Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI. Of Ioy and Sorrow.
HE is not far from ioy, that sorroweth either for want of good things, or for sense of euill: for the true way to godly mirth, is to feele godly sorrow.
2 When wee hauehave greatest cause of ioy for well doing, then it is a good thing to feare most our vnthankfulnes, and our selfe-louelove and our secure vnkindnesse.
3 Gods children not cherishing a continuall sorrow, hauehave often an excessiue sorrow.Sorrow.
4 When a man is most merrie, he is neerest danger.Mirth.
5 We shall sometimes feele by experience, a terror suddenly come vponupon vsus, when weeMelancholy. are alone, or vehemently to strike vsus in the night, being sent of God to humble vsus: the Physition will say it is a melancholike passion, but I say it is the power of Gods presence, preparing vsus to prayer, or some such like seruice of God: which when we feele, if wee fall downe before the Lord in prayer, we may finde an vnspeakeable ioy following it, but if we cherish it with euill surmises, it may bring vsus to further inconueniences.
6 The way to godly mirth, is to feele godly sorrow.
7 The people murmured at the red Sea, yet the Lord forgaue them, and healed them: Againe they murmured at the bitter waters, yet for his promise sake, and the faith of some, hee pardoned that sinne also, and helped them, and brought them to sweete waters and Palme-trees, fit to campe vnderunder. Where wee may behold how the Lord tempereth their sorrow with ioy: for his children sometimes must feele his fauour, and sometimes feele it not. Hee letteth them see his goodnesse many wayes, and his heauie hand but seldome, and therefore we ought to beare it more willingly. Againe, wee may learne that wee are the fittest to receiue merciemercy, when wee hauehave felt his iustice: and when wee hauehave found his goodnesse, we must take heede of securitie, for when we are past one crosse, hee can prepare another for vsus.
8 By many meanes come we to ioy, saith Chrysostome: the wise men of Greece wished men to reioyce; and the Poet saith, Without ioy life is no life. So it may seeme ioy is lifesChairein ano charas bios ou bios. life, and therefore men seeke it so much. He that auoideth not something that is not euill, must needes doe much euill: In riding, wee will not ride so neere the edge of the ditch as wee can, but leaue a good deale betweene, least both our horse and wee fall in. This is our policie in riding, I would it were so in liuing. It is not Christian wisedome to goe as neere euill as wee can. Well is mirth euill then? Too much vse of mirth is naught. We must not studie for mirth. If it be not a present iest, it looseth his grace, Deut. 29. If he be thirstie hee will drinke till hee bee drunken. Those things wee desire too much, wee will keepe tooTo adde drunkennes to thirst. Vers. 19 Non noti sumus ad lud… fast, we came not (faith Tullie) into the world to make merrie. One saith, when yee would bee merrie, this you may doe, but make no occupation of it. It is the worst end of a good wit to inuent mirth, and yet wee see daily, how many thinke this is their portion in this life. Ambrose giueth them a fit name, he calleth them superfluous creatures, and so they bee: for the world if they were gone, were well ridde of them. And Hierom saith, God cast not man out of Paradise that hee might here build him another, but that with sweare, &c. our recreation must not be thus, to make it our profession to moue mirth and laughter, a very Idolarie, if one may call it so. This ioy is but a bastard kind of ioy. Hilarie saith, it one laugh when he is going to prison, eueryevery man will count him a foole. So if we will reioyce, let vsus reioyce in that that cannot be taken from vsus, for when those things perish we must perish also.
