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confider him or your felves? If I be your Father where is my Honour, and if I be your Mafter where is my Fear? Mal. i. 6. While we call him Father, or Lord, we proclaim this much, that we ought to know our Distance from him, and his Superiority to us: And if Worship in Prayer carry not this Character, and exprefs not this honourable and glorious Lord, whom we ferve, it wants that Congruity and Suitableness to him that is the Beauty of it. Is there any Thing more uncomely, than for Children to behave themfelves irreverently and irrespectively towards their Fathers, to whom they owe themfelves? It is a monftrous Thing even in Nature, and to Nature's Light: O how much more abominable muft it be, to draw near to the Father of Spirits, who made us, and not we our felves, in whofe Hand our Breath is, and wobofe are all our Ways; in a Word, to whom we owe not only this Duft, but the living Spirit that animates it, that was breathed from Heaven, and finally, in whom we live, and move, and bave our Being, and well-being, to worship such an' one, and yer to behave our felves fo unfeemly and irreverently in his Prefence, our Hearts not ftricken with the Apprehenfion of his Glory, but lying flat and dead before him, having .fcarcely him in our Thoughts whom we fpeak to; and finally, our Deportments in his Sight, are fuch, as could not be admitted in the Prefence of any Perfon a little above our felves, to be about to speak to them, and yet to turn afide continually to every one that cometh by, and entertain Communication with every bafe Creature; this, I fay, in the Prefence of a King, or Nobleman, would be accounted fuch an abfurd In civility, as could be committed; and yet

we behave our selves just so with the Fa. ther of Spirits.

O the Wandrings of the Hearts of Men in divine Worthip! while we are in Communication with our Father and Lord in Prayer, whofe Heart is fixed to a conftant Attendance and Prefence, by the Impreffion of his glorious Holiness? whofe Spirit doth not continually gadd abroad, and take a Word of every Thing that occurs, and so marrs that Soul cor. refpondence? O that this Word, Pfal. lxxxix. 7. were written with great Letters on our Hearts, God is greatly to be feared in the Affembly of the Saints, and to be had in Reverence of all them that are about him: That one Word, God, fpeaketh all. Either we must convert him into an Idol, which is nothing : or if we apprehend him to be God, we muft apprehend our infinite Diftance from him, and his unfpeakable, inacceffible Glory above us. He is greatly feared and reverenced in the Affemblies that are above, in the upper Courts of Angels; thofe glorious Spirits who must cover their Feet from us, becaufe we cannot see their Glory; they must cover their Faces from him, because they cannot behold his Glory, Ifa. vi. What a glorious Train hath he, and yet how reverend are they? They wait round about the Throne, above and about it, as Courtiers upon their King,for they are all miniftring Spirits, and they reft not Day and Night to adore and admire that holy One, crying, Holy, Holy, Holy, the whole Earth is full of bis Glory. Now, how much more then fhould he be greatly feared and had in Reverence in the Affembly of his Saints, of poor mortal Men, whofe Foun dation is in the Duft, and in Clay; and befides drink in Iniquity like Water? There is two Points of Difference and Y y 2

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Distance from us; he is nearer Angels, | so ratifieth all the Promises of God made

for Angels are pure Spirits, but we have Fleth, which is furtheft removed from his Nature: And then Angels are boly and clean; yet that is but fpotted to his unfpotted Holinefs; but we are defiled with Sin, which putteth us fartheft off from him, and which his Holiness hath greatest Antipathy at. Let us confider this, my Beloyed, that we may carry the Impreffion of the glorious Holimefs and Majefty of God on our Hearts, when ever we appear before him, that fo we may ferte and rejoice with Trembling, and pray with Reverence and godly Fear: If we apprehend indeed our own Quality and Condition, how low, how base it is, how we cannot endure the very clear Aspect of our own Confciences, we cannot look on our felves ftedfattly without Shame and Confufion of Face, at the deformed Spectacle we behold, much lefs would we endure to have our Souls opened and prefented to the View of other Men, even the baf eft of Men, we would be overwhelmed with Shame as if they could fee into our Hearts? Now then, apprehend feriously what he is, how glorious in Holinefs? How infinite in Wisdom, how the Secrets of your Souls are plain and open in his Sight? And I am perfwaded, you will be compofed to a reverend, humble and trembling Behaviour in his Sight.

But withal, I muft add this, That beoaufe he is your Father, you may intermingle Confidence; nay, you are commanded fo to do, and this honours him as much as Reverence; for Confidence in God, as our Father, is the best Acknowledgment of the Greatnefs and Goodness of God; it declareth how able he is to fave us, and how willing, and

