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doth this. Every atheist who is not mad, must | This puts a seriousness and life into the faith confess that there is an eternal being, that had no and holy affections of the believer. He knows beginning or cause; the question is only, which whom he trusteth. He knows whom he loveth, this is? Which ever it is, it is this that is the and in whom he hopeth. Atheists, and ungodtrue God. What now would the atheist have ly men, practically judge of God as the true it to be? Certainly it is that Being that hath believer judges of the world. The atheist takes being itself from none, that is the first cause of the pleasures of the world to be the only suball other beings; and if it causes them, it must stance; and God to be but as a shadow, a notion, necessarily be every way more excellent than or a dream. The godly take the world to be they, and contain all the good that it hath caused; as nothing, and know it is but a fancy and dream, for none can give that which he hath not to give ; and shadow of pleasures, honour, profit, and fenor make that which is better than itself; that licity, that men talk of, and seek so eagerly bebeing that hath made so glorious a creature as low; but that God is the substantial object and the sun, must needs itself be much more glorious. portion of the soul. If you put into the mouth It could not have put strength and power into of a hungry man, a little froth, or breath, or air, the creatures, if it had not itself more strength and bid him eat it, and feed upon it, he will tell and power. It could not have put wisdom and you, he finds no substance in it; so judges the goodness into the creature, if it had not more graceless soul of God, and so judges the gracious wisdom and goodness than all they. Whatever soul of the creature, as separated from God. it is therefore that hath more power, wisdom and goodness than all the world besides, that is it which we call God. That cause that hath communicated to all things else, the being, power, and all perfections which they have, is the God whom we acknowledge and adore. If atheists will ascribe all this to atoms, and think that the motes made the sun; or if others will think that the sun is God, because it participates of so much of his excellency, let them be mad a while, till judgment shall convince them. So clear beyond all question to my soul, is the being of the Godhead, that the devil hath much lost the rest of his subtle temptations, when he hath foolishly and maliciously adjoined this, to draw me to question the being of my God, which is more than to question whether there be a sun the firmament.

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Let this be the impression on thy soul, from the consideration of God's transcendent being; O look upon thyself and all things as not being without him; and as nothing in comparison of him! Therefore let thy love to them be as nothing, and thy desires after them, and care for them, as nothing; but let the being of thy love, desire, and endeavours, be let out upon the transcendent being. The creature hath its kind of being; but if it would be to us instead of God, it will be as nothing. The air hath its being, but we cannot dwell in it, nor rest upon it to support us as the earth doth. The water hath its being, but it will not bear us, if we would walk upon it. The name of the great Jehovah is, 'I am. Try any creature in thy need, and it will say, as Jacob to Rachel, Am I in God's stead, that hath withheld thy desire from thee?'

But what is the impress that the being of God Send to it, and it will say as John Baptist, who must make upon the soul?

confessed I am not the Christ. Let none of I answer, from hence, the holy soul discerns all the affections of thy soul have so much life that the beginning and the end of his religion, and being in them, as those that are exercised the substance of his hope, is the being of beings, upon God. Worms and motes are not regarded and not a shadow; and that his faith is not a in comparison of mountains; a drop is not refancy. The object is as it were the matter of garded in comparison of the ocean. Let the the act. If our faith, hope, love, and fear, be being of God take up thy soul, and draw off thy exercised in a delusory work, God is to the observation from deluding vanities, as if there atheist but an empty name; he feels no life or were no such things before thee. When thou being in him; and accordingly he offers him a rememberest that there is a God, kings and noshadow of devotion, and a nominal service. But bles, riches and honours, and all the world, should to the holy soul there is nothing that hath life be forgotten in comparison of him; and thou and being but God, and that which receives a shouldst live as if there were no such things, if being from him, and leads to him. This real God appear not to thee in them. See them as object puts a reality into all the devotions of a if thou didst not see them, as thou seest a candle holy soul. They look upon the vanities of the before the sun; or a pile of grass, or particle of world as nothing; therefore they look on worldly dust, in comparison with the earth. Hear them as men as on idle dreamers that are doing nothing. I if thou didst not hear them; as thou hearest the

a clap of thunder. As greatest things obscure the least, so let the being of the infinite God so take up all the powers of thy soul, as if there were nothing else but he, when any thing would draw thee from him. O if the being of this God were seen by thee, thy seducing friend would scarcely be seen, thy tempting baits would scarcely be seen, thy riches and honours would be forgotten; all things would be as nothing to thee in comparison of him.

CHAP. III.

