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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	good_a	jesus_n	lord_n	6,127	5	3.5800	3	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

and pricks them even to the heart as he did those Converts Act. 2.37 Strange woing you will say yet is this alwaies the manner of Christs woing more or lesse CHAP. XV. Few like Christs Estate and why Considerations opposed to the foresaid hinderances viz. How soules may come to the needing and feeling of Christ 5ly Few like his estate or the terms relating unto it such as these 1. He must have your portion out of your own hand at his dispose FIfthly Neither doth any carnal heart like the Estate business better then the former for such as these and onely such as these are Christs Termes as to matter of Estate First Saith Christ If you will marry me I must have all your portion ready down Go and sell all thou hast and come and follow me Mat. 19.21 You shall not have a penny saith Christ but I will have the command of it Leave your Onyons your Aegypt your Fleshpots if you expect I should joynture you in a Canaan And know that whosoever loves Houses and Lands in comparison of me is not worthy of me 2ly Saith Christ If you marry me 2ly You must take your joynture upon trust You must take my word for your security as to your joynture fom me You must live by faith not by sence The name of the Land I shall joynture you in is Promise-land I may perhaps if you please me give you some distant view of Canaan from the top of some Pisgah some Mount of transfiguration but as for the frame of your life it must bee by faith Hab. 2.3 For the vision or sight of it is yet for an appointed season but in the end it shall speak if you will but tarry for it Not I saith the Worlding let who will tarry for it or trust to it here are terms indeed part with all and all upon trust for my part I think it not safe venturing a portion upon this Christ if promise c. be the best assurance he can give Well then if thou be so minded stand thou also by But 3ly I have yet more saith Christ to indent 3ly You must goe into another Country for possession if you will marry me You must go beyond Sea into another Counry another World and then it is that I will make you Queen for Jo. 18.36 My Kingdom is not of this world My Lands lie on the other side of the stood My Canaan on the other side of Jordan And sirs this is most certain that if you will be the Lambs wife you must follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Yea but saith a carnall heart I know not how to stay for an Estate till I come at Heaven therefore adiew to Christ I hope to marry one that will joynture me nearer home Yea but Lastly Here is more yet saith Christ 4ly You must die by the way If you will marry me You must follow me into my Native Country out of your own Land as Abraham of old and you must suffer shipwrack by the way and be cast away as to your flesh and blood for they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God which is my Fathers Country 1 Cor. 15.50 Of a truth you must dye before you can be possessed of my joynture and live as my Queen I will give you the title to it now but your own life shall keep you out of possession My Country is Canaan and the Red-sea of death you must past thorow before you can enter into my rest and these things I tell you that you may know upon what termes I take you and that you may not be offended in me Joh. 16.1 Now then as for those that when they see Christ neither like his Port his Person nor Discourse nor Carriage nor Estate what hopes are there left of wooing winning these soules unto Jesus Christ and herein have I desired to deale faithfully this day that I might if it be possible bring one sober and beat off wanton lovers and so leaners from Jesus Christ I have heard of some women that have been in good earnest engaged in affection to some whom some of their Acquaintance and Relations have solicitously disswaded them from that have silenced all with such an answer I will marry him though I never have good day with him And truly Christians it is somewhat sad if your love to the Lord Jesus doe not exceed the love of women Jobs language is somewhat like this Iob 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him though he kill me yet will I not be beaten from him Though he speak hardly to me yet will I speak humbly to him though he smite me I will love him and though he slay me yet will I lean upon him Which that you may the better be encouraged to give me leave to subjoyne as I promised unto these Negative Hinderances Considrations opposed unto those Hinderances 1. As to the first hinderance viz. Few need Christ 1. Help Labour to see your need of Christ some Considerations for Helps And 1. As to the first Hinderance viz. That few need Christ though Christ be that one thing when there is but one thing needfull as himselfe saith Luk. 10.42 yet doth the world see their need of every thing but of this one thing Every one needs Food and Rayment House-roome and Fiering Money and Friends c. but who needs Jesus Christ Now if this be the reason that few leane upon him because but few need him then those Considerations that may helpe us to become needing souls may helpe us to become leaning souls Question How then shall a lost soul come to need Christ for a leaning-stock Answ I answer Let poor soules come into a sick shaken sinking condition I le undertake for a soule in such a state that it shall verily stand in need to lean upon Jesus