BUt having set out unto you the excellency of walking with God, you will say, Who is it that doth walk with Him? I shall further set out to you the Evidences of those men and women that do walk with God.
The first Evidence
One that walks with God, Is one that depends not much upon sence or reason in the course of his life: I say, one that is above the waies of Sence and Reason in his course, he hath received a principle to go higher. Most men in the world they walk according to sence; and therefore the Scripture saith, They walk according to the pleasure of their eyes. But now, one that walks with God, his walk lies beyond Sence, and above Reason; though things of Sence seem to go this way or that way, quite crosse to him, yea, though Reason seem to go quite crosse to him, yet still his heart is not in a hurry, but he hath that that can quiet his heart though Sence and Reason seem to be contrary: 2 Cor. 5. 7. there you shal see the walk of a godly man, For we walk by faith and not by sight, saith the Apostle; beyond our sight, either beyond our sight of sence, or the sight of Reason; we walk by faith. But now, this is a great point, a Christian walking by faith, and therefore I intend to speak to that by its self from this very text, (God willing) in another Treatise.
The second Evidence
One that walks with God, you shall find him in private the same that he is in publick; what ever holiness doth appear in such a one before others, in his walking in the world, if you trace him and follow him in his private course you shall find him the same man as you do in publik: why? because he hath not to deal with man so much, he hath to deal with God in all his waies, when he hath any thing to do before others, he walks with God, and when he is alone he is the same man still. In the 101. Psal. see what David saith there concerning his walk in private in his family, I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way (saith he) Oh when wilt thou come unto me! I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. As if he should say, I will not walk when I am abroad only, with a perfect heart, but I wil walk within my house with a perfect heart. There are many people that when they are abroad in the world they seem to be very strict in their way, but follow such men to their houses and there you shall see a great deal of difference. You will find many times as much difference between the course of men when they are abroad and in their houses, as you find in their cloaths; you shall have many men and women when they go abroad they wil be very neat, and though they have but little means, yet they wil lay it upon their backs so that they may be fine abroad; but come to them in their families and they care not what cloaths they wear there: It is just so in regard of their lives, their lives have as much difference as their cloaths: When they are abroad then they put a good face on things and seem to be very fair in their conversations, and speak good things, but at home there they are froward and perverse, and perhaps in their passions, will swear, there they are prophane, and ungodly, and vent their corruptions in a most ungodly manner; doest thou walk with God? If thou hadst to deal with God thou wouldst be the same in thy family that thou art abroad, that thy wife, children, and servants in thy family might give as good a testimony of thee as when thou art abroad with others: Yea, and if ye could retire with them into their very closets you should find them the same there in any duties of Religion. You shall have many when they come abroad and joyn with others, Oh how enlarged are they! yet dead and dull when they are at home either in family or closet, yea their own consciences tells them so. Those that walk with God wil be as spiritual in the one as in the other; it may be when they are with others, because they are to be the mouth of others they wil sure themselves according to those they pray with; yet when they are alone and in their families their hearts are as spiritual and as holy in their duties as when they are with others: why? because they have to deal with God in all: and that’s another Evidence of one that walks with God, that he is the same in private as he is in publick.
The third Evidence
A man that walks with God hath a serious spirit: walking with God will compose the spirits of men and women, will take off that loosness and vanity of spirit: Therefore walking in the vanity of the mind, that’s quite crosse to walking with God; as in the 4. of the Ephe. 17. there it’s spoken of wicked men, it’s said that they walk in the vanity of their minds: All wicked men they walk in the vanity of their minds; then all those that walk with God walk in the seriousness of their minds: It must needs be that they must have a seriousness of spirit in all their waies, for it’s with God that they have to deal withal, they take not that liberty to run this way or that way as others do. If servants be walking one with another they can take liberty to go out of their way and talk with this or the other body as they please: But if a servant walk with his Master or Mistris, he must not take that liberty but must go as they go. So, many that walk only with the creature, they take liberty to run up and down as they please; but those that walk with God, they must have composed spirits, and walk seriously, and though they may walk seriously, yet cheerfully; I beseech you consider of this: For that Christian knows not the way of Christian-rejoycing that doth not know how to mix it with seriousness; yea, Senecha that was a Heathen could say, Joy, it is a serious thing; there is a kind of seriousness in true joy, for the joy of a Christian is not frothy, it is a composed joy: As thus now, It’s serious:
First, A Christian in his joy he is able to command himself, he can let out his joy so far and yet at a beck he can command himself to the most spiritual duty in the world from his joy, he doth not profusely let out his heart so as he cannot call it in again. Certainly, thou dost not joy as a Christian if thou canst not take off thy heart from creature joyes, God gives thee liberty to be merry, but so, as to have it under thy command, as thou shalt be able to call thy heart off from it to the most serious duty in the world.
Secondly, He cannot only command himself to holy duties in the midst of his joy, but he finds himself the fitter for holy duties by it: now this is a serious joy if it be no other than I can command my self off from it, and that that fits me for that which is holy: Christians had need take heed of frothinesse, slightnesse, and vanity, for certainly the walking with God cannot but make them serious, and those that are slight and vain, surely they do not converse with God, for God is such a serious object that it’s impossible but it must work a seriousnesse in the spirits of men.