666 e 'kfa ler Greenhars 'Readings not bccauCGods law dock forbidthetn.ButGod his-childrenabhorre finne,as wellprime as manifrfc,and that becaule finde is lime, andnot in that it is punishable by mans law. For they çonfidering that Adam,IIofsah,Ezechiahand others were punifhed for fmall tbings,dare account no findeto bePaull in the eyes ofGod.It is the tvhip,the rod,and the fèoarge, that caufeth the hypocrite, asan a11e,a Poole, and a llaue,to leaue finne : but it is loue,coi f cience,and obedience,that moucthGods children willingly to abhorreit. V-erf r 6 . ¡reioyce atthy word,as one thatfindeth great f oyles. A. S bee bathfpoken of bisfeare, fonowhefpeakcth 'of his ioy. Greatis the ioy ofthem .ÌiY lathat findefpoyles;for fpoylesbring vietoriç and vibtorie makes the triumph : fo that fpoyle brings profit,and thevtétorie.pleafnre,boththen muffneedes caufegreat ioy. His meaning then is : that whatbattaile foeuerhedid fight,what towne !baler he fpoyled, his ioy was nothing fo great, as it was in takingpleafure inGodhis word. Here then is a A truenote of true note to difeerne vsfromhypocrites, whenweetake-comfort innothingfo muchas in Godschild. theword ofGod. - Buc come will f ay,that this extraordinary ioyappertaineth to theProphet,rather than to vs : whereforelet vs heart what theholy Ghoil ipeakethhereof in the GofpeB,asRoin.p. webane towards God,and reioyceunder thehope oftheglorie ofGod.AndPhilip.4. he cal- lech it, The peace ofGod which paffeth dl vnderffanding: and the Apoftle i.Pet.r.fhewiirg how in themercie ofGodwee arebegotten againevntoa liuely hope bythe refurrethon ofIciüs Chriftfrom the dead,toan inheritanceimmortaliand undefiled, refereedin Ilea- uen forvs,biddéth vs to reioyce with by vnfpeakable and glorious. And Pamir .Cor.ag. fheweth what caufe weehaue to reioyce, becaufe the thingsWhich eyebath notfeene,neithen care hark, heard, neither came intomans heart, are,which Goí7 hathpreparedfor themthat lotte him. Theft things wee fee are fuckas are common to all : why then doe Gods children fo much reioyce in the word ? Firft,inconfideration oftheir owne vileand miferableaRates; then in confiderationof God his loue and Chrift his merits for them. Forthey confide- ring with themfelues,that bynaturethey arenothing but vaffals of fincìe,thebondllaues of the diuell,theenemies toGod,and fim-brands of hell,andthat-by Chriftthey arefreed-- from their fins,fetat libertiefrom.Sathan, ranfomedfrom hell, and reconciled vote God, and that heuwill bring voto themthe fruit ofhis death,and benefit of hisrefurrerion,by killing finin them,and quickening themveto righteoufnes,&remembring(Colofa.I4;) that Chrifl bath tahynaway the handwriting,andfailened it ontohis crujegand thatemerymem- ber,through him,hath fpoyledthe principalitiesandpowers,end ledcaptive theworld,the fiefhand the diuell,andbath madea thewofthem openly, and bathtriumphedover them in thefame crone, The true ioy offeche Inch a ioyas neuerany earthly conquerours felt the like. For looke how farre Brea_ ohofàithfsil, ter thevibtorie offinne and Sultan ts,abouethevicîorie of inen:fofarcegreater is theioy, bontomtit andmore gloriousithetriumphOfChriftians, than ofearthly Captaines. And asfarreas eaceedeosti the robes of Chrift his ri bteoufielfeare richer than the royall armes ofPrinces : fo farce carnattioy. g y cloth the ioy ofGods children exceede all the ioyof thePrinees of this world. Whofoeuce then haue not this ioy, by fomuch they Thew themfelues as yetto be more carnall,more worldiy,an imorerubieettoSathan. At thy word. Still we mutt obferue this,that what affefdionsfoeuer we pretendto God, they Inuit be tried by hisbleffedword,whether it beof loue,oroffeáre,or of ioy.Whofoe- Triallofour uer then will fay,they aremerle God,as they hope,when their mirth is not inthe word, t °l' and they can reioycein Chrift as well as others,and yet theyreioyce invanitie and world- ly things,they decciuethemfelues : yeaalthough theydid not reioyce in ill things,yet they cann'otreioyce in prayer, theycannot reioyce in the word,they liane no ioyin theSacra- ments, whereby and notwithltandinn they attaine all precious things, an inheritance which ' not away. But alas, how can men coy ? how can they (port? how can they laugh to earneftly at vaine things,and take folittlecomfort and folace inGods word?and why Both the word ofGod makevs fo dull? why döth prayer makevs'fobeanie? why loth meditation caufe vs to be fo fad?Euen becaufe we are focarnali and earthly minded.Well, tha
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