Christ First Labour thou that art a lost soul 1. by becomming a sick soule to become a sick soul that is the way to become a leaning soul Mat. 9.12 The whole need not the Physitian but the sick so the whole need not a Keeper but the sick There are many things the same man wants when he is sick that he needs not when he is well A man leanes upon his own skill as for his dyet and all other accommodations when he is well but he leanes upon his Physitian and his skill for direction for dyet c. when he is sick and the reason he leanes on him now and not before is because he needs him now and not before Sicknesse makes him need him and therefore lean upon him so there are many things that the same soule never needed that is saw no need of before that when it comes to be spiritually sick it comes to need in good earnest before it could trust to its owne wisdome and leane to its own understanding and order its affaires according to its own will but now it needs a Christ as Physitian as

lies down at night in his bed weary but riseth up in the morning in the renuing of strength Sirs if you be come at Christ stirre not from him faint or feeble for strength and refreshings are with him touch him and take them And so we come to CHAP. XIII Discovers the nature of this leaning-act in four Particulars Fourth Querie propounded what are the hinderances of this leaning Two negative hinderances 1. Few need him 2. Few feel him 4th Consid What the nature of this leaning Act is THe fourth and last Querie viz. What is the nature of this leaning act or what are its constituting qualification I shall answer this Querie in these four Things The soule must leane not doubtingly or waveringly but fiducially and resolvedly not inconsiderately or unadvisedly but of counsell and deliberately nor yet forcedly or of necessity but freely and out of choyce and complacency no nor yet loosely and brokenly but closely and intyrely these Ingredients must compound this leaning if so be it be rightly qualified 1 It must be a fiduciall 1. It must be a stable not wavering a fixed fiducial and resolved leaning I say A fiduciall leaning The soule must come to Christ and cast it selfe upon Christ believing that he is and that it is not in vain to seek him in any exigency The language of this leaning is not it may be c. and who can tell but c. which yet is found in Scripture the highest language of faith in the Saints when they are at their lowest ebbe of believing but of a truth God is good to Israel I know whom I have believed though I fall I shall arise and the Lord shall be a light unto me It may be saith the poore doubting Christian that there is righteousness with the Lord Christ for me Who can tell but that I may find strength in Christ for my poore soule but saith the Lord of the leaning Spouse Surely shall one say In the Lord I have strength and righteousnesse As sure as I am weak there is strength in the Lord and strength for me Isa 45.24 so Dan. 3.17 Our God whom we serve will deliver us and therefore we are not carefull in this matter they lean so as that they dare adventure their life upon their leaning When thou leanest so that thou darest venture thy soule upon thy Christ when faith takes the word out of the promises mouth and can confidently promise it selfe whatever God hath promised I will saith God God will saith faith surely I wll saith God Verily thou shalt be fed surely God will saith faith Verily I shall be fed And so for any other promise This is fiducially to leane upon the Beloved Againe Here the soule must leane And resolved Act. and leane resolvedly I have now got hold of thee and I will not let thee go except thou blesse me as Gen. 32.26 I am come to Christ and here I will stay and if I perish I perish as Ester said in another case Est 4.16 I am at Shusan at the Kings Palace at the Throne of grace upon the account of Christ and if I perish yet will I not stir from the horns of this Altar yea though he kill me yet will I trust in him This is called a cleaving with purpose of heart to the Lord Act. 11.23 With the heart and with the resolution of heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith such a soule I believe what the Lord hath said of his Christ that he is able to save to the uttermost Heb. 7.25 And therefore I will trust him to the uttermost If Christ cannot justifie let God condemne me if Christ cannot save me let me be unsaved For verily Believers Christ is as those Pillars of Hercules if you come to take hold of these Pillars Ne plus ultra if you come to take hold upon Christ stirre no farther if you goe beyond Christ you will speed as ill as if you were still short of him Secondly It must not be preposterously precipitantly 2ly A mature and deliberate Act. or of inadvertency but upon mature deliberation that the soule must leane upon the beloved Sirs put Christ amongst ten thousand and if he be not now the standard-bearer the chiefest of them all as the Spouse found him to be Cant. 5.10 then doe not trust your soules to him if you will not Christs Banner shall not want Souldiers as long as himselfe is the bearer of it Sirs you had need to be advised when you choose your Guardian a State will be deliberate before they make an allyance with another State they propound what shall they be advanced by it or what they may lose or will the gaine compensat the Detriment in respect of other States whose confederacy they must lose by it c. And Christ himselfe improves such similes to this very end Luk. 14. the unadvised Builder