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

See then to the usual temper of your spirit; and do not think it enough, that you hope the great renewing change did sometime pass upon it; and that therefore your case is good and safe, and you may now take your ease and liberty; ⟨p. 310⟩But be intent upon this, to get into a confirmed growing spirituality, and that you may find you are in your ordinary course after the Spirit; ¹then will you savour the things of the Spirit; And then especially will the blessed God himself become your great delight, ²and your exceeding joy. Retire yourself from this world, draw off your mind and heart. This is Gods great rival. The friendship of this world is enmity to him, ³which is elsewhere said of the carnal mind; ⁴that is indeed the same thing, viz. a mind that is overfriendly affected towards this world, or not chastely; wherefore also in that fore-mentioned Scripture, they that are supposed and suspected to have made themselves, in that undue sense, friends of this world, are bespoken under the names of Adulterers and Adulteresses. You must cast off all other Lovers, if you intend delighting in God. Get up then into the higher region where you may be out of the danger of having your spirit ingulfed, and as it were, sucked up of the spirit of this world; or of being subject to its debasing, stupefying influence. Bear your self as the inhabitant of another country. Make this your mark and scope, that the temper of your spirit may be such, that the secret of the Divine Presence may become to you as your very element, wherein you can most freely breath and live, and be most at ease; and out of which you may perceive you cannot enjoy your self; and that what-ever tends to withdraw you from him, any extravagant ⟨p. 311⟩motion, the beginnings of the excursion, or the least departing step, may be sensibly painful and grievous to you. And do not look upon it as an hopeless thing you should ever come to this;