them, and is not often in that contemplative transport with Nebuchadnezzar, "Is not this great Babylon which I have built ?"

Both these are holy delight, or delight in God. In both whereof may be seen, added to the general nature of delight, a holy nature as the principle, inferring a powerful steady determination of the heart towards God, as the object and end which it ultimately tends to and terminates upon though, in the former way of delighting in God, the soul tends towards him more directly, in the latter (according as the acts may be to which the delight adheres,) more obliquely, and through several things that may be intermediate to that final and ultimate object. And both these may fitly be understood to be within the meaning of this text ;-which therefore we shall now consider apart and severally, but very briefly.

We begin with the latter of them. For though the former have, in some respect, an excellency in it above the latter, yet as the progress of nature in other creatures is by way of ascent, from what is more imperfect, to what is perfecter and more excellent: so is it with the communicated divine nature in the new creature, which puts itself forth first in more imperfect operations, the buddings, as it were, of that tree of life, which has its more florid blossoms and at length its ripe and fragrant fruit; or, (to come nearer the case,) inasmuch as the latter sort of delight has more in it of the exercise of spiritual sense, the other more of spiritual reason,

(since human creatures, that have natures capable of both sorts of functions, first exercise sense, and, by a slower and more gradual process, come on to acts of ratiocination afterwards,) so it is here, the soul, in which the divine life has taken place, first exercises itself in spiritual sensations; so that though, in the matter of delight, it is not destitute of the grateful relishes of things truly and spiritually delectable, yet the more formed and designed acts of holy delectation, in the highest object thereof, distinctly apprehended and pitched upon for that purpose, follow in their season; and these are preparations, and the essays of the new creature gradually and more indistinctly putting forth itself.

If therefore it be enquired, wherein the delight of this more imperfect sort consist, I answer, in the soul's sensation and relish of sweetness,in the holy quickening communications of God to it, by which he first forms it for himself,-and in the operations which it is hereby enabled to put forth towards him, while it is in the infancy or childhood of its christian state.

Nor, while we say the delight of this kind more properly belongs to the younger and more immature state of christianity, do we thereby intend wholly to appropriate or confine it to that state. For as, when a child is grown up to the capacity of exercising reason, it does not then give over to use sense, but continues the exercise of it also in its adult state, even as long as the person lives, (only in its infancy and childhood its life is more entirely a life of sense, though there are

early buddings of reason, that soon come to be intermingled therein,) so it is in this case also; that is, though there are sensations of delight and pleasure in religion, (and those more quick, confirmed and strong in more grown Christians,) yet these sensations are more single and more unaccompanied with the exercise of spiritual reason and judgment, and less come in that way with Christians in their minority, than with others, or with themselves afterwards.

That, therefore, which we are to understand ourselves called to, under the name of delighting in God, is, the keeping of our souls open to divine influences and communications,-thirsting after them, praying and waiting for them,-endeavouring to improve them, and co-operate with them, and to stir up ourselves to such exercises of religion, as are most suitable to our present state, together with an allowing and applying ourselves to stay and taste, in our progress and course, the sweetness and delightfulness of those communications and operations, whereof we have any present experience. For instance; when we find God at work with us and graciously dealing with our spirits, in order to humble them, to break and melt them under a sense of sin, to incline and turn them towards himself, to draw them to a closure with his Son the Redeemer, to a resignation and surrender of ourselves to him, upon the terms of his covenant and law of grace,-and when afterwards we find him framing our hearts, to a course of holy walking and conversation, to the denial of ungodliness

and worldly lusts, to a sober, righteous, and godly life in this present world, to the exercises of piety, sobriety, righteousness, charity, mercy, and now perhaps this or the like heavenly dictate occurs to us, "Delight thyself in the Lord," what does it import? what must we understand it to say or signify to us? Though this that has been mentioned, is not all that it signifies (as will be shewn hereafter,) yet thus much we must understand it does signify and say to us:"Thy only true delights are to be found in a course of religion, they are not to be expected from this world or thy former sinful course, but in exercising thyself to godliness, in receiving and complying with the divine discoveries recommended to thee in the gospel, and the influences of life and grace, which readily flow in upon the soul that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, and by which thou mayest be framed after the good and holy and acceptable will of God. Herein thou shalt find such pleasures and delights entertaining thy soul, thou wilt have no cause to envy wicked men their sensual delights, which they find in their sinful way-if thou wilt but observe what thou findest, and exercise thy sense to discern between good and evil,-and set thyself to consider, whether there be not more satisfying purer relishes of pleasure in mortifying the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, in denying thyself, in dying to this world, in living to God, in minding the things of another world, in giving up thyself

to the several exercises of a holy life, (watching, praying, meditating, &c.) in trusting in the Lord with all thy heart, in doing all the good thou canst in thy place and station,-in letting thy light so shine before men, that they seeing thy good works may glorify thy Father which is in heaven,-in contentment with that thou enjoyest, in patience under what thou sufferest in this world, in doing justice, in loving righteousness, and walking humbly with thy God, -than ever the vanishing pleasures of sin did or can afford."

Thus into these two things may be summed up all, which delighting in God imports:-1. The applying ourselves to those things, by the help of God's own communicated influence, wherein the matter of delight lies. 2. The reflecting upon the things themselves that are so delightful, and tasting actually the delectableness of them. And surely, if such words "Delight thyself in the Lord" say to us all this, they do not say nothing; nor do they say any thing impertinent, either to their own native import, or our state and condition in this world.

We proceed to speak of the more explicit delight in God, and shall therein consider the nature and modification of it.

1. Its nature-which, from what hath been said of delight in general, with the addition of holiness thereto, (which is the work of God's Spirit determining the act or faculty, to which it adheres towards God,) may be conceived thus, that it is