THE Best Acquaintance AND HIGHEST HONOUR OF CHRISTIANS. OR, A DISCOURSE of Acquaintance with GOD.  
By Matthew Newcomen, Minister of the Gospel.  Job 22.21. 
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.  John 8.16. 
I am not alone, but I and the Father which hath sent me.  1 Cor. 1.9. 
God is faithful, by whom ye are called unto the fellowship of his Son Christ Jesus our Lord.  1 John 1.3. 
And truly our fellowship is with the father and with his Son Christ Jesus.  James 2.23. 
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.  Psal. 149.10. 
This honour have all his Saints.  John 1●▪ 1●. 
Henceforth I call you not servants, but I 〈◊〉 called you friends.  
London, Printed in the Year, 1668.   

THE Best Acquaintance, AND Highest Honour, OF CHRISTIANS.  Job 22. vers. 21. 
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.  

CHAP. I. The opening of the words, and of the nature of the great duty of acquainting ourselves with God.  
THe words are the words of Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends, and as it should seem, the chiefest of the three, either for age, or dignity, or wisdom: for the other two give him the priority in speaking. He having in the beginning of the Chapter given Job a bitter pill to chew upon, in vers. 5, 6, 7. that he might not leave the mind of Job exulcerated, towards the latter end of his discourse attempters his speech to a milder and sweeter strain, giving him first counsel, vers. 21, 22. then promising him comfort, vers. 23. to the end.  
In this 21. v. we have two things. Officium, Beneficium. A work to be done, or a duty to be performed by Job, and indeed by every one. And that in these words. Acquaint now thyself with him. 2. A benefit to be obtained by the performance of this duty, and that is peace and good. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: so shall good come unto thee.  
Acquaint. The word translated acquaint is diversely rendered by Interpreters. The Chaldee paraphrase renders it, Learn of him; The Greek, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, be thou hard or stout, meaning patiented in bearing Affliction. The Vulgar Latin, Acquiesce ei. Munster, Conveniat tibi cum eo. The Syriack and Arabic, Coaequa te ei. The Tigurine, Accommoda te illi. Coccejus, Fac periculum. Pagnine and Junius, Assuesce te illi. The French, Accointe-toy. An old English translation reads it, Reconcile thyself unto him. Our Translation reads it, Acquaint thyself with him. Making choice of a word that takes in both the Chaldees, disce ab eo. And the vulgars', Acquisce; and the Tigurine, Accommoda te illi. And Munster's, Conveniat tibi cum eo. And the old English, Reconcile thyself to him. As we shall see afterwards God willing. 
* The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath (as many other words in the Hebrew) various significations, and some of them seemingly contrary to others, as Prodesse, Increpare, arguere, assuescere, thesaurizare, recondere, nocere, depauperare, periclitari significatione Rabbinis consuerâ. Pagnin. The septuagint render it sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Kircher. Marius de Calasio observes four principal acceptations of the word in Scripture. 1. Prodesse, or utilem esse. 2. Thesaurizare. 3. Calefacere. 4. Depauperare, to which he adds a fifth of the Rabbins and Chaldees, which is, periculum facere, or periclitari. And this great difference of significations which this word is capable of, is the reason why there is so great variety in the translation of this Text.   
The word in the Original translated acquaint, is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is used in that Conjugation Hiphil, but in two places besides this in all the Scripture. The one is Numb. 22.30. where Balaams' ass saith to him, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nunquid assuescendo assuetus sum; Was I ever wont to do thus. The other is, Psal. 139.2. where the Psalmist saith, Thou art acquainted with all my ways. In the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our singing Psalms according to the Emphasis of the Original well render. And by familiar custom art acquainted with my ways.  
Acquaint thyself now: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an expletive particle, and signifies as much as nunc, ideo, quaeso, and accordingly some here read, Acquaint now thyself. Others, acquaint therefore thyself. Others, acquaint I pray thee thyself. It is a particle that implies seriousness in him that speaks, and weight and moment in the thing that is spoken of.  
Acquaint now thyself with him, that is, with God. The Almighty spoken of before, v. 17. and again v. 23. Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace, that is, thou shalt be at peace; for so, as the learned Mercer observes, it is usual with the Hebrews to put the Imperative mood for the Future tense. Thou shalt be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Good, that is all kind of good, Temporal, Spiritual, and Eternal, as is exemplified afterwards in the following verses, to the end of the Chapter. That which from the words thus opened commends itself to our observation is this.  
That the great concernment of every man is to acquaint himself with God. I say, The great concernment of every man, that which every man should make his greatest study and business, and look upon himself as most concerned in, is to acquaint himself with God.  
I shall immediately fall upon the opening of the Nature of this acquainting ourselves with God in these three particulars that are necessarily included in it.  
First, This acquainting ourselves with God implies a true and right knowledge of God. For you will all readily conclude, it is impossible for a man to have acquaintance with a person whom he hath never had any knowledge of. If a man should come to one of us, and name to us a man that lives at Rome or Constantinople, or the Indies, and ask us if we be acquainted with such a man, we would presently say we do not so much as know him, therefore how should we have any acquaintance with him? Ignorance of God you know is rendered as a reason of men's being estranged from God: 
Ephes. 4.18.  therefore they that would have acquaintance with God, must labour to know God. This David exacts of his son Solomon. And thou Solomon my son, 
1 Chron. 28.9.  know thou the God of thy Fathers, etc.  
Now there is a threefold knowledge of God. A knowledge by the ear. A knowledge by the eye. And a knowledge by the taste. Or if you will, A knowledge of notion or speculation. A knowledge of faith. And a knowledge of experience. And all this necessary to our acquaintance with God.  
First, There is a knowledge of God that is a knowledge of notion or speculation, when men know there is a God, and who, and what this God is, and how he is distinguished from all other persons and things whatsoever. That he is a Spirit, or spiritual substance, one in essence, distinguished into three equally blessed, and glorious Persons, the eternal beginning of all beings, the incomprehensible Author and fountain of all life and motion, the almighty Creator, upholder, and ruler of the whole universe, who is all life, and all wisdom, and all power, and all goodness, and all truth, and all blessedness, and all glory, whose truth, power, goodness, mercy, glory, is his very essence, and being. This knowledge men may have of God by the hearing of the ear; and this men may have, and yet have no acquaintance with God; this knowledge alone is not sufficient to acquaintance with God, and yet this is so necessary, that without it there can be no acquaintance.  
There is therefore, Secondly, A further degree of knowledge, & that is a knowledge of God by the eye; and this is that which we call the knowledge of Faith. Faith you know is compared to the eye, and though Faith itself come by hearing, and the knowledge that we get by hearing, is preparatory to the knowledge of Faith, yet it is not the very knowledge of faith; no, that imports something more.  
Now there is a twofold faith. A faith of effectual persuasion, whereby the soul yields such a full and effectual assent to the things it knows, as that the heart is affected towards them, and with them, according to the nature of them. Secondly, There is a faith of particular application, whereby the soul applies to itself the things that it knows, as its own portion. Proportionably there is a double knowledge of God by faith.  
First, The knowledge of the faith of effectual persuasion, whereby the soul doth by the eye of faith see God in his nature, and attributes, and glory, so clearly and evidently, that his eye affects his heart with love, and fear, and reverence, and all holy affections answerable to the goodness and greatness of that God whom by faith he seethe. And he saith with Job, Now mine eye seethe thee, 
Job 42.5, 6.  wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.  
Secondly, There is a knowledge of God by faith, which is the faith of particular application; that is, when a man so knows God, as that he knows him to be his God in particular, and can say with Thomas My Lord and my God. And can join with the Church in heart as well as voice in singing that, Psal. 48.14. This God is our God for ever and ever. Now the first of these, that is, such a knowledge of God as may effectually work our hearts to the love, and reverence, and fear of God, to desire after him, and delight in him; this is absolutely necessary to our acquainting ourselves with God, for without this we shall never indeed seek acquaintance with God, nor prize, but slight it; and without this God will never condescend to acquaint himself with us, but disdain and abhor us; therefore this knowledge of God is necessary ad ipsum esse, to the very being of our acquaintance with God. But then the other knowledge of God by faith, that is, by the faith of a particular application this is indeed necessary, ad bene esse, to our more free and comfortable acquainting ourselves, and conversing with God. For as he said, Quid mihi Deus si non meus. What is God to me, if he be not mine? yet this is not so absolutely necessary to our first acquainting ourselves with God as the former, but is rather a fruit, and a consequent of our acquainting ourselves with God.  
There is a third knowledge of God, and that is a knowledge of Experience. In Scripture phrase, men are said to know those things that they have experience of, and not to know those things that they have had no experience of, And this experimental knowledge is in Scripture in special manner called Acquaintance. It is said of the Lord Christ, That he was a man of sorrows, 
Isa. 53.3.  and acquainted with griefs. That is, he had felt, and tasted, and had experience of griefs and sorrows of all kinds. Now this is an experimental knowledge; such a knowledge of God as this, is that which the Apostle John speaks of, That which we have heard, 
1 Job. 1.1.  which we have seen with our eyes, which our hands have handled of the word of life, declare we unto you. And this is that which Peter supposeth in the Saints. 
1 Pet. 2.3.  If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  
A second thing included in this acquaintance with God, it is peace and reconciliation with God. Therefore Munster, as I told you, renders the word, Conveniat tibi cum eo. Make agreement with him. And our old English translation renders it, Reconcile thyself to him. This we must know, that we are all by nature not only mere strangers to God, for then a little matter might bring us into acquaintance with him, so gracious is he, and communicative of himself and love; but we are enemies to God, and God is an enemy to us. We that are infinitely beneath him, are enemies to him unjustly, and without cause; and have done him all the mischief and despite that possibly we can; and he is justly become an enemy to us. And while terms stand thus, what acquaintance can there be between God and us? Will any man take one into his acquaintance, that hath been his ancient, constant, and bitter enemy, till first he be reconciled to him? What King would take an open enemy into his Court, and make him his favourite, till-first he hath made his peace with him? Can two walk together except they be agreed? 
Amos 3.3.  saith God by the Prophet. We must be reconciled to God, and get our peace made in Christ, if we would acquaint ourselves with him. That is a second thing included in this acquaintance with God. Acquaintance is only between friends, therefore friends and acquaintance are Synonyma, both in our ordinary language, and in the language of Scripture, Psal. 55.13.  
A third thing employed in this acquaintance with God, it is converse with God. A conversing familiarly with God, as one friend converseth with another. Only this we must take notice of, That among men there is a twofold friendship and familiarity, either inter pares, or inter inoequales. And where familiarity and converse is between those, between whom there is great inequality, there it must be managed with that decorum that becomes the distance that is between their persons. As suppose a King should take an affection to some mean and ordinary person, and take him into intimate converse with himself, this Man must not think now to treat the King as he would do one with whom he is, as we say, hail fellow well met: but with much reverence, and observing the distance that is between the King and him, or else he may quickly forfeit his interest in the King's favour, and familiarity: So here, the distance between God and us is infinite, therefore we must manage our converse and familiarity with God with lowest humility, and greatest reverence, and a deportment of ourselves every way answerable to the distance that is between God and us.   

