shall shew you how the Lord takes notice special notice of such of his Servants as do walk closely with him in divers particulars 1. First of all The Lord bears witness to them and he bears witness of them in a special manner I say the Lord bears witness to them and bears witness of them He bears witness to them he spake evidently clearly unto them he clears up their evidences for heaven he speaks by his spirit unto theirs and they are his witnesses in the World they bear witness to the name of God and the truth of God to the Word of the Lord the Lives of such of his Saints bear witness to the Word they are a Comment an Exposition of the Word of the Lord and therefore the Lord bears witness to their spirits they have special work to do for God in the World and therefore God comes in with a special witness and testimony of his spirit with theirs that he might strengthen them and carry them through all their undertakings which are for God Paul was a chosen vessel and was to bear up the name of God before the Gentiles and therefore the Lord comes and speaks unto his spirit in a special manner in strengthening of Paul Paul fear not I am with thee The Prophet Jeremiah was to bear witness for God to do great things for God and therefore God bears witness to his Spirit in Jer. 1. 18. he sends him forth and tells him He had made him a Brazen Wall and an Iron Pillar and he would carry him through all the work and all his enemies should not be able to harm him they wait for the witness of God for the witness of the Spirit of God their souls are alwaies hearkening and they are listning what God shall speak they won't be put off with any other Testimony till God speaks their soul is not satisfied God therefore comes in and by his spirit witnesses it himself he writes their evidence fair and writes it with the blood of his Son and casts it into their bosom and they are careful to keep their evidence clear when God hath once given it out to them they are careful to keep it from blots and blurs and to read over their evidences in Christ and put it into their bosom there 's nothing they delight in but in reading it again and again and therefore the Lord doth witness unto such And he doth not only bear witness to them but he bears witness of them a high honour for God to bear witness of poor creatures to bear witness of them Hast thou considered my Servant Job Job 1. 1. God gave witness of him That Job is a perfect and upright man one that feared God he was one that eschewed evil God bears witness of him and so in Job 2. 3. the Lord saith Hast thou considered my servant Job that he is a perfect and upright man none like him in the earth Mark what a high Testimony God gives of him Job durst not say so of himself he durst not stand upon his own perfection he durst not say he was perfect but God said so his friends would not say so of him but they accused him and said he was an Hypocrite because they saw the hand of God went out remarkably against him Ay but God bears witness of him whatsoever his friends say God will convince them that they judged with unrighteous judgement therefore see what God saies to Eliphaz the Temanite Job 42. 7. My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right like my servant Job Job was a perfect and upright man Their walking with God is hid from the World it 's in secret their spirits are in secret carried after God which are the choicest and most curious waies of their walking with him in the World they see not and can't eye their walking with God but God will take notice of what they have done for him in secret and it shall be published upon the house top God will bear witness of such of his Servants as walk closely with him in their Generation he will bear witness of them before men will bear witness of them either in their lives or at their death or else after death in their lives as he did of Job at their deaths he will give such a testimony of them at death as shall make even their very enemies wish with Balaam Oh that I might die the death of the righteous and that my latter end may be like unto his and then he will bear witness of them after death when they are gone I say many Ages and Generations after they are dead and gone God will bear witness of them as in Heb. 11. where you have it recorded of all the Patriarchs that by Faith they pleased God and thus God will bear witness of such of his servants as will close with him in their Generation And this is the first thing that God takes notice of in them so as to bear witness of them and to them 2. But again Secondly God sets up such of his servants as Patterns to others for them to imitate He sets them up as patterns this is a high honour to them for others to look unto they are the very Images of God they are the very Images of Christ and therefore God sets them to be patterns to be imitated Abraham that walked with God is made a pattern to all in his Generation and Moses a pattern of meekness and Job a pattern of patience You have heard of the patience of Job and therefore saith the Apostle James 5. 7. And therefore be ye also patient unto the coming of our Lord. Be ye also patient you have heard of the patience of Job It 's true God himself is the first and highest pattern Be ye holy as your heavenly Father is holy be ye perfect as he is perfect there 's a suitableness in the spirits and affections of the Saints in their desires unto this pattern of God himself which is set before them for as the perfection of God is infinite as the holiness of God is infinite so there is a kind of infiniteness in their desires and affections in their pursuits after God but when they look upon their actings and attainments they see they come infinitely short of God and are apt to be discouraged and therefore now the Lord hath set up other patterns for his weak Saints to look unto and therefore they are such as themselves to see how much they have attained to in their Generation You have heard of the patience of Job and so in the same Chapter the Apostle tells them of Elias a pattern which God hath set before them he calls them to wait upon God by prayer Elias though a man subject to passion as we are yet He prayed and it rained not and he prayed again and it did rain A man subject to the like passion as you are
begins to commend David he begins at the service of his Generation as if God did not take notice of other time that men spend in which there is no service done to him he doth not say after he had lived so long or after he had served so long but after he had served his generation according to the will of God A man may live a hundred years upon earth and may stand so long and yet be an accursed tree all the time of his standing if he be not a fruitful tree and a tree doing some good for his generation wherein he lives you may see the prophecie of the Prophet Isaiah 65. 20. But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed so that it is not simply a blessing to live long to stand long if a man be not a fruitful Tree for a man may stand a hundred years sayes the Scripture and yet all that time be under a curse Again 2. Secondly I beseech you remember that you have the example of Christ you have the example of Christ and of his people before you who are all trees of righteousness fruit-bearing trees What abundance of fruit did Christ bring forth to his Father when he was upon earth Every bough and every branch be full of precious fruit To see the Glory of the only begotten Son full of grace and truth See Rev. 22. what is spoken there of this fruitful tree and it 's Christ that is this tree the tree of life Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of Life Oh what a fruitful tree is this tree of Life He brings forth fruit every Month continually full of fruit and all that was in Christ was useful the very leaves are good the very leaves of this tree of Life were good Oh the precious balm that dropt from the leaves of this tree of life into poor afflicted and wounded Souls The very leaves of it were good for the healing of the Nations And it was Jobs commendation and it was also his comfort when the hand of the Lord was upon him that he brought forth fruit that he was a fruit-bearing tree Job 29. 11. When the ear heard me then it blessed me and when the eye saw me it gave witness to me and as the ear and eye blessed him so the loins blessed him Job 31. 20. the loins of the Poor blessed him that he warmed and that he refreshed So that this was a great comfort unto Job in the day of his distress when all his friends upbraided him with hypocrisie he knew that grace would uphold him he was not an unfruitful tree but was still serviceable in the place and relation God had set him 3. Thirdly Nay let me further tell you that if Christians be not fruit-bearing trees they are a dishonour to Christ it 's a dishonour to the very root they profess they are engrafted upon When you come to a tree whose branches are dead and withered and you see there is no fruit upon it you will complain presently and say there is some fault in the root the fruit is dry and withered the unfruitful branches are a dishonour to the root Unfruitful Christians are a dishonour to Christ Oh! What will the world say when they come to look upon Christians when they see they are dry withered and fruitless and there is no more to be seen in them than in others What sayes the world why the blame is cast upon their head the root these are the Christians these are the professors Oh wherein do men take occasion Oh give no just occasion for men to speak dishonourably of Christ whom you profess 4. Fourthly Again it 's the dishonour of the husbandman to have an unfruitful tree Joh. 15. 1. I am the vine and my Father is the Husbandman every branch in me that beareth no fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit and so when the Gardener the Husbandman shall let a tree stand forty years and be unfruitful this man will be accounted unskilful in his Vineyard Why so if the Lord should let such trees to stand forty fifty or a hundred years and no fruit brought to him it 's a great dishonour to the husbandman 2. Secondly Therefore again secondly Christians should look that their fruit be the fruit of the Apple-tree be like to Christ in this he was as the Apple-tree among the trees of the wood You know the Apple-tree is known by the smoothness of the branches it 's not full of pricks and Thorns as many other trees are It will not scratch it will not tear or rend as others will though men break the branches and spoil them yet it doth not tear or rend them and truly thus was Christ and thus it becomes Christians to be He was no thorn he was beset with thorns Isaiah 53. 