1 Sam.3. 18. Ifa.39.8. ted, and of those holy duties which you have omitted, and of those punishments which you have juftly fuffered, come hither, and learn how to rejoyce, forget that which is behind, remember Lots wife, look not back to the beguiling delights of the bewitching and flattering world: look before you to the Lord, for hee is the Authour, he is the Mediatour, he will be the finisher of your joy, gaudium veftrum nemo tollet à vobis, and your joy no man fhall take from you. Joy not in greatneffe, and high place, or in riches, in the fruit of the womb, in the extent of your lands, in the favours of Princes, in the full fea of temporall happineffe, they that fuffer in all these things, do finde joy in the Lord. Reafons, why in the Lord. I They that joy in the Lord, reft in the Lord, and cast all their care upon him, they pray fiat voluntas tua, thy will be done, and they are content with it, and they are thankfull for it when it is done, neither relucting at the doing of it, nor repining and finding fault when they fee it performed. They fay with old Eli, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good: and with Hezechiah, good is the word of the Lord. And therefore, the Lord is the fame to them, whether he be offerens, opening his hand and giving, or auferens, stretching out his hand to ftrip and diveft them of all that he hath, as he was to fob. 2 They that rejoyce in the Lord, rejoyce in nothing otherwife, then as a means and faculty to serve the Lord. And fo we may rejoyce in honours, which do put our good example more in fight, that others may behold our good works, and glorifie God. So we may rejoyce in authority and power over others, if we use it to the winning of others to the service of our God, to the coertion of evill doers, and the reward of the good. So may we rejoyce in riches, if we ufe them as means to advance the Law of God, and to expreffe our charity to the needy. All this is joy in the Lord, that God trufteth us with the difpen difpenfation of these outward things, and the applying of them to his fervice. 3 They that rejoyce in the Lord, rejoyce, because God is Lord: fo David; The Lord is King, the earth may be glad of it, for Bleed is the people, whofe God is the Lord. This is the Jubilation of the Church. Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will fave us: Ifa.25.9. this is the Lord,me have waited for him,we will be glad and rejoyce in his falvation: that do thus acknowledge him their Lord, and are glad that they live under his government. The defire of their Ifai.26.8. fouls is to his name, and to the remembrance of him. For when thy judgments are in the world, the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteoufneffe. O Lord, our God, other lords have ruled us, but by thee onely will we make mention of thy Name. This was the joy of the Church here, profeffed in the midst of extream forrows.. There cannot be a better figne to know this true fpirituall 1 Signe. joy from all other falfe feemings and blandations of joy, then the lafting thereof, for the candle of the wicked fhall be put out, but God is a Sun and a fhield to his Church. Joy in all other things is but a fojourner, and tarrieth but a fmall time, but when once it faftneth upon God, it faith; Here will I dwell for ever, for I have a delight herein. This joy hath none of the fears that other joys have,to make us doubt the lofing of it, it hath none of the impediments to ftop the way to it, that other joys have. It hath one of the forrows that other joys have to commedle with it. It hath none of the miferies, that conclude all other joys to determine it. Therefore, as the Apostle admonisheth, rejoyce always in vse, the Lord: again, Isay rejoyce. Rejoyce when thou aboundest, rejoyce alfo when thou wanteft, full and empty; when thou givett alms, and when thou receiveft alms, it is a more bleffed thing to give, it is also a blessed thing to receive in health, in fickueffe, on the bridebed, onthe death-bed, always. Cccc Quest Sol.. Queft. But have not the Saints of God on this earth their forrows? do they not bear forth their feed weeping? do they not fow in tears? do they not feel heavineffe for the night? is it not a true word, Tribulus eft, qui non eft tribulatus. Was not Davids foul heavy within him? did not Hezechiah taft of bitterneffe of foul, when he chattered as a fwallow? did not this very Church of the fews in Babylon fit down by the rivers of water,when they remembred Sion? Did they not hang up their harps upon the willows, or could they fing the Song of the Lord in a Strange land? True, and yet all thefe, who found fuch cause of mourning in themselves, and exprest so much grief to others, yet rejoyced in the Lord always. I deny not that their cup was bitterneffe, yet had they sweet fruits of fpirituall joy, even in the midft of forrows; for as David faith. They did rejoyce in trembling. Auguft. Optime dictum eft exultate contra miferiam optimè additum est cum tremore,contra prefumptionem, quia tremor eft fanctificationis cuftodia: fee this in the Apoftle, who expreffeth the life of a Chriftian well..! z Co .6 9. 