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dust, that thou mayest wash thee from thy filthiness, and be fitter for his converse. Draw near to him that will not wrong thee, by believing misreports of enemies, or laying to thy charge the things thou knewest not: but will forgive the wrongs thou hast done to him, and justify thee from the sins that conscience lays to thy charge. Come to him who, by his word and Spirit, his ministers and mercies, calls thee to come; and hath promised that those that come to him, he will in no wise shut out. O walk with him that will bear thee up, and lead thee as by the right hand, and carry his infants when they cannot go ! O speak to him that teaches thee to speak, and understands and accepts thy stammering, and helps thine infirmities, when thou knowest not what to pray for as thou oughtest; and gives thee groans when thou hast not words, and knows the meaning of his Spirit in thy groans: that cannot be contained in the heaven of heavens, and yet hath respect to the contrite soul, who trembles at his word, and fears his displeasure that pities the tears, and despises not the sighing of a broken heart, nor the desires of the sorrowful. O walk with him that is never weary of the converse of the upright soul! that is never angry with thee but for flying from him, or for drawing back, or being too strange, and refusing the kindness and felicity of his presence. The day is coming when the proudest of the sons of men would be glad of a kind look from him that thou hast leave to walk with: even they that would not look on thee, and they that injured and abused thee, and they that inferiors could have no access to, O how glad would they be then of a sinile, or a word of hope and mercy from their Father! Draw near then to him, on whom the whole creation depends; whose favour at last the proudest and the worst would purchase with the loudest cries, when all their pomp and pleasure is gone, and can purchase nothing. O walk with him that is love itself, and think him not unwilling or unlovely; and let not the deceiver, by hideous misrepresentations, drive thee from him when thou hast felt a while the storms abroad, methinks thou shouldst say, How good, how safe, how sweet is it to draw near to God!

7. With whom should I so desirously converse, as with him whom I must live with for ever? If I take pleasure in my house, or land, or country, my walks, my books, or friends themselves, as clothed with flesh, I must possess this pleasure but a little while: henceforth know we no man after the flesh: had we known Christ after the flesh, we must know him so no more for ever. Though his glorified spiritual body

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we shall know. Do you converse with father or mother; with wives or children: with pastors and teachers? Though you may converse with these as glorified saints, when you come to Christ, yet in these relations that they stand in to you now, you shall converse with them but a little while: For the time is short: it remaineth that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those that buy, as though they possessed not; and that use this world, as not abusing it,' or as though they used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away.'

Why then should I so much regard a converse of so short continuance? Why should I be so familiar in my inn, and so much in love with that familiarity, as to grieve when I must but think of leaving it, or talk of going home, and look forward to the place where I must dwell for ever? Shall I be fond of the company of a passenger that I travel with, yea, perhaps one that doth but meet me in the way, and goes to a contrary place, and shall I not take more pleasure to remember home? I will not be so uncivil as to deny those I meet a short salute, or to be friendly with my fellow-travellers: but remember, O my soul, that thou dost not dwell, but travel here, and that it is thy Father's house where thou must abide for ever: yea, and he is nearer thee than man (though invisible) even in thy way. O see him then that is invisible: hearken to him when he speaks: obey his voice ; observe his way, speak to him boldly, though humbly and reverently, as his child, about the great concerns of thy state; tell him what it is that aileth thee; and seeing all thy smart is the fruit of thy own sin, confess thy folly and unkindness, crave his forgiveness, and remember him what his Son hath suffered, and for what. Treat with him about thy future course: desire his grace, and give up thyself to his conduct and his care: weep over in his ears the history of thy misdoings and unthankful course: tell it him with penitential tears and groans: but tell him also the advantage that he hath for the honouring of his grace, if it may now abound where sin abounds tell him that thou art most offended with thyself, for that which he is most offended with: that thou art angry with thy disobedient, unthankful heart: that thou art even weary of that heart that loves him no more; and that it shall never please thee, till it love him better, and be more desirous to please him; tell him of thy enemies, and crave the protection of his love. tell him of thy frailties, infirmities, and passions,

