Ionathans soule was knit to the soule of David and he loved him as his owne soule Such love as this is knitting and sodering love and when a friend is loved thus hee will hold friendship with us But if a man seriously and in good earnest offer friendship to another and hee sees no returne no reflexion of love and like affection onely some outward faire carriages some respective formalities some formall visits and invitations but the mans heart closes not with him hee will happily for some respects hold faire but yet he makes him but a friend for his credit but will have another for his counsell and secrecies Here such a man though he earnestly desired friendship yet finding not that knitting love that should bee betweene friends he gives over to woo a friend that at best will bee but a friend with his reserved distances and so lets his friendly affection die and gradually quench and goe out If he must be onely a friend for a turne to put some credit and respect upon another or to accommodate him onely with some conveniences but the heart of the man holds off and goes another way such a man hath in such a case the wisedome to have done and let such an one goe Secondly a friendly love is a durable continuing love Prov. 17. 17. A friend loves at all times Not for a time till hee hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot Rhetor. 2. Amicitia quae desinere potuit nunquam vera suit Senec. his fill and his glut and then falls off and gives up but at all times Prov. 27. 10. Thine owne friend and thy fathers friend forsake thou not If a man have chosen a friend upon whom hee sets his heart and hee perceives his friends affections to slake to chill and at last to fall quite off this unglues and dissolves the joynt of friendship Now thus it is in this case God hath made us his friends and therefore hee must have a friends love from us we must shew our selves friendly to him First our love to him must be an hearty love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule Luk. 10 27. This will keepe us in Gods friendship and keep him our friend But if wee complement with God and hold faire with him in the outward performance of the duties of his worship wil pray will come to Church and heare and receive Sacraments and will professe our selves the friends of God because it would otherwise turne to our discredit and disgrace to be out with or strangers to him If wee make him our friend onely for our ends to serve a turne upon him have him our friend for our credit respect profit but yet make him not our friend for our counsels and comforts but will have the world our profits our pleasures for our choyce friends and our hearts close and goe with them God will doe in this case as any wise man would doe Any man so used can have the wit to see how the world goes and can returne complement for complement but never put such an one into the catalogue of his friends neither will hee let out his heart and affections to such an one nor have hearty and intire communion with such as with familiar friends And so will the Lord doe if men complement with him if hee be not unto them as their owne soule if mens hearts bee not knit unto him so as to love him as their owne soules hee sees that their love is not hearty and serious he will shake them off and keepe aloofe and keep distance as well as they do they shall never have Abrabams honour to bee called the friends of God Those the Prophet speakes of Isai 58. 2. and Ezek. 33. 31 32. They heare thy words but they will not doe them for with their mouth they shew much love but their hearts goe after their covetousnesse those were pretenders of friendship but God saw them to be formall complementers and hee kept his heart as far from them as they kept theirs from him Secondly our love to God it must bee durable wee must love him for ever Thine owne friend and thy fathers friend forsake thou not He is our friend and the friend of our father Abraham he must bee loved at all times hee must never bee forsaken If we once let fall our affections to God and let the stream of them runne another way he will have done with us and wee loose a friend of him We see it is so with friends amongst men if a man have had ever so deere a friend in the sweetenesse of whose society hee hath beene much delighted and their hearts have beene close knit yet if hee see his friend beginne to bee remisse and that hee sits loose and communion is entertained with another with the neglect and a slighting dis-regard of the first yea with an exclusion of him what followes but a slaking of his affections thus slighted excluded and neglected In like manner if God sees our affections cooling and slaking and new acquaintances taken up and wee and our new friend never well but when together and closely together and himselfe scarce minded or looked after God will in such a case casheere us and out us hee will have nothing to doe with such slippery leviculous and fickle fancied friends We shall goe for him as good lost as kept If therefore we would keep in with God and hold friends with him love him with a friends love with an hearty and a lasting durable affection Thirdly Have a care to make much of Gods friends Be a true and hearty friend to all Gods friends A man that either is or meanes seriously to be and continue another mans friend will bee kinde and friendly to all his friends and will make those his friends whom hee sees to affect for his choyce friends Great was the friendship that was betweene David and Ionathan And Ionathan being Davids friend David shewes a great deale of kindnesse unto Mephibosheth for Ionathans sake On the other side this is that which will separate very friends or as Salomon speakes in that case chiefe friends Prov. 16. 28. When a man shall slight and set light by his friends friends especially if hee shall oppose and hate those whom hee cordially affects We will not wee cannot close kindly with those that slight our dearest friends though they seeme to desire our friendship ever so much it is a provocation to enmity and cannot but breed ill blood Now thus it is here all Gods people are his friends if we would hold in and maintaine friendship with God we must be friends kinde and cordial friends to them Many talke of being Gods friends and yet are but backe-friends unto and slighters of his friends they looke coyly and strangely upon them cannot afford them a good word doe scorne and abuse them and yet they will needs goe for Gods friends But how can this be Iudge by
great delight in communion of this kinde Psalm 55. 24. We walked together wee had a great deale of chat and friendly talke together Can two walke together except they be agreed Am. 3. and so can two bee agreed and knit together in the bonds of love and friendship but they will walke together It is that which exercises and increases love and friendship And thus doth God vouchsafe cōmunion with the godly being his friends He will as a friend come walke and talke with them Hee takes turnes with them in his walkes and galleries Cant. 1. 17. Our galleries are of firre yea as one friend fallen in company with another is so tyed that hee knowes not how to part and come away so Cant. 7. 5. The king is held tyed or bound in the galleries as if the Lord were loath to leave those walkes in his ordinances in which he converses with his people Hee cals out his friends to take a walke with him Cant. 7. 11. Come my beloved let us goe forth into the fields let us get up early into the vine yards let us see if the vine flourish Come let us walke out together into the fields let us have a walke into the vineyards And as they commune with the Lord in the secret of their soules so God doth commune with them by his spirit he hath his sweet and secret conferences and Colloquies with them Gen. 17. 22. The Lord left off talking with Abraham Gen. 18. 33. And the Lord went his way as soone as hee had left communing with Abraham Exod. 31. 18. And he gave unto Moses when he had made an end of communing with him two Tables of Testimony And see in what a familiar manner the Lord used to talke with Moses Exo. 33. 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speakes unto his friend And though no man may come neere to Moses in that speciall priviledge of familiarity yet in that measure and proportion the Lord vouchsafes unto all his Saints these familiar and friendly conferences in a speciall manner Fifthly communion between friends stands in mutuall friendly visitations One friend will visit another and where there is an entire friendship indeed there will bee an entercourse of frequent visits each of other Mary went to Elizabeth to visit her at her house in the hill country And so God hath his times when hee makes his visits with his people Ioh. 14. 23. Wee will come unto him Psal 106. 4. Remember me O Lord with the favour thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation As if hee had said Lord remember me to be one of thy friends and vouchsafe me some such gracious friendly visits as thou usest to afford to thy friends and favourites Hee shewes his friends hearts by his visitations sheds his love into their hearts by the Holy Ghost gives them sweet assurances of his favour filles their hearts with peace hee comes and brings them the hidden manna and the white stone brings his friendly tokens with him Sixthly Communion betweene friends stands in mutuall feasting and banqueting each with other Friends will invite each other will call their friends to their tables and will goe to their friends tables Psal 41. 9. My familiar friend that eate of my bread He therefore used to have his familiar friend at his table and to feast him with his good cheere So God deales with his people and holds communion with them of this kinde Apoc. 3. 20. If any man will open unto mee I will come in unto him and I will suppe with him and hee with mee Canticles 5. 2. Eate O Friends and drinke abundantly O beloved Looke what sweete communion friends have together in mutuall feastings each of other such sweet spirituall communion vouchsafes the Lord to his people Lastly there is yet another expression of that communion that is betweene friends That which was betweene David and Jonathan 1 Sam. 20. 41. And they kissed one another and 2 Sam. 19. 39. David kissed Barzillai So of ancient friends used to expresse their friendly love each to other And thus doth God expresse his communion with his people as they kisse the Sonne Psal 2. and Cant. 8. 1. When I should finde thee without I would kisse thee so doth the Lord kisse them as his friends Cant. 1. 1. Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth That 's a great Honour and Happinesse It is an honour and a favour to kisse the kings hand but when once wee are the friends of Christ the friends of God he gives us not his hand but his lips his mouth to kisse And thus in those things the godly have commnnion with God and this communion they have by being his friends and this is the first benefit wee have by having him our friend The second benefit by having God their friend is Boldnesse and Familiarity of Accesse to God in all our wants and necessities When God is once our friend wee may with an holy boldnesse and familiarity come into his presence and make knowne our wants unto him when God is a mans enemy or when God is but a stranger to a man hee cannot bee so bold with him It is the rule wee live by amongst men If a man bee our enemy though wee stand in need of him and hee might be beneficiall to us yet we will not wee cannot have the face to bee so bold and familiar with him as to acquaint him with our necessities because being our enemy wee conceive hee will but despise us and bee glad of an occasion that hee may looke darkely and angrily upon us Nay if a man bee but a stranger unto us though there be no unkindnesse or quarrell betweene us wee cannot indure to make bold with him If wee bee put upon it our plea is Alas hee is a meere stranger to me hee is one with whom I have very slender or no acquaintance at all hee will wonder I should make so bold with him But now if a man have a speciall friend with whom hee is inwardly well acquainted if he want his helpe his counsell his good word to speake for him hee can without any adoe make bold with him A man we use to say may be bold with his friends And who should a man make bold with but with his friends The case is so here whilest God is our enemy or a stranger unto us we cannot have the face or the heart to goe to him in our wants and to make our cases knowne unto him we thinke that hee may well give us such answer as Isaac gave to Abimelech and the rest that came with him Gen. 26. 27. Wherefore come yee to mee seeing ye hate me what meane you to come to mee who am your enemy who am at the easiest a stranger to you in whom you have no manner of Interest Did yee not hate me saies Iephthah to them Iudges 11. 7. And why are yee come unto me now
