The Saints Delight, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Trial of a Chriſtians delight in God.
Uſe 2 LEt this put us upon a holy ſcrutiny and trial, Trial. whether we have this delight in Religion? 'Tis life or death as we anſwer this.
Queſt. Queſt. How may this ſpiritual delight be known?
Anſw. 1 Anſw. 1. He that delights in Gods Law, is often thinking of it; what a man delights in, his thoughts are ſtill running upon; he that delights in money, his minde is taken up with it; therefore the covetous man is ſaid foreign, to mind earthly things, Phil. 3.19. Thus if there be a delight in the things of God the minde will be ſtill muſing upon them *Sicut illis accidere ſolet, qui cogitat…ouibus vel ſeriis vel adlubeſcentibus abſtinere non poſſunt. Muſculus.O what a rare treaſure is the Word of God! it is the field where the pearl of price is hid; how precious are the promiſes, they are the conduit that hold the water of life, they are like thoſe two Olive branches, Zach. 4. which through the two golden pipes did empty the golden oyle out of themſelves, Zach 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 minde is wholly buſied about it.
2. If we delight in religion, there is nothing can keep us from it, but we will be converſant in Word, Prayer, Sacraments. He that loves gold will trade for it *Extremos currit mercator ad Indos. Horace.. The Merchant will compaſſe ſea and land to make money his proſelyte. Men will not be kept from their faires. If there be a delight in holy things, we will not be detained from an Ordinance, for there we are traffiquing for ſalvation. If a man were hungry, he would not ſtay from the market for the aking of his finger. The Ordinances are a Goſpelmarket, and thoſe that hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſſe, 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, Pſalm 122.1. Thou that art glad when the Devil helps thee with an excuſe to abſent thy ſelf from the houſe of the Lord, art farre from this holy delight.
3. Thoſe that delight in Religion are often ſpeaking of it; Then they that feared the Lord ſpake often one to another, Mal. 3.16. Where there is gratia infuſa, it will be effuſa. The words of a wiſe mans mouth are gracious, Eccleſ. 12.10. David delighting in Gods teſtimonies, would ſpeak of them before Kings, Pſalme 119.46. The Spouſe delighting in her beloved, could not conceal her love, but breaks forth into moſt pathetical, and no leſſe elegant expreſſions: My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thouſand *foreign The ſtandard bearer, his head is as the moſt fine gold, &c. The diſciples whoſe hearts were upon Chriſt, make him the whole ſubject of their diſcourſe as they were going to Emaus; Luke 24.19. The primitive Chriſtians who were fired with love to God, did ſpeak ſo much of heaven, and the Kingdom prepared, that the Emperour ſuſpected they meant to take his Kingdome from him; The words are (as one ſaith) the looking glaſſe of the minde *Verba ſunt ſpeculum mentis Bern., they ſhew what is in the heart. Where there is ſpiritual delight, like new wine, it will have vent; Grace is poured into thy lips, Pſalme 45.2. a man that is of the earth ſpeaketh of the earth *foreign., John 3.31. He can hardly ſpeak three words, but two of them are 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 as the pen of a ready Writer *Pſal. 45.. This is a Scripture touch-ſtone to try mens hearts by. Alas, it ſhews how little they delight in God, becauſe they are poſſeſſed with a dumb devil; they ſpeak not the language of Canaan.
4. He that delights in God will give him the beſt in every ſervice. Him whom we love beſt, ſhall have of the beſt. The Spouſe delighting in Chriſt, will give him of her pleaſant fruits, Cant. 7.13. and if ſhe hath a cup of ſpiced wine, and full of the juyce of the pomgranate, he muſt drink of it, Cant. 8.2. He that delights in God, gives him the ſtrength of his affections, the cream of his duties *Mat. 22.37; If he hath any thing better than other, God ſhall have it; Hypocrites care not what they put God off with; They offer that to the Lord which coſts them nothing *2 Sam. 24.24; A prayer that coſts them no wraſtling, no pouring out of the ſoul *1 Sam. 1.15; they put no coſt in their ſervices. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, Gen. 4.3. 'Tis obſervable, the holy Ghoſt doth not mention any thing that might commend, or ſet off Cains ſacrifice. When he comes to ſpeak of Abels, he ſets an Emphaſis upon it, Abel brought of the firſtlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof *Abel obtulit non exigua ſed pinguia. Ambroſe., verſe 4. but when he ſpeaks of Cain, he only ſaith, he brought of the fruit of the ground. Some ſorry thing; perhaps pull'd out of a ditch; God who is beſt, will be ſerv'd with the beſt. Domitian would not have his Statue carv'd 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 *Lev. 3.3.; the pureſt of his love, the hotteſt of his zeale; and when he hath done all, he grieves he can do no more, he bluſheth to ſee ſuch an infinite diſproportion between Deity and Dutie.
5. He that delights in God doth not much delight in any thing elſe. The world appears in an ecclipſe *Utitur mundo, fruitur Deo. Aug.; Paul delighted in the Law of God, in the inner man, and how was he crucified to to the world? Gal. 6.14. 'Tis not abſolutely unlawful to delight in the things of the world, Deut. 26.11. Thou ſhalt rejoyce in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given thee. None may better take the comfort of theſe things than beleevers; for they have the beſt right to them, they hold all in Capite *There is nothing ours but as we ſee out title in Chriſt. Greenham; and they have the dew of a bleſſing diſtill'd. Take two talents, ſaid Naaman to Gehazi, 2 King. 5.23. ſo ſaith God to a beleever, take two talents, take thy 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 *foreign 1 Cor. 7.31.; they uſe them only as a conveniency for their paſſage *Omnia quibus uteris in hac vita debent eſſe tanquā ſtabulum viatori non tanquam domus habitatori. Aug.; they know they need them as a ſtaffe to walk with, but when they ſhall ſit down in the Kingdome of heaven, and reſt themſelves, they ſhall have no uſe of this Jacobs ſtaffe. Beleevers do not much paſſe for theſe things which are ſtill paſſing *1 Joh. 2.17. Their delight is chiefly in God and his Law; and is it thus? have we this low opinion of all undermoon comforts? is the price fallen? The Astronomer ſaith, if it were poſſible for a man to be lifted up as high as the Moone, the earth would ſeem to him but as a little point. If we could be lifted to heaven in our affections, all earthly delights would ſeem as nothing; when the woman of Samaria had met with Chriſt *Invenit non aquam, ſed ſalutem Ambroſe., down goes the pitcher *John 4., ſhe leaves that behinde *foreign Theophil. in Joh. 4; he who delights in God, as having taſted the ſweetneſſe in him, doth not much minde the pitcher, he leaves the world behinde.
6. True delight is conſtant. Hypocrites have their pangs of deſire and flaſhes of joy, which are ſoone over. The Jews did rejoyce in Johns light for a ſeaſon *foreign, John 5.35. Unſound hearts may delight in the Law of the Lord for a ſeaſon; but, they will quickly change their note, What a wearineſſe is it to ſerve the Lord! The Chryſolyte (which is of a golden colour) in the morning is very bright to look on, but towards noone it grows dull, and hath loſt its ſplendor; ſuch are the gliſtring ſhews of Hypocrites. True delight, like the fire of the Altar, never goes out; affliction cannot extirpate it, Pſalme 119.143. Trouble and anguiſh have taken hold on me, yet thy Commandments are my delights.