7. he was oppressed he was dumb he opened not his mouth as a Sheep that is dumb before his shearer he did not revile he did not render reviling for reviling he did not reproach and the smoaking flax he did not quench nor break the bruised reed he did not strive he did not cry his voice was not heard in the streets and thus was Christ and thus it becomes Christians Christians should not tear and rend they should not bear pricking thorns they should not render evil for evil they should not pour forth expressions of hatred envy and wrath This is for the bryar and the thorn this is not for the Apple-tree If you be Apple-trees be like to Christ in this But 3. Thirdly Again the Apple-tree is known by the fruit There 's a great deal of fruit that is like the fruit of the Apple-tree that is not known till such time as men come to taste it It 's possible that a wild tree may be as fair and as beautiful as the Apple-tree but when you come to taste it you will distinguish the fruit of the wild tree the Crab-tree it 's sowr it 's bitter the fruit of the Apple-tree is sweet and pleasant Brethren know God doth examine all your fruit and all the Apples and God doth taste every fruit First of all by the Principle and secondly by mens End 1. First of all The Lord doth taste mens fruit by their principle he examines from whence men brought forth their fruit whence came their fruitfulness he examines whether they were grafted upon a good stock or no the Lord knows it I say by the taste when you take a twig or cyon and graft it on an Elder or some other tree that hath an ill taste the fruit will taste as the tree is If it be engrafted upon a good stock the fruit will be good the Lord will examine every mans stock whether he be engrafted on Christ or on himself See Hosea 14. 8. I am like a green firr tree the words of Christ and from me is all
very sad and a woe unto that man that shall be so offended woe to him that shall be offended at Christ for the miscarriages of men woe to him that shall be offended at the truth or any of the waies of truth from the miscarriages of men but yet know thou that hast done the wrong and art the occasion of this thou art under a woe and Woe also unto him saith Christ by whom the offence cometh And therefore know that it lies upon thee as thy duty to go and seek to deliver thy brother out of the snare thy going and tendering satisfaction unto him may break the snare of the Devil for him thou maist prevent a multitude of sins and therefore oh that God would perswade such to come up to their duty In a word either he that thou hast offended or wronged carries it impatiently or bears it patiently a while now if he bears it impatiently and his spirit be put out of frame and he begin to fret and fume in his spirit and be thereby indisposed unto his duty then by thy going thou maist break the snare of the Devil for him but if he carry it patiently and his spirit be silent before the Lord under those wrongs and those injuries which thou hast done him thou hast the more need then to go and make acknowledgement of the wrongs thou hast done for certainly God himself will step in on his part that is wronged that bears the wrong patiently and is quiet in his spirit before the Lord the Lord will engage against thee though he be silent yet the wrong which thou hast done to others unto such a man or such a woman it will cry very loud before the Lord and woe be unto thee if God shall step in and ingage against thee if God be for a man who can be against him if God be for him better to have all the world engaged against him than God to engage against him therefore go and acknowledge thy error before thy brother for if not the Lord will engage against thee 2. Secondly And then again Consider the patterns and examples of holy men in Scripture that have given satisfaction and acknowledged their error to the full when they have done wrong as Jacob he had done indeed a great deal of wrong sinned against God as well as against his Brother in getting or cheating his brother of the blessing well the good man returneth again to his brother and oh how submissive is he unto his brother He sends many a Present before him to appease his wrath and how many soft words does he give him in Gen. 3. 3. 5 8. This is to find favour in the sight of my Lord and these are the Children which the Lord hath graciously given thy servant and how many soft words doth he give unto his brother Esau By which the wrath of Esau was appeased And so you see Joseph's brethren when they sinned against their brother Joseph oh how free were they to make an acknowledgement of their wrong which they had done him in Gen. 50. 