If I were able I would pray more if I were able to remember more I would hear more but because of my disability I am discouraged from duty I know this is my my misery if I do not read and hear and pray and if I do these duties this is my further misery that I sin in the performance of them This is natures plea and in answer thereto consider 1. That thy impotency doth not not nullify thy obligation to a moral law Though thou art unable to perform duty that doth not free thee from thy tie to duty thou art bound to do duty though thou canst not do it well If thou hast lost ability to obey see thou to that God hath not lost authority to command natural impotency can give no excuse to wilful neglect 2. Suppose this be true that thou art unable to do duty yet consider that thy ability herein depends upon Gods promise not upon thy own strength thou art unable but God is not unable thou art under a promise do thou set upon the performance of duty and God hath promised his Spirits assistance 3. Consider that there is lesse evill in the performance of a duty though thou sinnest in the manner of doing it then in a total omission that man sinnes lesse which prayes and doth not pray well then that man which doth not pray at all Indeed defects in duty they break part of a command but total neglects they break the whole command the duty is essential but the defect is but accidental Sermon XXI At Lawrence Jewry London Januar. 6. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Proceed now to lay down some other pleas which corrupt nature makes to divert us from duty I have layed down eight already the next in order is this 9. From the austerity that men perceive in the duties of Religion what will the flesh tell a man If thou devotest thy selfe to holy exercises Spiritus Calvinianus est spiritus melancholicus thou doest but give thy self to a rigid course of life and thereby abridge thy selfe of many lawful pleasures Calvinisme say the Papists makes men melancholy This is a great prejudice to many men unexperienced in the way of holinesse and to this I have three things to answer 1. There is not so much austerity in the exercises of Religion now under the Gospel as there was under the Law The worship under the Law was a very austere worship they were to sacrifice their â—ulâ—ocks out of the stall and their sheep out of their flocks and they were to go out of all the regions of Judea once a year to Jerusalem to worship and so the Apostle speaks also of circumcision That it was a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear Acts 15.10 But now for the duties under the New Testament God doth not require you to offer your beasts for a sacrifice but rather your lusts He requires not any thing which is laborious and painful he requires not the circumcision of your flesh but the circumcision of your hearts That man which complaines of the austerity of Gospel-duties if he were a Jew he would then complain much more Gospel-Ordinances they are easie Christ calls al such as are weary heavy-laden to come to him Matth. 11.28,29,30 they shall find rest and to take his yoke upon them and to learne of him for his yoke is easie and his burden is light The invitation is to imbrace the Christian Religion in opposition to the Jewish religion which was a heavy yoke but sayes Christ Take my yoke for it is easie that is walk in a Christian course and you shall finde ease and rest to your soules 2. Thou which art kept off from the exercises of Religion because thou fearest thereby thou shalt be abridged of thy joyes and delights in the world consider that the duties of Religion they will not extirpate and nullify thy joyes but only regulate them not remove but raise your delights Religion it is not a mattock to digge up your joyes by the roots but a pruning-hook to pare and cut off your luxurious branches 3. Know that there are none that have more ground of joy then those who are most consciencious and careful in the performance of the duties of Religion Rom. 15.13 There is joy and peace to be had in believing as the Apostle tells you there is none before nor none without believing and as the Apostle Peter tells you Believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 It is not spoken of the joy which shall be in heaven but of the joy which believers have in this world love to Jesus Christ and believing in Jesus Christ it fills the soul with joy and glory in this life You may tell all the dimensions of an outward joy but the joy of a believer it is a joy unspeakable and a joy full of glory 10. Another plea of corrupt nature is this that you have done enough already that you have spent so many yeares in a course of Religion so many yeares you have been a professor and what need you more Thus Jehu he thought he had done enough in destroying Baal and therefore he needed not to put down the Calves This is a pleawhich many times takes off the heart from further progresse and I have three things to speak to it 1. The people of God in former ages they never used to make this a plea nay they have been of a quite contrary temper Phil. 3.13,14 Paul tells you that He forgot those things which were behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse toward the mark that is I forget all my part past duties and performances I will not rest contented in them but I will presse forward If I have done much good I will do more good oh therefore be thou as abundant in duty for time to come as if thou hadst never been imployed in duty for time past 2. The Scripture doth make your abounding in duty in former time to be an argument why you should abound more in after time hast thou prayed and heard much formerly hear more hereafter this the Apostle makes an argument unto the Corinthians 2 Cor. 8 7. that as they had abounded in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all diligence and love so also they should abound in a charitable contribution to the poor Saints that were at Jerusalem and sayes he as you have abounded so abound in this grace also Phil. ver 8,9 And as Paul to Philemon in that Epistle sayes he Shew mercy to Onesimus why for thou hast shewed mercy thou hast refreshed the bowels of the Saints refresh this also so that if you have been much in duty it is an
