have the same confirmation of their blessed estate that the Angels have ibid 7 They have priviledge of a free rtade to Heaven Page 104 8 They have for he present communion with the Angels ib. 9 They have the protection of Heaven ib. CHAP. VI How the Saints have their conversation in Heaven 106 1 The aim of their hearts is heaven-wards 107 2 They are acted by Heavenly principles in their waies 108 1 That God is all in all ib. 2 That God is the infinite First being ib. 3 They have communion with the God of Heaven ib. 4 They live according to the Laws of Heaven 110 5 Their soul is where it loves rather than where it lives 111 6 They deilght in the same things that are done in Heaven 114 1 The sight of Gods face 115 2 The praising of God ib. 3 The keeping a perpetual Sabbath ib. 7 They are heavenly in earthly imployments 115 8 They are heavenly when they converse together 116 9 Their great trade upon earth is for heaven 217 CHAP. VII The Saints trading for Heaven opened 1 They have skill in they commodity they trade for Page 217 2 They have a stock to trade withal 218 3 They take the advantage of the Market for commodities ib. 4 There is much inter course ib. 5 Their chief stock is where they trade 220 6 They are willing to part with any thing here to receive advantage where they trade ib. 7 They trust much 221 CHAP. VII Evidences of mens having their conversations in heaven Evidence 1. They canvilifie all the things on earth 222 Evidence 2 They can be content and live comfortably with little in this world ib. Evidence 3 They can suffer hard things with joyful hearts 223 Evidence 4. Their hearts are filled with heavenly riches 225 Evidence 5 They are willing to purchase the priviledges of Heavne at a dear rate ib. Evidence 6 They are sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their souls Page 26 Evidence 7 Their willingness to die 227 CHAP. IX Reasons why the Saints have their Conversation in heaven ib. 1 Because their souls are from Heaven 228 2 By grace the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it 230 3 Their most choise things are in heaven 231 4 God orders it so to wean their hearts from the world 233 CHAP. X. Use 1. To reprove such as have their conversations in hell 234 CHAP. XI Use 2. To reprove hypocrites 235 CHAP. XII Use 3. Let us not find fault with the strictness of Gods waies Page 237 CHAP. XIII Use 4. To reprove such as are godly and yet fail in this thing 238 CHAP. XIV An Heavenly Conversation is a convincing conversation 241 CHAP. XV. A Heavenly Conversation is growing 243 CHAP. XVI A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to God 244 CHAP. XVII A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to the Saints 246 CHAP. XVIII A Heavenly Conversation will make sufferings easie 247 CHAP. XIX A Heavenly Conversation brings much joy 249 CHAP. XX. An Heavenly Conversation is very safe 250 CHAP. XXI An Heavenly Conversation gives abundant entrance into glory ibid CHAP. XXII Directions how to get a Heavenly Conversation Direct 1. Be perswaded that it is attainable Page 251 Direct 2. Labor to keep a cleer conscience 252 Direct 3. Watch opportunities for heavenly exercises ibid Direct 4 Rest not in formality 253 Direct 5. Labor to beat down your bodies 254 Direct 6. Labor to be skilful in the Mystery of godliness to draw strength from Christ in every thing you do ibid Direct 7. Exercise the grace of faith much 256 THE CONTENTS Of the ensuing TREATISE OF WALKING with GOD. GENESIS 45. 24. CHAP. I. TEXT opened Page 261 CHAP. II. Doctrine 'T is the Excellency of a Christian to walk with God 265 CHAP. III. How the soul is brought to walk with God 1 Every one by nature goes astray from God 268 2 The Lord manifesteth to the soul the way of life ibid 3 The Lord makes peace between himself and a sinner 269 4 God renders himself lovely to the soul 270 5 God sends his Holy Spirit to guide him 271 6 Christ takes the soul and brings it to God the Father 271 CHAP. IV What walking with God is 1 It causeth the soul to eye God 272 2 It causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods presence 273 3 He makes Gods will the rule of his will Page 274 4 The soul hath the same ends that God hath 275 5 It suits the soul to the administrations of God 276 6 To have a holy dependance upon God 1 For Direction 277 2 For Protection 278 3 For Assistance ibid 4 For a Blessing upon all it doth ibid 7 It makes a man free and ready in the waies of God 279 8 It consists in communion with God 280 9 It causeth the soule to follow God more as he reveals himself more 282 CHAP. V Excellencies of walking with God Excellency 1 It makes the waies of God easie 286 Excellency 2 It is most honorable 287 Excellency 3 The soul hath blessed satisfaction in it 288 Excellency 4 It is a special part of the Covenant of God on our parts 290 Excellency 5 There is a blessed safety in walking with God 292 Excellency 6 Hence the soul enjoys sweet familiarity with God 293 Excellency 7 To them God communicates his secrets 294 Excellency 8 They find favor in Gods eyes for granting their petitions 295 Excellency 9 There is a glory put upon the soul 296 Excellency 10 Gods presence doth mightily draw forth every grace Page 297 Excellency 11 The presence of God shall never be terrible to the soul neither at death nor judgment 298 Excellency 12 It will be blessedness in the end 299 CHAP. VII Vses of