that if any man had been free and liberal in giving towards pious uses he should be free from those duties which he owed to his father and mother therefore say they Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother It is 〈◊〉 gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me and honour not his father or his mother he shall be free Mat. 15.5,6 This the Scripture condemnes for hypocrisie when men out of a pretence of duty to God shall neglect their duty to men therefore it comes from the Divel The Spirit of God when it moves men to duty it moves them with an equal motion as wel duties to man Mich. 6.7 as duties to God duties of the second as wel as of the first table unto duties of charity equity as wel as of pity towards God if a man be never so pious towards God and yet is neglective of his duty to man this man is not led by the Spirit of God for that leads a man to one duty as well as the other A boat that 's made onely by one oare on one side will not go right no more will a man go right to Heaven that is partial in his obedience 7. When the Devil moves you to do good he so moves you to be eager in the doing of it Gal. 5.4 compared with Verse 8. that you may depend on the good you do To this purpose saith the Apostle Paul Whosoever of you are justified by workes ye are faln from grace whosoever shal depend upon the works he doth for justification is not led thereunto by the Spirit of God and therfore it followeth saith he This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you it cometh not from God for the Spirit of God it quells and keeps down the thought of merit In former times though I could not contemne works of mercy but wish there were more of them in this iron age of the world when most men are guilty of hard-hearted uncharitableness What was the reason that men Popishly affected have left such monuments of their liberality behinde them doing many notable works of mercy but only hope of merit by them a worke of mercy it is good in it self but to be moved to it upon a hope of merit this comes from the Devil not from God 8. When the Devil shall put thee upon the doing of good at that time which is not thy own time As suppose the life of any neer in relation unto tâ—…e is in danger and thou out of love to the Word of God wilt go and hear it and neglect thy sick friend in this case the Lord would have thee rather shew mercy then sacrifice every thing is most beautiful in its season Again for servants when they are about their Masters business when the welfare of thy Master lies upon thy diligence and thou shalt then have a motion to pray or a motion to hear and so fall upon the exercise of Religious duties so as to neglect thy Masters business this is a sin and comes from the Devil And the reason is this because God looks upon servants their persons and their time as none of their own and thou shalt at such time please God more in the doing of thy Masters business then if thou wert on thyknees at thy prayers Now I do not mention this to make men severe towards their servants as to allow them more time for God and their souls nor to quench any good motions which shall be in them to good as many wretched and worldly Masters do to their godly servants but this is that I could advise them that they should not take time for holy duties from their necessary business whereby their Masters may be prejudiced but rather from their sleep and those vacant houres which are allowed them 9. when you shall be moved to do a good thing which is above your growth ann too high and too hard for you this motion comes not from the Spirit of God When women and young men whose educations do not require it shall dive into questions and darke controversies in Religion God requires not this at their hands but rather that they should study and follow plain sundamental points Christ he would not put his young disciples upon duties above their strength and growth Mat. 9.16,17 and young and weak Christians they should not put themselves upon the doing of those things which are too hard for them and which God never commanded them you have an excellent rule for this in Psal 131.1 Lord my heart is not hauâ—hty nor mine eyes lofty neither do I exercise my self in great matters nor in things that are too high for me 10. The Devil will put men upon the doing of that which is good that so he may the sooner tire and weary them out in the wayes of Religion and this is a great policy of the Divel and hereupon the Divel will make a young convert at first conversion pray more in one day then in a moneth of after-time and though there is much of God in these young affections yet there is much sin mingled with them too The divel hath a twofold end to make young converts do good First either to make them the sooner weary of Religion or else secondly to make wicked men think the more hardly of Religion I do not mention this to quench and stifle good motions in any I know where there is one man over-does there are ten thousand which do too little But we must take heed lest like the Church of Corinth we be not too severe for as they by too much austerity had like to have swallowed up the penitent excommunicate person with too much grief so the rigorous and over-much strictness will discourage them from the wayes of Christ 11. Motions to good come from the Divel in case thou art moved to those things which are subservien and introductory to duty rather then to the duties of Religion themselves This is a great subtilty of the Devil if he can keep men in the porch they shall never come into the Temple As consideration it is apreparatory duty to prayer meditation to hearing and examination to the duty of receiving the Lords Supper now if the Divel can keep thee so long in these preparitory duties that thou canst take no time for the maine duties themselves herein the Divel hath his end Christians are oftentimes very inconsiderate in this case Simile 1 it is just as if a man should have an houres time allotted him to play a melodious lesson to a company and he spends all his time in tuning his instrument Thus it is with many Christians the preparation for duty is only in order to the furtherance of us in holy duty he that is so long in preparation as he neglects duty destroyes the very end of preparation I know there are some which never use preparation to duty and others there are who by the subtilty of the Divel in
therefore in my meditations revolved these severall considerations Severall Considerations to allay immoderate sorrow Job 2.10 as likely to be most prevalent to allay excessiveness and immoderacy of sorrow 1. Consider that you have had more mercies in your life-time to chear you up then ever you have had crosses to discomfort you this consideration did strongly work upon Job to support his spirits under afflictions saies he shall we receive good at the hands of God and shall we not receive evill I have read a story of a man of 50 years of age who lived 48. years and never knew what sickness was but all the two last years of his life he was very sickly and very impatient under it but at last he reason'd the case thus with himself and said the Lord might have given me 48 years of sickness and but two years of health but hath done the contrary I will therefore rather admire the mercy of God in giving me so long a time of health then repine and murmur at him for giving me so short a time of sickness the Lord doth ever leave with us more mercies then he takes from us and therefore how should this support our spirits seeing our mercies have been more and greater then ever our afflictions have been what though the Lord doth now visit me with sickness yet I have had more yeers of health then I have had of sickness what though I have lost friends why yet let me consider they have lived a great while with me what though this or that comfort is taken from me yet I have a great many more left still The Scripture is very sensible how apt we are to grieve overmuch and therefore prescribes this Rule to allay immoderate sorrow Eccles 7.14 In the day of adversity consider why what must we consider that God hath set the one over against the other that is though you are in afflictions now yet he hath given you mercies heretofore and it may be he will give you prosperity again he hath ballanced your present afflictions with former mercies and if you set the mercies you have injoyed against the present afflictions you suffer you will find the tale of your mercies to exceed the number of your sufferings 2 Sam. 18.33 When David cryed out in such immoderate sorrow for his Son Oh Absalom my Son my Son would to God I had died for thee my Son my Son if he had then likewise said oh Solomon my Son my Son and seriously considered what a good Son he had living this would have been a great means to have quieted his spirit The consideration of those many mercies we have enjoyed will be an excellent means to bear up our hearts under any present affliction we lie under Consid 2 2. If you would keep your selves within bounds in reference to your sorrows consider that God doth many times take away creature comforts and contentments from his people to make way for greater mercy and blessings to come in the room of them This is very observable in the case of David God took away a Child by death that was gotten illegitimately and he gave him a Solomon a lawfully begotten and better Child in the room of it yea this consideration did bear up Davids heart Psal 71.20,21 Thou hast shewed me great and sore troubles but thou shalt bring me again from the depth of the Earth and shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side and were this seriously considered it would be a means to bear up our hearts under losses and troubles what though this or that comfort be taken away it may be God hath some gracious end in it to make way for the bestowing a greater mercy in the room of it Would you be angry with that man that should pull down your smoaky Cottage over your head if he would erect a stately Pallace for you in the room of it every mercy that God takes from you he will give a greater for it as the Prophet told Amaziah who expended his Estate on the Israelites the Lord is able to give thee much more then this Job 1.3 with cap. 42.12 thus God dealt with Job as you may see in the first and last Chapters of that Book compared together the Lord took away from Job all his Estate and substance but gave him twice as much as he took away from him there was taken from him seven thousand sheep and God gave him afterward fourteen thousand for them he lost 3000 Camells he had afterwards 6â—00 for them he lost five hundred yoak of Oxen and 500. she Asses afterwards he had double restored for them And this case of Jobs may be as an example and ground of encouragement for Christians in all ages to wait upon God in an humble submission to all his dispensations So James 5.11 saies the Apostle you have heard of the patience of Job and what end the Lord made with him that the Lord is very piâ—…ifull and of tendâ—r mercies this example of his should bear up your hearts in the time of affliction the Lord takes away small mercies to make room for greater 'T is very observable how this consideration wrought with Isaac Sarah his Mother was lately dead and to make up his losse God gave him Bebeckah to wife and 't is said Gen. 24 67. She became his wife and he loved her and Isaac was comforted after his Mothers death Consid 3 3. Consider that excessive sorrow for the losse of one comfort doth imbitter all the rest of your present comforts to you take heed therefore of casting in this gall of bitterness amongst your comforts excessive sorrow is like a worm in a Nut that eats out all the sweetness of the kernel and leaves nothing but the shell so will excessive sorrow take away all the sweetness of your present comforts thus it was with Haman Esther 4.11,12,13 He called for his friends and Zeresh his Wife and told them the glory of his riches and the multitude of his Children and all the things wherein the King had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the Princes and the Servants of the King Now you cannot but think this man was a gallant man Nay Haman said moreover Estâ—er the Queen did let no man come in with the King unto the banquet that she had prepared but my self and to morrow am I inviâ—ed unto her also with the King yet saies he all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the Kings Gate and will not reverence and make obeysance to me here was the curse of God upon him in that he could not enjoy any mercy he had with comfort because Mordecai did not reverence him so we see in the instance of Jacob formerly mentioned Gen. 37.35 Excessive sorrow for one affliction looseth the comfort of all our mercies Consid 4 4. To allay immoderate sorrow consider that thou hast within thee more ground of exceeding
condition then I did continually remember to pray in my Family to read and hear the word of God and frequent the Ordinances of God but now I am grown rich my Family goes without prayer and my worldly occasions interrupts and takes me off from the worship and service of God from reading hearing and praying both in publick and privately in my Family I am now a great deal worse then when I was poor and I have evilly requited the Lord for all his mercies Mens honours change their manners whiles they increase in wealth they decrease in grace The people of God are usually better in a state of affliction then prosperity And thus you shall find that David was a great deal better when he was hunted by Saul like a Patridge upon the Mountains then when he sate upon the Throne Therefore 't is said 2 Chron. 17.3 that Jehosaphat walked in the first wayes of David his Father it seems his last wayes were not so good many men in their last dayes when they come to be aged and wealthy they are then even possessed with their riches and they are in their hearts it may be when they are not in their hands and therefore consider seriously with your selves whether your first dayes in the world were not your best dayes and now your last and richest dayes your worst dayes It is observed of the Children of Israel that they were better under bondage in Egypt then they were in the Land of Canaan where they had all things needfull for then they waxed proud and forgot the Lord therefore Moses gives them such a caution Deut. 8. from verse 7. to 15. 4. Consider this beloved that your wealth and possessions in the world though they may be lawfull and honestly gotten yet they lay you under a greater difficulty of coming to Heaven then other men in Mat. 19.23.24 when Christ told the young man that if he would be perfect he must go sell all that he had and give to the poor he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions Then said Jesus to his disciples how hardly shall a rich man enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And again I say unto you it is easier for a Cammel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God Upon how hard tearms can a rich man hope to go to Heaven some are of opinion that the word here translated Camel properly signifies a Cable Rope and Mr. Perkins is of that judgement too and saies he though a Cable Rope cannot go through a needles eye as it is yet if you untwist it there is a possibility of getting it through So if men do untwist themselves from the world and live with weaned affections from their wealth and possessions this is the way for them to come to heaven Heaven is compared to a stately palace with a narrow Gate the expression shews a great deal of difficulty for rich men to go to Heaven Mark and Luke set it forth with a patheticall emphasis oh how hard c. but saies Christ That which is impossible with man is possible with God The riches of the world are perplexing and alluring vanities and laies you under the greater difficulty of coming to Heaven and it is a hundred to one but they do ensnare and entangle you 5. Consider that you to whom God hath given great possessions in the world are exposed to more distracting and distorting and disquietting cares