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judgement_n	body_n	lord_n	soul_n	2,562	5	4.9092	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95609	A Scripture-map of the wildernesse of sin, and vvay to Canaan. Or The sinners way to the saints rest. Wherein the close bewildring sleights of sin, wiles of the Devill, and windings of the heart, as also the various bewildrings of lost sinners, yea, even of saints, before, in, and after conversion; the necessity of leaning upon Christ alone for salvation, with directions therein: as also, the evident and eminent danger of false guides, false wayes, false leaning-stocks, are plainly, and practically discovered. Being the summe of LXIV lecture sermons preached at Sudbury in Suffolk, on Cantic. 8.5. / By Faithful Teate, M.A. minister of the Gospel.	Teate, Faithful, b. 1621.	1655 (1655)	Wing T615; Thomason E839_1; ESTC R203761	372,945	489

ver 12. And now friends what think you of dying in sin I may say to you and to my self what the prophet speaketh Amos 3.8 The lion hath roared who will not fear the Lord God hath spoken who can hut prophesie 2. Wilderness death a double death Secondly Dying in the wilderness doth best represent the double death of sin If a man dieth on his bed yea amongst his enemies yet doth he die but once his body is buried and returns unto the dust in peace from whence it came but if a man per●sh in the wilderness where body and soul are parted a sunder his carkase also is rent in pieces and being rent is devoured of wilde beasts and so findes as it were a living grave and do you not know that such a grave is hell The Lord threatneth it as a sad judgement upon the people that after death their carkases should be devoured of wilde beasts Jer. 7.33 Their carkases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven and beasts of the earth and none shall fray them away Therefore doth the Lord compare that which by Iohn is called the second death unto some beast of the forest opening his mouth and widening as it were his throat to swallow down the prey Isa 5.14 therefore hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure I tell you hell hath a wide mouth and open throat to receive the carkases the souls I mean of those that perish in the spiritual wilderness of sin 3. Wilderness death an eternal death Lastly Israels dying in that wilderness was a type of eternal death surely dying in this wilderness will be seconded with that Heb. 4.17 18. They that fell in that wilderness could not enter into his rest That rest was as it is there expounded a type of heaven so that falling short is expounded also a figure of eternal ruine Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short Heb. 5.1 Exhortation to lean upon Christ Secondly Be exhorted to lean upon the Lord Jesus that you may come forth of the destructive wilderness of sin If the famine the thorns the serpents the wilde beasts of the wilderness be so killing Oh! what need have we of a Christ Christ is Jesus and can be life unto us notwithstanding all exigencies First In this wilderness-famine Who is 1. Bread in this famine the Lord Jesus is Manna bread from heaven angels food bread of God what can a poor famishing creature desire more 1 Cor. 10.3 4. They did all eat of the same spiritual meat and drink the same spiritual drink and that was Christ Secondly 2. Healer of these rents and piercings If thy soul be pierced through or torn with the thorns of this wilderness the guilt of sin The Lord can binde up that which was broken Ezek. 34.16 as well as seek that which was lost in the wilderness therefore let us take their counsel in Hosea 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn us and he will binde us up Thirdly 3. Curer of these serpents bitings If thy soul be bitten by the serpents of this wilderness you have heard of Israels cure Numb 21.8 't is also ours the brazen Serpent the Lord Christ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so was the Son of man lifted up that whosoever belived on him should not perish but have eternal life John 3.14.15 Lastly If thy soul once get an interest in the Lord Jesus 4. Rescue from these beasts devourings thou need'st not fear what all the beasts of the wilderness can do against thee This is that spiritual David that slaies both the Lion and the Bear 1 Samuel 17.36 and he verily that reads not Christ there misseth of the best part of the story First Then Christ is able to secure thee 1. Being a lion for he is the Lion of the tribe of Judah Rev. 5.5 therefore despair not onely believe Secondly 2. Able to bring honey and ●ood He is that Sampson that brings honey out of the Lions carkase Judges 14 8. tha● can make