Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
The fourth maine difference betweene them is ſeene in their ioy: where the ſoundneſſe and ſtability of the ioy of true beleeuers, with the contrary of … is declared.
Queſtion.
AS you have ſhewed much difference to be both betweene the knowledge of one that is vnſanctified and vnſound in the faith, and of him that is a true beleeuer, whoſe heart is purified by ſound and ſauing faith… indeed: and in like ſort betweene the manner of their apprehending and laying hold of Chriſt for ſaluation. As alſo no leſſe difference to bee betweene the aſſurance and perſwaſion that either of them doe ground themſelues vponupon for the obtaining of life and ſaluation in Chriſt, by meanes of ſuch their laying hold vponupon him; Proceed now to declare what you thinke concerning ſuch difference as may be found betweene the ioy that followeth heereupon, and maketh glad the hearts of either of them, once truly hauing, or ſuppoſing themſelues to hauehave good and warrantable aſſurance of their ſaluation.
A. Ioy and gladneſſe (which is an affection of theDifference in ioy. heart that is deriued, and ſpringeth out of the louelove and liking of a preſent good, or out of an aſſured hope and expectation of ſome good that is to come, wherby the heart is dilated and ſet out, and the ſpirits therein ſtirred to liuelineſſe and cheerfulneſſe) cannot but (according to the meaſure of the apprehending of ſuch a ioyfull obiect as promiſeth all good contentment and pleaſure to be found therein) be more or leſſe felt in the heart, and follow abundantly, when there is a full aſſurance, an abundant and confident perſwaſion of obtaining ſo great a good, as is indeed the greateſt good of all that can be wiſhed or hoped for, or poſſibly may be looked for by any to be enioyed, which is the euerlaſting good of ſoule and body for euer: whereby they doe not onelyonly know they ſhall bee deliuered from the wrath that is to come, but be made partakers of that glorious inheritance which is prepared for the Saints in light: and that for the preſent, their ſtate is ſo comfortable, and they ſo highly in Gods fauour (at leaſt in their owne conſciences perſwaded) as of the children of wrath, power is now giuen them to become the ſonnes of God; yea heires, and heires apparant of life and glory with Chriſt Ieſus. This cannot but raiſe vp in their hearts great and abundant ioy, yea ioy that is vnutterable and vnſpeakable, ſuch as will make their hearts to dance in their bellies for ioy and merrines in the good liking they hauehave of this their ſo bliſſe-full an eſtate and moſt happie condition, that both preſently they now ſtand in, and yet hereafter farre more fully doe looke for to enioy.
Now both theſe hauing ſuch a perſwaſion, they likewiſe hauehave and doe feele ioy in their hearts following therupon. And the ioy is anſwering to the kind of aſſurance and perſwaſion that is had of ſo comfortable an eſtate and condition that doth cauſe the ſame. And for ſo much as it hath been ſufficiently cleared, and made manifeſtly to appeare, that there is as great odds and difference betweene the aſſurance of a true beleeuer, and of a true beleeuers counterfeit; as is betweene the boldneſſe of faith, and the blindneſſe of folly; betweene humble obedience in beleeuing what God doth promiſe, and proud preſumption in promiſing to themſelues without any word or warrant from God, what themſelues alone doe fancie; the cauſes being ſo differing, and found to bee ſo farre at odds betweene themſelues, the effects riſing from ſuch cauſes, muſt needs be ſeuered as farre aſunder, and differ as much the one from the other.
