Evid. 8. We may prove the reahty of communion with God, from the impossibility of sustaining those troubles the saints do without it. If prayers did not go up, and answers come down, there were no living for a Christian in this world. Prayer is the out-let of the saints sorrows, and the in-let of their supports and comforts, Rom. viii. 26. Say not, other men have their troubles as well as the saints, and yet they make a shift to bear them without the help of communion with God. It is true, carnal men have their troubles, and those troubles are often too heavy for them. The sorroxvs of the world work death ; but carnal men have no such troubles as the saints have, for they have their inward, spiritual troubles, as well as their outward troubles. And inward troubles are the sinking troubles ; but this way the strength of God comes in to succour them : And except they had a God to go to, and fetch comfort frqm, they could never bear them. Psal. xxvii. 13. " I had fainted unless I had believed." Paul had sunk under the bufFetings of Satan, unless he had gone once and again to his God, and received this answer, " My grace is sufficient for thee," 2 Cor. xii. 9.
Evid. 9. We conclude the reality of communion with God, from the end of the saints vocation. We read frequently in scripture of effectual calling ; now what is that to which God calls his people, out of the state of nature, but unto fellowship and communion with Jesus Christ ? 1 Cor. i. 9- " God is faithful, by whom ye are called " unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."" They are called, you see, into a life of communion with Christ; therefore certainly there is^ such a communion, else the saints are called to the enjoyment of a fancy, instead of a privilege, which is the greatest reproach that can be cast upon the faithful God that called them.
Evid. 10. Lastly, In a word, the characters and descriptions given to the saints in scripture, evidently prove their life of com« munion with God. The men of this world are manifestly distin- guished from the people of God in scripture ; they are called. The children of this world ; the saints. The children of lights Luke xvi. 8, They are said to be ctfter the fleshy saints to be cifter the Spirit, Rom. viii. 5. They mind earthly things^ but the saints conversatioji is in heave?!, Phil. iii. 19, 20. By all which it undeniably appears that there is a reality in the doctrine of communion betwixt Christ and
his people. We are not imposed upon, it is no cunningly devised fable ; but a thing whose foundation is as sure as its nature is sweet. Thirdly^ In the last place, I shall shew you the transcendent excellency of this life of communion with God : it is the life of our life, the joy of our hearts ; a heaven upon earth, as will appear by these twenty excellencies thereof following,
I. EiXcelUncy. It is the assimilating instrument whereby the soul is moulded and fashioned after the image of God. This is the excellency of communion with God, to make the soul like him. There is a two-fold assiviilation^ or conformity of the soul to God, the one perfect and complete, the other inchoate and in part. Per- fect assimilation is the privilege of the perfect state, resulting from the immediate vision and perfect communion the soul hath with God in glory, 1 John iii. 2. '* When he shall appear, we shall be *' like him, for we shall see him as he is.'" Perfect vision pro duceth perfect assimilation ; but the soufs assimilation or imperfect conformity to God in this world, is wrought and gradually carried on, by daily communion with him. And as our communion with God here, grows up more and more into spirituality and power, so in an answerable degree doth our conformity to him advance: ^ Cor. iii. 18. " But we all, with open face, beholding, as in a glass, " the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from ^' glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." All sorts of com- munion among men have an assimilating efficacy ; he that walks in vain company is made vainer than he was before : and he that walks in spiritual, heavenly company, will be ordinarily more serious than he was before : But nothing so transforms the spirit of a man as communion with God doth. Those are most like unto God that converse most frequently with him. The beauty of the Lord is upon those souls ; it figures the spirit of a man after the divine pattern. That is the first excellency of communion with God, it iassimilates them to God.
II. Excellency. It is the beauty of the soul, in the eyes of God and all good men ; it makes the face to shine. No outward splen- dor attracts like this ; it makes a man the most desirable compa- nion in the whole world : 1 John i. 3. '* These things have I *' written unto you, that you might have fellowship with us : and ^' truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus '^^ Christ." This was the great and only inducement the apostlo makes use of to draw the world into fellowship with the saints, that their fellowship is with God. And if there were ten thousand other inducements, yet none like this. You read of a blessed time, Zech. viii. when the earth shall be full of holiness ; when the Jews, that are now as a lost generation to the eye of sense, shall be calL ed, and an eminent degree of sanctilication shall be visible in
them ; and then see the effect of this, \cr. 23. "In those days, <* ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, <« even shall take hold of the skirts of him that is a Jew, saying, <« We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." This is the powerful attractive, the Lord is- xvith you ; it is the effect of communion with God, which makes the righteous more excel- lent than his neighbour, Prov. xii. 26. What a vast and visible difference doth this make between one man and another ! How heavenly, sweet, and desirable are the conversations and company of some men ! How frothy, burthensome, and unprofitable is tlie company of others ! and what makes the difference but only this, the one walks in communion with God, the other is alienated from the life of God.