needs be so for many Reasons First because God is the onely perfect substance of true love God is love saith St. John 1 Jo. 4. 16. And therefore we cannot love God but by vertue of that love which is essentially in God For otherwise we offer him but a shaddow instead of a substance Secondly because God is the onely Authour and giver of love love is of God 1 John 4. 8. And therefore unlesse God doth first in love to us bestow his love upon us we can have no love at all to dispose of as in relation unto him Thirdly because every one that loveth is born of God 1 John 4. 7. And it would be a preposterous thing for the child to love before the father Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God 1 John 3. 1. And as it is a far greater argument of love that we should be made the sons of God then that we should be called the sons of God And Fourthly because Gods love to us is the cause of our love to God we love him because he first loved us Saith the same loving and beloved Disciple 1 John 4. 19. Now the cause must of necessity be before the effect And therefore unlesse God doth first love us efficiently it is impossible that we should love God effectually And altogether to this purpose is that in the Prophet Jeremy I have loved thee saith the Lord with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawn thee Jer. 31. 3. Because the Lord did love his Church with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse he did draw her to love him again For this I humbly conceive to be the most proper and suteable end of this attraction It being likewise the most principal or onely duty which the Lord requireth Deut. 6. 5. and Math. 22. 37. And being thus confirmed in this truth the willing Soul hath nothing else to do to fatisfie her fully in this case but to examine the sincerity and goodnesse of her own love to her Lord. And thereupon she brings it to the tryal And first she findes it eager to injoy She sings with that melodious Prophet David As the heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God! My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come to appear before God Psal 42. 1 2. And in the 48. Psal 1. 2. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Secondly it is fervent or ardent in the act of injoying 't is no Laodicean luke-warm love It makes the Soul say with the blessed spouse Set me as a Seal upon thine heart as a Seal upon thine arm for love is strong as death Many waters cannot quench love neither can the flouds drown it Cant. 8. 6 7. Thirdly she findes it very generous It soorneth to be base or trivial Too generous to be so mercenary as with those fools to say unto the Lord Depart from us and what can the Almighty do for us as Job 22. 17. It makes her scorn to stand for any wages That she refers to her beloved's goodnesse She knows her wages will be better far then all her works can any way deserve She remembers the words of her Lord Jesus how he said It is more blessed to give then to receive as Acts 20. 35. And thereupon her love will not be bought at any rate If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned Cant. 8. 7. Neither will this loving Soul be bribed but will rather say with Peter Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money Acts 8. 20. And secondly it is so generous that it will not be overcome by any base or lewd or carnal lust It will say with Joseph How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God Gen. 39. 9. And with Moses it will chuse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season as Hebr. 11. 25. Thirdly it is so generous that it will not be daunted either for fear of losse or displeasure or death it self According to the example of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Dan. 3. And of Daniel himself Dan. 6. Fourthly it is so generous that it scorneth to be nigardly in prosperity It will buy the truth and not sell it as Prov. 23. 23. It sayeth with David What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal 116. 12. And therefore he will not offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord his God of that which doth cost him nothing as 2 Sam. 24. 24. Yea with the people of Israel it will give more then is necessary to the work as Exod. 35. 22. c. and Exod. 36. 5. Fifthly it is so generous that it will not be dismayed in adversity In case of derision or reproch it will say with David I will yet be more vile then thus as 2 Sam. 9. 22. In case of danger it will say with Peter Though I should die with thee yet will I not deny thee as Mat. 26. 35. And in case of extremity it will say with Job Naked came I out of my Mothers womb and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord Job 1. 21. And with Paul None of these things move me neither count I my life deer unto my self so that I might finish my course with joy and the Ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God Acts 20. 24. Sixthly it is so generous that it will not spare for any expressions nor any opportunities It will strive to out-strip the sinfull woman who when she knew that Jesus sate at meat in the Pharisees house brought an Alabaster box of oyntment And stood at his feet behinde him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and wipe them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anoynted them with the oytment Luke 7. 37 38. Or what it cannot do to him in his person it will do to him in his Members when he is an hungry it will give him meat when he is thirsty it will give him drink when he is a stranger it will take him in Naked it will cloath him Sick it will visit him in Prison it will come unto him For which the Lord shall say unto this Soul Verily in as much as thou hast done it to one of the least of these my brethren thou hast done it unto me as Math. 25. 40. ANd thus the Soul having examined her love by these and the like properties and finding it to be sincere and sound her joyfull heart is