10. As unknown, and yet known, as dying, and behold we live, as chaftened and not killed. As forrowfull, yet alway rejoycing, as poor, and yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things. Which words, though neither Mr. Calvine, nor Beza in their Commentaries, have vouchfafed fo much as a note upon them, yet are they an holy riddle to flesh and blou, and both thefe have brought forth their light in much fairer weather. Aquinas cleareth this darkneffe well, for he fheweth, that temporall things have but the refemblance and appearance of good and evill, they have no true exiftence and fubftance of them, and therefore they are brought in with a tanquam as: for as the Apostle faith, we are tanquam ignoti, as unknown, &c. tanquam caftigati, tanquam dolentes.. But Gods fpirituall favours are reall, we are known, not tanquam noti, as known, we rejoyce not tanquam dolentes, as (orrowing. For For the light affliction which is but for a moment, trouble them, and he fpeaketh of them rather as they appear to others then as they do feel themfelves, or of them rather in fome crazy fits of diftraction, then in the conftant uniformity of their true health. And I deny not, but the deareft of Gods Saints, here on earth, have their fudden qualms, and their agonizing pangs, and convulfions, even fuch as do fometimes fhake their very faith, as you have feen in this Church of the Jews, that make their bellies and bowels without them to tremble, and their lips to quiver, and themselves to fear within themselves, but when they remember Jefus Chrift, the authour and finisher of their faith, faying to them. Ecce ego fum vobifcum ad finem faculi, behold, I am with you to the end: this reneweth the face of the earth, and puts new life into them, and quickeneth them; for how can they want any thing,habent enim omnia, qui habent habentem omnia: for they have all, who have him that hath all: for he that gave us his fon, how could he not together with Fun give us all things. Hear St. Ambrofe thus comforted upon his death bed; Non ita dixi inter vos ut me pudeat vivere, nec mori timeo, quia bonum Dominum habemus: for it is a true rule, pœnitens de peccatis delet, de dolore gaudet. Another note to diftinguish this joy in the Lord, from all o- 2 Signe. ther joys is the fulneffe and exuberancy of it, for it is more joy then if corn and wine and oile encreased, elfe what needed the Apoffle having faid, Rejoyce in the Lord, always to adde? And again, I fay Rejoyce: what can be more then always? but ftill adding to the fulneffe of our joy, till our cup do overflow. This is that measure, which the Apoftle doth fo comfortably fpeak of, which is both full and preffed down, and heaped, and running over, for it is ftill growing and encreafing like the waters in Ezekiels vifion, from the ancles to the loins, to the chin over head and ears, for waders, for fwimmers, for faylers. Upon working days rejoyce in the Lord, who giveth thee ftrength to labour, and feedeth thee with the labour of thy Cccc 2 hands: Lam.1.7. hands: on holy days, rejoyce in the Lord, who feafteth thee with the marrow and fatheffe of his houfe. In plenty, rejoyce again and again, because the Lord giveth, in want rejoyce, because the Lord taketh away, and as it pleafeth the Lord, fo come things to passe. This poor diftreffed Church, being in deportation and feeling the heavy burthen of affliction, yet it found comfort in the Lord. Zerufalem remembred in the days of her affliction,and of her miferies all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old. And this joy was quickened with hope of the favour of God to be fhewed to them, even till their joy did fwell into extafie, as David expreffeth it. when the Lord turned again the Pfal.126.1 captivity of Sion, then were we like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongne with finging. Therefore, is the joy of the ungodly compared to a candle, Job 18.5. which fpends it felf to the fnuffe, and goeth out in a stench, and evill favour, for the very name of the wicked shall rot; but to Ifai.58.8. the juft, faith God. Thy light shall break forth as the morning this begins in obfcurity, and groweth more and more, till the Sun rifing, and yet groweth till the noon day, that is alfo pro mised the just. Verse 10. Verse 11. Thy light shall rife in obfcurity, and thy darknesse shall be as the noon day: he expoundeth himself. Thou shalt be as a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whofe waters fail not. Therefore, it is faid of the juft, that, they shall bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing: and this is, To fhew that the Lord is upright, that he is our rock, and that there is no unrighteoufneffe in him. For his word is gone out, his promife is past to his Church, he will neither deny it, nor reverse it, to comfort them with all spirituall confolation, for he is the God of all confolation, not of fome onely. 2 The ground of this joy: wherein confider, I The main: The Lord is the God of her falvation. |