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<DATE>2011-11-10</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON <HI>Preached at the</HI> FUNERAL OE THE Incomparably vertuous and truly pious <HI>GENTLEWOMAN M^R^S^. DOROTHY LITSTER.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>EDWARD SMITH.</HI></P>
<Q><HI>The Righteous &s;hall be had in everla&s;ting Remembrance.</HI></Q>
<Q><HI>The Righteous hath hope in his Death. None con&s;idereth that they are taken away from the evil to come.</HI></Q>
<Q><HI>Bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ed ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the dead that dye in the Lord. For they re&s;t from their labours, and their works follow them.</HI></Q>
<P>VIRTUS <HI>Po&s;t</HI> FUNERA <HI>vivit.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>T. R.</HI> for <HI>Will. Palmer</HI> at the <HI>Palm-Tree</HI> in <HI>Fleet-&s;treet</HI> over again&s;t St. <HI>Dun&s;tan</HI>'s Church, 1660.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHat I &s;hould have deem'd pre&s;umption, flattery, or &s;elf-conceit to have offered on my own accord, I reckon my duty to tender upon your reque&s;t, being fully a&s;&s;ured, that where the quick eye of your Judgment &s;hall find a fault, the tender hand of your goodne&s;&s;e will blot it out; and if you find many, you have Charity enough to cover them all. I never yet thought any thing I could do, either worthy the acceptance of &s;uch a per&s;on, or able to abide the te&s;t of &s;uch a judicious hearer or reader, if you &s;hould mind to be critical, and therefore &s;hould rather have run the hazard of being reputed rude and unmannerly in denying to tran&s;cribe the notes you lately heard, than to be convict of ignorance and weakne&s;&s;e under my owne hand. But being fully a&s;&s;ured, that out of a dear love to the memory of that precious Gentlewoman, your late dear &s;i&s;ter, who being dead, yet &s;peakes to you in what was spoken at her Funeral; and it may be al&s;o out of a de&s;ire to incourag me in the work of my Mini&s;try, you have conde&s;cen|ded to &s;ignify your good liking of what was then deliverd, I have taken upon me the confidence to give you the Sermon, as it is my Notes, &amp; not as it was then curtail'd by the &s;hortne&s;s of the time, &amp; &s;harpne&s;s of the weather, which I here humbly pre&s;ent to you, and which I be&s;eech you to look upon as a te&s;ti|many of my thankful re&s;entment of tho&s;e many obliging favours I have recei|ved from you. For to a &s;ervice of this nature, no con&s;ideration but that of Duty and Gratitude could ever have moved me. What I &s;pake concerning the &s;weet and precious <HI>Mrs</HI> Lit&s;ter, you have to a word almo&s;t as it was then delivered, where yet I find my &s;elf in a straight, tho&s;e who knew her not, will condemne me of flattery and lavi&s;hne&s;&s;e in my expre&s;&s;ions, tho&s;e who knew her, will blame me as to low and &s;cant, wronging both her and the auditory, to which I can only &s;ay, God and my own con&s;cience acquit me from the fir&s;t, my weakne&s;s and unfitne&s;&s;e for a work &s;o much above me, will begg, if not from others, yet from you my pardon for the la&s;t; <HI>Madam,</HI> How much of the comfort of my life, and of cheerfulne&s;&s;e in the work of my Mini&s;try I owe to <HI>Mr.</HI> Hartop and your&s;elfe; I have a deeper &s;en&s;e, than I have either power or opportunity at this time to expre&s;&s;e, only to what I have &s;aid, I add this, God forbid I &s;hould &s;in again&s;t him in cea&s;ing to pray and prai&s;e God for you and yours, I humbly take leave and remaine.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Madam.</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your poore and unworthy, but many ways obliged &s;ervant. Edward Smith.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Hoby <DATE>this 30. of <HI>December.</HI> 1659.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<P>AS undue prai&s;es is a piece of flattery that &s;uits only with ba&s;e and &s;lavi&s;h &s;pirits, who dare &s;acrifice their Con|&s;ciences to &s;atisfy &s;ome per&s;ons vain glorious humour, endeavouring by the vermilion of their &s;ale-oratory to paint them at their death like Saints, who in their life|time, were no better than Devils. So on the other &s;ide to deny Commendations where true worth claimes them as due, is a &s;uper|&s;titious nicene&s;s &s;avouring either of ignorance to de&s;cern it, or of malice, not to acknowledg it, or of inju&s;tice to render it.</P>
<P>And therefore I think he was not mi&s;taken, to whom it &s;eemed as re|all apoynt of Religion to honour the vertues, as to reli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ve then ce&s;&s;ito is. For I am &s;ure as this is commanded by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>James c. 1. v.</HI> 27. &s;o the other is allowed by <HI>Solomon,</HI> who &s;pendeth, almo&s;t the 31th chapter of the <HI>Proverbs</HI> in the prai&s;e of the vertuous women, and <HI>v.</HI> 30. &s;aith, <HI>A woman that feareth the Lord, &s;he &s;hall be prai&s;ed.</HI> I think &s;uch and none but &s;uch, for according to Morall philo&s;ophy prai&s;e is a moral Con&s;e|&s;equent of vertuous actions. And as the wi&s;e man warrants our Com|mendation of the vertuous, &s;o the Knowledg that many here pre&s;ent had of the vertues of this decea&s;ed Gentlewoman, will not only warrant, but require it as a due &s;atisfaction to their ju&s;t expectation, that as we are taught that we mu&s;t die by this &s;pectacle of mortality, &s;o how to live and die by &s;etting before us, though but in &s;ome darke and &s;haddowy repre&s;entations the patte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n of her never dying vertues.</P>
<P>But I am given to under&s;tand that this is not regarded at any hands: Yet I hope I may do my &s;elf that right, as to pay &s;ome &s;mall tribute of that re&s;pect, and honour, which I do and &s;hall owe to his precious Me|mory and you the &s;ervice of quickning your graces by reminding you of hers, which I doubt not wilbe acceptable to &s;ome, and I hope none here &s;o &s;queami&s;hly affected as to be offended at it.</P>
<P>And here I &s;hall not mention her de&s;cent, her being &s;uch a Knights Daughter, this we owe to fortune (if you<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> allow the wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d) that often favous fooles, or nece&s;&s;ity, &s;uch a di&s;cour&s;e would be here but a trouble|&s;ome impertinency, which it may be, if one were tied to &s;peak of &s;ome great per&s;ons, mu&s;t be the principall argument for want of better.