of the Lord encampeth round about them that feare him and delivereth them A mans enemies become his friends Prov. 16. 7. When a mans waies please the Lord hee maketh even his enemies his deadly profest enemies to bee at peace with him The rest of the creatures become his friends Iob 5. 8. I would seeke unto God I would seeke to be friends with him but what shall be gotten by it Amongst other things that vers 21 22 23. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou bee afraid of destruction when it comes at destruction and famine shalt thou laugh neither shalt thou bee afraid of the beasts of the earth for thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall bee at peace with thee Yea God will make a covenant for his people with the beasts of the fields and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground Hos 2. 18. Yea all these shall not onely lay aside their enmity but shall be ready to bee serviceable to them When Ahab and Iehosaphat had made a league of friendship each with other see how Iehosaphat speakes to him 1 King 22. 4. I am as thou art my people as thy people my horses as thy horses So when once God and we are in league of friendship hee will say unto us my servants are your servants mine Angels are your Angels mine hosts are your hosts my creatures are your creatures Al things are yours 1 Cor. 3. 21. And all things shall work together for good to them that love God and are his friends If a man be a traytor the Kings enemy every man not onely estranges but sets himselfe against him but let the King but pitch upon a man to make him his friend and favourite how then doth every one seek to him smile upon him happy is he that can ingratiate himself with him and doe any service to him that is the Kings favourite A man that is once the Kings friend shall be sure to want no friends no respect no service Zabud was the Kings friend 1 King 4. 5. and who then would not be a friend to Zabud full glad was hee that could bee Zabuds servant So if once we be Gods friends God will raise us up friends enow Eliphaz his argument was good Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace Get to be Gods friend and one of his inward acquaintance Well suppose we doe vvhat shall we get by it And thereby shall good come unto thee And this good amongst the rest that the creatures shall bee in a league of friendship with thee Indeed some creatures there are that the more we are Gods friends the more they will bee our enemies yea therfore our professed enemies because wee are Gods friends Satan and his sworne servants will bee the more bitter enemies against us because God ownes us for his friends as Esau hated Iacob for the blessing But yet the Angels in Heaven that rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner on earth and that hee becomes friends vvith God all good men and the creatures will be our faithfull friends yea and many times hee vvill make vvicked men doe his people many a friendly turne or at least vvill make their emnity beneficiall and advantagious to them And these be the benefits that Gods people have by having God their friend Come vve now to the uses of this point And they are these The honour and happinesse of being Vse 1 Gods friends being so great and beneficiall withall it should stirre up every man to get this happinesse of being the friends of God Zabud was the Kings friend 1 King 4. 5. Now when people saw how familiar Zabud was with the King what communion was betweene him and Salomon how hee communicated to him his secret counsels how potent he was with him in all suites how close Salomon stood to him upon all occasions how serviceable all the Courtiers and Subjects were to him did they not thinke wee all thinke his condition happy Did they not secretly wish Oh that I were in his case oh that I were as Zabud is that I had the Kings heart the Kings eare the Kings hand as he hath And if they had knowne of any project of any course by which they might have advanced themselves to Zabuds condition would they not speedily have set upon it would they not have strained and tentred their wits to the utmost would they have spared for any cost or paines to have gotten into Zabuds condition Wee now therefore seeing what the happy condition of Gods people is that they are Gods friends and have all those great priviledges thereby how should it stirre up our hearts to looke and labour for this happinesse of being Gods friend And that so much the rather Because God may have and hath many friends at once that are his inward entire familiars not so alwayes amongst men Affection is sometimes so pitcht upon some one that that one engrosses all a mans affections and they are so caried wholly upon some one that there is scarce any roome in the heart left for any other The whole streame of some mens affections is so carried in one channell that there is no over float to any other All their water is little enough to drive one mill Kings use not to have many favourites but pitch upon some one But now it is otherwise with God hee hath many friends and favourites and all his friends are favourites Gods heart and his love is so large that there is roome enough in it for a multitude of favourites at once Because there bee projects and courses to be used that will effect and compasse this for us to make us Gods friends Some policies men have and use to get the friendship and favour of Princes great ones but yet their projects alwayes take not their policies speed not they doe not compasse the thing they desire but for the getting of Gods favour and friendship there be waies to be used that will surely doe the deed and will worke us in to be Gods friends and favorites What then bee those waies by which Quest we may get this honour to have God our friend and to be his friends First the way to get in with God is by Answ 1 faith We are by nature strangers to God nay enemies Col. 1. 21. Now God of his infinite mercy though hee bee the party wronged and offended yet he is pleased thus much to forget himselfe and to stoope thus low as not onely to offer us peace and friendship but hee entreates and beseeches us to bee reconciled and become friends 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now then if wee will believe the Gospell and the words of Reconciliation that 's the chiefe condition that God requires and upon that he will take and owne us for his friends That 's here in the text Abraham was called
Iacob bowed himselfe to the ground seven times untill hee came neere to his brother and Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his necke and kissed him and so became friends with him So when we come out to meet God and bow and humble our soules before him hee will run to us and embrace us and kisse us in token of heartie friendship and reconciliation Luk. 15. 20. When he was a great way off but making towards him his father saw him and had compassion and ranne and fell on his neck and kissed him 2. Secondly there must be an acknowledgement on the offenders part of his errour that hee hath done amisse that he is sorry and grieved and that if it were to doe againe hee would not doe it Though a man have done another wrong and have made a friend an enemy yet upon his submission and fault acknowledged all is healed and the breach made up againe yea our Saviours commandement is in such cases that there should be an heartie redintegration of love and friendship Luke 17. 3. 4. If thy brother trespasse against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him And if hee trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive be good friends with him Thus is it much more with God though wee have sinned and offended many a time against him yet if wee come with submission and acknowledgement Gods friendly and fatherly heart will come off If thou have sinned against God and trespassed against him many many a time yet if thou turn to him again and say I repent hee will assuredly forgive thee and will bee good friends with thee We may not imagine that God wil in this case require more of us than hee will do himselfe If he require thus much of us whose mercies are but drops to his Ocean what will hee doe who is the father of bowels that hath multitude of bowels Isai 63. 