CHAP. I. The opening of the words, and of the nature of the great duty of acquain­ting our selves with God.

THe words are the words of Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends, and as it should seem, the chiefest of the three, either for [Page 2] age, or dignity, or wisdom: for the other two give him the priority in speaking. He having in the beginning of the Chapter given Job a bitter pill to chew upon, in vers. 5, 6, 7. that he might not leave the mind of Job exulcera­ted, towards the latter end of his discourse attempers his speech to a milder and sweeter strain, giving him first counsel, vers. 21, 22. then promising him comfort, vers. 23. to the end.

In this 21. v. we have two things. Officium, Beneficium. A work to be done, or a duty to be performed by Job, and indeed by every one. And that in these words. Acquaint now thy self with him. 2. A benefit to be obtained by the performance of this duty, and that is peace and good. Ac­quaint now thy self with him, and be at peace: so shall good come unto thee.

Acquaint. The word transla­ted acquaint is diversly rendred [Page 3]by Interpreters. The Chaldee paraphrase renders it, Learn of him; The Greek, [...], be thou hard or stout, meaning pa­tient in bearing Affliction. The Vulgar Latine, Acquiesce ei. Mun­ster, Conveniat tibi cum eo. The Syriack and Arabick, Coaequa te ei. The Tigurine, Accommoda te illi. Coccejus, Fac periculum. Pagnine and Junius, Assuesce te illi. The French, Accointe-toy. An old English translation reads it, Reconcile thy self unto him. Our Translation reads it, Acquaint thy self with him. Making choice of a word that takes in both the Chaldees, disce ab eo. And the vulgars, Acquisce; and the Tigu­rine, Accommoda te illi. And Munsters, Conveniat tibi cum eo. And the old English, Reconcile thy self to him. As we shall see after­wards God willing. The Hebrew word [...] hath (as many o­ther words in the He­brew) va­rious sig­nifications, and some of them seemingly contrary to others, as Prodes­se, Incre­pare, ar­guere, as­suescere, thesauri­zare, re­condere, nocere, de­pauperare, periclitari significatione Rabbinis consuerâ. Pagnin. The septuagint render it sometimes by [...], some­times by [...], sometimes by [...], some­times by [...], sometimes by [...], some­times by [...], sometimes by [...]. Kircher. Marius de Calasio observes four principal acceptations of the word in Scripture. 1. Prodesse, or utilem esse. 2. Thesaurizare. 3. Calefacere. 4. De­pauperare, to which he adds a fifth of the Rabbins and Chaldees, which is, periculum facere, or pericli­tari. And this great difference of significations which this word is capable of, is the reason why there is so great variety in the translation of this Text.

The word in the Original translated acquaint, is [...] which is used in that Conjugation Hi­phil, but in two places besides this in all the Scripture. The one is Numb. 22.30. where Ba­laams ass saith to him, [...] Nunquid assuescendo as­suetus sum; Was I ever wont to do thus. The other is, Psal. 139.2. where the Psalmist saith, Thou art acqainted with all my wayes. In the Original it is [...] which our singing Psalms accord­ing to the Emphasis of the Ori­ginal well render. And by fami­liar [Page 5]custom art acquainted with my wayes.

Acquaint thy self now: [...] that is an expletive particle, and signifies as much as nunc, ideo, quaeso, and accordingly some here read, Acquaint now thy self. Others, acquaint therefore thy self. Others, acquaint I pray thee thy self. It is a particle that implies seriousness in him that speaks, and weight and moment in the thing that is spoken of.

Acquaint now thy self with him, that is, with God. The Almighty spoken of before, v. 17. and again v. 23. Acquaint thy self with him, and be at peace, that is, thou shalt be at peace; for so, as the learned Mercer ob­serves, it is usual with the He­brews to put the Imperative mood for the Future tense. Thou shalt be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Good, that is all kind of good, Temporal, Spiritual, and Eternal, as is ex­emplified [Page 6]afterwards in the fol­lowing verses, to the end of the Chapter. That which from the words thus opened commends it self to our observation is this.

That the great concernment of every man is to acquaint himself with God. I say, The great concern­ment of every man, that which every man should make his greatest study and business, and look upon himself as most con­cerned in, is to acquaint himself with God.

I shall immediately fall upon the opening of the Nature of this acquainting our selves with God in these three particulars that are necessarily included in it.

First, This acquainting our selves with God implies a true and right knowledge of God. For you will all readily conclude, it is impossible for a man to have acquaintance with a person [Page 7]whom he hath never had any knowledge of. If a man should come to one of us, and name to us a man that lives at Rome or Constantinople, or the Indies, and ask us if we be acquainted with such a man, we would pre­sently say we do not so much as know him, therefore how should we have any acquaintance with him? Ignorance of God you know is rendred as a reason of mens being estranged from God: Ephes. 4.18. therefore they that would have acquaintance with God, must la­bour to know God. This David exacts of his son Solomon. And thou Solomon my son, 1 Chron. 28.9. know thou the God of thy Fathers, &c.

Now there is a threefold knowledge of God. A know­ledge by the ear. A knowledge by the eye. And a knowledge by the taste. Or if you will, A knowledge of notion or specula­tion. A knowledge of faith. And a knowledge of experience. And [Page 8]all this necessary to our ac­quaintance with God.

First, There is a knowledge of God that is a knowledge of notion or speculation, when men know there is a God, and who, and what this God is, and how he is distinguished from all other persons and things whatsoever. ‘That he is a Spirit, or spiritual substance, one in essence, di­stinguished into three equally blessed, and glorious Persons, the eternal beginning of all be­ings, the incomprehensible Author and fountain of all life and motion, the almighty Crea­tor, upholder, and ruler of the whole universe, who is all life, and all wisdom, and all power, and all goodness, and all truth, and all blessedness, and all glo­ry, whose truth, power, good­ness, mercy, glory, is his very essence, and being.’ This know­ledge men may have of God by the hearing of the ear; and this [Page 9]men may have, and yet have no acquaintance with God; this knowledge alone is not sufficient to acquaintance with God, and yet this is so necessary, that without it there can be no ac­quaintance.

There is therefore, Secondly, A further degree of knowledge, & that is a knowledge of God by the eye; and this is that which we call the knowledge of Faith. Faith you know is compared to the eye, and though Faith it self come by hearing, and the knowledge that we get by hear­ing, is preparatory to the know­ledge of Faith, yet it is not the very knowledge of faith; no, that imports something more.

Now there is a twofold faith. A faith of effectual perswasion, whereby the soul yields such a full and effectual assent to the things it knows, as that the heart is affected towards them, and with them, according to the na­ture [Page 10]of them. Secondly, There is a faith of particular applica­tion, whereby the soul applies to it self the things that it knows, as its own portion. Proportion­ably there is a double knowledge of God by faith.

First, The knowledge of the faith of effectual perswasion, whereby the soul doth by the eye of faith see God in his nature, and attributes, and glory, so clearly and evidently, that his eye affects his heart with love, and fear, and reverence, and all holy affections answerable to the goodness and greatness of that God whom by faith he seeth. And he saith with Job, Now mine eye seeth thee, Job 42.5, 6. wherefore I abhor my self, and repent in dust and ashes.

Secondly, There is a know­ledge of God by faith, which is the faith of particular applica­tion; that is, when a man so knows God, as that he knows him to be his God in particular, [Page 11]and can say with Thomas My Lord and my God. And can joyn with the Church in heart as well as voice in singing that, Psal. 48.14. This God is our God for ever and ever. Now the first of these, that is, such a knowledge of God as may effectually work our hearts to the love, and reve­rence, and fear of God, to de­sire after him, and delight in him; this is absolutely necessary to our acquainting our selves with God, for without this we shall never indeed seek ac­quaintance with God, nor prize, but slight it; and without this God will never condescend to acquaint himself with us, but disdain and abhor us; therefore this knowledge of God is neces­sary ad ipsum esse, to the very be­ing of our acquaintance with God. But then the other know­ledge of God by faith, that is, by the faith of a particular ap­plication this is indeed necessa­ry, [Page 12] ad bene esse, to our more free and comfortable acquainting our selves, and conversing with God. For as he said, Quid mihi Deus si non meus. What is God to me, if he be not mine? yet this is not so absolutely necessary to our first acquainting our selves with God as the former, but is rather a fruit, and a consequent of our acquainting our selves with God.

There is a third knowledge of God, and that is a knowledge of Experience. In Scripture phrase, men are said to know those things that they have experience of, and not to know those things that they have had no experience of, And this experimental know­ledge is in Scripture in special manner called Acquaintance. It is said of the Lord Christ, That he was a man of sorrows, Isa. 53.3. and ac­quainted with griefs. That is, he had felt, and tasted, and had ex­perience of griefs and sorrows [Page 13]of all kinds. Now this is an ex­perimental knowledge; such a knowledge of God as this, is that which the Apostle John speaks of, That which we have heard, 1 Job. 1.1. which we have seen with our eyes, which our hands have handled of the word of life, declare we unto you. And this is that which Peter sup­poseth in the Saints. 1 Pet. 2.3. If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gra­cious.

A second thing included in this acquaintance with God, it is peace and reconciliation with God. Therefore Munster, as I told you, renders the word, Con­veniat tibi cum eo. Make agree­ment with him. And our old English translation renders it, Reconcile thy self to him. This we must know, that we are all by na­ture not only meer strangers to God, for then a little matter might bring us into acquaintance with him, so gracious is he, and communicative of himself and [Page 14]love; but we are enemies to God, and God is an enemy to us. We that are infinitely be­neath him, are enemies to him unjustly, and without cause; and have done him all the mis­chief and despite that possibly we can; and he is justly become an enemy to us. And while terms stand thus, what acquaint­ance can there be between God and us? Will any man take one into his acquaintance, that hath been his ancient, constant, and bitter enemy, till first he be re­conciled to him? What King would take an open enemy into his Court, and make him his fa­vourite, till-first he hath made his peace with him? Can two walk together except they be agreed? Amos 3.3. saith God by the Prophet. We must be reconciled to God, and get our peace made in Christ, if we would acquaint our selves with him. That is a second thing included in this acquaintance [Page 15]with God. Acquaintance is on­ly between friends, therefore friends and acquaintance are Sy­nonyma, both in our ordinary language, and in the language of Scripture, Psal. 55.13.

A third thing implyed in this acquaintance with God, it is converse with God. A conver­sing familiarly with God, as one friend converseth with another. Only this we must take notice of, That among men there is a twofold friendship and familia­rity, either inter pares, or inter inoequales. And where familiari­ty and converse is between those, between whom there is great in­equality, there it must be ma­naged with that decorum that be­comes the distance that is be­tween their persons. As suppose a King should take an affection to some mean and ordinary per­son, and take him into intimate converse with himself, this Man must not think now to treat the [Page 16]King as he would do one with whom he is, as we say, hail fellow well met: but with much reve­rence, and observing the di­stance that is between the King and him, or else he may quickly forfeit his interest in the Kings favour, and familiarity: So here, the distance between God and us is infinite, therefore we must manage our converse and fami­liarity with God with lowest hu­mility, and greatest reverence, and a deportment of our selves every way answerable to the di­stance that is between God and us.

CHAP. II. Of Converse with God, and wherein it consists.

NOw this converse and fa­miliarity with God, so far as it is to be managed and car­ried on by us, consists in these seven particulars.

First. In a frequent and daily visiting of God. Friends and Ac­quaintance, you know they do often visit one another, and that is the way to get and keep ac­quaintance: so should we often visit God. First, By short and e­jaculatory prayers. Secondly, By set and solemn prayers every day, morning and evening.

