with me, cany us not up hence;' ver. 16, ' For wherein shall it be known here, that I and my people have found grace in thy sight, is it not in that thou goest with us?' Cant.iii. 1, ' By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth, I sought him, but I found him not/ The presence of bad men is never desirable ; the presence of good men is not always desirable, for there are cases wherein their presence may be a burden to us, as Job and others have experi- enced, Jer. ix. 1, 2; Job xvi. 1-4, and xix. 3-5. Job xvi. 2, 'Miser- able comforters are ye all ; ' chap. xix. 2, ' How long will you vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?' But the presence of the Lord is very desirable, most desirable, and always desirable, and the more any man has of this divine presence, the more his heart will be inflamed after more and more of it. A sound sincere Christian can never have enough power against sin, nor never enough strength against temptation, nor never enough weanedness ' from this world, nor never enough ripeness for heaven, nor never enough of the pre- sence of the Lord. Enough of the divine presence he may have to quiet him, and cheer him, and encourage him, but whilst he is out of heaven he can never have enough of the divine presence to satisfy him, so as not to cry out, Lord, more of thy presence ! oh, a little more of thy presence ! Prov. xxx. 15, 16. (5.) It is the most joyful, refreshing, and delightful presence, Ps. xvi. 11 ; Acts v. 40, 41, and xvi. 25. This Yincentius and many thousand martyrs and suffering Christians have experienced in all the ages of the world, but of this before, Isa. Ix. 1, 2 ; Ps. xlvi. 7. (6.) It is a pecuUar and distinguish- ing presence, Exod. xxxiii. 16. This favourable signal presence of God is a choice jewel that he hangs on no breasts, a bracelet that he puts upon no arms, a crown that he sets upon no heads, but such whom he loves with a peculiar love, with an everlasting love. The general presence of God extends and reaches to all sinners and saints, angels and devils ; to all, both in that upper and this lower world ; but this favourable signal presence of God is peculiar to those that are the purchase of Christ's blood, and the travail of his soul, Jer. xxxi. 3 ; John xiii. 1 ; Ps. cxxxix. 7-10; 1 Pet. i. 18, 19 ; Isa. liii. 11 ; Kuth i. 4-18. (7.) It is an inflaming presence. Oh, how does it, [1.] In- flame the heart to duty ! Ps. Ixiii. 1-3. [2.] How does it inflame the heart against sin! Job xxxi. 4-7; Gen. xxxix. 9, 10; Eom. viii. 10. [3.] To long for the majestical and glorious presence of God in heaven, Cant. viii. 14 ; Luke ii. 28-30 ; 2 Cor. v. 8 ; Phil. i. 23 ; Kev. xxii. 20. [4.] How does it inflame their love to the Lord, his ways, his worship, his interest, his glory! Cant. i. 3, 4, ii. 3-6, and viii. 1-3, 5-7. [5.] It inflames against temptations, ver. 10, 11. It was this divine presence that did steel and strengthen Basil, Luther, and a world of others, against the worst of temptations, Heb. xi. [6.] It in- flames the hearts of the saints into great freeness, readiness, and will- ingness to suffer many things, to suffer great things, to suffer anything for Christ, his gospel, his interest, &c. Oh, how did this divine presence make many martyrs hasten to the flames ! &c. [8.] It is a soul-quieting, a soul-silencing, and a soul-stilling presence, Ps. iii. 5, iv. 8 ; Cant. ii. 3, iii. 4, 5. When friends can't quiet us, when relations can't quiet us, when ministers can't quiet us, when duties can't quiet us, when ordinances can't quiet us, when outward comforts
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can't quiet us, yet then this divine presence will quiet us. When babies i and rattles can't quiet the child, yet then the breasts can. So here. [9.] This divine presence is a sweetening presence: (1.) It sweetens all duties and services, public and private, ordinary and ex- traordinary. (2.) It sweetens all personal afflictions and trials. (3.) It sweetens all our suflferings for righteousness' sake. (4.) It sweetens all gospel ordinances, Exod. xx. 24. (5.) It sweetens all a man's out- ward mercies and blessings ; it sweetens health, strength, riches, trade, &c. (6.) It sweetens all interchangeable providences. Here provi- dence smiles, and there it frowns ; here it lifts up, and there it casts down ; this providence is sweet, and that is bitter ; this providence kills, and that providence makes alive. Oh, but this divine presence sweetens every providence ! (7.) It sweetens all other presences ; it sweetens the presence of friends, it sweetens the presence of relations, it sweetens the presence of strangers, it sweetens all civil societies, it sweetens all religious societies. (8.) It sweetens the thoughts of death, the arrests of death ; it turns the king of terrors into the king of de- sires. Job xiv. 5, 14, XXX. 23, and xvii. 13, 14. How does Job court the worms, as if he were of a family with them, and near of kin to them ! How does he look upon the grave as his bed, and makes no more to die than to go to bed ! It was this divine presence that made the martyrs as willing to die as to dine. But,