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and crave not only his tender forbearance, but | voice and cry but Father;' in despite of unbehis help tell him that without him thou canst lief, cry out my Father, my Saviour, my God,' do nothing; and crave the grace that is sufficient and thou shalt hear him answer thee at last, 'my for thee, that through him that strengthens thee child.' Cry out, O why dost thou hide thy face, thou mayest do all things: when thou fallest, and why hast thou forsaken me; O what shall I despair not, but crave his helping hand to raise do here without thee; O leave me not, lose me thee. not in this howling wilderness; let me not be a prey to any ravenous beast; to my sin, to satan, to my foes and thine? Lift up thy voice and weep, and tell him, they are the tears and lamentations of his child: O beg of him, that thy wanderings and childish folly may not be taken as acts of enmity, or at least that they may be pardoned; and though he correct thee, that he will return and not forsake thee, but still take thee and use thee as his child, or if thou hast not words to pour out before him, at least smite upon thy breast, and though thou be ashamed or afraid to look up towards heaven, look down and say, O Lord, be merciful to me a sinner,' and he will take it for an acceptable suit, that tends to thy pardon and justification, and will number such a sentence with the prayers which he cannot deny. Or if thou cry and canst not hear of him, and hast long called out upon thy Father's name, and hearest not his voice and hast no return, inquire after him of those thou meetest: ask for him of them that know him, and are acquainted with his way. Make thy moan unto the watchmen, and ask them where thou mayest find thy Lord. At last he will appear to thee, and find thee first, that thou mayest find him, and show thee where it was that thou didst lose him, by losing thyself and turning from him; seek him and thou shalt find him: wait and he will appear in kindness: for he never fails or forsakes those that wait upon him.

Speak to him especially of the everlasting things, and thank him for his promises, and for thy hopes for what thou shalt be, and have, and do among his holy ones for ever. Express thy joy in the promise of those joys; that thou must see his glory, love him, and praise him better than thou canst now desire! Begin those praises, and as thou walkest with him, take pleasure in the mention of his perfections; be thankful to him and speak good of his name: solace thyself in remembering what a God, what a defence and portion, all believers have: and in considering whither he is now conducting thee, and what he will do with thee, and what use he will make of thee for ever speak with rejoicing of the glory of his works, and the righteousness of his judgments, and the holiness and evenness of his ways: sing forth his praises with a joyful heart, and pleasant and triumphing voice; and frown away all slavish fears, all importunate, malicious suggestions and doubts, all peevish, hurtful griefs, that would mar or interrupt the melody; and would untune or unstring a raised, well composed soul. Thy Father loves thy very moans and tears but how much more doth he love thy thanks and praise? Or if indeed it be a winter time, a stormy day with thee, and he seem to chide or hide his face because thou hast offended him, let the cloud that is gathered by thy folly come down in tears and tell him, thou hast sinned against heaven and before him, and art no more worthy to be called his son; but yet fly not from him, but beg his pardon and the privilege of a servant. Thou wilt find embraces when thou fearest condemnation, and find that he is merciful and ready to forgive: only return, and keep closer for the time to come. If the breach through thy neglect be gone so far, as that thou seemest to have lost thy God, and to be cast off, and left forsaken; despair not yet: for he doth but hide his face till thou repent: he doth not forsake thee, but only tell thee what it is to walk so carelessly as if thou wouldst forsake him: thou art faster and surer in his love and covenant than thou canst believe or apprehend. Thy Lord was as dear as ever to his Father, when he cried out, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But yet neglect him not, and be not regardless of his withdrawings and of thy loss: lift up thy

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This kind of converse, O my soul, thou hast to prosecute with thy God. Thou hast also the concerns of all his servants; his afflicted ones, to tell him of: tell him also of the concerns of his kingdom, the fury of his enemies, the dishonour they cast upon his name, the matters of his gospel, cause, and interest in the world: but still let his righteous judgment be remembered, and all be terminated in the glorious everlasting kingdom.

Is it not much better thus to converse with him that I must be with for ever, about the place, and the company, work, and concerns of my perpetual abode, than to be taken up with strangers in my way, and detained by their impertinencies.

I have found myself so long in these meditations that I will but name the rest and tell you what I had farther to have treated on, and leave the enlargement to your own meditations.

