motion in themselves, which have not the power of will; which belongs only unto intellectual agents; unto free creatures. Now if a man be dragged this way or that, he is not said to walk, though he make use of his own motive power

too.

[3.] It imports an orderly motion. For he is not said to walk who only wildly skips and fetches freaks this way and that. And that signification is especially carried that is used for walking here, ore; a word from whence that words, comes, which signifies military order, the orderly motion of any army in rank and file: so the word is noted to signify. Yea, and from the same word comes a word that signifies the order which is observed in verse, when the composition is most exact and accurate, of so many feet, or making up such or such a form of metre; s. A metrical kind of order is signified by this word; so as that one's motions are measured by a strict kind of rule all along.

[4.] It imports a pleasurable motion. For you know we are wont to walk for our recreation. If persons go a journey, or the like, that is toilsome, we express that more usually by another word, travelling: but if a person be gone forth to exercise himself in order to his recreation and health, then we usually say, he is gone a walking.

[5.] It is a continued motion. For he that fetehes a skip and jump now and then, this way and that, is not said to walk; but walking is a course of motion continued for such a time. [6.] It is a progressive motion. There may be continued motion which is not progressive. One may continue moving to and fro, in the same place, for a long time together: but walking is a going forward. These things (as is obvious unto a common understanding) are carried in the notion of walking most expressly, and so it may be said to denote these things more formally. But

(2.) There are also some things which it doth connote. And they are especially these two, namely an end, and-a way.

[1] It connotes an end; for walking is a tendency some whither, or unto some term.

And

[2.] It connotes a way; for a man cannot walk, but it must be in some way or other, whether it be better, or worse. These things are considerable concerning the notion of walking. And as walking doth import a specification of motion, or, is a more special kind of motion; so the addition of " in the Spirit" plainly imports a specification of walking, so as to denote a more special sort and kind of walking.

2. We shall consider, more at large, what it is to do any thing

in the Spirit, before we come to sum up all in joining these notions together. To do any thing in the Spirit, is to do it in the light, and in the power of the Spirit.

(1.) In the light of the Spirit. For whenever it comes to deal with the spirits of men, it is in that way, by creating a light to them, which is directive of their motions. Let us walk in the light of the Lord, Isai. 11. 5. that is walking in the Spirit. To do any thing in the Spirit, is to do it in the light, not blindly and darkly as those that know not what they do.

(2.) In the power of the Spirit. I will go in the strength of the Lord God, I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only, Psalm 71. 16.

These things thus laid before you will make it plain to us what is carried "in walking in the Spirit."

3. We are to put together the notions of walking, and doing any thing in the Spirit. And an account of the result and sum of what has been said may be given you in these several particulars.

(1.) To walk in the Spirit is to intend and tend towards an end which is suitable to the Spirit. It is most proper to begin there; and that is, in short, walking in the Spirit imports a continual tendency towards God, as the great end and mark at which one aims. And this is an end agreeable to the Spirit; and this, and no other, as the last and ultimate end. The soul that is acted by the Spirit of God is acted towards God. Do but observe how these things are connected in that passage Psalm 63. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee. How comes it to do so? Thy right hand holds me up. And what is that right hand? Why, it can signify nothing else but the power of God, that is his Spirit, which we are taught to look upon as the great active principle of all the motions and operations of the creatures, whereof it can be said to be directly determinative. Then we may conclude that a person is acted by the Spirit, or walks in the Spirit, when he aims at God through his whole course. While men are under the power and rule of another, that is, a fleshly and corrupt principle, it is all for self that their designs lie, and the course of their actions run; they are confined wholly (as hath been said upon an occasion) within a circle of acting from self to self: but when once the Spirit of God comes to have the government and the motions of the soul, as all those motions do immediately spring from God, so they tend to him, and centre in him. The soul designs him, and none but him in its whole course. And therefore, it being the great work of the Redeemer to reduce and bring back souls to God, what part or

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hand the Spirit of God hath in this matter, is in pursuance of the Redeemer's design. Therefore we are said to "have access, or come to God through him by the Spirit," this is the common course stated for all men; for Jew and Gentile both, for with such reference it is said, Through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father, (Ephes. 2. 18.) implying that none would ever come at God, aim at God, or tend towards him, but as, by the motive power, and in the directive light of the blessed Spirit, they are acted and carried towards him through Christ.

(2.) Walking in the Spirit implies a constant adherence unto Christ by dependance and subjection. Which it must needs do upon the account that all walking, as I have said, connotes a way, and Christ is expressly represented to us as the way leading unto God. I am the way, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14. 6. And hence, as we have this phrase of "walking in the Spirit," so we have that too of walking in Christ, Col. 2. 6. And the apostle Peter directs such a course of walking as might put them to shame who should falsely accuse their good conversation in Christ. 1. Pet. 3. 16. And certainly it is one great part of the work of the Holy Ghost upon the spirits of men so to attemper and frame them unto the way of access to God, or the way wherein God can be come at, that it may become even spiritually natural unto the soul to walk in that way. While they walk in Christ, they walk in the Spirit. It is the business of the Spirit to engage the soul in this way of tending and moving towards God, and to keep it on therein.

