earthly-mindednesse hath as much opposition to the nature of grace and the power of godlinesse in the heart as almost any sin that you can name It is so quite contrary to the very beginning of the work of grace not contrary to the degrees only but to the very begining The main work of God at the very first in working grace in the soul is to disingage the soul from the creature it is to take it off from the Earth and from all creatures here below for naturally 't is true That as we are of the earth so we are earthly and have our spirits ingaged to the things of this earth but then comes the work of grace upon the soul and takes it off and discharges the heart from the earth and therefore you find that Christ laies in this as the first lesson That he that will be my Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me as if he should say never think of being a Christian except you will deny your selves Self what 's that all natural contentment natural-self and sinful-self to be emptied wholly of your selves and creature-comforts and contentments and take up my Cross to be willing to suffer any thing in regard of earthly comforts to be willing to lay down all at my feet and to give up your interest in all and to take up my Cross this is the very first beginning of Christs bringing Disciples to himself Then saith the soul let me have my sin pardoned and farewel earth it 's Heaven Holiness renewing of the Image of God communion and union with God and living to the eternal praise of his Name in Christ that my heart is upon I say this in the beginning of Gods working the heart to himself The work of Grace when it is first wrought it hath the name of Vocation Calling what is it for a man to be called give diligence to make your calling election sure To be called is this and whereas before thou wert altogether digging and dolving in the earth and seeking for thy happiness in the world now it pleases God to make thee to hear a voice behind thee calling thee and telling thee O poor soul thy happiness is not here there are other things in which thy chief good consists thou art made for higher and better things than these God hath nobler thoughts about man-kind than meerly to let him have a few contentments here in the earth Oh soul come away and look after higher things here 's the first work of grace and the soul answers unto this call of God and saith Lord I come and so gives up it's self to God to dispose of it and this is in the beginning of the work of Grace Now how contrary is earthly-mindednesse to the work of God in bringing grace into the heart Conceive it in these three things 1. The very work of conversion it is set out in Scripture by Gods calling the soul out of the world Whom he hath predestinated him he hath called When God effectually begins to work upon the heart of a sinner he does cause a voice to be heard in the soul Oh soul thou hast been busying thy self about many things but there is one thing necesseary Oh come out of that way of thine that thou art in thou canst never be happy else thou wilt be undone in it the Lord calls the soul out of the world and that I say is the very work of conversion the souls answearing to Gods call Now for one stil to be earthly and to have a heart cleaving to these things surely such a one is not as yet effectually called out of the world 2. And then from thence follows upon the souls answer to this call the Lord difingages the heart from all creature-comforts and teacheth the first lesson to deny himself and to take up Christs Crosse now what 's more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the Crosse of Christ than earthly-mindednesse the text saith here They are enemies to the Cross of Christ And then a third thing in conversion it is The resigning up of the soul to God as the chief good the soul upon the call of God it learns the lesson of Self-denial and taking up the Crosse and so being disingaged from the creature now it resigns up it self to God as an infinite soul satisfying good for ever now you cannot but in the naming of this see how opposite earthly-mindednesse is to it And then for the work of grace upon the heart after the heart is converted and turned to God First Grace brings a new light into the soul A Spiritual and Divine light is set up in the soul upon the conversion of a sinner to God but now the earth you know it 's the dark part of the world and earthly mindednesse it causeth darknesse to be upon the spirit as the interposition of the earth between us the Sun it doth hinder the sight of the Sun from us And so the interposition that there is of earthlinesse in the soul of man between God and it doth hinder the sight of God from the soul there is a Divine light set up in the soul and when as God works grace that doth discover things of a higher and more excellent and glorious nature than those things were that before the heart did so much cleave unto In the second place the Scirpture sets forth the work of grace by the New creature In the soul all things are made new old things are Past he that is in Crhist is a new creature Now earthly-mindednesse is opposite to the new creation in the soul it 's the old man that is of the earth the first man is of the earth earthly and so it is apparant that thou art still only in the stock of the first man of the earth earthly who art an earthly-minded man But the second man is the Lord from Heaven But now thou that art an earthly-minded man or woman art yet but a child of Adam of the first man and so art of the earth earthly this is opposite to grace grace works a new creation in the soul 3. And grace is of an Elevating nature raises the heart above its self and above the creature yea above the world in some respect above Angels themselves above Principalities and Powers above all created things grace is of a raising nature but an earthly-minded man sinks down to low and base things And grace fourthly is of an Enlarging nature it enlarges the heart so that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing though God should give the whole world to a heart that hath grace this would not satisfie that heart why because it is so Enlarged by the work of grace the work of grace it is the Divine nature the Image of God in the soul and therefore works the soul like to God and it 's said of God in the 40. of Isa that all the nations of the earth are to him
