way and let the soul go an other then 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 restor'd again it can bear any thing better then a breach in its Communion no loads lie so heavy upon it as a departed Saviour how doth the soule lament after the Lord when it cannot find the Lord it is restlesse till it come to lie in it's beloveds bosome 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 wil have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse that have fellowship communion with the Father of lights Use 3 For Exhortation to presse you to look after communion with God There are three things that wee are to look after to attain to communion with God 1. We must have a right path 2. We must have a staffe of strength and power 3. Wee must have true ascents and fellowships First wee must have a right path and that is Jesus Christ there is no coming to the Father but by the Son Jâ—h 14.6 I am the way c. There is a choice way to God but there are no choice of waies to come to God passe 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 â—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 wee may draw nigh to God that 's the Apostles incouragement Heb. 10.19 by the bâ—ood of Iesus we have boldnesse to enter into th holiest Secondly wee must have a staffe of strength and power and that 's the spirit of God Iude 20 Verse praying in the Holy-Ghost As it 's the office of Christ to interceed with God for us so it 's the office of the spirit to interceed 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 wee shall never come up to Communion with God There are six severall ascents and foot steps by which wee ascend to the Throne of God for the enjoyment of communion with him 1. The sence of self-indigency wee never enjoy communion with the fulnesse of God till we see the Emptinesse that is in our selves a full soule loaths the hony Come though it have never so much sweetnesse in it the whole never prizeth the Physitians Medicines sence of want draws the Creature downe on Earth and then leads it up to Heaven 2. Sence 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 looke after fellowship with him when you see all your happinesse in him The. 3. Footstep to Communion with God is sence of our own unworthinesse that God should give supplies unto us when Jacob was brought so nigh into fellowship and Communion with God when hee was strugling with God and would not let him go till hee had got a blessing then he lâ—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 our selves 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 hee that cometh to God must believe that God is and that hee 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 commings 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 greatnesse of God gives him power and his goodnesse gives him will to supply us therefore we should believe without doubting his readinesse to supply us Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near in full assurance c. 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 wisdome let them aske it of God that giveth to all men lib rally and upbraideth not 6. Footstep of our Communion with God is boldnesse in all our approaches to him As God opens his heart freely so we must open our mouths boldly Holy boldnesse is the highest act of Faith and the neerest step to God when the soul is got thus high it is upon the top of Jacobs Ladder Heb. 4.16 Let us come boldly to the Throne of grace c. Boldnesse is a grace that is most suitable to the Throne of grace Let me speak with reverence we are gotten to Gods side when we come with boldnesse 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 boldnesse 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 neer to God before there can be a drawing neer 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 neer to you you can never draw neer to God We are first brought neer 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 jealousie 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 hypocrisie or the sincerity of every mans spirit is mostly seen in his end There 's a double end that every man should propose to himselfe in comming 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 Gods command Secondly they should use them as means of Communion in reference to Gods 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 spirituall 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 sweetnesse of God will stirre up their hearts to long more and more after communion with God He that hath tasted of the sweetnesse of God cannot sit down satisfied except he meet with God in the Ordinance FINIS
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 practise suitable to it in his daily addresses to God that is thus wheresoever he doth finde his heart put into a fitted and prepared frame for communion with God he doth not let it dye again and go out of frame by a sloathfull neglect of such a disposition of heart No but he immediately sets himselfe 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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nacâ—on libbi elohim nachon â—ibbiâ— 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 rendred 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 followes He presently sets himselfe 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 then 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 soule puts forth his greatest strength in duty then doth it enjoy most communion with God in duty The more active thou art in imploying thy selfe about this work the more in-comes from God will there be in this work That 's the first particular Secondly in the duty If there be ravishing discoveries the heart knowes it God is his own witnesse in the Spirit I but if there be but an humbling fellowship though there be not ravishing discoveries 't is 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 laies 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 sinfull man The heart will be humble and the presence of God will be dreadfull 2. The appearance of grace will be powerfull 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 soules 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 powre 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 bosome embraces nor those sweet kisses that it had from the lips of Christ These mercies are too great to be forgotten by a soule that doth enjoy communion with God 2. It leaves an instinct in the soule after farther fellowship with God If a man fall into sin but once it leaves a pronenesse in a man to fall into it again So 't is in communion with God if a man enjoy communion with God but once it leaves a greater pronenesse and aptitude in the man to look after communion with God again A soule 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 spake 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 soule of the holinesse of God The holinesse 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 't is said of Stephen they beheld his face as the face of an Angel when he was before the Councell 5. If you have fellowship communion with God you wil have acquaintance with God and familiarity with him Job 22.21 Acquaint thy selfe with God c. A soule 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 then you are brought into acquaintance with God 6. If your soules 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 spake 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 Gods withdrawments he knowes when God comes in and when God goes out at an Ordinance How many persons are there that never minde 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 Gods way shall be the soules way God will not go one
