And _First_, _Walking with_ GOD, implies, that the prevailing power of the enmity of a person’s heart, be taken away by the blessed Spirit of GOD. Perhaps it may seem a hard saying to some, but our own experience daily proves, what the scripture in many places assert, that the carnal mind, the mind of the unconverted, natural man, nay, the mind of the regenerate, so far as any part of him remains unrenewed, is enmity, not only an enemy, but “enmity itself against GOD; so that it is not subject to the law of GOD, neither indeed can it be.” Indeed one may well wonder that any creature, especially that lovely creature man, made after his Maker’s own image, should ever have any enmity, much less a prevailing enmity against that very GOD in whom he lives, and moves, and hath his being. But alas! so it is. Our first parents contracted it when they fell from GOD by eating the forbidden fruit, and the bitter and malignant contagion of it, hath descended to, and quite overspread their whole posterity. This enmity discovered itself, in _Adam_’s endeavouring to hide himself in the trees of the garden. When he heard the voice of the LORD GOD, instead of running with an open heart, saying, Here am I; alas! he now wanted no communion with GOD; and still more discovered his lately contracted enmity, by the excuse he made to the Most High. “The woman, or this woman, thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” By saying thus, he in effect lays all the fault upon GOD; as though he had said, if thou hadst not given me this woman, I had not sinned against thee, so thou mayst thank thyself for my transgression. In the same manner this enmity works in the hearts of _Adam_’s children. They now and again find something rising against GOD, and saying even unto GOD, what doest thou? “It scorns any meaner competitor (says the learned Doctor _Owen_ in his excellent treatise on indwelling sin) than GOD himself.” Its command is like that of the _Assyrians_ in respect to _Ahab_, Shoot only at the King. And it strikes against every thing that has the appearance of real piety, as the _Assyrians_ shot at _Jehosaphat_ in _Ahab_’s cloathes. But the opposition ceases when it finds that it is only an appearance, as the _Assyrians_ left off shooting at _Jehosaphat_, when they perceived it was not _Ahab_ they were shooting at. This enmity discovered itself in accursed _Cain_; he hated and slew his brother _Abel_, because _Abel_ loved, and was peculiarly favoured by his GOD. And this same enmity rules and prevails in every man that is naturally engendered of the offspring of _Adam_. Hence that averseness to prayer and holy duties, which we find in children, and very often in grown persons, who have notwithstanding been blessed with a religious education. And all that open sin and wickedness, which like a deluge has overflowed the world, are only so many streams running from this dreadful, contagious fountain; I mean the enmity of man’s desperately wicked and deceitful heart. He that cannot set his seal to this, knows nothing yet, in a saving manner, of the holy scriptures, or of the power of GOD. And all that do know this, will readily acknowledge, that before a person can be said to walk with GOD, the prevailing power of this heart-enmity must be destroyed. For persons do not use to walk and keep company together, who entertain an irreconcilable enmity and hatred against one another. Observe me, I say, the prevailing power of this enmity must be taken away. For the inbeing of it will never be totally removed, till we bow down our heads and give up the ghost. The apostle _Paul_, no doubt, speaks of himself, and that too not when he was a pharisee, but a real christian; when he complains, “that when he would do good, evil was present with him;” not having dominion over him, but opposing and resisting his good intentions and actions, “so that he could not do the things which he would,” in that perfection which the new man desired. This is what he calls sin dwelling in him. “And this is that Φρόνημα ♦σαρκός, which, (to use the words of the ninth article of our church,) some do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affectation, some the desire of the flesh, which doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated.” But as for its prevailing power, it is destroyed in every soul that is truly born of GOD, and gradually more and more weakened as the believer grows in grace, and the spirit of GOD gains a greater and greater ascendancy in the heart.
♦ “σταρκος” replaced with “σαρκός”