious answer, ' 0 woman, great is thy faith : be it to thee as thou desirest,' Mat. XV. 28.
In the third place : Remember former times, as David did, Ps. Ixxvii. 0. He was so oppressed, his ' sore ran in the night, and ceased not,' as he saith. But then, ' I remembered the days of old,' &c. Consider thou also in thy deepest afiiiction, times were once when thou hadst the clear and comfortable light of God's Spirit present with thee. He will not leave thee, his nature is unchangeable, &c.
In the fourth place : Ha7-e society ivith the sai)its, and keep company with those that ai'e good. And as the two disciples' hearts did burn when they talked with Christ, so verily thou shalt find this heat of "comfort by little and little to increase. For God blesses the communion of saints, and such as are discerning Christians can tell us more, and opportunely bring things to mind which thou thyself rememberest not, and can inform our judg- ments when they are blinded with grief and melancholy. Use, therefore, the company of the good, when thou findest doubts arise, and make thy griefs known to some wise and judicious Christian. For the devil is too strong for any one alone. He will prevail against thee. Thou wilt be too weak to wrestle with him hand to hand. It is no wonder, therefore, that melancholy persons are so destitute of comfort.
Quest. It will be asked. May we not rejoice in friends' society, deliverance from dangers, and the like good things of this world ?
Ans. I answer. Yes ; and yet joy in the Lord also ; for whenas whatso- ever we have, we receive it as a token of God's particular love to us in Christ, who both gives us our daily bread and the word of life ; comforts both heavenly and eai'thly ; these outward things then, I say, do strengthen the faith of a Christian, and thereby our joy is strengthened. Wherefore we may thus joy in them, nay, it is our duty to do it. The wicked they indeed receive them, but only as from God's care of the general good of the world, or the race of mankind ; and therefore can take no joy truly from them as the child of God doth : who in the right use of them, first rejoiceth that he is the child of God, and is reconciled to him in Christ : that Christ is his ; and then that he having the field, hath also the pearl, Mat. xiii. 45, seq. All blessings belonging to this life and a better are in Christ made his, and he so rejoices in them, as he refers the comfort and strength that he receiveth from them to the honour of God. God's chil- dren receiving good things from him, are threatened for not rejoicing in them, Deut. xxviii. 47. In the 45th verse he saith, ' The curses shall be upon thee, for that thou servest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.' And it is expressly com- manded, Deut. xxvi. 11, ' Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given thee, and thine house.'
PHILIPPIANS CHAP. Ill, YER. 1, 61
Quest. But it may be questioned, Wfii/, if this he true, are Gocts chil- dren so disconsolate ? none are so much troubled in conscience as they ? I answer,
1. Their sorrow proceeds not from their good estate, in that they arc Christians, but from the uant of the 2)erfectio)is to make them absolute Christians indeed.
2. They either do not knoiv thcmselres, or if they do, because they glorify not God, nor adorn their profession, God justly suffers his joy to be hid, by hiding the comfortable presence of his Spirit.
3. God's children's joy, though it be great, yet is not discerned of the tvorld. It is a hidden joy. The feast is kept in the conscience. It is not seen of the world, which discerns all things carnally. Carnal joy is always outward, and easy to express.
4. While God's children live here, they have ever a mixture of the two affections of joy and grief, to temper one another ; for fulness of joy is only in heaven. This life will not endure perfect joy ; but ever when there is cause given of joy, wo have something to humble us, and to keep us from being exalted above measure. As Paul had some base temptation, which he calls the ' prick of the flesh,' who therefore bids us to fear and tremble, that we lose not the sense of God's Spirit by the prevailing of our corruptions.