THE SAINT'S COMMUNION With GOD, And GOD'S Communion with them in ORDINANCES. As it was delivered in Several SERMONS By that Faithful servant of Christ, Mr. WILLIAM STRONG, Late Minister at Westminster. LONDON, Printed for George Sawbridge at the Bible on Ludgate-hill, and Ro: Gibbs. in Chancery Lane. 1656. To his Honourable friend, Colonel William Purefoy, Recorder of the famous City of Coventry. SIR, THis Book falling by Providence into my hands, and the earnest entreaty of divers Christian and pious friends in London, having drawn from me the Epistle to the Reader, as also having heard much of your being an admirer of the Author hereof (Reverend Master Strong, now blessed in the Eternal Mansions above) I made bold to commend the book also to yourself, as an humble acknowledgement of the faithful service I own you, by the same way of fellowship and communion in Gospell-Ordinances, with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: we must all attain to that blessed and eternal communion, where the presence of God & Christ in glory, shall transcend the purest Ordinances here below. But if either we turn our backs upon holy and precious truths received, and once publicly professed, or let our zeal cool, or by sitting still go not forward, we both lose the comfort of communion here, and shall have less communion in glory. No doubt, Sir, but it is a wild age wherein we live; many stupendious changes, strange turn, and amazing alterations we have seen, both in Church and State, and who knows what yet any of us must undergo; we have therefore more need to stick to our principles, more faithfully to own God's name, and to maintain our practice in holiness with more vigour and constancy, that in the end we may reap, if we faint not. Which that you, Sir, my Honourable friend, may still perform, and bring a greater glory to God, and do more good to that my native City of Coventry, where I was once an unworthy Lecturer, and to the whole Country better service, shining more gloriously in the end of your days; that so when you have finished your course with joy, and kept the faith, the hour of temptation which now is upon all the earth, that then you may receive the Crown laid up for you, which your Son & Wife, now both blessed and glorious, are enjoying to all eternity, is, and shall be the hearty and earnest prayer of him, who doubts not of your candid acceptation of this my bold presumption, but desires in all things ever to be found, Sir Your most humble and faithful servant upon the best account, JOHN HEARING. From my Study Brides-Church-yard, London. Christian Reader, AT the earnest entreaty and request of some Pious and Christian Friends, who find sweet Communion with God in Gospell-Ordinances, I am bold to commend the reading of this book unto thee: The Author hereof I believe is now in Heaven, receiving his wages after his work is done; and a glorified Saint, enjoying eternal Communion with God above Ordinances. We must all confess, that in respect of human frailties, we are not so STRONG, but that weakness will attend the best of us, whilst here below in our pilgrimage to that Heavenly Canaan: He will be much deceived, that reckons this World his Heaven, but doth, and will find it his Wilderness, and at best, but his passage through the Red-Sea; and here we have need of Moses, not only to kill the Egyptian for us, and to bring us out of Egypt; and also lift up his Rod, and stretch forth his Hand, and so divide the Red-Sea, that our passage may be safe; but also of a Joshua to bring us into Canaan, and this is our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God blessed for evermore. No true Saint in this life can live without or above Ordinances, no more than the natural body can live without food and raiment. God in his infinite wisdom and mercy, hath admitted the Churches new born babes in all ages to Ordinances, whereby Grace, and the seeds of Regeneration may be, through mercy, conveyed to them: and are not Saints to the end of their days perfected by them also, as the Apostle speaks, Ephes. 5.26, 27. Some waters are contained in Springs and Wells, some in Conduits and Pipes, and some also in the main Ocean; yet they are all conveyances of Water for the several uses of the sons of men; and they are all bounded within their due limits: And so it is with Gospel Ordinances; there's the Wells and springs of life, there's the Pipes of spiritual Comfort, and there's the Ocean of mercy, and all the privileges of free Grace conveyed to the believing soul. All those in these licentious days (which God will require some where) that cry down Ordinances are forced themselves to devise new ways of conveying their apprehended spirit unto us. And should we refuse the ways of Gods own appointment? Wherever God shall record his Name, shall we deny to worship him there? How then will God come unto us, and bless us, as he hath promised? Let those wild men of this Age, that have been at Jericho in stead of jerusalem, resolve the question, how the Lord will appear in ways and Ordinances that are not of his own institution and allowance? Will he not sadly, personally, and publicly say to them at the great day, who hath required these things at your hands? bring no more vain oblations. Reader, I will say no more, but beseech thee to turn thy reading into prayer, and thy praying into humble and holy practice, that thou mayst know the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which reason cannot understand, and mayst enjoy soule-Communion with all the Persons in the Trinity by Faith in Gospell-Ordinances; and that both in the Temple, and also in every Administration of the Lord Jesus to thee, thou mayst cordially, affectionately, and with comfort say, jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there: And with jacob in his Pilgrimage be able to confess, Surely the Lord is in this place, though sometimes I knew it not through mine own default. And that thou mayst find all mercies and glories bottomed on thy spiritual Communion with God, reconciled to thee in Christ thy Redeemer, is the desire of him, who thirsts after more Communion with God and Christ in holy Ordinances, and begs always to be found upon a spiritual account Thine in the Lord Christ, JOHN HEARING. From my Study in Bride's Churchyard London, Octo. 27. 1655. The Saint's Communion with God, and God's Communion with them in O dinances. Exod. 20.24. The latter part. In all places where I record my name, (or where I cause my name to be remembered,) I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. THe whole Chapter is made up of Gods giving the moral Law: In the giving forth of which law there are many remarkable passages; as why it must be given from Mount Sinai? why immediately after their deliverance out of Egypt? why in thunderings and lightnings? why the world in its infancy lived without a law written? These things I have already spoken to. The words which I have read are a promise made unto the places of God's public worship, which were typical, for respect to places is done away, John 4.21. The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. All acts of worship are to be done to God as a Father, & respect of places being done away, now children may every where worship their Father. The whole Jewish Religion lay in these 4. things. 1. In holy times. 2. In holy places. 3. In holy persons 4. In holy things. The Apostle 1 Jam. 27. hath wrapped up a Religion under the new Testament; pure Religion and underfiled before God, and the Father is this, To visit the Fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and keep himself unspotted from the world. Jesus Christ was made known four ways in the old Testament, by promises, by prophecies, by Types & shadows, & by Apparition. The blessing in this Text comes under an Apparition, for it is nothing else but the appearance of God in divine Ordinances, now respect to places being done away by the promulgation of the Gospel. The promise, though it do not relate to the place, yet it doth relate to the Ordinances, so that in all places, if you lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting, and worship the Father in spirit, this blessing belongs to you. In all places where I record my name, etc. The words themselves being a promise have these particulars in them. First, the Author of it, that's God the Father. Secondly, the extent of it; and that is all places where I record my name. Thirdly, the nature of the promise, and that in two branches. 1. Of communion, I will come unto you. 2. Of benediction, I will bless you. Wherein you have 3. things. 1. The union of them, meeting and blessing. 2. The order of them, first meeting, and then blessing. 3. The Object of them, (the sincere seekers of God) I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. there's but one thing in the Text that is difficult. In the place where I record my name, In the Hebrew 'tis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 becol hammakom asher azkir etsheni; that is, In every place where I shall cause or make my name to be remembered; or in every place where I shall mention (or make mention) of my name: for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 azkir is in the conjugation hiphil, which usually imports an action done or caused to be done by another, as here, I will cause to be remembered, the name of God hath several acceptations in Scripture; By name of God is here meant the public worship and service of God, Jer. 7.12. Go ye tó 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shil●h, the place where I have set my name that is, my worship & service. So its said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah echad ushemo echad. Jehovah shall be one, and his name one, that is, he shall be so worshipped as he is one in essence. In all places where I record my name I will meet you and bless you. For the explication and confirmation of the two chief heads the text points at, viz. 1. That by recording, remembering or mentioning the name of God, is meant, the setting up the worship of God in his Ordinances and 2. that wheresoever the name of God is thus recorded, remembered, or mentioned; that is, wheresoever God is worshipped in his Ordinances, there he doth promise and command a blessing; or there he will meet those that record his name, in the worshipping of himself, with a blessing. There are two or three other parallel places of Scripture deserving special consideration; as 1. for the first point, there is a most remarkable expression, Psal. 22.27. All the nations of the world (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jizkeru, the same Hebrew root with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 azkir, here in the Text) shall remember; why, what is that? or what shall they remember? even this, they shall turn to the Lord and worship him his name in his Ordinances; as is explained in the words following of the verse; And all the families of the nations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jishtachavu) shall (bow down themselves, or) worship before thee, etc. and so Psalm 86.4. All nations whom thou hast made, shall come, (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vejishtachavu) and they shall worship before thee; And how shall they do so? even by recording, remembering, & making mention of the glory of thy name; as in the words following, (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vicabbedu lishmecha) and they shall glorify thy name. 2. For the second point, that the Lord (as he hath promised, so he) doth come and meet those with a blessing, who do thus glorify and worship his name in his Ordinances, so that they shall never do it in vain, and for nothing; see those two precious texts in Isaiah his prophecy, viz. Jsa. 64.5. & 45.19. first in Isaiah 64. v. 4. The incomprehensible mercies and goodness of God, which he hath laid up and prepared for his people, is set forth; since the beginning of the world, men have not perceived by ear, neither hath the eye seen, etc. And then mark what followeth, verse 5. Where the Prophet describeth those, whom the Lord will come and meet with all those incomprehensible blessings, viz. Those who wait upon him, and rejoice in his worship, working righteousness, and remembering his name in his ways and Ordinances; Thou merest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those who remember thee in thy ways, etc. So that no less than blessings incomprehensible by the understanding & mind of man, do wait upon those who wait upon God, & who remember his name in his worship, ways and Ordinances; And therefore that other cited text Isa. 45.9. is fully verified; that never did any of the sons of Jacob (true Israelites) seek God (in his ways, worship and ordinances) in vain; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain, or for a void or empty nothing, as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tohu importeth; no, the sincere seekers of God, in his worship & ordinances, shall not be sent away with tohu, vacuity and emptiness; but with their cup overflowing with all the fullness of incomprehensible blessings. Thus doth the Lord come and meet them with a blessing who remember his name in his worship and ordinances; in all places where I record my name, I will meet you and bless you. But we are to consider, that in relation to Ordinances, there be four sorts of men. 1. Some they are altogether below Ordinances. 2. Others are altogether above Ordinances, they look upon them as milk fit for babes, but not as meat fit for strong men: they look upon them as the shadwes of the evening, fit to be stretched over the persons, whose knowledge is not very high, 2 Pet. 1.19. We have a more sure word of Prophecy, where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, & the day star arise in your hearts. They think that all these morning stars must away as soon as ever Jesus Christ hath risen as a Sun in the Heart of the Saints. 3. Others, they are such as take up their rest in Ordinances, and conclude the goodness of their estate by Ordinances, because they have the enjoyment of Ordinances, therefore they think they have the enjoyment of God. 4. Others neither rest in, nor yet rest from Ordinances, and these are persons indeed that are like to meet with a blessing when they come to God, when these come to worship him, they are made welcome to him, and they shall be blessed by him; such a spirit is fit for Ordinances, and such a spirit shall receive much blessing by Ordinances. The propositions that lie in the words are these. 1. Doct. 1 One of the principal ends which God aims at in the setting up of his public Ordinances, is, that he may have Communion with his Saints, and that his Saints may have communion with him. 2. The times of a Saints Communion with God, Doct. 2 and God's Communion with them are times of blessing, and times of benediction. Communion times are blessed times, and they are blessing times. Blessedness is out of the reach of the whole Creation, one Creature cannot make another blessed, nay all the creatures cannot make one creature blessed; Man is fallen too low for his fellow creature to advance him; He is too sore for the whole creation to make him a plaster. 'tis impossible for the whole creation to make any part of amends to man for the wrong that he did himself; creatures cannot take off that curse which they lie under themselves, how then can they give the blessing that's wanting to others? nothing is in working above what 'tis in being, the world in being is poor and beggarly, therefore it can never make us rich, Hos. 2.21. I will hear the heavens, & they shall hear the earth, etc. The heavens they cry to God, the earth that cries to the heavens, the creatures they cry to the earth; still we are led up the Stairs by one creature to another, till we have passed through them all to God himself, and therein indeed doth our blessedness lie; creatures want a blessedness for themselves, how can they give a blessedness unto us? 3. Doctrine that might be raised from the words, viz. That the foundation of all the blessedness of man is the will of God; I will meet them and bless them. But 'tis the first of these I shall speak of, viz. Doct. That one of the principal ends which God aims at in the setting up of his public Ordinances, is, that he may have communion with the Saints, and that his Saints might have communion with him. Every man while he lives here is at a distance from God, there's a twofold distance that is between God and the creatures. First, a distance in point of Reconciliation. 2 lie, a distance in point of communion: there's a Natural distance as we are creatures, and a moral distance as we are sinners. I shall premise three things. 1. The Scripture holds forth such a state. 2. The Communion that the Saints have with God, it is with all the persons in the Trinity. 3. That this Communion in this life is chief in Ordinances. First Position; Position. 1 That the Scripture holds forth such a state of Communion between God and his people, such as is between the Bride and the Bridegroom in the Bride-chamber. 'Tis true I confess, all godliness is a mystery, 1 Tim. 3.16. Great is the mystery of godliness, but yet in this there are some mysteries greater than others: Observe there is such an intimacy spoken of, 1 Joh. 1.3. Our fellowship is with the Father & with his son jesus Christ. Then the Saints have a fellowship with the Father and with Christ, yet notwithstanding some of them have a more peculiar fellowship with God than others. 