then poor men are for they have no cause to complain of their poverty if they have but food and rayment because they are free from those cares and troubles that are incident to rich men who would desire silken Stockins if he must have gouty Leggs under them and indeed the Gout is a disease that ordinarily follows rich men or desire a Sattin Doublet or a purple Robe to have a leprous and infirm body under them so it is better for you to be poor as you are then to have riches and so many troubles and crosses and afflictions with them In 1 Tim. 6.9,10 saies the Apostle there they that will be rich fall into temptations and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction for the love of money is the root of all evill which while some have coveted after they have pierced themselves through with many sorrows Eccles 5.12 The rest of a labouring man is sweet but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep So in Eccles 2.26 God giveth to the sinner travell both in gathering and heaping up of riches he meets with a great deal of sorrow and trouble which a poor man is without therefore riches are compared to thorns you can hardly graspe them with your hand but they will pierce wound you A rich man hath three vultures continually feeding on his heart great care in getting fear in keeping grief in parting and this hinders his quiet It is observable that the same word in the Hebrew that signifies Merchandize signifies trouble to note unto us that those that do entangle themselves in the affairs of the world will meet with a great deal of trouble and anguish and vexation with it 6. Consider that many times your wealth and riches doth stifle and interrupt the success and power and benefit of the word of God upon your souls In Mat. 13.22 it is spoken of the thorny ground that the deceitfulness of riches choaked the word and made it altogether unfruitfull Can a crop of Corn grow in a hedge of thorns no more can the word thrive in a heart filled with worldly cares Beloved it may be these awakening considerations that I have laid before you concerning riches may make some of you go home with a resolution never to be rich or endeavour after a great Estate in the world but do not mistake me and conclude from hence that it is a sin to be rich it is a danger to be rich but not a sin it is a snare and temptation and therefore you should take care both how you get and how you use and imploy your riches 2. Because there is a danger in wealth do not therefore cast away your wealth and spend it idly and wastfully and throw away the blessings of God from you As 't is reported of Crates the Thebane Directions how to procure Gods blessing upon our Estate thereby to preserve and increase them who said of his wealth Ego perdam te ne tu perdas me I le destroy thee least thou shouldst destroy me And this brings me to the 3d particular I promised to handle namely to give you some usefull directions and admonitions how you may do to have Gods blessing upon your Estates and thereby have them both preserved and increased And 1. Season thy possessions with grace get grace to be mingled with thy goods and get the true riches to be mingled with thy worldly wealth and this
the best 3. In regard of constitution the flesh hath a great advantage corruption is more suitable to thy nature then grace grace it is above nature but sin it is in nature and with nature the way of grace is all up the hill the way to heaven is against both wind and tyde so is not corruption for that is favoured by both therefore watch your hearts upon this consideration Vse 3 Break out in the praise of God that being corrupt nature hath so many evil properties yet that thou hast no more evil practices It is a mercy that from such a mischievous root there should come no more poysonful fruit if God should let alone the Devil and thy own heart and leave thee to thy own inclinations there would be no sin committed by any man which thou also wouldst not commit thou wouldst be an incarnate devil blesse God therefore that thy practices do not carry correspondence with thy disposition and that thy life is not as bad as thy heart 2. Blesse God for other men It is a wonder that wicked men having no new nature to oppose the old nature that they do no more evil in the world it is God which layes a curbe upon and restraines their wicked natures If God did not restraine the wickednesse of the wicked the world had long ago been overwhelmed in confusion through the exorbitancy of their wicked practices Vse 4 If it be so that corrupt nature hath all these properties then be humbled in the sense of thy corrupt nature notwithstanding thou may'st be endowed with many excellent gifts and graces yet be humbled on this ground that though thou hast a divine nature yet thou hast also a corrupt nature which is alwayes opposing it As it is with the Peacock though it hath the finest feathers of any bird on earth yet it hath foule feet and as the Swan though it is of the whitest colour yet it hath a black skin and black feet So thou who art white or innocent in thy life yet remember thou hast a black skin and foule feet sinful affections and vicious motions which arise from a corrupted nature There are these considerations to provoke us to remember and to be watchful against corrupt nature in us 1. It is a sad consideration to provoke us to humility and watchfulness that thou hast as much evil in thy heart as the worst man living upon earth 2. It is ancient in us it was in us before we were borne before thou waft in the world sin was in thy nature for assoon as ever thou hadst life thou hadst sin 3. This corruption of nature it will be continually with us while we live in the world Our bodies are compared to earthen vessels and the Scripture tells you that the leprosie of a vessel of earth if any unclean thing were put into it all the washing and scouring that could be should not make it clean Levit. 11.35 Chap. 15.12 but it must be broken so it is with thee the vessel of thy body must be broken before thy corruption can be done away 4. This corruption it is that which doth easily beset thee Motions of sin in thy nature they are like sparkes of fire in a heap of flax Heb. 12.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they easily take with thy nature and put thee upon the acting of evil and therefore from hence be perswaded to a strict and diligent watchfulnesse over thy own heart Sermon XIV At Lawrence Jury London Decemb. 24. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Proceed now to a fourth Quere and that is why or for what reason is it that in regenerate men God should suffer corrupt nature thus to war with the Spirit Why doth not God deal with us in our regeneration as he did in creation make us perfect This is a question worth discussing God loves no sinne and yet he suffers all the sinnes that are and this Masse of sinne this one sinne which vertually is every sinne For answer hereto I shall lay down five Reasons First Corruption of nature is left remaining even in regenerate men to humble them even as it was with the Israelites in the wildernesse when they were stung with fiery Serpents and Scorpions Deut. 8.15,16 it was to humble them So we whil'st we are in the wildernesse of this world have a corrupt nature alwayes cleaving to us wherewith we are stung and this fiery Serpent of sinne should humble us before the Lord. God hath so ordered it in nature that creatures of the greatest excellency should have some manifest deformity if we look either among birds or beasts Among birds the Peacock a bird of the finest feathers yet it hath the foulest seet the Swan a bird of the whitest feathers yet of the blackest skin The Eagle a bird of the quickest sight and of the highest flight yet the most ravenous among birds Among beasts the Lion the most goodliest of all beasts yet the most fierce and cruel The Fox it is most subtile yet is a creature of the foulest smell Thus God hath ordained even in nature and thus it is with his own people in respect of grace though they may have many excellent endowments and gifts yet he leaves this corruption in them to humble them James 4.8,10 That of the Apostle James is observable Chap. 4. having spoken in the eight Verse of corrupt nature in the next Verse but one he exhorts men to be humbled to note that the consideration of a corrupt heart should be an incitement to humiliation It was a saying of Master Fax that his graces hurt him more then his sinnes which riddle he expounded thus that many times he was proud of his gifts and graces but humbled by reason of sinne The Apostle Paul after he had those extraordinary Revelations There was given him a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.7 It is true this Text is variously expounded Some expounding this thorne in the flesh to be the sinne of lust and incontinency But this cannot be because he affirmes of himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Morbus acutus that he had the gift of continency Others say that it was a bodily disease and that it was the Sciatica or Gowt or some exquisite paine in his body but the current of Interpreters vary from all these expounding it to be corrupt nature and the thorne in the flesh to be some sharp temptation and motion to sin which did arise from the corruption of his nature and the remainders of lust But then it will be objected how can corrupt nature be called the messenger of Satan To this Divines answer that it is called so not as if it were a temptation from the devil
flesh is against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and then I call it an irreconcileable contrariety because though enemies may be reconciled yet contraries never In the handling of which point I shall onely demonstrate the truth of it and then conclude with a practical application Demonst 1 And first this contrariety appears by the contrary names given both to the flesh and Spirit in Scripture as here in the Text corruption it is called flesh and grace is called the Spirit corruption is called darknesse but grace is called light Rom. 13.12 Rom. 13 12. It is called a law of death Rom. 8.2 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Tim. 4.12 but grace is called the law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 Corruption is called filthinesse of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 but grace is called purity of spirit 1 Tim. 4.12 So that by the these contrary names given both to the flesh and the Spirit the contrariety of both is set out 2. They are both contrary principled and origined for First corruption it is called the work of the devill and For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil John 3.8 1 John 3.8 but grace is called the work of God Phil. 1.6 Phil. 1.6 Again corruption it is called the lust of the devil John 8.44 John 8.44 but grace is called the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Gal. 5.22 so that these proceed from a contrary original That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit John 3.6 3. They have contrary acts and contrary uses the flesh is said to lust against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh they are contrary in their works and hence in Scripture sin it is called a work contrary to God Levit. 26. sin makes a man walk contrary to God but the Spirit drawes a man to walk in the wayes of God sinne is the Dalilah that will never let a man alone but presse him with importunity to yield to the temptations thereof 4. They are contrary in their ends and issues the end of the flesh is to damne the soul but the Spirit its motions and workings are to save the soule We are commanded to abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soule and the Apostle tells us That if we live after the flesh we shall die but if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body we shall live Rom. 8.13 The tendency of sin is unto death but of grace unto eternal life And therefore saith the same Apostle The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Upon these demonstrations it appears the flesh and the Spirit are contrary the one to the other Vse 1 Of instruction If so be these are contrary the one to the other first let us consider the contrariety of the flesh against the Spirit and thence learn these three inclinations 1. Learn to admire the free grace and mercy of God that notwithstanding this contrariety of the flesh against the Spirit in thee yet that this should not stirre up anger and fury in God but rather pity and mercy herein is Gods great love shewed to his people God doth to us as we would do to a man that hath taken poyson we pity such a man but poison in a tode that we hate when God sees sinne in his people tormenting them as poison in the body though they have such sinful natures and so contrary to grace yet this stirres not up fury but favour and pity in God It is a note worth your observation by comparing two Scriptures together Gen. 6.5,6 Compared with Gen. 8.21 Gen. 6.5,6 with Gen. 8.21 In the sixth of Genesis it is said there that the Lord saw that the imaginations of mans heart were evill and only evill and that continually and therefore saith God I will destroy man from the earth there their corrupt nature and the issues and acts of it provoked God to fury but compare that place with Chapt. 8.21 and there you read that God will not any more curse the ground for mans sake because the imagination of his heart is evill from his youth this is a strange reason one would think it should be on the contrary but God doth not bring a curse but annexeth a promise as if he should say though I might destroy man as I did in the flood yet I will not do it though the imagination of his heart be evill and that continually no though his heart be so bad this should teach us to admire the grace of God that notwithstanding the contrariety of our natures unto holinesse yet that this should not stirre up fury but rather pity and mercy in God to us 2. Learn to admire the grace and mercy of God that notwithstanding the contrariety that is in our natures against the Spirit that yet there is an irresistiblenesse in the Spirits working converting grace that the Spirit should conquer a man and break down the strong holds of nature 2 Cor. 10.4 that the Spirit of God should out of these contraries bring other contraries for so the Lord doth commanding light to shine out of darknesse Oh admire the omnipotency of Gods grace 2 Cor. 4.6 that notwithstanding the contrariety of thy nature yet it hath not been able to resist converting grace 3. Admire the grace of God that notwithstanding the contrariety of thy nature yet that there should be in the regenerate either activity or perpetuity of grace that thou doest act grace seeing thou hast a principle of sin in thee Gratia in nobis est flamma in extingui bilis in med â—o mari and that thou hast a perpetuity in the state of grace that this contrariety should never be able either totally or finally to conquer grace admire that this spark of fire should not be drowned by this flood of corruption that this contrariety in thy heart against grace should not destroy grace if thou art once in the state of grace thou art ever so and therefore let this heighten your admiration Adam had perfect grace and yet not perpetuity in it but thou hast imperfect grace and yet thou art established therein that thou shalt not fall Vse 2 Of humiliation and indeed these doctrines about corruption of nature they tend chiefly to debase this proud heart of man that is degenerated and fallen from so glorious an estate Be humble oh man though thou hast a principle of grace yet thou hast something in thee that carries a contrariety to grace thou hast a contrary principle to a gracious principle The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other now here I shall speak not onely to unregenerate men but to the regenerate also and there are these seven
