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with God, look through all secondary causes, and view his hand and heart in all he does in respect to themselves in particular, as well as in respect to the world in general. And so far as they see and understand his designs, they cordially approve of them, and are willing to be workers together with him, in carrying them into execution. They mean to obey the voice of his providence, as well as the voice of his word. As they discern the signs of the times; so they mean to feel and act agreeably to them. While Enoch walked with God, and saw how God suffered the triumphing of the wicked, he anticipated their fearful doom, and solemnly warned them of it. "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of those, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgments 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." Those who walk with God are governed by his eye, as dutiful children are governed by the eye of the parent. I must add here,

5. That those who walk with God, decline walking with the world. As soon as they begin to walk with God, they resolve to walk with his friends and not with his enemies, It is the peculiar character of good men, that they walk together, and not with the wicked. David says to God "I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts." And again he says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendest not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent, in whom is all my

delight." And he further declares, "Blessed is the man, that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Those, who walk with God, are sensible, that the friendship of the world is enmity with God; that it is their duty, not to be conformed to the world; and that it is their safety and happiness to come out from the world and to walk with God, that he may dwell in them, and walk in them, and be their Almighty Father and friend, as he has promised. Now, if those, who walk with God, live such a holy and devout life, as we have described, it is justly to be expected,

II. That he will manifest some peculiar tokens of his favor to them. God translated Enoch, that he should not see death, as a testimony that he pleased him. Since God is pleased with those, who walk with him, we must suppose he will give them some peculiar tokens of his favor. But as they do not merit any favor by walking with him, so he acts as a sovereign in granting his peculiar favors to one and another, when and how he pleases. And among the favors which he usually grants to those, who walk with him, I will mention the following.

1. God will guard them against the frowns of the world. If they were of the world, the world would love his own; but because they are not of the world, but God has chosen them out of the world, therefore the world hateth them. It is impossible for men to walk with God, without declining to walk with the world, or without reproving, and condemning the world, which never fails to excite their resentment and opposi tion. God knows therefore, that those who walk with him, stand in need of his constant care and protection :

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and accordingly, while they walk with him, he will walk with them and keep them as in the hollow of his hand from the innumerable seen and unseen dangers to which they are continually exposed. We read, "The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seek him, he will be found of you: but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you." This has always been God's usual conduct towards those, who have walked with him.--Enoch walked with God and preached righteousness to an ungodly world. Though it is probable, that the world, which then began to be filled with violence, wished to wreak their enmity upon Enoch, yet the Lord took him and translated him that he should not see death, by the hand of violence, nor in any other way. This was a signal mark of the divine favor and protection. As Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations and walked with God; so he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, who, while he was about to sweep the whole earth with the besom of destruction, preserved him from sinking and perishing with an ungodly world. God delivered just Lot, when he condemned and overthrew the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked with God, who granted them peculiar tokens of his favor, care, and protection, through the numerous evils and dangers to which they were exposed, while pilgrims and strangers on the earth. And while their posterity walked with God, he withheld not his care and protection from them; but when they were but few in number and went from one nation to another and from

one kingdom to another, he suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. So long as the friends of God walk with him, he never fails to spread the wing of his protection over them, which is a peculiar token of his favor.

2. God graciously guards his friends, while they walk with him, from their invisible, as well as, visible enemies. They are continually exposed to the subtile devices and violent assaults of him, who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He reigns in the hearts of the children of disobedience and leads them captive at his will. But though his power and dominion are weakened in the hearts of real saints; yet he endeavors to get advantage against them in their present state of moral imperfection. He knows, that they sometimes wander from God, and when he finds them at a distance from him, he knows, that they are as weak as other men; and he does not fail to employ his power and subtilty, to blind their minds, corrupt their hearts, and plunge them in darkness, doubts, disobedience and distress. But while they walk closely with God, Satan will not dare to ap proach them, or if he does, God will enable them to resist his fiery darts and not suffer them to be overcome. This the apostle assures christians for their encouragement and comfort. "Resist the devil; and he will flee from you." And again he says, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Though God suffered Christ to be tempted forty days in the wilderness; yet he enabled him to resist and

overcome his subtile and malignant adversary. Though God gave liberty to satan to tempt Job; yet while Job kept near to God, he guarded his heart, so that he sinned not. The apostle John says in general concerning every one, who is born of God, "He keep eth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." Though satan desires most ardently to have those who generally walk most closely with God, that he may sift them as wheat; yet God will bruise satan under their feet. It is one of the privileges of the sons of God and a peculiar token of his favor, that he will protect them, while they walk with him, against the wiles of their spiritual enemies.

3. God will give those, who walk with him peculiar evidence of their interest in his special grace. He loves those, who walk with him and will manifest his love to them. He loved Enoch, while he walked with him and before his translation, he gave him this testimony, that he pleased God, and stood high in his fa vor. How he did this, we are not told; but we may justly conclude, that he did it in some such manner as he made known his special love to other eminent saints. He expressly called Abraham his friend, when he offered up his son upon the altar. He sent a messenger from heaven, to declare, that Daniel was greatly beloved. And he manifested his special love to David, by lifting the light of his countenance upon him. He acknowledges, that he had received this peculiar mark of the divine favor. "There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased." That this gladness,

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