only lawful, but a duty exceeding congruous and comely for. a thankful believer in his way to everlasting joy.'

This is the true method of rejoicing. Though, as I said, so much quietness may be kept up by the unregenerate, as is needful to keep up life and health, and the Gospel where it cometh is tidings of great joy to those that hear it: yet no man can live a truly comfortable, merry life, but in this method; but all his mirth beside that which either supporteth nature, or meeteth mercy in his returning to God, will be justly chargeable with madness; and maketh him a more pitiful sight.

The first thing therefore to be done, is to lay the groundwork of true mirth. And this is done by unfeigned repenting, and turning to God by faith in Christ, and becoming new creatures, a sanctified, peculiar people, and being justified and adopted to be the children of God; and then by discerning (upon sober trial) the evidences and witness of all this in ourselves, that we may know that we have passed from death to life.

And though there are several degrees both of grace and of the discerning of it, some having but little holiness, and some but little discerning of it in themselves, yet the least may afford much comfort to the soul upon justifiable grounds, though not so much as the greater degrees of grace, and clearer discerning of it may do.

The foundation being thus laid, it must be our next endeavour to build upon it a settled peace of conscience, and quietness of soul: for till we can attain to joy, it is a great mercy to have peace, and to be free from the accusations, fears, and griefs which belong to the unjustified: and peace must be the temper more ordinary than much joy, to be expected in this our frail condition.

Thirdly, Peace being thus settled, we must endeavour to rise up daily into joy, as our great duty and our great felicity on earth; it being frequently and earnestly commanded in the Scriptures, that we "Rejoice in the Lord always," and "Shout for joy, all that are upright in heart"." Thus he that "proveth his own work," may have " rejoicing in

* See my Sermon at Paul's, called "Right Rejoicing." And here before, Chap. iii. Direct. 13.

Psal. xxxiii. 1. Phil. iii. 1. iv. 4. Deut. xii. 12. 18. xxvii. 7.

himself "," even in the "testimony of his conscience," of his own 66 simplicity and godly sincerity." And this all believers should maintain and actuate in themselves.

Fourthly, With this rejoicing in God, our lawful, natural mirth must be taken in, as subordinate or sanctified; that is, we must further our holy joy by natural mirth and cheerfulness, and by the comforts of our bodies in God's lower mercies, promote the service and the comforts of our souls. And this is the right place for this mirth to come in, and this is the true method of rejoicing.

Direct. Iv. Mark well the usefulness and tendency of all thy mirth and if it be useful to fit thee for thy duty, and intended by thee to that end, (though you alway observe not that intention at the time,) and if it tend to do thee good, or help thee to do good, without a greater hurt or danger, then cherish and promote it: but if it tend to carry thee away from God, to any creature, and to unfit thy soul for the duties of thy place, and to carry thee into sin, then avoid it as thy hurt." Still remembering that the necessary support of nature must not be avoided by good or bad. A Christian that hath any acquaintance with himself, and with the work of holy watchfulness, may discern what his mirth is by the tendency and effects, and know whether it doth him good or harm.

Direct. v. Take heed that the flesh defile not your mirth, by dropping in any obscene or ribald talk, or by stirring up fleshly lust and sin.' Which it will quickly do, if not well watched, and holy mirth and cheerfulness is very apt to degenerate on a sudden into sinful mirth.

Direct. VI. Consider what your mirth is like to prove to others as well as to yourselves.' If it be like to stir up sin in others, or to be offensive to them, you must the more avoid it in their presence, or manage it with the greater caution if it be needful to cheer up the drooping minds of those you converse with, or to remove their prejudice against a holy life, you must the more give place to it: for it is good or bad as it tendeth unto good or bad.

Direct. v11. Never leave out reason or godliness from any of your mirth. Abhor that mirth that maketh a man a fool, or playeth the fool: and take heed of that ungodliness

which maketh a man merriest when he is furthest from God, like the horse or ox that leapeth and playeth for gladness when he is unyoked or loosed from his labour. Something of God and heaven should appear to be dropped into all our mirth, to sweeten and to sanctify it.'

Direct. VIII. Watch your tongues in all your mirth ; for they are very apt to take liberty then to sin.' Mirth is to the tongue as holidays and playdays to idle scholars; who are glad of them as a time in which they think they have liberty to game, and fight, and do amiss.

Direct. ix. If a word break forth from yourselves or companions to the wrong of others in your mirth, as of backbiting, evil speaking, jeering, scorning, defaming, (yea, though it be your enemy) rebuke it, and cast it out, as dirt or dung that falleth into your dish or cup.'

