Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A Soul-Refreshing Contemplation

Owen has a short catechism, or question and answer, on the worship of God. Here are a few words he says on delight.

"Now, this delight in the worship of God, so much commended in the Scripture, and proposed unto our example, consists not in any carnal, self-pleasing, or satisfaction in the outward modes or manner of the performance of divine worship; but it is a holy, soul-refreshing contemplation on the will, wisdom, grace, and condescension of God, in that he is pleased, of his own sovereign mere will and grace, so to manifest himself unto such poor sinful creatures as we are, so to condescend unto our weakness, so to communicate himself unto us, so to excite and draw forth our souls unto himself, and to give us such pledges of his gracious intercourse with us by Jesus Christ. By the contemplation of these things is the soul drawn forth to delight in God."-Owen Vol15 p.458