even Satans temptations thine advantage food for thy faith and matter of thy Christian experience for thy future support Psal 74.14 Thou brakest the heads of Levi than and gavest him to be food for a people inhabiting the wilnerness Thirdly He shall as a Lion arise for thy salvation 3. Able to make thee as a lion Psal 31 4 5. Like as a lion and a yong lion roaring upon his prey that will not be afraid of a multitude of sh●pherds so will the Lord of hosts come down for mount Sion and for Jerusalem as birds flying so will the Lord defend it defending also he will deliver it and passing over he will preserve it Thus wil the Lord Christ wil make thee through his strength prevail against all thy spiritual enemies be they never so many yea thou shalt be more then Conqueror through Christ that loves thee Mic. 5.8 The remnant of Jacob in the midst of many people shall be as a lion amongst the beasts of the forest as a yong lion amongst the flocks of the sheep who if he go through treadeth down and tears to pieces and none can deliver CHAP. IX Containeth the third Branch or Evidence of the first Doctrine showing that the coming out of the wilderness of sin is difficult and as to our own power desperate Third evidence The coming out of the wilderness difficult and desperate YOu have seen sin like the wilderness both in its first view and entry and in its further discoveries and progress We come now to the third Sin is a wilderness to the last as well as from the first Therefore Thirdly The coming out of the wilderness is difficult and desperate so is the coming out of sin I may say Facilis descensus eremi Sed revocare gradus Hic labor hoc opus est 'T is easie Friends to finde the way into the wilderness and into sin The Israelites were soon gotten into the wilderness Exod. 13.20 I believe they were not forty hours in getting into it but they were forty years in getting out of it Adam his posterity were in a few hours got into sin Adam and his posterity are not to this day got out of it There were not many hours from the Creation before we were all bewildred in sin Gen. 3.6 There are thousands of years since the Creation and yet are not we got out of sin The way of life is soon lost and mist of but it it is not so quickly found again There are these things considerable in the wilderness which make the coming out of it difficult and desperate and the same too truly hold in sin The wilderness is great this great wilderness is full of divers ways these various ways are perplexed these perplexed ways are uneven these uneven ways are

admiration of God had cast her away I asked her if she were resolved to harbour sin and to hold her iniquity till she should die that she did so determine that she was a Reprobate The poor heart brake out into a passion of tears and said Oh! no I had rather be damned with holinesse then carry sin to heaven with me for God knows I hate it with a perfect hatred These are the souls I speake unto that are under this bewildring temptation because of their darkness in respect of the purposes of God of whom I am bold to conclude that though they bee their own Reprobates yet are they none of Gods 2ly Darkness as to Gods thoughts 2ly They are bewildred in exceeding much darknesse as to the thoughts of Gods heart toward them You know in generall we are very apt to measure every ones thoughts by our own The proud Spirit wonders that every one doth not think him worthy of that respect that he thinks himselfe worthy of and again the lowly Spirit that thinkes meanly of himselfe wonders that any one should think better of him then he doth of himselfe that any Godly Minister or Christian should think well or speak well of him when he cannot bestow a good thought upon himselfe and indeed whatever it be that we have taken up a strong perswasion of we admire that every one thinks not as we thinke Now when once poore soules come to harbour those sad thoughts that I have spoken of against themselves they are much in the dark concerning Gods thoughts being wholly disposed to measure Gods thoughts by their own When a Minister brings them a comfortable word they cannot be perswaded that God is of that mind because they are not of that mind When David brings lame creeple Mephibosheth to eat bread at his own table 2 Sam. 9.7 He can't be perswaded that he means as he saith that he should eat bread alwaies there ver 8. What is thy servant that thou shouldest looke on such a dead Dog as I am What would you make me believe that God hath any thoughts of saving such a dead soule as I am such a sinner how can it be I know mine owne thoughts that I would never find in mine heart to do such a thing for such an Enemy of mine and of my good as I have been unto God and unto his glory therefore I can never thinke it I thinke if I were as judge I should undoubtedly damne such an one as my selfe is and therefore let me alone God can have no thoughts of good concerning me Now hold a little whilest we read Isai 55.7 8● Let the wicked forsake his waies Why what shall he get by that is there any hope of good for a wicked man Yes God will have mercy upon him Yea but saith thy soule not upon such a grievous sinner as I am yes God will abundantly pardon Do you say so O but I can never think that Yea but friend that 's an unrighteous thought and you must forsake it Let the unrighteous forsake his thoughts Forsake it why ver 8. For saith God My thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your waies my waies but as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my waies then your waies and my thoughts higher then your thoughts ver 9. So that it is a bewildring darkness for thy poor heart to conclude that God thinks no thoughts of peace towards thee because thou canst not think thy soul worthy of that peace c. For saith God I know the thoughts that I think towards you thoughts of peace Jer. 29.11 3ly Poor souls in such a day 3ly Darkness as to Gods providence are much in the dark as to Gods providential dispensations Oh! saith the soul if God intended to pardon me in the end he would never thus long keep me upon the rack if God intended to save me in the Conclusion he would never suffer Satan thus to buffet me unbeliefe to have so much power over me temptations to blasphemous thoughts and despairing words thus far to prevaile against me c. Therefore doth Eliphaz sinfully and uncharitably conclude concerning good Job Jo. 22.5 c. That his wickednesse was great and his iniquities infinite c. because ver 20.11 That snares were round about him and darkness that he could not see c. And thus think poor souls of themselves that because they are under darker dispensations as they think then any others that therefore their sins are greater and their conditions more desperate then any others Now this is darkness for this is to judge according to the appearance and not with righteous judgement Thus though God had brought comforts to Zion and tels her that he will have mercy upon his afflicted Isa 49.13 Yet because she was afflicted verse 14. Sion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me He would never have staid so long saith the soul but that he hath quite forgotten me he would ●ever have served me so and so but that he hath quite forsaken me Now how much darknesse there is in this kind of arguing you may easily see in the next verses though a Mother forget her Child and can that be yet I will not forget thee saith the Lord for thou art graven upon the palms of mine hands verses 15.16 4ly Darkness as to Gods justice and mercy 4ly They have exceeding darkness upon their thoughts as to the justice and mercy of God and hereby they are also bewildred They poor Creatures can not think but that God is more inclined to justice then to mercy towards them and here still they judge according to flesh blood Indeed flesh and blood saith it is the glory of a man to revenge himselfe upon them that have wronged him but the Spirit saith It is the glorie of a man to pass by an infirmitie Now this they cannot but judge that God will have more glory in damning them then in saving them therefore they conclude that they shall be damned justice must passe upon them Now such thoughts are very darknesse for verily neither is Gods delight so much in nor his glory so much advanced by taking of revenge upon his Enemies though vengeance be his and he will repay as in shewing mercy unto poore souls 1. God delights most in mercy 1. Scripture seems to hold forth that there is nothing so much of Gods heart in punishing as in pardoning as is cleare in those two known Scriptures Isa 28.21 Where judgement is called his work but his strange work his act but his strange act as if he did not know how to goe about it How shall I give thee up Ephraim c. but Mich. 7.18 God pardoneth iniquity and passeth by transgression because he delighteth in mercy he delighteth in mercy in the worke of pardoning sin in the act of passing by transgression as if hee knew not how to go about any other work how dark then

