Part 41 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 42 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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1. First, It may be you look only on the dark side of the cloud—and not on the bright side. You look only on your left hand, where the mourners in Zion stand—but did you but cast an eye on your right hand, there you would see many of the precious sons and daughters of Zion rejoicing and triumphing. [Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11, and 35:10.] Now thus to look, what is it but to look for a straw to thrust out your own eyes with. O sirs, it is neither wisdom nor righteousness to look only upon those who mourn—and not upon those who rejoice; upon those who sigh—but not upon those who sing, Isaiah 52:8-9; Jer. 31:7, 12.
Before you pass a judgment upon the people of God, or the good ways of God—look on both sides! I say again, look on both sides—and then you will be sure to see some saints in their wedding attire, as well as others in their mourning garments. No man in his wits will argue thus, because such and such men of such a calling or trade are in their mourning garments, therefore all men of that calling or trade are in their mourning garments; and yet so witless are many men as thus to argue against the people of God, and the ways of God. But,
2. Secondly, I answer, As there are tears of sorrow—so there are tears of joy. [Compare these scriptures together; Gen. 43:30, 45:2, and 46:29-30; 1 Sam. 1:13-20.] Jacob weeps over Joseph—but it was with tears of exceeding joy. The sweetest joy is from the sourest tears. Tears are the breeders of spiritual joy. A holy man's heart is usually fullest of joy—when his eyes are fullest of tears. When Hannah had wept, she went away and was no more sad. The bee gathers the best honey of the bitterest herbs. Christ made the best wine of water: the best, the purest, the strongest, and the sweetest joys are made of the distilled waters of evangelical repentance. Gospel mourning is fully consistent with holy joy.
Though it must be granted that the love of sin and true joy are inconsistent; and that the reign and dominion of sin and true joy are inconsistent—yet it must be confessed that mourning for sin and holy joy are consistent in one and the same heart; and though legal terror and evangelical joy are inconsistent—yet evangelical sorrow and evangelical joy are consistent in one and the same soul. The same eye of faith which drops tears of sorrow—also drops tears of joy, Zech. 12:10; 1 Pet. 1:8. A clear sight of free grace, of pardoning mercy, and of a bleeding dying Savior—will fill the soul both with sorrow and joy at the same time, as the experiences of a thousand Christians can testify. A Christian always joys most, and mourns most—when he is most under the sense of divine love, the influences and incomes of heaven, the hopes of glory, the reports of mercy, and the precious sealings of the blessed Spirit. "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Corinthians 6:10
Look! as medicine is the way to health, so godly sorrow is the way to holy joy. And look, as a wicked man's joy ends in sorrow, Proverbs 14:13, so a godly man's sorrow ends in joy: Isaiah 61:3, "To provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Godly sorrow is the parent of holy joy; a godly man's mourning time is his most joyful time. I have read of a godly man who, lying upon his dying bed, and being asked which was the most joyful time that ever he had in all his life, cried out, "Oh, give me my mourning days again, oh, give me my mourning days again, for they were the joyfullest days that ever I had!" The more a Christian "sows in tears," the greater, even in this world, shall be his "harvest of joy;" his merry days shall be always answerable to his mourning days, Psalm 126:6. But,
3. Thirdly, I answer, That this is a false charge, a mere slander, an unjust calumny that Satan and his bond-slaves have cast upon holiness, and the ways of holiness—on purpose to hinder men from pursuing and following after holiness. The language of the objection is quite contrary to the language of the holy Scripture; witness Psalm 138:5, "Yes, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord." When the kings of the earth shall be generally converted and sanctified, as it is in verse the 4th, "then they shall sing in the ways of the Lord." When they shall come to experience and taste the power, excellency, and sweetness of holiness, then they shall sing in the ways of the Lord. Conversion and sanctification administer the highest grounds of joy and rejoicing: 2 Cor. 1:12, "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom—but by the grace of God, we have had our life in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards."
A holy life affords the greatest ground of rejoicing. There is no joy compared to that which springs from the testimony of a sanctified conscience. God has given it under his own hand, that "the ways of wisdom" (which are always ways of holiness) "are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace," Proverbs 3:17. There is no pleasure nor felicity compared to that which flows from the ways of sanctity. The sweetest roses, the strongest comforts, and the greatest pleasantness—is to be found in the ways of holiness. Oh the joy, the peace, the tranquility, the serenity which attends the ways of purity. I might call in many millions of saints, who from their own experiences are able to give the lie to this objection, and further to tell you—that they have met with more comforts, sweetness, and pleasantness in one hour's communion with God, in one hour's walking with God—than ever they have found in all the ways of ungodliness and wickedness, wherein they have wandered. Oh, they are able to tell you, that when they walked in ways of impiety, they found by experience that God had made a separation between sin and peace, between sin and joy, between sin and assurance, between sin and the light of his countenance, etc., Isaiah 57: 20-21; and they are able to tell you from what they have found, that there is no fear, no terror, no horror, no gripes, no grief, no stings, no hells—compared to those who attend the ways of ungodliness; and this were enough to blow off this objection, Romans 6:21. But,
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Part 42 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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