THe holy Prophet having rectified the Judgment of this people, in that hereditary, and inveterate errour of their Nation: That Sacrifice was the only, and ultimate, worship of God. By giving a Negative answer to that Que­stion, put unto him by some pious votary, vers 6. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord: and by a Positive declaring the Minde of God, what was good, and what God required of man: First, In the duties of the second Table, (the reasons of which Inversion I gave you the last Lords day) viz. to do just­ly, in Commutative and Distributive Justice; and to love mercy, Spiritual, and Corporal. In this remainder of the words, he declares what was good, and what God requires of man: in the duties of the first Table, viz. And to walk humbly with thy God. Which truly are [Page 2]Words that engrosse so much of Affection, that they leave the lesse for Invention; words that have so much of Rapture, that they are fitter for Contemplation, then Meditation. St. Peter at the Transfiguration, was so ravished with the glory of the Company, and place; that he spake he knew not what. The Panegyrist to Gratian, was so taken with his Imperial presence, that he was willing to give over in the beginning; with Juvat haerere in tam dulci Cogitatione, & quasi functus Officio; lentiùs ago Remigia. But this were wholly to defraud your ex­pectation; you are come to hear a Sermon. Therefore consider four things:

• 1. The term of Connexion; And.
• 2. The matter of the Connexion: To walk humbly with God.
• 3. The Motive, or Engagement: the blessed Re­lation; Thy God.
• 4. The Poyse, or Inforcement:
  • 1. This is good.
  • 2. This God requires of man.
  • 3. God hath shewed this to be his Will.

1. The term of Connexion, And; a little word, but [...], &c. For it stands here as a Mere­stone, like Jegar-Sahadutha, the heap of witnes, Gen. 31.47. between Morality, and Religion: to do justly, and to love mercy, are the bounds of Morality; but to walk humbly with God, is the holy land, the territory of Chri­stianity, the Churches patrimony. And, takes hold both wayes; it couples Morality to Religion, and Reli­gion to Morality: and millions of men are taken in fal­lacies on both sides. Thus, some think it to be good, and all that God requires; to pay every one their own, to be just in bargaining, buying, and selling, borrowing, [Page 3]and lending; to bestow something on the poor: (and I would to God in these dayes, wherein so much Per­fection is talked of, we could finde men Just and Merci­ful.) Not to arraign these at the strictest barr, but to weigh them in their own scales: Tell me then; Is it honesty to pay men, and not Almighty God, their due? to dwell in Gods house, and pay no rent? to receive blessings from his bountiful, almost prodigal hand, and not to walk humbly with him? Tell me: Is it to love mercy, to instruct the Ignorant, cloath the Naked, feed the Hungry? and in the mean time, to be cruel to thy own soul, to let it starve, and dye, for want of walking humbly with God. To these I must say, Unum deest, yet lackest thou one thing: up, for thou hast a further journey to go, even to Horeb, the Mount of God. Mo­rality never brought any man to heaven, Male vivi­tur si Deo non bene Creditur, Aug. And, hath not his full due till you adde, Walk humbly with thy God.

2. And couples Religion to Morality. Thus, some there be who think it good, and all that God requires, to profess to the world, that they walk with God. & so close to him, that they are beyond Ordinances, and Sacra­ments, who yet forget to do justly, and love mercy. To these I must say, that when weighed, they will be found too light: for, as Religion for the knowing part of it, is the highest pitch of Consecrate Reason; so for the practique part, its the highest Zenith of Consecrate honesty. Religion like a clock hath its motions with­in; i. e. Walking with God, but the Dyall is without, doing Justly, and loving Mercy: like a pair of Com­passes, one shauk is set fast on its Center, by Walking with God; the other walks the circumference, and touch­eth every line of vertues Circle. St. Paul joyned them, [Page 4] Act. 24.16. [...]. Herein do I exercise my self, to have alwayes a conscience voyd of offence, towards God, and towards men. Thus he taught the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 8.21. Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but in the sight of men. If you joyn them not; And, hath not its full due.

