Thou hast a hell in thee. Thy venomous lusts are now grown mature, are in their full-grown state. If a world of iniquity, a fulness of deadly poison, tempered by hellfire, is here sometimes to be found in a little member, what will there then be in all thy parts and powers?

3. Consider, how blessed a satisfaction dost thou lose? how pleasant and delightful a rest, arising both from the sight of so much glory, and so peaceful a temper and constitution of spirit? Here thou mightst have enjoyed an eternal undisturbed rest. But for rest and satisfaction, thou hast vexation and endless torment, both by what thou beholdest, and what thou feelest within thee. Thy dreadful visions shall not let thee rest: but the chiefest matter of thy disquiet and torment is in the very temper and constitution of thy soul. Thy horrid lusts are fuller of poisonous energy, and are destitute of their wonted objects, whence they turn all their power and fury upon thy miserable self. Thy enraged passions would fly in the face of God, but they spend themselves in tormenting the soul that bred them. Thy curses and blasphemies, the envenomed darts pointed at heaven, are reverberated and driven back into thy own heart. And therefore,

4. Consider, what awaking hast thou? Thou awakest not into the mild and cheerful light of that blessed day, wherein the saints of the Most High hold their solemn, joyful triumph. But thou awakest into that great and terrible day of the Lord, (dost thou desire it, for what end is it to thee?) a day of darkness, and not light; a gloomy and stormy day. The day of thy birth is not a more hateful than this is a dreadful day. Thou awakest and art beset with terrors, presently apprehended and dragged before thy glorious, severe Judge, and thence into eternal torments. O happy thou, mightst thou never awake, might the grave conceal, and its more silent darkness cover thee for ever. But since thou must awake then, how much more happy wert thou, if thou wouldst suffer thyself to be awakened now! What, to lose and endure so much, because thou wilt not now a little bestir thyself, and look about thee? Sure thy conscience tells thee, thou art urged but to what is possible, and lawful, and hopeful, and necessary. Methinks, if thou be a man, and not a stone, if thou hast a reasonable soul about thee, thou shouldst presently fall to work, and rather spend thy days in serious thoughts, and prayers, and tears, than run the

hazard of losing so transcendent a glory, and of suffering misery, which as now thou art little able to conceive, thou wilt then be less able to endure.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Rule 4. Directing to the endeavour of a gradual improvement in such a disposedness of spirit (as shall be found in any measure already attained) towards this blessedness. That 'tis blessedness begun which disposes to the consummate state of it. That we are therefore to endeavour the daily increase of our present knowledge of God, conformity to him, and the satisfiedness of our spirits therein.

а

4. Rule. THAT when we find ourselves in any disposition towards this blessedness, we endeavour a gradual improvement therein, to get the habitual temper of our spirits made daily more suitable to it. We must still remember we have not yet attained, and must therefore continue pressing forward to this mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That prize (not price, as we commonly mis-read it in our Bibles) of which the apostle here speaks, is (as may be seen by looking back to verse 8, 9, &c.) the same with the blessedness in the text. Such a knowledge of Christ, as should infer at last his participation with him in his state of glory; or of the resurrection of the dead. This is the ultimate term, the scope or end of that high calling of God in Christ; so 'tis also stated elsewhere. Who hath b called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. Now we should therefore frequently recount how far short we are of this glory, and stir up our souls to more vigorous endeavours in order to it. Our suitableness to this blessedness stands in our having the elements and first principles of it in us; 'tis glory only that fits for glory; some previous sights and impressions of it, and a pleasant complacential relish thereof, that frame and attemper us by degrees to the full and consummate state of it. This is that therefore we must endeavour, A growing knowledge of God, conformity to him, and satisfiedness of spirit therein. What we expect should be one day perfect, we must labour may be, in the meantime, always growing.

1. Our knowledge of God. & Phil. iii. 14. Βραβειον.

The knowledge of him I

b 1 Pet. v. 10.

here principally intend, is not notional and speculative, but (which is more ingredient to our blessedness, both inchoate and perfect) that of converse, that familiar knowledge which we usually express by the name of acquaintance. See that this knowledge of him be increased daily. Let us now use ourselves much with God. Our knowledge of him must aim at conformity to him; and how powerful a thing is converse in order hereto! How insensibly is it wont to transform men, and mould anew their spirits, language, garb, deportment! To be removed from the solitude or rudeness of the country to a city or university, what an alteration does it make? How is such a person divested by degrees of his rusticity, of his more uncomely and agrest manners! Objects we converse with, beget their image upon us; They walked after vanity, and became vain, said Jeremiah; and Solomon, d He that walketh with the wise, shall be wise. Walking is a usual expression of converse. So to converse with the holy is the way to be holy, with heaven, the way to be heavenly, with God, the way to be God-like. Let us therefore make this our present business, much to acquaint ourselves with God. We count upon seeing him face to face, of being always in his presence beholding his glory; that speaketh very intimate acquaintance indeed. How shall we reach that pitch? What, to live now as strangers to him? Is that the way ?e The path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The text shows us the righteous man's end, To behold the glory of God's face, &c. 'tis easy to apprehend then, his way must needs have in it a growing brightness, as he comes still nearer this end. Every nearer approach to a lucid thing infers (to us) an increase of light from it. We should therefore be following on to know the Lord, and we shall see his going forth will be before us as the morning.f He will be still visiting us with renewed, increasing light, (for such is morninglight, fresh and growing-light,) and ere long it will be perfect day. Labour we to improve our knowledge of God to such a degree of acquaintance as our present state can admit of: to be as inward with him as we can, to familiarize ourselves to him. His gospel aims at this, to make those that were afar off nigh. Far-distant objects we can have no distinct view of. He can give us little account of a person that hath only seen him afar off; so God beholds

