Thirdly, this delight shall be actual; and that is necessary to communion; for though there be delight, 1yet if it should lie dead in the habits, there is no communion: If two friends have habitual delight one in another, they are not said to have communion, but when it is actual, so this delight shall be actual; the nature of delight is to be lively and active, even in us, though it be but an affection in us; but God being a pure act, there will be an infinite activity in his delight, and it is always vigorous and fresh, so as God shall make the souls of his people to be sensible of the activity of his delight. Fourthly, this delight shall be mutual, it shall be on the Saints part, 2as well as on Gods part. As God delights in the persons of the Saints, so they delight in God himself, not in that they receive from God, but their ⟨p. 559⟩greatest delight is in the being of God himself; and as God delights in their glory, so they do delight in all the glory of God, in essential glory that they see in God, and in all the glory that is reflected upon God by his creatures; and they delight in his presence in being with him, and in his love, and in that they can give any glory to him; they delight in all they have, more because God hath glory by it, then in that themselves are blessed in it. And it is full likewise; the delight of the Saints of God is full, as 3well as the delight of God in the Saints is full; and that for the very same grounds that the delight of God in them is full; namely, The fullness of Gods delight in them is their relation to Christ; so the ground of their full delight in God is, because God is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and because they see their likeness in God; what ever excellency they have in themselves, they see it to be infinitely in God; and as God delights in them, because of his works he sees in them, so the Saints shall see all the good that ever they have done, does redound to the glory of God; howsoever, the works of Gods people for the present seem to be mean, yet it shall appear, all the gracious works of the people of God shall be the most glorious things in the world: For God shall own them for the setting out of his glory, as the greatest things in the world; and this should be an infinite encouragement to us, to be abundant in good works, because God will glorify our good works:
Thirdly, this delight shall be actual; and that is necessary to communion; for though there be delight, 1yet if it should lie dead in the habits, there is no communion: If two friends have habitual delight one in another, they are not said to have communion, but when it is actual, so this delight shall be actual; the nature of delight is to be lively and active, even in us, though it be but an affection in us; but God being a pure act, there will be an infinite activity in his delight, and it is always vigorous and fresh, so as God shall make the souls of his people to be sensible of the activity of his delight. Fourthly, this delight shall be mutual, it shall be on the Saints part, 2as well as on Gods part. As God delights in the persons of the Saints, so they delight in God himself, not in that they receive from God, but their ⟨p. 559⟩greatest delight is in the being of God himself; and as God delights in their glory, so they do delight in all the glory of God, in essential glory that they see in God, and in all the glory that is reflected upon God by his creatures; and they delight in his presence in being with him, and in his love, and in that they can give any glory to him; they delight in all they have, more because God hath glory by it, then in that themselves are blessed in it. And it is full likewise; the delight of the Saints of God is full, as 3well as the delight of God in the Saints is full; and that for the very same grounds that the delight of God in them is full; namely, The fulness of Gods delight in them is their relation to Christ; so the ground of their full delight in God is, because God is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and because they see their likeness in God; what ever excellency they have in themselves, they see it to be infinitely in God; and as God delights in them, because of his works he sees in them, so the Saints shall see all the good that ever they have done, does redound to the glory of God; howsoever, the works of Gods people for the present seem to be mean, yet it shall appear, all the gracious works of the people of God shall be the most glorious things in the world: For God shall own them for the setting out of his glory, as the greatest things in the world; and this should be an infinite encouragement to us, to be abundant in good works, because God will glorifie our good works:
- 13.
- 24.
- 35.