Direct. x. If profaneness intrude, and any make merry with jesting at Scripture, religion, or the slanders, or scorns of godly persons, with a tendency to make religion odious or contemptible; if they are such as you may speak to, reprove them with reverend seriousness to their terror: if they are not, then shew your abhorrence of it by turning your backs and quitting the place and company of such devilish enemies of God.' Be not silent or seemingly-consenting witnesses of such odious mirth, against your Maker.

Direct. XI. If the mirth of others in your company grow insipid, frothy, foolish, wanton, impious, or otherwise corrupt, drop in some holy salt to season it; and something that is serious and divine to awe it and repress it.' As to remember them of God's presence, or to recite such a text as Ephes. v. 3, 4." But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting; which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks."

Direct. x11. If mirth grow immoderate and exceed in measure, and carry you away from God and duty by the very carnal pleasure of it, have always at hand these following considerations to repress it.' 1. Remember that God is present; and levity is not comely in his sight. 2. Remember that death and judgment are at hand, when all this levity will be turned into seriousness. 3. Remember that

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your souls are yet under a great deal of sin, and wants, and danger, and you have a great deal of serious work to do. 4. Look on Jesus Christ, and remember what an example he gave you upon earth: whether he laughed, and played, and jested, and taught you immoderate or carnal mirth: and whether you live like the disciples of a crucified Christ. 5. Think on the ordinary way to heaven, described in Scripture; which is through many tribulations, afflictions, fastings, temptations, humiliations, sufferings, and mortifications and think whether a wanton, jesting, playful life be like to this. 6. Think of the course of the ancient and excellent Christians, who went to heaven through labour, and watchings, and fasting, and poverty, and cruel persecutions, and not through carnal mirth and sport. 7. Think of the many calamitous objects of sorrow that are now abroad in the world! Of the millions of heathens and mahometans, and other strangers and enemies to Christ! Of the obstinate Jews; of the papal tyranny and usurpation; and of the divided state of all the churches, and the profaneness, and persecution, and uncharitableness, and contentions, and mutual reproaches and revilings, which make havock for the devil among the members of Christ.

Tit. 5. Directions against sinful Hopes.

Hope is nothing but a desirous expectation: therefore the directions given before, against sinful love and desire, may suffice also against sinful hopes, save only for the expecting part. Hope is sinful; 1. When it is placed ultimately upon a forbidden object: as to hope for some evil to yourselves which you mistakingly think is good. To hope for felicity in the creature, or to hope for more from it, than it can afford you. To hope for the hurt of other men; for the ruin of your enemies; for the hindrance of the Gospel, and injury to the church of Christ". 2. When you hope for a good thing by evil means: as to hope to

d Doth any man doubt that if there were taken out of men's minds, vain opinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations, &c. but it would leave the minds of a number of men, poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition, and uncomfortable to themselves? Lord Bacon's Essay of Lies,

please God, or to come to heaven by persecuting his servants, or by ignorance, or superstition, or schism, or heresy, or any sin. 3. To hope ungroundedly for that from God, which he never promised. 4. To hope deceitfully for that from God which he hath declared he will never give. All these are sinful hopes. But it is not these last that I shall here say much to, because I have said so much already of them in many other writings.

Direct. 1. Hope for nothing from God against faith or without faith; that is, for nothing which he hath said he will not give, nor for any thing which he hath not promised to give, or given you some reason to expect.' To hope for that which God hath told us he will not give, or that which is against the holiness and justice of God to give, this is but to hope that God will prove a liar, or unholy, or unjust, which are wicked and blaspheming hopes. Such are the hopes which abundance of ignorant and ungodly persons have; who hope to be saved without regeneration, and without true holiness of heart or life; and hope to be saved in their wilful impenitence or beloved sins: who hope that God forgiveth them those sins, which they hate not, nor will be persuaded to forsake: and hope that the saying over some words of prayer, or doing something which they call a good work, shall save them though they have not the spirit of Christ: or that hope to be saved, though they are unsanctified, because they are not so bad as some others, and live not in any notorious, disgraceful sin: all these believe the devil who tells them that an unholy person may be saved, and believe that the Gospel is false which saith, "without holiness none shall see the Lord;" and they hope that God will prove unholy, unjust, and false to save them, and yet this they call a hoping in God. Hope for that which God hath promised, and spare not; but not for that which he hath said he will not do, yea, protested cannot bef.

Direct. 11. When thou hopest for any evil to others, or thyself, remember what a monstrous thing it is to make evil the object of thy hope, and how those hopes are but thy hastening unto chosen misery, and contradict themselves.' For thou hopest for it as good; and to be greedy for evil