1)ire8iom againft Pajfions Jinful Mirt/,. all his hcnt, this i-; harm, if f(!Uy, and unbelief, and contempt of God and his dreadful juftice he harm. 0 hearken to th~ C:~lls ~f God, abhor thy fins, and fct thy heart on Heaven and Holin~fJ. and then God and ~n[cJence ~tll allow thee to be merry•. Get a re~ewed Heart and life, and get the pardon of t~y {ms, and a fllle ~o Hea~en, and a readmefs to d1e, and then thLre i$ reafon and s· : n wi[tlum in thy mtrth. Then thy mmh wtll be bonourablt and warrantable; better than the lame q~~~~fl~mem mans that was healc:dr 48_1 3· 8. tha_t -~ent_with Peter and Jolm into the Temple, wal4ing and leaping n_10r.idecc~t, and praifi;:g God. Bu~ 1t ISa ~oft pn~t_ul hght to fee an ungo~J~ unregenerate finncr, to laugh, and !1de~eder.lecu~ fporr, and play, and hve merrily, as u he knew not what evd ts near him! le would draw tears ~tu~~i~~~;;:~· ftom the eyes of~ belitvcr ~!ut knowech hi1?, and thinketh where he is.like. to dwell for ever. 1re~ ftmpcrqucfu~ rntm~cr the cred1b~e nanaovc: of o~c: that lived not far from me~ that 11.1 h1s prophancnefs was want pu vwicem ro w1fh that he mJght fee: the Devil; who at 1afl apptarcd to hun to IllS terror; and fomerime he: viderer, wde fmiled on him: and the man was wont to fay, tha~ he never fLcmed fo ~tgly and terrible as when he ~on lle~dum fmiicd ( :iltld the man· was affrighred by it into a reformed life). So though a fervaut of the Dt:vil f~~~c~ilum Jbe mvtr cot'nely, yet he ncvt:r fi:emcth fo ghaHly as when he is mrJt merry in his rnifery. ' baud dubii= flctus, h1c non lc'ngo feju1~Ctus fpacio fequeh;1:tur, Paaub. Dt'll[. 1J9./i. 2.. Dire[/. 2. §. 3· Dir(Cl. 2. Yet do not drjlroy Jtatureby overmnc!J heavinrji, under pretetife that thou h4i no right to be merry. F?r, J. Th~ very .difcovery <;>t thy mi{ery puts the.e !nt? _the fairer hopes ot mercy, \2. And many of Gods ch1ldren hve long wHhout affuraoce of thtlr }uthtication, and yet Chould not therefore CJI\ away all joy. 3· And fo much eafe and quiet of mind mufi be. kept up by rhe ••fon– {lijicd tbcmfelvtJ as IS ne<.:dfJry to prefervc theu nawru, that they may have ume continued, and mar wait on God till they obtain his ~race. Above all men, they ha.ve reafon ro value their lives, Jdi r~r clie and be loll, before they be ncovered : And therefore as they mull not familh themfelves by forbear.. ing meJ.t or drink,fo their COrrows mufl nor be fuch as may defiroy their bodies( of which more anon'. Tlire[J. 3· 9· 4· Diroct. 3· S" tbat rou firjl fettle the Peace of your foult, upo11 folid grou11dt, and get fo;b The true me- evidmceJ ~f )'OUr fpecial imurjl in Chrijl and Heaven, M 'aliU rationaL) warrant yo" to rrjoyce; am:l tbilf ~ho{l.of Re-.~ mak,.e it tbe bufimfs of your livtJ to Rcjllyce and delight y1ur fllvu in God, tJnd tal{,e thir M tbe jOynr~. prhtcipal p:ltt of grace and c~dlimfi, and 1101 M a jiuaU or indifferent thing, and JO Ju all lawful nat:u.tl mirtb be ta~en in, tlf animoJICd 'and Jmliijied by tbii holy deilgbt and jry, and k,..now that tbir natur 4 l [anWficd mirth, it not 011/y lawful, b:tt & duty exceedi1tg fVngmoJ~ a1td comely for a thankful believer ;. hi.r way to ever/.Jfling joy. fee my s,,_ .9. 