CHAP. II. Of Converse with God, and wherein it consists.  
NOw this converse and familiarity with God, so far as it is to be managed and carried on by us, consists in these seven particulars.  
First. In a frequent and daily visiting of God. Friends and Acquaintance, you know they do often visit one another, and that is the way to get and keep acquaintance: so should we often visit God. First, By short and ejaculatory prayers. Secondly, By set and solemn prayers every day, morning and evening.  
And we must look upon this, not as matter of courtesy but of duty. It was anciently a custom among the Romans, that the meaner sort of people among them, did constantly go every morning to the house of some or other of the Senators or chief men of Rome, whom they had chosen for their patron, and solemnly salute him; 
Alex. ab Alex. li. 5. c. 24.  and this the great man looked for from his clients as their duty, and this the poor people looked upon as their concernment and advantage, this being the means to retain him still for their friend and patron. I find also, that among the same Romans it was a custom in the families of great Persons, that all the Children and servants of the family should every morning come in a body together into the presence of the Lord, and Master of the family, and give him a solemn Salve, and every evening make their appearance together again before him, and give him a solemn Vale: God is that Sovereign Lord and Father, of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is named, as the Apostle Paul speaks; should not therefore all his Children, all his Servants, and all his Friends visit him and salute him morning and evening with their prayers? There are some indeed that never visit God but when they are in extremities, like those, Isa. 26.16. Lord, in trouble they have visited thee.  
A Second thing in which this converse with God consists, is in a being much in the presence and company of God. Friends and acquaintance, you know, they do not only visit one another, 
Ne valeam si non totis Deciane, diebus. Et tecum totis noctibus esse velim Martial.  but they stay some while each with other, they cannot content themselves with short visits, with a how do you, and no more; but they love to be in the presence and company of one another, and if it were possible, and if their other necessary occasions would permit it, they would never part, they would be together all the day long. So it is here in this converse with God; there is not only a visiting of God frequently and daily, every morning and every evening, but there is an abiding in the presence of God. What is that? Why there is a twofold presence of God. There is a general presence of God whereby we are present unto God, 
Psal. 139.7.  God seeing and beholding us, and this is no more than is common to all the creatures upon earth, yea to the devils and damned in hell: and there is a special presence of God, whereby God is present unto us, and we do in the secret of our souls apprehend him as really present to us, as if we saw him with our eyes. Of this David speaks, Psal. 16.8. I have set the Lord always before me. Now it is this presence of God in which this Converse with God consists, when the Soul doth apprehend in itself that God is present with him, and set himself as in the presence of God, this is a piece of the Souls converse with God. To be, as we always are, in the general presence of God, without the special apprehensions of his presence, is rather a hindrance to converse and acquaintance with God, than any thing else. If the best friend I have in the world should come into the room where I were, and pass too and again by me, and stand right before me, all the day long, I should be so busy in talking with other men, about other matters, that I should not regard him, nor take any notice of him, and this one day after another; this were the way rather to break off the intercourse and acquaintance that is between us, than to continue it: So here, wherever we are, God is present with us, before us, behind us, round about us; if our heads and hearts be so taken up with the world, and lusts and vanities, that we mind not God, though present, nor take no notice of him, this is the way rather to lose than to gain acquaintance with God. If therefore we would converse with God, we must take notice of, and acknowledge the presence of God. First, by a frequent and actual remembrance of him, and lifting up our thoughts and desires to him. Secondly, by a reverend demeanour of ourselves continually, as before him. This is that the holy Ghost calls for. In all thy ways acknowledge him. 
Prov. 3.6. chap. 23.17.  And, Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. And this, they that have any acquaintance with God desire to be, and do, to acknowledge God in all their ways, to be in the thoughts of God, and in the apprehensions and breathe after God all the day long, and it is their grief that they can be so no more, and they can at at least say with David, That the thoughts of God are precious to them, 
Psal. 139.17.  as the presence of an intimate friend is precious unto us, and it grieves us that we can have no more of it. Besides this, there is a solemn presence of God in his Ordinances, in regard of which, they which attend these Ordinances are said to appear before God, and to stand in the presence of the Lord. And God hath appointed set and solemn times for all that are or would be acquainted with him, thus to appear before him, and to stand in his presence, and in our so doing consists a great part of our acquaintance with God.  
A third thing wherein this Converse with God stands, is in our improving God, and our interest in him, and acquaintance with him. If I have one that is my intimate friend & acquaintance, this is the benefit I have by it, I have one now into whose bosom I can intrust all my secrets, and ease all my griefs and troubles, I have one with whom I can consult in all my difficult and weighty affairs, with whom I may make bold in all my wants and exigencies; so I neither can, nor will do, with another that is a stranger, and none of my acquaintance. True friendship and acquaintance stands not in bare words and complimental visits, but in real communication of offices and benefits: so here, converse and acquaintance with God stands in our improving God, and our interest in him, so as to acquaint him with all our secrets, so as to impart unto him all our griefs and fears, so as to rely upon him to guide us in all our ways, and to supply all our wants. This God looks we should do, and takes it unkindly when we do otherwise: as a true friend that is willing and able to help his friend, takes it unkindly if he go to any other, thinks himself either disinherited or slighted, and it is almost a matter of falling out between them; so God takes it unkindly, when we in our wants, or fears, or straits, in any kind whatsoever, go to any creature in heaven or earth, but only to him; God even falls out with us upon it. What saith he? 
2 Kings 1.3.  Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?  
A fourth thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in our compliance with God. Among men you see, he that would have acquaintance, and keep acquaintance with one, especially that is his superior, he must study compliance, he must be careful to accommodate himself to the genius and disposition of the other, and be as it were transformed and moulded into his very image. Amicus alter idem. So it is here, this converse with God consists in a complying with God. Therefore, as I said before, the Tigurine translation renders the word. Accommoda te illi. Accommodate thyself to him. There can be no converse, no acquaintance with God, unless we resign and accommodate ourselves to him, and comply with him in all things. Ais aio. Negas nego. To say as God saith, to like what he likes, to dislike what he dislikes, to love what he loves, and to hate what he hates; this is the way to converse and acquaintance with God.  
A fifth thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in a wise observing his go towards us, and his deal with us, and in a thankful acknowledging even the least of his favours and courtesies bestowed upon us. Thus we deal with men, there is none of us all, but if a friend of ours send us but a small token, or do us a small courtesy, we think ourselves engaged in point of common humanity, to take notice of it, and thank him for it; that is common between friends, and that is the way to continue friendship: O that we could be as punctual, and as exact with God this way, as we are with men; but who is there that doth not receive many more mercies from God, than he takes notice of, or acknowledgeth with thankfulness?  
A sixth thing wherein this acquaintance with God lies, is in our being acquainted with God's secrets. According to that of the Psalmist, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. And, 
Psal. 25.14. Prov. 3.32.  His secret is with the righteous. Not that the most intimate of God's acquaintance know all Gods secrets. No, there are some that are Arcana inscrutabilia, but they know more of God's secrets, than any other in the world do. And there are some secrets that they may without any offence desire God to make known unto them, as the secret counsel of God in their Election, and the writing of their names in heaven, before the foundations of the world were laid. This is a secret that God imparts to none but his special friends. And this, all that are of God's acquaintance, may boldly beg of God to have imparted to them.  
A seventh thing wherein this converse and acquaintance with God consists, is in God's visiting us, and our entertaining of these visits. It is a great favour and honour that God doth us, that he will give us leave to visit him with our prayers and supplications, but that he should condescend so low as to come and visit us; this is a greater favour and honour. For the King to come to a private man's house, and give him a friendly visit, is more than to give him leave to come to Court, and present his petition; that is as it were, a common courtesy in respect of the other. Now what kind of things these visits are, I cannot explain unto you, they are things, in a manner, unutterable, and if I could speak of them never so distinctly and clearly, you that have not had experience of them, could never understand what I mean; and you that have experience, know more already of them, than either you or I can express. But all they that have acquaintance with God, do highly prise these visits, and therefore first do earnestly solicit God that he would please to bestow a visit upon them, thinking long for it, and saying with David, 
Psal. 101.2.  Oh when wilt thou come unto me? Secondly, If God please to honour them with a visit, they entertain it with greatest thankfulness, and rejoicing. One visit from God, doth them more good than an hundred other blessings bestowed by God upon them. When Mary the Mother of our Lord went to give her Cousin Elizabeth a visit, she was so affected with the honour, that not only her heart in her belly, but the Babe in her womb leapt for joy. And whence is this, saith she, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? 
Luke 1.43.44.  for as soon as the voice of thy salvation sounded in mine ears, the babe leapt in my womb for joy. O then, when the Lord himself, the Lord of life and glory shall please to come and visit a poor sinful soul, what joy, what triumph will there be? what crying out! as Mr. Glover, when he was going to the stake to burnt, O Austin, he is come, he is come! What admiration! crying out with Elizabeth, Whence is this that my Lord should come to me!  
Thus I have showed you what this acquaintance with God is, and wherein it consists. And when I say, the great concernment of every man is to acquaint himself with God, the meaning of it is this: That it greatly concerns every one of us to labour to know God, and that not only with a knowledge of notion and speculation, but with a knowledge of faith and experience; as also, to get our peace made with God, and then to converse familiarly with him; and to that end, 1. To visit him often with our prayers. 2. To be frequently in his presence. 3. To improve our interest in him upon all occasions. 4. To comply with him, framing our hearts and ways according to his will in all things. 5. To observe and give him thanks for all his favours. To beg, 6. That he would acquaint us with his secrets. And 7. Honour us with his visits. And this is to acquaint ourselves with God.   

CHAP. III. Showing the Reasons, why it is the great concernment of every Man to acquaint himself with God.  
MAn is, as the Proverb tells us, a sociable creature, God at the first framed him for company and society, therefore of Man in his Innocency, God pronounced this; It is not good for man to be alone. 
Gen. 2.18.  Hence it is that every Man naturally seeks to associate and acquaint himself with some Companion or other, but since the nature of man is become so corrupted and vitiated by the fall of Adam, it concerns every man to be very careful whom he doth acquaint and associate himself with, not only for his reputation and honour sake, because Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se; but also for his souls sake, because a man's associate and acquaintance hath a secret and powerful influence upon his mind and spirit, to make it either better or worse, according as his acquaintance is. Therefore it is that the holy Ghost gives that necessary caution; Make no friendship with an angry man, 
Prov. 22.24.  and with a furious man thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. The same may be said of a drunkard, of a swearer, of a despiser of the Word and Ordinances of God, of a perverter of the truths of God, and of every other sinner whatsoever. Make no friendship with him, lest thou get a snare to thy soul. But O, how is this wholesome and necessary counsel of the holy Ghost forgotten; and how unwary are most men in the choice of their friends and acquaintance, though the holy Ghost again tells us, With the pure men will learn purity, 
Psal. 18.27.  and with the froward they will learn frowardness. So our English Translation reads it. Et cum perverso perverteris; 
Sic Clemens Alexandr. Tertullian. Athanas. Ambrose, Cyrillus, Augustinus, aliique locum interpretantur.  so the Vulgar Latin But now I propound unto you here an acquaintance, from whence you need not fear any hurt or danger, but rather on the contrary may expect much good; for so saith the Text: Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace; so shall good come unto thee. The first benefit of this acquaintance is peace, peace with God, peace with thine own conscience, peace with the rest of the creatures. First, Peace with God, that must needs be, because reconciliation and peace with God, is as you have heard, one ingredient of this acquaintance with God. Secondly, Peace with conscience, for conscience is but God's Deputy, God's Advocate and Notary in the soul; and as among men, when a man hath made his peace with the principal Creditor or party that had a controversy in Law against him, the Advocate, the Solicitor his mouth is stopped, he hath no more to say: so here, having peace with God, thou hast peace with conscience; to be sure then, thou hast jus ad rem, if not jus in re. Thirdly, Peace with the creatures. 
