368 RIGHT REJOICING. consisting in the shell of duty,.without God, who is the life and kernel, is not religion indeed, but an hypocritical, self-deceiving show ; so you may turn a day of thanksgiving into a day of fleshly mirth, more sinful than a morris-dance or may-game, because of the aggravation of conjunct hypocrisy, if you set not a faithful guard upon your hearts. For the rectifying, therefore, and elevating of your joys, I am first to tell you, that there is matter of far greater joy before you than all the successes or prosperity of the world; and if it be not, yet being freely offered you, your acceptance may quicklymake it such. Eternal joy and glory is at hand; the door is open, the promise is sure, the way made plain, the helps are many, and safe, and powerful ; you may have the conduct of Christ, and the com- pany of thousands, (though the smaller number,) if you will go this way ; there are passengers every day going on, and entering in ; many that were here the last year, are this year in heaven ; yea, many that were yesterday on earth, are in heaven to-day. It is another kind of assembly and solemnity than this that they are now beholding, and you may ;behold.# One strain of that celestial melody Both afford more ravishing sweetness and delight than all that ever earth could yield. If a day in God's courts here be better than a thousand in common employments or de- lights, then, sure, a day in heaven is better than ten thousand. That is the court ; and (except the church, which is a garden that bath some celestial plants, and is a seminary or nursery for heaven) this world is the dunghill. There all is spiritual, pure, and perfect; the soul, the service, and the joy ; but here they are all so mixed with flesh, and, therefore, so imperfect and impure, that we are afraid of our very comforts, and are fain, upon the review, to sorrow over many.of our joys. We come now, from cares and troubles, to our feasts ; and our wedding garments smell of the smoke ; and a secret disquietness in the midst of our delights doth tell us, that the root of our troubles doth remain, and that yet we are not where we should be, and that this is not our resting place. We lay by our cares and sorrows on these days, with our old clothes, to take them up, again to-morrow ; and, alas! they are our ordinary week-day habits : and it were well if it were only so; but even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and in our sweet- est joys we feel such imperfections as threateneth a relapse into our former troubles. But the face of God admitteth no such im- perfections in the joy of the beholders: there we shall have joy without either feeling or fear of sorrow, and praises without any mixtures of complaint. Our sweetest love to the Lord oflove will feel no bounds, and fear no end. O, what unspeakable delights will fill that soul that now walks mournfully, and feedeth upon
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