it were upon his belly creeping and oringing to Eve and what 's the end of all but to turne their Eden into a Desart and their Paradice to a Wildernesse You may see this to be his posture in his instruments 'T is said of the wicked Psal 10.10 He croucheth and humbleth himselfe that the poor may fall by his strong ones 2ly You shall sometimes find him standing up 2. When erect when that posture shall bee more available to his purpose 1 Chro. 21.1 Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number the people Now what 's Satans drift in this Joab will give you an account of it in his demanding of the King verse 3. Asking the King why would he be a cause of trespasse to Israel Trespasse when doth a man doe that why you know when he turnes out of the way that he should goe in and goes in the ground wherein he should not goe then he is a trespasser Satans end therefore in standing up is to be a cause of trespasse unto Israel 3ly 3. When passant You shall sometimes find this Lyon passant Satan in a moving-posture Job 1.7 I come saith Satan from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it And why dost thinke doth Satan keepe such a walking up and downe in the earth but to keepe thee walking up and downe in the Wildernesse to turne as many as he meets out of the way and into the transgression as he did Eve and would have done Job here 4ly 4. When rampant You shall sometimes find this Lyon rampant Satan in a running and ranging posture as you heard as a roaring Lyon and going about c. and then saith the Apostle Be sure you keep your way it seemes his businesse will be to turne you out of it So that whatever posture thou art in Satan can keepe pace with thee If either thou lie in sinne or stand up to sin So then whatsoever posture thou art in Satan can keepe posture with thee It may be thou art a Crouching sinner that art not willing to sinne above-board as we say sub dio Why Satan will crouch to keepe thee company in thy dark and wildernesse Den and suit thine humour with such temptations It may bee thou art a Daring sinner and art not affraid to stand to it as Goliath that stood and defied the Armies of Israel and the God of Israel or as the proud presuming Pharisee that stood and prayed Why Satan will stand at thine elbow to strengthen thee in thy way If thou get up from creeping in sinne to stand to it Satan will get up as well as thou It may bee thou art a Rambling sinner Or ramble about in sinne thou must be first in this way and next in that thy vaine fancy runnes to and fro in the earth and thy wicked heart seekes up and downe for fresh delights and paths of sinne Why Satan will be thine attendant still his service shall be at thy command whilest thine rather is at his for he can goe up and downe and to and fro as well as thou Thou art as the Harlot Prov. 7. Now she is without now in the Corners of the streets her feet abide not in the house Why Satan will keepe thee company still It may be thou art a Ranting sinner Or rant run on in sinne that will go galloping to Hell as those Rom. 3. Whose feet were swift to shed blood and saith the Apostle They think it strange that you runne not with them into the same excesse of riot Why Satan can yet keepe pace with thee and suit his temptations to thee for he is a Rampant Lyon and thou and he art but in the wildernesse of sin together all this while Again If thou be either a crouching Saint Againe It may be the Lord hath begun his Worke upon thee and the spirit of bondage m●kes thee crouch under feare of Death and feare of Hell and feare of Conscience and feare of divine wrath and now thou beginnest to creepe out of the thickets of the wildernesse Now you shall finde Satan will crouch as low as thou canst crouch to meet thee with full breast either to turne thee back againe or to turne thee to the right hand or to the left or at least to stop thy progresse or if he can't doe one of these then to crush thee to pieces with loads of black temptations to blaspemous despair You whom God hath brought low when he began to bring you out of the wildernesse cannot I am sure forget the assaults of that couchant Lyon It may be God hath set thee upon thy feet Or a raised and standing Saint as the Spouse raised up under the Apple tree and thou hast got a little strength comfort and resolution for God and now thou thinkest to feele thy feet and without any doubt to be gone Truly Satan will now get up upon his feet too and stand as Rev. 12.4 before thee if he cannot beare thee downe againe yet to keep thee from stirring any farther Oh! whence are those wretched stops unto our resolutions whence is it that after we are upon our feet we move so slowly forward It may be God hath given thee a stirring Or a stirring or a moving Saint as well as a standing principle and thou must be up and downe in the wayes of God sometimes in this duty sometimes in that Why Satan can goe up and down as well as thou and will goe whither thou goest and all to bewilder thee in thy duties It may be God hath so farre enlarged thine heart Or an enlarged