ver 28. The precipitant Warriour ver 31. Condemning the foolishnesse of both A wise woman will not chuse an Husband without deliberation shee must needs then passe for unwise that wil chuse an Husband hand over head for my part my prayer and desire shall be as a poor instrument to make sound Christians though not hasty Christians Alas soone ripe soone rotten What Age hath ever confirm'd it by so sad experience in the most serious things Doe you wonder that so many fall away from Christ so soon truly if you had but known or observed them you might as well have wondred how they came at Christ so soon You wonder they can so soon depart from the faith and lay down duty and I in my small experience have admired how they got the faith they pretended to so easily whilest it cost others so deare that they took up duties so suddainly whilest others have had many an hard pull at their hard hearts to get them up to duty how they have come to the joy without knowledge of such a thing as the hour of travell how the Childe hath been borne without any pain how they came to be so confidently united and marryed to Christ before ever almost they thought of Christ Therefore sirs I shall deale ingenuously with you in the counsell that I shall give you Take you a strick survey of all the Lovers that the world affords compare Creature Crutches the best of them all with Christ view his countenance and the face of other things observe his power and the worlds compare his faithfulnesse and sins promises and if so be when they come to the upshot there be any that doe so well deserve your love that can so ably support your infirmities that will so faithfully discharge your trust as the Lord Jesus marry them for finding them If Baal be God then worship him But oh what heart amongst you dares though perhaps it desires in this comparing to Vote for any thing against the Lord Jesus Christ If any dare let them please themselves they shall never chuse for me But I

Moses said to Israel Deut. 11 27. I have set before you in this Discourse a Blessing and a Curse for the Lord hath set my feet upon both Mountains spoken of verse 29. Ebal and Gerizim the Mountains of Curses and of blessings and that upon the Authority of two Scriptures To those that are yet out of love with Christ a Curse The first speakes from the top of Ebal the Mount of CURSING and it is 1 Cor. 16 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha that is Let him be accursed in all things in all places at all times with all Curses truly Nothing but the perfect experience of the damned in Hell can tell you what that word Anathena Maranatha meanes And who must be so accursed even whosoever loves not the Lord Jesus Art thou out of love with Christ still notwithstanding all that hath been spoken for him And art thou resolved to continue so then let thy Estate thy Body Soul here and hereafter yea and for ever be accursed Dost thou despise his Port hate his Person abhor his Discourse contemne his Carriage disdaine his Estate after all this and resolvest thou so to doe Let all the Scriptures of God curse thee let all the Saints and Angels of God curse thee let all the Creatures of God curse thee let the blessed mouth of God curse thee let the blaspheming mouth of thine own Conscience curse thee yea let the mouthes of all that are in the same curse and condemnation with thee curse thee let every mouth that blesseth God and Christ curse thee yea as long as any mouth blesseth the Lord Jesus let it curse thee for not loving the Lord Jesus This is the sad language of that sad Scripture But I had rather passe from these to those that love him and so from Ebal to mount Gerizim To those that are brought into love with this crucifyed Christ blessing the mount of BLESSING see Rev. 19.6 7 9. Allelujah let us rejoyce and be glad and honour him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready And he saith unto me write blessed are they that are called to the Marriage supper of the Lambe and he saith unto me These are the true sayings of God Sins Christ is ready now if you be ready truly blessed are you for you are called to the Marriage and to the Supper If any soule among you that have heard all that hath beene spoken shall love Christs Spokesmen meane as they are in the name of Prophets blessed of God be that soule If any soule entertaine the Message plaine as it is out of love to Christ that sent that message blessed of God be that soule If any soule be in love with a crucified despised naked wounded bleeding Christ blessed of God be that soule If any soule shall account Christs Convictions precious Oyntment and his Termes Righteousnesse if it shall forsake Father and Mother and all carnall Counsells and Relations out of love unto Christ If it shall go forth weeping bearing precious seed if it shall take Christs yoak upon it and his burthen and his Cross daily accounting them light because of love to Christ and easie as Jacob did his hard service out of love to Rachel If it shall cut off its right hand and pull out its right eye and forgoe its owne will and so leave all and cleave to Christ and hate all and love Christ or unfeignedly desire so to doe for ever blessed be that soule If it shall not despise the Corrections of the Lord Jesus nor faint when it is chastised by him patiently bearing because it hath sinned and willingly suffering that it may be pollished and fitted for Christs service or truly desire so to doe for ever blessed be that soule If it shall trust Christ with what it hath