8. I have no reason to be weary of converse | ingly rejoice a sinner; and there is sufficient enwith God, seeing it is that for which all human couragement to draw the most guilty miserable converse is regardable. Converse with man is sinner to seek to God, and sue for mercy. But yet only so far desirable as it tends to our converse the sweetest converse is for children, and for those with God and therefore the end must be pre- that have some assurance that they are children. ferred before the means. But perhaps you will say, that this is not easily attained: how shall we know that he is our friend?

9. It is the office of Christ, and the work of the Holy Ghost, and the use of all the means of grace, and of all creatures, mercies, and afflictions, to reduce our straying souls to God, that we may converse with him, and enjoy him.

10. Converse with God is most suitable to those that are so near to death; it best prepares for it: it most resembles the work that we are next to do. We had rather, when death comes, be found conversing with God than with man: it is God that a dying man hath principally to do with it is his judgment that he is going to, and his mercy that he hath to trust upon; therefore it concerns us to draw near him now, and be no strangers to him, lest strangeness then should be our ter

ror.

11. How wonderful a condescension is it that God should be willing to converse with me! with such a worm and sinful wretch: therefore how inexcusable is my crime, if I refuse his company, and so great a mercy!

12. Lastly, heaven itself is but our converse with God and his glorified ones, though in a more perfect manner than we can here perceive. Therefore our holy converse with him here is the state that most resembles heaven, and that prepares for it, and all the heaven that is on earth. V. Directions to improve solitude.

It remains now that I briefly tell you what you should do to attain and manage this converse with God, in the improvement of your solitude. For directions in general for walking with God, I reserve for another place. At present let these

few suffice.

Direct. 1. If you would comfortably converse with God, make sure that you are reconciled to him in Christ, and that he is indeed your friend and Father. Can two walk together except they be agreed? Can you take pleasure in dwelling with the consuming fire; or conversing with the most dreadful enemy? Yet this I must add, that every doubting or self-accusing soul may not find a pretence to fly from God. (1.) That God ceases not to be a father whenever a fearful soul is drawn to question or deny it. (2.) That in the universal love and grace of God to miserable sinners, and in the universal act of conditional pardon and oblivion, and in the offers of grace, and the readiness of God to receive the penitent, there is glad tidings, that should exceed

In brief, I answer, If you are unfeignedly friends to God, it is because he first loved you. Prefer him before all other friends, and all the wealth and vanity of the world; provoke him not by wilfulness or neglect: use him as your best friend, and abuse him not by disobedience or ingratitude; own him before all, at the dearest rates, whenever you are called to it: desire his presence: lament his absence: love him from the bottom of your heart: think not hardly of him: suspect him not, misunderstand him not, hearken not to his enemies; receive not any false reports against him take him to be really better for you, than all the world. Do these, and doubt not but you are friends with God, and God with you in a word, be but heartily willing to be friends to God, and that God should be your chief friend, and you may be sure that it is so indeed, and that you are and have what you desire. And then how delightfully may you converse with God.

Direct. 2. Wholly depend on the mediation of Christ, the great Reconciler: without him there is no coming near to God: but in his Beloved you shall be accepted. Whatever fear of his displeasure shall surprise you, fly presently for safety unto Christ: whatever guilt shall look you in the face, commit yourself and cause to Christ, and desire him to answer for you: when the doors of mercy seem to be shut against you, fly to him that bears the keys, and can at any time open to you and let you in: desire him to answer for you to God, to your own consciences, and against all accusers: by him alone you may boldly and comfortably converse with God; but God will not know you out of him.

