God, and customarily live in the omiffion of it. As the pfalmift fays, They call not upon the Lord. Pfal. xiv. 4. Days, weeks, months, and years, it may be, pafs away, without any fecret prayer to God. Or elfe, if they do outwardly attend upon fome ordinances of communion with God, yet their hearts are withdrawn from God. Ifai. xxix. 13. This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their bearts far from me. When they seem externally to be converfing with God, their hearts are converfing with fome other objects. Men naturally chufe to converse with any thing, rather than with God. They can delightfully hold communion with a luft, dwelling upon it in their thoughts. They can cheerfully affociate themselves day and night, with their fellow finners. They can fedulously converfe with earthly things, running from one creature and worldly bufinefs to another. But all this while, can contentedly keep away from God. Rom. iii. 11. There is none that feeketh after God; none naturally. APPLICATION.

USE 1. We may hence learn, how pernicious an evil fin is.-'Twas fin, which at firft eftranged mankind from God. The first fin of Adam, alienated his heart from God, fo that he withdrew from God, and laboured to hide himself from the prefence of God. 'Tis fin alfo, which fill ftrengthens and increases this alienation from God. 'Tis this, which feparates between us and our God. (Ifai. lix, 2) And oh! what an evil thing is this, which caufes us to depart from the living God; and not to care whe ther we any more come near unto him, or have any thing more to do with him? Dreadful is that evil, which has brought man to fuch a pafs, as to caft off God, and turn his back upon him, taking an everlafting farewel of him. Such a difpofition to forfake God, as this is, fin has wrought in the heart of every man naturally. It has broke the bond of friendship and union between God and men, and fowed in the nature of man the feeds of enmity against God, H 2

and

and estrangement from God. O let us think of this that we may mourn for paft fins, and watch against fin for the future, as being a God- feparating evil, and fo the worst of all evils.

USE 2. Let none of us abide in this ftate of diftance from God: This is a ftate not to be refted in, one moment. Now that we may be quickned to haften out of this eftate, let us confider these things.

(1.) Confider what we are far from, while we abide at a diftance from God. Confideration is one great duty which finners are called unto, without the exercife whereof, they will never think of leaving their state of distance from God, and returning to him. And one great fubject of our serious confideration fhould be this, viz what we are far from, while we keep at a diftance from God. Now what these things are, may be gathered from the parable of the Prodigal fon, in whom we have a lively reprefentation of the wretched condition of them that are får from God.

1. While at a distance from God, we are far from all true liberty. God is the only fountain of liberty; therefore to be far from him, is to be far from freedom. When the Prodigal fon went away from his father, he joined himJelf to a citizen in a far country. Luk. xv. 15. This citizen means Satan, to whom finners that depart from God, do bind themselves fervants. They are the flaves of the devil. They are his captives; who are taken captive by bim at bis will. 2 Tim. ii. 26. By his. powerful temptations, he deals with them according to his will and pleafure. He works effectually in them, as the Prince of the power of the air, Eph. ii. 2. continually driving them to all manner of evil. So that they are in a moft miferable thraldom to that accurfed tyrant. And therefore when finners are converted to God, they are faid to be tranflated from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of the dear fon of God, Col. i. 13. which intimates to us, that before their converfion, they were under the tyrannical power of the prince of darknefs. He tyrannizes

over finners, and holds them under the most cruel bondage.

2. While at a distance from God, we are far from all real dignity. God is the only fountain of honour and excellency. They therefore that are far from him, are far from true excellency. When the Prodigal fon was gone far from his father, be was fent into the fields to feed fwine. Luk xv. 15. Swine were unclean creatures, according to the ancient law of God; and the Jews had an averfion for them, more than for any other creature and therefore they esteemed the keeping of fwine, as the most infamous and difhonourable occupation. So that our Lord, by the Prodigal's feeding of fwine, would reprefent to us the bafe, ignoble and fordid work, that finners are employed about. They ferve divers (fwinifh) lufts. Tit. iii. 3. And the whole bufinefs of their lives is, to make provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the (filthy) lufts thereof. All their la bour is spent in the gratification of vile affections; which difcovers the fordid, low fpirit, by which they are acted, and renders them vile perfons. Hence when finners are converted, they fee the difgracefulness of their former. finful ways, and are afhamed of them. Rom. vi. 21. What fruit bad ye then in thofe things, whereof ye are now ashamed? 'Tis a moft difhonourable life, that men live, while they are estranged from God and his ways. Prov. xiv. 34. Sin is a reproach

3.