and for what it is to receive following him unto the Regeneration untill it shall come unto his Kingdom continuing stedfast till death and willing to be dissolved that it may be with Christ In a word if it take or be truly willing to take Christ as thus tendered upon his own terms blessed blessed blessed be that soule God hath blessed it who can reverse it These are the true sayings of God CHAP. XX. Discovers positive Hinderances The two first viz. leaning to Sinne. Sathan Second sort of Hinderances viz. Positive THe second sort of Hinderances are positive viz. The leaning-stocks that we take unto our selves on this side Christ doe absolutely hinder us from leaning upon this beloved Two Farther Observations from the Text. Which that I may with more advantage inquire into I shall take up from my text two farther previous Observations which I think are evidently lodg'd in the bosome of this expression Leaning on her Beloved The first is That as that soul that will have Christ for its beloved 1. The soule that leans on Christ must have none other leaning-stock must have but one beloved even Christ so that soul that will have Christ to lean upon must have nothing else to lean upon beside Christs For as the Text mentions but one Spouse viz. The Church of Christ so but one Beloved viz. Christ and but one also to leane upon To this the Apostle speakes clearly I have espoused you to one Husband even Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 So unto us there is but one Lord and one God even Christ 1 Cor. 8.6 But one to set our love as our Husband but one also to lean on as our God but one to be beloved as our Husband but one also to believed on as our Lord and God But now to Christlesse soules there are many lovers and beloveds Jer. 3.1 Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers Hos 2.7 She shall not find her lovers A great number of lovers an indefinite number of lovers untill shee returne unto her first Husband and therefore to others also there are Gods many and Lords many 1 Cor. 8.5 A second Observation is 2ly The souls beloved will be the soules leaning-stock That whatever is the soules beloved that ever will be found the souls leaning-stock what ever the soule loves best on that it will be sure to lean most this is a cleare intimation from the Text leaning on her beloved So that if there be any thing that the soule loves more and better then Christ upon that it will leane and not upon Christ Now upon this twofold Accompt it is easie to discern in the generall how lost souls are hindered from leaning upon Christ because they have many Gods to lean on and therefore cannot leane upon the onely true God manifested in the flesh yea and they have many lovers and beloveds instead of Christ which as they lye in their bosomes where Christ onely should lie so stand they under their armes to support them where Christ should be to beare them up When a soule is converted we must with admiration

which are without Christ but by-paths that even then God Law and Conscience will arrest thee sooner or later Ps 50.16 What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or to take my Covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed to be set right in the way and castest my word my Christ behind thy back But as for you that walk in this way viz. Christ if Satan interrupt you in your duties in your walking in your believing go and complain to God the King and hee will right you for this is the King of glory his high-way And the way faring man though a fool is not shut out of it Isa 35.8 Thirdly Christ is a broad way 3. Christ is a broad way What makes men so mad of going to Hell but that it is a Broad way As sure as can be whatever you fancy friends you mistake your selves and Satan guls you For Christ is the onely truly broad way You 'l say our Saviour calls sin a broad way 〈◊〉 a broad way Mat. 7.13 Note but I would have you know that Christ onely speaks your mind in it not his own the way that you count broad hee calls broad there 's elbow-room for all sin and nature with ease moves in it therefore ha calls it the broad way and there calls his own way narrow not because it is so as you shall see but because your base carnall hearts think it so It streigtheneth you in your lusts and therefore you call it narrow yet speaking of the same thing in other language he saith his Yoak is easie Easie in it self though hard to flesh and blood My meaning is this there is all spirituall and true enlargement in the waies of Christ what ever perfection you desire it 's streight it 's narrow poor and scanty untill you come to the waies of Christ Psa 119.96 I have seen an end of all perfection but thy Commandement is exceeding broad Go thou as fast as thou canst and as far as thou canst in the waies of Christ the more way thou goest the more lies before thee the more enlargement thou meets with the more thou yet discoverest therefore then onely can we run in this way when God hath enlarged our heart Psa 119.32 Surely there 's need of a broad way for the heart which is wider then the world to stand in but now for a heart enlarged to run what breadth and latitude must be there And verily to bring up a good report of this way out of the Wildernesse unto Canaan let me challenge all the world what streightnings can you with truth object unto the waies of Jesus Doth Christ forbid you to eat when you are hungry or to drink when you are thirsty to rest when you are weary or to marry when you have not continence or to rejoyce in the wife of your youth or to feast upon occasion or to provide for our family or to labour for the things that are honest or to rejoyce in all your labour under the Sun Or what is' t that Christ streightneth you in that you should ' count yours the broad way Truly sirs there 's nothing more streightning then of the Child which the mother will 〈◊〉 ●hrust its finger inno the flame Christ would not have you hurt your selves What reason is here to complain of streightning let carnall ones think or speak what they please of the waies of Christ oh then farewel our liberty yet wil the waies of Wisdom be justified of her Children and those that are sons will bear witnesse to the glorious liberty of the sons of God Rom. 8.21 indeed Christs waies are like the Temple windowes narrow without but within that 's when your soules are once in them exceeding broad if you find them not alwaies so 't is want of largnesse in your hearts but not in them 4. Christ is a pleasant way Fourthly Christ is a pleasant way pleasant waies doe much delight and suite with nost mens phansies And pray what is it endears men to the waies of dark Aegypt but onely the pleasures of sin which are but for a season Now friends the waies of Christ are pleasant all and pleasant ever Solomon therefore preaching Christ under the name of Wisdom tells you Pro. 3.17 Her waies take them all are waies of pleasantnes in the abstract there is a Fountain it seems of pleasures in them which is the very nature of them and which can never bee drawn dry You know Summer waies are pleasant waies now Christs are all Summer waies Cant. 2.11 Rise up my love and come away ver 12. the Winter is past the rain is over and gone storms of wrath spirits of bondage terrors of the Lord are over and gone the Flowers appeare on the Earth here 's delight for the eye thy soule gathers sweetnesse from the word the promises the time of the singing of birds is come here 's delight for the eare and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land the Holy Ghost the Turtle speaks peace to thy soul and thou hast communion with the Saints ver 13. The figtree puts forth her green figgs the Vines with their tender grapes give a good smell The ground thou goest on makes thee also to bud and blossome pleasantly wherefore saith Christ Arise my love my fair one and come away ver 14. And who would not delight to walk by the beds of spices since the Rose of Sharon Cant. 2.1 is the way to Sion and the lillie of the Vallies to the Lords holy mountain Fifthly Christ is a clean way 5. Christ is a clean way hadst thou the pleasures of ten thousands Saints yet if thou find thine heart polluted and be indeed a Christian and canst not get rid of thy corruptions these pleasures will but little cheare thee Oh! saist thou wherewithall shall a poor sould cleanse his way Oh! who will lead me into clean paths why Jesus Christ is a clean way and the onely way to walk cleane is to walk in him and with him They shall walk with me in white Rev. 3.4 I confesse we must wait for the perfecting of this in glorification but this is wrought true in sanctification You are washed you are sanctified This is the accomplishment of that promise to the Wildernesse Isa 35.8 This high way shall be called a way of holinesse and the unclean shall not passe over it Cease not to improve that promise till grace bee swallowed up of glory 6. Christs is a well-provision'd way Sixthly Christ is a well-accommodated and provision'd way Say you I do not like such a way for when a man 's hungry there 's no good entertainment to be found when weary no good lodging to be had no good accommodations no good way And truly this I do believe is the great scruple of many a soul Oh! I would willingly go to Heaven but it is a great way thither and I fear if I should set foot in the way

sue for life like Haman but it shall be denyed thee and then thou shalt seek for Death but Death shall flye from thee Thou shalt neither live nor die but live to die and that to eternity This is thine End but behold it is endlesse Therefore thou shall cry yea sadly shalt thou cry an end is come but O that there were an end I dye I perish But O that I could perish If thou wilt not save me Lord kill me but he will do neither O let the Mountaines fall on me and let the hills cover me from thy presence and from the face of the Lamb and this is the only Petition that shall be granted thee but in a sad sense for Mountains of wrath shall fall upon thee and everlasting hills of Gods displeasure shall hide thee I will warrant thee from the face of his pitty and from the presence of his glory Then shalt call to Abraham for a drop but receive a River not of water to cool but of brimstone to bridle thy tormented tongue then shalt thou be thirsty and hardly bestead and shalt curse thy King and thy God and look upward Ah! sad home and homely entertainment Oh! sad welcome O! take it for a warning thou wretch thy Father the Devill is making a scourg for thee of his own chain and thou 'st find it so when hee gets thee in though he flatter thee home thy fellow servants that are in the same Condemnation with thee are prepared to smite thee yea when thou comest home then shall thine owne Conscience speak home because thou hast been a self-Murtherer therefore shalt thou ever be a self-tormentor Ah Satan shalt thou say Is this thy Fatherhood to thy Children is this the best hire thou givest thy servants is this thy kindness to thy friend Ah sirs are you the men that I called good fellowes was I thus