Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A61221
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Of happiness wherein it is fully and particularly manifested that the great happiness of this life consisteth in the fear of God and keeping his commandments in opposition to the pleasures of sin or the pretended conveniency of disobdience / by Richard Stafford.
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Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing S5128; ESTC R29533
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599,907
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686
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have abundance and Variety of Meat Drink and Raiment Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God accepteth thy Works Eccles 9. 7. Whatever thy Fare be take it with a contented mind for he is well-pleased with thy doings feed on with Comfort for he sanctifieth it to thee Is thy Bread course Thou hast an healthy good Stomach and be satisfied for a little while Thou art called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Rev. 19. 9. Is thy Liquor small Yet quench thy thirst therewith at present For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you Deut. 12. 9. Thou shalt drink new Wine in his Kingdom Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hand happy shalt thâ—u be and it shall be well with thee Thy wife shall be as a fruitful Vine by the side of thine House thy Children like Olive Branches round about thy Table Psal 128. 2 3. There is unexpressible comfort in conjugal Love when others in unlawful Mixtures meet with nothing Ezek. 16. 45. but Repentance and Loathsomeness and then his Children are more dear to him then the seed of the Adulâ—erer Sons of Whoredom or of those vilest Men who are without natural affection Rom. 1. 31. Who is thus blessed at Home doth not so much resort forth to the Ale-House He doth not wring tears from his Family least he should bring them to a morsel of Bread neither doth he spend that for himself which they want indeed he hath as much liberty and right to good Drink as others which he accordingly receives with Moderation and so hath more enjoyment of it for he hath all the pleasure but none of the sin and inconvenience which attend those who add Drunkenness to Thirst They for the time forget then cares and misery which are either regrets of Conscience or misfortunes of the World but our good Man hath not the first as for the latter he can comfort and remedy himself a better way He can trust in God have recourse to his Word pacifie himself with faith and hope of better things to come look upon the example of Saints heretofore from hence springs up greater and more enduring comfort then from the sparklings of Wine or heaviness of Ale. He hath an excellent end to himself in what he doth for he labours to eat and he eats to live and he lives to know and serve the Lord which tends toward the receiving according to his gracious Promises Eternal Glory and Reward If he doth now find weariness in work it shall not be so always the times of refreshing will come This life was not given to follow after ease and pleasure and though the practice of several seems to the contrary yet they may come to affirm it would have been better for them if they had taken the same honest pains as themselves saw others did God will not forget the labour and care of some who had just food and raiment or not consider the Jollity and Wantonness of others who did neither Sow nor Spin â—et devoured the fatness of the Earth and were arrayed in the best apparel All things will be set aright at the last the very reflection or looking back if nothing more be added when they are both past will set them equal for what difference is between him who had a pleasant or troublesome Voyage when over It will be an addition to the happiness of Heaven the more tribulation one comes out of from the World. Let the mean person be sure to abound in love and zeal for God it shall go as well with him at last as with his rich Neighbours there is not such a vast difference as some would be apt to think between his and their present contentment if any exceeding upon the strict survey it may be found of his side That Man is most happy who is so at the end Every Sun-setting sets him one step further to Day more then Yesterday to Morrow he comes yet more nigh He goes on from Sabbath to Sabbath from one Festival to another towards the place of Eternal Rest and Rejoycing He confesses himself to be a Stranger and Pilgrim upon Earth and declares plainly that he seeks a Country Heb. 11. 13 14. Not that which he is in already for he must not continue herein and therefore desires a more lasting Country let others do what they will for his part he will make it the greatest and only business of his life to get thither The bare hopes whereof do yield him mighty support under the most heavy and wearisome labours these will be ended and the Angels shall carry him into Abraham Bosome a place of sweet repose When he comes upon the Bed of last Sickness he shall rest thereon Being assured he is going into a better State he can lye down in quietness and have rejoycing within when the outward Man is giving up the Ghost That God whom he hath sincerely served throughout his life will deal bountifully with him at last Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful over a few things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. What were his past services to be so highly commended by our God His only Son was pleased to say Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit John 15. 8. Lord thou hast but what is thine own from thee alone did proceed what thou graciously vouchsafest to accept He gives grace to enable us here and rewards with glory hereafter Who can sufficiently admire his love and goodness He might have commanded us to go through Fire and Water to have done some hard thing before we should arrive at his Kingdom but he hath brought us into a wealthy place where we enjoyed inward peace of mind and had all things necessary for our bodies where we did meet with but little evil and hardship not worthy to be accounted so What is become of that light affliction which was for a Moment now we are possest of the exceeding and eternal weight of Glory How slender a matter is the denial of a lust or crossing a corrupt inclination seeing we are entred into life and enjoy as great Happiness as the powers of Soul are capable of receiving Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart Psal 73. 1. He is loving to every Man but the greatest part did reject his goodness What Enemies were they to themselves But blessed are those who did not forsake their God as the wicked do Whither should we have went but unto him who then held forth the Words of Eternal Life and now gives the thing it self When we were in the Wilderness he was our Guide and Comfort in the Waâ— Others catcht at every thing they found there and could not be satisfied whilst we used it as we passed through did thank our God he made it so commodious to sojourn in but