5· This is th< true method of rejoyd11g: Though as I faid, fo much quierncfs may be kept 9P by moo at .l>auls tht: unregeneute as is needful to keep up hte and health, and the Gofpt:I where it <.:ometh, is tidilf{.l cal.ied.RI!h~ d of gre.zt joy to thofe that hear ir, yet no m:m can live a truly comfortable merry life, bur in this me– ;Jr~:~re n thod :, but all his mirtb bttide that whi<.:h either fopportetb n:Jture, or meeteth mercy in his returning to thap. 3. Dir.~ God, will be jultly chargeable wich Nladnrfr ; anJ maketh him a more pitifu.l Jighr. JJ.· ~· 6. The tirH thing therefore to he done, i.; ro lay rhe Gro11nd work.. of true mirth. And this is done by unfeign(d Rcpeming, and t11rning to God, by faith in Chrijt, and becoming new·creo~tures, a fanCl:itied peculiH p~oplc, and being j.ullitiLd and a.dop~ed to be ~he. chtldren of God ; and chen by difcc~'1tin'' ( upon (obc:r uyal) the evzqcncu and WltmjJ of all thts m our fclves, that we may k._nm chat we 0 have paffcd from death to lift. 9·7· And dwugh there arc G.v~ral D~g_rru. both ?f .Gr.tce a~d of the Di[ccrni1zg of it, fome havilfg but little bolimfr, and Come but lark dijcumny~of 1t m themidves, yet tht kaft may afford much corn– fort to the foul upon jullitiablc grounds, though not iO much as the greater degrees of grace, and clearer diji:erni»g of it may do. ._ . ·9· 8. The: fo~tnd.~tioll bting thus laid, it mufi be our next cndtavour to build upon it a {et led Peact cf Confcimce, and r;uictuefrof foul: For till we can attain to }oJ) it is a great mercy to have Peace, and to be free from the accufJtions, ftar.r and gritf.r which belong to the unjutiiried: And Peau muH be t!-1e temper more ordinary th.an much joy, to be expected in this our frail condition. ~· 9· Thirdly Peace being thus fitled we muU endeavour to rife up daily intu J~y, as our grc.Jt duty, and our grc.'J felicity on earth : It being frequently and earne!lly commanded m the S..:riptures, that we Rejo)Ct in the Lord alruay1, and {hout for joy, all tiJ.Jt are upright in Heart, Plalrn 33· I• Phil. 3· I· & 4· 4• Deut. 12· 12, 18. & 27. 7· Thus he thar provetb hi1 ow1z work, may have Kejor cing in bim[tlj~ Gal. 6. 4• even in the ttjlimony of hi.r Corfcimce of his 0\.\11 fimplicity and godly-fine~ rity, 2 Cor. 1. 12· And this all believers !hould maintain and actuare in thtmfc.:lves. ~· zo. ·Fourtbl_y, witb this Rejoyci11g in God our lawful natural mirtb mufi be taken in, as jifbordi~ nate or fanllijiEd; that is, we mufi further our holy j<'.Y by 11atural mirth and churfulm:ji, and by the comforts of our Body1 inGods lower mercies, promote the fervice and the comforts of our fouls. And this is the right Place for this mirth to come in, and this is the true t.1etbod of rejo_yci1tg. Dirttl• 4 , 9· t r. Direct 4· M.rb,. weU the ufifitlnefi and teiidwcie of aU thy Mmh: and if it be ufefid to fit tbte fiJr thy duty, and intended by thee to that end. (though you alway obftrve nor that intention at the time) and if it ttnd to do thee go~d, or help thee to do good, without a greater lmrt or danger, then chcrifh and promote it: But if it ttnd tiJ carry thee away from God, to any creat11re, and to tti1fit thy fOul for the dmp ofthy place, and to carry thee imo fin, thm avuid it IH thy hrm. S1ill remern– bring that the neccffary fupport of nature mull 110t beavoided by good or bad. A Chrifiian that bath any acquaintance wit~ himldf, and with the work of holy watcbfulnefi, may difcern w~r .his mirth is by the tendency and effeCts, and know whether it doth him good or harm.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=