you there is a clashing between Gods will and yours as if God did not so well know how to deal with you as you do with your selves else you would quietly submit to his will 3. Another evill cause from whence this immoderate sorrow ariseth is ignorance both of the vanity of temporall things and the reality of spirituall things we discover thereby that we think temporall things to have more worth in them then indeed they have and spirituall things lesse But 2dly As it proceeds from evill causes so it produceth evill effects there are these five evill effects that immoderate sorrow produceth as 1. It prejudiceth your naturall health 2 Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow worketh repentance never to be repented of but worldly sorrow causeth death And Solomon tells us a sorrowfull spirit drieth up the bones Prov. 17.22 so saies David in Psal 31.10 my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing my bones are consumed 2. It is a blemish to Religion for a Christian to be excessive in his sorrows for the joy of the Lord should be his strength A godly Christian hath alwayes cause of joy unspeakable and full of glory therefore it is a blemish to Christianity to see a godly man overpressed with worldly sorrow it is an aspersion upon Religion for a godly man to hang down his head for the losse of any outward things as if he had no greater concernments to look after no joy nor comfort nor happiness to look after but here in this life 3. It exceedingly indisposeth the heart to holy and spirituall duties it hinders and interrupts you in hearing the word and prayer Exod. 6.9 They hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and cruel bondage c. Psal 77.4 I am so troubled that I cannot speak 4. Excessive sorrow imbitters those sweet and comfortable mercies you do injoy a thousand mercies are buried under the excessive sorrow for one affliction as in Gen. 37.35 the place before quoted Jacob did so extreamly mourn for Joseph his youngest Sonne which he supposed to be dead that though he had eleven Sonnes and many Daughters and all of them came to comfort him yet he could take no comfort in any of them but resolved that his gray hairs should go down to the grave in mourning for him this one excessive sorrow for Joseph did imbitter many mercies and comforts which he did injoy So Esther 5.13 though Haman was admitted to the greatest intimacy familiarity with the King yet all this availed him nothing so long as he saw Mordecai sitting at the Kings Gate in this regard many men discover a temper much like the Hedg-hog which as naturalists tell us hath this property it will gather a great many apples or such like fruit upon his bristles and then go to a Hedge and eat them but it is so mournfull a Creature that if it chance but to let fall one of his apples by the way it will so vex and trouble him that he will throw down all the rest So many men if they meet but with one cross or affliction it will make them throw away all the other mercies they enjoy and take no comfort in any of them 5. Excessive sorrow for worldly crosses provokes God many times to send heavier and greater afflictions then ever yet you suffered As I told you before a stubborn Child that blubbers and cries and murmurs under the Fathers corrections will fare the worse and have the more blowes for it so the more we repine and immoderately grieve for any worldly afflictions the more crosses and troubles we are like to have And thus I have done with the second question why Christians should take heed of immoderacie and excessiveness in worldly sorrows We come now to lay down some considerations whereby to allay your sorrows but I must leave that till the afternoon I shall onely for the present make a short application of what hath been said and so have done Vse Vse Is it so that Christians should not be excessive in worldly sorrows but weep as if they wept not then this reproves those that can mourn for every crosse that befalls them but yet cannot shed a teare for any sin they commit Many men complain of small inconsiderable troubles and affliction but yet never complain of their sins and corruptions these never trouble them nor come near their hearts they can mourn for that which can but at most prejudice the body and yet never grieve for that which can prejudice and destroy their soules 2. I beseech you beloved take heed of being lavish of your teares for worldly crosses or afflictions it is pitty to wash a foul Room with sweet water I must needs tell you teares are too pretious to shâ—d for every trifle it were a great deal better you would keep this pretious water to wash away your sins for though it is Christs blood alone that can wash away the guilt of sin yet your teares