'Tis true, whosoever he be that is taken into union, is taken into communion too all the Saints having a communion with themselves have a communion with Christ also, for they do all meet as one with him, as lines in the centre: yet there are some Saints in this life have a more peculiat communion with the Lord than others; Numb. 12.8. etc. If there be a Prophet (saith God) I will speak to him in a dream, in a vision, but my servant Mos●s, 'tis not so with him, I will speak to him mouth to mouth as a man to his friend, and the similitude of God shall he behold; He shall have such discoveries of God as ordinary Saints have not, he shall have such communion with God as ordinary believers have not. Now this communion of God with the Saints, will appear to be a very great and glorious intimacy and familiarity, if you look to the several denominations that are given to them in the Scripture, all of them imply a very great familiarity; As 1. They are called his friends, Abraham was called the friend of God, Jam. 2.23. I have not called you servants, but I have called you friends, John 15.16. And as Jesus Christ calls them friends, so they call him friend too, Cant. 5.6. This is my beloved, & this is my friend O daughters of jerusalem. What is a friend? truly it is as a man's own self, Deut. 13.6. thy friend which is as thine own soul; Then friendship speaks high familiarity, Austin speaks of himself concerning a friend of his, when he died, he professed he was put into a great straight, whether he himself should be willing to live, or willing to die: he was unwilling to live, because one half of himself was dead, yet he was not willing to die, because his friend did partly live in him though he were dead. 2. He doth call the Church, the Bride, the Lamb's wife. There is the same resemblance between Christ & his Church, as between man & wife; Now you know husband and wife become one flesh, so that this matrimonial union is but a shadow and resemblance of the glorious union that is betwixt Christ and his Church: there is a great deal of intimacy betwixt man & his wife, therefore she is called Deut. 13.6. the wise of his bosom, now what is the bosom? 'tis the seat of secrecy, and the seat of intimacy: For this cause the Lord: Jesus Christ is said to be in the bo●●●e of the Father, john 1.18. as one that is acquainted with all his secrets, and as one that enjoys the most intimate familiarity with the Father. So thou art the wife of the bosom of Christ. This I think to be the meaning of that, Lu. 16.23. It is said Lazarus died and was carried into Abraham's bosom: Dives when he died was in hell torments: surely then the other was in heaven, why is it called Abraham's bosom? it is a place of rest, and a place of love. All the Saints being Abraham's children are of Abraham's Covenant and promise, they are received into Abraham's bosom in glory with a great deal of love, and are taken into his bosom as into the resting place. Thus the Children of God stand in the same relation to Christ as a wife to the husband. 3. There is yet a higher expression of Intimacy than this, all these are but external and fleshly, but the union of the Spirit is much more strong, 1 Cor. 6.17. He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit: He that is joined to the flesh is one flesh, but he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit, 'tis as if there were an union of two souls. Cyprian when he would express this union, saith, 'tis a union of wills, and a confederacy of affections, they grow into one spirit: These relations do import thus much, for the Lord Jesus Christ doth not give empty Titles. It will further appear if you consider those high Acts of Intimacy that the Scripture speaks of, I will name four. 1. Christ and his people are said to walk together: Christ walks in them, Revel. 2.1. he walks among them. 2 Cor. 6.16. and we read of Galleries in which the King is held, Cant. 7.5. what be those Galleries? places of intimate converse, where friends walk together, and enjoy communion one with another, now can two walk tegether except they be agreed? Amos 3.3. walking implies intimacy and familiarity. 2. They sup together; now to eat and drink together in Scripture is an expression of great familiarity, and therefore saith the Apostle with such an one eat not; that is, withdraw familiarity: not to eat with one is an Argument of withdrawing familiarity, but to eat together is an argument of familiarity, Revel. 3.21. I will come to him and sup with him, and he with me. And for this cause, when the Communion of Saints is set forth, it is set forth by eating and drinking together at the same table, we being many are one bread and one body, 1 Cor. 10.17. we are many in number (as Erasmus hath it) but by the consent of our spirits, we become one bread: when the Lord would express the intimacy the Saints have with him, than he is said to sup with them and they with him, and mark how he doth cheer them up, Cant. 5.1. Eat O friends, drinkeye, drink ye abundantly O ye beloved. 3. They do not only sup together, but they dwell together; Christ dwells in your hearts by faith, Ephes. 3.17. It is the great command the Lord lays upon the husband, he must dwell with his wife, now if Jesus Christ will undertake the Relation of a husband, he must dwell with his spouse. In john 14.23. he tells you he will fulfil his relation, I will come to you, and make my abode with you, as if the Lord could never speak enough, 2 Cor. 6.16. I will dwell in them, and I will wake among them. 4. They do not only dwell together, but they lie together: Christ and his people lie in one bed, Cant. 1.16. Our bed is green; 'tis not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grarseni, my bed, but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grarsenu, our bed, what is that? truly they are those Ordinances of worship in which the Lord together with his people doth exercise those high Acts of intimacy and familiarity; that will appear if you compare it with 57 Isay 7.8. Thou settest thy bed upon a high mountain, and thither thou goest up to offer sacrifices, thou hast enlarged thy bed, etc. what is that? Floreli●s upon the place, faith it was Idolatrous worship, wherein they did commit spiritual Adultery; now the Lord calls that the bed, Idolatrous Ordinances are the bed of Idols: so on the other side, the bed wherein the Lord Christ and his people enjoy intimacy and familiarity is the bed of Ordinances; and for this cause the Church glories in this Cant. 1.13. he shall lie all night between my breasts. So much for the first thing I promised, namely, that the Scripture holds forth such such a state of Communion between God and his people; I shall but name the other two, and so pass on. Posit. 2 The second Position, The Communion that the Saints have with God, it is with all the persons: they have not only Communion with the Father, but Communion with the Son, and not only communion with the Son, but with the Spirit also, with all persons in the Trinity, the people of God have community, 1 John 1.3. Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. The Posit. 3 Third Position, that this communion in this life is chief in Ordinances, for the Immediate communion is reserved for another world: All the communion we have in this world, it is a mediate communion, there are mediums betwixt us and God, through which God conveys grace unto us, and draws us up unto him. Ordinances, they are the Galleries, there's the wall of sin, and there's the windows of Odinances; he stands behind our wall of sin, but he looks through the windows of Ordinances. For the opening of this I shall show you what fellowship with God in Ordinances means: And first, I shall lay down some scriptural proofs of this, that the main end of God in setting up Ordinances is, that he may be glorified in communion with his people, and then some Positions for the right understanding of this communion; and after that I shall give you the grounds, the properties, the Acts, and the ends of communion, and then apply the whole. Proof 1 1. Let me prove it from scripture expressions, that end that God's aims at by setting up his Ordinances is, that he might have communion with the Saints, and his Saints have communion with him: See Revel. 21.3. When God comes to reform his ordinances, and to purge his Church I heard a great v●yce saying, behold the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them: The Tabernacle and Temple were places of public worship, it was his dwelling and his walking with them; dwelling notes constancy, and walking notes familiarity, he will be constant, and he will be familiar with his people in Ordinances. 48. Ezec last. And the name of the City shall be the LORD is there: 'Tis a prophecy that receives its accomplishment, when Jews and Gentiles shall be brought to worship God; now when these two shall be made one in the hand of the Lord, then shall the name of the City be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah shaumah; that is, the Lord is there. Proof. 2 2. Proof: This hath been the great ground of all the preparations that the Saints have made; when they have approached to God in Ordinances, that they might have communion with God in them; 2 Chron. 30.18. The Lord pardon every one that prepares his heart to seek God, though not according to the purification of the Sanctuary. As a Bride prepares herself for her Bridegroom, so do the Saints prepare to meet with God in ordinances, they trim up their laps to meet the Bridegroom. So Heb. 10.22. Let us draw near, etc. Cant. 4.16. Awake, O North wind, and come thou South, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may blow out: and then it follows, let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruit; They begged a North wind for ripening, and the South wind for refreshing of all their fruits; but for what end? for no other, but that her beloved might come into his garden, & that he might taste his pleasant fruit. Proof. 3 3. Proof: The end why God sets up his Ordinances amongst a people to whom he will show mercy, is certainly this, that he will meet with them, and have communion with them in these ordinances; because, for God to withdraw his fellowship and communion when the Saints of God are in acts of worship before him, is threatened as one of the greatest judgements, Hos. 5.6. They shall go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him for he hath withdrawn himself from them; that is, they should go to Acts of public worship; ah but they should enjoy no communion nor society nor fellowship with God, for he had withdrawn himself from them, when they drew near to him, he should draw back from them, he should leave them to the naked use of Ordinances, which was one of the greatest curses in the world. Alas what, sap or sweetness can be found in an Ordinance that is appointed by God, if God himself who is the sweetness of all Ordinances be withdrawn from them? Hence then do these positions clearly follow. Posit. 1 1. Position: In all these ordinances, wherein you come before God and meet not with him, they are all in vain. To converse with Ordinances, and not to converse with God, to have to do with Ordinances, & not to have to do with God, alas, they are but dry breasts, & a miscarrying womb, that will never bring forth the fruits of holiness. Ordinances without God are but like bones that have no marrow in them, they are but like shells without a kernel; your hearing will be vain, and your hearing will be in vain; your praying vain, and your praying will be in vain: There will be no spirit moving, no voice answering, no heart warmings, no soule-refreshing, n● God-meetings. It's a sad thing for God to do these two things: first, to leave Ordinances to men. Secondly, to leave these men to these naked Ordinances. The poor man that lay at the pool of Bethesda, lay there long, and longer he might have laid, if Jesus Christ had not come and given cure to him. There are three things in Ordinances when they become effectual, there's a Majesty, a sweetness, and a power. First, There is a Majesty and glory in Ordinances. A Majesty and a glory discovered 2 Cor. 3. last, We all with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, etc. What's that? The glass is Gospell-Ordinances, they are the windows by which we look into the glory of God: Alas, without this, Preaching is but babbling, Praying is but howling. It's not the Ordinances that puts a glory upon God, but it's God that puts a glory upon Ordinances: what's that that puts a beauty and glory upon all the Ordinances of God? 'tis the presence of God, the very presence of God makes all glorious in heaven, and the very presence of God makes all glorious in the Church; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there is the glory of all Ordinances: yet if you have not God in them, you may say as she said, the glory is departed, they are but like the beams that are cut off from the Sun, if God be not in them; thus there is a Majesty and a glory discovered. Secondly, There's a sweetness that the Soul tastes in Ordinances, but when the Soul wants the presence of God in Ordinances, than there is no sweetness in them, for Ordinances to the Soul, when the presence of God is departed from them, carry no more taste nor sweetness in them, than is in the white of an egg. The word is sweeter than the honey and the honey comb when God is in it: what is that that gives a Soul to taste any sweetness in any Ordinance? you may find it, Cant. 2.3. I sat under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet unto my taste. (The word is very significant, for it importeth sweetness, or all kind of sweetness; his fruit was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mamtakkim, all sweetness.) What's the ground that men grow weary of Ordinances? 'tis because they taste no sweetness in them? what's the ground they taste no sweetness in them? 'tis because God is withdrawn from them. 3. Thirdly, there must not only be a Majesty and a glory discovered, and sweetness tasted, but there must be a power felt if ever Ordinances do you any good, Isaiah 55.1. Who hath believed our report? why? they had made reports to be believed, but none had believed the reports that were made; many hearers but few believers; ' its spoken by way of complaint▪ who hath believed our report? why? what's the ground that the report is not believed? To whom is ●he Arm of the Lord revealed? If the Arm of God be not revealed, no reports of God will be believed. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ saith the Apostle Paul, why? it's the power of God to Salvation. So the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty; mighty, how? through God, for the bringing down of every lust that exalts its self against him: If God be not in an Ordinance, an Ordinance is of no effect. The Posi. 2 2. Position, That when Communion with God shall be perfected and completed, than all Ordinances shall be abolished and removed, Ordinances shall be continued, till our Communion be perfected, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephes. 4.13. When once we are brought to a perfect man in Christ Jesus, then, and not till then, shall all Ordinances be taken from us. In the state of our perfection God will do these two things: First, he will succeed all Ordinances; Secondly, he will exceed all Ordinances, all our veils shall then be taken away, when we come to look God in the face, Cant. 2.17. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn beloved, and be thou like a Roe, or a young Hart upon the mountains of Bether. Some expound it of the night of troubles, and of miseries that the Church of God lay under; others of the obscurity and darkness that was upon them: others of those ceremonies and shadows that they could not see through; others of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Sun in to the world to make day, until the day break; others of Christ's last appearance removing all clouds and veils, and causing the day to break forth, & the shadow to fly away; until the day breaks forth, the shadow ne'er flies away: when once the Communion of the Saints of God shall be perfected, than all Ordinances shall be removed, the substance shall succeed and exceed the shadows. Thus Communion with God in Ordinances shall last till Jesus Christ make a surrender of his mediatorial Kingdom, when Jesus Christ shall give up his kingdom to his Father, and all the Saints shall be perfected, than their Communion with God through Mediums shall be done away. The Posit. 3 3. Position: The more spiritual and pure any Ordinances are, the more Communion the Saints of God have with God in them. Under the Law when they lay under more carnal Administrations & Ordinances, and therefore, Heb. 9.10. They are called carnal Ordinances, for the most part they had but transient, not constant acts of Communion with God, and these acts of Communion they had but seldom, compared with those acts of Communion that the Saints have under the Gospel. Now, as the Ordinances grow up in purity and perfection, so should we grow up in Communion with God in them: for the more spiritual the Ordinances are, the more there is of these three things in them. 1. There's the more of the nature of God in them. 2. There's the more of the presence of God with them. 3. There's the more of the blessing of God upon them. The ground of God's withdrawing and departing from Ordinances hath been men's intolerable corrupting and defiling of them, so that he would neither own the worship, nor the worshippers at all, Rev. 2.1. who walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks: If the Candlesticks be gold, and there be no dross in them, than he will walk in the midst of them; but if they be drossy, and not golden Candlesticks, God takes no delight to walk among such, Cant. 2.16. My beloved feeds among the Lilies; It is not said he feeds among Thorns, but he feeds among the Lilies. But for the further clearing of the Saints Communion with God; I shall do these four things. 1. Give you the grounds, of all the fellowship and the Communion that the Saints have with God in Ordinances. 2. Show you the properties of this Communion. 3. The several Acts of Communion. 4. Those glorious ends that God aimed at in the giving forth Communion unto the Saints in Ordinances. But before I enter upon these, I must promise some few particulars. Object. It will be said, God is in Heaven, and the Saints are upon the Earth, God is a consuming fire, and we are but as withered stubble, how shall we draw near unto God, or appear before him? Ans. There are two sorts of persons in the world, First, Sinners, Secondly, Saints; unregenerate men, and regenerate men, and they are both called upon to draw nigh to God. Jam. 4.8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you: cleanse your hands ye Sinners, and purify your hearts ye double minded: observe those three things. 