A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…

5. And it is the more pleasant to converse with the Godly, because they speak not by hearsay only, but by experience: They tell us of the discoveries that illuminating grace hath made to their own souls; and of the many evils they have been saved from; and the communion they have had with God, and the prayers which he hath heard, and the many and great deliverances he hath granted them; They relate their conflicts with temptations, ⟨p. 298⟩and their conquests; their strivings against their ancient lusts, and how they have overcome them; and the sweet refreshings which their souls have had in the exercise of Love, and faith, and hope! They can dive into the Ocean of mercy, and speak of the abundant kindness of the Lord, and earnestly awaken and invite each other to praise him for his Goodness, and to declare his wondrous works for the children of men; They can direct each other in their difficulties, and encourage each other in holy ways, and strengthen one another in holy resolutions, and comfort one another with the same comforts that they themselves have been comforted with by the Lord! And may not our hearts rejoice and burn within us, while we discourse of such important things as these, in such a serious, experimental, edifying manner? They can discourse together of their meeting before the throne of Christ, and of the blessed converse which they shall have in Heaven, with the Lord himself, and with the holy Angels, and where they shall be, and what they shall do, to all eternity, in the presence of God where is fullness of joy, and before him where are the eternal pleasures.

5. And it is the more pleasant to converse with the Godly, because they speak not by hearsay only, but by experience: They tell us of the discoveries that illuminating grace hath made to their own souls; and of the many evils they have been saved from; and the communion they have had with God, and the prayers which he hath heard, and the many and great deliverances he hath granted them; They relate their conflicts with temptations, ⟨p. 298⟩and their conquests; their strivings against their ancient lusts, and how they have overcome them; and the sweet refreshings which their souls have had in the exercise of Love, and faith, and hope! They can dive into the Ocean of mercy, and speak of the abundant kindness of the Lord, and earnestly awaken and invite each other to praise him for his Goodness, and to declare his wonderous works for the children of men; They can direct each other in their difficulties, and encourage each other in holy ways, and strengthen one another in holy resolutions, and comfort one another with the same comforts that they themselves have been comforted with by the Lord! And may not our hearts rejoyce and burn within us, while we discourse of such important things as these, in such a serious, experimental, edifying manner? They can discourse together of their meeting before the throne of Christ, and of the blessed converse which they shall have in Heaven, with the Lord himself, and with the holy Angels, and where they shall be, and what they shall do, to all eternity, in the presence of God where is fulness of joy, and before him where are the eternal pleasures.