First if it deserveth the right name of hatred it is impartial And therefore he that truely hateth sin he doth hate all manner of sin and in all manner of persons He must hate all manner of sin He may not hate riotousnesse and love covetousnesse hate swearing and love lying hate publick prophanesse and love private perfidiousnesse or the contrary I hate every false way saith good David Psal 119. 128. And to that purpose he prayeth unto his God saying Incline not my heart to any evil thing Psal 41. 4. Doubtlesse 't is hard to finde a man whose heart is not inclin'd to many evil things But wher 's that Soul amongst us that is not so wedded unto some bewitching lust some Dalila one bosom sin or other of which we are inclineable to say as Lot did sometime say concerning Zoar Is it not a little one Gen. 19. 20. Yet every sin is a transgression of the Law 1 Joh. 3. 4. And cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And therefore the Prophet David Search me O God saith he and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Psal 139. 23 24. And the Apostle Paul Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. And likewise St. Jude exhorteth To hate even the Garment spotted by the flesh Jude 23. Alluding haply to those forbidden things of the Law whereby their very Garments were defiled And intimating to us under the Gospel That we ought to abstain even from all appearance of evil according to that of Paul 1 Thes 5. 22. And as we must hate sin in general so we must hate all sinne in every person A man would think there had been no great cause of offence for Jehosaphat to assist Ahab in the recovery of Ramoth Gilead They were both of the stock of Abraham joyned in affinity professed the same Religion the cause was just and the enemy an idolatrous Heathen Neverthelesse Jehu the Seer said unto Jehosaphat the King Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. And are there not too many amongst us that do professe much detestation against the miscarriages of such as are either averse or unprofitable to our designs whereas a little affinity or friendship or faction or the like carnal complyance will easily over-rule us to approve and patronize the most abomiâ—able actions Like wicked Ahab who hated the saving truth in the mouth of Micaiah because it was contrary to his intention and imbraced a pernitious lye from the mouths of his false Prophets because it was agreeable to his present resolution as in the 2 Chron. 18. Yea such is the damnable deceitfulnesse of self-love that many of us are thereby bewitched to censure those sins most severely in others which we our selves are ten times more notoriously guilty of And thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and dost the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God saith Paul Rom. 2. 3. Verily this carnal self-love must of necessity be turned into spiritual self-hatred either temporal or eternal For we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit such things as saith the same Apostle Rom. 2. 2. Nothing is so offensive unto God or so destructive to our selves as sin The pestilence in our bloud the poyson in our bowels and the sword in our sides all these together can but kill the body according to a temporary death But sin is of so desperate a strain that it destroyes both soul and body too and hurries them into eternal torments And therefore he that hateth not all sin and in all persons chiefly in himself his seeming hatred is Hypocrisie and his love to God and his own Soul is nothing bettter Therefore be not deceived God is not mocked Gal. 6. 7. Secondly hatred if 't is true and perfect it is impetuous or violent nothing will satisfie it but the death or the destruction of every thing whereon it resteth We finde that Esau hated his brother Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him And Esau said in his heart the dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob Genes 27. 41. And doubtlesse he had done as he intended had not the Lord his God preserved Jacob according to his power Gen. 32. 11. We likewise finde how that the sons of Jacob did hate their brother Joseph Gen. 37. 4. And they consulted together to slay him verse 20. And if we deal more kindly by our sins it is a sign we are but angry with them we do not hate them with a perfect hatred like that of David wherewith he did hate the haters of his God Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee And am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred Psal 139. 21 22. There are two great evils in and belonging unto every sin to wit the evil of iniquity Psal 32. 5. And the evil of punishment Lam. 3. 39. Whereof the first is essential and offensive to the spirit the second is accidental and offensive to the flesh And from hence it proceedeth that the spiritual man hateth sin for the iniquity thereof In reference to God But the carnal man is angry with sin onely because of the punishment thereof in relation to himself God is not in all his thoughts saith David Psal 10. 4. And therefore because he hateth not the iniquity which he ought to hate the punishment which he hateth shall fall upon him unto his confusion Gen. 4. 13. Whilest he which hateth that which God doth hate shall surely be approved of by God Rev. 2. 6. And therefore it will be of special use unto us to consider with what vehemency the Prophet David endeavoureth to aggravate the violence or the severity of his hatred against sin and sinners in his 101. Psalm Wherein he maketh divers protestations or promises unto this very purpose saying I will see no wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me verse 3. A froward heart shall depart from me I will not know a wicked person verse 4. Who so privily slandereth his neighbour him will I cut off him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer verse 5. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my hâ—use he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight verse 7. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the citie of the Lord verse 8. Thus