1. Here's a duty enjoined; drawing nigh to God. 2. A blessing promised; he will draw nigh to you. 3. There is a threefold duplicity mentioned, sinners and double-mindded, cleanse and purify, hands and heart. The first shows the persons to whom the duty is in joined to draw near to God; Liz. Sinners and double minded; the other two points are the way and means by which the duty enjoined, may be rightly accomplished, viz. by cleansing and purifying our hearts and hands. But it is to be marked that there is twofold drawing nigh to God. 1. In point of Conversion. 2. In point of Communion. So that you that enjoy Ordinances, and are not converted, you can have no Communion with God in Ordinances. And for the proof of this, that ungenerate men can have no Communion with God in Ordinances, will appear by these Arguments. Argu. 1 1. Because there must be a State of Communion, before ever there can be any acts of Communion; There must be a state of Marriage before ever there be a performance of the acts of the married; you must be made near before you can draw near, Ephes. 2.13. Ye who were sometimes afar off are made nigh by the blood of Jesus: when once a soul is made nigh, than it can draw nigh. The Prodigal Son when he is returned home to the house of his Father, and made nigh to him, than the Father kisses him and embraces him, Luk. 15.20. love is very quick sighted, he saw him; & 'tis very tender hearted, he had compassion upon him, & fell upon his neck, and kissed him: will you see what a man is in his natural estate, which clearly speaks he hath no communion with God, Eph. 2.12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. There are five withouts, without Christ, without the Church, without the promise, without hope, without God in the world. Can two walk together except they be agreed? God and a sinner are not agreed, there's no walking together therefore. A man must be made a free man before he can trade as a freeman; so before you can have any intercourse with heaven, or any free trading there, you must be made free of the city above. Posit. 2 2. An unregenerate man can have no Communion with God in Ordinances, because he doth not live the same kind of life that God lives; No Creature can have any fellowship or Communion with God, but he that lives the same kind of life with God; A man cannot have Communion with Beasts, why? because they do not live a Rational life, Eph. 4.18. having their understandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God. No things have any Communion, but only those that live the same kind of life with that with which they have Communion: a Saint lives the same kind of life with God, though he hath not the same degree of life with God. Argument. 3 3. Argument: An unregenerate man can have no fellowship with God in Ordinances, because he is swallowed up with other fellowship, and with other Communions: there is a fivefold fellowship and Communion that an unregenerate man hath, that makes him he can have no Communion with God. 1. He takes up his fellowship and Communion with sin; sin is the only Jewel that he wears in his bosom, 2 Cor. 6.15, 16. what fellowship hath Christ with Belial, etc. and Rom. 8.7. The carnal mind is enmity against God; Enmity 'tis the highest degree of hatred, 'tis the affection set on edge against God; an Enemy may be reconciled, but enmity must be destroyed; what fellowship can they have with the Father of lights, whose fellowship is taken up with the works of darkness? 2. They are swallowed up with the fellowship and Communion with sinners; those that are Gods professed Enemies, are their bosom-friends, the darling delights of their Souls are in the Society of those in whom God takes no pleasure, nor no delight. 3. They take up their fellowship and Communion with this world, James 4.4. 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: they make up their Heaven upon Earth: there are three things wherein they go out to the world. 1. They let out their choicest love. 2. They lay out their choicest pains. 3. They Anchor their greatest hopes upon the world: Now those that are taken up with the fellowship and Communion with this world, at what a distance do they stand from Communion and fellowship with God? Creatures hath their hearts, God hath them not. 4. They are swallowed up in Communion and fellowship with false foundations: this is a certain rule, that look whatsoever the foundation is that we build our souls upon, that's it with which we have Communion, Job 8.14, 15. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand, etc. Those hopes that it hath, that it shall go well with him to all Eternity, these are called his house, he rests upon them, and he hath Communion with them. Houses, 1. They are dwelling places, a man lives in his house. 2. They are hiding places, in the time of a storm men retire to their houses for shelter. 3. They are resting places. 4. They are places that when once they are built, men will keep them if they can from falling down; Now sinners are swallowed up in Communion and fellowship with those false bottomed hopes that they have laid their souls upon, they rest in those houses that they make to themselves, though their hopes be but like Spider's webs, yet they lean upon their houses. 5. They are swallowed up in fellowship and Communion with the very Devil himself, 1 Joh. 5.19. we know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in wickedness; In the Greek 'tis thus, and the whole world lies in that wicked one, the Devil, and they maintain Communion together, the evil spirits haunt their Spirits. The Devil in Scripture is said to have all those Acts of worship performed to him by sinners, that Christ is said to have performed to him by Saints: hath Jesus Christ his Ministers? the Devil hath his Ministers also; Ministers of Satan transforming themselves into Angels of light: hath Christ his Churches? so hath the Devil, which is callthe Synagogue of Satan: hath Christ his Ordinances and Altars? so hath the Devil too, he hath his Table, and his Communicants; you cannot be partakers of the Lords Table, and the Table of Devils. Argu. 4 The fourth Argument to prove that unregenerate men can have no fellowship and Communion with God in Ordinances; because they live under a Legal Covenant: Evangelical Communion is not bottomed upon Legal Covenants. In Conversion there is a double change. 1. A change of a man's nature, and that is wrought within him. 2. A change of a man's state, and that is wrought upon him. Every unregenerate man is under the first Covenant, which admits of no Communion with God since it is broken. There are five things we lost in our fall; 1. Our holy Image, and became vile; hence 2. Our Sonship, and became slaves. 3. Our friendship, and became Enemies. 4. Our Communion, and became strangers. 5. Our glory, and became miserable. Now 'tis impossible till sinners be translated from a broken Covenant of works that was made with them in Adam, to a Covenant of grace that is made in Christ, that ever they should come up to Communion with God: you must know this, that Communion with God is no Legal dispensation, and therefore every person that is duly under the Law, cannot enjoy Communion with God. Having premised these, I come to those four partioulars I laid down, viz. to give you the grounds, the properties, the Acts, and the ends of the Communion. First, For the Grounds of all the fellowship and Communion that the Saints have with God in Ordinances and they are five; for this Communion ariseth, 1. From his electing love. 2. From the Covenant-state wherein believers stand. 3. From our union with Jesus Christ. 4. From our Interest in the Spirit. 5. Our conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. Ground. 1 I. Ground of our Communion with God is his Electing love, that's the foundation of all our blessedness, and the only spring of all our mercies which without Gods Electing love, no mercy would be a mercy to us, and with it no misery will make us miserable; The Lord hath chosen you unto three great ends, in subordination one to the other; he hath chosen you to salvation, to reconciliation, and to communion, Psal. 4.3. The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself. God hath picked and culled every Godly man out of the world, and set him aside; For what? for himself; for himself, what's that? It doth not only note for spiritual service, but for the highest privileges: he hath set the godly man apart for these two ends: First, for the enjoyment of communion with him on earth: Secondly, for the fruition of blessedness with him in heaven. The Lord hath set, etc. 1. Consider who is it that hath done it? It's God that hath set him apart. 2. What hath he done? He hath set him apart, put him distinct from all the world. 3. Who is it that is thus set apart? It is the man that is godly. 4. What is the end of this action, for which this man is set apart? He is set apart for God. 'Tis the choicest duty that belongs to us to set ourselves apart for God; and 'tis one of the choicest mercies of God, to set us apart for himself. The Lord doth separate to himself for employment, and for fellowship; he will employ that man, and he will have communion with that man. The Angels, they are of all creatures taken to special communion with God, they behold the face of God the Father which is in Heaven. It was excellently expressed by Tertullian, the Saints in this life are the men that are the Lords attendants, setting the Lord always before them, and standing always before him, waiting upon him. Zech. 3.7. Thus saith the Lord, if thou wilt walk in my ways, etc. I will give thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mah-lechim, Walks: that is, places to walk: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●en hagnomedim ha-elleh, inter stantes illos, among these that stand by: Who be they? The meaning is conceived to be this; the Angels, they always stand before God, thousand thousands compass his Throne; now when the Lord speaks of taking a people into intimate familiarity with himself, he saith, he will give them walks, or Galleries to walk in among the Angels themselves, to attend upon him, and hence are those and such like expressions of this their office and duty: I have set the Lord always before me, etc. and as the eyes of Servants are upon the hands of their Masters, and as the eyes of a waiting-Maid unto the hand of her Mistr●sse; so our eyes are upon the Lord our God, (waiting) till he have mercy upon us, etc. Now had the Lord chosen you but to Salvation, when he did leave the Angels to fall under the curse of their covenant broken, this had been a great mercy; but this will not satisfy electing love, only to make up old breaches, and then to shut up its bosom: or to say to us, as David said to Absalon, let him return to his house, but let him never see my face; no, but God will have his children look him in the face: therefore in the Luke 214. there is not only glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, which is reconciliation, but there is good will towards men: There is fellowship and communion, peace will not serve loves turn, but there must be good will too. The love of God did not only ordain us to friendship, but it did ordain us to fellowship. The Father in love came forth from all eternity to us, that we to all eternity might enjoy communion with him: I had almost said that the very essence of the love of God, and all the actings of it, lead to communion and fellowship with him. Ground. 2 The second ground of communion is from the Covenant of Grace under which you stand. When Adam had sinned, he ran away from God; when he made himself a sinner, God made him an exile: Now in the Covenant under which Adam was, he had communion with God as a Creature with his Creator, but not as a child with his Father. Now the Covenant of grace, it is a conjugal Covenant; and conjugal Covenants are all of them made for the enjoying of communion, Hosea 2.19. I will betrothe thee to me for ever; yea, I will betrothe thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving kindness, and in mercies: Mark, there are four things in these words, that point out the firmness, and the stability of our Marriages with Christ: First, 'tis done in righteousness; Secondly, in judgement; Thirdly, in loving kindness; Fourthly, in tender mercies: Now what are the fruits and effects of this same conjugal relation, and of our joining to Christ? See Chap. 3.3. And I said, thou shalt be for me many days, and shalt not be for another, so will I be for thee. Christ promiseth to be for the Saints, and he engageth the Saints to be for him, Ephes. 2.12. Strangers to the Covenants of promise, without God, and without hope in the world; Till such time as a man be brought into Covenant with God, he is a stranger to God, and therefore hath no communion with him; he stands at the greatest distance from this fellowship with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ. But now, when a man is brought within the verge of the Covenant of grace, then hath he communion in all the grace of the Covenant. The Covenant of Grace hath two properties peculiar to it, which were not in the first Covenant: First, there is Foedus Amicitiae, and Paedus Conjugale; a Covenant of friendship, and a Conjugal Covenant. This is the great end of the Gospel, Luke 2.14. the Angels described the purpose of God, and what is it? to give peace on earth, and good will: God contents himself not only with peace, but good will; not only reconciliation, but communion: and the Lord delights his people should come to him in a familiar way, under terms of intimacy, Hos. 2.16. a strange expression, Thou shalt not call me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ishi, (saith the Lord) and shalt call me no more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Baali: Baali signifies my Lord; God would be called by Lord no more; but call me Ishi, what's that? my Husband. Ground 3 The third ground of communion of Saints with God is, their union with Jesus Christ. Answerable to your union, there will be your communion. There's a union. 1. An union Political, as between a King and his people. 2. An union natural, as between head and members. 3. An union sinful, as betwixt one sinner and another. 4. An union Hypostatical, between the two natures of Christ. 5. An union mystical, and that is between Christ and the Saints. Look what Righteousness Christ as Mediator hath, is yours; and the communion that Christ hath with the Father, we have interest in it also, 1 Cor. 12.12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the memes of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ. God the Father never looks on Christ and the Saints as two, but as one. Will you take a view of Christ's communion with the Father, Dan. 7.13. I saw, and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 1 John 18. He lives in the bosom of the Father. The bosom 'tis the seat of secrets of love, and of fellowship. Now in this his communion with the Father, we are in no less than the whole of our Salvation interessed; for he is brought before the Father standing at his right hand, and lying in his bosom, not only to enjoy communion with his Father himself, but to intercede for our communion with him also. Union that disposeth for communion. There can be no communion where there is no union, Rev. 3.20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. First, there must be opening of the door, and Jesus Christ must come in, before ever there be supping together: none of the fare that is to feast a Chrian comes, till Christ himself brings it: If the door be shut against Christ's person, than there is a Baracado to all communion. Cant. 5.5. I am come into my Garden, my sister, my spouse, etc. And then, Eat O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. There are two things that we enjoy by virtue of our union with Christ. First, satisfaction in him. Secondly, Communion and fellowship with him. Look what fellowship and Communion Christ hath with the Father, it is by virtue of his union with him, and look what fellowship and Communion we have with Christ, 'tis by virtue of our union with him, 1 Cor. 3.22.23. mark how the Relation there riseth, All are yours; how comes that? ye are Christ's, and Christ is Gods: and Rom. 5.2. by whom we have access into this grace wherein we stand: note this; 1. Believers have under the Gospel access into glorious grace; into this grace. 2. That the meritorious cause of believers access into this grace is the Lord Jesus Christ; by whom. 3. The same state of grace to which the Gospel brings us, in that estate doth Christ keep us; wherein we stand. 4. That a Saint through the sight of his access to, and his standing in this grace, is made to rejoice in hope of the glory of God, as is expressed in the words following; for the clearing and confirmation of the substance of all those four particulars, viz. that believers have access unto, and are kept into that state of grace wherein they rejoice and glory, only by Jesus Christ and his mediation there is a remarkable expression of the Apostle, in Eph. 2.13. but now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Jesus; for he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition: Those who are without Christ, are afar off three manner of ways: 1. In point of opinion and apprehension. 2. In point of fellowship and Communion. 3. In point of grace and conversion. Now as Joseph said to his Brethren, bring your Brother Benjamin with you, or else see not my face any more; So doth God say to sinners when they come nigh to enjoy communion with him, bring Jesus Christ in your arms, or else never look me in the face. It's the custom of some Countries and foreign Nations, that when ever they speak any thing to the King, they take up his Son in their arms; sure I am 'tis the custom of Heaven, that who ever shall have Communion with God and enjoy fellowship with his spirit, they must take his Son in their arms, and carry Christ along with them. Heb. 4.16. Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. God hath set up a Throne, and that Thone that he hath set up is a gracious Throne; and 'tis set up for poor sinners, and for poor sinners to come freely and boldly too; to take liberty in speaking to God: it's set up for these two ends, for the obtaining of mercy, and for the finding of grace that may help us in time of need; that is, for the finding of favour, and fellowship with God. And it is upon the alone account of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we can come with boldness to it. Look on the words foregoing, verse 15: For we have not an high Priest, that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, etc. Let us therefore come boldly, etc. John 14.6. I am the way, the truth, and the life, there is no coming to the Father, but by Jesus Christ: and Heb. 10.19. Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. The sinfullest wretches in the world, if they be brought into Jesus Christ, may come boldly, and have communion with God the Father, Cant. 1.4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers. There is no going into the chambers, the places of communion with God the Father, but by being led by the hand of the King of Saints, the Lord Jesus Christ thither. Ground. 4 The fourth ground of our communion with God, is the Spirit of Christ in us; this is one of the main ends why believers receive the Spirit of Christ; the Spirit of Christ is not only received as a bond of union, but as a means of communion, the Spirit of Christ in believers hath these four things in it. 1 It's a Spirit of Union. 2 It's a Spirit of Unction. 3 It's a Spirit of Action. 4 It's a Spirit of Fellowship. As 1. It's a spirit of Union, It's that which is the everlasting tie of the God head in itself, the spirit running forth through the Father, and the Son; or proceeding from the Father and the Son, as it is expressed in the Gospel; so 'tis that which is the very tie and knot of the Saints and Christ, 1 Cor. 6.17. He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit. 2. It's a Spirit of Union, 1 John 2.27. but the anointing which ye have received abideth in you, etc. The ointment that was poured upon the head of Aaron it ran down to the skirts of all his Garment; the spirit of God like to ointment that was poured forth upon the head of Christ, and it doth run down to all his members. 3. It's a Spirit of Action, saith the Apostle; If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh. The spirit is the powerfullest weapon in our hands to put flesh to death in us; it is not an idle, but an active spirit. 4. It's a spirit of fellowship and Communion, Eph. 2.18: For through him we both have an access by one spirit, unto the father, we both have access; that is, Jew and Gentile; though they are two Nations, that one spirit leads them both to the Father; The Spirit of Christ is not only a spirit of manifestation and of revelation; but it is a spirit of Supplication and of Manuduction, It leads us by the hand to the Father, Rom. 8.14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they the Sons of God. Thus you see that intimacy is grounded upon your Union with Christ. The ground of all Communion is Union, now answerable to the Union such must the Communion be, if the Union be very near, truly then the Communion must be very intimate, Ephesians 5.3. We are of his flesh and of his bone, it is so near; nay nearer, he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit, what's the end why the Lord hath made so near a Union? truly it is that there may be an intimate Communion answerable, he is in us like leaven, even as the leaven incorporates itself, that there can be no separation between it and the dough. One end of the Hypostatical Union was the mystical Union, Christ takes the two natures into one person, that so you might become one with him Consider, there is a moral union that is made by love, for love is Affectus unionis, an uniting affection, such a union the Angels have, and Adam had in the state of Innocency; I but there is likewise an union that faith makes, a mystical union, that is another kind of union then ever the Angels had, or can have; The Angels are never said to be the brethren of Christ, and the members of Christ, Christ is said to be their head, but they are never said to be his members; there is some thing morein that mystical union which is by faith between Christ and believers; then there can be in that union which is between Christ and the Angels. Now if the end of union be Communion, why hath the Lord made so near a union, but for an intimate familiarity and communion. Ground. 5 The fift ground of Communion is our conformity and similitude to Jesus Christ, conformity and similitude is the ground of all communion: A Saint being made like unto God receives communion and fellowship with God, the more a Christian grows up into a conformity with God, the higher he grows in his fellowship and communion with God. The less any man hath of a Divine Resemblance, the less he enjoys of a Divine Communion; When our Images shall be perfected, than our communion shall be completed: the more imperfect our Image is, the more imperfect our Communion is. I shall lay down two propositions. 1. That a Saint hath a conformity, and a resemblance of God upon him. 2. That his conformity and resemblance to God, is the ground of his communion with God. 1. That a Saint hath a conformity, and a resemblance of God upon him, 1 john 4.17. For as he is, so are we in this world. And 2 Pet. 1.4. Whereby are given unto us, exceeding great and precious promises, that by them we may be made partakers of the Divine Nature. There's a kind of impression of the glorious attributes of God enstamped upon every Christian. 1. There's a kind of Omnipotency, Phil. 4.13. I can do all things through Christ, that strengthens me. What can Omnipotency do more than all things? and yet Paul can do no less, by the strength he receives from Christ. 2. There's a kind of Omnisciency in all the Saints, 1 Joh. 2.20. But ye have an Unction from the holy one, and ye know all things. There are some footsteps of that glorious Attribute of God, that are to be seen upon gracious souls, 1 Cor. 2.15. He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet be himself is judged of no man: He is the judge of all, and yet none the judge of him. 3. There are some impressions of the all-sufficiency of God, that is engraven upon a Christian, Phil. 4.18. I have all, and abound, and am full. So 2 Cor. 6.10. As having nothing, and yet possessing all things. So 1 Tim. 2.6. Godliness, with contentment is great gain. The Greek reads it thus, Godliness with selfe-sufficiency is great gain. So Solomon tells us— that a good man shall be satisfied from himself, not from another, but from himself: There is some kind of impression of the All-sufficiency of God upon a Christian. 4. There's a kind of Omnipresence of God upon a Christian. Heaven and earth are the two great Continents of all things; now a Divine soul is travelling in them both at once, Phil. 3.12. Our conversation is in heaven; though they themselves were on earth, yet their conversation was in heaven, so that they are both in heaven and earth at once: where ever God is, there the Saints are, for they have their dwelling places in him, Psalm. 73.23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee, thy right hand upholdeth me. A Christian runs through all states and things with God himself, he is led by his Father's hand through every state. 5. There's a kind of immortality put upon a Saint; mortality is written upon the face of all things that are below, every thing is liable to the stroke of death; yet a Christian, though he die daily, yet lives for ever; though the man die, yet the Saint doth not, grace is never laid in the grave, John 11.26. He that believeth in me shall never die: that is, he shall never live uncomfortable, for an uncomfortable life is equivalent to death; and he shall never die eternally, he that believes in me, the second death hath no power over him; he may die as a man, but he shall never die as a believing man. 6. There's a kind of immutability and unchangableness upon a Christian: In regard of his state he is immutable, he can never change, though in regard of the degrees of his state he is changing daily: look what now he is as a Saint, that he shall for ever be, he shall never lose the graces that he hath received, for the gifts and callings of God are without Repentance; that is, he never reputes, nor exerciseth any acts of sorrow, for the bestowing of grace upon any of his people. A believer lives unchangably in the midst of changes, he lives peaceably in the midst of troubles, and cheerfully in the midst of wants. Thus you see that a Saint hath a conformity, and a resemblance of God upon him. The second Position I laid down, that this conformity is the ground of communion: the more likeness there is in any creature one to another, the more love, and the more love, the more desire of communion; Birds of a feather will flock together: Things that carry a contrariety can never admit of any community: what communion hath light and darkness together, which are so opposite to each other? The light expels the darkness, and the darkness draws a shadow over the light. The Holy Ghost tells us in plain language, that light hath fellowship with nothing but light, and darkness hath fellowship with nothing but darkness, 1 John 1.6, 7. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. There can be no communion with Christ, except there be a conformity to Christ. Now many Souls are there that delude and deceive themselves, and think they have communion when they have none; but alas, if you be not made like unto Christ, you can never have communion with Christ in grace, nor communion with Christ in glory. Thus you see this Communion ariseth from the conformity that is in the Saints unto Christ: likeness is the ground of love, and suitableness is the ground of intimacy; that is the reason why you say a man is known by his communion. Princes you judge of their tempers by their favourites; the reason is, because a man's Spirit never closethin intimat society with any man, but one that hath a suitableness with himself. 1 Cor. 6.17. There can be no communion betwixt light and darkness, Christ and Belial; where there is no conformity, there is no communion, Rom. 8.29. what is the great end you aim at? to be like unto his Son. So then, when your conformity shall be perfect, than your communion shall be swallowed up in vision, for vision is but union perfect. Secondly, To give you the Properties of this communion, and they are these six. 1. 'tis a Superlative, and transcendent 2. A free and voluntary 3. A close and near 4. A growing and increasing 5. A Spiritual & Supernatural 6. A delightful and complacential Communion. 1. 'Tis a Superlative and a transcendent communion, a communion that is above all communions, it excels all other communions and fellowships in the inferior world. There are two very sad sights in the world; one is to see a bad man inflamed with joy; the other is to see a good man devoured and overwhelmed with sorrow. Let me pluck down the pride of the natural man, and raise up the heart of the spiritual man. There be many other communions in the world, but this is above them all, the communion that the Saints have with God compared with other Communions, 'tis as Saul among the people, that was higher by the head and shoulders than the rest of them, 'tis as the Sun compared with the planets far larger, and far more glorious than any one of them, nay then all of them: you that take up the communion without God, below God, besides God, nay (it may be in some things) against God; know this, that it is much inferior to the Communion that the Saints have with God, Cant. 1.2. Let him kiss me with with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. It was the saying of a precious Saint, That one hours' communion with God was more worth than the whole world; and indeed the Saints are able to set to their seal that this is true; will you see them doing of it, Psal. 84.10. For a day in thy Court, is better than a thousand: I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God, then to dwell in the tents of wickedness. One day's communion with God is more worth than all the communion you have in this world. You that are rocked in the cradle of Creatures, and take the cream of them, that have all the bosoms of created Excellencies to receive from, and to communicate yourselves too unto; alas, there's more sweetness tasted in the enjoyment of the least part of God, then in the greatest part of the world. Are not waters much more pleasant in their springs then in their streams? the Saints and people of God they drink at the fountains head when they go to God, and take in all at the first hand, the creatures milk out no sweetness but when God fills their breasts. The communion that the Saints have with God is Superlative and transcendent in a six-fold respect. 1. The dignity & excellency of all communion is according to the persons with whom we communicate, 1 Joh. 1.3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; why, with whom is your fellowship? Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ. The fellowship that the Saints have, is with all the Persons in the Trinity. In this communion, there are these two things: First, the persons dignify the communion: Secondly, the communion dignifies the Persons that enjoys it: For a Beggar to have communion with a King, is a very high privilege; but nothing, compared with the Saints enjoying communion with God. Ordinary communion with extraordinary persons, raiseth it to a great height. 2. Our communion with God must needs be a superlative communion: Why? because it is the foundation on which all other fellowships are laid. When we broke with God, all creatures broke with us; when man fell from his holiness, he fell from his happiness; when he fell from his Image, he fell from his excellency. The creatures stood upon the same terms with us, as we stood with God, and by falling from God, all creatures fell from us. There were two things that we lost in relation to the creature: 1. Our dominion over them; 2. Our communion with them. All men that live in their natural state have no real communion with the creature, all creatures are become enemies to them, since they themselves became enemies to God; creatures had no longer their commission to be obedient to us, than we were obedient to God. I but observe now, when once we are restored to God, and brought into communion with heaven, all the creatures are restored to us, when once we ourselves are brought to God, Hos. 2.19. unto 22. I will betrothe thee unto me for ever, etc. and then, I will hear the heavens, and the heavens shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. There is a five fold communion, that is bottomed upon our communion with God. 1. The communion that the Saints have with the Angels, is all bottomed upon the communion they have with Christ. 2. The communion that the Saints of God have one with another; Saints should never have had communion with Saints if they had not had communion with God 1 John 1.3. These things writ 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. 3. The communion of the Church of the Jews with the Gentiles, that's laid in their communion with God. 4. The communion the glorious Saints have in heaven with the glorious Saints on earth, that's bottomed upon their communion with God, Heb. 12.22, 23. 5. The communion that we have with all the creatures, that's bottomed upon our communion with Christ. 3. This must needs be the most superlative communion which is made between God the Father and Jesus Christ, and all the Saints; why? because when once it gins, it never ends; perpetuity adds an excellency to it. Things that are evil are much more evil, by how much longer their continuance are; So it is in things that are good, they are much better by their continuance. Some interpositions there may be of a Saints communion sometimes, but no dissipation of it: The interruptions that the communion of the Saints meet withal, are but as clouds before the Sun, that quickly make their departures again, when it shines forth upon them. Other communions often end as soon as ever they begin, they are lost as soon as ever they are found, they are taken out of our hands as soon as ever they are gotten into our hands; friends quickly die and leave us behind them, or it may be we ourselves die and leave our friends behind us, and so the knot of communion is untied; They are not long lived that have the longest life: But a Saint in communion would never attain his end, if his communion should ever come to an end. Such as the foundation is, such is the building that's laid upon it; the foundation of all communion is laid in love, and love is laid from everlasting to everlasting; God must first cease to let out his affections to the Saints, before ever he can cease in communion with them. 4. It must needs be the highest communion, because it is the open door to all a Saints blessedness, so you have it in the Text, I will meet them, and bless them: What a blessing did Jacob receive, when the Angel wrestled with him all the night? But jacob's wrestling goes before his blessing: Our communion makes way for our blessedness, there are no favours, but come in through the gates of communion. 5. It must needs be the highest communion, because all other commnnions are but dark shadows and resemblances of it; the uttermost that all Communions among all the creatures amounts to, is but a resemblance and a dark shadow of this communion with God: 'Tis resembled by the Vine and the branches, the head and members, the friend and the friend, the husband and the wife; but alas, these are but the fingers of the dial without, to let us see how the wheels move therein: Look how much the substance outgoes the shadow, so much doth the love of Christ, and our communion with him, outgo any resemblance that can be made of it. 6. Our communion with God, must needs be superlative communion, because all other communions is to be laid down in order, to the taking up, and the keeping up of this communion with God: look what fellowship soever any man hath, or what communion soever he can have, that is inconsistent with his communion with God, is all to be laid down for the enjoyment of communion with God; therefore it is the most transcendent communion. I might give it you in four particulars more, there is no communion so desirable, so profitable, so powerful, so perfect, as this communion with God. This is the first property of communion with God, 'tis a transcendent communion. II. The second property of the Saints communion with God, is, that 'tis a free & a voluntary communion: the communion that the creatures have with God, and that God hath with them, is not brought in by force. 