While at a distance from God, we are far from all folid good. God is the alone fountain of living waters, of all refreshing and fatisfying good. When therefore far from God, men are far fromall fatisfactory good. When the Prodigal had left his father, be would fain have filled. his belly with the husks, that the swine did eat. Luk. xv. 16, This reprefents to us the mean, infipid things, which finners purfue, and feek to live upon. The best things which they labour for, are the things of this world; which feparate from God, are no better than buks, dry and raftelefs, and unfatisfying to the hungry foul.-They are but broken cifterns, which can holdno water, to fatisfy the thin

H 3

thirft of an immortal fpirit. They are poor, empty things, that cannot fill the defires, nor fupply the wants of the foul, which is the moft excellent part of man. Though therefore men poffefs the good things of this world in the greateft abundance; yet their fouls enjoy no real good, nor receive any increase of happinefs therefrom. They are no ways fuited to the nature of the foul; and therefore cannot conftitute a felicity for it. In the midst of fuch plenty, the foul may be in want. Thofe then that forfake God, do fellow after vanity, and that which cannot profit. Jer. ii. 5, 11.

4. While at a distance from God, we are far from all true wifdom. God alone is the fountain of wisdom.

men.

To be therefore far from God, is to be far from wifdom. 'Tis faid of the Prodigal fon, that be came to bimfelf. Luk xv. 17. This implies, that before, he was befides himself, not in his right mind. He was, as it were, out of his fenfes, deftitute of all fpiritual wisdom and understanding. While finners are far from God, they are very fools and madSo they are frequently called in the holy fcriptures of truth. While they reject God and his word, what wifdom is in them? Jer. viii. 9. While they wander from God, they are under the power of the greateft folly. Prov. v. 23. In the greatness of his folly, be fhall go aftray. Unregenerate perfons are foolish creatures. Tit. iii. 3. We ourfelves, fays the apoftle, were fometimes foolish. He and they were fo, white alienated from God. Yea, man in his natural eftate, is a mafs or lump of folly and madness. Eccl. ix. 3. The heart of the fons of men is full of evil and madness is in their heart while they live. They run mad after their lufts, like diftracted perfons, not confidering what they are doing, nor whither they are going.

5. While at a distance from God, we are far from all fafety. God alone is the fountain of all falvation; theretore to be far from God, is to be far from falvation. When the Prodigal fon was gone far away from his father, he faw himfelf to be in a perifhing condition. Luk. xv. 17. serish with bunger. He was in a loft eftate, in perpetual

danger

danger of perishing and dying. So while finners are far from God, they are out of the way of falvation, and in the broad way that leadeth to deftruction. The Prodigal was far from his father's boufe, when he was in the far country. Heaven is the house and habitation of God; there he dwells. To be far therefore from God, is to be far from heaven, and nigh to hell; and every step away from God, is a step farther from heaven, and nearer to hell. But this leads us to the fecond thing to be confidered by us.

(2.) Confider what will be the issue of abiding at a distance from God. We fhould feriously confider, what will be the end of a ftate and life of eftrangement from God. It will most certainly iffue in two things:

1. It will iffue in an eternal feparation from God. If we keep far from God, in a way of fin, we fhall at the laft be put far from God, in a way of punishment. If we continue to bid God depart from us now, he will hereafter bid us depart from him. The final fentence, that will be paffed on fuch as abide at a distance from God, will be that in Matth. xxv. 41. Depart from me. They will be separated eternally from Chrift and God. They muft for ever go away from God, as the fountain of all good and bleffedness. They fhall never enjoy any good, in God, or from God. They fhall for ever be under a total privation of God,and of every thing that is good and comforting. Not fo much as a drop of common bounty shall be afforded to them, to yield them any relief; not a drop of water to cool their tongues. (Luk. xvi. 24.) O what an unhappiness will this be, to be eternally parted from God, the infinite good, the only foul- fatisfying and bleffed-making good! O confider, can you bear the thoughts of an everlasting feparation from God? Can you be content to be for ever banifhed from the fweet prefence of God, and deprived of the enjoyment of him? It may be, you think this no great unhappiness, seeing you can fo contentedly live without God in this world. But confider, that all thofe things wherewith you now fatisfy yourselves,