Job 5.23, 24.  For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, etc. And Secondly, Good shall come unto thee, and that a threefold good; Utile, Honestum, or Honorificum, Jucundum. For, First, this acquaintance with God is the most profitable acquaintance. Secondly, It is the most honourable acquaintance. And, Thirdly, It is the most comfortable acquaintance.  
First, I say, acquaintance with God is the most profitable acquaintance; there never was any man, that ever was acquainted with God, nor never will be, but got abundance of good by that acquaintance. I have read of Calvin and Beza, and other men of eminent learning and holiness, that the men of their acquaintance have protested, that they never were in their company, but they returned doctiores, aut meliores, either more learned, or made better; what then may, and must, and will those say, that are acquainted with God? If the light of a glow-worm will help a man so much, what will the light of the Sun? When Moses had been conversing with God upon the Mount but for a little time, forty days and forty nights, the Text saith, his face did shine. 
Exod. 24.29.  Our acquaintance with men may sully and deform us, they may affricate some of their errors or vices to us, Uva ut mucorem contactâ traxit ab vuâ. But now conversing with God, acquainting ourselves with God, that will make our faces to shine. O how humble, how holy, how heavenly, how Godlike will that man grow that acquaints himself with God?  
Secondly, As this acquaintance with God is a profitable acquaintance, so it is an honourable acquaintance. Men count it an honour to have acquaintance with those that are their Superiors; hence it is that many seek the Ruler's favour. 
Prov. 29.26.  You read of one Zabud the son of Nathan, that he was the principal officer in Solomon's Court, 
1 Kings 4.5.  and that he was the King's friend. Which of those think you, did he count his greatest honour? and if he must have been put to his choice to part with one of them, which of them do you think he would most willingly have parted with? It is easily determined. Surely to be the King's friend was more to him than his office, whatever his office were. O then, what is it to be the friends of God, to be admitted into familiarity and acquaintance with God, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? It is spoken of Abraham as his great honour, and the great reward of his faith, that he was called the friend of God. 
James 2.23.  Cuicunque haec sors contigerit ut amicus Dei sit is humanae foelicitatis terminos transcendit, saith Philo. Whose lot soever it be to be the friend of God, he hath transcended the bounds of humane felicity. And yet this honour have all the children of faithful Abraham, as well as himself; and indeed this honour all may have that will. Therefore that Soldier whom Austin mentions, lib. 8. Confess. cap. 6. said wisely, Dic quaeso, omnibus laboribus nostris quo ambimus pervenire? quid quaerimus? cujus rei causa militamus? Majoresne esse poterint spes nostrae in palatio quam ut amici imperatoris fiamus? & ibi quid non fragile, plenumque periculis? Et per quot pericula pervenitur ad grandius periculum? Et quamdiu istud erit? Amicus autem Dei (voluero ecce nunc fio. Tell me I pray, whither do we by all our adventures aspire? what seek we? what run we the hazard of war for? can our hopes in the Palace rise higher, than to be accounted Friends to the Emperor? and in that honour, what is there that is not frail, and full of danger? and how long will that endure? But the friend of God, if I will, I may be made now presently. And who but madmen or fools, would refuse such honour.  
Thirdly, This acquaintance with God, as it is most profitable and honourable, so it is most comfortable, pleasant, and delightful. And here I must appeal to all those that have ever had experience of acquaintance with God, if they have not found more true, real, solid joy and comfort in one quarter of an hours secret converse with God, yea in one friendly look or word of God, than ever they did in all their lives besides? you that are strangers to this, I know will not believe it, nor cannot think it; but those that have experience of it, will bear me witness that I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, nor hyperbolise. What is the comfort and joy of heaven itself, but the presence of God, sweet communion and converse with God; so far therefore as we can attain this upon earth, so far we have an heaven upon earth. The Jews have a saying concerning the last day of the feast of Tabernacles which Scripture calls the last and great day of the feast, Joh. 7.37. that he who never knew the joy of that day, never knew joy in all his life: but I am sure it is much more true here; he that never knew the comfort and joy of acquaintance with God, never knew true joy and comfort in all his life.  
Well, if all this that hath been said of the profit, honour, and comfort of acquaintance with God, be not enough to persuade you, that it is the great concernment of every one of you to get and keep this acquaintance, I have but one thing more to add, and that is, that it is necessary for every one of you to acquaint yourselves with God. For tell me, can you be content when you shall come to lie a dying, and then knock at the gate of mercy, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; 
Luke 13.25.  can you be content, that God should answer you as it is there, I know you not whence you are? Or, can you be content, that when you come to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, he should profess to you, I never knew you, 
Mat. 7.23.  depart from me ye workers of iniquity? If not, O then labour to get acquaintance with God and Christ now, for can you imagine that God and Christ will know them in death and judgement, who care not for knowing him, and acquainting themselves with him in the time of their lives?   

CHAP. IU. Calling us to take notice of the wonderful condescension of God towards us, in vouchsafing to admit us into his Acquaintance; and of the madness and folly of those that care not for this Acquaintance.  
HEre then see the infinite goodness and condescension of God towards us his poor and worthless creatures, who though he be infinitely above us, and stands not at all in need of of us, nor cannot be in the least benefited or advantaged by us, or by his acquaintance with us; but before there was made either Man or Angel, he was infinitely satisfied, and infinitely blessed in the enjoyment of himself; yet was he pleased to create Angels and Men, not only to a fitness and capacity of, but unto an actual communion and acquaintance with himself; which was more than needed on God's part, or was owing on our parts; and when we like foolish and unthankful wretches, upon the very first motion of the devil, gave away this honour and happiness of acquaintance and communion for an apple, as Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, and thereby not only made ourselves unworthy for ever to be admitted into God's favour and acquaintance, but unfit for it too, as well as unworthy; that God should yet please to stoop so low as to take us yet again into acquaintance with himself: this speaks the wonderful goodness of God, his infinite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, or love to mankind.  
When Esau had once undervalved the birthright, so far as to sell it for a mess of pottage, though afterwards it grieved him for what he had done, and he sought earnestly, and that with tears, to recover that blessing and birthright which he had so foolishly lost, yet it could not be: so God might have dealt with Adam, and every one of us. The Text tells us, Adam lived 930 years after his sin; now if Adam had spent all those years in nothing but weeping and mourning, for his folly and madness in parting with his birthright, his acquaintance and communion with God, for an apple, and in seeking earnestly, and that with tears, to recover communion and acquaintance with God again, and after all, had been denied it, yet God had been altogether just and righteous.  
But behold the kindness of God, and his love towards mankind! As it is said of David, when Absalon by his villainies had banished himself from his Father's Court and presence, it is said, The soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalon: that is, 
2 Sam. 13.39.  David's heart was full of fatherly affection towards him, and he longs to be friends with him again: so did the heart of God even long towards man, after his sin and fall, and he did even long to be friends with him again, and to renew his acquaintance and converse with him.  
And this gracious disposition of his towards sinful man, this great desire and inclination which God hath after peace and renewed acquaintance with sinful man, God hath abundantly declared and testified.  
First, By appointing, ordaining, and giving one to be a Mediator, a Reconciler, a Peacemaker a Friend-maker, between God and us.  
Secondly, By appointing and giving no other nor meaner Person to this work, than his own blessed and dear Son, who is the express image of his person, 
Heb. 1.3.  and the brightness of his glory.  
Thirdly, By giving this Son of his to be a Mediator, not only by way of Intercession, but also by way of satisfaction, to make peace for us by paying our debts, and satisfying for our sins, which he could not do but by shedding his blood, and laying down his precious life; and yet rather than God would quite lose and abandon all his interest in us, and acquaintance with us, he would not spare his own Son.  
Fourthly, By testifying and proclaiming unto all men in the Ministry of the Gospel, that he is reconciled to the world, 
2 Cor. 5.19, 20.  and by recalling and inviting sinners unto peace and acquaintance with himself.  
Fifthly, By proffering his acquaintance unto sinners upon such easy, and as I may say, such cheap terms, namely, that we should repent of, and cease from our hating of him, and our being enemies to him, and enter into a league of unfeigned love and friendship with him; and would any of us take one that hath been our enemy, into our acquaintance, upon other terms than these?  
Sixthly, By his not only offering acquaintance with us upon those terms, by his Ambassadors, his Ministers, but by his coming personally by his Spirit to our several hearts, inviting and soliciting us to this acquaintance. According to that of our Lord Jesus Christ, Behold I stand at the door and knock; 
Rev. 3.20.  if any man hear my voice, and open to me, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. The Greeks and Romans of old were wont always to have their feasts at supper; therefore when it is said here, I will come in to him, and sup with him, it is as if he had said, I will come in to him and feast with him. And feasting together was of old a Symbol of perfect reconciliation, and intimate friendship and acquaintance. Now, behold here the wonderful goodness and condescension of God, and his gracious disposition and inclination towards peace and acquaintance with his poor creatures. May we not here now take up that admiring expression of David, And is this the manner of men, O Lord. Did you ever read or hear of any King or Prince, 
2 Sam. 7.19.  that when his Subjects had highly provoked him, by their rebellion against him, and he had power enough to crush and destroy them, would yet not only send his Heralds and Ambassadors to them to offer terms of peace and reconciliation; but would himself, go in his own person, from house to house, and from man to man, entreating them severally, and by name, that they would be friends with him their Sovereign Lord and King; and offering if they will but open the door to him, that he will forgive them, and be friends with them: did you ever read or hear of such a thing? and is this the manner of men? but this is the manner of Gods dealing with his enemies. Behold therefore, I say, and admire the gracious disposition of God towards sinful man, and the great desire he hath towards peace and renewed acquaintance with him.  
In the next place, see here the folly and madness of all those that are not acquainted with God. And this I fear is the state of not a few among us, whatever they may think of themselves; of whom it may be said, as our Saviour said of the Jews, 
John 5.37.  Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. They were a People that had read and heard the word of God; Ay, but yet they had never heard the voice of God, they had never heard God himself speaking in his word; they had seen the temple, and the Altar, and the rest of those sacred Symbols that were the testimonies of God's presence, ay, but they had never seen the face of God in those Ordinances, and therefore though they looked upon themselves as the only people in the world that were acquainted with God, yet our Saviour tells them they were mistaken, they were mere strangers to him. Ye have, saith he, neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.  
O that it were not so with some of us, who hear of God indeed, but hear not God, who have heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but never heard God himself by the hearing of the heart, who have seen the sanctuaries and Ordinances of God, but have never seen the face of God in his Ordinances, and in his Sanctuaries, and so remain strangers to God, and unacquainted with him.  