2. The matter of the Connexion: To walk humbly with God. The translations vary, Paratus sis ambulare, Hier. Cave diligenter ut ambules, Vulg. make it your especial care to do this; ut modeste ambules, Jun. Thus the Latine. The Greek [...]. Sept. to be ready to this good work, prompt to it, and active in it; [...], Theod. Settle thy soul, compose thy Affections to this great Work. But the Original is our Sun, we must set our Watch by that: [...] It may be read two wayes: First, Humble thy self to walk with God: or secondly, Walk humbly with thy God; submittere se ubi cum Deo res est, In all addresses to God, to remember humility, Grot.

The sum is, That here is an Invitement to two duties:

1. Preparatory, to an heavenly life, That we call Hu­miliation, which hath reference to sin, and corrupt na­ture; which lye in the way, and must be removed, be­fore we can walk humbly with God.

2. Executive, the exercise after that preparation; this we shall call Humility: this we build on the latter sence; as the former on the first.

First, Humble thy self to walk. That this is Gods Method, and the Prophets meaning, appears:

1. If you look upon the words in their Propheticall sense; so they are a notable preparation to the Gospel [Page 5]which was to be revealed. This Prophet was contem­porary to Isaiah; and he is called by some, Evange­list. Isai. 2.5. O ye house of Jacob; that is, O ye Jews, who stick so close to your descent from Abraham and Jacob, and to your legal preeminencies; come ye, leave your former course; and let us walk in the light of the Lord; that is, accept the tender of the Gospel. Now the preparation to the Gospel, was Humiliation. John Baptist was sent before, to prepare the way: he was a rough piece; rough in his Apparel, rough in his Diet, rough in his Expressions: he tells of a fan, of fire: he lays the ax to the radical corruptions and diseases of that time; tells the Pharisees of their hypocrisie, the souldiers of their rapine and violence; he calls for re­pentance, and fruits too: he proclaims his employ­ment, Luke 3.4. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be laid lowe: the crooked shall be made strait, and the rough ways made smoothe. All these are ty­pical figurative expressions of preparation to the Gospel. There's the Prophetical sense.

2. If you look upon the words in the Historical sense, and so you will finde them sutable to the whole tenour of the Scripture; everywhere informing us, that we must humble our selves, before we can walk humbly with God. In Naturals, God made something out of no­thing; and out of that something, all things; the even­ing, before the morning. In Legals, many washings and lustrations, before oblation. In Religious, Gen. 35.2. Put away the strange gods that are amongst you, and be clean, and change your garments: and then he built an altar, vers. 7. Josh. 24.19, the people were in a zealous pang of devotion; they would serve the Lord all in a hurry: Joshua tells them, that they cannot serve the [Page 6]Lord; for he is a holy God, and a jealous; he will not for­give your transgressions, nor your sins. And when they engaged the second time, vers. 21. Nay, but we will serve the Lord; Joshua shews the necessity of humbling and reforming, vers. 23. Now therefore, said he, put away the strange gods. Dan. 4.27. Nebuchadnezzar must break off his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, (the very same duties this Prophet requires, to do justly, and love mercy) before there can be a lengthening of his tranquility. And what should I more say? The time would fail to tell of David, fitted to walk humbly with God by persecution, S. Paul by blindness, Augustine by sickness, Nazianzen by ship­wrack. In all ages of the Church, this hath been the course with God and good men; onely in this last, men brush thorow all, into the Adyta of Religion: Then they must [...], go leasurely into it, pasti jejuniis, poludati Ciliciis, Cypr. there might you see one forlorn company strewing the pavements, another go­ing to the prisons, to beg pacem of the Confessors there. But these ways are accounted, as Novatus impiously, Paulina rudimenta. We are got beyond these; and we must judge of a Christian, as of a Star, with allowance of his parallax. But, non sic à principio. In the Histori­cal sense, we finde Humiliation before Humility.

3. In the Rational sense. Can we think it possible, or reasonable, that we can, or ought to pass from Na­ture to Grace, from service of Sin to service of God, from Pride to Humility, without Humiliation? He that dyes Purple, must dye two colours first: A true Christian must pass thorow many waters, before he have his true tincture. [...]; who can make a Christian as fast as they can a statua? cast the figure all [Page 7]in a day. Nazianzen takes a similitude from his gown he ware: First, Wool; then carded, then spun, then weaved, dressed and dyed; and at last cut into small pieces, before a Coat made of it. So [...], &c. It is meet thy soul be wrought over and over, pass tho­row many preparations, before thou canst be fit to walk with God. Nemo putet nullius Negotii esse, ut sis animo hu­mili & demisso, nihil aeque laboriosum, Nyss. Let no man think it a business of no business, to get an humble and demiss heart and minde; there is nothing more labori­ous. Thou must be [...], The stone-cutter of thine own heart. Have ye not seen poor labourers at that work sawe and sawe; then adde more sand, more water, more weight, yet make but small proceeding? When you come by, and see them next, spiritualize their employment; and think, Thus must I sawe and pollish my naughty, hard, proud heart, before I can be sit to be a pillar in the House of God; a Monument fastened in his Temple of grace here, glory hereafter. Sicut in rudibus areis priusquam serere incipias, Lact. as in Woodland, the trees must be felled, the briers and thorns stocked up, the ground cleared, before it can become arable or pasture: so, vitia prius detrahenda, priusquam semina virtutum injicienda; before the seeds of any vertue and grace can with hope of an harvest be cast into the soul, the vices of former conversation must be rooted up.

1. Without this Humiliation, there will be no sence of the slavery of walking in the ways of sin, 2 Chron. 12.8. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by Shi­shak; nevertheless they shall be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. The utmost fury of sin shall not be poured [Page 8]on the soul by Satan; but God leaves some remem­brance of sins tyranny in every holy heart, that he may know Qualia Qualibus, what, for what he hath chang­ed; Sins service, for Gods. Lucian could not be gotten to return to serve the Statuary [...], mindful of the switch. My soul hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me, Lam. 3.20.

2. Without this Humiliation, there is no Spiritual relish of the ways of God. The Spouse smitten and wounded by the watch-men, robbed of her vail by the keepers of the walls, Cant. 5.7. tells every one she met, that she was sick of love. When their Judges, i.e. their Deliverers, or the Dispensers of their Laws, were over­thrown in stony places, and their bones lay scattered before the graves mouth, as chips on the earth where one heweth wood; then they will hear my words; for they are sweet, Psal. 141.6. When a poor soul hath been in Satans sieve well winnowed, like Jonah in the midst of the sea, the weeds of sin wrapped about his head, the Law with its curse, as in his case, the earth with her bars was about him for ever; when he hath felt the stings of the fiery serpent, hath been at pits brink, even within the hearing of fearful yellings, and mist of the bottomless pit, and by infinite mercy is brought to land, deliver­ed from going down to the pit, for he hath found a ransome, Job 33.24. snatcht as a brand out of the fire, translated from Law to Gospel, from Curse to a Crown, from a Slave to a Son: Then (I dare not say, Never till then; Deus utitur jure suo, goes his own way) is he fitted to walk humbly with God. Then Jonah will go and preach repentance; Saul enquire, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? When sin is forgiven, and infirmities healed, our life saved from destruction; then for a Psalm that [Page 9]shall begin, Bless the Lord, O my soul; and end so too, Bless the Lord, O my soul, Psal. 103.1. ult. When the Red-sea before, and the Egyptians behinde, and Is­rael delivered; then sing ye to the Lord; for he hath tri­umphed gloriously, Exod. 15.2.

3. Without this Humiliation, no walking with God can be constant. Our vows of New Obedience are kept no better, (not onely because we keep not in minde the occasion of making them, or because we en­ter the field in; our own strength; but especially) be­cause they are the resolutions of an unhumbled heart: we think to stop the mouth of our conscience for im­pieties past, with purposes and resolutions for the fu­ture. This People here, were guilty of Oppression and Cruelty: the Prophet moves them to mend all, and, as a sure foundation, bids them humble. We have done with the first sense, as preparatory in Humiliation to true Humility; Humble thy self to walk with God.

