not altogether mistaken but more notional apprehension of the same love They have only that assurance which arises it may be not from a false but the single testimony of their own spirits at least unaccompanied with other than the ordinary help of the Spirit not very distinguishable from the workings of their own Have reasoned themselves perhaps regularly by observing the rule and the habitual bent of their own spirits into an opinion of their own good estate so that they are not vext with doubts and fears as some others are But they do not discover to others nor can discern in themselves any degree of life and vigour of heavenliness and spirituality of love to God or zeal for him proportionable to their high expectations from him or the great import of this thing to be beloved of God There is no discernible growth or spiritual improvement to be found with them How remote is their temper from that of the Primitive Christians It is apparent what is yet wanting they are not edify'd as those were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost Wherefore the matter is plain There is such a thing as an effectual over-powering communication of the Holy Ghost for the manifesting of the love of God of great necessity and importance to Christians that may be had and ought to be diligently sought after 2. And if it be afforded which was the other thing proposed How infinitely delectable is that manifestation the thing it self carries its own reason and evidence with it 1. If we consider the matter represented to us thereby The love of a God! How transporting would the thought of it be to an enlightened apprehensive mind no one whose nature is not over-run with barbarism would entertain the discovery of the harmless innocent love though it were not profitable to us even of a creature like our selves otherwise than with complacency Yea though it were a much inferiour even a brute creature Men are pleased to behold love expressing it self towards them in a child in a poor neighbour in an impotent servant yea in their horse or their dog The greatest Prince observes with delight the affection of the meanest peasants among his Subjects Much more would they please themselves if they have occasion to take notice of any remarkable expression of his favourable respect to them But how unspeakably more if he vouchsafe to express it by gracious intimacies and by condescending familiarities How doth that person hug and bless himself How doth his Spirit triumph and his imagination luxuriate in delightful thoughts and expectations who is in his own heart assured he hath the favour of his Prince Yea with what complacency are inward friends wont to receive the mutual expressions of each others love And can it be thought the love of the great and blessed God should signifie less How great things are comprehended in this The Lord of Heaven and Earth hath a kindness towards me and bears me good will How grateful is the relish of this apprehension both in respect of what it in it self imports and what it is the root and cause of True ingenuity values love for it self If such a one will think of me if I shall have a place in his remembrance If he will count me among his friends this we are apt to be pleased with And tokens are sent and interchanged among friends not only to express love but to preserve and cherish it and keep up a mutual remembrance among them And as there is a great pleasure conceived in receiving such expressions or pledges of love from a friend not so much for the value of the thing sent as of what it signifies and is the token of his love his kind remembrance so is there no less pleasure in giving and sending than in receiving Because that hereby as we gratifie our own love by giving it a kind of vent this way so we foresee how we shall thereby excite theirs which therefore we put a value upon even abstracting from any advantage we expect therefrom And this hath a manifest reason in our very natures because we reckon there is an honour put upon us and somewhat is attributed to us when we are well thought of and a kindness is placed upon us especially by such as have themselves any reputation for wisdom and judgment Hâ—w dignifying is the love of God! How honourable a thing to be his favourite To Apostle seems to put a mighty stress on this when he utters those so emphatical words wherefore we labour so defectively we read it we covet or are ambitious of it as our honour as that word signifies that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him q. d. neither life or death neither being in the body or out of it signifie any thing to me or they are indifferent things in comparison of this honour that he may accept me that I may be pleasing to him and gracious in his eyes that I may stand well in his thoughts and he bear a kind and favourable regard to me Yea and this is a thing in it self delightful not only as it 's honourable but as it is strange and wonderful Things that are in themselves grateful are so much the more so for their being somewhat surprising and above all our expectation I say supposing they have an antecedent gratefulness in them for otherwise we know there are also very unwelcome wonders and which are so much the more dreadful because they are surprizing and unexpected it is greatly heightened by their being out of the road quite of all our thoughts great things that we looked not for And who would have look't for such a thing as this That the Lord of Glory should place his Love on such a Worm as I Which is set off with the more advantage because the same light that represents to a Soul Gods love doth also discover to it at the same time it s own deformity and unloveliness And then how taking and overcoming is the thought I impure wretch loathsome miscreant that lost apostate creature that made one with a race and crew of rebels was confederate with rebellious men against Him yea in a combination with those revolted creatures the Devils and now taken I know not why into a state of acceptance and favour with him And his love is declared to be towards me And why towards me in my self so vile And such love the love of an holy glorious God towards one in whose very nature was such an horror and hell of wickedness Why towards me rather than others not naturally more vile than I How can this be thought on without crying out O wonderful O the depths breadths lengths and heights of this love that so infinitely passeth knowledg And here the greater the wonder the greater is also the delight And now also are the effects of this love great in the eyes of the Soul according to the apprehended