9 I finde mention in diuinitie of two kinds of ioy, the one lawfull, the other qualified with circumstances. The first, Chrysostome calleth angelicall ioyes, and Hil…ry calleth them ioyes of the Palace, or such ioyes as are in the court. These are the best, & in these we may be secure, if ye seperate not ioy from the glory of God. There be foure angelical ioyes. The1 first is the touchstone, whether we reioyce truely or no, Psal 1 7. Let me tongue cleane to the roofe of my mouth, if I forget, nay, if I perferre not Ierusalem in my murth! Gods glory flourisheth most, when the Church flourisheth, & therfore that is the true ioy: but there are some that can fattē their hearts, when Ierusalem lyeth in the dust. The second ioy is angelical indeed;2 so our Sauiour Christ calleth it when a sinner returneth to the Lord, then the Angels reioyce, and this also is a safe ioy. When the prodigall Sonne returned, his Father did well to receiue him with such ioy, though his brother did hang the groine at it: & one of the Fathers saith, though it were but a homly speech, that it was the best calfe that euer he killed, the best peece of veal… that euer he bestowed. At this day there is but small turning of …inners, & smal reioycing for it, and I thinke this to be the cause of that pouertie, for that they being come home, none will giuegive them a ring, a gowne, &c. Luke 15. The thrid ioy is. Psal.3 122. I reioyce… when they said, come let vsus goe to the house of the Lord First, to reioyce in the meanes of saluation, as in Sermons, in Preachers, and such like; this is angelicall, & Dauids ioy: I reioyced when one told me there was a Sermon in the Lords house, and saide, come let vsus goe. A Father saith, thou makest hast to a banquet, but not to the Temple: thy mirth is not good, thy life is not good. Thou canst watch al night in dicing, but not in meditation. The fourth kinde of ioy, is Prouerbs 22. 25. In the rest a man may counterfeite a reioycing,4 but this passeth all hypocrisie, which is the ioy of the iust, to doe righteousnes, iudgement and equitie. Shew thy conscience all the goodly things in the world, it shall not reioyce at them so much as at one good worke. This ioy will neuer depart, their works follow them, and so shall the ioy of them. The Apostles went away after their whipping, and reioyced, not onelyonly that they could suffer scourges, but that they triumphed. What ioy soeūer we hauehave else, if we thinke vponupon iudgement, then wee say vntounto our mirth, thou art madnes, Ecclesiast.The second kinde of ioyes Petti… ioyes Bitter sweet ioyes. chap. 2. The second kinde of ioyes, Chrysostome calleth pettie ioyes: Hilarie termeth them the solace of prisoners, who eate and drinke for a while, but shortely the iudge commeth and condemneth them, and they are executed. This Salomon called bitter sweete ioyes, Prouerbes 14. 13. This is certaine, eueryevery one will hauehave the one or the other: if they cannot get Penelo…e, they will be suiters to her maidens: these bee seeming ioyes, and wee thinkeSeeming ioyes. them to be great, because we know no better. For if wee knewe the ioyes of the righteous, we would laugh at these vaine ioyes. It is noted in Cain, after hee had lost his place in Heauen, he got him as good a place in earth as he could. Iubal hee found out organs to make his Grandfather merrie. What is it then vnlawfull? I will tell you what the Fathers saide concerning it: The beleeuer can neuer finde time for laughter. Hilary saith, that whatsoeuer we louelove in the world, we take thereby occasion of laughter in prison; and this is phrensie. If these men liued now, they would be accounted precise fooles, Storkes, blockes without affections, for these be the opprobrious speeches which the wicked vse against good men: but if any man can reioyce in Psalmes and spiritual songs, if he can find an hony-combe in the word, and with Dauid can dāce before the Lord; God forbid, that I, or anie should play Michol to mocke him. Nay, I will say with Moses, I would all the Lords people were as these bee: and tooke pleasure in these things, for thus wee ought to be, and I will say with Paul, would to God you would practise these things which I teach But where the Spirit is carnal (as Bernard saith) where there is a mouldie soule, a drie heart, where the Spirit is turnedA mouldie soule, and a drie heart. into flesh, there men louelove these pettie ioyes, and bitter sweetes. But yet (not to foster any mans imperfections) the Church hath childrē of perfect age, shee had babes, yea, euen such as are in their lumpe like the Beares whelpe, wee cannot come from Beersheba toSimile. Bethel at one step. These actions in themselues are not vnlawfull, but …fles are for babes which the Church beareth with, vntil God prouide better sor vsus, not commanded but permitted, as Paul, when he was a childe, spake as a childe, and wee are all in the estate of children, 1. King. 11. Salomons men that went to Ophir, did not only bring gold and siluer, necessary for the common-wealth, but Parrats and Apes for children.
10 The true rule of mirth is set downe, Ephes. 5. 4. it must not be rotten mirth, mirth of1. Aischrótes. concupiscēce, to speake plaine, such as is obscene and scurril mirth, corrupting good manners, concerning which Bernard saith, if it be a shame to heare, let it be a shame to speake.… ▪ Morologia Eutra…eleia. Secondly, the mirth may not be Dymic…s, pricking mirth, quipping myrth, and …aunts, to please our auditors with. The third thing is, that it be not without reason, vnreasonableSi pudeat audire, pudeat dice…e. 1mirth, feather-mirth, when there is no cause to bee merie, when a man hath a conceite of himselfe, to which Paul opposeth thankes-giuing, that our mirth may bee gracious. And thus much for the first kinde of corrupt mirth. There is a second kinde, Ierem. 15. paintedá…gos. out: I sit not in the assembly of mockers, because of the companie, which is noted, Hos. 7.2 When that Kings would be merrie, they must hauehave an hick-scorner, and a common jesterEucharistiā. Tauernemirth. to come among them, this is Tauerne-mirth, and the fooles cannot else be merrie. So then our mirth is euill when we make not choyce of companie. Thirdly, not vsing of the right time, is vitious here, Iob. 21. 13. They spend their dayes in wealth, and suddenly they goe donne It is his Catastrophe.into the graue. It is that whereupon Augustine saith: I would that men did not onelyonly leese3 their time, I wish they might not loose bodie and soule also, Exodus 30. They sit donne Ducunt in bonis dies suos, & to puncto temporisibunt in infernum.to cate and drinke, and rise againe to playe: But Eccles. 3. Weeping is first, afterwards loye. Ezekiel. 9 The Mourners are marked with the Lords TAV. Wee make our studies-labours and trades, a parenthesis to our play; whereas our play should bee a parenthesis to our labours. Lastlie, measure and manner must bee obserued, Prouerbs▪ 22. A Foole4 when hee laugheth, lifts vp his voyce, but the wise man is scarse heard: it is like the fire of thornes, a little fire and much cracking; so in a foole much laughter and little cause. We may not as Fooles, tire our selues with laughter: seeing thou must stand before the barre in iudgement, how is it that thou canst so laugh? saith Chrysostome. And Hylarie saith onquum debes assistere iudicio, quomodo sic rides? Psalme 137. All our ioyes in this life are as the waters of Babylon. Wee must reioyce in trembling, Psalme 2. If we hauehave not this we keepe no order in the rest. Remember to obserue these rules.
