An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

3. God comforts by enlightening the mind, that a comfortable, joyful life, arising from peace with God, is a most acceptable thing to God; that it brings honour and glory to God; and that on the other side, to walk heavily, and in a dejected manner is to dishonour and reproach God. That God doth not only look to our gracious walking, but also to our comfortable walking, and that we demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven to be begun in us in joy, as well as in mortification, Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, and joy in the holy Ghost. You see Joy as well as Righteousness; The children of God they are not quickly persuaded of this, they think such as they are, may not walk comfortably: It's not for them to rejoice, but at last they come to see, that they were sinfully kept up by slavish fears, and servile dejections, that the Kingdom of God requireth Consolation as well as Sanctification. Thus you see the first general way, how God comforteth, viz. by enlightening the mind.

3. God comforts by enlightning the mind, that a comfortable, joyfull life, arising from peace with God, is a most acceptable thing to God; that it brings honour and glory to God; and that on the other side, to walk heavily, and in a dejected manner is to dishonour and reproach God. That God doth not only look to our gracious walking, but also to our comfortable walking, and that we demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven to be begun in us in joy, as well as in mortification, Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse, and joy in the holy Ghost. You see Joy as well as Righteousnesse; The children of God they are not quickly perswaded of this, they think such as they are, may not walk comfortably: It's not for them to rejoyce, but at last they come to see, that they were sinfully kept up by slavish fears, and servile dejections, that the Kingdome of God requireth Consolation as well as Sanctification. Thus you see the first general way, how God comforteth, viz. by enlightning the mind.

Secondly, and principally God comforteth, By preparing and fashioning the heart, by making it fit and ready to receive comfort. For all the while thou art enlightened only, and hast not an heart fitted to receive it, thou art like Moses that saw the good Land of promise, but he could not enter into it. And thus indeed it falls out sometimes, that when the mind is enlightened enough, yet the heart is heavy. They cannot delight and rejoice in the promise; they would gladly do it, they heartily pray for it; but their heart sinketh down like a stone within them. Therefore God hath a further degree in comforting, and that is by raising up the heart; by making it ready to receive consolation. For as God can humble the proud heart, and soften the hard heart, so he can easily comfort and revive the grieved heart. Thus as it is in sanctification; it's not enough for God to illuminate the mind, unless he also change the heart, and make us to will