As our holiness is expressed by walking with God, so our sinfulness by walking with wicked men. To walk with God is all the commendation of Enoch, who was so holy on earth that God took him up to Heaven, (Gen. 5.22.) He had this testimony (faith the Apostle, Heb. 11.15.) before his translation, that he pleased God. To walk with God, is to please God, or to give up our selves wholly to God. Can two walk together except they be agreed? is the Prophets question, (Amos 3.3.) They who walk together are supposed to have one will, as they are seen to have one way. What God willeth they will, and what God willeth not, they will not who walk with him. To walk with wicked men implieth an agreement with them, and a conformity to them, as being of their fraternity, company and livery. They that walk with wicked men, declare their familiarity with them, or that their mind and manners are the same. The Apostle tells the Corinthians (1 Cor. 3.2.) Whereas there is among you envying, strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men, that is, as men in their natural and sinful condition walk. Though ye are spiritual in your state, yet ye act as carnal men. Now, as it is sinful for a godly man to walk as a man, or according to man, (as our Margin hath it, for he should walk as God) so it is much more sinful to walk with wicked men, or according to the worst of men. Thus the Apostle describes the conversation of the Ephesians before conversion. (Eph. 22.) And you hath he quickened who were dead in sins and trespasses, in which sometime ye walked according to the course of this World. That is, according to the tide, current and stream of the times and places wherein ye lived.1 Man naturally doth not walk where he ought to go, but where he seeth the most go. He is led by the worst of examples (such are the examples of the most or of the many) rather then by the best of rules. It is our duty, and it should be our delight to walk with those who delight in the Law and in the way of God. David saith of his deceitful friend, but real enemy. (Psal. 55.14.) We walked unto the house of God in company. As if he had said, time was when he and I were as if he had been I, both of us but one, in that one thing necessary, ⟨p. 540⟩the worship and service of God. It is a good argument, that man hath an heart for God, who walks with good men in the ways of God.
As our holinesse is expressed by walking with God, so our sinfullnesse by walking with wicked men. To walk with God is all the commendation of Enoch, who was so holy on earth that God tooke him up to Heaven, (Gen. 5.22.) He had this testimony (faith the Apostle, Heb. 11.15.) before his translation, that he pleased God. To walk with God, is to please God, or to give up our selves wholly to God. Can two walk together except they be agreed? is the Prophets question, (Amos 3.3.) They who walke together are supposed to have one will, as they are seen to have one way. What God willeth they will, and what God willeth not, they will not who walk with him. To walk with wicked men implyeth an agreement with them, and a conformity to them, as being of their fraternity, company and livery. They that walk with wicked men, declare their familiarity with them, or that their mind and manners are the same. The Apostle tells the Corinthians (1 Cor. 3.2.) Whereas there is among you envying, strife and divisions, are ye not carnall and walk as men, that is, as men in their naturall and sinfull condition walke. Though ye are spirituall in your state, yet ye act as carnall men. Now, as it is sinfull for a godly man to walke as a man, or according to man, (as our Margin hath it, for he should walk as God) so it is much more sinfull to walk with wicked men, or according to the worst of men. Thus the Apostle describes the conversation of the Ephesians before conversion. (Eph. 22.) And you hath he quickened who were dead in sins and trespasses, in which sometime ye walked according to the course of this World. That is, according to the tide, current and streame of the times and places wherein ye lived.1 Man naturally doth not walk where he ought to goe, but where he seeth the most goe. He is led by the worst of examples (such are the examples of the most or of the many) rather then by the best of rules. It is our duty, and it should be our delight to walk with those who delight in the Law and in the way of God. David saith of his deceitfull friend, but reall enemy. (Psal. 55.14.) We walked unto the house of God in company. As if he had said, time was when he and I were as if he had been I, both of us but one, in that one thing necessary, ⟨p. 540⟩the worship and service of God. It is a good argument, that man hath an heart for God, who walks with good men in the wayes of God.
- 1Qua itur non qua •undum.
