True Happiness, Section 6
SECT. VI.
The Time of learning Happinesse.
All the dayes of my life.
FOlloweth the Time, Churches frequently should be haunted.which is not a Day, nor a yeare, but all the Time of our life. This may seem too much: for neither God in the fourth Commandment craveth it, neither his royall affaires could permit it: But this must bee exponed by the Prophets desire, flowing from his delight in the house of God, which was so great, that gladly he would have spent all his life in it. And this desire is acceptable to God: for, as the wicked are punished eternally albeit they sinne but temporally,Peccant in suo aeterno. Greg. because they sinne in their eternall, and because they never repent, nor change, nor diminish their desire nor delight of sinning: Yea if they lived eternally here, they would sinne eternally: So God respecteth the holy desires of the faithfull, for albeit they cannot bide continually in the temple, neither be ever exercised in holy things, yet God accepteth their desire so, as though they remained in the Temple.
Hereof we may gather the Saints Kalendar.The godly mans Kalendar. We number times from the course of the Sunne, and thereby measure naturall and civill actions. But the godly reckon their Kalendar from the Sun of righteousnesse his aspect, and influence: this reckoning is for the new man, for he hath his spirituall being in Christ.*Phil. 3. 9. That I may be found in him. And his spirituall life; *Gal. 2. 20.Henceforth I live not, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I live, I live by the faith of the sonne of God; so he hath his Sunne that measureth his time and seasons. For, the Lord *Psal. 84. 11.is a Sunne and Shield. Yea, hee counteth these daies shorter than they are, and no time runneth to him so swiftly, as the time of Gods worship; for he is so affected with the sweetnesse of God, that hee is grieved that such sweet time doth so soone end. The Sabbath is both the sweetest and shortest day to him, so among hours is the houre of divine service; but the profane count that a long time, Gods house is a prison to them, and his worship a torture.
This cleareth the contrary disposition of the godly and the wicked;The wicked wearie of Churches. while they are in that same Church, in that same work of Gods worship, in that same houre. The godly rejoyce as in their own element worshipping God, and enjoying his presence *Senec.. Some mocked the Jews for keeping the Sabbath, calling it a loss of the seventh part of their time: But it was their best spent time, & sanctified all their other daies. Then their new man dealeth freely with God, and all the gifts of the spirit poure themselves out on him. Then they feele the beginnings of life eternall, which maketh the time seeme shorter than it is indeed. For the more wee enjoy a desired good, the more time we crave for that enjoying; so that a long time seemeth short. And againe, when an hatefull ill sticketh to us, a short time seemeth long; hours are as dayes, dayes as moneths, and moneths as years. Hereof commeth the wearinesse of the profane, for the shortest houre of worship tormenteth them: Their fleshly passions are bound in stocks, they know not God, and the signes of his presence are terrible to them. And yet these same men count whole daies but short for their drunkennesse in tavernes; and in brothels they joyne nights to daies, and daies to nights, as though all time were too short to measure out their vanitie. But this will bee the end of all, when at death wee looke backe to our time, wee shall have most comfort of these dayes wee have spent in the Sanctuarie, in seeking happinesse, and shall put these chiefly in our Almanack: for one day in thy house *Psal. 84. 10.is better than a thousand elsewhere.