onstant communion, and it vents itself
in converse with God, and daily entertainment of him in our spirits and
ways. There is a keeping of company with him in prayer and meditation, and
all the ordinances. There is a communication and familiar conference of
the heart with him, either in thinking on him or pouring out our requests
to him. There is a mutual and daily intercourse and correspondence of that
soul with God, in answering his word by obedience, in praying to him, and
receiving answers from him, and then returning answer again with a letter
of thanks and praise, as it were. These are the ways to increase that love
of God, and kindle it up to a higher flame, and it being thus increased,
it gathers in all the endeavours and abilities of the soul, and sets all
on fire, as a sweet smelling sacrifice to please him. It is henceforth the
great study of the soul to remove all things that are offensive to him,
for the entertaining of sin, his enemy, is most inconsistent with this
true fellowship and friendship. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the
Lord will not hear me," Psal. lxvi. 18. This will mar that sweet
correspondence in prayer and praise, for it is a breach of peace and
covenant to regard and maintain his enemies. Therefore the soul that loves
God will study to compose itself in all things to his good pleasure, as
well as his love, that is strong as death, puts him upon a careful
watching, to do all things for our profit, and so this takes in our whole
carriage and walking, in religious approaches, or in common businesses, to
have this as our great design--conversing with God and walking to all well
pleasing.

Now, if we were once enrolled in this blessed fellowship with the Father
and the Son then it follows, as a fruit and result of this, that we should
have fellowship one with another. And truly the more unity with God, the
more unity among ourselves: for he is the uniting, cementing principle, he
is the centre of all Christians, and as lines, the farther they are from
the centre, the farther distant they are from one another, so the distance
and elongation of souls from God sets them at further distance amongst
themselves. The nearer we come every one to Jesus Christ, the nearer we
join in affection one to another, and this is imported in that of Christ's
prayer, "That they may be one in us," John xvii. 21, 22. No unity but in
that one Lord, and no perfect unity but in a perfect union with him. I
would exho