Heaven taken

1. We may look upon the words ¹in Hypothesi; here is something implied, viz. that by nature we are far off from God. Drawing near implies a strangeness ⟨p. 198⟩and distance. In our lapsed estate we lost two things, the image of God, and communion with God, Psal 58. 3. The wicked are estranged from the womb. Every step a sinner takes, is a going further from God. The Prodigal's going into a far Country, Luke 15. 14. was an emblem of the sinner's going afar off from God. How far are they distant from God, who have been travelling forty or fifty years from their Father's house! and which is worse, sinner's are not only far from God, but they do not desire to be near him, Jer. 4. 10. They have loved to wander; Sin doth not care to be near holiness. The wicked get as far as they can from God: Like Cain, who went out from the presence of the Lord, Gen. 4. 16. That is the Church of God, where were the visible signs of God's presence: he estranged himself from God as much as he could: he sell to building, thereby thinking to drown the noise of his conscience, as the Italians of old were wont to drown the noise of Thunder by ringing their Bells. Sinner's think God's company may be best spared, Isaiah 30. 11. Cause the Holy one of ⟨p. 199⟩Israel to cease from before us. Let us shut God out of our company; let him be no more named among us. A bad eye loves not to be near the Sun.

1. 11.