The fourth Excellency

The fourth Excellency that there is in walking with God is this, It’s a special part of the covenant on our part that God doth make with us, upon which the very blessing of the covenant doth in grreat part depend: as that Scripture in the 17. of Gen. doth cleerly shew, where God is coming to make a covenant with Abraham, and to be a God to him and to his seed; what’s that God requires of Abraham now? Walk before me and be upright; Then I am God alsufficient, and I enter into covenant with you, to be a God to you, and a God to your seed, Walk before me and be upright. As if that were all the thing that God look’d at, that you should walk with him and be upright: [then] you shall have the blessing of the Covenant. Oh this is a great excellency, that it is a special part of the Covenant that God makes with his people on their part: and then on his part, he will be a God unto them. What was it that God requir’d, in the 6. of Micah, 6, 7. verses, there you may see how God prizes walking with him, that it’s the great thing that God doth look at, whereas there were some that said, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow my self before the high God? shall I come before him with burns offerings? with Calves of a yeer old? will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of Oyl? shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? What shall I do to please God? Mark in the 8. verse, He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do Justly, and to love Mercy, and to WALK humbly with thy God? As if he should say, This is the great thing, to walk with thy God; not only to exercise some particular grace of thy Justice, and Mercy, but in general, to walk with thy God; Never tell me of any thing that you would do for me, but in the constant course of thy life, walk humbly with thy God. This therefore was the comfort of Hezekiah when he had the message of death come to him, in the 38. of Isa. Remember O Lord (saith he) how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart; he turned his face to the wall, and (the text saith) he wept (it was for joy:) as if he should say, Lord, it’s true, there hath been many infirmities in me; but Lord, I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart; as if he should say, I may boldly challenge, and I do come now Lord to challenge the good of the Covenant, that thou wouldst remember me according to the riches of thy mercy, for Lord I have walked with thee: as if he should say, Lord, was not that the thing that thou didst require of my father Abraham? why Lord, I have walked before thee, and I have been upright in some measure; therefore Lord, be a God alsufficient to me, Lord, remember thy Covenant, be a God to me, be All in All to me because of this. Oh my brethren! Is not this worth ten thousand thousand worlds, That the soul may be able to appeal to God that it hath done that which is a special thing that is requir’d in the Covenant on our parts; and so upon it may have the assurance of Gods performing the Covenant on his part.

The Fifth Excellency

And then the fifth thing is, There is a blessed safety in walking with God. As in the 23. Psal. 4. there see the Prophet David that was a man much exercised in walking with God, saith he, Yea though I walk through the vally of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff doth comfort me: I am walking with thee, and though I be walking in the shadow of death, I’le therefore fear no evil. Now is it not a blessed thing to be in safety alwaies with God? And in the 138. Psal. 7. saith David, Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies: and thy right hand shall save me. No matter what the trouble be so God be with the soul; he that walks uprightly walks surely, in the 10. of the Proverbs, 9. Whereas it’s said of the wicked that they walk upon a snare continually: in the 18. of Job, 8. The wicked walk upon a snare: The waies of wickednesse that you walk in, they may seem to be pleasant and comfortable to you, but certainly you are upon a snare, and you may be catch’d and undone for ever, though perhaps thou hast escap’d all this while, yet thou art in continual dangers, Every step (I say) thou goest on in the waies of sin, thou art upon a snare, and in danger to be catch’d to thy eternal destruction; But he that walks uprightly, he walks surely, and this is a great excellency, for a man to walk surely, I know I am in my way for I am with God: A child doth not fear what way soever it goes in, if he can but see his father. Now the soul may know surely, I am in the right way, I am with God; and I am safe what ever danger comes, for I am walking with God.

The Sixth Excellency

The sixth Excellency that there is in walking with God is this, From hence the soul comes to enjoy a holy boldness and a holy familiarity with God. It may be when the soul comes first to God, the presence of the great God strikes some fear, there is some dread of the Majesty of God; But when the soul hath used to converse with him, there is a holy familiarity that the soul hath with God, and a holy boldness, it can have free liberty to say any thing to him now; and this is the reason that some now that never knew what the spirit of prayer meant, and what the liberty of the soul in opening its self to God meant before, yet when they have come to be acquainted with the waies of God; Oh what liberty have they then in their spirits to open their hearts to God, yea, they can open their hearts to God as one friend to another. I remember it’s said of Luther, that when ever he was praying, he could speak to God as to his friend. In Job, 22. 21. Acqusint now thy self with Him, and be at peace. The soul comes to have an acquaintance with God, Oh what a phrase is here! What, acquaint our selves with God, that God should be our acquaintance! I, God is willing to be the acqaintance of the poorest Christian in the world, Poor men and women, and Servants, and others that perhaps some rich men that is by them wil scorn their acquaintance, but they account them rather (as it’s spoken of some vile people) fit to be set with the dogs of the flock, yea, perhaps though they be poor godly people, yet they think it too much debasing themselves to have any kind of acquaintance with them: Well, but the infinite God though he is so high that he humbles himself to behold the very things that are done in Heaven, yet this God thinks not much to be one of thy acquaintance, to be of the acquaintance of any one that hath any godliness in them; when we see a great man, a man of parts and honor come to some poor man and shake him by the hand, we will say, Look what an humble man is this, that will be so familiar with the meanest of all. Oh! now acquaint thy self with God, This is the blessedness of walking with God; the soul comes to have a familiar converse with God, and a holy boldness.

The seventh Excellency

The seventh benefit or Excellency that there is in walking with God is this, The Communication of Gods secrets. He that walks with God shall come to know the mind of God. It’s impossible for a man to take delight in walking with another but he must discover secrets from him; there’s never any true friendship where there is a closeness of spirit. But where there is true friendship they will take one another and walk together, and open their hearts each to other: this is comfortable walking indeed. Thus it is in walking with God, this is the blessing of it, such souls they have the secrets of God discovered to them, they come to know much of the mind of God; though they are weak in their natural parts, yet (I say) they come to know much of Gods mind because they are with God. We reade in the 13. of Proverbs, 20. vers. saith the holy Ghost there, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise. Then what shall he be that walks with God? Surely if there be wisdom to be learned from our walking with wise men, then there is wisdom to be learn’d in walking with God: ‘Tis from hence that men that are weak in parts they come to have such excellent knowledg in the great mysteries of the Gospel, and you wonder at it: you see such a mean servant that a while ago could understand nothing at all; yet now comes to understand the great mysteries of the Gospel, and that be yond many great Scholers: How comes this to passe? he walks with the God of wisdom, and the God of wisdom doth delight to let out himself to him, and to open his heart to him, they come to know the counsels of God because they walk with him; those Christians that keep close to God in a holy conversation walking with him, certainly they come to know more of the mind of God than others do; others that walk loosly they know little of the great mysteries of the Gospel, they may talk something of them, but certainly they have not a spiritual insight into the Great mysteries of the Gospel so as those have that walk with God.

The eighth Excellency

The eighth benefit of walking with God it is, That such find favour in Gods eyes for granting their petitions; for to hear them in their prayers. In the 37. Psal. 4. ver. Delight thy self in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart; walk with God, and enjoy converse and communion with him, so as to delight thy self with him, and he will give thee thy hearts desire, thou shalt have what thou wouldst have. As now, if a man have a petition to give to any great man, If he can but observe him in his walks, then he thinks that surely when he may have such an opportunity, now to present it as he hopes to have audiance, and acceptance of the petition. I remember I have read of one that offered to give a great sum of mony that he might have but liberty to whisper any thing in the Kings ear every day, why? because thereby he thought that he should have a great many people come to him to desire his help for to prefer their petitions, and if he might have but that liberty he should get enough that way. Now the soul that hath the liberty of walking with God, what a priviledg hath he? and what opportunities to present petitions to God? and the Lord delights in hearing of them. If a King will admit a man to walk with him, surely such a man whatsoever he presents it’s like to speed. Now my brethren, upon this ground it is thus: you shall see a great deal of difference in a formal professor’s prayer, & the prayer of a godly man that walks with God; the difference in the prayers of these two is thus: I’le set it out by this similitude. You have your beggers, and they pray for an alms, but they stand at the door; but if you a have special friend, an acquaintance that shall come to desire a favour from you, the door is opened for him, you carry him into the Parlour, and there he opens his mind to you, he hath a great deal of priviledg more than the other: Both come to ask a favour from you, but one stands at the door, and the other is let into the Parlour and walks up and down there, and there opens his mind to you. Just for all the world is there this difference between the prayers of formal professors, and the prayers of those that walk with God; Those that make but a meer profession of Religion, they will pray as others do, but they are like beggers at the door, they see not Gods face all the while, they knock it may be, but the door is not opened for them to come in: But a gracious heart that walks with God, doth not only stand knocking at the door, but it is opened and he comes into the Presence Chamber, and there saith God, What is thy request O thou soul? As if a friend should hear another that is his dear friend stand knocking at the door, he presently opens the door and carries him into the best room that he hath, and there saith, Tell me what it is that you would have, I am not able to deny you; and this is the priviledg of those that are gracious and holy, that walk with God: they have much priviledg in prayer, much benefit that way, and freedom with God, and assurance of Gods granting of their petitions.