may much conduce to wash away the filth and power of sin When you mourn for worldly crosses then weep as if you wept not but when you mourn for sin mourn as much as you can Be like yee before the Sun that will soon melt and convert into water you that are the Children of God know that you have greater things and of higher concernment to bestow your teares upon then any outward troubles you have daily failings and many sins and corruptions unmortified and unsubdued and the losse of the light of Gods countenance to mourn for your sorrows never run aright but when they run in this Channel when your tears run into the Mill-pond to grind your lusts and corruptions to consume and weaken them then are your sorrows right and regular Lastly Let me intreat and advise you not to mistake in reference to your sorrows to think you do mourn and grieve for sin when it is only for outward afflictions Many men when their Neighbours aske them why they are so sad and mournfull and weep so much will be ready to say it is for their sins and failings and corruptions that are too strong for them or the like when indeed it is only for some crosse or outward trouble they have met with therefore do not mistake that sorrow to be for your sins which is onely or especially for some outward affliction you have met with SERMON 2. WEe come now to the third Question which I shall spend this whole Aftemoon upon and that is this to lay down to you 12 considerations whereby to allay and keep under immoderateness and excessive sorrow for any worldly crosses or afflictions and how to keep our selves in the frame and temper of spirit which the Apostle here enjoyns us namely to weep as if we wept not I told you in the morning God would not have us stupid and insensible of his hand in any affliction but yet as we should not be stoicall so neither must we be excessive in our sorrows I have
too much when he so blubbers and cries the tears trickling down his eyes that he cannot see his Letters nor read his Book so a Christian grieves too much for his corruptions when he cannot see nor blesse God for those graces he gives him 2. You grieve over-much for sin when it doth damne and darken your evidences for Heaven when a Christian does so pore upon his sins and discover such cause of grief and sorrow from them that he never looks into his own heart to see what cause of joy he hath there in having an assurance of his interest in Christ and a right and title unto glory Beloved God would not have one grace to justle out another sorrow for sin is a grace but yet God would not have this to justle out spirituall joy When a Christian does so grieve for sin that he casts away all hopes of Heaven then his forrow is excessive when he grieves and blubbers so that he cannot read his evidences for Heaven 3dly Sorrowing for sin is excessive when it laies discouragements upon the soul to come in to Christ for pardon and remission when a man shall so grieve for sin that he dares not venture to look up to Jesus Christ for mercy and to lay hold upon a promise for his comfort when a sinner does thus then he mourns excessively If the Children of Israel in the wilderness when they were stung of the fiery Serpents had not had the boldness to look up to the Brazen Serpent they could not have been healed and recovered so when sorrow for sin makes us that we cannot look up to Christ for pardon then it is excessive Sorrow and teares for sin are never right till they are like floods of water to drive us to Christ Fourthly sorrow for sin is then immoderate when it so overwhelms you that you can take no comfort in the outward blessings that God hath given you as Houses or Lands or Corne or Wine or the like When a Christians sorrow for sin doth so damp his spirits that he cannot take that outward joy and lawful complacency in worldly comforts that God allowes him then is your sorrow inordinate though many think that God allowes that sin should be so bitter to them yet it is no such matter you must be sorry for sin and yet take comfort in the outward blessings that God bestowes upon you Fifthly Sorrow for sin is inordinate when it puts a man into an incapacity to receive comforts from the Gospel when a Christian shall see his sin so great and his case so sad that if you tender the promises of the Gospel to him they are as things of no worth to him he thinks they do not belong to him and therefore can find no comfort nor savour in any of them When a man shall be obstinate and peremptorily stand out against the comforts of the Gospel because of his sin then is his sorrow inordinate Thus Asaph did in Psal 74.2 saies he I was in trouble and my soul refused to be comforted When a mans condition is sad and yet he refuseth to be comforted then is his sorrow excessive Sixthly Then is sorrow for sin immoderate when it disables or indisposeth a man to perform his duty either in his generall or particular calling when it doth indispose him to the duties of his generall calling as a Christian that he cannot pray nor read nor discourse nor hear the word of God but lies alone in a corner and will not admit of any body to comfort him or confer with him that sorrow that indisposeth a man to holy duties is an irregular sorrow Ps 77.4 I am so troubled that I cannot speak to wit to God in prayer And so again that sorrow that indisposeth a man to the duties of his particular Calling as a man that he cannot work or study or trade and follow his particular imployments that sorrow is an inordinate