durable and sooner apt to vanish upon the cessation of the present act like the delight of the eye The latter is more permanent as that of the taste and habitual such as is the pleasure of any thing whereof one hath a continued possession as of a confirm'd state and habit of health or of the riches dignities pleasant accommodations which belong to any ones setled condition of which he hath that continual enjoyment that insensibly forms his spirit raises and keeps it up to a pitch sutable to his condition though he have not every day or hour distinct formed thoughts of them nor is often in that contemplative transport with Nebuchadnezzar Is not this great Babylon which I have built c. Both these are holy delight or delight in God In both whereof may be seen added to the general nature of delight an holy Nature as the Principle inferring a powerful steady determination of the heart towards God as the object and end which it ultimately tends to and terminates upon Though in the former way of delighting in God the Soul tends towards him more directly In the latter according as the acts may be to which the delight adheres more obliquely and through several things that may be intermediate unto that final and ultimate object And both these may fitly be understood to be within the meaning of this Text which therefore we shall now consider apart and severally though both of them very briefly And we begin with the latter of them For though the former have in some respect an excellency in it above the latter yet as the progress of Nature in other Creatures is by way of ascent from what is more imperfect to what is perfecter and more excellent So is it with the communicated Divine Nature in the new creature which puts it self forth first in more imperfect operations the buddings as it were of that tree of life which hath its more florid blossoms and at length its ripe and fragrant fruit afterwards Or to come nearer the case inasmuch as the latter sort of delight according to the order wherein we before mentioned them hath more in it of the exercise of spiritual sense the other more of spiritual reason Since humane Creatures that have Natures capable of both sorts of functions do first exercise sense and by a slower and more gradual process come on to acts of ratiocination afterwards So it is here The Soul in which the Divine life hath taken place doth first exercise it self in spiritual sensations So that though in the matter of delight it is not destitute of the grateful relishes of things truly and spiritually delectable yet the more formed and designed acts of holy delectation in the highest object thereof distinctly apprehended and pitcht upon for that purpose do follow in their season and these are preparations and the essays of the new creature gradually and more indistinctly putting forth it self in order thereto The Embryo's of the other If therefore it be inquired Wherein the delight of this more imperfect sort doth consist I answer In the Souls sensation and relish of sweetness in the holy quickening communications of God unto it by which he first forms it for himself and in the operations which it is hereby enabled to put forth towards him while it is in the infancy or childhood of its Christian state Nor while we say the delight of this kind doth more properly belong to the younger and more immature state of Christianity do we thereby intend wholly to appropriate or confine it to that state For as when a Child is grown up to the capacity of exercising reason it doth not then give over to use sense but continues the exercise of it also in its adult state even as long as the person lives only in its infancy and childhood its life is more intirely a life of sense though there are early buddings of reason that soon come to be intermingled therein notwithstanding which the principle that rules and is more in exercise more fitly gives the denomination So it is in this case also that is though there are sensations of Delight and pleasure in Religion yea and those more quick confirm'd and strong in more grown Christians yet these sensations are more single and unaccompany'd though not altogether with the exercise of spiritual reason and judgment and do less come in that way with Christians in their minority than with others or themselves afterwards Therefore that which we are to understand our selves called to under the name of delighting in God thus taken is The keeping of our Souls open to Divine Influences and Communications Thirsting after them praying and waiting for them Endeavouring to improve them and co-operate with them and to stir up our selves unto such exercises of Religion as they lead to and are most sutable to our present state Together with an allowing yea and applying our selves to stay and taste in our progress and course the sweetness and delightfulness of those communications and operations whereof we have any present experience For instance When we find God at work with us and graciously dealing with our spirits to humble them break and melt them under a sense of sin incline and turn them towards himself draw them to a closure with his Son the Redeemer to a resignation and surrender of our selves to him upon the terms of his Covenant and Law of Grace Yea and when afterwards we find him framing our hearts to a course of holy walking and conversation to the denyal of ungodliness and worldly lusts to a sober righteous and godly life in this present world to the exercises of Piety Sobriety Righteousness Charity Mercy c. And now this or the like heavenly Dictate occurs to us Delight thy self in the Lord what doth it import what must we understand it to say or signifie to us Though this that hath been mentioned and which we are now saying is not all that it signifies as will be shown hereafter yet thus much we must understand it doth signifie and say to us Thy only true Delights are to be found in a course of Religion they are not to be expected from this world or thy former sinful course but in exercising thy self unto godliness in receiving and complying with the Divine discoveries recommended to thee in the Gospel and through them the influences of Life and Grace which readily flow in upon any Soul that hungers and thirsts after righteousness and by which thou mayst be fram'd in all things after the good and holy and acceptable will of God Herein thou shalt find such pleasures and Delights entertaining thy Soul as that thou wilt have no cause to envy wicked men their sensual Delights which they find in their sinful way if thou wilt but observe what thou findest and exercise thy sense to discern between good and evil and set thy self to consider whether there be not as well more satisfying as purer relishes of pleasure in mortifying
your Consciences did at such times accuse you And let that be a dreadful thing in your eyes to continue a course which if you consider you cannot but condemn And 3. Ought not your Experience to have been instructive to you as it commonly is to men in other matters Have you not in this neglect run counter to such instruction By this means you are suppos'd to have known the sweetness as by that last mentioned the equity and fitness of delight in God Have not those been your best hours wherein you could freely solace your selves in him was not one of them better than a thousand otherwise spent Did you never find it good for you in this way to draw nigh to God and hereupon pronounce them blessed whom he did chuse and cause to approach unto him And where is that blessedness of which ye spake Have ye forgotten that ye ever thus tasted how gracious the Lord was And 't is like you have by your taste found it also an evil thing and bitter to depart from him Methinks you should reckon it a great increase of your sin to have gone against your own sense when especially your superior rule might give you assurance it did not deceive you And doth it not expresly oblige you to follow its guidance while it puts the character of perfect or of being come to full age upon them who by reason of use or accustomedness have senses exercised to discern between Good and Evil 4. And what will you say to the great obligations which the love and kindness of God have laid upon you Will you not esteem your selves to have been thereby bound to place your love and delight on him Could you decline doing so without putting a slight upon his love who is infinite in what he is and who is love was not his love enough to deserve yours The love of a God that of a silly worm Were you not oblig'd to love him back again who was so much before-hand with you in the matter of love To love him who had loved you first The first love is Therefore perfectly free the latter is thereby certainly obliged and become bounden duty How variously and with how mighty demonstration hath that love exprest and evidence't it self It hath not glanc't at you but rested on you and setled in delight He hath so stood affected towards the people of his choice and put a name on them on purpose to signifie his delight in them He rejoices over them with joy and rests in his love to them The Lord taketh pleasure in his people His delights have from of old been with the Sons of men Could He delight in such as you and cannot you in him Be amazed at this How mean an Object had he for his delight How glorious and enamouring a one have you Excellency and Love in conjunction whereas in you were met Deformity and ill-will He hath loved you so as to remit to you much To give to you and for you a great deal more Himself and the Son of his delights He then thou shouldst recount did invite thee to delight in him who hath always sought thy good done strange things to effect it takes pleasure in thy prosperity and exercises loving kindness towards thee with delight Who contrived thy Happiness wrought out thy Peace at the expence of Blood even his own Taught thee the way of Life cared for thee all thy days hath supplied thy wants born thy burdens eas'd thy griefs wip't thy tears And if now he say to thee After all this couldst thou take no pleasure in me Will not that confound and shame thee He hath exprest his love by his so earnest and at last successful endeavours to gain thine By this that he hath seemed to put a value on it and that he desisted not till in some degree he had won it Whereupon there hath been an acquaintance a friendship some intimacies between him and thee according as sovereign Majesty hath vouchsafed to descend and advance sinful dust And how disingenuous unbecoming and unsutable to all this is thy strangeness and distance afterwards It it is more unworthy to cast out of your hearts than not to have admitted such a guest 5. How contrary is this omission to what by solemn vow and astipulation you have bound your selves to It hath graciously pleased the blessed God in his transactions with men to contrive his Laws into the form of a Covenant wherein upon terms he binds himself to them expecting what he obtains from such as become his own their restipulation Wonderful grace that he should article with his Creatures and capitulate with the work of his own hands And whereas his first and great Law and which virtually being submitted to comprehends our obedience to all the rest is as hath been noted Thou shalt have no other Gods before me This also he gives forth often as the sum and abridgment of his Covenant That he will be our God and we shall be his people Now this you have consented to and therein bound your selves as you have heard our Saviour expounds the first and great Commandment To love him with all your soul c. And how well doth your neglect to delight in him agree and consist with this What love him with all your soul in whom you can rarely find your selves to take any pleasure Surely your hearts will now misgive and admit a conviction you have not dealt truly as well as not kindly in this What not to keep Faith with the righteous God! To deceive a Deceiver some would think not intolerable But what pretence can there be for such dealing with the God of Truth You have vow'd to him What think you of this drawing back Such trifling with him the great and terrible God who keeps Covenant and Mercy for ever How unbecoming is it to dally with him as you would with an uncertain whiffling man To be off and on to say and unsay that he shall be your God and that he shall not for how is he your God if you delight not in him imports little of that solemn gravity and stayedness which becomes a transaction with the most High God He takes no pleasure in fools Wherefore pay that which you have vowed 6. Nor doth it better agree with your Relation to him which arises from your Covenant Thence he becomes yours and you his I entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine and the Covenant binding on both parts the relation is mutual so that thereby also he becomes yours It is a most near represented therefore by the nearest among men even the conjugal relation Therefore how full is that Song of Songs of expressions importing mutual delights sutable thereto And what a bondage as well as incongruity were that relation without delight Have you repented your Choice If not Why take you not pleasure Why do you not rejoice and glory in it even as