15. and the God that multiplies to pardon Isai 55. 7. God is quickly friends with an humbled soule if hee sees a man droope and mourn for having offended he is very inclinable to entertaine termes of friendship with such an one 3. Thirdly there must bee a closing with such an one against his common enemies and an hating and opposing of them This very thing closes mens hearts many times in a strong league and bond of friendship So here if wee would bee Gods friends wee must fall out with our selves with our lusts and maintaine an opposition and an hatred even a deadly feud against them Now this repentance teaches a man to doe True repentance makes a man to fall out bitterly with himselfe filles him with a mortall vindictive hatred against his lusts and corruptions And when the Lord sees that he then resolves that such an one whom he sees so cordial an enemy to his enemies shall become his friend And thus by Repentance are we made the friends of God Thirdly by obedience to God and his Commandements It is true that it is faith that first makes God and men friends but after faith hath knit that band of amity betweene God and us that friendship is encreased and more and more confirmed by yeelding God obedience Iob 22. 21 22. Acquaint thy selfe now with him and be at peace seeke to bee friends with God and get inward acquaintance with him not onely get peace but labour to grow such friends with him that thou mayest be of his familiar acquaintance That 's the thing thou wilt say that thou wouldest faine doe but thou wouldest know how that may bee done Marke therefore what followes in the next words Receive I pray thee the Law from his mouth and lay up his words in thine heart If thou wouldest bee acquainted with God bee acquainted with his word lay that up in thine heart and yield obedience to that in thy life And so Christ tels his Disciples Iohn 15. 14. Ye are my friends if ye doe whatsoever I command you By your obedience you shall manifest your selves to bee my friends and by this meanes you shall encrease advance and Ea est jucundissima amicitia quā morum similitudo conjugavit Cicer. offic 1. confirme that friendship that is betweene us Amongst men there is nothing so conciliates mens hearts so glewes and soders mens spirits as a similitude and conformity of manners and dispositions when there is a suitablenesse of mens spirits and inclinations they quickly close and so the Philosopher observes that a speciall conciler of friendship is a likenesse according to vertue So it is here when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot there is in us a conformity to Gods will and a conformity to his nature that wee are holy as hee is holy mercifull as hee is mercifull pure as he is pure walking in all obedience and purity of life it much encreases the friendship betweene God and us That as Salomon speakes Prov. 22. 11. Hee that loveth purenesse of heart for the grace of his lips the King shall bee his friend So much here hee that loves purenesse of heart and purenesse of life that is pure as God is pure for that holinesse and purity the King of Heaven shall bee his friend Yet God is good to Israel even to the pure in heart Psal 73. 1. God is a good friend to such and a true friend to them though they may have many back friends in the world Fourthly by our love to God Amongst men love winnes gaines and kindles love As a man that hath friends must shew himselfe friendly Prov. 18. 24. So a man that Quaeris quo modo amicum cito facturus sit sapians Dicam Hecaton ait ego tibi monstrabo amatorium sine medicamento sine herba sine ullius veneficae carmine si vis amari ama Senec. cp 9. will further engage his friend to him and kindle his affection to him must by offices and expressions of friendship still gaine his friendship more and more Friendlinesse makes friends more friendly Ioh. 14. 23. Hee that loveth mee shall be loved of my Father and I will love him Not that wee love God or Christ first and then hee loveth us He loves us first as the Apostle speakes It is not therefore meant of Gods first love or Christs first love that hee shewes to us but of after and following Acts of his love Hee loves us and is our friend now if wee shew a friends love to him hee will adde further degrees of his love or hee will love that is hee will vouchsafe us further expressions of his love as Christ there explaines himselfe I will love him and manifest my selfe to him So that upon our friendly love to Christ though hee loves us before wee love him yet hee will more cleerely manifest and expresse his friendship to us Fiftly by a frequent use of the duty of prayer A man that
your selves Let a man make a common practise of wronging and abusing your friends and will you count such your friends and will you hold friendship with them Nay though you have counted them your friends before yet upon such carriage you will let fall affection to them Christ calles his Spouse his fellow-friend Cant. 2. 10. now lay the case there A mans wife is his deerest friend Is there any man so witlesse and so silly to hold friendship with any though professing ever so great a desire of it so long as hee sees such to slight his wife and to dis-regard her or to use her as an enemy well then and thinke yee that Christ will ever have or hold any friendship with you so long as you abuse and scorne his best and deerest fellow-friend his Spouse Thinke that Christ is as true to his as we are or can be to our friends Fourthly Have a care and take heed of comportment with his enemies As friends Eadem velle eadem nolle firma Amicitia est Hieronym ad Ruffin Eadem cupere eadem odisse eadem metuere homines in unum cogunt Salust that will hold in must have common friends so they must have common enemies Wee our selves will not take him for our friend that is entire and inwardly familiar with our profest adversaries we will not have communion with him that hath communion and correspondence with our enemies Friends communicate their secrets to their friends and how shall a man trust him with his secrets who being a friend to his enemy will communicate them to him againe Zabud was Salamons friend Salomon had three speciall enemies Hadad Rezon and Ieroboam 1 King 11. And this last Salomon sought to kill now if Zabud went to hold in with Salomon it had beene no wisedome in the world for him to hold intelligence or correspondency with any of these it had beene enough to have lost Salomons friendship for ever But Zabud being Salomons friend his wisest course was to be a profest enemy to all these if hee were then living at that time Let a man set ever so good a face upon it and make ever so deepe protestations of love yet if hee close and knit with our professed enemies wee can have the wit not to trust him nor to judge him any of our trusty friends It is so in this case If wee hold comportment and entirenesse with Gods enemies hee will soone have done with us and leave us to our new acquaintances hee will shake us off hee will trust us for none of his friends Take heed of closing with Gods enemies whether they be persons or things Take heed of closing in friendship and falling into familiarity with wicked persons We know how Iehu pincht Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 19. 