11 In our pleasures wee are especially to beware, that wee take no pleasure in pleasures, Men must not be mirth mongers, (that is) men must not studie for mirth. And what isTake no pleasure in pleasure. the reason? Surely, because where there is an exceeding and ouer much desire of a thing, there is like to bee an exceeding, and ouer much vse of the thing, when wee hauehave it: which is our reason against ambition and couetousnes: for riches and honour in themselues beingHow far wee may reioyce. good, by an excessiue desire and vse of them are made naught. The ende of our mirth must not be onelyonly to bring pleasure, and that pleasure may bring ioy: for then we shall reioyce to reioyce, and this is Idolatrie. For it would be preiudiciall to our reioycing in God, for whatsoeuer hath an ende aboue this ende, is dangerous. One saith very well, if my bodieNote well. be but a strainer for meats and drinks to runne through. If I serue for none othervse, but to make reporte of the sweete and sower taste of this or that, surely my life is not worthie of life. Againe, wee must beware in our mirth, that wee hauehave not a care to please our hearts, our hearts being vnsearchable pittes, if they followe naturall things, they growe to be too natural, and therefore they are sometimes to be pressed and imprisoned, vntill they smart, least hauing too much libertie, they cause eueryevery vaine in soule and body to smart in the ende.
12 Youth especially is to take heed of pleasure: for though fire be good, yet in flax orYoūg age is a dāgerous age tinder it is not good: So though pleasure be good, yet pleasure in youth is not good. We need not plow for weeds, they will grow fast enough in the fallow. But some will take pleasure in youth especially, and they purpose to become good, and to liue grauely hereafter, and to behaue themselues solemnely afterwards. This is to make a couenāt with the diuell, as the diuel said to Christ: I wil come out, but the time is not come yet; so we wil leaue pleasure when the time coms, & in the meane time he keepeth vsus in a purpose, wherefore there are more in hell than in heauen. Young men make their sins of a double die, crimson sins, they become a disease of the bones, and custome is turned into a necessitie: whereupon diuers say, I would faine, but I cannot leaue them, whereof where one doth recouer, forty rot away. If Sathan can make our youth an vnprofitable age, al the ages after hardly any good to be looked for. For if he once nippe the blossome, where is the hope of the Autumne? where may we looke for fruite? Well, if wee will needes vse pleasure, wee must set downe some measure.
13 The diuels rules neuer hauehave exceptions, but God his Saints must learne restraint;We may vse pleasure, but with restraīt Affections. we must neuer make our hearts the stewards of our affections, that our thoughts wander not in them, and least in desiring things too much, we exceede when we hauehave them. There must be the least appetite of those outward things, because there is the least vse of them. If a man cannot want them, he will abuse them, whē he hath them. It is true that Ierom saith,Verecunda initia suntomnis peccati. Their originall or beginning is honest, but their growth and greatnesse is deformed: and that also, Sinne is very reasonable at the beginning and very shamefast. Thamar went first to play the whore with a vaile before her face, but now with an open face. First honest recreation, and then a pleasure of vanitie▪ recreation before labour, to play before we studie. We vse pleasure, but to no good ende. So Elies boyes would hauehave the fat without any reason. Iudas could see the absurditie of this: To what end is this ointment spent wastfully? we vse such things too much or too long, whole daies from morning vntil night, til we be set on fire with them We come to be too effuse. Nabals feasts are like the feasts of a king, he being but a countrie farmer.
14 This is a general rule, wantonnesse is the beginning of sinne: we see in Esau, to whatWantonnesse ends in wickednesse. great prophanenesse his wanton pleasure in hunting grew: So in the Scriptures there can be found none other beginning of Salomons fall but this, that 1. Reg. 5. when he had spent seauen yeeres in building the house of God, hee spent thirteene yeeres after in building an house for himself. This was scarse a good propertie to bestow thirteene yeares on his own house and seauen yeares on Gods house, and the Apes and Peacockes that hee brought into the Land, set the people on such vanitie, that they vanished awaie in their wanton thoughts. Idlenes and trifling be the callings of Gentlemen now adaies, as also needelesse expenses, 1. Tim. 5.