Dyke, Daniel, -1614. The mystery of self-deceiving : being some extracts from a discourse on the deceitfulness of mans heart ... / written by the late faithful minister of Gods word, Rev. Daniel Dyke : manuscript, 1796. MS Am 923. Houghton Library,

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he spurns presently & flings away. therefore he delights not in the word sincerely, because it is the word of God for then one part of it woud be as wel :come to him as another. Now the true believer, even when the word crosseth his corruption can yet then say: I de :light in the law concerning (after) the inner man.

2. true joy is a full joy. John 15. That your joy may be full. The true believer so rejoice :eth in things spirtitual that he wholly (comparatively) de:pises the joy of things temporal & in them rejoices slightly, as tho' he rejoiced not. His joy is a shouting joy, such as is the joy of harvest. But the joy which the temporary finds in things spiritual is nothing compa :rable to that in things temporal. Judas's joy in the bag was above that he took in Christ & his doctrine. Herod took greater delight & contentment in Herodias than in John; & in the prophane damsels dancing, than in the holy prophets preaching: for among those many (powerful) sermons which he heard him preach when was he ever so affected as to say "John, ask what thou will & it shall be given thee even to half of the kingdom." If the spiri:tual joy of the temporary were full, what need he then to fill up with this carnal & sin :ful joy? He that is full, saith Solomon loatheth the honey comb: So he that is full of this sweet spiritual joy, loatheth the sweetest & most delicious honey combs of the flesh, or the world. But the temporarys teeth water after them. Hence it is that his joy is but an obscure & muddy

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joy: for carnal joys mixed with spiritual as a damp to put out their light, & as mud trouble & distemper their clear rivers; where the joy of the true believer, being free from su distemperature, is far more clear & light some

3.True joy, is a strong joy. {Nehemiah} 8.10. The joy of the Lord is your strength. And this strength shews especially in three cases.

1. In our passive obedience in enduring afflic The Apostle gives this reason why the faithful are so unconquerable in their afflictions, pos ing their soul, impatience under them, viz. b cause the love of God is shed abroad in their by the Holy Ghost. See the power of true & feelings of Gods sweetness in Christ: It can make us hold up the head in the greatest de :jections. Except thy law had been my de saith the Psalmist, I had perished in min affliction. The peace of God, saith the Apostle keeps our mind & heart in Christ Jesus - for all our trouble, makes us say, "It is good to be here." we know not where to mend o :selves. But the temporary believer i not always thus kept from perishing in :fliction: for, of one kind of them, our Sav saith, that when persecution for the wor cometh, then he is offended, & in the time of temptation falleth away. True joy i as a sweet fountain of water that never fails to refresh us in the most scorching dr but the temporaries joy is as a standing po which is dried up in the heat of Summer -- th fore his joy is not the joy of true faith.

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2. The joy of the Lord is our strength in our active obedience, which is daily to be performed in the whole course of our lives. When thou hast enlarged my heart, I shall run the ways of thy commandments. Now it is spiritual joy that enlargeth a Christian's heart, even as grief contracts it. And when the Christians heart is thus enlarged, he hath such fresh life & spirit put into him, that it makes him run; even with the feet of the hind, swiftly, in the Christian race. As in Jacob, after he had enjoyd the heavenly refreshing com :forts in Bethel, it is said, "He lift up his feet," that is, went chearfully & with good heart & courage forward in his travel: like a generous horse after fresh baiting, he goes more freely & chearfully. But our temporarie after his best re:freshing with the spiritual dainties riseth up with those Israelites to play. He is as weak & impotent as before, either for resisting temptation or per :forming any good duty. --- Here then is the deceit of his heart, (the discovery of it) He feeleth often many comforts, & is sometimes in prayer, hearing, recieving the Sacraments, & suchlike exercises even ravished again; but yet for all this the fruit of a well ordered heart & life follows not. & therefore the comfort he has in them is no evidence of justifying faith.

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3. The joy of the Lord sheweth its strength in reviving us again after our falls, temp:tations, dejections, as we see in David, striving to recover his loss, when under the withdraw of the Spirit & Gods esti :ment of himself from him. But how by what argument? by the experience of the joy which formerly he had felt in the apprehension of Gods favor: thou hast given me more (joy) than in abundan of corn & oyle. - Tis a notable proper of true spiritual joy, it makes us cli fast to God, who is the matter of our joy even then when either he is departi from us, by hiding his face from us, or are departing from him, by withdraw:ing our necks from his yoke. Hence that call of Christ to the church of Ephe:sus (when somewhat fallen) Remem:ber from whence thou art fallen & repent & do thy first works --that is, con:sider what kind of estate thou was in, in the time of thy first love, how full of peace & joy in the Holy Ghost liberty of spirit etc, & then repentan & doing the first works will follow, for he that hath once tasted the sweet this joy, is so affected with it, that w Paul, he had rather dye than lose it. therefore can never be at rest, till by :newing his repentance, He be again

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repossessed of it. He thinks with himself "O, in what happy case was I, when I walked faithfully & upright:ly with my God! O the sweet songs of the night, & heavenly inspiration, of the Almighty! O the gracious visitations of the spirit & teaching of the reins in the night season! How was I then fed with the bread of angels, & feasted with the dainty of heaven! Why then do I deprive my:self of all these comforts by mine own negligence? Why do I not return ag.n to my good God to enjoy his heretofore tasted sweetness? But now the tem:poraryd joy ariseth only from a very slight & superficial apprehension of the promises - only from a sipping of this wine in the mouth, & not from any operation of it at the heart. And therefore his joy, as we shewed, was greater in outward things than in spiritual. And hence it comes to pass that when for the retaining these temporal things (comforts) he begins to fail, his spiritual joys, by this means once interrupted, quite dye away. For his joy was not of that force as to leave such an impres:sion, as that the remembrance of it should excite him to seek the Lord afresh.