touching theprorni[is ofpardon andforgiven ,&c, gour, begetteth promptnefk the more.thou .doeft, the more thou maifl.The oftner the liberallmangives Almes, and dothgood turnes, the more his liberalitygroves and fbinesLet;anyman diri?,ently and throughly improve his faith, and greet will be his faith, andgreat theJoy it will bring in. It is our fault, ifwe fuf£er Satan, with light tempta- tions,ordinarily tointerrupt our fpirituall mirth,or to de- taine us in dumps andpenfivenefl'e. Did we but carefully maintaine our faith, it would doe away all diflurbance whichis within us againft our,felves, andtame the rebel- lion of haft againft the fpirit of the minde renewed ; it would fecure us againft the power ofenemies inward or outward, that they fhould not be able ro hurt us, much le& to prevaile againtt us, and reprefl'e or vanquifh all perturbations, which fpirituall wick:dneffes, unbeliefe, want of godly contentation, defeats in our condition, mightoccafion : it would expell unquietnefle, keepeun- der pallions, allay feares and griefs., and calme the boi- heroin ftormes of difcontent. Let us.keepe our faith, and it willkeepe our Joy:It will keepe it an even ever-flow- ing current, without ebbe and flow, cloudes andecclip- fes : let us increafe our faith, it will increafe our joy. But towhat meafure of joymay a grownChriltian at- taine,ifhebe carefullto prefcrve anë ftirre up his faith ? It is a -ft call thing for him to come toan ordinary pitch of chearefullneffe. Except his joy exceeds the mirth of a worldling in thequality andquantityof it, Ifhis mirth be not a fweeter, and more ravillzing-mirth, of an higher kinde, ofa more pure nature, of amore conftant tenure, thenany carnalll roanswhat-ever:hedifparages faith.The Chrifiians jay, is joytanf4e4kmble a¿nd glorious, joy in the Hp,Iy Ghóf,anothermanner ofJoy, thenever entred into the heart ofa,naturall man. So is that Text tobe conflru- ed,.eyeAathnotfoene,ec, not chieflyof the ¡oyesof Hea- ven ,.whichhere the fpirituall man himfelfe cannot tell what.they ffiallhe, but of,the .Ctofpels joy, ofthe wine 1 Q and 225 Towbar mea. ruse ojjoy a Gbrigian may airain. ß Pet, e:8, itom. i 4.-i 7 4" i Cor,z.90o,
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