And we must look upon this, not as matter of courtesie but of duty. It was anciently a custom among the Romans, that the meaner sort of people among them, did constantly go every [Page 18]morning to the house of some or other of the Senators or chief men of Rome, whom they had chosen for their patron, and so­lemnly salute him; Alex. ab Alex. li. 5. c. 24. and this the great man looked for from his clients as their duty, and this the poor people looked upon as their concernment and advantage, this being the means to retain him stil for their friend and patron. I find also, that among the same Romans it was a custom in the families of great Persons, that all the Chil­dren and servants of the family should every morning come in a body together into the presence of the Lord, and Master of the family, and give him a so­lemn Salve, and every evening make their appearance together again before him, and give him a solemn Vale: God is that So­vereign Lord and Father, of whom the whole family of hea­ven and earth is named, as the Apostle Paul speaks; should not [Page 19]therefore all his Children, all his Servants, and all his Friends vi­sit him and salute him morning and evening with their prayers? There are some indeed that ne­ver visit God but when they are in extremities, like those, Isa. 26.16. Lord, in trouble they have visited thee.

A Second thing in which this converse with God consists, is in a being much in the presence and company of God. Friends and acquaintance, you know, they do not only visit one another, Ne valeam si non totis Deciane, diebus. Et tecum totis noctibus esse velim Martial. but they stay some while each with other, they cannot content them­selves with short visits, with a how do you, and no more; but they love to be in the presence and company of one another, and if it were possible, and if their other necessary occasions would permit it, they would never part, they would be together al the day long. So it is here in this con­verse with God; there is not [Page 20]only a visiting of God frequent­ly and daily, every morning and every evening, but there is an abiding in the presence of God. What is that? Why there is a twofold presence of God. There is a general presence of God whereby we are present unto God, Psal. 139.7. God seeing and beholding us, and this is no more than is common to all the creatures up­on earth, yea to the devils and damned in hell: and there is a special presence of God, whereby God is present unto us, and we do in the secret of our souls ap­prehend him as really present to us, as if we saw him with our eyes. Of this David speaks, Psal. 16.8. I have set the Lord alwayes before me. Now it is this presence of God in which this Converse with God consists, when the Soul doth apprehend in it self that God is present with him, and set himself as in the presence of God, this is a piece of the [Page 21]Souls converse with God. To be, as we alwayes are, in the general presence of God, with­out the special apprehensions of his presence, is rather a hinde­rance to converse and acquaint­ance with God, than any thing else. If the best friend I have in the world should come into the room where I were, and pass too and again by me, and stand right before me, all the day long, I should be so busie in talking with other men, about other matters, that I should not re­gard him, nor take any notice of him, and this one day after ano­ther; this were the way rather to break off the intercourse and acquaintance that is between us, than to continue it: So here, wherever we are, God is present with us, before us, behind us, round about us; if our heads and hearts be so taken up with the world, and lusts and vanities, that we mind not God, though [Page 22]present, nor take no notice of him, this is the way rather to lose than to gain acquaintance with God. If therefore we would converse with God, we must take notice of, and acknowledge the presence of God. First, by a frequent and actual remem­brance of him, and lifting up our thoughts and desires to him. Secondly, by a reverent de­meanour of our selves continu­ally, as before him. This is that the holy Ghost calls for. In all thy wayes acknowledge him. Prov. 3.6. chap. 23.17. And, Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. And this, they that have any acquaintance with God desire to be, and do, to acknow­ledge God in all their wayes, to be in the thoughts of God, and in the apprehensions and breath­ings after God all the day long, and it is their grief that they can be so no more, and they can at at least say with David, That the thoughts of God are precious to them, Psal. 139.17. [Page 23]as the presence of an intimate friend is precious unto us, and it grieves us that we can have no more of it. Besides this, there is a solemn presence of God in his Ordinances, in regard of which, they which attend these Ordi­nances are said to appear before God, and to stand in the presence of the Lord. And God hath ap­pointed set and solemn times for all that are or would be acquaint­ed with him, thus to appear be­fore him, and to stand in his pre­sence, and in our so doing con­sists a great part of our acquaint­ance with God.

A third thing wherein this Converse with God stands, is in our improving God, and our in­terest in him, and acquaintance with him. If I have one that is my intimate friend & acquaintance, this is the benefit I have by it, I have one now into whose bosom I can intrust all my secrets, and ease all my griefs and troubles, [Page 24]I have one with whom I can con­sult in all my difficult and weigh­ty affairs, with whom I may make bold in all my wants and exigencies; so I neither can, nor will do, with another that is a stranger, and none of my ac­quaintance. True friendship and acquaintance stands not in bare words and complemental visits, but in real communication of offices and benefits: so here, con­verse and acquaintance with God stands in our improving God, and our interest in him, so as to acquaint him with all our se­crets, so as to impart unto him all our griefs and fears, so as to relie upon him to guide us in all our wayes, and to supply all our wants. This God looks we should do, and takes it unkindly when we do otherwise: as a true friend that is willing and able to help his friend, takes it unkind­ly if he go to any other, thinks himself either distrusted or [Page 25]slighted, and it is almost a mat­ter of falling out between them; so God takes it unkindly, when we in our wants, or fears, or streights, in any kind whatso­ever, go to any creature in hea­ven or earth, but only to him; God even falls out with us upon it. What saith he? 2 Kings 1.3. Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

A fourth thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in our compli­ance with God. Among men you see, he that would have ac­quaintance, and keep acquaint­ance with one, especially that is his superiour, he must study com­pliance, he must be careful to accommodate himself to the genius and disposition of the o­ther, and be as it were trans­formed and moulded into his ve­ry image. Amicus alter idem. So it is here, this converse with [Page 26]God consists in a complying with God. Therefore, as I said before, the Tigurine translation renders the word. Accommoda te illi. Ac­commodate thy self to him. There can be no converse, no ac­quaintance with God, unless we resign and accommodate our selves to him, and comply with him in all things. Ais aio. Negas nego. To say as God saith, to like what he likes, to dislike what he dislikes, to love what he loves, and to hate what he hates; this is the way to converse and ac­quaintance with God.

A fifth thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in a wise ob­serving his goings towards us, and his dealings with us, and in a thankful acknowledging even the least of his favours and cour­tesies bestowed upon us. Thus we deal with men, there is none of us all, but if a friend of ours send us but a small token, or do [Page 27]us a small courtesie, we think our selves ingaged in point of common humanity, to take no­tice of it, and thank him for it; that is common between friends, and that is the way to continue friendship: O that we could be as punctual, and as exact with God this way, as we are with men; but who is there that doth not receive many more mercies from God, than he takes notice of, or acknowledgeth with thankfulness?

A sixth thing wherein this ac­quaintance with God lyes, is in our being acquainted with Gods secrets. According to that of the Psalmist, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. And, Psal. 25.14. Prov. 3.32. His secret is with the righteous. Not that the most intimate of Gods acquaintance know all Gods secrets. No, there are some that are Arcana inscrutabi­lia, but they know more of Gods secrets, than any other in the [Page 28]world do. And there are some secrets that they may without any offence desire God to make known unto them, as the secret counsel of God in their Electi­on, and the writing of their names in heaven, before the foundations of the world were laid. This is a secret that God imparts to none but his special friends. And this, all that are of Gods acquaintance, may boldly beg of God to have im­parted to them.

A seventh thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in God's visit­ing us, and our entertaining of these visits. It is a great favour and honour that God doth us, that he will give us leave to visit him with our prayers and suppli­cations, but that he should con­descend so low as to come and visit us; this is a greater favour and honour. For the King to come to a private mans house, [Page 29]and give him a friendly visit, is more than to give him leave to come to Court, and present his petition; that is as it were, a common courtesie in respect of the other. ‘Now what kind of things these visits are, I cannot explain unto you, they are things, in a manner, unuttera­ble, and if I could speak of them never so distinctly and clearly, you that have not had experience of them, could ne­ver understand what I mean;’ and you that have experience, know more already of them, than either you or I can express. But all they that have acquaintance with God, do highly prize these visits, and therefore first do earn­estly sollicite God that he would please to bestow a visit upon them, thinking long for it, and saying with David, Psal. 101.2. Oh when wilt thou come unto me? Secondly, If God please to honour them with a visit, they entertain it with [Page 30]greatest thankfulness, and re­joycing. One visit from God, doth them more good than an hundred other blessings bestowed by God upon them. When Mary the Mother of our Lord went to give her Cozen Elizabeth a visit, she was so affected with the ho­nour, that not only her heart in her belly, but the Babe in her womb leaped for joy. And whence is this, saith she, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? Luke 1.43.44. for as soon as the voice of thy salvation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. O then, when the Lord himself, the Lord of life and glory shall please to come and visit a poor sinful soul, what joy, what tri­umph will there be? what crying out! as Mr. Glover, when he was going to the stake to burnt, O Austine, he is come, he is come! What admiration! crying out with Elizabeth, Whence is this that my Lord should come to me!

Thus I have shewed you what this acquaintance with God is, and wherein it consists. And when I say, the great concern­ment of every man is to acquaint himself with God, the meaning of it is this: That it greatly concerns every one of us to la­bour to know God, and that not on­ly with a knowledge of notion and speculation, but with a knowledge of faith and experience; as also, to get our peace made with God, and then to converse familiarly with him; and to that end, 1. To visit him often with our prayers. 2. To be frequently in his presence. 3. To improve our interest in him upon all occasions. 4. To comply with him, framing our hearts and wayes ac­cording to his will in all things. 5. To observe and give him thanks for all his favours. To beg, 6. That he would acquaint us with his secrets. And 7. Honour us with his visits. And this is to acquaint our selves with God.

CHAP. III. Shewing the Reasons, why it is the great concernment of every Man to acquaint him­self with God.

MAn is, as the Proverb tells us, a sociable creature, God at the first framed him for company and society, therefore of Man in his Innocency, God pronounced this; It is not good for man to be alone. Gen. 2.18. Hence it is that every Man naturally seeks to associate and acquaint himself with some Companion or other, but since the nature of man is be­come so corrupted and vitiated by the fall of Adam, it concerns every man to be very careful whom he doth acquaint and asso­ciate himself with, not only for his reputation and honour sake, because Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se; but also for his [Page 33]souls sake, because a mans asso­ciate and acquaintance hath a se­cret and powerful influence upon his mind and spirit, to make it either better or worse, according as his acquaintance is. Therefore it is that the holy Ghost gives that necessary caution; Make no friendship with an angry man, Prov. 22.24. and with a furious man thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his wayes, and get a snare to thy soul. The same may be said of a drunkard, of a swearer, of a despiser of the Word and Ordinances of God, of a perverter of the truths of God, and of every other sinner whatsoever. Make no friendship with him, lest thou get a snare to thy soul. But O, how is this whole­som and necessary counsel of the holy Ghost forgotten; and how unwary are most men in the choice of their friends and ac­quaintance, though the holy Ghost again tells us, With the pure men will learn purity, Psal. 18.27. and [Page 34]with the froward they will learn fro­wardness. So our English Transla­tion reads it. Et cum perverso perverteris; Sic Cle­mens Alex­andr. Ter­tullian. Athanas. Ambrosius, Cyrillus, Augusti­nus, alii (que) locum in­terpretan­tur. so the Vulgar La­tin But now I propound unto you here an acquaintance, from whence you need not fear any hurt or danger, but rather on the contrary may expect much good; for so saith the Text: Acquaint now thy self with him, and be at peace; so shall good come unto thee. The first benefit of this acquaint­ance is peace, peace with God, peace with thine own conscience, peace with the rest of the crea­tures. First, Peace with God, that must needs be, because reconci­liation and peace with God, is as you have heard, one ingredi­ent of this acquaintance with God. Secondly, Peace with con­science, for conscience is but Gods Deputy, Gods Advocate and No­tary in the soul; and as among men, when a man hath made his peace with the principal Credi­tor [Page 35]or party that had a contro­versie in Law against him, the Advocate, the Sollicitor his mouth is stopped, he hath no more to say: so here, having peace with God, thou hast peace with conscience; to be sure then, thou hast jus ad rem, if not jus in re. Thirdly, Peace with the creatures. Job 5.23, 24. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, &c. And Secondly, Good shall come unto thee, and that a threefold good; Utile, Honestum, or Honorificum, Jucundum. For, First, this acquaintance with God is the most profitable ac­quaintance. Secondly, It is the most honourable acquaintance. And, Thirdly, It is the most comfortable acquaintance.

