The Gre~t D!'ty of Rejig,nation. 1 $cave;tannot be m~de itttCrly Urihappy . bj Affiidio~s ~ft Ea~h. 8e 'Yill f~rvC God~~~~;~;~::;::,. wirh as, mUch Love ~na ~s good a \Yt_ll, wh,en p~o:, i:lefpife~, ~tfco~!ol~rc, as m a _flo~- tm,m~J~rutD rilhingCo~ditio?; ~d Wtth_ rhi~ pe~ultai' _ sa:tsf~Chon, that_his Su~cenry IS then moft ev!-';7{':,''}7:;i" . dent: For ·.th€ Servtcc that IS Without Ref~ct r_o_a ~ pr.cfen~ Salary, a temporal Intercfr, ~s rfl {aturmtm. . not bafe and mercenary. Befides, that Opedience IS more ef!tinenr and a_cceptable that rs i•nm,m. ~;4 with Sufferings, and the RCward fl1all be_ ani\vCra_ble to our Obedience.. :One J?r~ugl~t !:~.~~~~J"J:t· of rhc River char makes glad the City of God above, ,can fwee_ren _all the Bttternefs oftl~c Dti s,·w•1 World In !hort clfc Chriflian's Hope is in the Apofl:Ie'~ Expreffion, _ The anchor ofthe1'm. P•radifru fo1,[ fu~e andjled}aJl, that ent"er"s witbin tbe Veil; ~t ·is fafl:~ned iri He~ve_n, c<_>nfirmed by ;~;;;;~,:;;: the Fidelity of God's Promifes, and tl1e ~revailing Interceffio~ ofCI1ni1, and fccurcd t.o & t~~'" Rtgni tis in the midfi of all the mrbulent Agitauons in tl1c wide Sea below. Hope makes us ~~''{" C:"'t~ not only patient but joyful in all our Suffeti~1gs. :J\ ~hri~ian cnc~uraged by the bleffe_d ro~~ .. De~!:.· Hope, comes with Joy to Death, as the Door that opens to the Kmgdom of Glory, and immortal Blelfednefs. Direfl. z. Let God be the fupream ObjeCt of our ~il:ccm arid Alfcetions; and what- !o.cver EYils we fuil:ain, will be made light and cafy to us . . The ,Apoil:le alfurcs us, Tbat all tbings, even the moil: affliCting, work for t!Je good of tbofe tbat love God. That Rom. s. ' '· heavenly Aftedion is not onl.f ~he Con~ht10 11 that entitles us to t!tat ~romlfe, t!l~t by fpcdal Privilege m:1kcs all the Evtls.of tlus World ::td\7antag~ous to the Samt~; bu~ tts the ~urlification by which ' tis accomphfl1ed. By Love we enJOY God , and Love will make :::~~il~~~f~l?rp~t~fce.;:~::t a~~ r~e;~~~~C~nd~~: ~~~i~;~C~I~V~h~~lJ~;ec;;;~:;Sn;h~ ~~~~~ :;c~i~~;~d ~~~fes ;!,d §~~~c:;1o~h;ft~s ~~~~l~t:t ,~;~,:,:~~:;i~dv~~t~:e ~;e~~~~~~fe~~ )lis Felicity. By polfelling him, all that iS amiable and excellent in the Creatures, may ~~i~;jd;,":d~:fs ~:;;n~~~~o~f~~arb~a~:,efa;!:~~ ;17 ~~~ g~fi~~~:esal\~~m;~~~; s~;~~~: conquer all our.Fears. One Beam of his Countenance can reVive the fiirit dead in forroJo, and !Juried in deJPair. The Prophet Jeremy in the defolarion of his Countrey, [upports him!eJf with his Interefl: in God: il;e Lord is my portion, .fail}, my .faul. The Ex- Lam.J . 24; prellion fignifies the Truth and SD:ength of his alfcetionate Choice of God as his ehiefeil: Good, what Lofs .can make a ChriO:ian poor, whofe Treafure is above ? What Danger anx(ous, whofc Heart is fixed , truil:ing. in the Lord? What difail:er unhappy, whofe Blelfednefs ts in Heaven ? What Death can deil:roy him, whofe Life is bid wit}, Cbrift in God 1 Deprive him of aU the Contents of . tl\is World, yet by Communion with God, Heaven dcfccnds to him; or .he akends to Heaven; tvhere God is all in all : The blef. fed Reward is not refcrved Wholly till hereafi:er. .Divine Joy is not deferred till our entrance into the CeleO:ial Kingdom :. There 'tis a refined Joy from all Mixture of Sorrow; 'tis infimtcly mcrcafed; there fpiritua! Joy meets eternal Joy; but it begins here : The gracious Soul has a taile and fight ho1o good th< Lord is, as an earneil: of the Fuhjefs of Joy in Heaven. Hope brings fome Leaves of the Tree of Life, to re!j:cfl1 us with their ~~f~~nde}cj~~~~deth~ ~~:1:sf~~o~~:~fc~'e~r::;o; ~f tK:~l!~~~~~d.,:Jug~~d~~~~eas'~~ their Original Country; fo Heavenly Joys in this Life arc inferiour in their Degree to ~~~[~.o;:;:et~e;t:f:r~~d;li;~: ~~ej.~~~ v,':frs :h:i::f!,;,pl~n~"£xcil~~:r~:eofch;Y~:~;r,;;~ Pr.J 94 . •9i jf~!o"J,!hh!!r;:d~::';:rltii}i:,1":; ~:.:~ ~::1.~1t::~~ ;:n::; :; ;,~;u;":rr::;, flab )1 7 •••• and there jhall be no herd in the flails; yet will! rejoice in the Lord 1 I will joy in tbe God of my .falvation. He fuppofeth himfclf in Extremity, utterly deil:itute not only of the Refrelhments, but Supports of Life; yet he knows how not only to be patient and contented, but joyful in the moil: forlorn Condinon. Joy ts an Atlcet ,on proper to the ~at'£\c~a~~· th~n ;;::Ur;{ t~trig:,ej~~'~xr~::~l i;~;~~ d~~~wa ~~;~o~~~ hfl::d ~~~ of Life brought forth Fruits for every Month; our blelfcd Redeemer, typ ified by it, has Confolat10ns for the moil: deplorable and defolate Condition. I f he fays to the affliCted Soul, I am thy Salvation, and within a little while thou !halt be with me for ever in Glo~y, lt fufficerh. Rejoice in tbe Lord always ; again I foy , rejoice. It is the moil: af~ fecbonate Counfel of the Apoil:le. Thefe are not inacceflible H;:ights of Religion, and Pomt~ of Perfection, to which none can arrive, unlcfS extraordinary Saints ; but arc the c;xpcrJm~I}tal_ Practice of humble fincerc Chriil:ians, that fay with the Pfalmi!l:, Whom h•11e we z1 hea't!en lmt tbee ! and tbere is none upon earth we defire /Jejides thu. The guilty Q_ q Principle
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