over much in any of the good things below we may rejoice in our outward good things James 1.9 Let the Brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted that is let the Poor rejoice when he is made Rich Poverty is an Affliction and Riches are a Mercy and such a Mercy as we may rejoice in But though we may rejoice in every outward Mercy yet we may not rejoice overmuch in them particularly for the limits of this Joy they must be such as these 1. Joy not in any of these good things as if they were your happiness they may be Means to our happiness but must not be made the Matter of our happiness to make our Estates our happiness is to make them our God and the way to make us miserable he is a miserable Rich Man who maketh his Riches his Happiness 2. Joy not so much in them as to rejoyce ever the less in God You have so much need of God in the greatest Plenty and Prosperity as you have when you have nothing and you should so much thirst after the Joy of God in your greatest Worldly Joy as in your Sorrow Take not your Worldly Joy in stead of Joy in God think not to supply your want of Joy in God by the abounding of Worldly Joy You may as well feed your Souls with Meat and Drink you may as well provide for your Souls by your Money or Estates as comfort them by that Joy that ariseth out of these Earthly things Souls must have a God the Comfort of God the Joy of God to refresh them and support them that Soul is a Carnal Soul that can feed upon Carnal Joys you nevertheless need the Joy of God for any Worldly Joy and you must look to it that your Worldly Joys be never to that height as to lessen your esteem of the Joy of the Lord. The Joy of God will quench your thirst after the World and then the Joy of the World exceedeth it's Bounds when it quencheth your thirst after God and the light of his Countenance Thou art Rich thou art full and prosperest in the World thy Bull gendreth and faileth not thy Cow calveth c. thy Oxen are strong to labour thy Sheep bring forth Thousands and ten Thousands in the Streets and now thou hast Hearts Ease and rejoycest in thy Portion but how standest thou now in respect to God Is God ever the less needed Is God ever the less loved Is the Joy of God still thy chief Joy Or dost thou not even forget that thou hast a God or a Soul and leave it to them that have nothing below to rejoyce in God that is above What thinkest thou of thy self Hath this Earth eaten up Heaven Hath the Joy of this Earth swallowed up the Joy of the Lord Sure it hath transgressed its Bounds It may be thou wilt say as the Prophet Hab. 3.17 18. and it is well if thou canst say so Although the Fig-Tree doth not Blossom c Yet will I rejoyce in the Lord and Joy in the God of my Salvation When thou art Poor and in Want and hast nothing left thee in the World to comfort thine Heart in then thou wilt look to the Lord and he shall be thy Joy and thy Comfort but how is it with thee when the Fig-Tree doth Blossom when thou livest in the abundance of all things Dost thou then feel thou hast as much need of a God dost thou then take as much Joy in God canst thou say of all here below These are miserable Comforters if God be not my Comfort these are miserable Pleasures if God be not my Joy This is something and thus it should be 3. Rejoice with Trembling That 's the Psalmist's Counsel Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with Fear and rejoice with Trembling in allusion to that let me say Seek the World with Fear and rejoice in the World with Trembling let fear be a Bridle to prevent the excess of your Worldly Joy Fear what should we fear Why fear lest you should forget God lest that which is your Joy become your Snare and turn you aside from God lest your Joy in the World should prove Worldly Joy and serve for nothing but to feed and heighten your Worldly Lusts fear lest this Joy of the World should do the same by you as sometimes the Sorrows of the World do which the Apostle says 2 Cor. 7. Worketh Death fear lest it kill your Souls there is nothing that does more corrupt and endanger the Soul than Carnal Mirth Eccle. 11.9 Rejoice O young Man in thy Youth c. but what followeth Know that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment that is to Condemnation These Joys drag the Soul to the Bar of Justice and thence to Execution in the Fire There is scarce any thing that does Ripen Men faster for Ruin than the Mirth of the World Job 21.10 11. Their Bull gendreth and faileth not there 's the matter of their Joy their Children Dance they take the Timbrel and the Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ there 's the Measure and Expression of their Joy they are so lifted up that they must have the Musick and their Dancing to heighten their Mirth but what 's the end In a Moment they go down to the Grave and thence into the Bottomless Pit O the Madness of this Merry World That can see nothing in God to Joy them in and yet can rejoice in a thing of nought that undo themselves by their own Felicity their Joy and Mirth Joy is the sweetest Flower that grows in that Garden the Heart of Man and this Flower must be the Poyson to kill them and is never sweet to them but when it growes up out of a Dung-hill out of their Fleshly Lusts What Multitudes have surfeited and Died of their Carnal Mirth and yet foolish Souls will never fear