9t £JDUDuttcs tn <!!5emral. Chap ').sea. 7. ----------------~--~~~--~--~ \vh\ch is our Privilcdge ? \Vhat isthe happinetfe ofa glorified Saint, but that he is Pfd. 16, llo ObjeEf. Mal. J, •.3• Anfw. z. Objet1. Anfw, NJI"4uamabt rerecedoDo-: mine finete. '3 0/ijeEf, Anfw; Luke •4· 32. '4. Object. Anfw. · alwayes under the line of love, ever m the contemplatiOn of, and converfcs with God. and fhall that be thoughtour burt~en here, which is our glory hereafter? Take heed of this; take heed you do not think rt an hell, a paUl, a vexatiOn, to be mG'od-apprMching, and Chrift-meetmg duties,! know wearmefs may b~ upon the flcfh,there are wcaknetfcs and dillempers there,but chrde them away,entertam them not; Number it among your choicell Priviledges, .Comforts, Del1ghts, to converfc With God mClmll: Confider iftherc be an Heaven, it is the very pr~fence of this God in Chrift Hence they who meet with God in duty, ufually find then hearts fwcetly rcfrefhed, as 1fHcaven were in them: For in thyprefence there i< fu/neffe of joy, and atthy rig!Jt h1mdehere arc plcafures for evermore. · Bt<ttftheu beJuch delight in Duties, what is the reaf.n ·hat Jrick_sd men accoemt it a wearifomnej[e, and burthen, and[mtjfat it ? .Behold 1rhar a nearmejfe u it ! andye have. Jnu!fedatit,Jaith the Lord. . . . . . . Awrcked man cannot del1ght m Gods fervrcc, becaufe rt rs above h1s capacity - Whiles he is at Duty, he is like a fifh out ofhis Element; the Dmy is heavenly and fpiritual, but he is worldly and natural, no wonder thcrcfor: he delights not in it. Bu.t' more particularly, a wicked man delights not in Duties.-- r. Becaufc of his ignorance of the worth and excellerty of D~~ties: he cannot poffibly delight in·what he knows not; So much as we k.now, fo much we defi•·e and delight in, and no more. . · 2. Becaufe of his infidelity: Fai'th is the main organ of romfort, and thcr.efore no wonder..(as it WJS faid of the JewJ) if. the Word preached do mt pr•fit him,not being m•xed with 'faith in him that heard it. 3. Becaufe of the abfence of thee all-feeing and quickningSpirit: It inhe Spirit that quick§eth, thejlejiJ profiteth nothing; the words that I f}eak.ro!""~re Spirit •nd life: As the Body is dead without the Spirit; fo Duties without Otrills quickning Spirit, are dead and lifeletfe. But ifthere befuch delight in Duties, what is the reafon that the SaintJtbemfehm do mij[e of their comforts in Duties? I anfwer, I. There-are none of Gods people but they do fometimes or other finde comfort, either in Duties, or after Duties. 2. If at.any time they milfe of wmfort, it is becaute they do n?t meet with God, whom they came to converfe witball : As when a man goes to meet with a: friend, and meets him not, he comes away fad~d in his Spirit; fo when a childe of God comes to fome D11ty, hoping to enjoy fwect commu– nion with God in it, and then'failes of his expectation, this mull: needs fill himfull of fadnelfe. It was an excellent fpeech ofBernard, I nevn-go froJN God withoucGod. Hap– py·Chtillian, that when he goes to converfe with God in fome:D~try, can fay, 1-nev.-r go from God witholtt God; I nevergo to God,but I meet with God; and,! never go from God, bJtt I carry God withm<. But ifno comfort, no delight withoitt God in our Duties, What tlen is '"I cafo, that have nofence, no feeling ofGod.J Y"fence in Duties? When I have d•nr all lean, mc think.§ I cannotfinde God, 1caRnot meet with Chrift. I anfwer, Hall: thou indeed no fence of Gods prefence, and yet hal thou a fence of Gods want ? It is good then to obferve the different effects of G9ds yefence, _or elfe thou mayell: wrong God, as well as thy felf; to fay he was not with th1e, when-yet h~ was: As I. There are manifefl: and evident fruits of Gods prefencen Duties; as, much liberty of Spirit, much Joy, much Peace, alfurance of Faith. 2. There are more inward and referved fruits qf his prefence ; as, Sencc of want, forrowfor want, defire of enjoyment, willingenetfe unto further Duties, to tinde that ·which ~e wunt in fome ·other: In thj! former, God is with us, and we know he is with us: Inhe latter, God is with us, aand we know not fo much : This W'JS the cafe of. the two)if~iPJes going to Emmaus, Their eyes were holden, that they could not k§ow Chrif'f ; yet afterwards when they did know him, they remembrcd, that they had (ufficient~vidence of his prefence, even when they knew him not, Did not oJtr hearts b11m wit1in ""• 1, while he tt<lk!d withm by the way, and opened the Scriptures to"' ? Now .whence w..s that tire, but from the Spirit of Chrifl: conveyed in his Word. ' > • · , • But what is the reafon that Gods people doJometimes mifs of Gods'comforr&le ptpfence Ill Duties? ; c ..,,. hnfwcr,fdlcymill'cofGodscomfortableprefence, I. Bccaufe (it na,y.be) t~ey ' ~~
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