places from whence he lifts up his Eyes and as he surveys the Creation in the height in the length and breadth all things appeaâ— little and inconsiderable below As he there takes a Prospect he is not ravished with the glittering Pomp of Worldly Grandeâ—r A numerous Army make a goodly shew to By-standers but seems to him as a Company of fabulous Pigmies and the greatest Commander is looked on as a small despicable Creature Populous Cities and all the Inhabitants thereof are as a Bee-hive some going in and some coming out Men walking in a vain Shew and disquieted in vain Ps 39. 6. The best way to despise the World is to behold it from some great exceeding high Mountain By meditation in Retirement and observation in the Streets we may at length have a true apprehension of the very Nature of things freed from that deceitful varnish and appearance But they are discovered to be transient little and unsatisfactory so there is less Temptation to fix up a Rest here but we are moved to seek that which remaineth for the People of God. If we did always run up and down the City we should not be so sensible of this the Heart will not Soar up where true Joys are only to be found when it is pressed down with the fancied Delight of Buying Selling and getting Gain It is necessary to come out from Worldly business and to be alone Which is not so unpleasant as commonly imagined according as the Person is A good Man is satisfied from himself Prov. 14. 14. As he walks out in the Fields to meditate he is as well pleased as others in great and jovial Company A Bird sings sweetly within Thoughts of innocence and the good he hath done and will continue in afford more Complacency then all the Variety of the World. The ungodly are not so Pâ— 1. 4. for what is the others Comfort is Torment to them They run to the Covert of Taverns and Alehouses and intermix with the Herd of fellow-Creatures if they may lose the Sense of their Disturber They keep still in some Company for there is no such security against their supposed Enemy These hate and declaim against Solitariness for thereby the remembrance of Sin and Guilt those accusings and fears would be stirred up which are so afflicting that if they will not obey and come to Repentance they cannot endure what prompts to this good end Yet such pass in the World for happy brisk Men and seem an unansweraâ—le Objection against the intended illustration That great shew of Mirtâ— and Jollity make half thinking People judge them to be in a Blessed condition It is to be known that all the Pleasures of sin are only outwards they are loud and visible when there is no inward and sensible rejoycing Or like a flash of Lightning they may transport for a moment when the mind is more Dark and Cloudy afterwards Take them amidst good Fellowship they are at first heavy till their Spirits are revived by strength of Liquor Hence drinking is so much in Fashion there is a deep Melancholy in its Followers by contracted Guilt that they cannot be really chearful till half Drunk and they cannot Laugh heartily till this hath caused them to stammer and bubble at the Mouth The most jovial Companion out of his Cups is no more then others 'T is an excuse in every Mans mouth they drink only for the sake of Company Each Person will say he had rather not and then it is a frivolous and false Pretence for the whole cannot be desirous of that whereof no part is But this is a Fig-leave to cover the shame of this sin for they will speak against it with their Tongue when they wish in their Heart to be pouring down knowing they cannot be Merry till they have had some quantity thereof Company is nothing worth if they have not some of the good Creature to exercise themselves withal The Lethargy of sin hath brought them into such a Damp that they are scarce â—nlivened till they find this stir in their Bodies The Clamours of Conscience are drowned with the noise of Company chaunting to the Viol and other kinds of Musick They comply with and approve of the ungodly Speeches and Actions of those they converse with They drink with the Drunkard Talk Lasciviously with the unclean Frame their Mouth to common Swearing by reason whereof the Land mourneth Jer. 23. 10. Their chief aim being recommend to themselves to Company they will rather please a parcel of dying Men then the ever-living God and will give Preference to Earth-Worms before him who is over all God blessed for ever They use Flattery invent Lies rather then spoil a pleasant Story take part with the Advocates for sin Either they do it themselves or silently hear the way of Truth evil spoken of thinking by this base obsequiousness to retain Friends Thus they treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Rom 2. 5. And though they seem never so Cheerful in prophane Talk Scoffers and walking after their own ungodly Lusts though they make a shew not to value his displeasure and threatnings Yet The Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming Ps 37. 13. Which will be upon him whether he thinks of it or not When thou criest let thy Companies deliver thee but the wind shall carry them all away Isa 57. 13. Before the last great Evil day cometh he doth commonly fall into some dangerous and doubtful Sickness And then if he looks back upon his Life past and forward to the approaching Judgment he is possest with Horror and strange Amazement Like a wild Bull in a Net full of the fury of the Lord. Then he thinks Had I followed Goodness half so eagerly as my Lusts I should not now be in this miserable Condition What Fruit have 〈◊〉 of all past Jollities and sinful Pleasures What hath Lust profited me or what good hath all pleasant Cups done me All these are passed away like a shadow I see now the Vanity of these things and shall I again pursue them No I will not if God is pleased to grant that I may recover I resolve on an intire Reformation The Lord is not willing any should Perish but that all should come to Repentance 2 Pet. 3. 9. He did defer the Judgment upon Ahab for his temporary Humiliation so it may be observed in the general Order of his good Providence that he doth seldom cut off any in the midst of their Sins without having given them warning by outward affliction or some Sickness before which is not unto Death but the Glory of him in sparing Sinners so long and for the benefit of them if they did make a right use of it And commonly in their first Chastisements they have such thoughts which in some are lasting and sincere spending the Residue of their Life in Gods Service but with others they lye on the surface of the Heart and are taken away