A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

Secondly; God will be acknowledged as the chiefest Good; and so if we do not often think of him, and delight in Communion with him, fear to offend him, and care to please him, all this is Ungodliness.

1. If we do not often think of him: if we did not want Hearts, we cannot want Objects to put us in mind of God; He is not far from every one of us, Acts 17.27. But though God be not far from us, yet we are far from God; and though he be every-where, where we walk, lie and sit, yet he is seldom found in our Hearts. We are not so near to our selves as God is to us. Who can keep his Breath in his Body for a minute, if God were not there? But though he be present with us, we are not present with him. There's usually too great a distance between him and our Thoughts. God is round about us in the Effects of his Power and Goodness, yet afar off in regard of our Hearts, and the workings of our Spirits; Psal. 10.4. God is not in all his Thoughts. O consider how many there are that live upon God, that have daily and hourly maintenance from him, yet regard him not. Wicked Men abhor their own Thoughts of God, and hate any savoury Speech and Mention of his Name. Look, as the Devils believe and tremble; the more they think there is a God, the more is their Horror increased: thus do carnal Hearts; and therefore they do all they can to drive God out of their Mind. How many Trifles do occupy our Mind, we muse of nothing, unless it be of Vanity it self; but God can seldom find any room there, we would fain banish God out our Minds. When David beheld God's Works, and looked upon the Creation, he cried out, Psal. 104. 34. My Meditation of him shall be sweet. O it is the Spiritual Feast and Entertainment of a gracious Soul to think of God! We cannot put our Reason to a better use. None deserves our Thoughts more than God, who thought of us before the World was, and still thinks of us. Saith David, Psal. 139.17