intentions and these the Law of God will judge 5. Judge not thy self to be righteous and gracious by bare restraints from sin in particular actions but if you would judge your selves judge by the ordinary course of your lives It is possible that in a particular act a good man may not be kept from that sin from which a wicked man may and it is possible that a wicked man may do that good which a godly man may not be able to do Now you are not to judge of your selves by particular acts but by the constant course of your lives for if you should do otherwise you would condemn the generation of the just I shall give an example by comparing together good King David and wicked King Abimelech they were both tempted to the same sin and should you have guessed at these two men by their particular restraints you would have taken Abimelech for the good King and David for the bad King Abimelech in his restraint was far better then David it is said of Abimelech that he took Sarah he did not know that she was Abrahams wife but David did know that Bathsheba was the wife of Vriah and then further Abimelech the Heathen King though he had Sarah in the house yet the Scripture tells you he did not defile her but David took Bathsheba into his house and was actually unclean with her Now should you look upon these two men in this particular case you would judge Abimelech to be the gracious King and David the Heathen King But now if you look upon David in the ordinary course of his life he was far better then Abimelech you are not therefore to passe a verdict upon any man that he is good or bad by any particular act that as it is a rule in Philosophy that one act doth not denominate so when you go to judge of men you must not look upon a particular act but upon the general scope and current of their lives Prov. 16.17 The high way of the righteous is to depart from evil Vse 2 The second Use is of Instruction and first to regenerate men who have the renewing work of the Spirit There are these three Instructions I would have you to learne 1. Blesse God that ever you have been crossed in the doing of those sins which you would have committed How near the brink of many a sin hath many a godly man been at when an occasion and an inclination hath met together but God hath put in a restraint O blesse God it is the greatest mercy next converting grace It was the prayer of Jabez O that thou wouldest blesse me indeed and O that thou wouldest keep me from evil let it be thy prayer also Sometimes men are angry when they are kept from an intended sin and this is just as if a man going to execution should be angry with a man for stopping him in his way Alas poor man thou art going to the execution of thy sin if any stop thee 't is the saving of thy soul at least the saving of thy peace therefore blesse God How did David blesse God when he intended to have cut off Nabal and all his family when Abigail came with smooth words and prevented him O then sayes he Blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be the Counsel thou hast given me 1 â—am 25.32 so it may be thou hast determined the Commission of a sin with all circumstances which may further thee in the execution of it and hath God stopped thee in thy way what great cause hast thou to magnifie him 2. From hence gathet what cause the people of God have to suspect their own hearts lest they should carry them to such evils which they think they should never have committed Suppose the Spirit should be suspended that it should not restrain thee what evil wouldest thou not commit There are Scripture-instances of godly men who have fallen into those sins that themselves never thought they should commit and such sins which were repugnant to those graces wherein they were most excellent Abraham he was the eminentest man alive in his age for faith Gal. 3.9 Abrahamus paâ—er fidelium non efficienter sed exemplariter and therefore was called the father of the faithful now would any man think that Abraham should fall into unbelief why yes he did for being distrustful of Gods Providence he told two lies one to Pharaoh King of Egypt Gen. 12.13 and the other to Abimelech King of Gerar. Likewise Moses the Scripture tell of him that he was the meekest man upon earth Psal 106.33 and yet he spake unadvisedly with his lips he fell into passion which was that sin which was contrary to that grace wherein he was most excellent And so also Iob Jam. 5.11 whom the Scripture tells you was the most patient man on earth and of all sins Iob was most hurried to impatiency Job 3. insomuch that he bitterly curseth the day of his birth and the night in which it is said A man-childe is conceived I name these examples to you to let you see what cause you have to blesse God for the sin you have been prevented from and what cause you have to suspect your hearts if the Spirit of God withdraw from you And so Moses he was noted to be the meekest man on earth Numb 12.3 And yet even this meek Moses is transported with passion and he speaks unadvisedly with his mouth 3. Pray unto God for the Spirit to do its office in thy soul Psal 106.33 that the Spirit may keep thee from doing the evil thou wouldest We read of David Psal 19.13 that he made this prayer Lord keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins Thou hast need to pray that the Spirit may check and curb thy corruptions when thou art tempted to sin because there is no man though never so good that can stand by his own strength though never so great and thereby avoid an evil when he is tempted to it though never so foule O therefore pray for preventing grace that God would keep thee by his Spirit that so thou mightest not do the works of the flesh And therefore Christ hath taught us to pray Lord deliver us from evil Mat. 6.13 viz. from that evil which we cannot of our selves avoid Secondly as this point refers to the unregenerate who have only restraining grace to hinder them from sin Let even such consider what cause they have to blesse God for this mercy though they shall go to hell yet they have cause to blesse God for restraining grace on earth for though it will not make you good yet it will and doth make you lesse evil and though it cannot make you spiritual yet it will make you good moral men By restraining grace a man may have this good 1. He may not commit so many and great sins 2. He may not incur so great punishment 3. He will bring the lesse scandal
you there is a clashing between Gods will and yours as if God did not so well know how to deal with you as you do with your selves else you would quietly submit to his will 3. Another evill cause from whence this immoderate sorrow ariseth is ignorance both of the vanity of temporall things and the reality of spirituall things we discover thereby that we think temporall things to have more worth in them then indeed they have and spirituall things lesse But 2dly As it proceeds from evill causes so it produceth evill effects there are these five evill effects that immoderate sorrow produceth as 1. It prejudiceth your naturall health 2 Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow worketh repentance never to be repented of but worldly sorrow causeth death And Solomon tells us a sorrowfull spirit drieth up the bones Prov. 17.22 so saies David in Psal 31.10 my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing my bones are consumed 2. It is a blemish to Religion for a Christian to be excessive in his sorrows for the joy of the Lord should be his strength A godly Christian hath alwayes cause of joy unspeakable and full of glory therefore it is a blemish to Christianity to see a godly man overpressed with worldly sorrow it is an aspersion upon Religion for a godly man to hang down his head for the losse of any outward things as if he had no greater concernments to look after no joy nor comfort nor happiness to look after but here in this life 3. It exceedingly indisposeth the heart to holy and spirituall duties it hinders and interrupts you in hearing the word and prayer Exod. 6.9 They hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and cruel bondage c. Psal 77.4 I am so troubled that I cannot speak 4. Excessive sorrow imbitters those sweet and comfortable mercies you do injoy a thousand