can we find in converfes with fenfual worldlings? All we can carry away out of fuch company is guilt or grief. «All my delight (faith "David) is in the faints, and in the excellent of the earth, which "excel in virtue," Pfal. xvi. 3. And their fociety would certainly be much more fweet, and defirable, than it is, did they live more in communion with God than they do. There was a time when the communion of the faints was exceeding lovely, Mal. iii. 16. Acts ii. 46, 47. the Lord restore it to its primitive glory, and sweetness. Infer. 4. What an unspeakable mercy is converfion, which lets the foul into fuch a flate of fpiritual pleasure?

Here is the beginning of your acquaintance with God, the first tale of spiritual pleasures, of which there fhall never be an end. All the time men have spent in the world in an unconverted state, hath been a time of eftrangement and alienation from God; when the Lord brings a man to Chrift, in the way of converfion, he then begins his first acquaintance with God. Job xxii. 21. “Ac"quaint now thyfelf with him, and be at peace, thereby good shall "come unto thee." This is your firft acquaintance with the Lord, which will be a growing thing; every vifit you give him, in prayer increaseth your acquaintance, and begets more intimacy, and humble, holy familiarity betwixt him and you. And, O what a paradife of pleasure doth this let the foul into! the life of religion abounds with pleafures, Pfal. xvi. 11. "All his ways are ways of "pleafantnefs, and his paths are peace," Prov. iii. 17. Now you know where to go, and unload any trouble that preffeth your hearts; whatever prejudices and fcandals Satan, and his inftruments, caft upon religion; this I will affirm of it, that that man muft neceffarily be a stranger to true pleasure, and empty of real comfort, who is a ftranger to Chrift, and the duties of communion with him. It is true, here is no allowance for finful pleasures, nor any want of fpiritual pleasures. Blefs God, therefore, for converting grace, you that have it, and lift up a cry to heaven for it, you that want it.

Infer. 5. Laftly, If there be fo much delight, and pleasure in our imperfect, and often interrupted communion with God here; O then, what is heaven! what are the immediate vifions of his face in the perfect ftate? 1 Cor. ii. 9. "Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither "have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath "prepared for them that love him." You have heard glorious, and ravifhing reports, in the gofpel, of that bleffed future state, things which the angels defire to look into. You have felt, and tafted joys unspeakable, and full of glory, in the actings of your faith, and love, upon Chrift; yet all that you have heard, and all that you have felt, and tafted in the way to glory, falls fo fhort of the perfection and bleffedness of that state, that heaven will, and must be a

great furprise to them that have now the greatest acquaintance with it. Though the prefent comforts of the faints are fometimes as much as they can bear, for they feem to reel, and ftagger, under the weight of them, Cant. ii. 5. "Stay me with flagons, comfort "me with apples, I am fick of love:" Yet, I fay, thefe high tides of pleasant joy, are but fhallows to the joys of his immediate prefence, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. And as they run not fo deep, fo they are not conftant, and continued, as they fhall be above; 2 Thef. iv. ult. "Ever with the Lord." And thus much for information. II. Ufe, for exhortation.

The laft improvement of this point will be by way of exhor

tation.

1. To believers.

2. To unbelievers.

Firft, Is this the privileged state, into which all believers are admitted by converfion? Then ftrive to come up to the highest attainment of communion with God in this world, and be not contented with just fo much grace as will fecure you from hell; but labour after fuch a height of grace and communion with God, in the exercise thereof, as may bring you into the fuburbs of heaven on earth.

Forget the things that are behind you, as to fatisfaction in them, and prefs towards the mark, for the prize of your high calling. It is greatly to your lofs, that you live at fuch a distance from God, and are fo feldom with him; think not the ableft ministers, or choicest books will ever be able to fatisfy your doubts and comfort your hearts, whilft you let down your communion with God to fo low a degree. O that you might be perfuaded now to hearken obediently to three or four neceffary words of counfel.