Direct. 3. Take heed of bringing a particular guilt into the presence of God, if you would have sweet communion with him: Christ himself never reconciled God to sin; and the sinner and sin are so nearly related that notwithstanding the death of Christ, you shall feel that iniquity dwells not with God, but he hates the workers of it, and the foolish shall not stand in his sight; and that if you will presume to sin because you are his children, be sure your sin will find you out. O what fears, what shame, what self-ahhorrence, and self-revenge will guilt raise in a

penitent soul, when it comes into the light of the presence of the Lord! It will unavoidably abate your boldness and your comforts: when you should be sweetly delighting in his pleased face and promised glory, you will be befooling yourselves for your former sin, and ready even to tear your flesh, to think that ever you should do as you have done, and use him as you would not have used a common friend, and cast yourselves upon his wrath. But an innocent soul, or pacified conscience, walks with God in quietness and delight, without those frowns and fears which are a taste of hell to others.

and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee.' And with Paul, To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' You must shut up the eye of sense, save as subordinate to faith, and live by faith upon a God, a Christ, and a world that is unseen, if you would know by experience what it is to be above the brutish life of sensualists, and to converse with God. O Christian, if thou hast rightly learned this blessed life, what a high and noble soul-conversation wouldst thou have! How easily wouldst thou spare, and how little wouldst thou miss the favour of the greatest, the presence of any worldly comfort; city or solitude would be much alike to thee, saving that the place and state would be best to thee, where thou hast the greatest help and freedom to converse with God. Thou wouldst say of human society as Seneca, One is instead of all the people to me, and the people as one: one is enough for me, and none is enough.' Thus being taken

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Direct. 4. If you would comfortably converse with God, be sure that you bring not idols in your hearts: take heed of inordinate affection to any creature. Let all things else be nothing to you, that you may have none to take up your thoughts but God. Let your minds be further separate from them than your bodies: bring not into solitude or contemplation a proud, or lust-up with God, thou mightest live in prison as at ful, or covetous mind: it much more concerns liberty, and in a wilderness as in a city, and in a thee, what heart thou bringest, than what place place of banishment as in thy native land: 'for thou art in, or what work thou art upon. A the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;' mind that is drowned in ambition, sensuality, or and every where thou mayest find him, and conpassion, will scarcely find God any sooner in a verse with him, and lift up pure hands unto him: wilderness than in a crowd, unless he be there in every place thou art within the sight of home, returning from those sins to God, wherever he and heaven is in thine eye, and thou art converssees him, God will not own and be familiar with ing with that God, in whose converse the highest so foul a soul. Seneca could say, What good angels place their highest felicity and delight. doth the silence of all the country do thee, if thou have the noise of raging affections within?' And Gregory says,' He that in body is far enough from the tumult of human conversation, is not in solitude, if he busy himself with earthly cogitations and desires: and he is not in the city, that is not troubled with the tumult of the worldly cares and fears, though he be pressed with the popular crowds.' Bring not thy house, land, credit, or carnal friend along with thee in thine heart, if thou desire and expect to walk in heaven, and to converse with God.

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How little cause then have all the church's enemies to triumph, that can never shut up a true believer from the presence of his God; nor banish him into such a place where he cannot have his conversation in heaven? The stones that were cast at holy Stephen, could not hinder him from seeing the heavens opened, and Christ sitting at the right hand of God. A Patmos allowed holy John communion with Christ, being there in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Christ never so speedily and comfortably owns his servants, as when the world disowns them, and abuses them for his sake, and hurls them up and down as the scorn and off-scouring of all. He quickly found the blind man that he had cured, when once the Jews had cast him out. Persecutors do but promote the blessedness and ex

Direct. 5. Live still by faith: let faith lay heaven and earth as it were together: look not at God as if he were far off: set him always as before you, even as at your right hand. Be still with him when you awake. In the morning thank him for your rest; and deliver up your-ceeding joy of sufferers for Christ. self to his conduct and service for that day. Go forth as with him, and to do his work: do every action with the command of God, and the promise of heaven, before your eyes, and upon your hearts live as those that have incomparably more to do with God and heaven, than with all this world; that you may say with David, as afore cited, Whom have I in heaven but thee?

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How little reason then have Christians to shun such sufferings, by unlawful means, which turn to their so great advantage; and to give so dear as the hazard of their souls by wilful sin to escape the honour, and safety, and glory of martyrdom?

