Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Sermon 2
SERMON II.
GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
I Made entrance the laſt day, where I opened the words to you, we conſidered that commendation that was given to Enoch, He walked with God; ſo did the reſt of the ten Patriarchs ſpoken of, but notice is taken only of Enoch, Enoch walked with God, he walked with God in a ſpecial manner, he walked more cloſe with God than the reſt of the men in that Generation, and therefore it's ſpoken of him as if he alone had walked with God, And Enoch walked with God.
Two things I propounded to be diſcuſt, before▪ I come to the main general Propoſition:
Firſt of all, That the Lord hath ſome ſpecial Servants that walk more cloſe with him in their Generation than others. And then,
Secondly, That the Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch; here is a ſpecial character upon them, ſome ſpecial honour that God puts upon ſuch. I ſpake of the former the laſt day; and we reflected upon it in way of Application.
I deſire that all Gods people would labour to get as nigh God as may be: don't content your ſelves that you have intereſt in Chriſt, that you have that which will carry you to heaven; it's a poor low ſpirit to take up here: but ſeek after that which may make you an honour unto God, and ſerviceable in your Generation, that you may walk with God in ſpecial, as ſometimes Enoch did. We ſpake alſo by way of incouragement unto thoſe that are weak, as if that you ſhould never get ſo nigh God, that you ſhould never be able to walk with God as Enoch. You have the ſame principle that have intereſt in Chriſt as the ſtrongeſt; though you be weak and never ſo weak, Chriſt is the ſame principle of life in you, and therefore you don't differ from them; you look upon Saints that are remarkable, and you are diſcouraged when you view the diſtance between you and them: but know, the difference is not in kind but degree; if the difference were in kind, there were no hopes of attaining to that meaſure, all the gifts and parts in the World can't grow up to grace; but where there is a principle of grace, though never ſo ſmall, though it be but as a grain of Muſtard ſeed, it ſhall grow, and never leave growing, till it grow as high as heaven. You have alſo the ſame Mediator (though weak) in whoſe name you may come and plead acceptance, as well as the ſtrongeſt; you have the ſame Fountain to go unto, infinite fulneſs that is ever running over, willing to communicate; there's the ſame freeneſs of acceſs for you, this Fountain is ſet open for you as much as for the ſtrongeſt; it's the bleſſing of the new creature, Be ſtrong, let him that is holy, be holy ſtill, and him that is righteous, be righteous ſtill, in Rev. 22. 11. The bleſſing is upon him that hath Chriſt and Righteouſneſs, let him be more righteous, and more holy, let him go from ſtrength to ſtrength, until he appear before God in Sion; this is the bleſſing upon him: therefore your weakneſs ſhould be no cauſe of diſcouragement. You have alſo the Promiſes, that the time ſhall come, That thoſe that be weak ſhall be as David (a Prophecie concerning the latter times) he that is weak ſhall be as David, and he that is as ſtrong as David ſhall be as the Angel of the Lord: So that you that are weak in your own apprehenſions ſhould be ſtrengthened, even as David, who was one that walked with God in a remarkable manner in his Generation. Therefore get as nigh God and Chriſt as may be: ſit at his Foot-ſtool; the nearer you are to Chriſt, the more you ſit under the dropping of his lips, the more ſweetneſs of Chriſt will fall into your ſpirits; the more his eye is over you, the better you are in his thoughts, and you ſhall have many a good bit, if you follow him cloſer than others. To proceed to the ſecond Propoſition,
2. Prop. That the Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch as do walk with him in a remarkable manner. The Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch, there is ſome ſpecial character of honour which the Lord will put upon ſuch as walk with him ſo as Enoch did: it's written twice in this Chapter, that Enoch walked with God. God will have ſpecial notice taken of him; they all walked with God, the reſt of the Patriarchs, but notice is taken only of Enoch's walking. The New Teſtament takes notice of Enoch's walking with God: The Apoſtle Jude ſpeaks of Enoch the ſeventh from Adam, which I had occaſion to ſpeak of the laſt day. And the Apoſtle to the Hebrews takes notice of Enoch, as one that liv'd by Faith, and by Faith was tranſlated; and before he was tranſlated he had this Teſtimony, That he pleaſed God.
