was in the Spirit on the Lords day when he was in the spirit of the Lord then he had communion with the Lord 2 Cor. 3. last we all with open face behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image c. 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 spirituall and therefore the communion that must needs bee spirituall also 1 Cor. 6.17 They that are joyned 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 spirituall persons therefore the communion that they enjoy is spirituall God is a spirit and the Saints are spirituall and therefore have communion one with another in a spirituall manner 3. Such as the meanes of communion is such is the communion it selfe now all the meanes of communion are spirituall therefore the communion it selfe must be spirituall The Ordinances they are all of them spirituall they are not carnall Ordinances though many persons use them carnally The words that I speake saith Christ they are spirit and they are life that is they be full of vigor full of power full of majesty and full of authority As no meanes attaine their end but such as are sutable to that end so no end orders the meanes but such as agree with it The communion the Saints have with God is a spirituall communion and therefore looke into your spirits whether or no you doe enjoy communion with God The VI and last Propertie of the Communion that the Soule hath with God it is a delightfull fellowship communion the Soule 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 hee comes to have communion with it There is no communion so delightfull as the communion that is made between God and the Saints There bee many most patheticall expressions in Solomons his Song of Songs holding forth the unexpressible sweetnesse and delight in this communion between Christ and the Soule but two of them are chiefly 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 sate downe under his shadow with great delight or as it is in the Hebrew I delighted my self greatly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmadti beeing the conjugation piel which much intendeth and augmenteth the signification of the roote and I sate downe or I desired exceedingly for the proper and radicall signification of the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chamad is he desired and in piel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmed hee desired greatly or exceedingly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chimmadti I desired greatly and I sate downe to wit to enjoy him and communion with him and to tast the sweetnesse of his fruit and what followes and his fruit was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matok lechikki sweet to my pallate according as I desired which made me to delight my selfe 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 expresse the sweetnesse and delightfulnesse 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 expresse a higher degree of delight and sweetnesse in this spirituall communion between Christ and the Soule thus his mouth is most sweet yea hee 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 sweetnesse full of nothing but sweetnesse for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mamtakkim is a nowne in the plurall number importing dulcedines sweetnesses that is all sorts of sweetnesse or sweetnesse it selfe and all the species or kinds of sweetnesse are all laid up and hid as it were in the palate of his mouth to bee tasted by Soules taken up to communion and fellowship with him that is the force of the first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mamtakkim sweetnesse from the former root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matak hee was sweet and the other word in this text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vecullo machamaddim hath the like and no lesse 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 nowne in the plurall number setting forth him and all the parts of him to bee pleasures and delights that is most pleasant most lovely and delightfull even to be all delights and desires that is most desirable and most worthy to bee 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 delightfull is the tasting of his fruit in the enjoyment of him communion with him saith the beleeving soule to invite all the daughters of Jerusalem to come and partake of such exceeding delight and sweetnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betzillo under his shaddow for no shaddow yields such shelter no shaddow yeelds such comfort as the soule sitting under Christ as a shaddow 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 doe friends take in having coÌ„munion 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 â—ice of Christ to the Church is thus O my dove that art in the clifts of the Rocks in the secret places of the staires let me see thy countenance let me heare thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comly So much for the properties of communion Thirdly I come to the acts of communion and they are many and various I le name the chiefe of them 1.