Exhortation Vse 1 Blesse God that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures 300 Vse 2 What strangers the world are to this walking with God 301 Vse 3 What vile hearts are ours that we are so backward to walk with God 302 Vse 4 Let us keep close to God in our walking wtih him 303 Vse 5 If there be so much excellency in walking with God here what will there be in heaven 304 CHAP. VIII Evidence of our walking with God 306 Evidence 1 He depends not much upon sence and reason in the course of his life 307 Evidence 2 He is the same in private that he is in publick 307 Evidence 3 He hath a serious spirit 309 Evidence 4 They walk in newness of life 310 Evidence 5 When he hath to do with the creature he doth quickly passe through the creature unto God 311 Evidence 6 He loves to be much retired from the world 312 Evidence 7 He is careful to make even his accounts with God 315 Evidence 8 The more spiritual any Truth or Ordinance or any company is the more the soul delights in it 314 Evidence 9 He walk in all the Commandements of God 315 Evidence 10 See how the Scripture describes
in that way that it hath been walking in all this while though never so pleasant a way though never so sutable to the flesh the Lord forbid that I should go on in that way that I have walked in There 's a stop caused Secondly The Lord manifests to the soul the way of life what the way of life is This stop of the soul is just like to that we reade of Saul that when he was posting on in the way of death there did shine a light round about him and caused him to stop so that he could go no further But then I say the Lord manifests to the soul what the way of life is In the 30. of Isa 21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk ye in it Oh! how many are there that can tell this by experience that they have been walking in the waies of death of eternal misery and blest themselves in those waies But there was a blessed time wherein God caused them to hear a voice as it were behind them saying This is the way walk-in it you are out of the way but here 's the way of life if you would not perish eternally here 's the way walk in this way It is a secret voice that the Lord causes to be heard in the soul but yet a powerful voice perhaps you have come to the Word and have heard what the way of life is but yet that never hath given a turn to your hearts but when God would have the soul to come in to walk with him he causes the soul besides the outward voice of the Word to hear a voice behind in secret and yet powerfully saying Oh! this is the way Oh thou poor soul that are wandring from the way of life and art going on in the way of eternall death Come in come in here 's another way This is the way walk in it And so the Lord gives a mighty turn to the soul by that secret voice Thirdly The Lord makes peace between himself and a sinner He doth reveal the doctrine of Reconciliation For a sinner at first when he comes to have his eyes enlightened when he comes to know himself and to know God Certainly God at first cannot but appear terrible to a sinner that hath walked in the waies of death formerly and though I see my way to be dangerous and I see another way to be good Oh but God is terrible to me and how can two walk together that are not at peace In Amos 3. 3. Can two walk together except they be agreed saith the text Oh there is naturally an enmity between Man and God every man in the world is naturally an enemy to God and can there be two walking together unless they be agreed Oh! you that are going on in the waies of enmity with God surely you are strangers to this way of walking with God can you walk with God before you are agreed no soul can have this testimony given of it that he hath walked with God but such a soul as is reconciled to him God doth manifest that in some measure to the soul before it's able thus to walk with him as here Enoch did and certainly Enoch came to walk with God by this for the holy Ghost in the forenamed place of the 11. of the Heb. saith It was by faith that he did it and without faith it 's impossible to please God that 's as much as without faith it 's impossible to walk with God The holy Ghost means the same thing when the Apostle saith that he did walk by faith and without faith it 's impossible to please God therefore there must be a work of faith to bring the soul to be reconcil'd and that there may be an agreement between the soul and God before it can walk with him That 's the third thing Fourthly Though there be peace made so that God doth not appear as an enemy against the soul yet there may be some strangness after peace made There was peace made between David and Absalom David was passified towards him yet he would not see his face for a while he would have been gone from his presence there should not be that converse with him in that familier way as a child with the father for a while So though there be peace made yet there 's requir'd a further work of God for the souls walking with him that is That God should render himself in loveliness and fulness of mercy and sweetness and delightfulness unto the soul that there may be a familiarity between the soul and God It 's one thing for me to know God is not as an enemy to me that he doth not intend wrath and misery against me and another thing for the soul to apprehend the sweet delightful countenance of God and the imbracements