2. when hee made a league of friendship with Ahab Wouldst thou helpe the wicked and love them that hate the Lord As if he had said what Thou Gods friend and close with Gods enemies The Iewes malignantly charged our Saviour that hee was a friend of Publieanes and sinners because hee tooke occasion by common converse with them to doe them good but otherwise he was no friend to them in their sinfull courses he delighted not in friendship and familiar society with their persons Now if hee had so beene a friend to Publicanes and sinners they had had some thing justly against him If we be Gods friends we must in this sense take heed of being friends to Publicans and sinners of being entire friends and companions of sinfull and ungodly persons Wee know how the Jewes dasht Pilates good intentions towards Christ when hee would have stood his friend to let him goe free Iohn 19. 12. If thou let this man goe thou art not Caesars friend and we see how it wrought with him vers 13. When Pilate heard that saying he brought Iesus forth and sate downe in the Iudgement-seate c. Rather then hee will give the least suspition that hee was not Caesars friend hee will not bee Christs friend If thou bee his friend thou art none of Caesars friend It is so here also If thou be a friend of wicked and ungodly ones thou art none of Gods friend he will renounce thee for being any of his friends If thou wilt be Gods friend thou must make Gods enemies thine Thou must doe as David Psal 139 21 22. Doe not I hate them O Lord that hate thee and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with perfect hatred I count them mine enemies As if he had said Lord thou hast honoured mee to be one of thy friends and therefore I have made thine enemies mine Take heed also of friendship with wicked things Every lust is an enemy to God The misorder of the flesh is enmity against God Rom. 8. 7. Hee saies not it is an enemy but it is enmity it selfe And if the wisdome of the flesh bee enmity against God what is the folly of it Every lust is an enemy to God and enmity to God An enemy may bee reconciled but enmity cannot bee reconciled If therefore wee close with our lusts and make them our friends it will utterly cracke friendship betweene God and us If wee hold friendship with them wee loose it with God See how the Apostle speakes Iam. 4. 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will bee a friend of the world is the enemy of God Love of the world is adultery An adulterer that sets his heart upon an harlot and makes her his friend cannot bee a friend to his wife because there is aviolation of conjugall love friendship Any lust carnall or worldly fostered and made a friend and a favourite lust will make us turne enemies to God Take heed therefore how wee suffer our hearts to cleave to any lust friendship with our lusts and friendship with God will not stand together but if wee be friends to the one wee must be enemies to the other Fiftly Take heed of too much absence from God and of discontinuance of acquaintance converse and familiarity with him Some things doe dissecare amicitiam choppe friendship asunder and some things doe dissuere unsow and unrip it Now long absence from friends and discontinuance of converse and familiarity and letting fall the performance of friendly offices though these choppe not friendship a sunder yet they doe by degrees unrip it And though there bee no quarrell or unkindnesse yet meere absence when it is overlong and meere discontinuance of friendly visits colloquies and the like entercourse of kindnesse will abate and slake affections and by degrees let them die An over-long absence of friends each from other and silence or letting fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist cib lib. 8. cap. 5. such salutations friendly compellations and conferences that use to be betweene friends are things as the Philosopher observes that dissolve friendship
Christian lives by faith and faith lives altogether above in heaven faith lives alwaies above upon Christ and with Christ And therefore a Christian must needs live in heaven because hee lives by that which lives altogether in heaven Faith puts the soule in possession of heaven whilest the body is here on earth It is with a Christians faith in this case as it was with Iacobs in that Gen. 48. 22. Moreover I have given unto thee one portion above thy brethren which I tooke out of the hand of the Amorite with my Sword and with my Bow Which is not to bee understood of any thing that was past and already done but he speaks prophetically of that which should afterwards be done by his posterity which his faith made to him as already done as if hee had now already conquered and taken possession of it He speaking the language of faith speakes of a thing to be done as past and done already So faith gives a man possession of heaven whiles hee is on earth and so makes him live in heaven whiles he is here on earth Thirdly in regard of their hearts and affections their loves delights and desires Their hearts and their minds their Neque n. praesentior spiritus noster est ubi animat quaÌ„ ubi amat nisi sorte putetur esse magis ubi invitus tenetur necessitate quam quo spâ—nâ—e fâ—râ—ur alacri volâ—nteâ—e 〈…〉 aâ—lâ—â— dâ—o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost ad Eph. hom 5. affections desires and delights are in heaven and so their conversation is there A man is not so much where his body is as where his heart is And a mans heart is not so much where his body is as where his love and affections and desires are Love and desire carry a mans heart thither where the things loved and desired are Where the treasure is there is the heart Matth. 6. Where the treasure is that is loved and desired there the heart is which loveth and desireth A man is not so much said to bee any where so much in respect of position of place as of disposition of affection And the soule is not where it lives but where it loves yea there it lives where it loves Thus therefore have the godly their conversation in heaven because they have their hearts there their affections are raised and mounted up into heaven they minde heaven and heavenly things their desires and longing affections are altogether there So much is here implyed in the Apostles opposition They mind earthly things but our conversation is in heaven The opposition one would have thought should rather have runne thus they minde earthly things But wee minde heavenly things but in stead of this hee saies our conversation is in heaven So that to have a mans conversation in heaven is to minde heavenly things to have his heart and affections in heaven What this conversation in heaven is we may see Col. 3. 