<PB N="2" REF="4"> But though many of our degenerate Nobility and Gentry think it ho|nour and Dignity &s;ufficient, that they be known to be the Sons &amp; Daugh|ters of &s;uch Parents: &s;uch a Noble mans &s;on, &s;uch a Knights daughter, and Glory, worldly Nobility nece&s;&s;arily de&s;cending upon them, need not endeavour to excel in any worthy or well-doing; yet, I am &s;ure this de|cea&s;ed Gentlewoman was otherwi&s;e minded, counting it a &s;mall thing that &s;he was &s;uch a Great mans Daughter, unle&s;s &s;he was al&s;o Daughter to a Greater Father, even to the Lord Almighty, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.</P>
<P>For where Vertue is wanting, Great men, as Sir <HI>W. Raleigh</HI> truly &s;ays, <HI>are but like painted papers, whom ignorant per&s;ons wor&s;hip in &s;tead of Chri&s;t, our Lady, or other Saints.</HI></P>
<P>That therefore which will for ever endear her memory to us, is, her care to enoble her birth by Grace; making honour, which u&s;ually, yea, naturally de&s;cends to go up the Channel. For it was not &s;o much honour to her that Sir <HI>Mart. Lit&s;ter</HI> was her Father, as it was to him that he had &s;uch a Daughter.</P>
<P>Such a Daughter, I &s;ay, who&s;e tender yeares were &s;ea&s;oned with Grace, who, as if &s;he had fore&s;een how &s;hort her day was, like a good Hou&s;wife got up in the morning of her life, and fini&s;hed her work before the night of Death could &s;urprize her.</P>
<P>The time would fail me, &s;hould I &s;peak of her rare natural Endow|ments, her quick fancy, her piercing wit, her skill in the <HI>French</HI> Lan|guage, the improvement &s;he made of her liberal and religious education under the vertuous and pious Lady, the Lady <HI>Denham.</HI></P>
<P>Neither mu&s;t I here call to mind, that <GAP DESC="foreign"> her &s;weet and gentle Di&s;po&s;ition (which very rarely accompanies &s;uch parts) whereby &s;he tyed the &s;oules of all that knew her, as well to love, as ad|mire her; nor yet may I do more than barely mention her courteous and mode&s;t deportment, her wi&s;e, witty and pertinent Di&s;cour&s;es, that rendred her &s;o beloved and de&s;ired, while &s;he lived, &amp; &s;o lamented now dead. All this would but renew our &s;orrow be imminding us of our lo&s;s.</P>
<P>That therefore which I'le &s;peak to is, What is yet more con&s;idera|able, and worthy both prai&s;e and imitation, &s;uch as may rather move our emulation of her Piety, than afflict our memories with the &s;en&s;e of our lo&s;s: and what I &s;hall &s;ay concerning her life for the quickening of our dead and drow&s;ie &s;oules, &s;hall be &s;uch as wherein I am well a&s;&s;ured, neither my own heart; nor any &s;oul living, &s;hal be able to give me the lye.</P>
<P>She was con&s;tant, diligent, and Reverend in attending the publike ex|erci&s;es of Gods Wor&s;hip. And there are tho&s;e here pre&s;ent, who can witne&s;s, and I hope will imitate her Chri&s;tian cour&s;e of private reading, prayer and meditation, tho&s;e morning and evening &s;acrifices.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P>Though &s;he was not carele&s;s of her body, yet &s;he &s;pent not her time <HI>in|ter pectinem &amp; &s;peculum;</HI> her greate&s;t care was to trim up her &s;oul, and whatever el&s;e &s;he minded, never forgot to put on tho&s;e Ornaments of a meek and quiet &s;pirit, which in the &s;ight of God and all good men is of great price.</P>
<P>She kept &s;o &s;trict a watch over her &s;elf, that &s;he lived in the world un|&s;potted with the vanities of youth, which time, the generality look upon as priviledged from &s;uch &s;erious entertainments of them&s;elves, and &s;e|verities of Religion.</P>
<P>She remembred her Creator in the dayes of her youth, and He did not forget her, but took her into his own Teaching, and learn't her &s;o effe|ctually tho&s;e Great Le&s;&s;ons of &s;elf-denyal and mortification, that, con|trary to tho&s;e &s;illy women mentioned by St. <HI>Paul;</HI> whereas for her time &s;he might have been a Learner, for her learning in divine things, &s;he was fit to teach others the wayes of God: I am &s;ure, I have thought &s;o when I have been with her, and that far greater abilities than I dare pretend to, might have convers'd with her to their very great Advantage; &s;he kept &s;uch a mean between irreligion, &amp; a phanta&s;tical &s;uper&s;titious nice|ne&s;s, as that I have thought I never knew any &s;o becomingly Religious.</P>
<P>She was exactly carefull of the Government of her inward man, to keep her pa&s;&s;ions in &s;ubjection to her Rea&s;on and Religion: wherein &s;he was &s;o happy, as tho&s;e who be&s;t knew her can witne&s;&s;e: &s;he was of that even Temper, that &s;he was never known to exceed either in joy, or &s;orrow for any outward things; as if &s;he had converted not only the nobler Principles of the be&s;t Philo&s;ophy, but al&s;o the Rules of the Go&s;|pel, and the be&s;t example of our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour <HI>in &s;uccum &amp; &s;anguinem.</HI></P>
<P>She had &s;uch a rare mixture of parts, humility and goodne&s;&s;e, as will &s;carcely be found el&s;where in the&s;e yeares and degrees; that like the Kings Daughter &s;he was glorious within, and doubtle&s;&s;e the Temple of the living God.</P>
<P>Her vertues were &s;o admirably &s;hining, that I may &s;ay as truly of her as a learned man of a Lady in his Epi&s;tle Dedicatory; That <HI>Plato, if he had lived in her time, might have found his timorous &s;uppo&s;ition brought into</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">H. M.</NOTE> <HI>ab&s;olute Act, and to the enravi&s;hment of his amazed &s;oul, might have be|held Vertue become vi&s;ible to his outward &s;ight.</HI></P>
<P>I could be very well plea&s;ed to go on with this Di&s;cour&s;e, and might &s;pend the whole time allotted me in it, and neither exceed the bounds of Truth, nor the patience of tho&s;e who have had the happine&s;&s;e of any in|timate acquaintance and Conver&s;es with her.</P>
<P>She had attained (which I had almo&s;t forgot) that high pitch of Chri|&s;tianity, patiently to bear, and freely, and readily to forgive injuries.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="5">
