Joy in the Lord opened in a sermon preached at Pauls, May 6

2. Alway: Rejoice ever more, 1 Thes. 5. 16. all other joys have their periods and vacations, they flow and ebb, they blossom and wither: In a fit of sickness, in a pang of conscience, under a sentence of death, they are all as the white of an egg, without any savour. But no condition is imaginable, wherein a conscionable believer hath not a foundation of joy in Christ: This Tree of life hath fruit on it for every month, Rev. 21. 2. The comforter he sends abides with us for ever, John 14. 16. The joy he gives, none can take away, John 16. 22. Though Gods people have many causes of sorrow in themselves, strong corruptions, hard hearts, little strength, weak graces, many temptations; yet in Christ they have still matter of rejoicing; in the constancy of ⟨p. 34⟩his love, in the abundance of his pardoning mercy, in the fullness of his spirit, in the sufficiency of his grace, in the fidelity of his promise, in the validity of his purchase, in the vigilancy of his eye, in the readiness of his help, in the perpetuity of his intercession; we disparage so good a Lord, discredit his service, disquiet our selves, discourage others, grieve his spirit, expose his ways to prejudice & reproach, weaken our hands in his service and our hearts in his love, when we pine and languish under groundless perplexity, and waste that time which should be spent in his work, about our jealousies of his favour.

2. Alway: Rejoice ever more, 1 Thes. 5. 16. all other joies have their periods and vacations, they flow and ebb, they blossom and wither: In a fit of sickness, in a pang of conscience, under a sentence of death, they are all as the white of an egg, without any savor. But no condition is imaginable, wherein a conscionable believer hath not a foundation of joy in Christ: This Tree of life hath fruit on it for every month, Rev. 21. 2. The comforter he sends abides with us for ever,