8.5 Oh! it was a long time this last bout ere she could finde that which she had lost in a nights steep of sloth and security At first you see her at a loss chap. 3.1 and coming out of the wilderness ver 6. But now you must read from Chap. 5. to Chap. 8. before you heare of her coming up from the wilderness At first she comes up in full sense of her glory she is a perfumed Spouse Next bout she comes up in full sense of her infirmity she is now a leaning Spouse Th re was more sparkling flaming smoaking perfumes of joy before but more serious sober setled humility and dependance now Before she was more proud of her Beloved and lesse ashamed of her selfe But now how glad in her Saviour and yet how sad in her self Yea herein her heart although she lean and come up from the wilderness is ready still to faile because after she had tasted of his love she fell asleep And although she were out of the first Wilderness viz. that of the state of Condemnation yet fell into the second Wilderness even that drowsinesse of spirit after Conversion Therefore let not any poor heart among you for whose sake I have spoken all this say that it was never truly brought out of sin because it is now or hath been upon the wrack of new terrours because of its after-conversion drowsinesse or security Onely if ever thou be as no doubt thou wilt be brought out of the Wildernesse the second time covet rather to come out a leaning Spouse than a perfumed Spouse I mean rather desire to be kept low and in dependance by Grace than to be raised over-high by comfort Thus much of the first bewildring darknesse after Conversion as to the enjoyment of our comforts I would not let him goe chap. 3.4 That 's her language at her coming first out of the Wildernesse and 't is pretty high and confident but chap. 8.1 2. O that thou wert as my Brother I would lead thee and bring thee c. this is her Dialect at her second coming up from the second Wilderness here 's more humility and dependance CHAP. XXIII Two farther particulars dark providences on Gods part and backslidings on our parts darkning our comforts as also two particulars darkning our graces THe second sort of after-conversion darknesses is 2. Dark providences as to our outward man Darke Providences as to our outward man and hence we are many times bewildred and at a loss as to our inward As they that I spake of were found despairing before conversion so these repining after conversion if God lead us into a Land of seeming darknesse it will be to us a wildernesse Ier. 2.32 Surely saith the soul I have been but deluded in spirituals to think that God would save my soule for in naturals I am at a great straight and God doth not provide for my body If he loved me he would never keep me so low he would never so afflict me Now this is Darknesse for saith Divinitie If he should not afflict thee surely he doth not love thee Such a darke cloud of providence in Jobs outward Estate makes him at a loss for his inward hope Hear his language Iob. 19.8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot passe he hath set darknesse in my paths that 's the darknesse that I now speak of for vers 9. He hath Stript me of my glory and what of that why vers 10. Mine hope hath he removed when his outward glory his attyring glory for saith he He hath stript me is lost his inward hope is lost too because his enjoyment of earth is gone for the present he is at a losse for the hope of heaven c. And this is our very usual and bewildering darknesse to measure and account Gods inward love or hatred from what providentiall dealing outwardly is before us but no man knowes it thereby Eccle. 9.4 Gods chastisements then to Gods own children Gods chastisements on his Saints a cloud a dark cloud are Clouds so full of darknesse that they are often bewildred as to Gods Inward favour and the light of his countenance which they have sometimes accounted better then life that sun sets in this cloud A cloud it is and a dark one too under which without great wisdome from above we may sadly lose our selves as to our comforts But Gods chastisements to his people in their owne nature are and so doth God intend them onely as Israels Cloudy pillar in their Wildernesse 'T was very dark but verie usefull 1. For Protection 2. For Guidance But 1. A protecting Cloud 1. This is a darke but a protecting Cloud God makes those providences serve to keepe his Saints wherein they thinke they shall be lost what dark thoughts have many of the Saints of God had of that authoritie and power as if all should be undoubtedly lost under it which God hath made our protection hitherto crosse providences frequently keep us out of danger As when your child is crost in bringing of it in from under the horses heels or like danger in the streets It 's good for me saith David That I have been afflicted That is It would have been worse if it had not been so bad It 's better to be poor and godly then to be rich and proud by the dark cloud of poverty God protects them from the danger of pride and vanity c. 2. A directing Cloud 2. Gods chastisements are a darke but a guiding Cloud and such was that to Israel And my Brethren no matter how darke it be if God by it point thee to thy way this is the very use of Gods darkest dispensations to his deare ones Psa 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learnt thy precepts No matter how black the Rod be by which thy guide points out thy way 3. Dark back-slydings 3ly The Third sort of bewildring darknesses after conversion are from our partiall apostacie and wretched back-slydings In this darke we lose our comforts No sooner doth Satan turne us aside but he bewilders us he turns us aside from holinesse and bewilders us as to comforts For my part I judge it impossible for any even for any Saint to maintaine spiritual comfort in turning aside to a carnal conversation If you will adventure into the dark of sinne you shall be lost sadly though not finally in the dark of sorrow Mich. 7.8 9. When I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will beare the indignation of God because I have sinned against him From hence you may observe thus much 1. That the back-slydings or fall of Saints shall not be unto death as the sinnes of the wicked I mean to death eternall 2. But yet if they will dare to sinne they shall find darknesse wherein they may fall 3. Yea and if they fall into sinne they shall sit that is continue
men by running into a wilderness think to avoid merciless men and they fall among merciless beasts so in sin they think by drinking or whoring or swearing away conscience or the like to avoid an angry conscience and alass fall among Lions the roaring Lion on the one hand the sin-revenging Lion of the tribe of Judah on the other and so come to be torn to pieces The yong man thinks to scape the good man Prov. 7.19 bur yet is cast down and slain by the woman the woman sin chap. 26. I finde a precious Scripture Cant. 4.8 Come with me from Lebanon my spouse with me from Lebanon look from the top of Amanah from the top of Shenir and Hermon from the Lions den and from the mountains of the Leopards It s the call of the soul by Christ when the soul is upon the pinacle of temptation it looks upon sin and thinks it the most pleasant thing in the world like Lebanon like Hermon and Shenir which among the Hebrews were like the Baiae the pleasâ—ntest of all pleasant places but Christ gives it another Character then she thought of Oh! saith he Though you take them to be thus pleasant yet let me assure you the Lions den and the mountains of the Leopards are there And suppose I pray you a man were in a paradise as the case is now with us Oh! how would a Lions den or a Leopards mountain dash to pieces all thoughts of pleasures and security And therefore by way of Application If sin be thus like a wilderness promising pleasure Application producing pain promising security whilest it stirs up Lions Oh then First Look off of sin least it tempt Cant. 4 8. Vse 1 fore-quoted look from Shenir look from the top of Hermon Look off of the wilderness of sin do nor too much loook upon it because it looks so like a Lebanon Oh! that men could be perswaded to look off from sin when sin looks upon them there can no good Pro. 4.25 26. but much evil proceed from wanton and unwarrantable feeding of the eye with sin Be not so foolish as to be deceived to serve lusts counting Vse 2 them pleasures Secondly Never believe sin as long as you live Never believe sin when it flatters The wilderness is a lie fair without thorns within Psalm 4.2 How long will you love vanity and seek after lyes Selah That is observe it observe it beloved every sin is a lie Be not O be not therefore so vain as to seek after lyes never believe a liar when he speasts fairest CHAP. II. Containeth the progress in wilderness-sin dismal Lecture 2. destructive of the second branch of the first Doctrine shewing the dismalness of wilderness-sin in two things because both are barren and fruitless dry and moistureless WE come in the second place to the passage and progress in the wilderness and sin The passage and progress in both dismal and destructive 1. It is dismal in both we finde them dismal and destructive First The way of the wilderness is dismal so is the way of sin The way of the wilderness is dismal in these several respects 't is fruitless moistureless companionless comfortless wayless and husbandless and so is the way of sin 1. Fruitless First The wilderness is barren and fruitless you know the complaint Israel made of the wilderness Numb 20.5 this evil place say they its no place of seed of figs or vines or of pomgranats they do not deny but that it was a place of brambles and thorns and bryers but no place of seed grain or fruits figs or pomgranates Just thus it is with the soul under the power of sin its barren and fruitless towards God you cannot deny a sinful heart to be a place of vanity lust excess and foolishness but it is no place of seed no place for the word to thrive in it s no heart of prayer or thanksgiving obedience faith holiness hope love goodness righteousness truth which are the fruits of the spirit Eph. 5.9 But have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness chap. 11. mens works while they are in the state of sin are like the wilderness unfruitful works The wilderness Beloved brings forth thorns but a garden brings forth fruits c. we read Gal. 5.19 Of the works of the flesh but of the fruits of the spirit c. v. 22. a carnal heart brings forth works but it s onely a spiritual heart brings forth fruit Now then wouldst thou know whether thou be in this wilderness what fruit dost thou bear speak conscience the fruit of the spirit yea or no you know the sinner is represented by the barren fig-tree if thou dost not bring forth fruit the fruit of the spirit thou art a bramble of the wilderness I will not deny the wilderness to be in some sense fruitful I should wrong it if I should and so should I sin also it is fruitful so is sin but how 1. If fruitful First The fruit that the wilderness bears is wilde fruit Secondly It bears all its fruit unto it self Thirdly If it be fruitful unto any other it s rather to the Chimney then to the Table such is the fruit of sin Wilde fruits First Its fruit is wilde fruits ye know such fruits as naturally grow in forests and woods without grafting planting or pruning we use to call them as they are wilde fruits and truly all the fruits that grow upon the soul whilest its a tree in the wilderness before grace hath transplanted it are but wilde fruits The trees of the wilderness are but wilde trees wilde branches wilde roots and therefore the fruit must needs be wilde fruit so in sin The sinner himself is a wilde plant stark wilde root and branch father and son at his first conception and throughout his conversation Rom. 11.17 Thou being a wilde olive-tree wert graffed in and therefore certainly the fruit must needs be like the fruit of the wilderness Isa 5.2 It brought forth wilde grapes Ah! thinks the soul after conversion how wilde was I hitherto how vain how foolish how wildly did I use to pray how wildly did I use to carry my self in publique duties how wildly did I use to come to the Sacraments truly every fruit that groweth upon the wilde Olive-tree is a wilde fruit Secondly If the wilderness be fruitful 2. Wilderness fruitful to it self it is fruitful to its self there the fruit grows there it ripens there it falls pray who is the better for it Thus it is with thee O sinner if thou bear fruit it is for thy self God is never the better for it as I may say he gets nothing by thy estate he gets nothing by thy policy he gets nothing by thine industry if thou canst keep it none of it promotes his cause none of it maintains his poor none of it advanceth his praise behold Thou art the man that art a wilderness to the Lord
of the way verse 12. destruction and misery are in their ways verse 16. 't is as much as if he should say sin first bewildreth and then destroyeth verily there were multitudes that dyed in that wilderness and that which killed them was this wilderness God threatneth it Numb 14 I have heard their murmurings ver 27. your carkases shall fall in this wilderness even all that were numbred of you vers 29. which were Six hundred thousand and Three thousand and five hundred and fifty able to go out to war besides the numerous tribe of Levi which were not numbred and yet perished with the rest Numb 1.46 47 God brings it to pass Numb 64.65 Amongst all these there was not a man that escaped but Caleb and Joshua for the Lord had said of them they shall surely die in the wilderness you have both it and the reason yet more express Josh 5.6 Israel walked in the wilderness till all the people that were fit for war were consumed because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord You see what reason I have to say 't was this wilderness made that destructive Zelophehads daughters confession is very remarkable Numb 27.3 Our father died in the wilderness in the beginning of the verse he died in his own sin in the latter end of the verse you have the same conjunction Heb. 3.17 He was grieved with them that had sinned whose carkases fell in the wilderness 1 Cor. 10.5 with many of them God was not pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness It would seem uncharitable and rigid doctrine if we should now say that as many as came out of Egypt yet died in the wilderness so many are born in the world yea in some sort come out of Egypt get some knowledge some light and yet perish and die in sin yet certainly there is a proportion of truth in it that is heaps upon heaps multitudes and thousands upon thousands that are called Israelites that are named Christians do yet perish in this wilderness and there are but a few one of a family and two of a tribe some Joshua's and some Calebs that fulfil to walk uprightly and that come savingly to enjoy a Canaan so destructive is the wilderness of sin More particularly it appears to be so in these four respects The Famine of the wilderness is wasting and consuming The Thorns of the wilderness are rending and tearing The Serpents of the wilderness are biting and envenoming The wilde Beasts of the wilderness are ranging and devouring 1. The famine of the wilderness is dismul and destructive First then You have heard before that the famine of the wilderness is dismal 't is destructive also therefore have you mention not onely of wasting but of dying in the wilderness they and their cattel Numb 20.4 for want of bread and for want of water Numb 21.5 you have mention also of a burning hunger and bitter destruction Deut. 32.24 the same thing is represented by the parable of the lost son Luke 15. you have his confession verse 17. I perish with hunger T is a burning hunger that poor souls undergo that have not a God a Christ a Covenant to feed upon they that are lost must needs perish through this hunger If David oppose an interest in God to all natural good to support life corn and wine c. Psalm 4.6 7. If onely they that fear and seek the Lord are provided for whilst Lions the chief beasts of the wilderness yea yong Lions the chief state of those chief beasts do lack and suffer hunger Psal 34.9 10. and that hunger be as you hear a burning hunger an hunger that eats up the soul as fire doth fewel whilest the soul hath nothing no interest in God no comfort from God to feed upon surely such lost souls such bewildred sinners had need to make much haste home 't is not a hunger unto drying but unto burning not to leanness onely but unto death you perish with hunger what ever food you have to feed upon besides Christ it will not be able as we say to keep life and soul together 't is chaff which prodigals may have yet cannot fill themselves with all and though they feed upon it they must yet perish with hunger Secondly The thorns of the wilderness are rending thorns 2. The thorâ—â— of the wilderness are destructive piercing wounding killing thorns as you may reade Josh 8.7 and 16. you may meddle you think with sin now and not be pricked but if ever God tend your conscience either in wrath or mercy by these thorns it will be that God will teach you as Joshua did the men of Succoth in judgement and as God taught Saul afterwards in mercy how hard it is to kick against the pricks Act 9.5 't is said 1 Tim. 6.10 They erred from the faith pierced themselves through with many sorrows Oh! what piercing what thorow-piercing thorns are here they are called choaking-thorns unto the word Matth. 13.22 and therefore needs must they be choaking-thorns unto the soul sin seems blunt and smooth now you will finde it sharper another day This I speak of the guilt of sin 3. The Serpents of the wilderness are pdisoning and so destructive serpentâ— The Serpents of the wilderness are mortally poisoning Serpents those especially in the old wilderness do best suit with the serpent Sin In the wilderness were fiery serpents and scorpions Deut. 8.15 yea Numb 21.6 The Lord sent fiery serpents amongst the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died Sin doth not onely rend the soul but envenom it too and so makes the wound uncurable You have the wicked going astray that is in this wilderness Psal 58.3 You have mention of their poison like the poison of the serpent verse 4. Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel venum of asps Psaâ—m 104 3. they have sharpned their tongues like serpents adders poison is under their lips so that as Job saith of the arrows of the Almighty Job 6.4 That the poison thereof drinketh up his spirit so must sin which sharpned and envenomed those arrows much more be a soul-destroying poison yea verily what ever poison there is in death it self it is from sin 1 Cor. 15.56 the sting of death is sin let not us therefore tempt Christ as some of them tempted and were destroyed of serpents 1 Corinthians 10.9 4. The beasts of the wilderness are devouring beasts Lastly The Beasts the soul meets with in this wilderness are as in the other devouring wilde beasts The sound of these beasts makes the way of the wilderness as you heard before dismal meeting with these beasts makes it destructive I 'le bring lions upon him that escapes of Moaâ— Isa 15.10 the beasts of the field come to devour yea all the beasts of the forest Isa 56.9 see a full Scripture Jer. 5.6 A lion of the forest shall slay them a wolf of the evening shall devour them
or less according to the different fram of it or of thy conversation through Education or Restraining grace c. I say if thou be so far broken as to be truly necessitous and poor in spirit undone sensibly and undone utterly without a Christ so willing to close with a broken Christ absolutely upon his own terms let them be what they wil yet thou must have him art willing to come up to any terms rather then to go without him whether thy sorrowings have been yeares or months or weeks or daies or hours whether thy tears have been many or few whether thine humblings have been more or lesse thine heart is enough broken to take hold upon and by Christ to become the sacrifices of God even such as he will not despise Illustration And sirs let me deal familiarly with you what is that you account the breaking of a Childs spirit You have a Child some of you froward and cross it wil not eat but in what dish and with what spoon it pleaseth well saith the Parent I le break your spirit You know that a word will doe as much to one as a blow to a childe of another disposition Now the business is not how often it be whipt once or twice or thrice or whether it be whipt at all or no if so be that the child be now made thoroughly willing to lay down its own humour and will and to eat in what dish or with what spoon or after what sort the Parent will c. If that be done you account that you have broken the childs spirit So what ever the manner of Gods dispensation in humbling of the soule be whatever measure of the terrour of the Lord is known by it or unto whatever degree of affliction the soul be reduced if the soule thereby be but made unfeignedly willing to come up unto the terms of God wholly laying aside its own wisdome which is folly it s own righteousness which are rags it s own riches which are very beggery that is the broken and contrite spirit which God will not despise This is the sum of our Saviours own doctrine Mat. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me That is let him disown his own terms his will his waies c. let him lay all them aside and let him take up his Cross and follow me that is though my waies and will be cross and conttary to his own and as a cross to flesh and blood yet let him follow mine and not his own this is to have a spirit Evangelically broken and such a sacrifice God will not despise CHAP. XXII Containes the third sort of Bewildring darkness vâ—z after conversion in three particulars the first whereof in this Chapter viz. Declaring our first Love THere is a third kind of bewildring darkenesses The third kind of bewildring darkenesse viz. after conversion As to our comforts 3. particulars which I refer to our after-Conversion-State which either bewilder us and make us at a losse as to our comforts or as to the exercise of our graces 1. There are darknesses bewildring us after our conversion as to our comforts And those are principally upon one of these three accounts either from the withdrawing the first light of Gods countenance or our first Love or 2. Gods darksom dispensations outwardly towards us or 3. our own dark backslidings from him First The declining of our first height of zeale for God and Gods ravishing smiles upon us the declining of our first height and heate of Love and also of the ravishing sense of Gods pardoning grace and love towards us which we sometimes have in a very high measure in our first conversion but abates oft times afterwards is as it were the setting of the Sun upon us and leaves us many times so much in the darke as to make us at a losse as to all our Spirituall comfort and brings us indeed into a second wilderness Give me leave to illustrate this by a parable A parable The first Apostacy of our hearts The state of unconversion Suppose a woman in a crosse humour leaving her husband and forsaking his house makes as she intends for some friends house that may receive her and where she may better indulge her own mind and cocker her owne will and spirit But missing of the way lights into a wilderness and loseth her selfe and anon the night overtakes her now she weepes and wailes The state of Conviction but there is none to comfort her she listens and harkneth if she might happily heare the voyce of any guide but in stead of the voyce of a man to comfort her there are the roarings of all the devouring beasts to affright her she is afraid to call out for helpe lest by such intelligence the ravenous beasts find her and seize upon her and she spends the miserable night but yet is kept alive till at length the day star ariseth First glimmerings of hope or tidings of mercy Dawnings of some comfortable hopes Conversion and that is some refreshing to her the day breakes and that is more the sun ariseth and the Lyons lay themselves downe in their dens their roaring ceaseth oh now she gets up and listens and whose voyce should she heare but the voyce of her affectionate carefull faithfull husband who had followed her with love to find her when shee was lost and how do you thinke will that voice revive her yea but when he comes to her embraceth her pitties her pardons her leads her out of the wildernesse he gives her wine Justification c. hee powres oyle into the rents which the thornes of the wildernesse had made the bryers of the wilderness having torne away her cloathes from her hee takes his own garment and casts it over her Ravishing joyes Enlargements of heart towards God he adornes he perfumes her Oh! what ravishing joyes are there now thinke you in the heart of this woman Oh! now she will returne home she will goe and dwell with him and she will never forsake him any more Yes home she must and she hath such a mind to it that sometimes she outgoes as it were her husband he doth not go fast enough for her But at length as willing as she is Drowsinesse after conversion her leggs grow weary of that fast pace and her spirits are so tyred that she draggs behind and falls asleep and there she lyes her husband looks and calls her but she is fast asleep he comes to her joggs her and awaketh her but she is immediately asleep againe being heavy with sleepe Darknesse through Gods withdrawing Bewildring after conver At length the night comes on againe and her husband withdrawes himselfe shee wakens but is neere the borders of the wildernesse still she heares yet again the roarings almost as lightly perhaps as when she was in the midst of the wildernesse she
Mountaines there shall their fold be c. verses 13.14 Of this we spake in the last discourse I will seeke that which was lost and will bring again that which was driven away I even I saith God My friends shall the Lord God make it his owne great businesse to seeke thy lost soule and shall it not be thine the Lord forbid I would have thee know if thy soule be lost and God seek it and thou doe not thy selfe seeke it And thy neglect a despight to him if thou doe not cooperate thou offerest despight unto the Lord God When God looks for lost soules and they would not be found but the language of thine heart is as Ahabs to the Prophet 1 King 21.20 Hast thou found me O mine enemy Poor soules count God their enemy when his Word or Spirit comes so near them as to find them why this is to offer despight unto God yea then when he is offering the greatest mercy conceivable yea more then can be conceived unto thee Thou art scattered God would gather thee thou art lost but God would find thee this is his challenge against Jerusalem under which it should quite be ruined Lu. 13.34 He would but they would not If a child should lose it selfe and the father finding it should offer to bring it home againe and the child should wrangle and refuse his offer what would you call this or what would you account the child worthy of Gods goodness is a leading goodnesse and if thou refuse to be led by it thou shalt be accounted a despiser of it so saith the Holy Spirit Rom. 2.4 Secondly It is the great businesse of God the Sonne We have had occasion to shew that 2. This the great business of God the Sonne though Christ were never bewildred yet was he led into the Wilderness that he might learn to looke after lost soules This he professeth to be his businesse Lu 19.10 I came to seeke and to save that which is lost This was the errand as you have heard that the Father sent the Sonne into the world about and this he pursues as a light to them that sit in darknesse and a guide into the way of peace Lu. 1.79 And now shall it be the businesse of the Lord Jesus And thy neglect a despite to him also to seek thy lost soule and shall it not be thine own Why Thou offerest despight to Jesus Christ When Christ tenders himselfe as a new and living way and soules notwithstanding resolve to be lost still this the Apostle aggravates by them that despised Moses Heb. 10.28 and calls it a treading under foot of the Son of God v. 29. Thirdly It is the businesse of the Holy Ghost 3. It is the great business of God the holy Spirit 1. By our Ministry to bring poor soules out of the wildernesse of sinne First By our Ministry the Holy Ghost is at the charge of sending forth guides furnished with Gifts for the seeking of the lost and all that expence is hereunto this therefore the Lord sorely challengeth and severely reprehends them for that were called Shepheards that they sought not that which was lost Ezek. 34.4 And his sheepe were scattered yet none did search or seek after them vers 6. Despite done to Messengers herein is done to him that sent them And truly in pursuance of this message whatever despite you offer unto any messenger you offer it as Christ saith unto him that sent him that is the Spirit He that despiseth you despiseth me Luk. 10.16 And shall the Spirit of Grace employ so many Ministers to call thee from the Lyons Den c. to look after thy lost soule and dost thou not make it thine own work Oh! what despite is this unto him that sent them 2. By his own Secondly By his own Ministry by the ministration of himselfe his light his grace his guidance Io. 16.13 The spirit of truth shal guide you The great business of God the Holy Ghost is to be a guid to poor soules and shall it be his work and wilt thou have no care of thine own lost soule this is to do despight flatly to the Spirit of grace So saith himselfe And to neglect this is to do despite unto the spirit of grace Heb. 10.29 Consider consider it cost God the Father the losse as it were for a time of his own Sonne out of his own bosome to help lost soules It cost God the Sonne the losse of his own precious blood out of his own heart and veynes to redeem lost soules It cost the holy Spirit the shedding abroad of his gifts and graces the sending forth of multitudes of messengers to seek poor lost soules and wilt not thou make it thy great businesse also Wilt not thou be at any cost or charges to accomplish it if thou wilt not at once thou dost dispight not onely unto me or any others as poor messengers but also unto all the three that are one God Wo wo wo unto such a soul Querie What means coming from the wilderness 1. It requires But now the Querie will be what this comming up from the Wilderness meanes I shall briefly answer 1. By shewing what it requires 2. Wherein it is dispatched or attain'd 1. Then what doth this coming up c. require I answer First A life sutable to such a motion The soul can never come out of this Wilderness A new principle of life viz. raising up as long as it continues dead in sin You may call long enough to a dead Corps to come up from the Grave except you put a new principle of life into it and as long upon a dead heart to come up from sinne unlesse God put a new life into it The call of Christ to Lazarus put life into Lazarus and therefore he came up from the Grave Joh. 11.44 The call of conversion to a sinner puts life into the sinner and therefore he comes up from the Wildernesse as the two witnesses Rev. 11.11 12. The Spirit of life entred into them and then they heard a voyce saying Come up hither Hast thou heard the voyce of the Sonne unto life if thou hast not thou hast not yet stirred from the wayes of the wildernesse which are wayes of death thou must have a new life to walke in these up-hil paths for this is a new and a living way Hect. 10.20 Never think to be rid of a bewildred heart until thou get rid of a dead heart Our Text is pregnant VVho is this that comes up from the wildernesse How came that I raised thee up under the Apple tree God must raise thee up or else thou canst not come up or rather God by raising thee up makes thee to come up Secondly A motion answering such a life 2. New motions viz. comming up As the soul can never come up unless it be raised so say I there was never any soule raised up but was willing to come
conceive seed Thou hast been so long barren that thou art affraid thou shalt never be able to conceive the incorruptible seed of the word of God either as to the bringing forth of Grace or Comfort in thy soule by faith thou maist have strength to receive bâ—th 1. Their Graces 1. Faith will afford strength to receive Grace whether as to Mortification or Vivificattion i. Mortifying Grace 1. Mortifying or subduing grace Wouldst thou have the strong man out of doors thy pride thy passion the vanitie of thy thoughts thy lusts of uncleannesse thy worldly lusts c. removed thou hast no way but to make Christ thy strength who is stronger then these and so to call in the Auxiliaries of heaven had David gone out in Sauls Armour undoubtedly Goliath had made him a prey but David went out in the name of the Lord Thus leane thou on the Lord Christ and then what though it be an uncircumcised corruption Note a Giant-like lust that thou contendest with The grand cause that some doe sincerely yet insuccesfully warre with those worldly lusts that war against their souls may be ignorance hereof or neglect herein Luk. 11.21 The strong man will keep his house till a stronger comes Corruption that is strong will keep thine heart till a Christ that is stronger comes It followes He that is not with me is against me and he that gathers not with me scatters verse 23. As I said of your Christlesse strength 't is Antichristian so here to War without Christ is in some sort to War against Christ and to think to gaine ground of thy sinnes in thine own strength is the way to be a loser a â—â—sterer though this vers I know hath another intendment yet is this certaine if Christ be with you as he will be whilst you be with him 2 Chron. 15.2 You shall carry the day and divide the spoyle he that spoyleth Principalities for you can vanquish sin in you Where this Josuah is Generall the field cannot be lost he that brought up the Israelites conquers the Canaanites neither can you be conquerors but through Christ Rom. 8.37 2ly Lean on Christ for Vivifying and renewing grace This is that Law of the spirit of life which in Christ makes free as you heard in the last from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 as who should say Vivifying or quickning Grace let there be what there can or what there will be in any soul unlesse there be the law of that spirit of life in Christ Jesus there can not be any 〈◊〉 of grace there Christ is the strength of your quickning grace and that 1. As to the root and life and habit of it 1. Of the root of it I meane grace in the soule Rom. 8.10 If Christ be in you the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse No life or principle or habite of righteousnesse which is here to be expoundâ—d by Sanctification can possibly be in you if Christ be not the strength of it in you 2. The fruits of it 2ly As to the fruit act and exercise of this root life and habit of Grace Io. 15.4 Abide in me saith Christ and I in you for as the branch cannot bring forth fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine no more can you except you abide in me The strength of the branch is not able to bring forth fruit but it is the strength of the Vine the branch is not able saith Christ but the Vine is able so the strength of thine habit of grace is not able to exercise or bring forth fruit unto holinesse but it is the strength of Christ for that grace which is said to be in thee and unto thee as a root is in and unto Christ but as a branch Christ is the Vine still the branch as that which immediately feeds it may in some sort be called the root of the fruit but in proper speech 't is onely the root of the Vine that is the root both of branch and fruit and the strength of the Vine is the strength both of the branch and fruit and if their in being or dependance on the Vine were but a little interrupted you should quckly see it truly so it is with Christ both as to the habit and exercise the branch and fruit of thy graces for saith Christ in the 5. verse Without me you can do nothing Mark do nothing Suppose a branch yet could there be no fruit suppose a life yet could there be no action but now oppose this phrase or compose it rather unto that of Pauls Phil. 3.13 where from occasion of the exercise of the grace of Contentation he digresseth to a generall boasting but in the Lord as to all the fruits of holinesse I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me so that all the out-goings of our graces are and must be only in the strength of Jesus Christ 2ly Of all your comforts 2ly Leane upon Christ as the onely strength of all your comforts You have mention in Scripture of strong consolation as well as of strong grace Heb. 6.18 That we might have strong consolation We Who why we who have fled for a refuge to the anchor that is before us and have taken hold That anchor is hope that whereupon that anchor catcheth hold is Jesus the fore-runner ver 20. No strength of comfort else-where 1. Your foundation-comfort viz. Iustification 1. Christ as the strength of your foundation-comfort I meane Justification is to be leaned upon If you be justified it must be by faith by leaning and if you have peace with God and there be any strength in that peace it must be through Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 The Hebrew Idiom puts often one substantive with another when in sence it is an adjective So in that passage Isai 45.24 One shall say surely in the Lord I have righteousnesse and strength that is strong righteousness Others may have a righteousnesse as the Pharisees c. that have not Christ but there is no more strength in it to comfort then there is in a few sparks to warm or to enlighten Isai 50.11 But they that lean on Christ for a righteousnesse have strength of righteousness 2ly 2ly All yoâ— upper comfor Leane on Christ as the bottom strength of all your upper comforts such as come in upon the account of your justification If Christ will to purpose strengthen the hearts of his Disciples as to comfort he must tell them as he doth Jo. 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you What ever else he either leaves them or sends them they will still be comfortlesse unlesse he comes to them Miserable Comforters are Creatures to us when Christ keeps at a distance from us Comforts they may be and weak ones too as Christless righteousness hath no more substance in 't to hold out the light of comfort then a few sparks so Christless Comforts have no
a distressed As to the 2d Hinderance Help the second distracted Conscience can beare witnesse Secondly As to the second Hindeoance viz. Few feel Christ and therefore few will leane upon him I shall leave a word or two with you to help your souls in this also First If you be desirous to feele Christ Labour to feel Christ by feeling sin labour to feel sin I believe never did any come savingly to feel Christ that have not come seriously to feel sin You never knew a soule earnestly complain for a Christ that could not earnestly complain of sinne When Christs own spirit is sent forth into our dead benummed Consciences and sencelesse hearts how doth it make us feel righteousnesse but by making us feel sin and judgement the sence of all must goe together where Gods Spirit is indeed at worke Jo. 16.8 Sirs how can we be sensible of the good of light of peace of health of plenty better then by feeling the evill of darknesse warre sicknesse poverty or the light peace or saving health that is by Jesus Christ more effectually then by the darknesse horrour and damning misery of sinne I mean when we see one by the other Isai 54.5 6. 'T is a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit in the remembrance and sence of sinne the shame and the reproach of sinne as is intimated vers 4. I say a woman thus grieved in spirit that God will call a wife of youth unto himselfe and her maker will become her Husband that is Christ will take that soule into the nearest intimacy with himselfe to lie as a wife of youth in his bosome to feele his stripes to put its hand into the wounds of his sides to feel the stirrings of his heart towards sinners that have had the nearest and closest sence of sin that have laine and can most feeling groan under the heavy load and burthen of sin Many there are that speake of the evill of sin but not feelingly and as for these if they speake of the good of Christ you may easily discerne 't is not feelingly When Paul feels sin kill him Rom. 7.9 And as a stinking troublesome tyring dead Carkass cleaving to him ver 24. 2ly By conversing much where Christ is to be found viz. in the Ordinances with the promises Then presently comes he to feele the law of the Spirit of life in Christ making him free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Secondly Would you feel Christ make then after his hand and after his heart Get you thither where these are to be found and keep you there Now Christs hand is in his Ordinances And Christs heart is in his promises There if any where there and no other where feele for them and you shall finde them How often doe you read in Scripture that Christs hands are stretched forth in his Ordinances if you have not done so You may feele Christs hands in his Ordinances turn to Isai 65.1 2. I said behold me behold me I have spread out my hands all the day and how is that but in the Ordinances unto a rebellious people which walked in a way that was not good This is otherwise expressed by his desire to gather them under his wings Luk. 13 34. Sirs would you feele for Christs Hand to leane upon or his wing to be sheltred under Be much in the Ordinances And Christs heart in his promises Againe Christs heart is in his promises Could you but get into the heart of a promise it would be like Thomas his putting of his hands into Christs sides you might feele Christs heart and how it works towards poor soules What living heart can survey the Promises without a lively sence of Christs hearts tendernesse Sirs doe you not feele how his bowels are turned and his repentings kindled within him when he saith not onely how shall I give thee up Ephraim as Hos 11.8 but also I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim as he saith verse 9. And I will heale their backslydings and I will love them freely chap. 14.4 And I might transcribe a great part of the whole Bible to lead you to a sence of all those promises that plainly lead the Generation of them that seeke the face of Jacob to a sence of Christs heart though now himselfe be at rest towards poore Israel in the Wildernesse CHAP. XVI Convincing Christs lovelinesse by removing the foregoing prejudices THirdly As to the third Hinderance viz. As to the 3d. Hinderance Helpfull considerations convincing Christs lovelinesse notwithstanding any prejudices 1. Against his Port. 1. It is not of necessity but choice that his Port is so mean That few like Christ so as to make him their beloved being prejudiced against his Port Person Discourse Carriage Estate Consider 1. As to Christs wooing Port these three things For my now designe is to remove the prejudices and if it be possible to make up the match and though I woe yet will I not lye for God nor for his Son Christ Though Christ come a wooing in Port despised by the World on the Colt of an Asse the foolishnesse of preaching yet is it not of constraint but of condescension and with a rich compensation First It is let the world know not of constraint or necessity that Christ comes in so mean a Port. He could if he would come so as to convince you hereof but it is of choice that he comes so meanly I have read of one of the Roman Emperours that having been long molested by the King of an eastern Country having at length an Embassy sent him by some contemptible Messengers yet the noblest that that Country afforded the Roman Emperour thinking it were in slight asked them if their Master had none more Heroicall then they they answering they were his Chieftains he brake out in such an immoderate laughter that he dyed in it The Great and Wise and Nobles of the World thus deride the Messengers of Jesus Christ and him that sent them because of the meannesse of the Messengers But let them know that as he laughed himself to death in laughing them to scorn so may these laugh themselves to damnation before they are aware and as for us Call they us and count they us as they please Priest and croaking Calvinists and what they will yet may not we answer that our Master hath none more noble to send or that he cannot come in greater Port for Psal 18.9 10. He bowed the Heavens and came downe and darknesse was under his feet And he rode upon a Cherub and did flie yea he did fly upon the wings of the wind so Isai 19.1 Behold the Lord rideth upon a swift Cloud And this might be his Port. So might Angels also be his Messengers 1.7 Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers flaming fire Christ could goe a wooing in a whirlwind as the Lord came to answer Job Iob. 38.1
They are seasonable First A wise Conviction is that which is in season which Solomon calls Golden Apples in silver Pictures Prov. 25.11 concluding seasonable reproof to be wise reproof verse 12. This was Abigaels renowned wisdome when David was just a ruining her whole Family had not she by gracious reproofe stopt his fury taking that season when by her present his passion was allayed and how lovely was it to David 1 Sam. 25.32 33. David was wise and therefore this word was an Earing of gold unto him The same woman with the same wisdome defers her Conviction as to her Husband till the fittest season ver 37. Till the wine was gone out of him but he was a Nabal a fool and his heart was dead as a stone Now such seasonable Convictions are Christs Convictions when soules are neare ruining themselves and others in strikes the Spirit and reproves of sin of righteousness and judgement at the best season When Saul was neare Damascus the intended bloody stage of his persecuting madnesse then just then in comes a wooing word of Conviction Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9.3 4. Who of you can speake of Christs Convictions but must remember that Christ took the best season to say unto you Soul Soul why refusest resistest rejectest thou me Thou maist wonder that Christ should send such a word to stop thee at such a time in such a season 2ly 2ly Suitable As the wisdome of Conviction lies in choosing a fit Season so a fit frame of Spirit fit words fit matter I say fit to perswade not to provoke to soften not to incense and so to harden As sirs if you be never so good and the parties you reprove never so bad your Reproofs cannot be acceptable if they approve not of you that are reproved by you Now this I can say to prove these Reproofes of Christ lovely That Christ rather manageth his wooing Convictions in a pleading than upbraiding way Christ upbraids not but when unbeliefe rejects him and puts him away and for this indeed he will upbraid his very Disciples even after Marriage Mar. 16.14 Although he be slow enough hereunto as is to bee marked from Mat. 11.20 He began to upbraid them because they believed not but in other cases He upbraideth no man Jam. 5.1 But like as he pleaded with the Fathers of old so will he plead with soules Ezek. 20 36. A Chapter full of such pleading you have Ezek. 18. And see how it closeth verse 31.32 Why will you dye I would not have it so saith God wherefore return and live ye Verily such language from the mouth of a gracious God to wretched sinners might melt an heart of hardest stone Christ might upbraide us into Hell and yet when his words are sharpest as Jer. 3. afore quoted they are but to plead us into his own bosome Christ delights not to taunt us for our sin but to humble us under and to rid us of our sin 2ly They are loving and therefore lovely 2ly As they are wise so winning they are loving and therefore lovely Convictions They are pleadings managed by wisdome full fraight of affection no question Josephs Convictions sat sad upon his Brethrens spirits when they were struck speechlesse and could not answer him a word Gen. 45.3 I am Joseph whom ye sold verse 4. There 's the Conviction I am Jesus whom ye have sold for sin for lust for vanity for the world Yea but Joseph vents his owne affections and breaks out into weeping upon them verse 15. and that gives vent unto their utterance for after that saith the Text his Brethren talked with him that is When they saw how affectionate his Convictions were Now this is our Josephs our Jesus his manner O sweet Convictions when most bitter because sweetned by his most bitter teares If Jesus convince Jerusalem his eyes shall speak it as well as his lips Luk. 19.41 He beheld the City and wept over it saying if thou hadst known c. 'T is that makes these Reproofes so rich a present because Christs teares are such precious Pearls 3ly They are consolatory therefore lovely 3ly Christs Convictions are lovely because consolatory As soon as ever Christ hath made you weep he will smile that you may rejoyce That passage is to be remarked Ioh 16.7 I will send the Comforter and how is that amplified ver 8. He shall convince You use to wrap up your bitter Pills in sweet outsides Sugar Sirrups c. But Christ doth otherwise he puts the most bitter outmost You have some Nuts that have hard shells that must be broken and then you come at a bitter peeling and under that lyes the sweet Kernel Our hearts are those hard shels Christ breaks these and then we come at Convictions these are bitter peeles but under these lye Consolations Oh! those are sweet Kernels I am Joseph whom you sold 't was a cutting word Gen. 45.4 Now therefore be not grieved for God did send me before you to preserve your life there 's a curing word for 't ver 5. We cannot think that Joseph did forbid them to grieve for their sin but to grieve inordiately or distractedly I am Jesus whom you abused Oh! there 's a killing Conviction but be not grieved to despair for I was sold to death that I might preserve your life and sent to Heaven through persecution that I might prepare a place for you Oh! that word will revive you If Christ allure into the wildernesse of Conviction making you as Josephs Brethren at a loss in your selves that you shall not know what to ananswer know that he can furnish a delicious Table in this Wildernesse and there speak comfortably unto you Hos 2.14 Now then if you be so scornful or unwise as to hate to be reproved though Christ convince so cordially so comfortingly and have Adders ears unto these Charmings charm he never so wisely take your Course please your selves the world will paint when Christ will be as Fullers soap to wash your lying beauty from you the world will flatter and dare deceive Note Christ your suiter will not his spokesman dare not But know where-ever you make your choice you must have bitter as well as sweet Christs is a bitter-sweet the world is a sweet-bitter Christs wormwood is first tasted the best wine is kept for the last The Worlds Satans Sins discourse are lyes folly flattery c. though these be sweet in thy mouth and thou hide them under thy tongue yet shall thy meat in thy bowels be turned and prove the gall of Asps within thee Job 20.12 14. Thus much to perswade you into love with Christs wooing Convictions But now more particularly In particular The termes of Christs discourse are also lovely termes The first viz. Your leaving Fathers house 1. It s reasonable Secondly I shall endeavour to represent the loveliness of those wooing termes of Christs discourse whereof I spake The first whereof is this
smites thee that hath been so often smitten by thee Art thou pierced by Christ he was pierced by thee first therefore hast thou little reason to complaine that he hath pierced thee Zach. 12.10 They shall look on me whom they have pierced Doth his Word or Spirit wound thee how often have thy vain and vile words and impenitent and unbelieving spirit wounded him Doth his wooong Carriage now prick thee to thine heart how often have thy wandering Carriages struck Jesus Christ to the heart It s fit that thou shouldest feele what it is to be smitten since thou hast so often tryed what it is to smite And well maist thou take it quietly to be under wounds of spirit many hours yea many weeks that hast in thy sinful Conversation been wounding Christ it may bee twenty forty or threescore years 3ly It s he smites thee 3ly He that is smitten with thee that in the mean while is smitten with thee and therefore surely will not smite to hurt thee There 's no great feare that that Father will wrong his Childe that as we say smites himself while hee strikes his Child Surely in all thine Afflictions most of all spirituall which are greatest is Christ afflicted Isai 63.9 If either Satan Sinne or the Law persecuteth thee Christ will say Why persecute you me I have born suffered done and dyed for that soule therefore I will not see that soule perish but though I smite it with mine own rod yet will I not suffer you to ruine it Surely as Paul saith 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak who is in the scorching furnace of an afflicted Conscience and I burn not so will Christ say 2ly Consider Why is it that Christ smites thee 2. Consider Why he smites looke backward or forward and there is little reason to murmur on either hand 1. Look backward upon what thou wert 1. Look backward upon what thou hast been and doe not complain and art thou smitten wonder that thou art not struck down to Hell never thinke strange that thou art sore bruised as in the place of Dragons but rather that thou art not damned and so turned down into the place of Devils Lam. 3.30 He gives his Cheeke to him that smiteth him saith Jeremy of the afflicted Spirit and wherefore saith he verse 39. Doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sin Art thou a sinning soul and yet a living soul oh though thou be a bruised soul thou hast small reason to complaine 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be and complain no more and doe not count it hard that Christ hath smitten thee Friend Christ intends thee though thy heart have beene crooked and knotty hitherto for a piece of Timber in his living house for a living stone though thy heart hath been a dead and rough stone 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye are built up as lively stones a spiritual house I hope this will satisfyingly answer what is said Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by the Prophets If you will be part in Christs building you must be content with Christs hewing Againe We are called to be Vessels of mercy and these must be prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 And whoever prepared Vessels of gold but by the Furnace let this answer Isai 1.25 I wiil turn mine hand upon thee Oh! that think you is a scaring word but why will God do it I will purely purge away your drosse and take away all your Tinne Againe You are called to be the Lords Iewels and these Jewels must be made up Mal. 3.17 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will finish his Iewels And what Jeweller is there though never so sparing but will have some instrument in his hand to cut away the part or parts that are redundant and so to fit the Jewel before he finish and make it up in the ring of Gold This answers that gracious promise though to a carnall heart a bloody threatning Deut. 30.6 The Lord will circumcise thine heart to love him with all thy soul c. That is the Lord will pare it round he will take away the fleshly and carnall and redundant parts of it this will cost sharpe work to thy fleshly heart Thus will Christ deale with thee to make thee to love him when he wooes thee to love him onely be not thou as Zipporah crying out to Christ as she to Moses Exod. 4.16 A bloody Husband art thou unto me because of the Circumcision So that all the expressions that import thy future glory doe abundantly engage thee to receive with meekness 3ly Consider What these smitings shall conclude in Thine Enemies ruine and thanksgiving thy present sufferings and buffetings 3ly Consider what these smitings shall conclude in and be satisfied viz. In the ruine of thine Enemies and in the healing of thee First When God casts soules as those three Shadrach Meshach and Abednego into the furnace and the Son of God comes to take acquaintance with them and to beare them company in that Furnace as Dan. 3.25 What shall that fire doe more then burn their Enemies as verse 22. Verily upon them shall it have no power nor shall the hair of their head be singed verse 27. Thy Corruptions thy sins thy drosse thy dirt shall consume and be burnt up but it shall not be able to hurt thy soule But 2ly As for thy soule if that be bruised 2ly Thy souls healing it shall bee annointed by that balm that is in Gilead and the Physitian that is there Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque feret Christ doth use to wound us as Enemies doe and then to let us lie and perish for want of looking too neare feare so great unkindnesse from so kind a suiter no no but if sense say as Hos 6.1 The Lord hath torn and he hath smitten let thy faith say also as theirs there and he will heale and he will bind us up after two dayes that is some short season he will revive us and the third day at farthest he will cause us to live verse 2. Hearken my friends what Hezekiah can say after all his chatterings like a Crane and shatterings to pieces both which you have together Isai 38.13 14 verse 16. O Lord by these things men live and in all these things Marke all these things as if he could not be without Note or misse one blow of them and doe well is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live so wilt thou as if God had as it were limited himselfe to that way of working unto the reviving of a dead heart So then either Christ must marry thee whilest a Carkasse and lay thee a dead piece of flesh in his bosome or thou must be contented to be smitten but and if thou be smitten he will verily revive thee and cause
Ephraim were but an empty vine so Cant. 6.11 I went down that 's Christ into the garden of nuts when Christ takes a nut-tree out of the forest and transplants it in his garden makes a sinner a convert then he observes the fruit it brings forth to see the fruit of the valley that is of the poor penitent lowly humble heart and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomgranates budded that is whether this and that and the other grace faith and humility and holiness c. flourished and brought forth unto him Therefore as Christ in the fore-quoted place calls the fruit of his garden the Spouses so the Spouse calls the fruit of her garden Christs blow upon my garden and let him eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4.16 If thou would have evidence that Christ did in earth and doth in heaven bring forth fruit unto thee labor to finde that thine heart thy lips thy life do all of them bring forth fruit unto Christ 2. Labor to finde Christ unto thy soul a river of waters of life Secondly labor to finde Christ a river of waters of life unto thy soul since thou hast been hitherto moistureless like a wilderness when Israel was in the dismal wilderness where there was no water Psalm 78.15 16. the Lord clave the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depths he brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers But what 's this to me a sinner may the soul say Why the Apostle tells thee this rock was Christ these waters flowing out the rock were streams from Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 They drank of that spiritual rock that followed thâ—â— and that rock was Christ Christ is that river the streams whereof make glad the poor bewildred soul There are three sorts of streams which O that you could finde flowing from the Lord Christ 1. 1. Stream of blood Labor to finde the red stream of Christs blood Christs satisfaction and justification and reconciliation purchased thereby this is there as in many other Scriptures called Christs wine I have drunk my wine Hast thou by faith seen this rock smitten by the Lords rod and this red stream issuing out Hast thou seen Christs side lanced and the blood streaming forth for thy soul Hast thou seen this blood of the new Covenant poured forth for thee Oh! how would this stream make thy soul glad Secondly 2. Stream of milk Labor to finde the crystal stream of Christs Spirit by the other the soul is counted righteous by this it is made righteous I know the sincere heart desires as truly this as the other the other is the fountain open for sin that is the guilt the curse the condemnation this is a fountain open for uncleanness that is the defilement and pollution and both is for the house of David to wash in this is there as in other places called Christs milk and to shew that Sanctification and Justification go hand in hand one with another therefore saith Christ I drunk my wine with my milk though the wine be the first yet is it not without milky streams but they go along with it I cannot but imagine but that in the order of nature Christ Justifies before he Sanctifieth and yet I believe he never justifies but therewith he sanctifies as here wine first yet wine with milk even both together so we have Isa 55.1 the same order and the same conjunction Buy wine and milk without money and without price that is my merits and my spirit shall be both yours if you close with me though you deserve neither But thirdly Labor to finde yet other streams 3 Stream of honey even honey streams from Christ in the Ordinances this is called as often by David before so Cant. 5.1 Christs honey-comb and his honey Hast thou then found communion with Christ in prayer hearing reading or the like sweet as honey swâ—eter also then the honey-comb Canst thou say as the spouse of Christ Cant. 4.13 His lips are like lilies even like lilies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe Have those sweet streams from Christs mouth flown down thus upon thy soul surely such floods cannot choose but make thee joyful in the house of prayer 2. To finde thy soul a watered garden to Christ Now secondly Labor to finde thy soul a watered garden unto Christ The soul was in the wilderness Cant. 4.8 and she becomes a garden ver 12. and in this garden there are both springs and fountains though both shut up and sealed that 's for Christs use they are reserved who alone is found worthy to open the seals 1. The fountain of thine hâ—ad First Then let the fountains of thine head be opened unto Christ the streams of thy lips of thine eyes thy words thy tears the working of thy brains let them all stream forth towards the Lord Christ say as the prophet O that mine head were fountains and mine eyes rivers of tears Jer. 9.1 let it be with thee as with David Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Psalm 119.136 O that all our heads and eyes were as rivers streaming towards Christ and Christ onely O that our brains might work more after and more for Christ We were as a moistureless wilderness before let us even in this sense become a watered garden now Isa 58.11 2. Of thine heart Secondly Let the fountains of thine heart be opened unto Christ If God have shed his love abroad in thine heart shed now thy love abroad into Gods heart We were as a wilderness we could scarce pour out words before God before let us now Psalm 62.8 pour out our hearts before God let all our affections desire fear love joy c. stream forth towards God Thus David poured out his soul within him Psalm 42.4 3. Of thy life 3 Let the fountains of thy life stream forth towards Christ as the fountain both of Christs life and death to boot did flow out unto thee whether you eat or drink or whatever you do let all the streams of your lives run into the channel of his glory According to this threefold counsel you have mention of a threefold breaking out of waters in the spouse Cant. 4.15 A fountaâ—n of gardens there 's one sort a spring of living waters there 's another sort and streams from Lebanon there 's a third sort that is if I mistake not one in the head another in the heart a third in the conversation The fountain of the head waters the garden of the affections the spring of the heart enliveneth the fountains of the head knowledge would otherwise be a dead water and now from both together to wit head and heart there are streams from Lebanon that is Knowledge and Grace flow forth as streams into the conversation You may therefore observe comfortably that as Christ had spoken high before of the streams that flow from himself
in the wilderness 1. If you call him a tree in the wilderness oh how unfit is he now to be transplanted 2. If you call him a travailer in the wilderness oh how unfit is he to go thorough those uneven and stumbling wayes that scarce can creep in a plain way Mine heart akes to think of your hoary heads and unregenerate hearts Your heads as white as a Dove your hearts as black as a Raven You 'l say of a grave and snowy-beaâ—ded ancient one there goes a fine old man 't is so indeed and onely so when his heart is as holy as his head is white Prov. 16.31 The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness T is that that makes it so A crown is a very glorious thing indeed but there are but few of them An old man walking in the wayes of righteousness is a glorious fight oh that I could see more of them But mark If it be found in the way It seems old men are not ordinarily in the way and they that are out of the way are in the wilderness Now 2. if he be found in the way with a hoary head what then why then he is a Crown But how and if he be found in the wilderness and his gray hairs be found in sin why then he is a curse Psal 65.20 A sinner of an hundred yeers old shall be accursed A wilderness tree of an hundred yeers old is a cursed tree 3. If it be found in the way who should finde whether he be or no hath he been lurking so long in the wilderness and must he now be found out yes God will finde what wayes you walk in and be you as crafty as an old Fox yet God will finde your haunts in the wilderness Sutable is that Job 14.16 Thou numbrest my steps thou watchest over my sin Thou hast forgot but God can reckon how many steps thou hast taken in the wilderness Oh! that we could alwaies so walk as alwaies remembring that we shall be found in what wayes we are walking Happy are you young ones that are found so doing and you hoary heads if you be found in the way of righteousness And doubly bewildred must the aged sinner needs be partly in the remembrance of younger yeers In two respects partly in the infirmities of his old age 1 His yonger yeers bewilder him 1. Youth-vanities 1. His younger yeers must needs be now a wilderness unto him as to their vanity their guilt their abiding iniquity 1. How can he chuse but be lost in his own spirit when he looks back and thinks of the emptiness vanity and dissatisfaction of all his youthful courses sure when he sees all the works which he hath done under the Sun he must say as Solomon Eccles 2.14 All is vanity and vexation of spirit Yea will he or nill he this shall be for the evil dayes shall come wherein he shall say I have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12.1 2. How can he chuse but be lost in his own conscience when he looks back upon his youth-youth-sins and strength-sins 2. Youth-guilt The pleasures of sin bewildred him then the horrors of sin amaze and bewilder him now Job 13.26 27. Thou writest bitter things against me saith holie Job thou makest me to possess the sins of my youth thou lookest narrowly to all my paths God that looks so to thy pathes all thy life will by his writings upon thy conscience put thee in full possession of the sins of thy youth as you make writings when you would put one in possession thou shalt have them and hold them for God writes bitter things against thee and thou shalt possess thy youth sins Oh! what a burthen what a wilness is the guilt of twenty or thirty yeers sins to one then converted And if so at what a lose may the sinner of an hundred yeers old be 3. 3. Remainders of youth-sins The speculative re-actings of his youth and strength-sins in his aged and crazy yeers do much bewilder him seldom is it though his body be spent and consumed in sin but his mind is as full for it and as much taken up with it as ever Desire fails as to his body but his heart is as lustful as ever To see and to hear of the actings of his old sins by yonger ones pleaseth him Methinks t is a sad expression Job 20.11 His bones are full of the sins of his youth It seems sin will hold as long as any thing holds when his fl sh is consumed his bones hold still when sin leaves his flesh it enters into his bones that is his abiding part if his body be disabled for sin yet his minde is full of it yea and it shall lie down with him in the grave Thus do youth-sins bewilder him when he is old 2. 2 Infirmity of old age The infirmities of his age cannot but be as a wilderness to his soul and render his condition much more lost and remediless To instance but in two amongst many The dimness of his sight and the lameness and feeblness of his leggs and feet 1. His dim and dead-sightedness is such as he cannot see the way for those that look out at the windows are now darkned Eccl. 12.3 His judgement and apprehension is gone as to naturals and how unfit then for the view of spiritual things he is dull of hearing and slow of remembring and all his mentals are impaired and which is worst of all the Lord in rightousnes smiteth such aged ones that have had long and sleighted long the opportunities of knowing the way of peace with judicial blindness and blockish sottishness that as they will not so they cannot yea that they might not see with their eyes lest they should be converted and he should heal them Isa 6.18 2. Such lameness is in his legs and feeblness in his feet that if he could see yet could he not walk in the wayes of God and what can you now think but that he must perish in the wilderness Eccl. 12.3 The strong men bow themselves His affections were strong his soul was vigorously carryed out by them for they are the feet of the soul but they now bow under him And how can his desire think you be vigorous for God for the very native edge is taken off of it for vers 5. His desire shall fail His affections are now gone that were strong if he go to God he must go without leggs but alas little of that old men both in naturals and as to spirituals love to lay their old bones at rest Alas how should he put up strong supplications that is himself so weak or be frequent in prayers when he hales for breath such as will and must be in the pangs of conversion In a word how should he get out of the wilderness that is not able to stir from the place where he lies But yet my heart breaks to
turnings verse 9. When Peter thought that he was in the steadiest way of profession his heart was winding into the way of apostacy Well might Christ say unto his Disciples What spirits you are of you know not Luk. 9.55 Discoveries of of the hearts windings 1. Sort. 1. Head They thought they were in the way of Elias his zeale but they were in the way of their owne carnall passion This I shall farther say of the windings of our hearts First You shall finde them ready to winde into any other way yea though it be the way of anothers duty rather then to keepe in their owne way that they connot indure yea to away of their owne duty at another time rather then to keepe in the way that is now their way Oh! thinkes the poore man if If I were but rich what would not I doe If I were as the chiefe Governour as the supream Power say some hearts oh what would not I doe Yea but thou art what thou art and tell me dost thou doe what is thy duty now to doe 'T is certaine if otherwise that those are but the wildernesse-windings of thy crooked heart thus Absolon 2 Sam 15.4 Oh! that I were made judge in the Land I would doe every man right If Absolon were but King he would be a Saint but in the meane time never was there a more Devilish subject So as our hearts wind off from our duty to anothers 2d Head so from one duty to another our duty but at another time As perhaps sometimes when thou art hearing and thine heart is ready to melt and thine eyes to run over Oh! thinkest thou now if I were in secret how sweetly and brokenly could I powre out my soule and perhaps in such thoughts losest thy selfe and some part of the Sermon perhaps by that time thou art come at home and in a corner thy heart is wound off againe from that frame and now oh that thou wert a hearing againe to warme thee to this purpose see farther how mistaken duty is a meanes to bewilder us whereunto somewhat is to be spoken more largely in the following discourse whither at present I referre you There are many such windings to be found in your particular experiences as many as you finde observe and shun them 2d Sort. Secondly You shall finde your hearts from whatsoever they take their rise though they be different yea contrary principles yet to winde unto the same sinfull Conclusions You say There are many waies to the wood many wayes but they meet in the wood Many waies in your hearts but they all of them winde to the Wildernesse and meet in sinne and that although they seeme not onely to be contrary one to another and yet both meet in the same part of the Wildernesse but also though the beginning of the way be quite contrary unto it selfe in the end of it 1. Head First Although the principles be quite different one from another yet doth the heart winde both to the same sinne For instance take one case that I touched upon before viz. Presumption and Despaire more different principles there cannot be yet the heart can wind into the selfesame sinne beginning at either of these I le prove it from Scripture saith one man Whatsoever I do now I shall do well enough in the end this is presumption Now what doth he conclude why therefore saith he I will sin still saith another man I see ther 's no hope for me however I repent or pray or do any thing this is despaire Now what doth he conclude therefore I will sin still Compare Deut. 29.19 with Jer. 18.12 In Deuter. God calls upon Israel to keepe in his way If any man shall blesse himselfe in his own heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine own heart to add drunkennesse to thirst c. Here 's presumption And how stands the Argument thus Whatever I do I shall have peace whatever way of my heart I walke in therefore saith hee I will go on still and add sin to sin still even drunkennesse to thirst there 's the Conclusion In like manner in Jer. God calls upon the same people to walke in his waies Returne every way one from his evill way and make his waies good verse 11. And they said there is no hope but we will make every one after his own devices and the imaginations of his own evill heart verse 12. Here 's despair Now how stands this Argument thus Whatever I do there is no hope for me and therefore I will walke in the waies of mine own evill heart still No feare in the former therefore he will sin No hope in the latter therefore he wiâ—l sin Thus Presumption and Despaire though one came from the East and th' other from the West or one from the North th' other from South from the right hand th' one th' other from the left yet this heart that we speake of leads by both to the Wood and leaves men in the wildernesse of sinne How frequently and sadly doth experience confirme this Observation amongst the children of men such are the windings of the wayes of a naturall heart Secondly 2. Head As it can winde from beginning in various waies into the same Wildernesse at last so it can cursedly wind the end of the way to a contrariety to the beginning of the selfe-same way I shall mind you but of one instance for proofe of the truth whereof I shall appeale to the experience of those that know what it is to keepe watch over their own hearts and if it be so with the people of God how much more with the unregenerate And 't is this the gracious spirit being put through tentation or naturall corruption upon some piece of pride It goes solicitously to the Throne of grace that God would break its pride of spirit and give it a lowly broken tender humble heart And in it s exceedingly earnest supplications and Agonies of soule God comes in exceedingly the heart is hereby much broken the Spirit exceedingly humbled and abased and laid very low Now watch for these windings of heart that I speake of and perhaps you may too soon spie them out The poor heart begins to looke upon it self under these enlargements and to like it selfe to reflect upon its broken-heartednesse and humility and to be pleased in them and with them yea verily in plaine english to grow proud of its very humility and this as I said is to wind quite round Now as soon as ever it becomes thus wound aside you may know its in a Wildernesse by the thorns it shall meet with 2 Cor. 12.7 Thornes in the flesh there must and will be when the heart winds about to this pride in the spirit Now then if the heart be so capacious and so full of wayes and those waies so full of windings you cannot but conclude how easily the heart nay how necessarily it becomes a
Wildernesse Thine heart is exposed yea and disposed too to all the wayes and windings of spirit that ever entangled any soule in the world Vse and surely they are enough to bewilder thee Oh let this consideration to purpose humble thee whereever thou goest thou carriest thy wildernesse about thee Come we now to a second sort of Satans Advantages that he hath from us to bewilder us which is CHAP. IX â—pntaines the second advantage from our selves our hearts are tempters into the wildernesse opened and applyed 2d Advant Our hearts are tempted into the wilderness SEcondly Our hearts are not only a Wildernesse unto us but tempters and seducers into the Wildernesse Naturally they are a sinfull Wildernesse and as naturally doe they inveigle us into the Wildernesse of sinne And alas how easie is it for Satans devices to bewilder us since he hath such advantage of us Our hearts advise counsell and perswade us having been first perswaded by Satan Hence are the expressions of that other sort Jer. 9.14 and 18.12 and 23.17 They walke after the devices and counsels Note and imaginations of their own hearts Their hearts are their guides and they goe after their hearts Now when man followes his hearts guidance if his heart lose it selfe in sinne he must needs be lost in the same Wildernesse Mat. 5.28 Whosoever lookes on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart In this case the heart is the Baud the heart is lost first the whole man goes after it and is lost with it 'T is said of the young Man and the Whore Prov. 7. She was the first she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face tempted him verse 13. And he goes after her verse 22. Our hearts being forwardest as Harlots tempt us and we as fooles straight-way go after them And this our hearts take up of themselves Naturally so 't is naturall to them to lead us to the wildernesse Their bent is that way Looke what way the bent of any thing in the world is that way will it goe Compare two Scriptures Hos 11.7 They are bent to backslyding from me to slide back from my counsels and calls and waies to slide back into their own waies wildernesse c. And then Prov. 14.14 The backslyder in heart shall be fill'd with his own waies Marke Backslyding that is before the peoples bent is here called the hearts own way You shall therefore finde that the Lord challengeth the heart as first in the transgression or going astray Act. 7.39 In their hearts they turned back to Egypt Our hearts subject to be tempted into the wilderness from these two reasons Now then a word or two to give you an account first that our hearts are bent to walke after the waies of the wildernesse and then that we are bent to walke after the waies of our own hearts First then The bent of our hearts is by nature to the wildernesse There are but these two things that engage the bent ones heart to one place rather then another 1. Innate affection First An innate affection I like this place the best of any place that ever I saw saith one How much is that place my darling saith another Beloved the Wildernesse of sinne is our hearts darling wee fancy no place naturally so much as this wildernesse no wayes please us so well as the wayes of sinne There is something in every particular place that suits some mans particular fancy that makes him abide there There is something in every particular sinne that suits some sinners particular fancy and that makes him dwell there still Our heart naturally suits with these wayes of sinne therefore it is that men walke in them still 2ly Cuflomatinesse Secondly A Customary aboad I have lived saith one all my dayes in the City and I doe not know how now to dwell in the Country I have lived saith another all my daies in the Country and I cannot tell how to away with the City Aire the City-noises the City-Company c. Our hearts by nature are and ever have been accustomed to the wildernesse therefore the bent of our hearts is to the Wildernesse-ward still We cannot brook dwelling in Gods holy City the heavenly Jerusalem We have not been accustomed to such manner of living such company such converse You have both these pregnantly expressed in one scripture Jer. 14.10 Thus saith God to this people Thus have they loved to wander they have not refrained their feet They have loved to wander there 's their innate affection to this spirituall Wildernesse They have not refrained their feet there is their Customary bewildring Wandring they love and wandring they are used to It suites with their phancy and it is that which they have spent their daies in and upon these two accompts it is that the bent of their hearts is towards the Wildernesse And now Secondly Our hearts prevalent in tempting us upon two grounds If the bent of our hearts be Wildernesse-ward it 's easie to conceive how they bend us towards the Wildernesse Hos 4.8 they set their heart on thoir iniquity and I will punish them for their waies Verse 9. Their waies are according to the bent of their hearts So 2 Tim. 3.6 Led away with divers lusts Lusts those are the stirrings and motions of the heart and these are the tempters to lead us away Remarkable is that Ezek. 12 21. But as for them whose heart walketh after their abominations I 'le recompence their waies upon their own heads Such therefore as their hearts are such will their waies be And that upon these two grounds First our hearts are the men of our Counsell 1. They are our Bosome-Counsellors They lie in our bosoms and therefore as to the choice of all our waies with them it is that we consult Our bosom-friends and darling relations are our hearts If man be refractory as to any way It 's policy to perswade the wife of his bosom prevail with her and 't is likely she will prevail with him Satan when hee would seduce us into any of his waies hee first makes it his businesse to overcome our hearts in our bosoms and us by them Pray thee husband go saith the wife and then he goes Pray go saith the heart and away he goes 1 Tim. 2.13 Adam was not deceived that is not first but the woman being deceived was in the transgression Two things there are here remarkable First the woman that lay in Adams bosom was bewildred for so the word signifies before the man Secondly the heart of the woman was bewildred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before she her self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was led to go astray The woman in Adams bosom bewildred him the heart in Eves bosom bewildred her The influence of the wife of thy bosom to perswade thee is grounded upon propriety Shee being thine own so nearly so dearly thou think'st she will not