mercies are buried under the excessive sorrow for one affliction as in Gen. 37.35 the place before quoted Jacob did so extreamly mourn for Joseph his youngest Sonne which he supposed to be dead that though he had eleven Sonnes and many Daughters and all of them came to comfort him yet he could take no comfort in any of them but resolved that his gray hairs should go down to the grave in mourning for him this one excessive sorrow for Joseph did imbitter many mercies and comforts which he did injoy So Esther 5.13 though Haman was admitted to the greatest intimacy familiarity with the King yet all this availed him nothing so long as he saw Mordecai sitting at the Kings Gate in this regard many men discover a temper much like the Hedg-hog which as naturalists tell us hath this property it will gather a great many apples or such like fruit upon his bristles and then go to a Hedge and eat them but it is so mournfull a Creature that if it chance but to let fall one of his apples by the way it will so vex and trouble him that he will throw down all the rest So many men if they meet but with one cross or affliction it will make them throw away all the other mercies they enjoy and take no comfort in any of them 5. Excessive sorrow for worldly crosses provokes God many times to send heavier and greater afflictions then ever yet you suffered As I told you before a stubborn Child that blubbers and cries and murmurs under the Fathers corrections will fare the worse and have the more blowes for it so the more we repine and immoderately grieve for any worldly afflictions the more crosses and troubles we are like to have And thus I have done with the second question why Christians should take heed of immoderacie and excessiveness in worldly sorrows We come now to lay down some considerations whereby to allay your sorrows but I must leave that till the afternoon I shall onely for the present make a short application of what hath been said and so have done Vse Vse Is it so that Christians should not be excessive in worldly sorrows but weep as if they wept not then this reproves those that can mourn for every crosse that befalls them but yet cannot shed a teare for any sin they commit Many men complain of small inconsiderable troubles and affliction but yet never complain of their sins and corruptions these never trouble them nor come near their hearts they can mourn for that which can but at most prejudice the body and yet never grieve for that which can prejudice and destroy their soules 2. I beseech you beloved take heed of being lavish of your teares for worldly crosses or afflictions it is pitty to wash a foul Room with sweet water I must needs tell you teares are too pretious to shâ—d for every trifle it were a great deal better you would keep this pretious water to wash away your sins for though it is Christs blood alone that can wash away the guilt of sin yet your teares may much conduce to wash away the filth and power of sin When you mourn for worldly crosses then weep as if you wept not but when you mourn for sin mourn as much as you can Be like yee before the Sun that will soon melt and convert into water you that are the Children of God know that you have greater things and of higher concernment to bestow your teares upon then any outward troubles you have daily failings and many sins and corruptions unmortified and unsubdued and the losse of the light of Gods countenance to mourn for your sorrows never run aright but when they run in this Channel when your tears run into the Mill-pond to grind your lusts and corruptions to consume and weaken them then are your sorrows right and regular Lastly Let me intreat and advise you not to mistake in reference to your sorrows to think you do mourn and grieve for sin when it is only for outward afflictions Many men when their Neighbours aske them why they are so sad and mournfull and weep so much will be ready to say it is for their sins and failings and corruptions that are too strong for them or the like when indeed it is only for some crosse or outward trouble they have met with therefore do not mistake that sorrow to be for your sins which is onely or especially for some outward affliction you have met with SERMON 2. WEe come now to the third Question which I shall spend this whole Aftemoon upon and that is this to lay down to you 12 considerations whereby to allay and keep under immoderateness and excessive sorrow for any worldly crosses or afflictions and how to keep our selves in the frame and temper of spirit which the Apostle here enjoyns us namely to weep as if we wept not I told you in the morning God would not have us stupid and insensible of his hand in any affliction but yet as we should not be stoicall so neither must we be excessive in our sorrows I have
most of his afflictions and the least of his mercies but if you would keep your hearts from excessive sorrow you should amplifie and inlarge Gods mercies to you and extenuate and lessen your afflictions in your memories and you will greaten your thankfulnesse and lessen and abate your murmurring and sorrowes Consider with your selves that the least mercy that you doe enjoy is more then you doe deserve and the greatest affliction you endure a great deale lesse then your demerits and consider likewise that you brought nothing into the world neither can you carry any thing out and that if you doe escape hell torment hereafter it is a greater mercy then if you should enjoy all the treasures and pleasures in the world but many people if they meet but with one day of adversity they will pore upon their misery and amplifie their sorrowes and never thinke of those loads of mercies which God hath heaped upon their heads you have more cause to rejoyce that God gives you the least mercy then to rpine when he sends on you the greatest affliction 10. Compare your afflictions with others that have endured greater afflictions with more patience and lesse sorrow then you have done consider the patience of Job and the end that the Lord made with him you never lost so much as Job lost he lost 7000. Sheep 3000. Camels 500 yoake of Oxen and 500. shee Asses he lost seven sonnes and three daughters and all in one day he endured a great deale of misery in his body and lay upon the very dunghil and yet was patient under all these afflictions Why nowconsider that better men then thou art have had greater miseries and troubles and afflictions then you and yet have had a great deale more patience and lesse sorrow and griefe then thou The Apostle Peter perswaded men to patience in a suffering condition 1 Pet 5.9 considering that the same afflictions are accomplisht in their brethren which are in the world and Paul 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath nothing befallen you but such as is common to man Nay Jesus Christ himselfe underwent many afflictions and miseries and yet he opened not his mouth but as a Sheep before the shearers is dumbe so he opened not his mouth Those that have more grace have lesse mercy then thou and those that have lesse sinnes have more afflictions 11. To allay your sorrow and keep it within bounds consider that 't is better with you when you are at the worst then it is with wicked men when they are at the best if this consideration did lye neere your hearts it would greatly allay all excessive sorrow A little that a righteous man hath is better then the revenues of the wicked Prov. 15.6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble Observe it is not said in the revenues of the righteous is much treasure but in the house of the righteous it may be a righteous mans house may be a poore cottage a beggars house and in it not a stoole to sit on or a fire to warme him or food to nourish him c. and yet sayes Solomon in the house of the righteous is much treasure but have wicked men treasure too no in the revenues of the wicked is much trouble he doth not say in the house of the wicked but in their revenues there is much trouble there is the curse of God upon all that a wicked man enjoyes the poore