1. 2. Seeke the things that are above Above where is that above In heaven above in heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of God And vers 2. Set your affection on things above Still above a Christians thoughts and affections are still above and so hee converses above in heaven Thus had Abraham his conversation in heaven Heb. 11. 10. He looketh for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God How looked he for that City with much affection and desire vers 14 16. They seeke a Countrey they desire an heavenly Countrey Thus Abraham and the Patriarchs had their conversations in heaven by having their minds after heaven Excellent is that description of the Church Cant. 3. 6. Who is this that comes or ascends up out of the Wildernesse like pillars of smoake The world is a wildernesse a Christian hee is comming up out of the wildernesse he is always ascending up out of the wildernes he is raising and lifting up his heart into heaven and he ascends like pillars of smoake Smoke we see arises and ascends in the forme of a pillar and it goes upward to heaven So a Christian hath his heart alienated from the world hee is ever ascending up out of that wildernesse and such are the desires and affections of his heart after heaven that they ascend up like smoake like pillars elations and liftings up of smoake to heaven When the Israelites set Ai on fire Iosh 8. 20. The men of Ai looked behind them and they saw and beheld the smoake of the City ascended up to heaven So such are the affections and desires of the godly after heaven that their affections reeke and smoke and goe up in pillars of smoake to heaven Now when thus the soule of a man is lifted and carried up into heaven in his affections and desires when his heart thus reekes and smoakes towards heaven then is a mans conversation in heaven Phil. 1. I desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all Now when a mans heart hath continuall risings and heavings up heaven-ward when a mans spirit aspires breathes pants after the presence of God in heaven then a man may bee said to have his conversation in heaven See Iacobs expression Gen. 49. 18. O Lord I have waited for thy salvation It is with Gods people as with wayters a wayter hee stands without at the gate or doore of the house but his heart his desires are within doores hee represents to himselfe his being within his speech discourse carriage and behaviour there and so is within whiles he is without So is it with godly men they waite for salvation waite for heaven and though yet whiles here they be without yet in their minds affections and desires they are within The woman that Iohn saw Apoc. 12. 1. had the Moone under her feete The godly live above the Moone above all sublunary things These things are beneath their affections their affections are aloft above the Moone and they that have the Moone under their feet are in an higher region then the earth they have their conversation in heaven by having their affections above all earthly things Many when they are in the publique assemblies and at a sermon hearing the word yet they may bee said to have their conversation in their shops and in their fields because their hearts minds and affections be there So in this case the godly may be said to be in heaven whilst on earth because there bee their hearts and affections The godly may be said to be in heaven whilest they are on earth as the Israelites were said to bee in Egypt whilst they were in the wildernesse Act. 7. 39. They returned into Egypt I but they never came backe into Egypt how then is it sayd that they returned into Egypt They returned sayes the text into Egypt in their hearts Because their hearts affections and desires were in Egypt therefore they are said to returne into Egypt They returned in their hearts and with their
in degree the happinesse of heaven Secondly the happinesse of heaven stands in the peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost This is heaven and hee that hath this in him hath heaven in him and he that hath heaven within him may bee well said to be in heaven Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdome of God and so the Kingdome of heaven is peace and joy in the holy Ghost where these are there heaven is That looke as on the contrary where there is an accusing conscience that filles the heart with feares affrightments horrour and anguish there are the very flashings of hell fire and such a man may be said to be in hell in the belly of hell as Ion. 2. so here where there is joy of the holy Ghost sweete peace arising from faith and the assurance of Gods love in pardon of sinne there is heaven and such a man truely lives in heaven The joyes of heaven in Scripture are often set forth by a feast Luke 14. 15. Blessed is he that eates bread in the Kingdome of God And so the rich man saw Lazarus in Abrahams bosom that is he saw him at the blessed feast in heaven set at Gods Table in an high place next to Abraham as Iohn leaned in Christs bosome at the last supper Iohn 13. 23. Thus also is the peace of a good conscience set forth Prov. 15. 15. by a feast A good conscience is a continuall feast what is it to be in heaven but to be as at a blessed feast at a blessed feast are they that have peace of conscience as they are that are in heaven Here is a sitting a lying in Abrahams nay in Christs bosome And therefore we shall see the same thing spoken of peace and joy in this life that is of that peace and joy that is in heaven What is the peace that is in heaven At the utmost no more can bee sayd of it then that it is a peace that passes all understanding And so much is said of the peace of God and the peace of conscience that here the Saints have on earth Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God that passes all understanding This peace they have here transcends all comprehension No understanding is able to understand the comfort of the peace of a good conscience it passes all understanding A mans understanding can understand great comfort it must needs therefore be a great comfort indeed which no mans understanding can conceive If a man would strive to covet no covetous man can covet more riches then his understanding can conceive If a man should strive to be ambitious no ambitious man can desire more preferments and honours then his understanding can conceive The conceiving of the understanding is the utmost bounds of all desires But the peace of God surmounts these bonds It passes all understanding A man strives to get a good living to get a good revenew and maintenance now I can easily understand how much thou gettest It may be twenty pounds or an hundred or a thousand or an hundred thousand by the yeere I can easily understand all this Nay if it were as many thousands by the yeere as there bee haires on thine head which no man hath yet all this I can easily understand but now I cannot so much as conceive with mine understanding the worth and happinesse of the peace of a good conscience This passes all understanding not onely the understanding of men but the understanding of Angels Eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. 