Thirdly, It is holiness, and that maintained in its power, that capacitates us for communion with God in this life. Communion with God is so desirable, that many pretend to it that know not what it means ; like some that brag of their acquaintance with such a great man, who, may be, never saw his face, or were admitted into his company. The Spirit of God gives the lie to that man, who saith he hath any acquaintance with God, while he keeps his acquaintance with any unrighteousness, 1 John i. 6 : 'If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie.' The apostle is willing to pass for a loud liar himself, if he walks in darkness, and pi-etends to have fellowship with God. How can they walk together that are not agreed ? Communion is founded on union, and union upon likeness. And how like are God and the devil, holiness and vuirighteousness, one to the other ? There is a vast difference between con- versing with ordinances and having communion with God. A man may have great acquaintance with ordinances, and be a great stranger to God at the same time. Every one that goes to court, and hangs about the palace, doth not speak with the prince ; and what sorry things are ordinances without this communion with God! Ordinances are, as it were, the exchange where holy souls trade with God by his Spirit for heavenly treasures, from which they come filled and enriched with grace and comfort. Now what does the unholy wretch ? Truly like some idle persons that come and walk among merchants on the exchange, but have no business there, or commerce whereby they get any advantage. An unholy heart hath no dealings with God, he takes no notice of God may be : to be sure God takes no such notice of him, as to communicate himself graciously to him. Nay, suppose a pei'son habitually holy, but under the power of some temptation for the present, whereby he defiles himself, he is in this case unfit to have any friendly communion with God. ' A righteous man falling down before the wicked is,' saith Solomon, 'as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring,' Prov. xxv. 26. Much more is he so when he falls down before the wicked one, and yields to his temptation, now his spirit is ruffled and muddied; and if we will not use the water of a spring (though in itself pure and whole- some) when it is troubled, or drink of that vessel that runs thick, but stay while it be settled and comes clear, can we wonder if God refuseth to taste of those duties which a godly person performs, before the stream be cleared, for the renewing of his repentance for his sin ?
Fourthly, Holiness, in the power of it, is necessary to the tiiie peace and repose of the soul. I do not say our peace is bottomed on the I'ighteousness of our nature, or holiness of our lives ; yet it is ever attended with these. ' No peace to the wicked, saith my God.' We may as soon make the sea always still, as an unholy heart truly quiet. From whence come the intestine wars in men's bosoms, that set them at variance with themselves, but from their own lusts ? These break the peace, and keep the man in a continual tempest. As the Spirit of holiness comes into the heart, and the sceptre of Christ, which is a sceptre of righteousness, bears sway in the life, so the storm abates more and more, till it be quite down, which will not be while we are short of heaven ; there only is pei'fect rest, because perfect holiness. Whence those frights and fears which make them a magor mtssabib, terror round about ? They wake and sleep with the scent of hell-fire about them continually. O it is their unholy course and unrighteous ways that walk in their thoughts, as John's ghost in Herod's. This makes men discontented in every condition ; they neither can relish the sweetness of their enjoyments, nor bear the bitter taste of their afflictions. I know there are ways to stupify the conscience, and bind up for a time the senses of an unholy heart, that it shall not feel its own misery; but the virtue of this opium is soon spent, and then the wretch is upon the rack again, and his horror returns upon him with a greater paroxysm; an example whereof I have heard. A notorious drunkard, who used, when told of his ungodly life, to shake off all the threatenings of the word that his friends would have fast- ened on his conscience, as easily as Paul did the viper from his hand, bearing
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