2. We come to the second sense, the Executive part; so the words are a motion to Humility. 1. Walk, that is, live, act, behave thy self: There is via morum, as well as via pedum; of our manners, as of our feet: quâ non passibus itur, sed affectibus; in which we walk, not with paces of our body, but affections of our minde. 1. There is a way Natural: We set out at our birth, eve­ry action a step in this way; every hour we make some progress. Man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain, Psal. 39. He brought down my strength in the way, and shortened my days, Psal. 102.23. At death, they rest in their beds, Isai. 57.1. And the Metaphor holds; they are said to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Matth. 8.11. In this life, we walk; at death, we rest: at the resurrection we sit; a posture of fixedness, [Page 10]of quietness, of gracefulness, and authority.

2. A Moral way. Jer. 10. Learn not the way of the heathen. So our Calling is especially our Way, Prov. 3.6. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

3. A Spiritual way; either the knowing part of it, Acts 19.9. spake evil of that way; verse 23. no small stir about that way, that is, the profession of Religion: Or the Practick: Psal. 25.4. Shew me thy ways, O Lord, and I will walk in thy paths. In which sometime we are said to walk with God: so Enoch (Gen. 6.) walked with God, and was not; for God tool him. Sometime, before God: So Abraham, Gen. 17.1. Walk before me: know that I am behinde thee, to observe thy gate. We are careful, when we know one that comes after us ob­serves us. Sometime, to walk after God, Deut. 13.4. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God; that is, imitate God; be holy, merciful, just, as your God is. Caput Religionis est assimilari illi quem colis, Lact. [...]. Clem. Alex. [...]. 55. To imitate God is impossible, without serving him; or to serve him, with­out imitation. 2. Humbly. The word, in all Langua­ges, hath its notation from the Ground.

1. Walk with God, as one mindful of your original, whence you came, and whither you must go: get and keep thoughts of Mortality in your heart, that dust I am, and to dust I must return; that I am Abraham's dust and ashes, Isaiahs grass, and flower of the grass: the grass lasts not many moneths; but the fresh green verdure of it, not half that time, Job 16.22. When a few yeers are come, then shall I go the way whence I shall not return. S^t. Paul's potsheard. But above all, Job's worm: Job 25.6. [Page 11] How much less man, that is a worm; and the son of man, that is but a worm? Vermis in vita, lumbricus in morte; greater in life, less in death, then Lumbricus, properly those small worms that are bred out of the dust that is hardened on the loins of beasts: Lumbricus, à Lumbis. Sometimes for Mites in cheese; good remembrancers at our table. Or, worm, and but a worm: [...] and [...]. The greatest men are but greater worms; the least, lesser ones. Lord, what is man? Man is like a thing of nought; his time passeth away as a shadow. The truest In­scription we can encircle the Medal of Man withal, is that of the Psalm, Universa vanitas est omnis homo, Psal. 39.5. [...].

2. Walk with God, as one mindful of this distance of Nature, widened by sin; so look upon God as a terrible Judge, that will by no means clear the guilty; a consuming fire, Heb. 12. ult. The Emperours (as we learn in He­rodian) used to have flaming coals of fire carried be­fore them, to testifie their devouring power: But Gods wrath hath consumed them; their fire's gone out: Purpu­ratos & Purpuratas, Purpurea abripuit Mors: [...]: The Hees and Shees in Purple, Purple Death hath taken them all away, even Tyre and Sidon, the Re­gion of Purple: Clem. Alex. [...]. 1. And look up­on thy self, as dry stubble, fit fucl for eternal consu­mings: Think thus; that for sin thou art a prisoner committed when thou wast born: all thy life long, thou goest up and down with thy keeper, thy Conscience: thy life is given thee for no other end, but to sue out thy Pardon: Thou knowest not how soon the grim Serejant will arrest thee, and bring thee to Judgement, and then Eternity begins, (where millions of yeers, mul­tiplied by millions, will not make a minute.) Think of [Page 12]these two Heads; what thou art by nature, a Worm; by sin, a condemned Malefactor, and be proud if thou canst.