of his own Soul Not like a Christian but a Cretian Whilest he professeth that he knoweth God but in works he denieth him being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate As Tit. 1. 16. And it is impossible that any Reprobate should inherit the Kingdom of God Flesh and bloud cannot do it 1 Cor. 15. 50. Much lesse shall any thing enter thereinto That defileth or worketh abomination or maketh a lye Rev. 21. 27. And therefore this first Pretender this obstinate Offender hath no interest at all in this glorious inheritance The second Pretender thereunto is the Ignorant Infidel The fool that saith in his heart there is no God as Psal 14. 1. Haply with his mouth he may acknowledge a kinde of an unknown God Yet in his heart he conceiveth no otherwise of him then a meer fancy But if you come to shew him how that God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost are but one God Yet neverthelesse that God the Father did make a Covenant with God the Son according to the Testimony of God the Holy Ghost That this covenant was concluded purposely to redeem the world before the world was created and that by virtue of the same covenant it is as agreeable with Gods Justice to pardon sin as to punish it With the like necessary principles Why you tell him wonders so far above his capacity that he is resolved not to trouble his brains about them Truely all his actions do too much expresse his ignorance Whilest he walketh in the vanity of his minde having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him because of the blindnesse of his heart who being past feeling hath given himself over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse According to that of the Apostle Eph. 4. 17. 18 19. But he will alledge that if ignorance be an offence yet God will easily forgive it in regard it is a thing so general among simple people that were never brought up to much learning I answer First he must know that ignorance is an offence and a great one too For we finde that the Lord protested against it in his own Children Hear O Heavens saith he and give eare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters Crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Ah! sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquity c. Isa 1. 2. c. Secondly it shall not be forgiven For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God saith St. Paul 2 Thes 1. 7 8. And thirdly the generality thereof shall rather hasten then hinder the Justice of God to punish it We shall not need to runne over the whole word of God for the many examples of whole Cities and Kingdoms to prove the truth of this particular If we shall consider how and wherefore God destroyed the whole world except 8. persons as 1 Pet. 3. 20. If he alledgeth that it was for all sorts of sins and not for ignorance that God did inflict those general and universal judgements I answer that it is not ignorance simply considered which I do principally point at but ignorance circumstantiated ignorance with its effects and accessaries Not such a kind of ignorance as is in those whom we call Ideots who have no competent understanding either in things spiritual or natural Nor such an ignorance in things spiritual as is in those that never heard of the true God Both which I conceive to be the punishment of the first original sin rather then sin it self Neither are these excusable in the day of Judgement without Gods incomprehensible mercy and goodnesse which I dare neither question nor confine For the Apostle speaketh generally when he saith If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4. 3. And so doth our Saviour himself when he saith He that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 16. 16. But I intend such an ignorance in spiritual things as is in them that have the word of God amongst them or not far from them And yet either through contempt or wilfull neglect of the true light they will rather choose to walk in darknesse then either to seek after or to receive instruction And this kinde of ignorance is not onely such a great sin as shall be grievously punished But it is likewise the cause of all manner of sin whatsoever First it is such a great sin as shall be grievously punished Because I have called and ye refused saith the wisdom of God I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlewinde when distresse and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not finde me for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord Prov. 1. 24. to 30. And thus the Prophet Isaiah Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts and despised the word of the holy one of Israel therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people and he hath stretched forth his hand against them and hath smitten them and the Hills did tremble and their Carcases were torn in the midst of the streets c. Isaiah 5. 24 25. But he will alledge that it is no absolute signe of ignorance to reject the word of God he may be a wise man for all that I pray observe how the Lord answers him by his Prophet Jeremy How do ye say we are wise and the law of the Lord is with us Lo certainly in vain made he it the pen of the Scribes is in vain The wise men are ashamed they are dismayed and taken Lo they have rejected the word of Lord and what wisdom is in them Jer. 8. 8 9. A man may seem to be a wise man in his own opinion and in the opinion of other men too But the wisdom of this world is foolishnesse with God saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 2. 19. And oftentimes it proveth destructive to the owner thereof And therefore the Lord by his Prophet telleth the daughter of the Chaldeans That her wisdom and her knowledge hath perverted her Isa 47. 10. Verily to be carnally wise is to be spiritually foolish And as a wilfull or a carelesse ignorance is a great sinne and shall be grievously punished So in the next place ignorance in general is the cause of all manner of sin What should cause the covetous wretch to rake and scrape and heap up money upon money
