RIGHT REJOICING. 367 that which is unwarrantable ; and, 2. Showing you the higher joys, which must animate these, or theywill be but dead, corrupt- ed things. It is only the regulation and the exaltation of your joys that I am endeavoring; and, for the first, my text affordeth me so full instruction, that youmay see this observation meeting you in the first perusal of the words. That when the Lord hath vouchsafedus matter of rejoicing in his wonders of mercy, and our great successes; the best of us are tooprone to take upa selfish, carnal joy, and have need of Christ's prohibition or caution, " Rejoice not in this." The soul is active, and will be doing; and there is nothing that it is more naturally inclined to than delight. Something or other, which may be suitable to it, and sufficient to answer its desires, it fain would be rejoicing in. And the spiritual part of all our mer- cies is pure and refined, and too subtle for the discerning of our carnal minds, and, therefore, is invisible to the dark, ungodly world; and, also, it is contrary to the interest of the flesh, and to the present bent of man's concupiscence ; and therefore it is that spiritual mercies are of perceived, nor relished by the flesh; yea, that they are refused, as food, by a sick stomach, with enmity and loathing, as if they were judgments or plagues, and not mercies; and hence it is that a carnal mind doth as unwillingly accept of any mercies of this sort, as if it were some heavy service that made God almost beholden to him to accept them. But the objects of sense, the matters of commodity, or honor, or sensual pleasure, are such as the worst of men are more eager after than anyother: they are things that flesh itself doth savor, and can judge of, and is naturally, now, too much in love with. And, therefore, there being too much of this concupiscence yet within us, the best have need, as to be excited to the spiritual part of their rejoicing, so to be warned and called off from the carnal part. Our successes, and our other common- mercies, have all of them both a carnal and a spiritual part ; somewhat, that is suited to our bodies, and somewhat to our souls. And as we are all too prone to be sensible and regardful of our bodily affairs and interests, and too insensible and neglectful of the matters of our souls, so we can easily pick out so much of providences and mercies as gratify and accommodate our flesh; and there we.woùld stop and know no more ; as if we had no spiritual part to mind, nor the mercy of any spiritual part to be improved. To rejoice in mere prosperity and success may be done without grace, by pride, and sensuality, as easily as a drunkard can be merry with his cups, or any other sinner in his sin. Think it not needless, then, to hear this ad- monition, Take heed that you rejoice not carnally in the carcass, or outsde only of your mercies. As such an outside religion,
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