17 18 19 20. they came and made an humble acknowledgement of all the wrongs they had done unto him For give I pray the trespass of thy Brethren and their sin c. And at the 18 Verse it 's said his Brethren wept and fell down before his face and said Behold we be thy Servants and thus they make supplication that he would forgive the wrong And so did Job's friends they had done him great wrongs they had judged of his eternal estate they concluded he was a hypocrite they told him so to his face they added grief to his sorrow great was his affliction they had done him a great deal of wrong Well but in conclusion when God doth convince them of it they make acknowledgement of their evil unto Job as in Job 42. 8. So then you see it lies upon you that have done wrong unto your Brother to go and make acknowledgement of the wrong that you have done 3. Thirdly And let me say this further to you to stir you up to this your duty That all the Works which you perform in the service of the Lord they are lost till such time as you submit unto this duty to go and seek reconciliation see Matth. 5. 23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift Mark wouldst thou bring thy gift leave thy gift before the Altar the Lord will not accept it till thou beest reconciled to whom thou hast done the wrong leave thy injury there I will have none of it till thou hast done so The Lord doth not say go and carry away thy gift but leave it there There is many a man is taken off from his duty to God because he cannot bring off his heart to this duty to man and instead of leaving his gift he carries away his gift Go and be reconciled to thy brother and then come again the Lord would have you do it and have it done instantly go and do it speedily do it quickly before the time of offering be past the Lord will not receive gifts and offerings from that hand or from that tongue that hath done wrong unto his brother until such time as there be an acknowledgement till such time as there be a reconciliation So much for that duty which concerns those that have done wrong unto others you see what necessity doth lie upon them that they should go and acknowledge the wrong and seek reconciliation But a second Exhortation is to them that are wronged and have received injury from others The Lord by this Doctrin calls upon you to express your readiness to forgive and pass by wrongs and injuries he would have you to forgive and to forgive often for Christs sake be you willing to pass by all wrongs and injuries which are done unto you And I pray consider That you have an opportunity here to express your Love unto Christ I say you that are Christs people when ever any wrong or injury is done unto you by Neighbour or Brother Oh! then remember you have an opportunity of expressing your love to Christ of shewing your obedience unto the Lord Jesus Christ in a Gospel truth you have an opportunity of doing some singular thing for Christ and therefore take heed you do not lose the opportunity But you will say Here will be some Objections for a great deal will be objected by corrupt nature but I shall endeavour to take them off all Object 1. But you will say He hath done me the wrong it is a hard matter for me to go to him or to forgive the wrong or injury which he hath done to me flesh and blood will not submit unto it Answ 1. To which I say Though flesh and blood will not submit unto it
you have given up your selves to walk with him Oh that the Lord would make you that are his people watchful over your souls you have given up your selves and therefore take heed you don't turn aside maintain this communion desire that it may be upheld betwixt God and your souls and remember this That it 's your greatest priviledge whilst you are upon earth that you may thus walk with God a mighty priviledge that poor dust and ashes poor worms should be taken to walk with the great God that God should make choice to have such for his Companions his Fellow-travellers Oh it is infinite rich and Free-grace therefore do not slight it do not contemn it but labour to walk up to such relation it 's your dignity and your priviledge to walk with God So much for this time and for this part of the Text. SERMON IX GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him YOU have heard of Enoch's walking here 's Enoch's Rest here 's recorded what befell him at the end of his Journey he went a step out of sight He walked with God and he was not God took him He was not the phrase is sometimes applied unto those whom God takes away by ordinary death so saies Jacob of his sons whom he supposed to be dead in Gen. 42. 36. Joseph is not and Simeon is not and so in Jer. 31. 15. you shall see this phrase applied to those that God takes away by ordinary death Thus saith the Lord a voice was heard in Ramah lamentation and bitter weeping Rachel weeping for her Children and refused to be comforted because her Children they were not and so some do conceive that Enoch was taken away as other men are becaâ—â—e it 's appointed for all men once to die but the Apostle must be our Interpreter he tells us the meaning of that phrase as applied to Enoch He was not for God took him in Heb 11. 