[1.] If we have grace to answer his dealings towards lis, when we can echo to God's dealings. God hath chosen us, if we have grace_ to choose him
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for our God. "We may know he hath called us effectually, when we answer God's call. When he biddeth us believe, he giveth an influence of power to be able to say, ' I believe ; Lord, help my unbelief,' Mark ix, 24. We may know he loveth us, when we reflect love again, and love him. We may know he compasseth us, when we embrace him. We may know he delighteth in us, wlaen we delight in him and his servants. Whence is the strength of this argument ? From hence. All good things, whatsoever ■we do from God,* is by reflection. God shineth on us fii'st ; God owneth us for his first, and God must do so in order of causes. God being the spring of all goodness, he must begin. ' We love him because he loved us first,' 1 John iv. 19, else we could never love him. Therefore if we love him and truth, he loveth us. That is sure. * What have I in heaven but thee, and in earth of comparison of thee?' Ps. Ixxiii. 25. Surely he owneth us, because in order of causes we can have nothing but from him first.
[2, J And then again, out of the nature of conscience ; if we can go boldly to him as a reconciled God, notwithstanding guilt of conscience, it is a sign he hath obtained peace of conscience, because it is the nature of conscience, if it hath not peace from God, not to dare to appear in God's presence. So then, when there is inward peace and love answering to God's love, choice answerable to God's choice, apprehending of him answerable to his apprehension, this reflection, and return, and rebounding back to God, is an invincible argument that God hath first shined upon that soul. God sometimes will let us see things in the efi'ect, and hide them in the cause. Perhaps he will not persuade by his Spirit that he loveth us, hath chosen us, and that we are his ; but he will work something in our hearts, because he will have us search our spirits, what good thing he hath wrought, what love, what choice of the best side are in any of these. Surely then God is theirs. Though there be not an open voice, yet they may know God hath loved this soul and spoken peace to that soul, because we can return nothing to God, but he must shine on us first.
Therefore, beloved, let us make use of this, and let us take heed of sacrilegious usurpations, that we do not usurp upon God's house or God in a peculiar respect. Indeed, we may come to God as his creatures — We are the workmanship of thy hands — and say the truth, though we be in a wicked course of life. But to say, ' Thou art my God in Christ,' * I am thine, thou hast chosen me for thine,' when we have not chosen him for our God, nor loved him nor his cause, nor sided with him, nor have any stamp of him on the soul, have nothing but common favour, that castaways have as well as we, and the devils as well as we — for the devils go beyond all men in parts — and yet to usurp the prerogative of being God's in a peculiar manner, and to be bold with the holy things of God, as if we were of his family, this is a dangerous usurpation ; take heed of it. And there- fore they that live in courses of rebellion, and resolve not to mend, they take the holy things of God, as the psalmist speaks, Ps. 1. 16, 17, in an holy indignation, ' What art thou, that takest my word in thy mouth, since thou hatest to be reformed ?' Thou art an enemy to God and goodness, and wilt be so ; thou art in a course of rebellion, and wilt be so. The devil's works you do and will do. Can we not take the word of the covenant into our mouths, and shall we take the seal of the covenant ? Therefore resolve to amend, else have nothing to do with God ; do not add one sin to another. ' It is the children's food, and not for dogs,' Mat. xv. 27 ; it belongeth to ■^ Qu. ' is from God ' ? — Ed.
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them of the family. If thou be none of the family, what hast thou to do with them ? If thou be of the family, whatsoever thy infirmities are, thou mayest come boldly, for the seals are to strengthen our weak faith. When the father is father of a child, the father will not cast away the child for breaking out with defoi'mity or lameness. When God hath taken us into his family, infirmities cannot discard us. But I speak of them that in a wilful opposite course of sin shew they never had to do with God in familiar intercourse. God never gave them a spirit to alter their natures. Pro- priety,* and proportion, and suitableness of disposition go together : propriety joineth with suitableness ; where God owneth any man, he makes them like himself by his word and Spirit, that their natures shall be even and agree- able to holy things, shall have a taste of holy things. And where there is not suitableness of holy things, there" is no propriety. Will God own a man, and not make him suitable ? Will God take his friend, and not give him a friendly nature ? He will not, for he first fitteth our natures for communion with himself, else there can be no propriety. Let us not deceive ourselves, but if we find some beginnings of grace, and can say without arrogancy or usurpation, ' Doubtless thou art our Father, our God,' Isa. Ixiii. 16 ; we be not worthy to be thine, but we be thine ; if we find something that castaways cannot have, some grief of heart for sin, some faith, some little measure of love, some love of truth and inclination to the best things, then we may come boldly to increase our familiarity and com- munion with God. But otherwise it is dangerous to come to God. We approach ' a consuming fire,' Heb. xii. 29. ' "WTio shall dwell in everlasting burnings?' Isa. xxxiii. 14. Say they in Isaiah, And if. God be not in covenant with us. Oh, he will be ' a consuming fire,' everlasting burnings, and we but stubble ; and it will increase spiritual judgment in us, hardness of heart, and going on from sin to sin, till we be accursed for sin. There- fore it is a fearful thing to be given up to hardness of heart. They that do continue in sin, God giveth them up to hardness of heart, to be insensible of his dealings with him.