I. Counfel. Make communion with God the very level and aim of your fouls in all your approaches to him in the ordinances and duties of religion. Set it upon the point of your compafs, let it be the very thing your fouls defign; let the defires and hopes of communion with God be the thing that draws you to every fermon and prayer. Pfal. xviii. "One thing have I defired of the Lord, that "will Í feek after, that I may fee the beauty of the Lord, and en"quire after him in his temple." That was the mark David aimed at; and men's fuccefs in duties is ufually according to the fpiritual aims and intentions of their hearts in them: both fincerity and comfort lie much in men's ends.

II. Counfel. In all your approaches to God, beg and plead hard with him for the manifeftations of his love, and further communications of his grace. "Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice; "have mercy alfo upon me, and answer me. When thou faidft, "feek ye my face, my heart faid unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will Í

"feek. Hide not thy face far from me, put not thy fervant away "in anger," Pfal. xxvii. 7, 8, 9. How full and thick of pleas and arguments for communion with God was this prayer of David? Lord, I am come, in obedience to thy command; thou faidft, Seek ye my face, thou biddeft me come to thee, and wilt thou put away the fervant in anger? Thou haft been my help, I have had fweet experience of thy goodness, thou doft not ufe to put me off, and turn me away empty.

III. Counfel. Defire not comfort for comfort's fake; but comforts and refreshments for fervice and obedience fake; that thereby you may be strengthened to go on in the ways of your duty with more cheerfulness, Pfal. cxix. 32. "Then will I run the ways of "thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart." As if he fhould fay, O Lord, the comforts thou fhalt give me, shall be returned again in cheerful fervices to thee. I defire them as oil to the wheels of obedience, not food for my pride.

IV. Counfel. As ever you expect to be owners of much comfort in the ways of your communion with God, fee that you are strict and circumfpect in the courfe of your converfations. It is the loofenefs and careleffness of our hearts and lives which impoverishes our fpiritual comforts A little pride, a little carelefinefs, dashes and fruftrates a great deal of comfort, which was very near us, almoft in our hands; to allude that, Hof. vii. 1. "When I would

have healed Ifrael, then the iniquity of Ephraim was disco"vered." So here, juft when the defire of thy heart was come to the door, fome fin ftept in the way of it. "Your iniquities "(faith God) have feparated between you and your God, and "" your fins have hid his face from you," Ifa. lix. 2. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is fenfible and tender; he hath quick refentments of your unkindneffes and offences. As ever, therefore, you expect comfort from him, beware of him, and grieve him

not..

Secondly, In the last place, this point speaks neceffary counsel and advice to unbelievers; to all that live eftranged from the life of tod, and have done fo from the womb, Pfal. lviii. 3. To you the voice of the Redeemer founds a fummons once more, "Be"hold, I ftand at the door and knock." O that at last you might be prevailed with to comply with the merciful terms propounded by him. Will you fhut out a Saviour bringing falvation, pardon and peace with him! Chrift is thy rightful owner, and demands poffeffion of thy foul: if thou wilt now hear his voice, thy former refufals fhall never be objected. If thou ftill reject his gracious offers, mercy may never more be tendered to thee; there is a call of Chrift which will be the laft call, and after that no more. Take heed what you do; if you ftill demur and delay, your damnation

is juft, inevitable, and inexcufable. Hear me, therefore, you unregenerated fouls, in what rank or condition foever providence hath placed you in this world, whether you be rich or poor, young or old, mafters or fervants, whether there be any stirrings of conviction in your confciences or not. For however your conditions in this world differ from each other at prefent, there is one common mifery hanging over you all, if you continue in that state of unbelief you are now fixed in.

And, 1. Hearken to the voice and call of Chrift, you that are exalted by providence above your poorer neighbours; you that have your heads, hands, and hearts full of the world; men of trade and bufinefs, I have a few folemn queftions to afk you this day.

