consent and agree with him upon the Mediator's terms,) yet it adds unspeakably to the pleasantness of this object, when we can reflect upon such characters in ourselves, that we may thence regularly conclude, he is thus actually related unto us, that is, that we have consented; that our relation to him immediately arises from the covenant of life and peace; that he hath entered into covenant with us, and so we are become his.

It is pleasant thus to behold and serve him as our Lord. How great is the emphasis of these words, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord!" To consider not only how well he deserves the acknowledgments and subjection of all, but also to find ourselves under the chosen and gentle bonds of perpetual service and devotedness to him, is certainly matter of very high delight and pleasure. But how infinitely delightful is it, to view and enjoy him as our portion! This seems very pertinent to the design of this Scripture, which, aiming to recall and draw in the hearts of godly persons from too earnest and envious lingerings after the enjoyments of worldly men, propounds what may be an over-balance to the imagined felicity of their state, and wherein they should more than equal them in point of enjoyment.

And should we single out this, as the object to be considered, (namely, God as a portion,) we should have two things to take notice of, that would render it most delectable, and wherein holy

hearts may acquiesce, and rest with fullest satisfaction: the sufficiency of it, the communicableness of it.

1. The sufficiency of it. This cannot but be every way complete and full; it being the allcomprehensive good, which is this portion: God all-sufficient!-the most eminent and known attributes of his being, so far as they can be communicated, having an ingrediency and concurrence in the happiness of his people therein.

2. The communicableness thereof. This proceeds from his bounty more peculiarly, and from his gracious inclination to do good and to make his boundless fulness overflow to the replenishing of thirsty longing souls, whom first it had allured, and caused so to long. But though the scope and order of the discourse in this Psalm did not directly seem to import more than a design of calling off the persons, here spoken of, from one sort of enjoyment to another, from a meaner and more empty to a better; yet it is to be considered, that the best and true enjoyment cannot be unaccompanied with duty, and that God is not otherwise to be enjoyed, than as he is obeyed; nor indeed are the notions of him as a Lord to be obeyed, and as a good to be enjoyed, entirely distinct, but are interwoven, and run into one another. We obey him, even in enjoying him; it being part of our enjoined duty to set our hearts upon him, as our best and highest good. And we enjoy him in obeying him; the advantage and benefit of his government being a real and most momentous part of

that good, which we enjoy from him and in him. He is our benefactor, even as he is our ruler; and is therein our ruler, as he proposes to us benefits, which he thereby binds us to accept; for even his invitations and offers are laws and formal bonds

of duty upon us. Even the act of delight itself, pitched upon him, is an act of homage.

Wherefore it will be fit to steer a larger course, than merely to consider him as a good commensurate to our partial appetites, which are apt to limit our apprehensions to this or that particular sort of good, and tincture them with a notion of delight, which, if it be not false and grossly carnal, may yet be much too narrow and unproportionable to the universal all-comprehending good. And though we shall not here go beyond the compass of delectable good, yet as there is no good (truly so called) which is not in or from the first goodness, so neither is there any capable of being gathered up into that sum, which is not delectable.

That we may here with the more advantage state the delectable good we are now to consider, it will be requisite to premise two things.

First, that all delightful enjoyment of God supposes some communication from him. Nothing can delight us, or be enjoyed by us, whereof we do not, in some way, or by some faculty or other, partake somewhat,-either by our external sense, sensitive appetite, fancy, memory, mind, will,and either in a higher or lower degree, for a longer or a shorter time, according as the delight is for kind, degree, or continuance. This is

plain in itself. And in the present case, therefore, of delighting in God or enjoying him, some communication or participation there must be, one way or other, according as is the enjoyment of him. It is necessary, that with the clearest and most penetrative light and power God come in upon the mind and heart, scatter darkness, remove prejudice, abolish former relishes, transfuse his own sweet savour through the soul. Proportionably to what is to be done, he communicates himself, as the event constantly shews, with all them that are ever brought to any real enjoyment of him. For we plainly see, that the same divine communication, which delights and satisfies, also procures that it may be desired and received; makes its own way, attempers and frames the soul to itself, and gives it the sweet relish and savour thereof, wherein God is actually enjoyed.

Secondly, That however God himself is truly said to be enjoyed or delighted in by holy souls, yet this communication is also a sort of mediate object of this delight or enjoyment.

These things being premised, it is now needful to inquire somewhat more distinctly, what that communication or communicable good is, which is the immediate matter of proper spiritual enjoyment to holy men in this world: for many have that phrase of speech, "enjoying God," often in their mouths, who do not understand what they mean by it; some even, who have real enjoyment of him,-to whom, though they

possibly taste the thing which they cannot express or form distinct conceptions of, it might be somewhat to their advantage to have it more clear to their apprehension, what it is that they immediately enjoy, when they are said to enjoy God, or by what he is to be enjoyed.

It is not a mere fancy (as too many profanely think, and are too apt to speak) that is the thing to be enjoyed. There have been those, who, comparing their own experience with God's promises and precepts, (the rule, by which men are to expect his gracious influence,) were capable of avowing it, rationally, to be some very substantial thing that they have enjoyed :-the sobriety of their spirits, the regularity of their workings, their gracious composure, the meekness, humility, denial of self, the sensible refresning, the mighty strength and vigour which hath accompanied such enjoyments, sufficiently proving to them that they did not hug an empty cloud, or embrace a shadow, under the name of enjoying God. Such expressions, as we find in the Book of Psalms (the sixteenth and many others), with sundry parts of Scripture besides, leave us not without instance,-expressions, that import nothing like flashy and flaunting bombast, no appearance of affectation, no pompous show of vain glory, no semblance of swelling words of vanity, but which discover a most equal, orderly, well-poised temper of mind, in conjunction with the highest delight and well-pleasedness in God. That rich and inimitable fulness of living sense