it but this must be their only Heaven which leads to Hell what do these Carnal Joys serve for but to corrupt Men first and then to confound Men Worldly sorrow it 's said worketh Death but it may be said of Worldly Sorrow and Mirth as of David and Saul Saul hath slain his Thousands and David his ten Thousands Worldly Sorrow hath slain many but nothing so many as Carnal Mirth whilest that Saints wade through their Temporal Sorrows to everlasting Joy Sinners pass through their Worldly Joy to everlasting Sorrows Isa 50.11 Behold ye that kindle your Fires c. Here 1. Sinners have their Fires that is to comfort and chear and warm their Hearts these their comforting Fires are their Joy and Jollities 2. Sinners Fires are of their own kindling their comforts come not from God but they raise them up to themselves they comfort themselves and chear themselves but are not comforted of God 3. Sinners Fires are all but Sparks a Spark will not warm and will not last the Triumphing of the Wicked is short and the Joy of the Hypocrite is
to be religious but bridle not their tongues they pretend to be of circumcised hearts but are of uncircumcised lips 3. The unbridleness of their tongues is an evidence that their Religion is in vain When is Religion in vain Why when it cannot reach its end when it cannot save the soul and sure that Religion which cannot bridle the tongue cannot save the soul Man in what a case art thou Thou professest Religion and hopest for salvation but if thou art of an unbridled froward tongue thy Religion is vain and cannot save thee III. Frowardness hinders all that little Religion that such men have in the exercise of it it puts them besides Prayer or Reading or Meditation or spending one serious thought upon Eternity all Religion is thrust behind the doors when the froward fit is up Friends pray do not make light of this grievous evil turn every one of your eyes homeward and reflect upon your own spirits and carriages do not presently say I am not guilty or I am not much guilty this way it may be it is for want of observing thy self Look again and again how thou carriedst it at such a time how to such or such persons and you thaâ—â—re guilty do not make light of it do not count it aâ—â—ll fault Is that but a small evil which proves thee an hypocrite Where this evil reigns and is not checked nor controlled by thee is not mourned over nor art thou ashamed of it nor wilt resist it when this evil reigns it is a sign thou art but an hypocrite and thy religion is in vain Christians our Lord Jesus whose Disciples we profess our selves to be and to learn of him was meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11.29 and art thou his Disciple who art of a proud and furious spirit The Apostle tells us that a meek and quiet spirit is an ornament to the Gospel and of great price in the sight of God 1 Pet 3.4 If meekness be an ornament then frowardness is a blot and a blemish and a stain upon our Profession If meekness be pretious then frowardness is odious in the sight of God Wouldst thou make thy self a disgrace to the Gospel an odium and an abomination unto the Lord If thou wouldst not then cease from thy frowardness and study and follow after that gentleness that sweetness and candor and meekness of heart and behaviour which is so grateful both with God and men Friends though I would not say much yet finding it lie in my way I would not pass by this evil without saying something though but thus briefly to it But though I have said but little yet pray let not this little be forgotten especially by any such among you whose Consciences may tell you God hath sent this Word as an Item to me Doctr. from V. 26. Every foot hath his path There are two paths in one of which every one is walking There is the good path or way and there is the evil path These two are distinguished by their ends or term to which they lead that is the good path that leads to Good called the path of life Psalm 16.11 that is the evil path that leads to Evil the way of death and destruction Mat. 7. 2. By their Adjuncts or Qualities The good way is general the way of Holiness in particular the way of Humility Meekness Temperance Patience c. the way of Faith and Love and Prayer The evil way is the way of Sin in general and in particular it is either the way of Lying or the way of Covetousness or the way of Pride or Envy c. But here note â—â—at the good way is made up of all these good Qualities or else it cannot be the good way but any one of the evil Qualities makes the way evil He that is humble and is not temperate he that is temperate and is not patient he that is patient and is not merciful he whose life is not led in universal holiness that hath any one grace wanting is not in the good way one Fly spoils the whole Box. Christians must stand compleat in all the wills of God Col. 4.12 But for the evil way he that walks in any one particular branch of that his way is evil He that is not a Liar if he be a Swearer he that is not a Swearer if he be a Drunkard he that is not a Drunkard if he be Covetous he that is none of all these if he be carnal and walks after the flesh or any one particular Lust thereof he is in the evil way the path of sin if it be but any one sin that is our path or our way wherein we use and allow our selves to walk the path of sin is the way of death Now every one in the World hath his path is either in the good way the way of Holiness or the evil way the way of Sin And of those that are in the way of Sin some are in the way of the Proud others in the way of the Scornful others in the way of Lying others in the way of Covetousness every one hath his way Doctr. 