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

4. And what will you say to the great obligations which the love and kindness of God have laid upon you? Will you not esteem your selves to have been thereby bound to place your love and delight on him? Could you decline doing so without putting a slight upon his love, who is infinite in what he is, and who is love? was not his love enough to deserve yours? The love of a God, that of a silly worm! Were you not obliged to love him back again, who was so much before-hand with you in the matter of love? ¹To love him who had loved you first? The first love is Therefore perfectly free; the latter is thereby certainly obliged and become bounden duty. How variously and with how mighty demonstration hath that love expressed and evidenced it self? It hath not glanced at you, but rested on you, and settled in delight. He hath so stood affected towards the people of his choice, and put a name on them on purpose to signify his delight in them.² He rejoices over them with joy, ³and rests in his love to them. ⁴The Lord taketh pleasure in his people. ⟨p. 262⟩His delights have from of old been with the Sons of men. ⁵Could He delight in such as you, and cannot you in him? Be amazed at this! How mean an Object had he for his delight! How glorious and enamouring a one have you! Excellency and Love in conjunction! whereas in you were met Deformity and ill-will! He hath loved you so as to remit to you much. To give to you and for you a great deal more, Himself and the Son of his delights. He then (thou shouldst recount) did invite thee to delight in him who hath always sought thy good, done strange things to effect it, takes pleasure in thy prosperity and exercises loving kindness towards thee with delight? Who contrived thy Happiness; wrought out thy Peace at the expense of Blood, even his own; Taught thee the way of Life, cared for thee all thy days, hath supplied thy wants, born thy burdens, eased thy griefs, wiped thy tears. And if now he say to thee; After all this couldst thou take no pleasure in me? Will not that confound and shame thee? He hath expressed his love by his so earnest (and at last successful) endeavours to gain thine. By this, that he hath seemed to put a value on it; and that he desisted not till in some degree he had won it: