been called by grace, and the joy in believing is thy birth-right. What is the reason thou art not happy in thy God, and rejoicing in him always? Search diligently for the cause. Depend upon it there is a great mistake somewhere. The Scriptures cannot be broken, which treat of continual joy in God. The promises cannot fail. The promiser is faithful: And yet thou art not always a partaker of the promised grace. How is this? O try to come to the bottom of this error. May the spirit of wisdom lay it open to thee, and may thy sorrow be turned into joy.

very common.

Perhaps thou art seeking for some reason to rejoice in thyself. This rejoicing is not good, although it be It has a bad motive: it comes from pride. The end is bad: it is to exalt and aggrandize SELF, which was man's sin and ruin. It is forbidden in Scripture-He that rejoiceth, let him rejoice in the Lord. If thou couldst find something in thyself to be pleased with, thou wouldst then rejoice in thy pride. Sorrow for not finding it may bring thee right; because it may be the means of shewing thee, that thou hast nothing of thine own to look at with self-complacency. What hast thou, that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why wouldst thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Hast thou any thing of thine own but sin? Who gave thee grace, and made thee to differ from others? Was it not God? Did not all come from the good pleasure of his own will? He saw nothing good in thee at first to move him to be gracious, and what he continues is to the praise of the glory of his own grace. If thou hast lost the sight of these truths, no wonder thou shouldst go mourning. God will not vouchsafe his joy to them, who sacrifice to their own net, and burn incence to their own drag. He humbles and fills the humble with good things, but he sendeth the rich empty away. The rich rob him of his glory, and he refuses them his grace. Watch therefore, over thy proud legal heart. Be jealous over it with a godly jealousy. And intreat the Holy Spirit to bring

down every high thought in it, that thou mayest exalt God, and he may exalt thee. Remember the promise"The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord:" seek ye the fulfilling of this: for joy in him is the death of self-seeking and self-pleasing. O beg of God then to keep thee meek and lowly, that thou mayest be willing to live upon Jesus by faith, and to receive all the joy of his fulness of joy.

Perhaps thou art mourning under a sense of thy sinful nature, and groaning under the burden of indwelling sin, as holy Paul did, and as all the dear children of God do, when they are in their right mind. This is godly sorrow, which worketh repentance not to be repented of. It is the true poverty of spirit, to which the Lord hath promised his blessing. Indeed every one that has it is blessed, because it is not only consistent with the truest joy, but also is the very proper temper of mind, in which it is preserved and increased. They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. Self-knowledge is the breaking up of the fallow ground, and is the ploughing and harrowing of it, thereby making it fit for the good seed, and to receive the enlivening influence of the heavens. The more any man knows of himself, the greater reason will he have to seek the harvest of his joys in God, and seeking by faith he will find them. If he be in the deepest humiliation, he will be then best disposed to rejoice in God. This holy joy generally rises highest, when self is lowest; as the highest tide is always after the lowest ebb. Remember this, O my soul, in the most abasing views of thy fallen nature, and it will lead thee to seek, and in believing to find that in God, which thou hast not in thyself, the empty, and none but the empty, may be filled with his joy. Let every discovery of thine emptiness lead thee to trust more in the salvation of God, and to enjoy more of its blessings. And then thou mayest be with Paul, always sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Sorrow for self is the greatest friend Self-loathing is accompanied with the

to joy in God.

sweetest delight in God. May the apostle's experience herein be thine-" We are of the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, "and have no confidence in the flesh." 0 pray for the same grace, and thou wilt find, that the less confidence there is in the flesh, the more rejoicing there will be in Christ Jesus.