in the arms of his mercy and those condescentions of God that he is willing to come and deal with us as a friend with his friend in a familiar way Therefore that 's a fourth work the Lord is pleased to manifest himself to the soul in the sweetness of his love and his delight Not only thou art that soul that shalt not be damn'd that shalt eternally be sav'd but thou art the soul that my soul delights in thou art one that I take as my friend and that I love to deal with in all sweetness and to bring into a familiarity with my self This is that that is manifested to the soul for the bringing of it to this walking with God that here the holy Ghost speaks of concerning Enoch Fifthly The Lord is pleased to send his holy Spirit to guide the soul To himself and to guide it in walking With himself In the 8. Rom. it 's said All that are the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God As a father when he walks with the child he gives him his hand and leads along the child with himself when any comes to be a child of God God puts forth his hand and leads him and so they walk together As have you not seen somtimes a father and child walking in the garden the father puts forth his finger and the child takes hold of it and so walks along with him even so the Lord puts forth his Spirit into a gracious soul and God and the soul thus walks together being led by the Spirit of God in the 35. Isa 8 9. there you may see what the Lord speaks of the way of the redeemed ones And an high way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those the wayfaring men though fools shall not err therein Though they be very weak and fools yet they shall not err therein And no Lyon shall be there nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon it shall not be found there but the redeemed shall walk there that 's the
priviledg of the redeemed ones Now this way of walking up unto the Land of Canaan from their captivity it 's typical to typifie the walk of the soul with the Lord. Sixthly For the souls walking with God there is this further done by God Christ the Son of God he takes the soul and brings it unto God the Father as the Spirit leads so Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus Christ he brings the soul unto the Father to render God and the soul familier together In Ephes 2. 18. Through him we have an acccess by one Spirit unto the Father We have an access through him we have a manuduction He brings us unto the Father we have access through Jesus Christ As if a Prince should take a Traytor that is reconciled to his Father having his pardon and his Father being passified towards him the Prince comes takes him by the hand and saith Come I 'le bring you unto my Father and I will walk along with you unto my Father So it is None that ever hath been a sinner can walk with God but Christ must walk together with him Christ walks along with him and so God is ever more rendred sweet aimable and lovely why Because Christ hath him by the hand as I may so say God the Father hath him in one hand and Christ hath him by the other hand and so the soul walks in this blessed walk between the hands of God the Father and the Son and the holy Ghost leads and guides him too CHAP. IV. Walking with God what it is Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now The way of the soul in this walk with God When the soul is thus brought to God and by this means enabled to walk with him Then what 's the way of the soul in walking thus with God Walking with God causes the soul to eye God In the first place Now the soul being come thus to God in all the waies of God it ey 's God and sets God before it Enoch walked with God that is Enoch in the waies of his life set God before him and did eye God in his waies First beholding the infinite beauty there is in God Secondly God being the fountain of al good to the soul Thirdly the soul apprehending God infinitly worthy of all honor These three things causes the eye to be upon God continually The Lord hath infinit excellency and beauty in him The Lord is the fountain of all good to me The Lord is infinitly worthy of all honor and service and a soul walking with God eyes God thus continually In the 26. Psal 3. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Oh Lord I see thee aimable lovely and gracious and the fountain of all good and Lord I have walked in thy truth setting God before me so in Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwaies before me that I might not fall A soul that walks with God scarce ey 's any thing but God when it enjoyes the creature yet the eye is upon God as the little child walking with the father looks up to the father every soul that walks with God hath his eye upon him for there 's no such lovely drawing object to the soul as God himself is whereas wicked men they do not find God to be such a lovely object sees no such excellency in him and therfore they rather turn their eyes away from him they look another way Psal 86. 14. They do not set God before them men that walk according to the lusts of their own hearts in their wicked sinful waies the Lord is not in all their thoughts as in the 10. Psalm That 's the first thing in the way of the souls walking with God he eyes God and sees God before him Walking with God causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods Presence Secondly The soul behaves its self as in Gods Presence I see my self in Gods presence and my eye is upon God Oh let me then look to my self that the carriage of my soul be as beseems one who is in the presence of so holy so great so glorious and blessed a God as the Lord is in the 2 Cor. 2. 17. As of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ saith the Apostle when we come to do any thing we do it as of God in the sight of God knowing that we are allwayes before God Augustine speaking concerning Noah's walking with God he hath this expression Noah walked with God that is he had God alwaies present before his eyes walking so holily and so reverenced God This is to walk in the fear of God when the soul upon the apprehention of Gods presence shall labor to compose its self as beseeming the presence before whom it is and this indeed is the walk that you shall find the Saints of God in all day long would you know where to find a Saint you may know his walk you shall all the day long find him walking in the fear of the Lord Preverbs 23. 17. saith the text there Let not thy heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long He doth not say do thou fear the Lord all the day long but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Oh the walk of a Christian should be so from morning to night to walk in the fear of the Lord and nothing in this world should put him out of this walk no temptations should call him out of it but in the fear of the Lord all the day long This is the walk of a Christian when he labors to behave himself as beseems the presence of God Walking with God is when we make Gods Will the Rule of our will Thirdly The soul may be said to walk with God When the way of it is the same way that God himself goes the soul doth that that God doth What 's the way of God but the way of holiness and righteousness when the soul makes the Will of God to be the rule of it I will not be acted by my own will I will not be acted by any thing but by the Will of God what is it that God wills I will the same thing then the soul walks that way God walks when it doth sute its self with God sets the Lord as an example before it as the Scripture saith Be ye holy as your Heavenly Father is holy I see the holy and the righteous waies of God and I labor as a deer child to follow him and to go in the very same steps that God doth how doth God carry businesses I will labor to carry things so as God doth that my life shall hold forth a resemblance of God himself this is to walk with God to do as God doth to imitate God that 's a third thing in a souls walking with God Walking with God is when a Soul hath the same Ends that God hath The Fourth is this
Heaven it was with a great purchase it was with the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ that was more worth than all the world And if the Son makes you free then you shall be free indeed and therefore prize this as a great mercie while you live here in this world account it as a great mercie that you are a Citizen of Heaven account your happiness to consist there it is more than to have House and Lands here for a man to have a freedom of some Citie it is more than to have House and Land in the Wilderness What though the Lord doth order things so as while thou livest in the wilderness of this world thou hast no habitation of thine own yet certainly the Lord hath made thee free of Heaven it was purchased for thee by the blood of Jesus Christ Now by that price that it cost thou mayest conclude that there is some great matter in it that thou art a free Denizen of Heaven CHAP. VI. How the Saints have their Conversation in Heaven Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now our Conversation should be answerable and now we come more fully up to the scope of the Apostle But our Conversation is in Heaven The Conversations of the Saints that are free Citizens of Heaven ought to be answerable though their Co-habitations be in this world yet their Conversation it should be in Heaven in the 7. of Dan. 10. 18. there you reade of the excellent estate of the Saints But the Saints of the most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever That that is translated here The Saints of the most High it is not only meant of the Most High God but the Saints of the high Places so 't is translated by some for the Saints are the Saints of high places in regard of their interest in Heaven and in regard of their Conversations sutable to the place in the 2. Ephe. 6. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus The Saints are set in Heavenly places Heavenly dignitie Heavenly privileges Heavenly prerogatives yea and they themselves may be said to be in Heavenly places though their bodies be upon the earth their souls are in Heavenly places their Conversation is in Heaven They are the Saints of the High God and they are set in high places You will say What is this Conversation that is in Heaven that is here spoken of I shall open it in these particulars The first is The aim and scope of their hearts it is Heaven-ward that the Saints look at as their aim and scope is Heaven they look upon themselves in this world as pilgrims and strangers Heaven 's their home and their eye is there their end their scope whatsoever they do it is for Heaven some way or other to fit them for Heaven and to lay in for Heaven against they shall come and live there their Conversation therefore is in Heaven All that they do eating drinking going about their business yet I say their aim it is Heaven I remember it 's reported of Anaragorus a Philosopher that being asked wherefore he liv'd he said he was born to contemplate the Heavens he made it the end of his life for which he was born to contemplate Heaven Being a Phylosopher and having understanding in the motions of the Heavens he took such delight in it that he accounted it the end for which he was born So the Saints look at Heaven as their Center that they aim at that 's their scope we saith the Apostle do not look at things that are seen but at things that are not seen nothing in the Earth is our scope but Heaven is our scope and so their Conversations may be said to be in Heaven in that respect Secondly Their Conversations are in Heaven for they are acted by Heavenly principles in all their waies Heavenly principles you will say What are they This is a Heavenly Principle That God is all in all that 's a Principle that the Saints are guided by in Heaven they look upon God to be all in all unto them so do the Saints here in what they do in what they are in what they enjoy they act upon this Principle that it's God that is all in all whatsoever I see in the creature yet it 's God that is all in all to me I act by vertue of this Principle That God the infinite First-being is infinitely worthy of all love for himself that 's a Heavenly Principle the Saints that are in Heaven they look upon the infinite excellencie and glorie of God they look upon him as the First-Being of all things having all excellencie and glorie enough to satisfie all creatures for ever and look upon him as infinitly worthy of all love and service for himself know this is a heavenly Principle So the Saints their conversation is in Heaven they are acted by heavenly principles I look upon such and such things in the world whereby I may go in credit encrease or comfort this is an earthly principle But when my heart is so upon God that it looks upon him as infinitly excellent and worthy of all love service fear honor and worship for himself alone whatsoever becomes of the creature God is worthy of all for that infinite excellencie in himself this is a heavenly principle and for one to be acted in his life by such a principle as this is this is to be acted by heavenly principles not by such low and base principles as the men of the world are but by heavenly principles Thirdly Their Conversations are in Heaven For here though they live in the world they have communion with the God of Heaven that is above in the whol course of their lives In the 1. Epistle by John 1. chap. you have divers excellent expressions about our communion with God In the 3. verse That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ And then in another Scripture we reade of the Communion of the holy Ghost Thereis Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Now what makes Heaven but God we say where the King is there 's the Court where God is there 's Heaven let God be where he will There is some controversie among some where the Saints shall be after the Resurrection some think it shall be still here and yet with all the glory that the Scripture speaks of Now it 's no great matter where it be so it be where God is those that have Communion with God they are in Heaven their Conversation is in Heaven now it 's that that is the life of the Saints their Communion with God thy life it is to have communion with the Creature that is for thee to close with the contents of the Creature and the faculty that is in man to tast any
thing or to have any delight in any thing in this world when there is a sutable object to the facultie that 's his Communion with the Creature As now a Drunkard there is a kind of Communion that he hath meerly with lude company and with the creature to please his sence for a while there 's all the communion that he hath But what a different Conversation is this for one meerly to please his sence in meat and drink a little while and another to have communion with Father Son and holy Ghost The Saints here in this world have not an Imaginary but a Real Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Communion you will say what 's that By Communion with God we mean this The acting of the soul upon God and the receiving in the influence of the goodness and love and mercy of God into the soul When there is a mutual acting of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again as when friends have Communion one with another that is that one acts for the Comfort of the other there is a mutual imbracing and opening of hearts one upon another for the satisfying of the Spirits one of another So communion with God is the mutual actings of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again The Saints they see the face of God and God delights in the face of the Saints And they let out their hearts to God and God lets out his heart to them We cannot expresse this to strangers a stranger shall not meddle with this joy this is a mystery a riddle to the carnal world Do but you consider this that what Communion you have with your lude company to sit and eat and drink and play and tell stories all day long this you think is a brave life but now that the communion of the Saints is raised higher and the comfort of the Saints is not in such poor low base things as