sorrow God doth require us to work in our Callings as well as to work out our salvation and therefore that sorrow that hinders and indisposeth us to it is excessive and immoderate And thus I have shewed you when sorrow for sin is excessive and have onely given you the heads of things and have likewise done in resolving the third case of conscience Vse VVe come now to the application and if it be so that a Christian must not onely take heed of grieving overmuch for afflictions but for sin too then take heed you do not pervert this Doctrine take heed of being obstinate and perverse and hard-hearted in sin though I tell you that Christians should not be excessive in their sorrows for sin yet I do not say that wicked men should be obstinate and stout-hearted in sin and never mourn for sin at all No it were well for them that they could weep bitterly for their sins therefore you that are obstinate and presumptuous sinners take heed that you do not abuse this Doctrine and again you that count sin your greatest burthen that every mole-hill of sin is like a Mountain upon you take heed that ye be not so overwhelmed with sorrow that you can see no comfort at all in Christ and in the promises of Salvation through him but do you look to the Lord Jesus Christ and see that there is more in Christ to save you then there is in your selves to condemn you though there be abundance of corruption in you yet there is a fullnesse of satisfaction in Christ he is able to save to the uttermost all that shall come unto God by him All you that do belong to Christ do neither weep too much for your sins nor yet too little do not say I will not grieve nor shed tears at all for them for as Christs blood was shed for our sins so we should shed tears for them but yet we must not so grieve for them as to discourage us from going unto Christ and to darken our evidences for Heaven Use Exhor ∣ tation We have onely now a use of exhortation and then I have done If Christians must take heed that they weep as if they wept not for that is the scope of the Text then let me in the bowells of Christ perswade all you that are the people of God to labour to fulfill this Apostolike Rule that you would so carry your selves as those that have better hopes Several Considerations to keep men from excessive sorrow and better things to look after then any thing here below And as before I gave you twelve considerations to allay keep under excessive sorrow so now I shall give you 7 or 8 Considerations more to keep out excessive sorrow which if seriously laid to heart may be a great help to keep you from breaking out into immoderate sorrow whatever betides you Consid 1 1. Consider that excessive sorrow for worldly crosses argues either a totall want of grace or else an extream weakness of grace First it sometimes argues a totall want of
grace It is with a Christian in this case as it is with the rusty hinges of a door if you open or shut the door they will skreak make a noise but if you put some oyl upon them they do not so so Christians many times God cannot touch them with his rod of afflictions but they cry out and are immoderate in their sorrows and impatient under Gods hand and the reason of it is because they want the Oyl of grace or if it doth not argue a totall want of grace yet it is a sign of a great deal of weakness of grace I have observed often times in London streets that a pair of new Cart wheels will skreak and make a noyse as they go along but an old Cart goes away silently So if when God laies afflictions upon thee thou art like a new Cart that thou criest out and mournest immoderately under his hand it argues that thou art but a new and a weak Christian he that faints in the day of adversity saies Solomon his strength is small But now a Christian that hath been long used and experienced in troubles and afflictions you may lay a great and heavy burden upon him and he will make no noyse under it Consid 2 2. Another consideration to keep out excessive sorrow is this consider that whatsoever crosses befall you in the world they are but the manifestations and executions of Gods will which is the rule of order and justice his dispensations are good and just in themselves if Gods will be done though thy will be crost it is no matter This was that which kept David from excessive sorrow in 2 Sam. 12.21,22 Davids Servants wondred that he should fast and weep for his Child while it was alive but when the Child was dead he should rise up and eat bread and be no more sad And David said while the Child was yet alive I fasted and wept for I said who can tell whether God will be gracious to me that the Child may live but now he is dead wherefore should I mourn can I bring him back again I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Now I see the will of God is accomplisht why should I grieve at it I will hold my tongue and not open my mouth because the Lord hath done it Psal 39.9 Consid 3 3. Consider that before conversion you did never grieve for the want of grace and want of spirituall mercies Why then after conversion should you weep for worldly things when you enjoy spirituall mercies Consider before conversion I was content with outward worldly comforts and never was troubled for want of grace and hopes of Heaven and want of reconciliation with God I did never grieve for these and seeing when I was without Christ I did not grieve for the want of him now when I have Christ shall I grieve because I want the ordinary and common blessings of worldly things A Christian with a holy indignation should take a revenge upon himself if before my conversion I could not grieve for the want of grace now I have grace I will not grieve for the want of outward comforts seeing there is infinitely more reason you should grieve for want of spirituall then temporall mercies 4. To keep out worldly sorrow consider that God never laies any outward crosse or affliction upon his people but it is for sin either for the punishment of sin or the prevention or purging of it out 1. For the punishment of thy sins and if it be for the punishment of thy sin then if thou mourn for any thing mourn for thy sins that was the cause rather then for affliction which is but the effect of thy sin accept the punishment of thine iniquity Levit. 