running Saint Satan can still keepe posture with thee as to run the waies of Gods Commandements Why truly now Satan must runne for it if he will doe any thing he must ply hard and fast with temptations and so he will bee sure to doe for hee is a Lyon rampant seeking whom hee may devoure 2ly Satan sometimes changes personages 2. Head All his personatings and all the paines that he industriously takes under different persons is to turn poor soules out of the way You have him sometimes as a Lawyer at the Bar sometimes as a Minister in the Pulpit sometimes as a Souldier in the field 1. As a Lawyer at Barre First You shall finde Satan sometimes acting the part of a Lawyer at the Barre And what is the business of a corrupt Lawyer is the business of Satan that set him on worke 'T is said Amos 2.7 They turne aside the way of the meeke that is in judgement If a man be not of a contentious spirit though he be in the way of right yet his way is turned aside so Amos 5.12 They take a bribe they turne aside the poor from their right This is Satans very businesse to turne poore soules as a Lawyer out of the way of their right And have you never seen a corrupt Lawyer sweat at

thee but thou wouldst say as Ahab 1 King 21.19 Hast thou found me O mine Enemy But now saith he thou canst bee humbled at a Sermon and mourne and weepe and truly friends so did Ahab afterward ver 27. Wher he heard those words he rent his Clothes and put on sack-cloath and humbled himselfe in so much that God cryes to the Prophet see'st thou how Ahad humblet● himselfe before me verse 29. And yet you know tha● Ahab was a lost wretch for ever for all his humbling There are two desperate turnings in the way of being humbled But with this snare either that Satan useth to bewilder soules in 1. 1. To make the soule restlesse Humblings either make the soule through Satans temptations altogether restlesse so that it is put beyond comfort must needs perish in the wilderness of black despaire so Judas was humbled Mat. 27.3 He b●ings again the money and vomits up his sinne by sad confession ver 4. and repents but instead of casting himselfe now upon a Crucified Christ he crucifies himselfe he goes and hangs himself upon a Tree So Cain as soone as being thus humbled hee should have come to God by faith he cryes My punishment is insupportable and so goes out from Gods presence and becomes a Vagabond in the Earth and never comes near God more Gen. 4.13 14 16. Or 2ly Or 2. To make it rest there Humblings through Satans cunning make the soule to rest there and the soule may be lost in this as in the other way and thus it was with those in Isai 58.2 3. They saith God seeke me daily and delight to know my wayes And say they ver 2. Wherefore have we fasted and thou see'st not and afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge Marke They had afflicted their soules and they thinke they are before hand with God now they wonder God doth not give them more respect now Oh! as good never to be at all humbled as to be so proudly humbled to rest in being humbled to thinke that God is beholding to thee for being humbled yet such is Satans policy and our Propensity and this is as ready a way to bee lost in as any 6ly The way of making up a righteousnesse betwixt Christs and our own 6ly It may be Convictions grow so much higher yet that God sheweth thee as he did them how little worth is in thy very humblings and then it may bee thy way is to looke out for a Saviour for anothers performances and worth to leane upon Now this is Satans last remove if hee can but make thee to mingle thy worth with Christs and thy workes with Christs workes and so to walke in a middle way for such a way there is betwixt Faith and Workes Satan will not so much disturbe himselfe for thou art in a lost condition still for this is the High-way of Gospel-salvation to set thy feet in the way but not to rest thy soul upon the way of doing but to set downe thine Hope as thy staffe softly and singly upon the way of believing I will not deny but that in performing as David speaks thou maist expect reward but if thou lookest for thy reward for thy performances thou losest it and thy selfe for ever You read Rev. 10.2 of an Angell that set his right foot upon the Sea and his left foot upon the Earth And so truly doe many men the best and yet the worst in some some sort of the unregenerate they set one foot and it may be the right foot I do but allude to the place upon the Red Sea of Christs blood but then they will have one foot the left at least upon the Earth of their owne Righteousnesse but these things ought not so to be Thus the Papists doe Our Workes say they merit dipt in Christs blood And