3. And as God is with us thus Relatively and Efficiently, so also Objectively for our holy converse. Wherever our friends are, God is still at •and to be the most profitable, honourable and delightful Object of our thoughts. There is enough in him to take up all the faculties of my soul. He that is but in a well furnished Library may find great and excellent employment for his thoughts many years together: And so may he that liveth in the open world, and hath all the visible works of God to meditate upon: But all this were nothing if God were not the sense of Books and Creatures, and the matter of all these noble studies: He that is alone, and hath only God himself to study, hath the matter and sense of all the Books and Creatures in the world, to employ his thoughts upon. He never need to want matter for his meditation, that hath God to meditate on. He need not want matter of discourse (whether mental or vocal) that hath God to talk of, though he have not the name of any other friend to mention. All our Affections may have in him the highest and most pleasant work. The soul of man cannot have a more sweet and excellent work than to Love him: He wanteth neither work nor pleasure, that in his solitude is taken up in the believing contemplations of Eternal Love, and of all his blessed Attributes and works. O then what happy and delightful converse may a Believer have with God alone! He is always present, and always at leisure to be spoken with; and always willing of our access and audience: He hath no interest cross to our felicity, ⟨p. 341⟩which should move him to reject us (as worldly great ones often have) He never misunderstandeth us, nor chargeth that upon us which we were never guilty of: If we converse with men, their mistakes, and interests, and passions, and insufficiencies, do make the trouble so great, and the benefit so small, that many have become thereby aweary of the world, or o• humane society, and have spent the rest of their days alone in desert places. Indeed so much of God as appears in men, so much is their converse excellent and delightful: and theirs is the best that have most of God: But there is so much of vanity, and self, and flesh, and sin in the most or all of us, as very much darkeneth our Light, and dampeth the pleasure, and blasteth the fruit of our societies and converse.
3. And as God is with us thus Relatively and Efficiently, so also Objectively for our holy converse. Whereever our friends are, God is still at •and to be the most profitable, honourable and delightful Object of our thoughts. There is enough in him to take up all the faculties of my soul. He that is but in a well furnished Library may find great and excellent employment for his thoughts many years together: And so may he that liveth in the open world, and hath all the visible works of God to meditate upon: But all this were nothing if God were not the sense of Books and Creatures, and the matter of all these noble studies: He that is alone, and hath only God himself to study, hath the matter and sense of all the Books and Creatures in the world, to employ his thoughts upon. He never need to want matter for his meditation, that hath God to meditate on. He need not want matter of discourse (whether mental or vocal) that hath God to talk of, though he have not the name of any other friend to mention. All our Affections may have in him the highest and most pleasant work. The soul of man cannot have a more sweet and excellent work than to Love him: He wanteth neither work nor pleasure, that in his solitude is taken up in the believing contemplations of Eternal Love, and of all his blessed Attributes and works. O then what happy and delightful converse may a Believer have with God alone! He is alwaies present, and alwaies at leisure to be spoken with; and alwaies willing of our access and audience: He hath no interest cross to our felicity, ⟨p. 341⟩which should move him to reject us (as worldly great ones often have) He never misunderstandeth us, nor chargeth that upon us which we were never guilty of: If we converse with men, their mistakes, and interests, and passions, and insufficiencies, do make the trouble so great, and the benefit so small, that many have become thereby aweary of the world, or o• humane society, and have spent the rest of their daies alone in desert places. Indeed so much of God as appears in men, so much is their converse excellent and delightful: and theirs is the best that have most of God: But there is so much of vanity, and self, and flesh, and sin in the most or all of us, as very much darkneth our Light, and dampeth the pleasure, and blasteth the fruit of our societies and converse.
