Chap. 3· Sect. 4· 1-LCOkill\'! unto jjcfu.S'.. Book IV. I99 rhe profelllon and praClife of Chriftian Religion, we could not but take pleafure in ir. 2 In every duty and gracious a(ling of it, there is the feed of glory, and eternal life ." fomJ times there breaks out in the very exercife of duty a joy in the holy Ghoft, a fore~aflpl glory; but howfoever there is the feedof glory; and though tl~e leed ?f glory be not feen, but lye as·it were under ground dead, ~nd unfee?,. yet m ume 11 w11l f"ring up umo eternal· life: why, thus look at _the_pracbfe of Rel~gwn, and lt w1Jl be fweeteno us than honey and the honey-comb, u w1ll be mor,e prec1ous than gold, yea · than much fine gold. But how 0 1 ould we know the difference betwixt the liatural pleafanmefs, and this 9l.!!ejf. 2. ; fpirirual pleafamnefs in Religion? I kgow Chriflians may p~t.a lu!he upon the wayes of God by their natural pleafanmefs, aad chearfulnefs of fpmt; but becaufe we fpeak of a fpirirual joy, and 'comfort, and not of a natural, wherein lies the difference? I anfwer-- I. If it be afpirirual pleafamnefs, it will be ferious; Ihave faid of laughter it innad, .Anf and of mirtb whatdoth it-'. There is much .li~hmefs ~nd vanity in fuch breakings out of Eccld. ' · ' · natural pleafamnefs, but tn pleafamnefs fpimual allts grave, and fober, and exceedmg ferious. 2 . If it be afpiritual pleafamnefs, it can fiand with repentance, and humiliation, and the fear of God, rejoyce with m mblil!g, faith the Pfalmifl; fpiritual rejoycing may con- pfaf. 1. n. lifl with trembling: And bleffid ir the man that f earcth the Lord, .t~~t delightethg_reatly Pfa\.1!2. '· in btuommAndments; the fear of God fi!ay conlifl With thefe fpmtual delights m the Commandments of God. 3. If it be fpiricual pleafanmefs , it is _our ftrength ; The joy of the Lord is our Nehom: s,, 0 , flrength, faith Nehemiah; nothing animates fouls more in duties than joy doth; it car- - rieson the foul more fully: iris asoyl tpat caufeth the wheelsof Chri!lian pncrife to go on more freely : we may be namrally pleafant, and then coming to fpiritual duties our helrts are dead; but if our ple1famnefs be fpirirual, our htans will be firengthened in the wayes of God. 4· Jf it be a fpirirual pleafanmefs, it will bear up the heart in want of all outward pleafamnefs; A lthoughthe jig-tree jhall not bloffome, neither jhall fruit bein the vinCJ, the , labour of theolive Jh•ll fail, and the fields jhall yield no meat, the jlock_jhall be cut offfrom Hcb. J•l7,•8l the fold, and there jhall be noherd in t~e ftal!J, yet I tyill ~cj~ce in the Lord,. I will joy in the Godof my falvar.on. When all 1s dark abroad m the world, the foul m thisframe will rejoyce in God alone; on the contrary, the foul that bath only a natural pleafamnefs of Spirit, when affliction comes, it is all amort, and down; I appeal to you that l1ave the moll; delightful fpirits, when you have friends, and means, and all you like you are jocund and merry, but when atllicrion comes, how quickly are your fpirit; ~own ?. fure_lyyour pleafanmefs is not fpirimal, for if fo, it would be•r up your beans JOyful m affitClwn. · And now again the Pafsover, a feajf of the [ews WM nigh : our Englifh Annotati- J 0 hn6. 4 . onson thefe words can tell us that tlm feems tobe* .the third Pafsover afterChrifts • So ilmim, bape.(me. And therefore here I conclude the third year of Chrifis Miniflry. andothcro, there 1s but one year more before Chrifls death, to which now I come, and t~ fome paffages therein, mofl ob(erv~ble in reference to o~r [ot!ls (~lvation. - ··------- - -------------- ,Ee ~HAP.
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