him Though all forsake thee yet will not I. Object Object I have found God and Christ gone from me sayes the Soul when I have had need of him Answ Answer First That God and Christ may and do sometimes hide their faces from their dearest Friends Secondly Though God and Christ do sometimes withdraw from us yet every interruption of Communion is not a separation The Sun doth not cease to be when it ceaseth to shine Grace may suspend its acting but doth not loose its being God will not finally forsake his People Thirdly God hath very many Gracious ends why he sometimes withdraws And they are alway in mercy to his people sad providences producing sweet effects Direct Directions and helps how to get the presence of God and Christ with us First Repent and humble your selves because of all your sins that you have at any time rejected the Counsels of God and refused Grace and Mercy and neglected Opportunities of doing you Souls good and drawing near to God Repentance and Resolution against Sin come like John Baptist to prepare a way and a place for God and Christ to come to and make their abode in Of the Hearts and Houses of Impenitent Sinners we may well say God is not there The way to have God to turn in unto us is to turn away from sin as Ephraim Jer. 31.18,19,20 He bemoaned himself and repented and God came to him as to his dear Son and to his pleasant Child Secondly Believe in Jesus Christ and by faith get an interest in him It is by faith only that we give entertainment to Jesus Christ It is by Jesus Christ alone that God and Man come together No man hath seen the Father at any time but the Son and he to whom he doth reveal him and he that hath the Son hath the Father Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God Thirdly Own Jesus Christ in all his Offices as your King Priest and Prophet First As your King Let him have the Soveraignty of your Souls that he may rule over you If Christ be your King God will be your Father God loves to come where Christ hath his Throne Secondly As your Priest That his Righteousnesse may give you the advantage of Communion with God without which we cannot come near to him and he will not come near to us Thirdly As your Prophet That he may shew you the way If his Spirit be your Guide and his Word your Rule you may be sure his Promises shall be your Portion even this Promise in the Text They will come to you and make their abode with you even God and Christ Dir. 4 Fourthly Seek earnestly after God and Christ in the use of all appointed means till you come to see and enjoy their presence with you Here shall be shewn these two particulars 1. Where we may seek God and Christ 2. How or after what manner we must seek them First Where we may seek after God and Christ First We may find them in the works of Creation these will represent God and Christ unto us the Power and Wisdome of God and Christ by whom the World was made In omnire aspectabili quaedam extant vestigia Dei In all the visible creatures there be some prints of the invisible God so that he which lives altogether without God must needs be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without excuse having God so near to him Secondly We may find them in the Word 2 Cor. 4.6 The glory of God shines there in the face of Jesus Christ and to them that are conversant in the Word God hath promised to reveal himself Isa 66.2 To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word And the Apostle gives this direction Rom. 10.6.7 Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The word is night thee even in the mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Thirdly We may find them in Prayer Jam. 4.8 Draw night to God and he will draw nigh to you If you will be strangers to the duty of Prayer to the Throne of Grace God will be a stranger to you he hath promised to draw nigh to them that draw nigh to him and so in Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee and I will blesse thee Fourthly We may find them in our Communion with the People of God Where two or three are met together in my Name there will I be saies Christ in the midst of them Therefore Jesus Christ directs us to go up by the foot-steps of the Flock and they enquire wisely Cant. 6.1 that say to the Church of Christ Whither is thy beloved gone that we may seek him with thee and when the two Disciples went to Emmaus communing of Christ He came and joyned himself with them Secondly How or after what manner we must seek God and Christ Take these four following Directions First Affect your selves with the worth and excellency of this presence of God and Christ carry a high esteem of them in your hearts think with your selves how safely they are Immured how Encastled and Provided for who have God and Christ with them as the Prophet said to his servant There is more for them than can be against them Isai 33.16 their place of defence is the Munition of Rocks c. O what sweetness and satisfaction have they within with whom God and Christ abides◠as the Spouse doth express it Cant. 1.3 Because of the savour of thy good Ointments thy Name is as Ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee Thy Name of Mercy Wisdom and Faithfulnesse how doth this refresh their hearts that have the presence of God and Christ O sweetness and satisfaction beyond expression and then conclude Sitantus quarentibus 〈◊〉 quantus possidentibus If he be so good to them that seek him how good is he to them that enjoy him Secondly Labour to affect your souls with the great want and need that you have of the presence of God and Christ while men think in their hearts they can be well enough without God and Christ they will never seek after them but say as in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee i. We have strength enough of our own we need no more of thy support and thus David brings in the wicked priding themselves in Psal 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance as in the original through the pride of his Nose will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts when these proud Laodician Spirits will not sock the poor hungry desolate soul that sees a need of God and Christ find them Thirdly Quicken your selves to much diligence in
