The Christians Apparelling, Part 3 · Section 70
Section. 70.
The third and laſt effect of this our cloathing by Chriſt,3 The third effect of putting on Chriſt is Ioy. is Ioy & Comfort; ſo that the eſtate of a true Chriſtian is a ioyfull and comfortable eſtate, in which hee more truly and ſollidly reioyceth, then in all things of the world beſides: the contrary whereunto being found in others, is an argument they pertake not of this cloathing, and are Chriſtians only in name.
The godly mans comfort from Chriſt,The righteous reioyce in Chriſt & his eſtate is Ioyfull. hath bin ſhewed largely in the Motiues. Wee muſt here ſpeake of him with oppoſition to the wicked and hypocrite.
He hauing truly put on Chriſt to his iuſtyfication by faith, doth thence find wonderfull comfort; ſo that his eſtate is an eſtate of ioy, whether we conſider him, and it generally, or particularly in caſe of trouble.1 Generall Firſt; though the men of this world thinke the godly eſtate, the only ſad, ſolitary, melancholicke and heauy life vponupon earth; yet the truth is, Ioy and ſound comfort and content is no where elſe to be found but in that eſtate; and therefore it is made proper to ſuch as are made Righteous, by vertue of this their cloathing by Chriſt.Iob. 29.6. Of them it is ſaid, The righteous doe ſing and reioyce, and,Pſal. 64.10. the righteous ſhall be glad in the Lord, and ſhall truſt in him; and all the vpright in heart ſhall glory. Pſal. 97.11.Yea, Light is ſowne for the righteous, and gladneſſe for the vpright in heart. Now, who is this righteous and vpright man, but the true and ſincere Chriſtian,& 32 1.2. Pſal. 97.12. & 31.7 whoſe ſinne is couered, vntounto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie, and in whoſe ſpirit there is no guile? to them it is ſaid, reioyce in the Lord yee righteous: and by them it is ſaid, who find this ioy in their experience: I will be glad and reioyce in thy merciemercy: & 30.11.— thou haſt girded (or cloathed) me with gladneſſe, When is this?thou haſt put off my ſackcloath, Loe, then how he that puts on Chriſt, doth alſo put on Ioy; and how can it be otherwiſe? ſeeing by Chriſt he is not only for the preſent poſſeſſed of Gods fauour, and ſo of comfort and refreſhing, (for if this be the effect of the fauour of a King, a mortall man, much more of Gods) but alſo for time to come,Pro. 19.12. Rom. 12.12 See Gatakers iuſt mans Ioy pag. 5. 6. &c & pag. 34. 35. &c. in an aſſured hope of future glory, in which he reioyceth: Not but than his Ioy is often & by many occaſions interrupted, (though all yet, nay, the greateſt number receiue not ſuch interruptions.) this is ſometimes more to the thinking of others, then to their feeling they reioyce not ſo much outwardly, and therefore the blind world, which iudgeth by that only which it ſeeth, deemeth them ſad, whereas they inwardly, truly and ſolidly make merry. And it is not denied but ſometimes they forget themſelues, and by taſting of forbidden pleaſures,How yet his Ioy is interrupted ſome times. they for a while loſe the caſt and feeling of ſpirituall comfort, & are depriued of the ioy of Gods ſaluation, till by ſorrowing ſpiritually for ſuch carnall ioy, it bee reſtored to them againe, as it was with Dauid. Beſides, ſuch ioy is not attained but by ſorrow, as the ioy of a woman hath in a man-child, preſuppoſeth the ſorrowes of bearing him; and at firſt, the yoake of Chriſt ſeemes heauy for want of vſe: but one chiefe thing is, that they often take not notice of their owne happineſſe, through ignorance of their eſtate and miſtaking; as in the world there are many imaginary croſſes, which not God, but men make themſelues, &c. yet may we not ſay, that in their ſorrow they are without ioy; for they often ſorrow for their owne ſinnes (and others alſo) which ſorrow may ſtand with ſound & much inward comfort; yea occaſioneth it: they ſorrow for their ſinnes, as they ought; yet reioyce (as they may) for ſuch ſorrow. Nay, there is no ſound ioy in Chriſtians which either is not accompanied with, or which preſuppoſeth not ſuch ſorrow. And though the godly more then any are ſubiect to manifold afflictions in this life, yet it muſt be remembred they want not their comforts (as muſt further be ſhewed) neither here preſently, nor elſewhere: and it being winter here with them in this life, Ioy (though they hauehave it ſufficiently enough to carry them through all euills of this life with comfort, yet) is here but ſowne for them, their harueſt comes not till hereafter. He that ſhall deſire the larger view of theſe laſt points,Idem Ibid. let him conſult with the worthy Authour as the reference is made in the Margent, with whō I hauehave made a little bold.
