light to make mention of his name, and to make our boaft in his praife, even among thofe that fear him not, and know him not; and to render our goodness and our devotion exemplary, in proportion to the vices and the irreligion of others? Finally, whether our love of life, and our complacence in the good things of it, flackens every day, and even our dread of death is in fome meafure vanquifhed; and we do, whilft we are contemplating the joys of another ftate, almost defire to be diffoved, and to be with Chrift, and groan under thofe earthly clogs and bars, that incumber and obstruct us in our flight towards him, and hinder our mind from exerting with freedom all its faculties and powers, on the fupreme objects of its defires, hopes, and endeavours? When we perceive ourselves to be after this manner rooted and grounded in love, and to abound in thefe genuine and bleffed fruits of it; behold! then is our fpirit advanced to the nearest degree or union with the great father of fpirits, of which it is capable on this fide heaven: and we are indeed (according to what is faid of faithful brahim in holy writ) the friends of God.

Thus have I fhewn you, what it is to acquaint ourfelves with God, and wherein this acquaintance chiefly confifts; to wit, in an intimate knowledge of him, a frequency of access to him, a confor mity and likeness of temper and manners;an hum'ble and implicit reliance upon him, and an ardent affection of foul towards him. I proceed now, in the

Id Place, to confider, how reafonable, defirable, and neceffary a thing it is, thus to acquaint VOL. II. ourfeives

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ourselves with God, as on many other accounts, fo particularly on this; that it is the only true way towards attaining a perfect tranquillity and reft of mind; "acquaint thyfelf with him and be at peace.

Honour, profit, and pleafure, are the three great idols, to which the men of this world bow ; and one, or all of which is generally aimed at in every human friendship they make and yet tho' nothing can be more honourable, profitable, or pleafing to us, than an acquaintance with God, we ftand off from it, and will not be tempted even by these motives, tho' appearing to us with the utmoft advantage, to embrace it.

Can any thing improve, and purify, and exalt our natures more than fuch a converfation as this, wherein our spirits, mounting on the wings of contemplation, faith, and love, afcend up to the first principle and caufe of all things, fee, admire, and tafte his furpaffing excellence, and feel the quickening power and influence of it, till we ourselves, thus "with open face beholding, as in a glafs, the glory of the Lord, are changed" (gradually, and infenfibly changed)" into the fame image, from glory to glory," from one degree of perfection and likenefs to another? What an honour is it to us, that God should admit us into fuch a bleffed participation of himself? that he fhould give us minds capable of such an intercourfe with the fupreme, universal mind? and fhall we be capable of it, without enjoying it?

In what converfation can we spend our thoughts and time more profitably, than in this? to whom can we betake ourselves, with greater expectations

to fucceed in our addreffes? upon whom can we rely with more fecurity and confidence? is he not our most munificent Benefactor, our wifeft Counfellor, and moft potent Protector and Friend? both able and willing to do every thing for us, that it becomes either us to afk, or him to grant. Are not the bleffings both of this world and the next in his difpofal? and is not his favour and good-will the only fure title that we can plead to them? and fhall we spend our time therefore in cultivating useless and perifhing acquaintances here below, to the neglecting that which is of the vafteft concern to us, and upon which our everlafting welfare depends? Shall we not rather fay, with St. Peter, "Lord, to whom fhall we go? "thou haft the words of eternal life."

O! the fweet contentment, the tranquillity and profound reft of mind that he enjoys, who is a friend of God, and to whom God [therefore] is a friend; who hath gotten loose from all meaner purfuits, and is regardless of all lower advantages, that interfere with his great defign of knowing and loving God, and being known and beloved by him; who lives as in his fight always, looks up to him in every step of his conduct, imitates him to the best of his power, believes him without doubt, and obeys him without referve; defires. to do nothing but what is agreeable to his will, and refolves to fear nothing beyond, or befide his difpleasure; In a word, who hath refigned all his paffions and appetites to him; all his faculties and powers; and given up his foul to be poffeffed by him, without a rival. Surely such an one háth within his breaft, that divine "peace which paffeth

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"all

"all understanding is inconceivable by thofe who are ftrangers to it, and unutterable even by thofe upon whom it refts. In vain doth the scornful voluptuary afk for an account of it, which can never be given him; for it hath no alliance with any of the pleafures of fenfe, in which he delights; nor hath he any ideas, by which the perception of it may be conveyed to him. It may make the prophets challenge and fay, "To what will you

liken me? and wherewithal will you compare "me?" This peace is to be underflood, only by being enjoyed; and fuch an "Acquaintance with "God" as the text recommends, is the only means of enjoying it. But I haften, in the

IIId and laft place, to fhew, That the most proper feafon for fuch a religious exercife of our thoughts, is, when any fore trouble or calamity overtakes us," Aquaint thyfelf NOW when with him," faid Eli haz to Jah; that is, Now, when the wife difpofer of all things hath thought fit to pour out afflictions upon thee; then that peace, or fweet calm and repofe of mind, which the text mentions, is moft needful for thee; and is always, and only to be had from the fame hand, that wounded thee.

At fuch times our foul is most tender and fufceptible of religious impreflions, most apt to "feek God, to delight in approaching him," and converfing with him, and to relifh all the pleasures and advantages of fuch a spiritual commerce. The kind, and chi f defign of God, in all his fevereft difpenfations, is. to melt and foften our hearts to fuch degrees, as he finds neceffary, in in order to the good purpofes of his grace?

and

and fo to difpofe and prepare them every way, as that they may become fit manfions for his holy fpirit to dwell in ; to wean us gently and gradually from our complacence in earthly things, which we are too apt to reft in though we are fure that we must one day part with them; to convince us of the vanity of all the fatisfactions which this world affords, and to turn our thoughts and expectations towards the joys of another.

We are, by nature, indigent creatures, unca, pable of ourselves to content and fatisfy ourselves; and therefore are ever looking abroad for fome what to fupply our defects and complete our hap pinefs. To this end, our wills and affections run out after every feeming good here below; but return empty and unfatisfied always from the purfuit, and therefore cannot but fuggeft to us the thought and poffefs us with the defire of fome higher good, which is their only adequate object, and in which alone true joys are to be found But we have the most feeling fenfe and experience of this truth, when the hand of God lies beavy upon us: Then we plainly difcern our own infufficiency and weaknefs, and yet fee nothing about or near us, that can afford us any real relief: and therefore we fly to Him, who only can, who is rich in mercies, and mighty to fave: both able and willing to stretch himself out to all our wants, and to fill our emptinefs. Even they, who in their profperity forget God, do yet remember and turn to him when adverfity befals them: They, who, whilft the courfe of things goes fmoothly and happily on, and every paffion of theirs is entertained, every with is gratified,