Recommended [rum Phil. z. 1 2, 1 3· 615 enjoy h1m, w fee hun who is invifible, to lean upon him who is Almighty, to enjoy hirn who is infinite? ls all this nothing? Wi~l not th.e Souls of thofe who h<~ve by Experience tafted the f~eetnefs of thefc Thmgs, cry out, They are {o excellent and ttan{cmdent, tiJat there u but one Thing more defirt:tble, and that is immediate Enj~ymwt l \.V hat is Heaven it fclf but Communion with God at a nearer Hand? Here it is by Faith, there by Vifion; here by Ordinances, there by immediate ' Influences; here it is by Duty, there by Union. And therefore if the Confideration of a future Heaven be not cogent and prevailing with you, behold here is a Heaven at prefent; here i·s Happinefs for your Work, as well as for your Reward. It was nobly fpoken of GallellWM Carricioitu, Curfed, fays he, be that Man -wh(l preferreth the 1vhole World b({o1e one hours Communion with 'Jc[U1 CfJrift. And certainly they who have once talted the fweetnefs of this Communion, will fubfcribe to that Anllrhema. (2.) Secondly, There U ufual{y_ great Peace and Tranquility of Confcience attends and PearefJf I!CCompanies thi1 working for Salvarton; that fills the Souls with as great a Calm as the Confritttre ¥World had the firft Morning of its Creation, when there was no Wind or Tem- otn tlf.dlof peft to difcompofc it. Never is the ~oul more at reft than when it is moft at wcr~t~g work, I dare appeal to the Experience of the People of God in this Cafe. Do [f:n.' v"- flot your moft folemn Fcafts come in by your Obedience? Doth ever Confcience look fo triendly and pleafantly upon you as when it finds you aCtive in t he Ways of God? lt then wears not a WrinckJe or Frown upon its Face ; as Sin ruffles it, fo Duty finooths it out again; and this caufeth fuch Peace and Quietnefs in the inward Man, as yields more fatisfatl:ion than all the noife and ruffling Gallantry and Jollity in the Wotld can. 'ThH is our rejoycing, rhe Trftimony of our ConjCiences, that C • in jimplicity and t;odly Sincerity we have had our CotJVerfarion in the ~Vorld. So that if ~~.or. 1 " Men care not for the Enjoyment of God, yet if they love the Enjoyment of themp · felves, if they wou~d avoid Difcor.ds an~ ~ivil Wars in their own Brea:fis, this ~ere enough to excite them to this pac1fymg Work, that atones and reconciles Confciencc unto themfelves. (;~.) Tbirdly, In thi4 work~tl,g for Salvation God$ives ir1 many evidmt Tcftit:'onies of 1., work~ hU[pccial fa'1.1our and ~cccptatwrJ unto the Sou~s of hu StY".Jants. Thou meeujf. htm, fays ingfor the Prophet, tiMt rt;oyceth and worktth R,ghreoufnefs. Thou meeteft h1m, how? Sdvarion N6t to contend with him, as with 'Jacob ~ not to flay him, as thou didfi Balaam; ~~dgive:s but to cmbtac.e him, to reveal and manifeft thy felf unto him. If you have any i m.an.1 comfortable Evid~nces that God is yours in a ftritt Bond of an everlafting and un- "~~~:[bis alterable Covenant, and that you arc accepted of him in the well-beloved : Exa- Favuur. mine how you attained to this Evidence; Was it not through Obedience and · \.V or king? This is the way whereby God manifefts himfelf unto the Souls of his; and lhould your comfortable Perfu:tfions not come in thus by Obedience and Working; They are but Enthujiaftical and groundlcfs Prefumptions, and not true and divine Affurance. The Apoflle in Pet . . 2. exhort us, To make our Calling and Eleffiun Jure : But how is that to be done ? Why it i ~ by giving diligmce. What is it Men dcfirc and wifh for next to Heaven? Is it not Affuraoce of it? Would you not h:tve the Terro rs and Torments of Confcience apprehendi ng and pl:c·occupating your own Condemnation, eafed and removed ? Would you not have the unquiet tailings and flutl:uations of your Minds, becaufe of the uncerdtinty of your future State and Condition, fettled and confirmed? \iVhy then be perfuaded to Work; believe it, this Evidence is never received in any other way than in a way of Duty: God will not hold his Light of Affurance to them who will not work the Works of Obedience. · · (4.) Fourthly, Tbofe that are diUgent in working for Salvation, many times have high Obedienc~ .Spring· tides of 'Joy. Joy that is unfpeakable and Glorious, that rufheth' in upon the ~~~(ump~ Soul and ravilheth it with a fweet and potent Delight, while it is in ways of Obedi- j'ed aamt enc(, Now this, though it be not ordinary with every Chriftian, yet God fome- oy. times vouchfafes it, efpecially to the rnoft laborious working Chrifl:ians, as a Cordial to revive and quicken them that they Ihould ·not faint and grow weary in their Work. He gives them many times fuch prelibations of future Glory, fuch brigh t Glimpfes of himfelf paffing before them, that they fcare know wherein their ftate differs from the ftate of the Glorified, unlefs it be that it is filDrter in the duration, ' laftingnotfo long as theirs. Well then, fhould you be asked as they were in the PArAblr, Why ftand )'QU here idle all the day lot~g? You could not return the fame Anfwer as they
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