and land upon land by right or by wrong But because he knoweth not that It is God onely that maketh poor and maketh rich that bringeth low and lifteth up as in 1 Sam. 2. 7. Because he knoweth not that A mans life or the happiness of mans a life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth as Luke 12. 15. Which our Saviour maketh plain by the Parable immediatly following Because he knoweth not that They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition as in the 1 Tim. 6. 9. That he that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his dayes and at his end shall be a fool as Jer. 17. 11. Peradventure he knows that these things are so written but he is not so wise as to consider or perswade himself of the truth thereof Would the temporizing fool depend upon the arm of flesh and wave still as the blast bloweth like a Reed shaken with every winde If he did know That the Lord changeth not as Mal. 3 6. Would any prophane person blaspheme the name of God contemne his Ordinances corrupt his truth or pollute his sabbaths If he did know that He is an holy God and a jealous God c. Iosh 24. 19. Durst the private Thief the secret Adulterer or the swinelike drunkard loose themselves in their base abominations their filthy deeds of darknesse If they knew that Darknesse hideth not from God and that darknesse and light are both alike to him as Psalm 139. 12. Or that nothing is secret that shall not be manifest neither any thing hid that shall not be known come abroad according to that of our Saviour Luke 8. 17. Or in a word durst any wicked Reprobate whatsoever delight and live in or by his odious and Soul-damning sins If he knew that The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodlinesse unrighteousnesse of men According to that of the Apostle Rom. 1. 18. But this ignorant Infidel will again alledge That there are many men that know as much of these things as any man can tell them and yet they continue in their sinnes neverthelesse Truely of all fools they are the greatest and most ridiculous that will make themselves enemies to God and slaves to the Devil and that knowingly and willingly Yet this proveth nothing to the contrary but that ignorance is the cause of sinne I conceive it will not be denied but that the Jews especially the Scribes and Pharisees were knowing men both in the Law the Prophets insomuch that they could not be ignorant that the Messias should come into the world Neverthelesse when he was come they cried out incessantly to have him Crucified Now albeit the death of the Messias was the greatest mercie that ever the Lord vouchsafed to the sons of men yet it was a most abominable sin in those that practised and procured it Thou couldest have no power at all against me saith our Saviour unto Pilate except it were given thee from above Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sinne John 19. 11. And those great sins which were committed in order to his death were carried on by ignorance as St. Peter affirmeth to the Jews saying Ye denied the holy one and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you and killed the Prince of life whom God hath raised from the dead whereof we are witnesses Acts 3. 14 15. And now brethren I wote that through ignorance ye did it as did also your Rulers verse 17. And to this very purpose is that of Saint Paul we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery saith he even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known it they would not have Crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 7 8. And can any man imagine that if Judas the Traitour had not been ignorant of the true value of his Lord and Master that ever he would have sold him for thirty pieces of silver and afterward have hanged himself upon the consideration of his bad bargain But this ignorant wretch will alledge yet further That he can say the Lords prayer the Creed the ten Commandments and he hopeth that this will be sufficient to save the Soul of a man that is altogether unlearned Truely I cannot deny the sanctified use of the Lords prayer as some do in these dayes for it is a very compleat and compendious form or pattern of prayer prescribed by the wisdom of God and therefore not to be rejected by the pride of man Yet many there are that do but onely say it and that without either benefit or comfort for there are many thousands that do not rightly understand so much as why they call God their Father That which we call the Apostles Creed containeth the substance or History of the Gospel But being barely or simply considered without particular application it will furnish us but with a bare Historical faith The Devils believe it and tremble neverthelesse And as for the ten Commandments they may shew him his transgression and so assure him of his damnation But they can never bring him to Heaven or so much as one step towards it unlesse they lead him to Christ and there leave him For there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Acts 4. 12. But his concluding and conquering Allegation as he conceiveth will be this He is confident that he shall do well enough yet For did not Paul tell Timothy That he was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious but he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief 1 Tim. 1. 13. Now the sins that he committeth are likewise ignorantly in unbelief And why should not he finde mercie as well as Paul Doubtlesse he shall if he ceaseth not to follow Paul's example But Paul obeyed Gods calling and conversion and was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision Acts 26. 19. And in reference thereunto instead of persecuting as in time past he preached the Gâ—spel which once he destroyed Gal. 1. 23. Whereas this wilfull wretch is still as ignorant in the truth as ever he was and so he is like to continue For though thou shouldest bray a fool in a morter among Wheat with a Pestel yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him saith the wise man Prov. 27. 22. These with many other blinde allegations he hath for ignorance will seldom or never be put to silence Neither is he without his evidence And it is this He believeth that he shall easily say Lord have mercie upon me at the last hour And then he doubteth not but all will he well enough For doth not the Prophet say That whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lond shall be saved
