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glory, when God shall be all in all, but through the delight and satisfaction which we have here in the contemplation of what God is in himself, as the centre of all divine per- fections.
I would therefore press this unknown, this neglected duty on the minds of those of us in an especial manner, who are visibly drawing nigh unto eternity. The days are coming, wherein what God is in himself, that is as manifest and exerted in Christ, shall alone be (as we hope) the eternal blessedness and reward of our souls. Is it possible that any thing should be more necessary for us, more use- ful unto us, than to be exercised in such thoughts and con- templations. The benefits we may have hereby are not to be reckoned, some of them only may be named. As, 1. We shall have the best trial of ourselves, how our hearts really stand affected towards God. For if upon examina- tion we find ourselves not really to delight and rejoice in God, for what he is in himself, and that all perfections are eternally resident in him, how dwelleth the love of God in us? But if we can truly 'rejoice at the remembrance of his holiness,' in the thoughts of what he is, our hearts are upright with him. 2. This is that which will effectually take off our thoughts and affections from things here below. One spiritual view of the divine goodness, beauty, and holi- ness, will have more efficacy to raise the heart unto a con- tempt of all earthly things, than any other evidences what- ever. 3. It will increase the grace of being heavenly- minded in us, on the ground sbefore declared. 4. It is the best, I had almost said, it is the only preparation for the future full enjoyment of God. This will gradually lead us into his presence, take away all fears of death, increase our longing after eternal rest, and ever make us groan to be unclothed. Let us not then cease labouring with our hearts, until, through grace, we have a spiritually sensible delight and joy in the remembrances and thoughts of what God is in himself.
2. In thoughts of God, his saints rejoice at the remem- brance of what he is, and what he will be unto them. Herein have they regard unto all the holy relations that he hath taken on himself towards them, with all the effects of his covenant in Christ Jesus. To that purpose were some of
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the last words of David, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 'Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting- covenant, ordered in all things and sure ; this is all my salvation and all my desire.' In the prospect he had of all the distresses that were to befall his family, he triumphantly rejoiceth in the everlasting covenant that God had made with him. In these thoughts his saints take de- light; they are sweet unto them, and full of refreshment. ' Their meditations of him are sweet, and they are glad in the Lord,' Psal. civ. 34. Thus is it with them that are truly spiritually minded : they not only think much of God, but they take delight in these thoughts ; they are sw^eet unto them; and not only so, but they have no solid joy nor de- light, but in their thoughts of God, which therefore they retreat unto continually. They do so especially on great occasions, which of themselves are apt to divert them from them. As suppose a man hath received a sigTial mercy, with the matter whereof he is exceedingly affected and delighted; the minds of some men are apt on such occasions to be filled with thoughts of what they have received, and their affections to be wholly taken up with it. But he who is spiritually minded, will immediately retreat unto thoughts of God, placing his delight and taking up his satisfaction in him. And so, on the other side, great distresses, preva- lent sorrows, strong pains, violent distempers, are apt of themselves to take up and exercise all the thoughts of men about them. But those who are spiritually minded, will in and under them all continually betake themselves unto thoughts of God, wherein they find relief and refreshment against all that they feel or fear. In every state, their prin- cipal joy is in the remembrance of his holiness.
2. That they be accompanied with godly fear and re- verence. These are required of us in all wherein we have to do with God, Heb. xii.28, 29. And as the Scripture doth not more abound with precepts unto any duty, so the nature of God and our own, with the infinite distance between them, make it indispensably necessary even in the light of the na- tural conscience. Infinite greatness, infinite holiness, infinite power, all which God is, command the utmost reverential fear that our natures are capable of. The \\'ant liereof is the spring of innumerable evils ; yea, indeed, of all that is so.
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Hence are blasphemous abuses of the holy name of God in cursed oaths and execrations; hence it is taken in vain, in ordinary exclamations ; hence is all formality in religion.