Exposition of the Dominical Epistles and Gospels, Section 6
The Epistle. PHILIP. 4.4.
Reioyce in the Lord alwaies: againe, I say reioyce.
A Text of reioycing against the time of reioycing: whereby the Church intimates how wee should spend our Christmas ensuing; not in gluttonie and drunkennesse, in chamb…ring and wantonnesse▪ doing the diuel more seruice in the twelue daies, then in al the twelue moneths: but rather qColos. 3.16.in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs, making melodie in our hearts vntounto the Lord: I say the Church allotting this scripture for this Sunday, teacheth vsus how this holy Time should be well imploied, not in vnholinesse and mad meriments among Lords of misrule: but in good offices of religion, as it becomes the seruants of him who is the God of order: obseruing this festiuall in honour of Iesus, not Iacchus; alway praising our heauenly Father, in louing vsus so well as to send his Sonne to saue his seruants: and lest we should erre in our spirituall reuels, obserue in this Epistle both
The Matter Of our ioy.
The Manner Of our ioy.
The matter and obiect of our ioy: reioyce in the Lord.
The manner: how Long; alway reioyce.
The manner: how Much; againe and againe reioyce.
It is an old rule in rArist. Ethic. lib. 2. cap. 5.Philosophie, and it is true in Diuinity, yt affections of the mind, as, anger, feare, delight, &c. are in their own nature neither absolutely good, nor simply euill, but either good or bad, as their obiect is good or bad. As for exāple, to be angry or not angry, is indifferent: Be a…grie, and sin not, saith sEphes. 4.26.Paul; there is a good anger. Whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly (saith tMatth. 5.22.Christ) is in danger of iudgement; there is a bad anger. So Matth. 10.28. Feare not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soule: but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell. So likewise to reioyce, or not to reioyce, in it selfe is neither absolutely disgracefull, nor altogether commendable: we may not reioyce in the toyes of the world, in frowardnes, or doing euill, faith uProv. ….14.Salomon: Non in vitijs, non in diuitijs, saith xSer. de nimiâ fallacia praesentis vitae, sol. 3…9Bernard: yLuk. 6.26.Woe bee to you that thus laugh, for yee shall waile and weepe▪ but wee may delight in the Lord, saith Dauid. Reioyce in Christ, saith Mary: then our ioy is good, when as our ioyes obiect is good, yea God; as Paul here; Reioyce in the Lord.
As sorrow is a straitning of the heart, for some ill: so ioy the dilating of the heart for some good, either in possession or expectation. Now Christ is our chiefe good; as being author of all grace in this life, and all glorie in the next: and zZanchius in Philip. 3.1. ex Graecorum scholijs.therefore we must chiefly reioyce in him, and in other things only for him: in him, as the donor of eueryevery good and perfect gift: for him, that is, according to his will: as the phrase is vsed, 1. Cor. 7.39. If her husband be dead▪ s…ee is at libertie to marrie with whom shee will, only in the Lord.
So then we may reioyce in other things; for the Lord as in the Lord: we may reioyce in our selues, as being the Lords; and in other, because they reioyce in the Lord. Psal. 16.3. All my delight is vponupon the Saints that are in the earth, and vponupon such as excell in vertue: So likewise wee may reioice with the aEcclesiast. 9.9.wife of our youth, and disport our selues in good companie: we may make Christmas pies, and Haruest dinners: in a word, reioice in eueryevery thing which may further our spirituall reioycing in the Lord. But b1. Cor. 10.31.whether wee eate or drinke, or whatsoeuer we doe else, all must be done to the honor and glorie of God. Reioyce in the Lord alwaies: and againe I say, reioyce.