<P>And that &s;he had &s;uch an excellent &s;oul, that &s;he was &s;o good a Chri|&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ian, and her heart &s;uch a Trea&s;ure of good things, he mu&s;t be an arrant Sce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ck that &s;hould doubt of it, who knew how able and ready &s;he was to a&s;&s;i&s;t any &s;ick per&s;ons, whether kindred, &s;ervants o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> others, with her pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">yers, reading, con&s;ulting, comforting, by &s;peaking a word in &s;ea&s;on. And &s;hall under&s;tand al&s;o in what a heavenly &s;tate both &s;ickne&s;s &amp; Death found her, which we may gue&s;&s;e at by the pul&s;e of her &s;oul, which beat, as it proceedeth lively to God; out of the abundance of the heart, &s;ayes the Scripture, <HI>The mouth &s;peak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and a corrupt fountain doth not &s;end forth &s;weet waters.</HI></P>
<P>She had at the beginning of her &s;ickne&s;s &s;o many, &s;o full &amp; pertinent Scriptures and other Ejaculations and heavenly expre&s;&s;ions, as if &s;he had never acquainted her-tongue with any other Language, as if &s;he had been <GAP DESC="foreign"> a living Bible, &s;o care<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ull had &s;he been of the Apo&s;tles exhortation, to let the <HI>Word of God dwell richly</HI> in her; Doubtle&s;&s;e, her h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> had been long in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing much good matter, which made her tongue like the Pen of a ready Writer.</P>
<P>She &s;pake &s;o fully and clearly of heavenly things, and was &s;o &s;en&s;ibly plea&s;ed with them, even when &s;he had almo&s;t left to be &s;en&s;ible of any thing e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e, that one would have thou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ht her &s;oul, not only in the &s;uburbs, or at the gate of Heaven, but already entred into the joy of her Lord, and taken into the bo&s;om of her Heavenly Father.</P>
<P>Oh! how was her heart e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">flamed with love to God, and that love kept lively with a&s;&s;urances of his love to her! I remember among&s;t other hea|venly expre&s;&s;ions, I he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rd her &s;ay, <HI>I have loved God, and do love Him, and God loves me: Oh how thy comforts refre&s;h my &s;oul!</HI></P>
<P>And that this was no meer melancho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ick fancy, we need no other Argu|ment than her extream (not to &s;ay Contentedne&s;&s;e but) de&s;ire to dye. How loath was &s;he to think of living. I am now, &s;aies &s;he, almo&s;t through my journey, it's a journey I mu&s;t go, and were I not better go thorow it now to God, than come back again into the world?</P>
<P>But if any &s;hould &s;ay as <HI>Rebekah</HI> did, I fit be &s;o, why was &s;he then af|flicted in &s;uch a manner?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, 1. That afflictions, though un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">outh and extraordinary, are no more an argument of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, than pro&s;perity is of his love, otherwi&s;e. <HI>Job</HI> or <HI>David,</HI> who, while they &s;uff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">red Go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s terrors were di&s;tracted, &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou'd have been wicked. <HI>Nero</HI> had been better than Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> who was b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ffe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed with a me&s;&s;enger of Satan, our Saviour hath given us a rule to interpret providence by, <HI>Luck. 13. Think not that the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alile <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">nners becau&s;e they &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ffered &s;uch things.</HI></P>
<P>2. What if God willing to &s;how his power and Soveraignty over his
<PB N="5" REF="5"> Creature, that he is <HI>Dominus vitae neci&s;que,</HI> might handle her in this manner; our Divines hold that God may <HI>pro Dominio</HI> afflict an innocent per&s;on, not that I go about to free her from &s;in, &s;he &s;he her&s;elf would be the fir&s;t, if &s;he knew it, that would abhor me for it; yet that &s;he was tainted with any cour&s;e incon&s;i&s;tent with the &s;tate of Grace, I think malice it &s;elf cannot charge her.</P>
<P>3. But I think this might be the maine rea&s;on; God &s;aw her the fitte&s;t per&s;on among&s;t us all to be made a monitor to us, to u&s;e our health and wits to tho&s;e ends for which they were given us, &s;he being one, who&s;e &s;ufferings in this nature could not prejudice her future Happine&s;&s;e as having before-hand &s;ecured that by an early working out her &s;alvation with feare and trembling.</P>
<P>We are now drawing to the end of her life, and this dicour&s;e, and we &s;hall &s;ee that &s;uch was the goodne&s;&s;e of God to her, that &s;he died as well as lived an excellent Chri&s;tian, renouncing all her own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and expecting &s;alvation meerly by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, yea, and that with much confidence and a&s;&s;urance, as is cleare, by the words &s;he &s;pake about 2, or 3. houres before her death, <HI>viz.</HI> I acknowledge the great goodne&s;&s;e of my Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t in &s;aving my &s;oul eternally. Which &s;aid, &s;he gave up her &s;oul to God, And doubtle&s;&s;e both in a &s;piritual and literall &s;en&s;e is pre&s;ented a cha&s;te Virgin to Chri&s;t, in who&s;e tender armes and ravi&s;hing imbraces we now leave her, with this Congratulation (if youl indulge me that liberty) Enjoy thy Re&s;t oh virgin-ble&s;&s;ed &s;oule.</P>
<P>And grant good God, that we who &s;urvive may walk in her &s;teps, that &s;o when Chri&s;t, who is our life &s;hall appear, attended with her and thou|&s;ands of other Saints and Angels, we may together with her enter into tho&s;e man&s;ions of eternal Ble&s;&s;ing, which God hath prepared for tho&s;e that love and fear him.</P>
<P>And in the mean time, while we are in this vale of tears, <HI>may &s;o live that we may dye, Rejoycing in hope of the Glory of God,</HI> which is the Text I intend to &s;peak to for our in&s;truction upon this &s;ad and &s;olemne oc|ca&s;ion of our meeting, which I the rather make choi&s;e of, becau&s;e it &s;uit &s;o well with this Condition, that &s;weet heavenly po&s;ture of &s;oul I found her in, delighting in nothing but prayer and prai&s;ing God, &s;peaking and contemplating of the joyes above. In which &s;weet and happy temper, &s;et|ting a&s;ide the violent fitts of her di&s;ea&s;e, &s;he lived and died.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="6" REF="6">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>ROM 5. latter part of the &s;econd ver&s;e.</BIBL>
<Q><HI>And rejoyce in Hope of the Glory of God.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe&s;e words are an amplification, or a further enumerati|on of the priviledges Believers have by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Great and glorious advantages are held forth in this and the former ver&s;es.</P>
<P>We are ju&s;tified, being ju&s;tified we have peace with God through Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord, by whom al&s;o we are brought into &s;uch favour and acceptance with God, and this &s;tate of favour &s;o &s;ecur'd to us by Chri&s;t, that it begets in us, not only hope of glory, but rejoycing in hope of the Glory of God.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, The word, &s;ayes <HI>Beza,</HI> may well be explained in that in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 10. <GAP DESC="foreign">, that is, <HI>maximam voluptatem ex i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s percipimus,</HI> i. e. <HI>Non &s;olum aequo animo &s;umus &amp; ab omni damnationis formidine liberi, imo de peccatorum remi&s;&s;ione per Chri&s;ti &s;anguinem certiorati, &amp; inde magna laetitia perfu&s;i, exultamus de haereditate coelesti, quae nos manet:</HI> Through Chri&s;t we have not only freedom from Hell, but right to a glorious Inheritance, the Hope whereof doth &s;o hugely plea&s;e and delight us, that our Mouth is fill'd with laughter, and our Tongue with &s;inging, <HI>We rejoyce in Hope of the glory of God.</HI></P>
<P>We have in the words:</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. An Object, <HI>Glory.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The qualification of it, <HI>The Glory of God.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A double act of the &s;oul exerci&s;ed about this Object, <HI>Hope, and Rejoycing.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Which &s;everal parts I &s;hall handle, in &s;peaking to this general Point of Doctrine, which takes in the whole Text, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<PB N="7" REF="6">
<P>Doctrine. <HI>That the future glory which Believers hope for, is ground of their pre&s;ent rejoycing.</HI></P>
<P>In &s;peaking to this Point, I &s;hall fir&s;t &s;hew, that Believers hope for Glory.</P>
<P>Then, that they rejoyce in hope of it.</P>
<P>And as I &s;peak to them, &s;hall gather &s;everal Doctrinal inferences by way of In&s;truction and Con&s;olation.</P>
<P>1. Concerning the hope of Believers, the&s;e Que&s;tions are briefly to be an&s;wered:</P>
<P>Que&s;t. 1. <HI>What hope is?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is a certain expectation of tho&s;e things that are promi&s;ed us in Chri&s;t, and yet exhibited. Sometimes in Scripture, Hope is put for the things hoped for, but here I &s;peak of the act or grace of Hope.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. 2. <HI>How Hope differs from Faith, as re&s;pecting the promi&s;e of this Glory</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Faith a&s;&s;ents to the truth of the Promi&s;e. Hope ex&s;pects the performance of it, or as <HI>Luther</HI> excellently di&s;tingui&s;hes: <HI>Fides intuetur verbum rei, Spes autem Rem verbi:</HI> the Object is the &s;ame, but the act|ings of the &s;oul about the Object are different. Faith looks upon the Truth of the Promi&s;e, that God will give his Children eternal life; Hope waits when this &s;hall be done, and the Hebrew word for Hope, comes from <GAP DESC="foreign"> which &s;ignifieth <HI>expectavit,</HI> a looking for a thing with a &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">etch|ing out of the &s;pirit or mind, &amp; therefore it is expre&s;&s;ed in the Greek, by a word that &s;ignifies a &s;tretching, or lifting up the head to look for a thing, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8 19. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>Faith is to Hope as a mother, Hope back again to Faith as a pious and dutifull daughter: which like the young Stork nouri&s;hes and &s;upports its Dam when &s;he grows weak &amp; feeble; which pious affection the Greeks call <GAP DESC="foreign">. In this life-time we are, as one ob&s;erves, be&s;et with manifold Temptations: The work of God &s;eems oft-times contrary to his word, and things apparently fall out otherwi&s;e than God hath pro|mi&s;ed. That Faith is daunted and needs Hope to &s;upport it. As for ex|ample, <HI>P&s;al. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, I'le deliver thee.</HI> Ac|cording to this promi&s;e, a Chri&s;tian calling upon God, and finding no de|liverance, begins to faint, then comes in Hope, and &s;uccours it with that coun&s;aile, <HI>Heb. 2. 3. Though deliverance tarry, wait for it, becau&s;e it will &s;urely come, it will not tarry.</HI></P>
<P>Que&s;t. 3. <HI>&V;pon what is a Christians hope grounded?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. Its grounded on the Grace of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 13. For &s;o &s;ome read the words: <HI>Be &s;ober, and tru&s;t perfectly on the Grace that's brought to you by the Revelation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> For the Grace of God