1. On God's part to the creature, 'tis free and voluntary. 2. On the creatures part to God, 'tis free and voluntary. God makes choice of the creature for communion with himself, for the unveiling of his glory, for the opening of his bosom, for the bestowing of his love, for the pouring forth of his Spirit, God freely and voluntarily opens his bosom to the Saints, and the Saints do freely and voluntarily open their bosoms to God. Rev. 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him; and sup with him, and he with me. The doors are not broken open, but they are set open when Christ comes in; Christ comes 'tis true, undeserved, and many times undesired, but where he finds not the will free, he makes the will free to embrace him. The will of God is in nothing more set forth to the creatures, then in communion, and the will of the creature is in nothing more let out to God, then in communion also: Communion is so much the more choice, by how much the more it is chosen. Cant. 1.4. Draw me, and we will run after thee: When Christ draws, she will not withdraw from him, but she will follow after him. The several dispensations of communion, speaks it out to be a free communion. 1. Some have a more clear and distinct communion with God than others have had: In Numb. 12 6, 7, 8. And he said, if there be a Prophet among you, that I the Lord will make myself known to him in visions and dreams: But my servant Moses it is not so with him, for I will speak to him mouth to mouth (that is, apparently, and not in dark speeches) and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Some men's communions are more clear, and less clouded than others: Some men they talk with God face to face, as men talk with their friends; but others, they see only the backparts of God, communion is more clouded to them, they cannot enter within the veils; but these are taken within all veils, and they have more naked views of Divine glories, than others have: Some souls they have sweet enjoyments of communion with God, and yet have not so clear discoveries, as to be able to demonstrate their communion: Whence is this? but because communion is free and voluntary, and so God dispenceth it according to the rules of his own will. 2. Some men's communions with God is more constant than others; some they walk continually in the light of his countenance, and ever sit under the hearing of the joyful sound; others complain again, as in Jer. 14.8. O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? With some God stays but a little while, with others he takes up his dwelling, they are always under the due droppings of divine communion, and have the constant flow in of a divine presence: He lies down with some souls, and riseth up with them again. I have set God always before me, says the Prophet, he is at my right hand, I shall not fall. God was never out of his sight, his eye was fixed upon him, his soul was running out after him, Psal. 73.23. Nevertheless, I am continually with thee, thy right hand hath upheld me. It's a free and voluntary communion. Though desires be the actings of the affections, yet they are the issue forth of the will: Cant. 4.16. Awake O North wind, and come thou South, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may blow out: let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits: and Cant. 7.10. I am my beloved's and his desire is towards me; there is the going forth of desires to each other for the enjoyment of one another: no communion so free as the communion that is betwixt Christ and the Saints, between God and his people. III. Property of communion that the Saints have with God, it is a very close and near communion, so my Text, I will meet them and bless them. Look as the union that is betwixt Christ and a believer is very close and near, so the communion that is betwixt Christ and believers is very close and near also, they are joined each to other. There are two things that hinder communion. 1. Difference of persons. 2. Distance of places; both these are taken away in Christ, when the soul comes to approach the presence of God and stand before him, 'tis made one with him, a soul cannot say as he said in Numb. 26.17. I shall see him, but not now, I shall behold him, but not nigh: no, this communion it is called an appearing before God, it is called a drawing nigh to God, a supping with God, it is not a communion at a distance, but a Communion in presence, it is not a communion without doors, but a communion within doors, it is Gods coming into the Soul, and the Souls coming up more and more into God, Cant. 4.16. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits, & Revel. 3.20. I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me. It is a Soul creeping into the very bosom of Christ, it is as it were the child getting into his Father's Arms, or the husband lying between the breasts of his spouse, as Cant. 13. A bundle of Mirth is my well-beloved unto me, he shall lie all night between my breasts; and Heb. 10.22. Let us draw near, etc. Observe, all communion is according to the union, the farther off any thing is in union, the greater distance in point of fellowship. So it is here, the neearer the union, the closer the communion. A child is farther off in point of union than a spouse, a servant farther off then a child, the highest union hath always the closest communion. Jesus Christ and the Saints have the nearest union, for they are made one spirit; The bond of all union below is flesh, but the bond of all union above is spirit, Jesus Christ and a Saint is so one, as the Father look? upon them all in him; he never looks on them as substracted, but as united. There is always the closest communion where there is the choicest love; but there is the choicest love between Christ and the Saints; therefore the closest communion. Love cannot live at the least distance from its beloved, love lets nothing come between, or interpose between it and its object, it is like a falling mountain that breaks down all that is betwixt it and its rest, love is never so near, but it would still be nearer; when it hath got its object, its eye, it would then have it in his Arms. FOUR Property of the communion that the Saints have with God; it is a growing and increasing communion, it every day creeps up to a greater height, and to taller stature, no communion is capable of such increase as our communion with God. There are two things you may consider in relation to the souls of the Saints: 1. They grow up by communion with God. 2. They grow up in communion with God: the more a Soul converseth with God, and the oftener it doth approach unto him, it comes to see a greater beauty in God, to taste a greater sweetness in God, and to enjoy a greater presence of God. Consider three particulars. 1. Look how a man's apprehension grows of God, so his communion grows with God, most men's apprehensions are below God, but the best men's apprehensions are too low of God: when men raise apprehensions of God, and with thoughts of the glory and excellency of God upon them, then are they raised in their communion with God: As the Souls apprehensions of God are raised by degrees, so his communion with God is raised by degrees also, Jsa. 6.3. The Angels they have glorious acts of communion with God, they always behola the face of God, they are holy, holy, holy; when men have low understanding, slighting thoughts of the glorious Majesty of God, and of the holiness of God, they can never enjoy excellent and glorious communion with God; for such as a man's apprehensions are of God, such is his communion with God. There are 3 things that are according to our apprehensions of them. 1. Such as our apprehensions are, such will be our estimations; as we see things, so we prise them. 2. Such will be our applications, if they be raised towards a thing, we apply ourselves to it, that we may have the enjoyment of it. 3. Such will be our communions: none shall ever take delight to draw near to those things wherein we see & judge no excellency. 2. Consider, as men grow up in conformity to God, so will they grow up in communion with God, for as conformity is a ground of communion, so the more conformity the greater the communion still. As the life of holiness grows up within us, so communion with God flows in upon us, Phil. 3.10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection, etc. The more conformable Paul was made to Christ's death, the more communion he enjoyed in Christ's Resurrection. 2 Cor. 3. last, We beholding the same Image as in a glass, as the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. 3. The more a Saint grows in largeness of affection, the more will he grow up in spiritualness of communion, love draws the heart strongly after God, many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. At the first entrance upon our communion with God, the soul is but weak and poor, it hath but some tastes of God, but it comes for more, till at last it feed upon a full Table. 1 Pet. 2, 3, 4. If you have tasted that the Lord is gracious; What then? to whom coming as unto a living stone, dissallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and very precious. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house. The more we taste of the graciousness of God, the more still do we come into communion with God. 'Tis very observable in the Song of Solomon, that the Spouse at first she had but some kisses of the lips of Christ, but afterward she is taken into his Chambers, and at last she is brought into his Banqueting house, into his house of Wine. There are four things that communion leaves in the soul, after any precious acts that it hath enjoyed. 1. Communion leaves in the soul a sweet remembrance in it, Cant. 1.4. The King hath brought me into his chambers, We will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine. The Acts of the love of Christ shown to a soul in communion with him, is increased by it. Psalm 42.4. When I remember these things, I power out my soul in me: These things, what things? when I went with the multitude that kept holy day: that is, when I went with thy Saints to worship thee, where I enjoyed communion with thee. 2. It leaves an impression of grace and holiness of God upon the soul. Cant. 5.5. I risen up to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock. Moses his communion left an impression of the glory of God upon him, when he comes from the Mountain, he comes with his face shining: there are bright beams of God's face, to be seen upon Moses face. 3. It leaves in a man a love to those Ordinances, where he had this communion: O how much is the soul in love with those Sermons, in which communion with God is obtained, and with those prayers in which he hath the enjoyment of God. 4. It leaves in the soul an instinct after further fellowship, and after further communion; so that the whole desires of the foul are carried forth now after greater and larger enjoyments, after higher and more glorious incomes, and fresh influences of the divine presence You never knew what it was to enjoy communion with God, if your hearts run not out after further and greater communion. The V Property of communion and fellowship that the Saints have with God in Ordinances, it is spiritual and and supernatural. First, it is not all theabilities of nature that can make up this commumunion, it is not all the education of the world that can bring a soul into the presence of God; or any parts and gifts that is able to raise the Soul into communion with God. It is a spiritual communion, it is the Spirit of God coming down and taking the Spirits of the Saints up to its self, Revel. 1.10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day; when he was in the spirit of the Lord, than he had communion with the Lord, 2 Cor. 3. last, we all with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same Image, etc. we see the glory of the Lord; I but what is the eye by which you see it? it is the spirit of the Lord. This is an unerring rule, that such as the union is, such the communion must be; but the union that is spiritual, and therefore the communion that must needs be spiritual also, 1 Cor. 6.17. They that are joined to the Lord are one spirit. 2. Such as the persons are enjoying communion, such is the Communion of those persons: now the persons enjoying communion they are spiritual persons, therefore the communion that they enjoy is spiritual. God is a spirit, and the Saints are spiritual, and therefore have communion one with another in a spiritual manner. 3. Such as the means of communion is, such is the communion itself; now all the means of communion are spiritual, therefore the communion itself must be spiritual. The Ordinances, they are all of them spiritual, they are not carnal Ordinances, though many persons use them carnally. The words that I speak (saith Christ) they are spirit and they are life; that is, they be full of vigour, full of power, full of majesty, and full of authority. As no means attain their end but such as are suitable to that end, so no end order the means, but such as agree with it. The communion the Saints have with God is a spiritual communion, and therefore look into your spirits, whether or no you do enjoy communion with God. The VI and last Property of the Communion that the Soul hath with God, it is a delightful fellowship & communion, the Soul comes to take up its delight and complacency in the enjoyment of God, when once it is brought into communion with him, and God takes up his delight and complacency in the Soul, when once he comes to have communion with it. There is no communion so delightful as the communion that is made between God and the Saints. There be many most pathetical expressions (in solomon's his Song of Songs) holding forth the unexpressible sweetness and delight in this communion between Christ and the Soul; but two of them are chief remarkable and to be taken notice of, viz. Cant. 2.3. and 5.16. The words of the first Text are these; As the Apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons; I sat down under his shadow, with great delight; or as it is in the Hebrew, I delighted [my self] greatly (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmadti being the conjugation piel, which much intendeth and augmenteth the signification of the root;) and I sat down, or I desired exceedingly, (for the proper and radical signification of the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chamad, is, he desired; and in piel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmed, he desired greatly or exceedingly; and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmadti, I desired greatly) and I sat down, (to wit to enjoy him and communion with him, and to taste the sweetness of his fruit; and what follows?) and his fruit was (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matok lechikkis) sweet to my palate; according as I desired, which made me to delight myself abundantly in the enjoyment of him, and communion with him: That is the force and emphasis of the first text; But further, as if this were not enough to express the sweetness and delightfulness of this communion; therefore in that other text, Cant. 5.16. these same roots 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chamad and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matak, are raised up higher, as it were, to express a higher degree of delight and sweetness (in this spiritual communion between Christ and the Soul) thus, his mouth is most sweet, yea he is altogether lovely; that is the expression in your translation: But the original words (which no translation in the world can reach, nor rise to) are those; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chicko mamtackkim vecullo machamaddim; and word for word translated they sund thus, or to this sense; his mouth (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chic-co) or the place of his mouth (is all) sweetness, full of (nothing but) sweetness; for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mamtakkim, is a noun in the plural number, importing dulcedines sweetnesses; that is all sorts of sweetness, or sweetness itself, and all the species or kinds of sweetness are all laid up, and hid as it were in the palate of his mouth to be tasted by Souls taken up to communion and fellowship with him; that is the force of the first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mamtakkim, sweetness, from the former root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matak, he was sweet; and the other word in this text, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vecullo machamaddim, hath the like and no less emphasis, importing this, and he is all, desires or delights, or all of him, all and every whit or part of him, (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cullo) is nothing out delights (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 machamaddim, being also from the former root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chamad, he desired, a noun in the plural number, setting forth him, and all the parts of him to be pleasures and delights, that is most pleasant, most lovely and delightful; even to be all delights) and desires, that is most desirable and most worthy to be the object of all desires; and therefore he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chemdat col haggojim, the desire of all nations; Hag. 2.8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 zeh dodi, this, and such is my beloved, so sweet, & so delightful is the tasting of his fruit, in the enjoyment of him, & communion with him; saith the believing soul, to invite all the daughters of Jerusalem to come and partake of such exceeding delight and sweetness, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betzillo, under his shadow; for no shadow yields such shelter, no shadow yields such comfort, as the soul sitting under Christ as a shadow; that is enjoying her communion and fellowship with him. What delight doth the tender Father take to have communion with his beloved child? and the loving husband take to have communion with his beloved wife? what delight do friends take in having communion with each other? O how much more, and how much higher is the delights of Christ raised in having communion with the Saints, and the delights of the Saints raised in enjoying communion with Christ. And hence in the same chapter, Cant. 2.14. The ●ice of Christ to the Church, is thus, O my dove! that art in the cliffs of the Rocks, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. So much for the properties of communion. Thirdly, I come to the acts of communion; and they are many and various: I'll name the chief of them. 1. Mutual manifestation. 