_Direct._ III. Understand what there is in God and holiness, which is fit to be the soul's delight.--As, 1. Behold him in the infinite perfections of his being; his omnipotence, omniscience, and his goodness; his holiness, eternity, immutability, &c. And as your eye delighteth in an excellent picture, or a comely building, or fields, or gardens, not because they are yours, but because they are a delectable object to the eye; so let your minds delight themselves in God, considered in himself, as the only object of highest delight. 2. Delight yourselves also in his relative attributes, in which are expressed his goodness to his creatures: as his all-sufficiency, and faithfulness or truth, his benignity, his mercy, and compassion, and patience to sinners, and his justice unto all. 3. Delight yourselves in him as his glory appeareth in his wondrous works, of creation and daily providence. 4. Delight yourselves in him as he is related to you, as your God and Father, and as all your interest, hope, and happiness are in him alone. 5. Delight yourselves in him as his excellencies shine forth in his blessed Son. 6. And as they appear in the wisdom and goodness of his word, in all the precepts and promises of the gospel, Psal. cxix. 162; Jer. xv. 16. 7. Delight thyself in his image, though but imperfectly printed on thy soul; and also on his holy servants, Gal. ii. 20; 1 Cor. xv. 10; 2 Cor. vii. 18. 8. Delight yourselves in the consideration of the glory which he hath from all his creatures, and the universal fulfilling of his will: as the prosperity and happiness of your friend delighteth you, and the success of any excellent enterprises, and the praise of excellent things and persons, and as you have a special delight in the success of truth, and the flourishing order, and unity, and peace, and prosperity of kingdoms, especially of the church, much more than in your personal prosperity (unless you have selfish, private, base, unmanly dispositions); so much more should you delight in the glory and happiness of God. 9. Delight yourselves in the safety which you have in his favour and defence: and the treasury which you have in his all-sufficiency and love, for your continual supplies in every want, and deliverance in every danger; and the ground of quiet contentedness and confidence which is offered to fearful souls in him. 10. Delight yourselves in the particular discoveries of his common mercies to the world, and his special mercies to his saints; and his personal mercies to yourselves, from your birth to this moment; both upon your souls, and bodies, and friends, and name, and estates, and affairs in all relations. 11. Delight yourselves in the privilege you enjoy of speaking to him, and of him, and hearing from him, and adoring and worshipping him, and singing and publishing his praise, and in the communion which your souls may have with him through Christ, on his days, and at all times, in his sacraments, and in all your lives. And say as Solomon, 1 Kings viii. 27, "And will God indeed dwell on earth? Will he dwell and walk with sinful men? When the heaven of heavens cannot contain him." Psal. xl. 16, "Let those that seek him rejoice and be glad in him;" and cxxii. 1, let us be glad to go to the house of the Lord, and join with his holy assemblies in his worship. Psal. xlvi. 4, "The streams" of his grace "make glad the city of God, the holy tabernacles of the Most High: God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." 12. Delight yourselves above all in the forethoughts and hope of the glory which you shall see and enjoy for ever. I do but name all these for your memory, because they are before spoken of in the directions for love.
[Sidenote: How much God is for his servants' delights.]