beggerly cottage of a righteous man hath more treasure and happinesse in it then the great revenues of wicked men a godly man when he is at worst is better then a wicked man at best Prov. 16.8 Better is a little with righteousnesse then great revenues without right a little with the feare of God is better then a great deale that a wicked man hath Why now will you lay this to heart suppose you lye under great afflictions and have lost an estate or wife or children or friends or any thing yet thou art a godly man I dare assure you that in your worst condition you are better then a wicked man in his best estate though there be little or nothing in your house yet there is great treasure and though there be much in a wicked mans house yet there is likewise a great deal of trouble and sorrow I have only one consideration more and I have done 12. If thou wouldest allay excessive sorrow for worldly crosses consider that you will live a great deale more happy in being contented with what you have then you can doe in over much grieving for what you want for thou dost by this meanes pierce thy selfe through with many sorrowes A man may be a very rich man and drive a great Trade and yet that man may be a miserable man and have a hell in his conscience and a hell in his family Therefore if you cannot bring your estate to your minde you must bring downe your minde to your estate for the comfort of a mans life doth not consist in riches but in being contented with his condition therefore rather blesse God for what thou hast then mourne and grieve for what thou wantest for this is the way to make thy life uncomfortable and full of trouble and sorrow take the Apostles advise Hebr. 13.5 sayes he Let your conversations be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as you have And thus I have done with these twelve helpes or considerations to keep your sorrowes within bounds Use We come now to the use which shall be of reproofe to those that can mourne for every triviall and inconsiderable losse they meet with in the world that have heads like Fountaines to poure out rivers of Teares for any worldly crosses or afflictions and yet when God calls for mourning and weeping and baldnesse their heads are like a Rock that cannot shed one drop though they can mourne for small light afflictions yet they cannot shed a teare either for their own sins or the sinnes of the Nation these men are justly to be reproved for their preposterous sorrow SERM. 4. I come now to make a further improvement of this poynt if it be so that Christians must take heed of immoderate sorrow and weep as if they wept not for worldly afflictions then this doctrine will administer these three cautions to you from whence will arise three Cases of conscience Caution 1. Take heed that you run not into this mistake that when you are excessive in sorrow for worldly crosses to pretend onely to have a naturall sensibleness of your afflictions and no more and the reason why I give you this caution is because there is an aptnesse in men naturally when they are reproved for their immoderate sorrowes to excuse it and say will you not give me leave to mourne for my sinnes and to have a sensiblenesse of Gods hand upon me and the like Case 1 Now because men are so apt to mistake
grace It is with a Christian in this case as it is with the rusty hinges of a door if you open or shut the door they will skreak make a noise but if you put some oyl upon them they do not so so Christians many times God cannot touch them with his rod of afflictions but they cry out and are immoderate in their sorrows and impatient under Gods hand and the reason of it is because they want the Oyl of grace or if it doth not argue a totall want of grace yet it is a sign of a great deal of weakness of grace I have observed often times in London streets that a pair of new Cart wheels will skreak and make a noyse as they go along but an old Cart goes away silently So if when God laies afflictions upon thee thou art like a new Cart that thou criest out and mournest immoderately under his hand it argues that thou art but a new and a weak Christian he that faints in the day of adversity saies Solomon his strength is small But now a Christian that hath been long used and experienced in troubles and afflictions you may lay a great and heavy burden upon him and he will make no noyse under it Consid 2 2. Another consideration to keep out excessive sorrow is this consider that whatsoever crosses befall you in the world they are but the manifestations and executions of Gods will which is the rule of order and justice his dispensations are good and just in themselves if Gods will be done though thy will be crost it is no matter This was that which kept David from excessive sorrow in 2 Sam. 12.21,22 Davids Servants wondred that he should fast and weep for his Child while it was alive but when the Child was dead he should rise up and eat bread and be no more sad And David said while the Child was yet alive I fasted and wept for I said who can tell whether God will be gracious to me that the Child may live but now he is dead wherefore should I mourn can I bring him back again I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Now I see the will of God is accomplisht why should I grieve at it I will hold my tongue and not open my mouth because the Lord hath done it Psal 39.9 Consid 3 3. Consider that before conversion you did never grieve for the want of grace and want of spirituall mercies Why then after conversion should you weep for worldly things when you enjoy spirituall mercies Consider before conversion I was content with outward worldly comforts and never was troubled for want of grace and hopes of Heaven and want of reconciliation with God I did never grieve for these and seeing when I was without Christ I did not grieve for the want of him now when I have Christ shall I grieve because I want the ordinary and common blessings of worldly things A Christian with a holy indignation should take a revenge upon himself if before my conversion I could not grieve for the want of grace now I have grace I will not grieve for the want of outward comforts seeing there is infinitely more reason you should grieve for want of spirituall then temporall mercies 4. To keep out worldly sorrow consider that God never laies any outward crosse or affliction upon his people but it is for sin either for the punishment of sin or the prevention or purging of it out 1. For the punishment of thy sins and if it be for the punishment of thy sin then if thou mourn for any thing mourn for thy sins that was the cause rather then for affliction which is but the effect of thy sin accept the punishment of thine iniquity Levit. 26. with submission but look upon the sin with detestation we have no reason to complain of our afflictions Lamen 3.39 why doth the living man complain man for the punishment of his sin you should in this case rather grieve for your sins then for your punishments And 2dly If it be not for the punishment then it is for the prevention of sin to keep thee from sin and this was the end why God punished Job 33 Job 17. it was that he might drive man from his purpose and hide pride from him And therefore suppose God takes away an Estate or friends or any outward comfort from you as long as it is to prevent a sin to preserve you from Hell and damnation you have no cause of grief If a Doctor takes away your blood from you to prevent a pleurisie will you be angry with him surely no so God never takes away any outward comfort from his people but it is in mercy that he may prevent sin thereby Or 3dly If not for the punishment or prevention of sin then it is for the purging out of sin as in Esay 27.9 by this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit of it to take away his sin A man will not be grieved that Physick makes him sick and pains him in his bowels because it purgeth out noxious and hurtfull humours Beloved your crosses are but purging pills to purge out your corruptions All worldly afflictions are either for the punishment