oh what naturall Doctrine is this to flesh and blood How easily are we made Papists Whence is it to give you one hint that a poore soule when enlarged in prayer though perhaps it have acted little faith in such a prayer can please and pride it selfe so much when at another time it hath looked as much and more at Christ and lesse a great deale at selfe and yet because it hath been straightned hath it thought it should not be so well accepted at the Throne of Grace Doe wee not thank our selves as well as Christ for our acceptance as he that thanked his Tumbrel as much as God for his Harvest Now this though it be the last and trimmest way of all the rest yet is it extreamely dangerous for there is no comming out of the Wildernesse but onely by leaning and by leaning only upon Jesus Christ as our Text it selfe and farther Discourse may give you to know 'T is not the way of Carnall pleasures or security 't is not the way of Civilities or Duties either 't is not the way of being humbled 't is not a mixt way betweene working and believing that is betwixt thy Workes and Christs though thy workings must be but the way of pure believing that can lead thee out of sinnes Wildernesse The other may be trim wayes but this is the onely true way CHAP. XIV Second sort of bewildring meanes false Guides 3. False Guidances Multitude evill Magistrates evill Ministers THe second sort of meanes of our bewildrings 2d Sort of meanes viz. false guides are false Guidances I shall Note but these particulars The false Guidance of the transgressing multitude Of bewildred great ones of bewildring Ministers of professing Hypocrites of miscarrying and misguided Saints of unseasonable Duties and of mistaken Graces and lastly of wrested Scriptures In such variety of seducing Guidances it may well be easie for us to be led aside 1. 1. The guidance of the transgressing Multitude The great guidance that Satan improves unto the bewilding of single and particular soules is the erring Multitudes Thus much that holy Caveat plainly imports Exod. 23.2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evill neither shalt thou speake in a Cause to decline after many to wrest judgement He seemes to speake of the Corruption of Juries particelarly if eleven be agreed the twelth accords though many times perhaps against his judgement Now this he calls declining that is at turning out of the right way In this particular hee exemplifies that generall counsell Thou shalt shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill 'T is very hard for a single soule to goe on in a way of right when a multitude goes wrong or to see the right way for the multitude of them that goe wrong Now 't is the Multitudes unhappinesse that that ever walke in the wayes of the Wildernesse The way that leads to destruction is the way that MANY find Mat. 7.13 And their guidance gives this three-fold advantage to those wayes it renders them facile fashionable and secure 1. That makes the way facile 1. That way the Multitude goes in becomes thereby a

think that the Prophet sent away Naaman into the house of Rimmon with a Goe in peace and tels them You are an happy man I would we had more such as you are I would not have you to question farther you will do very ill to trouble your self with any doubting thoughts and indeed what should they answer more or other for the line is like the Co●py they set and the man hath done what they have called for This is to strengthen the strong whom God would not have strengthened for had this man come to one that takes up the Gospel from Christ's own mouth he must have said Oh! but sir one thing you lack You must go and strip your self of all this strength your righteousnesse will not here availe you You must part with all and become a begger or you can never become Christs Disciple and although you have been one of the best the strickest the choicest of Pharisees you must see your selfe to be the chiefest of sinners Go and sell all that thou hast is a Doctrine seldome preached by such Ministers or regarded by such hearers Ministers weakening those hearts that God would have made strong Againe Let others come to them with hearts full of sorrow and eyes full of tears Oh sir I know not what to do I would pray but I have no strength to it I would believe but I cannot and why say I that I would alas alas I have no strength to will any thing that is good I find every corruption very strong and nothing strong but corruption and truly I am even weary of my life because of mine infirmities Good sir What must I do how shall I get a better heart c. Why saith some Minister You complain much but perhaps mend as little you must go and turn from your evill waies and amend your doings repent and pray and read and keep your Church I cannot give you a jo● of comfort or speak any peace unto you till you grow better And canst thou not this truly is to weaken the weake whom God would have made strong this is to speak a word altogether out of season like raine in Harvest or snow in summer unto him that is wearie 't is as if a Physitian should say to a fainting man ready to swound away you must stay till you be thorough well before I can give you a cordial But it is Christ's work and should be ours to give Cordials unto such to make them well and for my part I hope I shall account it my work where-ever I see a lost soul strong to weaken it that Christ may give it strength or if another be throughly weake and weary to helpe it up as much as my poore endeavours may any way thereto conduce unto the shoulders of the Lord Jesus Christ And therefore my now-design in stead of Application Improvement shall be an endeavour first to Weaken and then to weary the lost souls that are amongst you if so be that thereby they may be made ready for the shoulders of Jesus Christ And First For the weakening of your Christlesse strength 1. To the weakning of your Christless strength Surely the weapons of our ministerial warfare are peculiarly meant 2 Cor. 10.4 5. where they are said to be mighty thorough God to the pulling down of strong holds this is as I said Gods work and it is to be mine this day and indeed there is a strong man and an armed that is in every Christless soule that must be cast out before ever the grace of the Lord dwell in that heart Mar. 3.27 And 't is in vaine to say to the everlasting doors stand open unless you have cast every carnal unregenerate strength out of doors for every such strength will lay hold on the bolt and manage the bars so that Christ himselfe saith No man can enter into the house It is our ministerial charge to pull down as well as to edifie to weaken strength and to strengthen weaknesse to root out and to plant to throw down as well as to build Jer. 1 10. I shall therefore take the Axe of truth and lay it to the root of your strength this day Two or thee blowes if God strike with me shall be sufficient to cut it downe and down with it my Brethren even to the ground why cumbreth it your souls First 1. Consid your choycest strength is with very weaknesse Consider the utter weaknesse of thy choicest strength to stand before the immense the inconceivable and infinite justice and wrath of God with which thy strength must wrestle and encounter Wert thou to contend with man or to enter into judgement with the Sonnes of men perhaps thy slender broken finit strength might helpe thee to prevaile but it is God with whom we have do whose very weakness is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 And then what is his strength Thy strength O Pharisee we know and thy power we know but who knowes the power of Gods wrath even according to his fear so is his anger Psal 90.11 Did thy soul feare him more then woulst thou understand the power of his wrath better though when all is known that can be understood it passeth knowledge Who knows it Holy Job was most graciously under this conviction Job 9.19 20 21 22. If I speak of strength lo he is strong and of judgement who shall set me a time to plead If I justifie my selfe mine own mouth shall condemne me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Though I were perfect yet would I not know my soul I would despise my life That is mine own strength were enough to ruine me therefore had I more of it then I have I durst take no notice of it because I have to doe with the most strong Let this serve for the first blow 2d Consid All your Christ lesse strength is idolatrous Secondly Consider that what ever strength thou hast on this side the strength of God in Jesus Christ it is idolatrous And wilt thou look to be saved by an Idol I observe in Scripture that amongst the many expressions that it hath for an Idol the strong is one of them Isai 1.31 The strong shall be as tow that is the Idol shall be as tow and the maker of it as a spark and they shall both burn together and none shall quench them What ever thou makest thy strength on this side Christ thou makest it thine Idol If thou makest prayer or hearing or alms thy work c. thou dost well but if thou makest them thy strength thou makest them thine Idol and so thou and thy prayers and alms and just dealings shall down to hell together they shall be as tow that is as fewel to the flame that shall be in thy Conscience and none shall be able to quench them from burning together to all eternity Therefore may I yet say unto you now your Altars and images and