Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
Hypocrites differ from ſound beleeuers in all the dimenſions of ioy; whereof the firſt is, the height both from whence it commeth, and to which it reacheth to.
FIrſt, for height and altitude, the ioy of anHypocrites ioy is from himſelfe. hypocrite is neither fetched ſo high, as is the ioy of a true beleeuer, and as doth the ioy of one, whoſe heart is ſanctified and purified by his faith: his ioy hath no higher deſcent, then to comefrom himſelfe, and to be fetched out of the idle fancies, and falſe conceites of his owne ſeducing and ſeduced heart, which the deceiuer of the world, together with the deceit that is in it ſelfe, hath ſo much abuſed and beguiled, as to bring it into ſuch a fooles paradice, as now to thinke no mans eſtate to be better then his owne, and that therefore none may bee merrier then hee may be, nor any hauehave better or greater ioy, then he may hauehave; ſo that this his ioy being but home-bred, is no better then a carnall ioy, and a fruite of the fleſh. And as it is fetched no higher then from himſelfe: ſo doth it reach no higher then to himſelfe; for beyond himſelfe vpward, it truly and properly cannot be ſaid to go; it mounteth not ſo high, as to reach vntounto God aboue, as vntounto the moſt worthy and principall obiect, that it can find to ſettle vponupon, and to ſolace it ſelfe and take delight in. Such a one ſeemeth to hauehave a delight indeede, and take ſome great pleaſure in the fauour of God, which hee ſtandeth perſwaded he now abideth in, and which he holds (by miſapplying of promiſes, and miſtaking of grounds) without all controuerſie to belong vntounto him. Thoſe fauours of God (how ſlightly, ſuperficially, or wtongfully ſoeuer they be laid hold vponupon) hee can well enough ioy in, when once they are deſcended, and come downe ſo low, as they are found to light vponupon him (as he conceiues), that now he may ſeeme to touch them, and take hold of them, reckoning without all faile to bee ſaued by them as well, and as ſoone as the beſt. Neither need any to marueile, though they are ſeene to hauehave ſuch a ioy; for what reprobate is there that is ſo fooliſh, that would not with that fooliſh prophet Balaam, that was more blind and brutiſh, then the dumbe Aſſe he rode vponupon; be ioyfull and glad, if he knew he might bee ſaued at the laſt, and ſhare with the righteous in his latter end? this differeth not much from the pleaſure, delight and contentment, which a very bruite beaſt may hauehave: the Hogge which hunteth after nothing more, then to get his rauenous appetite ſatisfied, ſeemeth to bee glad when hee can get vnderunder an Acorn tree, greedily gathering vp the Acorns that fali from the tree, and neuer leaues eating, till he hath eaten his fill, it is the fruit onelyonly that he ioyes in; as for the tree▪ he neither cares for, nor any whit doth looke after. Much after this manner is the ioying of theſe kind of beleeuers; they ioy in Gods fauours ſo farre, as they may any benefit by them, but God himſelfe they little care for, neither doe they ſo much delight themſelues in him; if ſaluation might fall to their lot, they would leape and be glad, but to hauehave the Lord himſelfe their portion, that doe they not ſo greatly deſire, nor ſo much reckon vponupon. The faith, the louelove, the feare and ioy of ſuch ſore of men, and all whatſoeuer elſe they doe, proceede but of corrupt ſelfe louelove, whereby they louelove their owne welfare, their preſent and future good eſtate; they deſire Gods fauour, and they ioy in conceiting that they ſhall hauehave it, not ſimply for it ſelfe, but in a by-reſpect, either to eſcape ſome euill, as Pharaoh deſired fauour to hauehave the plague gone; or to obtaine ſome greater good, as Balaam that wiſhed hee might be ſaued; and Eſau as prophane as he was, could yet deſire to bee bleſſed. They pretend the louelove of God, when yet they louelove him not for himſelfe, but in reſpect of his benefits; as Saul loued God for a Kingdome. The ioy then of this ſort of beleeuers, ariſing out of a wrong perſwaſion which they hauehave entertained into their hearts, that they are in Gods fauour, and are as well loued as any, and therefore ſhall be ſaued with the beſt in the end, is but a fruit of ſelfe-louelove, and therefore no fruite of faith, but a fruit of the fleſh, which is wholly thus occupied about themſelues: for as it tooke the firſt beginning from themſelues alone, ſo endeth it in themſelues, and in no other thing, that being the vttermoſt aime that it euer hath to reſpect their owne good: higher then themſelues ſimply it cannot be ſaid to reach, and further then to themſelues properly it cannot be ſaid to goe.
