SERM. If a true and perfect Christian hath no care to distract XLIII. him, having discharged all his concerns on God's provi

dence; if he hath no fear to difmay him, being guarded by the Almighty protection from all danger and mifchiet: if he hath no despair to fink him, having a fure refuge in the divine mercy and help; if he hath no fuperftitious terrors or scruples to perplex him, being confcious of his own upright intentions to please God, and confident of God's merciful willingness to accept his fincere endea vours; if he hath no incurable remorfe to torment him, the ftings of guilt being pulled out by the merits of his Saviour, applied by his faith and repentance; if he bath no longing defires to difquiet him, being fully fatisfied with that he doth poffefs, or may expect from God's bounty, all other things being far beneath his ambition or coveting; if he hath no contentions to inflame him, knowing nought here worth paffionately ftriving for, and being refolved to hold a friendly good-will toward all men; if he hath no repining envy, seeing that none can be more happy than he may be, and that every man's good by charity is made his own; if he hath no fretful discontent, fince he gladly doth acquiefce in the condition and fuccefs allotted to him, refigning his will to God's pleasure, taking all for best which thence doth occur, being affured that all things shall work together for his good and advantage; if he hath no spiteful rancours to corrode his heart, no boisterous paffions to ruffle his mind, no inordinate appetites, perverse humours, or corrupt defigns to diftemper his foul and disturb his life, whence then may forrow come, or how can sadness creep into him a?

What is there belonging to a Christian, whence grief Pfal. xliii.4. naturally can fpring? From God, our exceeding joy, the fountain of happiness; from heaven, the region of light

and blifs; from divine truth, which illuftrateth and cheerPf. xix. 10. eth the foul; from God's Law, which rejoiceth the heart, cxix. 103. and is fweeter than honey and the honeycomb; from wif

Επιθυμίας ἀπελαθείσης εὔδιος ἡ ψυχή, καὶ γαληνιῶσα γίνεται. Juf. Mari ad Græc. Paran. 2.

dom, whofe ways are ways of pleasantnefs, and all whofe SERM. paths are peace; from virtue, which cureth our afflictive XLIII. diftempers, and compofeth our vexatious paffions; from Prov. iii. 17. these things, I fay, about which a Chriftian as fuch is only ⚫ converfant, no forrow can be derived; from those sweet fources no bitter streams can flow: but hell, the flesh, the world, darkness, error, folly, fin, and irreligion, (things with which a Christian should have nothing to do, from which he should keep aloof, which he doth pretend utterly to renounce and abandon,) thefe, these alone, are the parents of difcomfort and anguish.

Wherefore there is the fame reason, the fame obligation, the fame poffibility, that we should rejoice evermore, as that we fhould always be Chriftians, exactly performing duty, and totally forbearing fin; for innocence and indolency do ever go together, both together making paradife; perfect virtue and conftant alacrity are infeparable companions, both conftituting beatitude: and as although from our infirmity we cannot attain the highest pitch of virtue, yet we must aspire thereto, endeavouring to perfect 2 Cor. vii. 1. holiness in the fear of God; fo, though it may not be poffi- 1 John iii. ble to get, yet it is reasonable to seek perpetual joy; 3. which doing in the right way, we shall not fail of procur ing a good measure of it.

Matt. v. 48.

Indeed to exercife piety and to rejoice are the fame things, or things fo interwoven, that nothing can disjoin them; religious practice is like that river, the fireams Pfal. xlvi. 4. whereof make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Moft High, that is, every pious foul. No good deed can be performed without fatisfaction; each virtue hath a peculiar delight annexed to it: whence the acts of joy, which upon various objects, grounds, and occafions, we may exert, being numberlefs, I fhall only touch a few principal inftances.

1. We should evermore rejoice in the exercise of our faith; according to that prayer of our Apostle for the Romans, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and Rom. xv. peace in believing.

Every kind of faith (that which embraceth divine truths,

13.

SERM. Jerufalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomXLIII. plished, that her iniquity is pardoned?

And if we find ourselves in habit of foul grievously dif tempered, labouring under great impotency and blindnefs, overborne and oppreffed with the prevalency of corruption, pestered with unreasonable defires and paffions, unable to curb our inclinations and appetites, to refift temptations, to discharge our duty in any tolerable meafure, or with any ease; is it not then comfortable to believe, that we have a moft faithful and skilful phyfician at hand to cure our distempers; that we have a powerful fuccour within ken, to relieve our infirmities; that God is ready to impart an abundant fupply of grace, of light, of fpiritual ftrength to direct and affist us? that if any man Jam. i. 5, 6. doth lack wifdom, he is encouraged with faith to afk it of God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not? If any man Luke xi. 13. want ftrength, God's Almighty Spirit is promised to those who with humble earnestnefs do implore it; fo that Phil. iv. 13. we may be able to do all things (incumbent on us) by Christ who ftrengtheneth us.

Rom. vii.

25.

2 Cor. iii. 5.

Phil. ii. 13.

