i o Vnion mita God man,r excellency. f to thy tabie,as a bride into the bofome of thy love,to know thy will, to beleeve thy truth, to receive thy grace, and to feele thy love, and to be fatisfied with the goodneffe of thy hour.c, even of thy holy Temple. What is the fruit and end of all the labours of Gods Miniflers,but to worke and draw home the foules of men to God, to the fruition and enjoy- ment of God, to union and communion with God ? All the labour of Eleazar Was to bring home Rebecca unto I aac, to efpoufe her to Iàac : and all the labour of Gods infers, his fervants, is to bring men home toChriff,to efpoufe them to Chrift ; as Paul faith, I t bave ef/oufedyou to one bus band.This is the fum of all, to gather men home to God and Chrift, as chicken to the Hen,as Sheep unto the Shepheard,as children to the Parent, that they may be v reconciled unto Clod, made one with God, and have the bleffed enjoyment of God, as their higheft excellency and chiefeft good. And what are the longings of the fouls of holy men who have difcerned Gods beavties, who have tailed Gods loving kindneffes, but the fruition of God in his ordinances, and in his graces ? w My foule (faith David) thirtieth for God, O when (ball I come and al,- peare before God ! And againe, My fo. ule F breaketh for the longings which it bath unto thy judgements at all times. Very vehement and laborious are the defires of Gods fervants after him and his tefiinzonies ; defires which doe even confume and weare out the flrength and vigour of their foules ; defires of perfeve- rance, longing at all times, in profperity and adverfity. The foule of a good man is reftleffe untill it hath the enjoyment of God and Jefus Chrift, nothing elfe can content and an- fwer it : Herein Rands the excelIency,the glory and comfort of it ; until it attain this it is unquiet. Union and communion with God makes the foule flou - rilh, as the branches by union with the vine. They Y that are planted in the boufe of the Lord, that draw nigh to God, confci- onably frequent his worel,and are ingrafted intoChrif:,they (hall flourifh iu the courts of our God, as a watered garden, or a ree planted by the waters fide : this fils the foule with fpiri- ttuall life, with heavenly fenfe and motion, as the members which are united to the head : z He that bath the fonne lath life, K 2 power, t E Cor. tI.z. v z Cor. e.19 zn Pfa4z. z. x Pfa.i i9.z° Benefits ofu. nion and com- munion with God. y Pfa.9a.iz. t loh:S.ta.
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