<PB N="8" REF="7"> is free and powerfull, and therefore affords ground for a Chri&s;tians hope, notwith&s;tanding all di&s;couragements or Temptations to di&s;tru&s;t, that may ari&s;e either from the &s;en&s;e of our own unworthine&s;&s;e, or weak|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>2. On the Redemption that is by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as is clear, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 21. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaking that we were redeemed by the blood of Chri&s;t, &s;ayes, God rai&s;ed him from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope may be in God.</P>
<P>3. Upon the promi&s;es.</P>
<P>It is al&s;o nouri&s;hed by prayer, patience, examples, and experience.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. 4. <HI>But may not a Believers hope &s;ometime fail, and may not a wicked man have hope?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> A godly mans Hope may be much weakened, the mo&s;t active and vigorous Faith and Hope may grow &s;lack in its acting, the brighte&s;t day of a Chri&s;tian may be over-clouded, by rea&s;on of that <HI>fomes peccati</HI> which is in the Reliques of Concupi&s;cence, and is the fountain and cau&s;e of new doubtings, yet the Sun gets from under the clouds, Hope re|covers its &s;trength, and overcomes tho&s;e doubts, <HI>adeo&abque; licet in praelio fort&egrave; &s;uccumbat, in Bello tandem victrix e vadit,</HI> Though it may be wor&s;ted in a skirmi&s;h, yet it gets the victory in the battel.</P>
<P>And as for the hope of wicked men, as is their faith, &s;uch is their hope, as the mother, &s;uch the daughter, their faith is a fancy, and their hope pre&s;umption.</P>
<P>And the Hope of good and bad men differ:</P>
<P N="1">1. In making out after the thing hoped for; a good man is carefull in the choice of meanes that he be not deceived: and diligent and pa|tient in the u&s;e of them, that he falls not &s;hort of what he hopes for, <HI>Lament.</HI> 3. 29, 30, 31.</P>
<P>But &s;uch is not a wicked mans hope, for either he wholly neglects the means, or el&s;e u&s;es them &s;lightly.</P>
<P N="2">2. They differ in their duration, &s;hall I &s;ay troubles, nay, death it &s;elf cannot kill a godly mans hopes, <HI>Job 13. 15. but the hope of the hypocrite &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Thus much of the Act or Grace of Hope.</P>
<P>I come now to the Object of it, <HI>The Glory of God.</HI> And here I &s;hall not preci&s;ely handle it, in its own nature, but con&s;ider it under the no|tion of an Object of Hope: and yet &s;o it will hold forth to us, &s;o much of the nature of this glory, as may afford us much matter of in&s;truction, which I &s;hall briefly rai&s;e as inferences as I go along.</P>
<P>The Object of Hope according to the Morali&s;ts, is, <HI>Bonum, futu|rum. Difficile, po&s;&s;ibile.</HI></P>
<P N="1"><PB N="9" REF="7">1. The Object of Hope is a good thing; we may then infer hence, that the Glory of God is good truly, and every way good, which may call us off from all immoderate de&s;ire and &s;eeking after other things: why do we go to &s;infull profits and plea&s;ures, &s;aying, will ye &s;hew us any good? Here's that that's good indeed, &s;uch a good, upon which a Chri|&s;tian pitching his hope is made good, and the more he hopes, the better it will make him. He that hath this Hope purifies him&s;elf.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Object of Hope is a good thing to come, it's ab&s;ent, for a man doth not hope for what he hath already. This then &s;hould teach us patience in our expectation, <HI>Rom. 8. 24, 25. If we hope for that we &s;ee not, then do we with patience wait for it.</HI> The Husbandman waits with patience, becau&s;e he cannot reap as &s;oon as he &s;oweth.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Object of Hope is a difficult thing, a thing that's hard to come by.</P>
<P>And then it in&s;tructs us, both about the meanes to the u&s;ed, and the manner of u&s;ing them: He that hopes for any good thing, will u&s;e the meanes to obtain it, &s;o he that hopes for Glory, will u&s;e the meanes, yea, and with all his might too. Things hard to be got, require our utmo&s;t paines and diligence.</P>
<P>This therefore may correct their mi&s;take, or &s;pur up their lazy &s;pi|rits: who &s;ay, they hope for Heaven, and hope to be &s;aved, and yet are either wholly carele&s;s of u&s;ing the meanes, or el&s;e u&s;e them &s;o carele&s;ly and negligently, as if it were no hard thing to obtain. Sure &s;uch would make Heaven cheap, even unto vilene&s;s that would come thither with|out paines: I am &s;ure we have not &s;o vile an e&s;teem of earthly things. But remember the Object of Hope is <HI>Bonum, arduum &amp; difficile;</HI> for if it were ea&s;ie and fea&s;ible at plea&s;ure, it would not be the object of Hope, but matter of our pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. And therefore there's a nece&s;&s;ity of laying a&s;ide either our lazine&s;s, or hopes of Heaven.</P>
<P>But that this difficulty may not di&s;courage.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Object of Hope is a thing po&s;&s;ible, no man can hope for that which is impo&s;&s;ible. Let this then encourage us to duty; for neither our hope, nor labour &s;hall be in vain in the Lord; nay, if we con&s;ider the grounds of Hope before mentioned, it's not only po&s;&s;ible, but certain, whereto agrees that of <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> quoted by <HI>Zanchy, Tria con&s;idero in quibus &s;pes mea tota con&s;i&s;t it. Charitatem adoptionis, veritatem promi&s;|&s;ionis, pote&s;tatem redditionis,</HI> and therefore fooli&s;h thoughts, &s;ayes he, murmur as much as you will, &s;aying, who art thou, or how great is that glory, or with what merits do&s;t thou hope for Heaven? and I will con|fidently an&s;wer you, I know whom I have believed, and am certain enough that my hope &s;hall not be fru&s;trated; <HI>Quia in charitate nimia
<PB N="10" REF="8"> adoptavit me Deus, &amp; quia verax est in promi&s;sione, &amp; potens in ex|hibitione.</HI> If we would yet further know what is this future, hard, po&s;&s;ible good thing that Believers hope, the Text &s;aith it is the glory of God.</P>
