-- Grand Direct. XIII. That the Temperament of our Religion may be a Delight in God and Holiness. Tw
quietness for our wills, but in the will of God: and his will is always for the good of them that truly desire to be conformed to it, by obedience to his commands, and submission to his disposal. Say, therefore, with your Saviour, "Father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as thou wilt." There is nothing got by struggling against the will of God; nor anything lost by a quiet submission to it. And, if thou love it, and desire to obey and please it, trust in it, for it will surely save thee.
Grand Direct. XIII.
'Diligently labour that God and Holiness may be thy chief Delight: and this holy Delight may be the ordinary temperament of thy religion.'
Directions for Delighting ourselves in God Direct. I. 'Rightly understand what delight in God it is that you must seek and exercise.'—It is not a mere sensitive delight, which is exercised about the objects of sense or fancy, and is common to beasts with men: nor is it the delights of immediate intuition of God, such as the blessed have in heaven: nor is it an enthusiastic delight, consisting in irrational raptures, and joys, of which we can give no account of the reason. Nor is it a delight inconsistent with sorrow and fear, when they are duties; but it is the solid, rational complacency of the soul in God and holiness, arising from the apprehensions of that in him, which is justly delectable to us. And it is such, as, in estimation of its object, and inward complacency and gladness, though not in passionate joy or mirth, must excel our delight in temporal pleasure; and must be the end of all our humiliations, and other inferior duties.
Direct. II. 'Understand how much of this holy delight may be hoped for on earth.'—Though too many Christians feel much more fear and sorrow in their religion than delight, yet every true Christian doth esteem God more delectable, or fit, and worthy of his delights, if he could enjoy him: whereas to the carnal, fleshly things do seem more fit to be their delights. And though most Christians reach not very high in their delights in God, yet God hath prescribed us such means, in which, if we faithfully used them, we might reach much higher.
And this much we might well expect: 1. So much as might make our lives incomparably more quiet, contented, and pleasant to us, than are the lives of the greatest or happiest worldlings. 2. So much as might make our thoughts of God and the life to come, to be ready, welcome, pleasant thoughts to us. 3. So much as might greatly prevail against our inordinate griefs and fears, and our backwardness to duties, and weariness in them, and might make religion an ordinary pleasure. 4. So much as might take off our hankering desire after unnecessary recreations and unlawful pleasures of the flesh. 5.
So much as might sweeten all our mercies to us, with a spiritual perfume or relish. 6. So much as might make some sufferings joyful, and the rest more easy to us. 7. And so much as might make the thoughts of death less terrible to us, and make us desire to be with Christ.
Direct. III. 'Understand what there is in God and holiness, which is fit to be the soul's delight.'—As, 1. Behold him in the infinite perfections of his being: his omnipotence, omniscience, and his goodness; his holiness, eternity, immutability, &c. And as your eye delighteth in an excellent picture, or a comely building, or fields, or gardens, not because they are yours, but because they are a delectable object to the eye; so let your minds delight themselves in God, considered in himself, as the only object of highest delight. 2.
Delight yourselves also in his relative attributes, in which are
expressed his goodness to his creatures: as his allsufficiency, and faithfulness or truth, his benignity, his mercy, and compassion, and patience to sinners, and his justice unto all. 3. Delight yourselves in him as his glory appeareth in his wondrous works, of creation and daily providence. 4. Delight yourselves in him as he is related to you, as your God and Father, and as all your interest, hope, and happiness are in him alone. 5. Delight yourselves in him as his excellencies shine forth in his blessed Son. 6. And as they appear in the wisdom and goodness of his Word, in all the precepts and promises of the Gospel. 7. Delight thyself in his image, though but imperfectly printed on thy soul; and also on his holy servantsb. 8. Delight yourselves in the consideration of the glory which he hath from all his creatures, and the universal fulfilling of his will: as the prosperity and happiness of your friend delighteth you, and the success of any excellent enterprises, and the praise of excellent things and persons, and as you have a special delight in the success of truth, and the flourishing order, and unity, and peace, and prosperity of kingdoms, especially of the church, much more than in your personal prosperity, unless you have selfish, private, base, unmanly dispositions; so much more should you delight in the glory and happiness of God. 9. Delight yourselves in the safety which you have in his favour and defence; and the treasury which you have in his all sufficiency and love, for your continual supplies in every want, and deliverance in every danger; and the ground of quiet contentedness and confidence which is offered to fearful souls in him. 10. Delight yourselves in the particular discoveries of his common mercies to the world, and his special mercies to his saints, and his personal mercies to yourselves, from your birth to this moment, both upon your souls, and bodies, and friends, and names, and estates, and affairs in all relations. 11. Delight yourselves in the privilege you enjoy of speaking to him, and of him, and hearing from him, and adoring and worshipping him, and singing, and publishing his praise, and in the
communion which your souls may have with him through Christ, on his days, and at all times, in his sacraments, and in all your lives. And say as Solomon, "And will God indeed dwell on earth? Will he dwell and walk with sinful men? When the heaven of heavens cannot contain him." "Let those that seek him rejoice and be glad in himd."
Let us be glad to go to the house of the Lord, and join with his holy assemblies in his worship. "The streams" of his grace "make glad the city of God, the holy tabernacles of the Most High: God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." 12. Delight yourselves above all in the forethoughts and hope of the glory which you shall see and enjoy for ever. I do but name all these for your memory, because they are before spoken of in the Directions for love.
Direct. IV. 'Understand how much these holy delights are pleasing unto God, and how much he is for his people's pleasure.'—For it much hindereth the joy of many Christians, that they think it is against the will of God, that such as they should so much rejoice; or at least that they apprehend not how much he hath commanded it, and how great a duty it is, and how much pleasing to their God.
Consider, 1. It is not for nothing that the nature of man is made capable of higher and larger delights, than the brutish, sensual nature is: and that in this we are made little lower than angels. 2. Nor is it for nothing that God hath made delight and complacency, the most powerful, commanding affection, and the end of all the other passions, which they professedly subserve and seek: and the most natural, inseparable affection of the soul, there being none that desireth not delight. 3. Nor is it in vain that God hath provided and offered such plenty of most excellent objects for our delight, especially himself, in his Attributes, Love, Mercy, Son, Spirit, and Kingdom: which brutes were not made to know or to enjoy. 4. Nor hath he given us in vain, such excellent, convenient, and various helps, and inferior preparations which tend to our delight; even for
body and mind, to further our delight in God. 5. Nor is it in vain that he maketh us yet more nearly capable by his Spirit; even by affecting humiliations and mortifying, cleansing, illuminating, and quickening works: and that the kingdom of heaven consisteth in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost: and that the Spirit hath undertaken to be the Comforter of believers, who is sent upon no low or needless work. 6. Nor did Christ purchase his people's joys in vain, by the price of his grievous sufferings and sorrows. Having borne our griefs, and being made a man of sorrows, that we that see him not, might rejoice in believing, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 7. Nor is it in vain that he hath filled his word with such matter of delight and comfort, in the most glad tidings that could come to man, and in such free, and full, and faithful promises. 8. Nor hath he multiplied his commands for his rejoicing and delight, in vain; again and again commanding us to rejoice, and always to rejoice. 9. Nor is it insignificant that he hath forbidden those worldly cares, and fears, and griefs which would devour their joys. Nor that he hath so clearly shewed them the way to joy, and blameth them if they walk not in it.
10.He filleth up their lives with mercies, and matter of delight, by his direction, support, provisions, and disposals: and all this in their way of trial, and in the valley of tears. 11. How tender is he of their sufferings and sorrows; not afflicting willingly, nor delighting to grieve the sons of men. 12. He taketh not away their delight and comfort, till they cast it away themselves, by sinning, or selfafflicting, or neglecting his proposed pleasures. 13. He never faileth to meet them with his delights, while they walk in the way prescribed to that end: unless when it tendeth to their greater pleasure, to have some present interruption of the pleasure. 14. In their greatest needs, when themselves and other helps must fail, he giveth them ofttimes the greatest joys. 15. And he taketh their delights and sorrows as if they were his own. In all their afflictions he is afflicted, and he delighteth in their welfare, and rejoiceth over them to do them good.
