if but a minute in it How mercilesse and cruell is the fire above all other clements but then to be thrown into those unquenchable flames the fire that shall never go out who can dwell with everlasting burnings But yet further Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Lord have mercy upon me saith the woman in the Gospell for my daughter is grievously tormented with a Devill But one Devill yet grievously tormented and it was her daughter yet Lord have mercy upon me Do not your ears tingle and your hearts tremble to think of that heavie doom when sentenc'd amongst all those hellish Fiends those infernal Furies amongst all the Devils in that pit of darknesse in those everlasting burnings and for ever and ever Oh what ghastly looks what fearfull howlings and what hideous yellings Then shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth indeed Take yet another sight Isa 5.14 Hell hath inlarged her mouth wide and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it He that now rejoyceth in his pomp and glory and with all his multitude for hells mouth is wide Mat. 7.13 Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat But strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it Beloved here is our rejoycing that we are not in the number of those many but in the number of these few that we are prepared for life and delivered from that sad destruction Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ So no pit nor darknesse nor fire nor Devill to torment them Luk. 1.74 He hath delivered us out of the hand of our enemies that we might serve him without fear We are delivered from them and the more we consider the horror of that bottomlesse pit that blacknesse of darknesse that unquenchable fire the more we consider those fearful howlings and those hideous yellings with the Devil and his Angels the greater is our joy especially whilest we take notice of the multitudes that go down to hell That so many millions are devoured in that pit and that we are delivered where so few escape the more they are the more cause we have to rejoyce in that great deliverance As the Israelites whilest they stood safe upon the shore and beheld the drowning of the Egyptians in the sea or as they when delivered from the bloudy plot of that cruel Haman wheresoever the word came the Jewes they had light and gladnesse a feast and a good day If they for a deliverance from that which kils the body how much more we for a deliverance from that which casts both soul and body into hell The greater the deliverance is the more is our joy Rejoyce ye Righteous 3 Whilest we look without us Whilest we behold the glory of the heavens above us the riches of the earth below us that variety of all creatures round about us Psal 8.3 When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindfull of him or the son of man that thou visitest him Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field the fowls of the air and the fish of the the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea All things to serve Man that goodly canopy of heaven that covers us so bespangled with variety of stars that rich green mantle of the earth that supports us so bestudded with variety of plants those vast dominions both of air and water so peopled with an infinite variety of creatures not only for mans necessity but his recreation and delight All under mans command So in their first creation Gen. 1.26 Let us make man in our own image after our own likenesse and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowle of the air and over the cattell and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth It is true indeed man by his fall as he hath defaced Gods image so hath he forfeited his rule But here is the joy of Saints Christ hath renew'd their title 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods All are yours ye are the heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ who is heir of all things And is not here matter of great joy We see the men of the world how they rejoyce when they have gotten but a little but a very little in comparison of the whole world when Alcibiades viewed his Kingdoms in a Map they seemed but as the prick of a pin in comparison of the Globe But the whole world is yours As Paul in another case If any man have cause to glory I much more O ye that are highly favoured be not awanting to your selves Are ye in distresse in necessities in wants Do ye murmur and complain It is because your eyes are held as Elisha's servant Behold the mountain is full of horses of fire and chariots of fire round about Elisha You have the wealth of the whole world about you All 's yours Do ye want something as ye think but ye want nothing as God thinks Though ye have it not in your own hands yet is it in his hands who knowes what is better for you then you do your selves Every man is not an Abraham fit to be exceeding rich And what good doth a long garment on the back of a little child you have his word Psal 34.10 The Lions lack and suffer hunger but they that fear the Lord shall want no good thing The Lion is a beast of prey he can feed upon dead carkasses whilest others perish in the famine yet sooner shall the Lion lack then they that fear the Lord any thing which may be for Gods glory or their good Do we not see a Daniel as fair and as well liking with his pulse and water as those that feed at the Kings table So God suites a portion to their mindes and they are content with what they have They desire no more And here 's a wealth beyond that of Alexander Who so rich as he that hath as much as he desires Godlinesse with contentment is great gain Without ifs or ands it is so it is gain gain with a witnesse great gain Nay more what can you desire more here 's gain with contentment O ye covetous muck-worms ye that still feed upon the earth that toyle and sweat and vex and fret rising up betimes going late to bed eating the bread of carefulnesse scarce giving rest unto your bodies nor yet peace to
