their fulness of joy: and they have it full, who, satisfied of their title to the Father's blessings, are receiving them freely out of the Son's fulness by the grace of the Spirit. It becometh them well to rejoice: for in the same blessings, there is fulness of joy for ever more; joy unspeakable and full of glory. Put all these considerations together, and then see, O my soul, what a rich provision thy God has made for the joy of thy heart. Admire and adore him for his great salvation, for delivering thee from sin and sorrow, and for the free gift of righteousness and life eternal. To pardon, to justify, to glorify such an one as thou art, O what divine and infinite grace! What wilt thou return him for manifesting his love to thee, and for engaging thy love to him? How great is thy debt for admitting thee to fellowship with him, as thy God and Father, and for the gracious communications of his love to thee in Jesus? What a subject is here before thee for delightful praise! Look at it in any true light, thou hast reason to be glad with exceeding great joy. God, the infinite fountain of good, is thy God. He rejoices in thee; therefore thou shouldst rejoice in him. He has loved thee freely; how canst thou be sensible of this, without loving him? His love hath blessed thee with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus; whilst thou art receiving them out of his fulness, how canst thou refuse to thank him with joyful lips? He says that he rejoices over thee to do thee good; the belief of this should fill thy heart with joy and gladness. Indeed, there is nothing in God but what should be to thee matter of rejoicing. His faithfulness and justice are on thy side, as well as his never-failing compassion: for he is thy God-thy covenant God; he has given his Son for thee, and his Spirit to thee; by his grace thou hast been called to enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son, and to partake of their covenant blessings. It is thy privilege to be improving this fellowship, and even upon earth to be tasting of the joys of heaven. May thy faith bring thee in a rich feast, yea, a fulness of joy till thy cup run over with the rivers of pleasure, 3 which are at God's right hand for evermore. Remember, O my soul, it is thy duty and thy privilege thus to rejoice in God. It is thine interest and thy happiness. Thy God requires it of thee, as the grateful acknowledgment of his favours: they are all of grace, inestimably rich, and everlasting. He would have thee to honour him for the gifts by rejoicing in the giver. Joy is the sense of his goodness to thee; and canst thou receive the present, and live in hopes of the eternal blessings of his goodness, and yet be without a joyful sense of them? Examine well, and try thyself. How is thy heart? Is it happy in God? Is it happy in nothing but God? Whatever a man puts his trust in, from that he expects his happiness. In what then dost thou trust? Certainly thou wilt say, my trust is in the mercy of God for ever and And should not he be the only matter of thy joy, who is the only ground of thy faith? If he be, then why art thou so often cast down, O my soul, and why art thou so disquieted within me? How many dejections, what great sorrows, and what frequent heaviness dost thou experience! From ever. whence come they? Joy is sown for thee. The sower is the Son of man. The Father has promised it, and bestowed it on thee for thy portion: thou hast been called by grace and the joy in believing is thy birthright. 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. Perhaps thou art seeking for some reason to rejoice in thyself. This rejoicing is not good, although it be very common. It has 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 showing 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 incense to their own drag. He humbles, and fills the humble with good things, but he sendeth the rich empty way. The rich rob him of hist glory, and he refuses them his grace. Watch therefore over thy proud legal heart. Be |