mistaken in you am I thus rewarded by you Ah! how I spent my Estate my Time my Soule upon you how I lost the company of Saints to gaine yours the favour of God to gain yours how I displeased my Conscience to please your corruptions And do you thus requite my poor soul Oh cruel people and unkind Then shalt thou cry to thy Conscience ah why didst not thou speak and warn me that I might not have come into this place of torment but thy conscience shall reply Ah wretch Why didst not thou hear how often did I call but thou gavest me no answer but slightedst all my Counsell and wouldst none of my reproof Thou shalt accuse thy Conscience and thy Conscience shall accuse thee Thou shalt accuse thy Companions and they thee thou shalt accuse the serpent and the serpent shall accuse thee Then shalt thou look on the one hand and refuge faileth thee and on the other and there is none careth for thy soul Thou shalt look to thy Merchants with whom thou hast laboured from thy youth but they wander to their Quarters None of them save thee Thou shalt look to thy leaning-stocks but thine hope shal be cut off thy trust shal be as a spiders web then shall thy sinking soul cry out to thy shrinking supports will you also go away what my riches and what my righteousnesses and what the desire of mine eyes and the delight of mine heart I have treasured you up against the latter daies and will you now leave my soul in Hell and suffer one that loved you so dearly to see corruption Yet this shalt thou have from them because thou trustedst in them and it shall be answered concerning thee Lo this is the man that made not God his strength this is the soul that leaned not upon the Beloved Wherefore let me earnestly exhort you seriously to ask your soules this one Question which is the home that I am hasting to Hell or Heaven for there is not a third beside the grave and the grave is but thy long home but these are the everlasting homes if thou reply but how shall I know 't is soon answered if Christ be thy Way Heaven is thy Home and if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature but and if the Wildernesse be thy Way the place of Howling is thy Home therefore go to now lament and Howl for the miseries that shall come upon thee before the Evill daies come wherein thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them Other Uses might be made of this point viz. If there be no salvation for lost sinners but onely by leaning upon the Lord Jesus How may this inform us of inavailableness of all their supports of the folly of leaning on them How may this confute the Popish recumbency on the merits of our own Works our leaning to the Angells to the Virgin-Mother of our Lord or any other of the Saints and all reliance on the light of our own Wisdoms or might of our own wils as also any expectancy of salvation in any other Religion that teacheth not Christ to bee the onely or the all sufficient Saviour of lost sinners And what terror may this speak to such daring Wretches as make their sinns their Saviours and their lusts their leaning-stocks trusting as the Lord complains in their iniquities And on the other hand how great Encouragement to such as onely love and leane upon Jesus Christ to a fixednesse of heart whilst you trust in the Lord. And lastly how might we hence put you upon the tryall what is indeed your soules leaning-stock Is it Christ or another that we follow hard after that wee rejoyce most in that set our love most upon that wee leave others for that we cleave most unto for these I take to be true tryalls what is it is it that we have most recumbency on but each of these or something Equivalent hath already lyen before us in this discourse and therefore I shall say no more but Consider what hath been spoken and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS

doth environ This Pharaoh knew well enough when he said as Exod. 14.3 The wilderness hath shut them in And this last adds as much as all the rest as giving strength unto the rest unto the exceeding greatness of the difficulty of coming out of the wilderness were the wilderness Ten thousand miles in length and withal but very narrow yea were it when thou comest to any part of it open to the east though it were wilderness Ten thousand miles towards west and north and south thy recovery then were not so desperate but this is the utmost and it is enough the wilderness it doth surround yea the wilderness hath shut thee in and how shouldst thou then get out again And if it be not so with sin see Heb. 12.1 Let us lay aside the sin that so easily besets us and run c. There is no running I 'le tell you friends till sins surroundings be removed It seems Sin useth to beset us and Satan when he seeth us ready to find a gap through mercy out of the wilderness makes it his immediat business to stop that gap and to environ us still with Sin as for instance such a Minister is like to do thy soul good and Satan seeth thou beginst to have a glimering of light and a little to see the open field through the thickets now will Satan if he can remove thee from his ministry or raise some discontent that his ministry may be unto thee ineffectual and a thousand such waies hath he to hedge thee into the wilderness yet again as fast as God plucks up the brambles that hinder thee Satan wil endevour to plant and set more and surely if God were not quicker at plucking up temptations and obstructions then Satan is in planting them never could any soul get out of the wilderness of Sin Thus deceitful are