The deceiueable and vnwarrantable aſſurance of miſbeleeuersFalſe ioy fades. cannot produce any better effect, then a carnall, lying, a falſe, and a fading ioy, that is not to be truſted vntounto, but will vaniſh away, and not be found nor felt in times of the greateſt need, when their beguiled hearts ſhall then moſt of all be left void of all ſound comfort and contentment, when trouble ſhall be hard at hand, the greateſt light of their ioyes is ſoone ecclipſed, and ouercaſt with any ſad remembrances, and but the very heareſay of any trouble or danger towards them, is able to daſh all their mirth at once; yea, to ſtrike them ſo as was Nabal, ſtrooken when his hart died within him, and he became 1. Sam. 25. 37.as a ſtone. Their ſmiles are but faint and heartleſſe, they may ſometimes counterfeit a laughing geſture, when yet the heart within taketh no ſuch pleaſure, as they do make ſhew for: they be but falſe and dureleſſe pleaſures, they vſe to make themſelues merry with, in the middeſt wherof, though they doe what they can, yet their hearts for all that will be felt to be in heauineſſe: they may be full iocund, and all on the hoigh for a time, and yet by and by the caſe as much altered with them, as euer it was with Belſhazzer, when he ſaw the hand-writing againſt him,Dan. 5. 6. 30. what time hee was moſt merry in his cups and carowſings, drinking in that wine which the ſwords of his enemies did ſoone draw out of his body againe (for euen that night he was ſlaine), then will their merrie Comedies bee turned into ſad and heauy Tragedies, their pleaſantneſſe into penſiueneſſe, their mirth into wofull mourning, and they deſperately ſorrowing as thoſe that hauehave out-liued all their ioyes, they being for euer left in diſtreſſe and heauineſſe, when all ioy and gladneſſe ſhall flie farre away.
Contrarily, the ſtable, firme, and good aſſurance of theTrue ioy lasting. other, will beget, breed and bring forth a ſure, ſolid, ſpirituall, and true laſting ioy, which with a ſweete and heauenly motion, v…ill cauſe their hearts to reioyce in Christ Ieſus as in their chiefeſt good, and preſent good. The nature of this ioy, is to enlarge and exhilarate the heart, and ſo much to affect him that hath it, as it will cauſe him to exult and leape with reioycing. This is not a halfe ioy, a giggling from the teeth outward, but a thorow and full ioy, that affecteth ſoule and body, ſpirit and fleſh, to make Pſal. 84. 2. Iob 35. 10.all reioyce together: ſuch ioy as will giuegive ſongs to a man in the night ſeaſon, euen ſuch ſongs to God his people, as in the night when a ſolemne feaſt is kept, and ſuch gladneſſe ofPſal. 77. 6. Pſal. 30. 29. heart, as when one goeth with a pipe (as the Prophet ſpeaketh). Euen ſuch ioy as is not only unſpeakable to them that hauehave it, and doe feele it, but it is incredible to them that hauehave it not, and doe but heare of it, as who by their owne experience did neuer come yet to taſte of the like. Many thinke that good Chriſtians are depriued of all comforts, they hauehave no ioy nor gladneſſe, they know not what a merry life meanes, they thinke for any to doe as they do, is to liue but a mopiſh and melancholy life, there is no cheare in their courſe. But Gods ſeruants are allowed to hauehave their delights in this world, to hauehave ioy and gladneſſe of heart in this life, as well as any others, nay aboue and before others; they may hauehave more fuller contentment, more ſolide ioy, more ſweeter delight, more ſtable and ſure comfort, then any in the world beſide: not the merrieſt Greekes, and luſtieſt galllants in the World beſide (that powre out themſelues to the ſatisfying of their pleaſures, and bathe themſelues in all manner of carnall delightes, that take ſo much care for the fleſh to fulfill the luſtes thereof) can come neare them for a true comfortable life indeede: all the pleaſures that they hauehave being but counterfeite ſhaddowes, in compariſon of the ſoundneſſe and ſubſtance of the ioyes that theſe hauehave; theirs are but baſtardly, falſe pleaſures, that will end in ſorrowes: theſe are true ioyes indeed, that will neuer hauehave an end. The ſweete muſicke of the Temple was typicall, figuring the ioy of the Church, where is aſſurance of forgiueneſſe of ſinnes, and of Gods fauour in Chriſt Ieſus: how ſweete is the muſicke and heauenly melodie, that the peace of God which paſſeth all vnderſtanding, maketh in that conſcience wherein it is ſo felt? how great is that ioy that cannot be contained, and kept within the heart that hath it, but muſt needs breake out, and bee expreſſed by ſinging for very ioy of heart. It isIſai. 