2. Every path must be pondered To ponder our ways is to weigh and consider them the same which is charged Hag. 1.5 Consider your ways spend some deep and serious thoughts upon them Now there is 1. A consideration of the ways that we have hitherto gone on in A bethinking our selves a reviewing our course this is that which the Psalmist did Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways that I had hitherto been walking 〈◊〉 I thought and repented of what I had done I thought and turned And this is that for which Israel was reproved No man said what have I done No man said in his heart no man thought with himself what have I done For the Objects of these thoughts must be 1. The matters that we have done the particular actions of our lives Carnal men never observe or mark what they do they never review or reflect upon their actions How many words do â—â—en speak how many works are men engaged in that they never observe or mark or bestow one thought upon they cannot remember their ways because they do not observe their ways Think what you have been doing all your life long think what you have neglected to do and think what you have done and are doing to this day let your eye be upon the particular actions of your lives 2. The Quality of our ways whether they are good or evil whether they are holy or sinful Thy way hath been the way of Lying the way of Covetousness the way of Pride a carnal careless fleshly way think with thy self Is this a good way or an evil way do these my ways please God or are they contrary to God 3. The end of our ways or whither they tend and to what issue they will come at last Is this my way to God Is this the way of the everlasting Kingdom Is this the path
in an Army what would an Enemy desire more than to have the Army he was to fight against to be in a Mutiny amongst themselves the Devil will not doubt his Conquest whilst he can but keep all within you in disorder Mens Damnation does frequently begin in Thoughts evil Thoughts corrupt the Affections evil Affections corrupt the Manners and practice and evil works have their end in Destruction Never again make a light thing of Thoughts how many men are there who by giving themselves leave to be thinking of their Pleasures and thinking of their Gains and thinking of their Lascivious lustful Objects do think themselves into very Beasts first and then into Devils Job 31.1 I made a Covenant with mine eyes why then should I think upon a Maid The next to looking is thinking the eyes let in Fuel for the Thoughts the next to thinking is lusting the Thoughts provide Fuel for Lust the next to Lusting is Whoring and the next to Whoring is Death and the like in other Cases For the World the next to thinking is loving the next to loving is lusting and inordinate desiring the next to lusting is seeking and progging the next to seeking is getting and heaping up and loading our selves with thick Clay and the next to this is sinking and drowning our selves in Perdition and Destruction 2. These are the Evidences of what we are in respect to our Eternal State Men may judge themselves and come to know themselves by the Thoughts and Affections Rom. 8.7 To be carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace Those that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh and those that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit Where art thou Friend art thou in the way of Life or the way of Death why how may I tell that why where are your minds what are they running upon where are your Thoughts your most serious and delightful Thoughts are they in Heaven or on Earth on things Spiritual or on things Carnal where are your Affections working upwards or downwards Such as thy Thoughts and Affections are such is the State of thy Soul To be Carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace It 's true many serious Christians have too many Carnal Thoughts Vain and Wandring Thoughts but 't is their Affliction and 't is their care and endeavour to give check to such Thoughts but when the allowed Stream runs towards Earth and sin 't is a sign thou art an Earthly Fleshly Man and in the State of the Dead 3. There are Idols set up in the Heart after which if it be not well looked to it 's apt to go a Whoring It is true more or less of all men what is said of the Elders of Israel Ezek. 14.3 These men have set up their Idols in their Heart Whatsoever the Heart loves more than God whatever the Heart serves or seeks more than God yea whatever the Heart loves or serves or seeks ultimately for it self without respect to any higher end this is an Idol set up in the Heart those very men that abhor those Idols that are set up in the House or the Church that detest Saint-Worship or Image-Worship the Worshipping of Stocks or Stones or Pictures the work of mens hands yea that call that an Idol or Idolatry which God never called so that cry out Idolatry Idolatry against every thing that is not according to their own Minds even these very men may have