thy first appearances thus dismal and destructive are thy waies thus difficult and desperat are thy comings out O thou wilderness of Sin Application To those that come up from the wilderness First Then to thee freind whosoever art come up from this wilderness I have a great message from this truth Surely if if any truth in the world can heighten the thoughts of Saving grace unto thy soule this very doctrin may do it in the highest kind What shall I say I am come to call for the expression of that mercy which is beyond expression thoughts of grace beyond thoughts Oh the height and the length and the depth and the bredth of that love which brought thee up from a wilderness so long so broad so great so terrible I may say as Paul elsewhere what shall we say then to these things Thou wert a wilderness a barren parched solitary destitute waylesse waste wilderness thou art made the garden of the Lord. Thou wert amidst the famine thorns Serpents savage beasts of this wilderness ready to be devoured doubly irrecoverably everlastingly And yet are thou now come forth out of this wilderness and thy life is given thee for a prey Thou wert in the great variously-pathed perplexed stumbling dark thorny surrounding waies of this wilderness and yet art thou now in the one good living way the way of peace Oh! mayst thou say when I was intangled in the wilderness I did never think or hope of getting hither but the Lord hath found me when I was lost the Lord hath led me when I was bewildred Admire then for ever wonder at the finding mercy and the leading grace of God 1. Admire that God should chuse thee thence First Ever retain high thoughts of the electing mercy of the Lord what consideration can raise it higher when I was as a wilderness and in a wildernses when I was barren and when I was lost that is when I was neither fit for service nor worthy of favour the Lord was pleased to pitch his electing grace upon me Surely if we will but grant election let schooles expound it what way they will this cannot chuse but lift it up beyond even admiration that God should chuse us when he foresaw us under these Spiritual and soul bewildrings This is that which in Israels case is noted if I mistake not as I think I do not the whole Israel of Gods election which are Gods portion and the lot of his inheritance as you shall find Deut. 32.9 now this I say is that whereby he heightneth the thoughts of that mercy in which he singles out Jacob for his portion ver 10. He found him in a desart land and in the waste howling wilderness Surely this is Spiritually to be laid to heart though it hath its allusion to Jacob's history in the letter for neither was all that Jacob Spiritually the Lords people portion or lot of inheritance Neither were all they that were the Lords among them found in that visible wilderness being all the old ones of them brought out of Egypt into the wilderness 'T is as if the Lord should say Israel was a wilderness and Jacob in a desert I found him in a desert land that is he was forsaken I found him in a wilderness which was wast that is useful unto none I found him in a howling wilderness that is amongst Lions and Leopards Beares Dragons and yet have I allotted him to be my portion and inheritance so that this Scripture is in substance in my thoughts the same with that memorial of the Lords dealing with his people in their natural condition 2. Admire that ever God should bring thee thence and in sin Ezek. 16.3 c. cast out into the open field c. Secondly For ever wonder at the calling mercies of the Lord. Thou wert in a wilderness that ever God should send a Christ to call thee thence wert a lost sheep in that wilderness that ever Christ should bestow the pains to look thee out and to take thee up to lay thee upon his shoulder and to bring thee home again O what exceeding great mercy is here God might have given thee for gone and though he had found thee in the wilderness yet might he have left thee alone and left thee as he did so many of the Israel of old to die in the wilderness or which is all one so many of Israel afterward to die in their sins John 8.24 but having found his Jacob in the wilderness and having chosen him thence for his own portion he crowns his finding-mercy with a leading-mercy his directing with a protecting mercy He seconds his protection with provisions he supports and supplies He found him in the howling wilderness he led him about he instructed him kept him as the apple of his eye as an eagle stireth up her nest fluttereth over her yong spreads abroad her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings Deut. 32.9 10 11. Thus hath God dealt with thy poor bewildred soul he hath taught thee the way he hath led thee in the way he hath protected thee from danger and as in