for all him or any of his commands while he is without but now if once he enter the City then they must goe whither soever he drives them some to Prison some into the Water others to the Gallowes others into the Wildernesse so though there be legions of Devils without us yet till they enter us our hearts may keepe their own motions yea though they be round about us but you 'l say They must needs go whom the Devill drives though it be into Water as the herd of swine into the halter as Judas in the Wildernesse as Legion and the Devill may easily drive when he enters and indeed may easily enter because hee is a Spirit Sirs What can possibly keep out a Spirit shut downe your Windowes lock your doores yea though your Gates were Iron and your Barres of Brasse yet will a Spirit enter and that without penetration because it s not a body 'T is said Luk. 22.3 That Satan then entred into Judas From henceforward trace him and where ever he goes you may plainly see the Devill drives him It followes immediately verse 4. And he went his way He goes Christs wayes no longer but his owne and his owne are but Satans for first he goes and betrayes his Master and then he goes and hangs himselfe He must needs goe the Devill drives him Drunkards you little thinke who drives you to the Alehouse he that drives you is got within you and therefore though you cannot see him yet you goe with him whithersoever he would have you to goe so it is with all sinners Satan's a Spirit and therefore he can enter he enters and therefore he can drive hee can drive and you must therefore needs go and hence you are driven of the Devill into the Wilderness as hee was Luk. 8.29 2ly He as a Spirit is akinne to the soule 2ly Satan is a Spirit and therefore he is as it were akinne to the soule You know the proverb concerning Birds and I may say in some sort Satan is of a feather with our soules and one wing one way Hence it is that when our soules see Satan goe before we are so mad of fluttering aftrr Beloved Satans suggestions are so alike our owne hearts motions that wee sometimes shall finde it very hard to know his footsteps from our owne Now marke If a man be in a Wildernesse and there be never so many tracts of this and that and th' other wild beast if the man light upon a print but of one mans foot oh that 's the way that he will be sure to take and Satans footsteps are so like ours that who can sometimes know the print asunder You have Peter disswading Christ from suffering Mat. 16.22 And 't is said Peter began to rebuke him and I verily thinke that Peter thought it it was his owne way and an expression of his owne hearts love to Jesus Christ and I believe the other Disciples thought it was a print of Peters feet of Peters tender affections to his Lord and Master But it seemes it was not so or primarily so 't was Satans footstep rather then Peters for Jesus turn'd him and said unto him Get thee behind me Satan verse 23. We are often going Satans way when we think we are going but our own way Therefore with ease may Satan lead you into the wildernes when wee may so easily perswade you that is your own way Thirdly Satan is a spirit 3. He as a spirit is able to converse reason with the soul and therefore able to Converse with the soul as to look our spirits as I may say in the face in their own likenesse so also to speak to them in their own language As Hannah spake with her heart when shee spake not with her lips so can Satan speak to our hearts and they to him without any opening of the lips for both are spirits As are wee so Satan is a discursive rationall spirit and as at first he disputed out the businesse with Eve and prevailed so ever since in the serpents voice though not in the serpent skin hee maintaines a like argument in our soules and this hee can do because a spirit You shall therefore finde that the same that is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 6.11 the bewildrings of Satan is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2.11 the devices of Satan so we read it but the word is that which signifies the reasonings and arguings of our hearts So then Satan seduceth us into the Wildernesse by pressing upon us our own arguments he perswades us by our own logick in the naturall language of our own hearts A Lyon may roar long enough before a man that is without the Forrest and hears him would come in to him But if instead of a Lyon a man were there calling and so the other should hear one crying in his owne voice and language that might perhaps perswade him It were vain for Satan to roar men into sin though hee be a roaring Lion but he must flatter them into it by secret whisperings in their own language to their soules If the Devill should appear and speak to the drunkard in the morning in a dog or a toad as he doth to some witches sure the Drunkard would be affrighted for that day But he speaks in the mans own hearts language Go to such a place there 's such company and such ber c. Therefore that Scripture is sadly to be thought up Ezek. 11.21 Their heart goes after the heart of their dete stable things and of their abominations Here 's one heart going after another the heart of the tempted after the heart of the temptation Our hearts in sinning going after Satans heart in tempting He projects and we prosecute his heart designes and our heart pursues the designe The temptations of Satan are destable yet they are after his heart and our heart goes after the heart of the detestable things that is after Satans heart you see the same word that signifies our Cogitations the Holy Ghost useth for Satans devices and this is because hee is a Spirit Secondly As he is a Spirit so he is an Angell and this gives him yet far greater advantage 2dly He is an Angel and therefore can present all his temptations specious and angelicall God tells them Exod. 23.20 that he would send his Angell before them and that encourages them to venture upon that Wildernesse So Satan sends his Angell before poor souls and so gets them into this spirituall Wildernesse He is an Angell and therefore all his temptations shall be guilded temptations beautified with Angells feathers Though he be a Devill yet his Apparitions to the soul shall be as an Angell even as an Angell of light 2 Cor. 11.14 'T is said of some that they draw iniquity with Cords of Vanity and sin as it were with Cart-ropes Isa 5.18 and what are these drawing Cords ver 20. they call evill good and put light for
darknesse and sweet for bitter and whence is this but because the Devill can appear as an Angell the first view of temptation is as Paradise the last view or end thereof as Hell The young man is inticed Pro. 7. with a deckt bed Coverings of Tapestry carved works fine linnen of Aegypt perfumes of Mirrhe Aloes and Cinamon fill of love solaces with loves ver 16 17 18. Fair words and shewes but flattering ver 19. and he goes after these but 't is like an Ox to the slaughter or a fool to the Correction of the stocks This then is Satans leading-influence his temptations though as Hell as Devills seem as faire as Angells Therefore I may say of Satan though he speak thee fair believe him not for there are seven abomination in his heart as Pro. 26.25 Thirdly As he is a Spirit and an Angell 3dly He is a Devil and so cares not what meanes he useth so is hee a Devill and therefore hath yet the more advantage A Devill therefore he cares not what means he useth to bewilder soules A Minister must not lie for God he must not vent a lie to save a soul But Satan will tell a thousand to undoe a soul Yea he had as live damne them with speaking false as true he is a Devill and therefore cares not what way he goes One of you shall betray me saith Christ One of us Lord might they say who could find in his heart to do so who could dare to doe so why saith Christ One of you is a Devill He can do any thing he is a Devill A Devill cares not what he saith nor what he swears in order to the ruine of a poor sool An high-way man cares not though he swear you or lye you into a wrong way telling you its right that there he may have opportunity to rob you Ioh. 8.44 When he that is the Devill speaketh a lie hee speaketh it of his own for he is a lyer and a Father of it and that because he is a Devill CHAP. XI Contains its further opening and improvement FOurthly The Relations that Satan stands in 4. Head His relations to the men of the World do greatly advantage him as to their bewildring what was 't think you that perswaded the little Ones amongst the Israelites to adventure into that Wildernesse sure it was because their Relations went Their parents went and what made their Parents go why because Moses their Prince and leader went and what was 't that made Moses go because God had told him that he would be with him and go before him as you may clearly observe in that story And verily one great advantage that Satan hath to bewilder soules is the relations that he stands in to unregenerate souls 1. He is a father to the World therefore followed readily First Satan is in relation of a Father to them Suppose you should chuse to live in a desert doe you think your Children would not be willing to bear you Company to do as you doe and be where you are surely most Children would You would follow a Father even into a Forrest though it were a place of danger you would bee loath your Father should goe alone Naturall relation teaches in such a Case to say as Ruth to Naomi Ruth 1.16 Whither thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge And such indeed is the language of our hearts to Satan who as we are unregenerate stands related as a father to us The very reason why men doe his workes and walk in his waies Our Saviour gives Jo. 8.44 You are of your Father the Deuill and his workes you will do They do them and they will do them and what 's the reason they are of their Father The young mans Father in the Gospell bids him go into his Vineyard and he cryes I go sir Satan your Father bids you drink and rail and curse and revenge c. and the Lord knowes you goe sirs at his Command 2. He is a Prince to the world 2ly Satan stands related to them as their Prince therefore they 'l follow him into the Wildernesse What hath beene the common voice of these times What shall not I go after my King shall not I follow my Prince yea that they would though into a Wildernesse You have mention of thousands of murderers in the Wildernesse Acts 21.38 and whence was it oh oh their leader that Egyptian went before them thither So in spiritualls Eph. 2.1 2 3 You were dead in trespasses that is in your goings out of the way Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world and what followes according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit that now rules in the Children of disobedience among whom we also had our Conversation in times past c. By nature we all walk in this Course that is race or way as long as we stand in relation to and are under the power of this Prince Thirdly 3. He is the God of the World Satan stands related as a God unto them What gracious heart would not willingly follow God though he should lead them into a Wildernesse of affliction and surely Satan being their God they are soone perswaded to follow him into this Wildernesse of sin you have mention made of some that are lost spiritually 2 Cor. 4.3 If our Gospell be hid it 's hid to them that are lost If the light be hid or the guidance be in vain it is to those that are lost yea but how came they to be lost ver 4. In whom the God of this world hath blinded their Eyes c. He is their God hence it is that they are lost Fifthly Consider Satans Experience 5. Head His experience He hath bewildred all meerly men therefore hee may easily bewilder thee it gives him great advantage to bewilder thee Oh Satan is so old a serpent that he knowes all the turnings of the Wildernesse and he can soon tell when hee doth but see thee which of them all will best suit with thee It is not strange Satan should bewilder thee that hath bewildred so many thousands before thee There never was a meere man but Satan both led him into the Wildernesse and lost him there Avoid her waies saith Solomon of the tempting harlot Pro. 7.25 go not astray in her paths for she hath cast down many wonded yea many strong men have been slain by her ver 26. Take heed of comming near this Lyons Den for he hath drawn as many as ever pass'd by into it And dost thou thinke amongst all the soules that Satan hath bewildred in former ages there hath not been some one just of thy complexion and constitution if there have beene then as a last made for anothers yet if it be of the same size with thy foot it will fit thy foot So the same temptation the same way wil serve to wilder thee David was a ruddy
man of complexion and the Devill knew by a look of him what path of the Wildernesse would entangle him The Devill hath bewildred passionate folks before and proud folks before and lustfull ones before and covetous ones before c. and it cannot be but what ever the length of thy foot is that Satan by this time should have a way in the Wildernesse fitted for thee As an old cheat that will have more tricks then one that if one fail another may take and that the young fool might not know all So Satan Pro. 5.6 lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life his waies are moveable so that thou canst not know them And this is his great advantage It may be thou art a young Christian a young Saint but thou hast to doe with an Old Serpent Use If Satan have so great advantage to bewiider you And thus you have heard what advantages on all hands Satan hath to bewilder the soul I shall desire the improvement of it in a word or two You have heard that our own hearts are Wildenesses of sinne and tempters too into the Wildernesse that Satan by Legions and their ageement being a spirit himselfe and and â—n Angell and a Devill as also being a Father a Prince a God to the naturall man and lastly being an old Serpent experienced in all the windings and turnings of the Wildernesse is easily able to bewilder soules and if you be convinced then 1. Caution in the choice of your way First Be very carefull in the choice of your way Would you cleanse your way then take heed thereto Ps 119 9. My friends as you would tremble at the thoughts of following Satan as your King and God and Father in his way bee very carefull in the choice of your own waies I have observed that carelesnesse of our waies is the adding of advantage to Satan to all his advantages and 't is as if you should say Satan hath not enough already I le give him more How many are there that goe on and on and never consider in what way or to what end He that goes and considers not whither is like to be lost he knowes not where Jer. 3.12 God calls Israel a back-sliding people It followes ver 13. acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed or gone out of the way and and hast scattered thy waies to strangers Mark that Those that are inconsiderate and heedlesse of what things they have are they that scatter them Here 's a scattering of waies to this strange temptation and that strange lust c. now what is the way to keep from scattering but by narrow looking to that which otherwise we should scatter As David saith I said I will take heed unto my waies Psal 39.1 Those then that are heedlesse of their waies are scatterers of their waies and know it sirs whatever waies you scatter Satan will be sure to gather Scatter a Sermon out of your memories and these fowls of the aire will pick it up and carry it away Scatter but a thought or any affection on a carnal or sinfull object the Devill will snatch it up and carry it away This then is the desperate folly of our hearts that by heedlesnesse wee should scatter our waies to strangers Therefore saith the same Prophet to the same People Jer. 6.16 thus saith the Lord stand ye in the waies and see and ask c. Surely many a man 's bewlldred because when time was he did not stand and ask Oh that I could bring but sinners to a stand this day whither away so fast thou galloping drunkard ranting roister What wilt not once stop before thou lightest at Hell-Tavern Wilt thou take all the wayes thou hittest upon without once enquiring whether thou art in the right way Oh! Pause a little and aske and see Perhaps there may be nere another house betwixt thee and the Wildernesse to inquire at Perhaps thou maist never heare a Sermon more or be at a publique meeting more and therefore whilest thou passest by the doore of this dayes discourse stand a while and aske and see What madnesse is it to runne preposterously into any way when a sober inquiry might find a right I am confident this is the undoing of many a soule they are never brought to a stand till Hell stops them But let us take Gods counsell to day in Gods feare to stand and ask and see and choose Two Expressions of David laid together may engage Christians hereunto Psal 119.30 I have chosen the way of truth I have stuck unto thy testimonies verse 31. And I will run the way of thy Commandements Oh! sirs Choosing Christians will be sticking Christians If you will walke in Gods wayes deliberately and of choice you 'l find in your heart to stick to those wayes yea though you mend your pace yet to keepe your way though you runne yet to stick still and then though thou see the God and King and Father of the world going another way and all the world in course following after him yea though thy naturall heart had been accustomed too and had loved the other way yet having made such a stand and in thy stand such a choice of this way here thou wilt stick notwithstanding all the other wayes 2ly Be carefull of your Way-markes 2ly Since Satan hath such advantage to bewilder you be very observant of your Way-markes you heard before of taking heed unto your waies and this must be according to Gods Word Psal 119.9 If a Father send his Sonne such a dangerous journey where there are many upon the Way whose businesse it is to turne the traveller aside that they might in a Corner make a spoile of him the young man knows not the way only the Father gives him a Paper of directions concerning it At such a place you must turne on the left hand of such a steeple and when you goe farther you must turne on the right hand of such a Wind-mill c. Now when he comes to such a place and sees such a steeeple he perceiveth the marks to be true markes a Robber enters discourse with him enquires his way tells him his way lies right with his they come neare the steeple or windmill c. The Robber tells him he must turn one way he lookes on his Note and that saith he must turne another upon this he seasonably and securely parts and avoids the danger by due observance of his Way-marks Therefore saith God to Ephraim his Son and deare Child to repenting Ephraim Jer. 31.21 Set thine heart towards the high way set thee up Way-marks My Brethren lest the lying Devill should bewilder us God hath given the Holy Scriptures for Way-marks unto us Keepe your Markes or lose your way God hath blessed be his name set down in a Paper which way we should goe and what way we should turne from both upon the right hand and upon the left And this use of the Scriptures is
presidented to us by Christ himself the onely begotten Sonne of God Satan leads him to the Wildernesse with designe could it have been to bewilder him there He would turne him as you heard before into many wayes presumption self-murder c. but Christ though he knew of himselfe the evill from the good yet to direct us too and to credit the use of the scriptures herein He looks upon his writing and turnes off all upon that account No saith Christ spare thy Counsels and get thee behind me Satan thy wayes and my Way-marks doe not agree Mat. 4.3 Go this way saith Satan no saith Jesus verse 4 It is written c. Then goe that way saith Satan verse 6. And because he temptâ— againe Jesus said unto him it is written again c. verse 7. But then saith Satan if thou wilt goe neither of the other yet goe this way and thou shalt get by it All these will I will give thee if thou wilt worship me verse 9. No saith Jesus Get thee hence Satan my writing saith I must goe another way For it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely verse 10. Note You may sadly observe in these times how soone they that have flowne off from the Scriptures have also flowne off from all the wayes of God These are the Way-marks whereunto you doe well if you take heed 2 Pet. 1.19 3ly Take great heed unto your guide 3ly If your enemy Satan hath such advantage to bewilder then take you great heed of your friend and guide keep close to Jesus Christ 1. To his footsteps 2. To his voyce 1. His footsteps First Keepe close to the footsteps of your Guide His waies are all just and true who is the King and leader of the Saints Rev. 15 3. Therefore thou canst not goe amisse in keeping close to his foot In all the History of Jesus Christ what waies you read that he walked in those wayes walke you in I finde him much in the wayes of strict Obedience to all Gods Commandements of full beliefe in all Gods promises of selfe-denyall Righteousnesse and sobriety as to the things of men and his own things and of exact carefulnesse in all Gods Ordinances and Worship publique and private in those wayes doe you walke We may take up a lamentation for ever when wee thinke how prompt and ready we have been to follow the course of him that is God of the world and how backward and unwilling to follow Jesus Christ who is the King of Saints 'T is said of Abraham and it must be so of you sirs Isai 41.2 That God called him to his foot Oh labour thou to keepe thee there 2. His voice 2ly Keepe close to your Guides voyce If you bee sometimes as those in Isaiah Walking in darknesse and having no light if you cannot see his footsteps yet you may heare his voyce and if you walke exactly after that you may keepe your way at midnight Isai 30.21 Thine ears shall heare a word behind thee saying this is the way walke in it when you turn to the right hand or to the left Though there be legions to bewilder thee on one hand and the corrupt inclinations of thine heart within on the other yet hath God promised a voice behind thee he pursues thee with suggestions and motions of his owne spirit Onely grieve not that holy Spirit by stopping thine ears against his wise charmings Whâ—re there is such a word to say this is the way 't is fit there should be Ears to heare He that hath Eyes to see the Guides footsteps and Ears to heare his voyce and writes down in his heart those Way-marks will doubtlesse hold on in his way as the righteous Iob 17.9 Yea and as the Innocent grow stronger and stronger CHAP. XII Quest What paines Satan takes to bewilder soules opened and applyed WE come in the second place to consider Discovery of the point in the 2. Query viz. What paines Satan takes to bewilder soules The paines that Satan takes to bewilder or to turne poore soules out of the way that he may devour them in the wildernesse You know the paines a Spirit takes is incessant paines When you sleepe your soule waketh and when you sleep Satan who is a Spirit waketh Now all that incessant paines that Satan takes is onely in order hereunto 1 Pet. 5.8 Your adversary the Devill walkes as a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in the faith verse 9. All his paines are to this purpose Three things I hence note unto you to our present purpose That all the paines that Satan takes he takes it as a wild beast of the Wildernesse as a Lyon of the Forrest Againe That all that paines is out of emnity to and in order to the ruine of poore soules Lastly That there is no way for your security but the holding of your ground and standing stiffely in the way where God hath set you lose your ground and you lose your soules therefore resist him stedfast in the faith The same counsel is prescribed in the same case Jam. 4.7 Submit to God but resist the Devill If God meet you in your way as he did Moses Exod. 4.24 Submit unto him but when Satan meets you in your way and would hinder your passage take heed take heed of turning aside keepe your standing sirs Resist that 's stand against him as the phrase is Ephe. 6.11 That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devill That is neither turne to the right hand nor to the left for flattery nor for feare of Satan but stand where you are and keepe your way and so you shall keepe out of the Wildernesse Methinks though you should be faint-hearted affraid to fight with Satan for the way yet when God thus comes after you and by a voyce behind you calls to you to keepe the Way then methinks you should bee encouraged to turne the Devill back or aside out of your way Now this is the call of Gods voice 1 Cor. 16.13 Stand fast in the faith and quit your selves like men so Eccles 5.1 Keep thy foot saith God keep thy footing Oh! this is Gods frequent counsell and therefore let us in opposition to Satan and obedience to God as David Psal 101.3 Hate the work of them that turn aside Hate thou those works and the rather for as much as the Devill loves to be imployed in the turning of souls aside For discovery whereof Discovery hereof in three heads Observe when ever Satan changeth either Postures Persons or Practises all is done in order to turn poor soules out of the way 1. 1. Head All his postures 1. When Serpent and couchant You shal find Satan in different postures throughout Scripture and all to this one purpose The first posture that ever we find the Devill in was Serpent or a creeping posture Gen. 3.1 He comes meekly and lowly as
my purpose is that Ro. 2.19 â—rt thou confident that thou thy self art a guide of the blind hat teachest another and teachest not thy self that sai'st a man should not steal and thou stealest c. thou art a sad Guide indeed saith God though thou bee never so confident that thou art a Guide and indeed we use to say None so bold as blind-bayard None will take it usually more in snuff to be undervalued as to their Ministery then such lame dead standing resting Ministers 2 A civility preaching Minry 2. A Civility-preaching or practising Minister that in neither life nor doctrine goes farther whose business it is only to make their hearers good neighbours and as they call it good Townsmen living lovingly and dealing righteously truly that 's good and it may be themselves will set them a Copy therein by living peaceably and honestly amongst their Neighbours And I would all that are called Ministers would doe so well But yet let such know that they and their people for all such preaching and practising are in the Wildernesse if they come no farther There are some Ministers in the World of this stamp whose people I believe would go to Hell and dye in the Wildernesse of sin though they should do all that their Ministers bid them do When the civill man came to Christ asked him what he should do to inherit Eternal life Christ to try him Preacheth at first after their rate Mat. 19.18 19 thou shalt not commit Adultery nor steal c. and honor thy Father and Mother c. Why thus far it seems his teachers had taught him and thus far he had learnt from his youth ver 20. say you so Oh! but saith Christ Luk. 18.22 One thing thou lackest go and sell all and follow me which is the sum of the Gospell that which he had learnt was Morality but one thing he lackt and that was Divinity that was Christianity that was self-deniall self-abasing gospell-humbling gospell-repentance sell all and gospell-faith and gospell-obedience come and follow me this Doctrine he was never taught before and this he never learnt and therefore notwithstanding his proficiency in the other and due observancy of those Guides yet was hee left in the Wildernesse still and lost therâ— as you may see in the close of the story 3. A generall preaching Ministry 3. A general preaching Minister that either preacheth notions or generall things of Doctrine or else practicall truths but in a generall way Truly the reason I believe that people generally continue bewildred is Ministers preaching so much in a generall way to particular soules in their naturall condition that do not use to take home any more to themselves then we carry home into their bosoms whether almost they will or no. Surely as it is not food in generall that supports or Physick in generall that heales the body so is it not the truth in general that cures the soul but this or that food or Physick applyed to this or that body or this or that truth applyed to this or that soul You know that Drunkards doe usually sleepe under invectives in generall against Drunkennesse and be very safe too Oh! I am not the Drunkard I am but a good fellow or the like till the word come close and plain and home And truly the Guidance of a generall-preaching Minister is little more worth then the Counsell of a Country-Ideot that when a travailer should ask the way to London hee should answer London-Road and the man should reply yea but which is London-Road or which way shall I take to get into it and he should answer nay I cannot tell So they preach that sin is the way to Hel and Repentance and Faith are the way to Heaven yea but saith a poor soule which hears them preach thus generally yea but what is Faith or Repentance or how shal we do to know whether I repent or believe or no What is it to mortifie the deeds of the flesh and what is it to walk after the spirit which you say we must do and truly the Minister is come the next time to a new Text and never unties the old knot And so the poor soul is as much at a losse as ever it was Onely it knowes now that sinne will damn it and that faith would save it but how to get out of the Wildernesse of sin or how to get into the way of faith never doth the Minister shew and this is the guidance of generall Preaching A sad instance of such Preaching and an happy instance of the contrary we have at once in one Preacher upon one hearer Nathan and David Nathan he forms a curious and elegant story wherein he lively wittily reproves Davids sin to Davids very face 2 Sam. 12. the four first verses Now mark as hee Preaches in the generall so David assents in the generall and is convinced in the generall ver 5. as the Lord lives saith David the man shall die that did this Why David was the man But yet for all the beating of the very bush that David was hid in till David himself comes by particular and plain dealing to bee smitten upon the generall conviction is not worth any thing to him but himselfe lies secure in the Wildernesse of sin still But when Nathan comes to preach particularly David begins to apply particularly and when Nathan smites him he smites upon his own breast Thou art the man saith Nathan ver 7. Thus saith the Lord I did thus and thus for thee verses 7 8. and yet thou hast done thus and thus against me Thou hast slain Uriah and thou hast taken his wife to bee thy wife and thou hast despised the Commandement of the Lord and thou hast done evill c. ver 9. And therefore saith the Lord I will raise up evill against thee and the sword shall never depart from thine bouse ver 10 11. Now David begins to be startled to purpose and to be down-right in acknowledgement as Nathan was in conviction And David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. Verse 13. Whilst Nathan the cries man did soso and David cries the man shall die But when Nathan cries thou art the man David criee I have sinned against the Lord and if you read but the Penitentiall Psalms of David you shall find what a sad cry it was Particular Preaching makes penitent hearers Whilest Peter cries out Ye have Crucified c. Act. 2 36. They cry out What shal we do v. 37. We say Dolus latet in Universalibus It is easie to deceive or to be deceived by generalls A sedulous inquiry in quiry into the particulars of truth and a close application to particular Cases are the choice meanes for us Ministers to undeceive others and to be undeceived as to the state of our own soules Thus much of the third bewildring Guidance viz. of some Ministers so called Come we now to the next CHAP. VI. There are