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to us, and fetteth to a Seal to his Faithfulness: There is nothing he accounts himself more honoured by, than a Soul's full refigning it felf to him, and relying upon his Power and Good-will in all Neceffities, cafting its Care upon him, as a loving Father, who careth for us. truly, there is much Beauty and Harmony in the Juncture of th fe two, Rejoi cing with Trembling, Confidence with Reverence, to ask, nothing doubting, and yet fenfible of our infinite Distance from him, and the Difproportion of our Requests to his Highness. A child-like. Difpofition is compofed thus, as alfo the: Temper and Carriage of a Courtier hath thefe Ingredients in it. The Love of his. Father, and the Favour of his Prince, maketh him take Liberty, and affume Boldness; and withal he is not unmindful of his own Distance from his Father, or Mafter, Let us draw near with full Affurance of Faith, Heb. x. 22. There is much in the Scripture, both exhorted, commanded, and commended, of that

ppno, that Liberty and Boldness of pouring out our Requests to God, as one that certainly will hear us, and grant that. which is good. Unbelief fpoileth all, itis a wretched and bafe-fpirited Thing, that can conceive no honourable Thoughts of God, but only like it felf; but Faith, which is the well-pleafing Ingredient of, Prayer: The lower Thoughts a Man have of himself, it maketh him conceive the higher and more honourable of God, My Ways are not as your Ways, nor my Thoughts as your Thoughts, but as far above, as the Heaven-above the Earth, Ifa. Iv. 8. This is the Rule of a believing Soul's conceiving of God, and expecting from him: And when a Soul is thus placed on God, by trufting

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and believing in him, it is fixed, My Heart is fixed, trufting in the Lord, Pfal. cxxvii. 7. O how wavering and inconftant is a Soul, till it fix at this Anchor, upon the Ground of his immutable Promises? 'Tis toffed up and down with every Wind, 'tis double-minded: Now one Way, then another; now in one Mind, and fhortly changed: And indeed 'the Soul is like the Sea, capable of the leaft or greatest Commotion, James i. 6, 7, 8. I know not any Thing that will either fix your Hearts from wandering in Prayer, or establish your Hearts from Trouble and Difquiet after it, nothing that will fo exoner and ease your Spirits of Care as this, to lay hold on God as All-fufficient, and lay that Confraint on your Hearts, to wait on him and his Pleafure, to caft your Souls on his Promises, that are fo full and fo free, and abide there, as at your Anchor-hold, in all the Viciffitudes and Changes of outward or inward Things. In Spiritual Things that concern your Salvation, that which is abfolutely neceffary, you may take the Boldness to be abfolute in it, and as Job, Though be fbould play me, yet will I trust in thee; and as Jacob, will not let thee go till tbou bless me But either in outward Things, that have fome Usefulness in them, but are not always fitteft for our chiefeft Good; er in the Degrees of Spiritual Gifts, and Measures of Graces, the Lord calls us without Anxiety to pour out our Hearts in them unto him; but withal we would do it with Submiffion to his Pleafure, becaufe he knows beft what is beft for us. In thef, we are not bound to be confident to receive the Particular we ask, but rather our Confidence fhould pitch upon his Goodwill and Favour, that he will certainly deny nothing that himself

knows is good for us: And fo in thefe we fhould abfolutely caft our felves with Carefulness upon his loving and fatherly Providence, and refign our felves to him to be difpofed of in them as he fees con-" venient. There is fometimes too much Limitation of God, and Peremptoriness ufed with him in fuch Things, in which his Wifdom craves a Latitude both in publick and private Matters, even as Mens Affections and Interefts are ingag. ed; but ordinarily 'tis attended and followed with Shame and Difappointment in the End: And there is on the other Hand intolerable Remiffness and Slacknefs in many, in preffing even the weightieft Petitions of Salvation, Mortifica tion, &c. which certainly arifeth from the Diffidence and Unbelief of the Heart, and the Want of that rooted Perfwafion, both of the incomparable Neceffity and Worth of the Things themselves, and of his Willingness and Engagement to bestow them.

The Word is doubled here, Abba, Father, the Syriack and Greek Word fignifying one Thing, expreffing the tender Affection and Love of God towards them that come to him. He that cometh to God muft believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that feek bim diligently; fo he that cometh to God must believe that he hath the Bowels and Compaffion of a Father, and will be more eafily inclined with our importunate Cries, than the Fathers of our Flesh: He may fuffer his Children to cry long, but it is not because he will not hear, but because he would hear them longer, and delights to hear their Cry oftener. If he delay, 'tis his Wifdom to appretiate and endear his Mercies to us, and to teach us to prefs our Petitions, and fue for an Answer.

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Befides, this is much for our Com- as a Paradife; that though we understand fort, that from whomfoever, and what- not one another, yet we have one loving foever Corner in the World Prayers come and living Father that understands all our up to him, they cannot want Acceptance: Meanings; and fo the different LanAll Languages, all Countries, all Places guages and Dialects of the Members of are fanctified by Jefus Chrift, that who- this Body make no Confufion in Heaven, Soever calls upon the Name of the but meet together in his Heart and AfLord, from the Ends of the Earth, ball fection, and are one Perfume, one Inhe faved: And truly it is a fweet Me- cenfe, fent up from the whole Catholick ditation to think, that from the Ends of Church, which here is scattered on the the Earth, the Cries of Souls are heard: Earth, O that the Lord would perfwade and that the End is as near Heaven asus to cry this Way to our Father in all the Middle; and a Wilderness as near our Neceffities!

Fel

Fellowship with GOD:

O R,

XXVIII. SERMONS on the 1. Epiftle of Johm, Chap. i. and ii.

Wherein the true Ground and Foundation of attaining the spritual Way of intertaining Fellowship with the Father and the Son, and the bleffed Condition of fuch as attain to it, are moft fuccinctly and dilucidly explained.

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