be separated and disjoyned from the Heart, and cease to be, certainly the very Expectation of fuch an eternal Separation, would almoft extinguish all the Joy, and make it dry up of the Fulness For, may a Soul think, What shall I do for ever when this Well dries? Whence fhall I draw Water of Joy? Out of what Well? But now, that Fear is removed, and the Soul needs not lofe the Sweetnefs of the prefent Enjoyment of God, through anxious Forefight of the future, because he may know, that the perfect Fulness that shall never ebb, is but coming, and the Sun is but afcending yet towards the Meridian, from whence he shall never go down, but ftand fixed, to be the eternal Wonder and Delight of Angels and Men. Now though it be true, that Chriftians here, have neither that Plenty, nor that Perpetuity of this Joy, that the Object of it gives Ground for; though their Hearts be often filled with Griefs and Sorrows, partly from outward, partly from inward Evils and Afflictions; yet certainly this arifeth but from the dark Apprehenfion, dim Belief, and flight Confideration of thefe Things that Chrift fpoke, and his Apostles wrote unto us, we might, no Question, keep our Hearts in more Peace and Tranquillity, in alt the Commotions of the Times, or Alterations in our felves, if we did more ftedfaftly believe the Gofpel, and keep more conftant Fellowship with God. But however it be, there is radically a Fulness of Joy in every Believers Heart, that Seed is fown, that fhall one Day be ripe of Fulness of Joy, it is always lying at the Root, and reserved for them. O, let us lay thefe Things to Heart, which being laid to Heart, and laid up in the Heart, will fill it with this fweet fra grant Perfume of Peace and Joy: They are written for this End, let us hear them for this End too, that our Joy may be full. It is true indeed, that this Fulness of Joy fuits only the Life to come, when the Veffel is both inlarged and ftrengthned to contain it: Things that have strong Spirits in them, must have strong new Bottles, fuch as our crazy mortal Bodies are not; therefore the Lord hath referved the juft Fulness, the Overflowings of this Joy, for the Time that the Soul hall be purified from all Sin, and the Body delivered from all Corruption: Because that Sin lurks in many Corners of the Heart now, therefore this Joy cannot fill up the Heart, and all the Vacuities of it; for it is of fo pure and heavenly a Nature, that it will not compound and intermingle with Sin, or finful Lufts; but when nothing of that remains in the Heart, then it flows in apace, and leaves no Corner of the Heart unfatisfied and unfupplied. I would have you, who get fome Tastes of this Joy and Peace by the Way, not dif quieted and troubled, because it abides not to be ordinary Food; if you be fet down again to your ordinary fpare Diet of Manna in the Wilderness, and have not these first Fruits and Grapes of Canaan often fent to you; think it not ftrange, for the Fulness which you feek, you are not capable of here, but you fhall be capable of it hereafter. You ought with Patience to wait for that Day, when your Foy ball be full, as Chrift is full; full Measure, heaped up, and running over, will he met out unto you then: And this shall be without the Fear of any Ebb or Diminution of it for all Eternity; neither, fhall this Fulnefs, and conftant Fulnefs, cloy the Soul, or breed any Satiety in it: There is Fulness of Joy without Surfeit, without Satiety, that ts |-fcience, he would find thofe Deligh have but little Power to affect his Heari he would find terrible and dreadful Reprefentations there, that his Joys may well for a Time darken them, but cannot drive them away: And then it is the very natural Law, and fatal Neceffity, that Grief follows thefe Joys at the Heels, yea, is perpetually attending them, to come in their Place; God hath fo conjoyned them together, and fo difpofed them, that Mens Joy fhall be mingled with Grief, but their Grief is pure and unmixed; and that he who draws up Joy to him from the Creatures, muft draw Grief and Vexation in that fame Chain, infeparably annexed to it by the wife Ordination of God. which they have, they fhall always defire, and that which they defire, they shall always have Everlasting Desire, and everlafting Delight, being married together in their Fulness. But yet fo much is attainable here, as may truly be called Fulnefs, in Regard of the World; the Fulnefs of Joy that all the Pleafures of this Earth can afford, is but Scarcity and Want, to the inward Fuluefs of Joy and Contentaion, the pooreft Believers may have in God, reconciled in Chrift. That which the wife Man gives as the Character of all earthly Joy, fuits well. I faid of Laughter, it is mad, and of Mirth, what doth it? Eccl. ii. 2. Truly it cannot be supposed to be more real, than that which is the Ground and Spring of it. It must be a But there are Joys of the Holy Ghost perfunctorious, fuperficial, and empty Joy, arifing from the Intimation and Apprethat is derived and diftilled from fuch Va-henfion of the Gospel, from the Confidenities. Nay, there is a Madness in it be- ration of the Grace and Goodness of God fides, for Mens Apprehenfions to fwell fo manifefted in it, and the Experience of exceffively, towards poor, narrow, and that in the Soul, which are of another limited Things; it is a Monster in Rea- Stamp and Nature. These indeed affect fon, to put