The Christians converse with God, or, The insufficiency and uncertainty of human friendship and…

This Excellent Discourse, breathing the Excellence of it's (now Deceased) Authors Spirit, craves thy most serious perusal; and it will plentifully reward the hours which shall be spent thereon. It greatly savours of deep thoughts, strict observations, and long and great experience of God, of Things, and Persons. Creatures look best when ⟨p. iv⟩at a distance, and in prospect; but when nearer to us, they are then easily looked through, and seldom found to correspond with their Appearances to us, and with our expectations from them. But God is such a deep and boundless Abyss of Perfection, as most delightfully will endure and recompense all the severity and closeness of our eternal Thoughts about him. Perfected Spirits are all thought concerning God, and find their Hearts inflamed, and all their Powers invigorated thereby eternally, to inexpressible Satisfaction: And what varieties of pleasant Thoughts the Innumerable Instances and Mirrors of Divine Excellencies in the Heavens ⟨p. v⟩will endlessly Minister unto, I do not know, nor dare I guess too boldly at them. But how those Souls can look for Heaven, or truly be accounted gracious, who never retire solemnly to converse with God, I know not. Surely, where God is not more than all to us, he can be comfortably nothing: And our religious Exercises and Pretences must needs be mean and dull, whilst God is triflingly and seldom thought on, and conversed with by us. Can holy Walking be preserved and promoted without love? Can love to God and Christ, and to the invisible State, be kindled, cherished, and continually advanced without Faith? Can Faith be any thing but Fancy and Presumption,