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

6. However all the acts and operations of true, and living Religion be in themselves delightful, yet apply your selves to the doing of them for an higher reason, and with a greater design than your own delight. Otherwise you destroy your own work therein, and despoil your acts of their substantial moral goodness, and consequently of their delightfulness also. That is not a morally good act, which is not referred to God, and done out of (at least) an habitual devotedness to him, so as that he be the supreme end thereof. You would therefore, by with-drawing and separating their reference to God, ravish from them their very life and soul; yea and perfectly nullify those of them that should be in themselves acts of Religion. So as that in respect of all your actions, that separation were unjust; and as to these that should be direct acts of Religion, impossible. Since therefore they are ⟨p. 214⟩only delightful as they are vital acts, proceeding from a principle of Divine Life; and that an habitual devotedness to God, is that very (comprehensive and most radical) principle; you should, by designing your own delight in them supremely, counter-act your self, and cross your own end; you should make them acts of Idolatry, not Religion; and set up your own self as the Idol of Jealousy, that receives the homage of them, instead of God: Whereby the unlawful pleasure which you would engross to your selves, will turn all to gall and wormwood, and be bitterness in the end.

6. However all the acts and operations of true, and living Religion be in themselves delightful, yet apply your selves to the doing of them for an higher reason, and with a greater design than your own delight. Otherwise you destroy your own work therein, and dispoil your acts of their substantial moral goodness, and consequently of their delightfulness also. That is not a morally good act, which is not refer'd to God, and done out of (at least) an habitual devotedness to him, so as that he be the supream end thereof. You would therefore, by with-drawing and separating their reference to God, ravish from them their very life and soul; yea and perfectly nullifie those of them that should be in themselves acts of Religion. So as that in respect of all your actions, that separation were unjust; and as to these that should be direct acts of Religion, impossible. Since therefore they are ⟨p. 214⟩