On the other ſide, the wicked hauehave no true ioy, nor comfort, ſeeing they are not cloathed and kept warm & in ſafety by Chriſt:The wicked hauehave no true Ioy. they being out of Chriſt, hauehave no true Peace, without which no true Ioy. Why?Peace ariſeth from righteouſneſſe, and Ioy from Peace, and they want both: and ſo wanting Chriſt they want the fauour of God, vnderunder whoſe diſpleaſure they remaine; yea, alſo they want the Spirit of Chriſt, from which as from a roote true ioy buds.Iob 21.12.13 And though they ſeeme to bee the only merry men on earth, yet it is only from the teeth outward, they want not their wounds of conſcience, whereof they bleed inwardly, ſo that often euen in the laughter the heart is ſorrowfull. Pro. 14.13.What peace or ioy can any man hauehave, that hath the eternall God and mightie Iehouah his enemie, and continues in his diſpleaſure? they ſeeke their comforts from earthly contents,No not in earthly things. which all of them, without God and his fauour in Chriſt, proue but miſerable comforters. Theſe are comforts when we inioy them in Chriſt, elſe not: he that inwardly reioyceth in God, may reape ſome good comfort from theſe alſo in God; but none elſe. The cloathes wee weare muſt receiue heate from the body,Gatak. ibid. p 13. ex Plutarch. before they can returne any warmth againe vntounto it; caſt as many clothes as you well vponupon a dead corps you ſhall neuer be able to put any naturall heate into it. Yet this difference muſt be obſerued betweene Chriſt, whom we put on, and outward apparell; that, whereas it is true which is ſaid of our clothes for the body; yet Chriſt truly put on, giues not only warmth and comfort, but life alſo to our dead ſoules, and receiues not firſt from vsus. He then that ſhall ſeeke to ſolace himſelfe, and to reſt in the comforts this life doth afford, more then in Chriſt, and in the louelove of God in Chriſt, is not only without true comfort, but alſo without true life, and is but dead whileſt hee (ſo) liueth.
2 Particularly.Now particularly in caſe of trouble, the godly Chriſtian wants not matter of ioy from his ſpirituall cloathing: God being his in Chriſt,The eſtate of the godly is ioyfull in Affliction. is euer graciouſly preſent with him in trouble, by his power, if neede be, to deliuer him; howſeouer by his grace and ſpirit to ſtrengthen and comfort him; neither ſeekes he comfort from any thing elſe. Dauid being to vndertake a hard incounter with Goliah, 1 Sam. 17.38.39-45and being firſt armed with Sauls Armour, put it off againe, and armed and cloathed himſelfe with Armour of better proofe, euen the name of the Lord of Hoſts, who accordingly both ſafely kept him, and deliuered his enemie into his hand: thus hee was kep… from euill. See alſo how in trouble he armed and comforted himſelfe in the Lord; for when Ziklag was burnt, his wiues, and goods carried away, and himſelfe greatly diſtreſſed, yea in danger of ſtoning from them that ſhould hauehave bin a comfort to him; it is ſaid, But Dauid incouraged (or comforted) himſelfe in the Lord his God. 1 Sam. 30.6.Thus he comforts himſelfe,This Ioy is from god in Chriſt. euen in the danger of death: and doubtleſſe Chriſt, truly put on by faith, abundantly comforts his in all their troubles:Mat. 14.36 It is ſaid in the Goſpel, that as many as touched but the hemm of his garment, were made perfectly whole whatſoeuer their diſeaſes were. If there were ſuch vertue and comfort to be had from his apparell, what comfort do not the Godly find from Chriſt himſelfe, who by faith they not only touch, but alſo cloath themſelues withall? and that in all diſeaſes,The wicked want this comfort in Affliction. bodily and ſpirituall. Whereas in all theſe, vnſound Chriſtians are left naked and deſtitute of al comfort, as being out of Chriſt: all which might here largely & particularly be ſhewed, both on the behalfe of the godly and wicked; (the ſtrength and comfort of the one in trouble both Outward and Inward,Par. 3. §. 1… and that both in regard of tentations to ſinne by preſumption, and for ſinne by deſpaire; and the weakeneſſe and want of comfort in the other;) but that it is partly done already aboue in the Motiues,The ſpirit of Power. and partly to be done in a Treatiſe apart. Let this then ſuffice for this third effect, which is the third ground of triall, & of differencing the ſound for the vnſound.