The creature will not fix the soul; but God is the centre of
all our thoughts: in him only they may unite, and fix, and
rest. He is the only loadstone that can effectually attract
and hold it stedfast to himself. Therefore he that walks
with God is the most constant and unmoveable of men. Let
prosperity or adversity come; let the world be turned up-
side down, and the mountains be hurled into the sea, yet he
changeth not let men allure or threat, let them scorn or
rage, let laws, and customs, and governments, and interest
change, he is still the same. For he knoweth that God is
still the same, and that his word changeth not. Let that be
death one year, which was the way to reputation another,
and let the giddy world turn about as the seasons of the year,
this changeth not his mind and life (though in things lawful
he is of a yielding temper): for he knoweth that the interest
of his soul doth not change with the humours or interests of
men: he still feareth sinning, for he knoweth that judgment
is still drawing on, in all changes and seasons whatsoever:
he is still set upon the pleasing of the most holy God, who-
ever be uppermost among men; as knowing that the God
whom he serveth is able to deliver him from man,
but man
is not able to deliver him from God. He still goeth on in
the holy path, as knowing that heaven is as sure and as de-
sirable as ever it was. Surely he shall not be moved for
ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed,
trusting in the Lord: his heart is established, he shall not
be afraid." (Psal. cxii. 6, 7.)

7. He that walketh with God, hath the great mastertruths upon his heart, which are the standard of the rest, and the stock, as it were, out of which they spring. The great truths about God, and grace, and glory, have a greater power than many hundred truths of an inferior nature. And moreover, such a one is sure that he shall be wise in the greatest and most necessary points. He is guilty of no ignorance or error that shall keep him out of heaven, or hinder his acceptance with his God. And if he be wise enough to please God and to be saved, he is wise indeed (as before was hinted).

8. Walking with God doth take off the vizor of deluding things, and keepeth us out of the reach and power of those objects and arguments which are the instruments of deceit.

When a man hath been believingly and seriously with God, how easily can he see through the sophistry of the tempting world! How easily can he practically confute the reasonings of the flesh, and discern the dotage of the seeming subtilties of wicked men, that will needs think they have reason for that which is displeasing to their Maker, and tends to the damning of their souls! So far as a man is conversant with God, so far he is sensible, that all things are nothing, which can be offered as a price to hire him to sin: and that the name of preferment, and honour, and wealth, or of disgrace, and imprisonment, and death, are words almost of no signification, as to the tempter's ends, to draw the soul from God and duty. It is men that know not God, and know not what it is to walk with him, that think these words so big and powerful, to whom wealth and honour do signify more than God and heaven; and poverty, disgrace and death, do signify more than God's displeasure and everlasting punishment in hell. As it is easy to cheat a man that is far from the light, so is it easy to deceive the most learned man that is far from God.

9. Walking with God, doth greatly help us against the deceitful and erroneous disposition of our own hearts. The will hath a very great power upon the understanding: and therefore ungodly, fleshly men will very hardly receive any truth which crosseth the carnal interest or disposition: and will hardly let go any error that feedeth them; because their corrupted wills are a bias to their understandings, and make them desperately partial in all their reading and hearing, and hypocritical in their prayers and inquiries after truth. Interest and corruption locketh up their hearts from their own observation. Whereas a man that walketh with God, that is jealous, and holy, and just, and a searcher of the heart, is driven from hypocrisy, and forced to behave himself as in the open light, and to do all as in the sight of all the world, as knowing that the sight of God is of far greater concernment and regard. The partiality, corruption and bias of the heart, is detected and shamed by the presence of God. Therefore to walk with God is to walk in the light, and as children of the light, and not in darkness. And he that doth truth "cometh to the light, that his deeds might be manifest, that they are wrought in God: when

every one that doth evil hateth the light; neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. And this is their condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil." (Johniii. 19-21.) It tendeth therefore exceedingly to make men wise, to walk with God, because it. is a walking in the light, and in such a presence as most powerfully prevaileth against that hypocrisy, deceitfulness and partiality of the heart, which is the common cause of damning error.

10. Lastly, they that walk with God are entitled by many promises, to the guidance and direction of his Spirit. And. blessed are those that have such a guide: at once a light in the world without them, and a light immediately from God within them. For so far as he is received and worketh in them, he will lead them into truth, and save them from de-. ceit and folly, and having "guided them by his counsel, will afterwards take them unto glory." (Psal. Ixxiii. 24.) Whereas the ungodly are led by the flesh, and often “given up to their own heart's lusts, to walk in their own counsels;" (Rom. viii. 1. 13; Psal. lxxxi. 12;) till at last" the fools do say in their hearts, there is no God;" (Psal. xiv. 1;) “and they become corrupt and abominable, eating up the people of the Lord as bread, and call not on his name:" (ver. 2. &c.:) Deceiving and being deceived: sensual, having not the Spirit;" (Jude 19;) "who shall receive the reward of their unrighteousness, as accounting it pleasure to riot in the day time." (2 Pet. ii. 13.)

