Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

1. This is to be received, that God hath Actually manifested §. 19 the Glory of all his Attributes in a way of doing us good. What will it avail our souls; what comfort will it bring unto us, what endearment will it put upon our hearts unto God, to know that he is infinitely Righteous, Just, and Holy, unchangeably true, and faithful, if we know not how he may preserve the glory of his Justice, and Faithfulness in his Comminations and threatenings, but only in our ruin and destruction? If we can from thence only say it is a Righteous thing with him to recompense tribulation unto us for our iniquities? What fruit of this consideration had Adam in the Garden? Gen. 3. What sweetness, what encouragement is there in knowing that he i• ⟨p. 102⟩Patient and full of forbearance, if the Glory of these is to be exalted in enduring the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction? nay what will it avail us to hear him proclaim himself the Lord, the Lord God ^aMerciful and Gracious, Abundant in Goodness and Truth, yet withal, that he will by no means clear the guilty; so shutting up the exercise of all his other Properties towards us upon the account of our iniquity? Doubtless not at all. Under this naked consideration of the Properties of God; Justice will make men fly and hide, Gen. 3. Is. 2. 21. chap. 33. 15, 16. Patience render them obdurate, Eccles. 8. 11. Holiness utterly deters them from all thoughts, of approach unto him. Joh. 24. 19. what relief have we from thoughts of his immensity and omnipresence, if we have cause only to contrive how to fly from him? Psal. 139. 11, 12. if we have no pledge of his gracious presence with us? This is that which brings Salvation, when we shall see, that God hath glorified all his Properties in a way of doing us good. Now this he hath done in Jesus Christ. In him hath he made his Justice glorious, in making all our iniquities to ^b