9. It is spoken not of the joyes of heaven but of the comforts of the Gospel which it brings to the conscience as appeares by the context Now thine eye saies Chrysostome hath seene many things and thine eare heard more then thou hast seene and thine heart can imagine more then thou hast heard and yet neither eye hath seene nor eare heard neither can it enter into thine heart to imagine what God hath provided for thee in the peace of a good conscience A man may suppose what hee could imagine hee might imagine a man to have a thousand worlds if there were so many and to have the command over all the men in the world A man may imagine that he hath Kings and Princes to serve him you may imagine a man to live millions of yeeres without sicknesse without grievances without any discontent yee may imagine such a man but yee can never imagine what is the happinesse and comfort of that man that hath the peace of God that passes all understanding What now can bee said more of the peace in heaven So likewise what is the joy that is in heaven what kinde of joy is it It is a joy exceeding glorious an unutterable ineffable unspeakeable joy Such is the very joy that Gods people have in this life There is a twofold joy A joy of faith here and a joy of fruition hereafter Now as the joy of fruition is glorious is unspeakeable so is the joy of faith here 1 Pet. 1. 8. Yee believing rejoyce with joy unspeakeable and full of glory What more glorious thing can be spoken of the joyes of heaven what can a man have in heaven more then glorious joy more then unspeakeable joy the grace of joy is a glorious joy They that have glorious and unspeakeable joy where live they but in heaven It is true there is some difference betweene joyes here and in heaven Now this joy is in us then we shall be in it now this joy enters into us then wee shall enter into it enter into thy masters joy All the difference is onely the measure and the degree there wee shall have more but it is all of one kind Thus the Saints have heaven within them and so having the happinesse of heaven here they have their converse in heaven Thirdly a great part of the happinesse of heaven is in those blessed raptures of spirit and Ravishing extasies that the blessed Saints in heaven have Whilest they are taken up with the contemplation of Gods infinit wisedome and mercy in Christ they are quite carried out of themselves The wisedome and mercy of God in Christ shall bee a speciall theame and subject of the meditations and contemplations of the Saints in heaven unto all eternities They shall be taken up with the contemplation of their owne happinesse now they shall be so taken up with these things that they shall have blessed ravishments of their spirits in these contemplations That looke as the damned in hell under the sense of present wrath and in the contemplation and expectation of the eternity of it and under the feare of future wrath are swallowed up in despaire in horrour and consternation of spirit a thing that addes extremely to their hellish torments so there is a thing in the happinesse of heaven contrary to that and that is incomprehensible glorious ravishments
weaned and then I will bring him up that hee may appeare before the Lord and there abide for ever And vers 24. When shee had weaned him shee tooke him up with her and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh Ill would Samuel have abode at Shiloh and have had his conversation there with Eli if hee had not beene weaned from his mothers breast If a man sometimes doe chance to make a steppe up to heaven yet if hee be not weaned from the world he will never long abide there nor have his converse there his heart will bee hankering and lingering after the worlds breast he will quickly come downe againe that hee may be sucking that Milke The Apostle compares the love cares and thoughts of the world to weights Heb. 12. 1. Let us lay aside every weight They are weights that hold and keepe downe the heart from rising up to heaven or plucke downe the heart from heaven if it be raised up towards heaven A man that wil have his conversation in heaven must first have his heart lifted and raised up into heaven it must first be there before it can converse there Now how can the heart lift and raise up it selfe into heaven if it be clogged with a company of weights if it could raise it selfe upwards yet these waights would soone pull and weigh it downe againe An Eagle flies towards heaven Prov. 23. 5. But if an Eagle had waights fastned to her legges shee could not flie at all much lesse towards heaven If therefore we would converse in heaven wee must first sore up into heaven and if wee would mount and flie up into heaven wee must first get loose from these weights get our hearts loose and free from the love and cares of this world Yea these are not onely weights but they are as Bird-lime to those wings upon which we should mount up to heaven Worldly things are entanglements 2 Tim. 2. 4. No man that worketh entangles himselfe with the affaires of this life A Bird that is entangled with a snare that is entangled with lime-twigs cannot flie up aloft and the love and cares of the world doe entangle the spirit of a man so as he cannot raise it up into heaven And he that cannot raise up his heart into heaven cannot have his conversation there First get we our hearts to bee estranged from the earth and then wee shall the more willingly converse in heaven That man will hardly come to live in the countrey to have his abode and conversation there that hath not first weaned himselfe from the City so long as his minde is to the City hee will hardly like to leade a Countrey-life When once David had got his heart off from the world see how spiritually and heavenly minded he was Psal 119. 19 20. I am a stranger in the earth hee had alienated his heart and estranged his effections from the world and see what followes Hide not thy Commandements from mee my soule breakes for the longing that it hath unto thy judgements at all times Wee see the Patriarches were heavenly minded persons had their conversation in heaven Hebr. 11. 16. Their mindes were upon an heavenly Countrey but yet first vers 13. they confesse they were strangers and pilgrims on earth They had estranged their hearts from this world from the earth and so made way to have their conversation in heaven Secondly yee must doe as our Saviour prescribes Math. 6. 