Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v8

616 Clal.:2g. -.r9n Expfticn upe tie Ecrk of JoB. Verf. 24. fenfuallicy,or carnal delight in the creature. Thefe fay, lets laugh and be fat ; thefe(as the Prophet dcfcribes chem,dimos 6.4,5,6.) Lye upon beds of Ivory andflretch themfelves upon their c and cat the Lams out of the f ock,and the calvesout of themilfl the flail, and chaunt to the foundof the viol, &c. To thefe Chrift fpeaket (Luk. 6. 25.) Woe to you that laugh now fer ye(hall weep and mourn ; They who live fenfually, are neer, not only the for- rows of death, but a forrowful life. Their pleafure dyes foonsfl .rho live in pleafure. And therefore Solomon had great caufe to fay ofthis laughter, itte mad, andofall [tab mirth, what bothit ?: even this it doth, it leaves men not only melancholly but mifera- ble.As all creatures in their bell ufe are vain as to that great end, the attainment of eternal happinefs,fo when they are abufed,that is, excetlivclyufed,they vvill loon be a vexation offpirit. Now, as there is a vain and linful, fo a holyand commendable laughter, and that flows from theft three fountains ; flrff, from faith in or affurance of the promife,that we fhall in due feafon eat the fruit and enjoy the comforts of it. Such was Abrahams joy or laughter when a fon was promifed him,as was ceucht beforeAs God laughs at the wicked in fcorn, knowing that himfelf both can and will doe what he hash threatned againft them So Godly men laugh in faith, knowing that God both can and will doe all that for them which he bath promifed. And (to be fore) there's enough promifed to makeany man laugh that b e- leives it. Worldlymen laugh at the fmplicity of the Saints in beleiving the promife;andSaints laughbccaufe of the richcrea lure of good things contained in the promifes, as alfo becaufe of the faithfulnefs and all-fufiîciency of God in making them good. we rejoyce,(faith the Apoffle, Rqm. N. 2.) in hopeof the glory of God, yea, beleiving (firongly, and by faith feting things hoped for clearly) we rejoyce with joy unfpeakable andfed ofglory (a Pet r. 8.) that joy which we cannot fpeak, we may laugh ; and then the foul is full of joy indeed,when we cannot utter it by words, but by laughter. Secondly, There's a gracious laughter arifng from confidence of deliverance in times of danger. Thus Eliphaz affures a godly man (Char. 5.22.) At deflrul-lion and famine thou (halt laugh. But are de(fruaion and famine laughing matters ? Doth not God then call us to mourning, and to fafiing ? I anfwe -, nothing is more

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