goodness. The goodness of God runs down to men in a double channel, his goodness to their bodies, in external providences ; his goodness to their souls, in spiritual mercies. When the goodness of God, either way, draws forth the love and gratitude of the soul to the God of our mercies, then have we real communion with him ! Thus Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 9, 10. " And Jacob said, O God '' of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac ; which '* saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, " and I will deal well ^nth thee. I am not worthy of the least of *' all the mercies, and of all the truth Avhich thou hast shewed unto " thy servant : for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and *' now I am become two bands.*" Ah, Lord, I see a multitude of mercies round about me, and the least of them is greater than I. So David, 1 Chron. xvii. 16, 17. " And David the king came " and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God,- " and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hither ? " And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God, &c. what *' can David speak more to thee ?"" You see in these instances, what effects the goodness of God, even in inferior, outward mer- cies useth to produce in sanctified hearts. But then, if you come to spiritual mercies, and ponder the goodness of God to your souls, in pardoning, accepting, and saving such vile, sinful creatures as- you have been; this much more affects the heart, and overwhelms it with holy astonishment : as you see in Paul, 1 Tim. i. 16. " The *' grace of our Lord was abundant : I was a persecutor, a blas- " phemer, yet I obtained mercy." So Mary, that notorious sin- ner, when pardoning grace appeared to her, into what a flood of tears, into what transports of love did the sight of mercy cast her soul I She wept, and washed her Saviour's feet with tears of joy and thankfulness, Luke vii. 44. No terrors of the law, no frights of hell, thaw the heart like the apprehensions of pardoning mercy.
(4.) Sometimes there are special representations of the veracity and faithfulness of God, made unto his people, begetting trust and holy confidence in their souls ; and when they do so, then have men communion with God in his faithfulness. Thus, Heb. xiii, 5, 6. " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."' There is a dis- covery of the faithfulness of God, and what follows upon this ? See ver. 6. " So that we may boldly say, the Lord is our God ; " we will not fear what man can do unto us."" Here is faithful- liess in God, producing truth and confidence in the believer ; this IS that reciprocation, that sweet fellowship and communion betwixt God and a behever, with respect to his fidelity. •' Behold, God *' is my salvation: I will trust and not be afraid," Isa. xii. % And truly, friend, this is what the Lord justly expects from thee, even
thy truth and confidenee in him^ thy steady dependence on him, in return to all the discoveries of his faithfulness to thee both in his word and providences.
(5.) There are manifestations of the anger, and displeasure of God, by the hiding of liis face from them, and the frowns of his pro- vidence : "When these produce repentance, and deep humiliation for sin, an unquietness, a restlessness a^ spirit till he restore his favour, and manifest his reconciliation to the soul ; even here, also is a real communion betwixt God and the soul Psal. xxx. 7. " Thou didst " hide thy face, and I was troubled." Nor will a gracious soul rest there, but will take pains to sue out a fresh pardon. Psal, li. 8. " Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones wliich thou " hast broken may rejoice ; restore unto me the joys of thy salv^ *• tion," ver. 12.
I cannot here omit to detect a great mistake even amongst God's own people ; many of them understand not what communion there should be with God under the manifestations of his displeasure for sin : They know the affectionate meltings of their souls into love, praise, &c. to be communion with God, but that in the shame, grief and sorrow produced in them by the manifestations of God's displeasure ; I say that even in these things there may be commu- nion with God they understand not. But let me tell thee, that even such things as these are the choice fruits of the spirit of adop- tion, and that in them thy soul hath as real and beneficial com- munion with God as in the greatest transports of spiritual joy and comfort. O it is a blessed frame to be before the Lord, as Ezra was, dfter conviction of thy looseness, carelessness, and spi- ritual defilements, the consequents of those sins ; saying with him,- *' O my God, I am ashamed, and even blush to lift up my face " unto thee,"*' Ezra ix. 6. Shame and blushing are as excellent signs of communion with God as the sweetest smiles.
Lastly, There are representations and special contemplations of the omniscience of God, producing sincerity, comfort in appeals, and recourse to it in doubts of our own uprightness : And this also is SL choice and excellent method of communion with God. (1.) When the omniscience of God strongly obliges the soul to siiv cerity and uprightness, as it did David, Psal. cxxxix. 11, 12. com- pared with Psal. xviii. 23. " I was also upright before him.'' The consideration that he was always before the eye of God was his preservative from iniquity, yea, from his own iniquity. (2.) When it produceth comforts in appeals to it, as it did Hezekiah, 2 Kings XX. 3. " Remember now, O Lord, that I have walked before thee " in truth, and with a perfect heart." So Job x. 7. he also ap- peals to this attribute, " Thou knowest that I am not wicked^'' So did Jeremiah, Jer. xii. 3. " But thou, O Lord, kfiowest
" me, thou hast seen me, and tried my heart towards thee." (2.) When we have recourse to it under doubts and fears of our own uprightness. Thus did David, Psal. cxxxix. 23. " Search me, O " God, and try my heart ; prove me, and see my reins : see if " there be any way of wickedness in me." In all these attributes of God, Christians have real and sweet communion with him. Which was the first thing to be opened, to wit, communion with God in the meditation of his attributes.
2. The next method of communion with God is in the exercises of our graces in the various duties of religion ; in prayer, hearing, sacraments, &c. in all which the Spirit of the Lord influences the gj^aces of his people, and they return the fruits thereof in some measure to him. As God hath planted various graces in regene- rate souls, so he hath appointed various duties to exercise and draw forth those graces ; and when they do so, then have his people sweet actual communion with him. And,