A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.

§. Sect. 3 That no ioy of worldlings is comparable to that which is in Christians.

But that those who affect such melancholike heauinesse, & purposely banish both out of their hearts and countenances all ioy and mirth, may be reclaimed from going on still in this erroneous and tedious course, and that others may not be discouraged by their example, from resol∣uing to lead a godly life; let vs know, that there is no ioy comparable vnto that which is, or ought to be in Christians, that desire to serue and please God in their holy conuersation. For if, as Bernard hath excellently obserued, wee can be content with Abraham, in faith and obedience towards God, to offer and sacrifice our Isaac: First, our laughter and ioy, it shall onely be sanctified, but not slaughtred and killed. Thy Isaac shall not die, nor thy mirth perish, but the Ram only, that is, the peruersnesse and prophanenesse of thy pleasure and ioy, which endeth alwayes in griefe and anxiety. Isaac thy ioy shall not die, as thou supposest, but shall surely liue; onely it shall be lifted aloft vpon the Altar and vpon the wood, that thy ioy may be holy and hea∣uenly, sublime and lofty, not in the flesh and things beneath, but in spi∣rituall things, in the crosse of Christ, & those high and holy priuiledges which we haue through him. For howsoeuer Christians in their first conuersion and humiliation, chiefely act the part of sorrow & heauines in the sight and sense of their manifold and haynous sinnes, and shead teares of bitter griefe, looking vpon him whom they haue pierced, yet being iustified by faith, & hauing peace with God, in assurance of his mercy, and remission of their sins, they triumph with ioy, euen in their afflicti∣ons and tribulations, and though they sow in teares, yet they reape in ioy; though they haue a dropping and sorrowfull seed-time, yet their haruest, which yeeldeth vnto them a fruitfull crop of sauing graces, (which yet are but the first fruits of their succeeding ioy and heauenly happines) is full of mirth & gladnes. So that with Dauid they reioyce more in the bright beames of Gods gracious countenance shining vpon them, then worldlings doe or can doe, when their corne and wine is increased. And though they be, in respect of their afflicted estate,

As sorrowfull, yet they are alwaies reioycing (as the Apostle speaketh) be∣cause they know that all things, euen crosses and calamities themselues worke together for their good. The which will more manifestly ap∣peare, if we a little further consider the testimonies and examples of holy Scripture. For the Psalmist telleth vs, that the voyce of reioycing and saluation is in the Tabernacles of the righteous; And Salomon speaking of Wisdome, which consisteth in the sauing knowledge of God and his truth, and the practice of it in all holy and religious duties, saith that her wayes, are wayes of pleasantnesse, and all her paths are peace. So Dauid saith of the Church and children of God, the liuely members of it, That they should be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of his house, and that he would make them drinke of the riuers of his pleasure. Our Sauiour also pro∣miseth vnto the Disciples, and in them to all the faithfull, that he would giue them such a permanent ioy, as no man should be able to take it from them. And finally, the Apostle setteth it downe, not as a common gift, but as a speciall fruit of the Spirit (not drooping sorrow, and disconsolate heauinesse, but) ioy and peace. And this also appeareth by the examples of the holy men of God recorded in the Scriptures: Thus Dauid saith; My soule shall bee ioyfull in the Lord, it shall reioyce in his saluation. Neither did he onely thus reioyce in the testimo∣nies of Gods fauour, and conquest of his enemies, but also in his obedience and keeping of Gods Law: I haue reioyced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches. I will delight my selfe in thy Statutes: I will not forget thy Word. And againe; I delight to doe thy will, O my God, yea thy Law is within mine heart. Thus the Apostles reioyced euen in their persecutions, because they were thought worthy to suffer for Christs sake; and Paul and Silas, when as their backes were torne with sore stripes, and their feete locked in the Stockes. Thus the Apostle found matter enough to glorie in through Iesus Christ, in things pertayning to God: And tasted such vnspeakeable ioy in the know∣ledge of Christ and him crucified, that he disclaymeth all other ioy. And else-where he professeth, that he had no scant measure of this sweet delight, but that he was filled with comfort, and was exceeding ioyfull, euen in all his tribulations. Neither is this ioy whereof I speake, in which the Christian exceedeth all other men, sensuall and carnall, in the pleasures of sinne, and the fruition of earthly vanities, not in rio∣ting and reuelling, in swilling and drinking, dicing and carding, vaine dalliance and good fellowship, chambring and wantonnesse: for such pleasure he accounteth vanity, and such mirth madnesse; and chuseth rather to goe into the house of mourning, then into the house of such feasting & reioycing, because such ioy & laughter is but short and mo∣mentany, like the crackling of thornes vnder a pot, and alwaies endeth in sorrow and anxiety. It is not in mad mirth, and in sinfull and vnlawfull delights: for Christian charity reioyceth not in iniquity, but reioyceth in the truth; and this ioy is alwayes ioyned with righteousnes, and the peace of a good conscience, in which the Kingdome of God consisteth. For being subiects of Christs Kingdome, such as it is, such also is their ioy; but his Kingdome is not of this world, but spirituall & heauenly: and therefore

