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

To my much valued Friends, The Magistrates and other Inhabitants of Great-Torrington in Devon, with the several Worthy and Religious Persons and Families of my acquaintance in those Parts.

IT is likely that the Title of the following Treatise will put many of you (my dearly esteemed Friends) in mind, that sundry Sermons were preached twenty years ago among you upon this Subject. I had it indeed in design, to have given you some abstract of those Sermons; But searching among my Papers, could find none but so imperfect and broken Memorials as would be of little use for that purpose. And yet being desirous to present you with somewhat that might both be a testimony of my affection, and an advantage to you: And knowing this Subject was grateful to many, and affords what may be useful to all of you; I have for your sakes, applied my self to a re-consideration of it. Few passages or expressions, probably, will occur to you that you heard before; yet you will find the substance of the Doctrine the same: As from so plain a Text, it could not well but be, whosoever should have had the handling of it. The First Part is even altogether new, except the introductive suppositions in the beginning. Nor do I remember I then had more than one Discourse to you on that Subject, before the practical application of it. The other Part contains many things formerly delivered to you, though perhaps not in the same order, much less in the same words, ⟨image 5⟩whereto the short Notes in my hands could no way enable me.

IT is likely that the Title of the following Treatise will put many of you (my dearly esteemed Friends) in mind, that sundry Sermons were preach't twenty years ago among you upon this Subject. I had it indeed in design, to have given you some abstract of those Sermons; But searching among my Papers, could find none but so imperfect and broken Memorials as would be of little use for that purpose. And yet being desirous to present you with somewhat that might both be a testimony of my affection, and an advantage to you: And knowing this Subject was grateful to many, and affords what may be useful to all of you; I have for your sakes, applied my self to a re-consideration of it. Few passages or expressions, probably, will occur to you that you heard before; yet you will find the substance of the Doctrine the same: As from so plain a Text, it could not well but be, whosoever should have had the handling of it. The First Part is even altogether new, except the introductive suppositions in the beginning. Nor do I remember I then had more than one Discourse to you on that Subject, before the practical application of it. The other Part contains many things formerly delivered to you, though perhaps not in the same order, much less in the same words,