set up their Idols in their Hearts The Heart hath multitudes of Idols set up in it there are in the Heart as the Apostle said 1 Cor. 5.8 there are in the world Gods many and Lords many The World is an Idol some men make their Lands and their Money their Gods though Job would not chap. 31.24 yet some mens Hearts will say to their Gold Thou art my God Others there are who make their Belly their God Whose God is their Belly Phil. 3.19 Others make their Honours and their Pleasures their God and these may be said to be as those 2 Tim. 3.4 Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God The Heart hath many Idols set up in it but the great Heart-Idol to which all the rest must stoop and serve is Self the World is served Honours are sought Pleasures are loved but all for the sake of Self Whatever Idol there be the great Idol is Self which is set up in the room of God Mans original Apostacy was his falling from God to Self and mans recovery to Christ is his bringing back from Self to God Therefore he tells the World that whoso will come along with him and be his disciple must deny himself Mat. 16.24 If any man Christ suffered that he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 And that he cannot do unless he come back from Self he departed from God when he declined to himself and he must deny himself that will return to the Lord. God and Self divide the whole world The most are for Self and there is not a man of all these for God some few are for God and every one of these have denyed and departed from Self Mens recovery by Christ is their returning from Self unto God but this Recovery is but imperfect this Self carnal Self I mean hath a Seat higher or lower in the best hearts There is a sinful Selfishness wherewith we still remain infected and there is still a danger even after our recovery of Apostacy to this Self again The great Idoll set up in the heart is self and the great Idolatry or going a whoring after this Idol the great heart Idolatry stands in these three things 1. Self-conceit 2. Self-will 3. Self-love 1. Self-conceit The magnifying our own Opinions the Idolizing our own apprehensions the growing wise in our own eyes and the resigning up our selves to the conduct and government of our own carnal Reasons or Understandings This Solomon intimates is an encroaching upon God yea denying of God he sets these two as Opposites one to another the acknowledging of God and the leaning to our own understandings Prov. 3.5 6. Lean not to thine own understanding in all thy wayes acknowledge him Intimating that whilest we lean to our own understandings we deny and do not acknowledge God It belongs to God as God to be the Supreme Guide and Dictator to us but when men take upon them to be so wise as that their own Opinions and Conceits must be their Guide they therein deny the God that is above Take heed of being self-conceited The worst of Sinners as blind as they are yet they are wise in their own eyes they think their Way is good and their State is good they have a conceit that their own way is best they have taken up conceits against the ways of God this strictness of Religion this Preciseness of Holiness they have a conceit 't is all but Nicety and Hypocrisie and that
Voice of Converts which was the Voice of the Church Isa 26.13 Other Lords have had Dominion over us but now by thee only will we make mentiom of thy Name they are Dead they shall not live they are Deceased they shall not rise the old Lord is dead it is Deceased and shall never rise sin shall no longer have Dominion over us the Devil shall no longer Will shall no longer have the Dominion over us to thee Lord to thee only do we resign up our selves I resign to the Lord I subscribe to the Lord I give the Hand to the Almighty and put my Neck under his Yoke for ever his I am and him alone will I serve This is Conversion this breaking off from under the Dominion of your own wills and resigning up to the will of the Lord. 2. He doth actually submit to and obey the will of God A Convert doth not only say I will submit I will obey but he doth submit he doth obey The old Will will be contending still for the Government but the Heart now answers as the Men of Sodom to Lot Gen. 19.9 Stand back this Fellow came in to sojourn and now he will be Lord. Stand back O my Carnal Will stand back this Stranger shall no longer be Lord over me I have resign'd up my self to the Lord and him will I obey Yea and his will it doth obey this is the will of God that he repent and the Convert doth repent this is the will of God that he be Holy and harmless that he walk in all the Commands of God blameless and this he sets his Heart to do Psal 119.3 They do no iniquity they walk in his ways 3. Yet the will is not so broken but that this Self and Flesh hath a Root remaining in it and this Root will be Springing and growing up again like that Root of Bitterness mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 12.15 That Root of Malice that Root bearing Gall and Wormwood the Apostle warns them to look to it that it spring not up again to trouble and defile them this Root that Self hath even in the will of Converts how often doth it actually spring up and trouble and defile them There 's scarcely any business but self will have a stroak in doing of it there 's scarcely any Duty but Self strikes in and spoils it in the performance O how much of this self-will'dness is there to be found even amongst Christians How often is it that their wills are set upon vanity and how strongly are they often set upon their own wills How heady and wilful are they in their way What stiffness and tenaciousness is there of their own purposes They will not be advised nor perswaded out of their course though as to the main they have resigned themselves up to the will of God yet in many particular Cases either upon mistakes in their Opinions or being overswayed by corruption they are head-strong in their way and will not be turned back When they come to themselves it is their shame and affliction it should be so yet too often so it is that this self-will'dness carries them on even against Counsel and Conscience It 's true where this self-will does carry the main stroak in the Life where the ordinary course and way of the Life is Governed by will there 's no Conversion but there 's no Convert but more or less does groan under the Usurpation and Tyranny of this Self and Flesh You that are Christians would never have liv'd as sometimes you have done would never have carried it as sometimes you have so much against Judgment and Counsel and the most serious advices if Will had not had too much power over you We should be even all of us more considerate and deliberate in our goings we should be more easily intreated and perswaded back from running headlong on in some of those wayes which cost us sorrow afterwards if this self-will'dness had not prevailed in us 4. Therefore there is a necessity that the Heart be kept under Government The Government of the Heart is to the same end and of the same necessity as the Government of a Kingdom The Government of a Kingdom is to be for the encourageing of the good and for the terrour and suppression of the evil Rom. 13.3 And to the same end is the Government of the Heart to foster and cherish and maintain and keep alive the good that is in it and to crush and keep under the evil that is in it If self-will hath an evil Root in the Heart if this evil Root be apt to spring up then is there necessity of governing the Heart to keep it under To the governing the Heart is necessary a double instrument a Spur and a Curb a Spur to the good that is in us to quicken Grace and keep it in action a Curb to that which is evil in us to curb and hold under corruption these two instruments of Government are the reward and punishment the blessed reward will be a Spur to Grace the punishment to come will be a Curb to Lust and Flesh the eying these two great recompences of reward Glory and Wrath the holding the sense of that Life and Death upon the Heart is a great part of our excercising this Government upon us thy self-will is such an obstinate Enemy as nothing but Fire and Sword the Fire of Divine Indignation and the Sword of Divine vengeance will conquer and subdue it There must be Government and there must be severe penalties kept in sight or there 's no good to be done Friends If ever you would Conquer this self-will'dness shew it the Fire the Racks the Gridirons the Gibbets the everlasting Prison that it 's rushing and hurrying you upon Self-will'dness is not only a kicking against the Pricks but a running upon the Pikes of Divine Vengeance thou art heady and wilful in thy way thou art set upon thine own will whatever thou likest and art pleased with thou art so set upon it that there 's no perswading thee back but be advised take heed if thou wilt be wilful at thy Peril be it look before thee to the precipice by which this self-will'dness is tumbling thee headlong down into the Everlasting Pit whenever you feel Will begin to rise and work work against Reason work against Conscience work towards iniquity and vanity when you feel this self-will getting up lay hold on the Bridle put on the Curb give check to it with all your might look towards the land of Darkness whither it 's carrying thee when the fit is up the wilful fit for though there be an abiding habit of wilfulness in the Heart yet it comes forth but by fits when the wilful fit is up think Lord what now Whither is this wilful will driving me What will be its Fruits and Wages What end am I like to come to if this be my way Stop Oh my wretched Heart strike sail Oh my obstinate will take
Rejoyce not so as to forget your own Sins or your Brethrens Afflictions 1. So as not to forget your Sins 1. Rejoyce not so in the Lord as to forget your Sins against God Your Joy must arise from this that God hath forgotten them but though God hath forgotten you must remember them they must still stand written in your own Book though God hath blotted them out of his 1. Forget not in your Joy the Sins that you are guilty of that so you may rejoyce with Mourning we are apt in our rejoycing to forget our sins if we do not remember our sins when we are lifted up in Joy we are too apt to be puffed up with Pride Godly sorrow will be of the same use to us in our rejoycing as Paul's Thorn in the Flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 to prevent our being exalted above Measure That Joy which killeth Godly Sorrow whilest we are here what a Divine Tincture soever it seems to have 't is suspicious that it is not the right Joy the more solid Joy of the Saints hath it's Foundation in Godly Sorrow When we consider what great things the Lord hath done for our Souls how he hath Regenerated reconciled and called us by his Grace pulled us as Brands out of the Burning and raised us as Worms out of the Dunghill and made us sit together with Christ in Heavenly Places cloathed with Garments of Salvation and made us to shine forth in his Image when we remember what the Lord is to us our Rock our Refuge our Father our All-sufficient Portion all Love and Life all Bowels Compassions and everlasting Consolation when we remember this and therein do rejoyce we must then consider But what have I been to him What have I done against him who hath done so great things for me What an unworthy Wretch what a sinful Polluted and unthankful Creature am I God hath loved me God hath saved me the Lord God is become my God and herein I do and I will rejoyce but woe is me I have sinned against the God of my Mercy and therefore I will rejoyce with Mourning whilest I Joy in the Lord I will weep over my sinful unworthy and guilty Soul Whilest you say with the Psalmist Psal 66.16 Come unto me all ye that fear the Lord and I will tell you tell you with Joy tell you with Praise what he hath done for my Soul what a gracious God what a Compassionate Merciful God I have found him to be to me whilest you say thus Come and I will tell you what God hath done for me you must say also Come and I will tell you tell you with shame tell you with sorrow what my Soul hath done against God O how vile have I been How Proud and how false to God How many wayes guilty before him of neglecting of abusing of walking unworthy of his wonderful Love The Lord is my God therein I will rejoyce I have sinned against God and for these things I weep and lament 2. Not so as to forget the sins that have been Conquered by us that we may rejoyce in Triumph the Victories that we have gotten over sin will be both an advance to our Joy in God and the Evidence of the sincerity of that Joy Those that are still in the Chains and Fetters of Lust in whom their Pride or their Covetousness or their Frowardness doth still Lord it over them and can yet rejoyce in God it is to be doubted that their Joy is false and foolish Joy a Light of their own Sparks and no Divine Sun-beam fear that Joy and trample upon it which will consist with a Slavery to Lust as the Apostle sayes concerning Death 1 Cor. 15.57 so should we concerning Sin Thanks be to God that hath given us the Victory this is Matter of Praise this is Matter of Joy When the Israelites saw the Egyptians Dead upon the Sea-Shore Exod. 14.30 then they Sang a Song of Joy and Praise Luke 10.20 Rejoyce not that the Devils are subject to you that is that you have Power to cast the Devils out of Possessed Bodies Rejoyce not that is not so much in this but rather rejoyce that your Names are written in Heaven and that 's the same with this Rejoyce not that the Devils are cast out by you but that your sins are Conquered by you Victory over sin is an Evidence of our Title to Glory next to the Blood of the Lamb the Blood of our mortified sins is the best Ink to write our Names in the Book of Life Rev. 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the House of my God and I will write upon him the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my God c. Christians what have you done in your War against Sin What work have you made with those Lusts which War in your Members Can you tell of any Conquest you have gotten Where be the Persons among you that can say This Heart was once a Proud Heart but now through the Grace of God 't is more humble this Heart was once a froward Heart but now through Mercy it 's become meek the Lion is become a Lamb this Heart was once a Covetous Heart an Hungry greedy Heart all Earth and Earthy clogged and chained to this World by its Worldly Lusts but now through Grace the Cloggs are knocked off the Chain is broken and my Soul is gotten loose from this Earth and can now despise it in comparison of God and the things above Friends have you any of you experiences of any such Victories Forget them not keep them by you and in the day of your rejoycing in God let your Eye be upon these your Conquests of Sin and this will be a means that your joy will be the more full then will you Triumph in Christ Jesus when with your Conquering Captain you have your Enemies in Chains 3. Not so as to forget the Sins that we are in danger of but to rejoyce with trembling we are still in our Warfare and how far forth soever we have Prospered in it we have Enemies still before us that we are in perpetual danger of therefore as it is said let not him boast so let not him rejoyce that 's putting on his Armour as if he were putting it off The Canaanite is still in the Land sin lies at the Door and will be upon you if you stand not upon your guard Christians must build up themselves in their Holy joy as the Jews built the Wall of Jerusalem Nehem. 4.17 They must have a Trowel in one Hand and a Sword in the other they must Build and Watch Build and Fight there is an evil Worm that is apt to grow out of our Joy which will overthrow and devour it and that is Security or secure Confidence It was this that spoiled the Psalmist's Joy who was a better Man and a Wiser than any of us Psal 30.6 7. I said in my Prosperity I should never be moved