Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

J)'ireElions to Jeli!IJt in God. 1King. i. 27. And wiU God indetd dwtVon mth l ,.,;u he dwtU and walk._ wi.th fioful men' When t~e ~~·6s,~,•·:· Ueaven of Ht.tvem cannotcontaiff. him: Pfatrn·40. r6. Let thofe that {tt~ h1m ~ejoy.ce and be.glad .m 9· 3 ';:.: him , and 122• 1• Let usbe !liJd to go up tb tht houfe of tbt Loril, and )oyn With h" holy Atre\nbiies in his worfhip: Pfalm 46· 4• 'the jlrtamr of his Grace mak$ 'glad the City of God, the holy 'iabcrna· cltr of the mojl high: God irin the midjl of her; Jh< jiJaUnot be moved: 12• Delight yom fc!ves above all in the forethoughts and hope of the Glory which you fhall fee andCOJOY for ever. I do but name all thefc for your memory, becaufe they are before fpokc:n of m the D1reC\:tons for Love. . y. 4, Direct. 4· Vndcr nd how mttch thefe holy Ddighu~ are pltafin~ unto God, and how .muc~ he Dmli. 4; il fur his peoples pleafiert. or it much fiindereth the Joy of ~any. Chr1!bans, that they thmk 1t IS ~~;i~fu~"his again£\ the will of God, that fuch as they fhould fo much Rqoy~e, Or at Jca£1 that the~ apprehend fcmnts De· not how much he hath commanded it, and how great a duty lt IS, and how much pleahng ro the1r lights. God. Confider I· It is no't for nothing that the nature of man is made cap.lble of higher and larger deJigiJtJ, than th~ bruitijh feilfual nature: is: And ;'that in this we are made little lower than An~ Phil. ;. r. gels • Not is it for nothing that God hath made Dtlighrand Compl>cency the moll powerful corn. If~. 58. '•· ma~din~ alfecti<lri, and the tnd of all the o1her pallions, which .they protetredly fublerve and feek : [,~~ 5 ' 1 ': :,;. and tht: mofi natmal infeparable atfeCbon of the foul; there bemg none that defireth not delzgbt. Phi. 4 . 7 , 3· Nor is it in vain that God hath provided and otfered fuch plenty of. ~.ofi exc~lfent objet1J tOr ACts 14. r,. our Delight cfpe,ially himfelf, in his,.attributes, Love, Mer~y, Son•. Sp1r1~ and Kmgdom : whic? ~e~:·. 2/;,7;$. Bruits were not made to know .or to enJoy•. 4· N~rhath he g1ven us. m ~am_filCh exceUmt, co;z~em~ , Pet. I,J, 4 , 6 . ent and vari 11 tu helps, and infenour pn·parauons .wh1ch tend to our delight , even for body and mmd, Joh. 14 ., 6 , 26 • to further our Delight iHGod. 5· Nor is ir in v~in. thac he m~keth .u.s ye~ m?te necrly ~apa~Jc by his & t r. :<1 Spirit; even byatfe6\:ing humiliations and morhfymg, cleahfmg, 1IIuml~au~g and quJCknmg works: !f.~ 53· i· 4. Aod that the Kingdom of God confilleth in Righreoufnefs.• P<ace and JOY m the Hbly Ghol\ : And ~1,~.'; :: ~89· thar the fpirit harh underraken to be the comfoner of Behevers, who JS fcnt upon no low or need- Ifa. 55 . 1 • lefs work. 6. Nor did Chrill purchafe his peoples Joys in vain, by the price of his grievous futr". R"·· "· 1 7 ; ings and farrows. Having born our t,riejJ, and being made a man of forrowJ, that we that fie bimJtot 1 1hef. r.u, might rejoyce in belitving, n·itb jny unfPeak,.able and full of.glo'r)'• 7· Nor i~ ~t in vain thar. he hath Phi/. 4~!~ 16' filled his word with fuch matter of Dtlight and Comfort, m the gladdel\ !!dmgs that could come to pf. 1 J. 3l r. man, and in fuch free, and full, and faithful promifes~ ; 8. Nor hath he multiplied his commands ' Pet. 5· 7• for his Rejoycing and delight in vain ~ a~iih and again ·C\]mma:nding us to R.cjoyce, and aUwt~iu to ]oh. 5· 'i 0 • B.ejoyce. 