which causeth him to weep even that is it which so much delighteth him Thus is it here The faints tears are the saints joy and it is the rejoycing of their souls that they weep and sorrow The tears of Saints is the joy of Angels as I told you before There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth Nay let me tell you further they have greater cause to rejoyce in their sorrowes then others in their greatest jollities The Apostle understands it Therefore saith he 2 Cor. 7.8 Though I made you sorry with a letter I do not repent though I did repent Now I rejoyce not that ye were made sorry but that ye sorrowed to repentance that ye were made sorry after a godly manner for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death There 's a vast difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow the one tends to death but the other to life to repentance salvation The sorrow of the godly is like the sorrow of a woman travelling with childe It is not a barren but a fruitfull sorrow The sorrow of world is barren it brings forth nothing but sorrow but the sorrow of the godly is fruitful it is a joy-bearing sorrow Joh. 16.21 A woman hath sorrow when she travelleth because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of a childe she remembers no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world And ye now have sorrow but I will see you again and your hearts shall rejoyce and your joy no man taketh from you Thus you see the mistake The sorrow of the righteous is a joyful sorrow Oh but thirdly It may be objected that sometimes God requires it as a duty Es 22.12 In that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping and to mourning and doubtlesse the sorrow of the Saints is hearty when the Lord cals for it For answer to this we must confesse it is so indeed Neither do any sorrow as they sorrow Therefore as if they only sorrowed saith God Ezek. 9.4 Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of Jerusalem Their sighs are sighs indeed and their cries are cries indeed God sets a mark upon them as if they only were the mourners Yet withall take notice that it is not for righteousnesse but for wickednesse all the abominations that are done in Jerusalem righteousnesse is not the cause but it is sin either in themselves or others 1. In themselves For so the Saints have their failings Seek thy servant O Lord for I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost And as they have theirs sins so they have their sorrows It cost David many a salt tear How he weeps and prayes Psal 51. Lord make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce The cry of his sin had made such a noise of sorrow that it deaft his ears from the voice of joy And he is afraid O cast me not away in thy displeasure but restore to me the joy of thy salvation Do not charge your sorrows on the waies of righteousnesse but your swarving from those wayes He that goes out of Gods way he goes into harmes way and returns again by the weeping crosse Or if it be not the sense of their present sins which causes all this sorrow perhaps they consider the time past and it is their trouble that they have spent so much of their time in vanity so they mourn not because they are righteous but because they were no sooner such Or if they be troubled at their present condition it is not because they are good but because they are not so good as they desire to be They count not themselves as if they had already attained or were already perfect they see others that are far before them so they are heavy not because they are holy but because not so holy as they should As some covetous worldling who frets and toyles in the world as if he were not worth a penny and out of a greedy desire of more still complains of poverty So the Saints sometimes so earnestly desirous to be yet more righteous they lose the joy and comfort of those graces they already have Let us not then impute that to their godlinesse which proceeds rather from the want But certainly conclude there 's much sweetnesse in it whilest they thus hunger and thirst after it Thus in themselves 2. In others The Lord cals to weeping and they mourn in Sion It is for the abominations that are done in the land So David Psal 119.136 Mine eyes run down with tears because men keep not thy commandements And Lot amongst the filthy Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 In seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawfull deeds It is the sorrow of the Saints to see God dishonoured and poor souls endangered To hear on the one hand men speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them and to see on the other hand men so unreclamable from their foolish and vain courses and running headlong to their own damnation If there be any consolation in Christ Jesus if any comfort of love if any bowels and mercies must it not needs grieve them to see men so fool away their hopes of glory to dwell with everlasting burnings Their charity is great and they could wish all men like themselves in that which is good As Paul to Agrippa I would to God that not only thou but all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am excepting these bonds And if they will not be perswaded Jer. 13.17 If ye will not hear my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride Thus weeping for them that weep not for themselves And Elijah betakes himself unto the cave And why so They have broken the covenant they have thrown down the altars they have slain the Prophets with the sword Are the lives of the Saints sorrowful But examine your own hearts if the fault lie not in your selves Were your selves lesse wicked their lives would be more comfortable Thus still you see it is not the righteousnesse of the Saints which makes their hearts sad but rather the want of it either in themselves or others Nay yet further even this sorrow is their joy Whilest they thus mourn though others provoke God and perish in their own devices yet God will set a mark upon them that mourn in Sion that the destroying Angel may passe over Es 4.5 God will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon her Assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence So that nothing might hinder their peace and joy in believing but so still Rejoyce ye
