Bernard Orat. de bonis their own foule, and conscience; The spirit witnesseth to their spirits that thy are reconeiled to God: The apprehenfion whereof fills their hearts with joy and peace which passeth all understanding. They have here the first fruits, and earnest of those in expressible joyes of heaven, this makes them to be a calling for their Robes, and Crownes which Christ purchased for them by effufion of his pretious blood. Therefore truft God with thy joyes and pleasures: without God the sweetest thing is bitter: As Abner faid to Joab, so say I of all thy finfull lufts and pleasures, will there not be bitternesse in the end? but where God is the most bitter pill of affliction is sweet and pleasant. St Bernard hath a spe ciall observation in a declantation, de bonis deferendis, non Ifaac deferendis, fed aries morietur &c. If you be willing to facrifice your Ifaac, which fignifies laughter (i.e.) your pleasure, your Ifaac, your pleasure shall not dye, it is the Ramme, the stubbornesse of spirit which shall dye, but your Ifaac shall live, you shall have pleasure still. Wherefore cast downe all your joyes, comforts, and pleafures at Gods feet, in an humble submission saying, Lord here they are, do with me and them, what seemes good in thine eyes. When the heart is thus took of the world it's in a fit temper, and is best qualified for the comforts of God, and over and above when thy spirit is in this frame of resignation of all unto God, he in mercy may vouchsafe unto thee the comfortable fruition of them. Applicat. Thus you have heard what Demonstrations I have propounded, for the evincing of this pretious Doctrine, that all joy and comfort amidst the greatest discomforts is to be found in God. Now that I may presse what hath been faid home unto your practice. 1. I shall inferre something by way of comfort unto 3. In the last place I shall lay downe some Directions, how Ufe 1. For Lord) Lord) to these comfort appertaines, as their peculiar right and interest, let them amidst greatest calamities, lift up their heads, for their redemption draweth nigh. All the sufferings of Christ, his sweating of drops of blood were for them, Christ wept that they might rejoyce, he drunk a cup of gall and vinegar, that they might drink a cup of new wine in the Kingdome of Heaven, and he wore a Crowne of Thornes, that they might weare a Crowne of Glory, Oh! be not dismayed at any evill tydings, and mourne not as men with out hope, notwithstanding the confufion and troubles of the Land of our Nativity: Let faith, hope,and patience be exercised. Hope is the propp of the righteous, that stayes the foule from falling, were it not for hope the heart would breake, in these conflicting daies of fin, where there are such sad thoughts of heart, for the afflictions of Jofeph, and for the divisions of Reuben. We know not what to do, we have no strength of our selves, but let me tell you as Nehemiah did the Fewes, Neh. 8. 10. The joy of the Lord is your strength; Hee's a fountaine inexhaufted, though the Cifternes of the Creatures are drawne dry, he continues a God of strength, though all sublunary things are as weak as water when Parents forsake a man, then the Lord takes pitty upon him, when riches make themselves wings and faye away as an Eagle towards heaven, God becomes thy riches, and inricheth thee with grace, and so thou gainest by thy lossesse. As Jofeph told Pharaoh, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace, so say I, God shall answer thy doubts, and let in peace and tranquility into thy foule. Melchior Adamus records this observeable passage in Melchior Athe life of Oecolampadius when sonie of his friends askt him, whe-damus In ther the light did not offend him, Tangens pectus (inquit) a-vita Oecobunde lucis eft, he clapt his hands upon his breaft and faid, heres lampadii, light enough. When the light of God shines in thy bosome, and thou difcernest Gods reconciled countenance in Christ thou haft enough. Strive therefore to exterminate all thoughts of doubtting and diffidence, feare not, stand still, and behold the falvation of the Lord. However things go with thee, though clouds hang over thee, and they refolve and melt thy heart into abundance of teares, and forrowes, yet let my Prophets resolution set thy affections a working, yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. word of Exhortation, Oh! that I could perswade you to your duty, I hall branch it out into three particulars. 1. To make God your joy. 2. To account him your treasure. Dut. 1. your joy. 1. Make God your joy. Theres no man but hath some prinMake God ciple of joy, or inward working motion within his own bosome, and according to the variety of fanfies and humours, the joyes and coniforts are bottom'd upon a various and different ground. 1. One man fixeth his joy upon his riches. But the Godly mans honours, riches, pleasures are wholly terminated upon the Lord his God. When the man in the Gofpell had bought the field, wherein he found the pearle of price, he was ravisht with joy, beyond expreffion and apprehenfion. The grace of God revealed to the foule of man, is this Gemme of superlative eftimation; thou must part with all thy riches, pleasures, and comforts, nay with all the world for this, and thou hereby makest the wifest bargaine that ever was made: For by the loffe of earth, thou gainest heaven: what joy poffeft the spirit of the Ennuch, after Phillip had baptized him, and brought Christ honse unto him? the Text faith he went away rejoycing. Such is the joy of a spiritualliz'd man, whose God is his joy and Confolation, though troubles and miseries come thick and threefold, yet his heart is fixed upon Mount Zion that it cannot be removed, nay upon the God of Zion: Theres some inward working principle, that