66

IV. Another benefit of walking with God is, that it maketh men good, as well as wise. It is the most excellent means for the advancement of man's soul to the highest degree of holiness attainable in this life. If conversing with good men doth powerfully tend to make men good; conversing with God must needs be more effectual; which may appear in these particulars.

1. The apprehensions of the presence and attributes of God, do most effectually check the stirrings of corruption, and rebuke all the vicious inclinations and motions of the soul: even the most secret sin of the heart, is rebuked by his presence, as well as the most open transgression of the

life for the thoughts of the heart are open to his view. All that is done before God, is done as in the open light: nothing of it can be hid: no sin can have the encouragement of secresy to embolden it. It is all committed in the presence of the universal King and Lawgiver of the world, who hath forbidden it. It is done before him that most abhorreth it, and will never be reconciled to it. It is done before him that is the Judge of the world, and will shortly pass the sentence on us according to what we have done in the body. It standeth up in his presence who is of infinite majesty and perfection, and therefore most to be reverenced and honoured and therefore if the presence of a wise, and grave, and venerable person will restrain men from sin, the presence of God apprehended seriously, will do it much more. It is committed before him who is our dearest friend, and tender Father, and chiefest Benefactor: and therefore ingenuity, gratitude and love will all rise up against it in those that walk with God. There is that in God, before the eyes of those that walk with him, which is most contrary to sin, and most powerful against it of any thing in the world. Every one will confess, that if men's eyes were opened to see the Lord in glory standing over them, it would be the most powerful means to restrain them from transgressing. The drunkard would not then venture upon his cups: the fornicator would have a cooling for his lusts: the swearer would be afraid to take his Maker's name in vain: the profane would scarce presume to scorn or persecute a holy life. And he that walketh with God, though he see him not corporally, yet seeth him by faith, and liveth as in his presence; and therefore must needs be restrained from sin, as having the means which is next to the sight of God. If pride should begin to stir in one that walks with God, O what a powerful remedy is at hand! How effectually would the presence of the great and holy God rebuke it! and constrain us to say as Job xlii. 5, 6, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." If worldly love, or carnal lust, should stir in such a one, how powerfully would the terrors of the Lord repress it; and his majesty rebuke it; and his love and goodness overcome it! If worldly cares or murmuring discontents begin to trouble such a one; how effectually will the goodness, the all-suffi

If

ciency and the faithfulness of God allay them, and quiet and satisfy the soul, and cause it to be offended at its own offence, and to chide itself for its repinings and distrust! passion arise and begin to discompose us, how powerfully will the presence of God rebuke it! and the reverence of his majesty, and the sense of his authority and pardoning grace will assuage it, and shame us into silent quietness! Who dare let out his passions upon man, in the presence of his Maker, that apprehendeth his presence? The same I might say of all other sins.

2. The presence and attributes of God apprehended by those that walk with him, is the potent remedy against temptations. Who will once turn an eye to the gold and glory of the world, that is offered him to allure to sin, if he see God stand by? Who would be tempted to lust or any sinful pleasure, if he observe the presence of the Lord? Satan can never come in so ill a time with his temptations, and have so little hope to speed, as when the soul is contemplating the attributes of God, or taken up in prayer with him, or any way apprehensive of his presence. The soul that faithfully walks with God, hath enough at hand in him to answer all temptations. And the further any man is from God, and the less he knoweth him, the more temptations can do upon him.

3. The presence of God affordeth the most powerful motives unto good, to those that walk with him. There is no grace in man, but is from God, and may find in God its proper object or incentive. As God is God, above the creature transcendently and infinitely in all perfections, so all the motives to goodness which are fetched from him, are transcendently above all that may be fetched from any creature. He that liveth always by the fire, or in the sunshine, is most like to be warm. He that is most with God, will be most like to God in holiness. Frequent and serious converse with him, doth most deeply imprint his communicable attributes on the heart, and make there the clearest impression of his image. Believers have learned by their own experience, that one hour's serious prayer, or meditation, in which they can get nigh to God in the Spirit, doth more advance their grace, than any help that the creature can afford them.

4. Moreover those that walk with God, have not only a powerful, but an universal incentive for the actuating and