Particularly here are two sorts, whose woeful condition this is.  

First, Those that are ignorant of God.  
Secondly, Those that have no converse with God.   
First, Those that are ignorant of God, who know not God: they must needs be strangers to God, and God to them; for knowledge is the first step to acquaintance. Now, by persons ignorant of God, I mean, not only those that are grossly ignorant, who have not a true notion of the Nature, Attributes, and Persons in the Deity, of which there are too many every where; but by ignorant perfons, I mean, those, who though they have a true notion of God, yet want the real, effectual, and powerful knowledge of God: their knowledge of God is merely notional, and God is to them, as it were, merely, Notio secunda & ens rationis, as the Logicians speak. To know God really and indeed, is as I said before, to know him not only by an airy speculation, but to know him by a faith of effectual persuasion, so to know him, as to believe him indeed to be, the most powerful, wife, and good, the most just, and holy, Creator, preserver, and Governor of the whole universe, and accordingly to have our hearts affected with love unto him, with desire after him, with fear and reverence of him, and delight in him. This, and this only, is the true knowledge of God, and whosoever they be that are destitute of this knowledge, whatever they may think of themselves, and of their own knowledge, they are yet ignorant of God, and strangers from God, through the ignorance that is in them.  
Now, do we thus know God all of us? do we thus know God? thus as to acknowledge him, love him, fear him, desire him delight in him. The ox, the horse, & the dog, thus knows his Master and owner; and if we do not thus know our Creator, our Preserver, our Feeder and Maintainer, O how ignorant and brutish are we? Isa. 1.3.  
Secondly. Others there are that have no converse with God, whatever they know of him, they have no converse with him, 
Ephes. 2.12.  but live without God in the world, as the Apostle speaks of some. That are as mindless of God, as regardless of God, & of all converse with him, as if there were no God at all: who are so far from visiting God daily with their prayers, that they never visit God by prayer at all; who are so far from being often in the presence of God, as those are that acquaint themselves with God, and converse with God, that they are never in the presence of God at all. 
Psal. 10.4.  God is not in all their thoughts, as the Psalmist speaks, and makes it the very description of a wicked man. Now how many such are there among us, of whom it may most truly be said, God is not in all their thoughts?  
One man he awakes, and riseth in the morning, and as soon as he is up, presently without ever taking notice of God, or turning his thoughts to him, he rusheth into his shop, or into his worldly businesses, and is engaged in them soul and body, heart and hand, and so he continues, till of necessity he must intermit his labours to take a little food, and when he hath done that, he returns to his work again, and there continues till late at night, and then he takes his supper, and goes to bed, and sleeps till morning, and then he riseth and spends the second day as he spent the first, and the third as the second, and so on, one day after another, and one week after another, and one year after another, but God is not in all his thoughts. Another is no sooner up and clad, but he is presently for his sports and games, or his company and cups, and these he pursues all the day long. There are that rise early in the morning to follow strong drink, 
Isa. 5.11.  and continue until night, ●ill the wins inflame them. And as they spend one day, so they resolve to spend a second and a third, and so they would spend every day. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine; 
Chap. 56.12.  and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. When I shall awake, 
Prov. 23.35.  I will seek it yet again. A man may without suspicion of the least breach of charity conclude of these, that they have no acquaintance with God: God is not in all their thoughts.  
I confess, that even the Saints themselves have God too little in their thoughts, but they take notice of it, and bewail it, which makes one of them cry out, O Deus aeterne quomodo semper memor es ejus qui tui semper obliviscitur? quomodo continuatam habes memoriam ejus qui perpetuam tui habet oblivionem? O Deus proesentissime, & remotissime! proesentissime quidem quod in te est omnibus creaturis t●is, remotissimus vero hominibus terrenis propter profundam qua tenentur joblivionem quod tu fis in eyes. Me miserum obliviscor Dei qui mecum est, & beneficiorum quae continuo in me confert, praeceptorum quae mihi imponit, praemiorum quae promittit, suppliciorum quae minatur, & denique judicii quod instituet. O Pater misericordiarum aufer à me pernitiosam adeo oblivionem tui, ut semper sim tui memor sicut tu es mei. O eternal God, how is it that thou art always mindful of one who is always unmindful of thee? how is it that thou hast a continual remembrance of him who hath a perpetual forgetfulness of thee? O O God, who art most present to me, and most remote from me! As for thee, thou art most present to all thy creatures, but most remote from earthly men, because of their profound forgetfulness, that thou art in them, Ah, wretched man that I am, I forget that God that is ever with me, the benefits that he continually bestows upon me, the precepts which he imposeth on me, the rewards which he promiseth me, the punishments wherewith he threatens me, the Judgements which he will execute. O Father of mercies, take away from me this so pernicious forgetfulness of thee, and grant that I may be ever mindful of thee, as thou art of me. But, O how few are there that are thus sensible of their forgetfulness of God, and their mindlessness of him, and bewail it, and pray against it? No, my brethren, the generality of men live in a mindlessness and regardlessness, and total and constant forgetfulness of God, & love to live so; this is their folly and their madness, they eat the thoughts of God, and all converse with God, as men that have sore eyes shun the light of the Sun. 
Job 21. 14.  They say unto the Almighty, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Would you think it possible, that men should ever arrive at that height of madness, as not only to live strangers from God, & unacquainted with him, but to be contented so to live, yea to ref use all knowledge of him, and scorn all acquaintance with him?   

CHAP. V Exhorting all to labour to get acquaintance with God, and propounding several Motives thereunto.  
MY next work therefore shall be to exhort and invite every one of you to this acquaintance with God. Let me bespeak every one, into whose hands these lines may come, in the words of my Text, Acquaint thyself with him.  
There are three things, that are the great attractives, and incentives to make us seek acquaintance with men. First, The worthiness of the person. Secondly, The benefit we may reap by their acquaintance. Thirdly, Easiness of access and acquaintance. Now all these are eminently and transcendently in God.  
First, The worthiness of the person. Men that are of great eminency, either for learning and wisdom, or for holiness and pretty, or for power and authority, or for honour and dignity, O how ambitions are prudent and intelligent men of getting acquaintance with such? In all these particulars, who is like unto God, or who may be compared with him? who is infinite in wisdom and holiness, infinite in Majesty, power, and glory; He is the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, whose acquaintance is more worth than the acquaintance of all the men in the world. For,  
Secondly, What benefit can you reap or expect from acquaintance with any man in the world, which is not infinitely more to be had in God, and that in all abundance? do you look that your friend and acquaintance should counsel you in your straits, protect you in dangers, defend you against enemies, pity you in your afflictions, supply your wants, comfort you in your heaviness, deliver you in all your troubles? who so able, so willing to do all this, as God for those that are his friends and acquaintance? And such an one thou mayest be if thou wilt, & hast indeed a mind to it. For,  
Thirdly, God is of open and easy access. 
* Ingrediamur aulas, obsecro, & obstupescemus tantum argenti & auri effundi ad propitias Principum aures impetrandas. Quandoque non hebdomades solùm, sed menses, sed & annos totos expect andum est, dum Principis conclave & aures pateunt orationem acturo, Ad Deum immensa Majestatis Dominum, omni horâ, momentis omnibus patet aditus. Rex coeli nunquam non propitias & vacivas habet aures. Importunitatis hîc nemo insimulatur. Gratior est, qui frequentior, & importunior. Adeste terrae vermiculi, prorepite scarabaeoli, accurrito homunculi miselli, liberrimum vobis est cum conditore vestro colloquium. Nec est, quod vel causae vestra vel facundiae quidquam diffidatis: quò simpliciùs perorabitis, hoc meliùs: modò non fr●geat, aut exerret oratio vestra: modò eum, quem rogatis, ex oculis non vestrâ sponte amittatis. Cassiodorus id asserens: Ad penetralia judicis, ait, precator admittitur, & nullus inde respuitur, nisi qui tepidus invenitur. Drexel. Rhet. Cael. lib. 1. cap. 13.  It is not his being an invisible Majesty, nor his dwelling in light inaccessible, that can render our acquaintance and converse with him, either impossible or difficult. Not his being invisible, for the souls of men are invisible, and yet the converse that men have one with another, is between their souls rather than their bodies; it is the soul that discourseth, reasons, understands, wills, loves; and if we can converse and grow into acquaintance with a soul, whose essence or shape we never saw, why may we not converse with an unseen God too?  
Nor doth it hinder our converse and acquaintance with God, that he inhabiteth eternity, that he dwelleth in the high and holy place; for though he be infinitely above us, yet he condescends to communicate himself to us, according to our capacities. He dwelleth on high, and yet he humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in earth, 
Psal. 113.5, 6.  as well as in heaven, to converse with men as well as Angels. As the Sun in heaven is far above us, and yet doth not disdain to enlighten, and warm, and quicken the poorest worm that crawls upon the earth, as well as the Eagle that soars aloft above the clouds, and can gaze the Sun in the face. Let not therefore any poor soul be discouraged, and think or say, It is not for such a worm, for such a nothing as I am to aspire to acquaintance and converse with God. No, no, Men may be too high for thee to reach, and too great for thee to grasp and compass acquaintance with, but the great God will stoop to entertain acquaintance with thee, if thou wilt acquaint thyself with him.  
He disdaineth not the acquaintance of the least of men, nor of the greatest of sinners. Such was the condescension of the divine nature, that it disdained not the near acquaintance with the humane nature: to take it into personal union with himself; and such was the condescension of God in our nature, that when he was upon earth he disdained not the acquaintance of those who upon common account were the vilest of men, even Publicans and sinners. 
Mat. 9.11.  And such is still the gracious condescension of God in Christ, that he disdaineth not the acquaintance of the meanest Persons or vilest sinners that seek acquaintance of him. Nay,  
Secondly, He offers and tenders this acquaintance to them; and this is not usual for great persons to do to their Inferiors; he intreateth and beseecheth poor sinners that they would be reconciled to him, and acquainted with him. And this he doth.  
Thirdly, Out of his mere grace and favour only, for their good and benefit, not for any gain or advantage to himself. Can a man be profitable to God? saith Eliphaz. No, 
Job 22.2.  God cannot be a gainer by our acquaintance: that he offers it, seeks it, is for our good and benefit, that we may be made happy and blessed by it. O then, let not this grace of God be in vain to us, but accept we this gracious offer of God, acquainting ourselves with him.   

CHAP. VI Particularly exhorting those that never yet had acquaintance with God, now to labour for it. With Directions for the attaining of it.  
NOw here are three sorts that I would apply myself unto.  
First. Those that never yet were acquainted with God. My Exhortation to them shall be, that they would now acquaint themselves with God, now presently, without any further delay.  
Secondly. To those that have acquainted themselves with God, that they would labour to keep and maintain their acquaintance with him inviolate and uninterrupted.  
Thirdly. To those whose acquaintance with God is intermitted, and they have in a manner lost it, that they would labour to renew it.  