fuch Value upon nothing, and the Heart, and give the Anfwer of a good make our felves glad upon our own Confcience, in the Blood of Chrift, which Dreams and Fancies; there is fuch a ma- is a continual Feaft; these drive out the nifeft Abuse and Violation of Reafon bitter and dreadful Apprehenfions of Sin in it, that it can be fuppofed to proceed and Wrath; thefe fweeten and refresh from nothing but a Diftemper in Mens the Soul in all worldly Afflictions and Griefs: Hearts. But befides this, there are two The Heart of Man knoweth his own other Characters of it given, Prov. xiv. Bitterness, and a Stranger doth not 13. Even in Laughter the Heart is intermiddle with his Joy, Prov, xiii. 10. Lorrowful, and the End of that Mirth Indeed, the Torments and Perplexities of is Heavinels. There is no pure earthly a troubled Soul, are better felt by themJoy; for it hath always a Mixtureof Grief felves, than known by others, and fo are and Sadness in the inward retired Clofet the Joys of that Heart that apprehends Jefus of the Heart; it is of fuch Deadnefs Chrift, and Peace purchased in him; they and Inefficacy, that it drives not out of the are fuch, as no Man that is a Stranger to Heart all Discontentments and Anxieties; fuch Things in his Experience can apprebut if the most jovial Man, that feems to hend. It is a Joy unspeakable; what be tranfported with his Delights, would but unfpeakable Content gives it to the Heart. retire within, and examine his own Con- And truly if you did not interpofe the Eec Clouds Clouds of Unbelief and Sin between you and his fhining Countenance, there needed not be so often an Eclipfe in the Joys of Believers; yet the Day is coming that ye fhall fee him fully as he is, and nothing be interpofed between you and him, and then your Joy fhall be full, &c. SERMON IX 1 John i. 5. This then is the Meffage which we heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, &c. THE great Design of the Gospel is to make up the Breach of Mans Joy, and open up the Way to the Fulness of it: And therefore it is the good News and glad Tidings of great Joy, the only beft Meffage that ever came to the World. Now it fhews unto us the Channel, that this River of Gladness and Joy runs into; it discovers what is the Way of the Conveyance of it to the Soul, and what are the Banks it runs between, and that is, Fellowship with the Father and the Son. In this Channel that River of Delight runs, between the Banks of the Love of God to us, and our Love to him. Herein a Soul is happy, and accounts it felf happy; and truly, in fo much do we profit by the Word, and anfwer the Defign of the Gospel, by how much we e ftimate our Happiness from this alone, from the Communication of God to us. Whenfoever the Gospel takes hold of your Hearts, it will undoubtedly frame them to this, to a measuring of all Blessedness from God alone: And this will carry the Heart to an Undervaluing of all other Things, as being too low, and unworthy for this End; and so to a forfaking of any. Thing for the cloffer Enjoyment of God. I fear many Believers are little acquainted with this Joy, because they draw not their Joy fingly out of the pure Fountain of Delight; but turn afide to other external Comforts, and drown their Souls in them. Now indeed, these two cannot well confift together; if we take in any thing elfe to make up our Happiness and Comfort, fo much we lose of God, and that which is truly fpiritual; and therefore our Hearts would be more purified from carnal Delights, if we would have Experience of this Joy: We must hang only upon his Countenance and Company, elfe we lose the Sweetness of it.. Now the Apostle profecutes this further, to difcover what Conformity muft be between them that should keep this Fellowship; and what Likeness of Nature and Qualities is neceffary for them who would be happy in God's Society. This is the Meffage we bave heard faith he ) and which we declare unte you, that God is Light, &c. Take this jointly jointly, with that which went before; This we declare, that ye may have Fellowship with the Father, and the Son. And to the End this Fellowship may hold, and yield you Fulnefs of Joy, it is neceffary that the Nature of God be laid down, as the Pattern to which ye muft be conform. God is Light, and therefore you must be Light too, if ye would have Fellowship with that pure Light. Now this, I fay, is the full Meffage of the Gofpel, that which was fent down from Heaven, with the Son of God, the MefSenger of the Covenant, and which the Apoftles heard from him. Indeed the very manner of the Propofal of thefe Things ftir up our Hearts to Attention, and make us more ferious than commonly we are, That there is one, and fuch an one fent from Heaven, with fuch an Embaffage as this is, to invite us to Society with God again; one whose Intereft lyes in this, to make us happy; and this he declares unto us, that he hath no other Defign, but to fulfil our Joy. O how powerful might this be on our Hearts, to conquer them, to make them willingly hearken to him? Any Meffage that comes from Heaven, fhould be received with great Reverence and Refpect of mortal Men; because it comes from the Court and Palace of the great King. But when this is the Subftance of it, to make us happy in himself, to advance us to this incomparable Dignity of Society with himself, in which Society there is a Fulness of Joy; then how should we