prevention or purging out of sin and therefore we have cause to bear them patiently Consid 6 6. Consider that God turns all worldly crosses and losses into spirituall advantages to his people thou shalt never be a loser by thy afflictions As when a poor man that is in debt and in very much want of money shall come to a rich man and make known his condition to him and beg relief from him the man goes presently to his Chest and fetches a bag of money and throwes it at him the poor man would not look upon this as any wrong or injury done to him but would rather be thankfull for it So God turns all our seeming crosses and afflictions into reall and spirituall advantages to us Phil. 1.19 I know said Paul that this shall turn to my salvation All things shall work together for good to them that love God Rom. 8 28. Though we cannot see how it should come to passe but are in this case like unto little Children who when they see a heap of beautifull and sweet Roses lying upon a Table and their Mother goes and puts them in a morter and pounds them all to peeces the Child cries and thinks the Mother spoyls them though she does it to make a conserve of them that they may be more usefull and durable So we think we have comforts like beds of Roses and when the Lord takes them from us and breaks them all to pieces we are apt to conceive they are all spoiled and destroyed and we undone by it whereas God intends it to work for our greater benefit and advantage Consid 7 7. Live in the meditation and contemplation of the joyes and glory of Heaven And this
in these cases spirituall joy is immoderate which I shall prove to you by two places of Scripture the first is in the 12. Acts 12,14,15 there were many gathered together praying in the house of Mary the Mother of John and as Peter knocked at the dore of the Gate a Damsell came to hearken named Rhoda and when she knew Peters voice she opened not the gate for gladness but ran in again and told how Peter stood without at the Gate the Damsell rejoyced so much that Peter was at the dore that she could not open the dore which was a sin in her and her joy was excessive because it made her inconsiderate noâ— to open the dore when Peter stood without knocking she opened not the dore for gladness that is one Text to prove your joy may be excessive Another we have in Luke 24.39 This was spoken here after Christs Resurrection from the dead When Christ came and stood in the middst of his Disciples where they were together and shewed them his hands and his feet which were pierced that they might believe it was he and that he was risen from the dead it is said they believed not for joy This was a spirituall joy when Christ had conquered death and hell and the grave and was risen again from the dead they rejoyced so much that they could not believe it one grace hindered and interrupted another and therefore their joy was excessive I speak this only in reference to young Converts they may have much sin mingled with their joy And thus I have done with these eight Conclusions I shall now proceed to the dispatching of the Queries which will be more usefull in the prosecution of this Doctrine That Christians must not only take heed of being excessive in their sorrow for worldly crosses but also of being excessive in their joy for worldly comforts SERM. VII 1 Cor. 7.30,31 And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not I Shall at this time briefly speak to these two things First I shall shew you when your worldly joy is excessive And secondly I shall lay you down some Rules whereby to keep your joy within bounds Quest 1 Worldly joy when excessive in 8. particulars Q. 1. When is worldly joy excessive and inordinate and that I shall shew you in these 8. particulars Answ 1. Worldly joy is then excessive when it interrupts godly sorrow for sin when a man shall be of such a jolly and merry temper that he cries out hang sorrow and cast away care he will never be sorrowfull again â—or â—ver have any serious thoughts of sin such a joy as this is excessive and sinfull When one grace justles out another when worldly joy thrusts out sorrow for sin then it is inordinate Thus it was with Belshazzer in Dan. 5.2 He spent his dayes in mirth and jollity quaft and caroused in the Vessels of the Temple in one day he feasted a thousand of his Lords and was merry through wine but what was the issue of all you may see in the 20. verse his heart was lifted up and his mind hardned in pride his joy was excessive because it hardned his heart and hindred and interrupted him from mourning for sin Thus Saul called for Musick when he should have given himself to sorrow for sin 1 Sam. 16. Why now beloved look into your own bosoms though God allowes you to rejoyce moderately in his mercies yet if you be so taken up with joyes and pleasures that you are averse from sorrow and serious thoughts of heart in remembrance of your sins then your joy is excessive 2. Your rejoycing in worldly comforts is then excessive when it deprives and robs you of that fellow-feeling and compassionate affections which you should have toward the sorrows and afflictions of Gods Church and people This you have laid down as a mark of excessiveness of joy in Amos 6.4,5,6 They lie upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the Lambs out of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stall that chant to the sound of the violl and invent to themselves instruments of Musick that drink wine in Bowles and annoint themselves with chiefe ointments but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph Israel here was wanton and spent their time in pleasures and jollity but they were not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph what is that why by the afflictions of Joseph are to be understood the miseries of the Tribe of Manasseh because that Tribe came from Joseph as the 10. Tribes were called Ephraim because Jeroboam the first King of the 10. Tribes came of the posterity of Ephraim and that one Tribe enduring great afflictions as we may read 2 Kings 13.7 under King Joash the nine Tribes were not mourning for them that was their sin and therein their joy was excessive Now beloved all you whose hearts do suggest this to you that you live merrily in the world and so spend your time in mirth and jollity that it quite eats out all compassion and fellow-feeling in you towards the miseries and afflictions of the Church of God that let Religion and the cause of God sink or swim and let the people of God stand or fall it shall never trouble you in this case your joy is excessive 3. When your worldly joy doth damp and dull your delight in God and in spirituall duties then is your joy excessive when thy delight and relish in the Creature is as sweet as hony but yet canst take no more joy in communion with God in performing duties to him and receiving grace and spirituall mercies from him then there is tast in the white of an Egge this is a sign thy joy is excessive as in Job 21.11,12.13,14,15 Job speaks there of the wicked that they send forth their little ones like a flock and their Children dance they take the Timbrel and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ they spend their dayes in mirth and in a moment go down into the grave here are jolly men indeed they spend their dayes merrily but what is the issue of all this therefore they say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes what is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray unto him Here you see their joy was excessive and immoderate because it did damp their love duty to God All recreation should be as a whetstone to sharpen us to duty as Physick to sharpen the stomack to relish food not to dog and dull our appetite to spiritual things 4. Your joy was excessive in that worldly comfort which you grieve too much in the losse and want of A man never grieves too much in the want of any mercy but he did rejoyce too much before in the enjoyment of it 5. Then your joy is excessive in outward comforts when it makes you insult and triumph over the