Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general. And…

And then it must needs be delightful to God that thou shouldest come nigh him: There is nothing in the world more pleasant to God then to have his Saints come into his presence. What doth a Father more delight in than to have his Children about him? Never did any Father or Mother love to have their Children by them, so as God loves to have his Children come nigh him, and be often with him. And the truth is, one great reason that God suffers you to fall into afflictions so much, is that you may come running to him: How doth the Child come running to the Father or Mother when it is afraid? why, the Lord is willing to permit men to do you wrong that you may run to him, that he might have more of your presence: Thou that art such a poor creature, yet thou hearest this day that there is nothing in the world that God takes more pleasure in (next to the presence of his own Son Jesus Christ, and his Saints and Angels that he hath with him in heaven) then to have his Saints come nigh him, to have them always to be under his wing.

And then it must needs be delightful to God that thou shouldest come nigh him: There is nothing in the world more pleasant to God then to have his Saints come into his presence. What doth a Father more delight in than to have his Children about him? Never did any Father or Mother love to have their Children by them, so as God loves to have his Children come nigh him, and be often with him. And the truth is, one great reason that God suffers you to fall into afflictions so much, is that you may come running to him: How doth the Child come running to the Father or Mother when it is afraid? why, the Lord is willing to permit men to do you wrong that you may run to him, that he might have more of your presence: Thou that art such a poor creature, yet thou hearest this day that there is nothing in the world that God takes more pleasure in (next to the presence of his own Son Jesus Christ, and his Saints and Angels that he hath with him in heaven) then to have his Saints come nigh him, to have them alwaies to be under his wing.

And then by coming often into Gods presence in his Worship there will grow a sweet and blessed familiarity between God and thy soul, for thou wilt be speaking to God, and God will be speaking to thee too: We know many times that dear friends who are very nearly linked together, yet if they be long absent one from another there grows a strangeness, and so by degrees their friendship is deadened; but now when they are together every day, and there is an intercourse of love and friendship, then their friendship is kept active and quick, but now if they be absent long; Indeed if they be absent in another Country when they cannot come together, that they are sure it is not through any neglect, then it will not damp their friendship; but when they are near and come not one to another, then they think it is out of neglect and so they grow strange. So it is with the Soul, if there were no possibility of a coming into Gods presence, then it would not hinder the sweetness of the love of God to us. But now when we have those duties of Worship wherein