away with their dissimulation v. 13. Querie But you will say How shall I doe to know Satans voice from Peters since it seemes Satan can speake in Peter or how shall I do to walk in the waies of Peter as a Saint and to keep out of his paths so far forth as sinfull I answer by looking beyond all Solution unto that guidance which is one and which is above all Thou maist and must set the cloud of witnesses before thee and follow them but thine eye must still be fixt upon the first guide Heb. 12.1 2. Seeing we are compassed about with a Cloud of witnesses let us run with patience the race that is set before us verse 1. Looking to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith verse 2. Thus Paul saith of those 1 Thes 1.6 Ye became followers of us and of the Lord. It s good following of the Saints when in them thou see'st that thou followest the King of Saints Paul desires godly persons or Ministers may desire no more but that you should follow them so far as they follow Christ Oh that the Saints would exceedingly feare sinning upon this accoune Perhaps the wicked sees thy sinning that never sees thy sorrowing and if God in mercy bring thee out of the Wildernesse yet maist thou leave â—y thine ensample another there irrecoverably who though he found thy way in yet will never be able to find thy way out again but there must perish to all eternity 6ly The next meanes of Satans improvement to bewilder is 6th Guidance Mistaken duties to bewilder us in our duty by the prompting guidance of another duty to lead us out of our now-duty Oh! 't is very dangerous when 't is our duty as we mistake it that becomes a false guidance to us Untimousnesse may unduty our duty Psa 137.4 The Lords songs are not at all times to be song Now its Satans policy when he cannot break us from the duty then to divert and disturbe us from the time But Solomon tells us That God hath appointed a season for all things to rejoyce Note and to mourn c. To every purpose there 's a season Eccles 3.1 Now that may be thy duty to day which would be thy sinne another time and it must needs be so because the whole nature of some duties lyeth in reference to the season so that when the Season ceaseth the duty ceaseth to be then our duty yea that which was duty because of that season becomes sinne because of this as for instance many civill duties at some season and upon some occasions It is meet that we should make merry Luk. 15.32 And it is better to go to the house of mourning at another season and upon another occasion Eccel 7.2 Yea in Religious Duties too on these I shall insist because its Satans great businesse herein and hereby to bewilder us I shall for instance pitch upon our two great and solemne occasionall duties Humiliation and Thansgiving although some proportion of these are as blood and water that runne through all our veynes and must runne through all our spirituall exercises Instance you shall too often find 1. That when God calls us to soul-humbling our spirits are for rejoycing and refreshing for this God challengeth Israel Isa 58.3 In the day of your fast you find pleasure 2ly When God calls us to soul-rejoycing our Spirits are then for soul-humbling This God reproveth also in the same people at another time Nehem. 8.9 This day is holy to the Lord weep not neither mourn for all the people wept and verse 10. Goe your way eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions c. neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength verse 10. Now Satan hath great advantage hereunto through our ignorance for surely the the people thought they did dwell in weeping Why 't was for their sinnes when they heard the Law read 't was for offending God that they wept could this at any time be unseasonable Yes that measure of it now was and to bee reproved as Nehemiah and Ezrah did And thus doth Satan by the guidance of some other mistaken duty turne us aside from that frame of spirit that wee ought to have in the present duty When God bids them mourne they find pleasure when he cals them to find pleasure and to rejoyce before him Note they mourn bitterly Thou maist be affectionate in a sin thinking it verily to be a dutie Querie But now here lies the difficulty Psal 2.11 We are commanded to rejoyce with trembling how then can Satan be said to leade us out of the way by the one from the other when both together are our duty and if so how could Israel be reproved for their mourning in the day of their rejoycing since rejoycing is not as it should be without trembling nor by the same Rule and Scripture must trembling be without rejoycing rejoyce with your trembling Ans I answer I apprehend it true that there must be something of an Humiliation day in every Thansgiving if rightly managed and something of a Thansgiving in every soul-afflicting day else may wee mourne our selves into despaire or joy our selves into presumption Surely there 's no contrariety in Christian duty therefore two different duties may be incumbent on the same subject at the same time and one frame of spirit made up of both fit for either but withall the duty of the day must as we say carry the day or else we sinne In a Thanksgiving day we must rejoyce with trembling in an Humiliation we must tremble with rejoycing Now Satans businesse is to transport us beyond due bounds by poysing our spirits most unto that whereof should be least as was clear in those instances and is too often in our expriences and so to bewilder us in duty by duty If you 'l aske how much must there then be of trembling in our holy Feasts or of rejoycing in our Fasts I answer just so much as makes us fitter for the due management of the present duty A little of spiriuall joy gives advantage as your experiences can speak unto the due guidance of godly sorrow And a little trembling rightly attempers holy rejoycing and whatsoever is more then thus commeth of evill Now Satans businesse is to make us lose our sorrowes in rejoycing or our joy in sorrowes and our selves into both and ever most of that whereof the present day and duty calls for least and thus may not onely a Felix want a convenient season but you Saints may find it difficult to redeeme a season for soule-searching from prayer or for resolving upon Reformation afterward in a serious sort from soul-searching You may enlarge it in other instances as his bewildring our Meditations by enclining us then to pray or to break us off from prayer by injecting usefull Meditations as formerly I have hinted and the like to these CHAP. XVI Containes two last bewildring Guides seeming
2. Such as trust to their endeavours Secondly for such as endeavour but trust to what they do these are as far out as the other Ask them what will you make your prayers your righteousnesse your alms your attendance upon the word your duties your Saviour will you rest there why those as you have heard are but part of the waies of the Wildernesse still Say you so saith that soul nay but you shall never make me believe that doth not the Scripture say wash you make you clean Isa 1.16 Cast away your transgressions make you a new heart and a new spirit why will you die turn your selves and live you Ezek. 18.31 32. Doth not the Scripture say If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land Isa 1.19 Why I have done thus and I have been thus and why should not I expect to live by what I have done and to receive what God hath promised as I have done what God hath commanded And so when the forementioned soul shall come and tell God that he is an austere Master gathering where he did not sow if he bid them do what the Scripture saith they cannot do as that wicked servant Luk. 19.21 The later wil come and boast and glory in himselfe as that wicked Pharisee Luk. 18.11 God I thank thee I have been and I have done so and so Now both these are out of the way and yet they think that Scripture is their guide as that blasphemous Papist who when he had vented his popish tenets and as he pretended and perhaps thought managed them by Scripture hee breaks out in a wretched rapture If I saith he be deceived decepisti ô Petre decepisti ô Paule Peter and Paul had deceived him Scripture had deceived him c. but amongst all the rest forgets that which was truest that the Devill transformed into an Angell of light had deceived him Querie But in this case what shall we do I confesse they are to be sadly pitied that erre and think they have the Scriptures company and countenance in their Erring although I believe there are many that pretend the Scriptures against their own light as Satan to our Saviour Answ I answer Wee are not in the least from hence to slight the true guidance of the Scriptures no more then wee should cease to drink because some abuse the good creature unto drunkennesse But now that we may come at this true guidance I shall entreat you to deal by Scripture as the Apostle saith of the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.29 Let the Prophets speak two or three and let the other judge and ver 32. The spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets Let 's hear what the Scriptures can say that put the soul upon working as if it had a self-ability and le ts hear what those speake also that call the soul off from leaning upon its owne indeavours as being when it hath done all an unprofitable servant and le ts hear what a third shall judge of them both and surely if both kinds of Scriptures should seem to strive as I may so say a third would come in and say as he said vitulo tu dignus ille est both have wonne Read but Phil. 2.12.13 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and and to doe of his own good pleasure You must work it out yet it is God that worketh in you It is God that worketh in you of his own good pleasure yet you must work it out yea and therefore for it is God c. 2dly As to times 2. In two sorts of times there are two sorts of them as to Gods account six daies he hath given us the seventh he hath reserved for himself Now then all the week the men of the World spend peaceably in seeking onely after the World 1. Weekdaies all the week-daies I say and they would not have you blame them for it if they hear a Lecture now and then they think that 's more then they need to do the Minister is beholding to them for their Company and God for their attendance and they 'l have Scripture to follow too Why is it not written Six daies thou shalt labour 'T is true say I but again is it not written therein thou shalt do all that thou hast to do and hast thou nothing to do for a poor soul hast thou a Family to provide for and many things to do as Martha about them and hast thou no provision to make for a poore soule of a truth this is exceeding sad 2. Lords-day Again when the Lords day comes then some in the City or in the Town sleep it eat and drink it almost all away rising that morning very late as having sate up very late the night before at work and goe that night to bed very early that they may be up soon on monday morning to follow the World They take their penniworths out of the sleep of their Apprentices all the week before and they willingly suffer their Apprentices to take their penniworths out of the Lords day morning and evening and they will tell you they have Scripture for it too why doth not Scripcall it a day of rest Again as for those that live in the Country and have other kind of affairs they think if they wait but on the publick Ordinances they do hugely well for as for all their other time they spend it in foddering or milkng or looking after their Oxen and swine and sheep and the like And doth not Scripture tell them they may do so they 'l tell you that Christ allowes it them Mat. 12.11 But doth not Christ that allowes thee to pull an Oxe out of a ditch upon the Sabbath much more require thee to pull thy poor soul out of the fire with fear and trembling Thou thinkst it is fit to look after a dumb Creature that is gone astray upon the Lords day and may perish if thou looke not after it and the Sabbath thou l't say from Scripture is a day of mercy True but doth the Scripture give thee leave in such a day to be onely cruell to thine owne soule that that may be lost and wander in the Wildernesse and never bee lookt after Oh! take heed whilest you pretend to be led by Scripture-guidance lest you become unrighteous Judges of the Scriptures in your own thoughts though God hath said That he will have mercy and not sacrifice yet how canst thou thinke that in such a day God will have mercy shown to Beasts and to Bodies and not to Souls And thus you see how Satan makes it his businesse by Scripture-guidance to bewilder soules I could multiply instances Instance in distressed Consciences Alas how doe poore distressed Conscience urge Scriptures against themselves to hinder themselves from laying hold on Jesus Christ and to the condemning of themselves and their courses
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 8â— 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 â—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
hath done for God c. Lu. 18.12 And yet went away unstified v. 14. Think of those lost souls that shall come to Christ in the last day telling what they have done for him how they have preached in his Name and cast out Devils for him c. And yet Christ tells them he doth not know them Think of Noahs Workmen that holpe to build the Ark yet were not saved by the Ark. But you wil then say What shall we do with our doings truly I must say as to the business of justification and making your peace with God say when you have done all as Lu. 17.10 That you are but unprofitable servants 3ly But when the soul comes to be yet farther enlightned and directed 3d. Darkness We must be humbled to such a degree so as to think indeed that what it can give or what it can do are nothing indeed neither are they that which as to peace-making God requires yet is there bewildring darkness upon the Spirit when the soul comes to be of Davids mind and to speake his language Psal 51.16 Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt-Offerings then in comes the 17 v. The sacrifices of God are a broken heart and here the poor creature is at a losse and in the dark still crying out Oh! what shall I do for such a Sacrifice Now goeth he to hammer his own spirit and to see if he can break his own heart and yet it doth not please him Poore ones place this brokenness of heart in such a measure of being humbled yea David might well say indeed that he he had a Broken heart so a sacrifice which God would not despise for he watered his Couch with his tears if I could do so saith the soul I durst then think that I had a Sacrifice Yea but prophane Esau had multitude of brinish teares and yet he had no Sacrifice Heb. 12.17 Thou thinkst the Sacrifice of broken-heartednesse consists in such degrees of being humbled and till thou come to such a measure as such an one had thou darest not believe in Jesus Christ and so thou still walkest in darknesse Observe what the Psalmist sayes The sacrifices of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the Sacrifice but the Sacrifices of God are a broken heart And here it seems that a Broken heart if it go alone and carry not along with it another Sacrifice viz. Christ can never be acceptable unto God For it is not onely expresly manifest that David looks beyond the Sacrifices of the Law by what he saith in the precedent verse but it is to me evident not onely from the clearnesse and Evangelicalness of this Psalms whole style but particularly from that particular Petition v. 7. Purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean which Hysop was of a two-fold use in the Ceremoniall Law 1. For the sprinkling of the blood of the cleane Bird a type of Christ by which sprinkling the Leper was to be cleansed Lev. 14.6 7. And 2ly For the sprinkling of the water of Separation or purification Numb 19.9 18. called therefore Holy water Chap. 5.17 because the unclcan were therewith purified It is I say to me evident that by faith David had respect to that Blood and Water that at once issued out of the side of Jesus Christ Jo. 19.34 At that time when he offered up his body once for all Heb. 10.9 That one Sacrifice offered for sins for ever v. 12. Which Blood and Water is expresly called Zach. 13.1 and I think not impertinently to this matter a fountaine opened for sin viz. that of blood and for uncleanness viz. that of water to the house of David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for sinne and for separation that is to say separation for uncleanness expresly respecting that Water of separation which was a type of sanctification as the fountaine for sin that blood for Justification both are for the house of David Oh happy reâ—urne of the foresaid holy prayer But now where is the bleeding Bird and the running Water and the Hysop wherewith this sprinkling is to be made read but the preceding verses ch 12. â—0 I will poure upon the house of David again the spirit of grace and supplications that is the same thing that David in the foresaid Psalme calls the broken spirit the Sacrifices of God but how comes it to be so They shall look on me whom they have pierced and mourn c. there are the Sacrifices a bleeding Spirit looking to a bleeding Christ a pierced soul taking hold by faith upon a pierced Christ a broken heart acting faith for the same thing that in our Text is called Leaning is in that Text called Looking upon a broken Christ Oh these are Gods Sacrifices such as he will not such as he cannot despise such a soul hath the blood of pierced Christ for the doing away of the Leprosie and plague of sin and the water of a pierced Christ for the purging of pollutions of sin away from it and it want not the Hysop of bitternesse if you look to the end of the verse that bitter but purgative grace of godly sorrow to repentance never to be repented of whereby that Blood Water are sprinkled upon it unto Righteousneâ—s Holiness whilst it by faith continueth looking on him that was pierced or in the language of our Text leaning upon the Beloved But and if we shall think that the Psalmists expression is onely an Hebraism the Sacrifices that is to say the best or chief Sacrifice of God is a broken heart we must yet understand it of an heart Evangelically broken and so the matter of necessity returns to the same thing Know ye therefore this day Note That all the businesse and use of a broken heart as to Pacification the Atonement of the sinner unto God though as to us there may be other uses of it such as to make us to walk humbly with good Hezekiah all our dayes Isa 38.15 I say all the use of the broken heart as to pacification with God is meerly to make the penitent sinner willing to take hold on a broken Christ and when these two go together there are the Sacrifices of God Thou art in the darke if thou thinke that thy broken-heartedness makes peace with God for thee any more then any Gift or Work of thine by or of it self but broken-heartedness makes thee see what need thou hast of makes thee desirous accordingly to take hold upon Gods strength that He may make peace with God for thee Thine humblings be they as great as Esaus are no better Sacrifices to God then his teares unlesse thy broken heart hold up a broken Christ for a sin-offering for a propitiation unto God Query If you say then how shall I know whether my heart be sufficiently broken Solu I answer If thine heart whether it be harrowed or shattered to pieces more
I meane the way of believing all is written in the Law and the Prophets Neither would I be understood as speaking out of passion or ill-will whereof I know not any reason but of love and tendernesse and commiseration unto their souls to whom I am speaking with meekness instructing those that oppose themselues if God peradventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth according to my expresse duty 2 Tim. 2.25 And yet on the other hand with such love unto the truth as to contend earnestly for for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints which is a duty as expresse Jud. vers 3. I would be farther understood as speaking without any respect of persons accouning those and all those to be going fires and bewildring lights whom the Scriptures bring under the following Characters And further I shall not desire or dare to affi x any other brand upon such then what this Bible in mine hand shall prepare unto my hand wherein I dare not be so unfaithfull or inaffectionate to their soules as to conceale from them their danger for we have Christ himselfe the true light telling us before of these false ones and you know we are commanded to hear for afterward My brethren there 's danger in following every light for saith our Saviour Mat. 24.23 If any man shall say lo here is Christ or lo there is Christ believe him not That is follow you not every light what not when they speak of Christ No vers 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets c. and vers 25. Behold I have told you before vers 26. Wherefore if they shall say unto you behold he is in the desert go not forth if in the secret Chamber believe it not Lights then they are but but false lights Prophets but false ones false Christs Wherefore you must not goe out after them if you doe you may find a desert but not find a Christ To come then to the paralell Description of a going fire A going or fools fire is a more grosse and fatty Exhalation kindled either by its owne motion or by contrary cold c. carryed unconstantly up and downe in the lower Region of the Aire and frequently leading Travellers into places of danger into pits and precipices being exhaled out of some rancke and fat soile such as burying-places or fields where great slaughters of Armies have beene made or bogges and putrid parts of the Earth So these false lights 1. Arise from Corrupion c. 1. Then these spiritually wandering and bewildering lights arise as that Meteor from putrid places from mens corrupt minds It hath been accounted of late by some a solaecisme to call Men Corrupt from their opinions oh he is a very honest man let his principles be as corrupt as may be but it was not so in the dayes of the Apostles 2 Tim. 3.8 Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith the Apostle calls him Corrupt that is Corrupt as to the faith as well as him that is corrupt as to obedience Opinions that are wicked render men corrupt as well as wicked practises Now then let us take heed what Principles we suck in as well as what Practises we run into Oh! there is a corrupt mind as well as a sound one from the former do arise these seduing fires 1 Tim. 6.5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds Yea but such as these will charge you of corruption in judgement and who shall judge I answer Two kinds of Corruption There are two undoubted signes of corruption in the flesh and those may well serve here since the Apostle chargeth corruption upon some spirits 1. Swelling 2. Running Under either of these who can clear the body from corruption So then those Principles that in their own nature Swelling signes tend either to the swelling of the spirit or the running I mean to spirituall pride or pollution cannot but passe for corruptions of mind and out of these are generated these going and bewildring lights 1. Swelling Principles The Apostle is full to this purpose 1 Tim. 6. v. 3. He consents not to wholesome words c. vers 4 He is proud v. 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and what followes destitute of the truth So 2 Tim. 3.2 Boasters proud c. v. 8. Men of corrupt minds And upon this account I am altogether dissatisfied with the Armineâ—â—cei vrine of free-wil because its necessary and direct tendâ—â— the â—s they expound it is to gratifie pride in its highest kind even spirituall pride that vaine man might be able to say of his own salvation Is not this Babel which I have built by the strength of my might c. 2. Putrifaction 2. Putrifying Principles whose immediate tendency is to filthinesse of spirit for what ever they think that would have none censured for their minds yet is there filthinesse of spirit as well as of flesh from which even from all of which Gods heirs of promise must cleanse themselves 2 Cor. 7.1 Now Principles there are tending to this rottenness such are theirs who turn the grace of God into wantonness Jude 4. Yea more express 2 Pet. 2.18 They speake great swelling words of vanity there 's the former They allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness there 's the latter Those that were clean escaped from them that live in Errors Marke the phrase Now how did they allure them Why that which is forbidden to Saints Gal. 5.13 viz. Not to use Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh is intimated to be their practice vers 19. Whilst they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of Corruption Mark that you may be sure that Principles tending to looseness lust wantonness are corrupt Principles and out of those bogs arise these lights Secondly That Meteor is a fatty viscous Exhalation so these going and seducing lights 2. They are carnall are sensuall principles carnal principles flâ—shly principles and such are the men themselves Jude 19. These be they that separate themselves sensual having not the spirit There is an holy separation that Scripture calls for but amongsts us there is a vaine carnal separation without the spirit but not without sensuality these separate from men but not from sinne they are forsooth better then others but they do worse then others they are begodded above men but they live beastially and below men One drinketh drunk and speaks not at all of Christ as the rude prophane drunkard pices her drinks drunk too as the other but professeâ— such I speakes of Christ and saith he is a Saint and others in darknesse and why may not this be counted the more prophane of the two These are they that say they cannot sin that delight in nothing else but sin Thirdly That Meteor is light uncertaine 3. Vncertain carryed about with every aire so these are carâ—yed to and fro with every