26. with submission but look upon the sin with detestation we have no reason to complain of our afflictions Lamen 3.39 why doth the living man complain man for the punishment of his sin you should in this case rather grieve for your sins then for your punishments And 2dly If it be not for the punishment then it is for the prevention of sin to keep thee from sin and this was the end why God punished Job 33 Job 17. it was that he might drive man from his purpose and hide pride from him And therefore suppose God takes away an Estate or friends or any outward comfort from you as long as it is to prevent a sin to preserve you from Hell and damnation you have no cause of grief If a Doctor takes away your blood from you to prevent a pleurisie will you be angry with him surely no so God never takes away any outward comfort from his people but it is in mercy that he may prevent sin thereby Or 3dly If not for the punishment or prevention of sin then it is for the purging out of sin as in Esay 27.9 by this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit of it to take away his sin A man will not be grieved that Physick makes him sick and pains him in his bowels because it purgeth out noxious and hurtfull humours Beloved your crosses are but purging pills to purge out your corruptions All worldly afflictions are either for the punishment prevention or purging out of sin and therefore we have cause to bear them patiently Consid 6 6. Consider that God turns all worldly crosses and losses into spirituall advantages to his people thou shalt never be a loser by thy afflictions As when a poor man that is in debt and in very much want of money shall come to a rich man and make known his condition to him and beg relief from him the man goes presently to his Chest and fetches a bag of money and throwes it at him the poor man would not look upon this as any wrong or injury done to him but would rather be thankfull for it So God turns all our seeming crosses and afflictions into reall and spirituall advantages to us Phil. 1.19 I know said Paul that this shall turn to my salvation All things shall work together for good to them that love God Rom. 8 28. Though we cannot see how it should come to passe but are in this case like unto little Children who when they see a heap of beautifull and sweet Roses lying upon a Table and their Mother goes and puts them in a morter and pounds them all to peeces the Child cries and thinks the Mother spoyls them though she does it to make a conserve of them that they may be more usefull and durable So we think we have comforts like beds of Roses and when the Lord takes them from us and breaks them all to pieces we are apt to conceive they are all spoiled and destroyed and we undone by it whereas God intends it to work for our greater benefit and advantage Consid 7 7. Live in the meditation and contemplation of the joyes and glory of Heaven And this
inward gripes grief of spirit then the worldly joy of a godly man is As in Prov. 13,14 In the midst of laughter the heart is sorrowfull 2 Cor. 5.12 the Apostle there speaks of some that did glory in appearance but not in heart The joy of the wicked is but in appearance but not in reality When they are in their greatest jollity and mirth even then they have some inward gripes and anguish of conscience that galls troubles them a man may have a neat shooe on his foot yet no man knows where it pincheth but he that wears it A wicked mans joy is like a godly mans sorrow the formers joy is but in appearance not in truth and a godly man hath something like sorrow but it is not so indeed they are but as sorrowing yet alwayes rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Prov. 10.22 Conclu 4 4. A smaller matter will interrupt the worldly joy of a wicked man then will interrupt the joy of a godly man I mean that outward worldly joy that he hath here in this world Esth 5.13 How soon was Hamans joy interrupted though he had so much cause of ioy in the glory of his riches and the multitude of his Children and his promotion in the Court above all the Princes and Servants of the King And yet because poor Mordecai did not bow to him and reverence him he was sore displeased and could take no joy in all that he had So it was with Ahab though he had a whole Kingdom yet he could take no content in it for want of Naboths Vineyard a little thing diverts the joy of a wicked man and therefore their joy is compared to the crackling of thorns under the pot Eccles 7.6 they make a noyse and a blaze for a little while but are soon put out Belshazzer when he was quaffing in his golden Bowles and in the midst of all his jollity yet a hand-writing upon the wall quickly dasht all his joyes and made him hang