3. And what more hearty fatisfaction can we feel, than in a firm perfuafion concerning the real accomplishment of 2 Pet. i. 4. thofe exceedingly great and precious promifes, whereby we

become capable of the most excellent privileges, the most ample benefits, the most happy rewards that can be? How can the belief, that, by God's infallible word, or as furely as truth itself is true, an eternal inheritance of a treasure that cannot fail, of a glory that cannot fade, of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, of a felicity furpaffing all expreffion and all conceit, is referved for us, in recompence of our faithful obedience; how, I fay, can that be a dead, dull, dry belief, void of sprightly comfort and pleasure?

Likewife the faith of confidence in God's good providence and paternal care over us, (whatever our condition or circumftances be,) fhould infufe a cheerful refreshment of heart into us.

It is in holy Scripture moft frequently afferted, that he who placeth his truft in God is a very bleffed and happy

perfon; and can we, without great fatisfaction, partake of SERM. that beatitude?

Can we, by fuch a truft, difburden all our folicitous cares, all our anxious fears, all the troubles of our spirit, and preffures of our condition upon God, with strong affurance, that from his mighty power and watchful care, in due time, in the most expedient manner, we shall receive a competent fupply of our wants, a riddance from our grievances, a protection from all danger and harm, a bleffing upon all our good endeavours and undertakings, without feeling much eafe and peace in our hearts?

XLIII.

Pfal. Ixi. 4.

xxxvi. 7.

lxii. 2.

What can be more cheering than a perfuafion, that all our concerns are lodged in the hands of fuch a Friend, fo wife, fo able, fo faithful, fo affectionate, fo ever readily disposed to help us, and further our good? They who truft in God are said to abide under the shadow of the Al- Pfal. xci. 1. mighty, and to be covered with his wings; God is often xci. 4. lvii. ftyled their rock, their fortrefs, their fhield and buckler, 1. xvii. 8. their defence and refuge; and are they not then impreg-xviii. 2. nably fafe? why then fhould they fear any difafter? at what occurrence fhould they be disturbed? Have they Pfal. cxii. 2, not huge reason to say with the Pfalmift, In the fhadow of Pfal. Ixiii. thy wings will I rejoice; The Lord is my strength and my Pfal. xxviii. Shield, my heart trusteth in him, and I am helped; therefore 7. my heart danceth for joy, and in my fong will I praise him. May not each of those confiders in God well repress all infurrections of trouble and grief, with that holy charm, Why art thou fo vexed, O my foul, and why art thou fo Pfal. xlii. difquieted within me? O truft in God-for he is the 14. xliii. 5. health of my countenance, and my God.

II. We should evermore rejoice in the practice of Chrif

7.

(Pf. xxxiii,

21.)

12.

Heb. iii, 6,

tian hope, making good that aphorifm of Solomon, The Prov. x. 28, hope of the righteous fhall be gladness; and obeying those apoftolical injunctions, that we should rejoice in hope; that Rom. xii. we should retain the confidence, and the rejoicing of hope firm to the end. Thofe excellent and most beneficial truths, those sweet proposals of grace and mercy, those rich promifes, which faith doth apprehend as true in a general reference to all Chriftians, hope doth appropriate and

8.

1 Kings

SERM. apply as particularly touching ourselves; improving the XLIII. knowledge of our common capacity into a sense of our special intereft in them. God, faith our faith, will affuredly receive all penitent finners to mercy, will crown all pious Chriftians with glory, will faithfully perform whatever he hath graciously promised to all people, hath a tender care for all that love and fear him; but God, faith our hope, 2 Tim. iv. will have mercy on me, will render to me the wages of righteoufnefs, will verify his good word to me his fervant, will protect, will deliver, will bless me in all exigencies: if fo, being confcious of our fincere endeavour to ferve and please God; if difcerning, from a careful reflection upon our heart and ways, that in fome good measure with fidelity and diligence we have discharged the conditions required of us, we can entitle ourselves to God's fpecial affection, we can accommodate his word to our cafe, we can affume a propriety in his regard, how can we forbear conceiving joy?

viii. 26.

All hope, in proportion to the worth of its object, and Heb. vi.19. the folidity of its ground, is comfortable; it being the

anchor of the foul, which stayeth and supporteth it in undif turbed reft; it appeafing unquiet defires; it setting abfent goods before us, and anticipating future enjoyments by a sweet foretafte: feeing then, if we have a good con1 John iii. science, and our heart doth not condemn us, our hope is If. xxvi. 4. grounded on the Rock of ages, (on the immutable nature and the infallible word of God;) seeing it is the hope of the moft worthy, the most fublime, the most incomparable and ineftimable goods, it must be most extremely delightful.

31

If it much pleaseth men to conceit themselves next heirs of a fair estate, to have the reversion of a good office, to be probable expectants of a great preferment, (although death may intercept, or other accidents may obftruct the accom1 Pet. i. 4, plishment of fuch hopes,) how much more fhall that lively hope, of which St. Peter fpeaketh, of an inheritance incor

5.

* Καὶ πρὸ τοῦ παρατῆναι ὑπόσχεσιν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ τῇ ἐλπιδ γαυρουμένη εὐφραίνεται. Conf. Ap. vii. 33.