Indeed we judge not, we love not, we live not, as sanctified ones must do, if we judge not that

est constancy, &c. O why hath my drowsy and dark-sighted soul been so seldom with him; why hath it so often, so strangely, and so unthankfully passed by, and not observed him, nor hearkened to his kindest calls! O what is all this trash and trouble that hath filled my memory, and employed my mind, and cheated and corrupted my affections, while my dearest Lord hath been days and nights so unworthily forgotten, so contemptuously neglected and disregarded, and loved as if I loved him not! O that these drowsy and those waking nights, those loi

the truest liberty, and love it not as the best con- | specious title of a friend that will save you from dition, in which we may converse with God. O the thorns and briars of disquietude, and from how much harder is it to walk with God, in a greater troubles than ever you found from open court, in the midst of sensual delights, than in a | enemies. prison or wilderness where we have none to in- O blessed be that high and everlasting friend, terrupt us, and nothing else to take us up? It who is every way suited to the upright souls! is our prepossessed minds, our earthly hearts, our To their minds, their memories, their delight, carnal affections and concupiscence, and the plea- | their love, &c. by surest truth, by fullest goodsures of a prosperous state, that are the prisons | ness, by clearest light, by nearest love, by firm and jailors of our souls. Were it not for these, how free should we be, though our bodies were confined to the straitest room? He is at liberty that can walk in heaven, and have access to God, and make use of all the creatures in the world, to the promoting of this his heavenly conversation. He is the prisoner whose soul is chained to flesh and earth, and confined to his lands and houses, and feeds on the dust of worldly riches, or wallows in the dung and filth of gluttony, drunkenness, and lust: that are far from God, and desire not to be near him; but say to him, Depart from us, we would not have the know-tered, lost, and empty hours had been spent in ledge of thy ways: that love their prison and chains so well, that they would not be set free, but hate those with the most cruel hatred that endeavour their deliverance. Those are the poor prisoners of Satan that have not liberty to believe, nor love God, nor converse in heaven, ror seriously to mind or seek the things that are high and honourable; that have not liberty to meditate or pray, or seriously to speak of holy things, nor to love and converse with those that do so that are tied so hard to the drudgery of sin, that they have not liberty one month, or week, or day, to leave it, and walk with God so much as for a recreation : but he that lives in the family of God, and is employed in attending him, and doth converse with Christ, and the host of holy ones above, in reason should not much complain of his want of friends, or company, or accommodations, nor yet be too impatient of any corporal confinement.

the humblest converse with him, which have been dreamed and doted away upon-now I know not what! O my God, how mucn wiser and happier had I been, had I rather chosen to mourn with thee, than to rejoice and sport with any other! O that I had rather wept with thee, than laughed with the creature? For the time to come let that be my friend, that most befriends my dark, dull, and backward soul, in its progress, and heavenly conversation: Or if there be none such upon the earth, let me here take no one for my friend ! O blot out every name from my corrupted heart, which hinders the deeper engraving of thy name! Ah, Lord, what a stone, what a blind, ungrateful thing, is a heart not touched with celestial love; yet shall I not run to thee. when I have none else that will know me ; shall I not draw near thee, when all fly from me? When daily experience cries out so loud, 'None but Christ : God or nothing. Ah, foolish heart, Lastly, be sure then most narrowly to watch that hast not thought of it? Where is that place, your hearts, that nothing have entertainment that cave or desert, where I might soonest find there which is against your liberty of converse thee, and fullest enjoy thee; is it in the wilderwith God. Fill not those hearts with worldly ness that thou walkest, or in the crowd, in the cares, which are made, and new made, to be the closet, or in the church? Where is it that I dwelling-place of God. Desire not the company might soonest meet with God? But alas, I now which would diminish your heavenly acquaint-perceive, that I have a heart to find, before I ance and correspondence. Be not unfriendly, am like to find my Lord; O loveless, lifeless, nor conceited of a self-sufficiency; but yet be- stony heart; that is dead to him that gave it ware lest under the honest ingenuous title of a life; and to none but him? Could I not love, friend, a special, prudent, faithful friend, you or think, or feel at all, methinks I were less should entertain an idol, or an enemy to your | dead than now ? Less dead, if dead, than now love of God, or a co-rival or competitor with I am alive? I had almost said, Lord, let me your highest friend: for if you do, it is not the never love more till I can love thee? Nor think

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