1 First, I say, acquaintance with God is the most profitable ac­quaintance; there never was any man, that ever was acquainted with God, nor never will be, [Page 36]but got abundance of good by that acquaintance. I have read of Calvin and Beza, and other men of eminent learning and holiness, that the men of their acquaintance have protested, that they never were in their company, but they returned docti­ores, aut meliores, either more learned, or made better; what then may, and must, and will those say, that are acquainted with God? If the light of a glow­worm will help a man so much, what will the light of the Sun? When Moses had been conversing with God upon the Mount but for a little time, forty dayes and forty nights, the Text saith, his face did shine. Exod. 24.29. Our acquaintance with men may sully and deform us, they may affricate some of their errours or vices to us, Uva ut mucorem contactâ traxit ab uvâ. But now conversing with God, acquainting our selves with God, that will make our faces to shine. [Page 37]O how humble, how holy, how hea­venly, how God-like will that man grow that acquaints himself with God?

2 Secondly, As this acquaintance with God is a profitable acquaint­ance, so it is an honourable ac­quaintance. Men count it an ho­nour to have acquaintance with those that are their Superiours; hence it is that many seek the Ru­lers favour. Prov. 29.26. You read of one Za­bud the son of Nathan, that he was the principal officer in Solo­mons Court, 1 Kings 4.5. and that he was the Kings friend. Which of those think you, did he count his great­est honour? and if he must have been put to his choice to part with one of them, which of them do you think he would most willingly have parted with? It is easily determined. Surely to be the Kings friend was more to him than his office, whatever his of­fice were. O then, what is it to be the friends of God, to be ad­mitted [Page 38]into familiarity and ac­quaintance with God, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? It is spoken of Abraham as his great honour, and the great reward of his faith, that he was called the friend of God. James 2.23. Cuicunque haec sors contigerit ut amicus Dei sit is humanae foelicitatis terminos tran­scendit, saith Philo. Whose lot soever it be to be the friend of God, he hath transcended the bounds of humane felicity. And yet this honour have all the chil­dren of faithful Abraham, as well as himself; and indeed this ho­nour all may have that will. Therefore that Souldier whom Austine mentions, lib. 8. Confess. cap. 6. said wisely, ‘ Dic quaeso, omnibus laboribus nostris quo am­bimus pervenire? quid quaerimus? cujus rei causa militamus? Ma­joresne esse poterint spes nostrae in palatio quam ut amici imperatoris fiamus? & ibi quid non fragile, plenumque periculis? Et per quot [Page 39]pericula pervenitur ad grandius periculum? Et quamdiu istud erit? Amicus autem Dei (vo­luero ecce nunc fio. Tell me I pray, whither do we by all our adventures aspire? what seek we? what run we the ha­zard of war for? can our hopes in the Pallace rise higher, than to be accounted Friends to the Emperour? and in that ho­nour, what is there that is not frail, and full of danger? and how long will that endure?’ But the friend of God, if I will, I may be made now presently. And who but mad-men or fools, would refuse such honour.

3 Thirdly, This acquaintance with God, as it is most profit­able and honourable, so it is most comfortable, pleasant, and delight­ful. And here I must appeal to all those that have ever had ex­perience of acquaintance with God, if they have not found more true, real, solid joy and comfort [Page 40]in one quarter of an hours secret converse with God, yea in one friendly look or word of God, than ever they did in all their lives besides? you that are stran­gers to this, I know will not be­lieve it, nor cannot think it; but those that have experience of it, will bear me witness that I speak the truth in Christ, I lye not, nor hyperbolize. What is the com­fort and joy of heaven it self, but the presence of God, sweet com­munion and converse with God; so far therefore as we can attain this upon earth, so far we have an heaven upon earth. The Jews have a saying concerning the last day of the feast of Tabernacles which Scripture calls the last and great day of the feast, Joh. 7.37. that he who never knew the joy of that day, never knew joy in all his life: but I am sure it is much more true here; he that never knew the comfort and joy of ac­quaintance with God, never [Page 41]knew true joy and comfort in all his life.

4 Well, if all this that hath been said of the profit, honour, and com­fort of acquaintance with God, be not enough to perswade you, that it is the great concernment of every one of you to get and keep this acquaintance, I have but one thing more to add, and that is, that it is necessary for eve­ry one of you to acquaint your selves with God. For tell me, can you be content when you shall come to lye a dying, and then knock at the gate of mercy, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; Luke 13.25. can you be content, that God should answer you as it is there, I know you not whence you are? Or, can you be content, that when you come to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, he should profess to you, I never knew you, Mat. 7.23. depart from me ye workers of iniquity? If not, O then la­bour to get acquaintance with [Page 42]God and Christ now, for can you imagine that God and Christ will know them in death and judgment, who care not for knowing him, and acquainting themselves with him in the time of their lives?

CHAP. IV. Calling us to take notice of the wonderful condescension of God towards us, in vouch­safing to admit us into his Acquaintance; and of the madness and folly of those that care not for this Ac­quaintance.

HEre then see the infinite goodness and condescensi­on of God towards us his poor and worthless creatures, who though he be infinitely above us, [Page 43]and stands not at all in need of of us, nor cannot be in the least benefited or advantaged by us, or by his acquaintance with us; but before there was made either Man or Angel, he was infinitely satisfied, and infinitely blessed in the enjoyment of himself; yet was he pleased to create Angels and Men, not only to a fitness and capacity of, but unto an actual communion and acquaintance with himself; which was more than needed on God's part, or was owing on our parts; and when we like foolish and un­thankful wretches, upon the very first motion of the devil, gave away this honour and happiness of acquaintance and communi­on for an apple, as Esau sold his birth-right for a mess of pottage, and thereby not only made our selves unworthy for ever to be admitted into Gods favour and acquaintance, but unfit for it too, as well as unworthy; that God [Page 44]should yet please to stoop so low as to take us yet again into ac­quaintance with himself: this speaks the wonderful goodness of God, his infinite [...], or love to mankind.

When Esau had once underva­lued the birth-right, so far as to sell it for a mess of pottage, though afterwards it grieved him for what he had done, and he sought earnestly, and that with tears, to recover that bles­sing and birth-right which he had so foolishly lost, yet it could not be: so God might have dealt with Adam, and every one of us. The Text tells us, Adam lived 930 years after his sin; now if Adam had spent all those years in nothing but weeping and mourning, for his folly and mad­ness in parting with his birth-right, his acquaintance and com­munion with God, for an apple, and in seeking earnestly, and that with tears, to recover com­munion [Page 45]and acquaintance with God again, and after all, had been denyed it, yet God had been altogether just and righteous.

But behold the kindness of God, and his love towards man­kind! As it is said of David, when Absalom by his villanies had ba­nished himself from his Fathers Court and presence, it is said, The soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalom: that is, 2 Sam. 13.39. Da­vids heart was full of fatherly affection towards him, and he longs to be friends with him a­gain: so did the heart of God even long towards man, after his sin and fall, and he did even long to be friends with him again, and to renew his acquaintance and converse with him.

And this gracious disposition of his towards sinful man, this great desire and inclination which God hath after peace and renewed acquaintance with sin­ful man, God hath abundantly de­clared and testified.

1 First, By appointing, ordaining, and giving one to be a Media­tor, a Reconciler, a Peace-maker a Friend-maker, between God and us.

2 Secondly, By appointing and giving no other nor meaner Per­son to this work, than his own blessed and dear Son, who is the express image of his person, Heb. 1.3. and the brightness of his glory.

3 Thirdly, By giving this Son of his to be a Mediator, not only by way of Intercession, but also by way of satisfaction, to make peace for us by paying our debts, and satisfying for our sins, which he could not do but by shedding his blood, and laying down his precious life; and yet rather than God would quite lose and abandon all his interest in us, and acquaintance with us, he would not spare his own Son.

4 Fourthly, By testifying and proclaiming unto all men in the Ministry of the Gospel, that he [Page 47]is reconciled to the world, 2 Cor. 5.19, 20. and by re­calling and inviting sinners unto peace and acquaintance with himself.

Fifthly, By profering his acquaint­ance unto sinners upon such easie, 5 and as I may say, such cheap terms, namely, that we should repent of, and cease from our hating of him, and our being enemies to him, and enter into a league of unfeigned love and friendship with him; and would any of us take one that hath been our enemy, into our acquaint­ance, upon other terms than these?

Sixthly, By his not only offering acquaintance with us upon those terms, by his Embassadours, his Mi­nisters, 6 but by his coming person­ally by his Spirit to our several hearts, inviting and solliciting us to this acquaintance. According to that of our Lord Jesus Christ, Behold I stand at the door and knock; Rev. 3.20. if any man hear my voice, and open to me, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. The Greeks and Ro­mans [Page 48]of old were wont alwayes to have their feasts at supper; therefore when it is said here, I will come in to him, and sup with him, it is as if he had said, I will come in to him and feast with him. And feasting together was of old a Symbole of perfect re­conciliation, and intimate friendship and acquaintance. Now, behold here the wonderful goodness and conde­scension of God, and his gracious disposition and inclination towards peace and acquaintance with his poor creatures. May we not here now take up that admiring expressi­on of David, And is this the manner of men, O Lord. Did you ever read or hear of any King or Prince, 2 Sam. 7.19. that when his Subjects had highly pro­voked him, by their rebellion a­gainst him, and he had power e­nough to crush and destroy them, would yet not only send his Heralds and Ambassadours to them to offer terms of peace and reconciliation; but would himself, go in his own person, from house to house, and [Page 49]from man to man, intreating them severally, and by name, that they would be friends with him their So­veraign Lord and King; and offer­ing if they will but open the door to him, that he will forgive them, and be friends with them: did you ever read or hear of such a thing? and is this the manner of men? but this is the manner of Gods deal­ing with his enemies. Behold there­fore, I say, and admire the gracious disposition of God towards sinful man, and the great desire he hath towards peace and renewed ac­quaintance with him.

In the next place, see here the folly and madness of all those that are not acquainted with God. And this I fear is the state of not a few among us, whatever they may think of themselves; of whom it may be said, as our Saviour said of the Jews, John 5.37. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. They were a People that had read and heard the word of God; Ay, [Page 50]but yet they had never heard the voice of God, they had never heard God himself speaking in his word; they had seen the temple, and the Altar, and the rest of those sacred Symbols that were the testimonies of Gods presence, ay, but they had ne­ver seen the face of God in those Ordinances, and therefore though they looked upon themselves as the only people in the world that were acquainted with God, yet our Savi­our tells them they were mistaken, they were meer strangers to him. Ye have, saith he, neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

O that it were not so with some of us, who hear of God indeed, but hear not God, who have heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but ne­ver heard God himself by the hear­ing of the heart, who have seen the sanctuaries and Ordinances of God, but have never seen the face of God in his Ordinances, and in his Sanctu­aries, and so remain strangers to God, and unacquainted with him.

Particularly here are two sorts, whose woful condition this is.

• First, Those that are ignorant of God.
• Secondly, Those that have no con­verse with God.