wind of doctrine Eph. 4.14 One while you must seeke Christ here and another while lo Christ is there one while he is to be found in the Wilderness another while in the Chamber Mat. 24.23 c. One while in the Ordinances another while above the Ordinances therefore some now and all another time and none of them another Now the noise that these going fires make cannot possibly be a saving sound because they are an uncertaine sound and if the Trumpet give an uncertaine sound who shall prepare himselfe to the battel Truth is not so it cannot be at uncertainties from the beginning of the Bible to the end thereof in all the Types Histories Prophesies Gospell c. there is onely one thing and that at all certainty preached viz. Jesus Christ Hence is that testimony born unto â—he Scripture 2 Pet 1.19 You have a sure or certaine word of prophesie whereunto you doe well that you take heed as unto a light shining in a darke place until the Day-star arise in your hearts which is onely to be understood of the day of glory according to that and other Scriptures till I come give attendance to reading c. And lo I am with you to the end of the world till glory come the word is a sure guide Now it is not possible that a true light to day should be a false light to morrow or a light to day and none to morrow wherefore it is called a sure word 4. The Meteor hath not its light from the Sun 4. Kindled not by the Sun but by the cold or selfe motion but it is kindled either by the Antiperistasis as they call it of the coldness of the night or its own motion c. Of the first of these our Saviour saith Mat. 24.12 The love of many shall wax cold and vers 11. Many false Prophets shall arise and deceive many We give advantange unto false Opinions by the coldness of our hearts and want of zeale in the true These Meteors have not their light from the Sun I read no Philosopher saying so Selfe-kindled they are and so are these false lights They have not their light from the Word but from selfe 2 Tim. 3.2 Men shall be lovers of themselves It is the first of those many Characters that he gives of those false guiding lights Whence are Errors Why Men are in love with themselves with every Notion of their owne braine and thought of their owne heart Yea 't is zeale for selfe and zeale from selfe that kindleth their light The Character that the spirit affixeth upon that fools-fire Theudas is this Act. 5.36 He boasted himself to be some-body Selfe is at the botome and selfe is the concernment Oh! that doctrine is very dangerous and very likely to kindle many fatty carnall sensuall hearts that gratifieth sinfull selfe 2 Tim. 3.4 They themselves are lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God and their Proselytes or Disciples vers 6. Are still led away with that is under the power of divers lusts Selfish doctrine is carnall doctrine and so must needs be a false light for true doctrine is Deny your selves and welcome to a prophane heart shall be that light that will lead to heaven and not burn up sinful self 5. They lead to pits of ruine and precipices of destruction Fifthly Which is extreamly sad These lights lead to places of ruine to pits and precipices of destruction Take heed take heed of destructive Principles in whatsoever dresse they be There be damning Principles as well as Practices one may be damned for his drunkenness and thou for thy Heresie else the Apostle knew not what he said 2 Pet. 2.1 As there were false Prophets among the people so there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction But God that cannot lye calls them so therefore they are so so then there is damning danger in going after them CHAP. XXV Contains the Application of the foregoing Chapter TO improve now what hath been spoken Use To pitty those that follow false lights If there be a possibility of being Bewildred by following of the Light what shall we then doe Why truly my brethren Pitty such as follow them and doe not onely take heed of darknesse but of light also You know our usual word to a stranger whom we lodge I pray Sir follow the Light but truly if a transformed Devil can set up Lights let us take heed what Light we follow A King being about to Invade a Country whereunto he must come by Sea and plotting to take his advantage in the Night the Governour of that Country having intelligence appoints burning Lights to be set upon some Rocks not far from shore and which run some way into the Sea having some of their heads above water The Invader made no question but that they were Lights upon the shore and so runnes destructively upon the Rocks without feare Satan doth verily set many a Light a burning but they are all deceitfull ones they are all set upon the Rocks and those Soules that come neare them as Paul's phrase is concerning the Faith make Shipwrack O pitty therefore pitty the poore Soules that rush upon the Rocks while they follow the Light and thinke it to be the true Light I believe amongst our bewildred ones many such poor ones there are Oh! pray pray hard for such considering thy self lest thou also be tempted And secondly As for your selves Take heed what light you follow take heed what you Use 2 receive for Light I say not beleeve what I say but you have a Card to sail by a sure word to goe by Try all by the Scriptures even try the Lights whether they be of God or no. For thus much I dare assert even concerning these Times That though there be many false Christs and false Lights and that many follow their pernicious waies as is said 2 Pet. 2.2 yet may we say with John 1 Epist 2.8 that the true light now shineth Though there are many false Lights yet there is a Sun in the firmament and a true Christ in the word preached If you demand Quest How the true light is to be known Answ By humble addresse to the Throne of Grace But how shall I doe to know whether that Light which I follow be the true light or no I answer Addresse thy selfe in all humility to the Throne of Grace in the sense of thy weake and wandring judgement how unable thou art to discerne of things that differ how unable to choose that which is good how subject to be carried about with every wind of doctrine 'T was I thinke the Devils undoing sin to be proud but Psal 25.10 The meek will God teach his judgements the meek will he teach in his way the humble will God teach and they shall know his way Goe thus to God and he will tell thee which is the true
from every evill way that I may keepe thy word Keepe the Word and it shall keepe thee If so be that the Lord have graciously found thee Keepe thy feet and thou shalt keepe the word The third Part of this Treatise 3. Part. discovers the great concernment of lost Soules viz. to come up from the Wilderness of sinne CHAP. I. Containes two precious Doctrines 1. That there is a way from the Wildernesse of sinne 2. That it is an uphill way The latter is largely opened and applyed ANd thus much of the second maine point in our Text That every Christlesse or unregenerate soule is a bewildred and so a lost soule We passe on to the Third main Doctrine That It is the great concernment of poore bewildred soules to come 3d. Main Doctrine under which two previous Doctrines even to come up from the wilderness of SIN And so you have the third thing propounded in the draught of this MAP viz. Moses on Pisgah turning his back on the wilderness and pointing towards Canaan Before I come to handle this point I must minde you of two previous and implyed truths in these words Cometh up from the wilderness First That there is a way from the wilderness of sinne Doct. 1 The Spouse in the Text found that WAY and so left That there is a way from the wilderness and came out of that WILDERNESSE But this point I shall but mention here because I shal have occasion to explain it afterward shewing Who is this way viz. Christ how he is and came to be this way what manner of way he is and what improvement we ought hereof to make Doct. 2 The second is this and I shall a little speake to it that The way out of the wilderness of SIN The way from the wilderness of sin is an up hill way is an up-hil WAY Who is this that comes up from the Wilderness My Brethren my businesse is to chalk out unto you the best and truest not the easiest way You would have small cause to thank any man that should lead you into the way of the valleyes when your way is the way of the hills and life and death depends on the dispatch of your journey I had as live Christ should have no followers as such as will not follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes so Rev. 14.4 Now the usual posture of the Lord Jesus is Leaping over the Mountaines skipping upon the Hills Cant. 2.8 When God calls a soule by conversion 't is like his Call to Lot in Sodome Gen. 19.14 Up get you out of this place for the Lord will destroy this City Up gâ—t you out of the state of sinne for the Lord will set fire on the thickets of this VVilderness Up get you out so saith Christ to the Spouse Cant. 2.10 Rise up my love my faire one and come away Himselfe was upon the Hills and Mountaines v. 8. and therefore he calls her to come up thither that as his phrase in John is VVhere he is she may be also Therefore I said Christ had as good have no followers as such that will onely follow in the way of the plaines Proofe of it Now that the way from the Wilderness of sinne is an up-hill way I shall labour to prove by induction of Particulars considerable in that motion the terms of the motion and remarkable circumstances as to the motion of the soule in the way that leads from the Wildernesse of sinne 1. By induction of particulars 1. By induction of particulars I shall mention these four 1. Repentance 2. Faith 3. Obedience 4. Gospel-converse And verily for proof of each these I think I shall need little more then your owne ordinary expressions of your owne ordinary experience Oh! what a-doe have I saist thou to get up mine heart unto true Gospel-sorrow for my sinnes Oh! what an hard worke is it saith another To bring my heart up to a beliefe of the promises to trust God in difficulties c. Oh! how difficult to get up the hil of Gospel-obedience what pains must I take to get to Communion with God in the spirit c. 1. The way of Repentance is an up-hil way 1. The way of repentance is an up hil way This is the language of the repentant Prodigal Lu. 15.18 I will arise and go to my father without getting up nothing can be done as to repentance Sin is asleepe it is a death at the bottom of the hill and there is no repentance without an awaking an arising a getting up to the top of the Hil. Thinke with your selves and remember you that have been acquainted with repentance whether mortification for sinne mortification of sinne dying under it by the Law and dying unto it by the Gospel were an hard or an easie matter an up-hill or an down-hill way Secondly Faith is an up-hil way Have you not heard of the fath of Abraham 2. The way of faith as the scripture saith of the patience of Job Now where was it that Abraham was canonized for the father of the faithful why you have the story of it Gen. 22.14 't was in the place named Jehovah-Jireh In the Mount of the Lord it will be seen Faith must get up to the top of the Mount the Mount of the Lord e're ever it can see what it would what it should see as we go to the top of an hil for a prospect when we desire to see a great way round about us and the higher the hil is the more paines is it to get up but when we are up the farther we see Prov. 18.10 The name of the Lord which is that you know that faith leans upon is a strong Tower the righteous running into it is safe A Tower why that 's usually scituate on an Hil as there is Tower-hil in our great City and if so then he that wil into the Tower must up the hill and he that wil into the name of the Lord for security must up the Mount of the Lord by beleeving 3. Of obedience Thirdly Gospel-obedience is an up-hil way It s hard to get a great weight up an hill therefore when the Apostle presseth Gospel-obedience he bids us lay aside the weight that we may runne with patience Heb. 12.1 The old Adam is a clog to our obedience and weights easily pull us down and if down to rise againe it is up-hil work such is obedience Gods call for our obedience is like his command to Moses Gen. 32.49 50. Go up to Mount Nebo and dye there So go up into thy Closet and kill thy Corruptions let thy dearest lusts dye there pluck out thy right eye there and cut off thy right hand there I had as live dye saith a stubborn spirit as do such a thing and such verily is our natural stubbornness against God When God bids us up do this or that flesh and blood had as live dye as do it When the Gospel bids
thee look about all things Father Mother Wife Children Lands Houses Life and Leave Forsake Hate them all and then thou shalt be a Disciple unto Gospel-obedience Is not this every whit as much as go up to Mount Nebo and dye there surely he never yet found this way that hath not found it to be an up-hil way 4. Of Gospell converse in spiritual duties Fourthly The way of Gospel-Communion or Converse with God with Christ with Saints in the Spirit in an Ordinance My Brethren is not this an up-hil way Is it not this that makes your hearts sweat againe to get up or keep up your Spirits duly in this way Our Saviour went up into a Mountaine to pray and unlesse thou canst come up into the Mountaine thou wilt very hardly come to pray The Spouse looked for Christ in the high-wayes that is as I said before the Ordinances but she had not looked yet high enough for to find him Cant. 7.5 The King is held in the Galleries If thou be as the Spouse Cant. 2.14 In the secret places of the stayrs I am come to meet thee this day to tell thee that the King is above in the Galleries his voyce then to thee is this Come up hither for I saith Christ do not use to come down lower the King is held in the Galleries that is If you be in the Spirit whilst you are in the Ordinances you shal find Christ and not unlesse you be under spiritual Communion Christ wil not shew himselfe lower the Hebrew word bears thus much the King is bound in the Galleries Christ hath bound himselfe by promise to be found in spirituality of duty and hath as it were bound himself that he will not be found lower not in formality I judge it may refer hither that we read of the Mountains of Prayer the Mountaine of Holiness the Mountaine of Praise typing that the way of Gospel-Communion is an Up-hil way Secondly If you consider the terms of the motion 2. By consâ—deration of the terms of the motion of the soule that comes from the wildernesse of sinne to grace the term from which the term to which First The term from which is the Wildernesse 1. The terme from which is so low and it it is so low a scituation that you cannot possibly come out of it but you must come up out of it Paradice was a lofty state and as it were a lower Heaven but in the day that Adam was cast out of it he went to inhabite so low a soyle sinne I meane that it is said of it Prov. 5.5 Its steps take hold of Hell If the sinner were but one step lower he would be in Hell Nay what if I should say that the wilderness of sinne is in a sort as low as Hell nay in a sort an Hell Psal 86.13 Thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest Hell Sinne is an hell but I can't say it is the lowest Hell the lowest hell is the second death If thou be in the state of sinne thou art in Hell already understand it soberly He that beleeves not is condemned already Joh. 3.18 Damned already onely the Grave-stone is not yet rowled unto the mouth of this Grave the gulfe is not yet fixed the way is yet open and poor soules may come out by beleeving Secondly The term unto which soules move 2. The terme unto which it is so high when they come from the Wildernesse of sinne speakes it to be an up-hil way You have heard of an higher and lower hell and you may hear of an higher and lower Heaven As sinne is the upper Hell so grace is the lower Heaven Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven Pauls and the converted Philippians conversations were in heaven that was in the lower Heaven Memorable is that passage Heb. 10.22 23. Ye that is living Saints are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the generall assembly and Church of the first born which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and the spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus c. If this way that shall lead hitherto be not up the hil judge ye 3. By consideration of this eminent circumstance in the motion viz. If your foot slip you doe not get nearer to grace by it but more back again into the wildernesse Thirdly If you consider but the remarkable Circumstances of the motion as this now Would you know whether or no the way out of the Wildernesse be an Up-hil way observe when thy foot slips whether thou gettest nearer grace or nearer sin by that slip If thou get nearer sinne as thou dost undoubtedly then sinne undoubtedly is the down-hil way for we slip not up the hill but down we fall not upward but down-ward Now this Circumstance is clear in scripture in experience and where not and it is convictive hereof viz. That the way from the Wildernesse of sinne is up-hil for upon any slip our soules slip to sinne so that the Lord instantly cryes out Returne ô backslyding Children c. Jer. 3.22 c. All the wayes of sinne are backslyding wayes therefore they are down-hil wayes and therefore the way from the Wildernesse is to come up Thus much for proof and surely of this mind was Solomon when he said that The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Prov. 15.24 Whether you respect the hell of sin or of suffering for sinne which are both beneath but the way of life whether of holinesse or happinesse is above to the wise that is an Up-hil way Use 1. Challenge 1. That takes no pains yet thinks to come out of the wilderness From hence a word of Challenge a word of Caution and a word of Exhortation 1. Hence let me challenge soules Sirs how is it that you dare hope of comming at length out of the Wildernesse when you take no paines to walke in the up-hil way surely to let repentance and faith and obedience and the duties of holinesse alone is to resolve to dwell in the Wildernesse yet still for that is the valley of the shadow of death and these are the Up-hil wayes Come up come up from the wilderness you idle hearts that love to walke onely in the way of the plaines Oh! but say you I have tryed to come out but I have made no progresse I can easily go in farther and farther but why can I not as easily go out no wonder at all going in to it is down-hil comming out of it is up-hil therefore never think of coming out of it unless thou take as much nay more paines to get out of sinne then ever thou didst in sinne And by the way 2. That take paines to goe farther into it let me further challenge poor wretches of very madnesse that in stead of taking paines to come up from
this mans countenance We that are Physitians have some sad reason to give him over Jer. 51.64 Thou shalt say Thus Babylon shall sinke and shall not rise from the evill that I will bring upon her and they shall be weary She had wearied the people of God with her cruelties and God himselfe with her abominations but she her selfe was not weary well saith God thou art now a sinking O Babylon and thou shalt be weary So say I thou art quickly a sinking into the Grave O sinner and into Hell and verily thou shalt be weary What say I thou art sinking into Hell what Such are the veriest pictures of Hell above-ground and if I should say thou art an Hell above ground Verily there can not be such another picture of Hell drawne as thou art who art wearied every day with sinning and yet art fresh for sin still The Heathens themselves represent the infinity of the torments of Hell by one Sysiphus who say they is damned by the Gods to rowl a great stone up a very high hill and ever when he hath gotten it up neare the top it is to tumble down again upon him perpertually time after time and truly is is a pretty strange kind of piece of heathenish Divinity if they believed what they said though it were but fabulous yet had their hearts some nearer guesses at the truth then the daring sinners that are amongst us Their figure was something like but thine is exact for as Dives in hell suffers unconceivably to day yet is perfectly fresh for the sufferings of to morrow and so unto eternity so thou sinnest to day and travellest in pain and weariest thy selfe to commit iniquity yet art thou perfectly fresh for sin to morrow We wonder to think how damned spirits contract fresh strength for their new torments and so they shall to all eternity but we need the lesse wonder if we observe wearied sinners getting fresh strength for new sins for as face in water answereth face so doth the heart of sinners upon earth answer the heart of sinners that are in hell for these would also be fresh for sin if God should suffer it unto all eternitie So then as its a sign of a Saint-like heavenly mind to be spiritually universally weary of the ways of nature so farre as they hinder from leaning upon the Lord even so weary of them as he is of his guest Prov. 25.17 Remove thy foot from thy neighbours house least he be wearie of thee and so hate thee to be so weary of them as to hate them Father Mother Wife Children Lands c. which must be Luk. 14.26 Yea so as to be weary of their life because of temptations unto sin Gen. 17.46 As Rebekah was of the daughters of Heth least they should draw her Jacob from the Lord if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of the Land what good shall my life doe me so say they as long as temptations prevaile against them they are even weary of their very lives because of their lusts so it is a very signe of a very reprobate mind and hellish heart to be able to go in the waies of the wildernesse of fin and there to run without weariness and to walke without being faint A word to those that are weary of no waies but Christs waies But still there is one thing that I cannot passe over but must lay it upon your hearts as a lamentation viz. since none can lay hold upon Jesus Christ but those that are weary of all other waies What shal we say to those that are weary of none but his waies I finde it an easier matter by many degrees to make some of you by close preaching wearie of the word to goe to ride to house your selves from the wearying word then to make you weary of the world to leave to hate or to forsake the toyling vanities and wearying wayes of fin It is to be observed concerning the people of the Jewes when now the Lord was wearie of them and the precious Ordinances were taking wing as weary of their despised aboad among them and the word of truth was a flying from Malachi to Matthew and from the Jews unto the Gentiles to whom it might be new newes and welcome His great controversie upon which he parts with them is this Mal. 1.13 Ye also have said that is of my service of mine institutions as you may see in verse before Behold what a weariness is it and ye have snuffed at it saith the Lord of Hosts What a tedious man say some is this hee never knoweth when to have done and then they look at the hour-glasse and snuffe and nothing tyres them so much as these holy things Ah this is plain-dealing when thou saist so God also deales as plainly with thee Mal. 2.17 You have wearied the Lord with your words Well met you wearie of God and God of you but ah poore Creatures who shall have the worst of it Now all that I have said this day I have spoken to this end that if any amongst you are hereby wearied and made truly weary you might know where to have a resting place My God hath said unto me concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as to Isaiah as to Israel Isai 28.12 This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshment but oh my brethren let it not be said of any of you as of Israel in the words of the verse that run on but you would not And so I passe on to the CHAP. VI. Containes Querie second for what are lost soules to leane upon Christ Answer 1. For all their strength 2d Question In order unto what lost souls are to be leaning soules Answer SEcond Question For what it is that lost soules are to lean upon the Beloved The answer of this Question will be obvious from the answer â—f the former for if the weak and wearie be the onely true leaners then 't is strength and rest that they are to leane upon Christ for 1. For all their strength First Lean upon Jesus Christ for all your strength You have heard this hinted that they that would stand against the bewildrings of Satan must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6.10 Art thou weake Why 't is strength yea the strength of the Lord and the power of his might that thou art to leane for upon Christ nothing else will serve thy turne and that thou maist have by leaning I shall speake to three comprehensive particulars leane on Christ as the alone strength of what thou hast of what thou dost and of what thou art viz. 1. Of what they have 1. Lean upon Christ as thy alone strength in respect of all that thou hast or wouldst have Wouldst thou have grace or comfort believe and thou shalt receive strength to re-receive these Heb. 11.11 By faith Sarah her selfe also received strength to