65. 14. Pſal. 25. 13. Prou. 15. 15. ſaid, that the ſoule of him that feareth the Lord, ſhall dwell at eaſe: and he that hath a good conſcience, hath a continuall feaſt. Put theſe two together, and let them meete in a good Chriſtian, and tell mee whoſe ſtate is ſo happie, as is the ſtate of a righteous man; eaſie dwelling, and merry-making? what would any deſire more? if things bee rightly compared together, the Friday (as we vſe to ſpeake) of a good Chriſtian is better, then the Sunday of a worldling. And though the wicked hauehave their bellies in this world filled with his hid treaſure, yet the very ſcrapings of thePſal. 17. 14. trenchers of Gods ſeruants are better then all the dainties that the wicked hauehave, when their fare is all the beſt. For that is true which is ſaid by one, if Chriſtians be not merrie, it is not becauſe they are Chriſtians, but becauſe they are not Chriſtians enough: and if Gods ſeruants hauehave not comfort and ioy of heart, it is not becauſe they ſerue God, but becauſe they ſerue him not as they might, and as they ought. VntoUnto them therefore who cannot conceiue, how this poſſibly can be, it may be ſaid, as Cyprian out of his owne experience did write vntounto a certaine friend of his ofLib. …p. 1. this matter concerning himſelf, who before his conuerſion thought it impoſſible, if he ſhould change his manners to find ſuch comfort in a vertuous life, as afterwards hee felt, ſaith thus to him in his writing, accipe quod ſentitur antequam diſcitur; heare the report of that which is ſooner knowne by feeling it to be ſo, then learned by any teaching that it is ſo: for he by his owne experience now felt and found that to be, which (before he ſo felt it) he would not hauehave beleeued, whoſoeuer ſhould hauehave told it him, that it euer would hauehave ſo been. As then the ſenſe of Gods louelove is the ſureſt ground of our ſtable peace, and the maineſt prop of our greateſt aſſurance, ſo the ſame aſſurance, ſo long as it can be felt, cauſeth the heart that ſo feeleth it, to reioyce with ſuch a ioy, as Peter ſaith, to be vnſpeakable, as paſſing1. Pet. 1. 8. all ſpeech and vttering, and glorious in regard that it is diuine, ſpirituall, ſolide and continuall, which bringeth no ſhame with it, that it may ſo bee differenced from the ſhamefull reioycings, which many wicked in the world are found often to hauehave, and to vſe: called glorious or ioy Rom. 14. 17.full of glory, becauſe it is part of the kingdome of heauen, and the beginning of that glory that is to come. To the getting of which ioy, our Sauiour Chriſt exhorteth and inciteth his diſciples, when he recalling them from reioycing too much in other things, though otherwiſe very great and excellent preferments beſtowed vponupon them, and gifts giuen vntounto them: ſuch as was the hauing of the very diuels themſelues to be ſubdued vntounto them, which one would thinke might miniſter cauſe of much reioycing vntounto any; yet becauſe that alone is not a ground ſufficient for any to ſtay vponupon, that would hauehave a ſtable and ſure laſting comfort, neither can there bee found enough therein for the ſoule to reſt vponupon, that deſireth eueryevery way to bee ſatiſfied, and the ioy thereof to be made full; he willeth them to fetch their chiefeſt comfort, and take their greateſt ioy and reioicing, from the knowledge of this, that their names Luke 10. 20.were written in the booke of life: this allowed them to reioyce in, as that which hee knew was able to make their ioy eueryevery way to be full.
This ioy of a true beleeuer that can thus know▪ his name to bee written in the booke of life, and thereupon feeleth his heart filled with much comfortable aſſurance, and perſwaſion of his preſent moſt happy condition, as being well aſſured of his now ſtanding in God his fauor, and ſo in the ſtate of ſaluation for euer. It doth goe farre beyond all the ioy that any hypocrite or misbeleeuer in the whole world (of what ſort ſo euer he be) can euer hauehave or poſſibly attaine vntounto, when he hath done what he can. And it exceedeth their ioy in all the ſundry dimenſions (if after that ſort theſe ſeuerall ioyes ſhould be conſidered and compared together), namely, in height, in depth, in bredth, & in length; in all which ſeuerall reſpects, the ioy of an hypocrite commeth not neare the ioy of a true beleeuer, but is in many degrees caſt behind the ſame, and theſe ioyes by a great diſtance are kept aſunder, and farre remoued the one from the other.