3 RIGHT REJOICING, lar calling,,which diverts the hurtful, troubling thoughts, and is pleasing unto God. 6. Take not every sickness of your souls for death, but rejoice in that life which enableth you to be troubled at your diseases. Keep under melancholy by these means, (and the advice of the physician,) and you will escape a very great hin- drance to this high 'and holy duty of heavenly rejoicing. II. But you think, perhaps, that I have all this while forgotten the duty proper to the day : No ; but I was not fit to speak for it, nor you fit to hear and practice it, till the impediment of carnal rejoicing was removed, and' till we had begun with heavenly joy. It is heaven that must animate all our comforts. They are so far sweet as heaven is in them, and no further. Now, therefore, if you first rejoice for your heavenly interest, I dare safely then per- suade you to rejoice in the mercies which we are to be thankful for this day. And though some of them are but yet in the birth, ifnot in the womb, and we are yet uncertain what they will prove, that will not excuse us for any unthankfulness for the first concep- tion or infancy of our mercies. And though Satan seek to get ad- vantage by them, that will not excuse us for our overlooking thé mercy in itself. And though there are yet abundance of fears and troubles on the hearts of many of Christ's servants through the land, we cannot by any such accidents be excused from the thankful observation of the workings of the Lord. All mercies on earth, even spiritual mercies, have their mixtures of trouble, and their imperfections ; but must not therefore be denied or exten- uated. And though many that are dear to us, smarting by the change, will be offended and grieved at our most moderate thanks- giving, we must not therefore offend the Lord by our disregard- fulness of his works. There are these things to be commemorated by us this day, which I dare not overlook. 1. That God hath so honored his justice and impartiality as to show how he hateth sin in whom- soever. And indeed the justice of God itself would seemmore amiable to us, were we not so selfish as to think hardly of all that is hurtful unto us. Justice demonstrateth the holiness of God, and all the appearances of his holiness are lovely in themselves. 2. That the holy God bath disowned heresy and divisions on the one side, as well as impiety and profaneness on the other; and that his wisdom thought meet to acquaint us experimentally with the hurtfulness of both, and our danger of both, as he did in former ages of the church. We first found the serpentinemalice of the ungodly, and God delivered us when they would have swallowed us up. But while we only, heard and read of heresy and schism, and that too often abusively `applied to many of the most peaceable servants of the Lord, we understood not the mis-
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