1 First, Those that are ignorant of God, who know not God: they must needs be strangers to God, and God to them; for knowledge is the first step to acquaintance. Now, by per­sons ignorant of God, I mean, not only those that are grossly ignorant, who have not a true notion of the Nature, Attributes, and Persons in the Deity, of which there are too many every where; but by ignorant perfons, I mean, those, who though they have a true notion of God, yet want the real, effectual, and power­ful knowledge of God: their know­ledge of God is meerly notional, and God is to them, as it were, meerly, Notio secunda & ens rationis, as the Logicians speak. To know God really and indeed, is as I said before, to know him not only by an [Page 52] airy speculation, but to know him by a faith of effectual perswasion, so to know him, as to believe him indeed to be, the most powerful, wife, and good, the most just, and holy, Crea­tor, preserver, and Governor of the whole universe, and accordingly to have our hearts affected with love unto him, with desire after him, with fear and reverence of him, and delight in him. This, and this only, is the true knowledge of God, and whosoever they be that are destitute of this knowledge, whatever they may think of themselves, and of their own knowledge, they are yet ignorant of God, and strangers from God, through the ignorance that is in them.

Now, do we thus know God all of us? do we thus know God? thus as to acknowledge him, love him, fear him, desire him delight in him. The ox, the horse, & the dog, thus knows his Master and owner; and if we do not thus know our Creator, our Preserver, our Feeder and Main­tainer, [Page 53]O how ignorant and brutish are we? Isa. 1.3.

2 Secondly. Others there are that have no converse with God, what­ever they know of him, they have no converse with him, Ephes. 2.12. but live without God in the world, as the Apostle speaks of some. That are as mind­less of God, as regardless of God, & of all converse with him, as if there were no God at all: who are so far from visiting God daily with their prayers, that they never visit God by prayer at all; who are so far from being often in the presence of God, as those are that acquaint themselves with God, and converse with God, that they are never in the presence of God at all. Psal. 10.4. God is not in all their thoughts, as the Psalmist speaks, and makes it the very description of a wicked man. Now how many such are there among us, of whom it may most truly be said, God is not in all their thoughts?

One man he awakes, and rises in the morning, and as soon as he is up, [Page 54]presently without ever taking no­tice of God, or turning his thoughts to him, he rusheth into his shop, or into his worldly businesses, and is engaged in them soul and body, heart and hand, and so he continues, till of necessity he must intermit his labours to take a little food, and when he hath done that, he returns to his work again, and there conti­nues till late at night, and then he takes his supper, and goes to bed, and sleeps till morning, and then he riseth and spends the second day as he spent the first, and the third as the second, and so on, one day after another, and one week after ano­ther, and one year after another, but God is not in all his thoughts. Ano­ther is no sooner up and clad, but he is presently for his sports and games, or his company and cups, and these he pursues all the day long. There are that rise early in the morn­ing to follow strong drink, Isa. 5.11. and conti­nue until night, [...]ill the wins enflame them. And as they spend one day, so [Page 55]they resolve to spend a second and a third, and so they would spend eve­ry day. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine; Chap. 56.12. and we will fill our selves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. When I shall awake, Prov. 23.35. I will seek it yet again. A man may without suspici­on of the least breach of charity conclude of these, that they have no acquaintance with God: God is not in all their thoughts.

I confess, that even the Saints themselves have God too little in their thoughts, but they take no­tice of it, and bewail it, which makes one of them cry out, O Deus aeterne quomodo semper memor es ejus qui tui semper obliviscitur? quomodo continuatam habes memoriam ejus qui perpetuam tui habet oblivionem? O Deus proesentissime, & remotissime! proesentissime quidem quod in te est omnibus creaturis t [...]is, remotissimus ve­ro hominibus terrenis propter profundam qua tenentur joblivionem quod tu fis in eis. Me miserum obliviscor Dei qui [Page 56]mecum est, & beneficiorum quae conti­nuo in me confert, praeceptorum quae mi­hi imponit, praemiorum quae promittit, suppliciorum quae minatur, & denique judicii quod instituet. O Pater miseri­cordiarum aufer à me pernitiosam adeo oblivionem tui, ut semper sim tui memor sicut tu es mei. ‘O eternal God, how is it that thou art alwayes mindful of one who is alwayes unmindful of thee? how is it that thou hast a continual remem­brance of him who hath a per­petual forgetfulness of thee? O O God, who art most present to me, and most remote from me! As for thee, thou art most pre­sent to all thy creatures, but most remote from earthly men, be­cause of their profound forgetful­ness, that thou art in them, Ah, wretched man that I am, I forget that God that is ever with me, the benefits that he continually be­stows upon me, the precepts which he imposeth on me, the rewards which he promiseth me, [Page 57]the punishments wherewith he threatens me, the Judgments which he will execute.’ O Father of mercies, take away from me this so pernicious forgetfulness of thee, and grant that I may be ever mindful of thee, as thou art of me. But, O how few are there that are thus sensible of their forgetfulness of God, and their mindlessness of him, and be­wail it, and pray against it? No, my brethren, the generality of men live in a mindlessness and regard­lessness, and total and constant for­getfulness of God, & love to live so; this is their folly and their madness, they shun the thoughts of God, and all converse with God, as men that have sore eyes shun the light of the Sun. Job 21. 14. They say unto the Almighty, de­part from us, for we desire not the know­ledge of thy wayes. Would you think it possible, that men should ever ar­rive at that height of madness, as not only to live strangers from God, & unacquainted with him, but to be contented so to live, yea to ref use [Page 58]all knowledge of him, and scorn all acquaintance with him?

CHAP. V. Exhorting all to labour to get ac­quaintance with God, and pro­pounding several Motives thereunto.

MY next work therefore shall be to exhort and invite every one of you to this acquaintance with God. Let me bespeak every one, into whose hands these lines may come, in the words of my Text, Acquaint thy self with him.

There are three things, that are the great attractives, and incentives to make us seek acquaintance with men. First, The worthiness of the person. Secondly, The benefit we may reap by their acquaintance. Thirdly, Easiness of access and ac­quaintance. [Page 59]Now all these are emi­nently and transcendently in God.

1 First, The worthiness of the person. Men that are of great eminency, either for learning and wisdom, or for holiness and prety, or for power and authority, or for honour and dignity, O how ambitions are pru­dent and intelligent men of getting acquaintance with such? In all these particulars, who is like unto God, or who may be compared with him? who is infinite in wisdom and holi­ness, infinite in Majesty, power, and glory; He is the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, whose acquaintance is more worth than the acquaintance of all the men in the world. For,

2 Secondly, What benefit can you reap or expect from acquaintance with any man in the world, which is not infinitely more to be had in God, and that in all abundance? do you look that your friend and ac­quaintance should counsel you in [Page 60]your streights, protect you in dan­gers, defend you against enemies, pitty you in your afflictions, supply your wants, comfort you in your heaviness, deliver you in all your troubles? who so able, so willing to do all this, as God for those that are his friends and acquaintance? And such an one thou mayest be if thou wilt, & hast indeed a mind to it. For,

Thirdly, God is of open and easie access. Ingre­diamur aulas, ob­secro, & obstupescemus tantum argenti & auri effundi ad propitias Principum aures impetrandas. Quandoque non hebdomades solùm, sed menses, sed & annos totos expect andum est, dum Principis conclave & aures pa­teunt orationem acturo, Ad Deum immensa Majesta­tis Dominum, omni horâ, momentis omnibus patet adi­tus. Rex coeli nunquam non propitias & vacivas habet aures. Importunitatis hîc nemo insimulatur. Gratior est, qui frequentior, & importunior. Adeste terrae ver­miculi, prorepite scarabaeoli, accurrito homunculi mi­selli, liberrimum vobis est cum conditore vestro collo­quium. Nec est, quod vel causae vestra vel facundiae quidquam diffidatis: quò simpliciùs perorabitis, hoc meliùs: modò non fr [...]geat, aut exerret oratio vestra: modò eum, quem rogatis, ex oculis non vestrâ sponte amittatis. Cassiodorus id asserens: Ad penetralia ju­dicis, ait, precator admittitur, & nullus inde respuitur, nisi qui tepidus invenitur. Drexel. Rhet. Cael. lib. 1. cap. 13. It is not his being an in­visible [Page 61]Majesty, nor his dwelling in light inaccessible, that can render our acquaintance and converse with him, either impossible or difficult. Not his being invisible, for the souls of men are invisible, and yet the converse that men have one with another, is betweeen their souls ra­ther than their bodies; it is the soul that discourseth, reasons, un­derstands, wills, loves; and if we can converse and grow into ac­quaintance with a soul, whose es­sence or shape we never saw, why may we not converse with an unseen God too?

Nor doth it hinder our converse and acquaintance with God, that he inhabiteth eternity, that he dwelleth in the high and holy place; for though he be infinitely above us, yet he condescends to communicate himself to us, according to our capacities. He dwelleth on high, and yet he humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in earth, Psal. 113.5, 6. as well as in heaven, to converse with men as [Page 62]well as Angels. As the Sun in hea­ven is far above us, and yet doth not disdain to inlighten, and warm, and quicken the poorest worm that crawls upon the earth, as well as the Eagle that soars aloft above the clouds, and can gaze the Sun in the face. Let not therefore any poor soul be discouraged, and think or say, It is not for such a worm, for such a nothing as I am to aspire to acquaintance and converse with God. No, no, Men may be too high for thee to reach, and too great for thee to grasp and compass acquaintance with, but the great God will stoop to entertain ac­quaintance with thee, if thou wilt acquaint thy self with him.

He disdaineth not the acquaint­ance of the least of men, nor of the greatest of sinners. Such was the condescension of the divine nature, that it disdained not the near ac­quaintance with the humane nature: to take it into personal union with himself; and such was the conde­scension [Page 63]of God in our nature, that when he was upon earth he disdain­ed not the acquaintance of those who upon common account were the vilest of men, even Publicans and sinners. Mat. 9.11. And such is still the gracious condescension of God in Christ, that he disdaineth not the acquaintance of the meanest Persons or vilest sinners that seek acquaint­ance of him. Nay,

Secondly, He offers and tenders this acquaintance to them; and this is not usual for great persons to do to their Inferiours; he intreateth and beseecheth poor sinners that they would be reconciled to him, and acquainted with him. And this he doth.

Thirdly, Out of his meer grace and favour only, for their good and benefit, not for any gain or ad­vantage to himself. Can a man be profitable to God? saith Eliphaz. No, Job 22.2. God cannot be a gainer by our ac­quaintance: that he offers it, seeks it, is for our good and benefit, that [Page 64]we may be made happy and blessed by it. O then, let not this grace of God be in vain to us, but accept we this gracious offer of God, ac­quainting our selves with him.

CHAP. VI. Particularly exhorting those that never yet had acquaintance with God, now to labour for it. With Directions for the at­taining of it.

NOw here are three sorts that I would apply my self unto.

1 First. Those that never yet were acquainted with God. My Exhor­tation to them shall be, that they would now acquaint themselves with God, now presently, without any further delay.

2 Secondly. To those that have ac­quainted themselves with God, that [Page 65]they would labour to keep and maintain their acquaintance with him inviolate and uninterrupted.

3 Thirdly. To those whose ac­quaintance with God is intermitted, and they have in a manner lost it, that they would labour to renew it.

1 First. Such as never yet had any acquaintance with God. O labour now to get into acquaintance with him. Acquaint thy self now with him, now presently, immediately, without any further delay. O con­sider how long you have lived stran­gers to God already, enemies to God already. Is it not enough that you have lived twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years already, without any in­timacy or acquaintance with God? O if you love God, if you love your own souls, live not a day lon­ger, live not an hour longer in that strange condition. The time past of our life may suffice us to have lived in lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, 1 Pet. 4.3. &c. saith the Apostle Peter. And [Page 66] it is high time to awake out of sleep, saith the Apostle Paul. Rom. 13.11. So say I, the time past may suffice us to have lived without God in the world, and it is now high time for every one of us to begin to acquaint our selves with him.

Acquaint therefore now thy self with him. Now, now, while God is pleased to offer and tender this ac­quaintance. Now is the day of grace, 2 Cor. 6.2. now is the accepted time. Now, while the golden scepter is held forth, while the Gospel is preached unto you. To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Heb. 3.7. If God speak to your hearts, and bespeak your ac­quaintance with him, see that ye re­fuse not him that speaketh, but acquaint thy self now with him.

If any say, Quest. But how shall we do to get this acquaintance with God?

I answer, Answ. O that there were such a heart in you! O that every one into whose hands the providence of God shall bring this poor Trea­tise, [Page 67]were come thus far to seek after God, as seriously to enquire how they might be acquainted with God! you that are so, take these directions.

1 First. Labour to be fully con­vinced of an absolute necessity of acquainting your selves with God. Look upon it as your great duty, look upon it as that upon which not only the comfort of your lives, but the eternal salvation of your souls doth depend. There are three times especially wherein this acquaint­ance with God will be found of great and absolute necessity.

First. In a time of common ca­lamity. Such a time as our Saviour speaks of. Luke 21.25, 26. When there shall be distress of Nations upon the earth, with per­plexity, mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things that are coming upon the earth; (and how near such times may be to us, and how fast they may be hastening upon us, who can tell?) O then hap­py are those that have acquaintance [Page 68]with God, they have a friend, an acquaintance that will not fail them, when their own hearts are ready to fail them, and would undoubtedly fail them, were it not for their ac­quaintance with God. Whereas they that have not acquainted them­selves with God, will find God himself a terrour to them in the day of their calamity, God will deal with them as he threatens. I will shew them the back, Jer. 18.17. and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

2 Secondly. In the day of death, then acquaintance with God will be found absolutely necessary. There is no man, but when he comes to lye a dying, would be glad to have God his friend, and to receive his soul into his presence and favour. Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit; Lord Jesus receive my soul, is the prayer, or at least the wish of every dying man and woman, that doth not dye like Nabal, stupid and senseless as a stock or stone. But do you think that God will do this for [Page 69]every one at the first asking? surely no. They that never regarded to ac­quaint themselves with God in the time of their life, God will not so easily own them at the hour of their death; but they that have acquaint­ed themselves with God in the time of their life, they may with much comfort and assurance commend their souls into the hand of God, when they are at the point of death. And may say with Paul, 2 Tim. 1.12. I know whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that good thing that I have com­mitted unto him against that day. It was a noble speech of good Dr. Pre­ston when he lay a dying, and full of Christian confidence and comfort. I shall change my place, but not my com­pany. The meaning was, that he had so acquainted himself with God here upon earth, and had so much conversed with him, that now that he was to dye, his company should still be the same after death, that it was in life. How far are they from being able to speak this at their [Page 70]death, that have had no care to ac­quaint themselves with God, and to converse with him in the course of their life?

3 Thirdly. In the day of Judgment it will then be necessary that you should have acquaintance with God. Can you your selves imagine but that God, who is the righteous Judge of all the world, will in that great day look, and judge, and pronounce, far otherwise upon those that have been here acquainted with him, than up­on those that have lived and dyed strangers and enemies to him? ‘To the one he will say, Come ye bles­sed, ye have known me, and I have known you; you have loved me, and I have loved you; you have visited me, and I have visited you, and you have thankfully and glad­ly entertained those visits, you have been of my old acquaint­ance, many a prayer have I re­ceived from you, and many a tear have you dropt into my bottle; come therefore, come ye blessed, [Page 71]inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. But to the other he will say, go ye cursed, ye have not known me, ye have not loved me, ye have not regarded to acquaint your selves with me, ye have set at nought all my counsels, and would none of my reproofs; ye have said unto me, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes.’ Therefore now I say unto you, de­part from me into everlasting fire, pre­pared for the devil and his angels. O dreadful sentence, dreadful to hear, intolerable to bear, which yet ye can no wayes avoid, but by acquainting your selves with God. You must of necessity acquaint your selves with God, or dye miserably, and perish eternally. O press these and the like considerations upon your selves, till you be throughly and effectually convinced of an absolute necessity of acquainting your selves with God. Then,

2 Secondly. Labour to be seriously [Page 72]and deeply humbled, that you have lived so [...]ong as you have done, and lived unacquainted with God. Let me plead with you as Moses doth with Israel; Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people, Deut. 32.6. and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? ‘Is not he that God that hath given thee life and being, that hath pre­served thee, upheld thee, main­tained thee, fed thee, clothed thee? is not he the God in whose hands thy breath, and all thy ways are? upon whose pleasure and favour thou dependest for all thy present and eternal good, who is able to kill or cause to live, to save or to destroy, to make bles­sed, or to make miserable, to all eternity? And hast thou lived twenty, thirty, or forty years be­fore this God, yea, upon this God, and all this while never acquainted thy self at all with him? O what unthankfulness, what disingenuity, what folly, what brutishness is [Page 73]this? If thou hadst fed a horse or a dog but the tenth part of that time that God hath fed thee, he would have taken more knowledge and ac­quaintance of thee than thou didst ever do of God.’

Yea, thou hast not only not ac­quainted thy self with God, but thou hast not cared, thou hast not re­garded to acquaint thy self with him, but hast lived in a continual mind­lessness and regardlessness of God. Of the rock that begat thee, Deut. 32.18. thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten the God that formed thee.

Yea, thou hast not only neglect­ed acquaintance with God, but thou hast despised it, undervalued it, pre­ferred converse with the world, and with thy lusts above converse and acquaintance with God, as if a man should prefer the company and con­sortship of beggars and thieves, and whores, and such like lewd persons, before the favour, familiarity, and acquaintance of his Sovereign King: such an affront hast thou put [Page 74]upon the great God of heaven and earth. O let the thoughts of this afflict and humble thee in time, or else know that hereafter it will tor­ment thee to all eternity, and make thee tear thy flesh, and gnaw thy tongue, and curse thy self for rage & indignation at this thy present folly.

Thirdly. When you have thus convinced your selves of a necessity of getting acquaintance with God, 3 and humbled your selves for living so long without acquaintance with God, Then in the third place, be careful to remove those things which may be bars in your way, and may obstruct and hinder your ac­quaintance with God. Now what is that? why sin, and only sin. Sin is the wall of separation between God and us, that keeps God and us from meeting together, and from ac­quainting one with another. Your sins have separated between God and you, and have hid his face from you. Isa. 59.2. There­fore saith God, Wash you, make you clean, Isa. 1.16, 17. put away the evil of your doings [Page 75]from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. Come now and let us reason together. As if God had said, Ay, now you have repented, and made your selves clean from sin, now you are fit for God to treat withal, before you were not fit to come near him, nor approach his presence. A rebel that would be admitted into his Princes favour and acquaintance, must first throw down his weapons of rebellion: so must they that would have any ac­quaintance with God, they must put away sin, all sin.

Sin is the only thing that God hates, and is an enemy against, for its own sake; they therefore that would have any acquaintance with God, must renounce all acquaint­ance and familiarity with sin. If I regard iniquity in my heart: Psal. 66.18. God will not hear my prayer. Let a man pray never so often, and never so earn­estly, and beg acquaintance with God never so much, yet if he re­gard iniquity in his heart, God will [Page 76]not regard him, nor his prayers. We must therefore resolve to break off all our leagues with sin, to give a bill of divorce to every lust, to renounce for ever all acquaintance with sin, or else to renounce all ac­quaintance with God. Now which of these two would you rather do?

4 Fourthly. When you have thus convinced your selves of a necessity of acquainting your selves with God, and have humbled your selves for living so long without acquaint­ance with God, and have not only resolved, but have actually renoun­ced every evil way: you must not now think, that for your humilia­tion, or for your repentance, or for your forsaking of your sins God is obliged or bound to take you for his friends, or to admit you into his acquaintance. No, these things you must do, or else never look for acquaintance with God: and when you have done all this, you must acknowledge, that if God should cast away you from his pre­sence, [Page 77]& refuse to know your souls, it were but just and righteous. And if God doth ever admit you into his familiarity, it is of his meer con­descension and grace, and therefore, In the fourth place, you must make use of a Mediatour to bring you into acquaintance with God. This course men take, who desire to get the fa­vour and acquaintance of their Prince, or Sovereign, being them­selves strangers, much more if they have been enemies to him, they make use of some special favourite to make way for them, to procure access into his presence, and to in­gratiate them with him, that so they may get acquaintance. Now, such is the condition of all of us by na­nature in respect of God: we are not only strangers to him, but ene­mies, Alienated, Colos. 1.21. and enemies in our minds by wicked works. And being such, our only way to get acquaint­ance with God, is to make use of a Mediatour; What Mediatour? Pe­ter or Paul, or the Virgin Mary, or [Page 78]any other of the Saints in glory, as the Papists do? Alas, Abraham knows us not, Isa. 63.16. and Israel is ignorant of us. If they were not, yet they are not high enough in the favour of God to prevail for us. No, no, as there is but one God, so there is but one Mediatour betwixt God and Man, 1 Tim. 2.5. the man Christ Jesus. He is the great fa­vourite of heaven, who alone can bring us into acquaintance with God. O therefore make use of him.

If you ask, What is the use you should make of Christ the Media­tour, Quest. 1 and how you should make use of him?

To the first of these, I answer. The use you are to make of Christ the Mediatour, Answ. 1 in order to the gain­ing of acquaintance with God, con­sists in these particulars.

1 First. You are to make use of Christ the Mediatour for your re­conciliation and peace with God. Peace must be before acquaintance [Page 79]can be. And he must be your peace, Eph. 2.14.

2 Secondly. You must make use of Christ for bringing of you into Gods presence. As Joseph being the fa­vourite of the Court of Egypt, brought Jacob and his Sons into the presence of the King. It is Christ in whom we have boldness and access with confidence. Eph. 3.12 The Original [...] is very significant. Never come in­to Gods presence, but get Christ to take thee by the hand.

3 Thirdly. You must make use of Christ to procure you acceptance with God. For as the Apostle saith, He hath made us accepted in the be­loved. Eph. 1.6.

Fourthly. 4 Make use of Christ for the giving of you the true, & saving, and spiritual, and effectual know­ledge of God, without which you can never have true acquaintance with him. No man knoweth the Fa­ther, but the Son, Mat. 11.27. and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Fifthly. 5 You must make use of [Page 80] Christ for the procuring and send­ing down of that holy Spirit, without which we can never have any true converse or familiarity with God. Our converse with God lyes partly in our visiting God in prayer, that we cannot do without his holy Spi­rit, which is a spirit of prayer, and partly it lyes in Gods visiting us, which he doth not but by the breath­ings, and motions, and excitations, and inlargements, and consolations of his blessed Spirit.

Sixthly. 6 We must make use of Christ, as to bring us into the favour of God, so to keep and preserve us in the favour and acquaintance of God.

If you ask, Quest. 2 How you should make use of Christ in these parti­culars?

I answer. Answ. 2 Only by Faith, by be­lieving in him, and trusting to him as the Son of God, the Mediatour, the Advocate of sinners, to do all this for us.

This therefore do when the guilt [Page 81]of your sins looks you in the face, commit your self and cause unto Christ, relye upon him to answer for you. When the doors of mercy, and of access to God, seem to be shut against you, flye to him that bears the keys, and can at any time open to you, and let you into Gods presence. Desire him to undertake for you, to answer for you to God, to your own consciences, to Satans accusations, and rely boldly and confidently upon him, to do it for you. By him alone you may boldly and comfortably converse with God, but without him, no drawing near, Heb. 12.29. for our God is a consuming fire.