c Jer. ii. 5.

d Prov. xiii. 20.

e Prov. iv. 18.

f Hos. vi. 3.

the proud afar off, that is, he will have no acquaintance with them: whereas with the humble he will be familiar; 8 he will dwell (as in a family) with them. So the ungodly behold God till he bring them in, and make them nigh; then they are no longer strangers, but of his family and household, now thoroughly acquainted. Several notes there are of a thorough acquaintance which we should endeavour may concur in our acquaintance with God, in that analogy which the case will bear:-To know his nature; or (as we would speak of a man) what will please and displease him, so as to be able in the whole course of our daily conversation to approve ourselves to him: to have the skill so to manage our conversation, as to continue a correspondence, not interrupted by any of our offensive unpleasing demeanours: to walk worthy of God unto all well-pleasing. It concerns us most to study and endeavour this practical knowledge of the nature of God; what trust, and love, and fear, and purity, &c. his faithfulness and greatness, his goodness and holiness, &c. do challenge from us: what may in our daily walking be agreeable, what repugnant, to the several attributes of his being. To know his secrets; to be as it were of the cabinet-council. h (The word used by the Psalmist hath a peculiar significancy to that purpose; to signify, not only counsel, but a council, or the consessus of persons that consult together.) This is his gracious vouchsafement, to humble reverential souls. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; such acquaintance with him is to be sought, to know the (communicable) secrets both of his mind and heart. Of his mind; his truths, gospel-mysteries, that were kept secret from ages and generations. We have the mind of Christ. This is great inwardness. Of his heart; his love, his good-will, his kind bosom thoughts towards our souls. To know his methods, and the course of his dispensations towards the world, his church, and especially our own spirits. This is great knowledge of God, to have the skill to trace his footsteps, and observe by comparing times with times, that such a course he more usually holds; and accordingly, with great probability, collect from what we have seen and observed what we may expect. What order and succession there is of storms of wrath, to clouds of sin; and again of peaceful, lucid intervals, when such storms have inferred penitential tears. In what exigencies, and distresses, humble mourners may

1

expect God's visits and consolations. To recount in how great extremities former experience hath taught us not to despair; and from such experience still to argue ourselves into fresh reviving hopes, when the state of things (whether public or private, outward or spiritual) seems forlorn. To know the proper seasons of address to him; and how to behave ourselves most acceptably in his presence, in what dispositions and postures of spirit we are fittest for his converse, so as to be able to come to him in a good hour, i in a time when he may be found. To know his voice: this discovers acquaintance. The ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meats. God's righteous ones, that are filled with the fruits of righteousness, do proportionably abound in knowledge, and in all sense. They have quick, naked, unvitiated senses, to discern between good and evil; yea, and can have the suffrage of several senses concerning the same object; they have a kind of taste in their ear. They taste the good word of God, even in his previous workings on them. Being new-born, they are intimated to have tasted in the word how gracious the Lord is. As they grow up thereby, they have still a more judicious sense, and can more certainly distinguish, when God speaks to them, and when a stranger goes about to counterfeit his voice." They can tell at first hearing, what is grateful and nutritive, what offensive and hurtful, to the divine life; what is harmonious and agreeable, what dissonant, to the gospel already received, so that an angel from heaven must expect no welcome, if he bring another. To know his inward motions and impulses; when his hand toucheth our hearts, to be able to say, This is the finger of God, there is something divine in this touch. My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved. This speaks acquaintance, when the soul can say, I know his very touch; the least impression from him, I can distinguish it from thousands of objects that daily beat upon my heart. To understand his looks; to know the meaning of his aspects, and glances of the various casts, as it were, of his eye. P Such things intimate friends can, in a sort, talk by, with one another; I will guide thee by mine eye;

i Psal. xxxii. 6.

k Job xii. 11.

1 Phil. i. 9. aconтпpia yεyvμvaoμeva. Heb. v. ult. Heb. vi.

m 1 Pet. i. 2, 3.

'n John x.

o Cant. v. 4.

p So we apprehend God proportionably more clearly, as the idea we have of a person is more distinct that we have of him by the sight of his picture or face through a glass, beyond that which we have by hearing a reported description of him, though by himself unseen. This is acquaintance with God.