<P>The Glory of God is &s;everal wayes taken in Scripture, but here it is taken for heavenly happine&s;s, for that life eternal which con|&s;i&s;ts in a participation of Gods glory, is begun in this life in the reparation of the glorious Image of God by the grace of Regenera|tion, which is called <HI>Glory, 2 Cor.</HI> 3. 18. And perfected in heaven, which glorious inheritance is called <HI>The hope of Chri&s;tians, Hebrewes</HI> 6. 18.</P>
<P>He that is Heir to a Kingdom, though as glorious as that of <HI>Solo|mons,</HI> his hopes are not to be compared to a Chri&s;tians. For behold a greater, better, and more glorious Inheritance than <HI>Solomons</HI> is here, and therefore call'd glory in the ab&s;tract, and glory of God; great or eminent glory, and it exceeds all other glory.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In Splendor and Lu&s;tre,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In real Worth and Satisfaction.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In Suitablene&s;s and Proportion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. In Certainty and Duration. The&s;e I wave.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Thus briefly what's meant by the glory of God, I find four rea&s;ons why heavenly happine&s;s is call'd Glory.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e of the glorious company that is in that high and holy place: The place, the company, the imployment, is all glorious.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e the divine Glory, or Maje&s;tly of God is there mo&s;t con&s;picuous and manife&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e mo&s;t glorious and divine gifts are there di&s;penc'd.</P>
<P N="4">4. Becau&s;e there our bodies and &s;ouls will be mo&s;t glorious.</P>
<P>Now let us make &s;ome further application of what hath been &s;aid.</P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> I. Do Believers hope for glory, and is it &s;uch a glory they hope for, then they are not men of &s;uch a forlorn condition as the world judges them to be. They are richer and happier in their hopes than others that want the&s;e hopes in their pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. Its &s;uch a hope, <HI>Cui fal&s;um &s;ube&s;&s;e non potest.</HI></P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> II. See hence the rea&s;on of their courage and patience in bear|ing Afflictions, undergoing troubles in the world: here's the rea&s;on they hope for better, Gods promi&s;e and Chri&s;ts merits are the root of a Chri&s;tians hope; and Peace, Patience, Courage in evil times are the fruit of it.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="8">
<P>And there's the rea&s;on why I &s;hould exhort and encourage to let patience have its perfect work, and to go on through all oppo&s;ition with an undaunted courage in the wayes of God, to keep your pace towards Heaven, be the weather fair or foul; though the way be foul, the journey end will be fair. Be we then &s;tedfa&s;t and unmoveable, al|way attending in the work of the Lord, for as much as we know our labour &s;hall not be in vain in the Lord.</P>
<P>And when we begin to faint, and grow weary under the burden of Afflictions, or in the duties of Religion, let this hope of glory quicken us. Let's call to mind that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. The&s;e light Afflictions, which are but for a moment, are not to be compared to that eternal weight of glory: Oh let this joy that's &s;et before us, make us follow our Ma&s;ter, enduring the Cro&s;s. See 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 16, 17. This hope made the Martyrs embrace the flames, and ki&s;s the &s;take, <HI>Pericula non re&s;picit Martyr &s;ed Coronas.</HI></P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> III. Do Chri&s;tians hope for the glory of God? then let us make u&s;e of this to abate our e&s;teem, and moderate our affections to the things of this life. If we find our hearts en&s;nar'd and en|amoured with the beauty and excellency of outward things, there can be no better way to take off our inordinate affection, than by pitching upon &s;omething thats' better; Let's endeavour therefore to gather clearer views of the beauty and glory of holine&s;s and hap|pine&s;s, and this will darken the glory of outward things, as the &s;hi|ning of the Sun doth the glimmering of the le&s;&s;er Stars; that as we compare the glories of this world with this glory of God, we &s;hall &s;ay as the world did of Chri&s;t, there is no comline&s;s or beauty in them, why we &s;hould de&s;ire them?</P>
<P>It may &s;erve al&s;o to help us again&s;t temptations: He that hath this hope al&s;o, or the glory of God, would not &s;ell his hopes for all the pomps and glittering vanities of the world: &s;uch hope heightens our &s;pirits to &s;uch a degree of generou&s;ne&s;s and true magnanimity, that we &s;hall reject with infinite di&s;dain, the highe&s;t offers of pre|ferment and worldly honours, if they be made as baites to tempt us from God, and hinder us of this glory which is the object of our hope; a famous in&s;tance of this we have in <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and that other, <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the noble <HI>Galeacius, Sanctus dum appetit aeternitatem, infra&s;e habet omne quod tran&s;it.</HI></P>
<PB N="12" REF="9">
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> IV. Let this &s;erve al&s;o to &s;weeten to us the bitter cup of death. Let us be content that our bodies &s;hould for a while be turned into rottenne&s;s and du&s;t, for God will not alway leave us in the grave, our fle&s;h &s;hall not alway &s;ee corruption; we do but lay down an evil body to take up a glorious one, for it will change our vile bodies, that they may be fa&s;hioned like unto his glorious body.</P>
<P>When Chri&s;t, who is our life &s;hall appear, we &s;hall al&s;o appear with him in Glory. Certainly this con&s;ideration may rai&s;e us, not only above the fear of death, but even to triumph over it in the words of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>O death where is thy &s;ting, O grave where is thy victory!</HI></P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> V. Let this al&s;o abate our &s;orrow for the dead, which u&s;e the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> makes for us to our hands. 1 <HI>The&s;. 4. 13. For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are a&s;leep, that you &s;orrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we be|lieve that Ie&s;us died and ro&s;e again, even &s;o them al&s;o which &s;leep in Ie&s;us will God bring with him.</HI> Should we trouble at their advance|ment, or de&s;ire to detain them from their happine&s;s (when God &s;ees them fit for it) to &s;erve our conveniences?</P>
<P><HI>U&s;e.</HI> VI. Let us all labour to get this hope of glory, that &s;o we may have an Anchor &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t to keep our &s;ouls from &s;plit|ting again&s;t the rocks of pre&s;umption, or &s;inking in the &s;ands of de|&s;peration, and bear up again&s;t the winds and waves of per&s;ecution and temptation, which we are likely enough to meet withal in this pre&s;ent evil world, and having obtained this hope of glory, let us mind the Apo&s;tles exhortation. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3. 11, 12. To walk worthy of God, who hath called us to his Kingdome and Glory. This will &s;trengthen our hope for hope is fed with the duties of obedience, and &s;o at length we &s;hall ari&s;e to rejoycing in hope of the glory of God, which is the next act of the &s;oul that's exerci&s;ed about this glorious object. <HI>We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Believers rejoyce in this hoped for Glory.</HI> Chri&s;tians have their joy even then when they &s;eeme to the world the mo&s;t uncomfortable people in it, their hearts are not alwayes pen't up with &s;orrow and &s;tuffed with griefe. They doe not, I am &s;ure, they need not alway &s;igh and weep. They may &s;ometime laugh and &s;ing, the word &s;ignifies &s;uch a joy as is not be conteined, that will not be kept in, but glories and makes us boa&s;t of God and the great things of Heaven.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="9">
<P>There are &s;everall &s;orts of joy. But the joy here meant, is &s;uch as is wrought in the &s;oule by the &s;pirit of God, evidencing to a Chri&s;tian the pardon of his &s;in, the acceptance of his per&s;on and &s;ervice, and &s;o confirming his hopes of the glory of God. The greatne&s;&s;e of the&s;e mercies apprehended is &s;uch as fills the heart with gladne&s;&s;e and the tongue with &s;inging.</P>
<P>This rejoycing is faith triumphant, its not only a vitall act of a Chri&s;ti|an, but a lively and rigorous act. Such as &s;peakes the &s;oul to be in a heal|thy and &s;ound con&s;tituition.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> And &s;urely well may Chri&s;tians rejoyce, if we con&s;ider the na|ture of the object of their joy; it is, as you have already heard, the glory of God. Concerning which if you &s;hould further ask what it is, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay I cannot tell, only I know its &s;uch as will po&s;e the able&s;t parts, the riche&s;t fancy of the mo&s;t eloquent oratour, &s;o much as to &s;hadow it forth, &s;uch is the excellency of it, as words will but darken and eclips its glory, if we &s;tay upon them, the &s;un doth not more benight the &s;tars, than that glory will the lu&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of a thou&s;and &s;uns: The truth is, eye hath not &s;eene, nor ear heard, nor hath it entred into the heart of man to con|ceive.</P>
<P>It doth not appear how tran&s;cendently glorious we &s;hall be. It cannot be fully known, but by enjoying, which will be when we come to heaven. And therefore when a chri&s;tian is drawing near heaven, &amp; would faine know, what the glory of it is, Chri&s;t &s;ends Death which bids him come and &s;ee: And when a Chri&s;tian that hath had the cleare&s;t views and fulle&s;t di&s;covery of its beauty and &s;weetne&s;&s;e to his &s;oule &s;hall come thither, he mu&s;t &s;ay that he neither &s;aw nor ta&s;ted the one half, nay not the thou&s;andth part of its glory.</P>
<P>As I did before, &s;o I &s;hall here al&s;o draw &s;ome &s;hort doctrinall con|clu&s;ions hence, whereby we may under&s;tand &s;omething more of the na|ture of this glory, and con&s;equently what good grounds a Chri&s;tian hath for his rejoycing in hopes of it.</P>
<P>1. Do believers rejoyce in hope of glory? Then this informes us, 1. of the excellency of heavenly happine&s;&s;e, wi&s;e men do not rejoyce at every petty and trivial advantage: Its not enough that the object of joy be a good thing but it mu&s;t be excellently good, <HI>P. 119. 162. I rejoyce in thy word as one that findeth great &s;poils.</HI> They are great things that are the matter of joy, &s;uch is the glory of Heaven, it filis every chink and cranny of the &s;oul that it finds no emptine&s;&s;e or di&s;&s;atisfaction, <HI>P&s;al. 16. In thy pre&s;ence is fullne&s;&s;e of joy, at thy right hand are plea&s;ures for ever|more.</HI></P>
<PB N="14" REF="10">
<P>How then do &s;uch bewray their ignorance and unacquaintance with heaven, who can rejoyce in the things of this life, but as to heaven find no motion or joyfull inclination.</P>
<P>Nay, how do they &s;hame them&s;elves, who can rejoyce in the &s;atisfaction of their lu&s;ts, glory in their bea&s;tly &s;en&s;uality, and are meere changes to this joy, the&s;e certainly either do not hope for heaven, or el&s;e they know not what it is.</P>
<P>Do Believers rejoyce? <HI>&amp;c.</HI> then Heaven is their inheritance, they have propriety in it: Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed it, and entitled them to it upon their believing; men little rejoyce in a thing that's excellent, if not their own: men may like and commend the &s;tately buildings plea|&s;ant Fields, Gardens and Walks of another mans, but they do not rejoyce in them, propriety gives great advantage to affection, 2 <HI>Cor. 4. ver&s;. ult.</HI> they did not faint at tribulation, but could glory in all their &s;uffer|ings: &s;ee the rea&s;on of this, <HI>chap. 5. 1. For we know&mdash;we have an Hou&s;e, a building of God, not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.</HI> Believers have the be&s;t e&s;tate, and be&s;t evidence for it in the world. It's purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, the Deeds drawn and &s;eal'd by his precious blood: yea, he hath taken po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it in his head, and therefore now he rejoyceth in hope of a full enjoyment of it.</P>