them as love-tokens This beyond all saith David In the multitude of my thoughts thy comforts they delight my soul 3. Because they have right in these injoyments Others indeed injoy them by a common providence I will not say as some that they are usurpers God gives them their portion in this life The eyes of all wait upon him and he gives them their meat in due season But these have a more special interest Christ hath purchased a more speciall title and right for them And surely that man lives more comfortably that lives purely on his own Saith Paul Let no man glory in man for all things are yours 4. Because they have the right use of these injoyments whilest others are worse for them Eccles 5.13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt As a sword in a mad mans hand so they endanger themselves with them or at the best they do but gather for themselves they live to themselves till they lose both themselves and that which they have gathered Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee and then whose shall these things be But the righteous they make themselves friends of that unrighteous Mammon they lay up for themselves treasures in heaven If rich in this world they are rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold upon eternall life What a world of difference there is between that man who hath the right use of his estate and him that wants it How comfortable is the life of the one beyond the other 5. Because their happinesse doth not depend upon these outward blessings They may take pleasure in them for a time as the scholar takes pleasure in his meat but findes a better relish at his book so they have fixed their affections upon higher matters If they be crost in these injoyments yet there is no interruption of their joy because it doth not depend upon them Rev. 12.1 They have the Moon under their feet By the Moon understand things sublunary all things under the Moon they are above these things As using the world saith Paul but not abusing it and I would have you without carefulnesse Therefore they injoy it with more comfort because they injoy it with lesse care Look upon a man whose happinesse depends upon it whose heart is set upon the world how he frets and grieves and when crost in his pursuits as Micah Ye have taken away my Gods how is it then that ye say unto me What aileth thee Whilest those whose hearts are centred upon God they sing sweetly with that holy Job The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord. Lastly Because they look upon these things but as the Israelites on those clusters of grapes brought by the spies out of the land of Canaan so to put them in minde of the wealth and fertility of the Countrey to raise up their hearts to the meditation of those heavenly joyes Every mercy we receive it is as another step to mount up our thoughts upon Jacobs Ladder to celestiall glories These are but the Viaticum a refreshment by the way we look for another Countrey a City which hath foundations a building of God and hourly expect the call Come ye blessed children of my Father inherit ye the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world And if we finde this comfort in our Inne how much more then when we come at our own home Thus whilest others receive but the single comforts of these earthly blessings the godly have a double comfort whilest thus from these things below they are carried up unto the things above If others therefore can rejoyce in these things how much more cause have you to rejoyce with joy above other men Rejoyce ye Righteous 6. Whilest we look upon the left hand Many are the troubles of the righteous What crosses and afflictions what poverty and disgraces what reproaches and persecutions what bonds and imprisonments besides inward troubles that law in our member warring against the law of our minde that when we would do good evill is present with us Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death And then God himself drawing the black curtain between him and us withdrawing the light of his countenance from us Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled Be not discouraged Psal 112.4 Unto the righteous there ariseth light in darknesse So a joy in sorrowing Nay let me tell you further you have more matter of rejoycing in the very depth of your adversity then others in the greatest height of their prosperity Therefore was it Moses his choice Heb. 11.24 He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season He chose rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God then to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Egypt Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Look upon thy Saviour 1 Pet. 2.22 Christ hath suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps And shall we not rejoyce to be made like unto Christ This is that in comparison of which the Apostle accounts all things as nothing and worse then nothing as losse and dung Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death Thus we have a fellowship with Christ Nay further we bear a part of his sufferings And then saith St. Paul Col. 1.22 I rejoyce in my sufferings for you to fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ in my flâ—sh for his bodies sake which is the Church As Christ suffered in his natural so he must suffer in his mysticall body Our afflictions therefore they are Christs afflictions a filling up of that which is behinde of his afflictions Et quis non hic superbit saith Luther in his Consolatory to the Duke of Saxony who would not rejoyce to bear part with Christ So is it the Apostles triumph Rom. 8 35. Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or the sword As it is written For thy sake are we killed all the day long and are counted as sheep for the slaughter nay in all these things we are more then conquerors Conquerors and more then conquerors How 's that Not only bearing them with patience but with joy Act. 5.41 They went away rejoycing that they were count à worthy to suffer reproach for the Name of Christ Or if all this be not sufficient yet take notice of the benefit