him our Nature not our Nature as it was at first but our crazy Nature our decayed Nature but doe not mistake me I say not our corrupt Nature he tooke not any thing up of our Natures wherein was sin though he took up many things wherein were the fruits of sin such are our weakness s and wearinesses as abstracted from sinne so that all that is naturall unto us as men yea as fallen men setting aside our fall still as it contained sin in it and left sinful corruption behind it is naturall to Christ I hope you can distinguish betweene infirmity naturall and sinfull at least wise it is easie to distinguish them in themselves though not so easie to distinguish them in us where Sin and Nature are so enterwoven Now as I dare not assert that there was any weakness in Christ that was sin so dare I not deny that the weaknesses that came upon us for sin such as temptations sorrows sufferings and death were properly born by the Lord Christ in that nature which was the subject of his Humiliation I mean his humane nature This is plain to me and I desire to make it plaine to the plainest of you That Christ tooke not Adams nature as it was at first though he was as innocent as Adam was at first he took fallen mans craziness not corruption infirmities not sins the whole mortality of the body but not in the least the body of death this I say is to me plaine from Heb. 2.16 He took not the nature of Angels upon him but the seed of Abraham Mark of Abraham not of Adam of Abraham that is Man in a state of imbecility and infirmity not of Adam before the fall nor of the holy Angels who were both as free from all infirmity as sinne but of decayed man as the next words doe undenyably expound it It became him in all things to be made like unto his Brethren vers 17. Mark In all things How shall we then soberly bound our thoughts herein Why the same Apostle makes the onely Exception that is to be made Heb. 4.15 He was in all points like us yet without sin And this will be proved more fully as I shall prove it more particularly 1. In our bodies First The Lord Christ in the state of his Humiliation was weak as we are It is on all hands granted as farre as I ever yet heard that Christ began to be Crucified as soon as he began to be Incarnat Now the Spirit saith expresly 2 Cor. 13.4 That Christ was crucified through weaknesse If this had not beene true that Christ had taken up the weaknesses of fallen man he could never have been crucified for the sins of fallen man And if the other be true that Christ was crucified from the wombe to the Grave then the Apostles words will prove that Christ considered meerly as man was as weak from the Cardle to the Grave as another meer man only the Divinity protected him from all actual frailties that were not fore-ordained for him Else I believe as small a matter would have crushed him in the wombe or the swathing bands as another Infant because as small a time put his life to a period when the fulness of his time was come as ended the dayes of others yea it is said that Christ was dead before them that were crucified with him This truth is no more prejudiced by this that we doe not read of his being at any time sick c. then if a man should say I have not the nature of decayed crazy fallen Adam in me because I am thus old and never yet had a sicknesse or as if he should say I am not mortall because I never yet dyed However whatsoever may be said or denyed as to the extent of this truth this may not be denyed but that crucified Christ was subjected to weaknesses for so saith the Scripture And againe to me it appeareth 2. In our souls that the whole humane nature and not onely the flesh of Christ was subject to weaknesses yet without sin I meane his soul as well as body if there be any soul-weaknesses separate from sin as surely methinks there are though I confesse I am very little acquainted with the nature of Spirits for Christ took not on him our flesh onely but our nature as is cleare in the Scripture before cited and if there be any weaknesses incident to our soules that may be possibly severed from sin and who can think but that they in this kind suffer with our bodies it seemes to me that Christ took them also on him as now if there be any naturall fainting of our hearts in prayer c. which is not sinfull but the infirmity of the soule and the fruit of our sinne in Adam rather than a sinne in us being originally perhaps from some defect in the flesh as Christ saith flesh is weak that there was some such thing in Christ yet without sinne to me seems I speak my thoughts with modest submission from Luk 22.43 44. There appeared an Angell from heaven strengthning him Observe it is not said onely discoursing with him or ministring to him as at other seasons but strengthning him and what follows truly a passage very sutable to our experiences of divine assistance in humane frailty then being in an Agony he prayed the more earnestly This is therefore the summe of my thoughts herein that all the infirmity but not the least of the iniquity of our Natures was taken up by the Lord Christ properly and assumed personally in the state of his humiliation in the dayes of his flesh Secondly 2ly Our natural wearinesses 1. Of Body As Christ took properly upon him the weaknesses so the wearinesses of our natures First Bodily wearinesse upon occasion of bodily labour Christ was as soon tyred therewith as another man of his constitution c. would have been Jo. 4.6 Jesus therefore being wearied of his journey sat thus on the well Now though it is manifest that Adam in his primitive state had labour imposed on him by the Lord I had rather say imployment for labour as importing a burthen or trouble doubtlesse it could not be I never yet met with any one that thought that Adam was subjected unto wearinesse for that is sensibly a grievance and the curse of sin as is evident Gen. 3.19 Which Curse Christ bare and undoubtedly the wearinesse of Christ here mentioned was to be reckoned as one of our griefs or grievances which are said to be born by Christ Isai 53.4 Surely he hath born our griefs c. whence I conclude that it was our decayed nature that he tooke upon him yea the curse of our natures such as weaknesse and wearinesse c. though not the corruption of our natures for it is said Gal. 3.13 That he was made a curse for us although I dare not goe on step beyond this Scripture expression herein 2ly Soul weariness 2ly Christ was undoubtedly subjected
enough on the world and as they think comfortably on their duties and have no need of Jesus Christ If you you see a man go about to sell Crutches and come to one man and he answers I have leggs of mine own and to another and he saith you see I can goe without a Staffe and what need of a Crutch I will warrant you shall see that man makes but a poore living on 't So friends from hence from hence it is that Christ drives no greater trade in the world although he doth not set to sale new Crutches but new Legges new Strength yea better then you had in the beginning at such rate also as none can except against viz. without money and without price and I read not in the whole Gospel that ever he took a farthing for any cure yet oh the thinnesse the thinnesse of Christs Market amongst poore soules notwithstanding all this because there are so few that need him Give some upon the Lords Day or a Lecture Day but an Esans mess Bread and Pottage and they 'l neare complaine of the need of a Christ and this is the reason that the doores of your houses are so thick of poore and the Allies of this house so thinne And verily sirs It is an hard matter to come truly to need Christ fully to need Christ some see their need of Christ that doe not see it fully and even these come short of leaning upon Christ Oh! saith Satan saith the World saith their own desperately deceitfull heart what need you goe so farre there are shops nearer that will supply your need as well as Christs and so comes one man to drink away his need of Christ and another to pray away his need of Christ Another parts with his convictions of his need of Christ in an Alms that he gives to the poore I meane when either sinfull delights or religious duties become our suports instead of Christ The Wordling needs him not he hath Mammon to lean upon the Duty-monger needs him not for he hath hapn'd upon a righteousnesse before ever he came at Jesus Chist he prayes heares reads fasts and saith he Frustra fit per plura what need we to put Christs righteousnesse upon all this But memorable is that scripture Luk 9.11 He spake unto the people of the Kingdome of God and healed those that had need of healing O sirs the hearing of the voyce of Christ may be unto all people that need him or need him not but the healing vertue of Christ doth never goe forth unto any but the soules that need him Second Hinderance 2. Hindrance Fewer yet feel him Of those that come to need Christ many there are that cannot feel him know not how to come at him Soules there are that need a Saviour but have not yet any experimentall perception that Christ is that Saviour and therefore they come as the High Priest Mark 14.61 with an Art thou the Christ the Son the blessed or as John by his Disciples sent to Christ Luk. 7.19 with an Art thou he that should come or do we look for another But saith Sampson to the lad that led him Judg. 16.26 Let me feel the Pillars that I may leen upon them The reason why so few leane upon Christ it because so few feele Christ that is there are few thoroughly convinced and perswaded that with Christ is salvation and with none other You have already heard of the Disciple that leaned upon Christs bosome and how expresseth he his experiences of Christ 1 Jo. 1.1 saith he Our hands have handled the word of life Oh! when the soul comes to feel Christ in a promise as Sampson felt the Pillars then will the soule cordially leane upon Jesus Christ and not tell then Therefore it is no such wonder that there are so few that leane upon Christ because you know they are a few indeed that come up to such sweet and soul-satisfying experiences of Christ As for all men naturally they want an hand to feele Christ for a carnal hand cannot take hold of a spiritual object Sirs we are all born not Mephibosheths not Agrippa's onely that is lame of our feet but lame of our hands also so that whilest we are onely naturall we cannot take hold of eternal life 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man cannot receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned He cannot receive spiritual things because he wants a spiritual hand for the force of the whole verse lyes clearly in that and that he wants a spiritual hand because he is no more then a naturall man If Christ would be touched with the feeling of our infirmities he must be connaturallized with us Compare Heb. 2.16 17. with Chap. 4.15 And if we would be able to feel spirituall things we must as 1 Cor. 2.12 Be spiritualized together with Christ as he partook of our natures to feel the things of our natures so must we partake of the divine nature to feel the things of Jesus Christ And as for many men their hands and hearts are judicially seared as their Consciences are cauterized so that if ever they had any thing like feeling by any common conviction of the Word or stirring of the spirit in them or rather striving of the spirit with them verily they are past it now and so no likelihood of their leaning upon the Lord Jesus 1 Tim. 4.2 Having their conscience seared with an hot iron and Ephe. 4.19 Who being past feeling Now these are the reasons why so few feel and this is the reason why so few lean So that the Lord hath sent me with this word in my mouth unto you that as it is written Act. 17.27 You should seek the Lord if happily you might feel after him though he be not far from every one of us If we may say so as the Apostle there upon the account of our naturall relation to God how may we much more say that God is not far but the Kingdome of God near unto every one of us upon the account of our Gospel-relations unto God therefore let us seek him for to them that have no might of their own he reneweth strength that they may wait upon him and they that waitingly seeke shall feelingly finde and when thou shalt thus come to feele Christ there will be most likelihood of thy comming out of the Wildernesse leaning upon thy beloved The CHAP. XIV Containes three Negative Hinderances few like Christs Port Person Discourse Carriages and why THird Negative Hinderance 3d. Hindrance Fewest of all do like him Of those that feele Christ some doe not like him I meane of those that come to have some kind of sence of Christ many there are that doe not like him It s Christ crucified not Christ glorified that goes a woing in the world that do not find in their hearts to marry him or to make him their soules Beloved You may perhaps thinke it strange if Christ doe goe a wooing
Christ followes not the vaine custom of other lovers Their discourse is Complement vain flattering many times lying Complements Christs wooing discourse is heart-discovering down-right Conviction They that heard Josephs rough speech to his Brethren at their first comming whereof they complaine to their Father Gen. 42.30 The man that is Ruler of the Land spake roughly to us would little have expected that ever Ioseph would have proved such a tender Brother to them afterwards And they that heare how coursely as flesh and blood thinke Christs wooings are worded at the first know not how to believe that Christ will make such a tender Husband afterward His first Complements are no other then such as these Soul thou art and hast been as an arrant whore all the days of thy life hitherto there 's not a place nor a time that thou canst thinks of wherein thou hast not gone a whoring from me therefore now return unto me and I will marry thee You have a large story of Christs wooing-language Ier. 3. And how begins he verse 1. Thou hast played the Harlot with many lovers And verse 2. Lift up thine eyes and see where thou hast not been lain with Course Complementing you 'l say but is this woing language Why read but the Chapter and see your selves this is the upshot verse 14. Turn O back-slyding Children for I am married unto you Nor the particular terms of it such as these Thus of his language in general and as to any particular terms of Christs woing discourse they are altogether irksome and ungrateful unto flesh and blood for they are such as these 1. You must forsake all your old friends First Saith Christ If you will marry me you must forsake and forgo all your old friends kindred and acquaintance you must come at home no more Oh! saith flesh and blood who would marry an Husband to be thus tyed in yet is this Christs expresse term Psal 45.10 Hearken O daughter and consider encline thine are and forget thine own people and thine own fathers house why where didst thou learne this wanton word or that garb or that superstition or this vanity saith Christ to the soule Why in my Fathers house I had it from the Cradle what hurt is in it I am sure my Father before me used them and all my Fathers house yet you must forsake it saith Christ or forsake me Nay if I must be so strickt and tyed up even farewell Christ will most of the world say and yet Christ himselfe persists and tells you that she that in this case hates not Father and Mother and Brother and Sister c. cannot be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 2ly You must expect many a sad day 2ly saith Christ If you will marry me you must reckon to have many a sad and sorrowfull day I must be often from home and out of sight and then must the Children of the bride Chamber mourn Therefore when the world shall rejoyce Verily then shall you mourn and lament and be sorrowful yea as the travaile of a woman when her hour is come Verily verily saith Christ it shall be so Jo. 16.20 21. Yea soul though thou be as David yet must thou water thy Couch with thy tears though thou be as Peter yet shalt thou have seasons of bitter weeping yea though thou be as the Spouse even as a seal on Christs arme his love his dove his undefiled one yet must thou be as a Dove in the clefts of the Rock mourning and in the secret places of the staires Cant. 3.14 3ly You must never look for an idle day but be alwaies carrying his yoke and burthen 3ly If you will marry me saith Christ never think to have an idle time of it never look to have a loytering life on 't Assure your selfe I marry you to work and not to play You must take my yoak and my burther Mat 11.28 And you must bid farewell to all your play-dayes in your Marriage-day and never looke for one idle day more Luk. 9.23 If any will come after me let him take up his Cross daily Marke daily and come and follow me Nay then saith the world let who will have Christ if he tell us so before he be sure to us what will he say afterward 4ly If you will marry me saith Christ 4ly You must disowne your own will you must resolve to lay down your own will You must rule your selves no longer for I will be your Lord and worship you me Psal 45.11 And that not onely in what pleaseth you but also in what crosseth your humour and thwarteth your Will Not a lock not a look not a lust nothing more then what I will give way to Luk. 9.23 If any come after me he must deny himself Nay then saith the pride and stubbornnesse of carnall hearts Marry Christ who will we will not have this man to rule over us 5ly If you will marry me saith Christ 5ly You must part with any thing your very limbs at his command You must be so much mine and so little your own that if I call for an hand or an eye or a foot you must part with it yea though it be a right hand or a right eye Mat. 5.29 30. A custom a course a fashion a fancy a lust a sin seeme it never so sweet pleasing profitable useful yet away it must bee thrown though it sit never so close and neare if I and it cannot keepe house together And thus he that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my Disciple Yea and if he do not hate his own life also Luk. 14.26 33. Nay now flesh and blood will stop their ears This is indeed saith Nature an hard sayiâ—g and who can hear it yet must you both hear and hearken to it or else there 's no talke of a match with Jesus Christ 4ly 4ly Few like Christs woing carryages Carnall hearts are yet more prejudiced at the woing carriages of Jesus Christ You never heard of another that useth so to woe Christ doth not onely speake hard words but withall strikes as hard blowes and indeed you shall find him but a word and a blow when that he takes the first acquaintance of any heart by way of woing He takes one soule out of one wildernesse viz. The wilderness of sin and allures it into another viz. The wilderness of affliction in spirit and there he seemes both to leave it and lose it before ever he speake comfortably to it Hos 2.14 Another soule he takes and binds fast under the spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 as Joseph bound Simeon before the eyes of his Brethren Gen. 43.24 Another he takes and beats it blind and throwes it downe to the Earth and keeps it both without meat and drink c. and that many dayes together as he did Saul Act. 9.4 c. Others he takes and wounds them as the Keepers of the wall did the Spouse Cant 5.7 and pierceth them
seeke the Lord. What can be plainer let your Riches in peace or Forces in warre be never so augmented the more you leane unto any of them the lesse will you lean to Jesus Christ I shall give you a two-fold word of Conviction for this viz. That worldlings leane upon the World and therefore not on Christ Evidence 1. Because they rise and fall as the world riseth and falls with them First Because it appeares that worldlings rise and fall as the world riseth and falls therefore it is evident that the world is that they leane upon Psal 20.7 They lean on Chariots they are down and fallen but we remember thy name and rise up They that have nothing but Chariots c. but men and monies to trust unto as their men fall and monies faile c. so they fall and their Spirits faile also but they that leane upon the Lord are not so the remembrance of his name bearer them up when their enemies seeme to beare them down If the world rise with sinners then their hearts rise too Eze. 28.5 6. Thou hast by thy wisdome and traffique encreased thy riches and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches and thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God Oh! they take themselves now to be pettie-Gods as happy as happy may be and as high as high may be and all because that riseth which is under them Who sees not in this case but that they leane upon it Again though they said they were Gods they shall die like men and though their heart was set as the heart of God when the world went with them yet when the world goes against them as you call it truly then their heart groweth like Nabals dead within them 1 Sam. 25.37 c. If Worldlings did not leane upon the world they would never thus rise and sinke with the world as you daily see they doe 2ly 'T is hence evident 2d Evidence They can make better shift with the world without Christ as they account then with Christ without the world that most leane upon the world and not Christ because the most can make as they count a better shift with the world and without Christ then with Christ and without the world Many Worldlings are convinced that they have much need of Christ but they thinks also that they have more need of Mammon Now this is evident that which we can lest spare is our greatest leaning-stock the last things a Creeple forgoes shall be his Crutches the can ill spare many other things but he can worst of all spare them 'T is cleare in the Rich man Mat. 19.22 He went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions He was perswaded that Christ was to be leaned upon and that he had need of support and succour from Jesus Christ else why went he sorrowful away Oh! but for all that he could make better shift without Christ of the two then without the world for he had great possessions And now let the issue speake which of these two Christ or Mammon was that which he finally leaned unto The fourth and last positive Hinderance from leaning upon Christ is leaning upon selfe 4th Pos Hind Leaning upon selfe I am now to speake unto such as I find my master Jesus Christ speaking to before He spak saith the text unto certain that trusted in themselves Luk. 18.9 I shall reduce to four heads what I shall say hereon Leaning either to our own Wisdoms or Wills or Righteousnesses or Lives will hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Jesus 1. Self-wisdom 1. It must needs be that leaning to our own Understandings and to the carnal Counsells of our own unregenerate hearts must hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Christ This I shall evince both from clear Scripture-Testimony Scripture-testimony as also from clear Scripture-Reason Expresse is that passage Prov. 3.5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own Understanding If you trust in the Lord Christ with all your hearts you must not lean to your own Understandings if you lean to your own Understandings you cannot trust in the Lord with all your hearts So far as you lean to your own Counsell you will not lean unto the Lords and if you will incline to the dictates of Gods spirit you must disown the dictates of your own spirits Therefore saith Wisdom Pro. 22.17.19 Bow down thine Ear and hear the words of the wise not the voice of thine own heart and apply thine heart unto my knowledge not thine own knowledge that thy trust may be in the Lord I have made known this day to thee even to thee Our own understandings when most corrupted can make known unto us to lean to carnall Confidences and sensible supports but it is onely the wisdom of the Lord that can make known unto us to trust in the Lord. Scripture-reasons Secondly As for Scripture-reasons I shall assigne these two Our Understandings unsanctified are foolishnesse with God and Enmity against God Therefore leaning unto them must needs hinder us from leaning unto Christ 1. It is foolishnes with God 1. The Unregenerate mind is foolishnesse as to the apprehending of this Mystery of leaning upon the Lord Jesus Amongst the Highest improvers of the Vnrenewed Intellectuals we read of many enquiring after their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or felicity and upon inquiry one saith in one thing another in another the best of them say that virtue is the way to that felicity which yet they define not according to the Scripture-notion of it or as identical with divine graces but an Habit inherent in our selves the feeds whereof are from our selves also and the springing and fructifying and Maturity of the fruits from our own studious improvement of what is in us And who amongst the wisest of them ever pointed at a Jesus as did that Heaven-taught John Baptist Io. 1.9 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World Nay how was it possible they should so do When Scripture saith expressly that the Lord hath hid the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven from the wise and prudent of the World as Mat. 11.25 and as expressly that this is one of the great Mysteries of Godlinesse that Christ should be believed on in the world 1 Tim. 3.16 that is that any soule should lean for salvation to the righteousnesse of another 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receives not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him 1 Cor. 3.19 Even as the wisdom of this world is foolishnesse with God As the Lord knowes thy leaning to the Counsells of thine own heart to be very foolishnesse So dost thou naturally think leaning to the Lords Counsell concerning Christ to be very foolishness What 's that to mee saith thy reason how good another is what can I be the better Or how is it possible that the dying of one man
above sixteen hundred yeares agoe shall save so many as expect salvation by it now And thus doe poor hearts often reason themselves from trusting in Christ Ah! how witty was the woman of Samaria in cavilling against Christ Ioh. 4.11.12.15 Her wit had almost fool'd her for ever and as we speak of some that they will save their jest though they lose their friend this over-wise woman had in making her jests almost unhappily lost her Saviour but Christ would not so lose her Secondly 2. Emnity against God Our Unregenerate or carnall mind it s not onely foolishnesse and so not able to receive the things of God but also Emnity against God Rom. 8.7 therefore saith Paul is it not subject to the Law of God neither can it be Now what is the great Gospel-Law why This is his Commandement that we should believe on the Lord Jesus 1 Joh. 3 23. To this Commandement the Carnall mind neither is nor can be subject Lean upon the Lord Jesus Tell mee what say your Carnall minds unto this Commandement It is obvious to every observant eye that there is not any Commandement of the Law that is more repugnant to Carnall reason then this Law of the Gospel and Carnall reason unto it Aristotle and the other heathen Philosophers could hit upon an Ens entium a being of beings and that was somewhat like the first Commandement and upon a Deus est colendus and that is somewhat like the second Command They also could account vowes and oaths sacred c. and that was something like the third Commandement they had some superstitious feasts in semblance of the fourth and as for the second Table of Commandements Honor Parents kill not whore not steal not lie not they could all with open mouth declaim in that Language and as for Covetousnesse much could they inveigh against it although the more spirituall part of there was too sublime for them But as for this Commandement they were so far from finding it out themselves and the best of them despisingly called the Christians Credentes as if their faith were their absurdity wheras God calls all such unreasonable or absurd that have not Faith 2 Thes 3.2 And thus they made a mock at Jesus and that was the very Object of their despightfull and Opprobrious Opposition which wee know to bee the onely way of our salvation viz. Leaning upon the Beloved Thus their Wisdome made them mockers and their mocking made their Bonds of unbeliefe so strong as God threatneth Isa 28.22 that nothing was found a more very Enemy to primitive Christianity than that self-taught Reason and Heathenish Philosophy So then it is not onely the foolishnesse of our heats but the wisdom of our hearts also that flyes in the very face of Gospell-truth and cryes out as Joh. 3.4 How can these things be Therefore the spirit saith not that the World through foolishnesse knew not God But after that the World through wisdom knew not God it pleased God that by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 Whence it is evident that as there is nothing that sets it selfe more directly against the Knowledge of Christ then the Carnall Worldly Naturall mans wisdom so neither doth that wisdom oppose any thing more then believing in Christ and therefore it accounts the preaching of faith foolishnesse What saith Carnall Reason will you take hold on the Lord with unwashed hands stay stay till your hands be cleansed and then 't is more likely that Christ will suffer you to lean upon him Yea but what can purifie the heart but faith And I will lean upon Christ not because I am holy and like him but that I may be holy and pure as he is pure and believe and rest upon him that I may be sanctified by him such should the language of faith be CHAP. XXII Containeth next the danger of leaning to our own Wills Righteousnesse Long-lives Self-Will SEcond leaning to our Carnall Wills must needs hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Jesus See Isa 30.15 The Lord the holy One of Israel said In returning and Rest you shall be saved this is the voice of Gods spirit to them but what 's the frame of their spirits towards him But yee would not But yee said no but we will do so and so ver 16. They cast aside the stay that the Lord tenders them and this is the Reason they lean to their own Wills Thus did those Brethren in iniquity Simeon and Levi they had no advice from their Father or Word from the Lord to lean unto in that Cruelty but saith the text Gen. 49.6 In their self-Will they digged down a Wall Now it must needs be that leaning to our own wills must hinder from leaning upon Christ upon a twofold account 2. Evid 1. Because the selfe-Will leans unto the dictates of self-reason First Suppose the truth of the former viz. that leaning upon our self-Wisdom is an hindrance and you must conclude this also Because the Will doth necessarily lean to what the Counsell of the understanding leads it to So that whatever carnall reason represents to the Will as fit to be Confided in be it Sin or Self or Satan or the World that the Will cleaves unto So that if the light that be in thee be darknesse if the very understanding be a blind guide what shall keep up the blind Will from falling into the ditch Lean not to thine own Understanding Now how do wee lean to the Understanding but by the Will When Eve perceived this and that of the forbidden tree then she desires it to make her wise Gen. 3.6 her Reason leave upon the Serpents Counsell and her desire hangs upon the dictates of her reason if the Intellect did not say to the Will that stollen waters are the sweetest the Robber would never have so much Will to steal and so little to live by labour If the Worldling did not think it better to gather treasure to himself hee would be richer towards God In all cases where the Will closeth the Understanding I judge approveth either that it is good though it be evill or at least as we say pro hic nunc good for thee at this time thus Abraham thought a lye was a good shift although he knew in it selfe it was evill to save his life ad the Lord saith Isa 5.20 That they cal evil good and good evil and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter wherein I suppose he relates to the acts of the Will closing with this and refusing that accepting this as good and sweet and rejecting that as Evil and bitter and the reason is that in the middle of the Verse viz. they put light for darknesse and darknesse for light which must be judg'd the act of the Understanding When the dark and corrupt Reason mistakes an Evil and calls it good as nothing is more frequent with the unconverted then the Will followes it though it
