THE FAITHFUL COVENANTEE. 17
God is our God, and he hath promised to be our portion, lot it be sufficient for us ; let us not, for the displeasing of him, take any condition from Satan or the world upon any terms.
4. Again, If so be we know this for a truth, that God is our God, then let it be a use of exhortation to stir us up to keep, ami maintain, and cherish acquaintance andfamUiarity with him; as it is in Job xxii. 21, 'Acquaint thyself with God.' If we be acquainted with him now, he will be ac- quainted with us in time of sorrow, in the hour of death ; therefore cherish acquaintance with him. Wheresoever we may meet with God, be there much ; be much in hearing, in receiving the sacrament, in praying to him and making our suits known to him in all our necessities ; be much in the society of saints, God hath promised to be there. Therefore cherish the society of all that are good. What a friendly course doth God take with us ! He seeks for our acquaintance, and therefore giveth us his ordinances, the word and sacraments ; sendeth his messengers, the good motions of his Spirit, to our hearts, to ^leave the world and vanities of it ; to make us out of love with bad courses, and join with him in friendship and familiarity. Oh let vis make use of these blessed means, check not these good motions, but yield unto them and obey them, grieve them not ! The Spirit is sent to make God and us friends, who were enemies. Grieve not the Spirit, entertain his motions, that we may be acquainted with God. But do we do so ? Truly no. Indeed, if God will be our God to save us, and let us live in our swearing and lying and deceiving, and in other base courses, we would be content with him upon these terms ; but to be our God, so that we must serve him, and love him, and fear him, and joy in him above all, and have nothing in the v/orld without his favour, then let him take his favour to himself, we will have none of it. Though men Bpeak it not with their mouths to the w^orld, yet the inward speech of their hearts is to this purpose. If we must be the people of God upon these terms, to renounce our pleasures and profits, let him be a God to whom he will for us ! If he will save us, then welcome his favour, we will be glad of his acquaintance ; otherwise we will have none of it. What is the speech of the world but this ? These men, when they shall at the day of judgment claim acquaintance with God, and say, ' Lord, Lord, open to us,' 'we have known thee in the streets,' &c., what will God say? ' Depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I know you not,' Mat. xxv. 41. You were acquainted with me indeed outwardly in the ministry of my word, but you kept not an inward and spiritual familiarity with me in my ordinances ; you used not the society of the saints, you entertained not the motions of my Spirit, which I sent to you, to leave your ill courses ; I know you not. This shall be the answer to such wretched persons.
5. Lastly, If by these comfortable signs we find God to be our God, then here is a spring of comfort opened to a Christian. If God be mine, then aU that he hath is mine ; he is my Father ; he is my husband ; he is my rock ; his goodness, his wisdom, his providence, his mercy, whatsoever he hath is mine. If we had any man in the world that had all wisdom in him, and all the strength of the world, and all goodness, and all love in him, and all this for us, what an excellent creature were this ! God hath all this, and a Christian that hath God for his God hath all this and much more ; for whatsoever is in the Creator* is much more in him. Hereupon Cometh all those styles and sweet names that God hath taken upon him in the Scripture, because he would have us to know, that all comforts are
* Qu. ' creature ' '? — Ed. VOL. VI. B
18 THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER.