Sermon VII.
What it is to walk with God hath been declared.
II. What is added thereunto of duty, in this qualification, comes nextly to be considered.
Amongst the many eminent qualifications of the obedience of believers, we shall find, in the issue, this to stand in the forefront, among the chiefest (the words in the original are, וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת): To “humble thyself in walking,” or, to “walk with God.”
A man would think that it is such an honour and advancement, that a poor sinful creature should be taken into the company of the great God, to walk with him, that he had need be exhorted to take upon him great thoughts of himself, that he may be prepared for it. “Is it a light matter,” says David, “to be son-in-law to a king?” “Is it a light matter to walk with God? How had the heart of a man need to be lifted up, which hath such apprehensions of its condition!” The matter is quite otherwise. He that would have his heart exalted up to God, must bring it down in itself. There is a pride in every man’s heart by nature, lifting him up, and swelling him until he is too high and big for God to walk with.
Now, whereas there are two things in our walking with God considerable:— first, The inward power of it; and, secondly, The outward privilege of it, in an orderly admittance to the duties of it; — the former alone is that which edifieth us in this duty; the latter puffeth up. These Jews here, and their successors the Pharisees, having the privilege of performing the outward duty of walking with God, were, as Capernaum, lifted up unto heaven; and, trusting in themselves that they were righteous, they despised others; — of all men, therefore, they were most abhorred of God. This is that which the Holy Ghost beats them from, — resting in the privilege to come up to the power. God tells us of the prince of Tyrus, that he set his heart as the heart of God, Ezek. xxviii. 6; — he would be on even terms with him, independent, the author of his own good, fearless. So, in some measure, is the heart of every man by nature; which, indeed, is not to be like God, but the devil.
To prevent this evil, I shall inquire, what it is that is here required of us, under these two heads:— 1. What it is in reference whereunto we are to humble ourselves in walking with God; 2. How we are to do it:—
1. There are two things that we are to humble ourselves unto in our walking with God:— (1.) The law of his grace? (2.) The law of his providence:—
(1.) In all our walking with God, we are to humble ourselves in bowing to the law and rule of his grace; which is the way that he hath revealed wherein he will walk with sinners. The apostle tells us of the Jews in sundry places, that they had a mind to walk with God; they had “a zeal for God.” So he had himself in his Pharisaism, Phil. iii. 6. He “was zealous towards God,” Acts xxii. 3; and so were the Jews, Rom. x. 2, “I bear them record, they have a zeal of God.” And they followed after righteousness, “the law of righteousness,” chap. ix. 31; they took pains to “establish their righteousness,” chap. x. 3. What can be more required to walking with God than a zeal for him, — for his laws and ways, and a diligent endeavour to attain a righteousness before him? How few do we see attain thus much! What repute have they in the world that do so? But yet, saith the apostle, they did not attain to walk with God, nor the righteousness they sought after, chap. ix. 31. But what is the reason of it? Why, in their attempt to walk with God, they did not bow themselves to the law of his grace. So chap. x. 3; they went about to establish their own righteousness, and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. What righteousness is that? Why, “the righteousness of faith,” according to the law of grace, Rom. i. 17. “They sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law,” chap. ix. 32. And the ground of all this is discovered, verse 33. Behold, here are two effects of Christ towards several persons: some stumble at him, and so are not able to walk on with God. Who are they? He tells you, verse 32. Some are not ashamed. Who are they? They that believe, and so submit to the law of God’s grace. It is evident, then, that men may labour to walk with God, and yet stumble and fall, for want of this humbling themselves to the law of his grace.
Let us see, then, how that may be done, and what is required thereunto. It is, then, required, —
[1.] That the bottom of all a man’s obedience lie in this, — that in himself he is a lost, undone creature, an object of wrath, and that whatever he have of God in any kind, he must have it in a way of mere mercy and grace. To this apprehension of himself must proud man, that would fain have something of his own, humble himself. God abhors every one that he sees coming towards him on any other account. Our Saviour Christ lets men know what they are, and what they must be, if they will come to God by him. “I came,” saith he, “to save that which was lost,” Matt. xviii. 11. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Matt. ix. 13. Verse 12, “The whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.” “I came into the world,” says he, “that they that are blind may see, and that they which see might be made blind,” John ix. 39. This is the sum: “If you intend to have any thing to do with God by me, know yourselves to be lost sinners, blind, sick, — dead; so that whatever you have, you must have it in a way of mere grace.”