But I 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, and yet he prayed and it rained not, and he prayed, and it rained; therefore look you to be as patterns; this is another honour that God is pleaſed to put upon his ſervants, he makes them patterns to others. But again,
3. Thirdly, The Lord doth boaſt of ſuch of his ſervants as do thus: he boaſts and makes it his glory, he ſets them before, for all the world to look upon and behold his glory in them, in Rev. 14. 4. Theſe are they which follow the Lamb whereſoever he goes, let all the world look upon them, and behold the glory of God ſhining in them: theſe are they that follow the Lamb whereever he goes; you know what God ſaid to Satan concerning Job, Job 1. 8. and 2. 3. Haſt thou conſidered my ſervant Job? I have one ſervant that is worth the conſidering, ſaith God, Haſt thou conſidered my ſervant Job? Haſt thou ſet thine heart upon my ſervant Job, ſaith he? Thou haſt been compaſſing the earth, but haſt thou ſeen ſuch a one as my ſervant Job? Thou haſt many ſlaves to boaſt on, and many drudges, but I'le compare with thee above all: my ſervant Job, haſt thou conſidered him? he is a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and eſcheweth evil. And ſo David, God ſeems to glory in him, that he had ſuch a ſervant as David, in Acts 13. 22. I have found David, the ſon of Jeſſe, a man after mine own heart, that ſhall execute all my Will: as good a ſervant as I deſire to have, he will fulfill all my Will, and he is according to mine own heart, he will do all my Will: God glories in it that he had ſuch a ſervant as David.
4. Fourthly, As God glories in ſuch, ſo he delights exceedingly in ſuch, as walk cloſely with him, they are the Object of his delight: it's ſaid in Cant. 7. 5. that the King is held in his Galleries: he ſees ſuch an excellent piece, he is held by his affections, and he cannot get out, Oh thou haſt raviſhed my heart, my Siſter, my Spouſe, thou haſt raviſhed mine heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck: Behold the beauty of thine eye, that eye of Faith, that eye of thine raviſhes my heart, it wounds the heart of Chriſt, it made him love-ſick, there was ſuch a dart from the eye that raviſh'd his heart, great delight the Lord takes in ſuch; Oh, ſaith the Father, here's the very Image of my ſon in ſuch and ſuch a Saint, here's the very likeneſs of my ſon, I can't but look upon this picture with delight, here's the very countenance of my ſon, the very eye of my ſon, Doves eyes, the very caſt of his eye, and it's alwaies looking heaven-ward, the very caſt of the eye of thee my ſon: here's the very lip of my ſon that dropt ſweet ſmelling Myrrh; here is the very gate of my ſon, his very carriage, every foot-ſtep is like the foot-ſteps of my ſon, I can't but delight; the Father ſaw the Image of the ſon in ſuch, and the ſon ſees the Image of the Father in ſuch, and therefore can't but rejoyce and delight in them with exceeding great joy. That's a fourth. But again,
5. Fifthly, The Lord doth manifeſt much love unto ſuch: there's another ſpecial favour that ſuch as walk cloſe with God meet withal: Oh that all this which is ſpoken might refreſh your hearts. The Lord manifeſts ſpecial love and favour to ſuch; he communicates more of his love, they ſhall have the very heart of God, God unfolds, he'll unbowel himſelf unto them; the Lord can't contain it, he falls upon them, falls upon their neck and kiſſes them, as Joſeph did upon his Brethrens necks, in Gen. 45. 14, 15. he could contain no longer, fell upon their necks, diſcovered himſelf unto them, I am your brother, ſaith he, I am Joſeph: there's abundance of love, precious love that the Lord doth reveal unto ſuch; he will ſatiate and ſatisfie their ſoul with kindneſs; there is a promiſe that is made in the Pſalms 36. 8. He will ſatisfie their ſouls with his loving kindneſs, they ſhall drink abundantly, and be ſatisfied with the fatneſs of thy houſe: they ſhall taſte abundance, not only ſo but be ſatisfied, taſte and be ſatisfied, with the goodneſs, and love of the Lord; there's none drinks ſo much, nor none meet with ſuch ſoul-ſatisfaction, as thoſe that walk cloſe with God.