On the other ſide, the ioy of the iuſt and righteous ſeruantsBeleeuers ioy is ſpirituall▪ of God, who are true beleeuers indeed, is fruite of a more noble off-ſpring, and of a farre higher deſcent; for it is ſaid to be the fruit of the ſpirit, and ioy of the holy Ghoſt. Gal. 5. 22. 1. Theſ. 1. 6.It is ſpirituall, heauenly, and diuine, like the wiſdome that is ſaid to be from aboue, which is pure and pcaceable: ſo doth this come from 2n high, as being giuen of God, and comming from him that is the Father of light, euen the Father of mercies, and God of all conſolation: hee that created all things of nothing in the beginning, createth ſtill the fruite Iſaiah 57. 19. Iſai. 65. 18.of the lipps to be peace to his people: it is he that createth Ieruſalem a reioycing, and her people a ioy. He that is the heauenly Pſal. 97. 11.husbandman is he that hath ſowne light for the righteous, and ioy for the vpright of heart, and in due time, when this that is ſowne ſhal once come vp and be ripe for them, and they be come ready for it, then ſhall they that mourne Iſai. 61. 3. Pſal. 125. 5. 6.in Zion hauehave beautie in ſtead of aſhes▪ the oyle of ioy for mourning, and garments of gladneſſe for the ſpirit of heauines: then ſhall they that hauehave ſowne in teares, reape in ioy in the time of that harueſt, bringing not their armes full, but their hearts full of theſe bundles of gladneſſe, that will make them reioyce with ioy vnſpeakable and glorious. This ioy of the faithfull, is ſaid to be the ioy of the Lord, becauſe hee is the onelyonly author of it, and it alone is giuen by him, none can either take ioy or comfort for himſelf, or giuegive it to another that doth want it, if God doe with-hold it: but on the other ſide, if hee doe giuegive comfort and peace, none can make trouble; if he doe giuegive ioy, none can take that awayNehem 8. 10. againe; and this ioy of the Lord, is ſaid to be his peoples ſtrength. This ioy is ſo high and ſo heauenly, as it is part of the kingdome of heauen, and is the beginning of the glory that is to come: this ioy it is part of the kingdome of God here, which our Sauiour Chriſt ſaith to bee within Luke 17. 21.vsus, the Lord ſetting vp his kingdome in the hearts of his elect, and ruling mightily there by his Word, and by his Spirit. Now this kingdome (ſaith the Apoſtle, conſiſteth not in meate and drinke, but in righteouſneſſe, and peace, and Rom. 14. 17.ioy in the holy Ghoſt. It is called the ioy of the holy Ghoſt, becauſe it is not ſo much our ioy, as the ioy of the holy Ghoſt that moueth our ioy, and cauſeth our ioy, eſpecially this ioy of our ſaluation, to hauehave the aſſurance thereof, and comfortably to ſtand perſwaded of the louelove of God towards vsus, and of his ſauing mercies in and through
Chriſt Ieſus: for it is he that is the Comforter that was promiſed Iohn 14. 16. 17 Epheſ. 4. 30.to be ſent vntounto vsus; it is he by whom we are ſealed vp to the day of our redemption: he is giuen vntounto vsus, not alone to be with vsus, but to be in vsus, that wee may hauehave him remaining with vsus, and hold him abiding in vsus, as the earneſt Epheſ. 1. 14.of our purchaſed and promiſed inheritance, and as a pawne and gage left with vsus in our hand neuer to be taken away, till we come to hauehave the full bargaine. It is he that is the Spirit of adoption, that imboldens vsus to crie Abba Father, Rom. 8. 15. 16.and makes vsus to know God to be our Father, teſtifying to our ſpirits, as a moſt true and faithfull witneſſe, that we are his children. So that all the ſound comfort which at any time we hauehave, wee may well father it vponupon him, and this ioy of our ſaluation may truly be ſaid to be the ioy of the holy Ghoſt, and not our owne.