man Prov. 5.19 concerning his wife let her brests satisfie thee at all times and bee thou ravished alwaies with her soule now the Lord Christ his people satisfie him at all times it is all the portion hee lookes for Isa 62.4 hee 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 counsells too The carriage of a Saint in communion when he receives the communication of Secrets must bee thus 1. He must come with holy and sanctified thoughts of God 2. He must come with apprehensions thoughts of his owne 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 seriousnesse 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 mans graces should be acted when he comes to attend upon God And 5. He must bring the Lord Jesus Christ in his armes 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 spirituall communion there is one speciall 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 soule which appears in these particulars 1. The soule hath a great deal of intimacy in those acts of communion with Christ for it lookes 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 shewes them the back and not the face Jer. 18.17 but 't is not so with his people he doth remove all clouds he shewes 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 Davids 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 soule hath an interest in whatsoever is his Thus God is said Psalm 116.7 to be the rest of the soul Return to thy rest O my soul Thy rest for truly wheÌ„ the soule wanders from God it is restlesse That 's an excellent expression Psalm 38.10 My heart panteth you read it but in the Originall 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 traffick and play the Merchant in buying and selling So the soule runs to this creature and is trading with that creature But when once the soule 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 Devill 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 spirituall and of an eternall concernment and they are these foure 1. 'T is 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. 'T is 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. 'T is fellowship with Christ in the sealings of his spirit After you believed you were sealed by the spirit of promise Ephes 1.13 4. 'T is fellowship with Christ in the earnest of his spirit which I think is more then the sealing sealing puts the state out of controversy but earnest gives a man a tast of that glory before hand As a wicked man in this life by the spirit of bondage doth receive a judgment a kind of sense and tast of hell in his soule before hand Heb. 10.27 So doth the Lord let into the souls of his people a fore-tast of glory Here is a great deale 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 boldnesse and have accesse with boldnesse to the Throne of grace It is called drawing neer 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 neer 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 oftner they come into the presence of God the more acceptation they finde 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 alwaies calling one another to further fellowship and are never satisfied Our Saviour Christ is alwaies crying Open to me my Love my Sister and my Spouse and the Church she is alwaies 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 hast upon them is for the accomplishment of them Set me as a Seal upon thine heart All this â—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 IIII. 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 yâ—â—nds there was a great plot defeated great enemies subdued the state of the Church was restored the Kings affections rectified and himselfe 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 himselfe to the creature Gods imparting of himselfe 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 my selfe to him There were two ends for which God created the Angells the one was for glory and the other was for communion that they might behold his face and that he might impart himselfe 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 supplyed 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 himselfe 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 himselfe 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 c. 2. He is able to give you a more perfect communion then Adam had as he gives you a more perfect righteousnesse As we have not a distinct righteousnesse from Christs righteousnesse so we have not a distinct fellowship from Christs fellowship All the communion that Christ hath in the humane nature with the Father 't is 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 brake with God all Creatures brake with you for upon the same termes that wee stood with God did all Creatures stand with us the Devills 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 Angells I with all the Saints they shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven They have fellowship with the Angells Jacobs Ladder which is Jesus Christ there the Angells 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 fulnesse of times hee 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 hee might confirme them and make them like unto himselfe God loves to see his owne picture upon his owne 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 Hee that walkes 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 conformitie and carries it on to a greater height what is the reason the Angels are more holy then men it is because they have more communion with God then men have what is the reason the glorified Saints are more holy then the gracious Saints are 't is because they have more Communion with God What 's the reason one Saint is more holy then another 't is because he hath more Communion with God then 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 Gods Communion with the Saints is that hee 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 it's Center the swifter it moves Communion with God and the Souls enjoyment of God 't is the very Center of it and and the nearer it comes to this the swifter still it moves 'T is 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 hee put forth the highest Acts of zeal in Communion with God I will not let thee go except thou blesse 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 aimes at in Communion is the exercise of your graces he would not have the graces of his people to lie still to bee like swords rusting in the scabbards but he would have them exercised hee 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 Talent should be wrapt up in a napkin hee was a sinful servant that was a floathful servant that laid up his Masters Talent when he should have laid out his Masters Talent 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 hee may sweeten the whole course of our lives while we are in this world we meet with many
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 paines 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 wee have Communion Job 8.14 15. He shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand c. Those hopes that it hath that it shal go well with him to all Eternity these are called his house he rests upon them and hee 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 soules upon they rest in those houses that they make to themselves though their hopes bee but like Spiders 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 't is 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 call-the Synagogue of Sathan hath Christ his Ordinances and Altars so hath the Devil too he hath his Table and his Communicants you cannot bee 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 mans nature and that is wrought within him 2. A change of a mans 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 wee lost in our fall 1. Our holy Image and became vile hence 2. Our Son-ship and became slaves 3. Our friendship and became Enemies 4. Our Communion and became strangers 5. Our glory and became miserable Now 't is 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 blessednesse and the onely 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 himselfe God hath picked and culled every Godly man out of the world and set him aside For what for himselfe for himselfe what 's that It doth not only note for spirituall service but for the highest priviledges 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 blessednesse with him in heaven The Lord hath set c. 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 'T is the choycest duty that belongs to us to set our selves apart for God and 't is one of the choicest mercies of God to set us apart for himselfe The Lord doth separate to himselfe for imployment 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 speciall 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 alwaies before them and standing alwaies before him waiting upon him Zech. 3.7 Thus saith the Lord if thou wilt walk in my waies c. I will give thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mah-lechim Walks that is places to walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—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 alwaies stand before God thousand thousands compasse his Throne now when the Lord speaks of taking a people into intimate familiarity with himselfe he saith he will give them walkes or Galleries to walk in among the