is a full ioy, in the fruition of God, partly, in sense and feeling, ac∣cording to that of the Psalmist, O taste and see that the Lord is good! and partly, in the assurance of faith, which maketh vs reioyce in expe∣ctation of full fruition. Worldly ioy is short, and momentany, like the crackling of thornes vnder a pot, which causeth a suddaine blaze, & as sud∣denly goeth out: but the ioy of the Spirit is lasting and permanent, and no man (as our Sauiour saith) can take it from vs. That consists in eating and drinking, and the inioying of such company as are like our selues; but this, in the soules fruition of her beloued Spouse, whose loue is better then wine; seeing his fauours are so full of rauishing delight, that the heart is not able to containe them, as we see in the example of the Spouse in the Canticles, who being brought by her Bridegroome into his banketing house, was so filled, that she euen surfeted of his delica∣cies, which forced her to cry out, Stay me with flaggons: Comfort me with apples, for I am sicke of loue. Of which sweete and gracious entertainment of the faithfull soule, the Psalmist also speaketh, They shall bee abundant∣ly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy House, and thou shat make them drinke of the riuer of thy pleasures. Finally, the ioy of worldlings accompanieth their prosperitie; but when the euill day commeth, it leaueth and forsa∣keth them, and is turned into sorrow and griefe of heart: but the godly reioyce euen in their tribulation & affliction, in their assurance of Gods loue, and because they know that they shall worke together for their good, these light and momentany afflictions causing vnto them a farre most excellent and an eternall waight of glory. They account it all ioy (as the A∣postle Iames speaketh) when they fall into diuers tentations, knowing that the tryall of their faith worketh patience. And when they are persecuted for righteousnesse sake, they being blessed in their sufferings, reioyce, and are exceeding glad, because their reward is great in heauen. And thus the Apostle saith, that the Thessalonions receiued the Word in much af∣fliction, and with ioy in the holy Ghost. And that the Hebrewes tooke ioy∣fully the spoyling of their goods, knowing themselues, that they had in heauen a better, and induring substance. The which ioy is a supernaturall gift, and fruit of the sanctifying Spirit, which all cannot attaine vnto, but the faithfull only; and therefore the Apostle prayeth for the Romans, that the God of hope would fil them with all ioy and peace in beleeuing, that they might abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost. It is a priuiledge wherin wicked men haue no portion, but is peculiar to the godly, in whom the Kingdome of God is begunne in this life, which none inioy, but they which seeke also his righteousnesse; seeing it consisteth not onely in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost, but also in righteousnesse, as the Apostle spea∣keth: and therefore, seeing those things cannot bee separated, which God hath conioyned, we must labour after righteousnes, if we would be partakers of this ioy; vnto which, if we doe attaine, we shall as∣suredly be filled with it. For if the Apostle reioyced in it, as in his Crowne and ioy, when he had beene a meanes of conuerting others, and bringing them into the way of truth and righteousnesse; and if the Apostle Iohn reioyced so greatly, that he professeth he had no greater ioy in any outward thing, then when he saw his children walking in this way; then what inesti∣mable