an Indian hath with the privileges of London. "If any man open to me, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me."

(2.) Communion with God presupposes the habits of grace implanted in the soul by regeneration; a sound change of heart. No regeneration, no communion: "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." 1 John, 1:6. The apostle gives the lie to such pretenders. "The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth," Psa. 145: 18; the latter clause restrains all spiritual communion to upright souls: "For a hypocrite shall not come before him." Job 13: 16.

(3.) Communion with God not only supposes grace implanted, but also implanted grace excited, grace in action. A man may have the habits of faith, love, and delight in him, and yet be without actual communion with God. A believer when he is asleep, and performs no acts of grace, is in a state of communion with God; but if he will have actual communion, his faith, love, and delight must be awakened; they must not lie asleep in the habit. "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." Psa. 27:8. It is in order to actual communion with Christ that the church so earnestly begs fresh influences of the Spirit to excite her graces into action: Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." Sol. Song 4:16. And though believers are not so to wait for the influences of the Spirit as to neglect the outward means of engaging their hearts to approach unto God, Jer. 30: 21, yet certainly it is the work of God's Spirit, and without him. we can do nothing to any purpose. The seamen may trim the sails, weigh the anchor, and put all into sailing order; but till a gale come from heaven there is little or no motion.

Let my

The same Spirit that plants the habits, excites the acts of grace. These three things therefore are prerequisites to all communion with God.

Now let us more directly consider IN WHAT THIS HEAVENLY PRIVILEGE OF COMMUNION WITH GOD CONSISTS; and generally it will be found to lie in a spiritual correspondence between Christ and the soul. God sends forth influences upon our souls, and we, by the assistance of his Spirit, make returns again unto God. Communion is a mutual action; so in the text, "I will sup with him, and he with me.” We cry to God, and God answers that cry by the incomes of spiritual grace upon the soul: "In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." Psa. 138:3. More particularly, there are many ways wherein men have this spiritual correspondence or communion with God, as in the contemplation of his attributes, in the exercises of our graces in religious duties, and in his various providences. In all these the saints have communion with him.

1. There is a sweet communion between God and his people, in the contemplation of the divine attributes, and the impressions God makes by them upon our souls while we meditate on them.

(1.) Sometimes the Lord manifests to the souls of his people his immense greatness; the manifestation of which attribute makes an humbling impression upon the soul, and saints seem as nothing to themselves. Thus when Abraham, that great believer, considered the greatness of the God with whom he had to do, that sight of God seemed to reduce him as it were into dust and ashes: "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes." Gen. 18:27. He looks upon himself as a heap of vileness and unworthiness; so.. David, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; Lord, what is man, that

thou art mindful of him?" Psa. 8:3, 4; that is, When I consider what a great God the Creator of the world is, I am astonished that he should set his heart upon so vile a thing as man. When men compare themselves among themselves, and measure themselves by themselves, their spirits are apt to swell with pride; but would they look up to God, as these holy men did, they would admire his condescension. And this is communion with God in the meditation of his immense greatness.

(2.) The representation of the purity and holiness of God, working shame and deep abasement in the soul for the pollutions and sin that are in it, this is communion with God, and an excellent way of fellowship with him. Thus, when a representation of God in his holiness was made to the prophet, there were the seraphim, covering their faces with their wings and crying one to another, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The effect this produced, or the return made by the prophet to this manifestation of God in his holiness, was deep abasement of soul for his unsuitableness to meet so holy a God: " Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips." is communion with God in his holiness. stiffly defended his own integrity against men, when God enters the lists with him and he saw with what a great and holy God he had to do, cried out, Job 40:4, 5, “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further." That is, I am silent; Lord, I have done: I could answer men, but I cannot answer thee; thou art holy, but I am vile.

Isa. 6:3-5. This Thus Job, who had

(3.) There are sometimes representations of the goodness and mercy of God made to the souls of his people. When these produce an ingenuous melting of the heart into an humble, thankful admiration, and a corresponding care of pleas

ing him in the ways of obedience, then have men communion with God in his goodness. The goodness of God runs down to men in a double channel: to their bodies, in external providences; and to their souls, in spiritual mercies. When the goodness of God, either way, draws forth the love and gratitude of the soul to the God of our mercies, then have we real communion with him. Thus Jacob: " And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands." Gen. 32:9, 10. Ah, Lord, I see a multitude of mercies round about me, and the least of them is greater than I. So "David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree. What can David speak more to thee?" 1 Chron. 17:16-18. You see in these instances, what effects the goodness of God, even in inferior, outward mercies, produces in sanctified hearts. But, if you come to spiritual mercies, and ponder the goodness of God to your souls, in pardoning, accepting, and saving such sinful creatures as you have been; this much more affects the heart, and overwhelms it with holy astonishment; as you see in Paul: I " was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief: and the grace of our Lord Jesus was exceeding abundant.” 1 Tim. 1: 13, 14. So when pardoning grace appeared to Mary, that notorious sinner, into what a flood of tears, into what transports of love did the sight of

mercy cast her soul! She wept and washed her Saviour's feet with tears of joy and thankfulness. Luke 7:44. No terrors of the law, no frights of hell melt the heart like the apprehensions of pardoning mercy.

(4.) Sometimes special representations of the veracity and faithfulness of God are made to his people, begetting trust and holy confidence in their souls; then have men communion with God in his faithfulness. Thus, Hebrews 13:5, 6, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." There is a discovery of the faithfulness of God; and what follows upon this? "So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Here is faithfulness in God, producing trust and confidence in the believer; this is that reciprocation, that sweet fellowship and communion between God and a believer with respect to his fidelity. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid." Isa. 12:2. And truly,

friend, this is what the Lord justly expects from thee, even trust and confidence in him, thy steady dependence on him, in return for all the manifestations of his faithfulness to thee both in his word and providence.

(5.) There are manifestations of the displeasure of God by the hiding of his face and the frowns of his providence : when these produce repentance and deep humiliation for sin, an unquietness, a restlessness of spirit till he restore his favor and manifest his reconciliation to the soul, even here also is a real communion between God and the soul. "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." Psa. 30:7. Nor will a gracious soul rest there, but will take pains to sue out a fresh pardon. "Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation." Psa. 51: 8, 12.

I cannot here omit to point out a great mistake even among God's own people: many of them understand not what communion there should be with God under the manChrist Knocking.

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