THe next thing is, The Excellency that there is in walking with God.
The first Excellency
And this may be in the first place: The walking with God. Oh there is an Excellency in it: If it were only this, That it makes the waies of God easie: All the waies of God, how easie are they to the soul that knows what this means, [Of walking with God] That hath God in his company continually, Oh the easiness that there is in the waies of God! it’s that that is worth a world, and it’s a very grievous and sad condition that men and women are in who have convinced consciences, and dare not wilfully go out of Gods waies, but are alwaies drooping and find them grievous and tedious to them: But it is because they have not communion with God in them: they are in them meerly, upon necessity because they ought to be in them. But the Saints find the waies of God more easie to them, for they have alwaies good company with then. When I awake, I am alwaies with thee, saith David. The very nights are pleasant unto them: when he awakes still he is with God. There’s many men and women cannot lie alone; those that cannot sleep when they awake, if they have no company with them the nights are tedious; but if they cannot sleep, and yet when they awake they have some with them the nights are not so tedious to them: When I awake I am ever with thee saith David concerning God. That’s the first thing, for the Excellency of this walking with God.
The second Excellency
But Secondly, This walking with God, it is, most honorable. Oh ‘tis an honorable thing to walk with God. Attendance upon Kings and Princes we know is honorable; The Maids of Honor that do but attend upon a Queen, it’s a great honor; the attendance upon a King, yea upon Noble Men: But now, not only attendance, but free converse with Princes, that’s more than meer attendance; to walk with an Emperour as a friend up and down in his Galleries, in his Gardens, in his Orchyard. So it is with the Saints, Abraham is called Gods friend. You are not my servants, but my friends, saith Christ. God admits the soul to come as a friend and to have converse with him, Oh! this is honorable. They were accounted blessed that were in the presence of Solomon, that were but his servants to wait at his Table; much more to sit at his Table, to see the order of Solomons Table: Then to be alwaies with God, and walking with him, what a blessed and honourable thing is this! It is the honor of Angels themselves, that they do but see the face of God, the Angels that are in Heaven do behold the face of God; what honor is it then for Christians to be alwaies walking with God? Honor! ‘tis that that is the great honor and happiness of the Church when she shall be in her glory. Mark how Christ doth expresse himself, in Revel. 3. 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, What’s promised to them? and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. There shall be a glory put upon them, and they shall walk with me, for they are worthy. The walking with Christ, that’s the greatest honor that Christ could promise unto them. And so in the 14. of the Revelation. it’s said of those that stood upon Mount Sion with the Lamb, having harps in their hands, and singing of a new song; in the 4 verse, These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins; these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes; these were redeemed from among men; being the first fruit unto God and to the Lamb. They follow the lamb whithersoever he goes: This is the honor that is put upon them: Oh the walking with God it is most honorable.
The third Excellency
Thirdly, The Excellency of walking with God consists in this, In the blessed satisfaction that the soul must needs have in walking with him: to walk with life its self, with glory, with happinesse, and that in a constant way, this must needs satisfie the soul, must I say bring inconceivable satisfaction and peace unto the soul thus walking with Him. You know what Philip said, Let us see the Father, and it sufficeth us: What, would it suffice Philip to see God? Oh then! not only to see him, but to walk and be continually with him. People will run many times but to have the fight of a great man, but to be admitted into the same room and to walk with him; this is more, in the 33. of Exod 14. And he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest: God promised to Moses that his presence should be with him, and then when the presence of God is with the soul, Oh the rest that the soul hath by the presence of God! Oh the lettings out of joy that there must needs be to the heart that walks with God! in the 38. Psal. 8. 9. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures; for with thee is the fonntain of life: In thy light shall we see light. Certainly where God walks there is a glorious light round about, that such a soul never walks in darkness, the light of God shines about it; as we reade of those that walked with Christ to Emaus, the text saith, Their hearts burn’d within them. Certainly the hearts of the Saints walking with God must needs be fild with those influences from God that must make their hearts glow within them while they are walking with him: in Psal. 89. 15, 16. you have a notable Scripture there about the satisfaction of the soul in walking with God, Blessed are the people that know the joyfull sound: they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance, In thy Name shall they rejoyce all the day, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. Those that walk with God they walk in the light of Gods Countenance, and in Gods Name shal they rejoyce all the day, and in his righteousness shall they be exalted. Oh! a blessed thing it is to walk with God. The speech of that noble Marques Galiatius that was of great birth in Italy, and forsaking all his honors and friends and coming to Geneve, he had this expression, saith he, upon a time feeling his sweet converse with God, Cursed (saith he) be that man that accounts all the gold and silver in the world worth one daies enjoyment of Communion with Jesus Christ. He had left a great deal of gold and silver, the Pope himself was a neer kinsman to him, and great possessions and kindred he had, and left it all to come to Geneve, to professe the truth there, and he found all recompenced in Communion with Christ, and his heart was so ful with it, that he even cursed those that should account all the gold and silver in the world worth the enjoyment of one hours communion with Christ: Oh an hours walking with Christ is more than all the world. I appeal to those souls that have been acquainted with this, whether would you have lost such an hour that you have been conversing with God for all the world? what would you take for the enjoyment of such an hour as that is? Oh not thousand thousands of worlds a gracious heart would not take for some hours that it hath in enjoyment of communion with God in walking with him; Oh there’s infinite sweetness in walking with God. There’s a great deal of good to be had in walking with the Saints, as sometimes I have told you of Dr. Taylor that was the Martyr, when he came to prison he rejoyced that ever he was put in prison there to meet with that Angel of God John Bradford: Now if it be comfortable to have communion with the Saints though in prison, Oh how sweet is it to have communion with God in walking with him! I remember I have read of a King, that once beholding Plato walking up and down with other Phylosophers, he cries out thus; Oh life! this is life and true happiness; yonder is true happiness: he did not look upon his Kingdom as affording a life to him, and as affording that happiness as he did beleeve Plato and the Phylosophers had conversing one with another about Phylosphie; as if he should say, ‘tis not the Kings of the earth that live the happy lives, but these Phylosophers that walk and converse thus one with another. Oh then what life and happiness it is for the soul to walk up and down with God, and to converse with God himself! what though thou walkest in the velly of Bacha, yea what though thou walkest in the shadow of death in respect of outward afflictions, yet walking with God is that that will shine upon thee, and will sweeten thy heart even when thou art walking in the vally of Bacha, and in the shadow of death. In the 7. of the Revel. see whither Jesus Christ leads the soul in walking with Him, The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Thus when thou walkest with Jesus Christ, he leads thee to the living fountains of waters that comfort thee; the comforts that thou hadst in the world were but as dirty puddles; but those comforts that thou hast in Christ when thou walkest with him, they are the fountain of living waters. That’s the third thing wherein the excellency of walking with God consists, The abundance of soul-satisfaction that the heart hath in God.