down his head Conclu 5 5. Though it be lawfull and allowed by God for you to rejoyce in worldly comforts yet there are some things that you are not to rejoyce in I shall give them you in five or six particulars 1. You must not rejoyce in your own sins the sins you do commit must never be matter of rejoycing to you but thus wicked men do many times as in Jer. 11.15 when thou doest evill then thou rejoycest so in Prov. 2.14 Solomon speaks of some who did rejoyce to do evill so in Psal 52.1 it is said of Doeg why boastest thou thy self in mischief oh mighty man and thou lovest evill more then good Gaudia panitenda God does not allow us to boast and rejoyce in sin Such rejoycings as one saith are joyes to be wept for these go merrily to Hell 2. Neither are you to rejoyce in the sins of other men they are never permitted by God to be matter of your joy 1 Cor. 13.6 it is said of love that it rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth that is love to any man does not make us to rejoyce in that mans sin but in his well-doing In Rom. 1. last those are not only condemned by God that do the same things with wicked men but those also that have pleasure in them that do them not only Covenant-breakers uninercifull men backbiters haters of God despitefull proud boasters inventers of evill things c. not onely those that commit these things but they also that delight in those men that do commit them are condemned This is rather matter of grief then joy Psal 119.136 Rivers of water run down mine eyes because men keep not they Law and 2 Pet. 2.8 't is said Lot vexed his righteous soul with the ungodly conversation of wicked men and upon this ground learned Mr. Perkins condemns the use of Stage-playes they being for the most part representations of mens villany and wickedness to provoke the spectators to joy and laughter and therefore are unlawfull and not to be used 3. You are not to rejoyce at all for the punishment of sin in the unreasonable Creatures And upon this ground the same Authour condemns the use of Bull or Bear-baiting or Cock-fighting because it is a rejoycing in that which is the product of sin for it was sin that first put an enmity between the Bear and the Dog and between Creature and Creature sin was the cause of all discords and antipathies between Creatures and therefore it is not allowable for us to rejoyce in that which is the effect of our own sin Indeed for Bull-baiting more may be said it may make the Bull the more serviceable for mans food but meerly to bait a Bull for recreation is unlawfull So likewise hawking and hunting are allowable because those Creatures cannot be taken without it But all you that delight in Stage-playes and make other mens sin the matter of your joy And you that frequent Bear-beatings and Cock-fightings and the like are to be reproved and let me perswade you to leave it off in time to come And upon this ground likewise the same Authour condemns Noble-men that keep fools in their Houses to be matter of sport and pleasure to them This is not allowed by God because it is a rejoycing in that which is a punishment for sin in another Creature 4. You must not rejoyce in goods ill gotten goods ill gotten the Lord never allows you to rejoyce in Psal 62.10 Rejoyce not in robberies neither in goods ill gotten so in Habakkuk 1.13,14,15 The Lord is of purer eyes then to behold evill wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treackerously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he and makest men as fishes of the Sea as the creeping things that have no Ruler over them They take up all of them with the angle they catch them into their Net and gather them in their drag that is the poor and what followes therefore they rejoyce and are glad The Lord condemns the rich men because they got their Estates by wronging the poor and by usury and the like therefore you had more need make restitution for what you have injured men and fraudulâ—ntly taken from them then to rejoyce in it or to build Hospitalls and make a great flourish in the world to advance thy pride and vain glory Levit. 6.4 You may rejoyce in your lawfull negotiations in buying and selling and getting gain honestly these you may rejoyce in But you are not to rejoyce in goods illgotten If thou canst in buying or selling over-reach or circuÌ„vent a man when thou hast got a good penyworth then to laugh in thy sleeve that 's an evill Prov. 20.14 it is naught it is naught saies the buyer but when he is gone his way then he boasteth In Deut. 23.18 I hate saies God the hire
will be a great means to keep out worldly sorrow the glory and happiness of Heaven will so transport a Christians soul with spirituall joy that he will not easily be over-whelmed with worldly sorrow I have read one of the Schoolmen that was of this opinion that the reason why Adam in innocency was not sensible of his nakednesse was because he was so taken up with immediate converse and communion with God So now if you were more taken up with conversing with God and apprehensions of glory though you had nothing here below yet you would think you wanted nothing The consideration of Heaven and glory and happiness would make you over-look all worldly crosses and afflictions it is said of Paul that he was rapt up into the third Heaven and saw things ineffable but whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell that is he saw so much glory and was so taken up with the joyes of Heaven that he could not tell whether he was in