We are allowed to delight in God, in his perfection as our entertainment, in his government as our confidence. We are commanded to delight in him. 'Delight thyself in the Almighty, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'* It is so much God's will we should do this, that he will grant us all we can ask for it;-what a bribing of us to our own happiness! Delight in God distinguishes the sincere soul from the hypocrite. Job asks concerning the latter-'will he delight himself in the Almighty.' + He may think of God with dread-mention him with apparent respect, serve him for an interest, and come to church for fashion, but as to delight in the nature, will, dominion, and providence of God, he is no such Friend as that comes to. Delight in God is described as actually enjoyed by the Friends of God, thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and wine increased.' 'I will go to God, to God my exceeding great joy.' 'The peace of God || which passeth all understanding, keeps their hearts and minds, § and subsists in the absence of other enjoyments. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet will I rejoice in the Lord.-I will joy in the God of my salvation.' ¶ In human friendships the delight is supposed to be mutual-But you will ask, can it be thus in the divine? That a poor creature surrounded with necessities, oppressed with fears, encompassed with dangers and obnoxious every hour to death, should be willing to delight in the eternal and all-sufficient God is in no way strange-But can He, the lofty, holy, happy Jehovah, can He delight in so mean, polluted and wretched a thing as man? I must answer this query in the language of scripture, for no other authority will be taken. "The upright are his delight.'* 'The Lord delighteth in thee, thy God shall rejoice over thee.' † 'His countenance doth behold the upright.' ‡ Here is the idea of that special attention we give to any object that particularly pleases us-'the prayer of the upright is his delight.'§ 'He hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants.' || 'The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.' Such language is sufficient to overwhelm us with gratitude and amazement, the condescension and goodness of it are unequalled and infinite. * Proverb xi. 20. ? Proverb. xv. 18. + Isaiah lxii. 4, 5. + Psalm xi. 7. ¶ Psalm cxlvii. 11. D SECTION III. Some further articles of this friendship, or, by which we approve ourselves Friends of God, viz :DEVOTIONAL INTERCOURSE, CHEERFUL SERVICE, PERSEVERING AND UNCHANGEABLE CONSTANCY IV. DEVOTIONAL INTERCOURSE. This naturally follows from that delight in God which was before spoken of—' delighting in the Almighty, and calling upon God,'* are mentioned in connection; the one being supposed to produce the other, we cannot long refrain the converse of them that we delight in, complacency in the heart will respire through the lips, and where God is the object, will teach the tongue the language of adoration, prayer, gratitude and trust. God expects that agreeably to the laws of Friendship, we come near him, even to his seat and tell him what it is that we desire, hope or fear; this is called in the Psalms, a pouring out of the heart before God—‘trust in him at all times ye people, pour out your hearts before him.' + Not that God wants any information from us as to our circumstances, prospects, or state of spirit, for he knows our work and our labour, and our patience; knows every thing in and about us; but that he accounts such communication suitable to the dependence we place upon him and the love we bear to him. As God expects our devotional intercourse *Job xxvii. 10. + Psalm lxii. 8. with him, so he commands it. Call upon me in the day of trouble.' || He encourages it-by the notice he takes of it and the manner in which he speaks of the several branches of it, what we say of him he dignifies with the name of praise, and accounts our impotent breath an addition to his transcendent glory-whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." Our prayer is so highly acceptable to him that he takes one of his titles from his readiness in hearing it--' O thou that hearest prayer. Our tears whether of penitence or grief he is said to put into his bottle' and the sighs which escape us from oppressing affliction, or our inexpressible gratitude come up before him. § God encourages our devotional intercourse with himself by the provision he has made for it, he has erected a throne of mercy and placed before it his own Son in the character of mediator; who the better to compassionate our infirmities, was himself made a partaker of humanity, and went before us in the road of temptation and suffering and through the gates of death. We are directed to come with boldness to this throne, || because God who sits upon it, and Jesus who intercedes before it, are both our friends, and for the same reason we may come with boldness to the throne of glory and of judgment. This devotional intercourse with God is a grand characteristic of a good man—‘the wicked call not upon God,'¶ 'they restrain prayer before I'll Psalm 1. 15. * ? Psalm xii. 5. Psalm 1. 23. + Psalm lxv. 2. + Psalm lvi. 8. Hebrews iv. 16. ¶ Psalm xiv. 4. him '* from them no thanks that God is at hand to be praised or prayed to, to inspect them, or receive the expressions of their duty to him, his presence creates no joy to them. Give me a corner, wrap me in a cloud, encompass me with darkness, says the sinner-all intercourse with the Deity must, by some means or other be intercepted-'Cause the holy one of Israel to cease from before us,' † said a lawless and rebellious people to their prophet,―remove the glorious object out of sight, his brightness and purity confound us. But it is the consolation and triumph of the righteous that God is ever near, that his omnipresence admits of devotional intercourse at all times, and that no circumstance or place can preclude a loyal and confidential address to heaven. I shall only under this head exhibit the royal psalmist as an example of that converse with God which I am describing as a branch of Friendship with God. As for me I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me; evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice.' He resolved, that in this most noble and most pleasing employment, he would prevent the morning, and that he would wait for God to speak to him, and do homage at his throne more than they waited for its earliest beams. 'I say more than they that wait for the morning.' § Nay, midnight was to be witness to * Job xv. 4. Psalm lv. 16. 17. + Isaiah xxx. 4. ? Psalm cxxx. 5, 6. |