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

1. The soul unacquainted with God is in a necessity of sinning, Ephes. 4.14. Having their understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. For want of acquaintance with God, every thought and imagination of their heart is evil continually, Rom. 30.10, 11. There is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understands, there is none that seeketh after God. Not understanding, nor seeking after God, is the necessary cause that there is none doth good. The soul of man is an Active being, which is continually in motion; if it be not in motion to God and in God, it will be in motion from God. Hence it is that the prayer of the wicked is an abomination: that which goes for prayer, God abhors, because they are not acquainted with him, Isa. 1.3. The ox knows his owner, and the ass his masters crib, but Israel doth not know me, vers. 13, 14. To this, saith he, your incense is abomination unto me, their new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even your solemn meetings. Now the reason why there is a necessity of sin without acquaintance with God, is, because whatsoever is not done with a good heart, is not good, Luk. 6.45. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good fruit, ⟨p. 31⟩and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil fruit: for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. As an evil tree cannot bring froth good fruit, so an evil heart cannot bring forth a good action. Now without knowledge, the heart is not good, Prov. 19.2. That the soul be without knowledge is not good. And there is no knowledge like the knowledge of God, And acquaintance with him, to make the heart good, Hos. 4.2. Because there is not truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land; therefore by swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, &c. Thus want of knowledge of God, and acquaintance with God, we may plainly see, is the necessary cause of sin. Now there is no greater evil on this side Hell then that of a necessity of sinning, 2, Pet. 2.14. Those of which it is said, they cannot cease from sinning, are called cursed children. He that chooseth any sin rather than affliction, doth it through the blindness of his mind.