acquaintance as a new Creature that is spoken of Job 22.21 and that is as saith the Apostle by being in Christ As for any others The Lord that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Isai 27.11 It would be sad believing if poor souls have no better promises then this to leane unto Secondly 2ly Leaning upon the providence of God If thy leaning stock be onely some latter acquaintance with God in his outward providence And believe it with very many this goes very far What do you think that God that hath given me such prosperity will in the end damn me I have a faire portion of outward things shall all this love end in eternall hatred Nay when I was in great streights God gave me great deliverances when I was at deaths door in such a sickness c. and do you thinke he will now cast me into hell Verily for ought I know he may and if thou have no more to lean unto I know he will You have an eminent passage a providence to a miracle yea to heaps of miracles Psal 78.23 He opened the door of heaven gave them Corn of heaven vers 24. Angels food meat to the full vers 25. He rained flesh as dust and feathered foul as the sand upon the Sea shore vers 27. He gave them their own desire vers 29. Yet while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them verses 30.31 Mark First Whilst it was in their mouthes Secondly The fattest of them Ah! friends many times fair pasture is a foul sign You your selves litter and fodder those Cattel best that you intend for the slaughter soonest Go to therefore rich men lament and howl and let your joy be turned into weeping if you have nothing but this worlds good to lean unto as a token of Gods love for the present or your owne salvation for the future Thirdly If Civility be thy leaning stock 3ly Leaning upon Civility Of this I spake before as a way and therefore shall onely set a brand of it here that you may know it againe to be a rotten Pillar an house with a sandy foundation if you lean unto it will not stand All these have I done from my youth Mat. 19.20 saith the civil young man yet went a way with a sad heart for all he had his Crurch of civility and riches to boote to lean upon Fourthly 4ly Leaning upon religious duty If thy leaning be upon thy religious exercises of this also as some mens way before This sirs stood by the Pharisee and he thought he might stand by it Lu. 18.11 He stood and prayed Let such a soule read Isai 1. For all their duties and the multitudes thereof the Lord bitterly rejects them as the men of Sodom and people of Gomorrah vers 10. And tells them he is weary of their services verses 11.14 Calls them vain Oblattions vers 13. And sure if it be vanity to bring them then how much more vanity to lean upon them 5ly Leaning upon adventures for God or successes therein Fifthly If thou leane upon thine Adventures for God yea though thou hast had prosperous successes therein Many many lean here and with a great deal of confidence too Come see my zeal for the Lord saith Jehu Many that fight the Cananites c. the Lords enemies many that fight the Lords battels shall never come to possesse the Lords Canaan and truly we would thinke it great pitty that any should make such fair adventures and doe God such eminent service and that the Devil should pay them their eternal wages yet so too often it is in those that think themselves and indeed are eminent instruments in the Lords hand as Cyrus as Jehu as the Earth helping the woman against the Dragon Rev. 12. Nay perhaps eminent dispencers of the Gospel to others yet come themselves to be cast away My beloved I tremble to think what singular adventures they were engaged in what signal successe they had how confidently they leaned hereunto how miserably their Pillar shrunk from under them when they leaned upon it and easily gave way to their going downe into hell Mat. 7.22 Many shall say to me in that day marke 't is not a rare instance this is a common leaning stock Lord Lord there is confidence Have we not prophesied in thy name there is the adventure and in thy name have cast out Devils there is successe and in thy name done many wonderfull works there is the quantity of the adventures and quality of the successes And what followes vers 23. And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me you that work iniquity Ah! friends this may make the best hear● in our bosomes ake if we have no more to leane to then this to be able to say I have been in these many battels for God and Religion I have preached so many Sermons and done so much service in the Gospel when all the worke is done the Lord will not know us that is acknowledge us so as to pay us any other wages then the wages of iniquity Sixthly If thou leane unto thy Church-priviledges 6ly Leaning upon Church-priviledges If thou presume that thou art alive because thou hast a name to live and that surely God accepts thee because men thinke well of thee thou art judged worthy of Gospel-seales and to be admitted into Gospel-fellowship c. And is this that which thou leanest unto Verily this is but a rotten pillar Sardis had a name to live but was dead Rev. 3.1 And God saith expresly Jer. 7.4 Trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these That is Leane not to this if you doe you will find it a lye it will deceive you vers 8. Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit Nay read that Tremendous passage Amos 6.1 Wo be unto them that are at ease in Sion that trust in the Mountain of Samaria that are named the chief of the Nations unto whom the house of Israel came c. Sirs It is priviledge unspeakable and blessed are they that dwell in the house of the Lord but if there be any of you that shall grow lazy and at ease because they are in Sion in a Church-way and therefore thinke they are wel enough leaning unto the Mountain of Samaria wo wo unto such a soul Seventhly Repentances and Reformations 7ly Leaning upon repentance some Reformations are but rotten supports if leaned unto They in Isai 58. Leaned so much to their humblings that they wondred God did not accept them vers 3. Wherefore have we afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge And in very deed they leaned so much that God wonders that they should once thinke that he would accept them ver 5. Wilt thou call this a