If you love joy and gladness, 1Christ is joy & gladness, if thou love comfort, why Christ is the comforter of all that bear his cross, if thou love life, Christ is eternal life, if thou love peace, Christ is peace, if thou love riches, Christ is full of heavenly riches, and full of liberality to bestow them upon all such as love God: so Christ is all in all unto the godly, & they have more joy in Christ always and in all things, then the richest, and glorious, and sumptuous Prince in the world, then Solomon him self had in worldly riches, honours, pleasures, ease or felicity. For the wicked which put their trust in riches, & make them gods of gold and money, ease and pleasures, though they do all that they can to fulfil their lusts, and take never so much pleasures, and be never so merry, yet they can have no true joy, nor no peace of conscience, for all the peace, ⟨p. 51⟩the mirth & sport they have, is but deceit, all false and endurable, like the grass, green in the morning and withered ere night. But when the Lord doth knock at their hearts, and strike them with a feeling of their horrible transgressions, as no doubt he will, then they are all in a maze, and they can have no 2joy, no peace, no rest, but they may say, in laughter my soul is sorrowful, in ease my soul hath trouble, in mirth moan, in riches poverty, in glory shame, in life my soul is even dead, in plenty my soul wanteth all things wherein it should rejoice, it is destitute of all comfort, and possessed with all slavish fears like Cain, who being Lord of 3all the earth, yet had no joy in it when God had once forsaken him. Likewise Saul when 4God had forsaken him, he had no joy of all his kingdom nor of all his riches, and then who had more joy Saul the king or David the subject? So then we see that perfect joy can be had in nothing but in God and in Jesus Christ. Wherefore as by the stream you may be led to the fountain, even so let the joy and peace of this life serve to lea•e us to God which is perfect joy and peace, & there rest, like the wise men which were guided by the star, to come to the true sun of grace Jesus Christ when he was borne:
If you loue ioy and gladnesse, 1Christ is ioy & gladnesse, if thou loue comfort, why Christ is the comforter of all that beare his crosse, if thou loue life, Christ is eternall life, if thou loue peace, Christ is peace, if thou loue riches, Christ is full of heauenly riches, and full of liberalitie to bestow them vpon all such as loue God: so Christ is all in all vnto the godly, & they haue more ioy in Christ alwayes and in all things, then the richest, and glorious, and sumptuous Prince in the world, then Salomō him selfe had in worldly riches, honors, pleasures, ease or felicitie. For the wicked which put their trust in riches, & make thē gods of gold and money, ease and pleasures, though they do all that they can to fulfil their lusts, and take neuer so much pleasures, and be neuer so merrie, yet they can haue no true ioy, nor no peace of conscience, for all the peace, ⟨p. 51⟩the mirth & sport they haue, is but deceipt, all false and indurable, like the grasse, greene in the morning and withered ere night. But when the Lord doth knocke at their hearts, and strike them with a feeling of their horrible transgressions, as no doubt he wil, then they are all in a maze, and they can haue no 2ioy, no peace, no rest, but they may say, in laughter my soule is sorowfull, in ease my soule hath trouble, in mirth mone, in riches pouertie, in glorie shame, in life my soule is euen dead, in plentie my soule wanteth all things wherein it should reioyce, it is destitute of all comfort, and possessed with all slauish feares like Cain, who being Lord of 3all the earth, yet had no ioy in it when God had once forsaken him. Likewise Saul whē 4God had forsaken him, he had no ioy of all his kingdome nor of all his riches, and then who had more ioy Saule the king or Dauid the subiect? So then we see that perfect ioy can be had in nothing but in God and in Iesus Christ. Wherefore as by the streame you may be led to the fountaine, euen so let the ioy and peace of this life serue to lea•e vs to God which is perfect ioy and peace, & there rest, like the wise men which were guided by the starre, to come to the true sonne of grace Iesus Christ when he was borne:
- 1Gen. 19.
- 2Isa 48. and 58.
- 3Gen. 4.
- 41. Sam. 16.
