A treatise of delighting in God from Psal. xxxvij. 4. Delight thy self also…

As to himself it's end. It finds upon reflection, it was dead towards God, without motion towards him, without inclination, all it's powers bent and set quite another way; So that to persuade it to begin a course of holy motion towards God, was a like thing as to persuade a stone to fly upwards. It could not trust the original Truth, nor love the sovereign Good, nor obey the supreme Authority. Its course was nothing else but continual recession from him, towards whom it should have been continually pressing forward with all its might. It was wont to say to him, in whom was its life and all its hope, Depart from me, I desire not the knowledge of thy ways; was utterly alienated from the life of God, and did choose to live as without him in the world. And although it still remain thus in too great a degree, yet as it abhors this as an hateful way of living, and desires it may be otherwise; so is it sensibly delightful that it doth in some degree perceive a change; That now it can find it self returning into its right and natural state of subordination to God. Which while it was out of it, laid that claim to it, that its dislocation was uneasy, and it could have no rest; though it was not aware what the matter was with it, and could never throughly apprehend, that it ought (much less could desire or aim) to return.

As to himself it's end. It finds upon reflection, it was dead towards God, without motion towards him, without inclination, all it's powers bent and set quite another way; So that to perswade it to begin a course of holy motion towards God, was a like thing as to perswade a stone to fly upwards. It could not trust the original Truth, nor love the soveraign Good, nor obey the supream Authority. Its course was nothing else but continual recession from him, towards whom it should have been continually pressing forward with all its might. It was wont to say to him, in whom was its life and all its hope, Depart from me, I desire not the knowledg of thy ways; was utterly alienated from the life of God, and did chuse to live as without him in the world. And although it still remain thus in too great a degree, yet as it abhors this as an hateful way of living, and desires it may be otherwise; so is it sensibly delightful that it doth in some degree perceive a change; That now it can find it self returning into its right and natural state of subordination to God. Which while it was out of it, laid that claim to it, that its dislocation was uneasie, and it could have no rest; though it was not aware what the matter was with it, and could never throughly apprehend, that it ought (much less could desire or aim) to return.