5 Fifthly. When you have thus convinced your selves of a necessity of acquaintance with God, when you have humbled your selves for living so long as you have done without it, when you have removed obstructions, when you have en­gaged the Mediatour, Then in the fifth place, do your duty. Ne tibi [Page 82]desis, do all that may possibly be done for the bringing of you into ac­quaintance with God. As namely,

1 First. Visit God often with your prayers.

2 Secondly. Frequent Gods house, the publique assemblies of the Saints, where God dwells, where Christ walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks.

3 Thirdly. Practise the duty of setting the Lord always before you, and setting your selves often in Gods presence.

4 Fourthly. Associate thy self with the Saints, those that are the friends and acquaintance God hath upon earth, that is a ready way to bring thee into the notice and acquaint­ance of God: as Ruths gleaning a­mong Boaz his servants, was the first way of bringing her into Boaz his knowledge, and acquaintance, and of all the preferments that follow­ed to her thereupon.

5 Fifthly. Beg for, and wait for a visit from God by his Spirit, and [Page 83]be importunate, be impudent here, take no denial, be not satisfied in one, or in few, but beg still more and more; say with the Psalmist, Remember me, O Lord, with the favour thou bearest unto thy people: Psalm 106.4. O visit me with thy salvation.

Sixthly, and Lastly. 6 Study com­pliance with God, and give thy self to a punctual and exact observation of his will in all things. And these are the wayes of getting intimacy and acquaintance with God.

CHAP. VII. Exhorting those that have ac­quaintance with God, to keep and maintain it.

MY next work is to exhort those that have acquaintance with God, that they would be very careful to keep and maintain that acquaintance that they have with [Page 84]God. And to move to this, I hope I shall need do no more than tell you, that it is a very possible thing for you to lose that acquaintance and familiarity which you have with God. Though it is true, Once the Lords, and ever the Lords; and, whom God loves once, he loves alwayes; and it is not possible for any that have e­ver been reconciled unto God, and brought into his favour by Jesus Christ, totally and finally to fall out of his favour again; yet it is possi­ble for you to lose that sweet inti­macy, and familiarity, and inter­course, and acquaintance that you had with God, which was both the fruit and evidence of the love of God, and of your being in favour with him, it is possible for you to lose your acquaintance with God, so far as that you may look upon God as a stranger, and God may look upon you as a stranger, as one whom he takes no notice of, of whom he hath no acquaintance with; you may look upon God as an enemy, [Page 85]and God may look upon you as an enemy, so far may you lose your ac­quaintance with God. This I must tell you.

And when I have told you this, I need tell you no more; for you that have indeed had this acquaintance with God, have I know found so much sweetness in it, and do so prize and value it, that if you were put to your choice, whether you would part with the acquaintance of the dearest friend you had, Father, or Mother, or Brother, or Sister, or Husband, or Wife, or part with your acquaintance with God; nay, whether you would part with all you are worth, nay, with your very lives, or part with your acquaint­ance with God; I know you would part with all, rather than part with that. I look therefore, that upon the very hearing that there is but so much as a possibility for you to lose it, you should presently ask me, What you should do to retain it? I answer.

1 First. Maintain in your hearts this high esteem of your intimacy and acquaintance with God, prize it above any other of your enjoy­ments whatsoever. Seemeth it a small matter in your eyes to be the Son-in-law of a King? 1 Sam. 13.23. saith David to Sauls ser­vants: so say to thine own soul, Is it a small matter to have acquaint­ance with God, to be the friend, the favourite of God, to have familiar access to, and intercourse with God? O prize it, and let God know thou dost prize it as thou wouldst prize heaven it self.

2 Secondly. Maintain not a discou­raging and distrustful, but a vigi­lant and wakeful fear, of losing this pretious injoyment. Optimus the­sauri custos timor est. Fear is the best keeper and preserver of things that are dear and pretious, many a jewel is lost through carelessness and rechlessness that might have been kept with fear and watchfulness.

3 Thirdly. Take heed of all such things as may unsoder and dissolve the [Page 87]acquaintance that is between God and you. As for instance.

First. 1 Take heed of falling into gross and presumptuous sins; for do you not know in your souls, that eve­ry gross sin willingly committed, doth vex and grieve God? and do you not know, that if you vex and grieve God, he will be so far from continuing his friendship and ac­quaintance with you, that he will be turned to be your enemy? If I know that the doing of such or such a thing will vex a man that is my friend, and yet I will do it, vexed let him be, I will do it; this plainly shews I little value the mans friend­ship, and when he knows it, he will value mine as little, and so friend­ship and acquaintance will be inter­rupted and broken off between us: thou knowest as well as I can tell thee, that there is no sin but it vex­eth God, and there is nothing that vexeth God but sin, and yet wilt thou sin? wilt thou sin, though thou knowest sin is the only thing that [Page 88]vexeth God, yet wilt thou sin? this is an argument thou valuest friend­ship and acquaintance with God at a low rate. And if thou thus sin and vex God, and slight his acquaint­ance, I tell thee, God will shake thee off from all acquaintance with him, and become thine enemy; nay, himself tells thee so. But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, Isa. 63.10 therefore he was turned to be their enemy. Take heed therefore of vexing God by willing and known sin.

2 Secondly. Take heed of being too familiar, and holding too much correspondency and intimacy with wicked and ungodly men that are Gods enemies; we our selves will not take him for our friend, that is inward and intire with our profes­sed Adversaries. Zabud was Solo­mons friend: Solomon had three spe­cial and known enemies. 1 King. 11 Hadad, Re­zon, and Jeroboam. Now if Zabud meant to hold in with Solomon, it had been no wisdom in the world for him to fall into acquaintance [Page 89]with any of these three persons, it had been enough to cast him out of the favour of Solomon for ever: so here, if we fall into intimacy and acquaintance with Gods open pro­fessed, branded enemies, what can we look for but that God should ca­shiere us his acquaintance, and say to us as he did to Jehoshaphat, Shouldst thou help the ungodly, 2 Chron. 19.2. and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath come upon thee from the Lord.

Thirdly. Take heed of dealing treacherously with God. 3 That is it the Lord chargeth the people with­al, by the Prophet Jeremiah; Surely, as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband: Jer. 3.20. or as the Original hath it, from her friend: so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. A Wife may have her failings, upon which the Hus­band possibly may frown and chide, and give her round language, but for all that he will be friends with her still, and continue in habitation with her still; but if once he come to [Page 90]perceive that she deals treacherous­ly with him, that she imbraceth the bosom of a stranger, that she loves another man better than she loves him; this quite breaks in sunder the knot of conjugal love and socie­ty between them, this is an unpar­donable sin, and an iniquity to be pu­nished by the Judge, Job 31.11. as Job speaks: So it is here, the friends and ac­quaintance of God may have their failings and miscarriages, for which God may frown upon them, chide and rebuke them, but yet retain them in his favour still: but if once he perceive that they deal treache­rously with him, if once they come to prefer any thing in their love be­fore himself, and his acquaintance, this will be a breach indeed between God and them. O therefore, as you prize acquaintance with God, take heed of the inordinate love of the world, and the things of the world. Remember what the Apo­stle James saith, James 4.4. Ye adulterers, and adulteresses, know ye not that the friend­ship [Page 91]of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God. Take heed therefore of the world.

Fourthly. 4 Take heed of too much absence from God, and discontinu­ance of acquaintance, converse, and familiarity with him. Some things there are that do dissecare amicitiam, chop in sunder friendship and ac­quaintance, as it were, at one stroke, and some things do dissuere amiciti­am, unrip and unsew it, and loosen it by little and little; great un­kindnesses, wrongs, and injuries, these cut the bands of love and friendship in sunder; but long ab­sence of friends one from another, and discontinuance of converse and familiarity, and letting fall the per­formance of friendly offices, visits, colloquies, and the like; these loosen friendship by degrees, and cause it to languish and dye. Hence the Proverb of amicitia Academica, Uni­versity-friendship, that holds only for a time. Scholars while they live [Page 92]together in the same University, often meeting, and walking, and talking together, they grow into great familiarity and acquaintance one with another; but afterwards being parted, and living at distance one from another, their friendship and acquaintance dyes, and is ex­tinct: so it is here, absence from God, disuse and discontinuance of communion with him, not fre­quenting Gods company, not often resorting to him, and speaking to him, will not only loosen, but lose our acquaintance with him.

If therefore we would maintain our acquaintance with God, we must often and daily visit him, frequent his house and Ordinances, be fre­quent in reading, hearing, praying; converse with him by holy medita­tions, and soliloquies, invite him home to us, importune him to vi­sit our hearts with his Spirit: as we do by our other friends, we often visit them, and invite them to visit us, assuring them that our house, [Page 93]and any thing that we have, is at their service: th [...]s must we deal with God, and this is the way to maintain communion and acquaint­ance with him.

Fifthly. 5 Take heed of enter­taining jealousies and suspitions of God, and of his love unto thee, or taking things unkindly at Gods hand. Many a man by taking up a groundless conceit that his friend is alienated from him, gives his friend just cause of alienation, and so loseth his friend: I am sure we often deal so with God; and I am perswaded there is scarce any one thing whereby the true friends of God do more grieve him, and hin­der their free and comfortable ac­quaintance with him, than by think­ing that God, [...] is easily provoked, so easily, that for involun­tary failings and infirmities, such as are wandring thoughts, deadness of heart in prayer, and the like, (which God knows they cannot help if their lives lay upon it, and God [Page 94]knows they are as bitter to them as death it self) and yet they do think, that for these God will fall quite out with them, and tantum non, cast them down to hell; and by these hard thoughts they grieve God, they break the law of friendship, they discourage and dishearten themselves from converse with God, and so their hearts are alienated and estranged from God, and then they (measuring God by themselves, as if he were like one of us) think God is estranged from them, and fallen out with them, when indeed it is, they are fallen out with him. Therefore take heed of these thoughts of God.

6 Sixthly. Take heed that Satan do not set in his foot between God and you; take heed you give no ear to what he will tell you concerning God, and the purposes and dispen­sations of God towards you. You know what the holy Ghost faith, A whisperer separateth chief friends. Pro. 16.28. There are no two friends in the [Page 95]world so great, but if either of them listen and give way to whis­perers, or detractors, that seek to set strife and variance between them, and believe every tale that they tell, bands of friendship will quickly be loosed, and they will be as great enemies as ever they were friends; we know that Satans great design is to set strife between God and Man; he began this game in paradise, God and Man were per­fect friends, till the Devil comes like a whisperer and slanders God, and tells Eve that it was out of meer envy and ill will that God had for­bidden her and her husband to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and she believing this slan­der did eat, and so the league of friendship was broken between God and her: so deals the Devil still, not indeed with those whom he knows to be Gods enemies, he doth not trouble their heads much with the thoughts of God, but fills their heads with the thoughts of other [Page 96]matters; but where he knows, or but suspects any to be the friends of God, or perceives them but to be seeking after reconciliation and ac­quaintance with God, O the strange thoughts of God that he buzzeth in­to their minds! sometimes he tells them that God hates them worse than he hates a dog or a toad: that it is in vain for them to pray, or re­pent, or to do any thing, God hath rejected them, they are reprobate from all eternity; if God afflict them, he tells them, that now they may see and feel, if they will, that God is angry with them, and hates them, and these afflictions are but the fore-runners and beginnings of hell, and what they feel here is no­thing to what they shall feel here­after: of God spare them from affli­ction, he tells them, God doth this but to fat them against the day of slaughter, and that they may the sooner fill up the measure of their sin and be ripe for hell. And thus Satan slanders God in all his wayes, [Page 97]and that not to the wicked, and those that are Gods enemies, but to those that are his friends; and the be­lieving of those lyes and slanders of Satan against God, proves many times, the very bane and break­neck, as I may so say, of acquaint­ance with God. Therefore take heed of giving credit to the Devil and his suggestions, and whatever Satan tells you of God, believe it not, but believe the contrary to be true, because that which Satan speaks of God cannot but be false. Thus I have shewn you what the things are we must take heed of, if we would maintain our acquaintance with God. Which is the third di­rection.