's true of many men in this case that I am speaking of their very souls do cleave to the dust their spirits are mixed with the earth and therefore they are drossie Though it may be they have some good common gifts some good natural parts and some workings of the holy Ghost upon them yet their spirits are drossie because they are mixt with the earth discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth they will give you the hearing but when you have done all their souls do cleave to the earth and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things they will hear you but when you have done all their souls stil cleaves to the earth As a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman As it is said of Sampson his soul did cleave to Dalilab talk what you will against that women or of the excellency of any other woman yet his soul cleaves to that woman so 't is in an earthly minded man let what will be said against the things of the earth or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of Heaven yet his soul cleaves to the earth as the Serpents belly did to the dust of the ground That 's an earthly minded man Fourthly An earthly minded man it on whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth what he shall eat and drink and what he shall put on how he shall provide for himself and his family and what shall become of him at such a time Though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it so far such a man may be judged to be earthly There are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse The first is An apprehension of some verie great evil In case I should be disappointed I look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me If I should be disappointed I know not what in the world to do That 's the first The second is An uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment when as I look upon disappointment as a very great evil so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment I cannot trust to I look upon them as too weak to help me notwithstanding al such means I may yet be desappointed this causes distracting thoughts so t is in the things of the earth an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world That is thus First They looking upon the things of the world as such great things they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world Secondly They don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it which is a main thing to be considered of As for outward things in the world they find by experience there is uncertainty in them And then for any promse that there is in Scripture that God will provide for them and their families alas that they dare not trust to that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest Lord have mercy upon them say they if they have nothing else to trust to but only a word in Scripture they think themselves most miserable and wretched But now it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world it 's true perhaps I may miscarry in such a businesse and my estate may be taken from me by the Caldeans or Sabeans as Jobs was but I shall not be undone my happiness is not gone I shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone suppose the worst yet this will not undo me Indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone but another man that hath a great deal of riches house and Lands and a stock at home to maintain him and his family If there comes such ill news I have a stock to live on he thinks therefore he is not so much solicitous So a worldly man all his stock is in the earth there 's his only portion and if he miscarries there he is undone But a godly man though he hath the things of the earth yet he hath something else treasures in Heaven to rest upon besides the earth and therefore he is not so solicitous And then for the second The uncertainty of means and help if a godly man looks upon outward causes he sees all is uncertain but he hath a promise to rest upon I will never leave you nor forsake you cast your care upon me for I care for you and this he looks upon as a certain means and help whatsoever fals out here 's a promise that he can build upon and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares But an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world more than the creature Fifthly An earthly minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth he makes it his great business and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things his whole Soul the whole man is laid out about the world it is the adequate object of his soul You will say Other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men I but mark they are busie about their callings in obedience to God and for outward things set aside their obedience to God then I say all the things that they busie themselves about in the world were it not under that consideration that they were obeying God in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls I mean by an adequate object that that Is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully I 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further to shew you what I mean by an adequate object You have a little child he is playing at sports now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his
about me to lift up me as the highest good but if there be any thing else that thy soul is set upon as thy highest good that 's thy God and it 's worse than bowing the knee thou bowest thy soul to that thing now the meaner any thing is that we make a God of to our selves the more vile is the Idolatry as when the Egyptians worshiped divers sorts of gods they were accounted the most vile Idolaters whereas other Heathens worshipped more excellent things the Sun Moon and Stars the Egyptians worshiped Dogs Cats Onions and vile things and therefore their Idolatry was vile So the viler any thing is that a man or woman sets their hearts upon the more vile is their Idolatry as for a man that should set his heart upon unclean lusts now to make that to be a god the satisfying of those lusts that 's abominable and to make any earthly thing to be a god to us that 's most vile for of all the things of the works of creation that God hath made the Earth is the meanest 't is the basest and lowest thing and hath the least beauty in it in it's self and it is the most dul and meanest element of all and to make earthly things to be a God to you this is most vile Object You will say for this Idolatry What is there in it Answ There is Two particulars to open the Evil of Idolatry or Earthly-mindednesse First The Evil of your Idolatry it is in this You do depart from God in letting out of your hearts to these things you do as it were go off from God and renounce the protection of God the goodnesse and mercy of God you leave it all by this In the 4. chap. of Hofea 12. verse They are said To go a whoring from under their God It 's a notable phrase that is by going to Idols they did go off from the protection of God whereas while they were worshiping the true God they then were under the protection of God but when they went to Idols they went from under their God from under his protection So when thou settest thy heart upon God and liftest up the infinite First being of all things as the chief good to thy soul thou art under the influence of this Grace and Mercy but when thou doest depart from him and makest other things to be thy Cheef good thou goest from under his protection and from his good and mercy Secondly God is slighted and contemn'd in this When thou choosest rather to make the earth to be thy God than the infinit blessed first-being of all things As a man that doth dispise his wife and it were abominable sin if he should choose to go to a Queen though the most beautifullest woman in the world and forsake his wife but to leave a Queen or Empress that were the beautifullest woman upon the earth and to have the heart cleave to a base dunghil-raker were not this a great contempt to the Queen that were so beautiful Yet so it is when thou doest forsake the blessed eternal God as thy chief good and choosest the things of the earth for the truth is the earth is the fink of all the creatures of Gods making and for thee to leave the most blessed and Eternal One and to make that thy god it must needs be a very vile and abominable thing and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah in speaking of this Idolatry he cals the Heavens and the Earth to be amazed at it Jeremiah 2. 12. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be horrible afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord Why what 's the matter For my people have committed two evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water So 't is here thou forsakest the fountain of living waters the blessed God and thy heart cleaves to the dust and seekest thy contentment and happinesse in cisterns that can hold no water let the Heavens be astonished at this horrible wickedness The Third EVIL Thirdly Earthly-mindedness it's enmity against God Thou wouldst be loth to be found an enemy against God certainly it 's a truth and it will be found another day That an earthly-minded man or woman is an enemy to God yea the Scripture makes it to be enmity in the very Abstract James 4. 4. Know ye not that the love of the world is enmity to God Observe this for there 's very much in it if God would be pleased to make us to lay it to heart you will find it by experience that earthly-mindednesse doth make men to be enemies to that that is spiritually good therefore well might the holy-Ghost say 't is enmity to God for whatsoever is enmity to any thing that is spiritually good it is enmity to God so much as my heart or any of your hearts are against any thing that is spiritual so much mine or any of your hearts are enemies to God Now here in the very Text these earthly-minded men are made enemies to the Crosse of Christ that is enemies to the spiritual preaching of Christ and holding forth Christ Indeed If they would have mixt Christ and Circumcision together then they would have been content with it but now this spiritual way of preaching Christ and being justified by faith alone and Christian Religion in the purity of it was that that was not sutable to their carnal hearts and therefore they were enemies to it Oh! earthly-mindednesse doth make us enemies to spiritual things where have you greater enemies unto the things of God unto spiritual things unto the Ministry of the word as we had occasion to hint and to the work of Gods grace upon the hearts of men and women no greater enemies unto these things than earthly minded men men that savour the things of the earth that can go up and down and care not if they can but load themselves with thick clay grow rich in the world and fare deliciously every day with Dives make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof there is an antipathy in their spirits against Jesus Christ and al goodnesse The Fourth EVILL Then Fourthly There is scarce any disposition more opposite more contrary to the work of grace to the work of godlinesse in a mans own heart than earthly-mindednesse 't is so exceeding crosse to the nature of grace that it may as well put men or women to be at a stand and put them upon examination whether there be any grace or no in their hearts if earthly-mindednesse prevail as almost any other thing if God should suffer your corruptions to prevail over you so as you should break forth into some outward notorious sins then it may be you would begin to think can this stand with grace and how can that stand with such workings as I have had before have not I cause to fear that I am but an Hypocrite a rotten professor But now this
but as the drop of the bucket and as the smal dust in the ballance Now grace makes the soul to be like God to accout all the things of the earth to be as the drop of a bucket and the dust of the ballance to be nothing less than nothing 5. And then Grace sanctifies the soul Now what is it to sanctifie but to take off from all common uses and to dedicate to God as the highest act of all things And therefore the Greek word that is for Holy it is taken from a participle Premitive and a word that signifies the Earth as much as to say Not Earthly and a holy one in the Greek language is not an earthly one according to the usual etimology given of it Now Grace it makes the soul holy it sanctifies the soul it sets apart the soul for God and dedicates and consecrates the soul to God and therfore you see that it is opposite to the work of God in bringing Grace into the soul and to the work of grace and the power of godliness in the soul of man This is the great Evil of Earthly mindedness The Fifth Evil. But Fifthly For the discovery of the great Evil that there is in Earthly-mindedness It puts men upon very great Temptations and for that we need no other Scripture than that in the 1 of Tim. 6. 9. saith the Apostle there But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare Mark that is Those that have set their hearts so much upon the things of the earth as they are resolved they must have them whatsoever comes of it Observe the phrase They that wil be rich they apprehend a necessity of the things of the earth they do not only wish and desire Oh! that we had riches and had these things of the earth but they resolve they must have them upon any terms Wel If the heart go on in obedience to God in the duties of its calling and if God send in riches and an estate it doth thankfully accept it from God these do not meet with such temptations and a snare as the Apostle here speaks of but when the heart is set upon it that it needs must have an estate whatsoever comes on it now they that will be so they saith the Apostle fall into temptations and a snare There 's dangerous temptations in following after the things of the earth and there is a snare in them that you do not think of for you think only of the bravery of the things of the earth how sumptuously you should live and how fine you should be in your house and cloaths and what table you may keep you only think of these things that may give the flesh contentment but you do not think of the temptation and the snare that is in them and those whose hearts are set upon these things they fall into the snare nay temptation those that are earthly-minded have great temptations to shift up and down to strain their consciences for the things of the earth for so it is that while we live in this world God hath made the things of the earth to be as thorns and so they are compared in Scripture and it 's hard for one to meddle with thorns without pricking his fingers they are as briars its hard for the sheep ro get among them but she wil lose some of her wool and so it 's hard for the heart to be busie about the things of the earth but it will be prickt and lose some of its fleece in will fall into temptation and a snare and be catch'd Oh! how many men and women that have enlightened consciences they think sometimes that they would not for all the world do any thing against their consciences though they might gain all the glory and riches under Heaven Well but yet their hearts being earthly when it comes to some particular how ready are they at least to strain conscience and not to attend to the voice of conscience and are willing that conscience should have its mouth stop'd for the time Indeed If their consciences did plainly tell them that this thing is absolutely sin against God perhaps they would not do it but that were not the snare for t is no snare when I see the danger before me here 's a deep pit and if I step a step further I fall into it this is no snare But now there are some that are not catch'd so by a pit that 's open but the Devil doth lay upon the pit it may some green grass so that they shall not perceive or very hardly perceive the danger thus such as have earthly hearts they fall into a snare and temptation they are put upon straining of conscience and wringing it as much as may be and many shifts that they are put too Oh! a man when once he is got into an earthly business he knows not how in the world to bear it if he be crost in it It may be I have gone thus far and I have very great hopes that I shall succeed in it only there is one stop now for him to think that for this one stop I am like to lose all Oh it goes to his heart Oh but now if you would but strain conscience a little you may get over it presently an earthly-man will strain hard but he will get over it whereas now were the heart taken off from the earth though such a man had gone on never so far in a business if there comes a stop in a matter of conscience yea if it were but a doubt that such a thing were sin it 's enough to stop him a meer doubt lest he should sin would be enough for to make him say let the business fall if it will there may be a snare in this and I see some cause to doubt now if the heart were spiritual it would be taken off but an earthly mind will go through very many dreadful things and doth not much trouble himself and so doth insnare himself exceedingly that he may get an estate or preserve it when once he hath got it That 's the fifth thing The Sixth Evil. The Sixth thing wherein the danger of earthly-mindednes consists is this That 't is one of the greatest hinderances in the world to profiting by the Ministry of the Word Oh! many of you cannot but be convinc'd in your consciences that you have not profited by the Word and sometimes you will complain of the want of profiting under the means Oh that you had but hearts to look into the cause of it from whence it is that you profit so little It will appear to come from your earthly-mindedness you bring a heart full of the world full of drosse with you no marvel though you do not see those spiritual and heavenly things that are in the Word when as there is so much drosse in your eyes you know travellors in the summer time travelling in the midst of dust
and in company they have not that freedome of their eyes to see things as at another time Oh! many men com to the word with their thik clay a great deal of filth that doth clam up their very eyes and dead their hearts in the hearing of the Word you know what Christ said to Martha when Mary was sitting at Christs feet and hearing his word but Martha was cumbred with many things so 't is many times with those that come to hear the Word though they are in the presence of Christ and have the sound of the Word in their ears yet their hearts are cumbred about many things there 's a great noise in their hearts they are busied in the world even while they are hearing of the Word as you find it in the 33. of Ezek. 31. ver there is an notable discription I fear it may be of many of you And they come unto thee saith the Lord to the Prophet as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after thir Covetousness They sit befor thee as my people and they hear thy words mark and they shew much love with their mouth they will commend the Sermon it may be they will say He is an excellent Preacher it 's a very good Sermon that we heard this day they wil shew love with their mouth but yet their hearts go after their covetousnesse for all that they heard a man speak fine things and brought excellent expressions for to set forth his matter that he had in hand but yet their hearts are after the things of the earth and after their Covetousness they had carnal earthly drossie hearts and hence it was that there was no good came unto them by the Ministry of the Word And that famous place which we have for this which shews it cleerly in the 13. of Matt. 22. ver you know the several sorts of ground that had the seed of the Word sown into them but there was but one of them that was good and faithfull and among others there was the thorny ground He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches choaks the Word and it becometh unfruitful I beseech you observe it these that our Saviour speaks of here in this parable that get no benefit by the Word are not men that live lewdly your drunkards swearers and whoremasters but those that have earthly hearts it 's said the deceitfulness of riches the things of the earth do not hinder in an open way for thousands of men that have earthly hearts they do not know that they have earthly hearts no it is the deceitfulnesse of riches and it choaks the Word it may be just when they are in hearing of the Word it doth affect them Oh they think it 's sweet and they will remember it but the deceitfulnesse of riches and the cares of this world choaks the word when they come they have businesses about the world and their houses and gardens and comings in and full tables and all the delights that they have in the world comes and possesses the heart that the word is choakt it cannot get down into the soul to sink in there and so to prevail in the soul to bring forth fruit Oh the word is choakt Oh many of you come here three times on the Lords day and have precious seed sown all those times and yet Oh! how it is choakt through the cares of this world and through the deceitfulnesse of the things of this world You bring with you and keep with you and carry along with you earthly minds and hence it is that the Word prevails not with your hearts Oh! what do you loose through this earthlinesse you lose the fruit of the Word that should save your souls a spiritual heart having received some one truth into it afterwards blesses God for it and would not for ten thousand worlds but he had had that truth preached unto his heart at such a time Oh he hath cause to blesse God for such a morning for such a day that he hath had such a goodly pearl of great price presented to him and taking root in his heart I say it 's more than if God had given them thousands of worlds to possess But now many of you having your thoughts and hearts about some petty thing