2. Mutual contemplation. 3. Mutual admiration. 4. Mutual delight and satisfaction. 5. Mutual communication of secrecy. The first act of communion is manifestation, and that 1. Of God to man. 2. Of man to himself. 1. ●f God to man, and that three ways of his Presence, of his Glory, and of his Grace. 1. Of his presence Saith Jacob, Gen. 28.16. God is in this place. And John 14.21. I will manifest myself to him. 2. Of his glory, Psalm 63.3: josee thy power, and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary. 3. Of his grace, Heb. 4.16. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, etc. God in Gospell-Ordinances through Jesus Christ, sits upon a Throne of grace; and when we go unto the throne of grace to receive from him, we must go with boldness. Now there are two chief acts that you are to exercise about this presence of God, when it manifests itself to you in the use of Ordinances. 1. The foul sees and observes this presence of God, manifesting itself, and beholds it. It is David's wish Psal. 27.4. That I might dwell in thy House, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his Temple. As the Ordinances of God are the glory of a people, so the presence of God is the glory of the Ordinances, and the soul that enjoys communion with God, it eyeth and seethe the glorious presence of God in Ordinances. 2. There's not only an act of beholding, but there's an act of adoring the presence that we do behold, doing homage to it: The Angels that have a more immediate communion with God than we have, they fall down before God, and adore him. And so the Prophet Esay, Esay 6.5. Then said I, woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of uncleanelips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. And Rev. 4.10. And the twenty four Elders cast down their Crowns at his feet, and fall down before him, etc. Secondly, there's an act of Revelation of man to himself, to know himself. Man in himself, is dark in discoveries of himself, 2 Cor. 4.6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Prov. 20.27. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. 'Tis not the presence of the Lord in heaven, but the presence of the Lord in Ordinances that is the candle of the Lord. Now in this act of the Revelation of man to himself. 1. It discovers the secrets of the heart, 1 Cor. 14.25: And thus are the secrets of the heart made manifest. 2. It discovers the principles, and grounds, and ends of his action; the Word of God discovers it to him, and the presence of God in it. 3. It passeth a sentence upon a man according to that light, Ezek. 20.3.4. Son of man, wilt thou judge them? that is, by Ordinances. A soul is then judged by Ordinances: First, When it is mightily ashamed in the Divine presence, for its nonconformity unto God: and Secondly, when it takes the judgement that the word gives, and lies down with silence under it. This is the first act of communion, an act of manifestation of God to man, of man to himself: Of God to man, of his Presence, of his Glory, of his Grace: Of man to himself, in the secrets of his heart, and in the principles and grounds of his heart. The second act of communion, is mutual contemplation, the soul doth continually converse with Christ by secret meditation and contemplation. There is a beholding of the beauty of Christ, which is called the beauty of holiness: Holiness is the beauty of a Saint, and Christ is the beauty of holiness. The Saints set forth Christ to be the fairest of ten thousands, fairer than the children of men, Christ replies again, O thou fairest among women. The Saints they behold and contemplate the beauty of Christ; and Christ, he beholds the beauty, and contemplates the excellency of the Saints: The Saints, they are taken up with the love of Christ, and Christ he is taken up with the love of them: thus they admire the virtues one of another. You know, 'tis never well with friends unless they be together; what a shift will lovers make to enjoy each other? So it is between the Soul and the Lord, Psalm 139.18. When I awake, I am still with thee: Why? a man might have told David, God is in heaven, and thou art upon the earth. In my bodily presence I am from him, not with him; but in the presence of spirit, and in the meditation and contemplation of soul, I do never lie down, I do never rise up, but I am with thee. By the Covenant of Grace, and the Ordinances of the Gospel, you are come to God, the judge of all things; you have intimate fellowship with him, as well as with the Saints. Austin saith, The soul doth often and familiarly walk the streets of the new Jerusalem, Seeing there the Patriarches, and the Prophets, and the Lord Jesus Christ: This the soul doth by fiducial reasoning, and by high and glorious meditation and contemplation. The third act of communion is mutual admiration, the soul is admiring those excellencies that are in God, and Christ is admiring those excellencies, and being ravished with the beauties that are in them. Thou hast ravished my heart, my Sister, my Spouse, Cant. In the Book of Exodus, 'tis said, the High Priest carried the names of the children of Israel upon his Breastplate: A Jewel set in the Breastplate of Christ, O how shining and glorious is it! The Saints, as Jewels, are very taking, but being set in Christ's Breastplate, are more taking: This is my beloved, this is my friend, O you daughters of Jerusalem. 4. The fourth act of communion between Christ and the soul, doth consist in mutual delight, satisfaction, contentment, and rejoicing in each other. There was a great fellowship and communion betwixt David and Jona●han, and they rejoiced in each other. There's a great fellowship and communion betwixt wife and husband, ●e●her be as the loving hind to thee: and Esay 62.5. I will rejoice over thee, as a Bridegroom rejoiceth over the Bride. O the contentment that the soul takes in Christ, and the contentment Jesus Christ again takes in the soul that he hath communion withal, Isa. 53.11. He shall see of the travel of his soul, and shall be satisfied: Psal. 17. last. I shall be satisfied when I awake, with thy likeness. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelek Jehovah guammo; The Lord's portion is his people: in Deut. 32.9. and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelkis Jebovah amerah naphshi. The Lord is my portion saith my soul, Lam. 3.24. therefore the Soul studies Christ, and Christ studies the Soul, the king shall take pleasure in thy beauty: you know the command is unto a man, Prov. 5.19. concerning his wife, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her soul, now the Lord Christ his people satisfy him at all times, it is all the portion he looks for, Isa. 62.4. he calls her name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chephtzi bah, or Hephzibah, my delight in her. 5. Act of communication is communication of secrets, love gives gifts, and it gives counsels too. The carriage of a Saint in communion, when he receives the communication of Secrets must be thus. 1. He must come with holy and sanctified thoughts of God. 2. He must come with apprehensions & thoughts of his own vileness; To him will I look (saith God) that is of an humble heart: With an eye of inspection? no, but with an eye of respect, with an eye of compassion, and with an eye of approbation. 3. He must come with seriousness of spirit, and with solidity of heart to the Ordinances, if he would enjoy communion with God in them, and have the secrets of God revealed to him. 4. All a man's graces should be acted, when he comes to attend upon God. And 5. He must bring the Lord Jesus Christ in his arms: as we perform no service but by him, so we have no communion with God but through him. Christ is a two fold Mediator: First of reconciliation for enemies and strangers: Secondly, for communion, and communication of secrets to those that are reconciled. Now in all those, and all other acts of spiritual communion, there is one special and choice qualification of them, that they are performed and acted with much intimacy, or with very intimate and familiar correspondence between Christ and the soul, which appears in these particulars. 1. The soul hath a great deal of intimacy in those acts of communion with Christ; for it looks upon him as reconciled, as one that bears nothing but good will to it. It's ungodly men that look upon God as a stranger, God shows them the back, and not the face, Jer. 18.17. but 'tis not so with his people, he doth remove all clouds, he shows them his face, he doth cause his face to shine upon them, Psalm 104.37. My meditations of him shall be sweet. Mark what is that which sweetens David's meditation of the Lord? Truly the reason was this, because he looked upon God as reconciled and at peace with him, therefore whatsoever was in God, was his. Not to look upon God as a Judge, but as a husband, as a Father reconciled, and so the soul hath an interest in whatsoever is his. Thus God is said Psalms 116.7. to be the rest of the soul, Return to thy rest, O my soul. Thy rest, for truly when the soul wanders from God, it is restless. That's an excellent expression, Psalm. 38.10. My heart panteth, you read it; but in the Original it is thus, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libbi secharchar; my heart went about to and fro like a Merchant: For it is from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sachar, which signifieth to go about, or to run hither and thither, properly to traffic, and play the Merchant in buying and selling: So the soul runs to this creature, and is trading with that creature: But when once the soul pitcheth upon God, it rests there as upon a rock of ages. 2. Their fellowship with Christ is in things of the highest nature, therefore there's a great deal of intimacy. A man may have acquaintance in ordinary things, but familiarity in things of the highest concernment, must needs argue a great deal of intimacy, your fellowship is in the Spirit. As the Devil is an enemy to your fellowship with God in heavenly things, and things of Eternity, Ephes. 6.12. So the intimacy you have with Jesus Christ is in things spiritual, and of an eternal concernment, and they are these four. 1. 'Tis fellowship with Christ in his graces, in the graces of his spirit, We have an Unction from the holy one, 1 John 2.22. 2. 'Tis fellowship with Christ in the motions of his spirit; they that have received the spirit of Christ, are led by that spirit, Rom. 8.14. 3. 'Tis fellowship with Christ in the sealings of his spirit, After you believed, you were sealed by the spirit of promise. Ephes. 1.13. 4. 'Tis fellowship with Christ in the earnest of his spirit, which I think is more than the sealing: sealing puts the state out of controversy, but earnest gives a man a taste of that glory before hand. As a wicked man in this life, by the spirit of bondage doth receive a judgement, a kind of sense and taste of hell in his soul before hand, Heb. 10.27. So doth the Lord let into the souls of his people a foretaste of glory; Here is a great deal of familiarity. In the third place, this intimacy that the Saints have with the Lord Jesus consists in this, they do come to him with boldness, and have access with boldness to the Throne of grace: It is called drawing near, Heb. 10.22. All ungodly men, they stand afar off from God, he comes to God as a stranger, he is afraid of him: But the drawing near of the children of God, it is called Job 22.26. A listing up their face to God: They shall have boldness in the presence of God, as a man that lifts up his face without fear in the presence of his intimate and familiar friend, Hos. 14.6, 7. Their small shall be as the Wine of Lebanon. It is an observation of Galen, all other things grow old, and will grow the worse for time; but Wine, the longer you keep it, the better will it be, time doth not make it grow worse; and that is the reason of that expression of our Saviour, He that hath tasted of old Wine doth not by and by desire new. Now they shall come into the presence of God, and their services shall be accepted of him, as the Wine of Lebanon: What is that? That is, (as one saith) the older they be, and the oftener they come into the presence of God, the more acceptation they find with him, because their smell is as the Wine of Lebanon. In the fourth and last place, they have a great deal of intimacy which appears in this, they are always calling one another to further fellowship, and are never satisfied. Our Saviour Christ is always crying, Open to me my Love, my Sister, and my Spouse; and the Church she is always calling, the Spirit saith come, and the Bride saith come; come away my beloved, come away like a Roe, or a young Hart upon the mountain of spices: By these Mountains of spices, I conceive to be meant the promises; and the Lords making haste upon them, is for the accomplishment of them. Set me as a Seal upon thine heart. All this ●s nothing else, but the Church still calling to the Lord for further fellowship. True grace is a spark begun here, and it will never cease aspiring, till it hath got to him that is the fountain of all in glory. FOUR I come to the ends of communion, why God will have any fellowship at all with the Saints: and seeing he will have fellowship and communion with them, why he doth not immediately translate them to glory. Observe; he that accomplisheth the best and the greatest ends, is the wisest man: the more ends any action accomplisheth, the more excellent is that action. Mordecai's action was a most excellent one, because it brought about so man y●●nds; there was a great plot defeated, great enemies subdued, the state of the Church was restored, the King's affections rectified, and himself honoured and advanced. There are eleven ends why God will have fellowship and communion with his people. The first great end of God in communion, is, that he might manifest and impart himself to the creature: Gods imparting of himself to the creature, as it is an act of communion, so it is the very end of communion too, John 14.21. I will come to him, and manifest myself to him. There were two ends for which God created the Angels; the one was for glory, and the other was for communion; that they might behold his face: and that he might impart himself to them. There is a double end of communion; some have communion for need, others have it for delight; some have communion for need, they impart their wants to have them supplied; others have communion for delight, their communion is out of abundance of desire for communication; not that they might receive from others, but that they might give to others. God hath not communion with the creatures out of need, but out of delight, not that he needs the creature, but that he might give forth of his abundance to the creature. God sets apart the man that is godly for himself, not for service only, but for communion and communication also. This is one of the great ends of God in communion, that he might impart and communicate himself unto the creature. The 2. End why God will have communion with the Saints, is this; that he might thereby set forth unto the Saints, the perfection of the mediation of Christ, and that in these two things; 1. In his being able to cure all the wounds and bruises that sin had made upon a man: By sin we lost both our Image and our fellowship. Now Jesus Christ, he doth not only make peace with God, so that he doth not destroy us, but raiseth a way of communion with God to receive us. That's a type of Christ, Exod. 25.22. I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, etc. 2. He is able to give you a more perfect communion than Adam had, as he gives you a more perfect righteousness. As we have not a distinct righteousness from Christ's righteousness, so we have not a distinct fellowship from Christ's fellowship. All the communion that Christ hath in the humane nature with the Father, 'tis for us, and in our behalf. 3. End why God will have fellowship and Communion with us, is this, that in this fellowship all other fellowships may have their foundations laid, there had never been any kind of fellowship if there had not been first this kind of fellowship: when you broke with God, all Creatures broke with you, for upon the same terms that we stood with God did all Creatures stand with us: the Devils they have no fellowship among themselves, other creatures that are separated from God, they have no fellowship at all; But now the Saints of Jesus Christ have fellowship with the Angels, I, with all the Saints, they shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven They have fellowship with the Angels, jacob's Ladder which is Jesus Christ, there the Angels come down and go up again; and they have fellowship with the Saints, the Communion between Saints and Saints, is bottomed upon the Communion that is between Christ and Saints, Eph. 1.10. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on Earth, even in him. The 4. End why God will have communion with his Saints, that he might confirm them and make them like unto himself; God loves to see his own picture upon his own people. The more any man is moulded into the sorry things of this world, the more like them he is: the more communion he hath with them, the more conformity. He that walks with the wise shall be wise, So it is with the Saints, the communion they have with God, the more conformity they have to him, for communion makes conformity and carries it on to a greater height: what is the reason the Angels are more holy than men? it is because they have more communion with God than men have; what is the reason the glorified Saints are more holy than the gracious Saints are? 'tis because they have more Communion with God: What's the reason one Saint is more holy than another? 'tis because he hath more Communion with God than the other; according to the degree of our Communion, such will be the degree of our holiness and conformity to God. The fifth end of God's Communion with the Saints is, that he may act and strengthen their graces, Cant. 1.12. While the King sitteth at his Table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. Every thing the nearer it comes to its Centre, the swifter it moves; Communion with God, and the Souls enjoyment of God, 'tis the very Centre of it, and and the nearer it comes to this, the swifter still it moves. 'Tis observable of Abraham, that he put forth the greatest Acts of humility in his Communion with God, O Lord I am but dust and ashes; and Jacob he put forth the highest Acts of zeal in Communion with God, I will not let thee go except thou bless me: and Moses put forth the greatest Acts of prayer in his Communion with God, O Lord pardon the sin of this people which is very great: one of the great ends that God aims at in Communion, is, the exercise of your graces, he would not have the graces of his people to lie still, to be like swords rusting in the scabbards, but he would have them exercised; he would have your patience set at work in waiting upon him, your faith set a work in resting on him, your zeal set a work in longing after him, your zeal set a work in acting for him. God doth not love any Heavenly Talon should be wrapped up in a napkin; he was a sinful servant that was a floathful servant that laid up his Master's Talon, when he should have laid out his Master's Talon: God loves to see us exercise all our graces, and thence it is that he hath Communion with us. 6. End why God will have fellowship and Communion with his Saints is, that he may sweeten the whole course of our lives: while we are in this world we meet with many bitter things, and 'tis only Communion with God that can put sweetness into them. Jesus Christ he was a man of sorrows, and what upheld his life? only Communion with God, the Lord stood by me and strengthened me. Now that which upheld the life of Christ, that is it that doth uphold the life of every Christian, and that is communion with God. The same words Paul makes use of, The Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, whose I am, and whom I serve. This is the mighty end that God aims at in communion, that he may sweeten all the course of our pilgrimage, while we are going to heaven. This is the bunch of grapes that God gives his people to feed upon in their wilderness state, they would be out of heart, if they had no communion with him: This is that sweet wood, that is cast into the waters of Marah, to make them sweet and pleasant. 7. Therefore hath God communion with his people, that he may prepare their hearts for desertions; that they may be affected with them when they come, and that they may not be dejected under them though they long continue, that they may not think their cloud shall never be blown over, though their Sun be hidden. 1. That they may be affected with desertions. Saith David, Thou didst hid thy face, and I was troubled. If he had never seen the face of God, he would never have been troubled for Gods hiding of his face. The Saints of God, if they had not some tastes of communion with him, they would never be troubled for his withdrawment from them. 2. That they may not be dejected under them: David, he calls to mind his song that he made in the night, and the remembrance of that was exceeding sweet, and exceeding pleasant unto him; the remembrance of former communions that he had with God, bore up his spirit, when many troubles were upon him. 8. End why God will have communion with his people, it is to put them out of taste with all the pleasures of sin and the creature, Phil. 4.7. And he peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds, etc. 'Tis usual, when any epithet of God is added to a thing, it signifies and notes the excellency of it: it's the peace of God, a peace that comes from God, a peace that brings to God, a peace that makes us live like God, in such sweetness, and peace, and contentment. Now this peace, it puts a man's mouth out of taste of any of the sweetnesses and of the pleasures of sin, Thy loving kindness is bet●e, than life, saith David. And, Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than Wine, saith the Church. There is nothing puts us out of taste with the pleasures of sin so much, as a souls tasting of communion with God: when a soul hath drank the old wine, it cares not for drinking of new, because the old was better. The loving kindness of God in communion with him, is that which takes off the palate from tasting sweetness any where else. The more any soul is brought into communion with God, the more doth it disrelish the pleasures of sin. 9 End that God aims at in giving the Soul Coumunion with himself, is, that it might aggravate their sins in the day of Repentance: Sins against Communion are great aggravations. Solomon departed from the Lord when he had appeared to him twice, which might tily aggravated his sin. 1 Kings 11.9. God kept an exact account of his manifestations, that he might aggravate Solomon's sins in the day of his Repentance. O when a soul comes to fit down and consider, I have not only sinned against so many mercies of God, and so long tired out the Patience of God, but I have sinned against Communion with God, Jesus Christ took me into his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love, He stayed me with flagons, he comforted me with Apples, his left hand was under my head, and his right hand did embrace me; and yet I finned myself out of the sweet embraces of Christ. O how doth this melt the heart when it comes to mourn for sin, the sense of the sweetness of his communion that he had with God, puts double tears into his eyes, and double sighs into his spirit. There's no such aggravation of sin as communion with God. 10. Therefore God hath communion and fellowship with his people, therefore doth he meet them that he might bless them, Exod. 20.24. Communion times are times when all requests are granted. King Ahasuerus grants the request of Hester, when he comes to sit with her at a banquet of wine. The greatest blessing that ever the Saints do enjoy, it is in times of communion with God: O then, how are their consciences filled with peace! O how are their hearts filled with joy! God makes large distributions of spiritual blessings, when he admits the soul into communion with himself: What blessing is there that the soul may not have, when it hath communion with God in Ordinances? 11. End of God's communion with his people here, is, that his fellowship here may be the first fruits of glory hereafter. When God will bestow any great mercy upon a man, he gives him a taste of it before hand, that he may set him upon more earnest and eager long after it. God's people they have the first fruits of all their mercies in this world, and the full crop of them all in another world. When the soul is made to taste of the sweetness of communion with God, O how it longs to be with God, how many prayers doth the soul make to God, that he would taken it home to himself, that it might ever lie in his arms, and ever dwell in his presence! I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all: What was the ground that raised up such desires in Paul to be with Christ? It was because here he had tasted of the sweetness of Christ; and if Christ in this world was so sweet, if a Christ on earth was so sweet, than a Christ in heaven would be much more sweet. And on this ground the Church calls to Christ, Make hast my beloved, and be thou like a Roe or young Hart upon the mountain of spices, Cant. 8.14. And in Revel. 22. when Christ had told the Church, that he would return again unto her to have more communion with her; she cries out, Amen, even so come Lord Jesus: She puts her prayers to Christ's promises, and saith, Amen Lord, so let it be. Application. THere are three Uses I shall make of this point. 1. Information: 2. Examination: 3. Exhortation. 1. For Information. Use 1 Is it so that the main end of God in the establishing and setting up of Ordinances, is communion with himself? Hence I draw these six inferences. 1. Behold here the infinite delight that God takes in the society of all his Saints, that he would set up all Ordinances for this end, to have communion with them, and that they might have communion with him; that he might have the enjoyment of them, and that they might come to the participation of him. 'Tis a wonder of mercy, and of condescensions, that the most High should stoop to such low persons: He that had infinite blessedness in the society, and in the enjoyment of himself, he that took so great a delight in his Son, and in the society of the Angels, that he should take any delight to impart himself unto poor sinful dust and ashes, to men, nay, to worms, and no men. When men set up variety of means for the accomplishment of their ends, 'tis a great sign, that their hearts are very much set upon them. Consider what variety of Ordinances God hath set up, for the communication of himself unto believers. 2. Behold here, what should be the main end of the Saints, in the use of all Ordinances; namely, communion, and fellowship with God: look what was God's end in appointing Ordinances, that should be our end in using of Ordinances: In praying we should seek the face of God, and in hearing, we should hear the voice of God, hear what God the Lord will say; and in meditating, my meditation of thee shall be sweet: and in conference, Psal. 145.11. They shall talk of the glory of thy Kingdom, and speak of all thy power. In receiving the Lords Supper, what should be a Saints greatest delight in coming to that spiritual Banquet? It should be meeting with Christ in that Ordinance. We oftentimes lose all the blessings of the means, because we propound not to ourselves communion with God as the end. Many souls that come to Sermons, Christ may say to them as he said to those, What went ye out into the Wilderness to see? a Reed shaken with the wind? You are to do as the wise Virgins did, to go forth and meet the Bride's groom, and to trim your Lamps for the meeting of him. If communion be not your end in Ordinances, Ordinances will be nothing available to you; you will lose all the Ordinances that you enjoy, except you meet with Christ in them. 3. Is communion with God, the great end of God in Ordinances? Hence then learn this, that when communion with God in Ordinances is not enjoyed, than the ultimate end of all the Ordinances is frustrated; you lose the end for which all Preaching, and Praying, and Hearing was ordained; while communion is miss, while you have no communion with God, Ordinances never attain their appointed ends. How sad is it to use the means, and never attain the end, and yet this is the case of thousands of souls, that live under choice administrations, and yet are never brought into a state of communion; they are so far from enjoying communion with God, that they know not what it is to have communion with God, though it be declared to them. How many are there that lie a long time at the pool, and yet never see any Angel come down to stir the water; that lie by the sides of the pool, but are never put into the pool? O how sad is it, that such excellent Ordinances should lose their ends, and that we should so long have the enjoyment of them, and yet never be bettered by them; that we should never attain those ends for which they were ordained. 4. Is it so, that the main end of God in establishing and setting up of Ordinances, is to enjoy communion with himself? then let every soul take heed of throwing down of Ordinances, let every soul be exceeding tender of the appointments of God, lest they throw down the means of their communion with God, and live without. God in the world: Though God hath not tied himself to Ordinances, yet he hath tied us to Ordinances; and in mine own experience, I have known many men grow worse, but never any man grew better by the neglecting of Ordinances. There is no communion to be had with God but in Ordinances; and therefore if you go from Ordinances, you will be fetched home by a smarting rod, if you belong to God. What ever you do, be very tender of Gospell-Ordinances: For if he that despised Moses his Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer panishment shall they be thought worthy, that trample under foot the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, and count it an unholy thing? O it's sad to see how many souls there are, that cast dirt upon those Ordinances, that are the Chariots in which Jesus Christ rides, to take up souls into communion with himself. 5. If communion be the main end of God in setting up of Ordinances; Behold then whence it is, and why it is, that the Saints of God are so much troubled, when they want the sensible enjoyment of communion with God: they know the truth of this truth, the Ordinance in its end is lost to them. When a child goes out to seek his Father, and cannot find him, 'tis a great grief to him: Believers go out in Gospell-Ordinances to seek after God, and when they cannot find him, it must needs be very grievous to their spirits, Cant. 3.1. by night upon my bed I sought him whom my soul loved, but I found him not: Divine endeavours do not always meet with Divine successes; she sought him, I, but she found him not. So many a soul comes to meet with God in an Ordinance, but God is withdrawn from them, they cannot see his face though they come to seek his face, and the sorest affliction that a child of God lies under, or can lie under in this world, is the withdrawment of God from Ordinances, when he thinks to find God in them, he is departed from them; they shall go with their Flocks and their Herds to seek after the Lord, but they shall not find him, for he hath withdrawn himself. 6. Is it the main end of God in setting up Ordinances, that his Saints might have Communion with him? Then learn hence the ground why the Saints set so high a price upon, and are so often found in Divine Ordinances, 'tis because they there meet with Communion with God; now the meetings with God is the ground of their so often appearings before him: Alas, 'tis not their meeting together that they aim at, but their meeting with God that they look after, if God be wanting, all is wanting, if God be there, nothing is wanting. Ordinances alas they can do nothing without God, they are but painted swords in dead men's hands, they cannot raise the heart when it is fallen, they cannot refresh the heart when it is sad, they cannot enlighten the soul when there is a cloud upon it, they cannot draw the heart to Heaven when it is earthly, they cannot resolve any doubts that are upon their spirits: no, these things are too great, and too good for Ordinances to do, 'tis only the God of the Ordinances that can do all all these things. Alas, if there were nothing but the very Ordinance, believers would never be so often in the use of them, if there were nothing but a little bread and wine at a Sacrament, who would sit down at it with such great delight? If there were nothing but praying in prayer, who would lose any time about it? if there were nothing but hearing in hearing, if there was not the power of God going along with the voice of man, what is it? And therefore when you see the Saints and people of God so often employing themselves about spiritual Ordinances; when you see them begin the day with prayer, and end the day with thanksgivings; when you see them fixing their souls to meditate upon God, you may well conclude there is more than the bare Ordinance; nay, in every Ordinance remember 'tis not for the Ordinance sake, but for Communion with God which was the main end why God set up Ordinances. Use 2 For Examination, how you may know whether you have had any fellowship and Communion with God or no. This is a serious question, and deserves more than a slight answer. Communion with God is a thing of more concernment, and of greater moment than most men are a ware of, and we use to try things that will not be taken from us without trial. Consider three things: 1. God hath scales to weigh all your graces. 2. He hath touchstones to try all your graces. 3. He hath Fans to sift all your graces. Rev. 3.2. thou hast a name to live, and art dead; And than you use to try those things where there may be credit. Sometimes men take that for fellowship with God in Ordinances which is not; and sometimes mendeny that for fellowship with God in Ordinances: that is; First, Some men take that for fellowship with God in Ordinances which is not. There are two things that look like fellowshp and communion with God in Ordinances that are not. 1. There are some imperfect approaches of God unto the souls of unregenerate men in ordinances, when there is no reciprocal approaches of the spirits of unregenerate men to God. 2. When their spirits are only passive and not active, God calls upon them to seek his face, but their hearts never answer, Lord thy face will I seek, as the heart of the righteous do. Secondly, some men deny that for Communion with God in Ordinances which is Common. Take these two distinctions. 1. Dist. Communion with God in Ordinances is sometimes secret, and sometimes more manifest: First, it is secret: God doth not always speak peace with a loud voice, he sometimes speaks peace with a still voice, Cant. 5.4, 5. there Communion with God is more secret, My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I risen up to open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the locks. Secondly, It is more manifest: sometimes they are in hidden rooms, in secret chambers together. At other times they are walking in the open galleries. 2. Distinction: There's a Sanctifying Communion, and there's a ravishing Communion: The sanctifying-Communion may be where the ravishing Communion may not be, Ps. 51.8. make me to of hear joy and gladness, etc. David he had a sanctifying Communion before, but now he begs for a ravishing Communion with God that would raise him up to a rejoicing in God. Now you may know whether you have fellowship with God in Ordinances or no by three things. 1. By something Before duty. 2. By something In duty. 3. By something After duty. First, by something before duty. If you have Communion with God, you may know it by these three Characters. 1. If God before raise up thy heart to make fellowship thy end in duty. O show us the Father and it sufficeth us, that was the Disciples end in their prayer to Jesus Christ; show us the Father, nothing but the Father would suffice them: So when thou comest to Ordinances, and sayest, O that I might see the go of God my King in his Sanctuary! O that I might be able to see the prints and footsteps of God in such and such an Ordinance! God will never deceive the expectations of his people; These expectations they are raised by him, & they shall be fulfilled by him, Jer. 29.11. I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end: They looked for peace, I, saith God, an Olive branch shall be sent them; they expect my presence, they shall find my presence. If God before hand raise up thy heart to make fellowship thy end in all thy Actions, than thou mayst certainly conclude thou shalt have fellowship with him. 2. If God before hand put thy heart into a suitable frame to the duty, than thou mayst assure thy soul thou shalt have fellowship with God in the duty; if thou findest those graces exercised by thee, the duty calls for from thee. When God called Moses into the Mount, he was sure to have communion with God: Why? because God gave him such dispositions, as fitted him for communion. When once the heart is put into communion frame, it shall never go without it: if thy shoes be put off, and the place on which thou standest be holy ground, never fear, but thou shalt enjoy communion with the holy God. There is a remarkable passage the Psalmist hath, Psal. 10.17. expressly pointing at this, that God doth first put the spirits of his people in a frame, suitable to communion with himself: And 2. he cometh unto them with a blessing, inclining his ear to hear and accept them favourably, or that whensoever the Lord doth put the hearts of his people into a prepared frame, than he doth incline his ear and hear them: the words are those, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tachin libam, (there is the first) thou wilt fit, dispose, direct, or prepare their heart; or thou wilt cause their heart to prepare itself, as it were; for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tachin is the future hiph., from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chun, he prepared or fitted, etc. and then observe what followeth: When once thou hast thus fitted and prepared their heart, than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takshib ozn●kah, Thou wilt prepare thy ear to hear; or thou wilt cause thy ear to be heard, and to be attentive in hearing their suits and supplications: for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takshib is also future hiph. from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kashab inkal, he was attentive, or he heard with attention. So that God never puts his people into a prepared posture for communion, but he gives them communion. When duties answer to our hearts, and our hearts answer to our duties: This is the workmanship of God, to frame the heart for duty, as well as to cut out duty for the heart. And hence the Psalmist knowing this, that it is the order and work of God; first, to prepare the heart for communion, and then to incline his own ear to hear his people, and to entertain communion with them in Ordinances; he doth observe this order, and follow it with a practice suitable to it in his daily addresses to God, that is thus: wheresoever he doth find his heart put into a fitted and prepared frame for— communion with God, he doth not let it die again, and go out of frame by a slothful neglect of such a disposition of heart: No, but he immediately sets himself to duty, to worship God, and to the acts of his Worship, in his Ordinances, as he expresseth himself in another Psalm; viz. Psal. 57.7. thus: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nac●on libbi elohim, nachon ●ibbi●, (there is the first, he finds his heart fitted and prepared for communion with God) My heart (saith he) is fitted or prepared (for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nachon is the passive conjugation niphal, signifying, he is fitted or prepared, from the same root in the former Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chun, he fitted, or prepared in the active; and so it is rather to be rendered, prepared or fitted, then fixed, thus; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libbi, my heart, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nachon, is fitted or prepared) O God, my heart is fitted or prepared (for communion with thee.) Well, what follows? He presently sets himself upon that great duty and Ordinance of communion with God, in the praising of his Name, and singing forth those praises, as in the words immediately following in the same verse thus: My heart is prepared, O God, my heart is prepared: (therefore) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ashidah va-azameral, I will sing and give praise. 3. When the heart is carried forth in its utmost strength after duty, than thou shalt enjoy communion with God Dan. 9.3.22. compared. Daniel he sets his face towards Jerusalem, and the Text saith, that at the beginning, the Angel of th' Lord came and touched him: O Daniel, greatly beloved of the Lord, thy prayer is heard. When the soul puts forth his greatest strength in duty, then doth it enjoy most communion with God in duty: The more active thou art in employing thyself about this work, the more incomes from God will there be in this work. That's the first particular. Secondly, in the duty: If there be ravishing discoveries the heart knows it, God is his own witness in the Spirit. I, but if there be but an humbling fellowship, though there be not ravishing discoveries, 'tis an evidence. Now the dispositions of the Soul in the duty which speaks communion with God, are these. 1. It is a very humble fellowship, it lays a man very low in his own eyes, and raiseth God very high. How ready are we then to cry with Peter, Lord depart from me, I am a sinful man. The heart will be humble, and the presence of God will be dreadful. 2. The appearance of grace will be powerful, it will set the heart against every sin. When Moses came from the mount of communion, how zealous was he against the sin of Idolatry? 3. There will be an answering of the heart, for it is an echoing fellowship. The Lord saith, thou art my people, and they will say, thou art my God: If he say, seek ye my face, they will answer, thy face Lord will I seek. 4. It will be a heating fellowship. The Disciples said, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us? O it will be a heating fellowship, it will kindle fresh flames of love towards Jesus Christ, it will make your souls burn towards heaven. Thirdly, after the duty, you may know whether you have fellowship by these particulars. 1. It will leave a sweet remembrance behind it, Psalm 42.4. When I remembered these things, I pour out my soul in me; for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day. The soul can never forget those times of communion that it had with God, nor those bosom embraces, nor those sweet kisses that it had from the lips of Christ: These mercies are too great to be forgotten by a soul that doth enjoy communion with God. 2. It leaves an instinct in the soul after farther fellowship with God. If a man fall into sin but once, it leaves a proneness in a man to fall into it again: So it is in communion with God, if a man enjoy communion with God but once, it leaves a greater proneness and aptitude in the man to look after communion with God again. A soul that hath had communion and fellowship with Christ, O how doth it long after further fellowship with him. 3. It leaves in a man a love to those Ordinances wherein it had communion with God: O how is the soul in love with those prayers which brought Christ to it, and in love with that Word wherein Jesus Christ spoke to his soul: How is it taken with every Ordinance, wherein the influences of Heaven are distilled and drop upon them. 4. It leaves an impression upon the soul of the holiness of God. The holiness of God is of a transforming nature, Acts 4.15. They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. They saw that they had enjoyed communion with God, why? there were such beams of the Majesty, and the beauty, and the glory of God left upon them that they that saw them might easily know, that they had seen God, and had enjoyed communion with him: and 'tis said of Stephen, they beheld his face as the face of an Angel, when he was before the Council. 5. If you have fellowship & communion with God, you will have acquaintance with God, and familiarity with him, Job 22.21. Acquaint thyself with God, etc. A soul cannot enjoy communion with a stranger, till he be familiarized into his acquaintance. Communion speaks the choicest familiarity between persons If your souls have had communion and fellowship with God, than you are brought into acquaintance with God. 6. If your souls have enjoyed communion and fellowship with God, you will be sure to keep God company, and walk with God, let others walk which way they please. It is said of Enoch, to his praise, that he walked with God; and God spoke to Abraham, Walk before me, and be thou perfect. 7. A soul that hath communion and fellowship with God in Ordinances, is sensible of all. God's withdrawments, he knows when God comes in, and when God goes out at an Ordinance. How many persons are there that never mind either the accesses or recesses of Christ or the Spirit, when they come in to appear before God in Ordinances. 8. There will be a sweet agreement between Christ and the soul: can two walk together, except they be agreed in what path they shall go, and what steps they shall take? that which was God's way shall be the soul's way, God will not go one way and let the soul go an other, than it can have no Communion; But when God and the soul tread both in the same steps, there's a sweet agreement, and delightful harmony between them. 9 A soul that hath Communion with God, highly prizeth the presence of God, and the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ; If thy presence go not along with us (saith Moses) carry us not from hence: and nothing gives the soul content, if it hath lost Communion, till it be restored again, it can bear any thing better than a breach in its Communion, no loads lie so heavy upon it as a departed Saviour: how doth the soul lament after the Lord, when it cannot find the Lord? it is restless till it come to lie in its beloved's bosom. Lastly, A soul that hath fellowship & Communion with God, it cuts off all other contrary fellowships that are inconsistent with it; cuts off all sinful & carnal fellowship. They will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness that have fellowship & communion with the Father of lights. Use 3 For Exhortation to press you to look after communion with God: There are three things that we are to look after to attain to communion with God. 1. We must have a right path. 2. We must have a staff of strength and power. 3. We must have true ascents and fellowships. First, we must have a right path, and that is Jesus Christ, there is no coming to the Father but by the Son, J●h. 14.6. I am the way, etc. There is a choice way to God, but there are no choice of ways to come to God; pass by one you pass by all: Heb. 7.19. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did: by ●he which we draw nigh unto God: what is that better hope? It is Jesus Christ: hope depends so much on him for the best things, that he is called our better hope, by which with assurance we may draw nigh to God; that's the Apostles encouragement, Heb. 10.19. by the b●ood of jesus we have boldness to enter into th' holiest. Secondly, we must have a staff of strength and power, and that's the spirit of God, jude 20 Verse, praying in the Holy-Ghost. As it's the office of Christ to interceded with God for us, so it's the office of the spirit to interceded in us; the prayers that go up to God, come down from God. There are two burdens that are too heavy for us to bear; First, the burden of sins. Secondly, the burden of suits. Thirdly, we must have true ascents and footsteps, else we shall never come up to Communion with God. There are six several ascents and foot steps by which we ascend to the Throne of God for the enjoyment of communion with him. 1. The sense of self-indigency: we never enjoy communion with the fullness of God, till we see the Emptiness that is in ourselves, a full soul loathes the honey Come, though it have never so much sweetness in it, the whole never prizeth the Physicians. Medicines: sense of want draws the Creature down on Earth, and then leads it up to Heaven. 2. Sense of our own utter inability to supply our own necessities, Psal. 73.25, 26. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee: my flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. If there be any thing that you expect satisfaction from besides God, you will never come to communion with him: you will then look after fellowship with him, when you see all your happiness in him. The. 3. Footstep to Communion with God is sense of our own unworthiness, that God should give supplies unto us: when Jacob was brought so nigh into fellowship and Communion with God, when he was struggling with God, and would not let him go till he had got a blessing, than he l●t go all opinion of worth in himself to receive a blessing, Gen. 32.10. I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies. There is no drawing nigh to the most high God without low thoughts of ourselves: the proud look disdainfully upon God, and meet with disdain from him. The 4. Footstep to Communion is the clear knowledge and full acknowledgement of the power and sufficiency of God to help us, and to fill us, Heb. 11.6. he that cometh to God must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him: what's that? It lies in two things. First, that God needs no Creature. Secondly, that he is enough to supply the needs of every Creature. 5. Foostep to communion is, to believe that the Lord stands ready to embrace us in all our come to him, and to give us all the good that we come for; to believe that he is ready to supply us in every good we seek from him: we honour God most when we expect the greatest incomes of mercy from him. He hath not said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou, for a vain, void, and empty nothing. The greatness of God gives him power, and his goodness gives him will to supply us: therefore we should believe without doubting his readiness to supply us, Heb. 10.22. Let us draw near in full assurance, etc. In what assurance must we come? Even in this, that we shall be answered in whatsoever we ask. As Faith must be mingled with every word of precept that Godspeaks to us, so it must be mingled with every word of prayer that we speak to him, James 1.5, 6. If any lack wisdom, let them ask it of God, that giveth to all men lib rally, and upbraideth not. 6. Footstep of our Communion with God, is boldness in all our approaches to him: As God opens his heart freely, so we must open our mouths boldly. Holy boldness is the highest act of Faith, and the nearest step to God; when the soul is got thus high, it is upon the top of jacob's Ladder, Heb. 4.16. Let us come boldly to the Throne of grace, etc. Boldness is a grace, that is most suitable to the Throne of grace. Let me speak with reverence, we are gotten to God's side, when we come with boldness, grace can step no higher; the next degree of ascent is to be swallowed up in glory. In every Ordinance we have a vision of God by faith; and in every duty, we should come to God with boldness and joy. To conclude all: Would you have Communion with God in Ordinances? Then let me commend to you these five things. First, there must be a being near to God, before there can be a drawing near to God; you must labour after Reconciliation, before ever you can enjoy Communion; while you are enemies, you will be strangers. Till God be brought near to you, you can never draw near to God: We are first brought near to God by the blood of Christ, before ever we have Communion with God in Ordinances. Secondly, He that desires Communion with God in Ordinances, must look upon God as present, and not as absent from him, without this, we can never enjoy Communion with him. Rev. 4.6. there's a high Throne, which is nothing else but a representation of God to his people in Gospell-Ordinances, there they behold his glory, and enjoy Communion with him. He that desires Communion with God in Ordinances, must look upon God as present; first, in Majesty; secondly, in jealousy; thirdly; in authority; fourthly, in purity. 3. If you would have Communion with God in Ordinances, then in every Ordinance make Communion with God your end. The hypocrisy, or the sincerity of every man's spirit is mostly seen in his end. There's a double end that every man should propose to himself in coming to Ordinances, and when this end is unproposed, Communion with God is un-enjoyed. First, they should do them as acts of obedience in reference to God's command: Secondly, they should use them as means of Communion, in reference to God's promise. In every Ordinance you should make Communion with God your end, and use the Ordinance as a means for the attainment of that end, thus; I am going to such a duty Lord, and this is my end, to enjoy thee in it. I am going to pray, and I would have the enjoyment of God in prayer. This is the end you should propound, when you go about every Ordinance. 4. Get divine and spiritual apprehensions, if ever you would enjoy Communion; for according to our apprehensions of God, such will be our enjoyments of him, and such will be our Communions with him. Some persons have to do with God in Ordinances, that never think what that God is with whom they have to do. The only way to raise up our Communion with God, is, to raise up our apprehension of him: if we know him but a little, we can never enjoy much society and communion with him. 5. Make use of former experiences, if you would enjoy communion with God: the experience that men have had of the sweetness of God, will stir up their hearts to long more and more after communion with God. He that hath tasted of the sweetness of God, cannot sit down satisfied, except he meet with God in the Ordinance. FINIS