cations from him, that we might be "filled with all the fulness of God."

Such has been the real experience of many a servant of God; and from this account of it, imperfect as it is, you will easily perceive, that approaching to God is the most solemn and delightful part of the duty of a Christian. It is to withdraw from the world, and to walk with God. It is, as far as is possible, to drop the body, and converse immediately with the Father of our spirits. In short, it is to enjoy as much of heaven as the imperfections of earth will admit.

II. In what does the blessedness of approaching to God consist?

It is a distinguished honour conferred on that man whom God chooses. How ambitious are mankind of filling the highest offices of state, and what fierce contentions are raised about a seat on the right or on the left hand of their sovereign! But how much greater is the honour, and how much more substantial is the blessedness, of that man whom God chooseth, and causeth to approach to himself! "Seemeth it a small thing to you," said Moses to Korah, "that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself?" That creatures, whose foundation is in the dust, deformed, depraved, polluted, and rebellious, should be admitted into the presence of the King of Kings; that they should draw near to God, walk and converse with him, and share in the peculiar manifestations of his favour, is an honour with which no earthly dignity can bear any comparison. To be distinguished with the acquaintance, the friendship, the intimacy of the great Jehovah; to have the ear and the confidence (if I may so

speak) of the great Ruler of the universe; to have an interest in God, and a claim upon the divine perfections, full liberty to ask what we will, and assurance that it shall be granted us; to see princes and potentates hewing out broken cisterns, and contenting themselves with the scanty supplies which they afford, and at the same time to have immediate access ourselves to the overflowing fountain of grace and consolation!-Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him! The Christian will share in honours to which even angels are strangers: For of which of the angels said he at any time, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one?" Yet thus shall it be done to the man whom God delighteth to honour.

Thus to approach to God, is also the greatest pleasure that we can possibly enjoy. I dare not mention, in comparison with this, the highest worldly enjoyments. They are mean, unsatisfying, and perishing, like the momentary blaze of crackling thorns under a pot; the laughter of an hour, followed by years of painful recollection. Friendship undoubtedly is the greatest temporal blessing. When we see and converse with the person whom we love, especially after some considerable absence from each other, our eyes sparkle, and our whole souls feel an agreeable serenity, or sometimes almost a tumult of joy. Yet what is this, when compared with that communion and fellowship, that mingling of sentiments, that union of spirit with God? Ye that know what it is, say, if any pleasure can equal it; if it be not good to draw near to God, and best when you are nearest ?-Say, if you have ever felt such joy, as when the Lord has

caused his face to shine upon you, and whether you ever sat in any place with so much delight as under his shadowSay, whether honey or honeycomb was so sweet to your taste as the provisions of his house, and whether you cannot sometimes apply these words to your present experience, "In thy presence is fulness of joy."

But approaching to God is also very profitable.

It were vain to attempt an enumeration of all the particular instances in which the advantage of it has been tried and acknowledged. It is sufficient to observe, that all our spiritual blessings, peace, purity, comfort, and salvation, are the happy consequences of our acquaintance with God; and speak aloud the lions may lack, language of scripture, that " young and suffer hunger; but they that seek the Lord, shall not want any good thing."

This is a short and very imperfect account of the blessedness of approaching to God. They who know any thing of this divine exercise, will easily perceive that the one half has not been told. I hope, however, that enough has been said to convince you, that nearness to God is the supreme felicity of a creature. Let me ask, as we go along, who of you will now engage his heart to approach to God?

III. We proceed to mention some of the principal hinderances of our approaching to God. The first of these is Sin. fensive to infinite holiness.

Nothing but this is of Before sin had entered,'

God and man conversed with all the freedom and unreservedness of friends. There was no distance or jealousy on either side; but all was harmony, complacency, and love, till guilt came in, and interrupted

the intercourse. To the same cause is to be attributed

our present distance from God. "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear." I am not speaking now of the unregenerate: God is not in all their thoughts; or if a recollection of the ever-present Deity at any time force itself upon them, they say to him, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." But I intend at present to show, what causes the distance and reserve in a Christian's approach to God.

1

There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not; and Christians who are most watchful and circumspect, will sometimes mistake, and wander from the path of God's commandments. They fall not often, indeed, into public and scandalous vices, but into sins of great guilt, and perhaps greater danger. These are pride, hypocrisy, malice, envy, and hatred towards our fellow-men, yea, towards our fellow-Christians; and insensibility, ingratitude, stub bornness, and other evil dispositions relating to God. Into these vices of the mind the best Christians are sometimes betrayed. Then follows an alienation of the heart from God. The stated hours of public wor ship are not thought of with that pleasure, nor welcomed with that joy, which was usual; trifling excuses are sought after to neglect them, or they are hurried over as fast as possible. There is not only this backwardness on our part, but displeasure on God's. He understands our thoughts afar off, and perceives the sin, however carefully hidden. In consequence of this, we cannot draw near the Lord, and enjoy any comfortable evidence of his presence and favour.

Till we have destroyed this Agag, till we have put away this Babylonish garment, till we have parte d with that which had kindled the divine jealousy, till we have washed ourselves, and made us clean in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, our communion with God will not be restored. But when the accursed thing that separated between God and our souls, is discovered and removed, the pleasure of drawing near to God again is inexpressible. Having our consciences cleansed from dead works, with what eagerness do we then long to appear before God; and when we draw near to the mercy-seat, how do we pour out our souls in the language of contrition, and express our gratitude and joy, for his enabling us to find, and to part with, that sin, which had so long deprived us of the light of his countenance ! We now go to the throne of grace with pleasure, till some unhappy cloud rise from our hearts, and darken all our prospects again. Thus we sometimes think that our mountain stands strong, and can never be moved; and at other times are troubled with apprehensions of danger; sometimes blessed with the "visits of his salvation;" at other times walking in darkness, and seeing no light. Those whose consciences are most pure, and whose hearts are most humble, know least of those painful changes. But the best of us, I presume, feel enough to make us long for that happy period, when we shall be sanctified throughout, in body, soul, and spirit; when no sin shall be left to disturb us; and when we shall be perfect, as our Father who is in Heaven is perfect.

The world is another great enemy to our approaches to God.