Perhaps thou hast been tempted to feel for joy in some creature comfort, and hast not received it as the gift of God, nor enjoyed it by faith, nor returned him his glory. Thou wast looking below God for happiness, and expecting it from some other object. The world had herein ensnared thy heart. There is not a greater enemy to the children of God: because it has objects suited to their senses, and capable of gratifying them: by which the world is always trying to engage their affections, and always succeeds, when they are not living by the faith of the Son of God; for this is the only victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. See, whether thy sorrow did not spring from some worldly disappointment. Thou hadst dropt thy shield, and wast falling asleep in Delilah's lap: but awaking didst find the pleasure turned into pain. This pain may be very profitable. It should convince thee of thy dreadful mistake in leaving God for the world, and should stop up thy way for the future. Now thou seest the need of being cautioned-Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world: for all things out of Christ are under the curse. There can be no blessedness in them. The whole world lieth in wickedness; it cannot make thee happy, any more than hell can. But it is thy privilege to be delivered from this present evil world, and to be saved from the love of it. This is a blessed part of thy salvation. Expect it by faith. The victory is obtained; see thy share in it. "I have "overcome the world, says Jesus. Almighty Lord, 66 overcome it in me, as thou hast overcome it for me."

But remember, O my soul, whatever be the real cause of thy sorrowing, there is joy in God, and for

thee: because he is thy God; in whom there is nothing to make thee sorrowful, but every thing which can possibly give thee true joy. The blessed Trinity are in covenant for thee and for thy salvation. And it is thy bounden duty trusting to the finished work of the Son to rejoice in the love of the Father. In the peace of thy conscience and in the love of thy heart thou art required to have fellowship with the Father and the Son, and to be always giving thanks to the Holy Spirit for this fellowship. Every enjoyment of their covenant` blessings in earth is a foretaste of heaven, and a pledge of joy unspeakable. What thou hast now by faith, thou shalt certainly have in everlasting possession: for there is a sure foundation laid in the covenant for thee to build thy hopes upon of rejoicing evermore. Thy Father has chosen thee and accepted thee in his Son. He has set his heart upon doing thee good, and he changeth not. His loving kindness is like himself. He has drawn thee by his Spirit to believe in his love, and he has promised to love thee unto the end. He has freely given thee all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, and he reserves the full enjoyment of them for heaven. Nothing can rob thee of them: because he keeps them by his power for thee, and thee for them. How should this help to fill up the measure of thy joys? The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort is thine, with all that his love can do to make thee happy. What canst thou want, but more faith? The Lord increase it, that thy heart and conversation may be more with him. As thine affections are set more on things above, the temptations to the love of the things below will be weakened. The sweetness of heavenly communion will deaden thee to the charms of the world; yea, the world will be to thee as nothing, while God is ALL. And is he not all in all to thee? Consider his nature, his personality, his covenant, his works, his graces and his blessings-view them in their greatness and goodness -thou hast an interest in them all. His wisdom con

trives for thee-his providence watches over thee-his love waits to be gracious to thee-his holiness and justice and truth are thy friends-all his attributes have engaged his power to bring thee to glory. The perfect salvation of Jesus is thine. His Father is thy Father in him, and has nothing in his heart but love to thee: The Holy Spirit has manifested it to thee in believing to be a perfect, unchangeable, and everlasting love. Whatever the Godhead has promised to give of happiness is promised to thee: And thou dost believe it, although thou art sometimes in heaviness through manifold temptations. But even then there is joy laid up for thee in God. Joy enough in the fountain. It is always full only thy faith draws out of it sparingly. Enough in God to turn thy sorrow into joy, if faith did its perfect work. O for more faith, that thou mayest have more joy in believing.

:

From whatever cause then, O my soul, thy sorrow arose, it certainly did not spring from any thing, which faith discovered to be in God. Be assured of this: And learn to improve thy sorrow about other things, so as to see thy need of trusting more and of rejoicing more in God. If thy sorrow be lawful, coming from a sight and sense of thy sinfulness, there is good reason thou shouldst abhor thyself and repent in dust and ashes: But this is also good reason for joy in thy God: because the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. He gives to them the knowledge of salvation and makes them glad with the joy of his countenance. delivers them from their sins and sorrows. tinues his loving kindness: Surely his goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their lives. When they are under temptations to seek for joy in other things, he hedges up their way that they cannot attain the expected good; or if they do, he embitters the enjoyment, and will not let them find any thing in the creature, but vanity and vexation. By which means he would teach them to derive all their joys from him,

Thus he

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