6. Sixthly, The Lord reveals his ſecrets unto them, he'll with-hold nothing; Shall I hide from Abraham? The Lord will reveal it unto ſuch of his Servants, Shall I hide from Abraham? Gen. 18. 17, 18. ſeeing Abraham ſhall become a great Nation, and he will teach his Children: The Lord knows to whom he gives out, ſuch as will give out to others and be communicative to others, and therefore the Lord reveals himſelf unto them: they ſtand nigher God than others, therefore they ſee more than others, underſtand more than others, and ſtanding upon the hill top they ſee further than others: God reveals ſpecial things to them: Enoch the ſeventh from Adam Propheſied of theſe, ſaying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thouſands of his Saints, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard ſpeeches, which ungodly ſinners have ſpoken againſt him. Again,
7. Seventhly, The Lord imployes ſuch upon ſpecial Services: ſuch as walk more cloſely with him, ſhall do the great works of God in the world; great things are ſpoken of to come to paſs in the latter daies, and who ſhall be Gods Inſtruments to bring his great works to paſs? Why, the Lord will make wiſe ſuch as walk cloſely with him, in Rev. 17. 14. The Army of the Lamb, ſuch as hee'll do great things by, they were ſuch as are called faithful and choſen; there's that commendation given of them, And they that are with him are called faithful and choſen: Theſe ſhall be his Inſtruments of the great work to bring down Babylon by, to do his great work by, theſe ſhall be men of choice ſpirits, called, choſen and faithful, God will make uſe of them to bear up his name in the world, and he will uſe them as Inſtruments to bring to paſs the great things he hath ſpoken of: they are Inſtruments that will give all to God, and therefore God will make them Inſtruments of great work to him; and it's their ſtudy that the Lord alone may be exalted, and therefore the Lord will make uſe of ſuch for ſpecial ſervice. But again in the eighth place,
8. Eighthly, The Lord takes ſpecial notice of them, for he puts ſuch a luſtre upon them as ſhall make them to ſhine in the eye of the world; this is another honour that God is careful to put upon them, as that they ſhall ſhine in the eye of the world; that they ſhall either be reſpected or feared. Sometimes the Lord makes the very wicked in the world to reſpect them. John that was a burning and ſhining light, John Baptiſt, how did God make even Herod himſelf to reſpect him? Even the wicked of the world are convinced by them, and God doth inforce the world to approve of them, to approve of the way they walk in, and to approve of their Integrity. There's a promiſe in Rev. 2. to the Church of Philadelphia, that God would make their very enemies to come and worſhip before them, and to acknowledge that God hath loved them; there is ſuch a luſtre upon them, upon their ſpirits, and lives, and carriages, when they walk cloſe with God, that the men of the world are forc'd to confeſs as of Chriſt, Never man ſpake as this man, and certainly theſe men are gracious men, what ever the world thinks of them, and oh that there were no worſe, and that I might die the righteous mans death, that my latter end may be as his; they are thus convinced by that luſtre that is upon them, or at leaſt, God makes the world to fear them; they are a dread unto the world: Abraham was mightily feared by Abimelech, and Abimelech feared him, and ſent to make a Covenant with him in Gen. 1. 22. he ſent his great Captain to make a Covenant with Abraham, and why? Becauſe they perceived that God was with him, and God proſpered him, and therefore they are afraid that Abraham ſhould be their enemy; though they were ſtrangers to God, yet the fear of his people, the fear of Abraham fell upon them: what a dread is many a godly man unto the wicked, their very converſations do convince them, the ſtirrings of God, the appearances of God in them do convince them: and therefore they cry out many times of them as the Devils did of Jeſus of Nazareth, Why art thou come to torment us: So a man that walks cloſe with God is even a torment upon them: the fear and dread of them fall upon their enemies; that's another honour that God puts upon thoſe that walk cloſely with him.