20. Lay up treasures in heaven Make heavenly things your treasures hoard up there and lay up there as much as may be and then yee shall soone have your conversation there Then the conversation is in heaven when the heart and affections are in heaven as wee saw before The way to have the heart in heaven is to have the treasure there Math. 6. 20 21. Lay up your treasure in heaven for where your treasure is there will your hearts be also As if he had said Get your treasure into heaven and you shall easily get your hearts into heaven for if the treasure bee once in heaven the heart will soone bee in heaven too for the heart and the treasure will be undivided What is the reason that many have their conversation on earth but because they lay up their treasure on earth and they make these earthly things their treasures So if treasure were laid up in heaven and heavenly things made our treasure our conversation would be in heaven for the heart would follow and runne after the treasure Make Christ thy treasure make him the welbeloved of thy soule make him the pearle of great price prize him so as to count all earthly things as dung and drosse to him and Christ in heaven being made our treasure will draw our hearts up into heaven And when the heart is drawne up into heaven the conversation is there Looke where the Loadstone is that way it draws the yron If the Loadstone bee beneath it drawes the yron downeward if it be above it drawes the yron upwards Pitch our Loadstone in heaven make Christ our Loadstone and then our hearts will up apace into heaven as mens hearts goe so fast downwards because their Loadstone is in the earth Thirdly hee must get an intrinsecall principle of grace into his heart that may be continually lifting heaving and raysing the heart upward and heaven-ward Heavy things they naturally affect to descend and to goe downeward because they have an intrinsecall principle of nature that inclines them to descend And light things they naturally affect to ascend and goe upwards because they have an intrinsecall principle that carries them that way Now a man that would have his conversation in heaven should get such an inward principle of grace into his heart that should bee carrying the heart still upward A man must get a sanctified frame of heart that so the naturall bent of his spirit may be to heaven-ward to be heaving and lifting upwards Psal 25. 1. Vnto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule By that phrase is expressed the strange desires of a servant to his wages Deut. 24. 15. Thou shalt give him his hire for hee sets his heart upon it or hee lifts up his soule unto it Looke now how a servants heart is lifted up to his hire how he sets his heart upon it how his minde runs upon it so such a frame of Spirit should a man get that his heart should be lifting up it selfe to God and Christ and heavenly things that though a man may have some diversions and some occurrences that may put his heart off heaven for a time yet those diversions no sooner over but a mans heart should bee upon heaven againe and never well but when it is set that way The needle of the compasse being once toucht with the Loadstone though by some violent shaking it may bee carried to this and to that point of the compasse yet if once that violence cease it ceases not till
but flitting thoughts they come and goe and tarry not abide not in the heart they come and goe like flashes of lightning they take up their lodging in the heart The man that hath his conversation in heaven his thoughts of heaven are not flashes and glances but setled habituall permanent thoughts If there come ever such a traine of worldly thoughts into thine heart they shall have lodging Ier. 4. 14. How long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee They shall have lodging not onely a bed for a night but they can stay seaven yeeres together with thee thou never thinkst their company troublesom But when thoughts of heaven come into thine heart there is hardly a bed or a nights lodging to be had for them that is too too long but it may be thou salutest them then givest them their passe and so fare them well Such thoughts are no arguments of a conversation in heaven Secondly It may be these thoughts of heaven are but accidentall they come by chance not studied purposed thoughts but onely such as chop in by the by The thoughts of heaven that a man hath that hath his conversation in heaven are intended thoughts purposed and studied thoughts hee sets himselfe to thinke of heaven and the things of heaven Thirdly It may bee these bee fruitlesse thoughts that leave no manner of impression on the heart It may bee thou hast some thoughts of heaven but the way of these thoughts in thine heart are as the way of an eagle in the ayre as the way of a serpent upon a rocke as the way of a ship in the heart of the Sea Prov. 30. 18. What impression leaves an Eagle in the ayre what impression doth a serpent leave upon an hard rocke or what impression doth a ship leave in the heart of the sea Iust such an impression as thoughts of heaven leave in thine heart that is just none at all They leave not such a worke behind them as to make thee looke ere the more after heaven they leave no such worke as to make thee ere the lesse earthly thou art as earthly and eager after the love of the world after these thoughts as ever thou wast before It is not so with such as have their conversation in heaven Their thoughts and mindings of heaven are such as leave strong impressions behind them such as make them take more paines for grace for Christ then before Therefore see how the Apostle joynes these two together Col. 3. 1 2. The setting of the affections upon things above or the minding of things above and the seeking of things above They then that mind things above have their thoughts upon things above as they should have they seeke things that are above Their mindings and thinkings of heaven are such as worke strong Impressions in them as make them industrious laborious in the serious seeking of heavenly and spirituall things A thought of heaven that makes a man wish for heaven is a fruitlesse vanishing thought but a thought of heaven that will make a man worke for heaven is the thought of the man that hath his conversation in heaven Thy thoughts at best set thee but a wishing and not a working for heaven and therefore these thoughts prove not thy conversation to bee in heaven This serves to answere the common Vse 3 objection that men make when they are prest to that holinesse and obedience that God calles for Why say they what would ye have would you have us to be Saints As if that were so strange or so unreasonable a thing that men should be called upon to be Saints as if none were to be Saints but such as were red lettered in the Calendar If ye be Christians you are to have your conversation in heaven and must not they bee Saints that are to have their conversation in heaven If we must have our conversation in heaven whilest here on earth then whilest we live here on earth we must live as Saints FINIS