May we do what we it is a distinguishing character of his own people, "that they thought on his name?" Why do we suppose our thoughts exempt from his government or the obligation of his laws? Why should it be reckoned less insolent to say, "our thoughts are our own," than "our tongues are our own,”"who is Lord over us?" will with our thoughts? thinking power, or made us capable of forming a thought? And now, will we assume the confidence to tell God, we think on him all we can? How many idle thoughts in the day might we have exchanged for thoughts of God! and every thought have been to us a spring of pleasure, and holy delight in him! Know, then, that if ever you will do anything in this great matter of delighting in God, you must arrest your thoughts for him, and engage them in more constant converse with him. And withal mix prayers with those thoughts; or let them often be praying craving thoughts, such as may carry with them annexed desires: or wherein your heart may breathe out requests, such as that, for instance, "Rejoice the soul of thy servant; for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." See, they be spiritual thoughts, that carry life in them, and aim to draw more. But now our thoughts may be conversant about him under very various considerations, and all of them very delightful. And this variety may much increase our delight, while our minds converse a Psal. lxxxvi. 4. with him, now under one notion, then under another. They are apt to tire and grow weary, being long employed the same way upon the same thing. And it were an injury to the blessed God himself, when he presents himself under various aspects and appearances, so to take notice of any one, as to overlook and neglect the rest. Therefore, look often to him according as, absolutely considered, he is in himself the most excellent Being; and as, in reference to his creatures, he is the supreme Author and Lord of all. There is an unspeakable pleasure to be taken in him so beheld. Too many, while their distrust or their carnality and strangeness to God hold them in suspense concerning their own special relation to him, are apt to fancy themselves excused from delighting in him :-it belongs not to them, they think, but to some familiar friends, and great favourites of his, to whom he expresses special kindness, and on whom he places the marks of his more peculiar good will. But do you think so to shift and waive the obligation of an universal law upon mankind and all reasonable nature? You are to remember, as hath been said, your delight in God is not to be considered only as your privilege, but as an act of homage to Him who made you, and put an intelligent apprehensive spirit into you, by which you are capable of knowing who made you, and of beholding your Maker's excellency with admiration and delight. And if now you are become guilty and vile, will you run into darkness and hide yourselves from him, or close your eyes, and say, the sun doth not shine, and deny the blessed glorious God to be what most truly and unchangeably he is? Whatever you are, whatever you have desired he should be towards you, yet do him right. Behold and confess his glorious excellency, every way most worthy to be delighted in. Nor have you rendered yourselves so vile, nor have you so much cause of apprehending his displeasure towards you, by anything so much as this,—your not having taken delight in him all this while, and by your neglect to take the ways tending to bring you thereto. If you think you have no special relation to him, do you think you ever shall, if you continue, in the temper of your spirits, strangers to him, and look upon him as one in whom you are to take no delight? Surely, it is your dutiful affection towards him, and your complacency in him, that must give you ground to hope you are his, and he is yours; and, therefore, the beginnings and first degrees of that complacency and delight must be in you before,being begotten by the view of that excellency which he hath in himself, antecedently to his being related to you. Even if your relation to him were already as sure and evident to you, as can be supposed; yet are you to take heed of confining your delight in him to that consideration of him only, and of making it the chief reason of your delight: for so your delight in him will be more for your own sakes, or upon your own account than his. Learn to look upon things as they are, and not according to their aspect upon your affairs. Is it not a greater thing that he is God, than that he is yours? It is a purer, a more noble and generous affection to him, which you are to aim at, than what is measured only by your private interest. Is that boundless fulness of life, glory, and all perfection, treasured up in the eternal and incomprehensible Being, to be estimated by the capacity and concerns of a silly worm? That consideration, therefore, being sometime laid aside, sit down and contemplate God as He is in himself, not disowning-as it is not fit you should-but only waiving the present consideration of any more comfortable relation, wherein you may, though most justly, suppose him to stand to you; and see, if you cannot take pleasure in this, that He is great and glorious, and that you have a Being every way perfect before your eyes. Try, if it will not be pleasant to you, to fall down before him and give him glory, to join your praises and triumphant songs to those of saints and angels: and how much more it will add to your satisfaction, to behold and acknowledge him exalted above all blessing and praise. How great delight hath been taken in him upon such accounts! In what transports have holy souls been, upon the view and contemplation of his sovereign power and dominion, his wise and righteous government, his large and flowing goodness that extends in common to all the works of his hands! Labour to imitate the ingenuous and loyal affection of this kind, whereof you find many expressions in the sacred volume. For what hath been matter of delight to saints of old, ought surely still to be as much accounted so. To give instances: You sometimes find them in a most complacential adoration of his wonderful wisdom and counsels. O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! And again, To God only wise be glory, through Jesus Christ for ever.b-To the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God be honour and glory for ever.-To the only wise God our Saviour be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, now and ever.d Elsewhere, we have them in transports admiring his Holiness.-Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods! Who is like thee, glorious in holiness !-There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none besides thee, neither is there any rock like our God! And this is recommended and enjoined to his holy ones, as the special matter of their joy and praise: "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." At other times, we have their magnificent celebrations of his glorious power, and that by way of triumph over the pagan gods: "Our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever he pleased. Their idols are silver and gold,""&c.-Be thou exalted, O God, in thine own strength. We will sing and praise thy power.i-Forsake me not, until I have shewed thy strength unto this gene a Rom. xi. 33. b Ibid. xvi. 27. h Ibid. cxv. c 1 Tim. i. 17. f 1 Sam. ii. 2. i Ibid. xxi. 13. |