4 Fourthly. If thou wouldst main­tain thy acquaintance with God, look that thy heart be sincere and upright with him. No man would entertain into his bosom, as his en­tire friend, one that he knows doth but flatter and dissemble with him, and in his heart doth not love him. [Page 98]You know what Jehu said to Jona­dab, 2 Kings 10.15. Is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And when he said, It is, then he bid him give him his hand, and he took him up to him into the charriot. God need not ask any of us that question, Is thine heart right? for if it be not, he knows it well enough; and if it be not, he will never give us the hand of friendship, nor never take us up into the chariot of acquaintance with him­self. To this therefore let us look that our hearts be right with God, that what profession we make of our love, and of our desires of acquaint­ance with him, may come from a good and honest heart.

5 Fifthly. If you would maintain and keep your acquaintance with God, then labour to increase your acquaintance with God, and to grow in it. For as grace, so the privi­ledges of grace are of that nature, that they cannot stand at a stay, but are like the Sun, alwayes either ascending or descending, like the [Page 99]Sea, that is ever either ebbing or flowing, so these are ever either in­creasing or decreasing, either grow­ing or decaying. If therefore you would not have your acquaintance with God decay and dye, have a care that it may increase and grow. And to that end labour to grow in those things wherein acquaintance with God lyes; as namely, 1. In the knowledge of God, Hos. 6.3. 2. In converse with God. 3. In consi­dence in God. 4. In conformity unto God. Converse with God will conform us unto God, and confor­mity unto God will confirm and in­crease our converse with God.

6 Sixthly. Be willing to be ruled by God in all things, be punctual in observing his commands; exactly careful to please him well in all things. So in the verse after the Text, Receive the Law from his mouth, Job 22.22. and lay up his words in thine heart. Let Gods word be a Law to thee, Joh. 14.21, 23.

7 Lastly. Be much in converse with [Page 100]those that are the friends and ac­quaintance of God. Let them be thy companions, so they were Da­vids; Psal. 119.63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee. Let them be thy de­light, so they were Davids; To the Saints that are in the earth, Psal. 16.3. and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. As consorting our selves with the wick­ed, and such as are Gods enemies, is the ready way to lose our ac­quaintance with God; so on the contrary, consorting with the Saints that are Gods friends, is the way to keep and hold our acquaintance with God. 1 Joh. 1.3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

CHAP. VIII. Exhorting those who have lost their acquaintance with God, to endeavour the recovery of it.

I Come now to exhort those who have sometimes had acquaint­ance with God, but have lost it a­gain, that they would by all means possible endeavour the recovery of it. Now this is a state and condition not impossible for the true Saints and friends of God to be reduced into. This is frequently mentioned in Scripture under several notions and terms, sometimes under the notion of Gods withdrawing himself. I open­ed to my Beloved, Cant. 56. but my Beloved hath withdrawn himself; sometimes of Gods hiding himself. How long, Lord, Psal. 89.46. wilt thou hide thy self for ever? some, times of casting out. I will cast you out of my sight: sometimes of shutting [Page 102]out. Lam. 3.8. Also, when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer: sometimes of casting off: Psal. 43.2. Why dost thou cast me off? And every one of these may seem to be a several degree or increase of loss of acquaintance with God.

1 First. When God doth withdraw himself, and doth not so frequently visit the soul with his grace and Spi­rit, as he was wont, here now is some abatement, some diminution of the acquaintance that was be­tween God and the soul. But then,

2 Secondly. When God hides him­self, that is, when the soul is sensi­ble of Gods withdrawing, doth set it self seriously and earnestly to seek God, and would fain find him, and re-injoy his presence and commu­nion with him, and God hides him­self, and the soul cannot find him, but it is as it was with those we read of in Hosea. They shall go with their flocks, Hos. 5.6. and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him, he bath withdrawn himself from them. This now is more. But,

Thirdly. When God doth not only thus hide himself, but cast the soul as it were out of his sight; this is more and heavien. As if a man, when one that hath been his acquantance comes to his house, he should not only refuse to see him▪ or speak with him, but plainly turn him out of doors; this were a sign of great alteration, and alienation of mind in one that had been a friend.

4 Fourthly. When God doth not on­ly cast the soul out, but shut him out, shut the door of mercy as it were upon him, this is yet more.

5 Fifthly and L [...]stly. When God not only doth this, but even casts off the soul, renounceth as it were all friendship and amity with it for the future, saying as the Romans were wont to do to their Wives, when they gave them a divorce, Res tuas tibi habeto, Look to your own mat­ters, I will have no more to do with you, or as the people did when they rejected the posterity of David from reigning. 1 Kings 12.16. Now see to thine own [Page 104]house David. Thus high may the breach come to be between God and those that have been his friends and acquaintance.

Now a child of God, a friend, and acquaintance of God, doth then think and conclude, that God deals thus with him, withdraws himself, hides himself, casts him out, casts him off, when he finds God suspending and with-holding the wonted influ­ences of the Spirit of grace from him.

For this acquaintance between God and our souls, as the Lord Jesus Christ is the procurer of it, so the Spirit of grace is the Internuncius, the manager and worker of it; we can neither acquaint our selves with God, but by that Spirit, nor doth God acquaint himself with us, or communicate himself unto us, but by the same Spirit. When therefore the soul finds those influences of the Spirit of God that it was wont to have, in praying, and hearing, and Sacraments, and other holy duties, [Page 105]when the soul finds them with­drawn, it presently fears, yea con­cludes God is grown a stranger, hides himself, and casts the soul off.

Now the influences of Gods Spi­rit into the hearts of his people, are of two sorts; Either influences of comfort, or influences of grace.

First. There are influences of comfort, which the Spirit of God sends into the hearts of the Saints, shedding the love of God abroad in their hearts, Rom. 5.5. giving them such a real, sweet, powerful taste, and feeling of the love of God in their souls, as fills them with joy un­speakable and full of glory. Now when these sweet and comfortable influences of the Spirit of God are suspended and withdrawn, this can­not but make an alteration in the soul, in its apprehensions of Gods love, and their in erest in him, and acquaintance with him.

Secondly. There are influences of the Spirit of God, which are influ­ences [Page 106]of grace, and these are three­fold. Either,

First. That influence of the Spi­rit, whereby grace is first infused and wrought in the soul. Or,

Secondly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace when it is in­fused, is actuated and set on work in the soul. Or,

Thirdly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace is increased and caused to grow in the soul.

Now for the infusing and work­ing of grace in the soul, one single influence of the Spirit is sufficient; but for the actuating and increasing of grace, renewed and repeated influences are requisite. As one act of divine power and providence is enough for the producing of the creatures into being; but for the continuance of their being, and for their operations, there is required a continual efflux of providence; so it is here. Now when these influ­ences of the Spirit are suspended and withdrawn, the soul can neither [Page 107]keep up and carry on his acquaint­ance with God in a way of duty, so as it should, nor apprehend God communicating himself and Spirit to him, so as it would, and so can­not but from both conclude an in­terruption of that acquaintance and familiarity that hath been between God and it.

Now to those whose condition this is, give me leave to propound,

First. Some things by way of support and consolation.

Secondly. Some things by way of counsel and direction. And,

First. By way of support and consolation, several things I have to say.

1 The First is this. That how sad and strange soever thy condition may seem to be, thou art not the first, nor art like to be the last of the Friends and Saints of God, whose condition this hath been or may be. Read but over the Book of the Psalms; how often do you find there the Saints complaining of Gods [Page 108]hiding his face from them, casting them out; casting them off, forsaking, forgetting them, shutting out their prayers, and the like. Now this may be some comfort to thee, as it is to a man that is in a wilderness, to find the tract and footsteps of men that have gone that way before him.

There are, as Gerson observes, three sorts of Christians.

Gerson de monte con­templat. cap. 22.Some that are in a winter condi­tion. In winter you know the dayes are short, and the nights are long, and the dayes for the most part are cloudy and dark, the Sun being ob­scured with many clouds and fogs; there are sharp colds and great rains, and now and then it may be a fair day, but very rarely: so some Christians they have short dayes, and long nights, short visits, and long ab­sence of God, they have much dark­ness and little light, Rara hora brevis mora. Ber­nard. much coldness and little heat in their spirits, many showres of griefs and tears, rarely now and then a gleam of comfort.

Other Christians, saith he, are as it were in the spring, in primo ve­re. In the Spring you know, it is one day fair and clear, another day cloudy and rainy; but we see the Sun oftner in the Spring, and the beams of it are more vigorous and warmthful than in the winter: now these are such whom the Sun of righteousness doth more frequently visit than the former, and sheds more warmthful and vigorous in­fluences into their hearts, and yet withdraws himself from them some­times: sometimes their Sun is un­der a cloud. Ut modicum illum vide­ant, & modicum non videant; and they have their wet and sorrowful dayes and times too.

Others there are with whom it is Midsummer, their Sun is seldom clouded: but when it is, it is more terrible, there are greater tempests of thunder, and lightning, and rain many times in summer than in win­ter, though not so constant rain. These are the best and highest form [Page 110]of Christians: who though they en­joy a more constant serenity, and more constant peace and commu­nion with God, than the other, yet now and then meet with more vio­lent and strong temptations, and deeper desertions than the former, their temptations are very sharp, but then they are short. So that you see by this distribution there is no state of a Christian life on this side heaven exempted and priviledged from this hiding of Gods face, and suspending the influences of his grace and love. Whether then thou be in thy Winter, or in thy Spring, or in thy Summer, clouds may come over thy soul that may hide the face of God from thee, and intercept the influences of his Spirit and grace; th s is common to Christians, what­ever degree of grace they have at­tained: therefore say no more, that never any was in such a condition as thou.

2 The Second thing I have to say to thee is this; That the worst of thy [Page 111]condition is this, It is a withdraw­ing, not of the love of God from thee, but of wonted expressions of his love, it is but a withdrawing of the influ­ence of his Spirit from thee, not the presence of his Spirit from thee; I say it is but a withdrawing of the manifestation of Gods love from thee; God doth not look so kindly upon thee when thou comest to seek his face, as he was wont to do; God doth not speak so comfortably to thee, he doth not speak so to thine heart when thou comest to hear his word, as he was wont to do; God doth not make thee so welcom to his table when thou comest there, nor give thee such a double portion of the marrow and fatness of his Or­dinances as he was wont to do. I confess here is a great change in the outward carriage of God, and a great abatement of the wonted ex­pressions of his love; but there is no change at all in the mind and will of God, no abatement at all in the love of God, which is as un­changeable as God himself. David [Page 112]loved Absalom as dearly all that three years in which he would not endure him to come into his presence, nor permit him to see his face, as he did before in any time of his life, though in wisdom he did conceal and smoother his love: so God may conceal his love for a while, but he loves thee still as well as ever.

He hath taken away the wonted influences of his Spirit from thee, but his Spirit it self he hath not taken from thee. Joh. 14.16. Christs prayer and in­gagement is, that the Spirit where once he is given shall abide for ever. Therefore I say, the influences of the Spirit may be suspended, but the Spirit it self is not departed, as it was with Eutychus when they thought he was dead; his life, saith Paul, that is, his Spirit, his soul is in him, and yet all the influences of his soul into his body, either visible to o­thers, or sensible to himself, were for the present suspended: so is it here, the visible sensible influences of the Spirit may be suspended, but the Spirit is not departed, the band of union is not dissolved.

