Heaven upon earth, or, The best friend in the worst of times. Delivered in…

19. He is one that is willing and desirous to be acquainted with you. What I have said before had signified little to us, were it not for this. It's a misery, and no comfort, to hear and know the great things which we must go without. But this is that which puts life into all those powerful Motives which I handled before. God is the most loving, most strong and rich Friend, and withal he hath in him a sweet inclination to be acquainted with us. The terms that he offers are the most reasonable in the world. This, this is the comfort of the poor fallen Sons and Daughters of Adam; that though they have run away from God, though they have left their Fathers house, and turned Prodigals; yet their tender-hearted compassionate Father is ready to receive them again, his arms are open, he meets them; while they are yet a great way off, he runs to them and falls upon their neck and kisses them, and expresseth the greatest kindness to them, and joy for their return. O unparalleled love! O infinite goodness! God hath expressed this his willingness to receive poor lost Sinners abundantly throughout all the Scripture. If God had not been willing to have been friends again with man, what needed he to have given himself the ⟨p. 166⟩trouble of parting with his dearest Son, and sending him into the world to manage this great work of reconciling man to himself? why else was that precious blood shed? and to what purpose should he send so many Prophets, Apostles, and Ministers, for so many hundreds of years, rising up early, and sitting up late? why are they commanded to cry aloud, to use so much earnestness, to compel poor wandering strangers to come to his house, but that he might be acquainted with them? Can any one conceive that he should do all this without the least design of kindness? If all that God hath done to the reconciling man to himself, doth not speak his willingness to be reconciled to them, what can? Isa. 5.4. Nay, so willing is he to receive them, notwithstanding all their backslidings, that he teacheth them how they may address themselves to him most acceptably, he puts words in their mouths which they may use with good success when they come before him, Hos. 14.1, 2, 4.

19. He is one that is willing and desirous to be acquainted with you. What I have said before had signified little to us, were it not for this. It's a misery, and no comfort, to hear and know the great things which we must go without. But this is that which puts life into all those powerful Motives which I handled before. God is the most loving, most strong and rich Friend, and withall he hath in him a sweet inclination to be acquainted with us. The tearms that he offers are the most reasonable in the world. This, this is the comfort of the poor fallen Sons and Daughters of Adam; that though they have run away from God, though they have left their Fathers house, and turn'd Prodigals; yet their tender-hearted compassionate Father is ready to receive them again, his arms are open, he meets them; while they are yet a great way off, he runs to them and falls upon their neck and kisses them, and expresseth the greatest kindness to them, and joy for their return. O unparalell'd love! O infinite goodness! God hath expressed this his willingness to receive poor lost Sinners abundantly throughout all the Scripture. If God had not been willing to have been friends again with man, what needed he to have given himself the