these be continued in their power and purity there the Tabernacle of God is among men and when these are taken away I-chabod the Glory is departed We may say God hath forsaken us As the Ark was a Tipe and Token of God special presence with the Jews so the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances are a signal Token of Gods abode with us for in these we may see him in these we may enjoy him by these we may be made like to him as in the 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face behold as in a Glasse the Glory of God and are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Thirdly They make their abode with them in the Spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Son So they may both be said truly to abide with us while we have the Spirit the Comforter which proceeds from the Father and the Son as a pledge of their Love Joh. 15.20 When the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father I will send him sayes Christ even the Spirit of truth which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which proceeds from the Father there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son to the People that keep his word and thus Believers are said to hold fellowship with the Father and the Son in the 1 Epist of John 13. It is by the Spirit we are drawn being drawn we come being come we are enabled to walk with God and Christ It is this Spirit that doth all for us As in the Ecche The Ayre being moved by the voice returns the same sound by its own motion So in all our Communion with God and Christ the Soul being moved by the Spirit returns answer by vertue of the Spirits motion in us Come sayes the Spirit I come sayes the Soul being taught by the same Spirit All the works wrought on the Souls of men in order to Salvation are wrought of God and Christ in us but by the Spirit As in these three special particulars First By the Spirit they instruct and teach The Spirit is an enlightning Spirit a Spirit of Judgement and of burning The Spirit reveals the Counsels of God the great Misteries of the Kingdom Leads into all truth makes men wise to Salvation Secondly By this Spirit they quicken comfort the Souls of men Rom. 5.5 It is by the Spirit that the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts Our cold and frozen Spirits are warmed and made fit for action and by this Spirit we are awaken'd Hence the Church prayes for the breathings of this Spirit Cant. 4.16 Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Thirdly By this Spirit they do strengthen and establish the hearts of men in the wayes of Holinesse thus they are made strong in the Lord and in the power of his might strong to resist tentations strong to suppesse corruptions strong to perform duties by this Spirit they are carryed through all difficulties by this Spirit their Infirmities are healed Rom. 8.26 they are made to persevere and kept stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord and Sealed up to the day of Redemption Thus God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep the words of Christ till they come to make an everlasting abode with them in Heaven And according to the workings of this Spirit more or lesse in the hearts of men God is said to be present or absent from his people Reasons Secondly The Reasons why God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words Reas 1 First Because of their special Love to and Care of them that keep his words Indeed all the Care of God in concerning his people that he hath in the World therefore in the Second Commandement he is said to shew mercy to thousands of them that fear him and keep his Commandements that do not cast his word behind their backs and forsaking his Appointments follow their own Inventions So that if we faithfully keep his word he will abide with us in our work And this is the Great Reason in the Text My Father will Love him Not but that he Loves his Elect from Eternity but he will manifest his Love to them and therefore he will make his abode with them as the People of his Love for in Deut. 32.9 The Lords Portion is his People and Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance and in Mal. 3.17 they are called his Jewels and men will abide with their Treasure Reas 2 Secondly Because of the near Relation that is between God and Christ and them that keep his word That is a very full place of Scripture for this purpose Mat. 12.50 Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother What nearer Relation can there be than this So near are they to Jesus Christ that keep his word observe his will and be true and faithful to his Appointments and sure such near Relations will desire Cohabitation on both sides First God and Christ are said to stand Related in a Paternal Relation Secondly They are said to stand Related in a Conjugal Relation First God and Christ stand in a Paternal Relation to his People First God is their Father and they are his Sons and Daughters And this the Church doth acknowledge in Isai 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou O Lord art our Father c. And with this the Lord comforted mourning Zion Isai 49.14,15 But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But God sayes Can a Woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my Hands c. My abode is with thee Secondly Jesus Christ is their Father Isai 9.6 The everlasting Father Therefore he promiseth his Disciples in this 14. Joh. 18. I will not leave you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orphans or Fatherlesse Children He is the most affectionate tender hearted Father Tam Pater nemo tam pius nemo None so good none such a Father as he 〈◊〉 Tertul. Secondly God and Christ stand related to them that keep his word in a Conjugal relation and God hath said a special command of co-habitation upon persons in this relation The man must dwell with his own Wife First God is related as a Husband And will not God dwell with his People whom he hath espoused to himself I have betrothed thee unto me for ever Hosea 2.19 Yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving kindness and in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness And