Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v9

538 Chap. 3 r. An Expofition upen the Peeks of J o II. Verf.25. and over all the power ofthe enemy, and nothing ¡hallby anywanes hurt you. Now Chrift (who knowes the meafure and temper of every fpirit ) fore-feing that his Difciples might be aver. joyed with the thought ofthofe part and thefe.promifed vi&oryes and corgnefts ( which were indeedgreater then all the Ca/ari and Tompeys in the world ever attainedunto, he , I fay , fore- Icing this ) gave them an allay, by counfel andcaution ( v. 20. ) Not- tvithjír.ending in this rejoyce not, that thefpirits are fubjefI untoyou, but rather rejoyce in this , that your names are written in heaven. Where he at once correäs or checks the fufpeded excelles of their joy, for vi torycs gained over eviil fpirits, and direets them to rejoyce in that wherein therecould be no excefle, their hopes. of & interea in eternal glory.Now if good men are apt to exceed in their rejoycings about fome priviledges which are of a fpiritu. all nature(fuch is that gift of power over evill fpirits) Purely then carnal mencannot flop their joyes from exceeding , and godly men are very prone to exceed in rejoycing about earthly things. How feldome is it that we rejoyce in fpirituall things ? wee can . hardly"bring our hearts to any due bight or heate of holy joy ;, AndO how over boomdoe our hearts over-aft their joy in tem- poral! things ! Whenwe rejoyce in God, we rejoyce as it wedid . not, we rejoyce but faintly, narrowly, forrily ; yea while we are in the fiefh we can never rejoyce enough in fpirituall things, only this is our comfort, that in heaven we ¡hall rejoyce in God , and in God alone, and as we can never rejoyce toomuch inhim , fo then we ¡ball rejoyce enough in him ; our joy (hall then be full, and we ¡hall rejoyce our fill in God. Thirdly , In that lob difclaitnes all inordinate rejoycing in his great wealth, Obferve. To rejoyce much in the beg or greateft of worldly things is greatlyliinfull. The leaft of our affe&ions is enough for the greateft good', which thisworld yeelds. Nor is any thing of this world tohave any thing ofour ,rff.° Ijons, but in a fubfervtency and fubordina. tion unto God. The Apoftle gives us excellent counfel for the moderating ofour joyes about, and thedrawing off ourdefires from .creature-enjoyrnents(2Cor. 7. 30, 31..) The time ri'hors brethren;

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