246 THE NATURE Or HEAVENLY acquaintance and fellowship with God, and therefore if thou corne but seldom to it, thou wilt keep thyself a stranger still. When a man feels his need Of God, and must seek his help in time of necesssity, then it is great encouragement to go to a God we know; and are ac- quainted with. " O," says the heavenly Christian, " I know both whither I go, and to whom. I have gone, this way many a time before now. It is the same God that I daily converse with and the way has been my daily walk. God knows me well enough, and I have some knowledge of him." On the other side, what a horror and discouragement will it be to the soul, when it is forced to fly to God in straits, to think, " Alas ! I know not whither to go. I never went the way before. I have no acquaintance at the court of heaven: My soul knows not that God that I must speak to, and I fear he will not know Any soul." But especially when we come to die, and must immediately appear before this God, and expect to enter into his eternal rest, then the differ- ence will plainly appear ; then what a good will it be to think, " I am going to the place that I daily conversed in ; to the place from whence I tasted such frequent delights ; to that God whom I have met in my medi- tation so often. My heart hath been at heaven before now, and bath often tasted its reviving sweetness; and if my eyes were so enlightened, and my spirits so re- freshed, when I had but a taste; what will it be when I shall feed on it freely ?" On the contrary, what a ter- ror will it be to think, " I must die, and go I know not whither ; from a place where I am acquainted, to a place where :I have no familiarity or knowledge ! It is an inexpressible horror to a dying man, to have strange thoughts of God and heaven. 1 am persuaded the neg- lect of this duty so commonly makes death, even to godly men, unwelcome and uncomfortable. There- fore I persuadé to frequency in this duty. And as it will prevent shyness between thee and God, so also, §, 11. It will prevent unskilfulness in the duty itself. How awkwardly do men set their hands to a work they are seldom employed in! Whereas fre- quency will habituate thy heart to the work, and make
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