Mutuall manifestation 2. Mutuall contemplation 3. Mutuall admiration 4. Mutuall delight and satisfaction 5. Mutuall communication of secrecy The first act of communion is manifestation and that 1. Of God to man 2. Of man to himselfe 1. â—f God to man and that three waies 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 myselfe to him 2. Of his glory Psalm 63.3 Iosee 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 c. 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 boldnesse Now there are two chief acts that you are to exercise about this presence of God when it manifests it self to you in the use of Ordinances 1. The foule sees and observes this presence of God manifesting it selfe and beholds it It is Davids wish Psal 27.4 That I might dwell in thy House to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire 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 soule that enjoyes communion with God it eyeth and seeth 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 then we have they fall down before God and adore him And so the Prophet Esay Esay 6.5 Then said I wo 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 foure Elders cast down their Crowns at his feet and fall down before him c. Secondly there 's an act of Revelation of man to himselfe to know himselfe Man in himself is dark in discoveries of himself 2 Cor. 4.6 For God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse 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 'T is 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 himselfe 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 soule is then judged by Ordinances First When it is mightily ashamed in the Divine presence for its non-conformity 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 himselfe Of God to man of his Presence of his Glory of his Grace Of man to himselfe in the secrets of his heart and in the principles and grounds of his heart The second act of communion is mutuall contemplation the soule 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 holinesse Holinesse 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 then 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 vertues one of another You know 't is never well with friends unless they be together what a shift will lovers make to enjoy each other So it is between the Soule 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 soule I do never ly down I do never rise up but I am with thee By the Covenant of Grace and the Ordinances of the Gospell 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 soule doth often and familiarly walk the streets of the new Jerusalem Seeing there the Patriarchs and the Prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ This the soule doth by fiduciall reasoning and by high and glorious meditation and contemplation The third act of communion is mutuall admiration the soule 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 't is said the High Priest carried the names of the children of Israel upon his Breast-plate A Jewell set in the Breastplate of Christ O how shining and glorious is it The Saints as Jewells are very taking but being set in Christs Breast-plate 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 soule doth consist in mutuall delight satisfaction contentment and rejoycing in each other There was a great fellowship and communion betwixt David and Jonaâ—han and they rejoyced in each other There 's a great fellowship and communion betwixt wife and husband â—eâ—her be as the loving hind to thee and Esay 62.5 I will rejoyce over thee as a Bride-groom rejoyceth over the Bride O the contentment that the soule takes in Christ and the contentment Jesus Christ againe takes in the soule that he hath communion withall Isa 53.11 Hee shall see of the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied Psal 17. last I shall bee satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelek Jehovah guammo The Lords portion is his people in Deut. 32.9 and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelki Jebovah amerah naphshi The Lord is my portion saith my soule Lam. 3.24 therefore the Soule studies Christ and Christ studies the Soule the king shall take pleasure in thy beauty you know the command is unto a
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
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 imploying themselves about spirituall 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 then the bare Ordinance nay in every Ordinance remember 't is 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 then a slight answer Communion with God is a thing of more concernment and of greater moment then most men are a ware of and we use to try things that will not be taken from us without tryall Consider three things 1. God hath scales to weigh all your graces 2. He hath touchstones to try all your graces 3. He hath Fanns to sift all your graces Rev. 3.2 thou hast a name to live and art dead And then 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 approches of God unto the soules of unregenerate men in ordinances when there is no reciprocall approaches of the spirits of unregenerate men to God 2. When their spirits are onely 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 alwaies 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 rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with mirrhe and my fingers with sweet smelling mirrhe 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 gladnesse c. David hee had a sanctifying Communion before but now he beggs for a ravishing Communion with God that would raise him up to a rejoycing in God Now you may know whether you have fellowship with God in Ordinances or no by three things 1. By somthing Before duty 2. By somthing In duty 3. By somthing 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 shew us the Father and it sufficeth us that was the Disciples end in their prayer to Jesus Christ shew us the Father nothing but the Father would suffice them So when thou comest to Ordinances and sayest O that I might see the goings 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 shal 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 then thou maist certainly conclude thou shalt have fellowship with him 2. If God before hand put thy heart into a suitable frame to the duty then thou maist assure thy soule 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 shooes 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 expresly pointing at this that God doth first put the spirits of his people in a frame suitable to communion with himselfe And 2. he commeth unto them with a blessing enclining his ear to hear and accept them favourably or that whensoever the Lord doth put the hearts of his people into a prepared frame then 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 it selfe as it were for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tachin is the future hiph from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chun he prepared or fitted c. and then observe what followeth VVhen once thou hast thus fitted and prepared their heart then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takshib oznâ—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 VVhen 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