As the being of God should make this impression on thee, so the attributes that speak the perfection of that being must each one have their work; as his unity or indivisibility, his immensity and eternity.

leaves of the shaken tree, at the same time with tices. When holiness brings these distracted, scattered souls to God, in him they will be one. While they cavil at holiness, and cry up unity, they show themselves distracted men. For holiness is the only way to unity, because it is the agreement of the soul with God. All countries, and persons cannot meet in any one interest or creature, but each hath a several interest of his own; but they might all meet in God. If the pope were God and had his perfections, he would be fit for all the church to centre in; but being man, and yet pretending to this prerogative of God, he is the grand divider and distracter of the church. The proverb is too true; so many men, so many minds,' because that every man will be a god to himself, having a self-mind and self-will, and all men will not yield to be one in God. God is the common interest of the saints; and thereof all that are truly saints, are truly united in him. If all the visible church, and all the world, would heartily make him their common interest, we should quickly have a common unity and peace, and the temple of doublefaced Janus would be shut up. They that sincerely have one God, have also one Lord and Saviour, one faith, one spirit, one baptism; (or holy covenant with God) even because they have one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in them all.' Therefore they must keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,' though yet they have different degrees of gifts, and therefore differences in opinion about

The thought of God's Unity should contract and unite thy straggling affections, and call them home from multifarious vanity. It should possess thy mind with deep apprehensions of the excellency of holy unity in the soul and in the church; and of the evil of division, and misery of distracting multiplicity. The Lord our God is one God.' Perfection hath unity and simplicity. We fell into divisions and miserable distraction when we departed from God unto the creatures, for the creatures are many, and of contrary qualities, dispositions, and affections; and the heart that is set on such an object, must needs be a divided heart; and the heart that is divided among so many and contrary or discord-abundance of inferior things. The further we ant objects, must needs be a distracted heart. The confusions of the world confound the heart that is set upon the world. He that makes the world his god, hath so many gods, and so discordant, that he will never please them all; and all of them together will never fully content and please him. And who would have a God that can neither please us, nor be pleased? He that makes himself his god, hath a compounded god (and now corrupted) of multifarious, and now of contrary desires, as hard to please as any with There is no rest or happiness but in unity; and therefore none in ourselves or any other creature; but in God, the only centre of the soul. The further from the centre, the further from unity. It is only in God that differing minds can be well united. Therefore is the The unity of God is the attribute to be first world so divided, because it is departed so far handled and imprinted on the mind, even next from God. Therefore have we so many minds unto his essence; The Lord our God is one and ways, and such diversity of opinions, and Lord.' The unity of the church is its excelcontrariety of affections, because men forsake the lency and attribute, that is first and most to be centre of unity. There is no uniting in any esteemed and preserved next unto its essence. If worldly, carnal, self-devised principles, or prac-it be not a church, it cannot be one church; and

out us.

go from the trunk or stock, the more numerous and small we shall find the branches. They are one in God, that are divided in many doubtful controversies. The weakest therefore in the faith must be received into this union and communion of the church; but not to doubtful disputations. As the ancient baptism contained no more than our engagement to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, so the ancient profession of saving faith was of the same extent. God is sufficient for the church to unite in. A union in other articles of faith is so far necessary to the unity of the church, as it is necessary to prove our faith and unity in God, and the sincerity of this ancient, simple belief in God the Father, Son, and Spirit.

if we be not saints, we cannot be united saints. If we be not members, we cannot make one body. But when once we have the essence of saints and of a church, we must next be solicitous for its unity; nothing below an essential point of faith will allow us to depart from the catholic unity, love, and peace that is due to saints; and because such essentials are never wanting in the catholic church, or any true member of it, therefore we are never allowed to divide from the catholic church, or any true and visible member. It is first necessary that the church be a church, that is, a people separated from the world to Christ; and that the Christian be a Christian in covenant with the Lord. But the next point of necessity is, that the church be one and Christians be one. He that for the sake of lower points, how true soever, will break this holy bond of unity, shall find at last, to his shame and sorrow, that he understood not the excellency or necessity of unity. The prayer of Christ for the perfection of his saints is, 'that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me : and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me.' Here it appears that the unity of the church or saints is necessary to convince the world of the truth of Christianity, and of the love of God to his people, and necessary to the glory and perfection of the saints. The nearer any churches or members are to the divine perfections, and the more strictly conformable to the mind of God, the more they are one, and replenished with catholic love to all saints, and desirous of unity and communion with them. It is a most lamentable delusion of some Christians that think their ascending to higher degrees of holiness, doth partly consist in their withdrawing from the catholic church, or from the communion of most of the saints on earth, upon the account of some smaller differing opinions; and they think that they should become more loose, and leave their strictness, if they should hold a catholic communion, and leave their state of separation and division! Is there any strictness amiable or desirable, except a strict conformity to God? Surely a strict way of sin and wickedness is not desirable to a saint. And is not God one, and his church one, and hath he not commanded all his servants to be one: and is not love the new and great commandment, by which they must be known to all