First. Such as never yet had any acquaintance with God. O labour now to get into acquaintance with him. Acquaint thyself now with him, now presently, immediately, without any further delay. O consider how long you have lived strangers to God already, enemies to God already. Is it not enough that you have lived twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years already, without any intimacy or acquaintance with God? O if you love God, if you love your own souls, live not a day longer, live not an hour longer in that strange condition. The time passed of our life may suffice us to have lived in lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, 
1 Pet. 4.3.  etc. saith the Apostle Peter. And it is high time to awake out of sleep, saith the Apostle Paul. 
Rom. 13.11.  So say I, the time past may suffice us to have lived without God in the world, and it is now high time for every one of us to begin to acquaint ourselves with him.  
Acquaint therefore now thyself with him. Now, now, while God is pleased to offer and tender this acquaintance. Now is the day of grace, 
2 Cor. 6.2.  now is the accepted time. Now, while the golden sceptre is held forth, while the Gospel is preached unto you. To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 
Heb. 3.7.  If God speak to your hearts, and bespeak your acquaintance with him, see that ye refuse not him that speaketh, but acquaint thyself now with him.  
If any say, Quest. But how shall we do to get this acquaintance with God?  
I answer, Answ. O that there were such a heart in you! O that every one into whose hands the providence of God shall bring this poor Treatise, were come thus far to seek after God, as seriously to inquire how they might be acquainted with God you that are so, take these directions.  
First. Labour to be fully convinced of an absolute necessity of acquainting yourselves with God. Look upon it as your great duty, look upon it as that upon which not only the comfort of your lives, but the eternal salvation of your souls doth depend. There are three times especially wherein this acquaintance with God will be found of great and absolute necessity.  
First. In a time of common calamity. Such a time as our Saviour speaks of. 
Luke 21.25, 26.  When there shall be distress of Nations upon the earth, with perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things that are coming upon the earth; (and how near such times may be to us, and how fast they may be hastening upon us, who can tell?) O then happy are those that have acquaintance with God, they have a friend, an acquaintance that will not fail them, when their own hearts are ready to fail them, and would undoubtedly fail them, were it not for their acquaintance with God. Whereas they that have not acquainted themselves with God, will find God himself a terror to them in the day of their calamity, God will deal with them as he threatens. I will show them the back, 
Jer. 18.17.  and not the face, in the day of their calamity.  
Secondly. In the day of death, than acquaintance with God will be found absolutely necessary. There is no man, but when he comes to lie a dying, would be glad to have God his friend, and to receive his soul into his presence and favour. Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit; Lord Jesus receive my soul, is the prayer, or at least the wish of every dying man and woman, that doth not die like Nabal, stupid and senseless as a stock or stone. But do you think that God will do this for every one at the first ask? surely no. They that never regarded to acquaint themselves with God in the time of their life, God will not so easily own them at the hour of their death; but they that have acquainted themselves with God in the time of their life, they may with much comfort and assurance commend their souls into the hand of God, when they are at the point of death. And may say with Paul, 
2 Tim. 1.12.  I know whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that good thing that I have committed unto him against that day. It was a noble speech of good Dr. Preston when he lay a dying, and full of Christian confidence and comfort. I shall change my place, but not my company. The meaning was, that he had so acquainted himself with God here upon earth, and had so much conversed with him, that now that he was to die, his company should still be the same after death, that it was in life. How far are they from being able to speak this at their death, that have had no care to acquaint themselves with God, and to converse with him in the course of their life?  
Thirdly. In the day of Judgement it will then be necessary that you should have acquaintance with God. Can you yourselves imagine but that God, who is the righteous Judge of all the world, will in that great day look, and judge, and pronounce, far otherwise upon those that have been here acquainted with him, than upon those that have lived and died strangers and enemies to him? To the one he will say, Come ye blessed, ye have known me, and I have known you; you have loved me, and I have loved you; you have visited me, and I have visited you, and you have thankfully and gladly entertained those visits, you have been of my old acquaintance, many a prayer have I received from you, and many a tear have you dropped into my bottle; come therefore, come ye blessed, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. But to the other he will say, go ye cursed, ye have not known me, ye have not loved me, ye have not regarded to acquaint yourselves with me, ye have set at nought all my counsels, and would none of my reproofs; ye have said unto me, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Therefore now I say unto you, depart from me into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. O dreadful sentence, dreadful to hear, intolerable to bear, which yet ye can no ways avoid, but by acquainting yourselves with God. You must of necessity acquaint yourselves with God, or die miserably, and perish eternally. O press these and the like considerations upon yourselves, till you be throughly and effectually convinced of an absolute necessity of acquainting yourselves with God. Then,  
Secondly. Labour to be seriously and deeply humbled, that you have lived so ●ong as you have done, and lived unacquainted with God. Let me plead with you as Moses doth with Israel; Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people, 
Deut. 32.6.  and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? Is not he that God that hath given thee life and being, that hath preserved thee, upheld thee, maintained thee, fed thee, clothed thee? is not he the God in whose hands thy breath, and all thy ways are? upon whose pleasure and favour thou dependest for all thy present and eternal good, who is able to kill or cause to live, to save or to destroy, to make blessed, or to make miserable, to all eternity? And hast thou lived twenty, thirty, or forty years before this God, yea, upon this God, and all this while never acquainted thyself at all with him? O what unthankfulness, what disingenuity, what folly, what brutishness is this? If thou hadst fed a horse or a dog but the tenth part of that time that God hath fed thee, he would have taken more knowledge and acquaintance of thee than thou didst ever do of God.  
Yea, thou hast not only not acquainted thyself with God, but thou hast not cared, thou hast not regarded to acquaint thyself with him, but hast lived in a continual mindlessness and regardlessness of God. Of the rock that begat thee, 
Deut. 32.18.  thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten the God that form thee.  
Yea, thou hast not only neglected acquaintance with God, but thou hast despised it, undervalved it, preferred converse with the world, and with thy lusts above converse and acquaintance with God, as if a man should prefer the company and consortship of beggars and thiefs, and whores, and such like lewd persons, before the favour, familiarity, and acquaintance of his Sovereign King: such an affront hast thou put upon the great God of heaven and earth. O let the thoughts of this afflict and humble thee in time, or else know that hereafter it will torment thee to all eternity, and make thee tear thy flesh, and gnaw thy tongue, and curse thyself for rage & indignation at this thy present folly.  
Thirdly. When you have thus convinced yourselves of a necessity of getting acquaintance with God, and humbled yourselves for living so long without acquaintance with God, Then in the third place, be careful to remove those things which may be bars in your way, and may obstruct and hinder your acquaintance with God. Now what is that? why sin, and only sin. Sin is the wall of separation between God and us, that keeps God and us from meeting together, and from acquainting one with another. Your sins have separated between God and you, and have hid his face from you. 
Isa. 59.2.  Therefore saith God, Wash you, make you clean, 
Isa. 1.16, 17.  put away the evil of your do from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. Come now and let us reason together. As if God had said, Ay, now you have repent, and made yourselves clean from sin, now you are fit for God to treat withal, before you were not fit to come near him, nor approach his presence. A rebel that would be admitted into his Prince's favour and acquaintance, must first throw down his weapons of rebellion: so must they that would have any acquaintance with God, they must put away sin, all sin.  
Sin is the only thing that God hates, and is an enemy against, for its own sake; they therefore that would have any acquaintance with God, must renounce all acquaintance and familiarity with sin. If I regard iniquity in my heart: 
Psal. 66.18.  God will not hear my prayer. Let a man pray never so often, and never so earnestly, and beg acquaintance with God never so much, yet if he regard iniquity in his heart, God will not regard him, nor his prayers. We must therefore resolve to break off all our leagues with sin, to give a bill of divorce to every lust, to renounce for ever all acquaintance with sin, or else to renounce all acquaintance with God. Now which of these two would you rather do?  
Fourthly. When you have thus convinced yourselves of a necessity of acquainting yourselves with God, and have humbled yourselves for living so long without acquaintance with God, and have not only resolved, but have actually renounced every evil way: you must not now think, that for your humiliation, or for your repentance, or for your forsaking of your sins God is obliged or bound to take you for his friends, or to admit you into his acquaintance. No, these things you must do, or else never look for acquaintance with God: and when you have done all this, you must acknowledge, that if God should cast away you from his presence, & refuse to know your souls, it were but just and righteous. And if God doth ever admit you into his familiarity, it is of his mere condescension and grace, and therefore, In the fourth place, you must make use of a Mediator to bring you into acquaintance with God. This course men take, who desire to get the favour and acquaintance of their Prince, or Sovereign, being themselves strangers, much more if they have been enemies to him, they make use of some special favourite to make way for them, to procure access into his presence, and to ingratiate them with him, that so they may get acquaintance. Now, such is the condition of all of us by na-nature in respect of God: we are not only strangers to him, but enemies, Alienated, 
Colos. 1.21.  and enemies in our minds by wicked works. And being such, our only way to get acquaintance with God, is to make use of a Mediator; What Mediator? Peter or Paul, or the Virgin Mary, or any other of the Saints in glory, as the Papists do? Alas, Abraham knows us not, 
Isa. 63.16.  and Israel is ignorant of us. If they were not, yet they are not high enough in the favour of God to prevail for us. No, no, as there is but one God, so there is but one Mediator betwixt God and Man, 
1 Tim. 2.5.  the man Christ Jesus. He is the great favourite of heaven, who alone can bring us into acquaintance with God. O therefore make use of him.  
If you ask, What is the use you should make of Christ the Mediator, Quest. 1 and how you should make use of him?  
To the first of these, I answer. The use you are to make of Christ the Mediator, Answ. 1 in order to the gaining of acquaintance with God, consists in these particulars.  
First. You are to make use of Christ the Mediator for your reconciliation and peace with God. Peace must be before acquaintance can be. And he must be your peace, Eph. 2.14.  
Secondly. You must make use of Christ for bringing of you into God's presence. As Joseph being the favourite of the Court of Egypt, brought Jacob and his Sons into the presence of the King. It is Christ in whom we have boldness and access with confidence. 
Eph. 3.12  The Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is very significant. Never come into God's presence, but get Christ to take thee by the hand.  
Thirdly. You must make use of Christ to procure you acceptance with God. For as the Apostle saith, He hath made us accepted in the beloved. 
Eph. 1.6.   
Fourthly. Make use of Christ for the giving of you the true, & saving, and spiritual, and effectual knowledge of God, without which you can never have true acquaintance with him. No man knoweth the Father, but the Son, 
Mat. 11.27.  and he to whom the Son will reveal him.  
Fifthly. You must make use of Christ for the procuring and sending down of that holy Spirit, without which we can never have any true converse or familiarity with God. Our converse with God lies partly in our visiting God in prayer, that we cannot do without his holy Spirit, which is a spirit of prayer, and partly it lies in Gods visiting us, which he doth not but by the breathe, and motions, and excitations, and inlargements, and consolations of his blessed Spirit.  
Sixthly. We must make use of Christ, as to bring us into the favour of God, so to keep and preserve us in the favour and acquaintance of God.  
If you ask, Quest. 2 How you should make use of Christ in these particulars?  
I answer. Answ. 2 Only by Faith, by believing in him, and trusting to him as the Son of God, the Mediator, the Advocate of sinners, to do all this for us.  
This therefore do when the guilt of your sins looks you in the face, commit yourself and cause unto Christ, rely upon him to answer for you. When the doors of mercy, and of access to God, seem to be shut against you, fly to him that bears the keys, and can at any time open to you, and let you into God's presence. Desire him to undertake for you, to answer for you to God, to your own consciences, to Satan's accusations, and rely boldly and confidently upon him, to do it for you. By him alone you may boldly and comfortably converse with God, but without him, no drawing near, 
Heb. 12.29.  for our God is a consuming fire.  
Fifthly. When you have thus convinced yourselves of a necessity of acquaintance with God, when you have humbled yourselves for living so long as you have done without it, when you have removed obstructions, when you have engaged the Mediator, Then in the fifth place, do your duty. Ne tibi deses, do all that may possibly be done for the bringing of you into acquaintance with God. As namely,  
First. Visit God often with your prayers.  
Secondly. Frequent God's house, the public assemblies of the Saints, where God dwells, where Christ walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks.  
Thirdly. Practise the duty of setting the Lord always before you, and setting yourselves often in God's presence.  
Fourthly. Associate thyself with the Saints, those that are the friends and acquaintance God hath upon earth, that is a ready way to bring thee into the notice and acquaintance of God: as ruth's gleaning among Boaz his servants, was the first way of bringing her into Boaz his knowledge, and acquaintance, and of all the preferments that followed to her thereupon.  
Fifthly. Beg for, and wait for a visit from God by his Spirit, and be importunate, be impudent here, take no denial, be not satisfied in one, or in few, but beg still more and more; say with the Psalmist, Remember me, O Lord, with the favour thou bearest unto thy people: 
Psalm 106.4.  O visit me with thy salvation.  
Sixthly, and Lastly. Study compliance with God, and give thyself to a punctual and exact observation of his will in all things. And these are the ways of getting intimacy and acquaintance with God.   

CHAP. VII. Exhorting those that have acquaintance with God, to keep and maintain it.  
MY next work is to exhort those that have acquaintance with God, that they would be very careful to keep and maintain that acquaintance that they have with God. And to move to this, I hope I shall need do no more than tell you, that it is a very possible thing for you to lose that acquaintance and familiarity which you have with God. Though it is true, Once the Lords, and ever the Lords; and, whom God loves once, he loves always; and it is not possible for any that have ever been reconciled unto God, and brought into his favour by Jesus Christ, totally and finally to fall out of his favour again; yet it is possible for you to lose that sweet intimacy, and familiarity, and intercourse, and acquaintance that you had with God, which was both the fruit and evidence of the love of God, and of your being in favour with him, it is possible for you to lose your acquaintance with God, so far as that you may look upon God as a stranger, and God may look upon you as a stranger, as one whom he takes no notice of, of whom he hath no acquaintance with; you may look upon God as an enemy, and God may look upon you as an enemy, so far may you lose your acquaintance with God. This I must tell you.  
And when I have told you this, I need tell you no more; for you that have indeed had this acquaintance with God, have I know found so much sweetness in it, and do so prise and value it, that if you were put to your choice, whether you would part with the acquaintance of the dearest friend you had, Father, or Mother, or Brother, or Sister, or Husband, or Wife, or part with your acquaintance with God; nay, whether you would part with all you are worth, nay, with your very lives, or part with your acquaintance with God; I know you would part with all, rather than part with that. I look therefore, that upon the very hearing that there is but so much as a possibility for you to lose it, you should presently ask me, What you should do to retain it? I answer.  
First. Maintain in your hearts this high esteem of your intimacy and acquaintance with God, prise it above any other of your enjoyments whatsoever. Seemeth it a small matter in your eyes to be the Son-in-law of a King? 
1 Sam. 13.23.  saith David to saul's servants: so say to thine own soul, Is it a small matter to have acquaintance with God, to be the friend, the favourite of God, to have familiar access to, and intercourse with God? O prise it, and let God know thou dost prise it as thou wouldst prise heaven itself.  
Secondly. Maintain not a discouraging and distrustful, but a vigilant and wakeful fear, of losing this precious enjoyment. Optimus thesauri custos timor est. Fear is the best keeper and preserver of things that are dear and precious, many a jewel is lost through carelessness and rechlessness that might have been kept with fear and watchfulness.  
Thirdly. Take heed of all such things as may unsoder and dissolve the acquaintance that is between God and you. As for instance.  
First. Take heed of falling into gross and presumptuous sins; for do you not know in your souls, that every gross sin willingly committed, doth vex and grieve God? and do you not know, that if you vex and grieve God, he will be so far from continuing his friendship and acquaintance with you, that he will be turned to be your enemy? If I know that the doing of such or such a thing will vex a man that is my friend, and yet I will do it, vexed let him be, I will do it; this plainly shows I little value the man's friendship, and when he knows it, he will value mine as little, and so friendship and acquaintance will be interrupted and broken off between us: thou knowest as well as I can tell thee, that there is no sin but it vexeth God, and there is nothing that vexeth God but sin, and yet wilt thou sin? wilt thou sin, though thou knowest sin is the only thing that vexeth God, yet wilt thou sin? this is an argument thou valuest friendship and acquaintance with God at a low rate. And if thou thus sin and vex God, and slight his acquaintance, I tell thee, God will shake thee off from all acquaintance with him, and become thine enemy; nay, himself tells thee so. But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, 
Isa. 63.10  therefore he was turned to be their enemy. Take heed therefore of vexing God by willing and known sin.  
Secondly. Take heed of being too familiar, and holding too much correspondency and intimacy with wicked and ungodly men that are Gods enemies; we ourselves will not take him for our friend, that is inward and entire with our professed Adversaries. Zabud was Solomon's friend: Solomon had three special and known enemies. 
1 King. 11  Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam. Now if Zabud meant to hold in with Solomon, it had been no wisdom in the world for him to fall into acquaintance with any of these three persons, it had been enough to cast him out of the favour of Solomon for ever: so here, if we fall into intimacy and acquaintance with Gods open professed, branded enemies, what can we look for but that God should cashier us his acquaintance, and say to us as he did to Jehoshaphat, Shouldst thou help the ungodly, 
2 Chron. 19.2.  and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath come upon thee from the Lord.  
Thirdly. Take heed of dealing treacherously with God. That is it the Lord chargeth the people withal, by the Prophet Jeremiah; Surely, as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband: 
Jer. 3.20.  or as the Original hath it, from her friend: so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. A Wife may have her failings, upon which the Husband possibly may frown and chide, and give her round language, but for all that he will be friends with her still, and continue in habitation with her still; but if once he come to perceive that she deals treacherously with him, that she embraceth the bosom of a stranger, that she loves another man better than she loves him; this quite breaks in sunder the knot of conjugal love and society between them, this is an unpardonable sin, and an iniquity to be punished by the Judge, 
Job 31.11.  as Job speaks: So it is here, the friends and acquaintance of God may have their failings and miscarriages, for which God may frown upon them, chide and rebuke them, but yet retain them in his favour still: but if once he perceive that they deal treacherously with him, if once they come to prefer any thing in their love before himself, and his acquaintance, this will be a breach indeed between God and them. O therefore, as you prise acquaintance with God, take heed of the inordinate love of the world, and the things of the world. Remember what the Apostle James saith, 
James 4.4.  Ye adulterers, and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God. Take heed therefore of the world.  
Fourthly. Take heed of too much absence from God, and discontinuance of acquaintance, converse, and familiarity with him. Some things there are that do dissecare amicitiam, chop in sunder friendship and acquaintance, as it were, at one stroke, and some things do dissuere amicitiam, unrip and unsew it, and loosen it by little and little; great unkindnesses, wrongs, and injuries, these cut the bands of love and friendship in sunder; but long absence of friends one from another, and discontinuance of converse and familiarity, and letting fall the performance of friendly offices, visits, colloquies, and the like; these loosen friendship by degrees, and cause it to languish and die. Hence the Proverb of amicitia Academica, University-friendship, that holds only for a time. Scholars while they live together in the same University, often meeting, and walking, and talking together, they grow into great familiarity and acquaintance one with another; but afterwards being parted, and living at distance one from another, their friendship and acquaintance dies, and is extinct: so it is here, absence from God, disuse and discontinuance of communion with him, not frequenting God's company, not often resorting to him, and speaking to him, will not only loosen, but lose our acquaintance with him.  
If therefore we would maintain our acquaintance with God, we must often and daily visit him, frequent his house and Ordinances, be frequent in reading, hearing, praying; converse with him by holy meditations, and soliloquies, invite him home to us, importune him to visit our hearts with his Spirit: as we do by our other friends, we often visit them, and invite them to visit us, assuring them that our house, and any thing that we have, is at their service: th●s must we deal with God, and this is the way to maintain communion and acquaintance with him.  
Fifthly. Take heed of entertaining jealousies and suspicions of God, and of his love unto thee, or taking things unkindly at God's hand. Many a man by taking up a groundless conceit that his friend is alienated from him, giveth his friend just cause of alienation, and so loseth his friend: I am sure we often deal so with God; and I am persuaded there is scarce any one thing whereby the true friends of God do more grieve him, and hinder their free and comfortable acquaintance with him, than by thinking that God, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is easily provoked, so easily, that for involuntary failings and infirmities, such as are wand'ring thoughts, deadness of heart in prayer, and the like, (which God knows they cannot help if their lives lay upon it, and God knows they are as bitter to them as death itself) and yet they do think, that for these God will fall quite out with them, and tantum non, cast them down to hell; and by these hard thoughts they grieve God, they break the law of friendship, they discourage and dishearten themselves from converse with God, and so their hearts are alienated and estranged from God, and then they (measuring God by themselves, as if he were like one of us) think God is estranged from them, and fallen out with them, when indeed it is, they are fallen out with him. Therefore take heed of these thoughts of God.  
Sixthly. Take heed that Satan do not set in his foot between God and you; take heed you give no ear to what he will tell you concerning God, and the purposes and dispensations of God towards you. You know what the holy Ghost faith, A whisperer separateth chief friends. 
Pro. 16.28.  There are no two friends in the world so great, but if either of them listen and give way to whisperers, or detractors, that seek to set strife and variance between them, and believe every tale that they tell, bands of friendship will quickly be loosed, and they will be as great enemies as ever they were friends; we know that Satan's great design is to set strife between God and Man; he began this game in paradise, God and Man were perfect friends, till the Devil comes like a whisperer and slanders God, and tells Eve that it was out of mere envy and ill will that God had forbidden her and her husband to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and she believing this slander did eat, and so the league of friendship was broken between God and her: so deals the Devil still, not indeed with those whom he knows to be God's enemies, he doth not trouble their heads much with the thoughts of God, but fills their heads with the thoughts of other matters; but where he knows, or but suspects any to be the friends of God, or perceives them but to be seeking after reconciliation and acquaintance with God, O the strange thoughts of God that he buzzeth into their minds! sometimes he tells them that God hates them worse than he hates a dog or a toad: that it is in vain for them to pray, or repent, or to do any thing, God hath rejected them, they are reprobate from all eternity; if God afflict them, he tells them, that now they may see and feel, if they will, that God is angry with them, and hates them, and these afflictions are but the forerunners and beginnings of hell, and what they feel here is nothing to what they shall feel hereafter: of God spare them from affliction, he tells them, God doth this but to fat them against the day of slaughter, and that they may the sooner fill up the measure of their sin and be ripe for hell. And thus Satan slanders God in all his ways, and that not to the wicked, and those that are Gods enemies, but to those that are his friends; and the believing of those lies and slanders of Satan against God, proves many times, the very bane and break-neck, as I may so say, of acquaintance with God. Therefore take heed of giving credit to the Devil and his suggestions, and whatever Satan tells you of God, believe it not, but believe the contrary to be true, because that which Satan speaks of God cannot but be false. Thus I have shown you what the things are we must take heed of, if we would maintain our acquaintance with God. Which is the third direction.  
