510 CHARACTER OF A SOUND, duty which he is taken up with, nor any mere creature that is his content ; but it is God in creatures and ordinances that he seeketh, and liveth Upon; and therefore it is that religion is so pleasant to him. He would not change his heavenly delights which he findeth in the exercise of faith, and hope, and love to God, for all thecar-. nal pleasures of this world he had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents or palaces of wickédness. A day in God's court is better to him,than a thousand in the court of the greatest prince on earth. He is not a stranger to " the joy in the Holy Ghost," in which the kingdom of God doth in part consist ; Rom. xiv. 17. Psal. lxxxiv.10. 2. lxv. 4. " In the multitude of his thoughts within him, the comforts 'of God do de- light his soul ; " Psal. xciv. 19. "His meditationof God issweet, andhe is glad in the Lord ; " Psal. civ. 34. The freest and sweetest ofhis thoughts and words run out upon God and the matters of sal- vation. The word of God is sweeter to him than honey, and better than thousands of gold and silver ; Psal. xix. 10. cxix. 72. 103. Prov. xvi. 24. And because " his delight is in the lawofthe Lord, therefore doth he meditate in it day and night ; " Psal. i. 2. He seeth.great reason for all those commands, "Rejoice evermore ; " (1 Thes. v. 16.) "Let the righteous be glad,let them rejoice be- fore God ; yea, let them exceedingly rejoice ; " (Psal. lxviii. 3, 4. lxiv. 10. xxxi. 1. xxxii. 11.) "Be glad in the . Lord, and re- joice, ye righteous ; and shout for joy; all that are . upright in heart." He is sorry for the poor, unhappy . world, that have no - better things than meat, and drink, and clothes, and house, and land, and money, and lust, and play, and domineering over others, to rejoice in; and heartily he wisheth they had but a taste of the saint's delights, that it might make them spit out their luscious, un- clean, unwholesome pleasures. One look to Christ, one promise of the gospel, one serious thought of the life which he must live with God forever, doth afford his soul more solid comfort than all the kingdoms of the earth can afford. And though he live not continually in these high delights, yet peace with God, and peace of conscience, and some delight in God and godliness, is the ordi- nary temperature of his soul, and higher degrees are given him in season for his cordials and his feasts. 2. But the weak. Christian bath little ofthese spiritual delights : his ordinary temper is to apprehend that God and his ways are in- deed most delectable : his very heart acknowledgeth that they are worthiest and fittest to be the matter ofhis delights ; and if he could attain assurance of his especial interest in the love of God, and his part in Christ and life eternal, he would then rejoice in them in- deed, and would be more glad than if he were lord of all the world ;. but in the mean time, either his fears and doubts are darnp-
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