men to be his disciples? Which then is the stricter servant of the Lord? He that loveth much, or he that loveth little? He that loveth all Christians, or he that loveth but a few, with the special love? He that loveth a Christian as a Christian; or he that loveth him but as one of his party or opinion? He that is one in the catholic body; or he that disowns communion with the far greatest part of the body? Will you say that Christ was loose and the pharisees strict, because Christ eat and drank with publicans and sinners, and the pharisees condemned him for it? It was Christ that was stricter in holiness than they; for he abounded more in love and good works; but they were stricter than he in a proud, self-conceited moroseness and separation. Certainly he that is highest in love, is highest in grace, and not he that confines his love to few. Was it not the weak Christian that was the stricter in point of meats, drinks and days? But the stronger that were censured by them, did more strictly keep the commandment of God.

Christian reader, let the unity of God have this effect upon thy soul, 1. To draw thee from the distracting multitude of creatures, and make thee long to be all in God. That thy soul may be still working toward him, till thou find no thing but God alone within thee. In the multi tude of thy thoughts within thee, let his comforts delight thy soul. The multitude distracts thee; retire into unity, that thy soul may be composed, quieted, and delighted. 2. Let it make thee long for the unity of saints, and endeavour it to the utmost of thy power, that the church in unity may be more like the Head. 3. Let it cause thee to admire the happiness of the saints, who are freed from the bondage of the distracting creature, and have but one to love, fear, trust, serve, seek, and know; one thing is needful,' which should be chosen, but it is many that we are troubled about.

CHAP. IV.

The Immensity of God, which is the next attribute to be considered, must have this effect. upon thy soul: 1. The infinite God that is every where, comprehending all places and things, and comprehended by none, must raise admiring, reverent thoughts in the soul of the believer. We wonder at the magnitude of the sun and the heavens, and of the whole creation; but when we begin to think what is beyond the heavens, and all created being, we are perplexed. Why it is God that is in all, above all, beyond all, and beneath all, and where there is no place,

because no creature, there is God: and if thy thoughts should imagine millions of millions of miles beyond all place and measure, all is but God; and go as far as thou canst in thy thoughts, and thou canst not go beyond him. Reverently admire the immensity of God. The world and all the creatures in it, are not to God so much as a sand or atom is to all the world. The point of a needle is more to all the world, than the world to God. For between that which is finite and that which is infinite, there is no comparison. 'Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Behold the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. All nations before him are as nothing: and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.'

2. From this greatness and immensity of God also, thy soul must reverently stay all its busy, bold inquiries, and know that God is to us and to every creature incomprehensible. If thou couldst fathom or measure him, and know his greatness by a comprehensive knowledge, he were not God. A creature can comprehend nothing but a creature. You may know God, but not comprehend him; as your foot treads on the earth, but doth not cover all the earth. The sea is not the sea, if you can hold it in a spoon. Thou canst not comprehend the sun which thou seest, and by which thou seest all things else, nor the sea, or earth, no, nor a worm or pile of grass: thy understanding knows not all that God hath put into any the least of these; thou art a stranger to thyself, and to somewhat in every part of thyself, both body and soul. And thinkest thou to comprehend God, that perfectly comprehendest nothing? Stop then thy overbold inquiries, and remember that thou art a shallow, finite worm, and God is infinite. First reach to comprehend the heaven and earth and whole creation, before thou think of comprehending him, to whom the world is nothing, or vanity; or so small a dust, or drop, or point. Saith Elihu, At this my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place hear attentively the noise of his voice. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doth he which we cannot comprehend. How then should we comprehend himself? When God pleads his cause with Job himself, what doth he but convince him of his infinitude and absoluteness, even from the greatuess of his works, which are beyond our reach,

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and yet are as nothing to himself: should he take the busy inquirer in hand, but as he did begin with Job. Who is this that darkeneth counsel with words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me,' &c. Alas! how soon would he nonplus and confound us, and make us say as Job, Behold I am vile! What shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth: once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.' Indeed there is mentioned in Eph. iii. 11. the saints' comprehending the dimensions of the love of Christ, but as the next verse saith, 'it passeth knowledge;' so comprehending there, signifies no more but a knowing according to our measure; an attainment of what we are capable to attain; nay, nor all that either, but such a prevalent knowledge of the love of Christ as is common to all the saints; as there is nothing more visible than the sun, and yet no visible being less comprehended by the sight; so is there nothing more intelligible than God (for he is all in all things,) and yet nothing so incomprehensible to the mind that knows him. It satisfies me not to be ignorant of God, or to know so little as I know, or to be short of the measure that I am capable of; but it satisfies me to be incapable of comprehending him; or else I must be unsatisfied because I am not God. O the presumptuous arrogancy of those men, if I may call them men, that dare prate about the infinite God such things as never were revealed to them, in his works or word! Who dare pretend to measure him by their shallow understandings, and question, if not deny and censure, that of God which they cannot reach; and sooner suspect the word that reveals him, than their shallow understandings, that should better conceive of him. Saith Elihu, Behold God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.' Though the knowledge of him be our life eternal, yet we know him not by any full and adequate conception. We know an infinite God, and therefore with an excellent knowledge objectively considered, but with a poor degree and kind of knowledge next to none, as to the act; and it is a thousand thousand fold more that we know not of him, than that we know: for indeed there is no comparison to be here made.