9. Ninthly, Again, To ſuch as walk cloſely with God, there's an abundant entrance for them into the Kingdom of God, I ſay, ſuch ſhall meet with an abundance of entrance into the Kingdom of God; ſo ſaies the Apoſtle in 2 Pet. 1. 11. He bids them there Give all diligence to make their calling and election ſure, be not idle, do not ſtand at a ſtay, preſs on, For ſo there ſhall be an entrance made, an abundant entrance ſhall be miniſtred unto you, into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt: All Gods people do not meet with this abundant entrance, there are ſome that creep in at the narrow gate, ſome ſail to Heaven with quarter wind, others go with full ſails of Aſſurance. Now this ſeems to be promiſed to thoſe that walk moſt cloſely with God, that give all diligence to wait upon God, and all diligence to increaſe in knowledge, and grace, full ſails of Aſſurance and an abundant entrance ſhall be miniſtred unto them into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. But again,
10 Tenthly, In the laſt place, Such as walk with God, God makes their memorial to be ſweet, the memory of the juſt ſhall be ſweet when they are dead and gone, their names ſhall not rot, they ſhall be Embalmed, God will have them to be remembred unto many Generations; Abel, though dead, he is yet remembred, God will take care that his Saints ſhall be remembred. Enoch walked with God, and though he was cut off, yet Enoch muſt be remembred, though it were many hundred years before Moſes, yet God would have Moſes to write it twice, Enoch walked with God. Now God will have the very men in the world to honour their Names when they are dead and gone; the Prophets many of them were cut off by the wicked Jews, but God cauſed their names to be precious when they were gone: and the Scribes and Phariſees (as wicked as they were) yet, notwithſtanding, they honoured the name of a Prophet; and your Fathers killed the Prophets (though odious whilſt they lived, though cut off, as Chriſt himſelf was, and thought not worthy to live on the face of the Earth) yet their Names are precious and in memory: and thus you ſee that the Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch of his Servants as walk moſt cloſely with him; he knows that the Devil takes ſpecial notice of them, and therefore he'll take notice of them; he knows that the world takes ſpecial notice of them to envy them, the ſpight of the world is againſt them, and therefore God will take them into ſpecial favour with himſelf: there are none ſo hated, none ſo maligned as thoſe that walk moſt cloſe with God; there is no ſuch eye-ſore to a carnal man, as one that walks cloſe with God: Oh, the light and glory of God that doth appear in ſuch a Saint doth convince the men of the world, and upbraids them, ſhames them, ſets their Conſciences on work, convinces them at what diſtance they are from God, and therefore it is that the world hates them, there's none that meets with more ſpight from the world than they, and therefore the Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch, and there's none that the Devil ſtrikes more at, than thoſe that walk cloſeſt with God: for they are like a light ſet upon a Hill, and the Prince of the Air will endeavour to blow it out; they are as Beacons ſet upon a Hill, and the Devil knows that if he can throw them down, there will fall many with them. Haſt thou conſidered my Servant Job? haſt thou ſet thy heart upon him? I doubt not but thou haſt conſidered him, thou haſt maligned him, ſought to caſt him down from his ſtation. Simon, Simon, Satan has a deſire to have you, that he may winnow you, but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not; of all others, Satan deſires to have Peter, that he might winnow him. Such as are moſt eminent, the more eminent, the more doth Satan deſire to winnow them, and therefore the Lord ſteps in, I have prayed for them; Chriſt ſteps in to plead for them in a ſpecial manner, he takes care of them: As the darts of the Devil are thrown principally at ſuch, ſo the Lord himſelf will be their Buckler, and their defence.
Now Brethren, from all that hath been ſpoken, reflect upon it; And oh that it may ſtir you up to endeavour to walk more cloſe with God; not only to walk with God, but to walk with God as Enoch did; it's not enough to be gracious, but what ſingular thing do you for God? I know that this will make you vile in the eyes of the world, but be you reſolute in the waies of God: It will be a blot to you in the eyes of the world, but it will be an honour to you in the eyes of God, who judges in truth and righteouſneſs; and therefore if the world ſpite you for this, for walking more cloſe with God, for embracing the truth of the times, ſay, If this be to be vile, I'le yet be more vile, and know that it ſhall not be labour loſt, I ſay, it ſhall not be labour loſt, to endeavour to walk thus cloſely with God as Enoch did, you ſhall meet with that refreſhment in God, which will abundantly anſwer what you ſhall loſe in the world, what you ſhall part withal in the world: the ſweetneſs that you ſhall meet withal in Communion with God, it ſhall abundantly ſatisfie for the loſs of all creature comforts whatſoever, if you ſhall loſe any thing for walking thus cloſely with him.
I ſhall ſay no more, Your memories ſhall be precious in Gods ſight, when rich men, and great men, and men of parts ſhall rot and periſh, die, and come to nothing, and their names ſhall periſh with them and rot; Why, the names of the righteous, ſuch as walk cloſe with God in their Generation, their names ſhall be as a Box of Oyntment poured forth, and they ſhall be ſweet and precious to God and to his Saints throughout all Generations. And thus I have ſhewed you theſe two particulars, That God hath ſome of his Servants in all Generations, that walk more cloſe with him than others; and ſecondly, That the Lord takes ſpecial notice of ſuch, and ſets ſome ſpecial badge of Honour upon them; the main Point in hand is ſtill behind.