(3.) It imports walking in the divine light, whereof the Spirit is the continual Author unto renewed souls, And I do not now mean only that external light which it affords by the Scripture revelation, but an inward vital light which it sets up and continues in the soul itself, having caused "a day-spring, a day-star to arise there, and made a day within." The Spirit creates unto the soul a region of light, wherein it converses, while, it is said to converse in the Spirit. They unto whom it hath not created such a light, are said "to walk in darkness ;" and whatsoever there is of external light shining round about them, their darkness comprehends it not, as in John 1. 5. But where this blessed Spirit is it makes those that were darkness to be light in the Lord. "Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord;" well, and what then; Walk as children of the light, Ephes. 5. S. It is true, that light doth here, as well as elsewhere, signify holiness, but not without reference unto intellectual light; only it imports that intellectual light to be a practical, refining, trans

forming, vital light, so as that the same thing is capable of a twofold denomination, of light and of life too; as St. John speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness, speaks of him as under the notion of life, and saith, that life was the light of men, John, 1. 4. It is therefore a region of living light which the Spirit doth creaté unto souls, in which they converse and walk: then are they said to walk in the Spirit, by that work and office of the Holy Ghost, which our Saviour calls "its leading persons into all truth." He promises in those consolatory, valedictory discourses of his to his disciples, (in 14. 15. and 16. chapters of John's gospel) again and again the Spirit, and for this purpose, "to lead them into truth;" that, you know, is the part of directive light. But then it is one thing to direct only by telling, so and so you must do; and another thing by way of instinct, or by an inward prompting; by which too a person does not go in that case blindfold, but with an inclination, with spontaneity, and seeing his way all the way he goes. He walks in the light; and such a light as is directive and active to him at once.

(4.) It imports acting by a divine power all along through our whole course. The Spirit, where it is, is the Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind, 2 Tim. 1. 7 They are said

to be in the Spirit, who are under the power and dominion of it, as John says of himself, that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, in Rev. 1. 10. Under the influence of its almighty power, its captivating dominion. According as when persons are said to be in the flesh (an expression frequently used in Scripture) it notes their being under the power and dominion of a fleshly principle. So to walk in the Spirit, is to act on all along under the power and governing influence of the Spirit. I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down in his name, Zech. 10. 12. That one attribute, belonging to the divine nature, namely, the power of God, is more especially pointed at there.

There is a strict connexion between this and the last mentioned thing, that light and this power; that light being a yital, a living light. Though we may have distinct notions of them, yet they are in themselves connected and most insepable. Come ye, let us walk in the light of the Lord, Isa, 2. 5. Even in the form of expression, though light is the thing which is directly spoken of, there is implied and involved therewith a certain active power, the being moved to go, and walk in that light, which, as such, was to guide them in their way. See what is referred to in ver. 3. He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. This signifies that their spirits were acted by a certain power which did incline

them unto this thing; and not that they were merely enlightened. And whereas in this very chapter, the expression, "led by the Spirit," is made use of in ver. 18. "If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law;" as also in Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God; the word which is rendered led is ayora, and signifies acted or moved by a certain power. As many as are acted by the Spirit of God; and they that are acted by the Spirit of God are not under the law, they are not cursed and condemned by it.

(5.) It imports acting from spiritual habitual principles that are fixed and settled in the soul; and therefore includes in it the exercise of all the several graces of the Spirit. For you must know that when we say, walking in the Spirit implies walking in the divine light, and by the divine power; it is not to be understood as if there were nothing else but a temporary, present ray of light, and efforts of power from the Spirit; and so that there comes to be any thing habitually fixed in the soul itself. But though it is very true indeed that habitual light &c. in the soul from the Spirit must be maintained and continued by the Spirit, it is nevertheless to be looked upon as an habitual principle which is in the soul itself. And the case is here but as it is in nature; for there can be no sort of life in all the creation, whereof God is not the Author; nor any action done, but the power of doing it is received from him; though there are many actions which he doth not make creatures do ; yet there is no action in which he does not enable, or not give them sufficient power. But yet, notwithstanding this, we know that the natures of creatures are distinct from one another; and to say, that the divine power must do all, is to take away the distinction of natures wholly, and then a stone might reason as well as a man, and a tree might walk to and fro as well as a sensitive living creature: but God's way of dealing with creatures in the natural creation, ordinarily, is to act them according to, and co-work with that peculiar nature which he hath put into this, and that, and the other creature. here; there is a divine nature, consisting of many gracious, holy, vital principles which God puts into the soul when he renews it; and which are so many several parts of the new creature, and with these several principles, or with this divine nature he concurs or co-works; though the exigency of the case is such, there being a corrupt nature joined therewith in the same subject, that here he must continually over-power unto every action that is done: and it is not enough to give, or maintain the principle, but he must work the very act itself, because of a reluctant principle, which would otherwise stran

So it is