And a the ioy of a true beleeuer ſurmounteth in height the others ioy, in reſpect that it is more highly deſcended, as that which commeth from aboue, and is giuen him of God, and wrought in his heart by his ſpirit (the others ioy hauing no higher deſcent, then to be deſcended of himſelfe, hee heing the father of his owne ioy, which being but a baſtardly ioy, it is all the while but a baſtard of his owne breeding), ſo in this reſpect alſo, that it reacheth higher then the others doe, which reſteth but in himſelfe, as from himſelfe it tooke the firſt beginning; but this reacheth vntounto God that firſt gaue it, and firſt inſtilled itTrue ioy reacheth to God. into the heart that is ſo repleniſhed with it; and therefore in right it ought to returne, from whence it came, neither can it euer find any full contentment or ſatisfaction elſewhere, till it bee got to him, as being the trueſt and moſt perfecteſt obiect it can poſſibly finde euer to reſpect and to ſeate and ſettle it ſelfe vponupon: but when the ioy of a true beleeuer is extended vntounto God, and is once faſtned vponupon the happy fruition of him, there hath it all ſatisfying and full contentment indeed, there findeth he enough to make his ioy full, yea, more then heart can thinke, or euer wiſh to hauehave, may there be found, and abundantly to bee had: for in the preſence of God thtre is fulneſſe of ioy to be had, and Pſal. 16. 11.that for euermore. A true beleeuer hath indeed great ioy in the aſſurance he hath of his owne ſaluation; howbeit, not ſo great ioy in his ſaluation, as in his Sauiour himſelfe that hath ſaued him, that he now knoweth God to be his God, that God himſelfe is for him, and that God is with Rom. 8. 31.him (for ſo he need not care, who poſſibly can be againſt him), and that he knoweth Chriſt himſelfe to bee his Sauiour that hath loued him, and giuen himſelfe for him, apprehendingGal. 2. …0. him aſſuredly to be his owne: for now hee knoweth, he hath not onelyonly ſaluation as a ſtreame flowing out of him, but in hauing the Sauiour himſelfe, he hath ſo the whole fountaine of ſaluation it ſelfe to be his owne. And therefore a true beleeuer, if hee ſhould expreſſe his ioy in ſinging, he would ſing the ſong of Marie the bleſſed Virgine, My ſoule doth magnifie the Lord, and my ſpirit Luk. 1. 47.reioyceth (not ſo much in my ſaluation as) in God that is my Sauiour: for though other things may cauſe ioy to Gods ſeruants, yet God himſelfe is their exceeding ioy, and Pſal. 43. 4.the gladneſſe of their ioy: as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh. And doubtleſſe if God and our ſelues, his glory and our ſaluation could not both be reſpected and regarded together, but the one muſt be forſaken, that the other may bee followed, and the one left yea hated, that the other may bee loued, a good Chriſtian and faithfull ſeruant of God would according to the precept of Chriſt labour to deny Luk. 9. 23. & 14. 26.himſelfe, yea to hate father, mother, and his owne life to, to follow Chriſt, or elſe he were not worthy to be his diſciple: and according to the practice of Moſes and Paul, ſhew the naturalnesExod. 32. 32. Rom. 9. 3. of their louelove how mucb they ſtand affectioned to God, and to his glory, in ſo much as in reſpect of the pretious and high account they hauehave God and his glory in, they would not ſticke to ſet behind, and vnderunder-valew the regard of themſelues, and their owne ſaluation; more deſiring that God ſhould bee glorified, then their owne ſelues ſaued. If a true beleeuer can find his name to bee written in the booke of life, and that the lot is fallen vntounto him, as that hee ſhall now ſhare with the reſt in that inheritance, which is prepared for the Saintes in light, hee worthily may, and indeede ought to reioyce therein: for ſo doth our Sauiour will his Diſciples to reioyce in this, that they knew their names to be written in the booke of life, and hee may vponupon good cauſe ſing with Dauid, The lines are fallen to me in a faire place, I hauehave a goodly inheritance. But all this cannot giuegive him the like contentment, nor make his ioy ſo full, as when hee knoweth that the Lord himſelfe is become his portion: for God being our God and Chriſt our Sauiour, in hauing him to be ours, all is ours and giuen vsus with him. And this was that which Dauid ſeemed moſt of all to take his greateſt pleaſure and chiefeſt delight in, by his often repeating of this, that the Lord himſelfe was his ſaluation, and become his ioynter and happie portion: and though the lot did otherwiſe fall out wel and happily for him, yet he acknowledgeth that it was God who maintained that lot, and cauſedPſal. 16. 5. it to fall out ſo as it did, that be might ſhew, if the lot was to be loued and liked of by him, how much more he that cauſed it, who ordered that lot, and maintained it in that ſort, as he might hauehave it and enioy it, was aboue all to be loued and liked for it: teaching all good Chriſtians by his example and practice, that if they doe greatly account of their ſaluation and ioy much therein, that they doe farre more highly account of God himſelfe that is the God of their ſaluation, and hath freely beſtowed it vponupon them, that hee may hauehave the louelove and ioy of their hearts principally, and aboue all things elſe to bee moſt delighted in. Dauid had many preferments in earth, hee had good euidence alſo to looke for ſomething in heauen as well as another, his owne heart did often affoord him much comfort when he deſired but to hauehave thoſe ioyes againe reſtored vntounto him that he was wont to finde, and yet there was nothing in heauen, nor nothing in earth that he deſired to hauehave beſides the Lord, and in compariſon of him; yea hee eſteemed more of hauing the Lord for his portion, then of all the comfort his heart could affoord him: for his fleſh did often faile him, and his heart would alſo faile him much, but God failed him neuer, but becamePſal. 