thine is the Saints have comfort in God the Father Son and holy Ghost in an infinite higher way and in that respect their Conversations are said to be in Heaven And especially when they are with God in his Ordinances they cannot be content except they have Communion with God there it 's notenough for them to call upon the Name of God to kneel down and to use some humble broken hearted expressions Oh but what communion have I with God and Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost in my duties at this time I come to the Word and other Ordinances Oh! but what communion have I with God in them I cannot be satisfied except I tast and see how good the Lord is I cannot go abroad about my businesse but with a heavy heart except I hear some thing from Heaven this morning all the comfort of their lives do depend upon this in having communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Fourthly Their Conversation may be said to be in Heaven Because they do live according to the Laws of Heaven They do not here in this world live according to the Laws of men the lusts of men but they look for their direction from Heaven What rule is there from Heaven to guide me There must be some word from the God of Heaven to order and guide them in their waies or else they cannot tell how to sute with them Indeed while they live in the Cities of the world they must obey the Laws of men but still it is in order to the Laws of Heaven the main thing that they submit to is the Statute Laws of Jesus Christ the great Law giver because there is a Law of Heaven that doth require them for to obey the Laws of men that are according to those Laws of Heaven therefore they do obey them but the Laws of Heaven are those that the Saints look after for their direction in all their waies such and such a thing I have a mind to but will the Law of Heaven justifie me in this have I any word from Jesus Christ to guide me in such a way I dare not do otherwise than according to the Will and Scepter of Christ they must be my rule in all my waies whereas before thy lust was thy rule and thy own ends thy rule and the common course of the world thy rule but now the Laws of Heaven are thy rule and therfore their Conversations are in Heaven because they are guided by the Laws of Heaven Heaven is their aim They are acted by heavenly Principles They converse with the God of heaven And then fourthly They live according to the Laws of heaven Fiftly Their thoughts and hearts are set upon heaven as he saith The soul is where it loves rather than where it lives where the heart is there 's the soul there the man may be said to be Now the Saints have their hearts in heaven their thoughts in heaven their meditations in heaven working there When I awake I am alwaies with thee saith David And Oh how sweet are the thoughts of heaven unto the Saints While thou art mudling in the world and plodding for thy self in the things of this world If God should come to thee and say Where art thou as he said to Adam yea sometimes while thou art at prayer and hearing the Word Where are thy thoughts and about what even as we say in the proverb are running about a Wool-gathering But now come to one whose Conversation is in Heaven he keeps his thoughts and meditations there continually meditating on the glorious things that are reserved in Heaven As I remember I have read of that holy man Mr. Ward that being in the midst of a dinner and people wondering what he was a musing about he presently breaks out For ever for ever for ever for almost half a quarter of an hour he could not be still'd but he cries for ever for ever for ever So far as any man or woman hath their Conversation in Heaven their thoughts are there thinking Oh eternity eternitie to be for ever in Heaven to live for ever with Christ and God and Oh the Crown of glory that is there when will that blessed day come when I shall come to enjoy those good things that are there his thoughts will be there and he is longing to be there his love and desires and affections will be working there It 's said of the people of Israel Acts 7. 39. That their hearts turned back again to Egypt they never returned in their bodies to Egypt but their hearts were there they would fain have the Onions and Flesh-pots that were in Egypt their hearts were there So it may be said of many that though they come and hear the Word yet their hearts are in their shops their hearts are after their covetousness but it 's contrary with the Saints Though they live here in this world yet their hearts are in Heaven As I remember it 's written of Queen Mary that she said If they rip'd her open
