Then again, there is a nearness when we not only know things aright, but mind them ; when the things are present to our minds ;^ when God is in our thoughts. David saith of the wicked man, ' God is not in his thoughts.' When we mind and think of God and heavenly things, they are near to us, and we to them. For the soul is a spiritual essence. It * That is, conception. — G.
88 David's conclusion ; or,
goes everywhere, it goes to heaven, and is present with the things it minds. We are nearer to God and heavenly things when we mind them, and think on and feed our thoughts on them.
Again, we are near them when our vills first make choice of the better part uith Man/ ; when upon discovery of the understanding, the will chooseth deliberately. Upon consideration follows the determination and choosing of the will ; and upon choice, cleaving, which is another act of the will. When it chooseth that which is spiritually best, every way best for grace and condition, then it cleaves to it. As it is said of Jonathan, ' His heart did cleave to David,' 1 Sam. xviii. 1. So the woman cleaves to her hus- band, as Saint Paul speaks, 1 Cor. vii. 10. When the will chooseth and cleaves to that which is good, then there is a drawing near.
And likewise, ivhen the affections are carried to God as their object, then there is a drawing near to God ; when our love embraceth God and heavenly things, for love is an affection of union. It makes the thing loved and he that loveth to be one. It is the primary, the first-born affec- tion of the soul, from which all other affections are bred. When we love God, we desire still further and further communion with him. And where there is love, if we have not that we love, then the soul goes forth to God in desire of heavenly things. ' The heart pants after God, as the hart doth after the rivers of waters,' Ps. xlii. 1, and after holy things, wherein the Spirit of God is effectual. And when we have it in any measure, then the soul shews a sweet enlargement of joy and delight in God. Thus when we judge aright of and mind heavenly things, and make choice of them, and cleave to God with all our affections of love, and joy, and delight, when these are carried to God and heavenly things, then we draw near to him.
And especially when the ' inward man' is touched uith the Spirit of God. Even as the iron that is touched with the loadstone, though it be heavy of itself, it will go up, so, when the inward man is touched by the Spirit of God with a spirit of faith, which is a grace by which we draw near to God with trust, — for it is confidence and trust that draws us near to God, — faith, it is wrought in the whole inward man, in the understanding, in the mind, in choosing and cleaving, but especially it is in the will ; for faith is described to be a going to God, a coming to him, which is a promotion or going forth, which is an act of the will ; so by faith and trust specially we draw near and cleave to God. Even as at the first we fell from God by distrusting of his word ; saith the Devil, ' Ye shall not die at all,' Gen. iii. 4 : we believed a Har more than God himself. Now we are recovered by a way contrary to that we fell ; we must recover and draw near to God again by trusting and relying upon God. You see what is meant by the words, ' It is good for me to draw near to God.'
To come to observe some things from them, first this, that
Spiritual conviction of the judgment, it is the groxmd of practice.
It is good, and good /or me. For we know in nature that the will follows the last design of the understanding. That which the understanding saith is to be done, here and now, all circumstances considered it is best, that the will chooseth and that a man doth, for the will rules and leads the outward man. Now where there is a heavenly conviction of the under- standmg of any particular thing, this at this time is good, all things con- sidered ; and weighed in the balance, on the one side and on the other, where this is, there comes in practice and drawing near to God alway. Conviction is when a man is set down, so that he cannot gainsay nor will not, but falls to practice presently ; then a man is convinced of a thing.
THE SAINT S RESOLUTION.
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That which is immediately before practice, and leads to practice, it is con- viction. Now, there are these four things in conviction.
There is first truth. A man must know that such a thing is true. Then it must not only be a truth, but a good truth ; as the gospel is said to be ' the good word of God,' Heb. vi. 5, and * it is a true and a faithful saying,' 1 Tim. i. 15. It is a true saying, 'that Christ came to save sinners,' Matt. ix. 13 ; and it is a faithful, a good saying. If it be not good as well as true, truth doth not draw to practice as it is truth, but as it is good.