The ninth Excellency

In the ninth place, There’s this Excellency in the souls walking with God, There must needs be a glory put upon the soul. As it was with Moses, he went up and was but with God fourty daies upon the mount, and when he came down, his face did shine that the people were not able to behold it: God appeared in a visible manner to him; But spiritually it’s true now, the soul that is conversing with God fourty daies, yea, in the constant course of his life, hath a beauty, a lustre, a glory put upon it, and such a lustre and glory that those that have enlightened consciences and yet are guilty they are scarce able to bear the fight of them: As I appeal to you, when you have given liberty to some way of sin, and you have come into the presence of those that have been godly and walked very close with God, hath it not struck a terror to you? for there is a glory and beauty upon those souls that do walk close with God, they do shine in the midst of a crooked and perverce generation. What’s the glory of Heaven but the reflection of Gods presence upon Heaven that makes it so glorious? And in its measure a gracious heart that walks close with God hath the glory of Heaven upon it.

The Tenth Excellency

Tenthly, Gods presence doth mightily act every grace, doth draw forth every grace: (and that I lay down as another distinct head in the excellency of walking with God) I say, it draws forth every grace, the graces of the Spirit of God are alwaies kept in action: as now, fire will draw fire. The Lord being of infinite holinesse, when the heare is holy it being in the presence of God walking with him, (I say) all holinesse must needs be drawn forth, and must be acted; and this will put a mighty beauty upon men, while they have not only grace in their hearts but it is acted. And this is a great blessing to have our graces acted, drawn forth, and enlarged, and this is the benefit of walking with God.

The Eleventh Excellency

And besides, The presence of God, and familiarity of the soul in walking with him, will make the presence of God neither at death or judgment shall ever be terrible to it. Those that now walk with God and have much converse with him, (I say) when they come to die, Gods presence shall not be terrible to them; yea when Jesus Christ shall come in flaming fire to revenge himself upon those that know him not, the presence of Christ shal not be terrible to them: Why? Because they walked with Christ all the daies of their lives: In the 11. of Hosea, 10. vers. They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a Lyon. Mark how these two are joyned together: wicked and ungodly men they shall tremble at the roaring of a Lyon: but for the Saints it shal not be terrible to them: And how much is it worth, that when God shall appear in death, and at judgment here and hereafter, the terrour of God shall be taken away? My brethren, God appears at death, and at the times of Judgment ordinarily in another manner than he doth in the time of prosperity; you see no terror in Gods presence now; but beware of it when death is approaching: wicked men when they lie upon their death-beds, how terrible is the presence of God to them then! but those that walk with God shall not find it so: when they come to die, then God appears to them; Now am I going to stand before the great God, to have my eternal estate determined one way or other: But what God is this? He is great indeed; but he is my friend, I have had converse with him all the daies of my life: And so, when I must come to Judgment here comes Jesus Christ with his thousands of Angels in glory, but it is Christ that I have conversed with all the daies of my life, this Christ hath been my friend before whom I am. This will be the comfort in walking with God.

The twelfth Excellency

And then, The end of the walk, that makes it belssed indeed. Oh! how blessed will that make it! It’s a blessed thing to walk with God now; but when you come to the End of this walk you shall find it blessed indeed. If a man did come to enjoy God at last, though it was through never so many difficulties, yet he had cause to blesse God. If one were going to possess a Kingdom, though his way were never such a difficult way and hard, yet the end of his way would make it comfortable, because it is to go and take a Kingdom: But now, you that are walking with God, you have comfort in your walk, but the end of your walk, oh that will be glorious indeed! it is to possesse a Kingdom, it is to have the crown of glory set upon your heads; your communion that you have with God here, it is but as the forerunner of that glorious Communion that you shall enjoy with him together with the Saints and Angels to all eternity.

And thus we have given you the heads at least of the Excellency that there is in, Walking with God. No marvel though the holy Ghost sets such a commendations upon Enoch, Above al things, That he walked with God, seeing there is so much good in it. I confesse I had thought not to have left this Head without applying of it, and warming it upon your hearts, that you might walk so with God that you might not lose the comfort, and blessing, and sweet Excellency that you have had opened to you in walking with God; only let me say thus much, Be in love with it; Know, there is no such good in any other path, the Devil doth but gul you, and your own hearts; and the world doth but deceive you, if it promise any good in any other way that will counter vail this: Oh no, the walking with God it is the good of a Christian, it’s his happinesse, his glory, his commendations; Oh that this may be recorded of you as it was of Enoch! And Enoch walked with God.