January 16

He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.—Hebrews 11:6.

THE first thing to be impressed on the soul is, that there is a God; that he is a real most transcendent Being. As sure as the sun that shineth hath a being, and the earth that beareth us hath a being, so sure hath God that made them a being infinitely more excellent than theirs. As sure as the streams come from the fountain, and as sure as earth, and stones, and beasts, and men did never make themselves, nor do uphold themselves, or continue the course of nature in themselves and others, nor govern the world, so sure is there an infinite eternal Being that doth this. Every atheist that is not mad, must confess that there is an eternal Being, that had no beginning or cause; the question is only, Who this is? Whichever it is, it is this that is the true God. What now would the atheist have it to be? Certainly it is that Being that hath being itself from none, that is the first cause of all other beings: and if it causeth them, it must necessarily be every way more excellent than they, and contain all the good that it hath caused; for none can give that which he hath not to give; nor make that which is better than itself; that Being that hath made so glorious a creature as the sun, must needs itself be much more glorious. It could not have put strength and power into the creatures, if it had not itself more strength and power. It could not have put wisdom and goodness in the creatures, if it had not more wisdom and goodness than all they. Whatever it is therefore that hath more power, wisdom, and goodness than all the world besides, that is it which we call God. That cause that hath communicated to all things else, the being, power and all perfections which they have, is the God whom we acknowledge and adore; if Democratists will ascribe all this to atoms, and think that the motes did make the sun; or if others will think that the sun is God, because it participateth of so much of his excellency; let them be mad awhile, till judgment shall convince them. So clear beyond all question to my soul, is the being of the God-head, that the devil hath much lost the rest of his more subtle temptations, when he hath foolishly and maliciously adjoined this, to draw me to question the being of my God; which is more than to question, whether there be a sun in the firmament.

But what is the impress that the being of God must make upon the soul? I answer, from hence the holy soul discerneth that the beginning and the end of his religion, the substance of his hope, is the being of beings, and not a shadow; and that his faith is not a fancy. The object is as it were the matter of the act. If our faith, and hope, and love, and fear, be exercised in a delusory work, God is to the atheist but an empty name; he feels no life or being in him; and accordingly he offereth him a shadow of devotion, and a nominal service. But to the holy soul there is nothing that hath life and being but God, and that which doth receive a being from him, and leadeth to him. This real object putteth a reality into all the devotions of a holy soul. They look upon the vanities of the world as nothing; and therefore they look on worldly men as on idle dreamers that are doing nothing. This puts a seriousness and life into the faith and holy affections of the believer. He knows whom he trusteth. He knows whom he loveth, and in whom he hopeth. Atheists, and all ungodly men, do practically judge of God as the true believer judgeth of the world. The atheist takes the pleasures of the world to be the only substance; and God to be but as a shadow, a notion, or a dream. The godly take the world to be as nothing, and know it is but a fancy and a dream, and shadow of pleasures, and honor, and profit, and felicity, that men talk of and seek so eagerly below; but that God is the substantial object and portion of the soul. If you put into the mouth of a hungry man, a little froth, or breath, or air, and bid him eat it, and feed upon it, he will tell you, he finds no substance in it; so judgeth the graceless soul of God, and so judgeth the gracious soul of the creature, as separate from God.

Let this be the impression on thy soul from the consideration of God's transcendent being. O look upon thyself and all things as nothing without him! and as nothing in comparison of him! and therefore let thy love to them be as nothing, and thy desires after them, and care for them, as nothing! But let the being of thy love, desire, and endeavors, be let out upon the transcendent Being. The creature hath its kind of being; but if it would be to us instead of God, it will be as nothing. The air hath its being, but we can not dwell in it, nor rest upon it to support us as the earth doth. The water hath its being, but it will not bear us if we would walk upon it. The name of the great Jehovah

2* is, "I AM." Try any creature in thy need, and it will say, as Jacob to Rachel, "Am I in God's stead, that hath withheld thy desire from thee?" Send to it and it will say as John the Baptist, that confessed, "I am not the Christ." Let none of all the affections of thy soul have so much life and being in them, as those that are exercised upon God. Worms and motes are not regarded in comparison with mountains; a drop is not regarded in comparison of the ocean. Let the being of God take up thy soul, and draw off thy observation from deluding vanities, as if there were no such things before thee. When thou rememberest that there is a God, kings and nobles, riches and honors, and all the world, should be forgotten in comparison of him; and thou shouldst live as if there were no such things, if God appear not to thee in them. See them as if thou didst not see them, as thou seest a candle before the sun; or a pile of grass or single dust, in comparison with the earth. Hear them as if thou didst not hear them; as thou hearest the leaves of the shaken tree, at the same time with a clap of thunder. As greatest things obscure the least, so let the being of the Infinite God so take up all the powers of thy soul, as if there were nothing else but he, when any thing would draw thee from him. Oh! if the being of this God were seen by thee, thy seducing friend would scarce be seen, thy tempting baits would scarce be seen, thy riches and honors would be forgotten; all things would be as nothing to thee in comparison of him.

"Lo! God is here! let us adore, And own how dreadful is this place; Let all within us feel his power, And silent bow before his face; Who know his power, his grace who prove, Serve him with awe, with reverence love."