Yea but Christ, Mat. 5.4. Blessed are they that mourne: Luk. 6.21. Blessed are they that weep. cThe…p…ylact. & Marlorat. ex Brent. in loc.This reioycing is not contrarie to that mourning: for such as mourne are blessed in being comforted: and comforted by reioycing in the Lord. Reioyce, saith dLuc. 6.23.Christ, in that day and bee glad, when any shall hate you for my sake: the which his Apostles accordingly fulfilled, Act. 5.41. They departed from the Councell reioycing, that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his Name: that Christ would vse them as his eBernard. de considerat. lib. 2.buckler: and Rom. 5.3. Wee reioyce in tribulations. The Father of mercies and God of all consolation comforteth vsus in al our afflictions: f2. Cor. 1.5.As the sufferings of Christ abound in vsus, so our consolation aboundeth through Christ. gEsay 61.3.He doth appoint comfort to such as mourne in Sion: hee doth giuegive beautie for ashes, oyle of ioy for sorrow, the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse: so that a martyr when he is most mournefull, is mirthfull: he speakes of his tormentor, as hPlato in Ap… log. Socratis. & Epictet. Enc…eirid. cap. vlt.Socrates of Anitus; and iXiphilin. in vita Neronis.Petus of Nero the Tyrant, Occidere me potest, laedere verò non potest: He may well kill me, but he shall neuer ill me. Nihil crus sentit in neruo, cùm manus est in coelo, saith kIn lib. ad Martyr.Tertullian: EueryEvery cut is a wide mouth to praise Christ, as the Martyr lPrudentius Peristephan. hymn. 10.Romanus sweetly:
Tot ecce laudant ora quot sunt vulnera.
Grates tibi ô praefecte magnas debeo,
Quòd multa pandens ora, iam Christum loquor.
Blessed are they that die for the Lord, because they reioyce in the Lord. No losse, no crosse can interrupt our spirituall ioy: for as it followeth in the text to be considered, it must be continuall, alway reioyce. The Christian must keepe Christmas all his life, though not in his hall, yet in his heart: alwaies in his minde, albeit not alway with his mouth.
It is a true rule deliuered in the schoole, that Gods affirmatiue lawes, mThomas 12. …. quaest. 71. art. 5. ad. 3.11.obligant semper, sed non ad semper: ad semper velle, but not ad semper agere; requiring disposition perpetuall, and practise so often as occasion is offered. Holy, iust, valiant men are they who can whensoeuer they will, and will whensoeuer they ought, execute what their seuerall perfections import. There is a time for all things, and therefore seuerall duties ought to be discharged in seuerall seasons. He that saith heere reioyce alway, saith in another place, n1. Thes. 5.17.pray continually, and in all things giuegive thankes: and therefore we need not alwai…s actually pray, nor actually giuegive thankes: not actually reioyce, in word and outward gesture, but as opportunitie shall require. If then as time, neuer a better time, then this holy time: neuer greater cause to oZachar. 9.9.shout out for ioy, then now, for that our King comes vntounto vsus: it is our bounden dutie alwaies intentionally; b…t at this time with Psalms and songs actually. No sinne, no sorrow must hinder our spirituall reioycing. For in all our aduersitie God is euen at hand; pAquin. in loc.not onelyonly nigh in his Maiestie, qActs 17.…7.though doubtlesse he be not farre from eueryevery one of vsus, but also nigh in his merciemercy. Psal. 145.18. The Lord is nigh vntounto all them that call vponupon him. A rPsal. 46.1.very present helpe in trouble. Yea the Lords second comming is at s1. Pet. 4.7.hand, when as hee shall iudge and reuenge our cause; rewarding vsus with eternall happinesse, and punishing our aduersaries with euerlasting fire: and therefore reioyce alwaies in all things: I say, reioyce in the Lord: for wee cannot alway reioyce in the things of this life. t1. Iohn 2.17.The world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but Christ is euermore the same: the beginning and end of all other things, himselfe without either beginning or end. If then our ioyes obiect be God, it may be continuall: but if fixed on earthly things, exposed to manifold changes and chances; it must necessarily be mutable. uBernard serm. de nimia fali… cia praesentis vite.Gaudium in materia conuertibili mutari necesse sit re muta…â. So that as the xOuid. de pont…, lib. 4.Poet truly: Gaudia principium nostrisunt saep… doloris. yProu. 14.1….Euen in laughing the heart is sorrowfull, and the end of mirth is heauines. The world is a sea of glasse, Apocal 4.6. zBullinger …on. 24. in Apocal.brittle as glasse, tumultuous as the sea: but hee that reioyceth in the Lord, is like aPsal. 125.1.mount Sion which standeth fast for euer. If then any desire to reioyce alway, let him reioyce in the Lord.
