The divine life in three treatises

3. Our walking with God must be a work of some holy pleasure and delight. We may unwillingly be dragged into the presence of an enemy, and serve as drudges upon mere necessity or fear. But walking together is the loving and delightful converse of friends. When we take sweet counsel of the Lord, and set him always as at our right hand, and are glad to hear from him, and glad to speak to him, and glad to withdraw our thoughts from all the things and persons in the world, that we may solace our selves in the contemplations of his excellency, and the admirations of his Love and Glory, this is indeed to walk with God. You converse with him as with a stranger, an enemy, or your destroyer, and not as with God, while you had rather be far from him, and only tremble in his presence, ⟨p. 183⟩and are glad when you have done and are got away, but have no delight or pleasure in him. If we can take delight in our walking with a friend, a friend that is truly loving and constant, a friend that is learned, wise and holy! if their wise and heavenly discourse be better to us, then our recreations, meat, or drink, or clothes! what delight then should we find in our secret converse with the most high, most wise and gracious God! How glad should we be to find him willing and ready to entertain us? How glad should we be that we may employ our thoughts on so high and excellent an object? what cause have we to say, [My meditation of him shall be sweet, and I will be glad in the Lord, Ps. 104. 34. In the multitude of my thoughts within me (my sorrowful, troublesome, weary thoughts) thy comforts do delight my soul, Ps. 94. 19. Let others take pleasure in childish vanity, or sensuality, but say thou as David, Ps. 119. 14, 15, 16. [I have rejoiced in the ways of thy Commandments, as much as in all riches: I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways: I will delight my self in thy statutes, and will not forget thy Word.] Ver. 47. I will delight my self in thy commandments which I have loved] Let scorners delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge, (Prov. 1. 22.) but make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight: