comfortable walking with God. yee that are upright inheart, Pfal, 32.11. It is not an arbitrarie or indifferent thing , as Come may fuppofc to rejoyce, or to be fad. But acomfortablecommandment is fweetly enfor- ced upon us, by the fountains ofall comfort, to reioyce ; and weebreake a commanclement, ifwe rejoyce not. And there- fore we are bound in confcience to (hake our felves from the dull,toplucke upour fpirits,to expollulate and be angry with our hearts, iftheygrow heavie, as Daviddid : Why art thou cnf downe, 0 my foule, and why art thoufo dtfOietedwithin me ? For we mull anfwer as well for not rejoycing,as for not praying : for breaking this commandement,Reioyceevermore; as that other, Thou !halt not kill: (I know full well there are difErence and degrees in finne.) But here a weake Profeffor beingpreffed to theentertain. ment and excellency ofthis joy, may bee troubledand temp. teel upon the furveyof the definition and nature ofit.For this fpirituall Chrillian joy, is a delicious motionof the mind; {Hued up by the holy Ghofl, from the prefence and poll-di-i- onof Chrill Iefus our Soveraigne God, dwelling in the foule by faith : whereby the heart is extraordinarily ravifhed and refrelhed with a fweet, holy, unfpeakeable delight. Now, faith hee, Wit be fo ; I mull tell you, I finde and feele no fuch fenfible grafpingofgefits Clorift, in thearmes ofmy faith, or affured poffeffion of him, that I dare admit of this joy, or meddle with it. But know that in the timeof thy fpirituall infancy, temp- tations, defertions, and otherdampes and dejeftions offoule efpecially ; let thy feeling or acknowledgement bee what it will; thou doff moll certainely enjoy the Lord Iefam even Md by a fincerehunger and thirfi after him andhis righteoufnefl7, ari, , , andby thy upright hearts adheringand cleaving unto him, as thy onely and chiefeft joy : and by confequent art upongood ground, and by true right intereffed to all that joy, which the bleffed Spirit doth fo importunately preffe upon thee in fo many places. Here refrefh thy memory with the revile ofmy former diftindionof affuranue ofevidence, and ldberence. *What -
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