An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Secondly, This, may be demonstrative, and answers the question; what is his joy? It is this, His worldly comforts, his flourishing outward condition is his chiefest joy. Then note, The joy of hypocrites is chiefly bottomed upon outward things. It is not the joy of the Lord, no, nor joy in the Lord, Rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say rejoice, is the Gospel-command. An hypocrite cannot rejoice thus. When he rejoices in the Lord, somewhat besides the Lord causeth his joy. He rejoices in his green boughs, in his goodly branches, in his supposed strong root; but to rejoice in God as God he knows not how. Davids joy was the opposite of this (Psal. 4.6.) Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me, and that will put gladness in my heart, more then in the time that their corn and wine increased. Let me have the Sun-shine of thy love, and then though I have nothing but darkness and clouds from the world, I shall rejoice. But what saith the hypocrite? let my corn and wine increase, let the Sun of outward prosperity shine warm upon me, let me have my greenness of creature-contentments, let me have credit and fair repute among men, these will put gladness in my heart. These glad his heart, when he hath not a dram of grace or goodness there.

Secondly, This, may be demonstrative, and answers the question; what is his joy? It is this, His worldly comforts, his flourishing outward condition is his chiefest joy. Then note, The joy of hypocrites is chiefly bo•tomed upon outward things. It is not the joy of the Lord, no, nor joy in the Lord, Rejoyce in the Lord, and again, I say rejoyce, is the Gospell-command. An hypocrite cannot rejoyce thus. When he rejoyces in the Lord, somewhat besides the Lord causeth his joy. He rejoyces in his green boughs, in his goodly branches, in his supposed strong root; but to rejoyce in God as God he knows not how. Davids joy was the opposite of this (Psal. 4.6.) Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me, and that will put gladnesse in my heart, more then in the time that their corn and wine encreased. Let me have the Sun-shine of thy love, and then though I have nothing but darknesse and clouds from the world, I shall rejoyce. But what saith the hypocrite? let my corn and wine encrease, let the Sunne of outward prosperity shine warm upon me, let me have my greennesse of creature-contentments, let me have credit and fair repute among men, these will put gladnesse in my heart. These glad his heart, when he hath not a dram of grace or goodnesse there.