<P>3. Infer hence the certainty of heavenly happine&s;s. E&s;tates here are uncertain, but that &s;uch as we &s;hall not only have &amp; hold for pre&s;ent, but po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e and enjoy for ever, and therefore its called everla&s;ting life, and an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that never fades away; certainly God would never rai&s;e his people to rejoyce in hopes of &s;uch a Happine&s;&s;e, which &s;hould more &s;ad them in the falling, than delight them in the enjoyment. Fear of lo&s;ing a thing doth much abate our re|joycing in it but once hapy in heaven, and never mi&s;erable.</P>
<P>All this, as it comends the happine&s;&s;e of heaven, and helps us to a view of the Glory of God, &s;o meethinks we &s;hould be taken as the Apo&s;tles were at our Saviours tran&s;figuration, and &s;ay, ma&s;ter, its good being there; and &s;o &s;hould move us to get into the number of Gods children, and put, us upon &s;tudying how we may be meet to be partakers of this glorious inheritance with the Saints in light.</P>
<P>This Text would al&s;o chide Chri&s;tians for being &s;ad; <HI>We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God.</HI> And in the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Philippians, We re|joyce in Christ Je&s;us:</HI> certainly then they di&s;cover their ignorance and unacquaintance with the true nature of Religion, who repre&s;ent Re|ligion as a thing that's made up of nothing, but &s;orrow and terrours, and a kind of whining male-contentedne&s;s, whereas its not only lawfull
<PB N="15" REF="10"> for Chri&s;tians to rejoyce, but their duty, and when they are them|&s;elves and in tune, they do &s;o. It is the very Character of a Chri|&s;tian to rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God.</P>
<P>They therefore mi&s;take Chri&s;tianity, who will neitheir be cheerfull them&s;elves, nor like it in others, but plea&s;e them&s;elves to be in a mourning and complaining condition, as if this was the na|tural frame and proper temper of a Chri&s;tian; When a Chri&s;tian in this temper is off the hooks, quite out of frame, and never le&s;s like him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Know this, that Chri&s;tianity doth not require this of her followers, to live under con&s;tant agonie: and horrors in a muttering complain|ing condition; No, it requires them to rejoyce in God, to make their boa&s;t of him all the day, and having obtained peace with God, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and hopes of heaven to rejoyce in tho&s;e hopes. No good comes of peevi&s;h &s;oure male-content and dumpi&s;hne&s;s. It doth no good to the per&s;on &s;o affected, but di&s;honours God, calls in|to que&s;tion the &s;atisfaction of our Saviour, reproaches Religion, di&s;parages heaven, unfits the heart for duty. Doth Chri&s;t, do you think, delight to &s;ee his Spou&s;e wringing her hands, and tearing her hair; It plea&s;es none but the Devil and his In&s;truments, who are enemies to God and his people. Yet &s;uch is the infirmity and weak|ne&s;s of &s;ome weak Chri&s;tians, that to be querulous and peevi&s;h, to reject the tenders of mercy and love, as things too good for them, they think the mo&s;t proper and fitte&s;t &s;tate for them. I confe&s;s to mourn when we have offended God, is ingenuous and be|coming, but to refu&s;e to be comforted, when God calls upon us to rejoyce, is Pride, Peevi&s;hne&s;s and Sullenne&s;s, and which doth both grieve and provoke God.</P>
<P>That &s;orrow that prepares for comfort, that empties the heart of &s;in, that &s;o there be no room to receive the greater mea&s;ures of Grace, and take in the larger draughts of con&s;olation, is good; but that which ari&s;es from hard thoughts of God, and tends to the nou|ri&s;hing tho&s;e ungrounded and injurious &s;u&s;pitions of Gods willingne&s;s to receive tho&s;e burdened &s;ouls, that would have ea&s;e from him, and &s;o keep the &s;oul off from God is no way agreeable to the tenour of the Go&s;pel, no way tending to the credit of Religion, contributes nothing to the bettering of a Chri&s;tians condition. I know nothing that's more unbecoming or di&s;advantagious to any hone&s;t upright heart.</P>
<P><HI>Many other u&s;es might be made of this point;</HI> I &s;hall conclude all in a few words further. <HI>Do</HI> Chri&s;tians rejoyce in hope of Glory? Then
<PB N="16" REF="11"> take heed of &s;uch a frame of heart, and &s;uch a cour&s;e of life as will contradict &s;uch hopes, as will lock up the heart from rejoycing: and &s;top the mouth from glorying in hope of Heaven.</P>
<P>That I would &s;ay to you, you find <HI>Tit.</HI> 2. 11, 12. They who would look for this ble&s;&s;ed hope, mu&s;t deny ungodline&s;s, and worldly lu&s;t, and live righteou&s;ly, godly and &s;oberly in this pre&s;ent world.</P>
<P>The Spirit of Holine&s;s, and hopes Happine&s;s mu&s;t be joyned toge|ther. Therefore all prophane per&s;ons that never mind God, that will not endure the troubles and cro&s;s of holine&s;s, may not look for the Crown of Happine&s;s. Can tho&s;e who are &s;trangers to the life of God, look for the Glory of God? Can tho&s;e look for the glory of hea|ven, who&s;e conver&s;ation is in hell; be not deceived, prophanene&s;&s;e leads not to hope, but to de&s;pair; but you my Bretheren, abhor that which is evil, make con&s;cience of living holily. Get more mea&s;ures of Grace, that you may have a good Hope through grace. and &s;trong Con|&s;olation flowing thence, and then rejoyce in the Lord, and again, I &s;ay, rejoyce. You that are &s;ad and mourning Chri&s;tians, do not disjoyn your &s;orrow from your expectation of Glory; as you look downward and mourn, &s;o look upward and rejoyce, while you are &s;ighing for &s;in, pant after your Saviour; while you are in the Valley of &s;orrow and &s;uffering, look up to the mount of Joy and felicity, &s;ee the Crown of Glory provided for you, know that when Chri&s;t appears, you &s;hall appear with him in glory, and rejoyce in this hope of the glory of God.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