or seriously and frequently remember death will get a Christ to lean upon in that hour But while you read in one scripture of some that put the evill day far from them as Amos 6.3 't is no wonder that you read in others that some there are that say unto God Depart from us as Job 21.14 or that Christ should come to his own according to the flesh and they not receive him as Joh. 1.11 You have a notable passage Isa 57.10 Thou hast found thy life of thine hand therefore thou hast not grieved Men find their lives in their own hands therefore they have not repented therefore Though all our Times are alwaies in Gods hand yet vaine men ordinarily think they are in their own hands as in time of health and prosperity c. but now in sicknesse they foolishly think yet is there something in it that their lives are in the Physitians hand if he through inconsiderateness or hast mistake a glass or a Gally-pot they may die for it Oh! now they are grieved how glad would they now be that they had but a firm hold upon the Lord Jesus So I have seen at Sea when the vainest of our company have been convicted by a storm that ours lives were in Gods hand and not in our own When our tacklings have been loosed and we could not well strengthen the Mast oh how fain would we all of us then have had an Interest in this Beloved and hope in this Christ as the Anchor of our souls when we could not cast anchor with our ships to have a Master to lean upon When our Mast reeled and wee staggered like drunken men and were ready to sinke in the deep Waters Oh! What crying out with Peter Master save us we perish Lord Jesus We sink we sink we are at our wits ends Lord save us But as soon as we were safe on shoar again though our lives were new given us even for a prey yet then fell wee to our former course of sin self-confidence and vain conversation having small care of faith or holiness Christ is now little beloved little believed little thought upon little lean'd upon Thus whilest we lean upon any thing of SELF there is little leaning to this beloved All this have I spoken to you for the self same end that those sad providences spake to Paul and his companions 2 Cor. 1.9 That you might not trust in your selves but in God Trusting to self and trusting to God leaning upon self and leaning upon the Beloved are as very Opposits as light and darkness as Hell and Heaven and the Apostles argument is very clear that the Lord one way or other must quite remove us from the former before we come to the later Therefore lean not to Self By this time I hope I have spared my self a labour as to any set opposition of such Considerations as might disswade you from leaning on your selves having not been able to convince you that men do so without conviction also of the Vanity and Foolishness of all that doe so Well might the wise man say as Pro. 28.26 He that trusteth in his own heart that is he that leans to self-wit self-will c. is a fool So say I hee that trusteth in his own Righteousness or length of daies or anything of his own is a fool Understandings Souls consider how foolish and unwise a thing it is to lean to your own naturall carnall unrenewed Understandings which are both foolishness with and Emnity against the Lord What needs more weight of argument to disswade you Wills Consider how desperate a thing it is to lean to your own unsanctified and unregenerate Wills which you have seen by scripture-light to be both Rebellion against the Lord and Idolatry in the account of the Lord and require when you have seriously weighed these more forcing disswasives if you can Righteousnes Consider how dangerous a thing it is to lean to your own Righteousnesse which is ever found a stranger to a Run-away from and a Rebell against the onely saving Righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus Lives Consider how vain a thing it is to lean to your lives and so not unto the Lord which are at all times as you are forced to confesse at some times not in your hands but in the hands of the Lord. In this the Bell in your steeple spares me a labour in turning over the Bible in mine hand God proves this to your Eares to your Eyes to your hearts in your Husbands Wives Children dearest Relations sometimes every other day to one of you or other and God might have proved it upon you unto them as he hath done upon them unto you and who of us knowes whom of us the Lord will make the next proofe hereof unto the rest of us or how soone our life is our lease our body our house If you leane to this house it shall not stand Job 8.15 Therefore if any of us have beene staved off from leaning upon this Beloved by leaning upon our selves or any thing of our own oh do no more so wickedly CHAP. XXIII Contains disswasives from leaning upon sinne or Satan I shall onely speake three other words to beat off your elbowes from those three other leaning-stocks viz Sinne Satan and the World and then I shall by the help of my Lord as the close of the discourse shew you the excellent advantage of leaning upon Christ First Leane not to sin This is the veriest vanity Lean not to sinne For 1. This is the veriest vanity and it will be the veriest vexation of Spirit First This is the vreiest vanitie If you doe but believe scripture you may easily be induced to believe this What better termes doth scripture bestow upon sinne then such as these a vain shew or shadow a deceipt a lie or make the most of it and it is but a Cobweb Now if you will but take the Spirit of God to beare a true testimony under these terms unto your sinnes then how vaine a thing is it to leane unto them even your selves being Judges Because 1. Sin a lye First He that leans to a known sinne if the Bible be true leanes undoubtedly to a known lye If the Crutch in his right hand be a sinne let Isaiah speake whether the Crutch in his right hand be not a lie Isai 44.20 They that follow after sin follow after leasing and they that hold fast sin hold fast deceit Jer. 8.5 And therefore 't is not strange that they that doe so should be therefore branded to love vanitie Psal 4.2 What foole so foolish as to trust a known lyar especially in a known lye And yet alas what sinner is there more wise Wilt thou lean upon that which is not but onely seems to be Sinne is not good sinne can bring no good Sinne is not really pleasurable it is not truly profitable when it seemes to bee such it is not such but doth lie In
this case thou must either put the lie upon the Scripture or upon Sin I believe thou darest not doe the former and therefore why is it that thou wilt not do the latter Or 2ly At most 't is but a Spiders web Secondly If sinne have any being at all make the best of it it is but as a Spiders web A poore thing you 'l say for an House to lean upon when all it's support is in very deed by leaning on the House Take but downe the House and you need not take downe the Cobweb My Brethren if Scripture be true then the very best head that sinners can bring their work unto is but the spinning of a Spiders web a poore thing you 'l say and a very vanity for the soule which should be an house for God to dwell in to leane upon and yet read Isai 59.4 5. They trust in vanitie there 's my charge against sinners they speak lies conceiving mischiefe and bring forth iniquitie they spin Spiders webs there 's the proofe Would not he be accounted a foolish one that would not yeeld to the taking downe of a Cobweb for feare least his House should fall And what shall we account of foolish sinners that thinke that if their soules be but swept and their sinnes their Spiders webs but taken downe that then they shall fall also and that their Reformation would be their ruine Miserable madnesse why Sinne is not the House and thy Soule the Cobweb but thy Soule is the House and sinne the Spiders web Thy soule hath not it's dependence being and subsistence upon sinne but sin hath it's dependence by hanging upon thy soule It 's sad that so many cleanly and houswisely for the world that cannot indure Spider or Cobweb in their Houses should to freely suffer both in their hearts and thinke that they goe about to undoe them that would sweep them downe Oh! downe with Spider and Web and All down with Satan and Sinne too and instead of danger I 'le warrant thee decency and that thy soule shall become a Temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in But if thou wilt still conceipt that thou canst not be or subsist without thy sin when in very deed it is thy sinne that cannot be or subsist without thee know from the mouth of the Lord Job 8.14 That thy hope shall be cut off because thy trust is a Spiders web Secondly 2ly This will be the veriest vexation of Spirit 1. If this Reed bear not up the hand it will pierce the hand This will be the veriest vexation of spirit which will easily appeare in these severall particulars 1. Sin is not of an indifferent nature If it cannot profit thee to leane upon it it will be sure to prejudice thee This is that very Aegyptian Reed 2 King 18.21 That staffe of Aegypt whereon if a man lean it will not onely breake and so shrink from under his hand but it will go into his hand and pierce it thorough Oh! what is that which leaves the deepest markes behind it in wounded Consciences and distressed Spirits but this or the like I have sinned and trusted in my wickednesse and strengthned my self in my sin When a man flees the judgements of the Lord and leanes to his sinne untill the guilt and horror thereof meet him he is compared to a man fleeing from a Lyon and going into the House 2ly The harder you lean upon sin the heavier it will lie upon you and leaning his hand on the wall and a Serpent bites him Amos 5.19 2ly The harder you leane upon sin now the heavier will sin lie upon you another day What is observed of the Irish Nations Genius that while they are Underlings they are faire and flattering but ever plotting for the Mastery and the more they are trusted or leaned unto the more easily they attaine it but their little fingers are as others loynes when they have gotten the upper hand of those that by leaning to them were prevailed upon by them this may be verily said of sinne the more you adventure to leane upon it the harder it will be sure to lie upon you 1. In the Commanding power sinne will not long bee a servant when once you come to trust it Sinne promised to be your servant at the first but you must be it's slaves afterwards Though sinne will be daily offering its service such as it is to the Saints as I remember the Irish used to doe to the English before their massacre in the late Rebellion yet the way to keepe it from Mastery is to keepe from trusting it If once you be deceived so farre as to trust it for then I am said to be deceive when I lean'd or trusted to a man and found him not according to my trust reposed in him I say if once you be thus deceived by sinne sinne will be servant no longer but you shall be presently found serving divers lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 2ly In the condemning power of it Sirs The more you put stress upon sinne now the more weight of horror and guilt and condemnation sinne will be sure to lay upon you afterwards You will finde Scripture more expresse to this pupose then you willingly would have it I shall give you but one proofe and thinke that enough Isai 30.12.13 Thus saith the holy One of Israel because you trust in perversenesse and staie thereupon therefore this iniquitie shall be as a breach ready to fall swelling out in an high wall whose breaking comes suddainly at an instant Your sinne will not alwaies be your Underling but if you make it your wall and leane upon it and stay thereupon it will quickly get above your head and grow higher then you and the more you leane the sooner it will swell and the harder you leane the heavier it will fall upon your heads you shall not need to call to Mountaines to fall upon you this high wall of your own building and whereunto you trusted will be weight enough upon your Consciences and vexation enough unto your spirits 3ly Lean on sin and looke that God should leave you 3ly Lean on sin and God wil leave you he that trusts in sin hath a God on this side God he makes sinne his God and then as Hos 10.3 What should a King do unto us so what should God do unto him What will he doe why he tells you Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned unto Idols let him alone When men are joyned to sinne that is hold sin as hard as sinne holds them and stick unto sinne as close as sinne sticks unto them God will say and they had as good he should say any thing let such a soul alone Lastly Though God leave thee for the present 4ly The harder you press upon sin the harder will God presse upon you yet will he leane the harder upon thee another day the harder thou leanest upon sinne now What a dreadfull passage is that Job 27.20 22. Terrours
shall take hold upon him for God shall cast upon him and not spare though he would fain flie out of his hand You have this dreadfull judgement annexed to this sad sinne Jer. 13.35 This is thy lot the portion of thy measures from me saith the Lord because thou hast forgotten me and trusted in falsehood this is thy lot from me Oh! that 's a killing word It 's usually the lot of Saints to suffer from the World and to have all the loades laid on them that wicked men can lay yea sometimes 't is their lot to lie under all the loads that they can possibly lay upon themselves and their own Consciences can presse them down withall but all this is little to the other for all this while there is a God to take off their loads from them But now when God shall say this is thy lot from me and I will lay much weight upon thee because thou didst trust in falshood and lay as much weight upon thy sinne as possibly thou couldest and I the Lord will presse hard upon thee with mine owne hand of wrath and will not spare because thou didst leane hard upon thy sinne and sparedst not Heaven and Earth stand astonished and tremble O Hell at the Easelesse Endlesse and Remedilesse vexation that will surprise that Spirit Leane not to Satan 1. He is a knowne lyar 2ly Lean not to Satan for 1. If Sin be the web Satan is the Spider If Sin be the lie Satan's the lyer and which of these is to be leaned unto As for Satan he was a lyer from the beginning he hath continued a lyer ever since he got his Kingdom by lying he continues it by lying he manageth his whole Oeconomy and family-dispensations by lying and therefore he is called the Father of it Jo. 8.44 And is this thy Counsellor thy friend thy bosome-friend Is this hee that so many of the world lean unto Alas the foolishnesse of the children of men or madnesse rather of the children of the Devill alas the frequent bewitchednesse of the children of God! 2ly A sworne enemy Secondly Satan is not onely a known lyer but he is also thy sworn Enemie therefore what madnesse is it for thy soule to leane to him Will a man consult with his Enemie whose plot it is to take away his life or his estate how he may doe to save them Or will he which is much more lean to his Enemies counsell if he should entertaine a discourse with him What is said of the Unicorne Job 39.11 Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great I may much more say so to thy soule concerning Satan Are we ever the more confident in our Adversaries because they are the more potent Strength is the onely thing in Satan which might induce thee to leane unto those Principalities and Powers yea but that strength is in an Enemies keeping and therefore there 's lesse reason for trusting him Or dost thou thinke that he will lay downe his Emnity because he takes up a flattery Let the wise Man counsell thee Prov. 26.24 25. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips and layeth up deceit within him when he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart Thirdly You say of knavish Customers 3ly The more you leane to him the more he will presse upon you the more you trust them the more they trouble you and the more they have of your Confidence the more you have of their Companie the way to be rid of them is to give them no Credit neither to trust to their Promises nor to their Payments I am sure it is and will be thus with Satan Oh! how he loves to trade where he may bee trusted you complaine Satan's alwaies troubling you and who can helpe it you are alwaies trusting him Trust him lesse and hee will trouble you lesse In this sort resist him and in that sort he will flee from you Jam 4.7 Lastly Lean unto Satan and farewell all confederacy and correspondence with the Lord. They say 4ly Leane to him and God will leave you if our State will leane to the Portugall they must breake with the Spaniard for these are absolute Enemies I am sure if you leane to Satan God will break with you for there 's no reconciling Christ and Belial Thus resting on the Lord and covenanting with Hell are made termes of fullest opposition Isai 28.12 15. CHAP. XXIV Disswasives from leaning upon the World amplified Lean not to the world THirdly lean not to the World Or as the Apostles rule is where hee speakes of the highest of fleshly things Phil. 3.3 Have no confidence in the flesh 1. Not to the worlds promises First Lean not to the Worlds promises be they never so specious yet are they but like Satans to Christ when he shewed him the glory of the World altogether deceitfull and treacherous All these will I give thee or to our Parents you shall be as Gods What more could be promised but though the second Adam was wiser then to be deceived yet is the first Adam yea and all his posterity a sad and sufficient proofe of the slender performance Much after the same sort doth the World pay what it promiseth Therefore as Job 15.31 Let not him that is deceived trust in Vanity for Vanity shall be his recompence Have you not often found this to be true of the World you very Men of the World Is not an high degree in the world a lye even as a low degree is vanity Read Psal 62.9 Yea let great Ones read their own Experiences in such or such a place of worldly profit or power c. Who were fairly promised much in it before they had it and then tell me Nor performances 2ly The Worlds performances are no more to bee trusted then its promise Leane no more unto what the World can do then unto what the World can say 1. Not to what the men of the world can do First Lean not to the Men of the World Jer. 17.5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man or maketh flesh his Arm. 2ly Lean not to the Things of the World 2. Nor the things of the world Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in riches 1 Tim. 6.17 True may you say men are not to be lean'd to in whom we have no interest but such a man is my friend my Brother But trust not in a friend Mic. 7.5 And againe men will think small friends small forces are not much to be confided in Small means they that have them may live to wast them and too dye beggers notwithstanding them But think men if our friends or our Armies were so great or our Navies so strong or our Estates so many Thousands and that an Annuity then might I trust and that with boldnesse unto these things Therefore I wil go over again First Lean not to the men of
with you this threefold account The exceeding bignesse and vast latitude and Dimensions of the heart The extream numerousnesse of the waies that are therein The windings and turnings that are in those waies First consider the vast Dimension of the heart of man 1. The vastnesse of the heart The World as you have heard is big enough for a Wildernesse but the heart is much bigger The world is not large enough to hold thine heart but thine heart is big enough to hold a great many worlds Alexanders heart was too big for the world for when he had conquered it he sate down som say and wept because there were no more worlds for him to conquer Eccles 3.11 He hath set the world in their heart The World is nothing so big as the heart I remember I once saw the pictures of our severall faculties as Will Memory c. one was the phancy of phancy or the figure of the phantasie and O it was a painter painted painting an heart in that heart the world in one Corner an harlot the Emblem of the flesh in another and the Devill in the third and I judge it lively expressed The heart is so much bigger then the World as to be able to hold the flesh that is corrupt Nature and the Devill too Now put together our own Corruptions all Satans temptations and the World allurements and if that heart that is big enough to comprehend all these be not large enough by these to become our Wildeernesse judge you CHAP. VIII Contains further proof and discovery 2. Many waies that are in the heart SEcondly Consider the great many waies of this great heart I 'l warrant enough to bewilder you Pro. 19.21 There are many devices in the heart of man and Pro. 16.9 A mans heart deviseth his way Put both together There are many Devices of mans heart and all these are the waies of mans heart therefore many are the waiee of the heart of man Like so great a City that hath so many streets that one supposed to be bred and born in it is not able to reckon or to know them all such a City or Wildernesse rather is mans heart To understand this I would have you know that all the waies of a mans life that are properly mans waies are first in mans heart A mans heart deviseth his way 'T is said Psal 84.5 Blessed is the man in whose heart are the waies of them c. that is of Gods people Gods peoples waies are in their hearts So sinners waies are first of all of them in sinners hearts Hence I prove that their hearts are Wildernesses unto them As if a man be to ride to London to morrow the nature of the heart is to ride the journey before-hand to night when it goes to sleep or in the morning when he wakes So his heart sins over his sin before-hand And how can these waies but be an heart-wilderness to the unregenerate Therefore saith God Isai 47.13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy Counsels and verse 15. The Merchants which thou hast laboured with from thy youth shall wander every of them to his Quarter none of them shall save thee Evidences of the multitude of wayes in the heart The waies and counsels of their owne hearts were that which undid them I shall farther offer two or three things under this head to your Consideration which may abundantly prove the multitude of the wayes of our heart and readinesse of those wayes to bewilder us First There never was any way of sin in any heart but thine heart and mine are expose thereunto 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no tentation taken you but that which is common to man c. but God will make a way to escape Marke Every temptation is a bewildring tentation unlesse God make a way thou canst not scape and every such temptation is common to man even every one upon the Earth The same temptation that undid Cain and Cham and Jeroboam and Judas are common to thee and thy soule might be bewildred in the same wayes if God made not a way to escape Now thinke what multitudes of waies are there for sinners that live now to walke in even all the wayes that ever sinners walked in hitherto therefore 't is registred of some afterward that they went in the way of Cain before them Jud. 11. and followed the way of Balaam 2 Pet. 2.15 Their wayes and the wayes of all other sinners that ever were are before the eyes of their unregenerate heart Secondly There was never way of sinne in any heart but thine heart and mine are naturally disposed to it Prov. 27.19 As face in water answers face so the heart of man answers to man Thy face in the water which was then I suppose their onely looking-glasse is not more like thy very face then thine heart and anothers are by nature alike the same dispositions to cruelty as in Cain to covetousnesse as in Balaam to betray Christ as in Judas or what ever else was comitted by whomsoever else you have heard of or read of or knowne are naturally in thine owne heart Thou art not onely subject and exposed but inclined and disposed unto them And truly I thinke it becomming us when we heare of anothers sinne in the Act and Fruit to looke upon it as our owne in the Root and so to be humbled for it and rapt up in admiration of his Grace who hath made the difference Thirdly There was never any sinne in thine owne life but it was the way of thine heart first Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart c. They are all gone aside verse 3. so Prov. 7.25 Let not thine heart decline to her waies go not astray in her paths The heart goes alwaies before the rest goes Now then if all the waies of sinne that ever thou wert in or that ever any other were in are and have been either actually or as we say in actu primo in their originall root and spawn in thine heart thou canst not but rest convicted that there are in thine heart wayes enough to make a wildernesse 3ly The many windings of those wayes Thirdly As the heart of man is very great and full of waies so are those waies full of windings and turnings to and againe and therefore the heart cannot but be a Wildernesse The heart of man is compared to the belly of a man Prov. 20.27 because of any creature a mans bowels as Anatomists note are fullest of windings so full of windings are the wayes of the heart so full I say that himselfe that walkes in them can't know where he is Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and who can know it In the fifth verse you have mention of an heart departing from the Lord and therefore becomming an Heath in the Desert a salt Land and a Wildernesse verse 6. And this is the heart that is so desperately full of windings and