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I commend that speech of Bernard, Nunquam abs te absq, te recedo: I never come to thee, but by thee, I never come from thee, without thee.

Whenever you go into your closets, press hard after real and sensible communion with God, that so you may come out with shines of God upon your spirits; as Moses came down from the mount with his face shining. O do not take up with your tears, joys, or enlargements, but labour and long to enjoy that inward and close fellowship with God in your closets, as may leave such a choice, and sweet savour of God, both upon your hearts and lives, as others may be forced to say, surely these have been with Jesus. 'Tis sad when christians return from their closets to their shops, their trades, their families, and their commerce, without the least visible rays of divine glory upon them.

O Sirs, closet prayer will be found to be but a lifeless, comfortless thing, if you do not enjoy communion with God in it. Communion with God is the very soul of all your closet duties; and therefore press after it, as for life: when you go into your closet, let every thing go that may hinder your enjoyment of Christ. O let closet prayer be a chariot to convey your souls over to God, and to bring you into a more intimate communion with him. Let no closet dutysatisfy you, if you have not conversed with God, as a friend converseth with his friend, even face to face. Nothing speaks more unsoundness and baseness of heart, than this, when men make prayer the end of prayer; than when men can go on in a duty, and close up a duty, and never enjoy the least communion with God in the duty.

But how shall a man know when he hath a real communion with God in a duty or no?

This is a very noble and necessary question, and accordingly it calls for a satisfactory answer;

First, A man may have communion with God in sorrow and tears, when he hath no communion with God in joy and delight; a man may have communion with God in a heart humbling and a heart abasing way, when he hath not communion with God in a heart reviving and a heart comforting way. It is a great mistake among many tender christians, to think that they have no communion with God, but when they find God raising the springs of joy and comfort in their souls, when they find the sensible presence of God cheering, refreshing, and enlarging of them in their closets; then they are willing to grant that they' have had sweet communion with God in their closets; but if he breaks their liearts for sin, if he meets with them, and makes his power and his presence manifest, in debasing and casting down their souls upon the sight and sense of their strong corruptions and imperfections, how unwilling are they to believe that they have had any communication with God. Well friends, remember this, once for all, That a christian may have as real communion with God in a heart humbling way, as he can have in a heart comforting way; a christian may have as choice communion with God when his eyes are full of tears, as he can have when his heart is full of joy. Sometimes God meets with a christian in his closet, and exceedingly humbles him; and at other times, he greatly cheers, comforts, revives, and quickens him. God doth not

always come upon the soul one way, he doth not always come in at one and the same door. We sometimes look for a friend to come in at the front door, and then he comes in at the back door; and at other times when we look for him at the back door, he comes in at the front door; and just so 'tis with God's coming in to his people's souls: Sometimes they go into their closets, and hope that God will come in at the front door of joy and comfort, and then God comes in at the back door of sorrow and grief; at other times, when they look that God should come in at the back door of humiliation, breaking and melting their hearts, then God comes in at the front door of joy and consolation, cheering and rejoicing their souls. But,

Secondly, I answer, That all christians do not enjoy a like communion with God; some enjoy much, and others but little communion with God in their closets. Moses had a more clear, glorious, and constant communion with God in his days, than any others had in those times wherein he lived: God spake to none face to face, as he did to Moses. And Abraham in his time had a more close, friendly, and intimate communion with God, than holy Lot or any others had in that day. And though all the disciples (Judas excepted) had sweet communion with Christ in the days of his flesh, yet Peter, James, and John, had a more clear, choice, and full communion with him, than the rest; among all the disciples, John had most bosom communion, and was the greatest favourite in Christ's court, he leaned on his bosom, and could say any thing, and have any thing of Christ; now that all christians do not enjoy communion with

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God alike, in their closets, may be thus made very

evident.

1. All christians do not prepare alike to enjoy closet communion with God, and that is one reason why christians do not enjoy the like communion with God.

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2. All christians do not alike prize communion with God; some prize communion with God in their closets, above all other things: As that noble martyr said, 'cursed be he that prefers all the world to one hour's communion with God they look upon that pearl, for the enjoyment of which, they are ready to sell all, and part with all; others prize it at a lower rate, and so enjoy less of it, than those that set a higher value upon it.

3. All christians do not alike press after communion with God in private; some press after this communion as a condemned man presses after a pardon, or as a poor beggar presses after alms; now you know these press on with the greatest earnestness, the greatest fervency, and the greatest importunity imaginable; but others press after communion with God in their closets more coldly and carelessly, "I have "put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?" Now, they that press most after communion with God in their closets, are usually blest with the highest degrees of communion with him.

4. All christians do not improve their communion with God alike; and therefore they do not enjoy the same communion with him. Some christians make a more wise, holy, and constant improvement of their

communion with God than others do, and therefore they are blessed with higher degrees of such communion than others are: some christians improve their closet communion with God against the world, the flesh, and the devil, more than others do; and therefore no wonder if they enjoy more communion with God in their closets than others.

5. All christians do not need the same communion with God in their closets. All christians have not the same place in the mystical body of Christ; some rule, and others are ruled; now every man stands in more or less need of communion with God, according to the place that he bears in the body of Christ. Again, all christians have not the same burthen to bear, nor the like difficulties to encounter, nor the like temptations to wrestle with, nor the like passions and corruptions to mortify, nor the like mercies and experiences to improve; therefore all christians do not need the like communion with God in private. Now, God commonly lets himself out more or less in the way of communion, according to the necessities and conditions of his people.

6. Some christians meet with more outward and inward interruptions than others, and some christians outward callings, relations, and conditions, hinders their closet communion with God. Besides satan is more busy with some christians than he is with others, and corruptions work more strongly and violently in some christians, than in others; and let me add this } to all the rest, that the very natural tempers of some christians are more averse to closet duties, than the natural tempers of others; and therefore all christians

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