Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

7. Let us joy in Jesus, as carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us, during his Life. But what is there in Christ's life, or in all the passages of his Life to stir up Joy? I answer, all his life, and all the passages of his life, if rightly applied, are excellent matter for the stirring up of this Affection: indeed the main of the work is in the application of Christ's life; if ever we rejoice spiritually in Christ, we must bring together the object and the faculty; and this Union of the object and the faculty, is usually wrought by contemplation, or by confidence, or by fruition; I shall but a while insist on these, that we may come up at last to rejoice in Christ, yea, if it were possible to rejoice, and again rejoice.

7. LEt us joy in Jesus, as carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us, during his Life. But what is there in Christ's life, or in all the passages of his Life to stir up Joy? I answer, all his life, and all the passages of his life, if rightly applied, are excellent matter for the stirring up of this Affection: indeed the main of the work is in the application of Christ's life; if ever we rejoyce spiritually in Christ, we must bring together the object and the faculty; and this Union of the object and the faculty, is usually wrought by contemplation, or by confidence, or by fruition; I shall but a while insist on these, that we may come up at last to rejoyce in Christ, yea, if it were possible to rejoyce, and again rejoyce.

1. Let us contemplate on this life of Christ, let us think of it in our minds; there is a kind of delight in knowing some things speculatively, which we would abhor to know experimentally; and therefore the Devil's first temptation was drawn from the knowledge of evil, as well as good; he knew that the mind of man would receive content in the understanding of that, which in its own nature had no perfection at all; now if there be a delight in the contemplation of evil, how much more in the contemplation of that which is good? And is not the life of Christ, the Graces, the Virtues, the holy Actions, the dear Affections of Jesus Christ to us-ward, good, and very good? Come then, stir up our memories, let us be settled men; let us spend our frequent thoughts upon this blessed Object; the reason we miss of our joys, is, because we are so little in contemplations of our Christ. It is said that he pities us in our sorrows, but he delights in us, when we delight in him. Certainly he would have us to delight in him, and to that purpose he way-lays our thoughts, that wheresoever we look, we shall still think on him: O my soul, cast thine eyes which way thou wilt, and thou shalt hardly look on any thing, but Christ Jesus hath taken the name of that very thing upon himself. What, is it day? and dost thou behold the Sun? He is called the Sun of righteousness: