and continuance. There may be a drawing nigh to God, without abiding and continuing with God, upon some deep conviction, or strange providence, or eminent danger; as it is said, "In their affliction they will seek me early," yet they may soon forget and forsake God. This is but a seeming and partial approaching to God, a drawing nigh in appearance, when the heart is far from God; but that approaching to God which makes acquaintance with God, is abiding with him. Those that are acquainted with a spiritual life know these things what they are, and that they are the greatest realities in the world; they know that sometimes there is a greater nearness of their souls to God; they are sensible of the approaches of their heart to God, and of the withdrawing of their souls from God; they know what it is for the soul to feel the approaches of God, and his smiles fill their souls with unspeakable comfort; and to feel God withdrawing from the soul, this clouds their joy and makes them go mourning. They can tell you at such a time they were brought unto his banqueting house, and his banner over them was love. They can tell you at such a time Christ came into his garden to eat his pleasant fruits; at such a time they heard the voice of their beloved, saying, " Open to me, my sister, my spouse, my love, my dove, my undefiled." And when the soul hath neglected this knock of Christ to open to him, that then he hath withdrawn; "I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone. These things are the experiences of a precious child of God, which I fear are little felt and little known amongst us; but where these things are not there is no acquaintance with God. For,

First, They do know him.

Secondly, They draw nigh to him, they have near access to him.

Thirdly, They have intimate converse with him. This is another thing required to acquaintance. We are not said to be acquainted with any person, unless we have had intimate converse with him. We may be next neighbours, and yet have no acquaintance, unless our conversation hath been mutual. So it is between God and us; there may be a

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nighness between the soul and God, and yet no acquain between the soul and God. We are nigh to God in o pendence upon him, we are near to God by his imm providence and sustentation of us, and by his omnipo There is a nearness to God by way of dedication. As set apart the children of Israel to be a people near himself, so the visible church of God is nearer to than those that are not of the church. There is a ness of dedication among us by baptism. But all this be without acquaintance. There is, therefore, requir our acquaintance with God, an intimate converse with We have great converse with those who are of the fa or society with us: now such is our acquaintance with as those who are of his family. God is called the Fath the families of all the earth; and the visible church is oned as God's family: but in a great family there ma little acquaintance with those persons which be of re employments; but to acquaintance with God there mus such a relation as implies familiar converse. This intin that the people of God have to him is expressed by nearest relations in Scripture: as, Abraham is called friend of God; Jehoshaphat prays unto God, and saith, not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitant this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the see Abraham thy friend for ever?” 2 Chron. xx. 7. "And Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketl his friend," Exod. xxxiii. 11. "Henceforth I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his I doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things th have heard of my Father I have made known unto yo John xv. 15. Now by friend is commonly understood a s of converse and society one with another. And this i macy is expressed likewise by the relation of husband wife: For thy Maker is thy husband," Isa. liv. 5. "T

converse more intimate than between husband and w such is that between a soul acquainted with God. Ag this is shadowed out to us under the relation of a father his children: "Behold what manner of love the Father h bestowed upon us, that we should be called his sons!" 1 J iii. 1. And the Holy Spirit is given to be the spiri adoption in the hearts of God's people: "Ye have rece the spirit of adoption, whereby ye cry, Abba, Father. Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we the children of God," Rom. viii. 15, 16. What is signi by this relation, but a nigh union and intimate converse tween the soul and God? And this is necessary to our quaintance with God, even intimate converse with God. this I mean a nearness of employment, when the object our employments are the same, then are we said to conv with God, when we are employed about those things wh in God is most. When there is, as it were, a mutual c merce and trading between the soul and God; man gi himself up to God, and God giving himself out to m man taking up the interest of God, and God undertal for the interest of man; these and such like actings are converse which the soul hath with God. I speak of th which the men of the world are not acquainted with; those that are acquainted with God know these thi and upon the mention of them, their hearts leap wi them. As face answereth to face in a glass, so experi answereth these things. When this string is struck, t hearts do harmonize; as when a lute string is struck, other strings of nighest concord with it move also. these things are a mystery to the world, and they say those of Christ's word, "We know not what he saith." it is no wonder, for they are the actings of a divine lif which all are naturally dead, till they are raised to new of life by the quickening of the Spirit of God. But I pro to show what is meant by this acquaintance with God. Fourthly, To this acquaintance with God there is

change of conference and discourses. Thus when the soul is acquainted with God, there is an interchange of conference between God and the soul. The soul openeth its wants, breathes out its complaints, spreadeth its necessities before God; God openeth the treasures of his love in his Son, the rich mines of his precious promises, and the secrets of his good will to the soul. Thus, Ps. xxv. 14, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant." "The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do?" Gen. xviii. 17. Those that are friends and acquaintance, they will let out their thoughts and purposes one to another, and they give out themselves mutually into communion one with another. Thus Christ knocks at the door of the soul: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me," Rev. iii. 20. Here is Christ offering himself to the soul, and the soul is to entertain him: at another time the soul goes to God, and God entertains it; God hath promised that he will open: “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you," Matt. vii. 7; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. There are frequent actions among those that are acquainted. and by these are expressed to us the acquaintance of the soul with God.

Now, the communications that are between the soul and God are exceeding transcending all communications that are between men's acquaintance. Men may communicate their thoughts, their estates, their assistance to one another; but they cannot communicate their life, nor their nature, nor their likeness; but such communications there are between God and the soul that is acquainted with him. All being is a communication from God, the first Being: nay, the several degrees of being have several communications from God, some greater and some lesser; spiritual beings have a higher communication than natural; but God's highest communications have been to man in that mystical union of the divine nature to the human nature in Christ, and next in the mystical union of the sons of God to Christ, and in him to the Father. Thus Christ is said to live in us. "I live,"

saith Paul; "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," Gal. i. 20. Thus Christ prays the Father for his children, that they may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee; that they may be one in us," John xvii. 11, 21; "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God," 1 John iv. 15, 16. We are said to be "partakers of the divine nature," 2 Pet. i. 4. This expression implies high communication of God to man. Again, there are high acts of communication from man to God, (for though God receives not from man, yet man is to act as giving out himself to God;) such as to give up the will to God's will. As that of Eli: "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." And that of David: "If he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do with me as seemeth good unto him," 2 Sam. xv. 26.

Another act of high communication of a man's self to God, is parting with present enjoyments for future hopes, in confidence of God's promise. Thus the spirit of God works in the children of God a readiness to forsake father or mother, and brethren and sisters, and life itself, for the cause of God. Thus John Baptist was willing to become nothing, that Christ might become all, to be cast down, that Christ might be lifted up; John iii. 30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Thus Abraham gives his Isaac to die when God calls for him. Thus Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, Heb. xi. 26. Paul counted not his life dear for Christ, Acts xx. 24. These have been the actings of the souls of those that have been acquainted with God, and such workings as these are the feeling of a child of God.

I have showed you four things which are requisite to acquaintance with God,

First, Knowledge of God.

Secondly, Access to him.

Thirdly, Converse with him.

Fourthly, Communication to him, and from him.

Fifthly, There is likewise required to acquaintance, a loving compliance. Amongst men acquaintance implies