Chapter 6. Trial of a Christian's Delight in God.
Chapter 6.
Trial of a Christian's Delight in God.
LET this put us on a holy scrutiny and trial, as to whether we have this delight in religion or not? It is life or death as we answer this.
Ques. How may this spiritual delight be known?
Ans. 1. He that delights in God's law, is often thinking of it. What a man delights in, his thoughts are still running upon it. He that delights in money, his mind is taken up with it — therefore the covetous man is said to mind earthly things, Phi 3.19. Thus if there is a delight in the things of God, the mind will be still musing upon them. O what a rare treasure is the word of God! It is the field where the pearl of great price is hidden. How precious are the promises?
They are the conduit that holds the water of life. They are like those two olive branches "through which the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves," Zec 4.12. These seal up pardon, adoption, glory: "O Lord, by these things men live," Isa 38.16. Where there is a delight in the law of God, the mind is wholly busied about it.
Ans. 2. If we delight in religion, there is nothing that can keep us from it; we will be conversant in word, prayer, sacraments. He that loves gold will trade for it. The merchant will traverse sea and land to make money his proselyte. Men will not be kept from their fairs. If there is a delight in holy things, we will not be detained from an ordinance, for there we are trafficking for salvation. If a man were hungry, he would not stay away from the market for the aching of his finger. The ordinances are a gospel market, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, will not for every slight occasion stay away. "I was glad when they said, come let us go up to the house of the Lord," Psa 122.1. You who are glad when the devil helps you with an excuse to absent yourself from the house of the Lord, are far from this holy delight.
Ans. 3. Those who delight in religion are often speaking of it: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke often one to another," Mal 3.16.
Where there is grace infused, it will be diffused. "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious," Ecc 10.12. David, delighting in God's testimonies, "would speak of them before kings," Psa 119.46. The spouse delighting in her beloved, could not conceal her love, but breaks forth into most emotional, and no less elegant expressions:
"My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand; his head is like the finest gold," etc. (Song 5.10) The disciples whose hearts were upon Christ, made him the whole subject of their discourse as they were going to Emmaus, Luk 24.19. The primitive
Christians who were enflamed with love to God, spoke so much of heaven and the kingdom prepared, that the emperor suspected they meant to take his kingdom from him. Words are the looking-glass of the mind; they show what is in the heart. Where there is spiritual delight, like new wine, it will have its vent; "grace is poured into your lips," Psa 45.2. "A man who is of the earth speaks of the earth," Joh
3.31. He can hardly speak three words without two of them being about earth. His mouth, like the fish in the gospel, is full of gold, Mat
17.27. So where there is a delight in God, "our tongues will be like the pen of a ready writer." Psa 45. This is a scripture touchstone to try men's hearts by. Alas, it shows how little they delight in God, because they are possessed with a mute devil; they do not speak "the language of Canaan" (Isa 19.18).
Ans. 4. He that delights in God, will give Him the best in every service. The one whom we love best, shall have of the best. The spouse delighting in Christ, will give him of her pleasant fruits, Song
7.13. And if she has a cup of spiced wine, full of the juice of the pomegranate, he must drink of it, Song 8.2. He that delights in God, gives Him the strength of his affections, the cream of his duties; if he has anything better to offer, God will have it. Hypocrites do not care what they put God off with; they offer to the Lord that which costs them nothing, 2Sam 24.24; a prayer that costs them no wrestling, no pouring out of the soul, 1Sam 1.15. They put no cost in their services.
Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, Gen 4.3. It is observable that the Holy Spirit does not mention anything that might commend or set off Cain's sacrifice. When he comes to speak of Abel's, he sets an
emphasis upon it, "Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat of it," verse 4. But when he speaks of Cain, he only says, "he brought of the fruit of the ground," — some sorry thing, perhaps, pulled out of a ditch. God, who is best, will be served with the best.
Domitian would not have his statue carved in wood or iron, but in gold. God will have the best of our best things, golden services. He who delights in God, gives him the fat of the offering; the purest of his love, the hottest of his zeal — and when he has done all, he grieves that he can do no more. He blushes to see such an infinite disproportion between Deity and duty.
Ans. 5. He that delights in God, does not much delight in anything else. The world appears in an eclipse; Paul delighted in the law of God, in the inner man, and how he was crucified to the world! Gal
6.14. It is not absolutely unlawful to delight in the things of the world, "You shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your
God has given you." Deu 26.11. None may better take the comfort of these things than believers. For they have the best right to them; they hold all in capite;21 and they have the dew of a blessing distilled.
"Take two talents," Naaman said to Gehazi, 2 Kings 5.23. So says God to a believer: take two talents, take your outward comforts, and take my love with them. But the children of God, though they are thankful for outward mercies, which is the yearly rent they sit at, yet they are not much taken with these things. They use them only as a convenience for their passage. They know they need them as a staff to walk with. But when they sit down in the kingdom of heaven, and rest themselves, they will have no use of this staff of Jacob. Believers do not long much for these things which are still passing, 1Joh 2.17.22
Their delight is chiefly in God and his law; and is it thus? Do we have this low opinion of all undermoon 23 comforts? Has their price fallen? The astronomer says, if it were possible for a man to be lifted up as high as the moon, the earth would seem to him like a little point. If we could be lifted up to heaven in our affections, all earthly delights would seem like nothing. When the woman of Samaria had met with Christ, down goes the pitcher — she leaves that behind (Joh
4.28). He who delights in God, having tasted the sweetness in Him, doesn't mind the pitcher much; he leaves the world behind.
Ans. 6. True delight is constant. Hypocrites have their pangs of desire and flashes of joy, which are soon over. The Jews rejoiced in John's light for a season, Joh 5.35. Unsound hearts may delight in the law of the Lord for a season; but they will quickly change their note: "What a weariness it is to serve the Lord!" The Chrysolyte, which has a golden colour, is very bright to look at in the morning; but towards noon it grows dull and has lost its splendour — such are the glittering shows of hypocrites. True delight, like the fire of the altar, never goes out; affliction cannot extirpate it. "Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me, yet your commandments are my delight," Psa 119.143.