of a man that walks with God Walking with God is a high excellency and whoever hath this testimony hath the highest testimony that can be given unto a man in this world that he walks with God And therefore that 's observable that God mentions him twice as if he loved to mention his poor creatures walking with him at the 22. verse And Enoch walked with God And then in the 24. verse And Enoch walked with God Oh! as if God should say This is that that is the delight of my soul indeed Yea and that 's observable in the testimony of Noah in Gen. 6. 9. perhaps in the reading of it you may not observe that that I shal observe unto you now Noah saith he was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God He doth not say thus Noah was a just man and walked with God But mark he repeats Noah twice Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God as if he should say This is the blessed man that lived in a wicked generation and though that generation was sinful and wicked yet he kept close with God Noah was just and perfect and Noah walked with God Oh I take delight in this Noah Consider my servant Noah Noah was thus and Noah walked with God There 's a great Emphasis in doubling of his name and there can be no reason given of it for the sense would be perfect without it as if he should say Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation and walked with God But for the putting of a special incomium upon Noah Oh! Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God Oh! 't is the excellency of a man to walk with God and for God himself to own a man and to say that he walks with him Men may live in a practice of the duties of Religion Eternal duties and go very far that way and yet be strangers unto God never know what it is to walk with God they may have by-waies of their own in which their hearts do walk as the Stars that have a motion turn about by the Primum Mobile the first mover one way but they have a secret motion the other way themselves and so though many in their external profession seem to be moved one way but secretly their hearts move another way they do not walk with God all that while they did pray and reade and hear and come to Sermons and make great profession so as men might think they walked with God but it was not so As it is with a ship you may be bound to such a Port and the ship and the sails blow that way and yet when the ship goes east a man may walk up and down in the ship west-ward so in profession a man seems to be carried east-ward yet his private walks may be another way to his own ends to his own designs but here 's the honor of a man when God himself shall own him as if God should say concerning Enoch I who am a God that am the Seer and Searcher of all mens hearts and I observe the waies of my servant Enoch and I see him not only in the outward profession of godliness but in the secret of his soul he walks with me he hath no bye-walks at all but he keeps himself close with me and walks with me continually Enoch walked with God This phrase Walking with God we have exprest in Scripture in divers other phrases that are to the same purpose as walking before God Gen. 24. 40 The Lord before whom I walk saith Abraham and so God bad Abraham Walk before me and be upright And so in the 116. Psal 9. I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the Living Remember how I have walked before thee it 's said of Hezekiah And sometimes the same thing is expressed by walking after the Lord in the 13. of Deut. 4. Ye shall walk after the Lord. As a child walking after his father though he walks step after step yet he may be said to walk with him And sometimes by walking in the Name of the Lord Micah 4. 5. We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God And then fourthly by walking in the spirit of God Gal. 5. 16. and here walking with God Walking Before God Walking After God Walking in the Name of God Walking in the Spirit of God Or Walking with God They all come to the same purpose But for the opening of the point there are these Four things that I intend in the handling of it First What it is to walk with God or to discribe the work of God in bringing the soul to walk with him and the way of the soul in walking with God Secondly To shew you the excellency that there is in this walking with God what a blessed thing it is for a Christian to walk with God Thirdly Give you some evidences of a mans walking with God Fourthly To give unto you some Rules how you may come to walk with God to have your lives so as you may have this testimony even from God himself that you do walk with him These are the Four things For the First The discription of walking with God the work of God in bringing the soul to walk with him and the way of the soul in walking with God CHAP. III. How the Soul is brought to Walk with God Discovered in Six Particulars FIrst Every one by nature goes astray from God in the 58. Psal 3. it is said of all the wicked that they are estranged from the wombe they go astray as soon as they are born speaking lies That 's one of the first things wherein wickedness appears in children but 't is from the very womb that they go astray before they can speak 't is natural for the wicked to go astray from God as soon as they have any being The way wherein men naturally do walk it is the way of death it 's the way of their own hearts of their own counsels it 's the common course of the world it is the walk of the flesh But now the work of God in bringing the soul to walk with him it is First To cause the soul to make a stop in the way that men naturally walk in Those that the Lord hath left for a while in the way of nature that walk in the way of death the Lord is pleased to come to them by some mighty work of his to make a stop by considering where am I what 's my way whither am I going is the way that I am in like to the way that befeems an Immortal soul Is the way like to end well that I am walking in It causes the soul to make a stop in it and begin to think where it is whither it is going and so usually causes some fear fearing it is in a way like to miscarry so that it dare not proceed further