And againe I say, reioyc….] The bT…eop…lact, in loc.troubl…s of this life a…e so great, and our patience so little, that Paul doubleth his exhortation cMarlora…. in loc.to presse the duty, and expresse our dulnesse: and indeed our reioicing cannot be continued, except it be multiplied againe and againe: reioice therefore for mercies already receiued, and againe reioice for mercies hereafter promised. For receiued grace: first, for thy creation: Almighty God might hauehave made thee a dull asse, a venemous serpent, an vgly t…ade; whereas he created thee according to his own image and similitude, as it were diuinitatis epitome. For the world is Gods book, and man is Index of that booke, or a commentary vponupon that text: reioice therefore in the Lord, & say with dPsalm. 8.Dauid; What is man that thou art so mindfull of him, or the Son of man, that thou shouldest visit him? Thou hast crowned him with worship and glory: thou makest him to hauehave dominion of the works of thy hands, and thou hast put all things in subiection vnderunder his feete, as a ladder whereby men might ascend to the consideration of thy greatnes and goodnes.
For thy preseruation, he might hauehave denied thee sight, as he did to Bartimeus, or made thee deafe or dumbe, or a cripple, as we reade of many in the Gospell, and daily see many crying and dying in our streets. If the Lord of hosts had not bin thy guard, all other creatures his souldiers would hauehave banded themselues against thee; fire would hauehave deuoured thee, water would hauehave drowned thee, mother earth would open and swallow thee quick; eHabacuk ….11the stone out of the wall, the beame out of the timber would fight against thee: but fPsal. 91.11.he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee, to keepe thee in all thy waies: he doth defend thee vnderunder his wings, & gDeut. 28.6.blesse thy going forth, and thy comming home; blesse the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattell; eueryevery way so blesse thee, that thou maiest alway reioice in the Lord.
For thy redemption, at this festiuall especially; consider with hSer. 1. de Aduentu.Bernard, Quis est qui venit, vnde, quò, ad quid, quando, quâ: meditate on Gods vnspeakable louelove, who sent his Sonne, his first begotten, onelyonly begotten Sonne, whom he loued as himselfe. The very iHeb. 1.3.character and brightnes of his glory to deliuer vsus his seruants, vndutifull as vnprofitable, from the hands of all our enemies. If thou hast any feeling of these mysteries, any faith, be it so small as a graine of mustard seed, euermore reioice in the Lord.
For thy sanctification also: many men in a reprobate sense doe not call vponupon God; cannot call vponupon God. Whereas he hath giuen thee grace to pray with the congregation publikely, with thine owne family priuatly, with thy selfe secretly; giuing thee grace to feele thy sinnes, and to be sorie for the same: reioice for these good benefits in possession; and againe reioice for those mercies of God in expectation; for that k2. Cor. 4.17.most excellent and et…rnall weight of glory, which he hath l2. Tim. 4.8.laid vp, and in that day will giuegive to such as louelove his appearing. Let vsus euermore reioice in this mRom. 12.12.hope, saying with nCap. 3.18.Habacuk, I will reioice in the Lord, I will ioy in the God of my saluation.
Faith is the mother of our reioicing in the Lord: for Christ dwelleth in our hearts by oEphes. 3.17.faith, and faith is by pRom. 10.17.hearing of the word: spirituall ioy then is increased by reading, hearing, meditating on holy Scriptures. qIohn 15.11.I hauehave spoken vntounto you these things, that my ioy might rem…ne in you: Luke 24.32. Did not our hearts burne within vsus while he talked with vsus, and opened vntounto vsus the Scriptures?
It is increased also by good life. For as sin doth rEphes. 4.30.grieue the spirit, so good workes on the contrary cheere the soule. Prouerbs 21.15. It is ioy to the iust to doe iudgement. sPostil. mai… res cum gloss…s & figuru in epist. Dom. 3. Aduent.Here the Gospell and Epistle parallell; for the way of the Lord is prepared especially by faith and repentance. Now poenitens de peccato dolet; & de dolore gaudet: He that is a good man sorroweth in his sinnes, and reioiceth in his sorrow; and that he may doe this, he must reioice in the Lord: wherefore be not carefull for that which is worldly, but make your patient mind knowne vntounto men, and let your petitions bee manifest vntounto God. And the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding, keepe your hearts and minds through Christ, giuing you many ioyes in this life, to the end; and in the next, his eternall ioy, without end. Amen.