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Show ceived praying for Chrills manifefiation in the f\efh. So now that Chrifi is afcended,weare taught.to pray; Even fo,ComeLord Jefiu. 2. Chrift may be abfentfrom biJChterch,and from particular perfont, a~ to more' outward grateful providenc<t. In thi~ fenfe the Prophet of old tol<l the people,the Lord would be with them while they were with him. And the Angel told Gideo~e , the Lord is wit& thu 0 thou mighty man ofV• Iour; he replies , if the Lord be with'"· why Are we t/mt? Thus the Church complains P[.lm 4+ 9• Thou hajl caft us •Jf and put "I to jhamt; thou goejl not out wit!J our Armin. E. fay 2. 0. Thou ha{l forfa~en tby people, the houje of Jacob; and fo in m1ny Scriptures this indeed is the lowell degree of Gods prefence with a people or a per Jon ; but yet it is fuch as they are not patient-of, but are very earnefi with God for a return as to this degree of his prefeoce. Pfolm 22. 1. My God! my God! why haft thou forfak.!n me? why artthox Co f•r from helping me? How troubled were the people of God in the old Tefiament when IfraeltHrnedtheir bock._before their Enemin? We have experience every day how diffatisfied the people of God. under the frowns of his Pr<Jvidence. 3· Chrifi may be groduaDy abfent from his people a< lo fi>iritxal inj/HeHceJ, and this either with re[pell to the body of hit Church : or with rrfpell to the particular foult ofhi4 Soinll. 1. With refpect to the body of hi< Church; and this is not only, 1 • when they wont hit Ordinam:u in whole or in part : The Pfalmi{ l crieth out, P[al.74·1· OGod, why haft tholl caft ut off fortver i' Ver.~. We [te not our jign1, there if no more any Prophet: But, 2. Wh~n they fee nol the power and glory of God iu hi1 Ordinoncu: That the Ordinances feem dead Ordinances,or worfe,fuch as Ifoiah's preaching, Efay 6. 1 o. That men hear in dud, but under· ftond not_; they fee indeed but perceive Hoi; their he~rt if made fat, 1111d 1heir ears heavy, and their eyu are fhut, ( bltnded wtth the light ) this is a dreadful Difpenfation ; and the people of God were' always troubled for want of this prefence: ~itnefs the com· plaining of the Prophet Efaioh; that he lobo~rtd •nvom, and Jj>enl bit !frength for nothing and iH vain. His crymg out, Efay 6. 11. 0 Lord I Huw long l • 2. Secondly with refpect to the individual Souls ofBe~e ... ers: Thcfe he is ••e with, they dwell in him, and he in them, and thts 11· nion is infeparable, but yet there may be a gradual abfence of Chrifi from them, I fay, gradual; and this refpects a threefold influence · How be abfent from his Spoufo. Influence which Ch ., h h· h · . . 1.. . "" at upon t e1r Souls, ffm•gthenmg, qutc..,rnmg and comforting. ll 1 • Strengtheniltg, or inabling to JPirituol duty. In him is our r.~~gth found, ~nd without him we can do nothing. A Chrillian w~ 1upon experience lind that he hath not always alike ability to re •l f. Temptation, to tread upon the neck of a Corruption nor ~0 pe~ orm thofe act~ ~f .wor!hip, which at other times he 'hath one~ and when thJS ISm any eminont degree and for fome time ~ Chnfiiaf may conc!ude fome gradual withd;awings of thofe in: _ uences o Grace wh1ch held him up in thofe duties: But every hncere and watchful Chrifiian will obfcrve thefe decaycs and be ~en~ble that it is not with them as at other times and will fpeak I~ 1t e lauguag~ of the Spoufe here; Turn my Bel~ved! Thus Do. Wv"i cdr yeSd o•ur:t tn p1r'a lm 1 19• 2 g• s treHgt h" ' me ocr.ordt.n g to thy . or h. {lo P1olnhz 8o. I 6. 0 turn u~ta me and have mercy r<pon me [ g•vet Y rengt unlothy fervant. . _ 2. ~ick[NiNg; Th~fe are thofe influences of Grace which p;t upo~ the ~oul a fre~dom, che_arfulnefs and livelinefs in the perfor. ~an~e of Its duty, tn oppofitton to that dulnefs and deadnefs,and ea_vJne!s.ofSplrlt ':"hich the b;ft of Gods people lind oft-times in the~r fptrttual Se_rv_rces . There s nothing more evident in the experrences of Chr1fi1ans, than the dilfer.ence which upon this ac-~ o~nt they oft~n lind In their own Souls; which though oft-times 11 _ e caufed rom ~at~r~l caufes , yet when it is fo, the hand <Jf God IS to be feen m tt 10 the ordering of thole caufes which na· ~tn~lly produce luch an effect, and often is when no natl1ral caufe IS _d1lcerned :. but as an honell heart will be fenfible of this, fo it ;~I b~ dtffattsficd under it; and as to this alfo cry out Turn my ' ot•e ; How often do you meet with that Prayer in ;hat ~dmirable r -.9 P[alm, ~"kt• thou me according 10 tby "'"d,in thy way, 111 thy rzgbteoufnefi, after thy loviHg·kJndnrfi &ccording to thy jHdg'!' tntt, Vcr. 2 5,3 7, 40, &c. And though fcJmc of them m 'Y be mterpreted ~~a revi•ing from a t1ate of Alllitl:ion, yet they have a further Lat!lude, and that phrafe quic•en me in th r. t h · 1 c • ' "< !.Y w•y, oe<ms 0 a ~c a parttcu ar re. ere?ce _ro what I am [peak ing of. But the expertence of every ~hnlltan IS fulli c i ~nt proof in this cafe, L ~ fily, As to t~e •nfluencn of Comfort. It is true too, A graciou~ Sou! ma_y I_ole us peace, a~d.n o t hav_e always the fame joy and fattsfactwn m tt felf; though 111s always at peace with God it is not a! ways at peace with it fel(: But as to this when it lind~ it it Xxx 2 ~ill ' |