Fourthly. If thou wouldst maintain thy acquaintance with God, look that thy heart be sincere and upright with him. No man would entertain into his bosom, as his entire friend, one that he knows doth but flatter and dissemble with him, and in his heart doth not love him. You know what Jehu said to Jonadab, 
2 Kings 10.15.  Is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And when he said, It is, than he bid him give him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. God need not ask any of us that question, Is thine heart right? for if it be not, he knows it well enough; and if it be not, he will never give us the hand of friendship, nor never take us up into the chariot of acquaintance with himself. To this therefore let us look that our hearts be right with God, that what profession we make of our love, and of our desires of acquaintance with him, may come from a good and honest heart.  
Fifthly. If you would maintain and keep your acquaintance with God, then labour to increase your acquaintance with God, and to grow in it. For as grace, so the privileges of grace are of that nature, that they cannot stand at a stay, but are like the Sun, always either ascending or descending, like the Sea, that is ever either ebbing or flowing, so these are ever either increasing or decreasing, either growing or decaying. If therefore you would not have your acquaintance with God decay and die, have a care that it may increase and grow. And to that end labour to grow in those things wherein acquaintance with God lies; as namely, 1. In the knowledge of God, Hos. 6.3. 2. In converse with God. 3. In confidence in God. 4. In conformity unto God. Converse with God will conform us unto God, and conformity unto God will confirm and increase our converse with God.  
Sixthly. Be willing to be ruled by God in all things, be punctual in observing his commands; exactly careful to please him well in all things. So in the verse after the Text, Receive the Law from his mouth, 
Job 22.22.  and lay up his words in thine heart. Let God's word be a Law to thee, Joh. 14.21, 23.  
Lastly. Be much in converse with those that are the friends and acquaintance of God. Let them be thy companions, so they were david's; 
Psal. 119.63.  I am a companion of all them that fear thee. Let them be thy delight, so they were david's; To the Saints that are in the earth, 
Psal. 16.3.  and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. As consorting ourselves with the wicked, and such as are God's enemies, is the ready way to lose our acquaintance with God; so on the contrary, consorting with the Saints that are Gods friends, is the way to keep and hold our acquaintance with God. 
1 Joh. 1.3.  That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.   

CHAP. VIII. Exhorting those who have lost their acquaintance with God, to endeavour the recovery of it.  
I Come now to exhort those who have sometimes had acquaintance with God, but have lost it again, that they would by all means possible endeavour the recovery of it. Now this is a state and condition not impossible for the true Saints and friends of God to be reduced into. This is frequently mentioned in Scripture under several notions and terms, sometimes under the notion of Gods withdrawing himself. I opened to my Beloved, 
Cant. 56.  but my Beloved hath withdrawn himself; sometimes of Gods hiding himself. How long, Lord, 
Psal. 89.46.  wilt thou hid thyself for ever? some, times of casting out. I will cast you out of my sight: sometimes of shutting out. 
Lam. 3.8.  Also, when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer: sometimes of casting off: 
Psal. 43.2.  Why dost thou cast me off? And every one of these may seem to be a several degree or increase of loss of acquaintance with God.  
First. When God doth withdraw himself, and doth not so frequently visit the soul with his grace and Spirit, as he was wont, here now is some abatement, some diminution of the acquaintance that was between God and the soul. But then,  
Secondly. When God hides himself, that is, when the soul is sensible of Gods withdrawing, doth set itself seriously and earnestly to seek God, and would fain find him, and reinjoy his presence and communion with him, and God hides himself, and the soul cannot find him, but it is as it was with those we read of in Hosea. They shall go with their flocks, 
Hos. 5.6.  and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him, he bathe withdrawn himself from them. This now is more. But,  
Thirdly. When God doth not only thus hid himself, but cast the soul as it were out of his sight; this is more and heavien. As if a man, when one that hath been his acquaintance comes to his house, he should not only refuse to see him▪ or speak with him, but plainly turn him out of doors; this were a sign of great alteration, and alienation of mind in one that had been a friend.  
Fourthly. When God doth not only cast the soul out, but shut him out, shut the door of mercy as it were upon him, this is yet more.  
Fifthly and L●stly. When God not only doth this, but even casts off the soul, renounceth as it were all friendship and amity with it for the future, saying as the Romans were wont to do to their Wives, when they gave them a divorce, Res tuas tibi habeto, Look to your own matters, I will have no more to do with you, or as the people did when they rejected the posterity of David from reigning. 
1 Kings 12.16.  Now see to thine own house David. Thus high may the breach come to be between God and those that have been his friends and acquaintance.  
Now a child of God, a friend, and acquaintance of God, doth then think and conclude, that God deals thus with him, withdraws himself, hides himself, casts him out, casts him off, when he finds God suspending and withholding the wont influences of the Spirit of grace from him.  
For this acquaintance between God and our souls, as the Lord Jesus Christ is the procurer of it, so the Spirit of grace is the Internuncius, the manager and worker of it; we can neither acquaint ourselves with God, but by that Spirit, nor doth God acquaint himself with us, or communicate himself unto us, but by the same Spirit. When therefore the soul finds those influences of the Spirit of God that it was wont to have, in praying, and hearing, and Sacraments, and other holy duties, when the soul finds them withdrawn, it presently fears, yea concludes God is grown a stranger, hides himself, and casts the soul off.  
Now the influences of God's Spirit into the hearts of his people, are of two sorts; Either influences of comfort, or influences of grace.  
First. There are influences of comfort, which the Spirit of God sends into the hearts of the Saints, shedding the love of God abroad in their hearts, 
Rom. 5.5.  giving them such a real, sweet, powerful taste, and feeling of the love of God in their souls, as fills them with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Now when these sweet and comfortable influences of the Spirit of God are suspended and withdrawn, this cannot but make an alteration in the soul, in its apprehensions of God's love, and their in erest in him, and acquaintance with him.  
Secondly. There are influences of the Spirit of God, which are influences of grace, and these are threefold. Either,  
First. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace is first infused and wrought in the soul. Or,  
Secondly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace when it is infused, is actuated and set on work in the soul. Or,  
Thirdly. That influence of the Spirit, whereby grace is increased and caused to grow in the soul.  
Now for the infusing and working of grace in the soul, one single influence of the Spirit is sufficient; but for the actuating and increasing of grace, renewed and repeated influences are requisite. As one act of divine power and providence is enough for the producing of the creatures into being; but for the continuance of their being, and for their operations, there is required a continual efflux of providence; so it is here. Now when these influences of the Spirit are suspended and withdrawn, the soul can neither keep up and carry on his acquaintance with God in a way of duty, so as it should, nor apprehend God communicating himself and Spirit to him, so as it would, and so cannot but from both conclude an interruption of that acquaintance and familiarity that hath been between God and it.  
Now to those whose condition this is, give me leave to propound,  
First. Some things by way of support and consolation.  
Secondly. Some things by way of counsel and direction. And,  
First. By way of support and consolation, several things I have to say.  
The First is this. That how sad and strange soever thy condition may seem to be, thou art not the first, nor art like to be the last of the Friends and Saints of God, whose condition this hath been or may be. Read but over the Book of the Psalms; how often do you find there the Saints complaining of Gods hiding his face from them, casting them out; casting them off, forsaking, forgetting them, shutting out their prayers, and the like. Now this may be some comfort to thee, as it is to a man that is in a wilderness, to find the tract and footsteps of men that have gone that way before him.  
There are, as Gerson observes, three sorts of Christians.  

Gerson de monte contemplate. cap. 22.  Some that are in a winter condition. In winter you know the days are short, and the nights are long, and the days for the most part are cloudy and dark, the Sun being obscured with many clouds and fogs; there are sharp colds and great rains, and now and then it may be a fair day, but very rarely: so some Christians they have short days, and long nights, short visits, and long absence of God, they have much darkness and little light, 
Rara hora brevis mora. Bernard.  much coldness and little heat in their spirits, many showers of griefs and tears, rarely now and then a gleam of comfort.  
Other Christians, saith he, are as it were in the spring, in primo vere. In the Spring you know, it is one day fair and clear, another day cloudy and rainy; but we see the Sun oftener in the Spring, and the beams of it are more vigorous and warmthful than in the winter: now these are such whom the Sun of righteousness doth more frequently visit than the former, and sheds more warmthful and vigorous influences into their hearts, and yet withdraws himself from them sometimes: sometimes their Sun is under a cloud. Ut modicum illum videant, & modicum non videant; and they have their wet and sorrowful days and times too.  
Others there are with whom it is Midsummer, their Sun is seldom clouded: but when it is, it is more terrible, there are greater tempests of thunder, and lightning, and rain many times in summer than in winter, though not so constant rain. These are the best and highest form of Christians: who though they enjoy a more constant serenity, and more constant peace and communion with God, than the other, yet now and then meet with more violent and strong temptations, and deeper desertions than the former, their temptations are very sharp, but then they are short. So that you see by this distribution there is no state of a Christian life on this side heaven exempted and privileged from this hiding of God's face, and suspending the influences of his grace and love. Whether then thou be in thy Winter, or in thy Spring, or in thy Summer, clouds may come over thy soul that may hid the face of God from thee, and intercept the influences of his Spirit and grace; th' s is common to Christians, whatever degree of grace they have attained: therefore say no more, that never any was in such a condition as thou.  
The Second thing I have to say to thee is this; That the worst of thy condition is this, It is a withdrawing, not of the love of God from thee, but of wont expressions of his love, it is but a withdrawing of the influence of his Spirit from thee, not the presence of his Spirit from thee; I say it is but a withdrawing of the manifestation of God's love from thee; God doth not look so kindly upon thee when thou comest to seek his face, as he was wont to do; God doth not speak so comfortably to thee, he doth not speak so to thine heart when thou comest to hear his word, as he was wont to do; God doth not make thee so welcome to his table when thou comest there, nor give thee such a double portion of the marrow and fatness of his Ordinances as he was wont to do. I confess here is a great change in the outward carriage of God, and a great abatement of the wont expressions of his love; but there is no change at all in the mind and will of God, no abatement at all in the love of God, which is as unchangeable as God himself. David loved Absalon as dearly all that three years in which he would not endure him to come into his presence, nor permit him to see his face, as he did before in any time of his life, though in wisdom he did conceal and smother his love: so God may conceal his love for a while, but he loves thee still as well as ever.  
He hath taken away the wont influences of his Spirit from thee, but his Spirit itself he hath not taken from thee. 