9• Nor is it infignifican·t that he hath forbidden thofe worldly caret, and feat' I, and gricft which would devour their joyes." Nor that be bath fo clearly fhewed them the way to Joy, aoo blameth them if they walk uot irt it. to. He fillerh up their lives with mercies and matter of delight, by his dircd::ion, fupport, provifions, and difpofals: And all this in their way of rryal, and in che valley of tears, u. How tender is he of their fufferings and farrows ; not afflitl:ing willingly, nor delighting to grieve the Cons of men? 12•. He taketh not away their delight and comfort, iill they cafi it awafthemfelves, by ]inning, orJe/f-afflilling, or negleCJi11g his propo!Cd Plc:afures. 13. He ne~ ver faileth tt> meet them with hi< delightt while they walk in the way prefcribed to that end: unlcfs when it tendeth ~othcir grea~cr pleafure~· to haV~ fom~ prefent h1terruprion or the pJeaflJH'., 14.fn lf.:t,6~· 9·, their grc:ateft rlc:C:ds, when themfelves and orher helps mufi fail) he givdh them oft-titr.ei tl-le grearcH _i~i~r. z.. 7• joys. '5· And he takes their delights and farrows as if 1hey were his own. In all thtir ·at!licti- n1,:: 3j0'~·. ons be is af!licted, and he d'eligh~eih in their wellfare, and rejoyceth over them to do them good. & 10. ''· Cannot you fee the will of ,YOUr Father in all this? 16. If you cannot, yet lift up )'Our neads, and jf' 6•· '· forefee the eternal Ddighis Which lie: hath pr'epared for you , when yoq tlull emer into your J~h1· :z.4 1{' Mallers Joy : And then judgd whetbef <fod be for your Dtlight ? · 1 · i,· 8 • §. 5· Direct. 5• To~t JPe~i~l notice of tl;e 'Rta[ons "'.by God c,ommandttb.you to Dcligbt in him, and Direli. 5· confequently bowmuch of Ke~'%zon conft}tetb Jn #he[e DtlJghts. 1. Thou VJidiefi and d1lhonourefi him Rra.rous .tut if thou judge hitn not' the wbr'thie£1 for thy D~pghts. 2· If thou Delight not in him, thy Thought; 8~t' "' of God will be feldom or unwelcome and unp'leafant Thoughts. 3· And thy fpceches of him will be feldom, or hearrlefs, fotc~d· fpeeches; W~o knowerh not ~ow ~eadily our tbot~ghiJ and tongutt .. . do follow our Deltght? Be 1t Houfe, or Land, or Books, or Fnenels, or Actwns which are our de· Lxt:a. mDeo light, we need no force to bri.ng our thou~hts. to. t.hem. ~h~ world ling rhinks and rafitch of his ~~!1rf~n~;,~·;~ wealth and bufinefs; the PJ:OUd man of h1s d1gmtu~s and lionour, [he voluptuous beatl cf his lulls t~rris. Bucbott.: and fporrs, and meats and dnnks; becaufe theymoll delight in thefe. And fo mull the Chrillian of his '-"· <?od•. and Hopes, and Holy oufi~e~, as .being /,;, 'Jltlighl: 4· It will keep y.ou •."'"Y from Ho/;' dutru! m wh1ch you lhould have commun~on W1th God, 1f y~u h~ve no D~IJ~h1 m God 3nd them. ThiS makes fo manyneglect. bo,ri\ pubhck and. fetret worllitp,. becaufe they have no delight in ir; ~hen thofe that Deltght m .1.t are (fad~ m ~~kmgaH.opportumtJes •. 5• ~: wdl ~orrupt your judge~ menu, and draw you to thmk ~hat a hftle l~ .enough', and that fenoils d1hgencc 1s unnecdfary pre~ .cifencfs, and that one quarter of your duty is an excefs. A ma'n rhar hath noDelight in . God and Godlinefr, is eafily drawn to th_ink that littlt, ahU feldom, ana cold, and form,/, and i>earth[s; l({tlc[s Prcachmg and Praymg may ferve the' turn; at1d anf lip-f~rvice is acceptable to God ; and that more is. more ad'? tha~ nee.ds: An~ hence he w,~ll b~ furth~r • dri~n. to reproach, thqfe that go beyon.d h1m, to qu1et h1s own Confc1ence, and rave h1s own reputatton; and at (an to be a forlorn la ramtal reviler, hater _and perflcurer ?f the ferious holy wdrlhlpp'ers of Gpd. ]er, 6. 10 . Behold tbe word of tht Lord, "a reproa>:h lo ihem: thy ·Havi no dtlight iit'ii·:-Thert/orel T am f~tll ,j the f~try of tht Lord--- 6. If yoU Dlliglit n'ot in lr, you will do that wl\ich you ao wl1hour a heart, w'irh backwardneiS and wearinefs: as yo111 Oxe draWcth unwillingrj io the yoak, and is glad when you unyoa\<

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