their ioy and reioycing is likewise of the same nature. And howsoeuer Gods children may and ought to reioyce euen in his temporary bles∣sings, as they are testimonies of their heauenly Fathers loue, and also in honest sports and recreations, of which I haue before spoken, wher∣by they are fitted for higher duties, as musicke, shooting, hunting, haw∣king, and such like, those cautions before set downe being duely obser∣ued; yea, howsoeuer in these respects they haue greater & more iust cause of ioy and reioycing then any worldling, because these are but vsurpers, who haue a fearefull account to make of their intrusion, whereas the other haue their right restored vnto them by Iesus Christ; yet, these are not the chiefe ioyes which they rest vpon, as being in cō∣parison, dull and heartlesse, cold and comfortlesse; only they vse them for the necessity of their body & naturall life, as some small refreshings in their Inne, that they may afterwards with more strength & cheere∣fulnesse, proceed in their iourney. But the prime and principall ioyes which rauish their soules with inward delight, are secret & vnknowne to all, sauing those who haue tasted of them. So that they may say to worldlings of their ioyes, when they obiect vnto them their sadnesse & want of mirth, as our Sauiour of his meat, We haue ioyes which you know not of, seeing our ioy is to doe the will of our heauenly Father. For it is that hidden Manna which our Sauiour giueth them to eat, & like that new name written in the white stone, which no man knoweth, sauing he that receiueth it. It is a beauty which cannot be beheld with carnall eyes, and a sweetnesse which is not rellished by a common & prophane taste, seeing it is of an holy & spirituall nature: so that when Christians are so afflicted in their outward estate, that they seeme vnto naturall men to haue no cause at all of reioycing, they may notwithstanding say with the Apostle, We haue wherof we may glory through Iesus Christ, in those things which pertaine to God.

Notes

• Oblatus siqui∣dem Isaac; sanctificatus est, non mactatus. Non Isaac, sed aries morietur, non peribit tibi laetitia, sed con∣tumacia, &c. Bernard. sermo de verbis Petri, Ecce, nos reli∣quimus omnia:
• Zach. 12. 10. Rom. 5. 1, 3.
• Psal. 4. 7.
• 2. Cor. 6. 10.
• Psal. 118. 15.
• Pro. 3. 17.
• Psal. 36. 8.
• Iob. 16. 22.
• Gal. 5. 22.
• Psal. 35. 9.
• Psal. 119. 14, 16.
• Psal. 40. 8.
• Act. 5. 41.
• Act. 16.
• Rom. 15. 17.
• Gal. 6. 14.
• 2. Cor. 7. 4.
• Eccles. 2 1, 2.
• Eccles. 7. 2, 6.
• 1. Cor. 13. 6.
• Rom. 14. 17.
• Ioh. 4. 34. Apoc. 2. 17.
• Rom. 15. 17.