made to rejoyce with great joy c. Nehe. 12. 43. At that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures for the offerings for the first fruits and for the tythes to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law or appointed by the law for the Priests and Levites For Judah rejoyced for the Priests and for the Levites that waited verse 44. But especially the Ministery of the Gospel is to be rejoyced in As it is written How beautifull are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things Rom. 10. 15. And the ninth spiritual blessing is faith by which we are inabled to believe that these And all other Gospel mercies are treasured up for us and given out unto us in and by our Lord Jesus Christ whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory saith that Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 8. And St. Paul prayeth Now the God of all hope saith he fill you with all joy and peace in believing Rom. 15. 13. These are such Gospel mercies as are principally spiritual For they are either the assistants or the assurance or the substance of our spiritual and eternall happinesse And therefore much to be rejoyced in Those that are spirituallized are such things as are common in their own nature and do more eminently concern the pilgrimage of this our present life as being the providences and provisions pertaining thereunto And they may all be referred unto these two generall heads Namely Prosperity and Adversity These are the two large arms of providence with our God stretcheth over all his creatures And in both these the righteous man rejoyceth First his joy is more general As when the Object thereof is the prosperity of Gods Church according to that sweet incouragement Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoyce for joy with her all ye that mourn for her that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory Isa 66. 10 11. Secondly the joy of the godly is more particular as when it reflecteth upon those things that do more properly conduce to their own private prosperity Such are their preservations and deliverances I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble thou hast known my soul in adversities Thou hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy thou hast set my feet in a large room saith the Prophet David unto the Lord Psal 31. 7 8. And in the 32 Psalm verse 7. Thou art my hiding place thou shalt preserve me from trouble thou shalt compasse me about with songs of deliverance saith the same sweet singer of Israel Secondly the succesfull return of their prayers is the cause of their joy or rejoycing Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full saith our Lord and Saviour John 16. 24. But we have yet more particular and present Objects of our joy As first our wives live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the dayes of the life of thy vanity saith the Preacher Eccl. 9. 9. Secondly our children Thus Sara rejoyced in the child that God had given her Gen. 21. 6. Thirly our families and friends and all the good gifts of God Thou shult rejoyce in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee and unto thine house thou and the Levite and the stranger that is among you Deut. 26. 11. But you will say do not all men rejoyce in these necessary and convenient comforts of this life The Reprobate as well as the Righteous They do indeed but their affections differ as much as their profession or their practice The natural mans joy spends it self upon some supposed excellency in the Creatures As their usefulnesse their beauty their bravery their pleasure profit preferment or the like carnal cause of commendations Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majestie saith King Nebuchad-nezzar Dan. 4. 30. But they do not rejoyce in them as they are Gospel mercies gifts of grace for they scorne to own them as anothers purchace and they will have hold them and desire no favour But the spiritual man rejoyceth not so much in the goodnesse of the Creature as in the goodnesse of the Creator Not in the gift but in the giver He deriveth his interest in all good things from the just purchace of his Lord and Master He owns them as the blessings of his God and pledges of more large and lasting favours And he is carefull to dispose them to the glory of his Patron and Protectour He sees his God in all that he injoyes and so commends them to his gratefull Soul as Gospel mercies spiritualliz'd by grace But yet this spiritual joy is not compleat unlesse it smiles upon adversity What saith Job shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil Job 2. 10. Or shall we rejoyce in prosperity onely and shall we not rejoyce in adversity also Shall we bewayl Gods fatherly corrections Then surely 't is for want of exercise No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyons but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse to them that are exercised thereby Hebr. 12. 11. Verily it is Gods good pleasure to keep his Saints in the continual exercise of afflictions that so they may be able to run and not be weary and walk and not faint as Isa 40. 31. Thus he dealt with Paul and the rest of his Apostles Till Paul was able to take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake 2 Cor. 12. 10. And other of the Apostles to rejoyce That they were counted worthie to suffer shame for the name of Christ Acts 5. 41. Wherefore my brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations c. Ja. 1. 2. c. And the Apostle Peter Beloved think it not strange concerning the fierie tryal which is to trie you as though some strange thing hapned unto you But rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glorie shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy 1 Pet. 4. 12 13. And thus the Saints afflictions become the objects of their joy as Gospel mercies And through these passages their joy becometh a joy unspeakable and full of glory as 1 Pet. 1. 8. And not a compleat or a full joy onely but fulnesse of joy as Psal 16. 11. These six attendants ordinarily live in the presence of our Lord Christ Jesus New Life true Light and sound Humility Gospel Assurance safe Peace compleat Joy Which