But fix your eyes upon Christ alone, and he will fulfil your joy, if you look not back to Sodom like Lots wife: if you love joy and gladness; Christ is joy and gladness: if you 1love comfort, why, Christ is the comforter of all that bear his cross: if you love life, Christ is eternal life: if you love peace, Christ is peace: if you 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, and they have more joy in Christ always and in all things then the richest, and most glorious and sumptuous prince in the world; then Solomon himself had in worldly riches, honours, pleasures, joy, ease or felicity. For the wicked which put their trust in riches, and make them gods of gold and money, of ease and pleasures, though they do all that they can to fulfil their lusts, and take never so much pleasure, and be never so merry, yet they can have no true joy, nor peace of ⟨image 40⟩conscience; for all the peace, the mirth, and sport they have is but deceit, all false and indureable like the grass, 2green in the morning, and withered ere night. But when the Lord doth knock at their hearts & 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 joy, 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, 3and possessed with all slavish fears; like Cain, who being Lord of all the earth, yet had no joy in it when God had once forsaken him. Likewise Saul when God had forsaken him, he had no joy of his kingdom, nor of all his riches, and then who had more joy, Saul the King, 4or David the subjects? 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 lead us to God, which is perfect joy and peace, and there rest like the wise men which were guided by the star, to come to the true Son of grace, Jesus Christ, when he was borne:
But fixe your eies vpon Christ alone, and he will fulfill your ioy, if you looke not backe to Sodome like Lots wife: if you loue ioy and gladnes; Christ is ioy and gladnesse: if you 1loue comfort, why, Christ is the comforter of all that beare his crosse: if you loue life, Christ is eternall life: if you loue peace, Christ is peace: if you loue riches, Christ is full of heauenly riches, and full of liberality, to bestow them vpon all such as loue God: so Christ is all in all vnto the godly, and they haue more ioy in Christ alwayes and in all things then the richest, and most glorious and sumptuous prince in the world; then Salomon himselfe had in worldly riches, honours, pleasures, ioy, ease or felicity. For the wicked which put their trust in riches, and make them gods of gold and money, of ease and pleasures, though they do all that they can to fulfill their lusts, and take neuer so much pleasure, and be neuer so merry, yet they can haue no true ioy, nor peace of ⟨image 40⟩conscience; for all the peace, the mirth, and sport they haue is but deceit, all false and indureable like the grasse, 2greene in the morning, and withered ere night. But when the Lord doth knocke at their hearts & strike them with a feeling of their horrible transgressions, as no doubt hee will, then they are all in a maze, and they can haue no ioy, no peace, no rest; but they may say, in laughter my soule is sorrowfull, in ease my soule hath trouble, in mirth mone, in riches pouerty, in glory shame, in life my soule is euen dead, in plenty my soule wanteth all things wherein it should reioyce, it is destitute of all comfort, 3and possessed with all slauish feares; like Caine, who being Lord of all the earth, yet had no ioy in it when God had once forsaken him. Likewise Saul when God had forsaken him, he had no ioy of his kingdome, nor of all his riches, and then who had more ioy, Saul the King, 4or Dauid the subiects? So then we see that perfect ioy can be had in nothing but in God, and in Jesus 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 leade vs to God, which is perfect ioy and peace, and 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.
- 2Esa. 58. &. 57.
- 3Gene. 4.
- 41. Sam. 16.