(1.) You have made many gainful bargains in your time, but what will all profit you if the agreement be not made betwixt Christ and your fouls? Chrift is a treasure which only can enrich you, Mat. xiii. 44. Thou art a poor and miferable wretch, whatever thou haft gained of this world, if thou haft not gained Chrift, thou haft heaped up guilt with thy riches, which will more torment thy confcience hereafter, than thy eftate can yield thee comfort here.

(2.) You have made many infurances to fecure your floating eftates, which you call policies; but what infurance have you made for your fouls? Are not they expofed to eternal hazards? O impolitic man! to be fo provident to fecure trifles, and fo negligent in fecuring the richest treasure.

make

(3.) You have adjusted many accounts with men, but who shall up your accounts with God, if you be Chriftlefs? "What "thall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own "foul ?" Mat. xvi. 26. Say not, you have much business under your hands, and cannot allow time; you will have space enough hereafter to reflect upon your folly.

2. You that are poor, and mean in the world, what fay you, will you have two hells, one here, and another hereafter? No comfort in this world, nor hope for the next? Your expectations here laid in the duft, and your hopes for heaven built upon the fand? O if you were once in Chrift, how happy were you, tho' you knew not where to fetch your next bread! "Poor in the "world, but rich in faith; and heirs of the kingdom which God "hath promifed," James ii. 5. O bleffed ftate! If you had Chrift, you had then a right to all things, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. you had then a father to take care for you: But to be poor, and chriftless, no comfort from this world, nor hopes from the next; this is to be truly miferable indeed. Your very ftraits, and wants, fhould prompt you to the great duty I am now preffing on you; and methinks it fhould be matter of encouragement that the greatest

number of Chrift's friends, and followers, come out of that rank, and order of men, to which you belong.

3. You that are feamen, floating fo often upon the great deeps, you are reckoned a third fort of perfons between the living and the dead; you belong not to the dead, because you breathe, and fcarcely to the living, because you are continually fo near death. What think you, friends, have you no need of a Saviour? Do you live fo fecure from the reach and danger of death? Have your lives been fo pure, righteous, and innocent, who have been in the midft of temptations in the world abroad? Ponder that scripture, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. "Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor "adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with man"kind," &c. ponder it, I fay, and think whether you have not as great and preffing a neceffity of Jefus Chrift, as any poor fouls under heaven? You have had many temporal falvations from God, great and eminent deliverances, and will thefe fatisfy you? Is it enough that your bodies are delivered from the danger of the fea, though your fouls fink, and perish in the ocean of God's wrath for ever? If you will yet accept Chrift upon his terms, all that you have done shall be forgiven, Ifa. lv. 2. The Lord now calls to you in a still voice; if you hear his voice, well; if not, you may shortly hear his voice in the tempeftuous ftorms without you, and a roaring confcience within you. Poor man, think what an interest in Christ will be worth, wert thou now (as fhortly thou mayeft be) floating upon a piece of wreck, or fhivering upon a cold and defolate rock, crying, mercy, Lord, mercy! Well, mercy is now offered thee, but in vain wilt thou expect to find it, if thou continue thus to despise and reject it.

4. You that are aged and full of days, hearken to the voice of Chrift, God hath called upon you a long time: When you were young you faid, it is time enough yet, we will mind these things when we are old, and come nearer to the borders of eternity. Well, now you are old, and juft upon the borders of it; will you indeed mind it now? You have left the great concernments of your fouls to this time, this fhort, very fhort time: And do the temptations of your youth take hold upon your age? What! delay and put off Chrift ftill as you were wont to do? Poor creatures, you are almost gone out of time, you have but a short time to deliberate; what you do must be done quickly, or it can never be done. Your night is even come upon you when no man can work.

5. You that are young, in the bud or flower of your time, Chrift is a fuitor for your firft love; he defires the kindness of your youth; your fpirits are vigorous, your hearts tender, your affections flowing and impreffive, you are not yet entered into the