si Ì'. ii Íq il! I8ó INVITATIONS TO cnvncsppELLLOWsHIP. of their common Father. He must and will hold a visible fel- lowship with them, as he hopes he has a share in their invisible blessings. All their infirmities and their follies do not disgust him halfso much, as the image of God in them gives him plea- sure : He loves to be with them, for God is with them ; and he longs to be one of them, for they are one with Christ, united to him in one Spirit. There is a more intimate freedom in holy conversation among the inhabitants of one house, among the members of a christian church. They grow into an inward ac- quaintance : There is an opening in their bosoms and their hearts to their brethren, and a sacred friendship in spiritual affairs. See what affectionate intimacy David expresses, and what kind things he speaks concerning a fellow-member of the Jewish church, though he indeed proved a false one ; Psal. lv. 13, 14. Thou, my equal, my guide, and my acquaintance; we took sweet counsel together, andwalked into the house of God in company : And fellow-christians in the same society do, or should maintain such a pions amity. Surelywe have but poor evidences that our souls approach to God in his worship, if we have mean thoughts of his family, and despise his children, as though they were not worthy to be one with us, or we ashamed to be one with them. Will God, the glorious and the holy dwell amongst them, and are they too despicable and unworthy to have our company? Let us ask our own hearts, if we are related to God by adoption, and become his children, why do we not join our- selves to the family, and hold communion with our brethren ? Reflection I. What further remarks shall we make now, at last, upon this doctrine, and this discourse ? Surely " they teach us to make a severe reflection upon ourselves and our conduct ; if we find no desire to dwell in the house of God, no breathings of soul after thefellowship of saints, and the special ordinances of the church ofChrist." Either we labour under somemistake, same ignorance of duty ; or we are under the power of some present temptation ; or else our fancied approaches to God are but deceits and delusions. Observemy words, I cannot say this is the case of all that are notjoined to the disciples, and added to the visible church ; but this must be the ease of all that have no desires of it. They that have no inclination to get nearer to God than they are, have a just reason to think they were never brought near him. II. " There are surely some sensible defects or corruptions in that church, or there is a decay of religion in its members, where church-fellowship is not still esteemed a pleasure and a privilege." Where holy communion is an insipid and tasteless thing, there must be some degrees of distance and estrangement between God and his people; either God is in some measure withdrawn from that church, where saints delight not in their
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