5. By Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him he was not found saith the Apostle for God had translated him he was not found amongst men he was no longer of this world nor in this world he was taken into another world into another place for God had translated him and he was not found and it was not in an ordinary way as other men he was translated God took him And so it may be said God takes and receives all the spirits of his servants but Enoch's departure his farewel to the world was in an extraordinary way God did not take him as he takes others of his servants by death but God took him from death he was translated that he should not see death saies the Apostle There are many particulars that may be useful to us before we come to the main concerning Enoch which we shall hardly reach at this time But to Consider that phrase He was not He was not in the world of the world you must not think that Enoch ceased to be he did not lose his Being the Text saies He was not neither do any of the servants of God lose their Being when they are translated when taken away by death but he had no being as to the things of this world he had a being as to God and Heaven and as to an invisible world so he was and so it may be said of all Gods people that leave this world They are not they are not as to the world they have no being as to their comforts relations friends employments and callings so they are not but as to God Christ and Heaven and to the things of an invisible world their being is not lost but perfected they have no being as to their relations death cuts that asunder You shall see what Job saies Job 7. he complains there that all relations cease there and the Servant is free from the Master as this relation so all other relations when death comes so that a man he is not he is no longer as to his friends and relations And so he is as to the comforts of this world see Job 7. 9. As the Cloud is consumed and vanisheth away so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more he shall return no more to see his house neither shall his place know him more he is consumed like a Cloud and gone down to the Grave and what hath he no being No he speaks only in relation to the things here and to the comforts and enjoyments as to his house and so to all other comforts of his he shall not return to his house neither shall his comforts know him any more Take notice of this it will hold forth something that is useful to us It will teach you three things 1. First of all It will teach Christians to mind the things of God and Heaven more to be more taken up with the things of the world that is to come why as to all the things of this life as to all your friends comforts relations house and land and other accommodations you shall not be e're long and therefore seek more after the things of God and Christ where you shall have a being to eternity Think upon this Christians when you are ready to lose God in the World when you sleep over head and ears in your worldly employments Oh think of this the time is a coming the time is at hand when it shall be said That you are no more of the world and you shall have no being at all as to the things of the world your friends shall know you no more and your relations your comforts your house shall know you no more you shall be to all these things as if you had not been as if you had no being or as if you had no relation to them Oh then whilst you are in the world don't live as those that are of the world but say as Christ did Now Father I am no more of this world live more there where your being shall be to eternity Live more upon God and Christ and be more exercised in the contemplation of the things of the invisible world there your being shall be to eternity and don 't live so much upon those poor low outward things where you shall have no being e're long but when the world shall speak of you they shall say You are not even as it was of Enoch here Enoch was not as to this world he was not 2. Secondly This may also instruct you how to carry it towards the loss of friends and relations when God shall take away any of your friends and relations take heed you don't let out natural affections towards them when God hath taken them for they are not as to you they are not they are none of yours you have no relation to them death hath broken it they were given you for a time your Husband your Wife your Children they were given
therefore I shall conclude with this word of Exhortation Vse 3. Let us learn to prize our mercies I say whilst we enjoy our mercies let us learn to prize them because the time is coming when they shall not be to us they shall not be found we shall seek them and shall not find them God hath given you friends and relations Oh my Brethren prize them use them for Gods glory do all the good you can to them whilst you have them receive all the good that may be from them whilst you have them for the time is a coming when they shall not be to you It was Job's argument with God you shall see in Job 7. the last Verse and it is a very strong argument and Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity and pardon it quickly Speak a good word quickly to thy Servant I cannot hold out long Lord saies he I cannot hold out long now I shall sleep in the dust and thou shalt seek me in the morning and I shall not be Lord pardon pardon thy servant Job whilst thou hast a Job to pardon Lord do good to me whilst thou hast an occasion to do good