the body or no it made him to forget all his troubles and miseries here below I remember I have read in Jerome what advice he he gives a young man in his time that was overmuch pressed with sorrow and grief for worldly crosses Saies he do but now and then take a turn or two in Paradise and then you will never think of a wilderness or be troubled at the miseries of a desert Oh beloved that your souls had once this art of divine speculation and contemplation that you might have an experimentall knowledge of the joyes of Heaven and this would keep you from mourning any more for worldly crosses When Christ was transfigured upon the Mount saies Peter to him Master Master it is good for us to be here let us build three Tabernacles one for thee one for Moses and one for Elias he was so lifted up with the sight of Heaven that he never thought that he was then upon a barren Mountain and of what wants and exigencies they should be driven to there I have formerly told you what I have read of the Eagle that she is like no other Bird that flies in the Aire for whereas all other Birds when they are hurt or want meat to satisfie their hunger will crie and mourn and make a noyse the Eagle when it is hurt will fly aloft and comfort her self with the warm beams of the Sun And oh Beloved if you would Eagle-lik sore aloft in divine meditations and contemplations of heavenly glory and happiness this would arm you against worldly sorrow very much 8. Remember that your sins call for more teares from you then you are able to shed and therefore do not wast them about worldly things Beloved could you dissolve into tears for your sins it would all be too little to express your grief and sorrow for them nay were every drop of tears you shed an Ocean it would be too little to shed for sin Tears are sweet water and it is pitty to wash foul Rooms with them reserve them for your sins they have more need of them and if you had more tears all would be too little nay were your head a Fountain and your eyes Rivers of tears they would all be too little to shed for those many sins and iniquities that you have committed against God And thus I have done with this first part of the Text and they that weep as if they wept not SERM. VI. 1 Cor. 7.30,31 And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not WEe now proceed to the second part of the Apostolicall Directory and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not If your condition here in the world be sad and miserable and afflicted then your duty is to weep as if you wept not But if you meet with a gale of prosperity and happiness and enjoy the comforts of this world in abundance then you must rejoyce as if you rejoyced not that is you must rejoyce moderately and with discretion And the point of instruction that I shall give you from hence shall be this Doct. That it is the duty of Christians not onely to take heed that they be not excessive in worldly sorrow for outward crosses but also to take care that they be not excessive in worldly joy for outward comforts All under-moone comforts we may joy in them too much In the prosecution of this Doctrine I shall dispatch these 2. or 3. queries 1. I shall shew you when your joy is excessive 2. I shall lay you down some Rules to keep your joy within bounds that you do not over-joy in the comforts of this life 3. And then I shall give you something by way of Use and Application I shall not come to handle any of these at this time Severall Conclusions concerning immoderate joy for worldly comforts but shall first as my usuall method is lay down 6. or 7. Conclusions by way of premise 1. Take this Conclusion That though Christians must take heed that they are not immoderate in their joy for worldly comforts yet you must know that you are allowed by God to rejoyce in the outward comforts that he gives you here in this world Eccles 3.4 saies Solomon There is a time to mourn and a time to rejoyce and in Eccles 9.7.9 Goe thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest So in Eccles 7.14 in the day of prosperity rejoyce so Deut. 12.7 ye shall rejoyce in all that you put your hand unto This Conâ—… sion is necessary for sad and melancholy Christians that though they enjoy an affluence and confluence of worldly comforts yet will not at all rejoyce in them beloved God allowes you to rejoyce Consid 2 2. Consider that Religion does not extirpate or annihilate worldly rejoycing but only regulate it It is not like a Weeding-hook to pluck up your joy by the roots but like a Pruning-hook to lop off the luxuriancy of it and to keep your joy in its due decorum This I lay down to take away those prejudices that many men harbour against Religion as if it made men melancholy being apt to think that when once they begin to be Religious that then they must forsake and abandon all worldly comforts and for ever shake hands with all the pleasures of this life Beloved Religion doth not annihilate but regulate your joyes nay being Religions does rather increase then any way diminish your joyes when God made a Covenant with Abraham he promised him a Son and God gave him the name saying thou shalt call his name Isaac which signifies laughter Gen. 17.19 to shew that after thou art in Covenant with God thou mayst have joy and pleasure and therefore do not harbour such ill thoughts of Religion as to imagine you must shake hands with joy when you close with Religion 3. Take this conclusion that the worldly joy of a wicked man is oftentimes mingled with more