Walk humbly:

1. In all the passages of Gods providence to thee. In prosperity, walk humbly, for tunc solatur te, then he com­forts thee: In adversity walk humbly, for tunc corrigit te, he corrects thee. In the day of adversity consider, Eccles. 7.14. In youth walk humbly, Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy Youth, Eccl. 12.1. In middle Age, Take me not away in the midst of mine Age, Psal. 102.24. In old Age walk humbly, when the Harbingers are come, the Almond tree flourisheth, Forsake me not, O God, in my old age, when I am gray-headed, Psal. 71.18. Simihi Irascatur Deus, num ego illi redirascar? non utique, sed pavebo, & Contremiscam & Veniam deprecabor; si ar­guet me, non redarguetur a me, sed Justificabitur; Si Ju­dicaverit me, non illum Judicabo, sed Adorabo; si Domina­tur, oportet me servire; si imperat, me parere, Ber. 38. in Cant. Thus walk humbly in life; yea in death too, walk humbly: Reject all your prayers, hearings, fastings, receivings, and take heaven as a gift, Christ as a gift, such a gift, as the Giver no way bound to give, or the recei­ver, to receive. [Page 13]no way likely to be helped, that there is so great want of outward Reverence in our Religious addresses to our God: but [...]. for jam nec mala nostra: nec Remedia pati possumus, Liv. we cannot endure our disease, nor the cure neither.

3. The Motive, or Engagement, Thy God; That made thee, brought thee out of the land of Egypt, that delivered thee from Baalams curse, that honoured thee with Prophets, and with his Law, that hath made many Covenants with thee. But, oh, how Redemption heighteneth this Relation! That hath redeemed thee by the blood of his Son, called thee by his grace, given thee many tokens of his Love, Word, Worship, Sacra­ments, Spirit, that hath engaged all to give himself to thee for all eternity. Say not, He is my Father, there­fore I may walk boldly with him; but, My father, therefore walk humbly: Say not, He spares me, there­fore approves my Impiety; but say, he waits for my Repentance. Take heed of that prophane speech, heri feci Impunis, yesterday I sinned and was not punished, hodie facio, to day, I'le do it again, & cras faciam, and to morrow too.

Thy God. This appropriating quality of faith is not so new, as the Pontificians would make it, [...], Chrys.

Thy, takes away all scruples of the Impossibility, Isai. 33.4. The sinners in Zion are afraid, who amongst us can dwell with devouring fire; sin cannot, but humbled sinners may.

Secondly, All scruples of Gods unwillingness. Thy, i. e. Reconciled God, who hath set out a way: His Son, a light; his Word, a guide; his Spirit inwardly, his Ministers (like Statuae Mercuriales) outwardly, the [Page 14]examples of his servants that were undefiled in the way.

Thirdly, Of any danger, Isai. 35.8. There shall be an high way, and a way, &c. No Lyon shall be there, &c.

Fourthly, Of wanting our Reward, si tam bonus, es Deus te sequentibus, oh quam es te Consequentibus! If the Colony be such, what is the City? Nyss. If Rebecca be so rich in Jewels at the espousals, how at the Marriage? si adeo dulcescit promulsis, oh quantum caena! Fulg.

4. The Poyse, or the Inforcement:

1. This is good. Yea, the Good thing that man­kind so seeks after. Its good in it self, sure no higher honour, no greater perfection, no such pleasure, as to walk humbly with Him, who is the Infinite and eternall Good. 2. Its good for me. The best course I can take. Henoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him, Gen. 5.24. by it, he became Candidatus Immor­talitatis, a probationer of eternity, in tempore non suo, before his time. The time would fail, to speak of Abraham, Caleb, Moses, David, Psal. 17. ult. As for me, I'le behold thy face in righteousness, and when I awake up after thy likenesse, I shall be satisfied with it. He thought is his best course to be a holy man, and to walk humbly with God. So did Asaph, Psal. 73. Mihi bonum est adhae­rere Deo, It is good for me to hold me fast by God.

2. This God requires. Of Adam God required a Reverential submission, and walking humbly, and of the Angels in heaven, they both of them practised it; of us poor Mortals, miserable sinners, surely much more. It is not then an Arbitrary, but a necessary duty. God requires it, That you should walk humbly with your God.

3. This God hath shewed cleatly to be his Will, by Prophets, by his Son, by his Apostles, by the Ministery [Page 15]in all Ages. The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, and this is the Word of Faith which we preach, Rom. 10.8.

Sedenti super solium, & Agno, sit gloria & Honor in aeternum. Amen.