to me e're I sleep in the dust you shall seek me then and I shall not be that you shall say oh that I had such a friend to do good to or that I had such a friend to receive good from Oh take the present opportunity therefore of doing and receiving good and this is spoken not only of all Persons but of all Things prize them whilst you have them prize them whilst you enjoy them for time is coming when they shall not be And Consider this Let me say this to you The Lord is this day tendering grace to you he stands he knocks he invites you he beseeches you he desires you to open he is willing to pardon multitudes of transgressions to wash away thousands and ten thousands of transgressions and sins and to subdue them also Oh that the Lord would give you hearts to seek after this present mercy you 'l seek them hereafter when they shall not be Oh take heed lest Christ speak to you as he spake to the Jews which was a fearful sentence because of their mistaking their time and neglecting their opportunity Joh. 7. 34. You shall seek me saies Christ and shall not find me and where I am you cannot come he had said a little before And I am with you and am coming to them that seek me and afterward You shall seek me and shall not find me Christ was with them a little while preaching and holding forth and urging mercy and grace beseeching of them to come in they refuse and reject life Well saies Christ I have sought you and you would not be found you would not follow me the time is coming when you shall seek me and shall not find me and where I am you cannot come and you that fear the Lord I beseech you be you warned also take heed you don't slight your mercies your present enjoyments of God lest the Lord also teach you to know the worth by the want I say take heed that you do not abuse your mercies take heed that you do not grow cold and dead and loose and formal under the enjoyment of the means of getting nigher God which you enjoy more than formerly for what pity is it that we should grow worse when God is better That we should be further off from drawing nigh to God when God is drawing nigh to us What pity is it that the Sun-shine and fair weather should do harm Doth not sad experience teach us that many Christians are further off from God now than when the means were lesser in their getting near to God take heed God don't let you know by sad experience what the loss of his presence is and that he don't let you know by sad experience what the loss of Ordinances are what the want of mercies are it shews abundance of corruption that is in the heart but it is mercy if God will teach his people any way it is the saddest way of teaching that God will make use of to recount what once we had and what once we enjoyed and now are stript of for want of improvement we had the Sabbaths the teachings of God we had the Ordinances but now stript of all and therefore may as they sit down by the waters of Babylon and weep most bitterly it is a sad way of teaching yet it is mercy if God will choose any way of teaching and drawing these sad and drowsie hearts of ours more to himself Thus you have had some hints of what Enoch was He was not found for God had translated him God took him the main Point is yet behind viz. to consider whither Enoch was translated and wherefore he was translated and the year in which he was translated which was three hundred sixty five years and was the shortest life of all the Patriarchs But so much shall serve for this time SERMON X. GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him WE have done with Enoch's walk we are come to Enoch's Rest He was not for God took him I have opened the phrase to you the last time I spake But I shall proceed to what is still behind in the Text. He was not for God took him And God took him there is a great dispute amongst many to what place Enoch was taken There are many both of the Papists and others that place Enoch in earthly Paradise they say Enoch was not taken into Heaven but into Paradise and that this Enoch and Elijah are those two Witnesses that shall come again at the end of the world to discover and destroy Antichrist there is such a Tradition generally amongst them and others have received it from them but there is not the least ground for it in the Word of God that Enoch and Elijah should be those Witnesses spoken of in Rev. 11. for certainly those Witnesses are no other but the servants of God spoken of that have stood up in all Ages since Christ to bear witness to the name and truth of Jesus and therefore I see nothing why we may not assert that Enoch was taken up into Heaven that he ascended in body into Heaven You shall see in 2 Kings 2. 11. it is spoken there of Elijah who was translated even as Enoch And it came to pass as they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a Chariot of fire and Horses of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven if Elijah went into Heaven why not Enoch Object But it may be Objected Is not Jesus Christ the first-fruits of them that ascend Did not Christ open the door by his blood How then could Enoch or Elijah ascend into Heaven before Christ came and opened the door Answ To which I Answer It is true that