Joh. 14.16.  Christ's prayer and engagement is, that the Spirit where once he is given shall abide for ever. Therefore I say, the influences of the Spirit may be suspended, but the Spirit itself is not departed, as it was with Eutychus when they thought he was dead; his life, saith Paul, that is, his Spirit, his soul is in him, and yet all the influences of his soul into his body, either visible to others, or sensible to himself, were for the present suspended: so is it here, the visible sensible influences of the Spirit may be suspended, but the Spirit is not departed, the band of union is not dissolved.  
Thirdly. As it is the influence, and not the presence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, so it is not the total influence of the Spirit that is withdrawn from thee, but only part of it; all the influences of the Spirit are not withdrawn, but only some of them. For the influences of the Spirit are of two sorts. Either such as are necessary to the being of a Christian in the state of grace, and these are secret, hidden, and unsensible; or else such as tend to the well and comfortable being of a Christian, and these are evident and sensible: as in the body there are some influences of the soul, that are necessary to the animation and quickening of the body, and these remain when the body is in a swoon, though they be secret and hidden, and neither felt by the body itself, nor discerned by the beholders; other influences there are that tend to the perfection of life in the body, as tending to motion and sense, these are both sensible to themselves, and visible in the effects of them to others; now these latter influences of the soul into the body, may be suspended, when yet the other are continued: so it is here, they are but the sensible and arbitrary influences of the Spirit that are suspended, the necessary influences of the Spirit are yet continued.  
Fourthly. As it is the influence and not the presence of the Spirit that is withdrawn, and as it is but some of the influences, not the whole influence that is withdrawn: so fourthly, this influence is but suspended, it is not quite cut off; and there is a great difference between these two. If water be conveyed through a pipe, from a fountain to a cistern; if that pipe be stopped, the stream is suspended, and it is but unstopping the pipe, removing the obstruction, and the water will flow as plentifully as ever it did before; but if the stream be cut off or turned another way, than the case is otherwise, the matter is irrecoverable: Poor soul, because thou hast not those influences fresh and lively from the Spirit of God that thou hast had, thou thinkest the stream is quite cut off, the heart of God thou thinkest is quite turned away from thee. Alas, thou art mistaken; it is only the pipe is stopped, something lies in the way that obstructs the influences of the Spirit of God into thee; remove but that, and the influences of the Spirit will come in upon thee, in as full a stream as ever. For (which is the last thing that I have to propound to thee for thy consolation) thou must not think  
In the fifth place; That because God hides himself, and withdraws himself, and carries himself at present, not as a friend, but rather as a stranger, as an enemy to thee, do not think that he will always do so. When he hath said plainly, He will not always chide; 
Psal. 103.9. Isa. 57.16. I●am. 3.31, 32.  neither keepeth he his anger for ever. He will not contend for ever, neither will he be always wroth. He will not cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. These are clear and express promises of a true and faithful God; heaven and earth shall fail before one word or tittle of these promises shall fail. It is therefore a great infirmity in thee, to think, that because God now hides his face from thee, he will do so for ever; or because, that God seems to be fallen out with thee, therefore he will never more be friends with thee. Thus to think, is I say, a great infirmity in thee. So Asaph acknowledgeth for himself, when he had been questioning with his own soul. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? 
Psal. 77.7, 8, 9, 10.  Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for ever? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? He concludes, This is my infirmity. As who should say, It is a great weakness in me so to imagine; so it is in thee, if thou dost so think.  
These things thus premised, as grounds of hope and consolation, I proceed now to show what course you must take to recover favour with God, and your acquaintance with him again. And so,  
First. Inquire whether you have not given God cause thus to estrange and absent himself from you, and break off acquaintance with you. To that end make use of the particulars laid down before. 1. Inquire whether you have not fallen into some known and gross sin. 2. Whether you have not held too much correspondence with, and delighted too much in the company of wicked and ungodly men. 3. Whether you have not been too much carried away with the inordinate love of the world, and of the things of the world. 4. Whether you have not too much absented yourselves from God, and neglected your wont and appointed times of meeting him, and acquainting yourselves with him. 5. Whether you have not dealt unfriendly with God, by entertaining jealousies and hard thoughts of God. And, 6. giving too much credit to Satan's lies, and slanders. Inquire seriously, whether you have not been guilty in some or other of these particulars; for usually, I must tell you, the breach gins on our part, we give God cause to estrange himself from us. When thou hast done this: Then,  
Secondly. Take the counsel the holy Ghost gives; Do this now, my Son, 
Prov. 6.3.  and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Or as the Margin reads it, Go humble thyself, and prevail with thy friend. Humble thyself, that is the way to prevail with God, and to make him yet thy sure friend, though he seems to be thine enemy. Humble thyself, and that upon a twofold account.  
First. For the sad condition that thou art in at present.  
Secondly. For the sin that hath brought thee into this sad condition.  
First. Humble thyself for the sad condition that thou art in. Think and say thus to thyself, Woe is me for my God, my life is departed from me, and how am I changed? O how was I wont to meet God in his Ordinances? and what sweet communion and acquaintance had I once with him, but now he hides himself, and will not come at me. I pray, but he hears me not; I harken after him, but he speaks not; I call, but he answers not. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, 
Job 23.8, 9  but I cannot find him. On the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himse f on the right hand, that I cannot see him. And say again as Job; O that it were with me as in months past, 
Job 29.2, 3, 4.  as in the days when God preserved me: When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness. When the secret of God was upon my tabernacle, and the Almighty was yet with me. It is an excellent meditation Bernard hath to this purpose. Whence comes this barrenness that possesseth my soul? whence is it that my heart is dried up like a bottle in the smoke, and my soul is like the dry and parched wilderness? Non possum lachrymas fundere, 
Bern. in Cant. Sermon. 74.  I cannot weep, I find no savour in Psalms, I have no delight in reading of the Scriptures; prayer doth not refresh me, I have no heart to meditation, or any thing that is good. Hei mihi, Woe is me! God visiteth the mountains of my companions, but skips over my mountain, and never toucheth it. Here is one ravished into the third heavens in holy meditations. There is another prays, as if he would rend the heavens with his prayers; another excels in zeal, another in patience, another in humility, another in holiness. These are Souls whom God visits, these are" mountains upon which God commands the rain of blessing, Sed ego miser qui nihil horum sentio, but wretched I that feel none of these things; what am I but as one of the mountains of Gilboa, upon whom there falls neither dew nor rain, nor are there fields of offering there. Thus humble thyself, and bewail thy state and condition.  
Secondly. Humble thyself again, for thy sin that hath brought thee into this sad condition. Think and say thus with thyself. Oh, what a thing is this, that I should by my sin provoke him to leave me, in whose presence I have had such life, such light, such liberty, such peace, such joy. O wretch that I am! that that communion and acquaintance that I had with God, was of no more esteem with me, but that I should thus lose it by my folly! I have been careful to keep my interest & acquaintance with this and that man, but have not been careful to keep my interest and acquaintance with God. That which I begged with tears, and was many a year a getting, how have I by my sin lost it on a sudden? O what have I done against my God, yea against myself? O my folly, that have lost that for want of care, that now I would redeem again, if it were possible, with my blood.  
Thirdly. Fellow God with mournful cries and prayers, beg of him that he would return unto thee, and renew acquaintance with thee; importune him by all the ancient love that hath been between him and thee, that he would be gracious yet unto thee; put him in mind of his ancient love to thee. Say as the Church, Lord, 
Psal. 89.49.  where are thy former loving kindnesses? Lord, what is become of all that love which sometimes thou barest and expressedst to thy worthless servant? And humbly put God in remembrance of thy ancient love to him; seeing God is pleased to be so gracious as to vouchsafe to remember it. 
Jer. 2.2.  I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou goest after me in the wilderness, etc. Entreat God to remember, there was a time when thy love was more vigorous, and more fervent to him than it is now, when thou couldst have followed him through a wilderness, through a sea, through fire and water; tell him, it is thy grief that thou canst not so love him now: entreat him by renewing his love to thee, to revive thy love to him, beg of him that all old kindnesses may not be forgotten; cast up thy weeping eyes with the sad complaint of a bleeding soul to thy ancient friend, and his bowels will roll, his compassions will relent towards thee.  
Fourthly. Submit to any conditions of reconcilement, and accept of the lowest degree of restauration to favour and acquaintance with God. Say, Lord, chide, rebuke, smite me, command, impose, do what thou wilt with me, only cast me not out of thy presence, cashier me not wholly and for ever: say as the poor Prodigal, Make me but as one of thine hired servants: as the woman of Canaan, Let me but gather up the crumbs among the dogs. Lord, if I have so far sinned, as that I may not be restored to that degree of nearness that I had before, if I may not have a place among thy children, among thy friends; Lord set me among thy servants, thy hired servants, yea, if it be but among the dogs of thy family, Lord, so I may be in thy presence, and see thy face I shall be thankful even for so much.  
Fifthly. Go to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Dayman, the Friend-maker, between God and Enemies; much more between God, and those that sometimes were his friends. Go to him, pray him to take thee by the hand, yet once again, and reconcile thee anew to God. He as God, is a middle person between the Father and the Spirit; and as God-man, he is a middle Person between God and Man: he is our Peace, he is our Advocate with the Father. Who with one appearing in heaven for us, with one opening of his mouth, can make God and us friends, if we had never been friends before; therefore go to him, engage him by his Name, by his Office, by his Undertake, to do this for thee.  
Sixthly. Go to the Saints of God that are upon earth, that are God's favourite and acquaintance, make thy case known to them, entreat them to strive with God in prayer for thee. This direction God gave the friends of Job, as you may see in Chapt. 42. v. 8. Go to my servant Job, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept.  
Seventhly. Whatever the issue of this thy mourning, praying, and going to Christ, begging the prayers of others be; though God should hid his face still, & carry it strangely, still, yet think thou, and speak thou honourably of God however. Following that precedent of the Psalmist, or rather of the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the Psalmist was but a type. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 
Psal. 22.1, 2, 3.  Why art thou so far from helping me, etc. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.  
Lastly. If God yet seem still to be angry with thee, take the counsel the holy Ghost gives. When the spirit of the Ruler riseth up against thee leave not thy place, 
Eccles. 10.4.  for yielding pacifieth great offences. So now, when the Spirit of God seems to be provoked against thee, leave not thy place, leave not thy station, leave not praying, and hearing, and waiting upon God in all holy Ordinances. Henry the fourth, Emperor of Germany, waited three whole days in the depth of Winter, barefoot and barelegged at the gate of the Pope's Castle, before he could obtain admission into his presence, and recover his grace and favour. Upon occasion of a displeasure conceived by the Pope against the City and State of Venice. Franciscus Dandalus, afterwards Duke of Venice, was sent Ambassador to Rome to seek reconciliation; and when no other means would mollify the Pope's proud and enraged heart, the Prince at length so far abased himself, as to put upon his neck a collar and chain, and couch under the Pope's table, like a dog at his feet, to see if by that means he might at length obtain.  
Now shall Princes and Emperors thus abase themselves in seeking the favour of a mortal man, and wait in these abasements long; O how low should we lie, how long should we wait, if by any means, or at any time we may recover the favour of God, and readmission into his presence!   
FINIS.