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of conscience, to trouble the Church with a mis-grounded novelty. Come we to the test. Let me ask these mis-guided souls, that are no less confidently persuaded of their own humility than truth, can it be any other than a height of pride, for a man to think himself wiser than the whole Church of God upon earth? wiser than the whole Church of God, that hath been upon earth ever since the Apostles of Christ inclusively, in all successions to this present time? Can they, without much pride, think they can look deeper into the great mysteries of Godliness, than those blessed attendants of our Saviour; and their gracious successors, the holy martyrs, the godly and religious guides of God's Church, in all the following ages? Had not they, then, the same God, the same Scriptures, the illuminations of the same Spirit? Can they imagine it less than insolent, to attribute more to their own private opinion, than to the constant judgment and practice of the whole Christian world, in all successions of generations? Can they suppose themselves, in their single capacity, though neither prophets nor prophets' sons, meet judges or questionists of those matters of faith, which the general Councils of the purer times have unanimously agreed upon, as the main principles of Christianity? Can they think themselves privileged, by the liberty of prophesying, to coin new articles; to deface old? Surely, if the hand of pride be not in all this, I shall never desire to be acquainted with humility: so as it is too plain, that a man may be exceeding proudly, and not know it. This vicious habit lurks close in the soul; and, unless it discover itself by some scarce-discernable effects, which break out now and then, especially upon occasions of opposition, is rather more concealed from the owner, than from the eyes of a stranger. But, if ever, it bewrays itself in the affectation of undue eminence, scornful undervaluation of others' merits, obstinacy in opinion, sharpness of censures, and impatience of contradiction: of all these, the world is commonly no less guilty, than all these are guilty of the common miseries. Lord, deliver us from our pride, and our contentions will die alone.

V.

What a strange praise and privilege is that, which is given to Enoch, above all those generations of men, that peopled the first world; of whom the Spirit of God says, Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him! Gen. v. 24. Doubtless, amongst all those successive families of the sons of Seth, there were many religious and well-affected souls; yet there was no one of them, that had this character set upon him, that he walked with God, but he. Whether it were, that God did, in a more open and entire way, reveal himself to that exemplary saint; or whether that holy man did, in a more close and familiar fashion, converse with the invisible Deity; the presence was certain, and the acknowledgment mutual. Neither was this walk short, for a turn and away; but constant and continual, even for the space of three hundred years; Gen. v. 22. And what did the blessed man retire to some desert, far from all human society, that he might enjoy this heavenly com

pany alone? Did he, this while, cast off all secular thoughts, and abdicate all the care of his family? neither this, nor that: for, in this space, wherein he walked with his God, he both begat sons and daughters, and bred them like the children of such a father; as one, that knew to make the world subordinate, not opposite to its Maker; and had learned to reconcile the use of the creature, with the fruition of the Creator. What, then, were the steps of this walk; but pious thoughts, heavenly affections, fervent love, reverential fear, spiritual joy, holy desires, divine ravishments of spirit, strict obediences, assiduous devotions, faithful affiances, gracious engagements, firm resolutions, and effectual endeavours of good, and whatsoever might work a dearness of respect betwixt the soul and the God of Spirits? O God, that, which thou promisedst, as a reward, to those few saints of Sardis that had not defiled their garments, (Rev. iii. 4.) thou hast beforehand fully performed to this eminent Worthy of the first world: he walked with thee in white; in the white of innocence here, and in the shining robes of glory above: so thou hast told us, He was not, for God took him. Lo, being and good were wont to pass for convertible; but here, Enoch's not-being is his blessedness: he was not at all here; that he might be perfectly above. The best being on earth is but miserable: even Enoch's walk with God cannot exempt him from sorrows: he must cease to be, that he may begin to be happy. He was then happy, not for that he was not; a mere privation of being can be no other than the worst of evils: but, for that God took him: the God with whom he walked so long upon earth, takes him away from the earth to himself, for eternity. Here below, though he walked with God; yet, withal, he conversed with sinful men; whose wickedness could not but, many a time, vex his righteous soul: now, he is freed from all those spiritual annoyances; enjoying only the glorious presence and vision of the Divine Majesty, the blessed angels and the saints, co-partners of the same immortality. There can be no doubt, but that the souls of his holy predecessors, Adam, Abel, Seth, returned to the God, that gave them: but, had not Enoch been blessed with a peculiar conveyance to his glory, it had not been said, that God took him: were only the spirit of Enoch yielded up in the way of an ordinary death, the man had not been taken; now, whole Enoch, body and soul is translated to a heavenly life; Ecclus. xliv. 16. His father Jared and his son Methuselah went to God, in the common way of men; by a separation of the spirit from the flesh but, for him, God took him; and clothed him living, with immortality. I find none but him and Elijah, that were thus fetched to their heaven. It will be happy for us, if we may pass in the common road to blessedness. O God, give me to walk close and constantly with thee, and what end thou pleasest: let my body -pass through all the degrees of corruption, so that my soul may be immediately glorious.

THE

BREATHINGS

OF

THE DEVOUT SOUL.

BY JOSEPH, BISHOP OF NORWICH.

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