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

If you would be acquainted with God, take heed of those things, which keep God and man at a distance, and make the Lord take no pleasure in us. In general, take heed of all sin, Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the Fatherless, and plead the cause of the Widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Isa. 1.17, 18. You must wash your hands in Innocency, if you intend to compass his Altar, to sit down it his Table. In Psal. 101. David is exceeding desirous of Gods company, and he cries out, O when wilt thou come unto me! he thinks long to have a visit from his old friend; he would gladly walk with him. Now what course doth he take to get Gods ⟨p. 354⟩company? Why, he goes the best way to work in the world: He will set no wicked thing before his eyes. He knows it is to no purpose for him to expect much of Gods company, while he doth entertain his greatest enemies; therefore he turns them out of doors; I hate, saith he, the works of them that turn aside, it shall not cleave to me: And that God may dwell with him, and make his house, as well as his heart, a Temple for himself, he will not suffer a wicked person to live in it, he will have none in his Family, but such as shall be ready to serve God, and bid this his great Friend welcome.

But more particular, if you would have much of Gods company, and be intimately acquainted with him; take heed more especially of those particular sins which make God most to estrange himself from. As,

First, Take heed of Pride: That was the sin which made the first breach between the Creature and the Creator, the sin that sunk the Angels, that made God and them, who were very good Friends once, to be bitter enemies; this hath made the breach infinite, the feud everlasting, the wound incurable. And this made the first Quarrel between God and man. When man thinks himself too good to be but a man, he must be a God; he quickly is too had to be a man, he is but one remove from the Devil. To be a favourite of his Prince is not enough, except he may step into the Throne; it's therefore high time for his Prince to remove such from his presence to a Prison, from the Court to a Dungeon. It was Pride that cast Adam out of Paradise; and do you think that that sin is less hateful to