Part 1J•· A StJint or 4 BrtJte.' your holy courage and comfortable behaviour, and by yoqr },iving above the pleafur.es and griefs of unbelievers ! When they glory in their profperit)J doyou Glory in .the Lwd -: When they boaft themfelves in their riches or reputation, do y~u imi.. tare holy David who profelferh, Pfal. 34. I, 2, 3· [I -will b!efs the L9rd at all times: hu praifefoal! continua!f] ~e in thy mouth. My foul fba!! mak! her boaft in the LGrd : the humble foal! hea~ ther(of and be glad : 0 magnifie the Lord with me , ~tnJ let m exalt huname together. J And Pfal. 44· 8. .[InG(:)d will we haaftall the ~aJlong,,ndpraife thy Name for ever.] By ~ucb fpiritual joyfulnefs your lives would be a continued Sermon ; :md you might thu-spre~ch home more fouls to Chrjfl:, then the mofl: 1XceOent pre.tcher by bare perfwafions. Poor '!inners would begin to pitty the•felves tha~ live fo f,u below the £ainrs; and they would think with themfelves· [It is not · for nothing that 'thefe men rejoyce, and are comfortab'le even in the lofs of all thofe chings that we take all our eomfore in ! J For the honour of your deareH: Lord:t and for your own feltcity, and for the fake of che mifcrable fouls about you, I befcceb you Chrifiians do your befi eo reach this fweet and jo.yfullefl: life, and to avoid thofe inordinate troubles ana defpondencies which arc like tO crofs thefcbleffed ends. And pray for me and the refl: of his fervams, that theLord will forgive us our dithonouring of his name, our wronging our O\vn .fouls, and our difcouraging the world from living unto God, by oRr living fo ~below his mer– cies, and fo unanfwerable to the unfpeakablc treafurcs of his Saints: and tha't for the time to wme, we may lay this duty more to heart, and by the comforting fpirit may be elevated to the performance of ir. . But I fuppofe forne will fay [To tell me how I flmtld li7Je f(.)r the encouraKement of others u but to draw me to an hypocritical ajfe– llt~tion and cotmterfeiting of joy and courage ; tU long tU I am ;ma!Jlt inwarJly t" rejoyce, itnd c11n fee no fufficient caufe ef ?YJ} rejoycing in my /elf.] · , ~n[w. I. I thall by andby thew you that you have fuffici~. ent, yea unfpeakable caufe of joy. 2. And_now I fhall only fay that youare not to fufpend and forbear your comforc, till you have full a.ffurance of your own fincerity : your probPZbiU· ties-, and WMk.!ft fllith, and hope, will warrant a more CfJmforttthi« ~fc: then yoacan#ve. ~!'!d itis not hJp.acrifie, .bur. a nece.lf~r:J . .. "! y 3. aHtJ·
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