73. 25. 26. the ſtrength of his heart (when that failed him), and his portion for euer. Like as they who to day doe beleeue, and hauehave now the comfort of their ſaluation, which they doe much ioy in, to morrow may hauehave their faith ſo ſhaken, that they cannot beleeue as they did before, and ſo the comfort and ioy of their ſaluation for the time may be gone: but God is the ſtrength of their faith, and the vpholder of their ſaluation for euer, who himſelfe is ſo faithfull, as though they cannot beleeue, yet hee cannot denie himſelfe. Gods children hauehave learned therefore more to ioy in God, who is the ſtrength of their faith, and the vpholder of their ſaluation, then in the ſtedfaſtnes of their beleeuing, or any aſſurance that they hauehave of the ſame their owne ſaluation. If a man hauehave a rich and royal portion, he is much pleaſed and delighted therein: the Lord being the portion of his ſeruants and their chiefe treaſure, all their longing deſire is to enioy him, which if they can obtaine it is enough to them, and that which their ſoules are fully ſatisfied in, this is the making vp of their ioy, their chiefeſt ſolace and their hearts onelyonly delight. GiueGive a man his delight, hee asketh no more, hee is then content: Gods children thinke they want nothing, ſo long as they hauehave him for their owne, aboue all ioyes, aboue all pleaſures, aboue all that their hearts can delight in, they delight in the Lord, and in his louelove and fauour continually, when they know him to be their God and father reconciled in Chriſt Ieſus, and doe feele his louelove ſhed abroad in their hearts, ſo as they know he loues them by taſting the ſweetneſſe of his louelove, which is better then wine: ſuch is the goodneſſe and the greatnes, ſuch is the glorious excellencie of God his owne maieſtie, as the better he is knowne, the more he muſt needs be loued, delighted and ioyed in for his owne maieſties ſake: Gods children doe therefore louelove God dearely, yea they cannot but of force they muſt louelove him: ſo doe they louelove him, ioy and delight in him, as they louelove the habitation of Pſal. 26. 8.his houſe, and the place where his honour dwelleth, they louelove (as wee vſe to ſay) the very ground he goeth vponupon, they are neuer well but when they are with him; their ſoule is a thirſt for God, euen the liuing God, they vſe to long forPſal. 42. 2. Pſal. 84. 2. Cantic. 5. 8. him, euen to the very fainting of their heart, and to grow ſicke with the louelove of him, there is nothing they can leſſe beare then his abſence, and for him to be eſtranged from them for any time, it is as death to them to want his preſence, but they aske no more then to hauehave the light of his Pſal. 4. 6.countenance lifted vp vponupon them, for they finde contentment enough in him: this cauſeth to them more ioy then the abundance of corne and wine and oyle, (though neuer ſo increaſed) can. Yea, the louing kindneſſe of God is, better Pſal. 63. 3. 5.then is louelove it ſelfe, they are euer ſatisfied with the ſweetneſſe of his merciemercy as with marrow and fatnes. This makes them to reioyce in the Lord alwaies, and to reioyce in his ſtrength, Pſal. 18. 31. Pſal. 77. 13. Pſal. 34. 2. & 44. 8.continually to praiſe him, & to make their boaſt of his praiſe: for who is God but the Lord, and who ſo great a God, as is their God, and who ſo gracious and good as he? They are (as I may ſay) proud of their Maſter, his greatnes and excelcencie being as it is, many are ſeene to get them vnderunder great men to ſerue them. A noble man thinkes himſelfe honoured if he may but hold the baſen to a King, it may be the reioycing, and counted for the greateſt dignitie that the higheſt Kings in the world can be aduanced vntounto, to ſerue ſo great a God as is he, there is no place in his ſeruice meane, his Maieſtie is ſo great, there is none ſo honourable a Maſter as the Lord to waite vponupon, for his throne is prepared in heauen: therefore doe the faithfull ſerue the Lord with gladneſſe and much ioyfulnes of heart, as thinking themſelues greatly honoured that they may ſerue him: neither doe they as mercenarie ſeruants only reſpect their wages and hire they ſhall hauehave for their ſeruice, but they looke vponupon the high dignitie, the great worth and glorious excellencie of him they attend vponupon▪ whoſe highneſſe and greatnes is ſuch, as that touching him, it may well be ſaid, Worſhip him all ye Gods. In ſeruing the Lord they neuer thinke any dutie ſufficient, nor ſeruice great enough that can be performed to ſo eminent a Maſter, ſo mightie and ſo gracious a God as is the Lord: for God is with ſuch an affection, with ſuch a deſire and minde to be loued, ſerued and ioyed in, that hee himſelfe may be eſteemed and reckoned reward great enough of his owne worſhip of all the louelove that is borne to him, and of the beſt ſeruice that any can doe vntounto him: otherwiſe hee that ſerueth God for any other reſpect then for theProsper. lib. ſent. Lords own ſake, ſerueth not ſo much God, as that which by ſeruing him he aimeth at and deſireth to hauehave.