Cannot you see the will of your Father in all this? 16. If you cannot, yet lift up your heads, and foresee the eternal delights which he hath prepared for you, when you shall enter into your Master's joy: and then judge whether God be for your delight?
Direct. V. 'Take special notice of the reasons why God commandeth you to delight in him, and consequently how much of religion consisteth in these delights.'—1. Thou vilifiest and dishonourest him, if thou judge him not the worthiest for thy delights. 2. If thou delight not in him, thy thoughts of God will be seldom, or unwelcome and unpleasant thoughts. 3. And thy speeches of him will be seldom, or heartless, forced speeches. Who knoweth not how readily our thoughts and tongues do follow our delight? Be it house, or land, or books, or friends, or actions, which are our delight, we need no force to bring our thoughts to them. The worldling thinks and tasteth of his wealth and business: the proud man, of his dignities and honour: the voluptuous beast, of his lusts, and sports, and meats, and drinks; because they most delight in these. And so must the Christian of his
God, and hopes, and holy business, as being his delight. 4. It will keep you away from holy duties, in which you should have communion with God, if you have no delight in God and them. This makes so many neglect both public and secret worship, because they have no delight in it; when those that delight in it are ready in taking all opportunities. 5. It will corrupt your judgments, and draw you to think that a little is enough, and that serious diligence is unnecessary preciseness, and that one quarter of your duty is an excess. A man that hath no delight in God and godliness, is easily drawn to think, that little, and seldom, and cold, and formal, and heartless, lifeless preaching and praying may serve the turn, and any lip-service is acceptable to God, and that more is more ado than needs. And hence, he will be further drawn to reproach those that go beyond him, to quiet his own conscience, and save his own reputation; and at last to
be a forlorn, satanical reviler, hater, and persecutor of the serious, holy worshippers of God. "Behold the word of the Lord, is a reproach to them: they have no delight in it: therefore I am full of the fury of the Lordg." 6. If you delight not in it, you will do that which you do, without a heart, with backwardness and weariness: as your ox draweth unwillingly in the yoke, and is glad when you unyoke him: and as your horse that goeth against his will, and will go no longer than he feels the spur, when delight would cause alacrity and unweariedness. 7. It makes men apt to quarrel with the Word, and every weakness in the minister offendeth them, as sick stomachs that have some fault or other still to find with their meat. 8. It greatly inclineth men to carnal and forbidden pleasures, because they taste not the higher and more excellent delights. Taverns, and ale-houses, plays, and whores, cards, and dice, and excess of recreation must be sought out for them, as Saul sought a witch and a musician instead of God. It would be the most effectual answer to all the silly reasonings of the voluptuous, when they are pleading for the lawfulness of their unnecessary, foolish, time-wasting sports, if we could but help them to the heavenly nature, and hearts that more delight in God. This better pleasure is an argument that would do more to confute and banish their sinful pleasure, than a twelve-months disputing or preaching will do with them, while they are strangers to the soul's delight in God, Then they would rather say to their companions, 'O come and taste those high delights, which we have found in God!' 9.
The want of a delight in God and holiness, doth leave the soul as a prey to sorrows: every affliction that assaulteth it may do its worst, and hath its full blow at the naked, unfortified heart: for creature delights will prove but a poor preservative to it. 10. This want of a delight in God and holiness, is the way to apostacy itself. Few men will hold on in a way that they have no delight in, when all other delights must be forsaken for it. The caged hypocrite, while he is cooped up to a stricter life than he himself desires, even while he
seemeth to serve him, is loathsome to God: for the body without the will is but a carcase or carrion in his eyes. If you had rather not serve
God, you do not serve him while you seem to serve him. If you had rather live in sin, you do live in sin, reputatively, while you forbear the outward act: for in God's account, the heart, or will, is the man: and what a man had rather be (habitually) that he is indeed. And yet, this hypocrite will be still looking for a hole to get out of his cage, and forsake his unbeloved outside of religion: like a beast that is driven in a way that he is loath to go, and will be turning out at every gap. All these mischiefs follow the want of delight in God.
6. On the contrary, the benefits which follow our delight in God, (besides the sweetness of it,) are unspeakable. Those which are contrary to the forementioned hurts, I leave to your own consideration. 1. Delight in God will prove that thou knowest him, and lovest him, and that thou art prepared for his kingdom: for all that truly delight in him shall enjoy him. 2. Prosperity, which is but the small addition of earthly things, will not easily corrupt thee or transport thee. 3. Adversity, which is the withholding of earthly delights, will not much grieve thee, or easily deject thee. 4. Thou wilt receive more profit by a sermon, or good book, or conference, which thou delightest in, than others, that delight not in them, will do in many. 5. All thy service will be sweet to thyself, and acceptable to God: if thou delight in him, he doth certainly delight in thee. Thou hast a continual feast with thee, which may sweeten all the crosses of thy life, and afford thee greater joy than thy sorrow is, in thy saddest case. 7. When you delight in God, your creature-delight will be sanctified to you, and warrantable in its proper place; which in others is idolatrous, or corrupt. These, with many others, are the benefits of delight in God.
Direct. VI. 'Consider how suitable God and holiness are to be the matter of thy delight, and take heed of all temptations which would represent him as unsuitable to you.'—He is, 1. Most perfect and blessed in himself. 2. And full of all that thou canst need. 3. He hath all the world at his command for thy relief. 4. He is nearest to thee in presence and relation in the world. 5. He hath fitted all things in religion to thy delight, for matter, variety, and benefit. 6. He will be a certain and constant delight to thee: and a durable delight, when all others fail. Thy soul came from him, and therefore naturally should tend to him: it is from him, and for him, and therefore must rest in him, or have no rest. We delight in the house where we were born, and in our native country, and in our parents; and every thing inclineth to its own original: and so should the soul to its Creator.
Direct. VII. 'Corrupt not your minds and appetites with contrary delights.'—Addict not yourselves to fleshly pleasures: taste nothing that is forbidden. Sorrow itself is not such an enemy to spiritual delights, as sensual, sinful pleasures are. O leave your beastly and your childish pleasures, and come and feast your souls on God. Away with the delights of lust, and pride, and covetousness, and vain sports, and gluttony, and drunkenness, if ever you would have the solid and durable delights! Think not of joining both together.
Bethink yourselves: can it be any thing but the disease and wickedness of thy heart, than can make a play, or a feast, or drunken, wanton company, more pleasant to thee than God? What a heart is that which thinketh it a toil to meditate on God and heaven; and thinks it a pleasure to think of the baits of pride and covetousness?
What a heart is that which thinks that sensuality, wantonness, and vanity are the pleasure of their families, which must not be turned out; and that godliness, and heavenly discourse, and exercises, would be the sadness and trouble of their families, which must not be brought in, lest it mar their mirth; that thinks it an intolerable toil
and slavery to love God, and holiness, and heaven, and to be employed for them; and thinks it a delightful thing to love a whore, or excess of meat, or drink, or sports? Can you say any thing of a man that is more disgraceful, unless you say he is a devil? It were not so vile for a child to delight more in a dog than in his parents, or a husband to delight more in the ugliest harlot than in his wife, as it is for a man to delight more in fleshly vanities than in God. Will you be licking up this dung, when you should be solacing your souls in angelical pleasures, and foretasting the delights of heaven? O how justly will God thrust away such wretches from his everlasting presence, who so abhor his ways and him! Can they blame him for denying them the things which they hate, or set so light by, as to prefer a lust before them? If they were not haters of God and holiness, they would never be so averse even to the delights which they should have with him.
Direct. VIII. 'Take heed of a melancholy habit of body:'—for melancholy people can scarce delight in any thing at all, and therefore not in God. Delight is as hard to them, as it is to a pained member to find pleasure, or a sick stomach to delight in the food which it loathes. They can think of God with trouble, and fear, and horror and despair; but not with delight.
Direct. IX. 'Take heed of an impatient, peevish, self-tormenting mind, that can bear no cross; and of overvaluing of earthly things, which causeth impatience in the want of them. Make not too great a matter of fleshly pain or pleasure.'—Otherwise your minds will be called to a close attendance on the flesh, and taken up with continual desires, or cares, or fears, or griefs, or pleasures; and will not be permitted to solace themselves with God. The soul that would have pure and high delights, must abstract itself from the concernments of the flesh; and look on your body, as if it were the body of another,
whose pain and pleasure you can choose whether you will feel. When Paul was rapt up into the third heaven, and saw the things unutterable, he was so far freed from the prison of sense, that he knew not whether he was in the body, or out of it. As the separated souls, that see the face of God and the Redeemer, do leave the body to be buried, and to rot in darkness, and feel not all this to the interrupting of their joys; so faith can imitate such a death to the world, and such a neglect of the flesh, and some kind of elevating separation of the mind, to the things above. If in this near conjunction you cannot leave the body to rejoice or suffer alone, yet, as itself is but a servant to the soul, so let not its pain or pleasure be predominant, and control the high operations of the soul. A manly, valiant, believing soul, though it cannot abate the pain at all, nor reconcile the flesh to its calamity, yet it can do more, notwithstanding the pain, to its own delight, than strangers will believe.
Some women, and passionate, weak-spirited men, especially in sickness, are so peevish, and of such impatient minds, that their daily work is to disquiet and torment themselves. One can scarce tell how to speak to them, or look at them, but it offendeth them. And the world is so full of occasions of provocation, that such persons are like to have little quietness. It is unlike that these should delight in God, who keep their minds in a continual, ulcerated, galled state, incapable of any delights at all, and cease not their self-tormenting.
Direct. X. 'It is only a life of faith, that will be a life of holy, heavenly delight: exercise yourselves, therefore, in believing contemplations of the things unseen.'—It must not be now and then a glance of the eye of the soul towards God, or a seldom salutation, which you would give a stranger; but a walking with him, and frequent addresses of
the soul unto him, which must help you to the delights which believers find in their communion with him.
Direct. XI. 'Especially let faith go frequently to heaven for renewed matter of delight, and frequently think what God will be to you there for ever, and with what full, everlasting delight he will satiate your souls.'—As heaven is the place of our full delight, so the foresight and foretaste of it, is the highest delight, which on earth is to be attained.
And a soul that is strange to the foresight of heaven, will be as strange to the true delights of faith.
Direct. XII. 'It is a great advantage to holy delight, to be much in the more delightful parts of worship; as in thanksgiving and praise, and a due celebration of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.'—
Of which I have spoken in the foregoing Directions.
Direct. XIII. 'A skilful, experienced pastor, who is able to open the treasury of the Gospel, and publicly and privately to direct his flock in the work of self-examination, and the heavenly exercises of faith, is a great help to Christians' spiritual delight.'—The experiences of believers teach them this: How oft do they go away refreshed and revived, who came to the assembly, or to their pastors in great distress, and almost in despair? It is the office and delight of the ministers of Christ, to be "helpers of his people's faith and joyl."
Direct. XIV. 'Make use of all that prosperity and lawful pleasure, which God giveth you in outward things, for the increase and advantage of your delight in God.'—Though corrupted nature is apter to abuse prosperity and earthly delights, than any other state, to the diverting of the heart from God; and almost all the devil's poison is given in sugared or gilded allectives; yet the primitive, natural use of prosperity, of health, and plenty, and honour, and peace, is to lead up the mind to God, and give us a taste of his spiritual delights! That
the neighbourhood of the body might be the soul's advantage; and that God, who in this life will be seen by us but in a glass, and will give out his comforts by his appointed means, might make advantage of sensitive delights, for his own reception, and the communications of his love and pleasure unto man: that, as soon as the eye, or ear, or taste, perceiveth the delightfulness of their several objects, the holy soul might presently take the hint and motion, and be carried up to delightful thoughts of him that giveth us all these delights. And, doubtless, so far as we can make use of a delight in friends, or food, or health, or habitations, or any accommodations of our bodies, to further our delight in God, of to remove those melancholy fears or sorrows, which would hinder this spiritual delight, it is not only lawful, but our duty to use them, with that moderation as tendeth to this end.
Direct. XV. 'Make use of affliction, as a great advantage for your purest and unmixed delight in God.'—The servants of Christ have usually never so much of the joy in the Holy Ghost, as in their greatest sufferings: especially if they be for his sake. The soul never retireth so readily and delightfully to God, as when it hath ho one else that will receive it, or that it can take any comfort from. God comforteth us most, when he hath made us see that none else can or will relieve us. When all friends have forsaken us save only one, that one is sweeter to us then than ever. When all our house is fired down except one room, that room is pleasanter to us than it was before. He that hath lost one eye, will love the other better than before. In prosperity our delights in God are too often corrupted by a mixture of sensual delight: but all that remaineth when the creature is gone, is purely divine.
Direct. XVI. 'Labour by self-examination, deliberately managed under the direction of an able spiritual guide, to settle your souls in
the well-grounded persuasion of your special interest in God and heaven: and then suffer not satan, by his troublesome importunity, to renew your doubts, or molest your peace.'—An orderly, wellguided, diligent, self-examination, may quickly do much to shew you your condition: and if you are convinced that the truth of grace is in you, let not fears and suspicion go for reason, and cause you to deny that which you cannot, without the gainsaying of your consciences, deny. You see not the design of the devil in all this: his business is by making you fear, that you have no interest in God, to destroy your delight in him, and in his service: and next that, to make you, through weariness, forsake him; and either despair, or turn to sensual delights. Foresee and prevent these designs of satan, and suffer him not at his pleasure to raise new storms of fears and troubles, and draw you to deny your Father's mercies, or to suspect his proved love.
Direct. XVII. 'Damp not your delights by wilful sin.'—If you grieve your Comforter, he will grieve you, or leave you to grieve yourselves.
In that measure that any known sin is cherished, delight in God will certainly decay.
Direct. XVIII. 'Improve your observation of wicked men's sensual delights, to provoke your souls to delight in God.'—Think with yourselves; shall hawks, and hounds, and pride, and filthiness, and cards, and dice, and plays, and sports, and luxury, and idleness, and foolish talk, or worldly honours, be so delightful to these deluded sinners, and shall not my God and Saviour, his love and promises, and the hopes of heaven, be more delightful to me? Is there any comparison between the matter of my delights and theirs?
Direct. XIX. 'Labour to overcome those fears of death, which would damp your joys in the foresight of everlasting joys.'—As nothing
more feedeth holy delights than the forethoughts of heaven; so there is scarce any thing that more hindereth our delight in those forethoughts, than the fear of interposing death. See what I have written against this fear, in my "Treatise of Self-denial," and "Saints'
Rest," and in my "Treatise of Death, as the last Enemy," and in my "Last Work of a Believer."
Direct. XX. 'Pretend not any other religious duties, against your delight in God and holiness; but use them all in their proper subserviency to this.'—Penitent sorrow is only a purge to cast out those corruptions which hinder you from relishing your spiritual delights. Use it therefore as physic, only when there is need; and not for itself, but only to this end; and turn it not into your ordinary food.
Delight in God is the health of your souls: say not you cannot have while to be healthful, because you must take physic, or that you take physic against health, or instead of health, but for your health. So take up no sorrow against your delight in God, or instead of it, but for it, and so much as promoteth it. See the Directions for love beforegoing.
By this time you may see, that holy delight adjoined to love, is the principal part of our religion, and that they mistake it which place it in any thing else. And therefore how inexcusable are all the ungodly enemies or neglecters of a holy life. If it had been a life of grief and toil, they had had some pretence; but to fly from pleasure, and refuse delight, and such delight, is inexcusable. Be it known to you, sinners,
God calleth you not to forsake delight, but to accept it: to change your delight in sin and vanity, for delight in him. You dare not say but this is better: you cannot have your houses and lands for ever, nor your lust and luxury for ever, but you may have God for ever.
And do you hope to live for ever with him, and have you no delight in him? Men deal with Christ as the Papists with the reformed