receive it with open Hearts, and intertain it gladly? If we could take it always thus, as a Meffage from Heaven, and look upon it, and hear it in that Notion, I think the Fruit would be incomparably greater; for what is it that makes it dead and ineffectual in Mens Hearts, but that the Appre henfion of it degenerates and falls down from God to Creatures, because it is not taken fo as his Word, carrying the Stamp of his Divine Authority: We bring it forth, not as a Meffage from him, but as from our felves; and you receive it, not as from him, but from us; and thus it is adulterated and corrupted on both Hands: My Beloved, let us jointly mind this, that whatsoever we have to declare, it is a Meffage from God to mortal Men; and therefore let us fo compofe our felves in his Sight, as if he were fpeaking to us. The Confcience of a very Heathen was awaked, when Ebud told him he had a Meffage from God to him: Eglon arofe out of his Seat, that he might hear it reverently, Judg. iii. 20. though it was a bloody Mef. fage, as it proved in the Event; yet fo much the common Dictates of Reason might teach you, that ye should arife. and compose your selves to reverent and awful Attention to what the Lord God will speak. But when moreover we know that the Sum of the Message is, to make us bleffed, and raife us up to Communi. on with him in his Joy and Happiness ; we are not only called to Reverence, as to God, but to ardent Affection and Defire, as to him who by all Means feeks our Happiness. O how happy were he that could first hear, and receive this Meffage from him, and then declare it to others. But however, though we should fail in that, this doth not change either the Authority, or Nature of the Meffage it felf; and therefore, if Men should be fo far deftitute of God, as not to bring it from him immediately, yet do not you forfake your own Mercy too; but receive it as that which is come forth from God; receive it for itself, as carrying in its Bofom a Fulnefs of Joy to you; and re. Eec 2 ceive it for his Sake who moved this Embaffage first after Sinners, and his Sake who carried it to Sinners, that is, for the Father, and the Son; to whofe Fellowfhip you are here invited. Let us then hear the Meffage. This then is the Message, that God is Light, &c. The Ground of Communion of Perfons, is their Union in Nature, or Likeness one to another. There is fome general Society between all Mankind, as being conjoined in one common Nature; but the contracting of that in a narrower Bounds of Affinity and Confanguinity, doth inlarge the Affection the more: You fee it is natural for those who are joined by fuch Relations of Blood one to another, to love one another more than others out of thefe Bonds. But true Friendship draws the Circle yet narower, and contracts the Love that is fcattered abroad to Mankind in a ftrange Channel, to run towards one, or a few; and the Foundation of this is fome peculiar and particular Similitude, and Likeness in Man ners, and Sympathy of Difpofition, which makes the Souls of Men to melt one into another, after fome Converse and Acquaintance together; this is the Bond that knits this near Society; fome Conformity neceffarily prefuppofed to Communion and Fellowship. Now that which holds fo in the Communion of Man with Man, must be much more needful in Mans Communion with God: For all the Societies, Combinations, and Conjunctions of the Creatures, are but Shadows of this higher Communication of the Spirit of Man, with God the Father of Spirits. And indeed we may find fome rude Draughts and Refemblances of this divine Society, and of the Rule according to which it must be modell'd, in all the friendly or near Conjunctions of Creatures; for every Thing is beft preferved, and agreeth beft with Things of its own Nature: See the Disposition of the Parts of the World; Things contiguous, and nearest other, are alfo likest in Nature one to another; fo it is among Men, the feveral Agreements, and Symbolizings of Mens Spirits in different Qualities and Tempers, makes feveral Sorts of Men, and parts them into fo many Companies: Pares paribus congregantur, fimile fimili gaudet. Now, my Beloved, this fame fupernatural and divine Society that we speak of, must be conftituted according to this fundamental Rule, that is, It is necef fary, to the End that God and Man may have Fellowship together, that they come. nearer in Likeness, one to another: Now for God, you know he cannot be liker us, for he is unchangeably Holy and Good: That were most abfurd, to bring down his Majefty to partake of our wretched Infirmities of Sin and Darkness. Indeed in this he hath come as far as his own Nature and our Good would permit, to cominunicate in our Nature, and all the finlefs Infirmities of it: It is impoffible then that he should make up the Distance by any Change of himself, but we must be changed, and fome Way raifed up to partake of the Purity of his Nature, and be transformed into fome Likeness to him, and then is the Foundation of Society and Fellowship laid down: This is the Apoftle's Meaning, in declaring to us what God is, that according to that Pattern, and in that Glafs, we may fee what to conform our felves to, and may have a particular Determination of the great Qualification of thefe who pretend to Fellowship with God: God is Light, and in him is no Darkness. Now take the juft Oppofition, Man is Darkness, and |