XII. Excellency, It is the Iwnour of the soul, and the gi*eatest honour that ever God conferred on any creature. It is the glory of the holy angels in heaven, to be always beholding the face of God, Matth. xviii. 10. O that God should admit poor dust and ashes unto such a nearness to himself! to walk with a king, and have frequent converse with him, put a great deal of honour upon a subject ; but the saints walk with God ; so did Enoch, so do all the saints. 1 John i. 3. " Truly our fellowship is with the *' Father, and with his Son Christ Jesus.*" They have liberty and access with confidence; the Lord as it were delivers them the golden key of prayers by which they may come into his presence on all occasions with the freedom of children to a father.
XIII. Excellency. It is the instrument o^ mortification, and the most excellent and successful instrument for that purpose in all the world. Gal. v. 16. " This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and " ye shall not fulfil the works of the flesh." Walkhig in the Spi- rit is the same thing with walking in communion with God. Now, ^ saith that apostle, if you walk thus in the Spirit, in the actings of faith, love, and obedience, throughout the course of holy duties, the effect of this will be, that ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.
He doth not say, You sha]] not feel tlie motions of sin in you, or temptations to sin assaultino- you ; but he saith, You shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, sin shall not have dominion over you ; this •will let out the life-blood of sin. A temptation overcome this way is more effectually subdued than by all the vows, resolutions, and external means in the world : as a candle that is blown out with a puff of breath may be re-kindled by another puff: but if it be quenched in water it is not so easily lighted again : so it is here ; you never find that power or success in temptations when your hearts are up with God in their exercises of faith and love, as you do when your hearts hang loose from him, and dead towards him. The schoolmen assign this as one reason why the saints in heaven are impeccable, no sin can fasten upon them, because, say they, they there enjoy the beautiful vision of God. This is sure, the more communion any man hath \\ath God on earth, the freer he lives from the power of his corruptions.
XIV. Excellency. It is the Icerncl of all duties and ordinances : words, gestures, &c. are but the integuments, husks, and shells of duties. Communion with God is the sweet hernel, the pleasant and nourishing food which lies within them : you see the fruits of the earth are covered and defended by husks, shells, and such like integuments ; within which lie the pleasant kernels and grains, and these are the food. The hypocrite who goes no further than the externals of religion, is therefore said to feed on ashes, Isa. xliv. 20. to spend his money for that which is not bread, and his labour for that which satisfieth not, Isa. Iv. ^. He feeds but upon husks, in which there is but little pleasure or nourishment. What a poor house dorh a hypocrite keep ? Words, gestures, ceremonies of re- ligion, will never fill the soul; but communion with God is sub- stantial nourishment. " My soul (saith David), shall be satisfied " as with marrow and fatness, whilst I think and meditate on *' thee," Psal. Ixiii. 5, 6. It would grieve one's heart to think what airy things many souls satisfy themselves with ; feeding like Ephraim upon the wind, well contented if they can but shuffle over a few heartless empty duties ; whilst the saints, feeding thus upon hidden manna^ are feasted as it were with angefs food.
XV. Excellency. It is the ligld of the soul in darkness ; and the pleasantest light that ever shone upon the soul of man. There is many a soul which walketh in darkness ; some in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, the most dismal of all darkness, except that in hell. There are others who are children of light in a state of reconcihation, yet walk in the darkness of outward afflictions, and inward desertions and temptations ; but as soon as ever the light of God's countenance shines upon the soul in the duties of comipunion with him, that darkness Ls dissipated and scattered ; it
is all light within him and round Jlbout him, Psal. xxxiv. 5. " They " looked unto him and were enlightened ;'' They looked^ there is faith acted in duty ; and were enlightened, there is the sweet effect of faith. The horrors and troubles of gracious souls shrink away upon the rising of this cheerful light. As wild beasts come out of their dens in the darkness of the night, and shrink back again into them when the sun ariseth, Psal. civ. 20, 21, 22. So do the fears and inward troubles of the people of God when this light shines upon their souls. Nay more, this is a light which scatters the very darkness of death itself It was the saying of a worthy divine of Germany upon his death-bed, when his eye-sight was gone, being asked how it was within ? Why, said he, though all he dark about me, yet, pointing as well as he could to his breast, hic sat lucis, here is light enough.
XVI. Excellency. It is liberty to the straitened soul, and the most comfortable and excellent liberty in the whole world. He only walks at liberty that walks with God, Psal. cxix. 45. " I will " walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts.'' Wicked men cry out of bands and cords in rehgion, they look upon the duties of god- hness as the greatest bondage and thraldom in the whole wm-ld, Psal. ii. 3. " Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their " cords from us." q. d. Away with this strictness and preciseness, it extinguishes the joy and pleasure of our lives ; give us our cups instead of bibles, our profane songs instead of spiritual psalms, our sports and pastimes instead of prayers and sermons. Alas, poor creatures, how do they dance in their shackles and chains ! when, in reality, the sweetest liberty is enjoyed in those duties at which they thus snuff. The law of Christ is the law of liberty, the soul of man never enjoys more liberty than when it is bound with the strictest bands of duty to God. Here is liberty from enthralling lusts, and from enslaving fears. " The law of the Spirit of life in " Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death," Rom. viii. 2. And here is freedom indeed; " If the Son make " you free, then are ye free indeed,'' John viii. 36. And here is freedom from fears, Luke i. 74, 75. Those that will not endure any restraint from their lusts, will have their freedom to sin; a freedom they shall have, such as it is. Rom. vi. 20. " When '' ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.'" Let none therefore be prejudiced at the ways of duty and strict godliness. " The law of Christ is the perfect law of liberty," James i. 25. not liberty to sin ; but liberty from sin.