Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Again, If thou wouldst be assured, walk in Uprightness, this is Gospel-perfection; the Believers Beauty, the soundness of all his Graces, the desire and delight of God himself, as being a Beam from his own Truth and Simplicity. In Scripture he seldom mentions ⟨p. 449⟩an upright man without setting some mark of Honour upon him. Enoch walked with God, as one familiar with him, Gen. 5.22; and as the Septuagint, and after them the Apostle, Heb. 11, hath it, [Greek or Hebrew], he pleased God; and how great a Character is this? Caleb followed God fully, and he is styled a man of another Spirit, such as is above the rate of common Souls. Job was a perfect and upright man, and God calls him a none such in the Earth. The Jews say, That the Seventy Souls that went with Jacob into Egypt were worth as much as all the Seventy Nations in the World: I am sure, the upright, the Israelites indeed, are the Pearls and Excellent ones in the Earth. Now here I recommend three things to thee, To walk as in Gods presence, To have an universal respect to his Commands, and To carry a pure intention towards his Glory. All these have a great tendency to Assurance. Walk as in Gods Presence. Remember, that he is everywhere. Thou needest not a Vision, or Jacobs Ladder; where-ever thou art, thy Faith can tell thee, that God is in the place, and it is too dreadful to sin in. His Presence besets thee behind and before, and thou canst not break away from it; thy ways are all before him, nay thy very heart; He knows the make of it, and stands by the inward Frame and secret Springs thereof, seeing what is a forming there upon the Wheel, and what thoughts are taking their flight from thence. All is naked and ⟨p. 450⟩open as in an Anatomy before his Face. He is intimior intimo tuo, nearer to thee than thou art to thy self. Walk as in his Presence. Live as under his all-seeing Eye. Seneca would have us set a Cato or a Laelius before our eyes, and to compose our Lives as in their Presence; Magna pars peccatorum tollitur, si peccaturis testis assistat, saith he; A present witness would prevent a great deal of sin. Think thus with thy self, Cave, Spectat Deus; Take heed, God seeth. Keep fresh apprehensions of him in thy thoughts. Think, purpose, speak, act, do every thing [Greek or Hebrew], worthy of, and in an holy congruity to his Presence.