3 Thirdly. As it is the influence, and not the presence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, so it is not the total influence of the Spirit that is withdrawn from thee, but only part of it; all the influences of the Spirit are not withdrawn, but only some of them. For the influences of the Spirit are of two sorts. Ei­ther such as are necessary to the being of a Christian in the state of grace, and these are secret, hidden, and unsensible; or else such as tend to the well and comfortable being of a Christian, and these are evident and sensible: as in the body there are some influences of the soul, that are necessary to the animation and quickening of the body, and these remain when the body is in a swoon, though they be secret and hidden, and neither felt by the bo­dy it self, nor discerned by the be­holders; other influences there are that tend to the perfection of life in the body, as tending to motion and sense, these are both sensible to themselves, and visible in the effects [Page 114]of them to others; now these latter influences of the soul into the bo­dy, may be suspended, when yet the other are continued: so it is here, they are but the sensible and arbitrary influences of the Spirit that are suspended, the necessary in­fluences of the Spirit are yet con­tinued.

4 Fourthly. As it is the influence and not the presence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, and as it is but some of the influences, not the whole influence that is withdrawn: so fourthly, this influence is but suspended, it is not quite cut off; and there is a great difference be­tween these two. If water be con­veyed through a pipe, from a foun­tain to a cistern; if that pipe be stopt, the stream is suspended, and it is but unstopping the pipe, re­moving the obstruction, and the wa­ter will flow as plentifully as ever it did before; but if the stream be cut off or turned another way, then the case is otherwise, the matter is irrecoverable: Poor soul, because [Page 115]thou hast not those influences fresh and lively from the Spirit of God that thou hast had, thou thinkest the stream is quite cut off, the heart of God thou thinkest is quite turn­ed away from thee. Alas, thou art mistaken; it is only the pipe is stopt, something lyes in the way that ob­structs the influences of the Spirit of God into thee; remove but that, and the influences of the Spi­rit will come in upon thee, in as full a stream as ever. For (which is the last thing that I have to propound to thee for thy consolation) thou must not think

5 In the fifth place; That because God hides himself, and withdraws himself, and carries himself at pre­sent, not as a friend, but rather as a stranger, as an enemy to thee, do not think that he will alwayes do so. When he hath said plainly, He will not alwayes chide; Psal. 103.9. Isa. 57.16. I [...]am. 3.31, 32. neither keepeth he his anger for ever. He will not con­tend for ever, neither will he be alwayes wroth. He will not cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have [Page 116]compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. These are clear and express promises of a true and faith­ful God; heaven and earth shall fail before one word or tittle of these promises shall fail. It is therefore a great infirmity in thee, to think, that because God now hides his face from thee, he will do so for ever; or because, that God seems to be fallen out with thee, therefore he will never more be friends with thee. Thus to think, is I say, a great infirmity in thee. So Asaph ac­knowledgeth for himself, when he had been questioning with his own soul. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Psal. 77.7, 8, 9, 10. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for ever? Hath God for­gotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? He con­cludes, This is my infirmity. As who should say, It is a great weakness in me so to imagine; so it is in thee, if thou dost so think.

These things thus premised, as grounds of hope and consolation, [Page 117]I proceed now to shew what course you must take to recover favour with God, and your acquaintance with him again. And so,

1 First. Enquire whether you have not given God cause thus to estrange and absent himself from you, and break off acquaintance with you. To that end make use of the parti­culars laid down before. 1. Enquire whether you have not fallen into some known and gross sin. 2. Whe­ther you have not held too much correspondence with, and delighted too much in the company of wicked and ungodly men. 3. Whether you have not been too much carried a­way with the inordinate love of the world, and of the things of the world. 4. Whether you have not too much absented your selves from God, and neglected your wonted and appointed times of meeting him, and acquainting your selves with him. 5. Whether you have not dealt unfriendly with God, by en­tertaining jealousies and hard thoughts of God. And, 6. giving [Page 118]too much credit to Satans lyes, and slanders. Inquire seriously, whether you have not been guilty in some or other of these particulars; for usu­ally, I must tell you, the breach be­gins on our part, we give God cause to estrange himself from us. When thou hast done this: Then,

2 Secondly. Take the counsel the holy Ghost gives; Do this now, my Son, Prov. 6.3. and deliver thy self, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thy self, and make sure thy friend. Or as the Margent reads it, Go humble thy self, and prevail with thy friend. Humble thy self, that is the way to prevail with God, and to make him yet thy sure friend, though he seems to be thine enemy. Hum­ble thy self, and that upon a twofold account.

1 First. For the sad condition that thou art in at present.

Secondly. For the sin that hath brought thee into this sad condition.

First. Humble thy self for the sad condition that thou art in. Think and say thus to thy self, ‘Wo is [Page 119]me for my God, my life is depart­ed from me, and how am I chang­ed? O how was I wont to meet God in his Ordinances? and what sweet communion and acquaint­ance had I once with him, but now he hides himself, and will not come at me.’ I pray, but he hears me not; I hearken after him, but he speaks not; I call, but he answers not. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, Job 23.8, 9. but I cannot find him. On the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himse f on the right hand, that I cannot see him. And say again as Job; O that it were with me as in moneths past, Job 29.2, 3, 4. as in the dayes when God preserved me: When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness. When the se­cret of God was upon my tabernacle, and the Almighty was yet with me. It is an excellent meditation Bernard hath to this purpose. ‘Whence comes this barrenness that possess­eth my soul? whence is it that my heart is dryed up like a bottle in [Page 120]the smoke, and my soul is like the dry and parched wilderness? Non possum lachrymas fundere, Bern. in Cant. Ser­mon. 74. I cannot weep, I find no savour in Psalms, I have no delight in reading of the Scriptures; prayer doth not re­fresh me, I have no heart to me­ditation, or any thing that is good. Hei mihi, Wo is me! God visit­eth the mountains of my compa­nions, but skips over my moun­tain, and never toucheth it. Here is one ravished into the third hea­vens in holy meditations. There is another prays, as if he would rend the heavens with his pray­ers; another excels in zeal, ano­ther in patience, another in humi­lity, another in holiness.’ These are Souls whom God visits, these are "mountains upon which God com­mands the rain of blessing, Sed ego miser qui nihil horum sentio, but wretched I that feel none of these things; what am I but as one of the mountains of Gilboa, upon whom there falls neither dew nor rain, nor are there fields of offering [Page 121]there. Thus humble thy self, and bewail thy state and condition.

2 Secondly. Humble thy self again, for thy sin that hath brought thee into this sad condition. ‘Think and say thus with thy self. Oh, what a thing is this, that I should by my sin provoke him to leave me, in whose presence I have had such life, such light, such liberty, such peace, such joy. O wretch that I am! that that communion and ac­quaintance that I had with God, was of no more esteem with me, but that I should thus lose it by my folly! I have been careful to keep my interest & acquaintance with this and that man, but have not been careful to keep my inte­rest and acquaintance with God.’ That which I begged with tears, and was many a year a getting, how have I by my sin lost it on a sudden? O what have I done against my God, yea against my self? O my folly, that have lost that for want of care, that now I would redeem again, if it were possible, with my blood.

3 Thirdly. Follow God with mourn­ful cryes and prayers, beg of him that he would return unto thee, and renew acquaintance with thee; im­portune him by all the ancient love that hath been between him and thee, that he would be gracious yet unto thee; put him in mind of his an­cient love to thee. Say as the Church, Lord, Psal. 89.49. where are thy former loving kind­nesses? Lord, what is become of all that love which sometimes thou ba­rest and expressedst to thy worth­less servant? And humbly put God in remembrance of thy ancient love to him; seeing God is pleased to be so gracious as to vouchsafe to remem­ber it. Jer. 2.2. I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wil­derness, &c. Entreat God to remem­ber, there was a time when thy love was more vigorous, and more fer­vent to him than it is now, when thou couldst have followed him through a wilderness, through a sea, through fire and water; tel him, it is thy grief that thou canst not so love him now: [Page 123]entreat him by renewing his love to thee, to revive thy love to him, beg of him that all old kindnesses may not be forgotten; cast up thy weeping eyes with the sad complaint of a bleeding soul to thy ancient friend, and his bowels will roll, his com­passions will relent towards thee.

4 Fourthly. Submit to any conditi­ons of reconcilement, and accept of the lowest degree of restaurati­on to favour and acquaintance with God. Say, Lord, chide, rebuke, smite me, command, impose, do what thou wilt with me, only cast me not out of thy presence, cashiere me not wholly and for ever: say as the poor Prodigal, Make me but as one of thine hired servants: as the woman of Ca­naan, Let me but gather up the crumbs among the dogs. ‘Lord, if I have so far sinned, as that I may not be re­stored to that degree of nearness that I had before, if I may not have a place among thy children, among thy friends; Lord set me among thy servants, thy hired ser­vants, yea, if it be but among the [Page 124]dogs of thy family, Lord, so I may be in thy presence, and see thy face I shall be thankful even for so much.’

5 Fifthly. Go to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Dayes-man, the Friend-maker, between God and Enemies; much more between God, and those that sometimes were his friends. Go to him, pray him to take thee by the hand, yet once again, and recon­cile thee anew to God. He as God, is a middle person between the Father and the Spirit; and as God-man, he is a middle Person between God and Man: he is our Peace, he is our Ad­vocate with the Father. Who with one appearing in heaven for us, with one opening of his mouth, can make God and us friends, if we had never been friends before; therefore go to him, ingage him by his Name, by his Office, by his Undertakings, to do this for thee.

6 Sixthly. Go to the Saints of God that are upon earth, that are Gods favourite and acquaintance, make thy case known to them, entreat [Page 125]them to strive with God in prayer for thee. This direction God gave the friends of Job, as you may see in Chapt. 42. v. 8. Go to my servant Job, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept.

7 Seventhly. Whatever the issue of this thy mourning, praying, and go­ing to Christ, begging the prayers of others be; though God should hide his face stil, & carry it strange­ly, still, yet think thou, and speak thou honourably of God however. Following that president of the Psalmist, or rather of the Lord Je­sus Christ, of whom the Psalmist was but a type. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Psal. 22.1, 2, 3. Why art thou so far from helping me, &c. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

8 Lastly. If God yet seem still to be angry with thee, take the coun­sel the holy Ghost gives. When the spirit of the Ruler riseth up against thee leave not thy place, Eccles. 10.4. for yielding paci­fieth great offences. So now, when the Spirit of God seems to be provoked against thee, leave not thy place, [Page 126]leave not thy station, leave not pray­ing, and hearing, and waiting upon God in all holy Ordinances. Henry the fourth, Emperor of Germany, wait­ed three whole dayes in the depth of Winter, bare-foot and bare-leg­ged at the gate of the Pope's Ca­stle, before he could obtain admissi­on into his presence, and recover his grace and favour. Upon occasion of a displeasure conceived by the Pope against the City and State of Venice. Franciscus Dandalus, after­wards Duke of Venice, was sent Em­bassador to Rome to seek reconcilia­tion; and when no other means would mollifie the Pope's proud and inraged heart, the Prince at length so far abased himself, as to put upon his neck a coller and chain, and couch under the Pope's table, like a dog at his feet, to see if by that means he might at length obtain.

Now shall Princes and Emperors thus a­base themselves in seeking the favour of a mortal man, and wait in these abasements long; O how low should we lye, how long should we wait, if by any means, or at any time we may recover the favour of God, and readmission into his presence!