will swallow up all discomforts whatsoever: This spirituall joy da heth all carnall joyes; This is the only true follid joy arifing from Gods reconciled countenance in Chrift, which makes a man rejoyce in the Holy Ghost with joy unspeakable and full of glory. It's faid in Judges that the young Levites heart was glad, when the children of Dan proffer'd promotion to him; much more joy resides in the spirituall mans foule and confcience, when he thinks of his Crownes, and of the joyes of Heaven, and of the sweet uninterrupted Communion with Jesus Christ unto all eternity: Oh! then make God thy joy; The serenity of his countenance will dilipate all these clouds, the refreshings and those soule ravishing comforts of Christ will infinitely exceed the greatest difcomforts comforts in the Universe; The joy of the world may be took from thee by the men of the world: There are many Anabaptisticall, Antiminifteriall spirits who mußer their forces to make our comforts Ichabod, but this joy (faith Christ) no man taketh from you, men cannot give it, nor bereave us of it. Therefore bid adue to all thy carnall joyes: but lay fast hold of, and let not goe the joyes of Gods spirit, this is the first duty I presse upon you, to make God your joy. 2. Make God your treasure. How sollicitous is a man to get Dut. 2. pretious treasures, how doth he compasse sea and land to get Make God them, and when he hath them in his poffeffion, how carefull is he your treato keep them. A man of understanding leaves not his Jewells at fure. randome, but locks them up safe in a Cabinet, now if God be our treasure, we will seek him in his Ordinances, God is the treafurer and the treasure both, this is the only treasure we must seek after, if we find not God in one Ordinance, lets go to another, if we find him not in the word, lets go to the Sacrament, and if we find him not in the Sacrament, lets repaire to our prayers, and fall upon our knees, if yet we find him not, lets with the spowse make inquiry after him, lets aske the Minifters of Christ, nay lets put all these together and never give of seeking till we have found him whom our foule loveth. Now when once we have got him,lets labour to keep him: Will a wise man cast dirt upon a pretious Jewell? every finner indeavours to cast dirt upon God. Sin is of a besmearing, and sullying quality: If then thou wouldst preserve thy spirituall treasure, and keep the grace of God in thy foule, take heed of that which foules and staynes it, and that is sinne: Oh! Chriftian be instructed to set upon the work of purification, labour to cleanse thy selfe from all pollution of the flesh, and of the spirit, so that thy foule and body may become a glorious Temple, wherein the spirit of God will fet up his habitation. God is our treasure: our faith hope and very life it felfe, are reposited in his custody, and therefore the Lord Chritt should be more pretious unto our soules, then thousands of Gold and Silver. Oh! how pretious is Christ unto that soule, which hath seen and tasted how good the Lord is. 3. Make God your refuge. What would a man give in such Dut. 3. times as these for an Asylum à Κρησφύγετόν, or fanctuary whereun- Make God to he may fly and be secure. Men promise themselves security, your Refome fuge. Zzzzz 2 fome in one place, and some in another, and they set their hearts upon them: But alas the comforts wherein they trust prooves oft times a Jonahs gourd, which in one night had it's originall, and it's period, or an Egyptian reed, which will either pierce them, or give them the flipp in their greatest extremity. But ô bleffed man who makes his God his refuge, and feeks a hiding place in a divine promise: so that hee's not afraid of evill tydings, hee's not discouraged by the direfull imprecations of blafphemous Rabshekabs of John of Leydens faction: Let the extremity be never fo bitter, yet a true Believer can draw down comfort from a promise, which preserves his foule from finking, he knowes how to look beyond men, unto his God. In such times as these (which are fad and perillous times) when men are set upon mischiefe,and wounder that men run not with them into the fame exceffe of rior, a man that hath a spirituall eye can bring home the promise, that the Rod of the wicked, will not lye long upon the lot righteous, wh.n God hath done with the rod, he will caft it into the fire: but he will provide Scorpions for their enenties. David was perfwaded, that it would be better for him notwi handing Shimeis execrations: fo I am perswaded that for bitter a d'implacable spirits oppofite to Magistrates and Ministers now a daies, Gods peaple shall fare the better; Let God alone, and do no, amicipate him in his own worke, for all the malice that men a Devills can invent, shall work togeather for the good of the pem of God. David had fainted, had he not feen the goodneffe of the Lord in the land of the living; and Hezekiah had fainted by reason of the huge hoft of Senacherib, but that he believed that God would be their deliverer. We have the same God ftill as good and as gracious as ever, he will put a bridle into the lips, and a hook into the noftrills of unreasonable men, God can help with meanes or without nieanes, he can help us, and that right early." When a man out of the ftrength of Faith can make God his refuge and thelter, and hide himselfe under the covert of his wings, this man amidit maltitude of forrowes, is a man of fingular comforts, beyond expreffion and apprehenfion. Now then amidit multitudes of feares and fufferings, labour to have recourse unto a divine promise, that though friends, meanes, hopes, and comforts may faile thee, yet the Lord will never leave thee, nor forfake thee. He never failes them that pur their trast in him. The promise rans, unto you that feare |