3.8 the right manner ofdrovingnizb Ave may draw nigh to God, if we neglet them, our familiarity wthGod will quickly be -loft, Acquaint thyfelfwith Godand be at peace. God is willing to be acquainted with 'his .fetvants, -the Lord-loves tobe familiar with the pooreft of-his Saints, and wilt not thoumaintain. that tweet familiarity withGod.? Thefe two benefits will follow upon thy familiarity with God. Firlt, Thofe that are molt familiar with God they are moll potent with God ; Asnow, a ttranger cannot prevail in any- Petition tows a familiar friend can. Thus my brethren, , when strangers come into Gods pretence, God cloth not fo ankh re- , gard them : but when his familiars come intohis pretence, the -Saints of God that keep dolewith him in conftanc communion - and converfe in the duties .of his Worfhip, God doth take them as His familiar freinds, and they will prevail much with God. Secondly, By this means the terror ofdeathwill be takena- lot there is no fuchway to takeof the terror ofthe thoughts , -ofdeath as by keeping familiarity with God, death then is Joy- ful to thofe that converfe with him. That ReverendDivine that is nowwith God (Dottor Tireflon) when he was to diehe bad this fpeech, fhal but change my place, Ipall not change mycompany ; whereas its otherwife if thou growett Otranged from-God, when deathcomes is will look with,aterrible face,fot then thou haft to deal with God, thou art then to go into the prefenceof the infinite dreadful God, into whofe prefence thou never hada any mind togo before, but faith 'death, 'mutt now carry thee into the prefenceof God. As thy 'Body returns to the auff,ro tbyfoul muff return toGod that gave it ; that is, to re- teive its eternal doom, &c. But nowfaith a Saint, what mull my body return to dull and my foul to God that gave it ? it is he which lhave been with every day, and can lay as he Paid, 'My foulgofort, goforth why art thouunwilling togofortb to bins that thou haft converfedwith alltby dales ? And then, what safety is there in being neer to God, efpeci- aillY in tilde dangerous times ? In the times wherein we live is is-fafe to be neer God ; in Tfai. 22. i I . Be notfarfromme,for troable is neer, faith (David : Lord, trouble is neerme, be not thou far fromane. It's a bleffed thing to have God neer us when trouble
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