3. The immensity of God, as it proves hin incomprehensible, so it contains his omnipresence; and therefore should continually affect us, as men that believe that God stands by them. As we would compose our thoughts, minds, and passions, if we saw, were it possible, the Lord stand over

this is, because they consider not the immensity or infinite greatness of the Lord. It is true, that God hath framed the nature of all things, and delights to maintain and use the frame of second causes which he hath made; and will not easily and ordinarily work against or without this order of causes: but it is as true and certain, both that sometimes he makes use of miracles, and that in the very course of natural causes he is able to exercise a particular providence, as well as with

us, so should we now labour to compose them. As we would restrain and use our tongues, and order our behaviour, if we saw his majesty, so should we do now, when we know that he is with us. An eye servant will work hard in his master's presence, whatever he doth behind his back. Bestir thee then, Christian, for God stands by; in him we live, and move, and have our being?' Loiter not till thou canst truly say that God is gone, or absent from thee; sin not by wilfulness or negligence, till thou canst say thou art be-out them, by himself alone. The creature doth hind his back. Alas, that we should have no more awakened, serious souls, and no more fervent, lively prayers, and no more serious, holy speech, and no more careful, heavenly lives, when we stand before the living God, and do all in his sight, and speak all in his hearing? O why should sense so much affect us, and faith and knowledge work no more? We can be awed with the presence of a man, and would not do before a prince what most men do before the Lord. Yea, other things affect us when we see them not; and shall not God? But of this more afterwards.

4. The immensity of God assures us much of his all-sufficiency. He that is every where, is easily able to hear all prayers, to help us in all straits, to supply all wants, to punish all sins. A blasphemous conceit of God as finite, and as absent from us, is one of the causes of our distrust. He that distrusts an absent friend, as thinking he may forget him, or neglect him, will trust him when he is with him; cannot he hear thee, pity thee, and help thee, that is still with thee? O what an awe is this to the careless! What a support to faith; what a quickener to duty; what a comfort to the afflicted, troubled soul! God is in thy poor cottage, Christian, and well acquainted with thy wants: God is at thy bedside when thou art sick, and nearer thee than the nearest of thy friends. What would thou do in want or pain if God stood by? Wouldst thou not pray and trust him if thou sawest him? So do though thou see him not, for he is surely there.

nothing but by him. All things move as he first moves them, in their natural agency. His wisdom guides, his will intends and commands; his power moves and disposes all. The sun would not shine, if he were not the light of it; and he is no less himself the light of the world, than if he did illuminate it without a sun. God is never the further off, because the creatures are near us; or never the less in the effect, because he uses a second cause, than if there were no second cause at all. What influence second causes have upon the souls of men, he hath for the most part kept unknown to us; but that himself disposes of us and all things after the counsel of his own will, is beyond all question. Can he that is most mean with thy thougats, be regardless of them? Can he be regardless of thy words and ways that is with thee, and sees and hears all? If thou believe not that he is as verily with thee as thou art there thyself, thou art then an atheist. If thou believe him not to be infinite, thou believest him not to be God. It is not God that can be absent, limited or finite. If thou be not such a senseless atheist but knowest that God is everywhere, how is it possible thou shouldst doubt of his care or observance, or particular providence about every thing?

No child is so foolish that will think his father cares not what he saith or doth, when he stands before him. Wouldst thou doubt of God's particular providence, whether he regard thy heart, talk and practice, if thou didst see him with thee? Surely it is scarcely possible. Why then dost thou question it when thou knowest that he 5. The immensity and infinite greatness of is with thee? If thou be an atheist and knowest God assure us of his particular providence. not, look about thee on the world, and bethink Some blasphemous infidels imagine that he hath thee whether stones, trees, and earth, whether only a general providence, and hath left all to beasts, or birds, or men, make themselves; if some inferior powers, and meddles not with they do, thou hadst better uphold thyself, and particular things himself: they think that as he be not sick, and do not die. If thou madest hath left it to the sun to illuminate the world, so thyself, thou canst surely preserve thyself; but hath he left all other inferior things and events if any thing else made thee and all these lower to nature or inferior causes; and that he doth things, either it was somewhat greater or less not himself regard, observe, reward, or punish than they; either it was somewhat better or the thoughts, words, and ways of men. And all worse than they. If less, or worse, how could

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