God and his doctrine be evill spoken on through your vain conversation As ye have received this righteousness of Christ so walk as those that are arrayed in these long white robes Get into the number of the righteous Beloved I know that ye desire it at least when you come to die I know there is none in this congregation but could wish with Balaam Num. 23.10 O let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his And if we desire it at our deaths why should not we endevour it in our lives What a folly is it nay do but consider seriously what a desperate madness that we should desire this so seriously at our end and yet never look after it till we come to die that this should be the first the chief in our desires and yet the least the last in our endevours Nay whilest thus we cast off the care of Christ and of his righteousness in our health is it not just with him so to cast off the care of us when we lie upon our beds of languishing Go cry unto the gods whom ye have chosen let them deliver you now in the time of your tribulation Whilest we disown him in our lives have we not just cause to fear that so he will disown us at our deaths Depart from me ye workers of iniquity verily I know you not If there be yet a profane heart in this congregation Oh do not deceive your selves with the righteousness of your faith nor flatter your selves with the hopes of joy As Peter to Simon Magus I perceive thou art yet in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity and hast neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of God Repent therefore of thy wickednesse and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee This is a messe provided only for a Benjamin Rejoyce ye righteous Beloved we have now found out the righteous man I have been long in this discovery So it concerns us A wise builder will be carefull to lay his foundation firm And a steward must be faithfull to give every man his own portion So here lest on the one hand we should take the childrens bread and give it unto dogs or on the other hand lest we should withhold bread from the children Having therefore thus clear'd the way now we may more cheerfully proceed to The joy of the Righteous Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart In these words we finde a Trinity in Unity a trinity of expressions in an unity of sense Be glad and rejoyce and shout for joy all to set forth the greatnesse of the joy of these happy men Yet here not only to word it to the ear but to lay it open to the eye let us look about us Where can we fix our eye but we finde matter of the greatest joy I shall now give the reasons of it 1. While we look above us God is our father and have ye not here Homers Iliads in a nut-shel Heaven in a word 2 Cor. 6.18 I will be a father unto you and ye shall be me sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty Is not here matter of great joy How did it raise the spirit of David when Saul had given him his daughter Seemeth it a small thing unto you to be the son-in-law of a King But then 1 Joh. 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the sons of God But farther as God is our Father so Christ is our Saviour The birth of Christ is glad tidings of great joy so it was sung by a whole quire of Angels O ye that are highly favoured climb up into the Sycomore-tree Do ye not hear his voice and it is sweet This day is salvation come unto thy house Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace saith old Simeon for mine eyes have seen thy salvation And the blessed Virgin My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour So the Ethiopian Eunuch when he had got but a glimpse of Christ he went on his way rejoycing Nay 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love in whom though ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce even with joy unspeakable and glorious But yet further as Christ is our Saviour so the Holy Ghost our Comforter Joh. 14.16 I will pray unto the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive but ye know him Do we not finde the comforts of this Spirit confirming the Adoption of the Father He hath given us the earnest of the Spirit even the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father So sealing the redemption of the Son Oh grieve not the Spirit by which ye are sealed unto the day of redemption And now do not your hearts leap for joy whilest thus you behold God your Father Christ your Saviour and the Holy Ghost your Comforter the whole Trinity of Persons in the unity of your consolation Perhaps the world frowns upon you And what a poor thing was that of Haman so to vex and fret himself for want of the knee of Mordecai when he had the favour of the King himself But then what a pitifull thing is this in us to vex and torment our selves at the frowns of men whilest we have the love and favour of the Lord himself Why art thou cast down Oh my soul As once Elcanah to his wife Am I not better to thee then ten sons So is not the love of God better to us then ten thousand worlds Psal 4.6 Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us This puts gladnesse in the heart more then in the time that corn and wine and oyle increaseth Oh ye Favourites of heaven be not awanting to your selves If Haman had cause to pride himself in the favour of Ahasuerus that great King of Assyria how much more may it cheer up your spirits that ye have the favour of God the great God of heaven Rejoyce ye Righteous 2. Whilest we look below us Behold the Pit that bottomless pit Are you not affrighted with the horror of it such a fearfull pit So think upon that place of darknesse that blacknesse of darknesse Oh how comfortlesse how frightful to be reserved in everlasting chains under darknesse with the prince of darknesse And think upon those chains those everlasting chains Ah wofull eternity Were it on a bed of down if chain'd upon that bed how wearisome but there bound for ever Oh what heart is able to conceive the horror of this word for ever Nay yet worse Go ye cursed into everlasting fire Do not your sinews shrink to think upon this fire this everlasting fire Oh how afflictive and tormenting