of this world all those blessed Truths that you hear from time to time that the very Angels desire to pry into they are all choak'd and come to be unfruitful What was the reason when the young man came to Christ to know what he should do to the Eternal life that he got no good the Text saith That he had great possessions A man no question may be a rich man and yet a godly man a holy man but when the heart is in the estate mixed with the earth Oh! this it was that hindred the young man from imbracing of Jesus Christ even when he came to him Young men for the most part are rather guilty of fleshlinesse than seeking after the riches of the world yet sometimes it hath been the bain of some young men at their first setting up they were very forward when they were servants Oh! how precious was the Word unto them but when they were got into the world and found the sweetness of it coming in Oh then the Word hath been choak'd to them and they have lost the savour they had in the Word they have lost the relish of the Word it is not now sweet to them as formerly it hath been Oh many examples there hath been this way That 's the great evil of Earthly-mindednesse that it doth hinder the great benefit of the Word and there is much evill in this If you had hearts to receive what is delivered your hearts would tremble at the thought of this Oh Lord what shall I be hindred from profiting by this word 't is the great blessing of God to the world it 's that that must save my soul there 's more worth in it than ten thousand worlds whatsoever should hinder my profiting by thy Word I had need take heed of it take heed of earthly-mindednesse many of your consciences cannot but tell you this sometimes any businesse will keep an earthly-minded man from coming to the Word and when he doth come there is earth in his heart and ears that keeps him from attending upon the Word and when thy thoughts are about earthly things in the hearing of a Sermon it may be there is some truth passes by thy soul that might have sav'd thee eternally and thou hast lost that opportunity which perhaps thou shalt never have again The Seventh Evil opened in Six Particulars Further In the seventh place Earthly-mindedness it causes many foolish lusts in the heart that 's a
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 CHAP. VII Five Vses of Exhortation in walking with God Now we proceed Some Use I shall make of this briefly before I go to the third head about Evidences of walking with God The First Vse First Bless God that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures bless the Lord for his goodness to us Happy are the Angels that stand before the Lord How happy are we then that may have this free converse with God! What we that were not only strangers but enemies to God a while since now to walk with him Oh! a blessed thing it is Let God be magnified for this his goodness to us even He that humbleth Himself to behold the things that are done in Heaven do but look upon the things that are done in Heaven Psalm 113. and yet he will condescend fo far to His poor creatures even here on earth as to walk with them were we indeed wholly freed from sin it were somewhat but while we are not only so mean in our selves but so sinful and yet that God wiâ—l so walk with us this we have cause to bless God for if we should see his face hereafter though we should never see him in this world but that God should not only grant unto us this That we should hereafter after a wearisome and tedious pilgrimage here in this world come to see His face but that we should have so much converse with Him here Oh magnified and blessed be the Name of God for this The second Vse Secondly What strangers are the most part of the world to this that I am speaking of That which I am speaking of it's a riddle to most men in the world This walking with God is but an empty sound to most men yea for the greatest part of the world they walk as the Scripture speaks after their own counsels you shall find divers notable expressions in Scripture of the walk of sinners of wicked men They walk according to their own counsels They walk after the flesh They walk after their lusts They walk after the course of this world They walk in the vanity of their minds They walk contrary unto God They walk according to men Yea That 's observable unto this That the holy Ghost condemns not only walking according to the course of the world and as men But to walk in the way of Kings is condemn'd in Scripture In 2 Chron. 28. 2. If to follow the course of any men one would think it might be most coÌ„mendable the following of the King but here 's a charge against Ahaz that he walked in the waies of the Kings of Israel and the 2 Kings 17. 8. They walked in the Statutes of the Heathen here 's to walk as Kings walk and then to walk in the Laws of Kings God would not have any men walk in them any further than they are according to his own Statutes Not to say it 's according to Law and I must walk according to Law No this is charged to walk according to the practice of Kings or their Laws being evil And there 's another Scripiure in the I Kings 15. 26. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the waies of his father and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin There 's to walk in the way of great men and that 's condemned Secondly to walk in the way of the Laws of the places where we live Thirdly to walk according to our fathers that 's condemned And then lastly to walk according to the common course of the world that 's condemned and yet this is the walk of sinners And further The Scripture saith That wicked men they walk in darkness and they